Welcome to this Project!

This blog was conceived on the 8th August 2008,hence its title. 8 is the number of new beginnings, which was also the prophetic declaration over the Church through various prophets in 2008.

On,Now,To the Third Level is not some elite form of Christianity. It is God's Norm. Watchman Nee would have called it the Normal Christian Life. Others in time past called it brokenness. We call it life. Rob Rufus explains in "Taking Away The Veil" that Christ has opened the way through to God for us. We can live there.

Why bother using the phrase "Third Level"? Because there are 3 places in God's Tabernacle. And there are 3 stages of growth in 1 John 2. More than this, historically and corporately we have known forgiveness by grace. Then from 1906 onward the Church has known a charismatic empowering by grace. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit and supernatural manifestations.

But what we are now saying is we can live full-time to God's glory and in God's glory. There are keys of faith to each stage and in these last days God has been revealing the grace keys to this final level....a level that has had the Veil Taken Away.

It is the level that is the full realisation of the New Covenant in Christ's Blood, but also the life that God promised when He said "The Knowledge of the Glory of God shall cover the Earth as the Waters Cover the Sea".

A FULL LIST OF SUBJECT LABELS CAN BE FOUND LISTED ALPHABETICALLY AT THE BASE OF THIS PAGE.


Opinion / Columnist

Donald Trump won the US presidency partly because he persuaded ordinary Americans that there was an alternative truth to that being presented to them by the mainstream media. Anything he didn't like he dismissed as 'fake news'.This is not a new phenomenon, as Zimbabweans must know well. Cathy Buckle talks about much the same thing in her latest letter from Zimbabwe. She says one of the largest drains on Zimbabwe's foreign exchange is the cost of subscription television services from abroad because people don't believe ZBC and are bored out of their minds by it anyway.The government controlled press is also adept at fake news. Take Friday's report in the Herald about the UN Human Rights Council's meeting in Geneva. It begins: 'Zimbabwe scored big here when the United Nations adopted its November 2016 Universal Periodic Report highlighting the human rights situation in the country, as member-states applauded Government efforts and commitment at ensuring enjoyment of various rights by citizens.'Talk about alternative reality! The real picture is rather different. If you look into the composition of the Council you will find that it is packed with serial human rights abusers such as North Korea, China, Iran, Belarus, Turkey, Venezuela and Cuba. There are many African member countries as well but they vote in shameless solidarity with brother Africans.These countries predictably ignored a submission by human rights organisations expressing concern that human rights defenders in Zimbabwe 'continue to face harassment, arbitrary arrests and torture for exercising their freedoms to assemble and of expression'.Also dwelling in an alternative world is former Vice President 'Dr' Joice Mujuru whose failings were forensically examined by Stephen Sackur of the BBC Hardtalk programme.'What a plump chicken I see before me', he might well have thought as he plucked another feather from Mugabe's long-time bag carrier.What emerged from the interview was a woman whose husband had been murdered by her boss but who nevertheless chose to hang onto her job. The ancient Greeks would have seen this as a subject for a tragedy. For Zimbabweans it is just life. Joice showed herself to be lying and self-serving. She bleated: 'I could do nothing. I was not guilty. I was only Vice President. I knew nothing. I spent my 30+ years in government only doing good for people etc.'By the end of the interview the chicken feathers were knee deep in the BBC studio. The Vigil thinks that any group allying itself with her is taking a big risk with its credibility. And that's not fake news.
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.

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..UK Media Watch..13 March '17..This week saw a new milestone for Israels economy, as an Israeli start-up, Mobileye, was bought for $15.3 billion dollars by Intel, marking the largest ever deal for an Israeli company.It is hard to overstate the significance of the deal; the $1 billion sale of Israeli company Waze to Google in 2013 was considered a landmark moment, but that now looks like small fry compared to the Mobileye sale. As venture capitalist Michael Eisenberg wrote, this deal changes expectations and raises the bar, as Israeli entrepreneurs now know they can build a $15 billion company in ten years. Israels GDP is around $320 billion, so for two Israelis to create a company worth $15 billion, 5% of the countrys GDP, in just ten years, is simply staggering.This very significant story was not reported in the Guardian. This in and of itself is a little surprising, but not malicious or improper. What makes it noteworthy is that the pages of the Guardian feature much discussion and reporting about BDS, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement  but one wonders whether they are missing the real story.
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"We want to thank Jeff for his six months at the company and wish him all the best," the company said in a statement.

Jones' departure is not a direct result of the company's search for a new COO, one that could've outranked him, but because Uber was "not the situation he signed on for," according to Recode.

In an internal email obtained by Business Insider, though, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick told employees that

Since the beginning of the year, Uber has been hit with a blistering few weeks of bad press. In January, over 200,000 customers deleted Uber in one weekend as part of the #DeleteUber movement. Since then, the company has had to launch an internal investigation into its workplace culture after a former engineer published a tell-all blog post about the gender bias and sexual harassment she allegedly endured at the company.

Uber has also been sued by its investor, Google, for allegedly using stolen technology and had details of a program designed to deceive government authorities published in the last two weeks.

According to Recode, Jones departure is "directly" related to the number of scandals at the company. In a statement sent to Recode, Jones said he was leaving because "the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided [his] career are inconsistent with what [he] saw and experienced at Uber."

Kalanick pledged to find leadership help and hire a new No. 2 as the result of the scandals, although many speculated that Jones' initial role at the company was to be that right-hand man.

When the company announced his hire in August, Kalanick lauded the former Target exec's experience as CMO and was excited about what he would bring to the ride-hailing giant.

His departure is the latest in a string of high profile leadership departures. Uber's head of AI, Gary Marcus, left to become a special advisor to the company in March. Former Twitter engineer Raffi Krikorian stepped down from his role as a senior director of engineer at Uber's Advanced Technologies Center in late February. Another key member of Uber's self-driving team, Charlie Miller, had left Uber to join Chinese rival Didi's self-driving car lab.

Uber's also had two executives resign as the company investigates sexual harassment and gender bias in its workplace. Amit Singhal was asked to resign as SVP of engineering by CEO Travis Kalanick after it was revealed he didn't inform Uber about previous allegations of sexual assault. Uber's VP of Product and Growth Ed Baker also resigned under mysterious circumstances.
The community has appealed to government to reduce the fees to ease the cost of doing business in the country.

READ ALSO:US to strengthen bilateral relationship with Ghana for economic growth

At the Open Forum and Town Hall Meeting in Beijing, Ghanaian students and businessmen living in China expressed their dissatisfaction at the high cost incurred in the payment of facilitation fees.

This they say, has driven away Chinese businesses from establishing in Ghana.

If somebody wants to set up to help you then you are demanding 20 per cent, 25 per cent, 30 per cent, how can the person manage his business? These things should stop," a participant said.

Local content

Others also suggested that, Chinese businesses which wanted to set up in Ghana should be made to give a quota to Ghanaians who has studied in China to have internship slots in their companies.

Reacting to that statement,Officer in-charge of Trade at the Embassy, Kwadwo Atuahene, said it was not in the power of the embassy to insist that the Chinese companies took on Ghanaian students.

READ ALSO: Ghana signs Double Taxation Agreement with Mauritius

He explains that such a policy could make Ghana unattractive for Chinese businesses.

The best thing for you here is that, the Chinese man will be comfortable to work with someone who has trained in China, has imbibed the Chinese way of doing things and therefore they will be comfortable working with that person, he added.

Business forum

Some participants recommended that the Embassy to hold periodic forum for Ghanaian businessmen in China to share ideas that would help Ghana develop.

READ ALSO:Reviewed local content policy to pressurize multinationals to list on GSE

For instance the dumsor issue in Ghana can become a thing of the past. There are so many companies in China which can help solve the problem.
The MoU was signed at the just ended Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting in London.

READ ALSO:Ghanaians in China decry high facilitation fees for doing businesses in Ghana

It is believed that MoU will help attract high quality investments, promote industrial and inclusive growth for employment creation, formalising and deepen the level of bilateral cooperation between AGI and CWEIC.

The strategic partnership is also aimed at making AGI members to get access to intra-Commonwealth trade and investment, as well as promote joint ventures.

Transfer of technology, innovation, technical skill development for wealth creation and reduce unemployment, especially in the Ghanaian industrial sector is s an added advantage.

READ ALSO:US to strengthen bilateral relationship with Ghana for economic growth

CWEIC is the apex organisation representing Private Sector businesses within the 52-member states of the Commonwealth, a population of 2.3 billion, with a combined GDP of 6.7 trillion, all doing business in English and using a shared legal framework.

James Asare-Adjei, President of Association of Ghana Industries, signed on behalf of his members, whilst Lord Marland of Odstock, Chairman of CWEIC, also signed for his outfit.

CWEIC is the private sectors gateway to doing business in the Commonwealth. It has the role to create opportunities for businesses and help establish the trust between Government and the private sector that will allow the economies of the Commonwealth to flourish.

A flagship programme of CWEIC, which Ghana can benefit from, is Commonwealth Export Champions, which selects 100 leading SMEs, offer intensive training, mentoring, trade missions and business development support to help new businesses in the fast-growing Commonwealth markets
Upon showing up for the rendezvous, the victim was reportedly surrounded by some youths who beat him up leaving him with serious injuries.

Zcent, who made the trip down from the Lagos Island was forced out of his car and taken to a nearby church where he was stripped naked, the P.M News reports.

Policemen from the Ejigbo Division saved him from further assault as soon as his attackers were done with him.

According to some residents in the area, the expatriate had promised to pay his Facebook friend in Dollar if he agreed to have sex with him.

Unfortunately for him, no amount of foreign currency could persuade his acquaintance into having sexual relationship with him.

ALSO READ: Angry father rapes lesbian daughter as indicator that sex is better with men

Nigeria, and indeed Africa, have made known its strong disapproval for gay practices despite pressures from western societies.
READ MORE: Fulani man murdered

According to him, burning the body was a way of covering up that he had murdered his former boss.

The deceased, who was based in London, reportedly came to Ghana to attend a friend's funeral and oversee some investments.

After the incident, the suspects, who is currently in police cells, told the family of his former boss that he has gone out to meet some unnamed persons.

All attempt to reach him via telephone was unsuccessful.

Days later, the family reported to the Ofankor police that Mr Poku had gone missing.

On Wednesday, March 15, the body of the deceased was discovered at the Police Hospital morgue.

The body was discovered around Pokuase, Accra, by some residents, who sent the charred body to the hospital for autopsy.

The suspect said he first met the deceased when he wanted to work in a barbering salon. According to him, Mr Poku gave him his house to use for the salon, and also to maintain the place since he is not always around.

READ MORE: Carpenter butchered in Peki

The suspect said he used his money to renovate the house and wanted a refund but his boss promised him only GHC1000 which he said was not enough.

A heated argument ensued between them in which Mr Poku asked the suspect to pack out.
A charter flight for Jews taking part in the annual pilgrimage to an 18th century Hasidic rebbes grave in Eastern Europe was forced to make an emergency landing Sunday in Amsterdam.The Boeing 767, carrying some 200 passengers, was forced down after the cabin suddenly depressurized. Witnesses say passengers were forced to breathe through masks tied to the planes emergency oxygen system while the plane diverted from its flight path to land.Originating in London Stansted Airport, the charter flight was scheduled to fly to Ukraine, where passengers would disembark and continue on their way to the city of Lezajsk, just over the border in Poland.The flight was one of many special chartered flights by visitors looking to make the annual pilgrimage to the grave of Rabbi Elimelech Weisblum in Lezajsk (Lizhensk). This Sunday marks the 230th anniversary of Rabbi Weisblums passing.After an hour on the ground in Amsterdam, the flight was airborne again.
READ MORE: Let armed forces deal with armed robbery

Alidu was arrested together with one of his 15-member gang, Mohammed Iddrissu, 20, during a dawn swoop on Thursday, according to the Police.

The Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Osabarima Oware Asare Pinkro III, said Alidu and his gang are noted for various violent crimes at Agbogbloshie and unleashing terror on market women.

The swoop, DCOP Pinkro explained, was to rid Agbogbloshie of criminals who use the area as their hideout.

The swoop on Alidu and his gang follow series of complaint from their victims, DCOP Pinkro said at a media briefing.

Giving timelines of reported incidents against the suspect, DCOP Pinkro said on February 2, 2017, they received a complaint one of Alidus victims who had multiple machete wounds on his body.

The victim, Samiruwu Abdulai, a resident of Old Fadama told the police a makeshift structure at Konkomba near Agbogbloshie market when a group of men stormed the place to demand money from him.

When victim refused to give them the money, they attacked him with machetes and other offensive weapons, injuring him.

DCOP Pinkro said on February 2, 2017, two traders at the Konkomba market, Philip Kofi Anderson, and Sylvester Baffour, were attacked by Alidu and his gang, who were on motorcycles near the paint dealers, Sikkens Ghana Company, near Agbogbloshie.

On March 3, 2017, he led an attacked on a drinking spot known as Konkonsah Drinking Bar and robbed its patrons, according to DCOP Pinkro.
The seven-member delegation is from Uganda's Parliament and the team being led by Waira Kyewalabye Majegere has already met the newly executive director of the National Service Scheme, Ussif Mustapha.

Nationals service is mandatory for all tertiary school graduates in Ghana and service deployment typically lasts for a year, although there has been a recent introduction of extensions for those who would like to do so.

According to Ussif Mustapha, there was a need for African countries to learn from the success and challenges of each other and also the importance of deploying the skills and energies of its young people for the good of the continent.

He also mentioned that the scheme would deploy over 100,000 service personnel this year with a special focus on the technology and agriculture sectors in line with the countrys vision to improve its current standing in these fields.
The former ICC judge made the comments in an interview with Accra-based 3FM in the New Yorke at the ongoing Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

"Personally, I think [the] progress is very slow and sometimes frustrating. I mean we are in the 21st century and were still talking about empowering women, she said.

Prof Kuenyehia is chairing Ghana's side of the CSW which is on the Theme The Economic Empowerment of Women n the Cocoa Industry in Ghana."

She said Ghana is looking at empowering women in the rural communities as well as exploring ways to increase women representation in parliament.

Ghana was looking at empowering the rural woman in terms of economic; this particular presentation by Ghana was to showcase the Ghanaian rural woman especially in the cocoa industry," she said.

"The industry is one of our biggest economic activity and it was to showcase the role women play in the sector, what their challenges are so that they can be helped to achieve the maximum not just for themselves but for the entire country she said.

This year's CSW is focusing on the women at workplace and how they can make maximum impact.

Even though they work all the time, their work is not always recognized. For instance when you are a house wife, it is assumed you dont work," she said.

"But if you calculate the amount of time that goes into cooking, cleaning washing and taking care of children, its a lot."

So the objective is to look at women at the work place and how they can be helped to make the maximum impact Prof. Kuenyehia said.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

A functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), it was established by UN Economic and Social Council resolution 11(II) of 21 June 1946. The CSW is instrumental in promoting womens rights, documenting the reality of womens lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah said this when he accompanied Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and Interior, to call on the Minister for Defence, Mr. Dominic Nitiwul, during a lunch meeting in Accra.

He said a number of security-related incidents had occurred in some neighbouring countries, and therefore one of the major challenges facing the country was to prepare adequately to counter any threat likely to confront Ghana.

Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah, the Minister of National Security, who accompanied the committee members, said he and the Defence Minister wanted to have the opportunity to meet the committee as a team.

He said it is important that both groups know each other and set to work together. Before arriving at the Black Star Square, the National Security Minister said the team visited the Dog Academy of the Ghana Armed Forces, and expressed the view that dogs are a very important resource in helping the nation to confront these emerging threats.

Meanwhile, Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and Interior have expressed their readiness and willingness to assist and cooperate with the Minister for Defence and the heads of other security services on security matters.

The Committee also urged the Ministry for Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, to engage more with the committee in terms of contribution and suggestions.

Major Derrick Oduro (Rtd), the Chairman of the Committee, called on the Minister not to see the Committee as a body seeking to police the Ministry, but as partners on the same bearing for the development of the country.

On his part, the Defence Minister said this first meeting was the beginning of a series of engagements between his Ministry and the MPs.

He reiterated the need for Parliament to get closer to the Executive, and urged the MPs not to hesitate to make any suggestions they thought necessary.
The accident occurred on Sunday March 19 at about 4PM while tourists were still at the falls. A tree from the top of the waterfall fell onto the sightseers who were swimming.

The death toll was given by the Kintampo Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent, Desmond Owusu Boampong in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM. It is unclear if more bodies are still in the water as rescue and emergency services work through the night to find survivors.

Officers from the Ghana Fire Service, the Police and Ambulance Service have arrived at the scene to rescue those who have been trapped in the water by the tree.

Those who have been rescued so far have been rushed to the Kintampo Hospital for treatment.

The Kintampo Waterfalls is one of Ghanas most visited tourist destinations and the town is often referred to us the centre of Ghana.
Mr Adam made the statement following a publication in a pro-NDC newspaper, The Herald, that some NDC national executives were given money to support party grassroots but kept it and that the former president, John Mahama, is ready to mention the names of such culprits.

"Let me state on record that the party executives did not handle agent money. The distribution of monies meant for agents was done by somebody that was selected by the system and it was delivered directly to the regions," he said in an interview with Accra-based Radio Gold.

"I dont know who was responsible for receiving those monies so if anybody published that somebody at FEC received monies for agents and he or she did not deliver; it cannot be true."
 Flash

The Chinese concept of building "a human community with shared destiny" was on Friday incorporated into a UN Security Council resolution for the first time, mirroring the global recognition of China's great contributions to the global governance, diplomats told Xinhua.

Also included in the newly adopted council resolution was China's Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes, they said.

In a unanimously adopted resolution to renew the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for one year, the 15-nation UN body urged to promote security and stability in Afghanistan and the region "to create a community of shared future for mankind."

Meanwhile, the latest council resolution also urged further international efforts to strengthen regional cooperation and implement the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Security Council stressed "the crucial importance of advancing regional cooperation in the spirit of win-win cooperation as an effective means to promote security, stability and economic and social development in Afghanistan and the region to create a community of shared future for mankind," the resolution said.

Since China first proposed the concept in late 2012, it has gone on to shape China's approach to global governance, giving rise to proposals and measures to support growth for all.

In the same resolution, the council "welcomes and urges further efforts to strengthen the process of regional economic cooperation, including measures to facilitate regional connectivity, trade and transit, including through regional development initiatives such as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (the Belt and Road) Initiative, and regional development projects."

The Belt and Road Initiative, put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, has won support from over 100 countries and international organizations, with nearly 50 cooperation agreements signed between governments.

By adopting the new resolution, the Security Council decided to extend the mandate of the UNAMA for another year, until March 17, 2018.

After the council's unanimous adoption of the resolution, Liu Jieyi, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, told reporters here that the Chinese concept was put into a Security Council resolution for the first time on Friday, thus showing the consensus of the international community on embracing the concept, and manifesting huge Chinese contributions to the global governance.

The Chinese envoy said that latest council move is conducive to creating a favorable atmosphere for China to host a Belt and Road forum for international cooperation in Beijing this May in order to brainstorm on interconnected development.

The upcoming forum will explore ways to address regional and global economic problems, generate fresh energy for interconnected development, and ensure that the Belt and Road Initiative delivers greater benefits to people of the countries involved.

At the same time, Liu also voiced his hope that all UN member states will take an active part in the joint efforts to carry out the Chinese initiative and the Chinese concept by implementing the new council resolution. Resolutions adopted by the Security Council are legally binding.
"It is totally unfortunate; every Ghanaian is worried about the size of government. How can a president complaining of an empty public purse increase the number of appointees who will all get the benefits of an appointee when they assume office? I am troubled by this," he said on Radio Gold's news analysis programme, "Alhaji and Alhaji" on Saturday. "I hope the president will realign some of the ministries for us to have value for money.
According to the prosecutor, Police Detective Sergeant Richard Amoah, in 2016, the accused persons collected a total of GHs 87,000.00 from some 13 fishermen in the area to provide outboard motors for them.

READ MORE: Two NDC executives in police custody for allegedly defrauding fishermen

They failed to provide the outboard motors, the prosecutor told the court, adding that all attempt by the fishermen to retrieve the money yield no result.

The accused persons were arrested after the Chief Fisherman in the area, Mr Emmanuel Odwiri, filed a complaint with the police, the prosecutor said.
Addressing the congregation, President Akufo-Addo said he knew he was fighting against evil forces during the election, saying what kept him going was that he believed 'the battle was the Lord's."

"In the just ended elections, we knew that we were fighting with powers and Principalities. In spite of this however, there was one thing that kept coming to me and that is the fact that the battle was the Lords. Going forward we all need to pray very hard that the change we all want will happen in our country, he said.

Visiting the church for the first time since he became President, Akufo-Addo said he was delighted to join them [the congregation], adding that the timing of his visit was ordained by God.

"I am to happy to be here. I should have been here earlier, but God ordained it for me to come at this time. You should know it was God who made me come here at this time as the President of Ghana It is important that we fervently pray for the change we are desiring. I know one of the religious leaders who will champion this cause of change is Rev Owusu Bempah, he said.

Rev Bempah, who prayed fervently for the president during the 2016 election, presented a Bible and horn to him as gifts.
The comedian, who was impressed with the force's handling of a recent robbery at his Lagos residence made this known on Friday, March 17, 2017, according to Punch News.

He was pictured at the office of the Lagos State Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni, who returned a stolen handset recovered from thieves who robbed his home.

Expressing his appreciation over the effort of the NPF, he said:

I want to thank the Nigeria Police for a job well-done. I thought I will never see again the items stolen from my house.

It is amazing that with two weeks of the robbery attack, the suspects were arrested, my handset recovered.

I usually make negative jokes about our police, but with this performance, I will never use them for negative jokes. I advise members of the public to always support the police.

In western nations, it is the public that assists the police for information against criminals."

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that two of the suspects apprehended following an invasion at the comedian's house have been charged to court.
Subscribers can access these contents and keep up with their favorite comedians by downloading the app on their mobile phones from the respective app stores or by sending by sending COMEDY to 2100.

It is also available at http://comedy.mtnonline.com . An initial 1 month free access period is available upon first time download and log-in while subsequent access is subscription based.

Old comedy videos and skits from popular Nigerian comedians are available on the platform while upcoming comedians have the opportunity to build their fan base via the app by uploading their contents on it.

The platform was launched at a convivial ceremony at Club Rumours in Victoria Island and it had in attendance, some of Nigerias finest witty minds such as Koffi, Saka, Nedu, Ushbebe, Emmaohmygod, Senator, Etinosa, Longmancomedian, MCShakara, Stillringing, Mark Angel, Monica Friday, Wofaifada, Josh2funny, Ebiye, Deeone, Bellokreb, Romeowj.

Pioneers of the comedy industry, Opa William and Ali Baba who attended the event were specially recognized with awards for their immense contribution to the growth of the comedy industry.

The award was presented by MTNs Sales and Distribution Executive, Adekunle Adebiyi.

For the horde of comedians present at the event, Comedy+ is welcome initiative that will provide adequate exposure and reward for their talent.

They were all in agreement that Comedy+ is a befitting reward platform for their creativity that is coming at the time when the comedy industry needs coordination.
A mother, her two children, and four other persons were reportedly killed in the attack which occurred on the night of Saturday, March 18.The attackers were said to have been attempting to infiltrate Maiduguri through Umarari village in Molai General Area when they were challenged by a Civilian Joint Task Force personnel.

When they realised their cover may have been compromised, they fled in different directions and detonated explosives strapped to their bodies while on the run.
Buhari barely spent four hours in his office daily since he resumed work last Monday, Punch reports

It was gathered that his aides drastically scaled down his itinerary to give him more time to rest.

The report said no appointment was scheduled for the President outside his office since his resumption except for the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, which he presided over on Wednesday, and his brief appearance at the National Economic Council meeting on Thursday.

The two events were said to have been held in the Council Chambers located about 50 metres from his office.

Buhari, however, has not attended any event outside the Presidential Villa.

"As you can see, almost all the Presidents engagements for the week were held inside his office. That was designed to allow him to rest. Hopefully, from the coming week, the President may participate in more activities," a Villa source told the newspaper.

ALSO READ: 10 Missiles El-Rufai fired at Buhari

On why the President has not fully resumed official duties, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said it is natural for someone who just returned from a medical leave.

"When a man just returns from a medical vacation, common sense dictates that he eases himself gradually into a schedule that is naturally rigorous," he said.

When asked if the President would be fit to discharge his official duties, Adesina said Buhari himself has said he would to work harder.

He said, "The answer to your question has been given by the President himself. On the day he came, he vowed to rededicate himself to serving Nigerians, and when governors met him on Thursday, one of them asked him to do the minimum, so that he can serve Nigeria for a longer time. He responded by saying it is time to repay those who elected him into office by working harder for them."

When Buhari returned to the country on Friday, March 10, he had said that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, would continue working while he recuperates.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Command spokesman, Mr Victor Isuku, said three bombers attempted to infiltrate Maiduguri at about 9.00 p.m. on Saturday but fled after they were challenged by a Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) member.

He said: "At about 2100hrs of Saturday, three suicide bombers, a male and two female, attempted to infiltrate Maiduguri town through Umarari village in Molai general area.

"They were sighted and challenged by civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) member, a government-approved militia group."

Isuku explained that the bombers, who are believed to be members of the Boko Haram sect, detonated the improvised explosive device strapped to their bodies while running in different directions.

"Four people, including a civilian JTF, a woman and her two children died while eight others sustained injuries", he said.

ALSO READ: Female suicide bomber disobeys Abubakar Shekau, surrenders to Army
 Flash

U.S. President Donald Trump's ban on immigration from six majority Muslim countries may do little to deter the terror threat, a U.S. expert told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Trump recently revised the controversial visa ban to bar entry of citizens from six countries - Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - for 90 days and suspend entry of some refugees for 120 days. But the revised ban has been suspended by federal judges like the original one.

"The new immigration executive order most likely will do little to deter terrorists from entering the U.S. or attacking Americans or U.S. interests abroad," said Wayne White, former deputy director of the State Department's Middle East Intelligence Office.

That's because the ban would alienate many Arab Muslims, especially in countries on the no-go list, he said.

"Such alienation or resentment probably will make radicalization of individuals by IS, al-Qaida and their affiliates much easier," White said, referring to the world's two most dangerous terror groups.

The exemption from the temporary travel ban granted to countries friendly to the U.S. - from Tunisia through Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan - was based not on lack of threat, but merely on political considerations, White said.

Unless U.S. embassies in exempted Arab and Muslim countries double down with crackdown on passport and visa fraud, potential terrorists could make their way to the U.S. on fake or stolen passports from non-banned countries, he said.

The terrorists could even also enter the country with stolen or successfully faked visas, such as one operation run by mobsters in Ghana that was shut down only last December. The operation distributed its high quality fakes throughout Africa and even Europe, White said.

"Moreover, little has been done since I was a senior U.S. visa officer in an embassy some years ago to better supervise line visa officers to make sure all such officers are rigorously diligent and-in a few isolated extreme cases-not corrupt -- as in selling visas under the table," he said.

Of course, most recent cases of terror attacks inside the U.S. were carried out by individuals already in the U.S. who have been radicalized, rather than new immigrants or visitors, White said.

While IS's back is against the wall in the Middle Eastern areas it controls, the group is still dangerous, and could still strike outside of its strongholds, he said.

Although IS combatants within its shrinking caliphate in Syria and Iraq have not had as their leading goal conducting terror attacks on the U.S., many fighters will likely initiate attempts to disperse outward, as did al-Qaida fighters caught in the tightening American military net in Afghanistan in 2001-2002, he said.

At least some will have the goal of reaching the West as terrorists or setting up shop in havens such as Libya, Yemen, and Somalia in order to recruit individuals willing to do so, White said.

Supporters of Trump's ban say he is merely fulfilling a campaign promise and following through with policies he outlined for over a year on the campaign trail.

Trump promised during last year's campaign to get tough on terror and put America's national security first, especially in light of the brutal terror attacks over the recent two years, both on the U.S. and countries worldwide.

Those include the 2015 attack by an IS sympathizer, who shot up a gay nightclub in Florida and killed around 50 people. The shooter did not enter the U.S. from overseas, although his father was an Afghan immigrant.
The DSS report, which was submitted to the Senate before Magu first appeared before the red chamber for screening, questioned his (Magu) integrity and declared him unfit for the job.

It was based on this report the Senate said it initially rejected Magu's nomination.

But Saraki said the acting EFCC boss was not confirmed - for the second time - just because he did not pass the screening, adding that the rejection is being politicised.

The Senate President stated this in an interview with TVC News in Morocco where he attended an African summit on climate change and food security.

Saraki said: "You are jumping into conclusion that he (Magu) was rejected because of the accusation. I dont think there was anywhere we said he was rejected based on accusations.

"We have nominees that come all the time with different issues. Two weeks ago, we screened the Chief Justice of Nigeria and he scaled through.

"Now the EFCC chairman came and he did not pass the screening. Someone else will come and may pass. This is our constitutional role and I dont think we should personalise or politicise this."

ALSO READ: There is hunger in the land  Saraki tells Buhari

Last week, a former Senate Majority Leader, Ali Ndume, had condemned his colleagues for rejecting Magu based on unproven allegations.
3/19 NEW JAPAN CUP SEMI-FINALS REPORT

By Matthew Macklin on 2017-03-19 14:09:00

New Japan Cup, Semi-Finals, March 19:



Juice Robinson, David Finlay & Tomoyuki Oka defeated Katsuya Kitamura, Hirai Kawato & David Finlay. Kitamura is a big body builder that has his first ever match a few days ago. He and Oka started the match slugging it out. Already, you can see that Kitamura has all the tools to be a huge star. He has a great look, hits really hard and comes off like a badass. Team Juice worked over Kawato, who hit a great dropkick on Oka to get back into it. The finish saw a flurry from Juice until he ended up in a Kitamura crab. Juice couldn't take him off his feet with a stiff lariat. It took a second to knock him down. Juice got the win with the Pulp Friction on Kitamura.



Jado & Gedo defeated TAKA Michinoku & El Desperado. This was a nothing match. It was okay when Desperado & Gedo were in the ring, other than that it wasn't great. Jado pinned TAKA with a hangmans DDT.



Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka, Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Tiger Mask IV, Jushin Thunder Liger, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyshi Tenzan. This started with a big brawl and took a while to settle into a tag match. Liger escaped the Suzuki-Gun assault and tagged in Kojima, which led to seem really intense striking between them. It was cool seeing Suzuki in the ring with Tenzan & Kojima. Tiger hit a diving head butt on Suzuki for a near fall before Suzuki pinned him after a Gotch Style Piledriver.



Ryusuke Taguchi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin & KUSHIDA defeated BUSHI, SANADA, Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi. This was really good. Tanahashi & Naito started the match to a big pop. Tanahashi had to fight back into the match with a double dragon screw on Hiromu & SANADA. We then saw Elgin & SANADA square off which was a great clash of power against agility. KUSHIDA & Hirmou picked up the pace as they tried to out quick each other. The finish saw Taguchi pin BUSHI with a cradle.



Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Yujiro Takahashi, Kenny Omega, Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga. This was what you'd expect. It was just a tag match with some decent action. Tonga had some new gear, which looked really good. Omega & Okada got to square off a couple of times. YOSHI looked good. He is one of the most under appreciated wrestlers in the world. The finish saw Okada pin Yujiro after a Rainmaker.



New Japan Cup Semi Final: Bad Luck Fale defeated EVIL. This was really good. Fale started the match by bringing EVIL into the crowd and trying to get him counted out. EVIL got back into the match and worked on chopping the big man down. Fale launched himself with a spear. EVIL delivered some lariats, but the ref was pulled out by Tonga, who hit EVIL with a neckbreaker. BUSHI made the save. This led to a good run of counters as Fale & EVIL escaped each other's big moves before Fale floored him with a lariat. He then hit The Grenade and the Bad Luck Fall to advance to the tournament final. Fale having a good run in the NJ Cup has become something of a tradition, however, a final match would have done a lot for EVIL.



New Japan Cup Semi Final: Katsuyori Shibata defeated Tomohiro Ishii. This was an all out war, and right up there with any of the classics these men have had in the past. It was non-stop hard hitting, strong style action. There was a forearm battle that lasted for several minutes until Shibata eventually fell down. The blasted each other will all sorts of kicks, elbows, forearms and chops. They both hit German suplexes. Ishii took to chopping Shibata in the throat at one stage. Ishii had the advantage for a time, but Shibata would kick out of suplexes, lariats and powerbombs. There were lots of really well done one count kicks outs, that just added to the excitement and intensity of the match. Ishii pulled out a rolling armbar, as he targeted the taped up shoulder of Shibata. The finish saw both guys popping up from big moves before Shibata put Ishii down with a sleeper, hit a PK, then went back to the sleeper and put Ishii out. Needless to say, go and watch this match.



After the match Shibata sat cross legged over a fallen Ishii, as Ishii tried to claw his way back to his feet as he was attended to by the young lions. Shibata secures his place in tomorrow's New Japan Cup Final against Bad Luck Fale.

That show will have English commentary from Kevin Kelly & Don Callis.

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If he is alive, Benjamin Roseland is 28 years old.

He was 19 when he went missing, last seen around 10:30 p.m. Feb. 9, 2008, in the 400 block of 10th Avenue South in Clinton. He left a friend's house to walk a few blocks to Hy-Vee, in the 900 block of South 4th Street, for a snack.

He apparently never made it to the store and has not been seen since.

Roseland was born Nov. 24, 1988. When he disappeared, the 5-foot-11 white man with blue eyes and brown hair weighed 175 pounds. He was wearing camouflage coveralls.

Captain Tom Bohle of the Clinton Police Department says the case remains open. Investigators have exhausted all the leads that have come in within the past year. We are still taking leads, he said. We will take any leads.

A candlelight vigil for Roseland was held Nov. 22, 2008 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Clinton, Iowa.

Another vigil was held Oct. 15, 2014, at the Sacred Heart Chapel, Clinton. Volunteers from the Community United Effort, or CUE, Center for Missing Persons stopped in Clinton during its national tour to raise awareness of missing children and adults.

Roseland's story and photo are included on several websites such as ProjectJason.org, a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase public awareness of missing people. The group coordinated with an organization of truck drivers known as 18-Wheel Angels to spread information about Roselands disappearance across the country.

A family friend established the website benroseland.com, which contains links to media coverage about the case and comments for and from family members and friends. Most of the comments and articles are several years old.

The missing mans story and several photos also are featured on the Charley Project website charleyproject.org/cases/r/roseland_benjamin.html. The site profiles about 9,500 missing people cold cases, mainly from the United States. It is a publicity vehicle for people who have been missing for at least one year.)

Roseland was a frugal person who had saved his money since he was 8  in fact, he had hoped to put a down payment on a house, his mother previously told the press.

He did not own a car, did not take any personal belongings with him and left money in his bank account. There has been no activity on his cell phone or bank account since he disappeared, according to the Charley Project, which last updated his case Dec. 26, 2014, with age-progression added.

Roseland lived at home and attended Clinton Community College. He missed some school over the winter while he recovered from a car crash that left him with a skull fracture. Among the rumors that circulated was that Roseland left town to avoid legal repercussions from the crash, in which another person was injured.

Since his disappearance, law enforcement officers from the Clinton Police Department, Clinton County Sheriff's Office, Iowa State Patrol and Clinton Fire Department also have searched, along with the Eko-Sar K-9 Search & Rescue team. The Med-Force medical helicopter also helped. A helicopter pilot, assisted by a Clinton police officer as a spotter, flew above the area where Roseland last was seen.

Anyone with information about Roseland should call the Clinton Police Department, 563-243-1458.
A marginal risk for severe weather is in the forecast for the Quad-City region late tonight and early Monday.

According to Alex Gibbs, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, Davenport, if storms develop later tonight theres a good chance they will include pea-size hail. The best chances for storms to develop are after midnight in an area from Linn County through Clinton County in Iowa and into Putnam and Bureau counties in Illinois.
Sunshine Week was observed this past week. Certainly not by our mid-March Midwestern skies, no.

Sunshine Week, for those who may not be familiar, is an annual national observance of laws and policies that promote transparency in government. It was started in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors.

In honor of Sunshine Week, I will use this space to offer a few policies that I believe would make Iowa state government more transparent and accountable to Iowans. And as a typical reporter, I will offer these policy wishes one day after Sunshine Week has ended. Deadlines, man.

Near, if not at the top of the wish list is for legislators work emails to be public record. Presently, they are not.

The Iowa Legislature is self-governed --- the state Constitution says each chamber controls the dissemination of records, and the Iowa Supreme Court upheld that in a key 1996 ruling.

In a 2016 Sunshine Week report by the Associated Press, then-Iowa Senate secretary Mike Marshall said making lawmakers emails public record would would almost certainly have a detrimental chilling effect on citizens constitutional rights and willingness to petition their elected officials. And lawmakers said the legislative process is sufficiently open and transparent to the public without opening up legislators inboxes.

But making state lawmakers emails open to public scrutiny would add another level of transparency and accountability, especially in an era when so much communication happens electronically.

It also bears noting state government agencies emails are subject to open records laws. And there are exceptions carved out that enable agencies to redact information if they believe it is sensitive to a constituent.

I also believe Iowans would be better served if bill drafts were considered public record.

The Legislature has determined that early draft versions of bills, including such information as who proposed or crafted the legislation, is not subject to Open Records law.

In 2014, the Wisconsin State Journal used bill draft records to show a multimillionaire business owner communicated with a state lawmaker to make suggestions and changes to legislation that would have capped child support payments for high-income parents. Such a bill would have enabled the business owner to avoid paying tens of thousands of dollars in child support.

The bill was withdrawn shortly after the Wisconsin State Journal report was published.

Thats just one example --- a really good one, in this reporters opinion --- of why more transparency of government records and communications is a good thing for everyone.

I'm realistic about such changes ever coming to the Iowa Legislature. Because the body is self-governing, it seems highly unlikely those rules will ever change. It would require a majority of legislators in two chambers to approve changes that would make their work and their communication open to the public.

Iowas government transparency and accountability was given a D+ in a 2015 report produced by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization; and Global Integrity, which conducts research aimed at supporting open and accountable governance.

Of course, Iowas rating was 11th-best in the country. Im not sure which is more depressing.

Maybe that helps explain all the clouds this past Sunshine Week.

Erin Murphy covers Iowa politics and state government for Lee Enterprises. His email address is erin.murphy@lee.net.
As a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, it is no surprise to me that so many former servicemen and women end up working in Americas ethanol industry. Its a good fit for us. In fact, nearly 20 percent of the employees at East Kansas Agri-Energy, where I serve as president and CEO, are veterans of our armed forces.

After serving our country in uniform, we have chosen to work in the renewable fuels industry because it allows us to continue honoring a commitment to make America stronger and more independent. We take great pride in knowing we work in an industry that improves our nations energy security, economic vitality, and environmental quality each and every day.

Thats why I, along with scores of other veterans who work and invest in the ethanol industry, sent a letter to President Trump this past week, urging him to include a prominent role for ethanol and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in his America First Energy Plan.

Released on Inauguration Day, the presidents plan highlights the importance of reducing reliance on imported crude oil, especially from the OPEC cartel. It calls for strengthening domestic energy security by eliminating the regulatory barriers that constrain U.S. energy production.

While President Trumps plan specifically identifies crude oil, natural gas and coal as domestic energy sources that require deregulation and political support, it neglects to mention the important role of ethanol and RFS in securing our energy future.

Together with the American oil and gas industry, we have made great strides in reducing imports and boosting domestic energy supplies. The ethanol industry alone has added nearly 3.3 billion barrels of low-cost, high-octane liquid fuel to domestic supplies since the RFS was adopted in 2005. Thats more than 1,000 gallons per U.S. household. As a result, net imports of crude oil and petroleum products peaked at 12.5 million barrels per day in 2005 and have since fallen to about 5 million barrels per day last year.

However, true energy independence remains elusive and the U.S. still imports significant volumes of oil from OPEC and nations hostile to our interests. In 2016, 40 percent of U.S. oil imports came from OPEC and the U.S. economy sent roughly $140 million per day to the cartel, equivalent to an annual bill of nearly $500 for every American family. Saudi Arabia was the second-leading supplier of U.S. oil imports, and shipments from Iraq nearly doubled. As a veteran, I would prefer to spend our energy dollars in the Midwest, not the Middle East.

Our letter thanks Mr. Trump for his stated commitment to renewable fuels, and encourages him to ensure ethanol and the RFS continue to play a key role in our nations energy policy moving forward.

Supporting a strong RFS and eliminating regulatory barriers that restrain greater ethanol use are among the strategies that will help free our economy from the influence of OPEC oil ministers once and for all.
DES MOINES  Small Iowa liquor distillers may soon be toasting a new state law that would permit them to sell their product on site.

After years of pleading for changes to, in their view, level the playing field with their cousins in beer- and wine-making, small distilleries will be able to sell their product in single servings on site if legislation continues to advance through the Iowa Legislature.

Its the bill that we need to get parity with the states around us, and it also puts spirits closer to a level playing field with beer and wine in the state, said Jeff Quint, owner of Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery in Swisher. Its what weve been looking for.

Small breweries and wineries have been allowed to sell their product by the glass on site, but state law prevents distilleries from doing the same.

Distillers have spent the past few years lobbying state lawmakers to change that, but previous proposals did not garner sufficient support.

This winter, the state formed a task force to examine the issue. The group was comprised of representatives from the beer, wine and liquor industries, plus the governors office, the state department that oversees alcohol regulations and the state economic development department. It met seven times over five months to hear from experts and discuss the states alcohol laws, many of which have been unchanged since Prohibition.

One key result of the task forces work was proposed legislation that, for the first time in these past few years, is not opposed by any of the vested interests.

The proposal would allow small distilleries to sell their product  a cocktail, for example  on site and allow large distilleries to have sample tastings and to sell two bottles per person per day.

When people go to visit a winery or a brewery or a distillery, they do a tour, and then they want to have a taste, and then they want to buy a bottle, said Andy Anderson, an attorney for Templeton Rye in Templeton. If the bill is approved, the company plans to build a new distillery in Templeton. Its harder to do this if you cant do tasting, cant sell a couple of bottles. This bill really gives us this opportunity.

The bill would provide double the relief for Quints business. Because Cedar Ridge is both a winery and distillery, it can sell neither spirits nor wine on site, even though other wineries can.

Its been very restrictive for us, Quint said. Since Im both, I wasnt able to do that (sell wine by the glass).

Garrett Burchett, owner of Mississippi River Distilling Co. in LeClaire, said he is thrilled with the proposal.

Its a right step in terms of parity with other states and in terms of parity with wineries and breweries in Iowa, Burchett said.

Previous legislative proposals have been opposed by the Iowa Wholesale Beer Distributors Association. The group, which represents the states beer distributors, raised concerns with proposals that in its view weakened the so-called three-tier system, a set of alcohol regulations that requires buffers between producers, distributors and retailers.

The distributors association is not registered in opposition to the current bill, a changed from years past. It is registered as undecided but has given no indication it will work to stop the bill in its current form.

We have worked with the distillery industry since the Legislatures adjournment last year to find a solution that accomplishes what they asked for  a way to promote their product to consumers at the manufacturing site  and beer distributors desire  to provide a narrow, accountable and long-term solution to the problem, Nathan Cooper, executive director of the distributors association, said in an email statement. From our perspective (the bill) is a reasonable way to accomplish those goals.

Many industry officials and state legislators credited the task force with forging a bill that they said contains compromises and forged consensus. Created by Gov. Terry Branstad to examine the issue, the task force was led by Steve Larson, director of the states Alcoholic Beverages Division, and Debi Durham, director of the state Economic Development Authority.

I honestly think (the bill) has done as well as it has so far because of that (task force), said Robert Bailey, spokesman for the Alcoholic Beverages Division. A lot of recommendations that came out of the study group were added onto this technical bill. ...

We saw through the whole process, we recognized the inequality there was in the manufacturer sector in Iowa. Beer had more (opportunities) and wine had more, and distillers were left with the short end of the straw, so to speak.

The proposal still has a long legislative path to travel; it has passed two Iowa House committees but still must pass the full House, two Senate committees and the full Senate before heading to the governors desk for his approval.

But industry officials and legislators last week expressed optimism the bill will pass based on one key fact: None of the vested parties is opposed to it.

I think its a great bill. Weve been working on, I think this is the third year, and we finally have all the interested parties agreeing to this, said Rep. Guy Vander Linden, R-Oskaloosa, chairman of the House committee that approved the bill last week. Vander Linden also has worked on the issue in previous years.
The image-curation website Pinterest is the latest social media service which is now blocked in China. In a report, the social media service was unavailable in mainland China since Thursday, March 16.

It has been known that the ruling Communist party restricts access to many foreign websites including Google, Youtube, Twitter and Facebook.

Even though Pinterest is not known for having political content, it was reported that some users from China made their posts public about human rights issues and Pinterest boards to jail dissident Liu Xiaobo and topics about Senkakus which might be the reason why it was addressed and listed on blocked websites.

Some netizens were not happy about the move saying they use it to discuss food, fashion and travel.

A student even wrote in Weibo expressing her dismay. She said that Pinterest is helpful for her homework as she is studying about fashion.

China's censorship has effectively "become a tool of industrial policy to discriminate against foreign competitors," wrote Cho-Wen Chu, a professor at Taiwan's Chinese Culture University, in a paper published in January, as cited by KMBC News.

"China's 'national security' concerns may be only a convenient excuse to favor domestic dotcoms by impeding fair competition," according to Chu.

China has more than 731 million internet users and 95 percent of them uses the web on their mobile devices.
Olivia Krenz, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, tries to see the same on-campus mental health counselor every week.

Krenz, who struggles with depression and anxiety, has used Duluth's mental health services since her freshman year, the Minnesota Daily reported. She said the stress of classes, loans and past hardships make regular counseling appointments necessary.

"I really don't know that I would still be in college without it," Krenz said. "It's been a lifesaver."

Although she prefers weekly counseling sessions, Krenz said she often has to wait two weeks because the Duluth campus' counseling services are booked.

Some of her friends stopped using the school's services and have found counselors off-campus that they can see more frequently, she said.

"If there was more people, I feel like I would be feeling better," she said. "If I'm going through a really rough time, I want to go in every week. That's going to get me through the week."

While increased mental resources on the Twin Cities campus have resulted in drastically reduced wait times and waitlists, some on the University's coordinate campuses say they've been excluded from the additional resources, even as they continue to experience increased demand.

At the University's Twin Cities campus, funding for six mental health counselors was approved last year after a push by students increased.

The funding led to a one to more than 2,700 ratio of full-time equivalent counselors to students.

But, except Morris and Duluth, all of the other coordinate campuses have ratios that are higher than the Twin Cities. Rochester has no dedicated counselor and Crookston's ratio is one to more than 3,500.

The recommended ratio is one full-time counselor to every 1,000 to 1,500 students, according to the International Association of Counseling Services.

"I think that, in terms of funding, system campuses are definitely neglected," said Mckenzie Dice, the Morris campus' student representative to the Board of Regents.

Though Morris has one counselor for every 885 students, she said the campus saw an increase in students using mental health resources.

The campus employs two full-time counselors and two who split their time between administrative work and counseling. One counselor was hired this semester and helped reduce wait times from three to four weeks to three to four days, Dice said.

A mental health presentation at a February Board of Regents committee meeting featured the Twin Cities' campus and Boynton Health's progress but it also highlighted a lack of funding at the system's other campuses.

While the Twin Cities campus experienced success, Lauren Mitchell, chair of the student representatives to the board questioned funding levels for mental health services at coordinate campuses at the meeting.

"My understanding is that a similar amount of money that was spent here would go a long way towards resolving their problems," Mitchell said. "System campuses often get forgotten."

She said she reached out to staff and representatives from the Morris, Crookston, Duluth and Rochester campuses and found that they don't have the resources to meet student requests.

"We need to expand this to our affiliate campuses," said board chair Dean Johnson. "It's a University system and all students ought to have the same opportunity for mental health care."

He said he feels like the University is improving its mental health services for students and said regents asked chancellors of each campus to submit their specific needs for funding in the next budget cycle.

Tim Menard, director of counseling services at the Crookston campus, is the only full-time counselor for nearly 2,700 students and recently filled out a request to fund an assistant counselor.

Between September 2016 and January, Menard said the campus saw a 40 percent increase in requests for appointments from the year before.

He said Crookston can only provide short-term mental health services before referring clients to outside providers.

Though he recently submitted a request for a recurring $24,000 to hire another counselor, other services at Crookston have needs and are requesting additional funding, too.

Regent Thomas Anderson said last month's mental health update shows progress but still doesn't get to the root of the rise in mental illnesses.

"It's a very elusive subject," Anderson said. "I believe it's something we have to get our hands around and have to help the students deal with."

He said he wasn't aware of the specific mental health issues on coordinate campuses but the regents will take steps to solve their problems.

"I think mental health statistics on college campuses in general and in young people in general are alarming," he said.
MINOT, N.D. | While most Minot residents were groaning under about 50 inches of snow this winter, Minot architect Michael Oakleaf was having the time of his life.

"This is the best winter I have ever had," said Oakleaf, who believes in turning lemons into lemonade  or in this case, snow drifts into snow sculptures.

Oakleaf has entertained his three children, and his neighbors in the process, with the creation of various snow sculptures in his northwest Minot yard this winter. No sooner had the first snow pile formed in his yard at the end of November before he was on top of it to build a fort. Over the winter, he's built a series of forts and slides  each more elaborate than the last  as repeated storms covered up earlier works. Given his professional flair for design and construction, these weren't ordinary forts but rather proved to be kid-magnets for the neighborhood.

Oakleaf said he builds his snow sculptures with his children in mind.

"I generally have some sort of concept, if not in my head, at least on the marker board in the kids' room. I try to have some support from them," he said. He and his wife, Kelli, have three children ages 11, 9 and 3.

In February, Oakleaf built a snow Eiffel Tower over an existing archway base that he had previously built to connect forts on opposite sides of a sidewalk. His 9-year-old son wanted him to turn the arch into the legs of a huge man that people could walk under. That was Oakleaf's original intention. Along the way, though, he decided to make a miniature Eiffel Tower as a replica of the one in Paris for his wife as a Valentine's surprise.

"She's been wanting to go to the Eiffel Tower for 16 years," he said.

Oakleaf has envisioned even bigger projects, such as a huge snow elephant. As a kid, he would sometimes visit a store with a large elephant with a slide for a trunk.

"I wanted to make that for my kids," he said. "We never got that far because it's really hard to carve an elephant that's that big. I am going to need the big equipment for that."

The Minot Daily News reports his tools consist of a toboggan to pull snow, a shovel for shaping blocks and metal spatula for intricate work.

Growing up in Kansas, Oakleaf recalled there wasn't much snow in the winter, although there was enough to build a snowman about 8 feet tall when he was 8 years old. He had to make a ramp to get the big snowballs into place.

He graduated from high school in Topeka, Kansas, and went to the University of Arizona to study architecture. Oakleaf said his career path was pre-determined for him. People had been telling him that he would be an architect before he was old enough to know what one was. He had loved to draw and build with LEGOs.

When he was 13 years old, his cousin married an architect and Oakleaf spent summers with them in Prescott, Arizona, getting to know the architectural field.

Oakleaf later owned an architectural firm in Arizona for 20 years, eventually losing the business after the economy tanked in 2008.

"I had plenty of people say, 'Go to North Dakota,'" he said. It turned out to be good advice.

"North Dakota has been very good to us. I just love the people," he said. "I can't think of a better place to have a family."

The Oakleafs moved to North Dakota at the end of 2011. Oakleaf was working for a Bismarck firm and was spending considerable time on projects in Williston. To enable his family to be with him, his wife started home schooling, which she continues to do.

In Bismarck, Oakleaf began developing his snow sculpture skills, which he continued after moving to Minot to join Hight Construction in December 2015. North Dakota didn't offer much in the way of snowy winters the past few years, though. That changed this year.

"This is why I came here," Oakleaf joked, although he doesn't joke about loving snow.

"I am happy-go-lucky. I try to make the most of wherever I am," he said, noting he's experienced loss and sadness as everyone does. "You just have to pick yourself and make the best of it. That's why I like the snow so much."

Snow, though fleeting, can be turned into something beautiful. Just like life.

"You have to do the best with what you have before it is gone," Oakleaf said.
LEAD | Carve a few massive caverns nearly a mile below the surface of the Black Hills, haul off hundreds of thousands of tons of crushed rock, add the largest refrigeration system ever, then install the most sensitive particle detectors known to man, and youd be ready to host what is arguably the most sophisticated science experiment ever staged on the planet.

Thats exactly what the Sanford Underground Research Facility and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory are planning with the billion-dollar Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment.

This is the first time an experiment of this scale has occurred anywhere in the world, and its going to be done right here, Fermilab Deputy Project Manager Joshua Willhite told 100 Northern Hills residents during an informational meeting in Lead on Monday night.

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, commonly referred to as DUNE, represents a scene straight out of a science fiction movie. As envisioned, scientists at the Fermilab near Chicago will fire a beam of tiny neutrinos at near-light speed that will carry the subatomic particles through solid rock 808 miles away to the Black Hills of South Dakota, where scientists deep underground at the Sanford Lab hope to catch the particles using sophisticated detectors.

The groundbreaking particle physics experiment currently has 960 collaborators from 163 institutions in 31 nations, Willhite said Monday. Sixty percent of those scientists are based outside the U.S., and that number is expected to grow, he noted.

This has broad international support, Willhite said.

Cutting-edge science

On its own, the $300-plus million investment for the experiment at the Sanford Lab in Lead represents the largest single project in the history of South Dakota, says Sanford Lab Director Mike Headley.

More important to scientists working around the world to unravel the mysteries of the universe, the experiment has the potential to advance scientific knowledge and yield technological advancements on a par with the race to the moon in the 1960s, project advocates contend.

DUNE collaborators hope to learn the role neutrinos play in the evolution of the universe; better understand how supernovae produce the heavy elements iron, calcium, carbon and others  that are necessary for life; how much mass the neutrino has; and why the universe consists of matter rather than antimatter, the Labs Communications Director Constance Walter said Thursday. Any, or all, of these discoveries will transform our understanding of the universe and advance physics to a whole new level.

Neutrino research is a competitive field, with several different experiments around the globe looking for the same things DUNE hopes to discover, Walter explained. The DUNE team of scientists and engineers is developing cutting-edge technology on a scale much larger than anything that has been developed for neutrino experiments, she said.

In its space race with the Soviet Union, NASA discovered new technologies and gained incredible knowledge, which eventually landed American astronauts on the moon, Walter added. With the development of new and the enhancement of existing technologies for DUNE and the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility, we could see much the same thing in physics research.

Economic boon

Closer to home, the federally financed experiment could have economic benefits unparalleled in South Dakota history, according to study findings presented at Mondays 70-minute presentation. Those "credible and conservative" estimates of the local economic impacts of the projected construction and operations of Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility and DUNE in South Dakota and Illinois took into account capital projects and direct spending, as well as additional business activity, jobs and payroll supported by that spending from 2016 through 2026.

During that period, the economic impact of LBNF/DUNE in the western South Dakota region will total $860 million in output and $330 million in earnings for local residents, according to the April 2016 study. The employment prospects for local residents will peak at more than 1,800 jobs in 2020, the study reported.

The total fiscal impact of LBNF/DUNE for the state of South Dakota is projected at $10.6 million in tax revenue from 2016 to 2026, peaking at $2.5 million in annual revenue in 2020, the study concluded.

Meanwhile, the study found the economic impact of LBNF/DUNE on the Chicago region would total $1.1 billion in output and $570 million in earnings for local residents. The impact on jobs for Illinois would peak at nearly 2,000 in 2024. The total fiscal impact for the state of Illinois would be $21 million in tax revenue from 2016 to 2026, peaking at $2.7 million in annual revenue in 2024, according to the study.

This will be one of the largest science mega-projects ever to occur on U.S. soil, Headley said Monday night. While already hosting several major underground experiments and an underground campus for students at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, Sanford Labs 163 current employees are gearing up for the new experiment, he and Willhite noted.

Building the project

Work continues on the $32.2 million refurbishment of the labs Ross Shaft, originally built in the 1930s by the Homestake Gold Mine. Crews began the project, involving 6 million pounds of new steel, in August 2012, and it remains on track for completion later this year, Headley said. The upgraded shaft will allow rock to be removed from underground to create space for the DUNE, while also providing access for crews, scientists and equipment in the future, he explained.

Sanford Lab also has secured city easements to build a pipe conveyor capable of transporting an estimated 875,000 tons of rock excavated for the DUNE, which eventually will find its way to the massive Open Cut near the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center.

Willhite explained that local residents would notice more workers, more traffic and, from fiscal 2019 to 2022, likely would hear ventilation fans and noise from rock crushing operations tied to the huge underground excavations.

Its something youll be able to hear, but its not getting up to the annoying level, he said. Willhite added that the project would incorporate noise and dust controls and limit drilling and blasting to 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. to minimize adverse impacts on the community.

Numerous other infrastructure improvements would be tied to preparing the underground lab for the DUNE, Willhite and Headley explained. Among those projects are electrical upgrades, reinforced headframes, rock crushing systems and new buildings, compressors and electrical substations.

Underground, the logistics of the project are daunting. Willhite said 54,000 cubic yards of concrete would be poured, the experiments cryostats alone would require 14,000 tons of steel, and its four detectors would use 70,000 tons of liquid argon.

I think were probably going to install the worlds largest refrigeration system, he said. These are unconventional facilities.
SPEARFISH | If you love the '80s and helping kids, a local organization has just the night for you.

Realtors for Kids, which helps Northern Hills children who are victims of abuse, neglect or abandonment, is holding its annual auction Friday at The Lodge at Deadwood.

A release from the organization says the theme for the 2017 auction will be The 80s. The night will feature a photo booth, a silent auction and social hour starting at 6 p.m., with the live auction at 7 p.m.

Buses to the event will pick up people in Spearfish at the KFC parking lot and in Sturgis at Lynns parking lot at 5:30 p.m., and will return at 10:30 p.m. Rooms are available for $99 under a reserved block at The Lodge at Deadwood.

General admission tickets will be available for purchase at the door for $25. Auction items may be viewed on the RFK Facebook page.

A release from the organization says the event is RFK's biggest fundraiser of the year, providing 80 percent of RFK's annual funding.

Funds help with medical-related costs, clothing and food, childrens activities and programs and things like Christmas wishes, according to the release.

Being a part of this board has been so rewarding. Be it the looks of total amazement on the faces of Christmas wishes recipients, or a small breath a young mother takes knowing that she can now drive to Sioux Falls to be with her child who just received a dark diagnosis, these are the moments that make being a part of RFK so special to all of us, John Ainsworth, RFK president, said in the release. Please bring your generous hearts and your best '80s costume, and come enjoy the evening with us."

Everyday heroes recognized at annual breakfast

The American Red Cross recently recognized three local heroes at its fourth annual Heroes Breakfast in categories of law enforcement, first responders and military.

Rapid City Police Officer Barry Young was recognized in the law enforcement category for saving a man from choking at a local restaurant.

When Young arrived at the scene, he discovered a 74-year-old man had collapsed on the floor, face blue from a lack of oxygen. Young administered CPR to partially clear the obstruction and helped the man breathe until EMS arrived.

"His quick action saved a life," the release said.

In the first responder category, paramedic Thomas Harvey Jr. was recognized for helping a woman in pre-term labor deliver her baby while in an ambulance en route to the hospital.

"Thomas demonstrated exceptional professionalism and care for his young mother and her child," according to the release.

Master Sgt. Tavio Soto and his daughters Naphtali and Ariadne were recognized in the military family category, as "a wonderful example of the powerful impact our military members and their families have on our community."

The release said Soto worked hard to involve his family in volunteerism, including helping to install 101 smoke alarms in the Box Elder community and deliver emergency food to residents of the Cheyenne River Reservation.

Mary Chilton DAR Foundation awards $10K in grants

The Mary Chilton DAR Foundation recently awarded $10,335 in grants, including to a Deadwood organization.

Deadwood History Inc. received $2,585 for the Americana: Ideas and Identity project at the Adams Museum.

Deadwood History Inc. is honored to have been awarded this grant funding, Carolyn Weber, executive director of the organization, said in a release. It will help support the creation of a new exhibit at the Adams Museum, Americana: Ideas and Identity. The exhibit is designed to highlight the theme of the American character within the western frontier. It will include never-before-seen artifacts from Deadwood Historys collections, giving visitors to the museum a new experience.

Other grants were made to the Brandon Historical Society for the Nels Graff Cabin Restoration and Preservation project; and to Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota, Center for New Americans for the Mount Rushmore Citizenship Ceremony.

Princesses welcome

Rapid City High Schools Youth Internship students are still seeking donations for their fourth-annual All Cinderellas go to Prom Dress Drive.

"This service project aims to curb unnecessary prom expenses for, what some consider, is a rite of passage," a release from the group said.

Donations of new and gently used prom dresses are being accepted from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday until March 28 at Rapid City High School, 601 Columbus St.

Shopping days for dresses will be available to area high school students from 1 to 4 p.m. March 29 and April 5 in the third-floor gymnasium of Rapid City High School.

For more information, contact Jessica Dial at 381-3880 or visit the Facebook page, @RCHSPromDressDrive.

Partnership leads to homes for area families

Thrivent Financial and Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity are partnering in the Black Hills area to help build homes for eight local families through the Thrivent Builds Homes program.

Eight new homes will be introduced to the block surrounding the former Garfield School site at 925 Dilger Ave., the center of this neighborhood revitalization effort that extends to the edges of the Garfield quadrant (Anamosa/Haines/North/West Boulevard North).

A release from Black Hills Habitat said Thrivent has awarded $50,000 to support the completion of these homes, and local Thrivent members will help raise additional funding.

Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity is an ongoing partnership between Thrivent Financial and Habitat for Humanity. For more information or to get involved, call Nick Wellenbrock at 348-9196.
Authorities in Tennessee are investigating the shooting death of an unarmed man by sheriff's deputies, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.

Rodney James Hess, 36, of New Orleans was streaming on Facebook Live when he was shot Thursday afternoon, his family said in their own Facebook posting. Rodney Hess' video does not show the officers shooting and his relatives asked any witnesses to come forward.

Hess was shot after Crockett County sheriff's deputies approached his sport utility vehicle because it was parked at a perpendicular angle along Highway 412 near the west Tennessee town of Alamo, TBI spokesman Josh DeVine said in a statement.

Officers reported that Hess refused officer commands, made erratic statements and tried to strike officers at least twice with his vehicle, DeVine said.

"During the escalation of events, at least one Crockett County deputy fired his service weapon through the front windshield of the vehicle driven by Hess, striking him," DeVine said. "At this time, we do not believe Hess used a firearm in connection to this incident."

Hess' video shows officers standing near the car and he can be heard saying, "I would like the higher commands to come out."

The video image became jerky and captured sounds of a commotion and a loud, sharp sound, followed by a man screaming. The video showed the interior of a vehicle and passing scenery until a crashing sound occurs.

Hess drove for a distance after being shot and wrecked his vehicle, CNN affiliate WHBQ reported.

The video ended with an image of broken glass and the the sound of a woman's voice, apparently coming from a phone.

Hess family attorney Don Rouzan said Hess was asking to speak with a ranking officer when he used the phrase "higher commands." Hess was not acting aggressively or raising his voice, Rouzan said.

"At the time there was no threat," Rouzan said. "He was asking for a supervising officer and they opened fire."

Hess died after being airlifted to a hospital in Memphis, about 80 miles southwest of Alamo. No law enforcement officers were hurt and the officers involved are not being identified, the TBI statement said.

Hess' relatives went on Facebook to ask any witnesses to come forward.

"We're just praying that justice will be served and that if there's anything covered up that it will be brought to justice, that it wouldn't be just another black man shot by police officers," said Lee Smith, Rodney Hess' grandfather. "All we're asking for is justice."

Hess was the father to three children, ages 14, 3 and 18 months, Rouzan said.

Rouzan said Hess grew up in the Memphis area not far from where he was killed. He'd been living in Texas and New Orleans and was traveling to Memphis, probably to visit family, when the shooting occurred, Rouzan said.

TBI agents and forensic scientists will gather evidence and present it to the district attorney general, DeVine's statement said. Dash cam and body camera footage was obtained, he said. Agents are trying to determine the timeline of events.

"In this and all investigations, the TBI acts only as fact-finders," DeVine said. "The decision as to whether the deputy's actions were justified rests solely with the district attorney general."

Facebook livestreaming was a factor in the police shooting of a civilian in Minnesota in July last year.

Philando Castile was fatally shot by St. Anthony police Officer Jeronimo Yanez during a traffic stop. Castile's fiancee livestreamed the immediate aftermath of the shooting.

That officer has pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter charges.
Those were the words of federal judge Damon Keith about secret deportation hearings after the 9/11 attacks. Judges Keiths eloquent phrase could also be applied to thousands of back room government meetings in town halls, courthouses and statehouses across this country.

Many candidates preach transparency on the campaign trail, but fail to practice it in office. The issue can expose a canyon between a politicians words and actions.

Some local boards develop a bad habit of gathering as quorums outside their chambers. City commissioners in my town headed for a main street saloon after adjourning. Those sessions lasted longer than their actual meetings.

Our county board had a similar routine. On meeting day, commissioners took a lunch break together. It would be naive to believe county business did not come up at the cafe, or city business was not rehashed in the downtown bar.

Local officials are often criticized when caught breaking laws against secret meetings. Meanwhile, elected officials at the state level roam free to do the same thing.

In bright red South Dakota, Republicans make up 85 percent of the State Legislature. GOP lawmakers meet privately in committee quorums, scripting kill or pass strategy for bills before public testimony is even heard. Legal? Yes. Right? No.

Consider the citizens who drive across the state to testify at those committee hearings. Their time and words are wasted when votes are mere rubber stamps of pre-negotiated deals. It is a less than transparent system.

After the committee hearings, South Dakotas Republican legislators hold large closed caucus meetings before the afternoon floor session is gaveled to order. As with the earlier pre-meeting meetings, these top-secret gatherings amount to giant executive sessions on the state level because the super majority caucus has a clear quorum.

Some say its harmless for a quorum of Republicans lawmakers to caucus secretly. We say its a case of too many elephants in the room.

The closed caucus is a place to get those elephants in a row away from public view. Its a place where decisions are made about teacher pay and taxing food and Medicaid expansion. Its a place where Democrats and Independents are excluded from meaningful dialogue about issues important to people of all political labels. Its a place where citizens cannot monitor public policy debates and those who seek to influence them.

Shouldnt people buying the sausage get to see it made? They have a right to watch the Legislatures machinery grinding in all its rust and dust and glory. Let them observe the logic, reasoning, horse-trading and arm-twisting that propels all those ayes and nays on the House and Senate floors. Open caucus doors to media and the public!

Those who say private meetings are more productive and efficient do not give citizens enough credit. Officials should have faith that people smart enough to elect them are also wise enough to judge their deliberations.

Meanwhile, legislators pass state laws requiring local boards to conduct the publics business in public. Hypocrisy anyone?

Wheels of change turn slowly in local government, but some progress has been made. More city and county officials strive to follow open meeting rules. Commissioners in our town no longer meet after meetings for cold beer or hot beef sandwiches. Slow open government beats no open government.

Meetings at the statehouse level are a different story. The addiction to secrecy grows stronger as a majority grows larger. The party in power assumes election success is a license for top-secret business as usual.

Democrats are just as prone to secrecy. One party rule  by either party  is not conducive to open government. It eliminates checks and balances. Genuine transparency is poisoned.

In most states, there are no laws against a statehouse majoritys secret meetings. But there could be and should be. State lawmakers tell local officials, Do as we say, not as we do. They should be saying, Do as we say and we will, too.

Because democracy dies behind closed doors.

Brian Hunhoff is a South Dakota journalist who has written extensively about open and closed government. His defense of First Amendment principles was recognized with the Freedom of Information award from the National Newspaper Association.
North Korea's test of a rocket engine Sunday showed "meaningful" signs of progress, according to South Korean officials.

"Through this test, it is assessed that (North Korea) has made meaningful progress in engine performance, but further analysis is needed for exact thrust and its possible uses in future," said South Korean Defense Ministry deputy spokesman Lee Jin-woo.

He said the equipment tested "appears to have one main engine with four auxiliary engines connected to it. We believe this was an attempt to develop a new engine."

Two US defense officials told CNN the engine could possibly be used in an eventual intercontinental ballistic missile, but it was unclear if that was its eventual purpose.

Pyongyang, for its part, touted the test as a "great leap forward" in its rocket program.

Many analysts linked the timing of the test to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's first visit to north Asia, which ended in Beijing Sunday.

Space program

According to the official North Korean news agency KCNA, the test measured the thrust power in the combustion chamber, the structural safety and reliability of the engine, and the movement of the turbine pipe.

The KCNA statement mentioned only civil, rather than military, purposes for the new engines, saying it would "help consolidate the scientific and technological foundation to match the world-level satellite delivery capability in the field of outer space development."

The engine was tested at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, a major space facility on the country's northwest coast, from which North Korea successfully launched its first satellite into orbit in December 2012.

North Korea insists its space program is peaceful and focused on putting scientific satellites into orbit. However, analysts have long accused Pyongyang of using the program as a covert weapons testing scheme.

As aerospace engineer John Schilling wrote in January, North Korea's primary space launch vehicle, the Unha-3, "could be pressed into service as a crude ICBM."

"An ICBM variant of the Unha could be sufficiently similar to the space launch vehicle in that it would be very likely to succeed, making it a good candidate for a political demonstration even though the Unha would make for a poor missile."

China followed a similar path with its space and ballistic missile program beginning in the 1960s. Engines used in the Long March 2 satellite launcher were later repurposed for the "development of the DF-5 ballistic missile -- China's first true intercontinental range missile," according to David Wright, co-director of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

However, in a recent paper published in the journal Korea Observer, weapons experts Markus Schiller and Theodore Postol wrote that the potential for North Korea to repurpose a space rocket to deliver an ICBM "does not mean that North Korea has the ability, or is likely to have the ability, to use this postulated ICBM to materially threaten the United States with a nuclear attack."

"It is unlikely that North Korea now has a nuclear weapon that weighs as little as 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). It is also unlikely that such a first-generation nuclear weapon would be capable of surviving the unavoidable 50 G deceleration during warhead reentry from a range of nearly 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles)," they wrote.

"This engine produces enough thrust for the first stage, possibly even the second stage, of a large ICBM," Michael Elleman of the US-based International Institute for Strategic Studies told CNN.

Elleman said that the engine appeared "too large" for the ICBM prototypes that North Korea has demonstrated during military parades, but added "we think they could shrink it down and fit it onto either of the prototypes that they have paraded to date."

Rocketing forward

While in the past North Korea has been largely dependent on existing -- mostly Soviet and Chinese technology -- Schilling pointed out last year that "we have now seen that North Korea can build large rockets using both solid and high-energy liquid propellants, to their own requirements."

Space and security analyst Markus Schiller suggested on Twitter that the effusive press release put out by KCNA could indicate that "they are finally running their first indigenous engine."

Euan Graham, director of international security at Australia's Lowy Institute, said the North Korea's twin civilian and military rocket programs may have "become so sophisticated they're moving on separate tracks."

He cautioned against underestimating the country's capabilities, pointing to recent submarine launches. "I think a lot of people would have scoffed at the idea that a country of threadbare means like North Korea would be able to test (submarine-launched ballistic missiles)," he said.

Display of force

The rocket engine test came hours before Tillerson met Chinese President Xi Jinping, and a day after America's top diplomat warned that all options -- including military action -- remained on the table when it came to dealing with North Korea.

Sunday's test was a "precisely-timed spectacular," said Peter Hayes, director of the US-based Nautilus Institute, "the kind we've come to expect from Kim Jong Un."

"(The test) was clearly aimed to put pressure on China and to expose the fecklessness of Tillerson's threat to somehow stop the regime," he said.

Graham added that the value of such testing for internal propaganda purposes should also not be ignored.

North Korea operates on a military-first principle, which Kim has increasingly shifted towards nuclear and weapons technology, and away from the traditional standing army.

"Let's not forget the ideological aspect of this," Graham said. "It's important to them to have this ability to demonstrate technological prowess."

CNN's Taehoon Lee contributed reporting from Seoul and Barbara Starr contributed reporting from Washington.
Its appears a deal is close to fall into place for the Lake Wissota Business Park.

Both the Chippewa Falls City Council and the Chippewa County Economic Development Committee will meet this week in closed sessions to talk about the park.

The councils agenda for Tuesdays session says it will talk about financing incentives and a developers agreement for a project in the industrial park, including all matters relative to the procurement of a satisfactory developers agreement.

Then the Chippewa County Economic Development Committee will meet at 7:45 a.m. Wednesday at room 302 of the courthouse at 711 N. Bridge St., Chippewa Falls. The panels agenda says it will review a developers agreement and purchase agreement for business park property.

The minutes of the same committees meeting on March said: (County Administrator Frank) Pascarella stated that there may be a need for a special meeting on March 22 to approve a purchase agreement for Project Timber.

Projects to lure industries to Chippewa County are often given project names to disguise the identities of prospective tenants. For instance, the county committee met on Feb. 20 to talk about a presentation for Project Early Bird.

The city council will take up matters other than the business park.

It will review the March 14 meeting of the citys Parks, Recreation and Forestry Board. At that session, department director Dick Hebert noted the death of the longtime animal trader for Irvine Park, Mark Schoebel. The family has reached out and will continue working with the zoo, the minutes said.

Also, an inventory of trees in street right-of-ways and Irvine and Marshall parks has been completed. That inventory, which was included in a grant, covered 5,995 trees, 51 stumps and 908 planting sites.

551 ash trees are recommended for removal due to safety reasons, condition, power lines overhead, and/or size, the boards minutes said. Another 651 trees are recommended to be preserved at a cost of $75 apiece with a chemical treatment that has a 98 percent success rate.

Also on Tuesday, the citys Transportation, Construction, Public Safety and Traffic Committee meets in the council chamber at 4:45 p.m. One of the discussion items is a proposal by the citys police department to add a K9 officer.

Currently, the Lake Hallie Police Department has the only K9 officer in Chippewa County. The city of Eau Claire is in the process of training one. And the Stanley Police Department has received permission from the Stanley City Council to being fundraising to pay for a K9 and a squad car.
SUPERIOR  Its hard to overstate the significance of critical-access hospitals to the rural communities they serve.

When people need emergency care, this facility is extremely important, said Ron Gleason, chief executive officer of Mineral Community Hospital. If this facility isnt here, some of those people dont survive.

In addition to saving lives, these hospitals are economic cornerstones, sometimes the biggest employer in the county. And the services they provide can make the difference between retirees and young families staying around or leaving for a city.

But running a rural hospital is often akin to bailing water out of a sinking boat using a coffee cup. Last year alone Gleasons facility had an operating loss of $360,000. Thats why the money thats come through Medicaid expansion has been, if not a patch to stop the leak, a life preserver that keeps rural hospitals afloat.

Montana is one of 31 states that expanded Medicaid coverage as part of the Affordable Care Act. It's called the Montana Health and Economic Livelihood Partnership, or HELP, Act and was passed by the 2015 Legislature. More than 71,000 Montanans have gained coverage since the program  which widened eligibility for Medicaid to those who make up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level  started in 2016.

By their nature, rural hospitals are greatly affected by unique situations in their small communities. While changes at larger hospitals are diluted through volume, any shift is felt much more acutely at facilities that might see an average of a patient a day. Such variations mean it's hard to make a universal statement about what Medicaid expansion has meant for the rural hospitals, but one thing that's clear is they don't want to see it go away.

That could happen under the Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. As introduced in Washington, D.C., over the last few weeks, the plan may effectively kill Medicaid expansion.

When the HELP Act was passed, it came with a 2019 sunset date, which was put in place so the state could assess the viability of the program under stepped-down federal reimbursement rates. What Republicans in Washington are proposing drops reimbursement further than previously called for at the start of 2020.

A report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued last week estimates some states will end their Medicaid expansion program because of that. While it's not clear what will happen in Montana, numbers from the Department of Health and Human Services applied to CBO estimates show it would take the state an extra $251 million a year to keep coverage as it is now. It's hard to imagine how that will work in a year where the Legislature is struggling to balance the budget amid declining revenues.

Though Republicans have argued the reimbursement rate will stay the same for anyone who signs up before 2020, many people cycle on and off the program and Montana would be reimbursed less for those who lose coverage then regain it post-2020.

Though no state leaders have said definitively that the program couldn't survive, rural hospitals are concerned.

Its not been a big-dollar panacea. Its not like its a huge amount of money, but it is positive, Gleason said. "When youre working from a position of losing money and having to be subsidized by the county, any amount helps.

'A big impact'

More patients coming in with insurance has drastically changed the amount of uncompensated care at two rural hospitals in north-central Montana.

Bad debt is down 27 percent at Teton Medical Center in Choteau and Missouri River Medical Center in Fort Benton, according to chief executive officer Louie King.

Thats a big impact. Medicaid expansion helps us stay financially solvent.

In White Sulphur Springs at Mountainview Medical Center, chief executive officer Rob Brandt said their charity care is down about 34 percent in 2016, though other factors have affected that drop too.

Brandt said while overall Medicaid expansion has been a positive for his county, which saw 12 percent of its population sign up under the HELP Act, some who moved to Medicaid had health insurance before, so the hospital hasn't seen a large increase in revenue.

Still, he wants the program to continue. Having more lives covered is important for general health care because it helps sustain the health care model across the board. If we do services and dont get paid for them, were not going to be there for long.

At his hospital and others, the number of people accessing preventive care has increased. That change would have a long-term payoff in reduced emergency room costs if the program continues, hospitals say.

If they didnt have insurance they would come to our ER because wed cover them. With the Medicaid expansion there has been some more people who do come in for clinic visits rather than taxing the ER, Brandt said.

Medicaid use at the clinic attached to his hospital is already about $21,000 higher eight months into this fiscal year than the full previous year, which could show more people accessing preventive care.

Thats a win-win for us and for them. Trying to not tax our emergency services is important for us because we have a small staff that covers 24/7/365 and then they also have to cover all the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. operations that we do. So if we can help doctors sleep at night and work more during the day, everybodys happier, including the patient.

King said hes seeing fewer people pushing off care because they cant afford it.

Its that cowboy attitude. They dont like debt. They like taking care of themselves and if they cant pay for something they dont want to go in and incur debt. We would see them in the ER and they should have been in the clinic the week before.

Again illustrating how different each hospital and community is, Gleason in Superior hasn't seen the same type of switch because his facility doesn't have a clinic. While that doesn't mean people there aren't accessing preventive care, it does have less of an effect on his bottom line.

One true constant across all rural hospitals is the economic role they play in their communities.

Mountainview Medical Center, with 86 staff members, is the largest employer in Meagher County. Kings hospitals in Choteau and Fort Benton are among the biggest jobs providers in their respective counties, and its the same for Gleason.

One of the bigger things to look at is the chunk of the economy of White Sulphur thats paid for by Mountain View, said Bill Galt, who is on Mountainview's board.

The hospital employs 16 percent of the working class in Meagher County. New doctor hires are estimated to bring in $1 million their first year to this small community.

John Kelly, a 69-year-old veteran, was drinking coffee on Thursday morning at the soda fountain he owns in Superior. Even though he gets his medical care through the VA, he still relies on Mineral Community Hospital for services like ultrasounds through a program that lets veterans get care in their communities if the nearest VA is more than 40 miles away.

We all want the hospital to stay. I vote for every levy. Its a lot better than going to Helena and Fort Harrison.

Gleason said it's unclear what the future holds.

"Nobody really knows exactly whats going to happen at this point. I think the Affordable Care Act as it is right now is kind of collapsing in on itself and there needs to be some changes to it in order to keep it from happening. What those changes would be, I cant tell you. But its really not working.

King said if expansion goes away, keeping small facilities like the ones in Choteau and Fort Benton open will be tougher.

I cant say its going to close all the critical access hospitals, thats probably not the case. But its going to make things more difficult.
Theres been an explosion of interest from people in western Montana who want to start a new farming or ranching operation, according to Dave Renn, the program manager for beginning farming and ranching at the Community Food and Agriculture Coalition in Missoula.

We get a ton of traffic on Farm Link Montana, which is our website for information and resources for new farmers and ranchers, Renn explained. Thats our target audience. Weve had, I believe it was close to 20,000 visits to our site in the first two months of the year. So weve tripled our traffic from last year, and last years traffic was way more than we were expecting our first year, so were seeing a ton of people interested in farming and ranching.

Among its many missions, the nonprofit CFAC works to provide information and resources to people who want to enter the agriculture industry, Montanas largest.

But when starting out as a beginning farmer, one has to consider all kinds of factors. Where will the packing and storage of vegetables happen? Will the irrigation supply be available during the hottest days of August, or do other water users hold the rights? Is there a market for the vegetables close by? Has the soil been sprayed with chemicals in the recent past? The foundation of a successful farm or ranch business is finding a good piece of land, so the biggest decision any new farmer will make is where to put down roots.

Thats why on Saturday, a crowd of young new potential farmers gathered at the historic Flynn Ranch in Missoula, a 50-acre farm that was first homesteaded in the Civil War era. Maureen Edwards great-grandfather acquired the property in 1872, and seven generations of her family have lived in the two homes on the site ever since. Edwards wants to find someone to lease the land and farm it or raise livestock. She isnt going to charge an arm and a leg, but she wants someone who will take care of the land like her family has for a century and a half.

Edwards and her family worked with Five Valleys Land Trust to put a conservation easement on the site, meaning no permanent structures can be built so that the agricultural land is protected for perpetuity. But there is irrigation, and the soil is what Edwards calls some of the best in the entire Missoula Valley  loamy sand with very few rocks.

So Renn and Seth Swanson with the MSU Extension Office took a class full of potential farmers  along with some veteran farmers and ranchers  to talk with Edwards. He wanted a longtime landowner to talk to potential farmers about any concerns they might have. The Farm and Ranch Site Assessment Workshop, as the day's activities were called by CFAC, included a classroom component to help people understand water, soil sampling, easements, zoning and more.

The idea of the workshop today is sort of the 30,000-foot view of the topics that need to be considered when starting as a farmer or rancher, Renn said. So this is really a run-through of the preliminary questions and considerations. So when youre visiting a spot for the first time or looking for a spot, this is the information you need. So we spent the morning learning about the tools to look into the soils and water and how you can get that information.

The class got information from experts like Seth Swanson of the MSU Extension office, Bart Morris of the Oxbow Cattle Company and Tracy Potter-Fins of County Rail Farm.

Potter-Fins talked to those in the class about the challenges they might face when selecting certain sites. She warned them that using hand lines for irrigation is physically taxing, and drip irrigation is more labor-intensive to set up but saves time over the course of the summer. Except, however, drip irrigation doesnt work well for growing salad greens because you have to move the piping too much. She also said new farmers and ranchers might be surprised at the market for their wares.

If you want to grow heirloom tomatoes, good luck, she said. That market is over-saturated in western Montana by more established growers. But if you can find a way to grow spinach all through the summer, the Western Montana Growers Cooperative will buy as much as you can grow.

Potter-Fins said that besides soil composition and drainage and truck access, farmers also need to feel like they can be happy if they are spending 10-12 hours a day on a certain patch of ground.

You need to be happy here because you are going to be spending a ton of time here, she said.

Potter-Fins also said that she hopes that more consumers across the country will begin to see the value in buying locally produced food, which would do wonders to support agriculture in western Montana and elsewhere.

Renn said that CFAC has various ways to help beginners conduct an onsite evaluation. The nonprofit can also teach people how to use Montana Cadastral, Web Soil Survey and the Water Right Query System to determine if a piece of ground is suitable for animals or vegetables or both.

Were hoping people will get to practice what they learned this morning in terms of actually asking questions of a landowner, Renn explained Were hoping people can really leave here feeling like they can make informed decisions about where they might start an operation.

For more information visit www.farmlinkmontana.org.
Jack was born with what some may consider a disadvantage; he was born with limb-girdle Muscular Dystrophy. He had physical limitations, but that did not slow him down. There was nothing he was not able to do. He was able to shoot skeet, ride motor cycles, swim in the ocean, build buggies, harvest wood, go camping, and run a successful business.

At first Jack worked on Volkswagens but after a few years he faded the Volkswagens out and just worked on small engines (lawn mowers, chain saws, etc.). This is when Jacks Small Engines was born. Over the past 37 years Jack built a successful business. He prided himself on delivering quality services and standing behind his work. He also expanded into selling second hand tools, mowers, chain saws, and a variety of other equipment. If you needed something chances are that Jack had it or could help you find it. He developed many friendships and continued to have adventures and being a part of The Buggy Club was some of the best times he had. As his muscular dystrophy progressed, Jack developed ways of accommodating his changing needs. He developed a lift device to help him get into his camper when using steps became too difficult. He developed an elevator to help him get in and out of his house when he could no longer walk; he designed and built special canes, and even customized his power wheel chair to meet his needs. Jacks goal was to maintain his independence for as long as possible and this was just one more goal that he successfully met.
Privacy Policy

RealChoice is a BlogSpot blog. You get whatever privacy you get when you post on a blog. As Blogmistress of RealChoice, I do not collect information on my users or those who post comments. I will delete spam and offensive comments, and thoroughly cooperate with law enforcement, as I did in the case of Ted "Operation Counterstrike" Schulman, if people make terroristic threats on my blog.



So fight nice, kids.


Political Incorrectness Paradoxes, and Anything else out of left field.
But after the meeting, Mr. Sulzberger and Mr. Reston postponed my transfer indefinitely. The Times, they said, could not bow to pressure from a president trying to change our news coverage. Two months later, after the Diem regime was overthrown, I was sent to Saigon to replace Mr. Halberstam.

President Kennedys successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, intensified this adversarial strategy. He regularly railed against the press for what he and Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara condemned as biased news coverage that challenged the administrations line that we were winning the Vietnam War, which Mr. Johnson had expanded with air attacks on North Vietnam. When in December 1966 the Times correspondent Harrison Salisbury went to Hanoi and began filing dispatches about the civilian casualties and destruction caused by the American bombing, the administration all but accused Mr. Salisbury of treason.

The Pentagon insisted that American attacks were carried out with pinpoint precision, civilian casualties were extremely rare, and Mr. Salisbury had become a tool of Hanois propaganda effort. But within months, Deputy Secretary of State Nicholas Katzenbach admitted privately to several reporters in Washington that American air raids were in fact hitting civilian-populated areas of Hanoi, Haiphong and other cities.

During the administration of the next president, Richard M. Nixon, charge and countercharge against the media escalated still further. The Nixon White House even compiled a political enemies list including more than 50 in journalism. To combat leaks over war policy, the White House and the F.B.I. director, J. Edgar Hoover, ordered the wiretapping of four reporters, including me, and 14 government officials.

In 1971, my colleague Neil Sheehan obtained Secretary McNamaras secret Pentagon history of the war, documenting chronic deception of the American people by a succession of Democratic and Republican administrations. When The Times published our articles based on the Pentagon Papers, the Nixon administration went to court to stop publication. The Times was temporarily blocked but other papers picked up the story.

Infuriated, President Nixon insisted that someone has to go to jail for the leak. But very quickly, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the media, and The Times rolled out a book-length volume of articles over 10 days that would forever alter and deepen our understanding of the Vietnam War.

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Today, the issues are different, of course  questions about Mr. Trumps peculiarly warm embrace of Russias leader, Vladimir V. Putin, and Russian intelligence agencies meddling in the 2016 elections on Mr. Trumps behalf. But the clash of powerful institutions is similar.

Mr. Trumps attack on the media for publishing leaks from the F.B.I. and domestic intelligence agencies succeeded for a few days in diverting public attention from his Russian connections. He and his White House Rasputin, Stephen K. Bannon, may also reckon that by savaging the press, they can intimidate Congress into softening its investigation into the Trump-Russia link.

But the focus has swung back on the central question: What is the president hiding? If his campaign is innocent of illicit Russian connections, why not welcome the investigation and clear the air? If, as Mr. Trump said last month, his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was simply doing his job in talking with the Russian ambassador Sergey I. Kislyak about American sanctions against Moscow, why did Mr. Flynn lie about it?

Sign Up for the Opinion Today Newsletter Every weekday, get thought-provoking commentary from Op-Ed columnists, the Times editorial board and contributing writers from around the world. Sign Up Receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services.

More broadly, why has Mr. Trump evaded reporters questions about renewed fighting in eastern Ukraine or the Russian deployment of a new missile in conflict with a 1987 arms agreement? Why, after publication of his 2005 tax returns, does he still refuse to release his most recent returns? Will they reveal something that makes him beholden to Mr. Putin and Moscow?

No matter how much the president seeks to demonize the press, these and other crucial questions will not go away because todays journalists are just as committed as those who covered past presidents to pursue them to the end.
Michael Curtis

Russia is an easy country to enter. Procedures at Moscow's airport including passport control allow passengers a speedy departure from the airport, and the hour-long journey to the center of the city and hotel passes quickly along the six-lane highway.

Similarly, the reception is pleasant at the hotel, and the imperfect facilities in the room are of little account. The first surprise is the availability in the hotel of various foreign newspapers or mimeographed versions of them, including those in English such as The New York Times, Le Figaro, and The Wall Street Journal, as well the local Moscow Times, which contains articles mildly critical of President Vladimir Putin, and whose cover features an image of Jimmy Stewart in the film, where he plays a journalist.

If Russia is easy to enter physically, it is not equally easy to discern politically. Russia today, under the rule of Vladimir Putin, is becoming increasingly autocratic, but it is not a replica of the old Stalinist Soviet Union. In the streets in Moscow, there are no traces or physical reminders of Stalin, though some remain in a few provincial towns. However, some images of Lenin are present, and though Russia is not a doctrinaire Communist state, the large statue of Karl Marx remains close to Red Square. Yet it is noticeable, and perhaps significant as a decision by Putin, that Lenin's mausoleum in Red Square has still not been reopened to the public.

Russia is still a puzzlement. The country still has difficulties coming to terms with its past. President Putin himself has called for an objective analysis of 1917. In this year, the 100th anniversary of the 1917 February and October Revolutions, there will be no formal governmental celebrations since there is no overall message, positive or negative, that the regime wishes to convey, as was the case in the Soviet Union. There is no Leninist call for world revolution. Russia, part Western, part Asian, has no clear national identity, but its government is now an authoritarian system expanding its influence, internally and internationally, as a strong central state, supported not only by oligarchs, but increasingly by the Russian Orthodox Church.

An indication of political changes and the complexity of Russia's unhappy past and present is recent commentary on the 100 years of the publication Izvestia, whose story is the story of the former Soviet Union and present Russia.

Founded on March 13, 1917 by a small group of revolutionaries two days before the tsar, the last of the Romanovs, abdicated, it became the official publication of the Soviet Union. It was supposed to be the voice of the revolutionary councils, known as the Soviets, and had some political freedom  as much as was possible in the totalitarian regime, and was more liberal than its competitor Pravda, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party. Its most famous editor was Nikolai Bukharin. He was executed in the show trials in 1937, one of four chief editors of the paper to die.

In the 1980s, Izvestia became an advocate of reform, but more recently, though a shadow of its former self and with nine editors in the last 14 years, it has increasingly adopted pro-Kremlin positions and expressed support for Putin. In a notorious incident in 2015, the paper published a forged letter claiming that the U.S. embassy in Moscow had paid gay rights activists to smear Russian officials. Under Putin, the Russian press has been repressed, and a considerable number of media outlets have been closed.

What is puzzling in Russia today are implicit challenges to the status quo as well as public evidence of the horrible past. Some evidence of this is the monument, the "Solovki" stone slab, in honor of the "victims of totalitarianism." The stone was brought from Solovki in the White Sea, which in the 1930s was the first camp to which political prisoners were exiled.

In an ultimate irony, the Solovki monument is located in Lubyanka Square, in front of the building that housed the former KGB, the main security agency, and the secret police of the Soviet Union between 1954 and 1991, which was responsible for the elimination of the victims. No one needs a reminder that Putin was a mid-level KGB intelligence official for 16 years, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Indeed, this reminder is doubly ironic since the Kremlin is now planning to give the National Guard of Russia, established in April 2006 and directly subordinate to Putin, additional functions that will create an organization similar to the old KGB. It will have its own investigative arm and independent ability to conduct police investigations, its own network of agents, and control of electronic devices. Thus, Putin's own position will be greatly enhanced.

Contrary to Western perceptions of the issue, Russians appear to see the annexation of the Crimea peninsula as a great achievement, second only in significance to the Soviet Union victory in World War II. There are rumors that the 2018 presidential election is being moved to March 18, the date on which the Crimea annexation was ratified, so that it will bring out more voters for Putin. It is also notable that critics of Putin such as Alexei Navalny, the 40-year-old, partly Yale-educated leader of the Progress Party, critic of corruption and of Putin, are being barred from participating in the election.

A major factor in contemporary Russia is the increasing role of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and its virtual alliance with Putin. It is relevant that Putin for a time was in the KGB's Fifth Directorate, responsible for oversight of religious groups.

Already in 1997, the ROC helped pass the law restricting freedom to practice religious faiths considered foreign. The patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, in February 2012 pronounced that Putin's rule was a miracle of God. Putin may not be God's chosen ruler or holy Orthodox tsar, but he has formed an alliance with the ROC and benefited politically from it. During his rule, churches destroyed by the Soviet Union are being rebuilt: it is estimated that 23,000 churches are being restored or refurnished. In addition, Putin has allowed the teaching of religion in public schools.

A public ceremony on November 4, 2016 illustrated the political-religious relationship when Vladimir Putin unveiled a large 56-foot statue to Vladimir the Great, the 10th-century ruler of Kiev who adopted Orthodox Christianity in 988 and is regarded as the first Christian ruler. Now he is claimed, as is the contemporary Vladimir, as the person who united his country and gained victories for his fatherland. In a sense, the older Vladimir, 11 centuries old, is used as a symbol of justification for annexation of Crimea.

A new and unexpected feature in Moscow, that perhaps may be regarded in part as criticism of the existing system, is a fascinating avant-garde exhibition, "Russia as you've never seen it," at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Gorki Park. It presents works mainly done since 2012 by 68 artists and artist groups across the country. It thus offers insight into the diversity of social tendencies in the arts scene of Russia, a country that contains 200 nationalities and more than 100 minority languages.

There is no single theme or overall curatorial statement, but various general categories or "vectors" and conceptions are used to describe the artistic milieu in Russia. Some of them touch on social and political issues, the need for social change, expressions of solidarity with victims of repression, support for the rights of minorities and socially vulnerable groups, feminism, fighting domestic violence, and emancipation.

The puzzle remains. In the exhibition, which deals with the immensely complicated matter of national and cultural identity, to some extent, a minor spotlight is focused on social and cultural problems. Nevertheless, the outside wall of Gorki Park still bears the Communist hammer and sickle and an image of Lenin.

The Trump administration must be well aware of the poor condition of the Russian economy, which has been too dependent on oil prices, suffers from the decline in price, and is handicapped by Western sanctions. It must recognize the pressing problems that Russia presents: the Russian desire to increase its exports, especially arms, the impact of Russian hacking and cyber-security; its aggression in Chechnya, Georgia, and Ukraine; its intervention in Syria and relationship with Iran; its general military buildup; and its deployment of short-range nuclear capable missiles. In the light of these problems, it is imperative that the Trump administration understand the complicated notion of Russia's identity and become capable of responding to it.
Dhaka: Asia-Pacific Forum Environmental Journalists (APFEJ), in the backdrop of Indian government's recent decision to ban a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) scribe on filming in its tiger reserves, has urged New Delhi to be reverent to the global media outlets respecting the democratic spirit of the country. The environment media forum also appealed to the Indian authority not to think of evoking the British scribe's visa at any cost.

It may be noted that the controversy erupted after the BBC's south Asia correspondent Justin Rowlatt prepared a news feature on Assam's well-known Kaziranga National Park where he claimed that forest guards of the abode of precious one-horned rhinos were indulging in extra judicial killings in the name of conservation.

Rowlatt pointed out that the park, which hosted UK's Prince William and Katherine in April 2016, witnessed the killing of almost two people per month under the brutal conservation policy since 2013. The year 2015 witnessed the encounter killings of 23 people in Kaziranga in contrast to 18 rhinos poached by the criminals.

'Innocent villagers, mostly tribal people, have been caught up in the conflict (between the poachers and forest guards) and the problem is mostly because the park rangers are indiscriminate in applying brutal force, and they are given immunity from prosecution,' said the BBC feature.

Rowlatt, who lives with his family in New Delhi, also clarified that despite his initiative, both the environment ministries in New Delhi and Dispur (responsible for the protection of forest and wildlife), the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Assam forest department did not respond to his necessary queries.

Once the BBC aired the item titled 'Our World: Killing for Conservation' on 11 February 2017, the government and people of Assam raised serious concern over its content. Various non-government nature

&wildlife protection groups came forward scolding the London based news channel for propagating a wrong image to Kaziranga to the international audience.

Encouraged with the development, the Indian authority barred the BBC journalist Rowlatt from filming in any of India's 50 tiger reserves for five years. Later the Union environment ministry even requested the external affairs ministry to revoke the visas of Rowlatt along with his associates who shot the film.

But it tempted the global tribal people's rights body Survival International to launch a boycott campaign against the park that attracts over some 150,000 annual visitors including over 11,000 foreign tourists, till the Kaziranga authority retains its shoot-on-sight policy. It has already written to various tour operators in western countries to evade Kaziranga that gives shelter to over 2430 rhinos, 167 Royal Bengal tigers along with other wildlife.

'We appeal to Survival International to lift the boycott call against Kaziranga such that the success achieved by the Indian forest department is not subdued by the controversy,' said a statement issued by APFEJ president Quamrul Islam Chowdhury and secretary Nava Thakuria, adding that Assam forest department should also come out with specific clarification to the BBC news feature.
Kamal Thapa

Kathmandu, Nepal: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development Kamal Thapa has urged the agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) to participate in the scheduled local level elections.

I think that no parties should miss the chance of participating in the elections; so, I would like to urge the agitating UDMF to participate in the local level elections, DPM Thapa said while talking to media persons at Biratangar Airport on Sunday.

The government is committed to pave a moderate way to forge consensus to participate the UDMF for local elections, DPM Thapa, who is also the chairman of the Rastriya Prajatanta Party (RPP), said.

During the function he also alleged the Election Commission (EC) for removing the portion of Hindu state and monarchy from his party, RPP's, statute.

Our party is going to submit a memorandum to the election Commission regarding the EC's decision, Thapa said while responding to the concerns of the media person over the issue.
Kathmandu, Nepal: Protesting the government move, the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) has boycotted the meeting of the Legislature-Parliament on Sunday.

UDMF lawmakers walked out of the House when Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar announced the commencement of the meeting.

The UDMF lawmakers have been boycotting the meetings of the legislative parliament alleging the government for not addressing their demands.

Before walking out of the meeting, Jangilal Yadav of Tarai-Madhes Loktantrik Party blamed that government for irritating the people of Teria and Madhes by announcing the date for local level election without creating conducive environment.
WASHINGTON  How to account for President Trumps new thing for Old Hickory?

Trump flew to Nashville on Wednesday afternoon and visited the tomb of Andrew Jackson, the first of Trumps predecessors he chose to so honor, in celebration of Jacksons 250th birthday. He placed a wreath, pronounced himself a big fan, asserted that he had much in common with Jackson and sent a thank-you tweet to a man who died 160 years before Twitter.

This followed Trumps decision in January to move a portrait of Jackson into the Oval Office, his position during the campaign against replacing Jackson on the $20 bill in favor of Harriet Tubman, and frequent attempts by top Trump strategist Steve Bannon to liken Trump to Jackson.

Most Americans probably dont much care about the homage to the Hero of New Orleans and populist father of the Democratic Party. But one group sees the Jackson worship as an important sign from the president  the same people Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, has been speaking to lately when he talks about somebody elses babies. By accident or by design, Trump is delighting the white nationalists.

The Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi website, applauded as fitting Trumps honoring of this white supremacist extremist, as it calls Jackson. The group created a poster for supporters to display featuring a portrait of Jackson underneath a reference to a quote from Bannon: Like Andrew Jacksons populism, were going to build an entirely new political movement. Beneath the Jackson portrait the poster says, with adorning swastikas, The new face of the Republican Party: DailyStormer.com.

Jackson belongs to all America, both the good (his common touch) and bad (his Indian killer nickname and the Trail of Tears), and several presidents visited his tomb before. But white nationalists are attempting to appropriate Jackson the way the tea party commandeered the Dont Tread on Me flag, and they see Trump encouraging them. The fact that he put up a portrait of Andrew Jackson in the Oval Office shouldve sent a huge signal, white nationalist James Edwards said on his radio show, Political Cesspool.

Theres political reason for Trump to send such signals. The number of white nationalists and overt racists is small, but feelings of racial resentment strongly predict support for Trump. A new analysis this week underscores the relationship.

Researchers from San Francisco State University and the liberal think tank Demos, writing in the Nation, said they did regression analyses comparing voters presidential preferences with their reaction to being told that the United States will become a minority-majority nation. The likelihood of supporting Trump increased sharply among those with negative views of racial diversity  but there was no similar effect seen among supporters of John McCain in 2008 or Mitt Romney in 2012.

This powerful fear of racial diversity explains why King, always a provocateur (he spoke of immigrants with calves the size of cantaloupes from drug-running), feels safe being more overtly racist (and why GOP leaders have been timid in response).

On Sunday, tweeting his approval of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders, King wrote: We cant restore our civilization with somebody elses babies.

He defended his remarks Monday on CNN, calling Western civilization a superior culture, and, in an Iowa radio interview, he predicted that Hispanics and the blacks will be fighting each other before whites lose their majority.

David Duke, the former Klan leader, celebrated Kings babies remark. Likewise, Duke, who fought last year to keep an iconic statue of Jackson in New Orleans, has been praising Trumps actions, tweeting: President Trump is off to an amazing start, God bless him for it!Richard Spencer, of the white-nationalist National Policy Institute, has praised Trump for, among other things, his choice of a white Protestant for the Supreme Court.

Spencer also posted a video Sunday defending Kings babies remark. If this is a signal that conservatives are moving in the right direction under Trump, Spencer said, then Im very happy.A continuing source of white nationalists happiness is Trumps fascination with Jackson, who forcibly relocated Indians from the South. Established in the midst of another and a superior race, and without appreciating the causes of their inferiority or seeking to control them, they must necessarily yield to the force of circumstances and ere long disappear, President Jackson told Congress in 1833.

Such thinking wasnt unusual then, but todays racists are trying to claim Jackson (and Trump) as their own. We are in serious need of some more trails of tears just about now, Andrew Anglin wrote on the Daily Stormer. And its look(ing) like Trump may well deliver in spades.
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PEOPLES UNION FOR DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS

Condemn Conviction and Sentencing of Maruti Workers!

Press Release

18th March 2017

The Sessions Court in Gurgaon today announced the quantum of sentence for 31 workers convicted by it on 10th March in the State of Haryana Vs. Jiyalal and Others case. Thirteen union leaders have been awarded life imprisonment, four others five years imprisonment and remaining 14 sentence as already undergone. Peoples Union for Democratic Rights strongly condemns not just the severity of punishment, but the conviction itself. The case was filed in connection with the incident of violence, setting the office on fire and unfortunate death of one HR manager due to asphyxiation at the Manesar unit of Maruti on 18th July 2012.

It should be recalled that the workers of the Maruti plant in Manesar had to struggle hard for the Constitutional right of forming a union. Ever since its formation in 2012, Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (Reg. no. 1923) had been engaged in negotiations with the company management on various demands of the workers, including that of contract workers. On 18th July 2012 after an altercation between a supervisor and a worker, the worker was suspended. This happened when a meeting of the union members and the management regarding some pending issues was on. Hearing about the illegality of suspension of the worker, the union demanded its revocation. The company had deployed many bouncers in the premises that day and the police was also called in while the negotiations were on. Due to the flip flop of the management on revoking the suspension and anti-worker attitude of the labour department officials present there, tension built up. In the melee that followed, some of the management personnel were injured (none seriously) and a number of workers were also injured. A fire broke out leading to tragic death of one HR manager due to asphyxiation.

From day one after the incident, the investigation was marred by high handedness of the police acting in collusion with the management. The police arbitrarily indicted and arrested 148 workers on the basis of the list provided by the management even before their being named by the prosecution witnesses, especially targeting the office bearers and other active members of their union. It ignored the discrepancies in the managements account, the facts such as presence of bouncers at the plant and the workers getting injured that day. What followed was a blatantly illegal police action involving violation of statutory norms regarding arrests and detention, third degree torture of the arrested workers and harassment of the family members and repeated attacks on the other workers protesting the arrests, etc. The over enthusiastic behavior made it very clear that they were acting on behalf of the management.

Most importantly, there was a presumption that the workers were responsible for the violence and therefore no investigation was done on the possibility of the company executives, managerial staff and the bouncers as perpetrators of violence.

In the course of the trial, while 139 accused managed to get bail from the High Court after spending 3-4 years in jail, nine remained behind bar throughout. The fact that 117 of these have been acquitted shows that they were made to suffer incarceration for long durations without any basis. Close examination of the trial raises serious doubts about the conviction of the rest of the 31 accused. Thirteen of these accused have been charged with murder, all of whom are office bearers and the active members of the union.

The conviction is a result of a trial full of infirmities. These include naming of the accused by the prosecution witnesses in alphabetical order, inability of the witnesses to identify the accused correctly and to specify their exact role in the violence, weapons of attack changing from lathi, iron rod and birja to car door beams and shocker rods from FIR to trial stage, staged recovery of weapons from the accused houses days after the incident, inability of the prosecution to prove who lit the fire and how, absence of any corroborated evidence, absence of any evidence of any fatal attack on the deceased or any other managerial staff member etc. In nut shell no evidence was established in the court of law linking any of these workers to either murder or igniting fire, damage of property.

In the light of absolute gaps in establishing any evidence in court, we believe that this conviction is absolutely partisan, based on unfair trial and is a result of a nexus between the state institutions - the police, the administration, the judiciary in collusion with the Maruti management. All of them together are guilty of violating the rights of the workers and for the injustice they have suffered and are suffering. It is a stark example of the coming together of the state and capitalist classes. A previous High Court judgment denying bail for Maruti workers said that giving bail to workers would set a bad precedent for FDI in the country.

The judgment is clearly aimed at giving a strong message to the workers in the entire belt that they canat fight for their constitutional rights. The constant threat of aMaruti like situationa, the tactics of threat and intimidation, regular enforcement of Section 144, criminalization of workers are an everyday reality of workers in the entire industrial belt from Gurgaon-Manesar-Dharuhera and Bawal. For the working class in India the judgment is a signal that Justice bends in favour of the Capitalist class and heralds acceleration in erosion of their rights and expansion of the power of management over them.

PUDR reiterates that it stands in solidarity with the Maruti workers in their struggle for justice. Meanwhile the least that the Haryana Government can do is to appropriately compensate the 117 workers for their illegal incarceration, loss of precious years of their lives and loss of livelihood.

Cijo Joy & Anushka Singh

(Secretaries, PUDR)

18TH March 2017
Peoples Alliance for Democracy and Secularism Demands Justice for Convicted Workers of Maruti Suzuki

Press Release

19th March 2017

The sessions court in Gurgaon on 18 March, 2017 sentenced 13 workers of Maruti Suzuki to life imprisonment for murder. Twelve of these are the erswhtile leaders of the Maruti Suzuki Workers Union. Eighteen others were sentenced from three to five years for rioting and causing grievous injury. Cases against these workers were filed in July 2012 after violence in companys Manesar plant during which one official unfortunately lost his life. On companys complaint police arrested 148 workers and charged them with conspiracy and killing the company official.

The court ruling after a four-and-a-half year trial is based on flimsy evidence. The prosecution failed to establish even circumstantial evidence to show that any of those convicted caused the violence that took place, leave alone the death. The ruling also goes against the forensic evidence and post-mortem report that was placed before the court. Critically, officers of the company, who were produced before the court as prosecution witnesses denied they were present at the time of the incident. Some of them even admitted that they were acting under Maruti-Suzuki management direction.

117 of the arrested workers have been acquitted of all charges, though there was a common charge against all 148 workers. The acquittal of eighty percent of the accused workers shows that mass terrorisation of workers was one of the main motives of police action in this case, and that courts were wrong in denying them bail. These workers were forced to spend 31 months in prison for no fault of their own. Their fundamental right to life and liberty was attacked, yet no one is going to be punished for it.

The Maruti verdict is the latest in a series involving violence at plants of Pricol (Coimbatore), Graziano (Surajpur) and Regency Ceramics (Yanam) in which workers working for their unions have ended up being charged with murder. While all governments show little interest in attending to violations of existing labour regulations by employers, retribution against workers has been severe and swift. It is an indication of the class nature of justice in the country, that courts have convicted workers on trumped up charges and have gone out of their way to deny them justice. In May 2013 the Punjab and Haryana High Court had denied bail to Maruti workers with the argument that if bail is given foreign investors are not likely to invest in India out of fear of labour unrest, as if citizens right to justice were subservient to foreign investors confidence. This is a clear example of the degradation of criminal justice system and its failure to stick to first principles of justice. It should be a matter of grave concern for every Indian that while the leaders of some of the most henious pogroms in independent India have not been even touched by criminal justice systemt, workers of Maruti Suzuki have been sentenced to life imprisonment on flimsy evidence. Another development is the use of private armed guards by employers for threatening workers. According to workers of Honda scooter plant in Alwar, Rajasthan, their strike last year was broken by the management with the help of armed thugs, who had assaulted them inside the plant, and also in the city in full public view. Maruti Suzuki workers have also alleged that on the day of violence large number of hired bouncers were roaming inside the plant and threatening workers.

Working class movement is a great bulwark of democracy in any society. People without property were able to get voting rights and other democratic rights only after sustained campaigns by working class organizations. Working class politics tries to build solidarity among working people across regional, linguistic, religious and caste divisions. On the other hand, the right wing politics is a politics of hatred which divides people. In India Sangh parivar has been spreading hatred against minorities for decades, and indulging in violence agaisnt them. Working class struggle to get all workers together and form independent trade unions that can challenge capitalist depredations is a direct challenge to Hindutva game plan.

Maruti Suzuki workers have braved through sinister schemes of management, government, and police, and are standing firm in their commitment. All the workers sentenced to life imprisonment by the court were below thirty when arrested by the police. Their commitment for working peoples rights needs to be contrasted with the violence of activists of Sangh parivar against minorities, Dalits, and students and teachers of universities with full support of Modi government. It should be clear to every one that the future of these workers is the future of democracy in India. And now that these young men have been sentenced to life, it is the democracy in India that stands on trial.

P.A.D.S. condemns the collusion of management, police and prosecution in the Maruti Suzuki case. It condemns the arrest of people who had gathered in front of Haryana Bhavan in Delhi on 16th March to express their outrage against the court verdict. It also condemns Haryana government for for imposing Section 144 in the Gurgaon Manesar industrial belt and trying to prenvent workers from protesting against this mockery of justice. It calls upon the higher judiciary to urgently give justice to wrongfully convicted workers. We salute the valiant struggle of Maruti Suzuki Workers Union. We appeal to all democratic central TUs to come forward unitedly to urgently resist this blatantly pro-management decision which attacks the legitimate rights of the working people under the guise of criminal convictions. We salute the workers of the Gurgaon-Manesar belt who in their thousands have been taking solidarity actions against the court verdict, and have vowed to intensify their struggle in coming days.

Battini Rao, Convenor PADS (93938 75195, battini.rao[at]gmail.com )
The Knights of Columbus' annual St. Patrick's Day Fundraising Car Show has a mission every year  to raise money for scholarship funds and youth programs. This year, members wanted to rally support for one of the show's regular entrants who wasn't able to make it to this year's exhibit: John Shuffield.

James Jepsen, marketing chair and a member of the Knights of Columbus' St. Louis de Montfort Council 11137, who refers to the show as "The Biggest Little Show in the Area," said organizers felt compelled to reach out to the Shuffield family as soon as they heard of the crash.
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iStock/Thinkstock(COLUMBIA, S.C. ) -- A South Carolina deputy's act of kindness brought a smile to a little girl's face.

Miyah Washington, 12, was building a snowman by herself when Chris Blanding of the Richland County Sheriff's Office stopped his patrol car and offered to help.

"I just thought that was so awesome that he would actually take the time out of his day and help [a] little kid in her yard," Miyah's mom DaVida Washington told ABC News. "I thought it was pretty cool and she did too, she was very excited."

She was fighting a cold on March 12 and was resting inside her home when her daughter, Miyah, went to play outside.

"Plus my white blood cells are low, so I can't be out in the cold," Washington said. "I've been under the weather for a couple of days so Sunday was one of those days I couldn't go out."

Miyah was trying to make a snowman when Deputy Blanding stopped by and asked if he could join the fun. She agreed and the pair posed for a picture, taken by her father.

Lieutenant Curtis Wilson of the Richland County Sheriff's Office told ABC News that Blanding, who was working on his regular shift that day, is an asset to the department.

"The Richland County Sheriff's Department believes in unity in the community and we want to show them we are just as human," he said. "[One] of the ways we do that is getting to know the people in the community where we are working to protect and serve."

Wilson said Blanding was unaware Washington had cancer until after she shared the image of him and her daughter on a local news organization's Facebook page.

Washington said she was thankful to Blanding for being kind to her daughter.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
DURAND  Twenty-six-year-old Rosa Jimenez and her husband, Manuel, 36, used to do the grocery shopping together. They would take the kids and make a day of it. But, lately, Manuel goes alone.

Imagine if they (immigration authorities) picked us up there. I wont take the risk of them taking my children, Jimenez says, bursting into tears as she sits in her kitchen on a recent afternoon.

The couple always planned on one day returning to Mexico when they came to the United States to find work on farms; she arrived 10 years ago, he has been here for 15. But negative depictions of immigrants by the president and the open hostility the family has experienced since the election accelerated those plans.

Now living with their two young children on a Pepin County dairy farm in northwestern Wisconsin where Manuel works, the couple  who asked that their real names not be used because of their immigration status  are making plans to leave their life in Americas Dairyland and go back across the border, much sooner than they had expected.

They are among the estimated 51 percent of all dairy workers in the United States who are immigrants. A significant portion  more than three-fourths of the workers at some dairy farms according to workers, farmers and industry experts  are undocumented after entering the country illegally or overstaying visas.

Dairy producers in Wisconsin increasingly struggle to recruit and maintain the immigrant workforce on which the states $43 billion-a-year dairy industry relies, Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism found in interviews this month with farmers, workers and industry experts.

Farmers say deporting immigrants working here illegally could harm Wisconsins signature industry, which ranks second in the nation for milk production and first for cheese. Milking cows can be a dirty, physically demanding job that includes long, irregular work hours; farmers say few Americans are willing to do it.

Buffalo County dairy farmer Nora Gilles says her farm is 100 percent reliant on immigrants. Losing them would be her worst nightmare, she says.

We definitely wouldn't be able to farm. I mean you just couldn't do it without them. Because you can't get anybody else that wants to work, says Gilles, whose farm has about 1,000 head of cattle.

John Holevoet, director of government affairs for the Dairy Business Association, which represents dairy farmers and milk processors, says the supply of immigrant workers has been tight for several years.

Anxiety and people's desire maybe to return home or leave the state or whatever else, well, that doesn't help when you're already facing what would be an already challenging labor market to begin with, he says.

But it has become even more challenging since the election, University of Wisconsin-Extension agent Jennifer Blazek says.

The agriculture labor market tended to be more fluid and flexible and I think recent political events have restricted that fluidity because of the fear it's caused, says Blazek, who is a dairy and livestock agent for Dane County.

Blazek said that immigrants are not moving to different parts of the country, following jobs as they used to. It's risky to move, especially to places you aren't familiar with...plus you have the added risk of being visible because immigrants often look different than established residents and stick out. 

She added: Some immigrants have expressed a desire to move back to Mexico, if they have that ability, to leave the current negative climate surrounding immigration and immigrants.

Gilles and her brothers, co-owners of the farm, have had to raise pay in recent years by several dollars to a starting wage of about $10.50 an hour just to keep immigrant workers from leaving for higher pay at another farm. Pay has gone up over a dollar just in the past few months.

Meanwhile, the flow of workers has slowed. The number of immigrants entering the United States from Mexico has been in a slump since the recession.

In fact, in 2015, more people returned to Mexico than came into the United States, according to the Pew Research Center, which tracks Hispanic trends in America.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that the number of people caught illegally attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border was down 40 percent from January to February, a period when apprehensions normally increase by 10 to 20 percent.

Adding to foreign workers uncertainty is ramped-up immigration enforcement like the 287(g) program, which enables local police to act as immigration enforcement; and broadening the scope of priorities for agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to include immigrants charged with low-level offenses. Plans to build a wall on the southern U.S. border have created additional anxiety.

Gilles says immigrant dairy workers used to show up every week at her farm looking for work. But not anymore.

I think we've been short two or three people for like a year. Constantly, we're just always short, she says. They're not coming here like they were.

The decreasing number of immigrants means farmers like Gilles have to work harder to attract them and keep them from leaving for better paying jobs at nearby farms.

Just in the last year, turnover's been crazy, just crazy. And I think that's everywhere, I don't think it's just here, she says. Everybody that I know is emailing or calling, Do you have anybody extra? I don't know if it's out of fear, or if it's just that there's less coming I mean they'll drop you and go somewhere else for a little bit more money.

Jimenez says workers understand their value to the industry.

Yes we need the work, but the farmers also need us because there are farms where 20, 25 or 30 people work, and nobody has papers, she says. Imagine if they got rid of all of them, if they did a raid and took everybody. What are the farmers going to do? The cows will die.

Workers face ugly remarks

Jimenez says she has also noticed a change in the way her family is treated in the community.

There have always been racist people. Thats nothing new. Theyve always been there. But its like now people feel more free to be offensive or do things that arent right, Jimenez says.

In a recent incident, Manuel was filling up his tank at a gas station when a group of men dressed in hunting gear stopped to insult him. His wife declined to repeat the remarks, which she described as ugly.

Can you imagine what could happen to us? Im scared that well go out to eat somewhere and a crazy person will show up and shoot us or something like that because it can happen. Because people who are racist go to the extreme, Jimenez says.

Recently, when President Trump addressed members of Congress, Jimenez watched as he acknowledged the father of a high school boy shot dead by a Latino undocumented gang member in California. She objected to the implication that immigrants are criminals.

We just want them to let us work in peace, and to not be treated like criminals or terrorists because were not, she says. We arent rapists either. We are just people who want to work.

As farms grow, need for immigrants increases

On a recent morning, Guillermo Ramos is in the barn of Gilles farm, where he has worked for 17 years. The air smells of feed and manure. Walking between two rows of cows that poke their heads out of metal headlocks to chew feed, he surveys the animals and the tags pinned to each of their ears, searching for a number that corresponds to the one on his clipboard.

Finally, he sees what hes looking for. Taking a syringe filled with Salmonella vaccine, Ramos steps forward into a mound of hay and plunges it into the cows thigh.

The 40-year-old, Mexican-born farm manager started off here as a milker before working his way up to inseminating cows, administering medications and trimming hooves. Like many other workers on dairy farms in Wisconsin, Ramos entered the United States illegally.

After crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in 1999, he eventually traveled to Wisconsin where he heard dairy farms were in need of help. That need continues to grow, Ramos says.

When I got here, I saw a farm that had 275 cows. Now they have 1,500. How many Mexicans, how many illegals, work there? Around 15. When we started it was just two Mexicans. Thats how the farm started. Ive seen these farms grow with illegal labor. Although many people dont like it, or they dont want to accept it, its the truth.

Statistics show the size of Wisconsin farms has grown rapidly in recent years. In 2003, there were about16,000 farms. Today there are about 9,300. But the number of cows  about 1.3 million  remains roughly the same, which means farms are bigger and need a reliable workforce to run them.

But lately, Ramos has begun to question if he will be able to stay.

Right now with the political situation, were scared. You cant say, Nothings going to happen! Because it happens. Even if you dont want to accept it, its happening. We live in fear, especially those of us who have families.

Regarding the rhetoric that immigrants are stealing jobs, Ramos says he and others like him are just doing work Americans dont want to do.

In 17 years, I have never seen a U.S.-born worker come here and say to my boss  You know what? Im looking for a job. I want to milk cows. In 17 years.

Year-round work draws immigrants

For years, manual labor jobs in agriculture, construction and the service industry have drawn Mexican and Central American men and women to the United States. Many risk extortion, kidnapping and death crossing the U.S.-Mexico border for higher wages.

Dairy farms need a consistent year-round workforce to milk cows three times daily, seven days a week and often provide benefits such as paid vacation, housing and health insurance.

New employees in the United States are required to fill out an I-9 form and present documentation to verify their identity and authorization to work in the country, but as long as a new hires documents appear to be genuine, farmers are not required to further inspect their authenticity.

While farmers who grow seasonal crops such as blueberries and sweet potatoes can apply to bring workers from other countries temporarily under the H-2A visa program, there is no such program for year-round employment in agriculture, which makes it difficult for dairy employees to work and reside in the United States legally.

In a 2010 federal survey,85 percent of Wisconsin farmers with herds of 500 or more cows said the United States should create a guest worker program for the dairy industry.

A national survey in 2014 of dairy farms conducted by Texas A&M University and commissioned by the National Milk Producers Federation predicted severe losses for the industry if the flow of immigrant workers were to completely halt.

According to researchers, eliminating immigrant labor in the dairy industry would reduce production by 23 percent or 48 billion pounds of milk. The number of farms, currently at around 58,000, would decrease by 7,011. Retail milk prices would increase by 90 percent, meaning a $3 gallon of milk would cost consumers nearly $6, according to the study.

Without immigrants, U.S. economic output would also decrease by $32 billion, eliminating 208,208 jobs in the dairy industry and other businesses that rely on it, researchers predicted.

Crackdowns could shut down farms

John Rosenow, a farmer in Buffalo County, confirms that if his foreign-born employees were deported, or decided to look for work elsewhere, Americans would lose their jobs too, because the farm would be forced to shut down.

If ICE came in here and checked my employees and found that they were undocumented and those 10 people left, my next option of course is to close down  and try to find a market for my cows and sell out. And I wouldn't be able to farm anymore and it would just about kill me. I have no choice. I mean the cows have to be milked. I know no other source of labor.

Rosenow says some dairy farmers in his part of the state are already talking about preemptively selling their cows while there is still a market for them.

Before the election, there was a lot of discussion. Everybody was concerned about immigration reform, but most of the farmers that I talked to (said) I can't vote for Hillary (Clinton), I just can't.  Now that Trump's elected, they say that they have hope and that he didn't really mean what he said. And so we'll see.

Amy, a dairy farmer in Clark County, says 80 percent of her workers are immigrants; she voted for Trump despite his stance on immigration. She feared Clinton would have implemented heavy regulations and high taxes that could put her farm out of business. Amy asked that her last name not be used because she feared her business could be targeted by immigration officials.

I have to hope  that they're going to look at all sides and come to a compromise because I believe that Donald Trump is a businessman and he's not dumb, she says. He knows how much immigrant labor there is in our country and what it (mass deportation) would do to our country.

Tim OHarrow, a dairy farmer in Oconto Falls, says the biggest issue he worries about every day is having enough people to milk his 1,500 cows.

This will put us out of business if we keep going down the road were going. Ill lose everything Ive worked for for 45 years, OHarrow says. The reality is, we dont have a backup plan.

This country cannot produce enough food to feed its own people without foreign labor, he adds. It isnt just dairy. Its workers in slaughterhouses, its workers picking fruit. Its all aspects of food is being supplemented by foreign labor. Because American citizens will not, will not do the work. It isnt a matter of how much money. Its a matter of they will not do it.

This story is part of Wisconsin Public Radios State of Change: Water, Food And The Future Of Wisconsin project. It was jointly produced by WPR and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. The nonprofit Center (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with WPR, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.
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Agile Cigar Reviews replace what we termed Assessment Updates. The concept is the same, but the name is different. Agile Cigar Reviews use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or providing a score for a first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at the Xiphos NR Maduro in the Robusto size. This is a cigar we most recently assessed in the Toro size back in November, 2016.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro

Binder: Indonesian

Filler: Nicaraguan (Esteli and Jalapa) Viso, Seco, and Ligero

Country of Origin: Nicaragua (New Order of the Ages)

Robusto: 5 x 52

Xiphos Cigars is a company founded by Brad Longanecker. The company has two main brands in its portfolio: Xiphos NR and Xiphos CR. The brands are differentiated by the country where they are produced. For the Xiphos CR, the cigars are produced in Costa Rica while for the Xiphos NR, the cigars come from Nicaragua. The NR line consists of both a Habano and Maduro offering. Back in November, I sampled the Xiphos NR Maduro Toro and was quite impressed. Today we smoke the Xiphos NR Maduro Robusto size  and once again am impressed by this line.

The Xiphos NR Maduro features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over an Indonesian binder and Nicaraguan filler. The Robusto is a 5 x 52 vitola. The Xiphos NR line is produced out of the New Order of the Ages (NOA) factory owned by Noel Rojas and Brandon Hayes.

The Xiphos NR Maduro Robusto delivers a rich coasted coffee note  something I found to be signature note of the Toro size. There also was a slight maduro sweetness (a cross between natural tobacco and dried fruit), dark chocolate, and some black pepper notes. During those second half, there was an increase in the pepper and the coffee notes lost some of its edge become more like a classic earthy note. The flavors were medium to full-bodied countered by medium strength,

Back whenI assed the Toro, I identified Xiphos Cigars as a revelation in the small production segment. The work that Longanecker has done with NOA is quite impressive. Simply put, the Xiphos NR Maduro is a line that delivers great flavor. While I give a slight edge to the Toro size, the Robusto is still a great option when you need a quicker smoke. This is a cigar I would recommend to an experienced cigar enthusiast or even novice looking for something in the medium plus range. As for myself, this is a cigar I would smoke again  and easily a box worthy offering.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Black Pepper, Dark Chocolate, Earth, Maduro Sweetness

Burn: Excellent

Draw: Excellent

Complexity: Medium+

Strength: Medium to Full

Body: Medium to Full

Finish: Excellent

Rating

Assessment: 4.0-Box Worthy

Score: 91

References

Previous Assessment: Xiphos NR Maduro Toro

News: n/a

Price: $9.50

Source: Xiphos Cigars

Brand Reference: Xiphos

Photo Credit: Cigar Coop
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low 67F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
SINGAPORE 60's: ANDY's POP MUSIC INFLUENCE IS A PERSONAL MUSIC, MEMORY TRAIL. BLOGGER DOES NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO VIDEOS, AUDIO TRACKS AND IMAGES. THEY ARE UPLOADED FOR FUN, EDUCATIONAL, ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES AND HAVE BEEN CREDITED. BLOG IS NOT SPONSORED IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER. INFORM BLOGGER OF COPYRIGHT ISSUES AND POST WILL BE DELETED IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT COPY THE POSTS; GET PERMISSION N CREDIT ME IF YOU DO. ANDY LIM LA (NOVEMBER, 2008) - ()
In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome!
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Nebraskas land auctions still attract a crowd  farmers in co-op hats, curious neighbors, keen-eyed investors.

The crowds are about the same, said Travis Augustin, an auctioneer and managing broker with Hastings-based Ruhter Auction & Realty.

But the bidders, he said, are raising their hands a little slower and less often than they did when farming was more profitable.

The University of Nebraska's land-market survey, which appeared in the Wednesday edition of Cornhusker Economics, shows slower bids and land sales that have translated into a 10 percent decline in Nebraskas average farmland value over the past year.

In the district covering counties in northeast Nebraska, values averaged $5,410 per acre, down 10 percent compared to the previous period.

The survey marks the third consecutive year Nebraskas weighted average price for farmland has declined. The average, as of Feb. 1, was $2,805 per acre this year, which is 15 percent lower than the states 2014 peak of $3,315 per acre.

The Nebraska appraisers, farm managers and agricultural finance professionals who replied to the survey said low commodity prices and concerns about high property taxes are putting pressure on land values, said Jim Jansen, an agricultural economist with UNL's Extension Office.

But the state average doesnt tell the whole story.

Every piece of land is different. You have to look at the farm to actually see its true potential, Augustin said.

Prices and declines vary depending on a range of factors, including region, land use, productivity and whether the land is irrigated.

Augustin said buyers are being more selective.

Good irrigated farm ground, good soils and good water is still in high demand, he said. There are still a lot of buyers out there looking for farmland, and still a lot of people in a strong financial position able to buy it.

Dryland with irrigation potential dropped an average of 13 percent, the biggest decrease of all the statewide land classes, followed by tillable grazing land at 12 percent.
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A member of Northwesterns faculty since 2010, Hubers has 13 years of experience living in the Middle East, initially teaching English before serving as a pastor of congregations in Oman and Bahrain. After returning to the United States, he pastored a Reformed Church in America congregation on the campus of the University of Michigan followed by a position with the RCA global mission program supervising mission programs in the Middle East and South Asia.
Many people in this country are concerned about the widening income gap among Americans and the disappearance of the middle class. Obviously not Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and the Republicans in the Iowa Legislature. Through their legislative agenda, state Republicans have declared war on workers and the middle class.

One of the Republicans' first legislative accomplishments was to gut Chapter 20, the states collective bargaining law. Chapter 20 was originally a bipartisan effort signed by Republican Gov. Robert Ray in 1974. The legislation was initiated after several teacher strikes across the country, including in Iowa. It was considered to be a compromise, allowing public employees to have a say in their wages, benefits and working conditions in return for the promise not to strike. After the new legislation, there is nothing left to bargain for except wages and even those could not exceed whichever is lower - 3 percent or a percent equal to the cost of living. With blitzkrieg speed, this legislation has stripped away the pride and dignity of 180,000 public employees.

The only reason Republicans did not simply repeal Chapter 20 since there isnt anything left of it is to keep the prohibition against public employee strikes.

This bill is also a huge union buster. It requires local unions to be certified every two years with a majority vote of all members so that a non vote is the same as a no vote. It also eliminates automatic payroll deduction for union dues. Advocates of the bill assert that issues such as insurance, seniority benefits and evaluations are better off on the local level.

However, local control evidently does not apply when it comes to minimum wages. Instead of raising the minimum wage for all Iowans, which is long overdue, House Republicans voted to strip away the higher minimum wages that the Board of Supervisors approved in Polk, Linn, Wapello and Johnson counties, eliminating the ability of counties to re-establish minimums higher than the state. Republican legislators not only wont help boost the incomes of low-wage earners, theyll take away the increases passed by those four counties to help boost their citizens out of poverty. How incredibly mean-spirited, ensuring that so many of our people will continue to be mired in jobs that leave them impoverished. The only neighboring state without a minimum wage higher than Iowas is Wisconsin.

But Republicans havent stopped there. They are now out to gut laws that protect Iowas injured workers.

As introduced, HF518 would take away many of the rights of injured workers, including:

*Making it more difficult to prove injuries are work related by denying many people with pre-existing conditions coverage.

*End workers' compensation benefits for fully disabled workers at age 67 even though more older workers are in the workforce than ever before

*Dramatically reduce benefits for people with shoulder injuries, one of the most common workplace injuries, even if the worker loses his or her job as a result. The Des Moines Register rightly called this a gift to the packing plant industry.

As usual, the effort to gut these laws is being sold as necessary to keep Iowa competitive and to keep costs down. Another Republican solution in search of a problem.

The fact is Iowas workers' compensation rates have consistently been in the lower tier nationwide. In fact, the rates have actually gone down by 7.7 percent over the past four years, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance. Any increase in comp costs is due to increases in medical care which this bill does nothing to address. The injured worker gets less than one-third of the workers' comp dollar, the rest going to medical and the insurance industry.

For full disclosure, I proudly represent injured workers in my law practice. You can ask any of them how the deck is already stacked against them; it is a system that allows the insurance carrier to pick their doctor and frequently involves lengthy delays in approving medical care and weekly payments. These are the issues that the Legislature should address.

In a recent editorial (March 11, 2017) the Des Moines Register said it best:

The common element in most of these efforts is that they are intended not to improve the lives of every day Iowans, but to appease special interests and, in many cases, corporate interests. That is probably why so many of the bills were hatched in secrecy and then rammed through committees with as little public debate as possible.

Next week: Linda Holub

A Sioux City resident and local attorney, Al Sturgeon is a former Democratic state representative and senator. He is the father of six children.
DES MOINES  Small Iowa liquor distillers may soon be toasting a new state law that would permit them to sell their product on site.

After years of pleading for changes to, in their view, level the playing field with their cousins in beer- and wine-making, small distilleries will be able to sell their product in single servings on site if legislation continues to advance through the Iowa Legislature.

Its the bill that we need to get parity with the states around us, and it also puts spirits closer to a level playing field with beer and wine in the state, said Jeff Quint, owner of Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery in Swisher. Its what weve been looking for.

Small breweries and wineries have been allowed to sell their product by the glass on site, but state law prevents distilleries from doing the same.

Distillers have spent the past few years lobbying state lawmakers to change that, but previous proposals did not garner sufficient support.

This winter, the state formed a task force to examine the issue. The group was comprised of representatives from the beer, wine and liquor industries, plus the governors office, the state department that oversees alcohol regulations and the state economic development department. It met seven times over five months to hear from experts and discuss the states alcohol laws, many of which have been unchanged since Prohibition.

One key result of the task forces work was proposed legislation that, for the first time in these past few years, is not opposed by any of the vested interests.

The proposal would allow small distilleries to sell their product  a cocktail, for example  on site and allow large distilleries to have sample tastings and to sell two bottles per person per day.

When people go to visit a winery or a brewery or a distillery, they do a tour, and then they want to have a taste, and then they want to buy a bottle, said Andy Anderson, an attorney for Templeton Rye in Templeton. If the bill is approved, the company plans to build a new distillery in Templeton. Its harder to do this if you cant do tasting, cant sell a couple of bottles. This bill really gives us this opportunity.

The bill would provide double the relief for Quints business. Because Cedar Ridge is both a winery and distillery, it can sell neither spirits nor wine on site, even though other wineries can.

Its been very restrictive for us, Quint said. Since Im both, I wasnt able to do that (sell wine by the glass).

Garrett Burchett, owner of Mississippi River Distilling Co. in LeClaire, said he is thrilled with the proposal.

Its a right step in terms of parity with other states and in terms of parity with wineries and breweries in Iowa, Burchett said.

Previous legislative proposals have been opposed by the Iowa Wholesale Beer Distributors Association. The group, which represents the states beer distributors, raised concerns with proposals that in its view weakened the so-called three-tier system, a set of alcohol regulations that requires buffers between producers, distributors and retailers.

The distributors association is not registered in opposition to the current bill, a changed from years past. It is registered as undecided but has given no indication it will work to stop the bill in its current form.

We have worked with the distillery industry since the Legislatures adjournment last year to find a solution that accomplishes what they asked for  a way to promote their product to consumers at the manufacturing site  and beer distributors desire  to provide a narrow, accountable and long-term solution to the problem, Nathan Cooper, executive director of the distributors association, said in an email statement. From our perspective (the bill) is a reasonable way to accomplish those goals.

Many industry officials and state legislators credited the task force with forging a bill that they said contains compromises and forged consensus. Created by Gov. Terry Branstad to examine the issue, the task force was led by Steve Larson, director of the states Alcoholic Beverages Division, and Sioux Cityan Debi Durham, director of the state Economic Development Authority and a former president of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce.

I honestly think (the bill) has done as well as it has so far because of that (task force), said Robert Bailey, spokesman for the Alcoholic Beverages Division. A lot of recommendations that came out of the study group were added onto this technical bill. ...

We saw through the whole process, we recognized the inequality there was in the manufacturer sector in Iowa. Beer had more (opportunities) and wine had more, and distillers were left with the short end of the straw, so to speak.

The proposal still has a long legislative path to travel; it has passed two Iowa House committees but still must pass the full House, two Senate committees and the full Senate before heading to the governors desk for his approval.

But industry officials and legislators last week expressed optimism the bill will pass based on one key fact: None of the vested parties is opposed to it.

I think its a great bill. Weve been working on, I think this is the third year, and we finally have all the interested parties agreeing to this, said Rep. Guy Vander Linden, R-Oskaloosa, chairman of the House committee that approved the bill last week. Vander Linden also has worked on the issue in previous years.
DAKOTA DUNES | Former state Sen. Dan Lederman last month easily won election as chairman of the South Dakota Republican Party, knocking off an incumbent chair backed by the state's GOP governor and the entire congressional delegation.

In a rare contest for the post, the state Republican Central Committee voted 73 to 53 to give Lederman a two-year term over Pam Roberts, who had been chairwoman for the past two years. She had the endorsement of Gov. Dennis Daugaard, U.S. Sens. John Thune and Mike Rounds, and Rep. Kristi Noem.

Lederman, 44, previously served in the state House and Senate. The Dakota Dunes Republican resigned his Senate seat mid-term in March 2015. His family owns a bail bonds business in Sioux City.

Siouxland has produced periodic state party leaders. Ben Nesselhuf, a former lawmaker from Vermillion, was the South Dakota Democratic Party chairman from 2011 to 2013.

Lederman inherits a party in a commanding position in South Dakota. In addition to holding all three congressional seats and the governor's mansion, Republicans hold the largest number of state legislative seats since the 1950s. Statewide, there are 254,000 registered Republicans, compared to about 170,000 Democrats.

Lederman recently spoke with the Journal about his career, the state of the party, and South Dakota politics.

How long have you considered being the state party chair and why did you pursue it in 2017, particularly after resigning your legislative post midway in a term?

I have looked at being the state chair for a few years. It has always been something I have wanted to do for a while now.

What are the two most important things a state party chairman must do?

The main goal that I have is to build and grow our conservative movement, register and persuade new voters, energize the base to volunteer by knocking on doors and calling voters, reaching out to young people, because the Republican Party needs their passion and enthusiasm, and then staying connected with the farmers, ranchers, business owners and professionals, veterans and seniors who are the backbone of the party.

What are the top two electoral goals you want to achieve through the 2018 election cycle?

We want to maintain our supermajorities in the House and Senate and we have big races coming up in the next election cycle, there is an open race for governor and the at-large seat for Congress. In addition to that, all of our statewide executive offices are on the next ballot.

In 2018, South Dakotans will elect a new governor to succeed Dennis Daugaard. Who do you see as some top Republican candidates who will be running against presumed favorite Kristi Noem, or do you think her early candidacy announcement will freeze out top-flight competitors?

We have many qualified, experienced candidates for governor and Congress. We are lucky to have those candidates. Currently, we have in the running that have announced for governor our Congresswoman Kristi Noem and our Attorney General (Marty) Jackley. I will not be surprised if we have others that jump in.

What are the dynamics that have driven the Republican Party to such a stranglehold on elective office in South Dakota?

We have balanced our budget every year. We pass common sense conservative solutions. Our legislators are citizen legislators who go back to their homes and families. They only get paid $6,000 a year, so they don't do it for the money, they do it because they love the state of South Dakota. Our Republican legislators and officeholders do a good job of running the state.

Are there any demographic trends that you fear that could turn into electoral gains for Democrats?

The only trend that I see in South Dakota politics is the rise of the independent-voting segment. Typically, independent voters are more conservative....Demographically, I can't see where the Democrats can go, where they can go up.

Do you have any fear that the state party is currently so high that there is nowhere but down to go, and, if so, you personally could get some blame?

There is still room for improvement in our numbers. There is still 15 percent of the Legislature that is not Republican. I am going to work very hard and I take this position very seriously.

Is President Donald Trump a true conservative who is widely liked in South Dakota or are there still some party regulars who are skeptical of the president two months in?

President Trump is very popular among Republicans across South Dakota. I think President Trump is keeping his promises. He made a lot of bold commitments in his campaign. In the beginning of his presidency, he is following through on those promises, replacing Obamacare, securing our borders, creating jobs.
SOUTH SIOUX CITY | For weeks, Dan Caskey has been spending his weekends and some of his nights restoring the home he has lived in for 38 years.

"Im replacing the shower, some of the plumbing, the faucets -- pretty much everything," he said.

He and his wife, Terry, moved back into their partially refurbished home at the beginning of March, after being displaced for more than three months due to hydrogen sulfide gas emanating from the sewer line they shared with South Sioux City's Roth Industrial Park.

Caskey is among a handful of residents who are working with Big Ox Energy, the renewable energy facility in the industrial park that was initially tied to the odors, to fix their homes so the foul smell no longer lingers.

Some of the approximately two dozen residents displaced at the odors' peak moved back late in 2016, while others cooperating with the company did not return until the end of February.

A number of other residents have hired lawyers and remain displaced from their homes with litigation pending. For a month now, those residents have been out of their homes finding other accommodations -- some staying with friends, some renting elsewhere. And they're settling in for the long haul.

"Itll be a year to two," said Rick Heuertz, who moved out of the hotel and onto an acreage between South Sioux City and Jackson, Nebraska, in mid-February. "Im finding probably a two-year deal, if I can afford it that long."

Heuertz and his girlfriend, Kathy Hunt, first moved out of his home due to odors on Oct. 26. Heuertz is raising five quarter horses at his residence and continues to visit his home to do chores.

When he goes inside the brick structure, he said, the atmosphere continues burning his eyes.

"It's still strong," he said. "It's not the hydrogen sulfide smell, but it is something ... and it's not a good deal."

Unlike Heuertz, Caskey said the smell in his house has completely dissipated, but he said his home also wasn't as bad off as some of the other residents'. Caskey said he first noticed the smell in late September but initially didn't think anything of it -- he'd experienced odd smells due to local plants before.

But the smell eventually became unbearable. A tipping point came when his wife spent a day in the hospital after experiencing headaches and nausea due to the gas. She moved into the Marina Inn in late November, and Caskey began staying with a friend.

Caskey said plumbers found a hairline crack in one of his sewer vents during smoke tests. It was a problem that Caskey said would have been nearly impossible to detect on his own.

"It wasn't that visible to the eye," he said. "How are you going to discover something like that in your plumbing unless you go over every inch of the plumbing and thoroughly check it out?"

For Heuertz, the smell came at the beginning of October -- as if someone had "flipped a switch" to turn it on, he said. He said he originally was told by the city that the situation was taken care of, but the powerful odors continued.

Heuertz and Hunt moved from his home to the Marina Inn, where they remained for three weeks before relocating to the Candlewood Suites, an extended stay hotel in Sioux City. They stayed through Feb. 14, the last day that either Big Ox Energy or the city of South Sioux City would foot the hotel bill.

They relocated into the rental house with "not even a coffee cup," he said, and only a few clothes they had salvaged from their home that still bore traces of the odor. The couple borrowed a bed and refrigerator and bought some used furniture to make the place more habitable. The city did provide them with some money to purchase additional clothing.

Still, after living at his other residence for 16 years, Heueretz said, it's not the same.

"It's not home," he said. "Now I have to try to do chores here (at the old house) and then go home, and it just really different."

Caskey said the strange part of South Sioux City's odor problem is that it didn't hit either of the homes to the sides of him. Throughout the process, Terry Caskey was able to continue operations at her daycare directly next door to their home, which was not affected. Their neighbors on the other side also did not report odors. Both residences passed plumbing tests.

In mid-January, the Caskeys made an agreement with Big Ox Energy to work toward remediation of their home. Big Ox Energy is covering the costs as he works to replace his plumbing, shower, tile and carpet and his sheet rock as well as repaint the inside of his house.

"We worked it out without too much turmoil," he said, describing his interactions with Big Ox as positive and fair. "I tried to keep everything amicable with them."

The Caskeys moved back into their house at the beginning of February. He has been doing most of the renovations himself, mostly on the weekends and after work, saving money that would otherwise be spent on contractors.

He estimates the repairs will cost a few thousand dollars by the time they're complete, which he expects will take a couple of months.

In a statement Friday, Big Ox Energy spokesman Evan Zeppos said the company has worked with six different homeowners to "address and resolve their concerns," and all have now returned to their homes. The company said it remains in active discussions with two other residents who it believes will return home within the next week.

Some homes, like Caskey's, have required extensive repairs, while others experienced fewer effects have undergone basic cleaning and airing out, according to the statement.

As of the beginning of March, total costs associated with the odor problem totaled nearly $1.4 million, according to a report from the city of South Sioux City. Big Ox Energy had at that point reimbursed the city for just over half of the expenses.

Between those reimbursements and other direct expenses, Big Ox Energy estimates it has invested more than $1 million in the neighborhood. The company -- which claims faulty plumbing, not sewage from its facility, caused the problem -- has made it clear throughout the process that it is helping not out of liability, but to be "a responsible corporate citizen."

While the city and Big Ox have placed the majority of the blame on individual plumbing, Heuertz doesn't buy the explanation. Heuertz said he believes the smells are directly associated with Big Ox and that the city should have vetted the company better before bringing it in.

Heuertz said he continues to worry about how the odors will affect his property value, and whether the continued rent will make him dip into his retirement money.

I have a beautiful 10-acre acreage, and the other residents all have beautiful homes," he said. "And Big Ox and their toxic waste and gases took it all away from us.
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa | Spirit Lake Police and an armed tactical team surrounded a home for more than an hour Saturday after a male threatened to assault someone with a gun and knife.

Around 1 p.m. police were called to the 600 block of Lake Street in reference to the threat with a weapon, a press release said. When authorities arrived, the male suspect fled and barricaded himself inside of a home a few blocks away in the 1600 block of Erie Avenue.

The High-risk Entry and Arrest Team was called to assist and a perimeter was established around the residence.

At 2:20 p.m. the suspect exited the home with his hands up and was arrested, the release said.

The name of the suspect has not been released. The investigation is ongoing, the release said.

Police were assisted by the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office, the Okoboji Police Department, the Arnolds Park Police Department, the Milford Police Department, the Iowa DNR and the Lakes Regional Healthcare ambulance.
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When a onetime Klan imperial wizard and neo-Nazis are singing your praises, it's time for self-reflection.

Sadly, we expect nothing of the sort from our 4th District congressman, U.S. Rep. Steve King, in the wake of almost-universal condemnation (including from state and congressional leaders within his own party) over his "someone else's babies" Twitter comment last week.

As we said in this space on Thursday in an editorial critical of King for lack of public town halls, we find King's "babies" tweet repugnant. We reject, and we believe most 4th District residents reject, the remark and its deplorable, white nationalist-like tone.

In his tweet last week, King endorsed Geert Wilders, the controversial Party for Freedom founder who on Wednesday lost the election for prime minister of the Netherlands.

"Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny," King tweeted. "We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies."

In an interview with CNN's "New Day" program on Monday, King - in predictable fashion - took nothing back.

"You cannot rebuild your civilization with somebody else's babies. You've got to keep your birth rate up, and that you need to teach your children your values," he said. "In doing so, you can grow your population, you can strengthen your culture and you can strengthen your way of life."

"Restore our civilization"? "Rebuild your civilization"? So we have no civilization in our country today? We can't and won't have civilization unless we're all of one skin color and one religion?

That's not the America of freedom and inclusiveness we know.

This isn't the first time we have found fault with King for insensitive, inflammatory language and behavior and expressed concern about its impact on our congressional district. Each time King immerses himself in controversy like this, he holds up the 4th District to disdain and ridicule in the eyes of Americans in other places and marginalizes himself within the legislative body he serves, neither of which provides benefit to Iowans who live here.

As we have said before, we recognize a variety of King attributes and talents. Instead of trying to "save" Western civilization, we suggest King spend more time putting his skills to use on behalf of constituents back home who, by the way, provided him with the platform he too often abuses through offensive words and actions.
What does America stand for? What does she represent? In Sunnyside Elementary School in Sioux City, I was taught that America was the promise of freedom, liberty and opportunity for the peoples of the world. I learned that these words were engraved onto the Statue of Liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

Recently, the nation has turned its eyes to our corner of Iowa, once again, in shock and disgust due to the words written by our Congressman Steve King. In this instance, Mr. King's remarks at minimum indicate an anti-immigration viewpoint that is fundamentally contrary to America's history and values and at worst represents the unleashing of blatantly prejudiced sentiment that few Americans are proud to hold. We have representing us an individual cheered and endorsed by David Duke, a white supremacist seeking political power. We have representing us an individual who, on multiple occasions, has embarrassed his political party, the state of Iowa and the American public in general.

We as a community owe it to ourselves to harshly rebuke Mr. King's words. These comments are a toe dipping into danger waters. With every continued prejudicial utterance, Mr. King is taking our state one step closer to normalizing hatred and violence against our fellow Iowans and Americans.

I ask every reader here to stand up for America as the shining city on a hill by holding our congressman accountable for his inappropriate and distasteful comments. Our nation is watching. - Mark Hantla, Sioux City
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General Mills, Inc. manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates in five segments: North America Retail; Convenience Stores & Foodservice; Europe & Australia; Asia & Latin America; and Pet. It offers ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and salty snacks, ice cream, nutrition bars, wellness beverages, and savory and grain snacks, as well as various organic products, including frozen and shelf-stable vegetables. It also supplies branded and unbranded food products to the North American foodservice and commercial baking industries; and manufactures and markets pet food products, including dog and cat food. The company markets its products under the Annie's, Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Blue Buffalo, Blue Basics, Blue Freedom, Bugles, Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, EPIC, Fiber One, Food Should Taste Good, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-Ups, Gardetto's, Go-Gurt, Gold Medal, Golden Grahams, Haagen-Dazs, Helpers, Jus-Rol, Kitano, Kix, Larabar, Latina, Liberte, Lucky Charms, Muir Glen, Nature Valley, Oatmeal Crisp, Old El Paso, Oui, Pillsbury, Progresso, Raisin Nut Bran, Total, Totino's, Trix, Wanchai Ferry, Wheaties, Wilderness, Yoki, and Yoplait trademarks. It sells its products directly, as well as through broker and distribution arrangements to grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, e-commerce retailers, commercial and noncommercial foodservice distributors and operators, restaurants, convenience stores, and pet specialty stores, as well as drug, dollar, and discount chains. The company operates 466 leased and 392 franchise ice cream parlors. General Mills, Inc. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Enbridge Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company. The company operates through five segments: Liquids Pipelines, Gas Transmission and Midstream, Gas Distribution and Storage, Renewable Power Generation, and Energy Services. The Liquids Pipelines segment operates pipelines and related terminals to transport various grades of crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons in Canada and the United States. The Gas Transmission and Midstream segment invests in natural gas pipelines, and gathering and processing facilities in Canada and the United States. The Gas Distribution and Storage segment is involved in natural gas utility operations serving residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Ontario, as well as natural gas distribution and energy transportation activities in Quebec. The Renewable Power Generation segment operates power generating assets, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and waste heat recovery facilities; and transmission assets in North America and Europe. The Energy Services segment provides energy marketing services to refiners, producers, and other customers; and physical commodity marketing and logistical services in Canada and the United States. The company was formerly known as IPL Energy Inc. and changed its name to Enbridge Inc. in October 1998. Enbridge Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
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Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



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




Washington is one of four states in the country that require high school students to pass a single standardized test to graduate, also known as high-stakes testing, said Longview Superintendent Dan Zorn. Only 12 states use some form of a testing requirement, he said.

House Bill 1046, sponsored by state Rep. Drew MacEwen, R-Union, would essentially removing high-stakes testing as a graduation requirement. Although the test would still exist, students wouldnt be required to pass it. The bill passed overwhelmingly with a 92-6 vote in the House with both 19th District state Reps. Brian Blake, D-Aberdeen, and Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, supporting it. State Sen. Dean Takko, D-Longview, also supports the bill and expects it to get similar support in the Senate.

It puts an unnecessary barrier in front of students who might otherwise graduate from high school, Zorn said, adding there hasnt been much research done to prove the benefits of a high-stakes test.

Theres a lot of us that are frustrated about these high-stakes tests, Takko said.

MacEwen estimates that the practice has been in place for more than 10 years. Give the bills overwhelming bipartisan support, why did it take this long to stop it?

During his time as a state Representative, Takko co-sponsored a 2015 House bill by Chris Reykdal  current superintendent of public instruction, but a legislator then  that would have eliminated the assessment requirement for graduation. The bill failed to make it out of the Appropriations Committee.

Im not as versed on some of the education stuff as maybe I should be, Takko said. We have a lot of educators in the Legislature, so theyre the ones that have always taken the lead on things dealing with education.

MacEwen said the testing requirement ended up on his radar because hes a parent. He said some groups who may feel that the state would be lowering its standards have been lobbying hard against the bill.

This was actually written in the pretext  these were not designed to be a measure of student progress towards graduate, MacEwen said. Yet in the state, thats what weve done.

Another House bill put forward this year that removes the non-federal standardized testing altogether hasnt made it out of the Education Committee. Educators have said they want to keep the tests as performance indicators for administrators  not for the tests to hinder students from graduating.

MacEwen said he may not have had the influence in his first two terms in office to lobby for the bill. He put the bill forward solo in December, he said, because he felt strongly about it and didnt have the time to seek co-sponsors before his vacation. But he said he expected the bill to pass with bipartisan support.

Sometimes you kind of just sense those things, he said, that a lot of people have held the viewpoint but no one really has spoken out.

A hearing on MacEwens bill is scheduled for Monday in the Senate Committee on Early Learning and K-12 Education.
If it werent for Lower Columbia Colleges Student Success Fund, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, for students Kayla Curtis and Scott Houston to finish their degrees.

Founded in 2013, the fund provides financial assistance to students most at risk of abandoning their education due to miscellaneous expenses. Most gifts average less than $500, but they keep students on track for something more precious: a college education.

While many students like Curtis and Houston use a combination of federal and state financial aid and scholarships to pay for their classes, sometimes there are other barriers to finishing their studies. Extra tuition and fees, unexpected childcare expenses and emergency transportation are some of them. Every students story is different.

The fund is fed by donations from local businesses, foundations, community members and college staff. But last spring quarter, the fund was depleted and could only disburse $2,600.

Last summers Students in Need fundraising drive, organized by The Daily News, infused the fund with another $38,500 so that more students could stay in school. In all, the fund assisted 84 students in the 2015-16 academic year.

Below are Curtiss and Houstons stories: Two students from two different walks of life who were both able to continue their educations because of the Student Success Fund.

Kayla Curtis

In high school, Kayla Curtis was a good student. She attended class, did all of her work and earned As and Bs. She thought that shed enroll in Running Start and take classes at LCC and that success would transfer easily. But it turned out that wasnt so.

The increased rigor of college classes took her by surprise, and her grades slipped.

I didnt take Running Start seriously, and I really needed some help to bring my grades up, said Curtis, 19, a Longview resident.

After graduating high school/year, Curtis wanted to continue going to school at LCC and earn her associates degree. But her poor Running Start grades made her ineligible for the financial aid she needed to take classes full time.

Curtiss counselor gave her some options and ideas to continue her education. They included applying for scholarships, taking out a loan and applying for money from the Student Success Fund.

Curtis didnt want to go into debt by taking out a loan, so after looking into scholarships, she applied for the Student Success Fund. Two $700 grants from the fund have helped her pay for fall and winter tuition, and Curtis hopes that her grades will be high enough that her financial aid can be reinstated for spring quarter.

He plans still are indefinite, but shes thinking about going into orthodontia. Whats more definite, though, is that her attitude toward school has changed since she graduated from high school, Curtis said.

I feel like (college) is totally different from high school, but I was treating it like high school when I was in (Running Start), Curtis said. High school was a piece of cake, so I was confused why I wasnt getting better grades. I just realized later that I just had to go home and do the work.

Curtis had a 3.6 G.P.A. last quarter, or an A- average. She recently found out she got a B in Spanish during winter quarter, an improvement on previous Spanish grades.

Compared to what I was getting, that was amazing, Curtis said.

The Student Success Fund has also changed her outlook on school.

The Student Success grant made me feel like people were supporting me and encouraged me to try harder, Curtis said. Shell be registering for classes for Spring quarter soon, once she knows what her financial aid status is.

Im trying to take English 102 because I think I did take that in Running Start and I did awful, Curtis said. I want to go back and see what I can do.

Scott Houston

Almost two years ago, Scott Houston, 34, was accepted into the Lower Columbia CAPs affordable housing program. Before that, he had been homeless for 10 years.

When he had stable housing, he looked into going to college and decided he wanted to try his hand at welding.

It seemed like it was something I could do, Houston said. Last winter, he enrolled in a two-year welding degree program at Lower Columbia College and started taking classes full-time.

Then last fall quarter, he enrolled in three classes, the last of which was a requirement for his degree: Blueprint Reading for Welders. But the combination of state need grants, federal financial aid and an Opportunity Grant werent enough to cover registration. He still needed $172. Thats where the Student Success Fund kicked in.

Someone from the administration realized I still owed the money on my tuition and hunted me down, Houston said. They told me I should qualify because I was on the Deans List and the Presidents List.

Houston received the funds to cover his tuition, then earned an A in the course.

Im loving it here, Houston said. They work with you here a lot.

Outside of class, Houston enjoys spending time with LCCs Multicultural Club and going to different club events. With the club, hes gone to the Lelooska Foundations living history performance, gone on trips to Portland, and took a trip to Olympia for a tour of the Capitol.

The last time I went to the Capitol was when I was in third grade, Houston said.

Houston has two more quarters of studies left, and still has to knock out a few degree requirements, such as welding theory and application, a computer class and a health class.

Ive been driving away at this, Houston said. Im doing really good at it, and Im surprising myself. Ive never had As before.

If Houston hadnt been able to take the blueprinting course last fall, he would have had to wait an additional quarter or more to take the required course. It would have delayed his graduation and his entrance into the welding field. Now, hes closer to having his certification after this summer and hes thinking about his career.

Theres just so many options available, Houston said. Ive been looking around. Someone just told me that theres a place... that does aluminum welding, and I was just practicing with aluminum. Theres a lot of different options.
Leaders of Turkey and Israel find themselves inside the walls of the Kremlin in the next two days as President Vladimir Putin tries to entrench Russia's resurgent role in the Middle East.

Putin's interests hardly coincide with those of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- especially in Syria. But as the Trump Administration is yet to work out its Middle East policy, Russia has unprecedented leverage in the region.

Here's very basic outline of each leader's priorities:

Putin: consolidate Russia's leading role in Syria, preserve a delicate entente with Turkey in leading the Syrian "peace process" - and continue to try to coax it away from Europe and NATO as part of a broader strategy of weakening the western alliance. Netanyahu: persuade Russia to help reduce and minimize Iran's influence in Syria (and by extension Lebanon), underscore good personal rapport with Putin. Erdogan: promote Turkey's interests in Syria, if possible at the expense of the Kurds, and secure a role in the offensive against Raqqa. Put the US on notice that there are alternatives to American leadership in the region.

Turkey: on the losing side in Syria

Turkey has found itself on the losing side in Syria after backing rebel groups that have been hard hit by the regime's offensive. It has responded by launching an incursion across its border, helping rebel factions to expel ISIS from the town of al-Bab and occupying a large patch of northern Syria. But as much as taking on ISIS, the Turkish move was about preventing the Syrian Kurds from expanding their footprint.

That offensive has now brought Turkish-backed forces within touching distance of the Syrian army. At the very least, Turkey needs Russian help in preventing any clashes. It's also furious about Washington's ongoing support for the Syrian Kurds, who have proved to be the United States' most reliable partner in Syria against ISIS but who -- in Erdogan's view -- are a terrorist group closely tied to Kurdish militants in Turkey.

Last year, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the US had "chosen a terrorist organization over its ally."

As he waits to see how the Trump administration's policies will evolve (so far there are no signs the US will abandon the Kurds in Syria), Erdogan will want to get a sense of Russian thinking as the battle to liberate Raqqa from ISIS nears. But after spending 18 months putting Assad back in control of much of Syria, Russia is not in the mood to make too many concessions -- for example on Turkey's longstanding desire to establish a safe zone in northern Syria.

There are limits to Erdogan's room for maneuver. Turkey is not going to leave NATO. "Turkey lives under the shadow of the Russian giant  its anger at the United States and its Western allies notwithstanding, it needs the protection the alliance offers," writes Henri J. Barkey, Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in Foreign Policy.

Even so, the rapprochement between Russia and Turkey has been remarkable. After the Turkish air force shot down a Russian jet over the border in November 2015, the Kremlin canceled commercial contracts and Russian tourism in Turkey.

The hard line worked. Erdogan eventually apologized for the incident, and was rewarded with a partnership in the Syrian "peace process". It was helped by growing hostility in governing circles toward the US, with some Turkish officials and commentators suggesting the CIA was behind last July's attempted coup. More recently there have been veiled threats to ban US forces from using Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, an important jumping-off point for attacks on ISIS.

Israel's sole concern: Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's shopping list in Moscow includes just one item: Iran. Before leaving, Netanyahu said: "Iran is trying to establish itself permanently in Syria, with a military presence on the ground and at sea, and also a gradual attempt to open a front against us on the Golan Heights."

"The victory over Islamic State terror cannot lead to an increase in territory by Iran and its proxies. You don't replace terror with terror," he said later. Joining Netanyahu on the visit are four senior Israeli security officials.

But Russia is part of an alliance with Iran and the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad against rebel groups and their Gulf patrons. And relations between Moscow and Tehran are warmer than for decades.

It is a marriage of convenience whose vows were forged when the Assad regime was teetering in the summer of 2015. But those common interests go deeper. Both states oppose American dominance of the post Cold War order. Russia sees Iran as a promising market for its military hardware (especially post sanctions) and both are major players in the oil market.

But it's not a given that Iran would accede to Russian leadership in Syria. It has its own interests there -- part of a strategy to redraw the balance of power in the Middle East.

Still, Netanyahu knows he must deal with Putin -- he's been to Moscow three times in a year. The Russian leader is his best hope of preventing pro-Iranian militia from infiltrating border areas.

All in all, Moscow has become a hub of diplomatic activity as the tectonic plates of the Middle East shift and rumble.
Chuck Berry, a music pioneer often called "the Father of Rock 'n' Roll," was found dead Saturday at a residence outside St. Louis, police in St. Charles County said. He was 90.

A post on the St. Charles County police Facebook page said officers responded to a medical emergency at a residence around 12:40 p.m. (1:40 p.m. ET) Saturday and found an unresponsive man inside.

"Unfortunately, the 90-year-old man could not be revived and was pronounced deceased at 1:26 p.m.," the post said. "The St. Charles County Police Department sadly confirms the death of Charles Edward Anderson Berry Sr., better known as legendary musician Chuck Berry."

Wrote rock classics

Berry wrote and recorded songs like "Johnny B. Goode" and "Sweet Little Sixteen" that became standards -- songs every garage band and fledgling guitarist had to learn if they wanted to enter the rock 'n' roll fellowship.

Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones idolized him. Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys copied him. Bob Seger, recognizing Berry's far-reaching influence, sang "All of Chuck's children are out there playing his licks" in "Rock and Roll Never Forgets."

"The poet laureate of rock and roll," his biography on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame says.

But perhaps John Lennon put it most succinctly. "If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry.'"

Berry took all-night hamburger stands, brown-eyed handsome men and V-8 Fords and turned them into the stuff of American poetry. By doing so, he gave rise to followers beyond number, bar-band disciples of the electric guitar, who carried his musical message to the far corners of the Earth and even into outer space.

The list of Berry's classics is as well-known as his distinctive, chiming "Chuck Berry riff": "Maybellene." "Around and Around." "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man." "School Days." "Memphis." "Nadine." "No Particular Place to Go."

They were deceptively simple tunes, many constructed with simple chord progressions and classic verse-chorus-verse formats, but their hearts could be as big as teenage hopes on a Saturday night.

His music even went into outer space. When the two Voyager spacecrafts were launched in 1977, each was accompanied on its journey out of the solar system by a phonograph record that contained sounds of Earth -- including "Johnny B. Goode."

Rock wordsmith

Berry, though, was modest about his influence.

"My view remains that I do not deserve all the reward directed on my account for the accomplishments credited to the rock 'n' roll bank of music," he wrote in his 1987 autobiography.

He had a facility with lyrics others could only envy, words and phrases tossed off with a jazzman's cool and a surgeon's precision.

In "You Never Can Tell," he summed up a newlywed couple's life in fewer than two dozen words: "They furnished off an apartment with a two-room Roebuck sale / The coolerator was crammed with TV dinners and ginger ale."

His delivery was often marked by humor, but he could also insert the scalpel when needed. After all, Berry -- a black man who grew up in Jim Crow America, who was close to 30 when he had his first national hit -- knew that those high schools were sometimes segregated, and those diners and highways didn't always welcome him.

"Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" could be read as the story of a brown-SKINNED handsome man, as rock critic Dave Marsh and others have noted; the Louisiana country boy of "Johnny B. Goode" wasn't necessarily Caucasian.

Hard years

Or consider "Promised Land," the story of a man escaping the South for California. He rides a Greyhound bus across Dixie, moves to a train to get "across Mississippi clean," and finally enters the Golden State on a plane, dressed in a silk suit, "workin' on a T-bone steak." It was the American dream in miniature, a success all the sweeter for overcoming racial prejudice -- never overtly mentioned but present all the same.

There was also a darkness and suspicion in Berry, for those who cared to look. He was notorious for making concert promoters pay him in full before his shows, cash only. In his late teens he served three years in a reformatory, and after becoming famous did jail time on a charge of transporting an underage girl across state lines. Years later he was convicted of tax evasion. He had the showman's talent for saying much and revealing little.
hidden

The world's biggest economies will pledge to jointly fight cyber attacks on the global banking system, one of the biggest coordinated efforts yet to protect lenders since an $81 million heist of the Bangladesh central bank's account last year. Meeting in the German resort town of Baden-Baden, G20 finance chiefs will agree to fight attacks regardless of their origin and promise cross-border cooperation to maintain financial stability, according to a draft document seen by Reuters.

"We will promote the resilience of financial services and institutions in G20 jurisdictions against malicious use of information and communication technologies, including from countries outside the G20," it said. However, it dropped an earlier reference for enhanced security requirements for financial services. Cyber crime became a top priority after an elaborate heist on the Bangladesh central bank's account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York last year, an unprecedented theft that exposed the vulnerabilities of the system.

The agreement, set to be finalised on Saturday, will come just days after the United States charged two intelligence agents from Russia, another G20 member, with masterminding the 2014 theft of 500 million Yahoo accounts. The indictment was the first time U.S. authorities have criminally charged Russian spies for cyber offences including for computer fraud, economic espionage, theft of trade secrets, and wire fraud.

The charges came amid a swirl of controversies relating to alleged Kremlin-backed hacking of the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible links between Russian figures and associates of U.S. President Donald Trump. In the banking world, attacks through the global SWIFT bank transfer system have continued to increase with the network recording a "meaningful" number of attacks with about a fifth of them resulting in stolen funds since the Bangladesh heist, the firm said late last year.

In other highly publicised attacks, retailer Tesco Plc's banking arm said 2.5 million pounds ($3 million) had been stolen from 9,000 customers last year while hackers also stole more than 2 billion roubles ($34 million) from correspondent accounts at the Russian central bank and from accounts in commercial banks.

The European Union is considering testing banks' defences against cyber attacks with concerns growing about the industry's vulnerability to hacking.

Reuters
tech2 News Staff

Google Doodle has memorialised Minna Canth, a writer from Finland and a women's rights activist. Users of Google search in Finland and India are being delivered with the Doodle. Canth manned a clothing shop after the death of her husband, and brought up seven children on her own.

Canth highlighted social issues in her literary works. Tyomiehen vaimo was a story about the wife of an alcoholic who is unable to prevent her husband from spending all his money on drinks, as the money legally belonged to him. Although the work caused a scandal when first released, property laws were changed in Finland as a result of it. Anna Liisa is the tragedy of a fifteen year old girl who gets blackmailed for an abortion, but confesses rather than succumb to threats.

Canth was a journalist, and wrote stories for newspapers, and even went on to publish her own newspaper called Wapaita Aatteita. She was one of the few people who chose to write in Finnish rather than Swedish, which increased the visibility of the language globally. As a result of her writings, Finland became the first country in Europe to allow women to vote in 1906. Just a year later, in 1907, Finland became the first country in the world to elect women to the parliament. Finland celebrates her legacy every year as the Day of Equality.
IANS

Detailing his support for US President Donald Trump and his policies, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani on Saturday said it is time for a reverse brain drain to happen. "It is high time that our brightest and best brains work for the benefits of India and Indians. We will see a reverse brain drain coming without doubt," Ambani said while addressing at the India Today Conclave.

"We are really at the beginning of human history of fourth Industrial Revolution and this is the first technology-based revolution that will affect all of us as human beings. Some of our brightest people are working outside the country and by whatever faith if they are brought back to this country, and they work for our country, they work for 1.3 billions and they work to improve their lives and put together a new developmental model. There cannot be a better blessing in disguise," he added.

Indian IT firms are under pressure following Trump's stringent views on H1-B visa policy. "All things happen in the world at the right time and the right place," Ambani said, adding that at Reliance, they bring back two or three leaders now from across the world every month. "At the end of the day har ek ka dil hai hindustani. People wants to do thing for India, we have to give them an opportunity," he added.

Speaking about data and information, Ambani said: "Information in digital form can travel across the globe in a fraction of a second in negligible time. With the benefit of the Indian technology revolution, fully captured by India and Indians, we need to safeguard to ensure that most of the information generated in India remains within Indian border.

"Keeping data onshore will ensure, that talent technology know-how and investment will flow into India, rather than out of India and will create more jobs in India." He sad "like the Digital India and Make in India programmes, we need a 'Keep in India' initiative to pitch Indian data Made in India. This in turn will ensure that India develops a human capital and knowledge assets that allow it to retain its leadership position for generations to come."
IANS

Is Pluto a planet or not? Giving this debate a fresh angle, Johns Hopkins University scientist Kirby Runyon wants to make one thing clear: Regardless of what people say, Pluto is a planet. So, Runyon says, is Europa  commonly known as a moon of Jupiter  and so is the Earth's Moon and so are more than 100 other celestial bodies in our solar system that are denied this status under the prevailing definition of "planet".

The definition approved by the International Astronomical Union in 2006 demoted Pluto to "non-planet," thus dropping the consensus number of planets in our solar system from nine to eight. "The change - a subject of much scientific debate at the time and since - made no sense," said Runyon, lead author of a paper set to be presented next week at a scientific conference in Texas.

Icy, rocky Pluto had been the smallest of the nine planets; its diameter under three-quarters that of the moon and nearly a fifth of Earth. Still, says Runyon, Pluto "has everything going on on its surface that you associate with a planet. ... There's nothing non-planet about it". Runyon led a group of six authors from five institutions in drafting a proposed new definition of "planet," and a justification for that definition.

All the authors are science team members on the New Horizons mission to Pluto, operated for NASA by the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. In the summer of 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft became the first to fly by Pluto, some 4.67 billion miles from Earth, passing within 8,000 miles and sending back the first close-up images ever made of Pluto.

Runyon and his co-authors argue for a definition of "planet" that focuses on the intrinsic qualities of the body itself, rather than external factors such as its orbit or other objects around it. They define a planet as "a sub-stellar mass body that has never undergone nuclear fusion" and that has enough gravitational heft to maintain a roughly round shape.

This definition differs from the IAU definition in that it makes no reference to the celestial body's surroundings. That portion of IAU's 2006 formula - which required that a planet and its satellites move alone through their orbit - excluded Pluto. Otherwise, Pluto fit the IAU definition: It orbits the Sun and it is massive enough that the forces of gravity have made it round.

The proposed new geophysical definition omits stars, black holes, asteroids and meteorites, but includes much of everything else in our solar system. It would expand the number of planets from eight to approximately 110.
IANS

Apple Inc.s Chief Executive Tim Cook defended globalisation in a rare public speech in China, as his company faces political pressure in the US to bring back factories. Cook also said data privacy was one of the company's values, although he stopped short on Saturday of criticising decryption demands from governments as Apple has previously in the US, reported the Wall Street Journal.

It was his first time speaking at the China Development Forum, an annual conference sponsored by the Chinese government. During his speech, Cook said globalisation "in general is great for the world," but noted socio-economic gains may not be evenly distributed within or between countries. Despite globalisation's shortcomings, countries should not shy away from such development, he said.

"I think the worst thing would be to, because it didn't help everyone, is to say it's bad and do less of that," Cook said. "I think the reality is you can see that countries in the world...that isolate themselves, it's not good for their people." The subject is a contentious one for Apple, a US company that farms out a bulk of its manufacturing operations to China.

President Donald Trump recently called for Apple to bring iPhone production to America, a move that would stimulate the domestic economy. Trump has asked the same of many US multinationals in attempts to repatriate overseas jobs, said the report. Cook also touched on cybersecurity and user privacy, both highly sensitive subjects in China.

Parroting past statements on the matter, Cook said Apple employs end-to-end encryption to protect its customers from nefarious actors. He fell short of taking a stand against Chinese cybersecurity policy that requires companies to furnish authorities with technical assistance in investigations and data gathering operations, reported the Journal.

Cook tiptoed around the subject of data privacy, saying, "We think that an individual should own their data and should be able to control their data." He is in China to bolster relations with the country's central government. Apple's top executive is slated to speak with Xu Lin, director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, in a private meeting on Monday.

Cook also said that Apple Inc will be setting up two more research and development (R&D) centres in Shanghai and Suzhou, following Beijing and Shenzhen.
Moushumi impresses Mim

Sheikh Arif Bulbon :

From February 18 at Phulbaria in Savar, adjacent to Dhaka, shooting of Montazur Rahman Akbars Dulabhai Jindabad began. Dipjal is acting in the title role in the movie. Popular actress Moushumi is acting in role of Joshna, wife of Dipjol, while Bidya Sinha Saha Mim is playing the role of her younger sister, Jamuna in the movie.

Earlier Moushumi and Mim worked together in Mostafa Kamal Rajs movie Tarkanta.

By this movie for the second time Moushumi and Mim are working together in the big screen.

Mim is very much excited to get the scope to work with such a talented and amicable actress Moushumi. Director Akbar informed that shooting of the movie will continue till next 15 days. But when it will be released yet not confirmed. Producer of this movie Nader Khan wrote story of the movie. Abdullah Zahir Babu wrote its script and dialogue.

While sharing her feelings to work with Moushumi again Mim told this correspondent, It is not only a great luck but also a joyful matter to get the opportunity to work such a talented actress like Moushumi Apu. She is like my guardian. She gives me suggestion like my guardian. I always try to realize the matter by own way. The great thing in despite being a great actress she works with me like a normal performer. It always impresses me a lot. I really impress with her cordialness. I always want to work with her.

Moushumi shared her feelings by this way, Mim is a polite girl. She is acting well. Overall she is doing well in the big screen. I always wish her success. In this movie, she is acting in role of my younger sister. In the shooting spot, she looks like my younger sister. I like her most. Akbar is making the movie sincerely and cordially. I hope it will become a nice movie.

Both Moushumi and Mim are National Award winner actresses. For Nargis Akhters Meghla Akash Moushumi first got the National Film Award.

On the other hand, Mim first got the award to act in late Khalid Mahmood Mithus movie titled Joankir Alo.

Meanwhile, Moushumi has already finished shooting of own directed movie Shunnyo Hridoy. Besdies acting, Moushumi is also engaged with election campaign of her husband actor Omar Sani who will contest for the post of President in upcoming election of Actors Association which is scheduled to be held on May 5.


Husband stabs wife to death in Sylhet

Sylhet Correspondent :

A woman was stabbed to death allegedly by her husband in Gowainghat upazila early Friday.

The deceased was identified as Amirun Nesa, 22, wife of Alamgir Hossain of Baghaiya village in the upazila.

Local sources said Alamgir stabbed his wife around 2:00am, leaving her seriously injured. Later, she succumbed to her wounds.

Local people caught accused Alamgir from the spot and handed him over to police.

Officer in-charge of Gowainghat Police Station Delwar Hossain said the dead body was sent to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.

A case was filed over the incident, he added.

The OC said, she might be killed following a family feud but the actual reason behind the murder will came out after investigation.


Sand lifting from Bhairab River triggers erosion

Khulna (South) Correspondent :

Due to rampant sand lifting from the river Bhairab at Daulatpur area in Khulna city has intensified erosion alarmingly.

Despite the stern action by the district administration against the illegal sand lifting, some influential gangs are continuing to lift sand from the river Bhairab and its adjoining areas.

Trader Nazrul Islam told this correspondent that he has lost his business institution due to erosion caused by illegal sand lifting from the river Bhairab.

"I strongly protested against illegal sand lifting from the river but the saqnd lifters didn't listen to me as they are local musclemen", he added.

Ashfaq Bhuyan, another trader said, "We are always in fear of river erosion as the illegal sand lifters are continuing sand lifting without any hesitation."

Syed Abdul Jalil, a businessman said, "We are passing sleepless days and nights as the river erosion might cause at any moment owing to illegal sand lifting from the river Bhairab."

"We don't dare to protest against the illegal sand lifting in fear of physical and mental harassment", he added.

On condition of anonymity, an official of Water Development Board (WDB) said that they know about the matter, but can not do anything as the sand lifters are allegedly involved with the ruling party.

An high official of WDB said that the district administration would conduct drives against illegal sand lifters within short time.

A reliable source of district administration said, the administration is going to file caes against the illegal sand lifters as early as possible..
Schulz to set out plan for taking down Merkel

Schulz is hoping to unseat Merkel, the world\'s most powerful woman in September elections in Germany.

AFP, Berlin :

Martin Schulz will on Sunday officially become Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief challenger in Germany's September general election and lay out his plans for unseating the world's most powerful woman.

The bearded Social Democrat, already credited with giving his ailing party a strong shot in the arm, will be anointed SPD leader and standard bearer at a one-day congress in Berlin.

German media predicted he could garner more than 90 percent of the vote from the country's oldest political party.

In a speech to the SPD rank and file, Schulz will attempt to harness his momentum against Merkel, whose conservatives just a few months ago had an apparently invincible lead in the polls.

Schulz's decision to leave the European Parliament, which he headed for five years, and run to lead Germany has given the Social Democrats a new lease of life since party leader Sigmar Gabriel asked him to take the reins in January.

"It's been encouraging to see in the last few weeks that people are hopeful again that the Social Democrats have a shot," Schulz told Berlin public radio RBB this week.

"My intention to pursue policies that make the lives of hard-working people a little better is apparently finding a lot of support."

Opinion surveys have recorded a 10-point jump for the SPD in recent weeks and some polls put it ahead of the conservative bloc of Merkel, who is trying to win a fourth term.

The congress will fire the starting gun for the national election campaign and the race for three state polls, the first of which will be held in Saarland on the French border on March 26.

The Social Democrats, junior partners in Merkel governments for nearly eight of the last 12 years, long withered in Merkel's shadow.

But Gabriel, now Germany's foreign minister, told supporters this month that Schulz's entry into the race as a Berlin outsider appealed to many SPD voters who are tired of the "grand coalition".

"He embodies the feeling of Social Democracy, in his head and above all in his heart," Gabriel said.
Scots weigh economic uncertainty of independent future

Scotland\'s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned leaving the EU\'s single market will cause tens of thousands of job losses in Scotland. AP file photo

AFP, Aberdeen :

The prospects for Scotland's economy after Brexit are at the heart of the battle between its pro-independence first minister and British Prime Minister Theresa May, who wants Britain to stay united as it leaves the EU.

Nicola Sturgeon has warned that leaving the bloc's single market will cause tens of thousands of job losses in Scotland, while May has said she will aim for the "best possible deal" with Brussels-for Scotland too.

Going it alone raises a host of doubts about Scotland's economy including what currency it would use and how it could reduce a budget deficit of 9.0 percent of gross domestic product-worse than crisis-hit Greece.

But the future of the North Sea oil sector-centred on the city of Aberdeen, where Sturgeon's Scottish National Party held its conference this weekend-is the key concern.

World oil prices have declined in recent years and the offshore stocks are depleting.

Deirdre Michie, head of Oil & Gas UK, the leading association for the North Sea industry, told AFP the sector was going through "quite a sustained downturn".

The oil industry employs around 330,000 people across the UK, including around 38 percent based in Scotland-many of them in Aberdeen.

Aberdeen's business community is wary about another constitutional confrontation just three years after the last independence referendum in which Scotland voted to remain a part of Britain by 55 percent.

Sturgeon's announcement last week of her plans for a referendum generates "continued uncertainty and it's just a matter of fact that business doesn't like uncertainty," said James Bream, research and policy director at Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce.

But Bream said he was not surprised by the announcement since "the argument about independence has never gone away" despite the result of the 2014 plebiscite. The unionist campaign in that vote was heavily focussed on the economic benefits of being a part of the United Kingdom.

The argument emphasised the "broad shoulders" of the union, which can cushion Scotland from shocks such as a financial crisis or oil price crash, as well as raising doubts about Scotland's ability to manage on its own.
Putin and Xi combine to outsmart Trump

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin view an honor guard at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.. AP file photo

Newsweek :

Russia and China recently vetoed a draft U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolution backed by the Western powers to sanction Syria over its chemical weapons use.

As the first action by the Trump administration in the Security Council, this calls into question the administration's ability to mend ties with Russia and simultaneously to sideline China.

While there is a precedent for Russia and China to veto resolutions related to Syria since 2011, this resolution breaks with a plan developed by the Russians and Americans in 2013 to rid Syria of chemical weapons. The most recent joint Russian-Chinese veto indicates that they will remain united, pitted against the West.

Then-candidate and current president Donald Trump has consistently praised Russia and demeaned China. Some analysts have suggested he is playing a reverse Nixon "China card"-that is, the U.S. will strengthen its relations with Russia to the detriment of China. Likewise, President Trump's questioning the agility and purpose of NATO and the EU, and the sense of continuing sanctions on Russia, may be a means to weaken China's growing presence in Russia.

President-elect Trump's phone call with the Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen, followed by the nomination of Russia-friendly Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, heightened concerns in Beijing over China's potential marginalization.

However, the latest UNSC vote confirmed that the Russia-China partnership is as strong as ever. Along with Bolivia, they vetoed a measure proposed by the Western allies to sanction 21 Syrian individuals, companies and organizations for using chemical weapons in Syria and to tighten export controls on components of chemical weapons.

The draft resolution text notes recent reports by the Joint Investigative Mechanism of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), established by the UNSC, which identify actors involved in several cases of chemical weapons detected in Syria since 2014-15.

Moreover, Western governments have accused the Assad regime of conducting illegal chlorine attacks in 2014-15, violating the Chemical Weapons Convention, which Syria signed in 2013. Their veto arguably undermines the most successful diplomatic U.S.-Russian effort on Syria. In 2013, Secretary of State John F. Kerry suggested that, in exchange for placing its chemical weapons under international control, Syria could avert a U.S. military attack. Support was growing in the U.S. and Europe to strike Syrian military targets in retaliation for a gas attack that killed 1,400 civilians.
Convocation of ICD held

Campus Report :



Convocation of International College of Dentists was held at Dhaka Regency on Sunday. Prof Dr Kamrul Hasan Khan, Vice Chancellor and Prof Dr Md. Ali Asgor Moral, Treasurer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University was the chief guest and special guest. ICD International President Dr. Rajesh Chandra, Asian section President Dato Dr How Kim Chuan were present at the convocation.

Among others, Prof Abul Kasem, President, Dr Humayaun Kabir Bulbul Secretary, Prof Dr Mostaque H Sattar, Regent, ICD Section XX Region 41, Bangladesh and Prof Dr Shamsul Alam Chairman, Organization Committee spoke at the convocation.

Delegates from 10 countries attended at the Convocation. ICD Award also declared at the program.

On this occasion, a scientific seminar was held where large numbers of senior doctors were present.
Germany keen to work with BD in textiles education

Christian Von Mitzlaff, Advisor, Sustainable Textiles, GIZ, Germany talks with Prof Abdul Mannan, Chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh at the latter\'s office on Sunday.

Campus Report :



Christian Von Mitzlaff, Advisor, Sustainable Textiles, GIZ, Germany called on Prof Abdul Mannan, Chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh at the latter's office on Sunday. Afsaruddin Ahmed, Senior Advisor, Promotion of Social and Environmental Standards in the Industry(PSES), GIZ assisted Mitzlaff.

Mitzlaff informed UGC Chairman that the German Government through GIZ is interested in working with Bangladesh in areas of Textiles and Higher Education to produce high quality skilled manpower for socio- economic development of the country. GIZ is also willing to train the faculty members of the textiles universities and textile related disciplines to enhance the quality of teaching-learning and research at tertiary level.

Christian Von Mitzlaff, presented project proposal in the meeting and after elaborate discussion, project document was finalized.

They also stressed the need for establishing academic and research collaboration among the higher educational institutions of Bangladesh and Germany.

The Chairman of UGC observed that the project will significantly contribute to the capacity building of the country's textile education and enhancement of higher education in the textile sector.

Prof Dr Mohammad Yousuf Ali Mollah, Member, UGC, Prof Dr Dil Afroza Begum, Member, UGC, Prof Dr M Shah Nowaz Ali, Member, UGC, Dr Md. Khaled, Secretary, UGC, Abdur Rezzaque, Director, Planning and Development Division, UGC, Abdullah Al Hasan Chowdhury, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Education, Dr Ferdous Zaman. Additional Director, Planning and Development Division, UGC and Dr Md. Fakhrul Islam, Joint-Secretary, UGC, among others were present on the occasion.


No room for extremism in Islam



Prime Minister's International Relation Affairs Adviser Professor Dr. Gowher Rizvi has said Islam is the religion of peace and there is no room for extremism in it.

"Islam was propagated in this region through Pir-Aulias (Islamic spiritual personalities) who were the followers of Sufism. There was no use of force in this regard. Everything happened spontaneously," he told a book publication ceremony in the city on Saturday.

The first and second volumes of compiled literary work of Banglar Rumi Syed Ahmadul Huq were formally published in the function at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

Presided over by Dhaka University Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Aktaruzzaman, the function was attended by University Grants Commission Chairman Professor Abdul Mannan, former Caretaker Government Adviser Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman and Iranian Ambassador Dr. Abbas Vaezi Dehnavi, among others.

Vice-Chancellors of different public and private universities, professors, poets, intellectuals, journalists and researchers attended the program and expressed their thoughts in the function, said a press release on Sunday.

Citing Friday's suicide attack on a law enforcement agency barrack in the capital, Dr Rizvi said, "Some people are spreading violence in the name of religion. Rumi's ideology is badly needed to let peace to prevail in society."
Women play key role for country`s uplift

President of Women Entrepreneurs Association Bangladesh Nasrin Rab Ruba speaking at a roundtable on \'Role of Male in Success of Women Entrepreneurs\' organised by the association at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Sunday.

Women are playing an important role in the country's overall economy through the expansion of productive industry. In Bangladesh women are being successful in business along with other professions. As a result, the creation of new work and the field have been gradually increasing for their independence.

The speakers said those in a roundtable discussion on "The Role of Men for Women Entrepreneur's success", organized by Women Entrepreneur's Association on the occasion of International Women's Day. The roundtable discussion was held on Sunday at Dhaka Reporters' Unity, Segunbagicha.

Ms. Nasrin Rab Ruba, Presidend of Association, presided over roundtable discussion while Saidur Rahman Tapa was present as chief guest and Tax comissoner Md Alamgir Hossain attended as special guest. Dr. Nadia Binte Amin, Vice President of Association and Convener of World Women's Day observation committe, delivered welcome address. Executive member Ms. Nilufar Karim moderated the event while Ms. Nazmin Sultana, General Secretary and Ms. Aisha Siddika, Executive member of the association told their speech.

Dr. Nadia Binte Amin, Convener of the Committee, told as welcome address that Women are playing key role for the development. In domestic and internationally women are contributing in all spheres of society almost including politics and economy. They are going to continue to fight and to cross many hurdles.

After liberation, domestic and internationally women have been creating instances of their performance in the field of development and empowerment. Women walked noted as Prime Minister, Opposition Political leader, Speaker of National Assembly, police, army, higher officials of public administration, aeronautical, justice, player, even the highest peak of the Everest.

She said, women workers of garment industry protest in New York's street against 12 hour daily labour, low wages, human torture and lack of food on March 8, 1857. Many of them are arrests and harassment. Beginning from that, athrun protested against roster. After three years, they formed own union on March 8, 1860. March 8, 1908 a large number of women workers started a movement for low productivity, fair wages and the right to vote.

After two years of this event, 8th March was announced in communist women's international conference which was held in Copenhagen, Denmark on March 8, 1910. The proposer of this was the German Communist leader Clara Jetkina. After 64 years in 1974, United Nations recognized this day as International Women's Day. Since then, women are goind ahead in worldwide.

In the roundtable discussion, other speakers told that Man's collaboration has enough behind the professional success of a woman. Because it is impossible to direct all programs for a woman without man's collaboration. Moreover large parts of the country's total number of members are women. So there is need for development oriented for this manpower instead of tied up in the house. As a result, if man helps women entrepreneurs more, they will able to contribute more in society.


Works of Laksham-Akhaura double rail line in progress

A Chittagong :



The construction works of the 72-km Akhaura-Laksam double rail line project in Dhaka- Chittagong route have been progressing fast. Talking with the Daily Observer, Project Director Mozammel Huq came up with the comments recently.

According to tender schedule, the project is estimated to be completed within four years.

"But we have been trying hard to complete it earlier," he hoped.

Huq also said the construction works of the project has begun in November 2016.

The Bangladesh Railway Ministry has signed the agreement with a joint venture company of China Railway group, Toma Construction and Max Infrastructure (CTM), for this project.

He said the construction works of the project would be completed by December 2018. Besides, the government signed a deal with a consortium of five companies for the consultancy services of the 72-km Akhaura-Laksam Double Rail Line project in Dhaka- Chittagong route. The five companies include Dohwa Engineering Co Ltd (Korea), Korea Rail Network Authority, Oriental Consultants Global Ltd (Japan), Balaji Railroad Systems Ltd (India) and Development Design Consultants Ltd (Bangladesh).

Under the agreement, everything of the project-from design to completion of the construction process-will be supervised by the consortium. A total of 46 bridges and culverts, including 13 big bridges, and 11 B-class rail stations along with computerised signalling systems will be constructed on the 72-km section, he added. The 72-km long Laksham to Akhaura rail line have been doubled with the financial assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and European Investment Bank (EIB).

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and European Investment Bank (EIB) have agreed to finance the project. The loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and European Investment Bank (EIB) has already been signed. The sources said, ADB will provide 505 million US dollar and EIB will provide 175 million US Dollar for the project.

With the implementation of the project, the speed of train on the route would be 120 kilometres per hour.

The main objective of this project is to increase the line capacity of railway for efficient train operation and to meet fast growing freight and intercity passenger traffic. The improvement will also result in low operating costs for users and increasing the competitiveness of Bangladesh for investment. Bangladesh Railway has introduced the transportation of containers from Chittagong Port to Kamalapur Inland Container depot since 15 years back.

A large numbers of passengers also travel through this rail route. The lion's share of income comes from this route.

But this route has been neglected for a long time. If Dhaka-Chittagong rail line is doubled, it will certainly increase the GDP of the country remarkably. The Dhaka bound containers could be transported easily creating manifold opportunities in trade and commerce. With the completion of the Laksham-Akhaura double line, the 320km long Dhaka-Chittagong railway line, one of the most significant rail lines of the country will be doubled. During the past Pakistan regime, 117 km long rail line has been doubled that include, Kamalapur to Tongi and Chittagong to Chinki Astana.

The rest 203 km long rail track in this important rail line remained single for a long time.

The present Awami League government in their previous tenure has taken three projects to double the rail track in this significant rail line.

These projects started to be implemented since 2011 last. The three projects included; 64 km line Tongi and Bhairab Bazar, 61 km long Laksham and Chinki Astana and 7.1 km long Akhaura-Bhairab Bazar totalling of 132 km. Of those projects, 64 km line Tongi and Bhairab Bazar, 61 km long Laksham and Chinki Astana have already been completed.




Kuznetsova, Vesnina set up all-Russian Indian Wells final

AFP, United States :

Svetlana Kuznetsova toppled world number three Karolina Pliskova 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/2) on Friday to book an all-Russian Indian Wells final against Elena Vesnina.

Vesnina powered past France's Kristina Mladenovic 6-3, 6-4, continuing a sparkling campaign that has seen her shock German's soon-to-be world number one Angelique Kerber in the fourth round and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in the quarter-finals.

It's a sharp turnaround from Vesnina's first-round ouster in qualifying here last year, and marks her first trip to a final of one of the WTA's elite Premier Mandatory events.

World number eight Kuznetsova is back in the Indian Wells final for the first time since back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2008.

She withstood 10 aces from Pliskova, who has already won titles at Brisbane and Doha this year.

"I tried my best to fight every point," said the 31-year-old Kuznetsova, owner of two Grand slam singles titles who enjoyed a resurgence in 2016, winning two titles as she returned to the top 10 in the world for the first time since 2010. "Karolina is one of the best players this year."




Eviction drive of risky bldgs starts in DSCC

Staff Reporter :

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) on Sunday started eviction drives against 109 identified risky buildings.

DSCC Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon led the eviction drives from the Dhalpur sweeper colony of the city. The officials have broken a risky building in the colony.

The Mayor said, they will continue to evict all the risky buildings under his jurisdiction.

"DSCC has started the eviction drives today. We will evict all the government and private owned identified risky establishments, including Banalata and New Super Market buildings within three to six months," the Mayor said.

He said also that the officials had been directed to complete the eviction programme within the deadline.


Gridlock and sufferings on city roads

Strict security measures have been taken to check all modes of vehicles in city streets following the recent suicide attacks by suspected militants, causing sufferings to commuters and creating traffic gridlock. This photo was taken from in front of Gulsh

Badrul Ahsan :

Frequent security check-up by the law enforcement agencies on the city streets after sudden rise of terror activities have made the dwellers life almost miserable.

It also caused serious gridlock on the streets in the capital, particularly in several posh areas, although the success rates of arresting militants or finding out explosives and weapons are very nominal.

Expressing annoyance, some aggrieved people said the law enforcers check-up people and their vehicles bringing the riders down in different city spots which they said kill the time to reach their destinations on schedule. They also termed it as harassment for the commuters.

"I was going to Sonargaon Hotel to join a programme from Gulshan-2. But on my way the law enforcers stopped my car in three places where I was forced to come down and the on duty police checked my purse and vehicle taking quite a long time. And in this way I missed to reach the programme on time," Asfia Sultana, a sufferer, told the New Nation on Sunday.

She said the slow motion of checking and its frequencies created serious gridlock on the street and added it as an extra suffering to the already persisting traffic congestion in the city.

"Besides, body and purse check-up of female by male police also in many cases thrown women in an embarrassing situation," she added.

"Significant spaces of city streets have already occupied by illegal parking. And if additional vehicles are stopped in the name of checking then what the situation stands? I had to face terrible traffic congestion in front of Mirpur 10 yesterday only because of security check-up," said Abu Abdullah, another commuter.

Besides, officials at different hotels, motels and rest houses of the city alleged that boarders of their houses have decreased significantly after the terror attacks.

"Customers in our restaurant dropped largely after the Ashkona bomb blasts in the city on Friday. Besides, inflow of foreign guests also dropped in last two days. Security check-up in the streets also created some fear among them," an official of Hotel Westin in the city's Gulshan area told the New Nation preferring anonymity.

After a visit to different areas of the city, including Gulshan, Banani, Mirpur, Shahbagh and Dhanmondi, this correspondent found that security personnel were checking mostly personally used vehicles like motor cycle, private car, jeep and auto rickshaw and their riders. Long queues of vehicles found in most of the checking points.

Members of police and other law enforcing agencies were found reluctant about traffic jam and people's sufferings.

However, replying to a query of the New Nation, a high official of Bangladesh Police said they have no other options but to continue the check-up to prevent further incident.

"We know about the public sufferings, but we are helpless. If we don't continue checking then miscreants will have the privilege to carry their weapons and explosives from one place to another freely which we can't accept," he added.

"Almost all the city roads most of the time remains pact with vehicles. If we wait for a suitable time for checking it will not be realistic. Although our visible achievement is nominal, indirect impact of the checking is huge," the official said.

It is to be noted that, an unidentified youth was blown up in a suicide bombing at an under-construction installation of the Rapid Action Battalion's Headquarters at Ashkona in Dhaka on Friday, leading authorities to reinforce security at airports and other key installation points to prevent any further incident.

Besides, a suspected militant was also shot dead at RAB's check post in Khilgaon on Saturday as he tried to attack members of the elite force. It also forced the authorities concerned to beef up security in different points of the city.


SC upholds death sentence to Mufti Hannan, 2 others

Court Correspondent :

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court yesterday upheld the death sentence of three Harkatul Jihad Al Islami (Huji) elements including the banned militant outfit's Chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, in a case filed for the grenade attack on former British High Commissioner in Bangladesh, Anwar Choudhury in 2004.

A three-member bench of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha passed the order, dismissing the review petition of Mufti Hannan. Earlier, on last December 7, the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty of the three militants.

On February 11, last year, a High Court (HC) Division bench, comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Amir Hossain, delivered the verdict upholding the death sentence of three accused -- Mufti Abdul Hannan, Sharif Shahedul Alam and Delwar Hossain. Besides, two others, Mufti Hannan's brother Mohibullah and Mufti Moinuddin were sentenced to life-term imprisonment by a sub-ordinate court.

On May 21, 2004, Anwar Choudhury and 51 others were injured, while other three, including two police officials, were killed in a grenade attack at Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) shrine in Sylhet.

Later, two cases- one for murder and the other was filed under the Explosive Substances Act in connection with the grenade attack. After investigation, charges were framed against four people, including Mufti Hannan on July 31, in 2007.

The Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal of Sylhet on December 23, 2008, awarded death sentence to HujI leaders Hannan, Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul and Delwar Hossain Ripon, while Hannan's brothers Mufti Muhibur Rahman and Mufti Mainuddin were awarded life term imprisonment and also fined them Tk 10,000 each in the case.


PM for modernising weaving industry

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina here on Sunday called for modernising and enriching the country's weaving industry with assurance of continuing her government's all-out support for this industry.

"Our government is always ready to extend all-out cooperation for the development of the weaving industry, and we'll continue to do that so that this industry could be expanded further," she said.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing the National Council 2017 of Bangladesh Tanti League held at Krishibid Institution Auditorium in the city.

Hasina also urged the successors of the weaving industry to carry on their rich tradition. "We've already got the patent of Jamdani, now we'll have to further develop it and publicise it worldwide. If all give the due attention, then our silk, benarasi and cotton sarees will surely develop. We'll also have to ensure better marketing of these weaved clothes."

For this, she said, there is a need for improving the training of the weavers so that no one can neglect the weavers anymore. "You'll have to make such arrangements and that's your duty."

Urging the people of the country especially the males to wear clothes like shirts, panjabis made by local weavers she said, "I also buy clothes made from 'Khaddar' for my son and daughter which are also very beautiful."

"The clothes made from 'Khaddar' are very comfortable and suitable to our weather...We want that our traditions (weaving clothes, Moslin, Khaddar clothes) again get back their lost glory, and the weavers could weave more improved clothes."

Hasina said she never wear exclusive 'French Siphon' sarees after becoming the Prime Minister but always feel comfortable with the desi (local) sarees.

Earlier, the Prime Minister formally inaugurated the National Council of Bangladesh Tanti League through hoisting the national flag. She also released white pigeons on the occasion.

A one-minute silence was also observed in memory of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, martyrs of the August 15 killings, martyrs of the War of Independence and those who laid down their lives in various democratic movements.

Suggesting the Bangladesh Tanti League leaders and workers to further strengthen and build their organization through selecting their new leadership through this council, Hasina also asked them to widely publicise the development initiatives of the present government across the country.
Big powers must help resolve Rohingya crisis

CHINA and Russia on Friday blocked a UK backed UN Security Council statement on troubled Rakhine State in Myanmar, where Rohingya Muslims are facing mindless killing, arson and torture forcing them to take shelter in Bangladesh. The UN Human Rights Council recently brought fresh accusations against Myanmar military for torching their villages as part of an ongoing ethnic cleansing. It is really unfortunate. The UN body has termed the situation as genocide; which amounts to crime against humanity. The Council worked for UN Security Council statement at a time when the Myanmar government is paying no heed to stop genocide of the Rohingya Muslims and agree to take back the displaced people who remained disenfranchised from 2012.



The move by China and Russia opposing the statement; which goes in direct support to the Myanmar government's persecution is a mindless step for the stateless Rohingya Muslims in their bid to draw global support to their right cause. Such move was also blocked in the past raising question as to why the big powers mandated to preserve world peace should not agree to bring pressure on Myanmar to stop persecution. We don't understand what the reason may be behind it to deny justice to the aggrieved people losing homes and becoming stateless. This is a gross violation of human rights and the right to existence of those people to live in their ancestral homes as they were inheriting it over the generations.



It is clear that Myanmar government is forcing Rohingyas to leave the country because under the new State policy Muslims are denied of their right to live with Buddhist majority nation. This is a policy emanated from hatred taking the shape of ethnic cleansing that needs to be resisted by the global action. But instead of demanding accountability against the crime how big countries like China or Russia can take side with Myanmar is the big humanitarian question. It is against all international laws and conventions but when it comes to the question of an small ethnic minority, they feel quite free to support the bigger state power.



To be Muslims can't be a crime. It can't be also the criteria for big powers to handle ethnic crisis and allow a third country like Myanmar to punish its Muslims population evicting them from homes. One can't be blamed if he or she believes that since Russia and China have Muslim ethnic population fighting for their cause, they are not receptive to the crisis of Rohingya Muslims. We believe humanitarian consideration must prevail over local problems and they must stop opposition to the cause of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar..



We know they have bigger political support for Aung San Suu Kyi government. But they should pay heed to what the UN Human Rights Commission says and what the Annan Commission suggests to save those people. All that the global community wants is an inclusive investigation and peaceful resolution of the crisis. In our view China and Russia should review their stance and come forward to help Rohingyas to end their plight.






Production of risky drugs must stop

THE High Court asked the government to stop producing and marketing of antibiotic, penicillin and hormone drugs of 28 pharmaceutical companies with immediate effect. Furthermore, the court also issued a rule asking the concerned authorities of the government to explain why the earlier HC ban on production and marketing of those drugs has not been executed. The High Court order came disposing a writ from a human rights body seeking the court's intervention to stop production and marketing of such drugs in public interest.



Producing and marketing of substandard drugs is not anything new in Bangladesh, despite a number of court rulings we have witnessed in the past that went unheeded. Barely ten months ago the Health and Family Welfare Ministry had decided to cancel license of 20 pharmaceutical companies for producing sub-standard and fake drugs. But they didn't stop their operation rendering the HC ruling almost ineffective.



We have our markets flooded with substandard and counterfeit medicines. Substandard products arise from poor quality control using poor manufacturing practices while counterfeit products are the 'products' of criminals. Considering the vast scale of global pharmaceutical industry and the incidence of potentially fatal diseases -- any amount of poor-quality medicine is unacceptable since it increases morbidity and also mortality. That said, we fail to comprehend why the Ministry of Health, besides other concerned authorities, is repeatedly failing to address this prevailing dilemma.



According to a report last year, many companies have repeatedly and grossly failed to ensure good manufacturing practices (GMP) in Bangladesh, and yet continue producing substandard medicines. We don't know how they managed to run, but one thing is clear that medicine quality assurance and regulatory authorities are not fairly functioning.



It can't be said that the government is not serious in battling the menace of poor and counterfeit medicines, but the question is again why it can't prevent the criminal practice so detrimental to public health. We suggest that regulatory bodies must address their limitations in this regard. We believe, banning of innumerable drug manufacturing companies will not solve the problem overnight, what we clearly need is to chalk-out effective policy outlines and strengthen the institutional capacity to implement the policies so that companies will not shut the doors but overcome shortcomings. Producing quality medicine is a highly critical issue. Companies must comprehend gambling with public health. Ii is serious offence that they must avoid and be punished if they continue to do so.



In our view the Directorate of Health Service and Drug Administration must take effective steps for the people to get right medicines.
Judiciary must protect itself for people and country

The observation made by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha at a function of the Judicial Service Commission in the city on Saturday on the poor state of judiciary deserves attention from all quarters. His delivery in presence of the Supreme Court Judges and senior Judicial Officials came as an ultimate 'explosion' directed at some quarters of the government blocking the proper functioning of the Justice System in the country.



He has clearly blamed the vested quarters for misleading the higher authorities against independence of judiciary. They are trying to say an independent judiciary is an obstruction to the government. It is a universal truth that in absence of rule of law and abuse of power, militancy must grow and is growing.



Giving wrong advice against democracy and rule of law began soon after independence and during Bangabandhu's time. The Chief Justice said the rule of law is under severe pressure denying fair justice to people at all levels.



What the Chief Justice SK Sinha has refrained from mentioning is that misleading advice is part of the plan not to allow the Parliament to function, the election not to be meaningful for prevailing peoples' vote. Now the judiciary must be made weak and subservient.



But the judiciary as the protector of the Constitution has its own strength and independent obligation to play its role as protector of the Constitution and the rule of law.



The judiciary has power of its own to send right signals to know where the government is going wrong. To be weak in its role is of no help for its survival.



By encouraging conflict between the government and the judiciary, no good is being done to the government. The government will be more vulnerable without assistance of the judiciary.



It is not just a matter of police for dealing with rising militancy in the country. When there is no open space to protest injustice and get fair justice, many get involved to bigger crime to become bigger threat to the society.



Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha blasted the failure of the concerned government authorities, which have so far taken 65 extension of time since 1999 to issue the 12-point guidelines on the separation of the judiciary in the light of the landmark Supreme Court verdict in Masdar Hossain case. The judiciary has to be ready to face a greater challenge. It has to show its resistance and courage.



His Lordship the Chief Justice has said rightly that "If everything goes on in accordance with the Constitution and existing law; if the judiciary can work independently, the level of corruption and terrorism will decrease." The rule of law can only reduce the scope to misguiding the head of the government giving the wrong message, along with a campaign that the judiciary is an opponent to the administration. Because of their intervention, he said, his attempt to fill up vacancies of 300 judges is not getting cooperation of the government since the vested group does not want strengthening of the lower judiciary to try criminals.



Our view is the judiciary has to save itself to save the country from militancy, corruption and every kind of abuse of state power. The Constitution has made the judiciary the protector of the Constitution and now in this present crisis the judiciary has to play its constitutional role boldly and not let down the people.


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Sunday, March 19, 2017 at 2:00AM

Programming Note: Apologies that we're off schedule on episodes of Pfandom and Three Fittings. Performance anxiety (aka writer's block) at Film Experience HQ. While Nathaniel course corrects...

On this day in showbiz history...

Here are a few cinematic things to think about today March 19th. Which will you feel most festive about?

1859 Charles Gounod's Opera Faust premieres in Paris. There are multiple Faust operas just as there are multiple film versions of the

1897 Betty Compson (The Barker, 1928), the only Best Actress nominee born in Beaver, Utah (I mean, she'd have to be, right?) enters the world.

1915 Happy 102nd birthday today to 40s star Patricia Morrison (Dressed to Kill, Song of the Thin Man). Yes, she's still alive!

1947 Glenn Close is born in Connecticutt. 70 years later she still hasn't won her Oscar! She's back on Broadway in Sunset Blvd at the moment...

1951 Herman Wouk's Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Caine Mutiny is published. Just three years later the film adaptation is a major awards player with 7 Oscar nominations. (I once did a study of 1954 and having seen a lot of films from that year, let's just say that Oscar's fascination with this one is confounding. The year has many riches)

1952 Shaper of many future Oscar races, Harvey Weinstein, is born in Queens

1953 For Oscar's 25th anniversary, the very first televised ceremony! The Greatest Show on Earth wins Best Picture of 1952 and Shirley Booth trips on the steps. She won't be the last actress winner to do that.

1955 Bruce Willis, future classic action star, is born in Germany

1957 Elvis Presley purchased his new home Graceland for just over $100,000. It's been a tourist destination for years and has factored into several movies as well including This is Spinal Tap

1962 Bob Dylan releases his very first album, titled "Bob Dylan." Later in his career he'll win a Nobel, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, and 12 Grammy Awards. Todd Haynes, who will later make the abstract Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There, is only 14 months old when it comes out so his fandom must have come significantly later.

1964 Sean Connery has his first day shooting the James Bond classic Goldfinger, which we loved writing about. Just under six months later it premieres in London. Post-production times were shorter back then, apparently.

1975 The movie musical Tommy premieres. It goes on to two Oscar nominations: Actress for Ann-Margret and Best Song Score for Pete Townshend

1982 Eduardo Saverin is born. Meets Mark Zuckerberg in college and the rest is The Social Network history. Andrew Garfield receives a Golden Globe nomination playing him.

...on this same day two controversial movies open: the raunchy teen sex comedy Porkys (which became a huge hit) and the stage to screen mystery Deathtrap which featured a kiss [GASP!] between two major male stars (Christopher Reeve and Michael Caine). It opened just two weeks after another gay mainstream film Making Love with two famous male leads (Harry Hamlin & Michael Ontkean). It makes you wonder what might have happened to gay representation in cinema if the AIDS crisis hadn't hit so forcefully so quickly thereafter. Gay love on the big screen was basically relegated to indies thereafter until Philadelphia and Birdcage in the 90s both of which were timid about romantic affection between men.

1984 Kate & Allie premieres on CBS, remember that one? Jane Curtin wins two Emmys for the series which runs for six seasons.

1985 Spin magazine began publishing. Their first cover (dated May) went to Madonna. The music magazine ran in print until 2012

1993 Bridget Fonda does her best Anne Parillaud and starts assassinating people in the American remake of the French Point of No Return

1999 The ridiculously contrived romantic comedy Forces of Nature with Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck opens

2002 Oscar winner Ben Kingsley becomes "Sir Ben Kingsley," knighted by the Queen on this day. The actor, who never seems to stop working, has 4 movies coming this year. What's your favorite of his performances? I'm partial to Sexy Beast but I also think he's amazing in the underappreciated Penelope Cruz drama Elegy in 2008

2010 "ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!" The Runaways opens in movie theaters, arguably the first film that predicted the current Kristen Stewart rather than the Twilight Kristen Stewart. Underappreciated movie as Dakota Fanning and Michael Shannon and some tech elements are also noteworthy in it
ABC News(WASHINGTON)  President Trump took to Twitter Saturday morning from Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, slamming media's characterization of his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and claiming Germany "owes vast sums of money to NATO."

Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017

...vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017

But according to a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, the president's statements are misleading.

"There is no ledger sheet that shows Germany in the red," Doug Lute, who served as ambassador under former President Obama from 2013 to 2017, told ABC News. "That's not how it works in NATO."

The alliances roughly $2 billion operating budget is paid by fixed apportions across the 28 allied members. (The United States, for example, contributes the most: about 22.14 percent of that $2 billion annually. Germany comes in second, supplying 14.65 percent.)

NATO also asks its members to spend at least 2 percent of their GDP on national defense.

Since the early 2000s, the U.S. has routinely budgeted between 3 percent and 5 percent of GDP for defense.

But like many other NATO countries -- including Canada, Spain, and Italy -- Germany hasn't been spending 2 percent of its GDP on defense.

However, as Merkel affirmed Friday, the nation has promised to meet the 2 percent threshold for the next seven years at least. "We committed to this 2 percent goal until 2024," she told reporters during a joint press conference at the White House.

Technically, Germany doesn't owe NATO money. Rather, the nation owes it to the alliance to spend more on its own national defense.

"Like all Allies, Germany does owe its own people and the NATO alliance sufficient defense spending to meet current security challenges," Lute said. "In NATO that means 2 percent of GDP."

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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And what about Namazies complaint of LSE security subjecting her to an unfair ordeal at the NAB entrance? That is not true either, he says. According to him, Namazie had come with five others who she claimed to be her security detail but whose presence was not made known to the event organisers beforehand, and therefore not registered by the LSE security staff.

She even criticised the society for describing her as controversial in the description on the Facebook event page, a label which doesnt seem unreasonable considering how previous events involving her at other universities have panned out, including a talk at Goldsmiths which was constantly disrupted by several audience members.

I cannot even start telling you how one experiences a sense of madness when responsibilities are turned upside down in such a way; one feels like the raped girl, the battered woman, the child being caned who have been told by judges, police, families and media alike, over such a long period of time in history, that they were the ones truly responsible for sexual attacks, domestic violence and physical punishment in education; and that it was their own behaviour (how libertarian indeed! just being able to exist in the public space, to express an opinion, in short just enjoying ones fundamental human rights!) which induced these responses  which were thus seen as legitimate. Yes, we do have an already quite long experience of perversity, which magically turns the victim into the abuser and blames her for the crimes that are committed against her.
A business forum on how to prepare for the eclipse will take place 2 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 27, and Thursday, March 30 at the Carbondale Civic Center, 200 S. Illinois Ave., Room 116.

Topics for the forum include helping your business prepare for the eclipse, parking and transportation, getting around town, volunteering and vendor opportunities. The solar eclipse will take place Aug. 21.

Before the seminar, find a questionnaire at goo.gl/d5cUfj. The meeting will be streamed on YouTube. For more information, contact Carbondale Tourism at 618-529-4451, or visit the website, carbondaleeclipse.com.

The event is sponsored by the city of Carbondale, Carbondale Tourism, Carbondale Chamber of Commerce and Carbondale Main Street.

 The Southern
GRAND CHAIN  A brewing feud between two longstanding Southern Illinois banks has gone public.

In a lawsuit filed this past week in federal court, Grand Rivers Community Bank accuses Peoples National Bank and its leaders of usurping control of Grand Rivers for racketeering activities from August 2010 through the present time to the detriment of Grand Rivers.

The lawsuit accuses Peoples and its leaders of rampant self-dealing, preferential transactions, and improper transfer of low-quality assets from Peoples to Grand Rivers. It further alleges that Peoples sought to acquire Grand Rivers in August 2015 for the purpose of concealing those activities.

On Friday, a representative of Peoples National Banks corporate office in Mount Vernon, said the bank and the defendants named in the lawsuit had no comment at this time on the allegations made against them in the 61-page filing.

Grand Rivers claims it only became aware of the illegal activities it alleges after the merger was finalized on Nov. 27, 2015.

Therefore, Grand Rivers claims that based on its allegations of Peoples fraudulent concealment of the true purpose of the agreement, that the merger agreement is based entirely on fraud and is void. The lawsuit also alleges that the board of directors of Grand Rivers was illegally constituted at the time of the merger, in violation of Illinois law and Grand Rivers bylaws.

The lawsuit specifically accuses Frank William Bonan II, former chairman of the Grand Rivers Community Bank and a current director of Peoples, of using the bank as a personal account from which he could borrow unlimited amounts of money. Collectively, the defendants are accused of infiltrating Grand Rivers and its sole shareholder, Main Street Bancshares Inc., and managing them for their own illegal purposes.

Named as defendants in the lawsuit brought by Grand Rivers and Main Street are:

 Peoples National Bank;

 Peoples sole shareholder, Market Street Bancshares;

 Bonan II, of Harrisburg, who also formerly served as Peoples president of the Southern Illinois District;

 his father, Frank William Bonan, of Mount Vernon, the chairman, president and general counsel of Peoples and vice chairman of Market Street;

 and Keith Botsch, of Carmi, a former member of Grand Rivers Executive Committee, a CPA who does accounting work for Grand Rivers, and a current director of Market Street and Peoples.

Key components of the case

The lawsuits chief accusations are as follows:

 In 2010, Bonan II and Botsch came to constitute a majority of Grand Rivers three-member Executive Committee, which is charged with approving all loans. Many of the loans made while Bonan II and Botsch were controlling members benefited their insiders, Bonan IIs family members and friends, or one of five separate business entities controlled by Bonan II, it is alleged.

The lawsuit does not name those business entities, but a search of online newspaper archives and government records shows Bonan II is a key member of businesses dealing with real estate, group health insurance and video gaming parlors located in 11 Southern Illinois communities called Nikkis Place.

According to the lawsuit, Bonan II and Botsch did not disclose the substantial nature of certain loan transactions to Main Street, Grand Rivers, or the third independent member of the executive committee. When questions were raised as to the quality of these transactions, Bonan II exercised dominant control to further the scheme.

 Market Street and Peoples asserted control over and indirect ownership of Main Street and Grand Rivers without the required approval of the Federal Reserve, it is alleged.

 On June 29, 2012, Grand Rivers extended three loans totaling $1.47 million to family members of a shareholder, director, and a Peoples insider, the lawsuit alleges. All three were in their 20s at the time, and none were customers of Grand Rivers. It is alleged that they were straw borrowers in a scheme orchestrated on behalf of Peoples. Non-existent collateral was pledged on these loans.

The loan proceeds were paid from Grand Rivers to Market Street Bancshares (the sole shareholder of Peoples) via wire transfer on July 5, 2012. The lawsuit alleges that on Aug, 9, 2012, Market Street and Peoples used these illegally obtained funds to repay the federal government money owned under the Troubled Asset Relief Program. The TARP program was signed into law by President George W. Bush in October 2008 to help banks regain financial stability during the subprime mortgage crisis that sparked the Great Recession.

 It is alleged that Peoples bank routinely used Grand Rivers to serve as a refinancing source for Peoples' high-risk loans, in order to improve Peoples balance sheet. The troubled loans inappropriately refinanced by Grand Rivers total about $10 million, accounting for about 21 percent of Grand Rivers entire loan portfolio, it is alleged.

In one such case, it is alleged that Grand Rivers Credit Analyst Don Nave was instructed by Bonan II to extend credit to a borrower Nave had flagged as a substandard credit risk. The refinancing deal exposed Grand River by more than $1.26 million on behalf of a borrower that was continuing to experience cash flow issues, the lawsuit claims.

After Nave expressed his concerns, Bonan II responded, Are you asking if I give a s--- Don? You have no idea what is going on. If you would like to know please let me know. You guys work on this loan or pack your s--- and get out, according to an email exchange included in the lawsuit. That same day, Grady Gaskins, the banks CFO, submitted the restructured loan for approval to the executive committee, which signed off on it. The loan remains unpaid, and has caused Grand Rivers to suffer loses, the lawsuit states.

'Rampant self-dealing' alleged

Bonan II is accused in the lawsuit of personally engaging in a pattern of self-dealing to benefit himself, his family members and friends, and a romantic partner. The lawsuit alleges Bonan II sent an email June 7, 2015, to CFO Gaskins and others stating, I need to get my gross income up to $250,000 per month very soon. We will go over cash flow so everyone will know how than [sic] contribute. Remember the deal. The more money the business makes the more money you guys make. I have always done this and will continue to do this.

The lawsuit details allegations of lines of credit issued at the direction of Bonan II, to benefit friends of his and businesses with which he is associated.

The lawsuit claims that a substantial part of a $1.325 million loan was used to purchase an apartment building for a company Bonan II is involved with. And a $300,000 loan, obtained through a straw borrower, was used as a down payment on a building purchased by a company owned and controlled by Bonan II and Botsch, Grand Rivers CPA, it is alleged.

It is further alleged that at Bonan IIs direction, Grand Rivers extended loans to another company with which he is involved in the amount of $1.262 million. The loan was guaranteed by two individuals with extremely limited financial capacity, one of which had a net negative worth, and whom were employed by Bonan II in his other activities, the lawsuit alleges.

A portion of the money  about $358,000  was used to refinance a mortgage loan owed to Peoples National Bank by another company whose managing members were friends of Bonan II's, one of whom it is believed he was engaged in a romantic relationship with at the time, the lawsuit alleges.

Merger called into question

As to the merger agreement, the lawsuit alleges that on or about July 12, 2015, Botsch, the CPA, contacted Bonan (Bonan IIs father) regarding Botschs knowledge of Bonan IIs improper activities related to Grand Rivers, and expressed in words or substance that, unless Bonan I were to do something about it, Bonan II would go to prison.

On Aug. 20, 2015, Gaskins sent an email to Bonan II at his Peoples email address with the subject PLAN that outlined the intended terms of the acquisition of Grand Rivers by Market Street and Peoples. On Aug. 24, 2015, Market Street, at the direction of the elder Bonan, its chairman, entered into a letter of intent to acquire the outstanding stock of Grand Rivers. Bonan II executed the letter of intent on behalf of Grand Rivers. On Oct. 20, 2015, Bonan II abruptly resigned from the Grand Rivers Board of Directors, the lawsuit claims.

The day after his resignation, in a telephone conversation with Grand Rivers CEO Whitney Stringer, Bonan II said he would consider reinstating himself as chairman of the board to get the merger on track, but advised that CEO Stringer would need to speak with the elder Bonan to determine whether the merger was going forward. On Oct. 21, 2015, Bonan confirmed that Market Street would go forward with the acquisition if Botsch, the CPA, resigned from the board, according allegations in the lawsuit.

That same day, Bonan II advised CEO Stringer that, for the merger to proceed, everyone except for board member Jake Campbell would have to resign; Bonan II would be able to choose his own board, and he would be paid $10,000 per month as chairman.

He stated his demands must be met by 4 p.m. Main Street and Grand Rivers went along with the deal, claiming in the lawsuit they did so because they were unaware of the self-dealing, preferential transactions, and transfer of low-quality assets directed by Bonan II to the detriment of Grand Rivers, and at the time desired to go forward with the merger. Under the terms of the deal, Bonan II then named to the board himself, CEO Stringer, CFO Gaskins, Campbell, a prior board member, and Luke Phelps, a business insurance agent from Eldorado and the son of former Congressman David Phelps.

 The lawsuit claims that Bonan II inappropriately controlled the election of the majority of directors of Main Street when making the above directive on Oct. 21, 2015, regarding constitution of the board. It is alleged that Bonan II purported to serve as chairman, but was neither appointed nor elected as required by Illinois law or the Grand Rivers bylaws. Citing the alleged improper constitution of the board and alleged concealment of fraudulent acts including racketeering, Grand Rivers claims the merger should be voided.

 The plaintiffs additionally seek compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys fees, all to be determined in a trial.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. It was originally assigned to Judge Phil Gilbert, but court records filed Wednesday show he has recused himself, and the case has been reassigned to Judge Staci Yandle.

Lawsuit alleges RICO violations

The lawsuit alleges five counts of civil violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, more commonly known to by its acronym, RICO. The 1970 RICO Act allows for both civil claims and criminal charges to be brought against alleged violators. To date, the newspaper is not aware of any federal criminal charges brought against the defendants as it relates to the allegations of racketeering outlined in the civil lawsuit.

The lawsuit additionally alleges financial institution fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and two counts of fraud.

About Peoples Bank

Peoples Bank, headquartered in Mount Vernon, is one of the largest locally owned and controlled banks in Southern Illinois. Its roots date back to 1893, when a private firm called Peoples Bank was founded in McLeansboro. It was chartered as a national bank in 1909, according to the banks website. In 1988, shareholders Bill Bonan and Hunt Bonan  Bonan IIs father and uncle, respectively  formed a bank holding company, Market Street Bancshares, Inc., for the purpose of acquiring 100 percent of the stock of Peoples.

Peoples, under the Bonan familys leadership, has enjoyed much success over the years and currently has Illinois branches in West City, Benton, Carmi, Carterville, Centralia, Dahlgren, Eldorado, Equality, Fairfield, Harrisburg, Herrin, Marion, McLeansboro, Mount Vernon, Salem and West Frankfort, in addition to branches in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and Clayton.

The Bonans have been active in both charity and politics in the region and state.

Combined, Bonan, Bonan II, Hunt Bonan, Market Street Bancshares and other companies affiliated with the Bonans have given tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations to political candidates on both sides of the aisle. The family was among the largest financial supporters of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

During the Blagojevich administration, Hunt Bonan served as chairman of the Board of Review of the Illinois Department of Employment Security, and Bonan II was appointed by Blagojevich to serve on the SIU Board of Trustees, of which he was a member from October 2008 to April 2011.

More recently, the Bonans financially supported the campaigns of Dale Fowler, who is employed as the Southern Illinois business development officer for Peoples, in his successful 2015 run for mayor of Harrisburg and 2016 bid for the state senate. Fowler, R-Harrisburg, toppled longtime Democratic Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton in a surprise upset this November. Combined, the Bonans, individually and through companies with which they are associated, gave $47,500 since 2015 to Fowlers campaign accounts for mayor and state senator. The elder Bonan and Fowler are co-founders of the nonprofit Fowler-Bonan Foundation that provides clothing and shoes to children in need, and Bonan II serves on the charitys board.

The Bonans have also given smaller amounts to other politicians, including recently Republicans Rep. Terri Bryant, Sen. Paul Schimpf, and Leslie Munger, who lost a bid for Illinois comptroller in November, as well as Democrats that include Williamson County States Attorney Brandon Zanotti, and Judge Jo Beth Weber, who lost her judicial race in November for the 5th District Appellate Court.

In August 2016, Peoples made headlines after a Jackson County Circuit Court Judge rendered a judgment against the bank in excess of $16 million, most of which was to be paid to two Herrin brothers who said the bank's fraudulent activities caused them to lose their Taco John's franchise in Southern Illinois.

In their lawsuit, Robert and Terry Newman accused Peoples, their longtime financial institution, of illegally converting their assets, forging documents that left them on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars in indebtedness, and failing to provide reasonable and honest communication to clients whom they had a fiduciary responsibility, resulting in the Newmans losing rights to reclaim their business when the party they sold to defaulted on its loans. At the time, Peoples said it planned to appeal the decision.

About Grand Rivers

Grand Rivers Community Bank is a much smaller operation in business scope and influence. Peoples is a nationally chartered member of the Federal Reserve System, where Grand Rivers is a state-chartered bank.

Grand Rivers has roots in Pulaski County dating back to 1902, with current branch locations in Grand Chain, its headquarters, Karnak and Shawneetown. The bank had apparent financial struggles before 2010, the year Bonan II is alleged to have begun his reign of undue influence over Grand Rivers.

In 2009, Grand Rivers entered into a consent decree with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Illinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulation to correct unsafe or unsound bank practices alleged to have been committed by the bank. The bank entered into the consent decree, which called for corrective business and management practices, without either denying or admitting to the claims that caused regulators to flag the bank and issue a cease and desist order.

It was one of 55 Illinois banks that state regulators issued enforcement against in 2009, at the height of the recession, as many financial institutions struggled.

The order was terminated on Aug. 15, 2011.

Grand Rivers entered into a second consent order with states regulatory arm on May 24, 2016. Again, the bank did not admit to or deny the allegations of unsafe and unsound banking practices alleged by state regulators that led to the enforcement action. The standard language consent order calls for the rapid hiring of a skilled financial manager and greater board participation and oversight to ensure sound financial practices.

In 2016, Grand Rivers was one of only six banks state financial regulators issued enforcement action against. The consent order remains in effect.
While my parents insist I was born in Illinois, I certainly have a "Missouri-mentality" along with a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to government. In other words  dont tell me, show me.

I was elected Franklin County Circuit Clerk on Nov. 8, 2016, and took office three weeks later on Dec. 1. Within a matter of days on the job I started regularly attending monthly county board meetings and bi-monthly finance meetings. The main topic of conversation at every one of those meetings has been a one percent sales tax proposal that will appear on the April 4 ballot in Franklin County. The tax increase would pay for the construction of a new courthouse to replace the outdated 140-year-old structure that sits prominently in the center of the Benton Public Square. The total cost to build the 60,000 square-foot courthouse is projected at $20 million.

Certainly, everybody agrees that the need exists because the current courthouse in Franklin County  built in 1875  has outlived its usefulness. I realized quickly that security at the courthouse is at the very top of the problem list.

Inmates, many times in handcuffs and shackles, enter the courthouse through the same door and hallway as people paying taxes, looking for birth or death records and the families of victims of serious crime. In short, its a disaster waiting to happen. I could use every bit of this space today pinpointing the problems that exist with trying to operate a 21st Century court system in a facility that was built in the 19th Century. Trying to renovate the current facility would be a classic example of throwing good money at a bad project. Or, as my dad often said, "You cant make a silk purse out of a sows ear."

So, while its a given that the old courthouse is in a state of disrepair and a new one is needed, the method and process used to fund that new facility was the issue on my mind.

After working for more than 25 years as a reporter and broadcaster, I admittedly had reservations about the referendum question. In short, Im a fiscal conservative and I dislike taxes. No, wait a minute, dislike is not a strong enough word. I detest taxes, period.

So, during these meetings and with my "show-me" mindset, I began to ask tough questions  questions about how the money could be spent, the length of time involved before the tax would sunset, the cost per square foot, the location options of a new courthouse, what items are tax-exempt, what will happen to the old courthouse, can the revenue generated be spent on anything else, and on and on.

During the past three months, I asked a lot of questions. But more importantly, I listened and observed. I watched the county board schedule town hall meetings in every community big and small. I watched as board members attended school board and city council meetings in those same communities to take the proposal to the people and answer all questions. I attended many of those meetings and in the process became a believer in the project.

The referendum states that the sales tax can only be spend on the construction of a new courthouse and also states that it will "sunset" in 20 years. The clincher for me came when the board approved a resolution that states the 1 percent sales tax will be removed when the indebtedness is paid off. Based on current sales tax revenue the courthouse could be paid for in 10 to 12 years. I believe the county board has been upfront, honest and open in trying to inform residents about all aspects of this project.

And while there is no such thing as a fair tax, a sales tax comes close because it does not put the entire burden for the construction of a new courthouse solely on the shoulders of Franklin County residents. Travelers who exit off Interstate 57 and out-of-area visitors to Rend Lake will contribute to the construction. And keep in mind that pennies will pay for this  a penny on a dollar, a dime on $10, a quarter on a $25 purchase.

I believe Franklin County, like many areas of Southern Illinois, has an inferiority complex. We dont expect anything good to happen, because, well, nothing good has happened in many years. But, this is an opportunity to change that, to work together on a project that will be a sense of pride for the entire county.

I want to clarify one point  Im still a fiscal conservative and I still detest taxes. But, sometimes in life you have to compromise and look at the entire picture and the need  not the want, but the need  thats involved.

I would encourage Franklin County residents to join me in supporting the effort for the construction of a new courthouse. Vote "yes" on April 4.
Why should women pay for male-specific health care procedures, such as vasectomies and prostate checkups, when men do not want to support women's-specific health care procedures? This type of health care is available for both men and women from a variety of providers, only one of which is Planned Parenthood.

In addition, I would also like to point out the Planned Parenthood has been in existence for many years and provides much more care for women than abortions. Planned parenthood provides prenatal care, contraception counseling and much more, and is available when no doctor or clinic is willing to provide care.
RMC welcomes pediatric hospitalist

Dr. Carlos Paxtor, a board-certified pediatrician, has joined the Regional Medical Center as a pediatric hospitalist.

Dr. Paxtor is a great addition to our pediatric hospitalist team. He has extensive research experience and clinical experience as a hospitalist and in private practice that will benefit our youngest patients, said RMC Hospitalist Program Medical Director Kenechukwu Ntukogu, MD. Dr. Paxtor is also fluent in English and Spanish, which will be an asset to our diverse patient population.

Prior to joining RMC, Paxtor served as chairman of the Pediatrics Department at Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill and is currently in private practice at Sunshine Pediatrics in Rock Hill.

DTC to hold expo

Denmark Technical College will again be hosting its annual Career and College Expo on the main campus.

The event is an annual opportunity for employers to meet perspective employees and students who want to pursue higher education or career opportunities to meet with businesses and representatives from four-year universities.

The event will take place on Thursday, April 13, from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and the public is invited.

The deadline to register as a vendor is March 13. Contact Mrs. Brooks at 803-793-5287 or Holman-BrooksL@denmarktech.edu.

Kool Smiles reports $6.8M in unpaid care

Kool Smiles, a leading provider of quality dental care for underserved children and families in South Carolina, announced its dentists have provided $6.8 million in uncompensated dental care since 2006.

The uncompensated dental care program has helped more than 161,000 patients in South Carolina receive necessary dental treatments in instances where they did not have access to the Medicaid dental benefit or other dental insurance, and could not afford to pay out of pocket for needed dental services.

At Kool Smiles, we believe every family deserves high-quality, affordable and compassionate dental care, said Dr. Brad Bryan, managing dental director for Kool Smiles in South Carolina. Our mission is to provide a dental home to every family who needs one by accepting insurance plans  including Medicaid and TRICARE  that many dentists do not. We also know there are times when insurance does not cover needed treatments, and families cant afford to pay out of pocket for those services. We believe its our moral and professional duty to provide uncompensated care in those situations so that all patients receive the dental care they need, regardless of their insurance coverage.

For more information, visit www.mykoolsmiles.com.

Bi-Lo expands rewards via Plenti

Plenti, the first U.S.-based loyalty coalition with major brands, announced the addition of the first grocer to its program, Southeastern Grocers LLC, parent company of Bi-Lo, Fresco y Mas, Harveys and Winn-Dixie.

Southeastern Grocers is upgrading its loyalty program by launching Plenti throughout all stores as of April 5. The full rollout follows a successful Plenti launch in Harveys Supermarkets late last year. Plenti, a program operated by American Express, offers members numerous ways to earn points and save on the things they already shop for every day, regardless of the payment method used.

Customers at all Bi-Lo locations have begun enrolling in BI-LO Rewards with Plenti, either at the store or online. As of April 5, customers can begin earning and using points for savings on groceries with Southeastern Grocers, as well as on gas with Exxon and Mobil stations and at thousands of other online and retail partner locations, including AT&T, Macys, Chilis, Rite Aid and more.

At Southeastern Grocers, we are always looking for ways to provide better value to our customers. Our new rewards program with Plenti provides our customers the ability to not only gain savings on gas, but on groceries as well. The new program will therefore offer more ways to earn, more ways to save and even greater flexibility for our customers  thanking and rewarding them for their loyalty, Chief Marketing Officer Sharry Cramond said.

SBDCs plans observance March 22

COLUMBIA -- Business has changed dramatically over the last 37 years, and the Americas Small Business Development Center Network has been there throughout.

Since 1980, Americas SBDCs  the nations largest business assistance network  have helped aspiring and emerging small business owners achieve the American dream of entrepreneurship.

To celebrate the collective impact SBDCs have across the nation and in local communities each year, Americas SBDCs will hold the first SBDC Day on March 22. SBDC Day is a national movement to help share the small business success stories and notable impact SBDCs have fostered nationwide.

To learn more about SBDC Day, and to join the movement, visit www.AmericasSBDC.org/SBDCDay.

With nearly 1,000 locations across the country, SBDCs provide local businesses and entrepreneurs with the resources needed to succeed. In 2016, Americas SBDCs provided 1.3 million hours of consulting to 192,205 client businesses, resulting in 100,233 jobs created; $6.9 billion in sales growth; $4.6 billion in capital investments; and 17,864 new businesses started.

Here in South Carolina, small businesses represent 97 percent of the states employers, S.C. SBDC State Director Michele Abraham said. By supporting their formation and growth, the SC SBDC plays a vital role in driving economic recovery and reducing unemployment.
The Times and Democrats website has again been honored among the best in South Carolina by the S.C. Press Association.

TheTandD.com won second place in the annual SCPA contest in a competition among all small and midsize S.C. daily newspapers. The Spartanburg website goupstate.com was first, with The (Hilton Head) Island Packets website finishing third.

The T&Ds website has finished first or second in the website competition for eight consecutive years, including a string of six consecutive first places in competition among daily newspapers in the 14,000-and-under print circulation category.

The T&D also won third place among all S.C. newspapers in the Innovative Concept category. The entry focused on The Spot, the site-within-a-site at TheTandD.com that is designed specifically to get print readers connected with photo galleries, video and other features unique to the online platform.

The awards were among 17 honors for the newspaper and its staff presented Saturday night at the SCPA annual meeting in Columbia.

Individual first-place awards went to Online/Photo Editor Larry Hardy, Staff Writer Martha Rose Brown, Staff Writer Gene Zaleski, Staff Writer Dale Linder-Altman and T&D Correspondent Donny Knight.

First place

News Headline Writing/competition among all daily newspapers  Martha Rose Brown.

Breaking News Reporting/daily newspapers with under 14,000 circulation  New leader at S.C. State, coverage by Dale Linder-Altman, Gene Zaleski and Larry Hardy of James Clark being selected as the 12th president of South Carolina State University.

Business Beat Reporting/dailies under 14,000  Gene Zaleski continued a tradition of winning in this category. The entry included coverage of employees reacting to the closure of Ryans restaurant and the push for state aid for farmers after the 2015 flooding.

Spot News Photo/dailies under 14,000  Larry Hardy for Consumed by fire, the March 2016 image of a Sheba Road resident watching as his home burns.

General News Photo/dailies under 14,000  Larry Hardy for Charged in hindering of murder case, a Nov. 19, 2015, image from the courtroom showing a suspect reading from the Bible as he awaits the start of his bond hearing.

Online Photo Gallery/dailies under 14,000  Donny Knight for his photos on Calhoun Academy winning its second consecutive SCISA state baseball championship.

Second place

Cartoon/all daily newspapers -- T&D Correspondent Walt Inabinet for his editorial cartoons. Inabinets work is a regular feature of The T&Ds editorial pages. Nationally syndicated cartoonist Robert Ariail of The State, whose cartoons also appear in The T&D, won first place.

News Feature Writing/dailies under 14,000  Martha Rose Browns story titled Hunt for Frog Jump athletes not for faint of heart is an on-the-scene report about capturing a bullfrog for the annual festival competition in Springfield.

Lifestyle Feature Writing/dailies under 14,000  T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton won again in this category, this year for Twice as nice: Twins serve up quick snacks for 41 years, the story about the Ezekiel sisters and their iconic Quick Snack restaurant on St. Matthews Road. Gleaton won first and second place in this category in 2015.

Short Story/dailies under 14,000  Gene Zaleski for Hours-long fight on Lake Marion ends with 809-pound gator, the story about Jonathan Smith and his fiancee Melissa Davis successful hunt at Lake Marion on the first day of the 2016 alligator season.

Photo Illustration/dailies under 14,000  T&D Features/Digital Specialist Kristin Coker won again in this category. Her illustration is titled Shaq attack, a profile graphic of former Clemson lineman and now-NFL standout Shaq Lawson.

Third place

Sports Enterprise Reporting/all dailies with under 40,000 circulation  T&D Sports Editor Chris Clark for this reporting on former South Carolina assistant football coach G.A. Mangus move to S.C. State a season after the departure of Steve Spurrier from USC.

Short Story/dailies under 14,000  T&D Staff Writer John Mack for Ziplining grandma, the Sunday Magazine feature on Orangeburg grandmother Rita Flemings latest adventure.

Spot News Photo/dailies under 14,000  Larry Hardy for Flood traps people in homes, cars, the image from Broughton Street during a freak storm in September 2016 that dropped 3 inches of rain on the heart of the city in less than an hour.

Online Photo Gallery/dailies under 14,000  Larry Hardy for his photos from Denmark-Olar Elementary School prior to Novembers referendum on school replacement and renovation.
Bamberg Police Department

Police on March 3 arrested a 48-year-old Carlisle Street man who was employed as a caretaker for an elderly couple on Berte Carter Drive and charged him with larceny/all other. The charge stems from a complaint by the elderly couple's son.

During an investigation, officers concluded the man had stolen from the couple, including $22,038 in cash.

The caretaker was also charged with three counts of petit larceny on March 10 related to the theft on three different dates of a total of $260 from the elderly Berte Carter Drive man's wallet or a drawer in the victim's home.

In other reports:

A 22-year-old Railroad Avenue man was arrested on March 11 at his residence after police were contacted by his 16-year-old sister who said he was acting dumb and had jumped on her for no reason. She alleged that her brother was on cocaine, the report states.

According to the incident report, the mans mother, who was also at the home, said he had been drinking. The two were heard arguing when police arrived, the report states. During a search related to the arrest, officers located a small straw with white powder residue inside of it as well as a small amount of powder believed to be cocaine inside a folded paper, the report states.

The report states the man admitted he had been drinking and when asked if he had used any cocaine that evening, said he had not because he was saving it for the next day. However, he later admitted he had used a little cocaine earlier that day.

The man was arrested and charged with drug paraphernalia and breach of peace.

A 29-year-old Cope man was arrested and charged with breach of peace on March 13 after police were dispatched to Waynes Towing on a domestic call around 4 p.m.

According to the report, the man smelled strongly of alcohol. A woman at the business told police the subject had been in the car with her arguing and would not get out when she asked him to do so.

A 28-year-old Cordova man was arrested on March 11 and charged with grand larceny and simple (third-degree) assault.

The charges stem from an October 2016 incident at a Middle Street residence during which the man allegedly argued with his ex-girlfriend, took her car keys and drove off in her car.
Four Orangeburg County industrial plants are being recognized for workplace safety during 2016.

Cox Industries' Cox Wood Preserving and Carolina Pole Inc. plants, the SI Group's Orangeburg plant and South Carolina Electric and Gas' Cope power-generation station are among 117 industrial facilities in the state to be recognized by the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance.

The awards were announced during the 2017 SCMA Safety Summit held at the The Marriott in Spartanburg.

The facilities had a low rate of incidents resulting in lost workdays, job transfers or restrictions were nominated for recognition.

Plants submitting an incidence rate below the statewide average for their NAICS code received the award.

At the Cope station there were no recordable safety incidents.

"SCE&Gs number one priority is always safety, and we appreciate the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliances recognition of what our employees have accomplished in this area," SCE&G Vice President of Fossil Hydro Operations Jim Landreth said.

The Orangeburg SI Group plant has had one recordable injury since it acquired the Orangeburg site in 2014. The injury occurred in December 2016.

Prior to that incident, the site had gone three years without a recordable injury.

"This is in large part due to our strong safety culture," SI Group Spokeswoman Tara Morgan said. "For example, last year SI Group employees at Orangeburg completed 20,000 hours in employee safety training. The companys commitment to safety is reinforced both by words and actions."

Morgan said the company launched a company-wide education campaign in 2016 called Safety Behaviors.

The campaign included posters and other materials which educated all employees on safe behaviors at workeverything from avoiding texting while driving and/or walking, to using proper personal protective equipment at all times, said Morgan.

Also, in 2016 the site achieved South Carolina Palmetto Star Voluntary Protection Program certification.

"The program recognizes exemplary worksites with comprehensive, successful safety and health management systems," Morgan said. "SI Groups Orangeburg, South Carolina site achieved injury and illness rates at or below the national average within the manufacturing industry."

With this designation, SI Group at Orangeburg is the largest certified chemical facility in the State of South Carolina, and is one of only about 2,200 sites recognized nationally, said Morgan.

Cox Industries officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

"We are honored to represent the SCMA in recognizing these recipients for outstanding safety achievements of our members," said Scott Coleman, SCMA Plant Safety Conference Chairman and HR Manager for Sage Automotive Interiors. "Safety of associates is our number one priority every day and we're so proud of the achievements made in 2016, but we'll continue to strive for it every year."

"The manufacturing industry as a whole is held to high standards when it comes to achieving this award, so we are pleased to present these awards to our members as it demonstrates our continued efforts to ensure the safety and health of our associates," Coleman said.

The SCMA is a statewide organization dedicated to the interests of manufacturers.

Its mission is to elevate the quality of life for all South Carolinians by advancing the state's manufacturing industry.

The SCMA membership is comprised of more than 200 manufacturing companies that represent more than 80,000 associates in South Carolina.
New officers for the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) were elected during the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) Board meeting on March 6, 2017.

Jim Bendfeldt from the Central Platte Natural Resources District (CPNRD) was re-elected as President of the association. Bendfeldt is a retired farmer/feeder from Kearney. He has been a member of the Central Platte Natural Resources District Board for 13 years and served as Vice-President from 2014-16 and Secretary-Treasurer from 2012-14. In 2011, Bendfeldt was awarded the NARD Director of the Year. Currently, Bendfeldt also serves on the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program Board as a land acquisition member.

The Natural Resources Districts have helped protect Nebraskas natural resources for the last 45 years, President of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts Jim Bendfeldt said. Im honored to serve as the NARD President and look forward to the future.

The NARD Board re-elected Larry Reynolds from Tri-Basin Natural Resources District (TBNRD) as Vice-President. Reynolds has been a member of the TBNRD Board for 32 years and served in the United States Air Force for eight years and in the Nebraska Air National Guard for 18 years. Reynolds currently farms and helps manage the family cow/calf operation near Lexington. Reynolds served as Secretary-Treasurer from 2014-16.

The NRDs are making huge strides when it comes to creating a sustainable Nebraska, Vice-President of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts Larry Reynolds said. Im honored to be a part of an organization thats the envy of the nation.

The NARD Board elected Shane Rippen as Secretary/Treasurer. Rippen has served as the Middle Republican Natural Resources District (MRNRD) representative to the NARD Board since January 2016. Rippen was elected in 2015 to the Middle Republican NRD Board. He farms with his father near Culbertson. The irrigated and dryland operation includes cattle, soybeans and corn. Rippen is the fourth generation on the family farm.

Every day, the NRDs work to conserve the states natural resources, Secretary/Treasurer of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts Shane Rippen said. Im excited to be a part of such an innovative and hard-working organization.

The officers serve on the NARD executive committee along with chairs from the Information and Education committee, Legislative committee and the past NARD Board President. Bendfeldt re-appointed Jim Johnson from South Platte Natural Resources District (SPNRD) as chair of the Information and Education committee and Jim Meismer, Twin Platte Natural Resources District (TPNRD), as chair of the Legislative and Government Affairs committee.

Terry Martin from the Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD), will serve on the executive committee as the past NARD Board President. Martin has served 17 years on the URNRD Board and currently is board Chairman. He has served 10 years as an NARD Board representative. Martin previously held the President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer positions.

The NARD Board consists of representation from each of the 23 local NRDs. The board members meet five times throughout the year and help guide the association and the NRDs in decision-making that protects lives, protects property and protects the future of Nebraskas natural resources.

At the March 1, 2017 NRD Managers meeting, Mike Sousek, Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) Manager, was elected as Chair of the Managers Committee and John Berge, General Manager of the North Platte Natural Resources District (NPNRD), was elected Vice-Chair of the Managers Committee. The Managers Committee includes managers from all 23 districts. The committee meets five times a year to coordinate NRD activities with state and federal agencies, conservation partners and other parties to protect natural resources.

The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD), the trade association for Nebraska's 23 natural resources districts, works with individual NRDs to protect lives, protect property, and protect the future of Nebraskas natural resources. These districts are unique to Nebraska. NRDs are local government entities with broad responsibilities to protect our natural resources. Major Nebraska river basins form the boundaries of the 23 NRDs, enabling districts to respond best to local conservation and resource management needs.

To learn more about Nebraskas NRDs visit www.nrdnet.org. Or you can head to the Natural Resources Districts Facebook page at www.facebook.com or follow NARDs Twitter page at www.twitter.com @nebnrd. NARD is located at 601 S. 12th St. Suite 201, Lincoln, Nebraska 68508. Email NARD at nard@nrdnet.org or call NARD at (402) 471-7670.
Under normal circumstances, the tabernacle at Cattle Creek Campground is used for services during the annual camp meeting in late July.

On Saturday, however, the community gathered in the brisk cold to worship God just a week after a suspicious fire ripped through 15 wooden tents there.

Im thankful for all of us who have come out here today, said Will Billbrough, a student at the S.C. Governors School. Weve got over half of our campground left and weve got what seems to be half of the people here.

I think what this shows is that we have faith in our community and all we have to do is, if we come together and show whoever did this or whatever happened, that our faith is stronger, Billbrough said during the service.

I think we should stand here today and thank God for what we do have."

Last Saturday morning, Cattle Creek Campground tent-holders and community members visited the site, seeing it for the first time in daylight after the Friday night fire.

I grew up at the campground, Ansley Judy said. I was running around in my bathing suit when my mama would beg me to put my clothes on so we could go to church.

Ive always looked forward to the week of camp meeting, when we could all  especially during church services here  sing and listen to different preachers throughout the week, she said.

It was definitely upsetting when all of this happened, Judy said.

Vivian Moskel said, I graduated from Lander (University) in 1967 and from the pictures on Facebook, I had a reply from my college suitemate that said, Vivian, I know youre heartbroken because I remember you telling about all the good times you had at that place when we were in college and that was 50 years ago.

Moskel said her college suitemate sent her condolences to the community.

Branchville Town Council member Tom Jennings said, This place is my heart. I wasnt brought up in it. I wasnt raised coming here, but youve got to go a long way to love it more than I do.

Jennings, who purchased a tent a few years ago, said the fire broke his heart.

He noted the service on Saturday was a testament of how our faith is strong. Even though the tents are gone, the memories shared in those tents will remain forever.

The Rev. Jerry Thompson, formerly of Branchville and owner of at tent at the campground, led Saturdays service.

He told the crowd that when he arrived at the site early on the day after the fire, he sat on one of the wooden pews of the tabernacle trying to pray. But the words wouldnt come together.

Finally, he said, he was able to utter, God, we need you several times.

Thompson said he wept.

He then noticed the plastic tote next to the choir stand and he reached in it to grab one of the paperback hymnbooks.

Thompson said he asked God to encourage him with a hymn.

Before opening the hymnbook, he prayed that God would show him exactly what he needed to sing.

Thompson opened the hymnbook to number 66, Does Jesus Care?

The words to the first verse resonated in his heart:

"Does Jesus care when my heart is pained "Too deeply for mirth or song, "As the burdens press, "And the cares distress, "And the way grows weary long?

"O yes, He cares, I know He cares,

"His heart is touched with my grief;

"When the days are weary,

"The long night dreary, I know my Savior cares...

"He cares."

Thompson said, The bottom line is: God is faith and promises to never leave us or forsake us."

He said the purpose of Saturdays service is for the Cattle Creek community to come together.

He told the crowd that Saturday wasnt intended to be a revival service, but encouraged people to be revived in their personal spiritual walk with Jesus and in coming together as a community.

After a service of singing, testimonials and prayer, the crowd gathered around a newly erected cross situated between the tabernacle and the charred ruins of tents.

On the cross were 15 white flowers  each representing a tent lost in the fire  and a solid red flower in the middle, representing new life in Jesus.

The crowd joined hands and stood in a circle around the cross as Thompson led the benediction.

He then provided clear plastic storage bags to those who wished to collect something from the charred ruins.

He urged them to keep objects in the bags. And every time they look at them, be reminded to pray for Cattle Creek Campground.

E.T. Spires found a timber with a metal spike lodged in it. His wife, Linda, told him she wanted it from her familys tent, number 24, as a keepsake.

I told her Id get it for her. Im looking for a hinge too, he said, his hands covered in soot from handling the charred timbers.

We didnt get to go nowhere else during the summer but out here, Linda Myers Spires said.

The Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office is continuing an investigation into the fire. The origin has been deemed suspicious.

Cattle Creek Campground was named to the National Register of Historic Places on May 19, 1983.

Although local tradition had it that Cattle Creek Campground was established in 1786, the National Register nomination form states its likely that the campground was not functional until the early 1800s.
Most likely, youve heard the news that several companies are investing more than $200 million in Orangeburg County, and an additional $30 million in the region to build solar farms.

These recent announcements have fueled new conversations about the use of land, the value of agriculture to our local economy and smart economic growth. As an individual with a family history of farming, I want to clarify my perspective following a Feb. 25 Times and Democrat article.

Solar farms are large-scale projects providing renewable power for the electric grid. To house a solar farm, companies, with our assistance, search for large tracts of preferably cleared land. In many cases, solar farms are replacing cropland that doesnt generate enough income from traditional farming. Its not essential to companies that the land has water, sewer or gas available onsite, expanding the options. Other times, solar farms are being placed on vacant industrial sites, industrial building rooftops or land that hasnt grown crops in years or, in other words, land and space filled with scrub brush and with little value for production.

When solar panels are located on farms, they bring revenue to farmers that they wouldnt otherwise have and keep many family farms profitable and in the family for generations. Renewable energy companies are negotiating directly with farmers to buy or lease their land. The decision about whether or not to lease to the companies is strictly in the hands of the farmers and owners, who at times are finding their income from that land increasing by 500 percent or more.

Since news of solar farms first broke, I've received a number questions and I want to clarify my quotes. I am in favor of solar energy and I believe Orangeburg County offers exceptional advantages such as excellent interconnectivity and the infrastructure of the electrical grid, as well as the proximity to be able to sell to SCANA and Santee Cooper along with other utilities. Solar is a growing industry, and a proven source of clean energy we must explore for future generations in our community and the state as a whole.

Additionally, as one of our communitys voices in economic development, I can't ignore how the potential added tax revenue can support our school districts as well as all the citizens of Orangeburg County. Yes, the benefits, financial and otherwise, are substantial.

The positive attributes are:

 Providing our county/school districts with steady and increased annual tax revenues that we can invest to improve our schools infrastructure and other critical areas as well as support teacher salaries.

 Not stressing county/municipal services. Solar farms dont litter and dont require road improvements, ambulatory services or public safety intervention, so theres little to no impact on support services.

 Creating more than 100 temporary construction jobs for a 6-8 month period. These workers buy gasoline and eat at restaurants, helping local small businesses and supporting our capital one-cent tax program.

 Providing economic ripple effects through lease payments to landowners and local sourcing of construction materials and labor. (Land ownership remains with the family).

 Helping Orangeburg County attract new companies and jobs as more industries look for sustainable power solutions.

However, while I see the benefits of solar farms and additional revenue streams for the county, it does not mean, in any way, that I place less value on farmers as a driver of our local economy. Historically, our economy has been sustained by the excellence of our agricultural base, a proud tradition. Today, it is equally true that the farmers in our community play a vital role and must be commended for the hard work they do to support not only our market, but also the lives of people here and across the country.

In other words, it can't be overstated that agriculture is so much more to Orangeburg County and South Carolina than just dollars and cents. Even as I voice my support and approval for new solar farm projects, which are good for our local economy, I am by no means suggesting that they detract from the need for farming here and throughout South Carolina.

In the end, in Orangeburg County we all respect and value of our farmers and farmland as a major piece of our history and economy. The addition of solar to that land doesnt threaten agriculture, but rather protects our rich agricultural heritage by providing alternative cash flow to our farmers.

Truly, I am confident we have an abundance of high-quality land in Orangeburg County that will continue to be productive and farmed. At the same time, we have land that can support the emerging solar industry. As an economic developer, that is great news because industrial diversity means economic stability for all of us. By allowing diverse applications to our tax base and by implementing smart land planning, we ultimately will make our total tax revenue stronger, more balanced and supportive of our needs.

Even with the tax breaks that some solar companies are potentially receiving, they will be contributing significantly to our economy (sometimes greater than 60 times the current taxes earned). By mentioning this, please know that I am not anti-agriculture, but rather someone who sees the positive value of projects that can impact homes and businesses by providing renewable clean energy. At the same time, they can give us a windfall of new tax revenue to help us improve quality of life and education for everyone.
The headlines in The T&D Region and around the state are regularly announcing South Carolina as a site for growth of the solar energy business. In particular, companies are leasing or buying farmland as sites for building solar farms, which require large tracts of land upon which solar panels are located.

In Orangeburg County alone, the announced investment totals more than $200 million. Statewide, there are plans for 90 solar projects worth $1.4 billion over three years, according to the South Carolina Solar Business Alliance, an organization representing the business interests of solar companies before the Legislature, regulatory and utility policymakers.

As the announcements continue, so does the work of the solar alliance in securing approval by the state General Assembly of legislation that would give tax breaks to solar industries to make reality of the planned investment in the state.

Bret J. Sowers, chairman of the solar alliance, says the proposed Renewable Energy Jobs and Economic Development Bill will secure the solar farms for South Carolina and in the process yield revenue for landowners and tax dollars for counties and school districts.

The legislation, which has passed the state Senate and is presently before a House committee, would give solar companies a tax break of up to 80 percent to locate farms on unused agricultural land. The contention is that even with such a significant incentive, the land will yield more profit for farmers and taxes for government than agricultural property that is not in production.

Writing in todays T&D, Orangeburg County Development Commission Executive Director Gregg Robinson states, When solar panels are located on farms, they bring revenue to farmers that they wouldnt otherwise have and keep many family farms profitable and in the family for generations. Renewable energy companies are negotiating directly with farmers to buy or lease their land. The decision about whether or not to lease to the companies is strictly in the hands of the farmers and owners, who at times are finding their income from that land increasing by 500 percent or more.

That is powerful incentive for many farmers to relinquish at least some of their land to solar farming, which advocates such as the solar alliance say is good for the state now and in the long term as clean energy is increasingly made available to the states utilities.

An idea of how big the solar market may become was offered March 10 in a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association, which projects that the U.S. solar market will triple in the next six years, with more than 125 gigawatts of energy to be installed in the time period. Citing falling prices and increased consumer demand, an estimated 13 GW has been forecast to be installed annually.

In response to the report, Sowers stated: With the projected further growth of the U.S. solar market, we are looking towards our state legislators to ensure that South Carolina has the best possible chance to bring as much of that projected growth as we can, right here to the Palmetto State.  We need legislation in place to be able to attract more solar investment, especially rapidly expanding utility solar. Legislation such as the Renewable Energy Jobs and Economic Development Bill will help bring more of the projected growth to South Carolina.

With the Solar Energy Industries Association reporting that neighboring North Carolina and Georgia just last year attracted $5.4 billion and $1.9 billion in solar investment respectively, South Carolina is paying attention to the potential for solar farms.

Putting unused farmland into production benefits the owner. Increasing tax revenue from the land by as much as a projected 60 percent, even with significant tax breaks, benefits taxpayers. After close scrutiny to ensure that no devil in the details diminishes the win-win-win situation for farmers, taxpayers and the industry, lawmakers should push ahead with legislation to foster the development of the solar farms in the state.

From there, time and the market will tell whether the solar industry blossoms as predicted and proves to be a key economic boost over the long term.
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COLUMBUS  Kim Schumacher has been making offers to potential job recruits shes hoping they wont be able to refuse.

The human resources manager at Cargill Meat Solutions in Columbus made 88 job offers to workers during a recent job fair in the community  and shes looking to make dozens more as Cargill becomes fully operational this spring following a $111 million plant conversion launched in December 2015.

We want to recruit as many workers who will come to Columbus, said Schumacher, who is trying to fill more than 200 new production positions for the plants conversion from ground beef to cooked meats production.

The conversion added nearly 50 percent to the size of the plant at 1529 E. 23rd St., taking it from 108,000 square feet to 160,000 square feet. The addition had an estimated $27 million price tag.

New equipment needed for the conversion to a cooked meats plant bumped the companys investment to $85 million. The plants ground beef patty production in Columbus was relocated to existing Cargill processing plants in Butler, Wisconsin, and Fort Worth, Texas, which accounts for the remainder of the $111 million in costs.

Cargill officials said the expanded plant is expected to produce 100 million pounds of meat products in the first year, with company projections calling for that figure to double within a year.

The plants employee ranks are expected to swell from about 240 before the conversion to more than 460 when it's fully operational in April.

Were going to be having a few more job fairs, Schumacher said. Well be close (to 460) by early April."

Schumacher said a substantial number of the new jobs will be filled by people recruited from as far away as Grand Island.

The Columbus plants conversion is a piece in the puzzle of Wichita, Kansas-based Cargill Proteins major investment strategy to grow production capabilities of the company in the years ahead.

Cargill has made a significant investment in acquisitions and expansions over the last 15 to 18 months, well over $500 million, to improve the production capabilities of our protein group, said Mike Martin, director of communications for Cargill Protein.

The Columbus plant will play a key role in that growth, Martin said.

Headed by manager Scott Chaney, the local plant has diversified its products with the conversion. Instead of only fresh ground beef, the plant will be manufacturing cooked turkey, hot dogs, ground beef and pizza toppings.

Chaney said the facility gets its cattle from within about a 150-mile radius of Columbus supplied to Cargill's meatpacking plant in Schuyler, which in turn ships beef down U.S. Highway 30 to supply raw material for the Columbus plant's cooked meats.

Cargills longer-range goal is to explore expanding its protein business into other sources, such as fish, non-animal plants, insect protein and alternative proteins, Martin said.

We want to cover the gamut, said the Cargill spokesman.

Cargills latest worker recruitment effort comes on the heels of the companys participation in a worker retraining program during 2015-16. The plants production ranks shrunk to about 145 workers when it was shut down for the conversion.

Cargill human resources and other company officials worked with state work force development officials, Central Community College-Columbus, Platte Valley Literacy Association and other local education groups to craft an innovative retraining program for local workers.

The CCC training program involved employees who lost their jobs attending classes five hours a day to sharpen their skills in English, math, writing and computers. Meanwhile, the state allowed them to collect unemployment benefits while not having to search for new jobs.

The 74 production workers who were retained went to the plant site every morning, got on a school bus and attended the classroom training. At the end of their school day they returned to the plant site and fanned out to perform community service projects.

Cargill kept the retained workers on the full-time payroll during the shutdown.

It was a great collaborative effort between the public and private at reinvesting in local workers, Martin said.

Schumacher said all of the workers who lost their jobs in December 2015 who wanted to return have come back.
Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, in partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE), has invited Dubai-based hotels, shopping malls and schools to take part in a Benchmarking Project to assess their building efficiency.



The roll-out of the Benchmarking Project follows a partnership announced between EmiratesGBC and DSCE in 2016 to support the Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA), an initiative under the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) programme led by the United Nations Secretary-General, and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).



Led by World Resources Institute and in partnership with the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), Green Building Councils are engaging with leading cities to ramp up the energy efficiency of buildings under the BEA.



EmiratesGBC is one of four GBCs working with governmental authorities such as DSCE - a member of the BEA - which has strong expertise in the realm of energy intensity and demand side management.



EmiratesGBC is now piloting a Benchmarking Project that aims to measure the energy performance of 100 buildings in Dubai in the three focus groups  hotels, malls and schools, said its top official.



"The Benchmarking Project is a major step towards mapping the energy use efficiency of existing buildings in Dubai. The findings will not only help in undertaking relevant retrofitting measures but will also support policy making in relation to sustainable buildings," remarked Saeed Al Abbar, the chairman of EmiratesGBC.



DSCE is reaching out to its partners to extend its support to the Benchmarking Project and mark the first the BEA demonstration project in Dubai, which will serve as a referral point in driving forward the energy efficiency of buildings in the city, and double the rate of efficiency by 2030.



"For the project, we are drawing on our learning and experience of conducting the first similar benchmarking study in 2016 on energy efficiency in Dubais hospitality sector," stated Al Abbar.



"Our expert team of professionals will evaluate the data to present insightful findings that enable all stakeholders to work towards a greener future by enhancing energy efficiency in our buildings," he noted.



Ahmed Butti Mehairbi, the secretary-general of the DSCE, said as a member of the BEA programme, it is taking tangible action to promote energy efficiency in the urban built environments and contribute to achieving the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050.



"The Benchmarking Project that will be undertaken by EmiratesGBC is pioneering in the region, and will provide deep insights on the energy efficiency practices in our buildings," stated Mehairbi.



"The findings can be leveraged to promote sustainable built environments, promote energy management and suggest recommendations for the building industry to introduce initiatives that can help conserve energy," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Salini Impregilo, an Italy-based global player in infrastructure construction, has signed a $435-million contract with Meydan Group to build the Meydan One Mall in Dubai, UAE.



The unique project will be part of Dubais showcase to visitors in preparation for Expo 2020.



The mall is part of a massive urban development project located between Meydan and Al Khail Road, close to the heart of the city. It is set to become a major attraction in Dubai when the first phase opens in 2020.



According to the agreement, Salini Impregilo will prepare the area for development by overseeing the excavations and building of the sub- and superstructures for the complex, including the foundations for a ski slope and the concrete support for the steel structure above the mall.



Construction is to begin this year and finish within 23 months.



The mall is the first of several phases to this urban development project, which will include a water canal, a tourist port, walking and biking tracks and one of the tallest residential buildings in the world.



Added conveniences will feature two metro lines passing underneath it, one of which  the Green Line  will connect to Dubai Airport by 2020.



Salini Impregilo has had a long presence in Dubai and the UAE. Other projects in its portfolio include the Ras Al Khor Interchange and Parallel Roads R 881 in Dubai, as well as the Deep Sewer Tunnel and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. - TradeArabia News Service
Ahalia Hospital has signed an agreement with Sharjah Healthcare City (SHCC) to set up a 100-bed general hospital in the SHCC.



Ahalia will become the first healthcare organisation to set up operations at the city.



Awarded Superbrand status by the UAE Superbrands Council early this year, Ahalia Medical Group currently operates three hospitals, 14 medical centres, two specialised ophthalmology medical centres and over 26 pharmacies across the UAE, with this initiative marking the groups penetration into Sharjah.



Abdulla Ali Al Mahyan, chairman of Sharjah Health Authority and SHCC, said: Our vision is a healthier nation, one where every resident has access to immediate and convenient healthcare solutions. We endeavour to host the worlds most trusted healthcare companies to help meet the arduous demands of this vision, and also to augment the emirates reputation as a destination for medical tourism. We believe that our humanitarian ideals will see us through the long road ahead and convene the necessary associations to make our vision a reality.



Dr V S Gopal, managing director of Ahalia Group of Hospitals, said: We are proud to be part of UAEs burgeoning healthcare sector, and we owe our success to our relentless pursuit of medical excellence. Our entry into Sharjah Healthcare City with a 100-bed general hospital as its first phase marks the beginning of a new chapter in our legacy, one that will make gigantic strides in healthcare delivery standards and the overall wellbeing of the residents of Sharjah. As always, we endeavour to meet and exceed the needs of this new market through the promotion of industry best practices, procuring the latest technology and recruiting the worlds most sought after professionals to be a part of our mission at SHCC.



Located adjacent to the Sharjah International Airport, SHCCs 2.5 million sq m premises is slated to build a consummate infrastructure that will include state-of-the-art clinical facilities and office suites, for which the initial blueprint has been tentatively approved by HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.



We are proud of Ahalia Hospital for being the first to occupy SHCC premises, particularly because of its homegrown status, and we believe they will inspire other UAE healthcare organisations to follow suit. The potential of Sharjahs healthcare sector is immense. It is expected to grow rapidly, with new projects in various stages of planning and execution, while many others are in the pipeline. Sharjahs healthcare sector is set to witness a major boom in the months and years ahead, with the value of the UAE healthcare market predicted by 2020 at Dh71.6 billion, achieving an annual average growth 12.7 per cent, as per latest reports, concluded Al Mahyan.  TradeArabia News Service


Inttra, the world's ocean shipping electronic marketplace, on Wednesday announced that it has acquired Avantida, the European market leader in empty container management for ocean carriers.



Avantida is headquartered in Belgium and currently conducts business in seven European countries.



Enhanced coordination of land and ocean container movements generates efficiencies and reduces costs, and Inttra's entry into landside container logistics will provide additional value for existing and new customers.

Avantida's core business - digitized, automated container reuse and repositioning - addresses a major challenge for ocean carriers, transport companies, terminals, depots, and other stakeholders.



Industry experts estimate that empty container positioning costs the ocean shipping industry up to $20 billion a year, approximately 40 percent of handling costs.



"Avantida, an industry leader in digitized container logistics, has products and customer bases that are highly complementary to those of Inttra. Acquiring Avantida advances our strategy of extending our reach into the intermodal value chain, enabling Inttra to better serve our customers," remarked Inttra's CEO, John Fay.



"With cutting-edge, cloud-based technology and a unique business model, Avantida enhances efficiency and delivers substantial value to carriers, shippers, and other landside transport companies," he stated.



"I am very pleased to welcome Avantida's team to the Inttra family and I am confident that they will continue to execute on their mission supplemented by Inttra's resources," he noted.



Avantida's CEO Luc De Clerck said: "We are excited to join forces with Inttra. Together we can leverage technology innovation to digitize and transform a multi-billion dollar market that is central to global trade."



Inttra's global network will enable us to accelerate product adoption in Europe and around the world. Our combined offering will further benefit numerous stakeholders within and beyond ocean shipping and container logistics, including reducing CO2 emissions and congestion at ports and surrounding communities," stated De Clerck.



Avantida will operate as an Inttra-owned company and customers should continue to use the same sales and service contacts, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The Navigator Company, a leader in the international pulp and paper market, recently participated at a leading trade fair in Dubai, UAE, with the aim of further developing its business relationships in the region.



The Portugal-based company took part for the fifth year running in Paperworld Middle East, a leader in paper and office supplies events in the Middle East, which concluded on March 16.



The Navigator Companys has in fact achieved successful growth in the Middle East region, helping to cement its position as the third leading exporter and the exporter that generates the most value added for the Portuguese economy, said a statement from the company.



The Middle East regional market today is second only to Europe and the US, and The Navigator Company has established itself especially in higher value added segments and in mill brands, accounting for around 35 per cent of European exports of UWF printing and writing paper to the region, it said.



At this years event, the company featured a stand displaying its top office paper brands, such as Discovery, MultiOffice and Soporset, it added.



Antonio Quirino Soares, marketing manager, The Navigator Company, said: The buzz created by our own brands at previous editions of Paperworld Middle East have opened up excellent prospects for increasing our product and brand penetration in emerging markets which offer huge potential, such as those in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.  TradeArabia News Service
Global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions were flat for a third straight year in 2016 even as the global economy grew, according to the International Energy Agency, signalling a continuing decoupling of emissions and economic activity.



This was the result of growing renewable power generation, switches from coal to natural gas, improvements in energy efficiency, as well as structural changes in the global economy.



Global emissions from the energy sector stood at 32.1 gigatonnes last year, the same as the previous two years, while the global economy grew 3.1 per cent, according to estimates from the IEA. Carbon dioxide emissions declined in the US and China, the worlds two-largest energy users and emitters, and were stable in Europe, offsetting increases in most of the rest of the world.



The biggest drop came from the US, where carbon dioxide emissions fell 3 per cent, or 160 million tonnes, while the economy grew by 1.6 per cent. The decline was driven by a surge in shale gas supplies and more attractive renewable power that displaced coal. Emissions in the US last year were at their lowest level since 1992, a period during which the economy grew by 80 per cent.



These three years of flat emissions in a growing global economy signal an emerging trend and that is certainly a cause for optimism, even if it is too soon to say that global emissions have definitely peaked, said Dr Fatih Birol, the IEAs executive director. They are also a sign that market dynamics and technological improvements matter. This is especially true in the US, where abundant shale gas supplies have become a cheap power source.



CO2 data



In 2016, renewables supplied more than half the global electricity demand growth, with hydro accounting for half of that share. The overall increase in the worlds nuclear net capacity last year was the highest since 1993, with new reactors coming online in China, the US, South Korea, India, Russia and Pakistan. Coal demand fell worldwide but the drop was particularly sharp in the US, where demand was down 11 per cent in 2016. For the first time, electricity generation from natural gas was higher than from coal last year in the US.



With the appropriate policies, and large amounts of shale reserves, natural gas production in the US could keep growing strongly in the years to come. This could have three main consequences: it could boost domestic manufacturing, supply more competitive gas to Asia through to LNG exports, and provide alternative gas supplies to Europe, the report said.



In China, emissions fell by 1 per cent last year, as coal demand declined while the economy expanded by 6.7 per cent. There were several reasons for this trend: an increasing share of renewables, nuclear and natural gas in the power sector, but also a switch from coal to gas in the industrial and buildings sector that was driven in large part by government policies combating air pollution.



Two-thirds of Chinas electricity demand growth, which was up 5.4 per cent, was supplied by renewables  mostly hydro and wind  as well as nuclear. Five new nuclear reactors were connected to the grid in China, increasing its nuclear generation by 25 per cent.



CO2 emissions and GDP growth



In China, as well as in India, the growth in natural gas is significant, reflecting the impact of air-quality measures to fight pollution as well as energy diversification, said Dr Birol. The share of gas in the global energy mix is close to a quarter today but in China it is 6 per cent and in India just 5 per cent, which shows they have a large potential to grow.



In the European Union, emissions were largely stable last year as gas demand rose about 8 per cent and coal demand fell 10 per cent. Renewables also played a significant, but smaller, role. The UK saw a significant coal-to-gas switching in the power sector, thanks to cheaper gas and a carbon price floor.



Market forces, technology cost reductions, and concerns about climate change and air pollution were the main forces behind this decoupling of emissions and economic growth. While the pause in emissions growth is positive news to improve air pollution, it is not enough to put the world on a path to keep global temperatures from rising above 2C.



In order to take full advantage of the potential of technology improvements and market forces, consistent, transparent and predictable policies are needed worldwide.  TradeArabia News Service




The legacy of Expo 2020 is set to come under the spotlight on Arabian Travel Markets Global Stage, returning for the 2017 show at Dubai World Trade Centre, from April 24 to 27.



Expo 2020, between October 2020 and April 2021, will bring together more than 180 nations and is expected to host an international audience of 25 million visitors.



Simon Press, senior exhibition director, ATM, said: Early forecasts are that 70 per cent of visitors will hail from outside of the UAE, representing the largest international visitor contribution in Expo history. While the short-term goal is to deliver an exceptional six-month event, we have secured a top panel who will discuss how Dubai and the wider UAE can capitalise on its success and ensure there is a lasting legacy.



Expo 2020 Dubai: The Legacy, chaired by UAE broadcaster Richard Dean, kicks off proceedings at 12.30 on April 24, the opening day of ATM 2017. Four VIP speakers have been confirmed to participate in the high-level discussion, including: Marjan Faraidooni, vice president, Legacy Impact & Development, Expo 2020; Issam Kazim, CEO, DTCM; Anita Mehra, senior vice president Communications and Reputation, Dubai Airports; and Deidre Wells, OBE CEO UKinbound.



The session will assess the role of Expo 2020 in delivering the UAE governments long-term vision for economic diversification. Panellists will discuss the core theme of sustainability as part of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Year of Sustainable Tourism Development; the potential legacy of the mega project; and the future of the UAE as a knowledge economy, a leading global city, and tourism destination.



Drawing reference from their unique professional perspectives, the panel will also outline the true impact of Expo 2020 on the UAE and the wider GCCs travel, tourism and aviation industries, considering the big picture infrastructure and investments planned for the next 10 to 15 years.



Fitting perfectly with the theme of this years ATM - experiential travel - the Global Stage will also host a discussion entitled: The Real Deal: Why Selling Local Experiences Matters, on April 25 at 16.20. Confirmed speakers include: Andy Levey, head of Marketing, La Perle; and Simon Casson, president  Hotel Operations, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Four Seasons.



Press said: Todays travellers are seeking authentic destination experiences. They want to discover traditional cuisine; stay in real houses; shop in the back streets; immerse themselves in the culture; try off-the-beaten track adventures; take insider tours; and live like locals. The rise of peer-to-peer booking sites like airbnb and local experiences portal, Triip.me, has proven this.



Our panelists give hints and tips on how Middle East destinations can adapt to this trend, which is fast being adopted by travellers of all ages from across the globe. They will look at what steps destinations have taken to sell the real Middle East and how they can further enhance their experiential travel offering.



The inaugural ATM Global Halal Tourism Summit 2017, on April 26, brings together some of the worlds leading Muslim travel experts to discuss the nuances of this fast-growing sector. This includes: Faeez Fadhlillah, co-founder, Tripfez, and Salam Standard; Zulkifly Md Said, Islamic Tourism Council, Malaysia; Nehme Darwiche, CEO Jannah Hotels & Resorts; Ali Manzoor, Associate Partner, Hospitality & Leisure Development Consultancy (MENA Region), Knight Frank; Naeem Patelia, owner, Travel Counsellors; Rafi-Uddin Shikoh, CEO, DinarStandard; YBHG. DATUK MUSA HJ. YOUSOF, senior director international promotion division (Asia, Africa), Tourism Malaysia; and Takao Yamamoto, director Middle East, Kyoto Tourism Office.

The global Muslim travel market was valued at $151 billion in 2015, representing around 10 per cent of the global international tourism market and, by 2021, that value is expected to reach $243 billion.



Uniting the industrys leading halal travel experts, the Global Halal Tourism Summit will reveal the industrys true scope and size, development strategies, and potential for future growth.



Press commented: The Islamic Economy is growing at nearly double the global rate. Muslim consumer spending on food and lifestyle reached $1.8 trillion in 2014 and is projected to reach $2.6 trillion in 2020. Travel and tourism has been identified as one of the key growth markets within the Islamic economy yet until now it didnt have a professional platform through which to collaborate on ideas, initiatives and growth strategies. We are delighted to be providing that platform and helping the industry to come together. - TradeArabia News Service


Pakistani airline Rayyan Air and Hitit, one of the world's leading global airline technology providers, have signed an agreement for technology, know-how and continuous innovation.



The agreement was signed between Esad Taha Cakici, sales director of Hitit CS, and Captain Fateh Sher Bhatti, CEO of Rayyan Airat a ceremony held under the stewardship of Zubair F. Tufail, president of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) in the presence of delegates from nine member countries.



Speaking at the occasion, Tufail stated that continued support of FPCCI shall be a key factor for the success of the project. The collaboration with Hitit will facilitate Rayyan Air in providing increased connectivity and superior air service experience for passengers through use of innovative technology. The efficient and cost effective solutions provided by Hitit will improve operational efficiency across the entire network, which includes destinations within Pakistan, China and the UAE.



Capt. Bhatti said: Rayyan Air is poised to launch air services and set high benchmarks in convenience and customer satisfaction for its passengers. The access to technology and expertise of Hitit shall enable Rayyan Air to introduce new innovations and industry standard reservations and check-in systems. Most importantly, the high standard solutions of Hitit will assist Rayyan Air achieve its vision to facilitate travel activities linked with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).



On the occasion, Nur Gokman, Hitits CEO, said: Economic activities and growing population in Pakistan brings a strong demand potential. A strong domestic market supports its position as a hub to connect all around the region. This is possible through efficient and affordable air travel. Our collaboration with Rayyan Air is paving paths for the airline to be efficient, profitable by providing fast and quality services by making use of technology.



Hitit, based in Istanbul, Turkey is one of the worlds leading airline and travel IT solutions and business services providers, serving 20 airlines across Europe, Africa and Asia. Hitit provides modern passenger service system that allows airlines and affiliates to create, design, distribute and deliver advanced passenger services along with many other commercial, operational and financial technologies and innovations since 1994.



Incorporated in Pakistan with a branch offices in China and UAE, Rayyan Air is one of a group of companies providing aviation solutions and allied services. The company holds a Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority(PCAA) Licenses for passenger, cargo and executive charter operations. The Management of Rayyan Air has extensive experience in cargo and passenger air charter. Having dependable association with local and foreign operators, Rayyan Air has the capability to provide an array of aviation services, with worldwide reach. - TradeArabia News Service




1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand.

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.
Hamad International Airport (HIA) has been ranked sixth Best Airport in the World by the 2017 Skytrax World Airport Awards, moving up four places from last year.



At a ceremony that took place during the Passenger Terminal Expo in Amsterdam, HIA was also named Best Airport in the Middle East for the third consecutive year and was awarded Best Staff Service in the Middle East for the second consecutive year.



Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: We are delighted to congratulate our home and hub, HIA, on being ranked the Sixth Best Airport in the World by Skytrax. HIA opened within the last four years and climbed to the sixth position in the world airports ranking, a move which clearly demonstrates our continued commitment to delivering the highest standard of service to our passengers, who have graciously given us their vote of confidence. It is even more notable to receive these prestigious awards as we significantly grow the number of passengers served at HIA year on year, to 37 million in 2016.



HIA was classified as a five-star airport in January this year, after being audited by Skytrax, elevating it into the elite category of top-tier airports. It is only the sixth airport worldwide to have earned the Five Star distinction, and the only airport in the Middle East with the best-in-class designator.



The World Airport Awards are the most prestigious accolades for the airport industry, voted by customers in the largest annual global airport customer satisfaction survey. The survey and awards process is totally independent and free of any airport influence or interference in final results. The awards are based on 12.8 million customer nominations across 110 nationalities of air travellers, and include 410 airports worldwide.



The survey evaluates customer satisfaction across 39 key performance indicators for airport service and product  from check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration, through to departure at the gate. - TradeArabia News Service
Yellow Door Energy, a Dubai-based firm that invests in and operates distributed solar and energy efficiency assets, has announced a new investment in the energy services industry by financing the retrofit of Novotel Fujairah hotel.



The retrofit is based on the recommendations of EcoVis Engineering, a leading regional provider of ecological engineering designs, a statement said.



Yellow Door Energy said this first energy shared-savings contract (Esco) will pave the way for future investments in energy efficiency in Dubai and Jordan.



The retrofit of the hotel consists of improvements to its heating, ventilation and air conditioning system along with the implementation of a waste water recovery system. The project will help Novotel Fujairah hotel save approximately 12 per cent on its electricity bill and offset 500 tonnes of CO2. The work will be completed in less than three months with no interruption to the hotels service, it said.



Reducing our collective environmental impact is critical for preserving the planet for future generations. Through projects like this, we are proving that industrial growth and development can go hand-in-hand with environmental care, said Jeremy Crane, CEO of Yellow Door Energy.



We see this Esco project as a great step to complement our solar leasing offer, and we look forward to participating in more such shared-service agreements that will accelerate the regions transition to a low-carbon future, Crane said.



Identifying energy inefficiencies for customers and leveraging our energy efficiency and management expertise to recommend tailored solutions aimed to eliminate said inefficiencies and save customers money is a pleasure, said Ahmed Al Mashaari, CEO of Ecovis.



The distinctive feature of Escos is that they offer performance contracting - i.e., they assume the risk of delivering the energy saving measures they propose to a client. This model can serve as a powerful tool for companies that have identified energy saving opportunities but lack the financial resources to implement the projects, the statement said.



EcoVis, the Esco for the Novotel Fujairah retrofit, is an Abu Dhabi-based company that has provided engineering consultancy services to dozens of organizations in the UAE, including hotels, factories and government buildings.  TradeArabia News Service


Dimitrios Zarikos has been named the new regional vice president and general manager for Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza.



Zarikos is a Four Seasons veteran with a 27-year experience spanning the globe, opening seven hotels in the US, Egypt, France and Canada.



Based in Toronto, Canada, for the last nine years, Dimitri has been running the older property and beofre opening its brand new flagship Four Seasons Toronto.



This is his second assignment in Cairo after opening the companys first hotel in the GCC and Middle East, the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at The First Residence.



In his role as general manager, Zarikos will be looking to set new frontiers for what is already a legendary hotel in Cairo and the region. As an regional vice president, he will be in charge of the companys other properties in Cairo, Alexandria, Sharm el Sheikh and Baku, along with projects that are currently under development in the Eastern Mediterranean region. - TradeArabia News Service
12-24 Club receives operations gift

The 12-24 Club has received $60,000 from the McMurry Foundation for operations.

This grant will allow us to continue serving all who seek recovery from addiction every day, said director Dan Cantine. The McMurry Foundation has supported our efforts for over 20 years. Just as important is their commitment to helping others. We are grateful for all that the McMurry Foundation has done for many.

For more information about the 12-24 Club, call 237-8035 or visit www.1224club.org.

Donations needed

The American Legion Post 2 in Casper is asking for donations of garage sale items for a booth at the Super Garage Sale on March 25. Proceeds from the booth help continue to serve veterans and their families in Natrona County.

Large items like furniture cannot be accepted because their is no storage space, but sporting goods, camping gear, hunting and fishing gear, any tools and small cooking appliances would be greatly appreciated.

All items donated are tax deductible and all funds will stay in Natrona County.

For free pick-up of donations, call or text 267-1800. God bless America and all veterans, past and present.

Caps 4 Kids March 22

The March gathering of Caps 4 Kids is 12:30 or 1 p.m., until mid-afternoon on Wednesday, March 22, at the Central Wyoming Senior Center, 1831 E. 4th St. All who knit or crochet are welcome for a few hours of crafting and socialization.

A generous donation of yarn has been received. Come select favorite colors and make a few caps that will be donated next fall to the young and old. There are patterns available or you may use your own design. All sizes of caps are created.

Please contact the Senior Center at 265-4678 for more information. They will forward your inquiry to a member of the group.

School collects

shoes March 25

Mount Hope Lutheran School is conducting a shoe drive from 9 to 11 a.m., on March 25, 2017. Mount Hope will earn funds based on the total weight of the shoes collected as Funds2Orgs will purchase all of the donated footwear. Those dollars will then help MHLS to purchase new playground equipment. Anyone may help by donating gently worn, used or new shoes, at Mount Hope Lutheran School, located at 2300 Hickory St. If anyone would like to donate and is unable to stop by on Saturday, March 25, an alternate drop box is located inside Lifetime Fitness, 300 Landmark Dr.

All donated shoes will be redistributed throughout the Funds2Orgs network of microenterprise partners in developing nations. Funds2Orgs helps impoverished people start, maintain and grow businesses in countries such as Haiti, Honduras and other nations in Central America and Africa. Proceeds from the shoe sales are used to feed, clothe and house their families. One budding entrepreneur in Haiti even earned enough to send her son to law school. With Funds2Orgs, your shoes are given a second chance and could help a family in need.

In the U.S. alone, over 600 million pairs of shoes are thrown away per year. A special thanks to Lifetime Fitness for their tremendous support.

Scarves for

Special Olympics

Special Olympics Wyoming invites those who knit and crochet to make scarves for the Wyoming Special Olympics athletes to wear at State Winter Games in February 2018. Please use black, grey and white colors, approximately 6- by 60-inches in any pattern. The deadline to receive the scarves is January 2018. Please send scarves to Special Olympics Wyoming, attn. Scarf Project 2017, P.O. Box 624, Jackson, WY 83001. There is more information available at www.sowy.org/other-fundraisers.

Monthly vets ceremony March 31

The Natrona County United Veterans Council and the staff of the Oregon Trail Wyoming State Veterans Cemetery conduct a monthly memorial service for those known Wyoming veterans who have died since the last memorial service February 28, when 86 Wyoming veterans were honored.

This months memorial service is at noon, March 31, in the Tom Walsh Chapel at The Oregon Trail Veterans Cemetery. All are welcome to attend.

The memorial service is provided on behalf of a grateful state and nation as an expression of appreciation for the honorable and faithful service rendered by each of these veterans.

The veterans name, Wyoming community and branch of service is read at roll call. There is a rifle salute, taps, and the folding of a flag.

Community baby shower April 8

The Natrona County Prevention Coalition (NCPC) presents the Community Baby Shower from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 8, 2017, at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Wyoming, 1701 E. K St. The Community Baby Shower is a free celebration for all things babies and toddlers. All expecting parents and parents of children up to age 3 are invited for giveaways, door prizes, interactive activities, and the opportunity to learn about local community resources.

Founded in 2002, the Mission of NCPC is to prevent substance abuse in our community by promoting healthy and positive choices. NCPC is a collaboration of over 40 members made up from community agencies, businesses, and concerned citizens. NCPC is responsible for conducting and holding multiple substance-free events for the community throughout the year, including: Family Day, Community Baby Shower and First Night. Mercer Family Resource Center is the lead agency for NCPC and acts as the Coalitions fiscal agent.

For more information on the Community Baby Shower, please contact Lisa Brown, family and parenting co-chair, at 265-7366 or lbrown@mercercasper.com.

Food of the month

Wyoming Food for Thought Project has announced its food of the month suggestions for the nearly 1,000 weekend food bags its volunteers prepare for food-insecure school students in Natrona County each week. Often, schools, churches and other groups designate certain collection days for a specific type of food as a donation.

The suggested food items may be taken to program headquarters at 900 St. John, but its best to call ahead to make certain someone is there to receive it.

March, cereal; April, granola bars; May, tuna; June, peanut butter; July, pork n beans; August, mac n cheese; September, Chef Boyardee products; October, cereal; November, soup; December, chili.

For more information, call Cassandra at 337-1703.

Blood centers

extend hours

United Blood Services is expanding hours at its Casper and Cheyenne donor centers in an effort to make blood donation more convenient for more donors.

The center at 2801 East 2nd Street in Casper will be open six days a week. Closed only on Tuesday, the Casper center will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

The center at 112 E. 8th Ave. in Cheyenne will be open five days a week, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Blood donations can drop as much as 20 percent during the holidays and winter months, but every two seconds, every day of the year a patient in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion.

Whole blood donors are eligible to give blood every eight weeks and are encouraged to donate at least three times each year to help UBS meet the needs of patients.

Donors can save time and fill out their Fast Track Health History Questionnaire online at unitedbloodservices.org the day of their donation. To donate blood, volunteers must be at least 16 years old (16 and 17-year-old donors need a minor donor permit which is available online) and be in good health.

In addition to its community donor centers in Cheyenne and Casper, UBS operates various blood drives across Wyoming. To make an appointment call 877-827-4376 or go to unitedbloodservices.org.

Disabled vets need volunteer drivers

The Disabled American Veterans need volunteer drivers to take veterans to their medical appointment at the VA hospital in Cheyenne. The volunteer driver will transport them in a VA vehicle. If you are interested, please call the DAV transportation office in Cheyenne at 307-778-7577 for further information.

English

speakers needed

CHAT, the English Conversation Club at Casper College Adult Learning Center, needs English speakers to meet international community members and help them speak English. Join us for an international potluck in the Werner Technical Center, Rm. 105: March 22, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.; April 13, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.; and May 4, 11 a.m. to noon. For more information, call 268-2230 or email mdugan@caspercollege.edu.
LARAMIE  Wyoming has a strong nonprofit community, but that doesnt mean it is not feeling the pinch of a tough economy. The Wyoming Community Foundation, based in Laramie, is working with nonprofits statewide to help ease the pinch.

The Community Foundation recently completed its first round of 2017 general grant making. Eighty-five nonprofits in communities across the state were awarded grants totaling $588,000, with $155,650 of that going to the Casper area. Another $1.8 million in additional grants have been made since December.

The Wyoming Community Foundation, a nonprofit itself, is able to provide this sort of support through investing. The organization currently holds over 350 funds.

We couldnt do this work without the incredible generosity of our donors, said Craig Showalter, president of the Wyoming Community Foundation. Individuals, nonprofits and a whole host of others who love Wyoming make these grants possible.

The Wyoming Community Foundation distributed over $8 million in 2016 and makes grants throughout the year. Its next application deadline is June 15 and all nonprofits working to build a better community are encouraged to apply.

To apply for a grant or to learn more about establishing a fund at the Wyoming Community Foundation, visit www.wycf.org, email wcf@wycf.org or call 307.721.8300.
The Downtown Development Authority is seeking a share of sales tax revenue from central Casper, with an annual guarantee of $150,000, to help fund its work.

The agency, which is semi-public, is almost done fundraising for the David Street Station plaza project, and chairman Brandon Daigle said private donors have little left to give.

If the city does not continue to invest downtown, the private sectors well is dry, Daigle said. We have tapped them out.

The plaza, which will open this summer, received $3 million from Casper and $1 million from the Wyoming Business Council. An additional $5 million was raised from private donors.

Daigle spoke to Casper City Council on Tuesday and requested tax increment financing, or TIF, for the agency.

Under a TIF, the agency would receive 50 percent of any additional sales tax revenue, above a certain benchmark, within a particular zone.

The DDA is composed of roughly 22 blocks bounded by David and Ash streets to the west, Collins Drive to the south, Kimball and Durbin streets to the east and A and C streets to the north.

That zone generated about $20 million in taxable sales this year, according to Daigle.

If Council approves a TIF, any new local sales tax revenue would be split between a special fund for the DDA and the citys general fund.

For example, if the zone generated an additional $70,000 after the creation of a TIF, Casper would receive the same amount as this year plus $35,000. The other $35,000 would go to the DDA.

A TIF would change only the allocation of tax dollars. The actual tax paid by shoppers in the district would remain the same.

Its not a new tax, Daigle said. Its just an increment of an existing tax.

Any revenue the DDA received from a TIF would be deposited in a fund that Council would retain some authority over.

TIFs expire after a maximum of 25 years.

DDA CEO Kevin Hawley said he would prepare an annual report to Council with a proposal for how to spend any TIF funds.

Growth projections

Daigle said that a TIF would lead to exponential sales tax revenue growth in the area, as DDA would use the additional funding to support business development.

But Daigle also asked Council to approve $150,000 in guaranteed annual funding. That amount would be gradually reduced as the TIF begins generating money for the DDA until it hit zero.

For example, if the DDA received $50,000 from the TIF, the city would contribute $100,000, and if the DDA received $200,000 from the TIF, the city would contribute nothing.

Daigles projections show the TIF generating at least $150,000 for the DDA by its fourth year.

The projection also claims that creating a TIF would lead to hundreds of thousands more in tax revenue for Casper than without it.

According to the numbers Daigle presented to Council, Casper will receive enough of this additional revenue that by year eight or nine of the TIF, the $150,000 funding guarantee would effectively be paid back.

Hawley said the DDA first requested a TIF two years ago but was told the timing was wrong.

Councilman Bob Hopkins said this was a good year to impose a TIF because sales tax has been low enough that it has room to grow  and help fund the DDA  in coming years.

It makes the pie bigger for them quicker, assuming we have a recovery in the oil business, he said.

Daigle said any funding received from a TIF would go toward staffing, project promotions, development recruit and infrastructure.

City manager V.H. McDonald said that if downtown sales grew in line with DDA projections, the city would be forced to spend more on streets and other maintenance.

As downtown activity picks up, our costs pick up for patrol, streets wear and tear, things like that, McDonald said. If we were capped and we werent getting that money... that money wont pay for street projects.

Daigle noted that any TIF funds that went to the DDA would be reinvested in downtown projects.

He said the agency is especially interested in improving gateways to downtown for visitors and is looking at installing more public bathrooms.

Councilman Chris Walsh said he supported the TIF, though noted he was less comfortable with the $150,000 guarantee.

The downtown is turning into a neat place, and it looks to me like its going to keep progressing, he said.

Council agreed to consider the DDA request as it begins the budget process next month for the fiscal year that begins in July.
Natrona County High School theater teacher Zach Schneider has been selected as a member of the inaugural class of the Advocacy Leadership Network, a three-year pilot initiative designed to empower and train Educational Theatre Association members in grassroots advocacy efforts on behalf of arts education.

Schneider said he hopes that the initiative will expand theater education.

I can count the full-time drama teachers we have at the high school level on one hand, he said. A lot of high schools have maybe a drama class. Most are after-school programs. The state of our middle school theater education is almost nonexistent. What Ill learn in the Leadership Network is how to make that happen. I think theater education is, I know theater education is important.

Schneider has worked on several curriculum and standards development committees with other fine arts teachers to help the alignment of theater curriculum and to ensure student progress and the legitimacy of theater education in Wyoming. With his colleagues, he has advocated on behalf of the arts to building administrators and community members on the need for increased funding and the development of educational spaces in the remodel of the school, including a fine arts wing.

The Educational Theatre Association is a national nonprofit that promotes school theater and has roughly 100,000 student and professional members. The association is the home of the International Thespian Society, an honor society for middle and high school theater students, which has inducted more than 2.2 million members since 1929.

The goal of the pilot program is to create an effective and self-sustaining network of advocates who share and monitor state-based arts education policies, legislation and successes that can be modeled by others.

We are in a new era of public education. The new federal education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signaled the renewed ownership of state and district decision makers to determine how and what education is delivered to their K-12 students, Jim Palmarini, the director of educational policy for the Theatre Association, said in a statement.

While the arts are included in the laws language regarding primary subject areas that must be addressed in state plans, theater, unlike music, is not specifically identified.

Beyond ESSA, Palmarini added in the statement, It is critical that state advocacy leaders monitor other state and district issues  standards adoption, certification and teacher evaluation, and data tracking of student participation in theater, for example.
Sunday support meetings

Alcoholics Anonymous: 10 a.m., 500 S. Wolcott, Ste. 200; 10:15 a.m., 917 N. Beech; noon, 500 S. Wolcott, Ste. 200; 6:30 p.m., 1124 Elma, Imitate the Image Church; 6:30 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott; 6:30 p.m., 328 E. A; 8 p.m., 917 N. Beech; 8 p.m., 328 1/2 E. A. Douglas: 1 p.m, Douglas, 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back), womens meeting; 7:30 p.m., 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back). Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are open. Casper info: 266-9578; Douglas info: (307) 351-1688.

Narcotics Anonymous: Noon, 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 6:30 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 8 p.m., 15th & Melrose at the church. Web site: http://www.urmrna.org.

Nicotine Anonymous: 5 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club. Info: Pam M., 577-0518.

Fundraiser breakfast

The Casper Elks Lodge serves breakfast open to the public on Sundays from 8 to 11 a.m. Breakfast on March 19 is a fundraiser for the Casper Cobra Softball team. Serving pancakes, biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage links, potatoes, scrambled eggs, French toast and omelets to order. New to the menu is build your own breakfast burrito. Also served is toast, juice, tea and coffee. All you can eat for $7, children 5 to 12 are $3, 4 and under are free. Come down for the best breakfast in town and see the old crew again. For more information, call 234-4839.

Evangelist visits Calvary Baptist

Pastor Matney of Calvary Baptist, 1800 S. Conwell, invites the public to hear a special evangelist, Andy Gleiser, who will be speaking on a wide range of topics. Come at 9:45 and 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Gleiser will also be speaking Monday through Wednesday, March 20 to 22, each evening at 6:30 p.m. Questions, please call Pastor Matney, 266-5417.

Open jam at airport

This Sundays Wyoming Blues & Jazz Society open jam heads to the Casper/Natrona County International Airports Sky Terrace Lounge, which is the new venue for the monthly event.

The jam 4 to 8 p.m. features The Working Mans Band, composed of Casper musicians Larry Neeff and Ruben Jaquez. Joining them are Bob Sellers on bass and Jim Kopp on drums.

Bring your instruments and a song to share. This is an all-ages event at a family-friendly venue.

Free parking is available on the southwest side of the terminal building, as well as four hours of free parking in the airport lot.

Wyoming Blues & Jazz Society open jams take place the third Sunday of the month.
Three chairs placed Thursday near the altar of a north Casper church-turned-food-bank were intended for each member of Wyomings congressional delegation.

But instead of the Republicans, poster boards leaned against the chairs with the names of Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso and Rep. Liz Cheney. Under the names were the committees to which each is assigned.

About 45 people attended the town hall meeting; many were liberals, but at least one said he was a Republican. They had opinions on  mostly objections to  the changes coming out of Washington, from health care to cabinet appointees to investigating alleged Russian involvement in the presidential election.

Some simply sought to learn more about how the congressmen had arrived at their positions.

But all wanted an answer to one question: Why isnt Wyomings delegation hosting town hall meetings?

This is the second Ive been to, said Sarah Edmondson. It would be nice to have them here. People need to understand where each other are coming from. I think everybody in this room would like them to be here.

Since President Donald Trumps inauguration, similar scenes with an absent delegation have played out at least two other times in Wyoming.

Spokesmen for Wyomings congressional delegation maintain the lawmakers are accessible and meeting with people at public events. The U.S. House was also in session Thursday, making it impossible for Cheney to have attended the Casper event.

But the Senate was on recess. Jane Ifland, one of the meetings organizers, said she invited the delegation in letters sent by certified mail.

Only Enzis office responded, saying he had another commitment, touring businesses in Gillette, she said.

Enzi

Jolyn Wynn meets regularly with friends to discuss the changes happening in Wyoming. They also write postcards to the delegation and leave messages at their offices.

It would be nice if they tried to show up, said Wynn, who attended the Casper town hall event.

Max DOnofrio, Enzis spokesman, took issue with the characterization that Enzi isnt hosting town hall meetings, calling it misleading, since the senator meets with constituents often, both in Washington and in Wyoming.

Sen. Enzi knows that some folks are upset and they want him to know it, DOnofrio said. There are many people in Wyoming with serious and passionate concerns and many others in our state who have opposite views on these same issues. Folks can be assured that even if they arent delivering their comments to Sen. Enzi in person, their voice is still being heard.

Enzi will travel next month to Key West, Florida, for the Making Business Excel Political Action Committee fundraiser. To attend, people must make a contribution ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to enjoy the Sun, Fishing and Enzi Fun! an invitation states.

Max DOnofrio said the Key West Classic is a once-a-year event. He said he didnt know who attends, since the event is separate from daily congressional work.

On Feb. 21, during an interview with reporters at the Star-Tribune, Enzi said many of the people who called him during the nomination of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and other cabinet members were uncivil, rude and even threatening to his staff. He wasnt convinced they were all from Wyoming, he said.

I cant believe that people think you can stand toe-to-toe with somebody or be on the telephone line with them and call them names, Enzi said. And read things to them and try to stay on the line.

If people are nice  and most Wyoming people are, so thats why we think most of these people were from out of state  most Wyoming people are actually trying to give good suggestions, and Im trying to follow the good suggestions.

Barrasso

Wyomings junior U.S. senator recently attended a public event in Sheridan, his spokeswoman Laura Mengelkamp said in an email.

She said people who identified themselves as resistance activists were also present.

Just this past weekend, he attended events in Casper, Evanston, Green River and Marbleton, she said. During the last week-long recess, he met with and listened to Wyoming constituents at public events in eight different communities across the state.

She said local communities are notified when theres a public event.

The Star-Tribune hasnt received notices recently from his office regarding when hes attending events in Natrona County.

Barrasso also hosts a telephone town hall meeting each month. Anyone is allowed to participate and ask questions, Mengelkamp said.

But at Thursday nights meeting in Casper, one woman said the calls are a waste of time, saying only longtime Republicans who align with the senators views are called on to ask questions.

Cheney

The states sole representative recently hosted listening sessions in Cheyenne and Gillette, said her spokesman, Joseph Jackson.

Wyomingites are always given priority when it comes to speaking directly to Cheney, who holds the same seat her father, the former vice president, had decades ago. She has offices throughout the state, he said.

In recent weeks, special interest groups have encouraged liberals from across America to jam the phone lines of Wyomings delegation and other offices in Washington to oppose cabinet nominations and replacement of Obamacare, he said. Despite these attempts at obstruction, Liz will continue her fight to shed a national spotlight on Wyoming issues and ensure the needs, questions and voices of our constituents are heard in Congress.

Edmondson, who attended the Casper event Thursday, takes issue with the characterization that the opposition is organized by liberal organizations.

There have been insinuations that people are paid or people are not constituents of the representatives, she said.

She emphasized that she was born and raised in Casper.
JACKSON  Working as a lineman for Lower Valley Energy is not just a job.

Its a lifestyle, said Clay Skinner, 38, who has worked for the energy cooperative for 13 years. You miss Christmas, birthdays. When the power goes out, you dont want to wait until the next day to have it put it back on.

And when something needs fixing, like a 12,470-volt power line downed by a fallen tree, it has to be repaired with minimal interruption to customers.

So we work it live, he said.

That involves using heavily insulated rubber gloves and sleeves to get the lethal amount of electrical force flowing again. Get hit by that much power and youre done.

Thats the biggest thing we try to make sure never happens to us, he said. There are no second chances playing with that.

Given the mix of hard work and technical know-how its even more remarkable what Skinner and his Lower Valley cohorts  with help from five other utilities in the region  were able to accomplish last month, when a storm blasted Jackson Hole and took out power to thousands of customers in and around Teton Village.

Seventeen steel poles and their 150,000-volt power lines had been toppled by the wind.

When I first showed up, Skinner said, I didnt think wed get it done in a week, which was one initial estimate of how long it would take to restore power to Teton Village.

Then crews from other utilities began to arrive.

It was really impressive to be a part of it, Skinner said.

Workers from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort had already plowed spots in the snowbanks so the linemen could get their trucks and equipment in. Those cables weigh tons, and they are under tremendous tension. Snow cats were used to winch the lines back and release the tension. Then Skinner and crew unclipped the lines from the broken towers.

We were wading out there into the waist-deep snow and rain, he said.

Once cables were disconnected, a new wooden pole was erected, the lines were restrung and the crew moved on to the next fallen tower.

We started out working 24 hours straight, Skinner said. Then we cut down to 18 hours. They had motels for us. Wed come back, catch sleep, rest up and head back out.

Incredibly, the gang got the Village Road lines up on temporary wooden poles and restored power to Teton Village in just four and a half days.

Everybody showed up to work, he said. There wasnt any downtime, really. Everybody was going from the time we showed up.

Skinners Village Road epic was just part of an unusual winter. A few weeks earlier he had been driving a boom truck  a large utility vehicle that carries a crane  to Afton. He was just a bit west of Astoria when an avalanche hit him.

Ive driven up here for 11 years for LVE, he said. Ive seen a lot of snow slides, but Ive never seen one there before.

He said he saw snow kicking and had time to think, Oh, crap, before getting trapped.

My biggest worry was if someone was coming the other way, he said. A head-on would have been bad.

The cloud of snow cleared, and Skinner realized he had been buried. He wasnt injured, though, and his drivers seat window was clear of snow, so he was able to get out.

In a smaller truck he could easily have been swept into the Snake River.

I was lucky I was in that big of a truck, he said.

Skinner grew up in Star Valley. For a while he installed heating and air conditioning systems in Utah. Then a friend told him about an opportunity at Lower Valley Energy. He wanted to get closer to home, so he jumped at the chance. He went through a four-year apprenticeship  8,000 hours on the job, four years of schoolwork, and state and federal tests  to become a journeyman lineman.

Skinner said his work is all about helping people, which gratifies him. And its not just helping people in western Wyoming. Lower Valley crews get sent to Utah to help after storms. They were on call after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, and they were on the short list to go to California after the recent historic storms there. Last fall he got the chance to really make a difference to some people far outside his normal range.

I got an opportunity to go to Haiti in November, he said. That was a real eye-opener for me.

With the National Rural Electric Cooperative Center he and two other American linemen went to the island country and built power lines to energize communities that had never had electricity. The team stayed in a gated compound, manned by armed guards. They had to be home before dark and couldnt leave until it was light out.

The poverty down there was so extreme, people would do anything to get ahead, Skinner said.

Unemployment in the area is 60 percent, he said, so while he and colleagues worked, crowds would gather to watch.

We were kind of a circus show, he said. Many hadnt seen white people before. Kids would come up and touch your arm.

Hooking up 15 to 20 houses a day, they brought potentially huge changes to many residents lives.

Just having lights at night, he said, the Haitians we worked with said it reduced crime so much.

Skinner also helped set up the power lines to make it possible to work on one section of line at a time. That way, when a repair has to be made the entire system doesnt have to be shut down.

Theres really no typical day for a lineman. He goes where hes needed, maintaining power, fixing problems, bringing service to new customers.

One day I can be here in Jackson working, putting in a new service, and an hour later I can get a call and be headed for Moran or Kelly or Flagg Ranch to work on something else, he said.

Plenty of times Skinner would wrap up a day and head back to Star Valley only to get a phone call as he came out Snake River canyon and have to turn around and head back to work.

Its a demanding job. Its not for everybody, for sure, the father of three said. But its worked out well for me.
As lawmakers debate the future of health care in America, Ruth Moran is worried about a return to her struggles with the insurance industry.

In 2009, she lost the insurance covering her multiple sclerosis treatment. Because of that disease, she couldnt buy a plan on the individual market.

But she couldnt go without insurance. She needed regular MRIs and took several medications to treat her neurological condition.

The 61-year-old Casper resident enrolled in Wyomings high-risk pool, a state-run means of providing insurance for people who couldnt qualify for private plans on their own.

In the pool, Moran paid more than $20,000 for premiums every year, with a $5,000 deductible. And the plan didnt cover the numerous drugs she took to treat her MS.

The high cost forced her to drop prescriptions, like the medication that treated her chronic fatigue  the chief symptom that plagued her.

I wasnt taking very many because they were so expensive. I just didnt take them, she said of her medications.

Then the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, passed Congress. Moran found a new plan that covered her prescriptions. For a time, the plan was much cheaper than the high-risk pool.

But Wyoming has not been immune to the recent price increases that have afflicted ACA plans. Her premiums eventually rose to more than $1,200 per month, slightly more than she was paying in the high-risk pool, and her deductible was several thousand dollars.

Republicans have bashed the ACA since it passed, citing rising premiums and high deductibles as proof of its failure. They have for years promised to repeal it.

But without Obamacare, Moran could end up back in a high-risk insurance pool, which politicians such as Wyomings U.S. Sen. John Barrasso say could be used to cover people with pre-existing conditions post-Obamacare.

Id much prefer the ACA over high-risk pools, she said. More is covered.

Like many others, Moran acknowledges that Obamacare isnt perfect. It needs bipartisan tweaking to address price increases, she said. But it is a start and better than what came before, she said.

What comes next is yet to be determined. Earlier this month, Republican leaders in the House of Representatives unveiled their replacement for Obamacare: the American Health Care Act.

Other GOP congressional leaders quickly backed the measure and President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise of repealing and replacing Obamacare, has likewise supported the AHCA.

Members of Wyomings congressional delegation have signaled support for the bill. Barrasso called the AHCA an important step forward that will ultimately lower insurance costs and reform a broken Medicaid program.

Wyomings senior Sen. Mike Enzi said in a statement that he appreciated the work that went into crafting the legislation.

The proposal released by the House committees looks to make many of the needed changes in order to transition to a patient-centered insurance system, he said.

The bill would eliminate and roll back a number of high-profile Affordable Care Act provisions. It would get rid of the individual mandate, which requires that people buy health care or pay a penalty. The mandate is the most controversial part of Obamacare and was the subject of a Supreme Court decision in 2012, which ultimately upheld it.

The GOP health plan also would scale back the Medicaid expansion offered to states under Obamacare. Wyoming did not expand Medicaid and would be unaffected by those changes, but it could still be hit by other cuts to the program.

The AHCA would loosen restrictions on how much more insurance companies can charge older people than younger ones. Currently, older adults pay a maximum of three times the amount. The proposal in the GOP plan would raise that multiplier to five.

That and other components of the GOP replacement bill have sparked concern among groups such as the AARP.

We have grave concerns about the proposal, said Lina Walker, a health policy expert for the group. It puts at risk older Americans ability to live independently in their home and their community.

As the effects of the bill are considered across the country, health experts in Wyoming are beginning to weigh what the bill will mean here.

Hospitals worry over uninsured

Wyoming hospital officials have also expressed concern about the bill. Under Obamacare, the rate of uncompensated care  which patients cannot or will not pay and hospitals have to absorb  fell for some hospitals in the state.

Without the ACA, that rate will soar, said Vickie Diamond, the CEO of Caspers Wyoming Medical Center. Hospitals will have to write off more unpaid bills, which could mean significant losses. Already this year, Diamonds hospital has saved $10 million thanks to falling uncompensated care.

If Obamacare disappears, so too could those dollars.

It would increase uncompensated care, Diamond said bluntly, adding that people wont get preventive care.

The hospitals face a double whammy.

When the Affordable Care Act was negotiated, the American Hospital Association agreed to give up hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding because its members believed they would treat more insured patients due to the individual mandate.

That part came true, Diamond said.

But under the GOP bill as its written now, the federal dollars hospitals gave up wont return. And 24 million people will lose insurance in the coming years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

So the bargain hospitals struck with lawmakers could blow up, and when the dust clears, the services they offer could suffer.

Our small, rural facilities, a lot of them are struggling, said Eric Boley, the president of the Wyoming Hospitals Association. But this would be another burden or barrier theyve got to overcome.

Somethings got to give, and normally its the services, and potentially its the facility.

Pete Gosar, the executive director of the Downtown Clinic in Laramie, said more uninsured may increase the number of Wyomingites who seek care at the clinic, which treats low-income and uninsured people.

If more people walk through Gosars doors, it could force the organizations board to raise the bar for who qualifies for help.

Not only does it (increase the number of) people without insurance, but the cost for people with insurance will go up, Gosar said. If they cant afford it, theyll be looking for places to take care of them.

Medicaid changes

The bill has divided lawmakers, and not just along party lines. While some Republican lawmakers such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have criticized the GOP replacement legislation for being too similar to Obamacare, House Speaker Paul Ryan has defended the bills conservative bona fides by pointing out that it would impose a massive cut to Medicaid  a move he said is more important than cuts to welfare in the 1990s.

This is why Im so excited about it, Ryan told talk show host Hugh Hewitt. We are de-federalizing an entitlement, block granting it back to the states and capping its growth rate. Thats never been done before.

Joseph Jackson, spokesman for Wyomings U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, praised the AHCAs repeal of the individual mandate and said the bill would give patients more control over their health care needs.

The (Congressional Budget Office) report noted that this plan ... will lower premiums by 10 percent, reduce the federal deficit by $337 billion and cut taxes by $880 billion, he added.

Medicaid is currently a partnership, in which the federal government roughly matches state spending on the program, which primarily serves poor or disabled Americans.

States are allowed significant discretion, and in Wyoming virtually the only residents eligible for Medicaid are children, people with disabilities and pregnant women.

Unlike some other states, poor Wyomingites are not eligible for Medicaid unless they meet other criteria.

People who dont have children and arent disabled do not qualify for Medicaid just based on income alone, said Kim Deti, spokeswoman for the Wyoming Department of Health.

Parents in households with a combined income of $11,435 or less may qualify for Medicaid.

Even with Wyomings strict eligibility rules, Wyoming has seen Medicaid spending grow faster than the national average of 4.1 percent. But the GOP bill would allow the federal matching funds to grow by only 3.7 percent per year, leaving states on the hook for any additional growth.

Assuming that state Medicaid spending grows by about 5 percent per year over the next 10 years, Wyoming would face a $239 million deficit, according to a Star-Tribune analysis. The Legislature would need to either cover that gap with state revenue, reduce the coverage offered or further restrict the already limited eligibility rules.

Deti said that Wyomings Medicaid costs are hard to predict or precisely control.

Demand for services can vary based on the economy, and then things happen nationally, of course, she said.

The bill would provide several billion dollars for states. These funds would not be subject to the 3.7 percent cap, but it is unclear exactly how they would be distributed.

State Sen. Charlie Scott, R-Casper, said Wyoming could cope with federal cuts to Medicaid as long as the federal government gave states more control over how to administer the program.

If they remove a bunch of the current restrictions on how the program is managed, well do just fine, Scott said. If they dont, weve got a problem.

On Friday afternoon, congressional leaders appeared to be moving toward a compromise with conservative lawmakers that would change provisions in the AHCA to send block grants for Medicaid to states and give them for local control.

Scott, who chairs the state Senate health committee, said he believed Wyoming could reduce Medicaid costs if it had more control.

If the feds will let us manage the program, we can do major things to it, Scott said.

Deti said the health department had not assessed what impact the replacement bill would have on Wyoming, saying the agency did not want to speculate.

If it becomes law, the AHCA will save the federal government roughly $1.2 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. It would reduce the federal deficit by $337 billion over the next 10 years. But the majority of savings from repealing the Affordable Care Act would be used to cut taxes, primarily on wealthy individuals.

The bill would repeal a tax of 3.8 percent on investments made by individuals earning over $200,000 per year. A 0.9 percent tax increase on households earning at least $250,000 per year that was set to begin in 2018 would also be repealed.

Those tax cuts will cost the federal government $274.9 billion over the next 10 years, according to the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation.

In Wyoming, less than 2 percent of the population would be eligible for these tax cuts.

Last year, 88,775 people, or about 15 percent of Wyomings population, enrolled in Medicaid. Over 60 percent of enrollees are children, but the majority of funding is spent on the aged, blind or disabled.

Tax credit change

The GOP plan would also change the federal tax credits available to help people who dont qualify for either Medicaid or insurance through an employer.

Under Obamacare, the credits are pegged to age and income.

The replacement bill would increase tax credits for high earners while slashing amounts provided to low-income individuals.

In Wyoming, a 27-year-old making minimum wage currently receives at least $4,950 to defray the cost of health insurance premiums, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. But under the GOP bill, that amount would be cut to $2,000.

The tax credits in the AHCA are tied only to age, meaning the bill would benefit wealthier individuals who currently receive lower or no subsidies under Obamacare.

For example, a 27-year-old earning $50,000 per year in Wyoming currently receives $800 in tax credits through the ACA, but under the replacement bill, he or she would also receive a $2,000 credit.

The changes would be even more notable for older residents.

Under Obamacare, a 60-year-old with an income of $20,000 is eligible for $14,330 in tax credits to pay for health insurance. The replacement bill would slash that amount by about 70 percent, to $4,000 per year.

However, seniors earning more than $75,000 per year, who now receive no subsidy under Obamacare, would be eligible for the $4,000 tax credit under the American Health Care Act.

Despite having to pay more than $20,000 annually to treat her MS, Ruth Maron says shes lucky. She can afford those premiums.

I feel bad for people if the subsidies are taken away, she said.

The tax credit changes will affect only people buying insurance through the marketplace created by Obamacare.

This year, 24,826 Wyomingites purchased insurance through the marketplace. That was an increase of 4 percent from last year.

Roughly 50,000 state residents remain uninsured, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The GOP bill would also remove a mechanism in Medicaid that allows the poor to enroll in the program at the hospital.

Under the current law, Medicaid offers retroactive coverage if an individual enrolls within 90 days of receiving treatment. That enables hospitals to recoup the cost of treating people who are eligible for Medicaid but had not signed up prior to receiving care.

Businesses weigh bill

Repealing Obamacare and replacing it with the GOP alternative could also affect Wyoming businesses. Just as the rates of uninsured could hurt hospitals, so too could they take a bite out of a companys bottom line.

Just because a person is uninsured doesnt mean they wont seek care, even if its treatment in the emergency room, said Anne Ladd, who runs the Wyoming Business Coalition on Health. And often those costs are ultimately passed on to businesses that pay for a portion of their employees health care.

A good number to use is 30 percent of what any employer is paying for health care benefits is not being used to cover their own employees but is being used to pay costs for the uninsured or underinsured, Ladd said.

So businesses are paying close attention to how the ACHA would affect the number of uninsured Americans. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 14 million people nationwide would lose insurance next year.

In addition to the potential increase in what employers pay to insure employees, Ladd said theres talk of taxing employer-funded benefits. One proposal she heard would tax businesses who pay more than $12,000 per individual plan. Because Wyoming has some of the highest health care costs in the nation, the average here is $17,000.

Ladd said her organization is very concerned about any benefit tax. She shared data that shows that 55.7 percent of insured Wyomingites receive coverage through their job. She said a tax would mess with the one part of the system thats working.

It isnt all doom and gloom, Ladd said. Theres potential that the AHCA could spur the health care industry to create tools that would help people be better consumers. Thats something businesses want: As employers switch to high-deductible plans, they have to spend considerable time educating their employees about how the plans work.

Theyre switching to those plans because prices are insane, Ladd said, a sharp increase that she and others cant explain. Prices flattened in the first years of Obamacare but have started to rise again.

Its plagued us as a country for a long time, she said. Its not new, its not old. Why is it?  Are prices going up just because they can? Or are there justifiable reasons?

Health care activist Barb Rea has a guess: The health care industry is driven by profits.

Before the ACA was implemented, Rea was diagnosed with kidney cancer. She said she had to fight her insurer for months to get it to pay her medical bills. Eventually she hired a lawyer.

The Affordable Care Act helped the uninsured obtain coverage. But Rea acknowledged the bill wasnt perfect. Nonetheless, it was moving the country in the right direction, she said.

ACA was putting us on the right course, she said. It (just) needs to be fixed.
Amidst a cathedral of trees once charred by the Aspen Fire, a small chapel is under construction in the mountain village of Summerhaven.

The 853-square-foot Byzantine Catholic chapel is being built on Tucson Avenue just east of the Mt. Lemmon General Store and Gift Shop. If construction proceeds on schedule, the chapel dedicated to Our Lady Undoer of Knots should open this fall for public use.

Other than services in the community center and other buildings, Mount Lemmon resident Bob Zimmerman said he doesnt know of any other dedicated church building in Summerhaven. Zimmermans father opened a sawmill and juggled other endeavors on the mountain after falling in love with the area on a hunting trip in the 1930s. Bob Zimmerman, now 81, spent summers on Mount Lemmon as a child and moved back to Summerhaven in adulthood. He runs Mount Lemmon Realty, Sawmill Run Restaurant and the post office, he said.

When I had the inn before it burned down, we had church in the ballroom, he said. The family lost it in the 1970s to fire. And on Saturday nights after dancing we would clean up and clear out for church the next morning.

Eastern Europe meets the American frontier

The chapel and the connected rectory and bell tower follow the Boyko style of traditional 16th-century wooden Ukrainian churches, said project architect Chauncey Meyer. The livable space in the rectory is about 550 square feet.

As the Summerhaven church was planned, The idea of a Byzantine-style church in the mountains of Eastern Europe was already there at the beginning, and as the thinking went on, there was a decision to create a fusion of styles, one that was American frontier as well as Eastern European, said the Rev. Robert Rankin of St. Melany Byzantine Catholic Church.

The Summerhaven church, which will fall under Rankins jurisdiction, is being funded by a handful of private donors.

Rankin first began mulling over the idea of creating a spiritual retreat in Summerhaven after his first trek up the mountain to escape the heat after moving to Tucson in 2002.

I thought it was sad that it didnt have a little church, Rankin said. It could be a prayerful getaway for people, and that thought was circling in my head, and then lo and behold, we had two members of the Byzantine church living up there.

Gene and Catherine Kinghorn, a couple in their 60s, moved to Summerhaven in 2012 after downsizing. They still commute down the mountain to attend Rankins church and work at the education consulting group they run, Rose Management Group.

Have you ever lived anywhere where there was no presence of a church anywhere? Catherine Kinghorn said. Of course, there are the woods and nature, which are godly, but I had never lived in an area that had no presence of a church.

The conversation between Rankin and the Kinghorns began several years ago, and when two lots became available near the couples Summerhaven home, they made the purchases in 2015. In 2016, they added a third lot, Catherine Kinghorn said.

Were doing something beautiful for God, she added. This is something that brings us joy.

Construction began about one month ago. Because the lot has a Mount Lemmon zoning code, construction of a church is permitted on the property, Meyer said.

Rankin envisions the church someday having a connection with a small monastery. It wont officially get its name until Bishop John Pazak of the Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix visits after construction is complete.

A ramada and the rectorys bell tower will serve as memorials to veterans. The project also acquired a bell from a torn-down New England church cast by Paul Reveres son, the Kinghorns said.

Rankin will also donate a relic from St. Valentine in honor of Arizonas Valentines Day birthday.

The Undoer of Knots

The church honors Our Lady Undoer of Knots because of the Virgin Marys reputation for fixing problems, Rankin said.

He imagines the church as a place of prayer, reflection and quiet, a place to untangle lifes knots.

Fitting, since one of the visual centerpieces of the church will be an image of Jesus Christ painted in the Byzantine style on a dome 22 feet from the floor. Creating that image, or icon, gave artist and architect Chuck Albanese plenty of knots to untangle.

In Eastern Catholic tradition, images such as the one Albanese painted are called icons. These images  often of Christ, Mary and the saints  are meant to aid worshippers in prayer and reverence.

Albanese, dean emeritus of the University of Arizonas College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, began researching iconography in August. Albanese had a 40-year career teaching architecture students and practicing with his own architecture firm, along with summer trips to the Mediterranean to teach students to sketch and paint. In retirement, he continued those trips and threw himself into his own artwork, mastering watercolor and oil techniques.

Albanese was also one of the designers and fundraisers for the University of Arizona Mall memorial for the USS Arizona dedicated in December.

But none of it could fully prepare him for creating an icon of Christ on a curved surface.

This project challenged me, he said. I knew very little about the church. I did not understand what an icon was.

Within the tradition, painting an icon is actually referred to as writing an icon.

Beyond grasping the religious implications, Albanese had to overcome technical challenges at each step, from figuring out how to paint on a curve, to painting the dome with five coats of the primer gesso and sanding each down, to mastering a 1,200-year-old art style.

Its a lot of geometry, painting in a dome, Albanese said. This one is 8 feet in diameter, Meyer said.

As part of his research, Albanese spoke with master iconographers and practiced writing this icon first on flat surfaces and then in a small dome one-sixth the size of the real one.

For several months, Albanese, 74, spent four or five hours in his backyard each day working on the dome. He put on music to get in the right state of mind and often reclined on a platform he constructed for the project.

Albanese has already trimmed the trees in his backyard so that a crane can swoop down to extract the estimated 305-pound dome.

I think its interesting that different people have gotten involved like Chuck, who is an urban architect and does an icon so beautifully and had to teach himself how to do all of that, said Catherine Kinghorn. Its remarkable who comes in, uses their expertise and then goes out of the picture. That, to me, is the hand of God just doing everything.

resurrection of a village

After the Aspen Fire destroyed almost 85,000 acres of forest in 2003, Summerhaven returned to rebuild.

It made us think, what does it take to recreate a community? said architect Phil Swaim, whose family lost a cabin to the fire. There are a lot of plans and passions about Summerhaven, a lot of different opinions in terms of what it should be. How much retail? How large can it get and still maintain the character of what we have always loved about Summerhaven?

Swaim, the president of Swaim Associates Architects, was part of conversations planning for new development after the fire.

Jim Campbell, the president of Oasis Tucson, was also part of planning development on the mountain. Much of that  including a three-story building with 18 condos  never materialized after the 2008 economic crisis.

I think the downturn of the economy in 09 kind of halted things up on the mountain, so I suspect it will start going the other way here pretty soon, Zimmerman said.

Just as Tucsons market follows Phoenixs, Mount Lemmons follows Tucsons, Campbell said.

Its interesting, a church, because there are a lot of people up there on the weekend, Campbell said. Everyone has just been waiting for something to happen in Summerhaven.

And while there are not currently plans for any clergy to be assigned to the chapel to celebrate weekly Mass, Rankin imagines it becoming a place for people to make spiritual pilgrimages.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some March 19 papers in history. With a subscription to newspapers.com you can search the Arizona Daily Star and many other newspapers using keywords or dates, and download articles or pages.
An Arizona bill that would give caregivers of adult family members a state tax break is unlikely to pass this session, but supporters remain hopeful for 2018.

The bill appears to be dead  for now, said Alex Juarez of the Arizona AARP, an organization that was one of the bills supporters.

AARP Arizona will continue its public outreach and work with business owners and legislators to formulate a plan that has widespread, bipartisan support, Juarez wrote in an email. New ideas such as this can take several years to become reality, as they already have in several other states.

The bill would have given caregivers of adult family members in Arizona a state tax credit of up to $1,000, as long as the taxpayers gross income does not exceed $75,000 for a single person or married person filing separately, or $150,000 in the case of a married couple filing a joint return.

We will continue to fight in 2018 for the wellbeing of the 50-plus segment and you can rest assured the proposal will again emerge in future legislatures, Juarez said.

The aim of the bill was to mitigate the costs incurred by taxpayers who provide unreimbursed care in their homes for their adult family members who require assistance in their daily activities.

To qualify the taxpayer would have needed to incur qualifying expenses that related directly to the care or support during the taxable year for the care of one or more family members.
To the great consternation of a Pima County Superior Court judge, federal immigration agents arrested a Mexican man at the county courthouse before he could be sentenced for a minor drug crime.

The arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents is part of a sea change in how agents operate in the courthouse since the presidential election, public defender Margo Cowan said.

The Feb. 24 arrest of Jose Salome Zazueta Medina was not acceptable, Cowan said, because it interrupted the judicial process.

But ICE said in a statement it has not changed how it makes arrests at the Pima County Courthouse, which the agency has done for years. Instead, what has changed is the news medias scrutiny of those arrests in recent months.

Arrests by ICE agents at courthouses in Texas, Oregon and California have prompted headlines since January.

Judge Michael Butler said at a March 10 hearing he is ready to hear what the story is from ICE. So far, Butler said ICEs story is that agents arrested Zazueta Medina because he exited the courthouse elevators and they thought he was trying to flee.

The arrest caused Zazueta Medina, who is being held at a federal detention center in Eloy, to miss a sentencing hearing the day of his arrest by ICE and another sentencing hearing March 10.

ICE did not inform Cowan that her client was going to be arrested, she said. Under the previous administration, that action would have been taken after a completely civil discussion with ICE agents.

Katie Daubert works with Cowan on a team of public defenders that handles local cases of noncitizens charged with serious crimes.

Daubert said ICE agents wait for her clients to plead guilty and then take them into custody, which is something that didnt happen a few months ago.

Cowan stressed courthouses must remain safe spaces for people who are in the country without legal status, especially those who are witnesses or victims of crimes.

ICE agents frequently make arrests in the county courthouse, but it was unusual that agents made an arrest prior to a sentencing hearing, said Deputy County Attorney Kellie Johnson, who responded to questions from the Star but did not handle Zazueta Medinas case.

The County Attorneys Office is working with ICE to make sure Zazueta Medina attends his sentencing hearing, Johnson said.

Zazueta Medinas third sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 7.

Deportation officers with ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations arrested Zazueta Medina at the courthouse after he pleaded guilty to a felony, ICE spokeswoman Yasmeen Pitts OKeefe said in an emailed response to questions from the Star. He will remain in ICE custody until an immigration judge reviews his removal case.

In general, decisions about where and how to make arrests are based on the arrestees criminal history, safety considerations and any sensitivities involving the arrest location, Pitts-OKeefe said.

Many of the people ICE arrests at courthouses are foreign nationals with prior criminal convictions, the agency said in an emailed statement.

In years past, most of these individuals would have been turned over to ICE by local authorities upon their release from jail based on ICE detainers, the agency said.

Jails and prisons are considered safe locations to make arrests, according to the statement, as are courthouses, where visitors are searched for weapons at entrances.

When the address or place of employment of someone they plan to arrest is not known, a courthouse may afford the most likely opportunity to locate a target and take him or her into custody, ICE said.

When making an arrest at a courthouse, every effort is made to take the person into custody in a secure area, out of public view, but this is not always possible, the agency said.

Zazueta Medina is a 47-year-old physical education teacher at a high school in Hermosillo, Mexico, Cowan said. He has had a visa to visit the United States since he was a boy.

He had no intention of remaining in the United States, Cowan said, noting he has a job in Mexico.

He was in Tucson visiting friends at the time of his initial arrest, she said. He was not feeling well and went to a hospital, where he was told to empty his pockets, which revealed a plastic baggie with cocaine residue.

Tucson police took him to the county jail Sept. 27 and he was released shortly thereafter, court records indicate.

He pleaded guilty Jan. 24 to a Class 6 undesignated offense  meaning it could be downgraded from a felony to a misdemeanor if he satisfies the conditions of his plea agreement  of solicitation to unlawfully possess cocaine.
Now the big guns are firing in the battle of Sabino Canyon.

Im referring of course, to the debate over who should run the Sabino Canyon tram operation after the current contract expires June 30. Sabino Canyon Tours owner Donn Ricketts is pushing for a new 20-year deal, but some Tucsonans are demanding that the U.S. Forest Service open the contract to new bidders.

Among the latest to weigh in are a couple of Tucsons biggest big shots: Canyon Ranch founder Mel Zuckerman and auto dealer Jim Click. The two of them helped found Friends of Sabino Canyon in 1993, and now theyre pushing the Forest Service to open the bidding to new operators.

In identical letters sent to Rep. Martha McSally March 10 and 13, Click and Zuckerman said: I am writing you today to let you know how extremely concerned I am that the US Forest Service (Coronado National Forest) is considering renewing the 20 year permit for shuttle service at Sabino Canyon to the current operator, Sabino Canyon Tours, without a request for proposals or offering open competition.

They went on, Sabino Canyon Tours has had a contract for more than 20 years and has performed at an extremely poor level consistently. The outdated shuttles are ill equipped to provide such an important service to over a million visitors to Sabino Canyon each year.

Its one thing when a group of well-heeled enviros complain about noise and pollution and cash-only businesses, as the Friends of Sabino Canyon have publicly done for months now, but a different thing when Click and Zuckerman do. Now things are getting serious.

To Ricketts, it all feels like a bunch of powerful people, myself included, are unfairly picking on him. In a 44-minute phone conversation Friday, Ricketts assailed my previous coverage of the issue and the efforts to replace him.

All I can say is that a lot of people have portrayed things and come up and said things that are inaccurate, he said.

He was especially upset about a March 12 email from David Gebert, president of the Tucson Electric Vehicle Association, encouraging other members of the association to tell the Forest Service to go with an electric-vehicle-using operator. The detail that really irked him was when Gebert wrote that Rickets wants a 20 year contract so he can cash in and sell.

I cannot do that for one CANNOT sell said Contract, Ricketts wrote in a March 15 email. Said Contract is Worthless  since one CANNOT Sell said Contract as stated by the Government.

Ricketts railed on that fact in the long, strange circular conversation we had by phone Friday.

The value of this company is zero without a contract, he said. I cant sell the business to somebody else.

Ricketts also revealed a couple of interesting details. One: He says he is still paying off a home-equity loan that he took out to keep the business afloat after the 2006 Sabino Canyon floods. He feels under-appreciated for the difficulties he went through in those tough years. Fair enough.

Another detail: He doesnt use a debit card. He thinks they expose users to too many security risks from scam artists and skimmers at gas stations.

I dont even have an ATM card myself, he told me. I figure if I cant pay for it myself. ...

This is significant because Ricketts has kept ticket purchases a cash-only affair all these years, past the time when paying with cash was normal. He reiterated that his major concern is that too many people will dispute the ticket purchases made on cards, and then hell have to pay to fight for the disputed charge. I questioned how prevalent this problem would be, but apparently he has more personal reasons for opposing card payments as well.

Ricketts also questioned why, if I like electric vehicles so much, I dont drive one. It seemed like a non-sequitur to me, and I pointed out that, unlike him, I dont have a monopoly on vehicle transportation within a narrow canyon.

The Forest Service has been juggling this hot potato for years, and now, like other federal agencies, it is in stealth mode. Due to Trump administration dictates, the agency is even more reluctant to release public documents than before. It has not completed or at least not released the overdue final environmental assessment for the tram service.

I sent Coronado National Forest officials an email Friday with three questions on the tram situation, but had not received a response by Saturday afternoon. For people wishing to preserve their careers and pensions, its a delicate situation.

In December, Santa Catalina District Ranger Ken Born told me via email, The Forest Service Washington Office has suggested allowing the current permit holder first right of refusal on a new permit, under the condition that they can demonstrate that the terms, conditions, and permit holder responsibilities outlined in the prospectus can be met as part of their bid package/special use permit application.

That is precisely what everyone, other than Ricketts, opposes  a first right of refusal. Most want electric vehicles, most want card payments available, most want less-noisy narration, but everyone wants an open process.

The opacity of the process, though, is keeping people out. BYD, an electric-vehicle manufacturer, proposed to Ricketts that he buy electric vehicles from them and pay the cost back over five to seven years, West Coast sales manager Justin Scalzi told me. Ricketts wasnt interested in the arrangement.

BYD is interested in making trams, but without an open process its hard to know what to do next.

Nobody except Ricketts tells me electric vehicles are cost-prohibitive  the only problem is the up-front cost, which should be possible to cover relatively quickly thanks in part to the elimination of the cost of diesel fuel, as Colleen Crowninshield of the Pima Association of Governments Clean Cities program told me.

I think what people need to remember is there could be up-front costs. Thats where the largest expense is going to be. But if you look at it over a five-year period, youve got a payback that is serious. No fuel, no oil changes  all those expenses are gone. At that point, your expense is simply the driver.

Seems so simple, but as weve seen, change comes slowly in Sabino Canyon. Still, theres never been such high-profile pressure for change as there is now.
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 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. So far, weve received 465 donations totaling $62,672, which puts us almost a third of the way toward our goal.

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 also welcome throughout the year.

Recent donations include:

Diane Abbott, $50.

Dennis, Carol and Baci Airoldi, $50.

John Almquist, $500.

Norma Anderson, $100.

Elizabeth and John Arkuckle Jr., $50.

I. Asiu, $30.

Eva Bacal, in memory of Martin Bacal, $300.

L. Backman, $38.

Betty Barton, $50.

Pat and Frank Bergen, in memory of Gunnar Bovre, $100.

Edward Bessey, $100.

Kay Bigglestone, $75.

Nancy Blackwell, $100.

Carol Boerner, $40.

Bobi Borenstein, $25.

Carol Borges, $25.

Richard Bowers, $25.

Ann Bowman, $25.

Joseph Broschak, $200.

Mark Bryant, $400.

David Burnett, $100.

Joyce Burton, $30.

Susan Bush, $100.

Karl Butzer, $50.

R.C. and K.M. Cade, $100.

Mary Canapol, $100.

Arleen Carramusa, $25.

The Cars, $50.

Bruce Cells, $100.

William Chenevert, $100.

Nancy Chidester, in memory of Dale Chidester, $100.

Karen Christensen, $100.

Coleman/Tuckers, $100.

Nancy Cook, $50.

Bette Cooper, $100.

Clifton and Penny Crutchfield, $200.

D. Curtis, $50.

Mary Jane Davis, $50.

Mark and Barbara De Arman, $50.

Kathy Dehn, in memory of Acostas, $30.

Theresa Dellheim, $50.

Lois Deputy, $50.

Joseph Dinich, $200.

Robert Dionne, $50.

More donations will be acknowledged in the coming week.
Banner Health is losing money in Tucson, but company officials say the negative cash flow will be offset by future progress, including an updated and expanded local hospital.

The companys Tucson operations lost $89 million in 2016, and officials expect to lose $45 million this year. Banner employs about 6,000 people in the Tucson area.

Losses among Banners Tucson operations have resulted in an initiative called the Tucson Performance Improvement Plan. The plan includes breaking even by 2018.

In addition, Banner has been belt-tightening system-wide, including restructuring and eliminating positions in an effort to cut $65 million from its corporate services departments this year. Company officials have been making regular announcements to employees about new cost-saving efforts and reinvention initiatives.

The not-for-profit, Phoenix-based company has also enlisted the help of consultants from McKinsey & Co. to look at other possible performance improvements.

Any big company, especially in health care, has got to be flexible and change with the times. They (Banner) are a big ship and it takes a while to turn it, said Jim Hammond, publisher of The Hertel Report, an Arizona health-care newsletter.

Hammond said uncertainty over the future of the Affordable Care Act is a concern for any health organization right now and that re-evaluating finances is a logical reaction.

When you combine potential Medicaid cuts with the infrastructure requirements of MACRA (federal provider payment reform), all organizations really need to take a look at themselves and see where the are investing and where they might be able to tighten their belts, Hammond said.

There are a number of external forces that would make an organization make decisions like this.

Indeed, Banner officials, like other U.S. hospitals, are concerned that a possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, including changes to Medicaid, could negatively affect future revenue. Prior to the ACA, between 12 percent and 16 percent of Banner patients were uninsured. Now its about 6 percent.

About 31 percent of the patients who use Banners two Tucson hospitals are covered by Medicaid, which is a government insurance program for low-income people.

New acquisitions

Banner Health owns, leases or manages 28 acute-care hospitals in six states, as well as home health agencies, primary care clinics, urgent care facilities and home medical equipment supply services.

It owns Banner-University Medical Center Tucson, 1501 N. Campbell Ave., and also operates Banner-University Medical Center South, 2800 E. Ajo Way, through a lease agreement with Pima County.

Banner, which is the largest private employer in Arizona, acquired the University of Arizona Health Network in 2015, in addition to purchasing other properties such as the Casa Grande Regional Medical Center and Payson Regional Medical Center. A 2016 bond offering shows those purchases contributed to a below-target company operating margin of 1.8 percent that year, down from the 4.9 percent operating margin of 2014.

The two Tucson hospitals operated by Banner contributed to that dip. Each had negative operating margins in 2015  well below the company target of positive 4 percent, and below the statewide average hospital operating margin, which was 1.9 percent for the 12-month period ending in November 2015, data from the Arizona Healthcare and Hospital Association shows.

The average hospital operating margin in Arizona for the first 11 months of 2016 was 3.7 percent, the association says.

Banner Healths Tucson hospital operating margins for 2016 are due to be reported to the Arizona Department of Health Services in May.

Fortunately we are in a strong cash and strong investment position. We can weather storms, said Kathy Bollinger, executive vice president of Banner-University Medicine.

Banner was fully aware of the financial performance of the health network at the time of the acquisition. However, losses have been greater than expected given the substantial investments needed to stabilize the organization.

Construction

Banner has been putting money into its new acquisitions and into expanding its market share in Tucson and Phoenix.

The Tucson construction projects:

A 670,000-square-foot, $426.7 million hospital at Banner-University Medical Center Tucson thats going up west of the existing structure, plus renovating existing hospital space. Among other things, the project includes creating a new main entry and constructing 19 new operating rooms and prep/recovery spaces. Construction began in March 2016 and is scheduled to be completed in 2019.

The Banner Health Center is a 207,000-square-foot, $98 million outpatient clinic under construction on the campus of the UA Cancer Center at 3838 N. Campbell Ave. It will include a multi-specialty health center to house specialty clinics that will relocate from the main campus, as well as an ambulatory surgery center and a parking structure. It is scheduled to open in 2018.

Those investments and others are necessary to keep pace within a fast-changing health-care environment, Bollinger said.

You are not going to get better sitting and waiting, she said.

Among other investments, the company in the last year acquired 39 new urgent care sites in Phoenix and Tucson  part of a strategy of providing extended-hours care to patients when their doctors office is closed.

The latest additions in Pima County are a Banner Urgent Care at 6021 N. Oracle Road and another at 7089 N. Thornydale Road. There are now a total of five Banner Urgent Cares in Tucson.

Its a service thats obviously needed in both markets, Banner Urgent Care CEO Dr. Rob Rohatsch said in a prepared statement.

Were fairly new to the urgent care business, but not to the health care business, so were striving to provide our communities with the best in care from a trusted, well-known health network.

Biggest conversion

Another investment locally will be $30 million into converting the electronic health records at Banner Healths Tucson facilities. The University of Arizona Health Network put $115 million into converting the health systems paper files into electronic medical records through the company Epic. That conversion went live in 2013.

But since all of Banners hospitals are on a different system called Cerner, theyll be converting to that system this year.

Having all of its health providers on one system will allow for larger amounts of data collection to conduct outcomes research, Bollinger said.

At the same time, the company, known for its financial discipline, is taking a hard look at where to cut costs. Recently, three executive positions with Banners Tucson faculty practice plan were eliminated and the companys longtime top public relations executive in Phoenix was let go.

Also, about 30 Phoenix-based nurse case manager positions were eliminated from the companys insurance division, company officials confirmed. And a small number of physicians were notified that their positions would be eliminated due to changes at clinics in Sun City, Peoria and Casa Grande, the Phoenix Business Journal recently reported.

Theres no dangerous trend here. These kinds of things are going on at Abrazo, Tenet, Dignity. Its just probably not making as much noise, Hammond said.

Its a constant process that all of these large systems are dealing with. ... This is the natural ebb and flow of a company meeting the needs of its community.

Bollinger said its difficult to put a number on how many employees will lose jobs, since many of them will get other positions within the company and have been encouraged to apply for them.

We are trying to do this in a very transparent and strategic way. All responsible health-care systems are engaged in this work, she said. Weve managed a lot of change in the last two years.

Among positive changes Bollinger cites are reducing the annual nursing staff turnover in Tucson from 20 percent annually to between 4 percent and 6 percent.

Banner has a very significant impact on Arizona. They have a model that really looks to standardize care across their hospitals, and they are interesting because of that, said Eugene Schneller, a professor in the department of supply chain management at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

Banner has always had a strong focus on quality through adopting best practices, and that is what you are seeing, he said.
iStock/Thinkstock(PARIS)  A man who was shot dead after grabbing an assault rifle from a military member patrolling a Paris airport held a pistol to the soldier's head, using her as a shield, Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said.

The suspect, a French-born man identified as 39-year-old Ziyed Ben Belgacem, was killed by French security forces during the Saturday morning incident at Orly Airport.

Belgacem allegedly shouted, Im here to die for Allah, and, "Whatever happens, there will be deaths,' the prosecutor said, adding that the suspect apparently aimed to shoot people in the airport.

Molins said Belgacem was carrying a container of gasoline that he tossed to the ground.

The attack on soldiers at the airport began at around 8:22 a.m. After the suspect allegedly tried to take an assault weapon from the soldier, she took it back, authorities said. Belgacem then grabbed the weapon and put it over himself, and then held a revolver to the soldier's head, authorities said. When the attacker detached himself from the soldier to try to escape, two other officers shot him. The suspect was killed at 8:25 a.m., authorities said.

After the incident, authorities searched the attacker's home and found machetes, foreign currencies and cocaine, officials said.

Belgacem had a lengthy criminal record including convictions for armed robbery and drug trafficking. Authorities said he was previously flagged for possible radicalism and that it's believed he may have been radicalized while in prison.

The suspect was not on the government's list of people considered a national security threat, the Paris prosecutor's office said earlier.

In the course of the investigation, the suspect's brother, father and a cousin have been taken into custody.

Orly Airport was partially shut down and evacuated following the incident.

Air traffic at the airport's two commercial passenger terminals was temporarily suspended, and flights were diverted to Paris' other international airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Later Saturday, the airport's operations were gradually resuming.

Minister of the Interior Bruno Le Roux said the assailant was involved in a carjacking earlier in the day and had also shot at a police officer at a traffic stop.

"We can also link his identity to a police check that occurred this morning at 6:50 in the northern suburbs of Paris. During this police check, the individual shot with a gun at a police officer who was slightly injured," Le Roux said.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Help India!

New Delhi, (IANS): External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said that the two Indian clerics, who had gone missing in Pakistan, will be back in India on Monday.

In a tweet, Sushma Swaraj said: I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow.

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The two clerics of Delhis Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah were reportedly found in a remote village of Sindh province with no mobile connectivity.

Syed Asif Ali Nizami, 80, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, were visiting Data Darbar in Lahore when they went missing on Wednesday.

Local media reports, citing unnamed sources, said both clerics were traced in Karachis Nazimabad neighbourhood, where they had apparently gone to (rural) Sindh to meet their followers, where there was no communication network, which is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts.
"Tai-wiki-widbee" is an eclectic mix of trivialities, ephemera, curiosities, and exotica with a smattering of current events, social commentary, science, history, English language and literature, videos, and humor. We try to be the cyberequivalent of a Victorian cabinet of curiosities.


President Donald Trump recently gave a gleeful interview with Jesse Watters on his Watters World show on Fox News Channel. During the interview, Trump, as usual, made a big, grand promise, this time for the biggest tax cuts since Reagan. The thing is, whenever he talks about taxes, he just keeps saying hell make cuts without taking the economy into consideration or telling anyone exactly what hell be cutting in order to make the room for tax cuts.

Trump also hurled insults at various media outlets and liberal celebrities and Democratic Party figures, and branded everyone who works at MSNBC as bad people. He also lied about his tax returns and went back on some things hes previously said.

So, it was a pretty typical Fox News interview.

Interview was taped before Trumps Nashville rally

The Watters World interview was a pre-taped show rather than live, and was filmed just before Trumps rally in Nashville, Tennessee. The subject of tax returns came up very quickly following Rachel Maddows self-proclaimed drop of water in a desert expose piece.

Trump said that according to his personal morals, he considers tax returns to be a sacred kind of thing, and said that Maddow and the others at MSNBC who helped her to expose part of his 2005 tax returns in a Pentagon Papers-type situation are bad people, and said that something is inherently wrong with them as people. Trump assured viewers that his tax returns are good, and Watters did not ask him to provide any evidence.

Trump also added that he and Rand Paul, the senator and Presidential hopeful (whose hopes were very quickly dashed) that he insulted during one of the Republican candidates debates and got big laughs for it, are now buddies. Trump said, I like him. Hes become a friend of mine.

Its hard to believe I ridiculed him.

Trump said he would fire Alec Baldwin over Jeff Zucker

Waters asked Trump who he would fire if he could, between alec baldwin, Chuck Schumer, and Jeff Zucker, and surprisingly (and the highlight of the interview), Trump chose Baldwin. He said that the Alec Baldwin situation is not good. Luckily for the President, Baldwin has said that he wont be mocking him for very much longer as its growing tired and the joke is wearing off and the reality is setting in.

On the topic of some others that Watters asked him about, Trump said that while Barack Obama is very nice to (him) personally, the people from his administration havent been nice. He said Kellyanne Conway is a very nice woman, hes disappointed in Hillary Clinton, vladimir putin is a tough cookie (and he still insists he doesnt know the Russian leader), Elizabeth Warren is all about craziness and anger and Pocahontas would not be proud of her, and Bill OReilly is a talented guy.

As for Watters himself, Trump shouldve been looking for polyps while he was up there. The President said that Watters has a tremendous future ahead of him, and tremendous potential. He said hes been so nice that it led Trump to reject interviews from the biggest shows on television and instead come to Watters World. When Watters asked him about the infamous wall, Trump said, Some great designs coming in.
President Donald Trump appeared alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a press conference as they put their intense feud to one side, and German reporters started pressing Trump on his absurd claims that ex-President Barack Obama had British intelligence wiretap his office at Trump Tower right before the election in an attempt to find some dirt on him.

Trump again blamed others

Trump, not usually one to accept responsibility for things that have landed him in a bit of trouble, was quick to point a finger at Andrew Napolitano, the senior judicial analyst for Trumps favourite thing ever, Fox News.

One reporter asked Trump if he regretted the claims and perhaps thought making them was a mistake. Trump quickly handed off responsibility and said that he and his guys at the White House said nothing. He said that all they did was follow the words of a certain very talented legal mind who said it on TV.

Trump insists he never formed an opinion about the wiretap claims, which contradicts what he was saying at the time. He then reiterated that it was Fox and not the White House who made the claims, and then told reporters, You shouldnt be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox.

Fox denies these claims

Shep Smith responded on behalf of Fox News to Trumps accusations that the wiretap claims are their fault very quickly, denying Napolitanos involvement and stating that they never found any evidence that Trump was under surveillance in November.

Press Secretary Sean Spicer, however, has evidence back on the contrary, and can quote three intelligence sources who informed Fox News that Obama used British intelligence to spy on Trump so that there would be no American fingerprints on it. So, who can be believed? Well, Prime Minister Theresa May says that Trumps claims that British intelligence were involved in a wiretap on his office with Obama are ridiculous and should be ignored.

The reporters had other criticisms

One German reporter asked Trump if he regrets any tweets, specifically the ones that contradict his lack of an opinion about the wiretap thing, where he called Obama a bad (or sick) guy in a series of angry early morning tweets about the allegations.

Trump said he probably wouldnt be here right now if he didnt have his Twitter account, so he doesnt regret any of his tweets because he thinks they won him the election. He also said he enjoys being able to get around the media when the media doesnt tell the truth. What he leaves out is that sometimes he doesnt tell the truth, and that can be highly problematic.
Ruth Davidson has attacked Nicola Sturgeon for lacking a clear vision of independence for Scotland.

Speaking on The Andrew Marr Show this morning, the Scottish Conservatives' leader said the First Minister has failed to specify what an independent Scotland would look like.

She added: 'Now is not the time for a second referendum. No one knows what Brexit is going to look like yet and we certainly do not know what independence is going to look like either.'

Her comments come in response to Sturgeon's speech to the SNP Conference this weekend where she said that she is open to discussion with Prime Minister Theresa May over a future date for an independence referendum.

However, a recent poll conducted by YouGov/The Times has given an 11% lead to those who want Scotland to remain a part of the United Kingdom.

The No side gained 48% of support in the polls and the Yes side secured 37%.

'What is the problem?'

The BBC presenter reminded her that she once said denying Scots a second vote will not play well.

He asked her what the problem is with holding another referendum.

Davidson said a lot of powers will be devolved from Brussels to Holyrood, but the Scottish nationalist would then give those powers back to the EU if Scotland rejoined the superbloc.

She added: 'Sturgeon has failed to answer basic questions about which currency Scotland would use if it became an independent country and whether or not we would have a central bank.'

'The First Minister has failed to commit to that.

The Scottish people have not provided their public consent for independence.

'The SNP is not Scotland. Recent opinion polls have suggested there is no support for independence. Many Scots are thankful to the Prime Minister that she is blocking the SNP's demands for a second vote.'

However, the BBC journalist reminded her the SNP was elected on a manifesto promise to hold a second vote.

He added: 'Surely it is a good thing she is sticking by her manifesto promise, unlike many other politicians?'

'Deafening silence'

But the Conservative said the Scottish nationalist said last year if there is not enough support for a vote, she will not hold one.

The Sunday presenter accused the Prime Minister of a 'deafening silence' over the SNP's Brexit demands.

The Tory said May included 4 points the SNP leader demanded in the Brexit negotiations.

She added: 'If the Prime Minister wrapped up a pony in a big bow and gave it to Sturgeon, it would still not be good enough.'

'She may not wish to acknowledge that. The SNP is hellbent on independence. Brexit is this week's excuse. They have failed to confirm whether or not Scotland will automatically become a member of the EU.

'Their responsibility is to the whole of Scotland, not a single party objective.'

'Scotland will not be denied their say'

However, in his speech to the SNP Conference, their Westminster leader Angus Robertson said Scotland 'will not be denied their say.'

The Andrew Marr Show is on every Sunday in between 9am-10am. You can catch today's episode here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08kg6bp.
During the shooting of Star Wars, it seemed as though no one besides George Lucas believed in its chances of success. The crew thought it was a weird little sci-fi movie that would disappear into obscurity, Alec Guinness thought it was a stupid kids Film with no real artistic merit that he only acted in because he needed the money, and 20th Century Fox went out on a limb giving it the greenlight because they enjoyed the idea of a Flash Gordon homage but never really believed in the script. But theres one other person who stood by Lucas from the beginning: Mark Hamill.

Hamill shared the very 1st #LukePic on social media

On his first day of shooting in the role of Luke Skywalker, Hamill made sure to save the moment with a photograph, because he knew it was a very important moment in his life, and of course it was. The film went on to become the highest grossing film of all time and a behemoth multimedia phenomenon, still selling billions of dollars worth of tickets today and with hit video games based on the toys based on the films and its own theme park on the way.

Hamill has shared the image, which according to his caption, was taken early in the morning in Tunisia on the first day of shooting, while he was waiting to begin his first shot in which Luke is emerging from home for robot auction. So, this picture is the very first picture taken of Luke Skywalker, before the Star Wars cameras had even started rolling on him.

Hamill told one of his Twitter followers that at the time, the crew, despite being kind, were dismissing Star Wars as rubbish, and that he kept telling them Were on a winner!

Hamills upcoming roles, besides reprising his most iconic role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi later this year (and possibly again a couple of years later in the ninth canon Star Wars film, depending on what happens in The Last Jedi), include a supporting part in Minkow, the story of fraudster and conman Barry Minkow, co-starring with James Caan, and voice roles in the animated film Howard Lovecraft & the Undersea Kingdom and a kick-ass intergalactic sci-fi video game set in the Star Citizen universe called Squadron 42.
Mardi Gras may be long over in New Orleans, but the party continues through March 25 at Universal Studios Florida. Even if you didnt make it down to Bourbon Street, the theme park celebration includes all the most popular elements, like music, a parade with authentic floats, Cajun cookin, and a constant rain of beads. The festivities are all part of regular admission, so it doesnt cost any extra to get in on the fun.

Nightly Mardi Gras parade continues

The Mardi Gras parade runs every night at Universal Studios Florida, starting at 7:45 p.m. The floats are made in conjunction with Kern Studios, the company thats had a hand in designing floats in New Orleans for the past six decades.

Theres plenty of room along the parade route to grab a good viewing spot, and kids have the own niche in the Little Jesters Viewing Area in front of the Brown Derby Hat Shop. The kids area opens an hour before parade time, and other spots are available as early as you want to stake them out. Check out this years version of the parade at Universal Orlando Resort in the video below:

Bringing the fun to life

It takes a lot of work for the creative minds at Universal Studios Florida to put the parade on for Mardi Gras each year. They bring back old favorite floats while adding something new to give it a new spin. If youd like to hear more about how its done, learn more in the video below:

Cajun food and music round out Universal Studios Florida event

If you need a nosh before (or after) the parade, theres plenty of delicious Cajun cuisine to give you a taste of the Big Easy right in Orlando. Plan to eat dinner at the park so you can enjoy some authentic tastes to help you get in the Mardi Gras spirit.

Bands have appeared throughout the festivities, and Earth Wind & Fire will close out this years Mardi Gras event at Universal Studios Florida on Saturday, March 25, at 8:30 p.m. The outdoor concerts are first come, first served, with plenty of standing room near the Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster.

If you visit Universal Studios Florida for Mardi Gras, be sure to take a peek at the new Race Through New York With Jimmy Fallon ride thats officially opening on April 6. You might just luck into a soft opening and get to try out this new 4D experience with a waiting area thats almost as much fun as the ride itself.
It's become an almost daily occurrence, but Donald Trump is only adding to his feud with the news media. Just 24 hours after holding his controversial White House press conference, the president is back on Twitter and calling out the mainstream press.

Trump on Twitter

When Donald Trump first announced his campaign for president, he came under fire after referring to illegal immigrants from Mexico as "rapists" and "murderers." In the months that followed, Trump's relationship with the media deteriorated, leading the former host of "The Apprentice" to call out reporters and journalists during his campaign rallies.

Trump labeled the press as "terrible" and the "most dishonest people" he's ever met. The criticism struck a cord with his supporters, and in a recently released poll, Trump was viewed as more trustworthy than the news media, with 49 percent siding with the president, and only 39 percent favoring the press. As seen on his Twitter account on February 17, Trump was back on the attack.

Here's the tweet Trump deletedhe's seriously calling the media "the enemy of the American people" pic.twitter.com/TxhnjuNL7q  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 17, 2017

"The Fake News media (the failing @nytimes, @CNN, @NBCNews and many more) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American people," Donald Trump wrote on Twitter on Friday afternoon, before adding in all caps, "SICK!" Within minutes of sending out his message on Twitter, Trump quickly deleted the tweet.

However, despite his best efforts, a screenshot was taken andit quickly went viral across social media.

Moments later, Trump sent out another tweet, this time an updated version of his first message, but with added alleged "fake news" outlets.

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

Moving forward

Donald Trump's tweets follow an early social media message where he also hit back at the media. On Thursday, following the aforementioned press conference, the commander in chief returned to Twitter to criticize the press for promoting "fake news" about his administration. The war of words between the White House and the press has reached a fever pitch, and it's unlikely to improve at any point in the near future.
Ever since Donald Trump decided to run for president, he's been involved in a heated feud against the mainstream News Media. Trump's war of words with the press has only increased since his election, which was on display in another Twitter rant.

Trump on Twitter

President Donald Trump has made it clear that he's not a fan of the media. During a press conference at the White House on Thursday afternoon, Trump spent nearly an hour bashing the "fake news" media, while blaming them for retired Gen. Michael Flynn being forced to resign as National Security Adviser.

The billionaire real estate mogul has made a habit out of lashing out at reporters and journalists, labeling them "terrible," and calling them the "most dishonest people" he's ever seen. As seen on Twitter on February 17, Trump was back at it in his attack on the press, while making sure to praise a controversial right-wing radio host.

Thank you for all of the nice statements on the Press Conference yesterday. Rush Limbaugh said one of greatest ever. Fake media not happy!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017

"Thank you for all of the nice statements on the Press Conference yesterday," Donald Trump wrote on Twitter early Friday morning, before adding, "Rush Limbaugh said one of greatest ever." Not stopping there, the former host of "The Apprentice" went on to note, "Fake media not happy!"

JUST IN: Trump tweets Rush Limbaugh's praise of heated press conference https://t.co/C4BdBxnPc1 pic.twitter.com/n5y3TDAjnE  The Hill (@thehill) February 17, 2017

Limbaugh on Trump

Donald Trump's praise of Rush Limbaugh is in reference to the radio host's comments that were made during and after the aforementioned press conference.

During his radio show on Thursday, the controversial right-wing host applauded the president, stating, "Donald Trump going over the head of the media right to the American people, advancing his domestic agenda and being totally transparent with these people."

RUSH: Just what the doctor ordered. This is Donald Trump going over the head of the media right to the American... https://t.co/OuetcHigRd  WRVA Richmond (@1140WRVA) February 16, 2017

"Folks, hes enjoying this like Ive never seen a president enjoy a press conference," Rush Limbaugh went on to say, before stating, "Hes toying with these people." Limbaugh continued to speak fondly of the president, as Trump normalizes news and media outlets that have only been viewed as fringe in the past.

Moving forward

With less than four weeks in the White House, Donald Trump has changed the direction of the presidency in the same way he turned the election upside down. While it's unknown if his relationship with the media will improve in the future, it's unlikely to occur anytime soon.
The Republican Party finally revealed their alternative to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) earlier this week, but the reception wasn't what they were hoping for. After the Congressional Budget Office also gave the GOP bad news, Twitter decided to create a new hashtag to shame Donald Trump and Republican's efforts.

Twitter on Trumpcare

Since the election of Barack Obama in 2008, Republicans have been in opposition to the former president's signature piece of legislation. After the former president signed Obamacare into law, his conservative counter-parts made repealing it their number one goal.

During his campaign for president, Donald Trump vowed to replace Obamacare, and with Republicans in control of Congress, it was only a matter of time before the time step was taken. Despite Trump and others promoting the new bill, it's received harsh criticism, including from some Republicans like Sen. Rand Paul. On March 17, Twitter users used a new hashtag to voice their thoughts on what is now known as "Trumpcare."

#TrumpcareIsWorseThan trump's Oval Office snub of the Merkel handshake. Made a handy guide for the buffoon's next grab. pic.twitter.com/WtQTKVgJr5  BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) March 17, 2017

Using the hashtag "TrumpCareisworsethan," Twitter users mocked and trolled the Republican heath care alternative.

"#TrumpcareIsWorseThan trump's Oval Office snub of the Merkel handshake. Made a handy guide for the buffoon's next grab," one social media user wrote, in reference to the Donald Trump's earlier meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House on Friday.

#TrumpcareIsWorseThan Melania's face when she's trying to pretend she likes Trump pic.twitter.com/33UvtfeVWf  Schmeg (@Adsgirl26) March 17, 2017

Another Twitter user wrote that he GOP replacement was worse than "all Donald's previous failures combined; bankruptcies, divorces, draft dodging, etc." Another tweet wrote that Trumpcare was even worse than "his approval ratings...35% and dropping." Not stopping there, a tweet also said that the Republican Health Care Bill even topped "the egregious spelling on these trumpflake protest signs." Other messages used memes to express their outrage, including in relation to the Trump University lawsuit and the "The Simpsons."

Trump vs CBO

The non-partisan CBO found that by the year 2026, as many as 28 million people would lose their health insurance if the Republican plan was signed into law That number, added to the already uninsured, will leave close to 52 million Americans without any health coverage. As expected, Donald Trump and Republicans leaders have pushed back at those numbers, promising that their replacement will be a positive for the American people.
President Donald trump wants to keep his promise to build a big, beautiful wall at the U.S-Mexican border. According to two contract notices posted to a government website, Trump's ideal border wall should be 30-feet-high and look good from the North Side. It must be difficult to climb and even more difficult to cut through.

According to Congressional Republicans, Trump's U.S-Mexico border would cost between $12-$15 billion, and Trump has suggested he wants the wall to cost $12 billion - a small discrepancy between Trump's suggested cost and Homeland Security Secretary, John Kelly,'s estimate of approximately $21 billion to build the wall.

A budget proposal sent to Congress

Last week a budget proposal sent to Congress included a $2.6 billion down payment for the U.S-Mexico border wall. The proposal did not make clear what the total cost of the wall would be, but the Government Accountability Office has estimated it around $6.5 million per mile  to keep pedestrians out, and around $1.8 million per mile for a barrier wall  to keep out those trying to cross by car or truck or any vehicle at all.

A U.S official involved in border issues said he wanted his name to be kept anonymous because the report had not been made public.

The report included two phases

The initial phase includes extending fences 26 miles. The second phase would add 151 miles.

Where fences are already installed they would add 272 replacement miles  according to the anonymous official. Phase one and two would cost $5 billion.

Nobody knows when Congress will act on the President's request. Nobody knows how much it will cost or how much money lawmakers will eventually approve for the Mexican wall. Both the Republican and Democrats have agreed  the U.S.-Mexican border wall is unnecessary.

Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security reported the number of borders arrested dropped approximately 44 percent from January to February. Since the start of the 2012 budget year that hs been the lowest monthly tallies. Contracts will be awarded, by the government, based on sample walls built in San Diego. It is unclear, according to the latest contract notices, if any firms have submitted proposals.

What is clear, however, is that in recent days Trump has bragged that the wall is ahead of schedule.
This morning Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd finally showed their new little baby off to the world. The couple from "Dancing With the Stars" appeared on "Good Morning America" so that they could talk about life after baby and let the world see their little boy.

What did Maks and Peta have to say?

The couple has been quiet about showing off their baby boy until now. The couple lives in New Jersey and let "Gma" right into their home to talk to them about it. They protected the baby for a while and finally decided to show him off to the world.

He is over a month old now. Peta says that he looks more like her and the reporter commented that he does have Peta's perfect nose. Maks had hopes the baby would look like him, but have Peta's personality.

Maks revealed that he changed the first diaper, but it does sound like that is the only diaper he has ever changed. Peta shared that she wanted to keep him very private at the start. Maks said that they were able to settle into him being their child, but when people came over, they shared him with someone else. The couple isn't sure they want him to share their love for dancing. Maks and Peta said they would both be thrilled with the idea of him not wanting to be a dancer, but Maks teased he is thinking NBA.

Now Peta has a new blog and is sharing all about her life. When she left the hospital, she still looked pregnant, but said she realized she did a beautiful thing and that she needed to just move on and not worry about the little things. They are now planning a large wedding, which will be three days with three hundred people.

She considered putting it on hold, but Maks doesn't want to do that at all. He is ready to marry her.

What do you think of Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd as a couple? They seem very happy together. Don't miss them when "DWTS" returns. Neither one of them are admitting if they will be on the new season of the show or not. Everyone will have to wait and see if they are going to do it or not. You will be able to find out the cast on March 1.
In a recent video with The Young Turks, host John Iadarola featured the legal battle of New Zealand's Iwi people, and their victory at having the Whanganui River granted the same legal rights as a human being. A piece of legislation, known as the Whanganui River Claims Settlement Bill, has been drafted specifying that "two people will and speak on behalf of the river." The New Zealand government and the Iwi people will select the river's representatives.

Chris Finlayson, the treaty negotiations minister, says the Iwi have fought for the recognition for the river "since the 1870s," which TYT founder Cenk Uygur stated "is amazing." The river is known as Te Awa Tupua to the Iwi Maori.

Mr. Finlayson suggested that some might find it "strange" to grant a river a "legal personality," but compared it with the legal standing of corporations, family trusts, and incorporated societies.

Which is more 'of a person?' A river or a corporation?

Mr. Uygur described finding the headline "silly" when he first learned of a river being granted the same legal status as a person, but noted he doesn't have the perspective of a member of the Iwi tribe. The TYT host described "reading into" the matter, and coming to find it to be "interesting," particularly the comparison between the legal standing of a natural resource, such as a river, with a corporation. Uygur asked which is more "of a person?

A river or a corporation?"

Though he stated a belief that neither is a person, he agreed that rivers are "much more alive" than corporations. The TYT host held the matter up as a reason why "diversity is interesting;" if New Zealand had ignored the Iwi, he would never have had their perspective to consider. He described the perspective of the Iwi, with how the river is intertwined into their own lives, to be fascinating.

$111 million in monetary compensation

John Iadarola noted that the Whanganui River is the "longest navigable" in the nation, and that, at one time, the majority of the members of the Iwi lived on its banks. With colonization, the Iwi were displaced, giving rise to the 150-year legal battle. The bill also includes $111 million in monetary compensation for the Iwi and the future care of the river. John Iadarola noted that some of the funds are reported to be going toward a clean-up effort associated with wildlife being poisoned from a nearby volcano.
Built by Italian immigrants in the 20th century, Bento Goncalves has long been known as the hometown of Brazilian wine. The town situated in the southern part of the country, 100 kilometers from Porto Alegre, capital city of State Rio Grande do Sul, has many wineries.

In a subtropical zone with a mountainous landscape, the town is a perfect place to grow grapes. In history, this area attracted a great many Italian immigrants who inherited the skill of winemaking from their ancestors.

The first three months of the year make up the hottest season in the beautiful town, as well as the harvest time for grapes. Trellises can be seen everywhere in the countryside, with mature grapes hanging on vines. Trucks carrying grapes and wine move down the roads.

Giorgia Forest runs the sales department at Aurora Winery. She said there are various kinds of grapes in Bento Goncalves.

"Great wine comes from great ingredients, so the grapes we harvest guarantee the quality of our wine," Forest said.

She also pointed out that Brazilian winemakers, especially from the State Rio Grande do Sul, are looking to market their product to more countries of the world, among which China has been a main customer.

"We started our business with Chinese clients in the year 2015. Although it is far from a long and permanent cooperation, we can foresee the potential of the Chinese market," Forest said.

"The trading keeps increasing and accounts for 50 percent of our whole exports now," Forest said. "We managed to introduce several different kinds of wine covering all the price levels to China, which all got a positive response from the market. This is quite an inspiration for us; we now intend to dig more deeply."

Due to an economic slowdown in Brazil, domestic consumption of wine has decreased recently. Wineries in south Brazil have to come up with new marketing ideas to maintain their business.

In addition to Aurora, Miolo is another wine brand that enjoys a good reputation in Brazil. Its winery is not far from Bento Goncalves.

According to Anderson Tirloni, export department manager of Miolo Winery, the company has been selling its wine to China for four years. It now has five shops in Shanghai, Guangzhou in South Chinas Guangdong province, Sanya in South Chinas Hainan province and other major cities of China. The wine is also available on Chinese online business platforms.

"We had carried out extensive marketing research before we decided to step into the Chinese wine market. We were aware that Chinese people have a different taste for wine compared with Brazilians, so we chose certain kinds of our wine to be sold in China, which is much easier for Chinese to accept and enjoy," Tirloni said. "They covered a large range of prices, (enabling) clients to choose freely according to their requirements."

He also said that every shipment of wine to China can be as large as 10,000 bottles.

"Besides, Chinese clients are paying more and more attention to the quality of wine, which is exactly a specialty of Brazilian wine. Since the market has been opened up, it is a great opportunity from all wineries in Brazil," Tirloni said.

Diego Bertolini, wine taster at the Brazil Wine Institute, said that wine made in Brazil has a pure scent, soft taste and relatively lower alcohol content. Because of the updated management of grape-growing and the advanced technology of wine-making, different types and levels of wine can be produced on Brazilian soil.

Bertolini said that because of growing interest in Sino-Brazil commerce, the wine business has a bright future.

"We are planning to organize some of our wineries to go to China this year. We will hold a wine fair to introduce our Brazilian wine and let more Chinese people know about us," Bertolini said. "It is a long distance from Brazil to China, but it is our belief that we share the same fancy for qualified wine. We sincerely hope that Chinese people can grow to like our wine."
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PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
NINH BINH The role of archaeological research in the preservation of the Trang An Landscape Complex, a World Heritage site in the northern province of Ninh Binh, was highlighted at a conference held in the province on March 18.

Participants were updated on the latest results of an archaeological survey at Trang An and a geographical map of the complex.

According to PhD Ryan Rabett, director of the Trang An Archaeological Project, the project examines the impacts of weather, geology and terrain on local livelihoods and vice versa.

Measures to protect Trang An complex were also suggested at the event.

Tran Van Tan, head of the Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources, highlighted that the coordination between local authorities, enterprises and people produced positive impacts on the preservation of the complex.

Scientific research revealed the geological and archaeological values of the complex, Tan said, adding that this would help raise local awareness of the heritage protection.

The Trang An Archaeological Project will be carried throughout 2019.

Trang An complex is a World Natural Heritage site and includes Tam Coc-Bich Dong- a series of karst caves and mountain pagodas, the ancient and new Bai Dinh pagoda and the Hoa Lu ancient capital.

The area featuring forest, lime mountains, rivers, lakes and dams, covers 12,252 hectares. VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam and Israel should work together in the spirit of creativity and innovation to strengthen bilateral economic co-operation, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin told the Vietnam News Agency in the run up to his March 19-25 official visit to the country.

How do you evaluate the relationship between Israel and Viet Nam over the years?

Israel and Viet Nam share a rich and prosperous friendship. This is a friendship between our governments, and between the two peoples. We have rapidly growing co-operation and are celebrating nearly a quarter of a century of diplomatic relations, but of course, Israels first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, met with Ho Chi Minh in Paris in 1946, and the friendship they established that day serves as the foundation for our close ties and strong relationship to this day.

Historically, thousands of years ago our peoples established their sovereign nations. We are countries which have many holy and spiritual sites, which are important to our identities and history. We share an appreciation for their preservation and reverence throughout the ages. Indeed, both countries have had similar experiences, having to fight against great powers for independence. We both share a deep appreciation for our freedom and right to self-determination.

Economically, Israel respects Viet Nams development and fast growing economy. Indeed your achievements are admirable, and we look at you through the eyes of our own economy which has developed a strong hi-tech and innovation industry, leading to our being known as the Start-Up Nation.

Israel is proud to welcome many hundreds of Vietnamese students through our MASHAV international development program each year, and Viet Nam and Israel have become important partners. Israel is one of Viet Nams major partners in the Middle East with a bilateral trade volume of US$2.3 billion in 2015. And, of course, we are currently negotiating a Free Trade Agreement, which I hope will be concluded soon. This agreement will form a stronger foundation for our mutual trade and business exchange.

We have so much potential to co-operate in so many fields. Indeed, potential is probably the best word to describe our relations. Yes, our co-operation has been most fruitful, but we have to understand  and utilise  the great potential which lies before us.

What should both countries do to further enhance diplomatic relationship and bilateral economic co-operation in the near future?

Vietnamese, like Israelis, have the same dynamic entrepreneurial spirit. So first and foremost, let us work together and co-operate in that spirit of innovation and creativity. For Israel, this was born out of a lack of natural resources. We had to think outside the box to address some of the most pressing daily concerns. Accordingly, we have developed much technology and know-how in the area of irrigation and water conservation  perhaps the most precious of all resources. We work to purify more and more grey water, we work on advancing desalination, and we work to produce water even from thin air. Viet Nam has more water and a lot more land than Israel, but you have a lot more people to feed, and we know you are looking for ways to grow more food on your land, and for ways to supply clean water to your country. This is a crucial area for our ongoing co-operation, as it will benefit both peoples, and indeed many others around the world.

In addition, our commercial partnership today includes a growing variety of industries and knowledge sharing. This includes, of course, defence and cyber industries crucial for keeping our peoples safe; medical devices and cooperation crucial for our peoples well-being; and education to continue our great legacies and achievements.

Indeed, through co-operation in agriculture utilising Israeli technology to improve Vietnamese production, we can ensure food security for millions of people around the world. If we co-operate in communications and technology, we connect people to build greater understanding and support research and development. Through our co-operation, we can truly face global challenges.

We are ready to do this together. During my visit I am honored to bring with me a delegation of more than 50 Israeli business leaders, and will be addressing two economic seminars on expanding our cooperation.

This is the opportunity that we have, and in the future I would like to see more mutual trade and co-operation.

What are the key topics that will be discussed and what are your expectations for the visit?

My visit comes at a time when relations between both countries are bearing fruit and greater accomplishments can be made. During my visit I will meet with President Tran ai Quang, with the General Secretary of the Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, and with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. We have much to discuss about how we can strengthen our ties, and work together to not only improve the lives of our peoples, but work to address challenges to the whole world, including security, sustainability, and innovation.

What is your assessment of the national defence cooperation between Israel and Viet Nam over the years?

We all know peace and security cannot be taken for granted. To enjoy economic, social, cultural, and educational prosperity, we must be vigilant to ensure security. Defence has a role in peace as it does during times of war. In the 21st century, it is clear to everyone that security is a very broad term. It includes homeland security, freedom from violence, protection against cyber-attacks, and the ability to communicate in any condition and in any weather. So security co-operation can incorporate all these different fields. Israel aspires to expand our security co-operation with other countries. Over the last years, much has already been achieved in our co-operation, and we have exchanged military attaches as part of our growing diplomatic relations. We are ready and willing to deepen this co-operation, and share further our best practices and experience in defending our people."  VNS
HANOI  Vietnam has made significant efforts to contribute to the development of the Francophone community and the promotion of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF)s image in the region.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc made the statement at a ceremony in Hanoi on March 17 to mark the International Francophone Day (March 20), which was jointly held by the Foreign Ministry and the OIF.

Speaking highly of the stellar achievements made by the Francophone community in tackling global challenges including those of security and development, Ngoc affirmed that Vietnam would continue to work hard to consolidate solidarity and collaboration among the community for global peace, stability and sustainable development.

Vietnam would be a bridge to promote the French language in the Asia-Pacific, Ngoc added.

For his part, OIF Director for the Asia-Pacific Eric Normand Thibeault expressed his delight at the sound collaboration between Vietnam and the OIF in 2016.

He asserted that the OIF attached importance to cooperation projects with Vietnam, especially those on teaching the French language and teaching in French, promoting culture diversification, applying digital technology, preparing for Vietnams participation in the UNs peace-keeping force and responding to climate change.

At the event, Nguyen Khanh Huyen, a lecturer of Hanoi Architecture University, and Ho Thi Minh Trang from Da Nang were presented with awards for their contributions to promote collaborative relations between Vietnam and the OIF.

Vietnam was among founding countries of the OIF in 1970. Over the years, the OIF has maintained active cooperation with Vietnam including the exchange of training and technical expertise in a number of fields.

French is spoken by 274 million people in 80 countries across the world. Vietnam is home to the biggest number of French-speaking people (674,000) in Asia.-VNA
HA NOI  A series of serious traffic accidents throughout the country on Saturday left eight people dead and dozens injured.

A train travelling from HCM Citys Sai Gon Station to Dien Tri Station in central Binh inh Province collided at about 9.30am with a truck carrying wood fibre at a railway crossing in Van Canh District, 8km from its destination.

The accident killed truck driver Tang Xuan Minh, while Tran Bon, also in the truck, died while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Due to the derailment, the north-south railway route was disrupted for some six hours.

Lieutenant Colonel Ngo uc Hoai, deputy head of Binh inh traffic police, told online newspaper Zing that there was a guard station and flashing lights at the crossing where the accident occurred.

The investigation shows that while the train was approaching, the guard did not lower the barrier, so the truck driver was not aware of the train, he said.

The investigation is continuing, in a bid to clarify the cause of accident.

A truck is heavily damaged after colliding with a train in Van Canh District, Binh inh Province on Saturday. The accident left two people dead. Photo: zing.vn

Another accident happened later in the day at Rach Mieu Bridge in southern Tien Giang Province, which claimed the lives of three people.

At about 1.30 pm, a tractor trailer collided head-on with a 16-passenger van, while travelling downhill on the bridge.

The collision killed two people in the van, while the driver died on the way to hospital. Four others were injured, including one seriously. The van was destroyed.

The accident turned tragic for a wedding party, as the group of people in the van were travelling back to Ben Tre after attending a wedding in HCM City. The victims were relatives of the groom.

The accident also caused traffic to back up for hours on Rach Mieu Bridge.

Meanwhile, in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, another accident left two students and a bus driver dead, while 16 others were injured.

The three dead included bus driver Tran Ngoc Thanh, Ha Thi Bich Van, an eleventh grader, and Tran Thi Thu Truc, a twelfth grader at Tran Hung ao high school.

The deceased were travelling in a bus transporting students from their homes to school.

The bus crashed into a truck driven by Ngo Thanh Tho while travelling on National Route 19 from Mang Yang District to An Khe Town.

An initial investigation showed Tho was careless while driving his truck backwards, as the bus was travelling at a high speed and could not brake in time.

In the north, there were heavy delays in Saturdays morning commute on Thanh Tri Bridge in Ha Noi after two trucks and a tractor trailer were involved in a crash.

The trucks were travelling in the same direction when they apparently collided and jumped onto the median strip. A tractor trailer coming from the opposite direction had to swerve to avoid the crash, causing it to collide with the bridges side rails.

After the collision, half of the tractor toppled over the rails onto the land beneath the bridge, while the other remained atop the rails.

Officials report no loss of life, but the trucks were seriously damaged.  VNS
PHU YEN  Authorities in Son Hoa District said on Saturday that police had identified three drunken local men who were responsible for causing a flood that inundated a large swathe of fields and swept away tons of harvested sugarcane.

According to the police, at around 2am Wednesday, three men in Suoi Bac Commune entered the area of Suoi Vuc reservoir to drink alcohol. After becoming drunk, they went into the control station and opened the water exhaust valve.

Some 2 million cubic metres of water rushed into the downstream areas, flooding large areas of Son Nguyen and Suoi Bac communes.

According to initial estimates, about 15 tonnes of harvested sugarcane were swept away, and 18 water pumps and 20 hectares of fields of sugarcane and other farm produce were damaged, causing a loss of some VN300 million (US$13,300), online newspaper VOV reported.

Nay BLung, chairman of Son Hoa District Peoples Committee, told online news site kenh14.vn that a delegation from Phu Yen Province had come to Son Hoa on Saturday to look into the incident.

The provincial leaders asked us to estimate the damages, and quickly help local people mitigate the consequences of the flash flood.

We will strictly punish those responsible, he said.

The chairman also held the guards of the reservoir accountable for the incident.

Managers of the reservoir said the guards were working at the management office, which are 800m away from the control station, and failed to detect the intruders.

The police have summoned the three men, all from the Cham Hroi ethnic minority, for questioning.

Suoi Vuc reservoir has a capacity of 10.5 million cu.m, providing water for households and nearly 800ha of fields in Suoi Bac and Son Nguyen communes.

It went into operation in late 2015.  VNS
A shortage of capital and lack of technical assistance for farmers in the Central Highlands region are hampering efforts to replace old, unproductive trees on coffee farms. Bo Xuan Hiep reports.

Walking through his farm in the Central Highlands province of ak Lak, Y Dran Bya could not hide his anxiety about the urgent need to replace his coffee trees, many of them nearly 50 years old.

Ten years ago, Bya saw high profits from his coffee farm, but in recent years the crops yields and quality have declined sharply.

The yields have fallen to only 1.3-1.5 tonnes per hectare a year, compared to five to seven tonnes a decade ago, he said. Climate change has also affected the yields.

More than 60 per cent of his coffee trees, on about one hectare in Ea Tu Commune, were planted in 1972.

Despite declining profits, Bya, 51, of the Ee ethnic group, said he had been reluctant to take part in a government programme begun in 2012 to replant old coffee trees in the region.

I dont have access to bank loans, Bya said. My familys income relies heavily on coffee cultivation, and it would take three years to harvest beans from new trees.

Bya is only one of thousands of farmers in the commune facing a lack of capital and technical assistance in a region that is critical to Viet Nams coffee industry.

Of the 622,000 hectares of coffee trees in the country, the Central Highlands region accounts for nearly 95 per cent of the area and 99 per cent of output, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

However, the number of farms with old or stunted coffee trees is increasing, resulting in lower yields.

Nguyen Ba Thanh, Party secretary of KoTam Village in Ea Tu Commune, said the village has 600 households with 3,000 people, with 500 households growing coffee trees and the rest cultivating rubber trees.

Farmer Y Ngue Mlo said that most farmers in KoTam Village grow coffee, but yields had been only 1-1.5 tonnes per hectare a year in recent years.

Another farmer in the village, Y Bang Nie Hrah, said to increase coffee yields, many farmers had intercropped coffee trees with other trees like durian, avocado and pepper.

Hope springs afresh: A new coffee farm expected to produce high yields in Ea Tu Commune in Buon Ma Thuot, considered the main coffee metropolis of Viet Nam. VNS Photos Bo Xuan Hiep

Due to a lack of capital, we have had to ask for a delay in payments for fertiliser to agents until we harvest the coffee, he said.

Nguyen Thi Chau said a great number of coffee farmers, many of them female, were working as manual workers in different places in the province as they could not rely on earnings from coffee.

Hoan Mlo, former chairman of Ea Tu Commune, said that in addition to aging coffee trees, the quality of the soil had degraded, affecting yields and quality of coffee trees.

Most farmers, who have difficulty accessing bank loans as they have no collateral, still cannot pay back previous bank loans.

So, many families have decided to let their sons and daughters study foreign languages so they can work abroad, Mlo said.

The commune, with a population of 16,000, is a major coffee farming area covering 1,500 ha in Buon Ma Thuot.

Replantation plan

ak Lak Province has set a goal to replace 85,000ha of old coffee trees in the next five to 10 years, according to Nguyen Huu Vuong, chairman of the Peoples Committee of Ea Tu Commune.

Besides more capital, farmers need high-quality seedlings, which will be selected by the Central Highlands Agro-Forestry Scientific and Technical Institute.

Vuong said the commune authorities would also work closely with commercial banks to provide farmers better access to bank loans.

Huynh Quoc Thich, deputy director of ak Laks Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that farmers would be able to replace old and stunted coffee trees under a project developed by Nestle Viet Nam.

Nestle Viet Nam will pay half of the farmerscosts for new seedlings.

The project has also accelerated the purchase of new coffee varieties with yields of up to seven tonnes per hectare, almost double the current average, Thich said.

Besides providing disease-free and high-quality seedlings, the project offers farmers technical assistance to meet the international 4C (Common Code for Coffee Community) standards for sustainable production and trading.

The number of coffee growers certified under 4C standards increased from 1,745 in 2011, when the programme started, to more than 13,800 last year.

According to Thich coffee trees have been cultivated in ak Lak for at least 100 years. Most of the trees are more than 20 years old and produce low yields as the average life span for coffee trees is between 20 and 30 years.

The industry is facing other problems such as small-scale production, poor quality control, and outdated processing technologies.

Coffee trees more than 20 years old account for 23 per cent of the cultivated area, and trees 15-20 years old nearly 35 per cent.

More than 92 per cent of the coffee trees have not adapted well to disease or to climate change.

Tough going: A farmer in Ea Tu Commune in ak Lak Province speaks about the challenges facing coffee farmers at a recent meeting with local authorities and representatives of Vinacafe Bien Hoa Joint-Stock Company.

In addition, intensive farming and improper use of fertilisers as well as pesticides have seriously affected soil quality in the province. Many farmers often water trees excessively, washing away nutrients needed for the plants.

The Central Highlands region needs to replace old trees on a total of 200,000 ha in the next five to 10 years, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

ak Lak needs to replace 85,000ha of old trees; Lam ong, 59,000ha; Gia Lai, 27,000ha; and ak Nong, 24,000ha.

Strategic agreement

Besides the government programme begun in 2012 to replace old trees, support from private companies is expected to help revive the coffee industry.

During the sixth biennial Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival, a strategic agreement between two companies was signed to develop the Buon Ma Thuot coffee brand.

The agreement between Binh ien Fertilizer Joint-Stock Company and Vinacafe Bien Hoa Joint-Stock Company, a member of the Masan Group Corp, aims to help farmers replace old and stunted coffee trees.

It is also expected to help local authorities create a high-quality, high-yield coffee area in Ea Tu Commune.

Under the programme, cutting-edge technologies will be used in pilot production models, while small farming households will merge into larger farming areas to improve coffee yields.

The two companies said they would work with the provinces Department of Agriculture and Rural Development as well as its Agriculture Extension Centre.

To improve the Buon Ma Thuot coffee brand, the two firms are now working with the Central Highlands Agro-Forestry Scientific and Technical Institute to create linkages among farmers, scientists, businesses and the state.

Nguyen Tan Ky, general director of Vinacafe Bien Hoa, said the programme would be expanded to other areas in the province if the pilot model was successful.

Buon Ma Thuot City is considered the major coffee metropolis of Viet Nam.

Govt support

Besides ak Lak, ak Nong Province is another important coffee-producing area in Central Highlands.

Most of the farmers in ak Nong have also been taking part in the governments coffee replantation programme which began in 2012.

In addition to training courses, farmers learn about the quality of seed strains and fertilisers and how to ensure sustainable cultivation of coffee trees.

As part of a new programme effort, the 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 ha of coffee. Of the total area, commercial coffee farms account for 113,000ha, according to the department.

As of the end of last year, the area of new coffee trees had expanded by 8,000ha since 2012.

This has to go: Y Dran Bya, 51, of Ea Tu Commune in the Central Highlands province of ak Lak, says that his old, unproductive coffee trees need to be replaced with new trees.

Of that number, farmers invested in 4,450ha, while the local government provided funds for saplings for the remaining area.

Nguyen Van Chuong, deputy director of the provinces sub-department of plant protection, said many new coffee farms had harvested high yields under the programme.

But he said the programme had been carried out too slowly.

Along with the lack of seedlings, farmers still find it difficult to borrow money from local banks.

As of last month, farmers in the programme had received a total of only VN38 billion ($1.7 million) from the ak Nong branch of the Viet Nam Agriculture and Rural Development Bank.

To help them access loans, the province plans to simplify paperwork procedures.

Coffee was introduced to the Central Highlands region by the French in 1857.

With ideal growing conditions, coffee beans from Buon Ma Thuot gained a reputation for superior characteristics.

The Central Highlands benefits from basalt soil and is 500 metres above sea level, a climate suited to growing coffee trees.

In 1997, Viet Nam was the worlds fourth-largest coffee exporter after Brazil, Colombia and Indonesia.

Three years later, Viet Nam became the worlds second largest exporter of coffee beans, a ranking that it retains today. Vietnamese robusta beans account for 70 per cent of robusta traded in the world.

Farmer Bya of Ea Tu Commune said he would reconsider taking part in the Governments programme if he was ensured of sufficient support.

He said he wanted to replace half of the trees on his coffee farm, but would continue to cultivate the remaining half while waiting for further assistance from local authorities.

My four children have left the farm to work in HCM City, he said. My wife and I have no choice but to continue to cultivate the old trees we have. So, I hope to receive further financial and technical support from the Government to replace my old trees soon.  VNS
The story of a 36-year-old teacher who always goes the extra mile for his students has inspired netizens to lend a helping hand. Hong Van reports

Ninh Van Dau was on a mission.

On March 7, accompanied by a student, the 36-year-old teacher, drove his bike across more than 20 kilometres of bumpy forest road in Gia Lai Province to find a missing 12th grade student.

But Ksor Gol had not been abducted. He had dropped out of school because of financial problems.

The teacher found his absence heart-wrenching. He knew that absence from the classroom now could lead to an absence of decent livelihood opportunities.

A few days earlier, Dau posted on his Facebook page a plea for the boy to return.

The class and I are waiting for you [to come back]. If you do not, I will come to your maize field to get you back.

When the student failed to show up after a few days, Dau set out to the milpa where Gol and his family worked on a farm.

Gols poor family wanted him to work, and the distance between the school and the workplace was very long. He quit.

I was tired, Tuc [the student accompanying Dau] was also tired. Yet all that vanished when I saw Gols dark face stained with dirt. It reminded me of my tough childhood.

As I talked to him, I forgot the rough road that wed taken. He sat with me all day, but said nothing except, Ive quit," Dau wrote.

But I could see in his smart eyes and talk that he did aspire to study further.

Daus sharing of the story on the Internet helped. Many people called the inh Tien Hoang High School and offered financial support for Gol.

On the afternoon of March 8, school principal Tran Van The and teacher Dau successfully got Gol back to school.

The said this was not the first case that Dau had helped. He had visited students homes many times, talking, sharing and persuading parents to encourage their children to return to school.

Dau also contacted some newspaper agencies directly to ask for scholarships for students wanting to pursue higher studies in university.

Adopting students

Since 2009, Dau had also adopted four students, all of them in very difficult circumstances. One lost both his parents, another had his father too sick to work and fund the studies of the children.

With his limited income, Dau cannot give much financial support, but he gives the students a lot of moral support, encouraging them to be brave and overcome all difficulties.

One of the students graduated from college and found work as a commune official, another has graduated from a Lat University with a degree in mathematics, and yet another is second year student of Nha Trang University.

Teacher Dau is a native of Yen Mo District in the northern province of Ninh Binh. He was born into a poor family with three other siblings. After graduating from the Quy Nhon University in 2005, Dau volunteered to teach in Gia Lai province. He has been working as a high school teacher for almost 10 years now, and has lost none of his enthusiasm and dedication.

I love literature, because I have a romantic soul. I was a young passionate and enthusiastic youth when I was a fresh graduate; so I decided to move to this land, to experience what I have learned from literary works at school, disregarding my familys disapproval, said Dau.

"Yet initially, I could not help feeling disappointed with the poor conditions here. Things were incredibly hard at first, but the longer I stayed, the closer relationship between me and my students and local residents became.

"I just dont want to live apart from this place as their life is so tough. If I leave, who will stay to help them? This question has pushed and motivated me to work and live here," said Dau.

Most of the people living in Krong Pa District where Dau works, belong to the Jarai ethnic minority. Theyve had to survive on just cassava for a long time, according to Dau.

Guardian: Ninh Van Dau (right) and Tran Van The (central), principal of inh Tien Hoang High School came to the milpa where Ksor (left) was working. Photos courtesy of Ninh Van Dau

"Things are tough. I was born in a rural village so I understand their difficult life. The students that live in remote areas find it hard to travel to school, and it is difficult to stay motivated," he said.

"The 10th graders in the school are mostly poor performers. Poor living conditions, high child marriage rates and the fact that many students are main labourers earning money for the family are the major reasons for the high dropout rates here.

Being a teacher who has worked in mountainous areas for years and especially working as a head teacher, it breaks my heart whenever I saw a student absent from the class."

Four years ago, another poor student named Lep also thought of quitting school, and finally got back with Daus support. Lep graduated from college and is now working as a teacher in Krong Pa District.

What I have done is not a big deal. It may be due to the fact that, on the social network, non-educational stories are spread so often that when they know about my stories, they are moved. Yet I am not the only teacher to do this, all the teachers do it when a student quits school," said Dau.

Phung Xuan Nha, minister of Education and Training, has sent a letter praising Daus beautiful deed, where the teacher did not bother about the hardship involved in getting his student back.

"It is a deed worth of high respect and not one that many can do," Nha wrote.

I highly value your beautiful and compassionate deed."

He wrote further that Daus actions will definitely spread in the education field and the community and be an inspiration, creating trust among students and teachers nationwide." VNS
By Thu Ngan

What is the hottest news these days?

Ask the residents of HCM City this question, and I am sure 99 per cent will point to authorities decision to clear all pavements of encroachments.

In my five years in the city I have never seen any action have such an impact as this.

Over the past fortnight district authorities have worked hard to free up pavements to return them to whom they belong  pedestrians  as well as improve the citys beauty.

Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of the Peoples Committee, has promised the task will be carried out in all 24 districts to create a civilised and modern city with high living standards.

District 1, whose stated aim is to transform the heart of city into a "little Singapore," has been the leader in the pavement clearance.

Its leaders have personally gone around to oversee the task. They have thrown the book at the owners of luxury cars that were illegally parked there and dismantled many illegal hoardings.

On March 1st they gave notice to restaurants and shops that they have 10 days to clean up and move their businesses out of pavements.

This tough action around the city has shocked vendors and many foreign tourists who love the unique pavement culture they find on Tay streets (where foreigners flocks to the many bars and shops) like Bui Vien.

Many vendors on these streets are devastated by the authorities decision.

My Dung, who has sold hu tieu (rice noodle) for 20 years on Bui Vien Street, is in tears saying her family survives on her income and she does not know how she will feed them if she is not allowed to sell on the pavement.

Other pavement businesses like coffee shops lament that customers will no longer patronise them if they are not allowed to sit on the pavement.

Visitors to the city are not too impressed by the campaign.

An Australian tourist told news.zing.vn that he came to Viet Nam for several things.

Sitting outside, eating outside, eating street food: If that is lost, Sai Gon looks like anywhere else.

I myself love street food and eating on Vietnamese streets is an awesome experience.

It is an amazing feeling sitting on a pavement and enjoying traditional foods at noon when we have a one- or two-hour break from work.

The delightful feeling of eating bun au mam tom (rice vermicelli cakes and shrimp sauce) or mien cua (crab noodle) at noon in autumn, I am sure, cannot be found anywhere else in the world except Viet Nam.

But this is not to say I disagree with what the authorities are trying to do: In fact, I wholeheartedly approve.

Seeing what is happening on TV and newspapers makes me very happy for it is a clear sign that the city is trying to catch up with modern cities around the world.

I am sure most Vietnamese wonder at least occasionally why their cities, in this case HCM City, cannot be modern and beautiful like cities even in their own region.

But how can a city be beautiful when its streets are littered with rubbish discarded by vendors and their customers? How can a city be modern and safe when pedestrians have to share the carriageway with motorbikes and cars because pavements are occupied by street vendors and households?

Equally importantly, how can a city be called modern when food hygiene is compromised because vendors are mushrooming everywhere?

Van Quoc, a HCM City reader of news.zing.vn, wrote to say that if livelihoods are taken as an excuse not to tidy up pavements, they  the pavements  cannot be used by pedestrians for the next 10 or 20 years.

Things need to be changed so that the city can be made more civilised, and while many people would face difficulties, they would have to accept and find a way to change, he said.

Many people consider pavement vendors a unique cultural feature of the city. Sure they have been around for at least a few decades and become part of the scenery.

Getting rid of pavement stalls might even give rise to a new culture: eating bun au mam tom or a bowl of pho in a small shop in a small lane or even on a flower-filled balcony.

From there you can still admire and enjoy a slice of HCM City.

In fact, it may already be happening. Many people have opened food and beverage shops in small apartments in old buildings, and these are attracting lots of customers besides becoming trendy among young people.

The city authorities have been talking about clearing pavements for a long time, but always baulked when it came to action because they sympathised with the vendors.

But it looks like it is finally going to happen. More power to them!

But I am sure they have alternative plans for the affected vendors, and might create walking-only streets to sustain this slice of HCM City culture.

I liked what one official said: We should not stop with just discussing. Do it!

Yes, it is indeed time to act.

If one were to be candid, the hawkers are not being deprived of anything rightful, and they are merely returning what never belonged to them in the first place. VNS
DES MOINES  U.S. corn producers are competing for exports head-to-head with their South American peers, but behind the battle theyve teamed up to promote corn technology and grow export opportunities.

You can get in the weeds and think you dont want to do business with your competitors, said Pam Johnson, Iowa farmer and former president of the National Corn Growers Association. But if we look at the needs of 9.7 billion people in 2050, theres enough work to go around for all of us.

Several years ago, Johnson and Julius Schaaf, another Iowa farmer who served as chairman of the U.S. Grains Council, participated in a trip to Brazil and Argentina to study their competition. They found the countries had so many issues in common they should work together.

Johnson, Schaaf and other industry leaders worked with their counterparts in Argentina and Brazil to develop Maizall: The International Maize Alliance. The organization, launched in 2013, focuses on three areas:

Communicate benefits of modern agricultural production technologies.

Address asynchronous approval of biotech products.

Promote regulatory harmonization.

Leaders from each of the organizations are well connected to policymakers.

One board member from Brazil is a friend of the World Trade Organization director-general. The director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization has friends in Argentinas corn group. A former Brazilian ag minister, a World Food Prize winner and other national corn leaders are active in Maizall.

The U.S., Brazil and Argentina represent half the worlds corn production and around 80 percent of global exports.

When we walk into a room and speak with one voice about concerns we all have, it gets attention, Johnson said.

Maizall representatives who go to a country to talk corn normally start by meeting with their own government officials in the country. They talk about the importance of science and innovation to farmers in the three countries and to the rest of the world.

Maizalls biggest focus is telling the farmers story, from a farmers point of view, Johnson said. All of us in the three countries can give a personal story about why science brought back to the farm changed not just our own farms, but our farm economy.

The organization recently hosted a group of Uganda parliament members trying to write a law that allows farmers there to grow biotech crops.

They went home not just with a template for a document they would use to write this bill, but they also had background information from regulatory officials in Brazil, Johnson said.

Uganda could be the catalyst in Africa to counter activists who are scaring consumers and government officials with stories about foods from biotech crops.

We may never sell a kernel of corn to Uganda, Johnson said. But Africa is a big continent with a growing population and great soils.

To bring the voice of reason and scientific process to start the dialog in Africa, that could change policies not just in Uganda but hopefully in all those countries around Uganda; if we could change the opinions of government officials, regulators and farmers.  In the end, thats an important goal.
CEDAR FALLS  The Tyrannosaurus rex is said to be one of the largest carnivores to ever walk the earth. A massive head and powerful killing jaw made it a fearsome predator.

Miron Gusso, not so much  unless hes inside his puppet.

The third-generation puppeteer is in his fifth year as a T-rex with Erths Dinosaur Zoo Live, performing a pair of shows at 1 and 4 p.m. April 8 at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center on the University of Northern Iowa campus.

These are amazingly large, lifelike dinosaurs wrangled by puppeteers in a really raucous, fun, good time that is completely different from cookie-cutter type shows, says Gusso.

We dont manipulate kids imaginations or pretend to transport them in an imaginary time machine back to prehistoric times. Its a puppet show, and they arent real, but the dinosaurs are authentic-looking, designed with help from paleontologists and based on real animals.

Thats good to remember, especially if youre one of the lucky kids on stage when the T-rex unlocks his jaw over your head and prepares to chomp.

While the shows are entertaining, the host also provides educational information on what is known about dinosaurs today, Gusso says.

The show is very unpredictable and quite suspenseful. A host introduces the audience to the dinosaurs and starts to lose control of the show  the animals become a little more aggressive. Theres always audience interaction. Kids are terrified at first, but you see them overcome their fear.

As puppeteers, our presence is never questioned. You might see my legs, but youre thinking, That dinosaur is freaking me out because its roaring and wants to bite me, says the Russian-born Gusso, who is based in Columbus, Ohio.

Gusso is an alumnus of the University of Connecticuts Puppetry Arts Graduate Program, where he also designed and built puppets for Connecticut Repertory Theatre. He performed at the Dallas Zoo in 2015, and previously has been seen as a dinosaur in Radiolabs live show Apocolyptical, which toured in 2013, and at Field Station: Dinosaurs in New Jersey.

This job, its changed my life. Ive met the most astonishing kids with such passion for dinosaurs. I wasnt a dinosaur kid. I played with Muppets and GI Joes, he says, laughing. My family comes from Russia, and I was born in Moscow. My mom started a puppet company with me and my brother, and it would have broken her heart if I didnt become a puppeteer, Gusso explains.

Erth Visual and Physical is an Australian-based company founded in 1990, with Dinosaur Zoo Live teams in the U.S. and United Kingdom touring simultaneously. The company is frequently commissioned by museums, zoos, theater producers and festivals to create puppets of all scales. Puppeteers and other members of the team spend considerable time visiting zoos for animal movement and behavior observation.

The teams also reach out to natural history museums in the cities where they perform.

Palentologists have determined that dinosaurs are more closely related to birds, and theres even a feathered T-rex. So its crazy to go to a zoo and watch really large birds of prey, their behavior and instincts, Gusso says.

His T-rex is considered a backpack puppet in which the puppeteer is strapped into a harness built in an aluminum framework. Scientists believe the T-rex had a birdlike skeletal structure and stance, he says, and designers have incorporated that into the large-scale puppet, including feathers.

The entire structure weighs about 90 pounds and performing in it is physically demanding. But my segments only last 10 or 15 minutes, so thats OK. Its very well-balanced, so you get used to it.

Gusso manipulates the puppet by hand, although there are electronic controllers to move the dinosaurs eyes and mouth, and of course, to utter bone-chilling roars.

Its not a costume, it truly is a puppet. The company uses the most up-to-date, sophisticated engineering to build these puppets. Theres great alignment, too, for the puppeteer, with your shoulders over hips over toes, so you can move around and lunge.

Erth productions are applauded for their visual experiences. Its taken me three years to realize this show isnt just about dinosaurs. Its about the empowerment of children, and thats an important message.

We dont have to play down to kids. We talk directly to them, and its an experience unlike any other, Gusso adds.
Group to discuss foreign policy

CEDAR FALLS  The Great Decisions study group will meet from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Cedar Falls Public Library conference room. After viewing a 30-minute DVD, discussion will follow on Chinas increased recent naval presence in the South Seas and how it might affect foreign policy in that area of the world. Interested people are encouraged to attend.

American Legion

to hold fish fries

GILBERTVILLE  The Gilbertville American Legion will serve a fish fry from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday. Cost is $8 for adults, $3.50 for children ages 6 to 9 and free for children ages 5 and younger. There also will be a fish fry April 7.

Nature Center to offer craft activity

HAZLETON  Fontana Nature Center will offer a craft activity from 9 a.m. to noon March 25, when participants will be able to a small decorative biplane from empty pop cans.

Participants will be required to bring 12 matching cans, cut the aluminum with a box cutter and scissors and handle the cut edges. Its meant for ages 12 to adult.

Registration fee of $5 per airplane includes all remaining supplies needed. To sign up, call 636-2617 or email fontanapark@iowatelecom.net.

Fundraiser set for St. Athanasius

GILBERTVILLE  A Catholic Order of Foresters St. Marys Court 1099 matching fund breakfast is set for 8 a.m. to noon March 26 at St. Mary Center.

Proceeds will go to St. Athanasius School, Jesup, for laptops for the classrooms.

Blood drive set at East High School

WATERLOO  There will be an American Red Cross blood drive from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 28 at East High Schools small gym.

To make an appointment, go to redcrossblood.org or call (800) 733-2767.
Toastmasters to host open house

WATERLOO -- Waterloo Speechmasters, a local Toastmasters club, will welcome the public to a free open house from noon to 1 p.m. March 30 at the UNI-Center for Urban Education, 800 Sycamore St.

Guests will meet club members and enjoy a demonstration meeting with a prepared speech, impromptu speeches and evaluation speech. There will be a question-and-answer period, and refreshments will be provided.

Toastmasters provides a supportive and positive environment where members have the opportunity to develop their communication and leadership skills. People of all skill levels are welcome. To RSVP or for more information, email the club at waterloospeechmasters@gmail.com or go to waterloospeechmasters.toastmastersclubs.org.
CEDAR FALLS  The Center for Violence Prevention at the University of Northern Iowa has chosen recipients of the O. Jay and Pat Tomson Student Internship and Verizon HopeLine Making Iowa Safe Scholarships.

The Tomson scholarship acknowledges student engagement with community agencies and partners providing prevention and victim services for people impacted by sexual, domestic or family violence. The Making Iowa Safe Scholarship is made available to support the Center for Violence Preventions community engagement efforts by supporting student internships.

Requirements and eligibility for the scholarships were judged on academic merit, verified enrollment as a full time UNI undergraduate or graduate student in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and engagement in an internship at an agency, nonprofit organization, association or government agency with a focus on interpersonal violence prevention or victim services.

This years recipients are Morgan Holzer, Charles City; Hannah Sedlacek, Spirit Lake; MacKenzie Whelan, Waterloo; Lindsey Suites, Waverly; and Shelby Schreck, Hazleton.

Student award winners will participate in a scholarship recipient reception and present on internship experiences and learner outcomes at the end of April.
WATERLOO  Local organizations that rely on federal funding could see a huge impact on their bottom line if President Donald Trumps budget proposal becomes reality.

Among those are the social services agency Operation Threshold and community radio station KBBG-FM. Both are Waterloo-based nonprofits.

The plan for the 2018 fiscal year would eliminate funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the Weatherization Assistance Program and the Community Services Block Grant.

They were proposing to defund all of those, said Leian Kammeyer, Operation Thresholds deputy director. The agency is about 89 percent federally funded. Out of those funds, those three make up about 75 percent of the funding.

Trumps budget also proposes elimination of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, through which KBBG gets an annual grant to help fund its operations.

A major portion of our funding comes from the CPB grant, said Mike Cook, who is on the board of directors for KBBGs parent organization, Afro-American Community Broadcasting. He estimated the grant is about $60,000 this year. Its enough that we would struggle immensely without it.

Released Thursday, the budget boosts spending for defense, veterans and homeland security while cutting most other departments in the federal government. The document essentially outlines the Trump administrations priorities for the next fiscal year. Congress makes the decisions about how to allocate budget funds.

Nonetheless, were scared to death, said Cook. We tend to give voices to people that normally dont have voices. He listed programs featuring gospel music, black history and even children discussing school work.

Its programming that you wont hear on other radio shows here. And all of that grant money takes care of that for us, so we can afford to do that.

According to USA Today, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, an independent agency, currently has a $485 million budget. Budgets total $3.4 billion for LIHEAP, $715 million for the block grants and $121 million for weatherization. Those programs are found in the Department of Health and Human Services and the Energy Department, which are facing proposed cuts of 16.2 and 5.6 percent, respectively.

Of the $2.8 million Operation Threshold receives through LIHEAP, $2.7 million is used for assistance to low-income residents of Black Hawk, Buchanan and Grundy counties. Kammeyer said that assistance is in the form of paying utility bills and repairing or replacing furnaces.

During 2016, we served about 4,946 households, she noted. The assistance, which is available in cold weather months, will continue through April this year. By the end of February the agency had served 4,923 households.

Three different sources fund Operation Thresholds weatherization program, one of which is from the state. At the federal level, $216,000 comes from the Department of Energy and $803,000 comes from the Home Energy Assistance Program. The agency served 108 households with the weatherization funds last year.

The agency receives another $94,000 through the Community Services Block Grant program.

Then we have some other funding thats federal thats possibly in danger, said Kammeyer. Among those are the Women, Infants, and Children program, which gave out 8,187 vouchers last year in a six-county area with a total value of $3.1 million. So individuals were able to buy, like, milk and the staples they needed to supplement their food and stuff.

Agency officials also are concerned about the Family Development and Self Sufficiency program, which is funded through Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. Health and Human Services is pretty much under attack in this budget, so all of our federal funding is really in jeopardy, said Kammeyer.

In addition, Operation Threshold has been notified recently of current year reductions in state funding that were put in place by state officials due to unanticipated revenue shortfalls. We get funding for parent education programs and self sufficiency programs, said Kammeyer, that are being cut. In future years, there is concern and talk in the Legislature that theyre going to need to reduce some of those.

She said the possibility that Trump would propose the federal cuts has been on the agencys radar for some time. Operation Threshold and other affected agencies are preparing to contact legislators to let them know this isnt in the interest of our constituents, our clients.

Cook said the radio station will redouble efforts to find money elsewhere. We intend to get very aggressive about fundraising, he said. Because if we lose that, it could be almost life threatening to that station.

U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, R-1st District, said he hasnt paid much attention so far to what is in Trumps budget proposal.

I havent looked at it yet, I dont know if I will because its not legislation, he said. Its politics, its politics; they just need to know its not legislation. The Congress and the House  were the ones who set spending, not the president.

Staff writer Christinia Crippes contributed to this story.
A battered Democratic Party has largely forfeited the fight on television over the fate of President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, another sign of both Gorsuch's political strength and of Democrats' inability to focus on fighting the pick.

Just four days before Gorsuch appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democratic groups and committees have barely lifted an advertising finger in their quest to sink the nomination.

At the same time, Republicans are waging an eight-figure advertising campaign that is growing daily, an effort centered on the states that Senate Democrats vulnerable in 2018 call home. Conservative and GOP-related groups have outspent Democrats on TV by more than $3 million, according to Democrats and Republicans tracking the advertising figures.

The Democrats' grogginess is a reflection, party strategists say, of their overextension, channeling energy and dollars toward a perhaps more winnable fight on defending Obamacare; of their depleted coffers following a costly 2016 presidential campaign; and of their poor political positioning, largely seeing Gorsuch as clean, qualified and tough to attack, at least before the hearings begin Monday.

As of late Wednesday, Democrats had spent just $180,000 on the television campaign vs. $3.3 million from Republicans.

"It's too bad that we have to deal with this, because when you have more money, you have a bigger megaphone to get your message out," said Marge Baker of People for the American Way, one of just two anti-Gorsuch groups spending money on the air. "They got the nominee they wanted and now they're investing huge bucks into trying to get him confirmed."

The Republican spending machine is adding dollars on top of dollars -- the Judicial Crisis Network, the well-funded outside group doing the lion's share of the pro-Gorsuch advertising, has budgeted another $5.5 million to spend, and one pro-Trump nonprofit, Great America Alliance, on Wednesday unveiled a $3.5 million buy on top of that.

Carrie Severino, who is leading JCN's work on the Gorsuch fight, said she was somewhat surprised by Democrats' lack of spending -- and that it was easier to make their argument on less-cluttered airwaves. The group stockpiled $10 million in money in advance of a looming Supreme Court fight.

"They haven't had a clear mission to put ad money behind," Severino said, criticizing Democratic messaging as muddled.

The 45Committee, a nonprofit largely funded by Sheldon Adelson, the GOP's most prolific donor, may also join the fray. And America First Policies, a group run by former Trump aides that has nevertheless been dogged by internal drama and funding problems, had also indicated it planned heavily on the Gorsuch fight -- though its ability to do so is now in question.

A group spokesman Thursday did not answer when asked whether it still planned to advertise on the Gorsuch effort.

Late effort from liberals

Some liberals are making a late effort to bolster their paid media: the Constitutional Responsibility Project said Wednesday it would target two Republicans up in 2018, Jeff Flake and Dean Heller, with spots rattling through the less glamorous parts of Gorsuch's judicial record and encouraging voters to call Flake's and Heller's offices.

But traditional Democratic big spenders, such as the super PAC Priorities USA and the advocacy network led by Democratic operative David Brock, have not spent any money on paid media to defeat Gorsuch, and as of Thursday they had no plans to. The Democratic Senate campaign arm is not advertising on Gorsuch; the Republican Senate campaign arm is.

"This is the genius of Trump's madness," said Craig Varoga, a Democratic operative who has directed spending at many of his party's top nonprofits over the years. "He and (adviser Stephen) Bannon create so many distractions that what traditionally would have been a great fight -- a Supreme Court nomination one year after Republicans would not allow a vote on a Democratic nomination -- seems like an afterthought."

The other issues are clearly taking up the Democrats' time.

Priorities has already begun to spend to protect the Obama legacy item, and it is expected to trigger spending from labor and community groups, as well.

Symone Sanders, a spokeswoman for Priorities, said the group made its decision after internal polling revealed that the Obamacare fight was far more "potent" than the Gorsuch one.

"We believe that we're not trying to be all things to all people," she said. "We're paying attention to what the voters are caring about."

But it is also a sign of Gorsuch's profile and mainstream credibility. Democrats this week, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, ratcheted up their critique of specific cases they said showed Gorsuch to favor corporations and big business, but have yet to unearth a silver bullet that would convince their Democratic caucus to hold strong should they filibuster his nomination.
Since there was so little spring in last weeks spring break, it may be time to revisit the issue of anthropogenic global warming.

If you want to paint a target on your chest, simply announce you are agnostic on the topic. The true believers will unthinkingly label you as a denier, and the true deniers will label you as easily deceived.

The word agnostic is appropriate because global climate change has become the official religion of the early 21st century. Even those who do the science have a difficult time not falling into a religious mindset, especially when they combine climate change with the other religious sects of leftist ideology.

So, lets make a very brief case for agnosticism.

First of all, one side or both sides are flat-out lying about certain aspects of anthropogenic global warming. Reports appear as if they were gathered on separate planets.

For example, Pacific Island sea rise: We have the data from eight island groups since satellite readings became available. Sea level measurements have risen, with a statistical linear trend of about 1.8 mm/year, but it appears the standard error of measurements is about 1.5 mm/year. A nonlinear model suggests the sea level has been dropping for the last three years or so, but given the variability in measurements, it is statistically difficult to suggest anything. There also is the issue of when the measurements began and what the length of natural cycles are.

In other words, you could logically state you believe the ocean level is rising because of human behavior, or it is rising based on long-term trends, or it is not rising at all.

Then the true believers seem hellbent on giving the deniers reasons to disbelieve them.

Actual believers responses to a report on sea rise data: Arctic News indicates human life on earth faces near-term extinction beginning in 7-15 years! It seems extremely wise to find ways to replace 80 percent of fossil fuels as fast as is humanly possible  5 years at the outside!

Yes, it would be a good idea to replace fossil fuels. Are people going extinct? Highly unlikely. In 7-15 years? Nonsense, the population bomb people (remember them) must be dancing in the streets.

It is truly arrogant for those to deny that climate change is either not happening nor that humans are not to blame when all the data proves that we are. To deny the facts is to deny reality.

No. All the data does not support global warming, let alone anthropogenic global warming. No. The data does not prove anything. It is correlational and associative.

Agnostics like myself are deeply concerned about the political solutions and demands for censorship advocated by the anthropogenic group. We are concerned over the way the scientific method has been compromised, proposing hypotheses, for example, that cannot be disproven or invalidated.

The politicization of the issue is even more disquieting. When one political philosophy universally buys into one area of science, ideology wins, and science be damned if it does not conform.
Just a guess, but there arent many reporters who can say they danced a fast Texas two-step and waltz with Robert James Waller.

At his invitation, Id traveled to Texas and following his precise directions from Midland/Odessa, drove to Firelight Ranch, located miles from nowhere. Although I grew up in the Texas Panhandle, it was the late 1990s and 10 years since Id been back in the Lone Star state. Then its a homecoming, of sorts, Waller told me. After overwhelming success of The Bridges of Madison County and increasingly snarky media coverage of the best seller, Waller had pulled up stakes from Iowa and parked his cowboy boots in far West Texas.

Each morning Id trek from my Alpine lodgings to the ranch. Wed sit at the breakfast table or in his studio, talking about his projects, new interests or a place he wanted to see on the other side of the world. Sometimes wed veer off into meaning-of-life discussions before jumping into his beat-up old Jeep and letting his dogs, including my favorite, Jack the border collie, herd us along bumpy tracks to check water wells and look at livestock.

The Wallers  Bob and then-wife Georgia  were gracious hosts. On my last night in Alpine, we went to dinner, then to Wallers favorite bar and pool hall before winding up at a late-night watering hole where the music ranged from country to western. We clinked long-necked bottles of Lone Star beer, and we danced. He was a good dancer, smoothly squiring each of us around the dance floor in turns.

Waller died late last week from complications of multiple myeloma, a plasma cancer. He was 77, and a Renaissance man  a writer, professor, musician and photographer.

Although it had been a few years since wed talked, a little light went out of the world at the news. He was a good guy and a friend. I admit I was intimidated at our first interview in his Cedar Falls home in 1992. When I commented on the canoe in the middle of the living room, he said, Lets go sit in the canoe. It was ridiculous and disarming.

He trusted me to quote him accurately and keep his confidences if he said something off the record. Ive never broken that trust, even when I practically had my arm twisted by Japanese journalists who had a hard time separating the real Waller from his fictional Bridges character, Robert Kincaid.

Waller remained overwhelmed by readers love for Bridges, a phenomenon that made him wealthy. Although he wrote other novels, none soared to such heights. We joked about starting a Bridges cottage industry  products like covered bridge handbags and Robert Kincaid edition camera bags.

Waller never took himself as seriously as critics took his work, especially when they were savaging it. Its vengeful. They dont know me; how can they make these judgments? That drives me crazy, he told me.

We also cracked up over silly requests hed get from reporters, like being asked to remove his shirt and pose as if he were working on the ranch. Waller declined.

After his marriage ended and he married Linda Bow, they moved to a big place near Fredericksburg in Texas Hill Country. He went fly fishing in the pond on his property and taught himself jazz guitar until nerve damage in his hands made it impossible to play. He also reconnected with his former self, the business and economics professor, resulting in the 2011 nonfiction book, The Summer Nights Never End Until They Do: Social Traps, Vicious Circles and the Lure of the Short-Run.

We still spoke occasionally, and it was clear this book was Wallers pride and joy. This is a good project for a gentleman my age  the best piece of work Ive ever done and a walloping good time, he said.

Waller then conjured up a favorite Bridges quote from Kincaid, which Im reminded of now as I consider the loss of my friend: Things change. They always do, its one of the things of nature. Most people are afraid of change, but if you look at it as something you can always count on, then it can be a comfort.
Iowans time and again have shown their commitment to the causes and communities they care about by providing the financial support necessary to turn dreams into realities, help neighbors in need and invest in the future of our state.

For more than 10 years, such investments have been rewarded with a 25 percent state tax credit called Endow Iowa. Endow Iowa provides an opportunity to make meaningful gifts benefiting Iowa causes and communities for years to come while receiving a tax credit today. Available exclusively through Iowa community foundations, such as the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, Endow Iowa is an investment in the future of our state.

Thanks to Endow Iowa, impact is being achieved in every corner of Iowa today and for generations to come. Real impact such as in Black Hawk County where a donor gave a generous gift to an Endow Iowa qualified nonprofit fund to help support local parks, trails and conservation initiatives. Or in northern Iowa where a couple established an Endow Iowa eligible fund to ensure the community performing arts center will have funds available for maintenance forever.

In 2016 alone, the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa and its 24 affiliate community foundations worked with donors to utilize more than $276,000 in Endow Iowa tax credits to leverage more than $1.1 million in gifts to Iowa causes. Since its inception, Endow Iowa has helped generate $24 million in endowed gifts annually, and that is just the beginning. Because endowed gifts are permanent, they are able to generate support for Iowa charitable causes now and forever.

In a time when our elected officials are making difficult decisions about our states budget, the need to increase available Endow Iowa tax credits from $6 million to $8 million has never been more important. The demand for this program continues to grow. Each of the past four years, Endow Iowa tax credits all have been claimed before the end of the calendar year, leading to increased amounts of carryover credits from year to year. The success of the program speaks to the foresight of this public-private approach to creating solutions that strengthen our state. Imagine the future of our state if leaders increased available Endow Iowa tax credits to grow support for tomorrow, today.

As we anticipate a transfer of wealth of more than $824 billion over the next 50 years, the need for growth of the Endow Iowa tax credit program becomes only more critical. It encourages already generous Iowans to consider how they can continue to support the causes, organizations, churches, schools and communities they have supported throughout their lives for generations to come. Such generosity can help ensure all corners of our state will thrive into the future, and our fellow Iowans will continue to enjoy the quality of life that makes us proud to call Iowa home.

If you have experienced positive community impact made possible by the Endow Iowa tax credit program, we encourage you to contact your legislators and share these stories as they continue their support of this legislation.
Consider this an open letter to our good conservative Republicans in the Iowa Senate who are proudly proclaiming success in getting Senate File 253 onto the floor of the Senate with all of the religious zeal they can muster. For the uninformed, Senate File 253 is a direct assault on a womens right to terminate a pregnancy without recourse to any law administration. The bill declares life is valued and protected from the moment of conception, and each life is accorded rights under state and federal constitutions and law.

Now we can only deduce this bill is rife with religious intent, so lets venture into that territory.

I can only assume the senators pushing this bill think they are doing Gods will, even in the case of preventing a woman who is the victim of forcible rape from ridding herself of this horrible reminder of any by-product of a traumatic experience. That raises a question. By whose machinations did the rape occur, Gods or Satans? Who do the senators think provided the incentive for some scum to commit rape? I personally dont think God goes looking for women to rape, but Ill bet Satan does.

Is it responsible legislation to force a victim to carry an unwanted and uninvited fetus to term, reminded at every movement within her body of the horror, pain and humiliation she was forced to suffer? Should she be forced to undergo the pain and trauma of giving birth  another reminder of her attacker and his utterly humiliating act? Per Money magazine, it now costs $245,340 to raise a child to maturity. Are the Republicans furnishing the money? Is this Gods will?

Now for real kicker! Senate File 335, now on hold until 2018, calls for bringing back the death penalty  also proposed by religious Republicans. Lets suppose an offspring of rape grows up to be a real scumbag, which almost is a given under the circumstances. The scumbag commits a heinous crime and is convicted in the courts. Now the Republicans say it is OK to commit retroactive abortion, and its OK to kill the bastard.

Was this Gods plan or Satans? Which one are the Republicans backing here? It all could have been forestalled way back at conception, letting the unwilling mother use her own judgment. Do you back Satan or God, or do you still maintain this was Gods plan from the beginning?

I have some really good advice for the religious right. Walk away from both of these issues. There are excellent reasons why our countrys founders dictated separation of religion and state. Besides, Senate File 253 is a woman issue, and women should be the only ones to discuss it and to come to their own conclusions regarding any action  if its needed and if its possible to be fair to all women.

In walking away from Senate File 335, Iowa will remain a state without the death penalty, and there are excellent reasons for doing so. Executing a person really is more expensive than housing them after endless appeals. Further, recent history has shown modern science and investigative techniques have proven many inmates on death row are innocent. Do you want to ride along with Satan and execute an innocent person? Better you abide with God per Luke 8:11: Neither do I condemn thee: Go out and sin no more.
Dear Mr. Berko: Im 56, and my wife and I work in real estate. We have about $285,000 in stocks plus a $122,000 annuity we just bought from our stockbroker. We hope to retire in 10 years and then work just part time. Now we are looking for income and growth. We own 146 shares of Costco, which we bought at $43 in 2005, and have reinvested all the dividends  which have increased each year, so each year, I get more shares. We do this with all our stocks, which is what you recommended to us many years ago.

Unfortunately, Costco yields only 1 percent. Because were now looking for more income, our broker wants us to sell Costco (I have a large tax-loss carryforward in two other stocks our broker sold us) and buy Wal-Mart because it yields 2.9 percent. Wal-Mart also has a good record of dividend and profit growth. This would triple our income, and we would stay in the same investment sector, which makes good sense to us. My wife and I would appreciate your opinion and good advice.

 LL, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Dear LL: Jumpin Jehoshaphat, that stockbrokster has cracker crumbs on his brain and is dangerous to your wealth. I strongly recommend you get your account reviewed by a knowledgeable, wise and experienced professional you can trust. Meanwhile, dont you dare sell Costco.

Costco (COST-$164), with 505 wholesale membership warehouses in the U.S.  plus 91 in Canada, 36 in Mexico, 28 in the United Kingdom, 12 in South Korea, 12 in Taiwan and eight in Australia  is one of the finest mega-retailers in the world. Because less than 25 percent of its merchandise is imported, COST is well-insulated from potential changes in the tax code, if Congress has the guts to follow through with trade tariffs. (Some 68 percent of Wal-Marts merchandise is imported.) Membership trends continue to be solid. The 89 percent renewal rate is the best in the industry, and based on the successes of prior increases, I suspect management will hike its membership fee later this year. It takes about seven or eight quarters for such a fee hike to be fully felt on the income statement, and a small hike would add importantly to COSTs bottom line.

Based on past performance, Id prefer being an owner of COST over being an owner of Wal-Mart (WMT-$71) stock. COSTs net profit margins of 4 percent are 35 percent higher than WMTs 2.7 percent, and certainly COSTs sweet stock performance  a fourfold increase in the past dozen years  must be the envy of the WMT boys in Bentonville. The companies sell similar products, but Wall Street believes COST does it better. And indeed it does. COSTs 218,000 employees generated $120 billion in revenues last year, creating $2.6 billion in net income, which translates to $18,000 net profit per employee. Meanwhile, WMTs 2.3 million employees put $500 billion in revenues on the books last year, producing $13.5 billion in net income, or $6,000 net profit per employee. So COSTs employees take home bigger paychecks and better retirement benefits than all those at WMT. Argus Research, Thomson Reuters, Market Edge and Merrill Lynch have hold recommendations on WMT and buy recommendations on COST.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Anxious to get married, Liam rushed everyone on the plane to Australia, the site of his future nuptials. Sally took too long to accept Thomas invitation to Steffy and Liams wedding, so she flew alone on a no-frills airline. Brooke didnt believe Katies suspicion something is going on between Ridge and Quinn. Ridge and Quinn exchanged covert looks as Eric rambled on and on about how happy he was Ridge and Quinn had buried the hatchet and were working so well together. When Brooke said Katie had seen Quinn and Ridge together, Ridge stated they were merely working.

DAYS OF OUR LIVES: Deimos walked into Nicoles hotel room as she and Brady were about to take Holly and leave for Canada. Nicole and Brady insisted they are just friends when Deimos accused her of being in love with Brady. Nicole made it clear she doesnt love Deimos and reminded him she wouldnt be on the run if he hadnt ruined her chance to get custody of Holly by trying to bribe the judge. Jennifer warned Chad not to cheat on Abigail after he admitted he still has feelings for Gabi. Gabi, who knows Dario has it bad for Abigail, warned him Abigail will never have romantic feelings for him. Eric made plans to return to Salem and accepted Jennifers job offer at the Horton Center. Marlena got Eric to advise a young man who had driven drunk and caused an accident, like Eric had. Steve and Kayla left for Arizona to find his and Avas son, Tripp. Joey told Jade they can only be friends.

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason and Curtis defused the bomb Olivia had left with Robin in an elevator. Ava was stunned to find her older sister Olivia in her apartment. Olivia forced Ava to call Julian, and he went looking for Olivia. When Julian met Olivia as ordered on the bridge from which shed shoved Sam, he saw Alexis handcuffed to the bridge. When Olivia handed Julian a gun and ordered him to kill Alexis, he shot the handcuffs and told Alexis to run. Alexis heard a gunshot when Olivia shot Julian, who was wounded and fell into the river. Alexis and Ava realized Julian may be dead. Olivia was arrested after a showdown with Carly and Sonny, who know she killed Morgan. Hayden and Elizabeth agreed to keep mum about Finns pill addiction after he agreed to a hospital leave of absence to get clean. Jake is having flashbacks from when Helena kidnapped him.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: A photographer named Jordan came to Lilys rescue when a fan named Don, who had been spying on her, walked into her suite during a wedding expo at the GCAC and forced her to let him take photos of her. Later, Don was caught taking a photo of Lily through a window in her home. Victoria congratulated Cane for getting store owners in Singapore, Thailand, Japan and South Korea to sign contracts to sell the Brash & Sassy mens line. The next morning, a hungover Cane couldnt remember what happened after celebrating his success with Juliet, the interpreter who helps him, and downing too much sake. Juliet pitched for a big-time job at Brash & Sassy, and Cane said he had put in a word for her. Lauren worried about Scott, who refused to talk about his kidnapping. Scott caught on when Lauren arranged for Phyllis to spend time with him.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 17, 2017 | 06:30 AM | GRAVES COUNTY, KY

The Graves County Board of Education held its March business meeting Thursday evening where the board unanimously approved establishing a daycare program.

The Early Eagle Academy Child Care program will be available to families with children younger than school age on a tuition basis with plans to open for the 2017-18 school year in August. The project still is in its planning stages. The district is not taking applications at this time. However, administrators will announce application and other details as the program unfolds in coming weeks.

Superintendent Kim Dublin late Friday morning said, "What a tremendous response we already have gotten from people interested in our tuition-based child care at five of our schools, starting this fall! I know that our principals and many others in our district are getting questions about the Early Eagle Academy Child Care program. I know that, because I'm getting those questions, too!"

Dublin explained, "We were not in a position to plan logistics until the board approved the program. We're pleased that the 5-0 vote indicates the entire board's support! So, now we make concrete plans! Melissa Bazzell will lead the program. She has extensive education and experience in early childhood learning. She and I will meet next week to organize the process. We will do our best to address the major questions people have been asking last night and this morning."

The superintendent noted, "Primarily, people want to know about enrolling their children in day care and several adults are interested in employment. Our goal is to provide answers to those questions, establishing an application process for both. We expect to have answers by mid- to late April. Meanwhile, we are grateful for the overwhelming interest!"

Both the daily hours and number of days will be longer than the school day and school calendar That helps meet the needs of many working parents, according to Melissa Bazzell, the Graves County Schools early childhood learning specialist. The curriculum will help prepare children for school. The school district will adhere to licensing and regulation, as other child care programs do.

Bazzell told the board that among the 2,450 children aged birth to 5 years currently living in Graves County, established child care facilities only meet 23 percent of the need. She explained that funding changes have caused several facilities in Graves County to close in recent years, leaving a void.

The Early Eagle Academy Child Care program initially will serve between 120 and 150 children. It will occupy unused rooms at Fancy Farm, Farmington, Symsonia, and Wingo elementary schools as well as Graves County Middle School.
By The Associated Press Mar. 18, 2017 | 08:58 AM | WASHINGTON, DC

The House Republican health care bill has competition from another GOP group, governors with their own proposal on how to overhaul Medicaid for low-income people. They're hoping Republican senators will find their ideas more persuasive.

It's a gradual approach, with additional options for states. It's likely to involve more federal spending than the House bill, but also keep more people covered. In the end, though, the governors are still talking about fundamental change.

Four GOP governors are pushing the plan, saying they represent most of the 33 Republican state chief executives. There's no inkling that Democratic governors are involved.

Medicaid is a federal-state program that covers more than 70 million low-income people, about 1 in 5 Americans. It will be a central issue in the Senate health care debate.
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Snowing and snowing!

The ground is covered again, but since the temperature is right at freezing, the snow will go fast. (?) I hope

Game plan

I have to leave Russia. This is when I do my outside business in the rest of the world. Since I have to leave every six months for a day or so. I use such a time for doing business boring stuff and most of the time I go alone. This time is no exception and by this next weekend I will be gone for about a week. Not something I care to do really

Therefore, I will be traveling to Moscow, once Svetochka comes, and of course Boza will be with us. I have things to fix and do in Moscow. Svetochka is limping the computer at home and that is one issue I must fix.  My IBM computer specialist Sweetie Pie is lost with Windows OSs and since that is my expertise, I must fix such issues

I am sure that she has a list of what to fix, for do not most gals have such lists for their guys?

Once in Moscow and my trip to never never land is over, we must concentrate on several issues. One is to have Boza looked at again by an eye specialist. Two is for me to see a doctor and see about medication adjustments and my health in general. Three need to look a couple of 44s located in Moscow and last but not least get ready for spring and summer in the Tiny Russian Village

I have a shower house to finish and a chicken coop to build this summer. We also need to concentrate on gathering more property in the Tiny Russian Village. It is dirt cheap and if we do not scrounge for it, the Orthodox Church will get it for a song and a dance We might as well dance too

I am planting sunflowers this year. Well that and potatoes, onions, garlic and tomatoes. The sunflowers will be dried and left on the head and then used in the winter for the chickadees and yes the sparrows, oh and jay birds. We saved a slew of birdbrain buddies this winter and they will pay me back by pest control. Though I do have to deal with sunflower defoliation per the pest control. Chickadees just love sunflower seeds

The potatoes will do well as the birds clean up on the potato bugs like they did last year. Yippy do dah

Vova and I also have to rebuild the back wall of the village home and all the wood is seasoned now well enough to use. I still have a bunch of work to get the backside of the home ready and that will be my first project to get done. Then we can rebuild the wall

We also have to concentrate upon the issue of no water in the village. Time to start pressuring the local government?

We have come to find out that it is the electric companies fault. The electric company updated the whole grid system and changed phase, the well has been ignored and instead of fixing it, they just burnout relays. Well relays are not easy to get anymore, since they are not used around here. Thus, the electric company has to rewire the system and to get that done, the local government in the nearby village has to get off their ass and care enough to push the paper work through. Yes I know, this should have been done correctly in the first place, but who cares about three people living in a Tiny Russian Village. That is our issue! 

I know when it will get done!

We have several ex and current government employees that stay the summer here. They will make a few calls and they will fire up a few asses with kindling and we will have water again. That is the way the world works and that is everywhere. We even have a few ex cops that stay here for weeks in the summer, they will get the water going Oh and yes we also have a ex government employee of the local variety and she stays all summer. I promise you she will not be a happy camper when she finds her well (which is all of our wells,) is not full of fresh clean water. She yelled at me all summer as I got water, she thinks it is her well and only her well

She will get it fixed or else someone will pay dearly

Time to go and walk Boza in the new snow

Have a nice day

WtR
GOLDEN, CO, March 19, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- ADAPT, the Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies, a research consortium focused on developing technologies to accelerate the certification and qualification of 3D printed metal parts, welcomes their most recent member, Big Metal Additive, a new company that specializes in larger build metal additive manufacturing.



"I have been pioneering large additive manufacturing capabilities for aerospace and spacecraft applications for almost two decades and now I am excited to launch Big Metal Additive (BMA) to satisfy complex designs that meet the needs of a broad range of customers," said BMA Founder Slade Gardner. "Colorado is the right place to be for this company launch especially with the powerful technology support that comes with ADAPT expertise."



BMA uses a proven wire-fed, arc-based additive manufacturing method to create large, complex design structures from aluminum. The first BMA machine is a 4ft x 4ft custom-built machine from a best-in-class manufacturer of custom-made 5-axis and 3-axis CNC routers based in Colorado Springs, CO. BMA has configured this first machine for large-scale industrial additive manufacturing that can be done in an open shop environment.



"ADAPT is excited to welcome Big Metal Additive to our membership. This Colorado startup is focused on new technologies for bigger, lightweight structures and thus brings a new length scale to our membership and research activities. We are excited about this great partnership that will draw on previous research efforts and offer deep learning for better machine control," said ADAPT Technical Director Aaron Stebner.



About Big Metal Additive

BMA was founded by Slade Gardner, formally a distinguished fellow at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. The Golden, Colorado based startup provides large additive aluminum components. Most metal additive manufacturing machines have a build volume less than a cubic foot. BMA's build volume is more than 15 cubic feet. Dr. Gardner has a wealth of experience specifying and configuring necessary equipment for these builds with specific expertise in large scale wire based additive metal processes. For more information, visit http://www.bigmetaladditive.com.



About ADAPT

The Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies (ADAPT) is a research and development organization dedicated to the creation of next-generation data informatics and advanced characterization technologies for additive manufacturing technologies. ADAPT uses these tools to help industry and government qualify, standardize, assess, and optimize advanced manufacturing processes and parts. Several levels of membership to the ADAPT consortium are available. Founding industry members include Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Faustson Tool, Lockheed Martin, Citrine Informatics. Grant funding from the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT) was provided to Manufacturer's Edge and The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership. For more information, find ADAPT on the web at http://adapt.mines.edu/, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.



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Aqdas Aftab in bitchmedia:

Last year, while working as a graduate student instructor for a composition course themed around gender justice, I asked my students to read Audre Lordes A Litany for Survival. The last few lines of this poemSo it is better to speak/ remembering/ we were never meant to survivewere of special interest to my students, most of whom were white cis women. One of them understood these lines to allude to the experience of all women who are silenced by a patriarchal system that makes womens survival difficult. Another talked about how she was moved by Lordes poetics because she identified personally with the pain of the narrator because she knew how terrible it was to be boxed by patriarchal expectations. This discussion about Lordeand her poetics about seemingly universal womanhoodtook place much later in the semester, after I had already discussed a brief history of Black feminist critiques of second-wave feminism with my students; among their readings was The Combahee River Collective Statement, which outlines the history, exigency, and goals of Black feminist organizing. So why were they so keen to find something in Lordes poem that spoke to their personal experiences? These students were not averse to discussing race in general; in fact,they demonstrated an admirable honesty as they worked through their own white privilege. Yet they had this urge to identify with Audre Lordes narratives, making Lordes personal voice their own.

Their responses speak to a larger problem in the appropriation of Audre Lorde by white feminists (and also non-Black and non-indigenous feminists of color), who find resonance in Lordes feminist framework, but fail (or refuse) to recognize that Lordes politics revolve around the importance of staying cognizant of racial difference in feminist movements. A lot of Lordes writing is about her personal experience as a Black, lesbian, feminist, and hence captures the lived reality of a specific community who is racialized, sexualized, and gendered in a certain way. But in many of her speeches and essays such as The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism, Lorde is speaking to white women, asking them to explore how they contribute to the erasure, tokenization, and dehumanization of Black women.

More here.
Aaron Reeves in Nature:

Donald Trump's election to the US presidency and Brexit  Britain's impending divorce from the European Union  have both been read as populist rejections of rising inequality, driven by economic and political elites. But democracies do not necessarily reduce inequality. Nor is it clear that Trump or UK Prime Minister Theresa May (or French presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen, for that matter) will disentangle elites, state power and money. Indeed, a number of Trump's Cabinet appointments  such as Wilbur Ross, commerce secretary and billionaire businessman  merely replaced Washington insiders with corporate insiders, whose vested interests have been vigorously questioned.

However much it is in the news, income inequality is an ancient and intractable social, economic and political condition. Now, five books examine its inevitability, in terms of both political economy and consequences. They take up the baton from social scientists Thomas Piketty, Tony Atkinson, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, whose books have reignited this global debate in the past decade. Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century (Belknap, 2014) tries to hold economics and politics together. He argues that inequality is a product of fundamental laws of capitalism, and would be amenable to change through a global tax on financial transactions. Atkinson's Inequality (Harvard University Press, 2015), with Wilkinson and Pickett's The Spirit Level (Allen Lane, 2009), contends that inequality can be curtailed through greater government intervention in technological development and labour markets. What do the five new studies add?

More here.
USD women's basketball to show what new group can do following Sweet 16

The Coyotes could introduce quite a few names to the Summit League this year.
Stars like Emma Watson and Amanda Seyfried launched legal action Wednesday after personal pictures were stolen and posted online. Mischa Barton also recently spoke of her anguish over a leaked sex tape. The photographs of the 26-year-old actress merely show her trying on outfits but the images of Amanda and Mischa show them in a series of compromising poses. Ms Watsons publicist said her stolen pictures were taken during a fitting she had with a stylist a couple of years ago, without offering further details about the circumstances of the shoot or how the images had ended up in the wrong hands.

They are not nude photographs. Lawyers have been instructed and we are not commenting further, he told AFP.

Media reports said the pictures had been shared on the so-called dark web  an encrypted part of the internet not easily accessible by users lacking specialist knowledge.

Later on Wednesday, Amanda Seyfrieds legal team said it is pursuing a website that had posted her nude photos including images of intimate moments with her ex-boyfriend, reported TMZ.

Meanwhile, Mischa, speaking at a news conference on the outskirts of Los Angeles, said she was taking action to stop the potential sale of a sex tape made against her will in a so-called revenge porn case.

Mischa told reporters she had obtained a restraining order, and that cease-and-desist letters had been sent to those believed to be trying to buy or sell the images.

I just want to say that I have been put through an incredibly hard and trying time, said the 31-year-old actress best known for her role on the Fox series The OC.

Reading from a prepared statement, she said her worst fears were realized when she learned that someone she had loved and trusted had been filming her most intimate and private moments with hidden cameras.

Mischas lawyer, Lisa Bloom, said someone the actress had once dated was offering the tape for $500,000, adding that buyers could be prosecuted.

Ms Watson, who stars in Disneys Beauty and the Beast, was threatened on the controversial 4Chan message board in 2014 with a leak of nude images after she had delivered a speech about gender equality. That threat turned out to be a hoax.

Last month, a 29-year-old Chicago man was jailed for nine months for hacking into the electronic accounts of celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence on Apples iCloud service, and stealing private information like nude videos and photos.

Dozens of celeb photos were posted online as part of the 2014 phishing exercise, including shots of Rihanna, Kate Upton and Kirsten Dunst. Apple admitted a targeted attack, but denied its cloud storage system had been breached.
After a massive win in Uttar Pradesh, BJP kept everyone guessing about who will be the next CM of the Indias largest state. Out of 312 MLAs, BJP and Modi could not find even one Chief Ministerial candidate and they picked from the centre. BJP think, he is most appropriate to lead the state. Yogi Adityanaths original name is Ajay Singh Bisht. He completed his graduation in BSc (Maths) from Garhwal University in 1992. Later in 1994, he received deeksha as a disciple of Gorakhnath temple head Mahant Avaidyanath, who declared him his successor, later on he came to be known as Yogi Adityanath.

Media painted him in a very peculiar way. There was a social unrest, lots of criticism on social media against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this choice who openly advocated hate against minorities. People voted for BJP trusting Modis development agenda, they believed the promises made by him about development, that talk about bridging the crevasse between Hindus and Muslims, all that assertion about gender rights, including those of Muslim women reeling under the weight of the absurd triple talaq. Clearly, it was all tainted. With the promotion of Adityanath as UP CM, Modi has shown us what he really thinks of the mandate in Uttar Pradesh. By choosing Yogi, Modi has left people confused, his development memo do not match to his choice. But what I personally feel is that Uttar Pradesh needs a strong young leader, who can be tool to deliver Modis promises. Yogi Adityanath is a learned man, a capable leader, may bring in the needed development, as a CM of the largest state of UP. Adityanath is a strong personality and he really helps Muslims and minorities of the state. Moreover, if we all question, why Yogi Adityanath, then there can be an answer Why cant Yogi Adityanath?.

Though! Yogi belongs to a specific tradition of Hindutva politics in Uttar Pradesh that can be traced back to the Mahant Digvijay Nath, who led the capture of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya for Hindus on 22 December 1949. Both Digvijay Nath and his successor, Avaidyanath, belonged to the Hindu Mahasabha and were elected to the Parliament on that partys ticket. After the BJP and the Sangh Parivar joined the Ayodhya movement in the 1980s, the two strands of Hindu nationalism came together. Yogi Avaidyanath joined BJP in 1991, but nevertheless maintained significant autonomy. Adityanath was appointed Avaidyanaths successor as the Mahant of Gorakhnath Mutt in 1994. Four years later, he was elected to the Lower House of the Lok Sabha. That time, he was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at 26. He has been elected to the Parliament from Gorakhpur for five consecutive terms in 1998, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 elections.

After his first electoral win, Yogi Adityanath started his own militant youth wing Hindu Yuva Vahini, which has been known for several strong activities in the Purvanchal region in eastern Uttar Pradesh. There have been recurrent tensions between Adityanath and the BJP leadership over the allocation of election tickets. However, the BJP has not let the tensions mount because Yogi Adityanath has served as a star campaigner for the party. Adityanath has had a strained relation with the BJP for more than a decade. With the emergence of a separate powerbase in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, he has been seeking greater power, causing further conflicts.

On 2224 December 2006, Adityanath organised a three-day Virat Hindu Mahasammelan at Gorakhpur, during the same period when the BJP was holding its National Executive Meet in Lucknow in the same state. The Uttar Pradesh Elections, 2007 saw a conflict between Adityanath and the BJP leadership  he wanted more than hundred seats in this region to go to candidates selected by him, but the party leadership would not agree. Subsequently, a compromise agreement was reached, and eight of his candidates were fielded. In March 2010, Adityanath was one of several BJP MPs who stated disobedience to the party whip on the Womens Reservation Bill.

In January 2007, an altercation occurred amidst a Hindus and Muslims during a Muharram procession in Gorakhpur which led to the injuring and hospitalization of a young man, Raj Kumar Agrahari. The District Magistrate made it clear that Adityanath should not visit the site as it may cause tensions. He initially agreed but after Agrahari died, he travelled to the site with a group of his followers. Adityanath started a non-violent dharna on the site. Some members of the group set fire to a nearby mazaar (Muslim mausoleum). A curfew was implemented by the local police, but Adityanath violated it and was subsequently jailed under Section 151A, Sections 146, 147, 279, 506 of the Indian Penal Code. He was arrested and remanded for a fortnight, on charges of disturbing peace. The day after the arrest, the District Magistrate along with the local police chief, were transferred and replaced. This was widely perceived as a result of Adityanaths clout with the Uttar Pradesh government of Mulayam Singh Yadav. The tensions soon escalated to riots across Gorakhpur leading to the burning of mosques, homes, buses and trains. After his release, Adityanath protested his jailing in the Parliament.

During the intolerance debate in the Indian media in late 2015, Adityanath compared actor Shah Rukh Khan to Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed. He said, Shah Rukh Khan should remember that majority population of the country made him the star, and if they boycott his films, he will also have to wander on streets. It is unfortunate SRK is speaking the same language that of Hafiz Saeed. In 2005 more than 5,000 people were converted to Hinduism in Etah.

Media has always written the controversial side of him, but they ignored the good work he did by serving people through various charity works. In his Gorakhpur Ashram, Hindus and Muslims are equally offered free meals, free treatments in his hospitals. Perhaps that is the reason Adityanath is winning from Gorakhpur for last 5 terms, we cannot ignore this. If he does not have any goodness left in him definitely the voters would have rejected him. Let him get a chance to perform as CM of the state. People are here to award or reward a leader as per his performance.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
Miscreants could have conducted a peaceful protest without disrupting law and order.

A group of people set police vans on fire and threw stones at the vehicles to protest against an offensive post by a man of social networking site. Miscreants also vandalised the Trombay Police Station and demanded that the accused be handed over to them. Many of them had gathered outside police station and situation remained tense in the area. A question which arises here is why did miscreants take law and order into their hands and attack the police station? They could have conducted a peaceful protest without disrupting law and order. If the situation had gone out of control then it could have claimed several lives. A complaint was lodged on Saturday against the man for an objectionable post by him on Facebook that allegedly hurt some religious sentiments.

The police have arrested the accused Arvind Chinwa and also have taken 26 people into custody. They are examining the CCTV footage to obtain further evidence about the incident. Police have also cordoned off the area and prevented the assembly of persons outside the police station.

A mob of around 100 to 150 people assembled outside Trombay Police station. They pelted stones and broke the window panes of the police station. They also had torched three vehicles as police personnel sustained injuries. Police had carried out plastic bullet firing to control the situation as two people had sustained injuries. They were discharged after offering preliminary medication. The police have arrested the accused under various sections of the Information Technology act

Additional Commissioner of Police (eastern region) Manoj Lohia, said, The accused named Arvind Chinwa is employed with Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. He had posted an edited photo on facebook which had hurt the religious sentiments of people belonging to a particular community. Later, the situation became tense in Trombay and it intensified in the Cheetah camp area.

We have taken miscreants under custody and have filed cases against them for inciting riots and disrupting law and order in the area. We are probing this matter and gathering further evidence. Action will be taken against the accused, he added.

AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan met the 17 accused along with Corporator Shanawaz from Cheeta camp and assured them that the party will provide all legal assistance to them. He said, Shahnawaz was picked from his residence and falsely implicated in the case due to political rivalries. The incident of burning the police vehicles is deplorable and action must be taken against culprits. A high level inquiry must be conducted. I will raise the issue in assembly.

Ramesh Shinde, National spokesperson, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti said, Rioters have exhibited audacity to take law in their hands even when police were taking action. The State Home Minister Devendra Fadanvis should look into the matter personally and try to find out facts whether such incidents were intentionally created to demoralize police. Stringent action must be taken against rioters. Local citizens have been terrorized due to the incident. Law and order should be maintained, anti-social elements should be kept under control and social peace should be maintained.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-VI, Shahaji Umap said the situation in the area is now under control.

Security has been stepped up in the area to avoid any untoward incident, he added.
Despite a long list of potential pitfalls, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillersons visit to China, the first by a senior member of the Trump administration, passed off relatively smoothly although there were no tangible gains to show.

On the positive side, there was none of the awkwardness of the kind seen in Washington as President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held the first summit meeting between two of the Wests biggest allies.

Even a tweet from Trump criticising China the night before Tillerson landed in Beijing did not, at least in public, create any discord.

As Tillerson wrapped up his visit on Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping praised his active efforts in making a smooth transition of the U.S.-China relationship to the Trump era.

Tillerson and the Chinese officials he met  Foreign Minister Wang Yi and State Councillor Yang Jiechi  struck a positive note, only hinting at differences in their positions.

For setting up a new tone, its a good start, said Sun Zhe, the co-director of the China Initiative of Columbia Universitys School of International and Public Affairs.

It seems that Donald Trumps administration is coming back to the normal track, trying to work with China to solve problems.

No formal agreements were announced in the visit, although the two sides said they would work together on North Korea and countering its rapidly developing nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Wrapped up in the tightly scripted proceedings, however, was a sense that the worlds two biggest economies were warily testing each other out as the new administration settles down in Washington. They seemed to be reserving airing of differences for another occasion.

The potential points of conflict are many, some inherited and some that have come up since Trump took office in January. The United States has started to deploy missile defences in South Korea that China views as a threat, Washington believes Beijing could do more to rein in Pyongyangs weapons programs, and prominent Trump administration officials and Trump himself have bashed Chinas trade practices.
The Lydia Project is an organization based out of Augusta that services women and girls with cancer around the country. Photos include picture
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Partly cloudy. Near record high temperatures. High 79F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.
Making sure hundreds of thousands of trout survive to see trout season takes some know-how. Thats to be expected. Water temperatures, oxygenation and feeding are all pieces of knowledge a hatchery manager and fish culturists should have.

How to protect the fish from other Pennsylvania predators is a little less obvious.

The Huntsdale Fish Hatchery in Penn Township, which is run by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, keeps its eggs and minnows indoors, but the majority of its trout stay outside until they grow big enough to be transported to waterways in the region for trout season.

Hatchery manager Jim Wetherill had placed a few trout in a public viewing area outside, and only days later, one was dead in the water.

The likely culprit? A great blue heron.

I thought the trout would be too big enough for it to eat, he said. And sure enough, it was. It just left it there.

The herons arent the only ones looking for a plentiful meal at the hatchery. Station foreman Andrew Wagner said they also get unwelcome visitors in the form of grackles, night crawlers and feral cats.

The hatchery uses netting over the entire area where the trout are kept, but small birds still worm through any opening. Wetherill says his crew usually knows when theres a significant problem based on the white mess left behind.

With larger raptors also taking notice and picking off the birds coming up from the netting after a meal, the hatchery sees quite a life cycle of nature  even if its main focus is trout.

Stocking

Trout stocking is in full swing this month, and doubly so last week when hatchery crews worked ahead of the winter storm. The hatchery has nearly a full schedule for six days each week in March, stocking trout at waterways across the south-central and southeast regions of the state.

Its the only hatchery in the region providing trout ahead of trout season. It also must work faster than other hatcheries, since trout season in the region  including the Midstate  starts on April 1. The opening day for the rest of the state is April 15.

The hatchery must also make sure waterways are stocked before Mentored Youth Trout Day, which is this Saturday in the Midstate.

And even after trout season begins, a number of waterways are restocked a second or third time.

Were stocking right to May 12, Wetherill said.

All in all, Wetherill estimates the hatchery stocks about 200 waters in their coverage area, which covers the Midstate, except for Dauphin County, as well as Philadelphia and Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks and Berks counties.

Trout

When the hatchery was built in 1932, Wetherill said it was located in a prime position off the railroad  where it still stands  and raised more than just trout. That focus has since narrowed to just a few cold-water types, including rainbow and brown. Wetherill said the springs from which the hatchery gets its water is the perfect temperature for the trout to flourish.

The trout begin their lives as eggs taken from mature trout and brought into the hatchery house, where they are placed in temperature-regulated water to better predict when they will hatch. The minnows then stay in large tanks as culturists monitor their size and health.

When they grow bigger, they are placed outside, where theyll live for about two to three seasons before they make it to the regions waterways.

In the meantime, though, hatchery crews must feed the minnows about eight times a day, and feed the trout outdoors four times a day. The comes in a truck that drives by the various segments of the hatchery raceways.

Wetherill said the full-time and seasonal employees monitor how many fish die in separate areas of the hatchery. More than just the predators in the sky and on land, disease is also an enemy.

He said the fish in the hatchery  and generally in situations where fish are contained in one area  get diseases that are not found in the wild.

Thirty (dead fish) a day (is normal), but if you see 45 to 70 a day, and that doubles every day, youll notice something is not right, he said.

At that point, the hatchery must move quickly to make sure whatever disease plagues one group of fish in a large raceway, does not spread to other parts of the raceway at the hatchery.

And given that the culturists are trained to protect the fish from diseases, predators and overcrowding, quite a few trout survive. The Fish & Boat Commission estimates average trout production to be 461,000 pounds, and Wetherill said they stock about 280,000 trout a year in the region.

Thats not counting, however, how much the hatchery gives to area nurseries to raise, which then provide thousands more trout to Pennsylvania waters.

And though trout stocking will take up most of the hatcherys time through May, its also a year-round job that includes hatching, feeding, cleaning, repairing the hatchery and taking the waste and dead trout to be turned into fertilizer.

Were always doing something here, Wetherill said.
March 19, 2017

An international womens film festival was held in Cairo this month to highlight cinematic work by female filmmakers, empower them and promote their presence and role in the film industry.

Women have played a major role in the development of international cinema. They deserve to have a festival that celebrates their work and provides an opportunity for more women to join the film industry, Amal Ramses, the president of the festival, told Al-Monitor.

Women have been part of the film industry for a long time; they are camerawomen, scriptwriters, film directors and actresses playing leading roles in top-grossing films. They have always been everywhere in the industry, but they are not given their due recognition, Ramses said.

The 10th edition of the Cairo International Womens Film Festival was held March 4-9 and showcased the works of more than 50 female directors from 30 Arab, Latin American, European and Asian countries.

Ramses said that there was a huge turnout of film lovers during the festival as well as a productive interaction between the audience and the filmmakers.

Ramses, 45, an Egyptian film director, initiated the festival in 2008 in order to introduce films directed by women in the Arab region and Latin America and explore the perspective of female filmmakers in the two regions.

When her first film was shown at a festival in Cuba, Ramses realized that Latin American films were hardly screened in Egypt and that her film was the only Arab film at the festival. This encouraged her to launch a festival that shows both Arab and Latin American films and offers a platform to female filmmakers.

To show its international character, the festival was renamed the Cairo International Womens Film Festival in 2013. However, it still has a special section for films from the Arab world and Latin America, titled the Caravan of Arab and Ibero-American Women's Films.

The film festival is the first of its kind in the Arab world, as it is exclusively dedicated to cinematic productions created by women.

The festival is a platform that introduces films created by women to the public and it serves as a meeting place for the audience and filmmakers, Ramses said. Furthermore, it creates a rare opportunity for female directors to get to know the viewpoints of the audience without any barriers.

During this years festival, Swiss cinema was highlighted, with four Swiss films being screened. One Swiss film, titled Looking Like My Mother, traces the life of filmmaker Dominique Margot, who grows up with a mother suffering from depression. The film shows Margots journey toward understanding the illness and her fears that she will wind up suffering from depression herself.

Other films displayed during the festival tackled a variety of topics that is not only about women. 4 Kings, a feature film directed by German filmmaker Theresa von Eltz, tells the story of four troubled youths who spend the Christmas holidays in a psychiatric unit for adolescents in the care of a young psychiatrist.

"The Long Night of Francisco Sanctis," which is a 2016 Argentine drama film directed by Francisco Marquez and Andrea Testa, was also part of the festival. The film traces the life of office clerk Francisco Sanctis, who risks the safety of his family to rescue two friends about to be kidnapped by the army.

Award winners are chosen by the audience  a rare system in the film festival world that seeks to empower the audience to choose the best films.

The audience is the most important part in the film industry and that is why we give them the power to grant the awards, Ramses said.

During the festival, films are screened free of charge in order to promote the works of female artists. All films have Arabic-language subtitles so that the audience understands the issues tackled on the screen.

The festival also organizes workshops for women who are looking to join the film industry and to get tips on how to make films.

Cinema critic Tarek el-Shenawy said that women are of fundamental importance for the success of films around the world. Although they do not appear in leading roles that much and are not given the deserved recognition, women have made their mark on both the Arab and international film industry, Shenawy told Al-Monitor.

He praised the efforts of Ramses over the past 10 years to organize this festival that gives women the opportunity to showcase their cinematic work.

Although male filmmakers and actors have addressed womens issues over the years, an event such as the Cairo International Womens Film Festival is seen as a "very good opportunity to highlight the work of women," according to writer and cinema critic Khairiya el-Beshlawy.

Beshlawy added, However, the festival is a good opportunity to empower female directors, scriptwriters, actresses and camerawomen and give them credit for their work.
March 17, 2017

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt  Egyptian, Sudanese and Syrian youth in Egypt recently worked together to produce a play conveying stories about racism, gender discrimination, violence against women and suppressing talent.

CARE International in Egypt, in coordination with the Soryana Center and Sudan House Club in Alexandria, held the March 12 special event, which focused on the two largest communities in Cairo and Alexandria: Syrian and Sudanese. The event, part of a CARE program on gender-based violence, was the product of a training workshop held March 7-11 in Ain Sokhna. Young men and women participated.

This event is designed to rectify sociocultural-rights concepts in all Arab and Islamic societies, which are authoritarian when dealing with women and do not take into account Islamic teachings and Sunna, Awatef Basheer Fadel, the head of the culture department at Sudan House Club, said in a speech to open the day's events.

Mayer Magdy Wadih, a CARE interactive theater trainer, spoke with Al-Monitor about the training and play.

Psychodrama is the technique used in the training; it is a form of psychotherapy using role play. The objective was to help young people fulfill themselves and realize their personal potential and talents," he said. "Also, the goal is to train them in expressing themselves, accepting others and learning they are all human beings and cannot use violence against other individuals."

Initially, the Syrians and Sudanese formed their own groups and wouldn't sit together. "But they started socializing as we went along with the training," he said. The play consisted of improvised messages delivered by the youths. There was no script, and they wrote their own songs. I was there just to help them finalize the ideas and add some words.

On whether the training achieved its goal, he said that in the end, participants turned into one integrated group and those who were shy became bold. He noted that fear and unsociability are not traits of any particular community, but rather of some participants of the different communities.

Amin Ahmed, 20, a Sudanese actor in the play, spoke to Al-Monitor about how he first joined the training.

I have been in Egypt for a year and a half. I was part of the Hard Base band in Sudan, where I sang rap songs for three years during culture weeks and concerts. When I arrived in Egypt, I found myself in an unfamiliar society and my self-confidence dropped. There were people who laughed when looking at me. I feared being in relationships," he said.

"I tried to rap, but people couldn't understand my accent. So I decided to write rap songs in modern standard Arabic to help them understand, and I am still writing. But I haven't recorded the songs because I don't have access to recording equipment such as a laptop and a microphone. During the training classes, I met a Syrian guy who raps, and we started thinking about doing something together. In fact, I get along with Syrians, because we live under the same circumstances. We are both away from home.

Commenting on his experience in the interactive theater, Ahmed said, It was beneficial for my personality and [social] development; it helped me boost my self-confidence. Now I know that I can do something, and do it well. This experience helped me and made me realize that I'm capable of integrating into Syrian, Egyptian and any other communities.

Ghaith Otabashi, 14, a Syrian who appeared in the play, told Al-Monitor, I was afraid of performing in front of an audience. Also, I was scared of dealing with Sudanese because I had this prejudiced idea that they're violent. This idea changed following the training. And now I want to enhance my acting skills.

Zeinab Ahmad, 17, a Sudanese participant, told Al-Monitor, It was my first acting experience. I was scared a little bit before the start of the show. I managed to overcome my fears while performing."

Ahmad said he used to see Syrians as racist and arrogant. "This idea, however, changed during the training.

Mustafa Abdullatif, a gender-based violence project coordinator at CARE International, told Al-Monitor, 70% of the project actually addresses Syrians, while the other 30% addresses other communities.

He added, "The second-largest community in Alexandria  following the Syrian community  is the Sudanese community. Based on that, our first activity sought for the two communities to become integrated."

Sudan House Club's Fadel told Al-Monitor she learned about CARE International through the General Federation of Nongovernmental Organizations.

"Our cooperation with CARE International is based on their financial support for our activities. Sudan House Clubs financial situation is hard, as it only receives funds from some Sudanese businessmen. The House Club needs to be developed. For instance, there are no musical instruments in the music room." The club also needs to attract "the younger generation, she noted.

Commenting on her experience with the "excellent" Syrian community, she said, I noticed that [Syrians] are coherent and compassionate with each other. There are those youths who I thought were sisters, but I found out that they are just friends. Family ties are very important for Syrians. They are firmly connected, probably because they fled the war and live away from home."

She added, "We  the Sudanese  do not feel estranged in Egypt, because the Sudanese community has been in Egypt since 1965. There are only some Sudanese refugee families in Alexandria. In fact, we only feel like strangers here when we deal with authorities in terms of passports, for instance  particularly since a new law regulating foreigners' residency was enacted," which increased fees. "At the end of the day, we are an immigrant community and have poor financial capabilities; we do not have shops and restaurants like the Syrians do."

A Jan. 31 report published by UNHCR, the United Nation's refugee agency, said there are 117,591 Syrian refugees in Egypt. However, Hussein Osama, the chairman of the Sudanese community's High Council in Egypt, told the Arab Workers News Agency in May that there are more than 1 million Sudanese in Egypt. Osama told the same news agency that the council provides migrants with support and care, education, housing and health services.
March 17, 2017

Ever since the evening of March 15, the parliamentary coalition in Israel has been in a crisis mood over bitter exchanges between the entourage of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon's people. And what happened at the government meeting March 16 did not reconcile this crisis atmosphere, but made it worse. Adding fuel to the fire, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri delivered a warning to the prime minister and the squabbling ministers, saying, Im not going to stay in a government that thrives on malfunctioning and on destroying one another. If you dont all come to your senses, its better to hold an election.

Kahlon, who instigated the crisis with Netanyahu, knew the crisis would not lead to the dissolution of the government and would end shortly. While Deri also knew this, he wanted to situate himself as a central figure in the events.

Not one member of the coalition wants to dissolve it right now and move to an election. On the other hand, everyone in the coalition is preparing for the moment when Netanyahus fourth government falls apart and an official election campaign starts, and working on creating platforms for it.

When the squabbling started March 15, the coalition was holding a team-building day. But the day ended with raised voices after Netanyahu, in his evening speech, called on Kahlon to push back the launch of the new public broadcasting corporation, scheduled to replace the dysfunctioning Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA). When Netanyahu spoke, Kahlon had already left the Ramada Hotel in Hadera, where the event was held; his staff briefed him on the speech. Kahlon was shocked. Netanyahu had taken Kahlon by surprise, and he felt the prime minister was making him into the punching bag for the IBA, whose employees are trying to prevent the closing of their workplace, as Netanyahu is made out to be their protector. This angered Kahlon, since he was not part of Netanyahu's initiative to close the IBA in the first place.

That was the precise moment that Kahlon decided not to keep quiet and to teach Netanyahu a lesson in leadership, to get him back in line. Close to midnight, the press had started to report on a crisis between the finance minister and the prime minister. Kahlon let out steam about Netanyahu and was quoted as blaming the prime minister for stealing Kahlon's credit for his success at the Treasury Ministry, but you [Netanyahu] always disappear when there is trouble. Only control [over the public broadcasting corporation] interests you.

Kahlon went to battle to put Netanyahu in his place. He knew that Netanyahu would not fire him  and that the prime minister was not interested in an election right now. Thus, Netanyahu can only profit from the turmoil.

Indeed, the Kahlon-Netanyahu crisis began and ended within 24 hours. The two managed to fight, trade accusations in the press and stop it all before things got out of control. At noon March 16, word had gone out that Netanyahu and Kahlon had decided between themselves that the corporation would start broadcasting on time  on April 30. They also agreed to pass a law on media supervision, which would subject the corporation and other media entities to government supervision by means of a political body.

At the same time as the broadcasting corporation crisis, the media covered another squabble between Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beitenu) and Education Minister Naftali Bennett (HaBayit HaYehudi). The conflict between the two leaders of the right-wing parties, which are on an electoral collision course, started March 15 after Liberman asked Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, the head of the pre-military academy at the West Bank settlement of Eli, to resign following his insulting remarks against women in the Israel Defense Forces. Alongside the demand, Liberman issued an ultimatum to the rabbi that if he does not resign, Liberman would use his authority and put an end to budget support for the rabbis office at the academy.

Levinstein is considered one of the prominent rabbis of religious Zionism. Libermans threat, as expected, led to a harsh response from Bennett, the sectors representative in the government. In a stinging post on his Facebook page, Bennett maintained that Liberman is threatening to close the academy for political reasons and is making a cynical move at the expense of religious Zionism. Its more of Yvettes [Libermans] typical babble, he concluded.

Bennett is protecting those who would turn Israel into Iran. We will not allow it. In Israel, women are equal to men, Liberman tweeted in response.

The squeaky Bennett-Liberman axle naturally added to the sense that the government was spinning out of control. The Amona crisis, which has not yet been resolved, added fuel to the fire. The residents of the illegal Amona settlement were evacuated at the end of December by court order. At the time, Netanyahu promised them an alternative settlement location, but this has not been found yet, and Bennett is leading a struggle against Netanyahu on this issue.

But at the end of a day of political battles, when the picture of each member's political considerations becomes clear, we can estimate that Netanyahus fourth government, now marking exactly two years since its formation, is not yet about to fall. What we are seeing is merely the promo for the next election, as each one of the actors is marking his territory and laying the groundwork for the election campaign.

As Bennett appeals with all his might to the religious nationalist sector as their representative, making statements on the issue of Levinstein, the Amona crisis and annexation demands of the settlement town Ma'ale Adumim, Liberman continues to build himself as a pragmatic mainstream rightist. For his part, Kahlon is working to arrive at the next election as a stellar minister of finance, and to do so he needs more time and more achievements.

And Netanyahu is constantly checking the limits of tolerance of the heads of coalition parties. He estimates that not one of them  Kahlon, Liberman, Bennett and certainly not the ultra-Orthodox  want to tear everything down and go to an election now. Although polls indicate Bennett's party would gain three seats if the election were held today, Netanyahu estimates that Bennett will not allow himself to be the one to break up a right-wing government.

Paradoxically, this brief crisis  which lasted less than 24 hours  clarified that Netanyahus coalition is more stable than it has seemed in recent weeks, when the criminal investigations of the prime minister began. However, we can now see what the next election cycle would look like.
March 16, 2017

US President Donald Trump and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas finally spoke on the phone March 10. But anyone privy to this conversation would not have been surprised. In a cordial dialogue with little substance, Abbas called for a two-state solution effort on the 1967 lines, and Trump promised a peace effort in order to reach a regional deal and called on the Palestinian leader to halt incitement to violence. In the conversation, Abbas was invited to visit the White House. This undoubtedly is an incentive for the pragmatic Arab leaders to join the coalition against the Islamic State. Trump dispatched his envoy, Jason Greenblatt, on March 13 to both Jerusalem and Ramallah to explore positions of both sides on a regional framework for peace.

According to a senior PLO official close to the Palestinian president, Abbas is in a desperate mood. He feels betrayed by his traditional Arab partners at a time when he needs them most. His despair is focused especially on Egypt, which is clearly backing his archrival  Mohammed Dahlan, the former security chief under PLO leader Yasser Arafat. Dahlan, who has been ousted from the Fatah movement, has established in recent years a political and financial powerbase in the Gulf.

According to the official, Abbas has, for now at least, given up on changing dramatically the existing status quo. He objects to an armed intifada for fear of his own regime, and he will reach out to the new administration hoping against all odds that Trump will indeed engage in a regional deal-making and a two-state solution. While most of the PLO leadership in the West Bank sides with Abbas, few  if any  support his passive posture.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisis support for Dahlan is well-known to the Palestinian leadership. That was apparently the reason why Abbas confidant Jibril Rajoub was denied entry to Egypt on Feb. 27. Dahlan is feared among most Palestinian leaders given his ruthlessness, financial corruption and the support he enjoys from Egypt and the Gulf countries.

A West Bank security official who has been close to Dahlan for many years denied that Dahlan wants to take over control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The officials said that as an Arafat loyalist, Dahlan aspires to influence the Palestinian destiny. Gen. Dahlan is a realist. He knows the importance of galvanizing inter-Arab support for the Palestinian cause. He is interested in greater influence in the West Bank and Gaza in order to provide counsel and Arab financial assistance. All attempts for reconciliation with President Abbas have so far failed, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official also emphasized that Dahlans main objective is to get rid of the Israeli occupation. He favors civil resistance to the occupation as well as realistic diplomatic efforts. In this context, Dahlan is interested in challenging Israels alleged willingness to negotiate. On the other hand, he has given up on international peace efforts.

The one Israeli leader who Dahlan is interested to engage with is Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman. Dahlan and Liberman know each other for many years and share the same language of crude force. According to the official, Dahlan is ready to test the defense ministers alleged pragmatism and possibly negotiate with him on the basis of his plan for territorial and population exchange, as well as the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.

The official noted that some elements in Libermans plan could possibly serve as the basis for a two-state solution. The way Dahlan interprets the plan, a framework for a two-state solution should include elements such as advocating two independent states; that the scope and territory of the Palestinian state be equal in size to the West Bank and Gaza; that in most areas the border could be the 1967 lines; that land swaps for the Palestinian state could include some pre-1967 Israeli territory (Dahlan estimates that such land swaps could reinforce Palestinian society cohesion); and that East Jerusalem, with its Palestinian population, would come under Palestinian sovereignty.

Evidently, Dahlan would consider these elements only as a basis for negotiations, together with all of the elements of the Arab Peace Initiative. With Liberman, Dahlan could actually agree to negotiate with an Israeli right-wing partner. This is a point he would impress upon the United States, the support of which he may need one day. Given the volatility of the PA and Egypts shifting approach  which according to Palestinian press reports is adopting nowadays a more lenient approach vis-a-vis Hamas  this scenario is a possibility to be considered.

A senior Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs official who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects the Liberman plan. Israel is aware of Egypts backing of Dahlan but, for the continuation of its settlement policies, prefers a weak Abbas in Ramallah.
March 19, 2017

Would Israel attack Lebanese army?

Ben Caspit reports that a significant part of [Israeli] Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman's talks in Washington on March 7 was devoted to a war in Lebanon that could erupt at any given moment. According to top Israeli defense sources, this war, if it takes place, must be completely different from the last one. It must last a shorter amount of time and squeeze much greater destructive capabilities into smaller units of time.

Caspit adds that since the 2006 war, Liberman sees that the distinction between the Lebanese army and Hezbollah forces has been blurred considerably over the past few years, as has the distinction between Hezbollah  which also operates on the political level  and the sovereign state in which it resides. The IDF's working assumption is that the Lebanese army will play an active role against Israel in the next war on Lebanon, operating under Hezbollah's command.  Another difference anticipated in the next campaign is the balance of terror. While during Israel's second war in Lebanon, the devastation to Israel was limited, today Hezbollah is capable of striking any given point in the country.

Israel is aware that at present, it has no real answer to the rocket threat, Caspit writes. What this means is that the only option left to Israel is an immediate, dramatic and aggressive attack against all of Lebanon's vital infrastructure, or as Israeli officers and senior Israeli officials have been describing it for the past decade, 'sending Lebanon back to the Stone Age.'

Caspit continues, Since the distinction between Hezbollah and Lebanon per se has been blurred considerably, the possibility of wreaking destruction on the country could serve as a deterrent, as far as Nasrallah is concerned. He can no longer hide behind the central government, since he himself is the central government. In order to launch such an attack, however, Israel will need prior approval from the United States. According to defense sources in Israel, it has already received such approval, or at the very least, can expect to receive it in the near future. If Israel does find itself launching an aggressive campaign to destroy Lebanon's infrastructure in the next round, it will need the aerial umbrella of US support, which will allow it freedom of action, at least in the first few days of the fighting."

Caspit asks, When would this war break out? The Israeli assessment is that Nasrallah has no reason to get into a conflict with Israel in the foreseeable future. The IDF claims that as long as a significant part of his forces is over-extended and exhausted in Syria, Nasrallah will try to avoid a clash with Israel. At the same time, however, signals from Beirut over the past few months indicate that Nasrallah's patience is starting to wear thin. According to foreign sources, the rules of the new game that Israel has imposed over the past few years, in which it feels free to attack arms convoys making their way to him from Syria, are unacceptable to Nasrallah.  Israel knows that if there is a missile on the table in the first act, it will be fired in the third act. At some time or other that is going to happen.

This column and Al-Monitor writers have regularly covered the evolution and complexities of the deterrent relationship between Israel and Hezbollah. In October 2014, Daniel Sobleman wrote, The establishment of Hezbollah, its identity and very existence have centered on the conflict with Israel. The organization will, of course, retain Israel on its agenda, but for the first time, Israel is second among its strategic priorities. With the US-led campaign against the Islamic State in its first phase and expected to last for a long while, evolving realities might provide Israel an opportunity to prevent a 'third Lebanon war in ways that are not necessarily linked to deterrence or secret operations. For instance, messages via a third party could lead, not for the first time, to indirect understandings with Hezbollah.

In January 2015 we wrote, We could, and probably should, imagine a more expansive conversation, somewhere, between the United States and its allies and Iran to defuse the crisis on Israels borders. All parties should have an interest in averting a confrontation involving Israel, Lebanon and Syria.

Nasrallah, Soleimani hold Syria file

Ali Hashem writes, Six years into the crisis in Syria, Iran views the outcome of the conflict as shaping the new Middle East. It was Irans first overt foreign intervention in decades, one that some Iranian ideologues have called a war for existence. Iranian officials say it spared the Islamic Republic from having to fight a similar war within its own borders. Yet it has been costly, draining and merciless in terms of material losses, and even worse when it comes to Irans image in the Muslim world. It has limited Irans options and has caused alliances  notwithstanding the common ground Iran shares with its partners  to seem very shaky and fragile.

Hashem explains that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and ideologues in the Iranian leadership consider Syria as an absolutely vital national interest. He writes about how Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's assessment of the war in Syria convinced Khamenei in 2013 to intervene to save the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad; Nasrallah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, were key elements in the intervention. Hashem says that in Syria, Iran is keen to fight to the last man standing. Today, just as when Iran decided to enter Syria, the Islamic Republic continues to believe that compromising Damascus is akin to giving up Tehran  and that whatever the price of the war, it will never exceed the cost of losing it.

Syria remains a problem for Russia-Turkey ties

Semih Idiz writes this week that while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regularly blasts the United States and Europe liberally for supporting the PYD [Democratic Union Party] and the YPG [Peoples Protection Units], Erdogan is largely silent over Russias open support for the same groups. Despite the Astana process where the two countries, together with Iran, are sponsoring talks with a view to expediting the end of the Syrian crisis, Syria remains a problem area in Turkish-Russian ties.

Idiz adds that Turkeys deepening crisis with Europe has re-energized its desire to expand ties with Russia. Ankara clearly wants to show that it has powerful friends that can reduce its dependence on the United States and Europe. This also works to Moscows advantage, given its problems with the West and barely concealed desire to undermine NATO.

Idiz explains, This was also made apparent when Russia stopped the advance of Turkeys Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria, especially toward the town of Manbij (Ankara wanted to dislodge the YPG elements there). Using its influence with the PYD, Moscow convinced the YPG to transfer territory south of the town to regime forces.  The Russian move also highlighted how Turkey is only able to forge on in Syria according to Moscows  not to mention Washingtons  desires, and in doing so is forced to come to terms with the unsavory possibility of cooperating with Assad.

Having vilified Assad for years, Idiz continues, Erdogan supporters are coming around to accepting now that Assad may be the lesser of two evils when compared with the PYD and the YPG.

Mustafa Akyol writes that the crisis between Turkey and Europe is being exploited by Erdogan and his backers. The pro-government media tells Turks the West is not really worried about Erdogans authoritarianism, which is only necessary for a nation under major threats. The West is rather worried that Turkey is becoming a powerful, independent, virtuous nation. Erdogan is just making Turkey great again, in other words, and that is why Turkeys quintessential enemy  the West  is all up in arms.

Akyol explains, This very narrative itself is actually proof that Erdogan indeed is authoritarian, because it equates patriotism and Erdoganism and considers all Erdogan critics as enemies of the nation. The enmity against the West, in other words, helps intimidate all Western puppets within Turkey, which are basically all opposition circles.

Akyol concludes that in this major anti-Western drive, which is likely to make Turkey a Muslim version of Vladimir Putins Russia, Erdogan has a major ally within the West itself: the Orientalists, especially Islamophobes. These are the people who, with their enmity against Muslims and their double standards over them, prove the Erdoganists right.  If Europeans want to break this vicious cycle and the clash of civilizations it heralds, what they need to do is simple: Show that Wilders and his ilk, and the anti-Islamic ideology they represent, is not the real face of Europe.' Show that liberal values are not lies and double standards, but true norms valid for everyone.
The most Alabama thing happened in the halls of the Statehouse this month.

A lesson in priorities.

A primer in process.

It explained how the hind end wags Alabama's political dogs, and why Alabama's children so often get the butt of the deal.

It started with a bill by Rep. Jim Patterson, a conservative Republican from Meridianville, that would require insurance companies - the same guys who pump millions into Viagra for old men - to pay for therapy for autistic children.

It's not some Bolshevik BS. It's required by 45 states and - if that's not enough - backed by Nick Saban himself. A half century's worth of research supports the notion that "applied behavioral analysis" teaches children with autism how to deal with the world, and more than pays for itself by helping those kids become employable, self-sufficient adults.

But none of that means squat in the statehouse. Where money and politics almost always trump children.

Billy Canary, head of the Business Council of Alabama - who somehow serves as both the mouthpiece and rump roast of the Big Mules - quoted scripture about children as he railed against the bill to help children.

"Children are a gift from God," the verse goes.

It's like Darth Vader himself giving a lecture about the dangers of the Dark Side.

But the lesson - the primer on process and priorities - came when debate tumbled into a hall and Patterson and Canary exchanged words with uncharacteristic honesty.

AL.com's Trisha Powell Crain was there to take it down. Thank goodness.

Canary began with what can only be described as the lobbyist equivalent of "do you know who I am."

Why, he asked, did Patterson dare file the bill without coming to him first?

Holy cow. Why not just make Patterson and every other legislator kiss his ring? We know Canary's a big dog. He -a lobbyist with a paid point of view -- used to have weekly meetings with House Speaker Mike Hubbard to set the Statehouse agenda. That was before Hubbard was convicted of corruption - including charges of soliciting things of value from people connected to the BCA.

But Patterson - bless his heart -- called Canary's BS. Lobbyists typically come to the people who are elected to office, and not the other way around, he said.

That's how it's supposed to work, anyway.

Patterson has no personal reason to help autistic children. It's not a family matter and he's not a bleeding heart. He's sure not a guy out to get the insurance companies. He was asked to sponsor the bill and he never thought he'd do it.

Prosecutor Matt Hart questions witness Bill Canary during Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard's trial on Friday, June 3, 2016, in Opelika, Ala. (Todd J. Van Emst/Opelika-Auburn News via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

He studied and found it would help Alabama families. He came to believe -this is rare in the Legislature - it was the right thing to do.

Because autistic children have needs that are often misunderstood. They don't look different, so they are often blamed for bad behavior or resented for the cost of therapy (as if their lives aren't hard enough.) Some studies have shown parents of autistic children face stress like combat soldiers because they are not - without the kind of therapy this program would provide - equipped to help their children.

But Canary was having none of it.

He reached into his bill-killing buzzword generator and came out with a doozy. The bill, designed in good faith to help children, is just "healthcare tax," he said.

It was a label as deadly as poison, and it crawled all over Patterson.

"Don't insult me by calling it a tax," he said.

But it's too late for that. The insult already came. To Patterson, to children, to the process and the state.

It really is the Alabama way. But it doesn't have to be.

HB 284 by John Archibald on Scribd
NEW RINGGOLD, Pa.  Among the groups hardest hit by the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act is one that swung for Donald Trump during last years presidential race  older Americans who have not yet reached Medicare age.

Many of those who buy their own health insurance stand to pay a lot more for their coverage. That is especially true for the nearly 3.4 million older Americans who have enrolled through the government marketplaces, many of whom receive generous federal subsidies through the health care law enacted under former President Barack Obama.

Health care experts predict those older adults will end up buying skimpier plans with lower coverage and higher deductibles because thats all they will be able to afford. The Republican plan replaces the subsidies in the Affordable Care Act, which mostly benefit low- and middle-income earners, with a flat tax credit that does not take into account income or local insurance prices.

On top of that, the GOP plan allows insurers to charge older people five times what they charge younger customers, compared to three times under Obamas health care law.

The Republican plan is still evolving, and many GOP lawmakers have said they want to see changes that reduce the impact on older consumers before they can support it.

Based on the current plan, an Associated Press analysis of data from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows older consumers, defined as those age 55 and older, would be disproportionately affected. They could lose thousands of dollars per year in government subsidies for health insurance.

The AP analysis also found that on average, the counties with the strongest Trump support will see costs for older enrollees rise 50 percent more than the counties that had the least amount of support for Trump.

A lot of people just wont be able to afford to pay it. A lot of people are going to drop out of the market altogether, said Kaisers Cynthia Cox.

That includes older voters who helped put Trump into office.

Take Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, an economically struggling former coal-mining center where the New York billionaire won 70 percent of the vote in November.

About 40 percent of Schuylkill Countys Affordable Care Act enrollees are 55 or older, more than 10 points higher than the national average. A 60-year-old making $30,000 annually here will pay roughly $8,750 more per year for coverage under the Republican plan moving through Congress, according to the AP analysis.

When it comes to food or insurance, its going to be an easy choice, said Matt Strauss, a health insurance broker in New Ringgold, some of whose customers voted for Trump.

Older Americans on both ends of the political spectrum say they are worried about what the future holds. Here are some of their stories:

___

The Affordable Care Act didnt work for Wendy Kline, a hairstylist in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who voted for Donald Trump.

Kline tried buying a policy on the federal exchange but found she made a little too much money to qualify for a government subsidy. So she was stuck paying the market rate.

Her policy jumped this year from $630 to $929 a month. As a result, the 61-year-old isnt able to save much for retirement.

I try to put as much away as I can, but my health insurance is $30 less than my mortgage payment, said Kline, who works two jobs.

The GOP plan is a mixed bag for people like Kline. It gives some higher-income consumers the ability to get tax credits for coverage purchased off the exchange, but it also gives insurers the right to charge older customers like her more than they can under the current law.

Kline voted for Trump hoping he would be able to work with Congress to make it affordable for everyone, across the board.

She said she still has hope, but is increasingly skeptical.

Im so tired of the whole thing, she said. When they talk, I turn the television down because it just drives me crazy.

___

Retired factory worker Bob Melton, 63, said the projected cost increases for older Americans mean he and his wife Tammy, 58, would be unable to continue to afford coverage. They now pay $225 a month after the subsidies they receive through the Affordable Care Act.

He was staggered by a projection that the couples premiums could go up by nearly $17,000 under the GOP plan.

Itll put me and my wife out  out of insurance. Theres just no way, he said.

Melton saw a doctor for the first time in 12 years after he and his wife bought a policy through the federal health insurance exchange in 2014. After three appointments and blood tests ruled out more serious ailments, Melton said he learned the nagging pain he suffered in his hands was caused by arthritis.

The Meltons live in Morganton, North Carolina, about 75 miles northwest of Charlotte, in a county that has seen an exodus of manufacturing jobs. Trump won more than two-thirds of the vote here.

Bob Melton himself used to be a staunch Republican. Now he blames Republicans in North Carolina for what he views as efforts to obstruct the Affordable Care Act from working as intended, by refusing to expand Medicaid coverage.

Theres no justification for it except for spite. Thats just the way I feel about it, said Melton, who voted for Clinton.

Although hes grateful for his federally subsidized plan, Meltons experience highlights the diminishing options that have plagued those trying to buy health insurance on the government exchanges established under the Obama reforms.

Last year, Meltons coverage cost only about $37 after subsidies through Coventry Health Care, a division of Aetna Inc., but the company has since dropped exchange offerings in the state.

His current insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, is the only choice available, and his monthly premium is up nearly $200.
With populist parties on the rise, we ask if more countries will abandon the EU and what that could mean for Europe.

Whether Britain should withdraw from an economic and political union with Europe was the question put to the British people in a referendum in 2016.

In an historic move, Britain voted Leave, opting to quit the European Union and end a 43-year relationship with the continent. It was a decision that remained too close to call right up until the very last moment, dividing the nation down the middle with 52 percent of Britons choosing to leave.

It was the culmination of four months of bitter campaigning that exposed deep rifts in British society, and in the continent too.

Brexit was the first significant victory in foreign policy for the radical right  and it clearly has inspired Marine Le Pen, Geert Wilders and others, explains Cas Mudde, the author of The Ideology of the Extreme Right.

INTERACTIVE: The making and breaking of Europe

After the results were announced, Prime Minister David Cameron submitted his resignation, heeding calls by his rivals that his position was untenable after having failed to convince Britons to remain in the union with Europe.

I will do everything I can as prime minister to steady the ship in [the] coming months, but I do not think it would be right for me to captain that ship, Cameron said.

The capital, London, voted to stay a part of the EU; however, parts of the rest of southern England, along with Wales, voted to leave.

In the north, cities voted to remain while rural areas wanted out. And across the country, the young voted overwhelmingly to remain, while the over-65s voted to break away.

Britain first

In the week before the referendum was to take place, Jo Cox, a 41-year-old British Member of Parliament and pro-EU campaigner, was stabbed to death outside a library where she regularly met constituents in her home village of Birstall, in northern England.

During the fatal knife and gun attack the executor was heard to be shouting: Britain first, this is for Britain.

In her political life, Cox campaigned for diversity; victims of the Syrian conflict; child refugees; Palestinians affected by the blockade of the Gaza Strip; and for the rights and welfare of the victims of Islamophobia. She also worked with anti-slavery charity Freedom Fund and Oxfam.

OPINION: Brexit  A wake-up call for the EU, but will it listen?

This was the first assassination of an MP in the UK in 25 years.

The perpetrator of the attack argued that the white race is quickly becoming extinct. This is a common idea that runs through the European far-right, explains Matthew Goodwin, a professor of politics and international relations at the University of Kent.

Anti-establishment xenophobia

Britains vote to exit the EU was aided by a populist, anti-establishment xenophobia now coursing through the continent.

In the same year, Angela Merkels Christian Democrats were beaten into third place by the far-right AfD party in local elections, while Germany endured a year of violent attacks that spotlighted its refugee policy. Frances Front National leader Marine Le Pen made significant gains in presidential election polls; Austria came close to electing a far-right head of state and Italy rejected constitutional reforms for not being radical enough, prompting the resignation of its centrist leader.

READ MORE: UK- Hate crime at record levels after Brexit vote

According to Rami Peit, a research associate on political economy and foreign policy at the Florida International University, 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.

Populist, anti-immigration parties are on the rise as high unemployment and austerity, the arrival of record numbers of refugees, and violent attacks deepen voter disillusionment with traditional parties.

These are very dangerous moments for Europe, says Dan Stone, the author of Goodbye to All That: The Story of Europe Since 1945. We see important elections coming in Germany and in France in the wake of Brexit. We see the rise of so-called populist movements, not just across Europe but in the US and elsewhere.

Stone adds: The catastrophe of World War II was what brought about the integration of Europe and it was an imperfect process but if its abandoned altogether, then what will the consequences of that be?
A year after major security operation against the PKK, the Sur district of Turkeys Diyarbakir is struggling to recover.

Diyarbakir, Turkey  Vahed Cetiner has been working at the same corner on Hazreti Suleyman Street in Diyarbakirs historic Sur district for more than 50 years. Until recently, the 67-year-old shoe shiner says he earned a decent living, and he and his 10 children had a good life.

It was really nice here. Sur was like paradise for us, Cetiner told Al Jazeera.

But after the Turkish government launched a security operation against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the Sur district on December 18, 2015, he was forced to stop working for the first time in his life, fleeing with the rest of the areas civilian population.

His house was destroyed during the security operation and he now lives in a rented apartment in another part of Sur, paid for by the government.

Cetiner is among more than 20,000 people displaced during the security operation, which ended in March 2016. According to the United Nations, the fighting in the countrys southeast between security forces and the PKK  designated as a terrorist organisation in Turkey  took more than 2,000 lives and displaced between 350,000 and 500,000 people.

REPORTERS NOTEBOOK: Exile in Diyarbakir

One year on, local authorities say the situation in the city is relatively stable.

Terror incidents in Diyarbakir city have now stopped and public security has been restored, Diyarbakir Governor Huseyin Aksoy told Al Jazeera, noting that an economic recovery plan and reconstruction efforts for the destroyed parts of Sur have been launched.

But for Sur residents like Cetiner, displacement and insecurity have taken a severe socioeconomic toll  and under the new urban reconstruction plan launched by the government, not all will be able to return to their old neighbourhoods.





The decades-old conflict between the PKK and the Turkish state had previously been fought largely outside of major urban centres. But in the summer of 2015, a few months after the collapse of peace talks with the government, clashes erupted in major cities across southeastern Turkey.

We told the PKK not to come here, but they didnt listen. If the PKK hadnt come here, we wouldnt have faced this situation, Cetiner said.

Violence escalated throughout the autumn of 2015, and efforts were made to mediate between the PKK and security forces. In late November 2015, prominent Kurdish human rights lawyer Tahir Elci, who was facing charges for saying the PKK should not be considered a terrorist organisation, came to Sur to call for a de-escalation of violence. He was killed as a shoot-out between police and unknown assailants broke out in the streets of Sur. Aksoy told Al Jazeera that the investigation into his death is still ongoing.

As violence escalated, PKK fighters started building barricades in Surs narrow alleyways and digging ditches to prevent security forces vehicles from entering. The government responded with curfews and security operations employing heavy weaponry.

As a result, six districts were badly damaged by the fighting, and the residents of four of them  around 3,000 families  are still unable to return, Aksoy confirmed.

Shortly after the end of the security operation, the government launched a reconstruction plan aimed at rebuilding the damaged neighbourhoods and restoring historic buildings. The funds allocated for restoring mosques, churches and other historic buildings amounted to 40 million Turkish lira ($11m), Aksoy said.

The project that we have started conducting in Sur was originally signed by both the government and Diyarbakir municipality in 2012, Muhammed Akar, head of the Justice and Development Partys (AKP) Diyarbakir branch, told Al Jazeera. We want to save those neighbourhoods from slums and rebuild them according to their historic fabric.

In December 2016, Amnesty International released a report saying that Sur residents have suffered forced displacement and what may amount to collective punishment.

READ MORE: Kurdish city battered by Turkeys crackdown

Akar said that displaced Sur residents, whose houses have been destroyed or demolished as part of the redevelopment plan, have three options: to return to newly built houses in Sur, to take low-cost government-built housing in another part of Diyarbakir, or to receive monetary compensation for their destroyed houses.

But the government scheme has not been well received by some local residents.

They offered me 100,000 Turkish liras [$27,000], but I refused. I told them, Give me back my house!' Cetiner said. One of his sons accepted 96,000 Turkish liras ($25,600) for his house, but it is not enough for him to buy a new one, Cetiner said. He is now waiting to receive more information about the houses the government is building in his old neighbourhood.

According to Akar, local residents who choose to return to their neighbourhoods will have to pay the difference between the price of their old house and the new one, but the government will facilitate the process with a long-term payment scheme.

Diyarbakirs Chamber of Architects has criticised the governments reconstruction plan for Sur, expressing concern over damaged and destroyed historical sites. Herdem Dogrul, a member of the chambers board of directors, told Al Jazeera that the extensive demolitions and reconstruction plans will have a detrimental effect on the communal life of the district and exacerbate poverty.

In Sur, people live poor lives. They dont have a lot of money. Those who did not own their house will not receive any compensation. They cant rent a house in other parts of Diyarbakir because they are too expensive, Dogrul said.

Mehmet Cenapli and his family had nowhere to go during the fighting last year. They spent three months sleeping in the corridor of their apartment  away from the windows, fearing bullets and blasts, he said. The building survived the fighting unscathed, except for a hole in one wall where a shell lodged itself but did not explode. It took him months to save up enough money to repair the windows shattered by explosions.

During the fighting, his daughters house was badly damaged, and she and her family moved in with him. Today, out of a household of eight, only his son works, holding a job as a waiter.

It is worse than before. We dont have any jobs. Every morning, I go out from home and go to the coffee shop, and in the evening I return [empty-handed], said Cenapli, 58, who used to work as a manual labourer before the fighting escalated in late 2015.

According to Sahismail Bedirhanoglu, president of the Eastern and Southeastern Industrialist and Businessmen Association Federation in Diyarbakir, during the five months of the security operation, nearly 2,000 shops were closed and 15,000 people lost their jobs.

I identified the barricades and ditches [dug in the cities] as the biggest mistake of the PKK in its history, Bedirhanolgu told Al Jazeera.

He says that the governments measures for economic recovery have been positive, including interest-free loans to local businesses, and Sur has slowly started to recover.

MP Sibel Yigitalp from the pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), meanwhile, criticised the reconstruction plan for Sur, saying that local residents were not consulted when decisions were made about how to proceed with the rebuilding of destroyed neighbourhoods.

This is why we need decentralised administration. The central administration doesnt take into consideration what local people want when making decisions, she told Al Jazeera.

Thirteen of the HDPs MPs have been detained since last year, and the two co-chairs of the party, Figen Yuksekdag and Selahattin Demirtas, have been arrested on terrorism-related charges  allegations that the party strongly denies.

The political situation in Turkeys southeast remains tense, as arrests have continued over the past few months. In February, the government said that it had detained more than 800 people for alleged links to the PKK.

We need to find a solution to [the] Kurdish issue. We need an atmosphere of dialogue, said Bedirhanoglu, adding that peace is needed in order for the region to recover fully.

But some Sur residents remain pessimistic.

I dont have hope, Cenapli said. I dont think things will get better.
As Israel moves towards confronting apartheid, the questions raised by the report will become impossible to avoid.

The most damning aspect of the new report by the UNs Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), which accuses Israel of being an apartheid state, is not the unearthing of allegedly long-discredited equations of Zionism with racism and apartheid.

Rather, its that the authors have used the scalpel of international law and the seemingly moribund International Covenant on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid to create a new matrix of analysis of the occupation, its generative dynamics, and likely future path that will prove extremely hard for even Israels most ardent defenders to refute in the coming years (PDF).

The report, Israeli Practices Towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid, immediately gained notoriety when the head of ESCWA, Rima Khalaf, was forced to resign after the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres denounced the report and asked for it to be removed from the Commissions website.

Khalaf, a Jordanian national with extensive government and international experience who was a primary force behind the Arab Human Development Report series which has been highly critical of Arab regimes and the broader regional systems of governance, had to know that heralding the report as the first ever UN one to explicitly describe Israel as an apartheid and racial state would bring her downfall at ESCWA.

And indeed, not only was the report disavowed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and, it seems, removed on his orders from the Commissions website, Khalaf did resign shortly thereafter.

This begs the question of what she hoped to accomplish by framing the report thus. Although it seems to be removed from the ESCWAs website (only the executive summary is accessible), the full report can be downloaded here.

As the journalist Ben White explains, the new report is a detailed analysis of Israeli legislation, policies and practices that enable Israel to operate an apartheid regime that dominates the Palestinian people as a whole and as such is a crime against humanity under customary international law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The report describes a panoply of practices, techniques and legal and administrative mechanisms by which Israel maintains a system that segregates Palestinians from Jews on both sides of the Green Line and outside Israel/Palestine based on membership in specific ethno-religious groups.

READ MORE: UN report  Israel has established an apartheid regime

What makes the report even more controversial is that unlike most accusations of apartheid-like behaviour, which are limited to the Occupied Territories, it accuses Israel of engaging in apartheid even against Palestinian citizens of the state and Palestinians outside the country.

According to Virginia Tilley, professor at the University of Illinois  one of the reports principal authors  her team was mandated or tasked with understanding if there was one regime that was bringing all these policies [through Israel/Palestine and abroad] into a coherent whole.

Is Israel an apartheid state?

While accusations of apartheid still shock the American ear, Israelis from Holocaust survivors to prime ministers have long warned that the country was or risked becoming an apartheid state.

South Africans, too, have debated the issue; while some prominent figures such as Judge Richard Goldstone, who chaired the controversial report into the 2008-09 Gaza War, declared that in Israel, there is no apartheid, other scholars and activists, from the Human Sciences and Research Council and Desmond Tutu to prominent Jewish intellectuals such as Lisa Ohayon and David Theo Goldberg  one of the worlds pre-eminent theorists of race  have documented how the legal structures of apartheid and Israel map on to each other in very disturbing ways and have little hesitation labelling Israels separation barrier an apartheid wall in purpose and function.

I would invite readers to study the voluminous final report of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission and compare it to the regular reports on the occupation, not merely by international human rights organisations but by the US State Department and Israeli Jewish organisations reports as well, and ask them to decide for themselves how closely Israeli policies resemble those of the South African apartheid state.

Yet, however important historically and morally, comparisons with South Africa were, for the reports authors, beside the point.

The only benchmark that matters today is whether Israels actions fall within the parameters of the Crime of Apartheid as defined by international covenant and the International Criminal Court (PDF).

And the report argues with clarity and conviction that Israel is guilty of the international crimes of apartheid as a result of the manner in which it exerts control over the Palestinian people.

The report provides a strong case for the argument that the goals and conduct of the occupation are illegal, and thus that states, international organisations, and civil society are obligated to impose sanctions and other punitive measures to compel Israel to bring its actions into compliance with international law. by

More specifically, Tilley explains that the main finding was that what looks like different policies are in fact part of one policy. The core purpose is to preserve Israel as a Jewish state, and that requires an overwhelming Jewish majority to ensure that Palestinians could never vote in any way that would alter the laws privileging the Jewish people over other people in the state. And we found that the ways different segments of policy work together  all coordinate that central core purpose.

Crucially, the report deploys a striking new term, the strategic [elsewhere: geographic and juridical] fragmentation of the Palestinian people, to describe the main method through which Israel imposes an apartheid regime, with Palestinians divided into four groups who live in four domains: Palestinian citizens of Israel against whom civil law is deployed to restrict their freedom; Palestinians in East Jerusalem governed by ever more exclusionary permanent residency laws; Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza who live under belligerent occupation; and Palestinians living as refugees or in exile who are precluded by law and policy from returning to their homeland.

Each group is oppressed through distinct laws, policies and practices that together constitute the larger regime of apartheid in Israel/Palestine.

Hypocrisy and the BDS

Not surprisingly, Israeli officials were quick to question ESCWAs credibility, given its membership of 18 Arab countries excluding Israel despite its location in western Asia (unlike Tunisia, for example) and the fact that the human rights records of most members are little better than Israels.

But hypocrisy is literally written into the fabric of the UN, and is in fact on display every time the US vetoes a Security Council resolution condemning Israels prosecution of its interminable occupation, or Russia vetoes a resolution that might force Bashar al-Assad to stop murdering his people by the thousands.

This reality doesnt change the fact that with the report now part of the UN record, the chances increase that the General Assembly or other bodies will request a ruling from the ICC or International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of the occupation.

The report provides a strong case for the argument that the goals and conduct of the occupation are illegal, and thus that states, international organisations, and civil society are obligated to impose sanctions and other punitive measures to compel Israel to bring its actions into compliance with international law.

READ MORE: Israels settlement law  Consolidating apartheid

Most strikingly, however, the report concludes by calling explicitly for broaden[ing] support for boycott, divestment and sanctions initiatives among civil society actors.

In bringing BDS directly into the legal conversation, the authors are opening the way for the ICC or ICJ to affirm the legitimacy of such tactics under international law.

As Israel moves inexorably towards annexing the West Bank, and with it the confrontation of apartheid in its barest form, the questions raised by the report will become impossible to avoid.

In that regard, Rima Khalaf and the reports authors have done Israelis, Palestinians and the world community a favour by calling for a clear determination by the highest international tribunals as to the nature of Israels rule over some five million Palestinians in the occupied territories and millions more living in the shadows of exile, and its responsibilities going forward.

With such clarity at hand, a pathway towards a just and peaceful future for both peoples might finally come into view.

Mark LeVine is a professor of Middle Eastern History at University of California, Irvine, and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Lund University.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
As Somalia faces yet another famine, donors should learn from the successful aid model Turkey employed in the country.

Jerome Jarres viral hashtag, #TurkishAirlinesHelpSomalia, was yet another attempt to draw worldwide attention to the famine in the Somali peninsula, but the Somali people are in need of both an organised, short-term as well as a long-term response to ensure that this crisis is contained, and does not happen in the future.

In Somalia, the cycle of long droughts followed by famines has been going on for many decades. Now, more than five million Somalis need immediate assistance in order to prevent another famine. This drought has created the biggest displacement of people in the country, said Adan Adar, the country director of the American Refugee Committee.

Somalis from all over the world, as well as a large number of local and international NGOs, have been collecting and sending in donations.

In order to save as many people as possible, an immediate and large-scale humanitarian campaign effort followed by a sustainable development strategy that can help build resilient state institutions to control the negative effects of future drought occurrences are necessary.

The model the Turkish government employed in 2011 and 2012 offers an innovative perspective. Therefore, donor countries must consider adopting it for Somalia.

Humanitarian response





Humanitarian agencies and international organisations have started rescue efforts by raising the awareness of the world community.

In early March, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, paid an unannounced yet timely visit to Somalia in order to mobilise the international community to help rescue the people who were affected by the drought.

In fact, in the past, Guterres has been a consistent supporter of Somali people. For instance, when he was the commissioner for the UNHCR, he pressured both Kenyan and Somali governments to respect the human rights of the refugees.

As recently as 2011, Somali people have experienced one of the worst famines in the Horn of Africa region, which killed more than 250,000 people and displaced at least one million.

In their book Famine in Somalia, Daniel Maxwell and Nisar Majid rightly characterised the responses to this famine as collective failures.

In 2011, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the current president of Turkey, was the first high-profile figure who visited Somalia, with the intention of raising the awareness of the international community.

OPINION  Erdogan: The hero of Somalia

At the present time, even though millions of Somalis are on the brink of starvation, there has been a lack of attention and support from the world community.

Therefore, the next few weeks are crucial for controlling the damage of the drought. Perhaps, the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain) are well positioned to lead the short-term humanitarian efforts in Somalia because of their strong economies, geographic proximity, and cultural and historical relations with the Somali people.

The Turkish model

In Somalia, because of the lack of a functioning state, there are few mechanisms to control droughts from becoming famines. In order to reverse this and establish functioning state institutions, I believe, we can learn several lessons from the model that Turkey employed in 2011.

First, the Turkish model combined aid and development. For instance, in 2012-2014, the Turkish Red Crescent managed the Rajo camp for the 29,000 internally displaced people in Mogadishu (PDF).

At the same time, only a few kilometres from the camp, the Turkish Development Agency and a private corporation brought large construction equipment that built major roads in Mogadishu.

Second, Turkey provided direct and often unconditional assistance to the Somali government. Unlike the Western donors, Ankara gave direct budgetary assistance to the previous administration in Mogadishu. Hopefully, it will do the same for the new government.

Being on the ground was perhaps the most important factor that has helped Turkey to receive widespread support from the Somalis. by

Third, the Turkish model focused on high-impact infrastructure development projects. For example, these included hospitals, an airport and major roads.

Fourth, since the capacity of the Somali institutions are low, Ankara has used public-private partnerships to deliver most of the capital projects.

Turkish companies managed the Mogadishu airport and port, and delivered the construction of the tarmac roads. The Turkish Airways regularly flies to Mogadishu. With a new terminal in the airport, hopefully, more airlines will fly into the country.

Even though some of these companies were interested in making profits from their entrepreneurial adventures, Somalis still benefitted from their presence.

Turkish companies forced Somali businesses to compete. The more companies that arrive in Somalia, the more people that will get jobs and choices. Prices will fall and the quality of service will improve.

Finally, being on the ground was perhaps the most important factor that has helped Turkey to receive widespread support from the Somalis.

Turkish diplomats and aid workers stayed in the country, which helped them understand the Somali people and their needs better. For them, there was no need for mapping studies. Staying on the ground has significantly reduced the administrative cost as well.

A sustainable strategy





Donor countries have provided billions of dollars of assistance to the needy Somalis for the last couple of decades  which Somalis appreciate.

Recently, the world community helped rescue millions of Somalis from famine in 1991 and 2011. It is a fact that the European Union, the United States and other donors have supported the Somali people in many ways.

Indeed, besides contributing to the recovery and the development of the country, the Somali diaspora in the Western and Gulf countries are now on the frontlines of the rescue efforts in Somalia.

That said, to maximise the impact of the billions of dollars of aid that the West, Gulf countries and others provide to Somalia, the current aid paradigm must be revisited.

To date, few donors invested in the infrastructure and long-term impact projects. As important as relief and capacity building projects are, it is more useful to invest in major, capital projects such as a tarmac roads, ports and hospitals.

The Turkish aid model opened new doors for the Somali people. Western and Gulf donors should follow suit and invest in the long-term projects that can help empower the state institutions, prevent another humanitarian catastrophe and contribute to the economic growth of the country.

OPINION: How to tackle repetitive droughts in the Horn of Africa

In short, hundreds of thousands of Somalis are now on the verge of starvation. We must do all we can to rescue as many people as possible through large-scale humanitarian efforts.

Hopefully, the GCC countries will lead this campaign. In doing so, we must learn from the 2011 experience and the model that Turkey employed. Simultaneous relief and development efforts are necessary.

Afyare A Elmi is an associate professor at Qatar Universitys Gulf Studies Program. He is the author of the Understanding the Somalia Conflagration: Identity, Political Islam and Peacebuilding.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
As the battle for Mosul reaches its final stages, what we are witnessing is ISILs transformation, not its demise.

Alia Brahimi is a specialist in terrorism and political trends in the Middle East and North Africa.

The battle now is in the final stages, Iraqi Prime Minister Hayder al-Abadi said on March 14 of the government offensive to retake Mosul from ISIL. They are cornered, and if they will not surrender they will definitely get killed.

While the impending combat threatens to be circuitous and uncertain  involving, as it will, fighting among civilians in the narrow streets and alleyways of the Old City  Abadis confidence about the final outcome appears to be warranted.

But what will be the broader repercussions of Mosuls liberation for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS)?

Back to insurgency





Firstly, on the tactical level, ISIL will continue to devolve into an insurgency  leaving civilians extraordinarily vulnerable. Suicide bombings on soft targets are set to increase, as will attacks on pilgrims, funeral processions and infrastructure.

Unfortunately, ISILs leaders will feel comfortable with this gear-change. Many of them cut their teeth as insurgents in post-invasion Iraq, under the banner of predecessor groups such as Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and the Islamic State of Iraq.

In the summer, as it became clear ISIL would inevitably lose its grip on key territories in Iraq and Syria, a devastating car bomb in the Shia-dominated Karada district of Baghdad killed more than 200 civilians.

The bombing, which was the deadliest explosion to rock Baghdad since 2003, was followed closely by a triple suicide attack at a Shia holy site in Balad.

On February 24, ISIL fighters were pushed out of Al Bab, their last stronghold in northern Syria. The following day, two suicide bombings claimed 53 lives.

In the wake of last months successful operation to evict ISIL from Sirte in Libya, authorities must surely be braced for the infiltration of Tripoli and other major cities by ISIL sleeper cells.

Indeed, as the Mosul campaign intensifies, it is worth recalling that the 2007 surge in Iraq successfully expelled AQI from key safe havens in Baghdad and the Anbar province, yet this tactical degradation never translated into strategic defeat.

The battle for Mosul may be in its final stages, but so long as there is a market for extremist groups to offer protection and livelihoods to vulnerable populations, the shape-shifting war goes on. by

Then, as now, the drivers for radicalisation and recruitment  the raison detre  were still there: a brutalising combination of grinding poverty and legitimate Sunni grievances against the Iraqi state.

A move to insurgency makes the political track more important than ever, as ISIL seeks to blend in with host populations once more. We rely upon the people to billet us, as the Northern Irish nationalist Gerry Adams once put it.

The onus on the Iraqi government to reach out to these Sunni communities systematically and meaningfully could not be stronger.

In the crosshairs in Syria

The second impact of the liberation of Mosul will be felt in Syria, where ISIL increasingly finds itself in the crosshairs of both Turkish-backed and Kurdish forces.

Despite its many complications, and the preponderance of competing cooks, the battle for Raqqa is undoubtedly entering a new phase.

The Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have moved into surrounding villages and cut the supply road to Deir Az-Zor, with the aim of isolating and besieging the ISIL capital from all sides.

Furthermore, United States commitment is clear  to serve as a buffer between various rebel factions, as much as to provide weapons, Rangers and air and artillery support.



OPINION: From the rubble of Aleppo, ISIL rises

Finally, as ISILs proto-state is assaulted and its men fan out across the region, we may see an uptick of competition with a quietly assertive al-Qaeda.

In Syria, for example, al-Qaeda has been a dominant presence within the armed opposition, operating officially under the banner of Jabhat al-Nusra until July 2016, and unofficially as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS) since.

Its leaders aim at a genuine grassroots insurgency, and have sought to gradually assimilate into Syrian society.

At the same time, however, JFS is on the verge of open conflict with another Islamist faction, Ahrar al-Sham.

OPINION: Time to tackle ISILs millions of sympathisers?

In January 2017, JFS spearheaded an alliance with smaller Salafist groups, known as Hayet Tahrir al-Sham, making it a formidable player in the countrys northwest.

Ahrar al-Sham, with its more moderate, nationalist orientation has itself taken in a number of smaller factions seeking protection from JFS, and tensions have now reached fever-pitch in Idlib, the last rebel-held province.

At the heart of these divisions is the peace process with the regime, a stepped-up drone campaign against JFS, and a blame game over the fall of Aleppo. The introduction into this mix of retreating ISIL elements could prove explosive.

The African dimension

In North and West Africa, al-Qaeda is resilient.





Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has withstood the chokehold of the Algerian security services, US drones, and the French-led intervention in Mali, to launch a range of attacks in recent years, whether storming a beach resort in Ivory Coast or conducting a low-level insurgency in northern Mali.

AQIM even managed to win back to its tent the rogue commander Mokhtar Belmokhtar, mastermind of the Ain Amenas operation.

From January to June 2016, al-Qaeda-linked groups launched more than 100 attacks in West Africa. Earlier this month, four Sahel-based affiliates announced their merger into a single movement under the leadership of Iyad Ag Ghaly.

Thousands of North African natives have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join ISILs ranks  the prospect of their return has deeply troubled security agencies, and must surely rankle al-Qaeda.

In Algeria, AQIMs birthplace, the ISIL-linked Jund al-Khalifa may be on its knees, but at least two other groups have pledged allegiance to the so-called caliphate. In Tunisia and Libya, where al-Qaeda affiliates are firmly established, ISIL encroachment will continue to generate fierce resentment and rivalry.

ISIL has already proved unable to resist the temptation to challenge al-Qaeda in the Sahel, with its porous borders and lucrative smuggling routes. Hence, in November 2016, the Islamic State in Greater Sahara was formed, led by Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi.

In Yemen, too, ISIL has made cameo appearances in the al-Qaeda heartland of Hadramout province, with deadly suicide bombings in Mukalla, and, separately, Aden, last year.

The battle for Mosul may be in its final stages, but so long as there is a market for extremist groups to offer protection and livelihoods to vulnerable populations, the shape-shifting war goes on.

Alia Brahimi is a specialist in terrorism and political trends in the Middle East and North Africa.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Three American troops have been wounded after an Afghan soldier opened fire on them at a base in the southern province of Helmand, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said, as separate attacks and clashes across the country left dozens dead.

A spokesman for the Afghan military in the south of the country said the Afghan special forces soldier was shot dead after firing at the Americans at Camp Shorab airbase on Sunday.

The guard lost his life in exchange of fire, Mohammad Rasoul Zazai told Reuters.

READ MORE: Afghanistan  The Fall Of Helmand

The soldiers are receiving medical care, the NATO-led training and assistance mission said on Twitter.

So-called green-on-blue insider attacks by Afghan soldiers on international service members were a major problem several years ago, but now occur less frequently after security measures were improved and the number of foreign troops in the country fell sharply.

Most foreign combat troops withdrew from Afghanistan at the end of 2014, 13 years after they removed the Taliban from power, but around 13,000 NATO-led soldiers remain to help advise and train Afghan forces fighting a revived Taliban.

Last May, two Romanian soldiers were killed and a third wounded after two members of a local Afghan police unit they were training shot them.

Camp Shorab in Helmand, previously known as Camp Bastion, is a major former US and British base now run by the Afghan army.

Helmand has been one of the most fiercely contested regions of the country, with nearly 1,000 coalition troops killed there since the US-led military intervention in 2001.

Violence across the country

The US said in January that about 300 Marines would be sent to Helmand to assist Afghan forces in intelligence and logistical matters in their battles against local armed groups.





Elsewhere in Afghanistan, Taliban fighters attacked a district headquarters in the Kandahar province using a suicide car bomb, said Samim Khpolwak, a spokesman for the governor.

A security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release information, said six police were killed and five others were wounded in the assault.

In the southern Zabul province, an army operation killed 13 Taliban and wounded 11 others, said General Sadiqullah Saberi.

He said two Afghan soldiers were killed and three others were wounded by a roadside bomb during the operation.

Two Taliban commanders were killed in an apparent US drone strike in the Barmal district of the eastern Paktika province, said Mohammad Rahman Ayaz, spokesman for the provincial governor.

Another 10 fighters were killed in a separate drone strike in the Dand-e Patan district of neighbouring Paktia province, said Governor Zelmai Wessa.
Fierce clashes reported in eastern areas of the Syrian capital after rebels attack government positions.

Heavy clashes rocked eastern districts of the Syrian capital on Sunday after rebel fighters launched a surprise assault on government forces, a monitor and state television said.

Steady shelling and sniper fire could be heard across Damascus on Sunday as rebel factions allied with former al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fateh al-Sham launched an attack on government positions in the citys east.

The clashes centred on a government-held gap between two besieged opposition enclaves, the Jobar and Qaboun neighbourhoods. The Ahrar al-Sham rebel group said fighters had liberated the area.





Tahrir al-Sham  a umbrella group of rebels formed by Jabhat Fateh al-Sham last month  and the independent Failaq al-Rahman group also participated in the attack.

Syrian state media said the military had repelled an attack by one group after terrorists infiltrated through tunnels in the middle of the night.

Rebels detonated two large car bombs at 5:20am on Sunday near the Jobar neighbourhood. Tahrir al-Sham claimed responsibility for the attack.

Rebels then advanced into the nearby Abbasiyn Square area, seizing several buildings and firing a barrage of rockets into multiple Damascus neighbourhoods, according to Rami Abdelrahman of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Government forces responded with nearly a dozen air strikes on Jobar, he added.

The fight is still on

Al Jazeeras Mohamed Al Jazaeri, reporting from near Damascus, said that at least 15 civilians had been killed after government forces shelled residential neighbourhoods in Eastern Ghouta, but that the fighting had since become less intense.

This advance is the largest for opposition groups in over a year and a half, Al Jazaeri said. Military operations have not stopped in the area but it has calmed down. There remains sniper shooting from both sides and regime forces are shelling Jobar neighbourhood, as well as other areas controlled recently by the opposition.

Control of Jobar  which has been a battleground district for more than two years  is divided between rebels and allied fighters on one side, and government forces on the other. It is one of three pockets in the Syrian capital still in opposition hands.

The recent fighting has resulted in rebel control of industrial areas in Al-Qaboun in addition to parts of Abbasiyn breaking a siege on the area and linking it to Jobar neighbourhood, which is connected to Eastern Ghouta, Al Jazaeri said.

Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria at the University of Oklahoma, told Al Jazeera that the offensive had taken the government by surprise and that its response was likely to be very significant.

I dont think its going to change the trajectory of the war, which has been seeing the regime make important gains and the opposition getting increasingly restricted. But it shows the opposition is far from dead. It shows also that this new combination led by [Tahrir al-Sham] is very potent, Landis said.

The regime is going to realise that it cannot allow these two areas to linger there because they are beachheads for this Tahrir al-Sham group to make inroads into the Damascus area, he said, adding that the government would most likely withdraw some forces from areas such as Homs and Hama to refocus on Damascus.

It means that the fight is still on, there are many fronts to this war, and the opposition remains powerful.

Syrian state TV aired footage from Abbasiyn Square, typically buzzing with activity but now empty except for the sound of shelling.

Residents said artillery shells and rockets were landing in the heart of the city.

OPINION: Implications for a Syrian transition under Assad

The Observatory said rebel shells hit several nearby districts in Damascus, including Bab Touma, Rukn al-Din and the Abbasiyin area.

Several schools announced they would close through Monday, and many civilians cowered inside in fear of stray bullets and shelling.

From defensive to offensive

According to the Observatory, the Faylaq al-Rahman group and the Fateh al-Sham Front  known as al-Nusra Front before it broke ties with al-Qaeda  were present in Jobar.

This neighbourhood is the most important frontline because its the closest rebel position to the heart of the capital, said Abdel Rahman.

Government forces have long sought to push the rebels out of the district because of its proximity to the city centre in Damascus.

But with Sundays attack, Abdel Rahman said, rebels have shifted from a defensive position in Jobar to an offensive one.

These are not intermittent clashes  these are ongoing attempts to advance, he said.





One rebel commander told the Associated Press news agency they launched the assualt from Jobar as a way to relieve allied fighters in the nearby districts of Barzeh, Tishreen, and Qabun from government attacks.

This is to relieve the pressure on rebels with the regime not stopping its bombardment and artillery shelling, said Abu Abdo, a commander from Failaq al Rahman.

The attack on Damascus comes just days before a fresh round of UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva aiming to put an end to Syrias six-year war.

Rebels and government troops agreed to a nationwide cessation of hostilities in December, but fighting has continued across much of the country, including in the capital.

Rebels said the army had advanced in the past two days after weeks of bombardment and aerial strikes aimed at regaining control of strategic areas inside the capital, a few kms away from President Bashar al Assads seat of power.

The army had advanced towards a road between Qaboun and Barza, whose capture severed the links between the two besieged rebel districts where tens of thousands of people live.

Taking this road would isolate Barza and Qaboun completely and with a security belt around it, said Abu Abdullah, another fighter with Failaq al Rahman rebel group.

The army and allied militias have been targeting the besieged Eastern Ghouta area, the biggest remaining rebel bastion around the capital, for months, making incremental gains.

It has undertaken a relentless bombing campaign of residential areas to force rebels to surrender and agree to deals that push them out of these areas.
Philippine president vows anti-drug war campaign will continue and will be brutal as death toll passes 8,000 mark.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he would not be intimidated by the prospect of the International Criminal Court (ICC) putting him on trial over his bloody war on drugs, promising that his campaign would continue and would be brutal.

I will not be intimidated and I shall not be stopped just by what? International Criminal Court? Impeachment? If that is part of my destiny, it is my destiny to go, Duterte told reporters on Sunday, shortly before leaving for Myanmar.

The drive against corruption, criminality and drugs will resume and it will continue and it will be brutal, he said.

READ MORE: Retired officer links Duterte to almost 200 killings

I will not be, for a moment, be out of focus on that. I rose on what I promised and I will fall on that.

More than 8,000 people have died since Duterte took office on June 30 last year, and began his anti-drugs campaign.

A third of the fatalities were killed in raids and sting operations by police who say they acted in self-defence, while the rest were killed by unknown gunmen.

Rights groups said many of the deaths were assassinations of drugs users with police complicity, allegations that authorities have denied.

But a self-confessed assassin who testified to being in a death squad under Duterte, when he was mayor of Davao City, is expected to file a case at the ICC this month or in April, accusing the president of crimes against humanity, his lawyer said recently.

Criminals can go first

Duterte said he would never condone the killing of a criminal person arrested with outstretched arms, begging for his life, or what is popularly known as extrajudicial killings.

Follow the law and we are alright. Drop shabu and nobody will die tomorrow, Duterte said. Shabu is the street name for the highly addictive crystal methamphetamine that the government blames for most of the serious crimes in the Philippines.





But Duterte warned: If you place the guys lives in jeopardy  my order is to shoot you.

He said he would rather see thousands or millions of criminals go first than see security forces killed in the anti-narcotics war.

Two men, including the one who is expected to file the ICC case, have testified before the Philippine Senate saying they were part of an alleged death squad in Davao that killed at Dutertes behest.

But Senate members found no proof of extrajudicial killings and death squads.

The death squad and allegations of drugs-related extrajudicial killings were also among the reasons for an impeachment complaint filed by an opposition legislator in Congress against Duterte on Thursday.

Duterte said he was not ruling out the possibility that scalawags in government who are trying to silence guys dealing with them were behind these extrajudicial executions.
A few weeks ago, Desmond Fox wrote an article for Weekly Alibi titled Through Dissent, Strength and Humor: How to Raise Your Daughter in Donald Trumps America [vol.26, i.5, Feb. 2-8, 2017] which focused on preparing daughters for what is to come in a world where the presidents bigotry and disdain for women are spotlighted by the media, a trend which is likely to continue for the next four years. Like Fox, I am also interested in empowering our daughters to stand up for themselves and others they see being disrespectedto join the fight, as well as the conversation, using their voices and actions to indicate their dissent. His article offered tangible approaches to teaching our daughters self-empowerment, including enrolling them in martial arts and introducing them to punk music that challenges the status quo. But a question began to form as I was reading Foxs article: What about our sons?

Donald Trumpwith his sexist, racist, egomaniacal, bullying behavioris a terrible model for our youth. Not to minimize his other character traits and his oppressive ideals, but as the mother of a young boy, Im particularly troubled by the misogynist example he sets for the treatment of women.

Fox says we need to teach our daughters that even though the president has the loudest voice, his attitudes do not reflect those of our country. It is easier to believe the lack of shared attitudes when you live in a blue state full of diversity. A former conservative, Im from Tennessee and still have friends whose values and voices reflect those of the man they elected into office. Ive always been very proud of where I come from, until recently when I visited my home state after the election. Over the course of three days, I became sickened as I saw rebel flags flying proudly above both homes and restaurants, along with bumper stickers that said, Trump that Bitch. Not to mention my encounter with men who joked that they were going to grab me and my friend in the pussy. Its all a big joke, right? Just locker room talk. Until it isnt.

The most recent report from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center notes that one in five women will be sexually assaulted at some point in her life. We live in the age of Brock Turner, the college student who was convicted of sexually assaulting a female who had passed out behind a university dumpster, where the victim was trolled on social media and called a coward for not coming forward and reading her courtroom statement of the incident. Need more proof? Results of a 2016 study published in the Journal of Youth Development researching middle schoolers reactions to rape myths (i.e., date rape acceptance, it was the victims fault, etc.) reported that males had higher rape myth acceptance than females, even after researchers presented what they call an educational intervention to dispel some of the misconceptions. The troublesome part of these findings, to me, is that the subjects studied were youth in grades 7-8. This suggests that it is never too early to start telling your sons that no means no.

Donald Trumpwith his sexist, racist, egomaniacal, bullying behavioris a terrible model for our youth. Not to minimize his other character traits and his oppressive ideals, but as the mother of a young boy, Im particularly troubled by the misogynist example he sets for the treatment of women.

Its time that we teach our sons to be respectful of women, not just teach our daughters to survive. And its high time we teach our sons to use their voices in an appropriate manner of support, not hate. To support Foxs suggestions, mothers need to be the voice of dissent and illustrate to their sons how to effectively use this voice. When I was in D.C. last month, I took my son to a peaceful protest to express to him how important it is that we all join together to fight, and I encourage readers to find similar venues to show their collective support as a family.

Beyond protesting, we need to look for other teachable moments. As parents, we should turn off the television when a show or movie promotes rape culture and talk to our sons about why this behaviorwhen seen in reality and represented in a fictional manneris not only wrong, but also repulsive and denigrating to women. Find examples of misogyny on social media and talk to your sons about how to combat these specific types of cyberbullying. Take your sons to see examples of empowering female speakers when they come to your city. Read books with your son that illustrate strong female characters like Meg Murry from A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine LEngle or Liesel from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

Perhaps the easiest thing we can do is to simply try to be the model for our sons. Mothers, we need to be examples of strong womendont let a man disrespect you or someone you know, and if it happens, show your son what it means to be a woman standing up for herself and others. Fathers need to do their part, too, and be the role model of a man who not only loves and respects women, but also does his share of the womans work like the dishes, the laundry, the making of school lunches and so on. These are just a few easy things parents can do to combat the social construction of misogyny that is prevalent in our cultureone that was there long before Trump.

Before I conclude, Id like to return to Foxs argument that the majority of Americans dont share the same attitudes as Trump. Similarly, my father argued that many of the people who voted for Trump dont condone his misogyny. He has since said he didnt mean to use the word condone, as the word actually means to overlook a negative behavior, and one would almost certainly have to overlook Trumps behavior in order to cast a vote in his favor. But Im going to take his words at face value: liberals, conservatives, mothers and fathersdont look the other way. Teach your young boys that misogyny is harmful to men and women. Help them understand that all women deserve to be respected. Raise your sons to be the future feminists on the front line with your daughters. Its only when we teach our daughters and our sons to resist hatred that we even stand a chance in dismantling the cultural norm of disrespect for women.
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Detention of Al Jazeera journalist renewed for fifth time, as recent video footage shows him visibly exhausted.

Egyptian authorities have renewed the detention of Al Jazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein for the fifth time, announcing on Saturday that he will be held for another 45 days.

Hussein, an Egyptian who lives in Qatar, was stopped, questioned and arrested by the Egyptian authorities on December 20 after travelling to Cairo for a holiday.

Recent video footage of Hussein outside an Egyptian court shows that he has lost weight and looks exhausted due to harsh conditions in detention.

Husseins daughter Zahra said earlier this month that the harsh detention conditions have left her father suffering from shortness of breath, and severe psychological and physical stress.

Human rights and media organisations have denounced his detention.

Al Jazeera has demanded that Egypt unconditionally release Hussein and condemned the continued renewal of his detention, which has been extended five times so far, with the last renewal order issued on February 5.

READ MORE: Groups call for release of Al Jazeeras Mahmoud Hussein

On January 4 and 19, when his detention was due to expire, authorities extended his arrest for a period of 15 days pending a further investigation. On February 2, authorities extended his detention by four days as they referred his case to the Giza Criminal Court.

Five days after his initial arrest, Egypts interior ministry accused him of incitement against state institutions and broadcasting false news with the aim of spreading chaos.

International law broken

Al Jazeera has rejected all of the allegations against him and condemned those who forced him into false confessions made on video.

The network urges Egypt to release him immediately. It also said it holds the Egyptian authorities responsible for his safety and wellbeing.

Al Jazeera also denounced a smear campaign against Hussein, which is being carried through local media outlets  a practice that violates international law.





The United Nations has called on Egypt to comply with its commitment to protect freedom of expression.

In January, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said: We appeal for this case to be resolved in accordance with Egypts own international obligations to protect freedom of expression and freedom of opinion.

Over the past few years, Egyptian authorities have arrested several Al Jazeera employees, raising concerns over media freedom in the country.

In May, a Cairo court sentenced a former editor-in-chief of Al Jazeera Arabic, Ibrahim Helal, to death, charging him in absentia with endangering national security.

Al Jazeeras Baher Mohamed, Mohamed Fahmy and Peter Greste  along with seven colleagues outside the country  were accused of spreading false news during their coverage of the aftermath of the military overthrow of then-President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, the year they were taken into custody.

Mohamed and Fahmy spent 437 days in jail before being released. Greste spent more than a year in prison.

The judge who sentenced the journalists said they were brought together by the devil to destabilise the country.

Hussein joined Al Jazeera in Egypt in 2011. He moved to the networks headquarters in Qatar in 2013.
German spy chief unconvinced US-based religious leader was behind failed coup as PKK backers hold rally in Frankfurt.

Germany and Turkey are caught up in a fresh dispute after a rally backing outlawed Kurdish fighters in Turkey was held in Frankfurt and a top German intelligence official made controversial comments on last summers failed Turkish coup.

The relations between the two countries are already tense after some German states cancelled and banned political rallies planned by visiting Turkish politicians in the run-up-to a key referendum in Turkey.

Turkish citizens in Turkey and abroad will decide on April 16 if they want a set of constitutional changes to significantly expand presidential powers.

RELATED: Erdogan compares Germany rally ban to Nazi practices

Turkish officials have been further angered after Bruno Kahlmade, the German foreign intelligence chief, said over the weekend that Turkey failed to convince Germany that the organisation of Fethullah Gulen was directly behind last years coup attempt.

Turkey accuses Gulen, a religious leader who lives in self-imposed exile in the United States, of orchestrating the July 15 coup attempt.

About 300 people, vast majority of them civilians, were killed across Turkey after rebel soldiers attempted to overthrow the government, bombing state buildings and killing civilians and security forces.

Parallel state

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said that Gulens group was running a parallel state within Turkeys government, taking orders from outside and following an alternative agenda.

However, Kahl, in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine published on Saturday, said: What we saw following the putsch would have happened regardless, maybe not on the same scale and with such radicalism.





Kahl suggested that the Turkish government used the coup attempt as a pretext to dismiss civil servants and to imprison dissidents in the country.

Tens of thousands of people were arrested and civil servants were dismissed in purges after the coup attempt.

The Turkish government says these actions are aimed at removing Gulen supporters from inside state institutions.

Kahl defined Gulens Hizmet organisation as a civil association that aims to provide further religious and secular education.

He said the failed coup was not initiated by the [Turkish] state, adding that before July 15, a big purge by the government was already under way.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Sunday, Ahmet Iyimaya, a senior MP of Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), said Kahl was not acting with goodwill in saying that he was not convinced of Gulens responsibility in the coup bid.

RELATED: Turkey  Coup plotters acted early in fear of arrests

I believe the German intelligence is well aware that Gulens movement is behind this putsch, Iyimaya said, adding that he had heard personal accounts of bureaucrats backing Gulen at the night of the failed coup.

Iyimaya, who also leads the parliaments justice commission, said: Turkish intelligence and other institutions can provide Germany with extensive proof if Germans are willing to talk to them.

If they want, they can come to Turkey anytime to go through the evidence and testimonies.

Rally in Frankfurt

In a separate development on Sunday, Turkey condemned a rally held in Frankfurt with banners and posters affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on display.

Thousands of people turned up for the rally, which took place on Saturday, marking the beginning of the annual Newroz festival for Kurds.





The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and US.

Turkeys foreign ministry expressed its displeasure to Germanys ambassador in Ankara, according to a statement by the ministry.

Participants at the Frankfurt rally waved PKK flags and shouted support for No vote in the upcoming referendum.

A Yes vote would introduce an executive presidency advocated by the government and Erdogan.

Iyimaya told Al Jazeera that there is a growing double standard against Turkey in certain European countries, such as Germany.

Instead of consistently following their principles, Germany and some other countries change positions according to their interests and who they deal with, he told Al Jazeera, pointing out that Germany recognises the PKK as a terrorist group.

Iyimaya said certain European countries are acting in an obvious way against the constitutional changes that would be put into referendum next month.

Follow Umut Uras on Twitter: @Um_Uras








Israels prime minister backed out of an agreement to establish a new broadcasting authority on Sunday, creating a coalition crisis with one of his key partners that could lead to early elections.

The conflict centres on the fate of the struggling state-run Israel Broadcasting Authority. Netanyahu initially ordered it shut down and replaced with a new corporation, only to reverse course once the emerging personnel of the new body did not seem as favourable as his administration had hoped.

Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that his coalition partners are required to side with his ruling Likud party regarding all media regulation matters.





But Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, head of the centrist Kulanu party, said the corporation would start broadcasting next month as planned.

The crisis has sparked speculation that the coalition could fall apart, and new elections called.

Before departing on a weeklong visit to China, Netanyahu said Kahlons insistence was unacceptable and there was no need for the new corporation to be established when the current authority could be reformed.

Netanyahu has long tried to curb his many detractors in the media, which he considers biased against him.

The prime minister recently confirmed for the first time that he called an early election in 2015 to block legislation aimed at curtailing the distribution of Israel Hayom, a free daily financed by billionaire backer Sheldon Adelson that largely serves as his mouthpiece.

This time, though, speculation is rife that Netanyahu may be trying to use a potential election to deflect the numerous police investigations into his alleged corruption scandals.

Several Netanyahu associates have threatened that he will call an election if Kahlon does not back down from his demands. Others, however, say its a minor scuffle that should not unravel the government.

OPINION: What did the UN apartheid report expose in reality?

Several ministers and Likud MPs are known to be against a snap election, and it is unlikely that right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties would want to join a more centrist government.

Transport and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said he opposed fresh elections and believed a compromise could be found.

I think that only two years after the elections, its not the time to go to new elections, Katz, a senior member of Netanyahus Likud who aspires to one day replace the prime minister, told AFP news agency.

Its against the interests of the Israelis, of the country, and also against the interests of the Likud  Well not have a better coalition after the elections.

Netanyahus current coalition, seen as the most right-wing in Israels history, includes 67 out of parliaments 120 members. Kahlons Kulanu has 10 seats, and the current coalition would not survive without him.

The government is dominated by hardliners who support an increase in settlement construction across the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

But even if the coalition collapses it does not necessarily mean there will be new elections, which are currently slated for late 2019.

The countrys ceremonial president could appoint someone else to try and build a new coalition, a scenario opposition chief Isaac Herzog says he has already discussed with Kahlon.
State news agency report suggests engine will be used for countrys space and satellite-launching programme.

North Korea says it has conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine that leader Kim Jong-un is calling a revolutionary breakthrough for the countrys space programme.

Kim attended the test at the Sohae launch site, according to a report on Sunday by the Korean Central News Agency, which said the test was intended to confirm the new type engines thrust power and gauge the reliability of its control system and structural safety.

The KCNA report said Kim called the test a great event of historic significance for the countrys indigenous rocket industry.

He also said the whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries and claimed the test marks what will be known as the March 18 revolution in the development of the countrys rocket industry.

The report indicated the engine is to be used for North Koreas space and satellite-launching programme.

Claim questioned

North Korea is banned by the UN from conducting long-range missile tests, but it claims its satellite programme is for peaceful use, a claim many in the United States and elsewhere believe is questionable.

The test has been reported by KCNA as Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, is in China on a tour of Asia that has been closely focused on concerns over how to deal with North Koreas nuclear and missile programmes.

Al Jazeeras Adrian Brown, reporting from Beijing on Sunday, said: Just hours before Tillerson met Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korea tested its new rocket engine that is possibly part of its steps to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the US.

It underscored once more the inability of China to rein in North Korea.





Tillersons meeting with Xi was a courtesy call that only lasted seven minutes. The real talking was done behind the scenes on Saturday, principally with Wang Yi, Chinas foreign minister, and North Korea topped the agenda.

North Korean officials have said that under a five-year plan they intend to launch more Earth observation satellites and what would be the countrys first geostationary communications satellite  which would be a major technological advance.

Getting that kind of satellite into place would probably require a more powerful engine than its previous ones.

The North also claims it is trying to build a viable space programme that would include a moon launch within the next 10 years.

Weve seen flickers of cooperation between the US and China but no firm agreement on how to deal with North Korea, Al Jazeeras Brown said.

China has called for cool, calm dialogue but the US has said that the patience of the international community has been worn very thin. The coaxing, the cajoling, the sanctions, threats  all have not worked.

It is hard to know whether the engine test was deliberately timed to coincide with Tillersons visit, but North Korea has been highly critical of ongoing US-South Korea war games just south of the Demilitarised Zone and often conducts some sort of high-profile operation of its own in protest.

Ballistic missiles

Earlier this month, it fired off four ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, reportedly reaching within 200km of Japans shoreline.

While building ever better long-range missiles and smaller nuclear warheads to pair with them, North Korea has marked a number of successes in its space programme.

It launched its latest satellite  the Kwangmyongsong 4, or Brilliant Star 4  into orbit on February 7 last year, just one month after conducting what it claims was its first hydrogen-bomb test.

It put its first satellite into orbit in 2012, a feat few other countries have achieved. Rival South Korea, for example, has yet to do so.





Victor Gao, director of the China National Association of International Studies, says China eventually wants to see the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

The situation on the Korea Peninsula is deteriorating. There is continued nuclear testing by the DPRK [North Korea] and there is the proposed installation of the THAAD missile defence system in South Korea, he told Al Jazeera from Beijing on Sunday.

China is urging all parties to exercise great caution in a bid to lower, rather than further escalate, tensions. Beijing [also] does not want the THAAD missile system installed in South Korea.

US-China trade right now is worth almost $600bn, and it is a fact that China has a huge surplus in its trade with the US. What China wants to see is that, rather than get at each others throat, both China and the US further increase their exports to each other, eventually to reach about $1 trillion.
Frenchman Ziyed Ben Belgacem, who was shot dead at Paris Orly airport, was known to police for a number of convictions.

Ziyed Ben Belgacem, who was shot and killed by a soldier at Orly airport in Paris on Saturday, was known to French police for a string of criminal convictions, involving violence and theft.

Belgacem, 39, a Paris-born Frenchman, was shot as he attacked a female soldier, trying to steal her assault weapon, ending a spree of violence that lasted several hours.

While grappling with the soldier, he shouted I am ready to die for God, according to Francois Molins, Paris prosecutor, who described Belgacem as an extremely violent individual.

His rap sheet paints a picture of a seasoned criminal, accustomed to courts and spells behind bars.

Multiple prison stints

Belgacem had nine entries on his record, from violence to receiving stolen goods. In 2001, he was sentenced to five years in prison for armed robbery.

This was not his last stint in prison. In 2009, Belgacem was handed successive sentences of three and five years for drug trafficking.

While he was in prison, officials noticed signs of radicalisation, according to Molins, and he was known to police but not considered a serious threat. His house was searched, with no result.

Al Jazeeras Natacha Butler, reporting from Paris, said three people were in custody after the attack.

There has been a series of attacks in France over the past two years and the country has been in a state of emergency since 2015, she said.

With the presidential elections just five weeks away, this incident will throw the spotlight, once again, on security.

Belgacem lived on the sixth floor of a building in the northeastern Paris suburb of Garges-les-Gonesse, in the multi-ethnic Seine-Saint-Denis area.

Neighbours described him to AFP news agency as a withdrawn, serious man who nobody really knew.

Officers found several grams of cocaine in his apartment, and he was a regular at an Italian-Cuban bar in the south of Paris, which was known for its rowdy nights, a local resident said.

It was to this venue he headed immediately after drawing a gun and firing at officers earlier on Saturday, slightly injuring one in the head.

He then burst into the bar, threatened customers and fired again without injuring anyone.

Telling his relatives by phone that he had been up to some mischief, he then drove towards what prosecutors described as the crescendo of his destructiveness, stealing a car and heading towards the airport, with a can of petrol and a copy of the Quran in his bag.
Protesters chanted no justice, no peace as authorities used tear gas against some demonstrators.

Under the banner, march for justice and dignity, thousands in Paris rallied against police brutality on Sunday, with authorities using tear gas against some demonstrators.





Protesters chanted no justice, no peace and police everywhere, justice nowhere to call for an end to what they say is the use of excessive police force, especially against black and other minority groups.

The protest was the latest demonstration sparked by the alleged rape of a young black man by police in February.

The 22-year-old man, identified only as Theo, was allegedly raped with a police baton when officers stopped him in the northern Paris suburb Aulnay-sous-Bois. He was hospitalised for two weeks.

One officer has been charged with rape, while three others have been accused of aggravated assault. A lawyer for the officer charged with rape said that any injury inflicted was done accidentally. All have denied any intentional wrongdoing.

Theo has become a symbol

Since February, Theo has become a symbol of minority victims of police brutality, prompting widespread protests that have sometimes descended into riots.

At Sundays march, Fatiha Bouras, a mother of a victim, said: there are too many police killings, they have to stop.

READ MORE: In France, Black Lives Matter has become a rallying cry

Co-organiser Amal Bentounsi told the crowd, We would like for justice to be served.

Her brother, Amine Bentounsi, was killed by police during a chase in a northern Paris suburb in 2012. This week, the officer involved, Damien Saboundjian, was found guilty of deliberate assault resulting in death and given a five-year suspended sentence.

Others at Sundays protests held banners with the faces of other people who they say have been victims of police violence, including Adama Traore.

On the same night that Theo was allegedly raped, a sold-out concert took place to support the family of Traore who died in police custody in July 2016.





It was his case that propelled the issue of police brutality into the spotlight across France last year. Police originally said he died of a heart attack, but a second autopsy found Adama passed away due to asphyxiation. An investigation is still ongoing.

And in 2005, France experienced what some call the worst riots in 40 years after the deaths two teenagers  Bouna Traore and Zyed Benna  who were electrocuted while hiding from police in a power transformer.

That incident prompted three weeks of violence in which 10,000 cars and 300 buildings were set on fire, spurring Nicolas Sarkozy, then interior minister, to declare a state of emergency. In 2015, the officers involved were cleared of any wrongdoing.

Sundays protests and similar demonstrations that have taken place since 2005 have also highlighted long-standing grievances found in French suburbs, which are home to large numbers of immigrants.

A 2009 study found that a person of African or Caribbean background is six times more likely to be stopped by French police than a white person.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Rex Tillerson, the US secretary of state, have held talks in Beijing and sent out a message that they would work to strengthen ties between their countries.

After the meeting in the Chinese capital on Sunday, Xi said he and US President Donald Trump had resolved in a phone call last month that we need to make joint efforts to advance China-US cooperation and we believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era.

He said: Im confident that as long as we can do this, the relationship can surely move in the right direction.

In his first face-to-face talks with Chinese leaders, Tillerson pledged to work together in addressing the threat posed by North Koreas nuclear programme and cautioned that regional tensions had reached a dangerous level.









Al Jazeeras Adrian Brown, reporting from Beijing, said Tillersons meeting with Xi was a courtesy call that only lasted seven minutes.

President Xi Jinping was receiving the US secretary of state because Chinas top envoy was in Washington last month where he met President Donald Trump, he said.

The real talking was done behind the scenes on Saturday, principally with Chinas foreign minister, Wang Yi, and North Korea topped the agenda.

Weve seen flickers of cooperation between the US and China but no firm agreement on how to deal with North Korea.

Conciliatory language

The language from Tillerson and Wang was notably conciliatory after a run-up in which Trump accused China of doing nothing to control its rogue neighbour, while China accused the US of propagating hostilities.

I think we share a common view and a sense that tensions in the peninsula are quite high right now and that things have reached a rather dangerous level, Tillerson said after talks with Wang.

We will work together to see if we cannot bring the government in Pyongyang to a place where they want to make a different course, make a course correction, and move away from the development of nuclear weapons.





Speaking to Al Jazeera from Beijing, Victor Gao, director of the China National Association of International Studies, said: US-China trade right now is worth almost $600bn and it is a fact that China has a huge surplus in the trade with the US.

What China wants to see is that, rather than get at each others throat, both China and the US further increase their exports to each other, eventually reaching about $1 trillion.

Tillerson, a former oil executive, began his first Asian visit as secretary of state in Japan on Wednesday followed by South Korea. He travelled to China from South Korea on Saturday.

Previously, Tillerson had said in Tokyo that 20 years of diplomatic and other efforts, including a period when the US provided North Korea with $1.35bn in assistance to take a different pathway, had come to nothing.

INFOGRAPHIC: China and US  Face to face

He said South Korea that US military action against North Korea is an option on the table, and warned the country to end its missile and nuclear programmes.

The United States has been pressing China to do more to rein in North Koreas nuclear and missile programmes, including imposing tougher sanctions on North Korea.

However, China has been angered by the deployment of a US missile defence system to the South.

China says the systems radar is a threat to its security.

North Korea has a long-standing ambition to become a nuclear power and conducted its first underground atomic test in 2006, in the teeth of global opposition.

While Tillerson was holding meetings in China on Saturday, North Korea announced that it conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine that leader Kim Jong-un reportedly described as a revolutionary breakthrough for the countrys space programme.
ISIL positions in citys west targeted as Iraqi troops close in on mosque from where Baghdadi declared his caliphate.

Iraqi army helicopters are firing rockets at ISIL positions in Mosuls Old City as troops on the ground close in on al-Nuri Mosque, a centuries-old structure famous for its leaning minaret.

Federal Police troops advanced past the train station in western Mosul closer to the mosque on Sunday. A police commander said they were very close to taking control of it.

Residents fled from the area, carrying bags of belongings and picking their way through the wrecked buildings as shells and gunfire echoed behind them. Most of them were women and children.

Federal Police and Rapid Response forces resumed their advance after halting operations due to bad weather. The troops have a target of retaking the rest of the Old City, a police spokesman said.

OPINION: Mosul after ISIL  Insurgency and rivalry

The battle to recapture the last stronghold of ISIL, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group, in Iraq has now entered its sixth month.

Iraqi government forces, backed by US advisers, artillery and air support, have cleared the east and half of western Mosul and are now focused on controlling the Old City.

Recent fighting has targeted the strategic al-Nuri Mosque. Its capture would be a blow for ISIL, also known as ISIS, as it was from there that leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate in July 2014 after the group had seized chunks of Iraq and Syria.

US officials estimate about 2,000 ISIL fighters remain inside Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, resisting with mortar fire, snipers and suicide car bombs that attack army positions.

The black ISIL flag still flew from the mosques minaret on Sunday.

Residents flee

Al Jazeeras Stefanie Dekker, reporting from east Mosul, said thousands of civilians were trying to escape the fighting.

We have been hearing many stories from people feeling western Mosul  civilians caught in the middle, being killed by all sides in the conflict. The numbers seem alarmingly high. So far, the exact toll has been impossible to confirm, she said.

As Iraqi forces push further into the heart of western Mosul, the more resistance they face, especially since the battle has now reached the outskirts of the densely populated Old City. ISIL is using a seemingly never ending supply of suicide car bombers and snipers.

As many as 600,000 civilians may be caught inside the city with ISIL fighters.

About 255,000 people have been displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas since October, including more than 100,000 since the military campaign in western Mosul began on February 19, according to UN figures.

The last week has seen the highest level of displacement yet, with 32,000 displaced between March 12 and 15.

PHOTO GALLERY: The battle for western Mosul

The front lines havent moved much over the last few days, our correspondent said.

The weather was playing a role on this battlefield. When the sky is grey and its raining, Iraqi advances are usually slowed, as the cloudy skies hinder pilots and their air support. ISIL also often uses the cover to carry out counterattacks.

The weather also has an effect on the tens of thousands who are streaming out of Mosul, making their lives even more miserable.

Federal Police moved into the city on foot from near the train station towards the Old City, negotiating rubble-filled streets.

General Khalid al-Obedi, the police commander, said: We are advancing toward the Old City. Their resistance is weakening. They are mostly using car bombs and that shows they are losing on the ground.

Meanwhile, Federal Police arrested Husam Sheet al-Jabouri, the local chief of Diwan al-Hisba, an ISIL unit responsible for enforcing strict Islamic rules, in Mosuls Bab al-Sijin area, a police statement said.
A new Hungarian law allows the detention of all asylum seekers as new fences are built along its border with Syria.

A new law has been signed in Hungary to allow the detention of all asylum seekers  including 14-year-old children and above.

New fences along the border with Serbia are also planned, to try to prevent a new wave of refugees.

And a new volunteer force called Border Hunters are being trained to patrol borders.

Amnesty International says the new measures are a violation of international law.

Are Hungarys tactics out of line?

And is the EU to blame for not providing support?

Presenter: Dareen Abughaida

Guests:

Vincent Cochetel  UNHCR

Elizabeth Collett  Migration Policy Institute Europe

Raphael Bossong  German Institute for International and Security Affairs
In 1993 I was studying law at Cambridge University in England. Of course, we visited the Inns of Court in London, power-central for British jurisprudence. At lunchtime, a bit heady from the obligatory sherry-for-ladies-pre-prandial, I wandered a bit and came upon, of all things, the sepulcher of a Crusader.

I knew what it was immediately. I am Catholic, and although quite unregenerate at that time, still, the old stories and pictures were there. Besides, you couldn't mistake it; the period was right: a knight in stone effigy, on the grave, decked out in the very latest warrior garb of the (circa 1100 AD) time; and anyway, the knight still clutched, in death, his shield across his chest, emblazoned upon which was that big, red Cross.

Of a sudden the din of outside London was stilled. This place was holy, myself notwithstanding; and I knew "holy" because I'd just visited Rome over our class break and, there, I had visited the Catacombs. The Catacombs are holy whether you want them to be or not.

And so was the grave of this knight, killed fighting the Saracen hordes all those centuries ago. I surprised myself by instinctively doing something I hadn't done for years. I knelt at this man's gravesite and, from the depths, quite unbidden, came a prayer: Make me courageous, like you.

Last week, Alvernia University, an ostensibly Catholic university in Reading, Pennsylvania, announced it had scuttled its teams Crusader mascot and removed the name and image of Crusaders from its various team and university logos. More than just the most recent casualty in the Islamic war against the West, this strikes at the very heart of Judeo-Christian culture, namely, the Crusaders!

It is not too much to say that, but for those real holy warriors, the West would not be the West, and indeed we'd all be chanting Allahu Akhbar five times a day with our rumps in the air and all the (genitally mutilated) women at the back of the bus. Sorry, I meant the mosque.

Yes, Alvernia U. this week distinguished itself from the ranks of your everyday, run-of-the-mill quislings and topped the charts. Caving in to pressure from the Muslim Students Association (part and parcel of the Muslim Brotherhood), Alvernia removed all references to the name and image of a Crusader. The replacement has yet to appear, but we may all rest assured that it will be something diverse, something inclusive, and above all something not troublesome or offensive (which was how the Crusader mascot/logo was characterized by Alvernias officials, for whom the great courage of those knightly Crusaders might as well be entombed with their bones). Of course, the replacement won't include any Catholic names. Or Christian, or Jewish. No saints need apply, and as for anything even vaguely smacking of whiteness, well...!

Actually, unless the new mascot/logo is deemed acceptable and approved by the Muslim/LGBT/illegal alien/BlackLivesMatter masters of the universe there at Alvernia U., it'll never see the light of day. Theyd much rather diss the Crusaders than The Religion of Peace.

The dysfunctional family that is Islam has a need to be engaged in perpetual warfare. And it isn't just the jihad doctrine either. Harking back to my pre-law days as a Psych Nurse, I saw this sort of pathology play out over and over, ad infinitum, ad tedium, ad nauseam. Dysfunctional families never have a normal sense of belonging, of closeness, of bond. But they still crave it. And the one time they do achieve it is when they are threatened from the outside, even if that threat has to be manufactured. Only then can these families feel themselves to be, well, a family at all.

So on they go. A kid is arrested? Bonding! Dad's in the slammer? Feel the love! The one and only time you see these units as a whole is invariably in the courtroom where -- notwithstanding all the tats and the sagging trousers -- they're aglow with family feeling. Which vanishes immediately the kid gets his case dismissed, or dear old Dad is released on time-served.

Islam won't stop attacking, and when those attacks (like, say, an invasion of Europe) elicit protective reactions (like, say, the Crusades), those reactions are characterized as unprovoked attacks driven by Islamophobia. But We-The-People took a giant step towards non-facilitation of their attacks when we lately defied both political parties, all of the media and all the odds and elected Donaldus Magnus as president. Newsflash, Alvernia U: We've already established that you're not Catholic. But you're still American. Oh, wait. Are you?

Kathy Brown, Esq. is an attorney and a nurse, and in addition currently teaches American History at a Catholic school. Shes a native of NYC who now makes her home in the American Heartland.
While the Democrats have abandoned the counterfactual claim that the Russians interfered with the election to help President Trump into office, Trumps claim that U.S. officials surveilled him still has legs.

Eli Lake reports:

On March 1, the New York Times reported that in the final days and weeks of the Obama administration, White House officials rushed to preserve and distribute intelligence on connections between Russia and Trumps associates throughout the government. In practice this meant that raw intelligence was processed into analytical reports and classified at a relatively low level. As Inauguration Day approached, Obama White House officials grew convinced that the intelligence was damning and that they needed to ensure that as many people as possible inside government could see it, according to the Times. Did this raw intelligence include Flynns calls with the Russian ambassador? Depending on what Schiff and Nunes turn up, this could be a real scandal, particularly if the names of other Trump associates picked up in incidental surveillance were unmasked and distributed widely within the government. This would mean that the Obama administration had effectively short-circuited the FISA process by checking to see if Trump associates were picked up incidentally on existing surveillance, and then disseminating the take widely within the intelligence bureaucracy. Thats not the same as ordering -- without court oversight -- a targeted wiretap on Trump Tower. But its pretty serious, nonetheless.

The American Spectators report adds credence to the claim:

It was, however, a multi-agency investigation into Trump-Russia ties, according to the leaks to Heat Street and the BBC. So it is entirely possible that both Comey and Brennan were investigating Trump simultaneously, with the FBI seeking warrants or using traditional investigative techniques (as Circa News put it) and Brennan using less traditional ones. But at the very least we know that Christopher Steele and John Brennan, along with the British spies, journalists, and pols to whom they were leaking, were desperately trying to tip the election to Hillary. What a perversely appropriate duo for this appalling fiasco: Steele, a confirmed socialist before he entered MI6, according to the British press, and Brennan, a supporter of the American Communist Party during the Cold War (by his own admission), before entering the CIA. The details of their mischief are still coming into focus, but when they do the relationship between the two countries will look less special than sour.

How effective and thorough the Congressional hearings will be is anyones guess -- to date, by their very nature, and given the Democrats' certain efforts to muddy the waters, they may not get to the bottom of this, but the president is confident the truth will out and soon.

The judicial shenanigans respecting his travel moratorium on entry from six of the dozens of majority Moslem countries has exposed the fuzzy thinking and judicial autocracy of some courts, and though there been some setbacks, it speeds ahead. Washington State Judge Robart has refused to issue another injunction since the executive order was revised. Five judges of the Ninth Circuit blasted the Courts refusal to vacate the original -- now mooted -- Robart order.

Hawaii, a state which takes in no refugees from these countries, was the site of yet another judicial overreach.

This will surely be appealed to the Ninth Circuit, and if these five judges have anything to do with it, the Hawaii court will get a similar scathing reversal as Robarts did.

The Executive Order of January 27, 2017, suspending the entry of certain aliens, was authorized by statute, and presidents have frequently exercised that authority through executive orders and presidential well within the powers of the presidency, and [t]he wisdom of the policy choices made by [the President] is not a matter for our consideration. Sale v. Haitian Ctrs. Council, Inc., 509 U.S. 155, 165 (1993). The exclusion of aliens is a fundamental act of sovereignty. United States ex rel. Knauff v. Shaughnessy, 338 U.S. 537, 542 (1950); see also Landon v. Plasencia, 459 U.S. 21, 32 (1982). Congress has the principal power to control the nations borders, a power that follows naturally from its power [t]o establish an uniform rule of Naturalization, U.S. Const. art. I,  8, cl. 4, and from its authority to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, id. art. I,  8, cl. 3, and to declare War, id. art. I,  8, cl. 11. See Am. Ins. Assn v. Garamendi, 539 U.S. 396, 414 (2003); Harisiades v. Shaughnessy, 342 U.S. 580, 58889 (1952) ([A]ny policy toward aliens is vitally and intricately interwoven with contemporaneous policies in regard to the conduct of foreign relations [and] the war power.). The president likewise has some constitutional claim to regulate the entry of aliens into the United States. Although the source of the Presidents power to act in foreign affairs does not enjoy any textual detail, the historical gloss on the executive Power vested in Article II of the Constitution has recognized the Presidents vast share of responsibility for the conduct of our foreign relations. Garamendi, 539 U.S. at 414 (quoting Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, 343 U.S. 579, 61011 (1952) (Frankfurter, J., concurring)). The foreign policy powers of the presidency derive from the Presidents role as Commander in Chief, U.S. Const. art. II,  2, cl. 1, his right to receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers, id. art. II,  3, and his general duty to take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, id. See Garamendi, 539 U.S. at 414. The power of exclusion of aliens is also inherent in the executive. Knauff, 338 U.S. at 543. In the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, Congress exercised its authority to prescribe the terms on which aliens may be admitted to the United States, the conditions on which they may remain within our borders, and the requirements for becoming naturalized U.S. citizens. 8 U.S.C.  1101 et seq. Congress also delegated authority to the President to suspend the entry of any class of aliens as he deems appropriate: 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. ]

In Maryland, another judge has issued an injunction, once again confusing its authority on such matters and ignoring the Constitution and relevant statures on presidential authority in such matters. This judge has a long history of behaving as a Democratic operative and was confirmed only when then-senator Reid suspended the filibuster for judicial nominees. His order has been appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

In the meantime, deportation proceedings are being speeded up, the influx at the southern border is down to a trickle, and Congress and the president can consider other options as well -- including stripping federal courts of jurisdiction over immigration.

But while these matters have drawn the most attention, there are considerable other matters on Trumps plate,

Conrad Black details them:

It seems finally to be penetrating the minds of his more perfervid enemies that Trump will serve his term, and the hope for a quick destruction of his presidency by inciting the country, through their nasty parrots in the media, to believe that it had inadvertently, and through shabby manipulation of the electoral system with the collusion of the Kremlin, had foisted upon it government by Frankenstein, isnt making it. Given all that has happened, the hysteria over the migrant order, the whole farrago of Russian nonsense, and this de-escalation has been another heavy defeat for Trumps enemies. He has been facing a media that is 90 percent hostile and invents more news than it fairly reports. [Snip] ...it has been a baptism by fire and defamation that have failed. [snip] Now, at last, Trump will have to perform. The Ryan health-care bill cannot be the final product and Trump has hinted at that. Rand Paul has called for repeal before there is agreement on a replacement, a matrix for health-care disaster and political suicide. The increased competition among insurance companies should pass, and the tax credits are fine as long as the need is real and they are claimed only when needed. But better health care for those not covered by public or private plans and of modest or insufficient means is going to be costly, and probably cannot be passed off entirely to the states with top-ups of Medicaid. Presumably, the president will demonstrate his capacity as a negotiator. [snip] The president apparently believes that there is more political upside in non-coercion and lower cost and greater competition than there is downside in less-predictable care for the lowest economic rung. This is a hardball game and he is a hardball president. With health care and the budget and the tax plan coming on its heels and related to it, we will see how well Donald Trump understands the art of the political deal, and whether the Democrats can go on pretending they are watching the destiny of Humpty Dumpty, or not. Trump has won every round so far. Finally, he will have his chance to make history, change the country, and reverse the decline of America. Its showtime.

In the meantime, despite considerable judicial and congressional interference, he does keep moving forward. This week, the G-20 revised its rules to meet his demands on free trade.

The president has proposed budget cuts which are largely designed to cut out wasteful programs and unneeded agencies. And the opposition -- with rice bowls to fill and cohorts needing jobs play on the emotions of voters with unsubstantiated claims that ignore the facts.

And in some cases (like reduction in TIGER grants) the opposition includes some Republicans, like Senators Susan Collins and Mike Johnson:

In case you werent aware, TIGER grants are of a fairly recent vintage. They first appeared in the American Recovery and Re-Investment Act of 2009 -- the $890 billion stimulus loaded with one-time expenditures that somehow turned into sacrosanct spending. The program has doled out around $5.1 billion since that time. [snip] Most transportation projects are funded through a combination of federal, state, and local tax dollars and fees. Trumps infrastructure proposal, which is still in the works, would potentially add hundreds of millions of dollars in private financing to the mix. Anyone wishing to delve into the grim particulars of why this particular half-billion-a-year discretionary grant program is at once ineffective and perfectly dispensable may find enlightenment in a 2012 report by the libertarian Reason Foundation. There the interested reader will learn all about the programs vague metrics, inconsistent modal funding, and poor documentation, as well as how -- surprise, surprise -- Democratic congressional districts receive more funding than Republican congressional districts. The grants also fund local and regional projects that have no obvious national impact. Which sounds an awful lot like earmarks by another name. Except instead of legislators tucking special projects into appropriations bills they no longer pass, political appointees in the federal transportation bureaucracy exercise discretion to pick winning projects. Nobody should expect President Trumps first spending proposal to survive intact and unamended. But nobody can seriously contend that every program is essential, every agency budget is lean, every federal employee is indispensable, or that the disappearance of any them would cause irreparable harm to the republic. Bear in mind, the TIGER grant program is a $500 million line item in a $18 billion department budget. And prominent Republicans want to go to the wall to save it.

Big Bird will not starve if the federal funds to PBS are cut In the first place -- it now airs on HBO, and in second place, it is rich.

Can Big Bird Survive Trump? Yes, Big Bird can, because Big Bird is Big Business! Big Bird makes money! Investors Business Daily reports: Last year, Sesame Workshop had $121.6 million in revenues. Of that, $49.6 million came in distribution fees and royalties and $36.6 million in licensing of toys, games, clothing, food, and such. In 2014, only 4% of its revenue came from government grants. Despite being a taxpayer-supported nonprofit, however, Sesame Workshop pays its top executives fabulously well.

Nor will seniors perish if the minor aid to Meals on Wheels from the Community Block Grants is cut:

From Thursdays conversation in the press, it was easy to assume that block grant programs -- CDBG and similar block grants for community services and social services -- are the main source of federal funding for Meals on Wheels. Not so. Instead, as the national site explains, the major source of federal funding for the programs, accounting for 35 percent of overall local budgets, comes through the Sixties-era Older Americans Act. (Local programs also obtain support from state and county governments, private donors, and so on.)

Ignore the media and judicial chaff. Keep your eyes on the ball, because the president is doing that and winning.
The so-called two-state solution, to subdivide the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea between independent Israel and independent Palestine, fails the tests of logic and history. And it ignores the Kingdom of Jordan  whose participation is required for any stable, long-term arrangement.

There are presently three states, or at least three governments, west of the Jordan: Israel, the Palestinian Authority (PA), and Gaza. Pro-Israel two-staters think Gaza and the West Bank territory should become one state with Israel as the other, assuming-for-no-reason that it is Hamas that will disappear. Hamas vociferously disagrees. Assuming-for-no-reason that a single PA-governed state does emerge in both places, Israel would be left divided north from south by a corridor across the country so Palestinians could access both parts of their state. Arab armies tried multiple times to sever Israels waist in pursuit of conquest -- this would have Israel do it for them.

The Palestinians -- at best -- would have a split rump state squeezed between a hostile Israel and a more hostile Jordan. But the only thing Hamas and the PA appear to agree on is that the State of Israel is the one that has to do the disappearing. They believe the establishment of Israel in 1948 was a mistake by the international community that needs to be rectified. Hamas believes it should be through violence and bloodshed; the PA would negotiate Israel away through the right of return. A nasty Hamas-Fatah civil war in 2007 was never concluded, and the PA government rightly fears Hamas more than it does Israel -- in fact, the IDF and Shabak (Israels internal security agency) are what keep the PA in power.

Okay, say the pro-Israel two-staters, then make the deal between Israel and a West Bank Palestine now and leave Gaza for some future time. In that case, Israel would be left with a vicious, bloody, anti-Semitic, Iranian-supported enclave on its coast, unreconciled either to Israel or Palestine.

This is in addition to the not-minor problem that the PA functions only as a failed state living on American, EU, and UN handouts. The January 2017 statement by countries convened in France, ostensibly to promote the peace process, noted that despite billions in aid and services over the past 23 years, the PA cannot deliver services, has no infrastructure or viable economy, and has no civil society. Unmentioned is the ongoing Palestinian civil war. To bestow independence on such an entity is to birth another South Sudan.

No ones aspirations then, legitimate and peaceful or not, are met by a declaration of Palestinian independence. Currently there is stalemate, but, in fact, there could be two routes to progress.

First, recognition that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the narrowest definition of the Arab-Israel conflict that began before Israels independence and never has completely been concluded. Peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan do help, but other Arab states that declared war on Israel in 1948 and 1967 (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Algeria, and Syria) have not accepted their obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 242. They are still required to provide Israel, Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.

Demonstrable Arab acceptance of 242 would allow the Gulf and North African States to enter into proper relations with Israel, and give Israel more flexibility in its negotiations with the Palestinians. It would also establish the principle of Israels permanence and legitimacy for the Palestinians.

Second, following Arab acceptance of Israel, Jordan could be brought into the process. The kingdom conquered (1949) and illegally annexed (1950) the West Bank and the Jordanian Parliament made West Bank Palestinians citizens. But annexation was unworkable in the long run because it ignored Jordanian history and demographics. The founding of the PLO in 1964 with the intention of liberating Palestine was aimed as much at Jordan, ruled by a minority Hashemite King, as it was Israel -- and Jordan was thought to be easier. From 1967 - 1970, Palestinian terror groups grew in Jordan, establishing their own infrastructure at the expense of the kings rule. Bloody Black September saw the king strike back, killing thousands and expelling thousands more in a war that continued through 1973. In 1985, Jordan and the PLO signed an agreement that King Hussein repudiated in 1986, at which point he intended to create a Jordanian-Palestinian-Israeli confederation that would allow a Jordan-Israel agreement and keep Israel involved in the security of the territory.

In July 1988, Hussein renounced his claim to the territory and its people under threat from the PLO. He stopped paying 20,000 West Bank civil servants and slyly called Yitzhak Rabin Jordans defense minister for the West Bank, offloading the problem.

The 1994 Jordan-Israel peace treaty explicitly limits Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to west of the Jordan River -- erasing without penalty Jordans 1948 aggression, 1950 illegal annexation, and 1988 abandonment of Palestinians who had been citizens for nearly 40 years. It is time to reconsider, for Jordans benefit as well as others.

The arrangement that might have the best chance of working for Americas two regional allies -- Israel and Jordan -- is King Husseins old confederation. The Palestinians would have to live with something less than independence (independence is not part of the Oslo Accords), but could have political and economic benefits they do not now possess. And if Gaza has to remain on the outside, West Bank Palestinians will have more security than they now have.

It is not time to push for a confederated solution  or any solution  and it is unlikely the Arab states will soon come forward and meet their obligations under Resolution 242. But broader thinking is more likely to produce results than the illusory two state solution, and in fact, leaves two states  Israel and Jordan  where two were intended to be.
Russia is an easy country to enter. Procedures at Moscow's airport including passport control allow passengers a speedy departure from the airport, and the hour-long journey to the center of the city and hotel passes quickly along the six-lane highway.

Similarly, the reception is pleasant at the hotel, and the imperfect facilities in the room are of little account. The first surprise is the availability in the hotel of various foreign newspapers or mimeographed versions of them, including those in English such as The New York Times, Le Figaro, and The Wall Street Journal, as well the local Moscow Times, which contains articles mildly critical of President Vladimir Putin, and whose cover features an image of Jimmy Stewart in the film, where he plays a journalist.

If Russia is easy to enter physically, it is not equally easy to discern politically. Russia today, under the rule of Vladimir Putin, is becoming increasingly autocratic, but it is not a replica of the old Stalinist Soviet Union. In the streets in Moscow, there are no traces or physical reminders of Stalin, though some remain in a few provincial towns. However, some images of Lenin are present, and though Russia is not a doctrinaire Communist state, the large statue of Karl Marx remains close to Red Square. Yet it is noticeable, and perhaps significant as a decision by Putin, that Lenin's mausoleum in Red Square has still not been reopened to the public.

Russia is still a puzzlement. The country still has difficulties coming to terms with its past. President Putin himself has called for an objective analysis of 1917. In this year, the 100th anniversary of the 1917 February and October Revolutions, there will be no formal governmental celebrations since there is no overall message, positive or negative, that the regime wishes to convey, as was the case in the Soviet Union. There is no Leninist call for world revolution. Russia, part Western, part Asian, has no clear national identity, but its government is now an authoritarian system expanding its influence, internally and internationally, as a strong central state, supported not only by oligarchs, but increasingly by the Russian Orthodox Church.

An indication of political changes and the complexity of Russia's unhappy past and present is recent commentary on the 100 years of the publication Izvestia, whose story is the story of the former Soviet Union and present Russia.

Founded on March 13, 1917 by a small group of revolutionaries two days before the tsar, the last of the Romanovs, abdicated, it became the official publication of the Soviet Union. It was supposed to be the voice of the revolutionary councils, known as the Soviets, and had some political freedom  as much as was possible in the totalitarian regime, and was more liberal than its competitor Pravda, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party. Its most famous editor was Nikolai Bukharin. He was executed in the show trials in 1937, one of four chief editors of the paper to die.

In the 1980s, Izvestia became an advocate of reform, but more recently, though a shadow of its former self and with nine editors in the last 14 years, it has increasingly adopted pro-Kremlin positions and expressed support for Putin. In a notorious incident in 2015, the paper published a forged letter claiming that the U.S. embassy in Moscow had paid gay rights activists to smear Russian officials. Under Putin, the Russian press has been repressed, and a considerable number of media outlets have been closed.

What is puzzling in Russia today are implicit challenges to the status quo as well as public evidence of the horrible past. Some evidence of this is the monument, the "Solovki" stone slab, in honor of the "victims of totalitarianism." The stone was brought from Solovki in the White Sea, which in the 1930s was the first camp to which political prisoners were exiled.

In an ultimate irony, the Solovki monument is located in Lubyanka Square, in front of the building that housed the former KGB, the main security agency, and the secret police of the Soviet Union between 1954 and 1991, which was responsible for the elimination of the victims. No one needs a reminder that Putin was a mid-level KGB intelligence official for 16 years, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Indeed, this reminder is doubly ironic since the Kremlin is now planning to give the National Guard of Russia, established in April 2006 and directly subordinate to Putin, additional functions that will create an organization similar to the old KGB. It will have its own investigative arm and independent ability to conduct police investigations, its own network of agents, and control of electronic devices. Thus, Putin's own position will be greatly enhanced.

Contrary to Western perceptions of the issue, Russians appear to see the annexation of the Crimea peninsula as a great achievement, second only in significance to the Soviet Union victory in World War II. There are rumors that the 2018 presidential election is being moved to March 18, the date on which the Crimea annexation was ratified, so that it will bring out more voters for Putin. It is also notable that critics of Putin such as Alexei Navalny, the 40-year-old, partly Yale-educated leader of the Progress Party, critic of corruption and of Putin, are being barred from participating in the election.

A major factor in contemporary Russia is the increasing role of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and its virtual alliance with Putin. It is relevant that Putin for a time was in the KGB's Fifth Directorate, responsible for oversight of religious groups.

Already in 1997, the ROC helped pass the law restricting freedom to practice religious faiths considered foreign. The patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, in February 2012 pronounced that Putin's rule was a miracle of God. Putin may not be God's chosen ruler or holy Orthodox tsar, but he has formed an alliance with the ROC and benefited politically from it. During his rule, churches destroyed by the Soviet Union are being rebuilt: it is estimated that 23,000 churches are being restored or refurnished. In addition, Putin has allowed the teaching of religion in public schools.

A public ceremony on November 4, 2016 illustrated the political-religious relationship when Vladimir Putin unveiled a large 56-foot statue to Vladimir the Great, the 10th-century ruler of Kiev who adopted Orthodox Christianity in 988 and is regarded as the first Christian ruler. Now he is claimed, as is the contemporary Vladimir, as the person who united his country and gained victories for his fatherland. In a sense, the older Vladimir, 11 centuries old, is used as a symbol of justification for annexation of Crimea.

A new and unexpected feature in Moscow, that perhaps may be regarded in part as criticism of the existing system, is a fascinating avant-garde exhibition, "Russia as you've never seen it," at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Gorki Park. It presents works mainly done since 2012 by 68 artists and artist groups across the country. It thus offers insight into the diversity of social tendencies in the arts scene of Russia, a country that contains 200 nationalities and more than 100 minority languages.

There is no single theme or overall curatorial statement, but various general categories or "vectors" and conceptions are used to describe the artistic milieu in Russia. Some of them touch on social and political issues, the need for social change, expressions of solidarity with victims of repression, support for the rights of minorities and socially vulnerable groups, feminism, fighting domestic violence, and emancipation.

The puzzle remains. In the exhibition, which deals with the immensely complicated matter of national and cultural identity, to some extent, a minor spotlight is focused on social and cultural problems. Nevertheless, the outside wall of Gorki Park still bears the Communist hammer and sickle and an image of Lenin.

The Trump administration must be well aware of the poor condition of the Russian economy, which has been too dependent on oil prices, suffers from the decline in price, and is handicapped by Western sanctions. It must recognize the pressing problems that Russia presents: the Russian desire to increase its exports, especially arms, the impact of Russian hacking and cyber-security; its aggression in Chechnya, Georgia, and Ukraine; its intervention in Syria and relationship with Iran; its general military buildup; and its deployment of short-range nuclear capable missiles. In the light of these problems, it is imperative that the Trump administration understand the complicated notion of Russia's identity and become capable of responding to it.
Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar says that 30 countries are refusing to take deported criminal illegal aliens back and he wants the US government to force their cooperation.

A law is already on the books, Cuellar noted in an interview with Sheryl Attkisson, that the US could stop issuing visas to citzens of those countries until they changed their policy.

Daily Caller:

Were not enforcing it, which is amazing. So now my intent is to go back to our committee on appropriations and affect their funding until they do that, Cuellar told Sharyl Attkisson, host of Full Measure, in an interview. Cuellar, a Democratic member of the House Committee on Appropriations, told Attkisson that the Supreme Court has ruled that illegal immigrants arrested for criminal activity can only be held for a certain period of time before they must be released. That means youre releasing criminals into our streets because those countries refuse to take back those criminal aliens, said Cuellar. Thats wrong. And especially I think its even worse that this is already on the books, and were still issuing business tourist visas and student visas to countries that refuse to take back their criminal aliens. Thats wrong, and were hoping to change that. Cuellar has not been afraid to break with some of his party leadership on immigration issues in the past. He was known as one of former President Barack Obamas fiercest critics on illegal immigration. Cuellar teamed up with Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn in 2014 to help pass a bill that would speed up the deportation of unaccompanied minors. His stance disappointed his fellow Democrats, including Sen. Harry Reid. There are many foreign countries that refuse to retake illegal immigrants convicted of crimes, according to the congressman, including Vietnam, Cuba and China. Cuellar said that diplomacy plays a factor in the governments refusal to enforce the law, as the Department of State and other federal agencies do not want to upset foreign partners. But, for Cuellar, diplomacy is no excuse to put American lives in danger. But my response is, but we can upset our constituents, we can upset our way of life that we have here by allowing those criminals to be released? said Cuellar. And basically the response from the State Department is because you have to work with the State Department and Homeland Security. And the State Department, with all due respect, was focused on diplomacy.

Other nations are used to the lax attitude of the Obama administration toward deportations and do not see a reason to change their policies. As long as the US continues business as usual in the face of their defiance, nothing will change.

One can certainly understand that most countries would be very reluctant to allow a convicted felon back into their country. We saw the same thing with inmates from Guantanamo Bay prison camp. What nation in their right mind would welcome a terrorist back home? Even Muslim countries were reluctant to take Gitmo prisoners. But after a deportation order is issued for a criminal illegal alien, it is no longer America's problem.

A visa slowdown would be inconvenient for China and most other countries doing business with the US. The Trump administration might be open to such a course of action if these countries continue to refuse lawful American deportation orders that would send criminals back to where they came from.








Apple announced late last week (in a Chinese-language-only announcement) that it will set up two additional R&D centers in China, in the cities of Shanghai and Suzhou. As a friend of mine put it, Having any intellectual property development in a country that has zero respect for intellectual property rights seems a strange thing to do. Unless its a camouflaged bribe in order to be permitted to sell iPhones in China.

Dow-Jones News Service reports:

The new centers, to be set up in Shanghai and Suzhou, bring Apple's total commitment to R&D facilities in China to more than 3.5 billion yuan, or about $500 million, Apple said Friday in an announcement it issued only in Chinese. It last year committed to opening a similar center in Shenzhen, and currently operates one in Beijing. [Apple CEO Tim] Cook is expected to mention those commitments in a speech on innovation and corporate social responsibility at the China Development Forum, an event for discussion between China's senior leadership and global business executives that begins Saturday. Mr. Cook has traveled numerous times to China, but it will be his first time speaking at the forum, which is hosted by an arm of the State Council, China's cabinet, and takes place at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. The guest list also includes International Business Machine Corp. CEO Ginni Rometty and Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky.

Apple is definitely feeling pressure in China:

Apple is grappling with rising pressure from homegrown rivals and a string of other setbacks in China, its most important market outside the U.S. Its sales in Greater China fell 17% in its latest fiscal year to $48.49 billion, as Huawei Technologies Co. and other Chinese companies gained share against its iPhone -- although Apple said sales stabilized in the most recent quarter in mainland China, which excludes Taiwan and Hong Kong. Apple last year was forced to halt its online music and book services in China because they violated local media rules. The company also faced criticism from local consumer groups last year over complaints that iPhones were spontaneously shutting down even as half the devices' battery life remained. Apple said a limited number of phones were affected and offered free replacement batteries for those devices. (snip) "Apple is annoying to China because it's selling phones and sending money back to the United States," said Roger Kay, an analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates Inc. "It's competing with Xiaomi and Huawei, and that's an irritant."

There are, of course, some non-political advantages to putting R&D facilities overseas. China has a lot of talented graduates of universities like Tsinghua, whose skills maybe different from those of graduates elsewhere.

But there can be no underestimating Chinas desire to acquire foreign technologies by hook or by crook, to lock out foreign producers.

Apples commitment to privacy for its users seems to be stronger in the US than in China:

Under Mr. Cook, Apple has emphasized protection of customer-privacy -- publicly battling a Federal Bureau of Investigation effort to force it to help unlock an iPhone used by San Bernardino terrorists. Mr. Cook also has raised concern about the rise of "fake news," calling last month in an interview with British newspaper the "Independent" for technology companies to "create some tools that help diminish" its rise. In China, the world's largest smartphone market, Apple has made concessions. It removed the New York Times from its App Store earlier this year. That followed an agreement in 2015 to submit products for Chinese security checks and an earlier decision to move Chinese customers' data from overseas servers onto a domestic system operated by state-run China Telecom. Apple said it removed the New York Times app because it violated local regulations. It has said that Chinese consumers' data is encrypted.

The sad fact is that major corporations react differently to strong horse governments like Chinas, and cave in rather than fight a losing battle. In the US, with our due process rights, the governments voice simply counts for less.

Which leaves members of the American public wondering whose side Apple really will be on when push comes to shove (as it will regarding advanced technology and privacy and many other issues).
Joni Ernst's 2014 campaign for US Senate in Iowa was very much like the marketing campaign that Marvel comics puts into motion for its female superhero movies.

Ernst, sporting a tough, rugged masculine 'do, plastered the airwaves with photos of herself in her National Guard outfit (she is a lieutenant colonel!). She did photo ops of herself riding a motorcycle. She even fired a gun in a campaign ad, promising to "unload" on Obamacare!

Ernst is one, tough, conservative lady!

I mean, she was. Flash forward more than 2 years later, and she is fighting against the repeal of Obamacare. Oh, if you ask her, Ernst will still say she wants Obamacare repealed, but she wants exceptions for the most expensive subsidies and regulations contained within Obamacare itself.

Ernst insists she still wants to dismantle the law, but admits its not quite as simple as the repeal and replace mantra seemed in 2014.

Why not?

We have to take this up and move cautiously, she said after an event in Cedar Rapids, a Democratic bastion. Indeed, now Ernst is using the word deliberative when describing her state of mind about replacing Obamacare. She emphasizes that pre-existing conditions must be covered and that children up to the age of 26 be able to remain on their parents insurance plan, both of which the Republican alternative would require. Shes very concerned about the Medicaid states. Hers is one of them. The present solution in the House is not something that is easily supportable, said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who campaigned tirelessly for Ernst.

Let's examine these one at a time:

1) Pre-existing conditions. If people can get insurance after the fact, after they get sick, they have no incentive to pay insurance premiums before they get ill. That added expense raises the cost of premiums dramatically for the rest of us who are responsible, and have health insurance all along. Let's say Ernst is riding a motorcycle and her husband, Gail (her husband's name is Gail), sits behind her, holding onto her waist like a supportive husband, as they go for a masculine power drive. They make a sharp turn into the parking lot of a biker bar and they fall off, and Joni gets a head injury. She has no insurance. Should Ernst be entitled to sign up for insurance after the fact? That's like signing up for homeowner's insurance after your house has burned down and expecting coverage.

2) Children covered until the age of 26. This requirement also raises premiums for all of us. Even if you don't have any 25-year-old children who need insurance, the one-size-fits-all insurance policy raises rates for everyone. And since when are 25 year olds considered children?

3) Medicaid expansion. Right now the federal government is paying 100% of the cost of that. But states are expected to pick up an increasing share of the bill in a few years, which will bankrupt them. Ernst doesn't care about the future; she only cares about being reelected now. She cares about not reducing "coverage" for Iowans (with taxpayer subsidies), but doesn't care about the other Iowans who are made to subsidize them.

If these parts of Obamacare survive, premiums will continue to be high, and states will risk insolvency when it comes time to pay the bill on Medicaid expansion.

But hey, doesn't Joni look hot on her bike? Like the Terminator!

The Ernstinator II: she came from the past, to make sure Obamacare has a future.

Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.
To be fair, it must be tough waking up every morning in a house that you had no plans to live in this year.

Yes, it must be tough to be Hillary Clinton, the woman who sold every bit of dignity and self-respect just to be president of the U.S.

As first lady of Arkansas, and then the U.S., she put up with everything just to hold on to her husband, or her ticket to the top.

As a candidate in 2008, her team put the "Obama was not born here" story to support the idea that a guy named Barack Obama was a bit un-American.

As the inevitable candidate in 2016, she didn't campaign and assumed that demographics and a friendly media would get her over the top.

A couple of days ago, Mrs. Clinton apparently "came out of the woods" and gave a brief speech about the state of the nation. I didn't know that she had been in the woods, but I guess it is a reference to a couple of encounters that the former first lady had with citizens out for a walk.

Mrs. Clinton is concerned with the divisions in the country or something like that, according to news reports:

She told the Society of Irish women yesterday: "What can we do to try to bring people together and to try to find that common ground, even higher ground, sister, so that we listen to each other again and we know that we can make a difference?

Then:

The former First Lady went on to urge the "divided country" to work together to solve problems, recalling how, as first lady, she met with female leaders working to bring peace to Northern Ireland. Ms Clinton added: "I am ready to come out of the woods and to help shine a light on what is already happening around kitchen tables, at dinners like this, to help draw strength that will enable everybody to keep going."

On behalf of the "deplorable," let me scream across the land: are you kidding, Mrs. Clinton? Did you just realize that the country is divided?

The nation has been divided for a long time, and your side did a lot to make it so.

On September 2012, then-secretary of state Clinton insulted the intelligence of most Americans by participating in a scam calling the attack on the Benghazi diplomatic post a reaction to a YouTube video. We know now that the explanation was a lie, but don't expect the lady to say she is sorry.

Last year, Mrs. Clinton, now a candidate for president, referred to half of Trump supporters as "deplorable." Isn't that a neat way of uniting the country? She regretted the remark later but the damage was done.

Frankly, it's time for the Democrats to move beyond the Clintons and the Obamas and check out the electoral map after the 2016 elections. The party is in awful shape, and reviving Mrs. Clinton or counting on President Obama to run a shadow government will do little to fix the party's blues.

So nice to see you, Mrs. Clinton. Your Cubs finally won the World Series, but your time in politics is over for sure.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Conservative comedian Tim Allen said on Jimmy Kimmel Live that one had to be very careful talking about Donald Trump in Hollywood and that the atmosphere was so oppressive it reminded him of Nazi Germany in the 1930's.

Washington Times:

Mr. Allen mentioned that he attended President Trumps inauguration and then immediately tried to justify his attendance by saying he went to see Democrats and Republicans. Im not attacking you! Mr. Kimmel assured the comedian. In this town? Mr. Allen responded. Im not kidding. You gotta be real careful around here. You get beat up if you dont believe what everybody believes. This is like 30s Germany, he said. I dont know what happened. If youre not part of the group, You know what we believe is right, I go, Well, I might have a problem with that. Im a comedian, I like going [off] on both sides, he added.

Mr. Allen's reflexive response to Kimmel's protestation that he wasn't criticizing him for attending Trump's inauguration is telling. He is acting like a battered woman who ducks whenever her partner raises his voice.

Mr. Allen said one of the main issues that concerned him this election season is government surveillance and the online tracking of consumers by corporations like Google and Amazon. If the government drove down the street in a gray sedan with a camera on it, youd be rioting, going to Washington, he said. But if its white, with emojis and Google on it, Yay! Youre waving at it! Theyre taking pictures of your house! Who are these people? I wanted to put FU on the top of my house, he said. The comedian, who calls himself a fiscal conservative, said Amazon also knows way too much about us, citing the websites tracking of consumer habits. Mr. Allen, who last January compared the Clintons to herpes, endorsed Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the 2016 presidential election. Though he never openly endorsed President Trump, he spoke out in November against Hollywood liberals for bullying the people who support him. What I find odd in Hollywood is that they didnt like Trump because he was a bully, the Last Man Standing told Fox News host Megyn Kelly at the time. But if you had any kind of inkling that you were for Trump, you got bullied for doing that. And thats where this  it gets a little hypocritical to me, is that you can now bully people.

What's the difference between the Communist blacklist in Hollywood in the 1950's and the conservative black list today? None that I can see - except, perhaps, today's liberals are far more vicious in seeking out and trying to destroy conservatives who don't toe their rigid ideological line.

The ever present irony of Hollywood is that there is no group in America who claims to embrace free speech more while doing their damndest to destory it. This is the reality faced by conservatives who find it a constant battle to maintain ideological neutrality in order to be successful. They don't dare expose their true feelings lest they be blackballed by the small minded, authoritarian left in Hollywood.

Allen was not exaggerating when comparing Nazi Germany to Hollywood today.
A French Muslim was shot and killed at Orly airport outside of Paris yesterday when he tried to grab a soldier's gun. Ziyed Ben Belgacem, a 39-year old career criminal born and raised in France, was known to police both for his radical views and criminal activity. While holding a gun on a female soldier, he shouted "I am here to die in the name of Allah ... There will be deaths." Seconds later, the soldier's two comrades cut him down.

Questions arose about why the French security services no longer had Belgacem on their radar. His house was searched last year after the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people, but authorities were no longer tracking his movements.

Belgacem had earlier stolen a car and shot at police in the northern suburbs of Paris. He then stole another car before abandoning it at the airport.

The attack was just the latest in a series of lone wolf attacks. Last month, an Egyptian man was shot when trying to carry out an attack at the Louvre in Paris.

Terrorism is a big issue in the upcoming presidential election campaign and yesterday, candidates tried to take advantage of the attack to boost their campaigns.

Independent:

The cycle following the attempted attack at Paris Orly Airport feels grimly familiar in France, where more than 230 people have been killed in a wave of terrorist atrocities starting in January 2015. But with a presidential election fast approaching, the political stakes are even higher for Mr Hollandes government as it seeks to bolster support among the French public and stem the rise of the far-right. Marine Le Pen, the Front Nationals leader, was quick to capitalise on Saturdays events, which saw suspected Islamist Ziyed Ben Belgacem shoot a police officer at a checkpoint before being killed while attempting to seize a soldiers gun at the airport. I want the state to take charge of ensuring safety for the French, she told supporters at a campaign rally in Metz. The French will not be protected by people who refuse to face up to reality. Ms Le Pen, currently polling in second place for next months presidential election, claimed France was overrun with violence as a result of lax governments. Her main opponent, the centre-left former economy minister Emmanuel Macron, pledged to restore military service at his own campaign event. Time will tell whether the latest attack to rock France will sway voters going to the polls in April. A succession of terrorist atrocities has undermined trust in the current government, which has repeatedly vowed to carry out wide-ranging security reforms after failing to prevent Isis-inspired attacks in Nice, Normandy, Magnanville and elsewhere. A state of emergency giving security services dramatically increased powers to search, detain and monitor suspects was brought in after Isis militants massacred 130 people in the November 2015 Paris attacks. The interior minister said Saturdays shooting justified the measures, which have raised human rights concerns at the United Nations, but the incident will be seen as another failure by the French intelligence agencies.

Blegacem's criminal past and possible psychological problems have been siezed upon by Islamist apologists who oppose the crackdown by President Hollande. But the fact is, most French terrorists inspired by ISIS have a criminal record:

Research has shown that more than half of European Isis fighters have a criminal past, with recruiters deliberately targeting violent criminals and gang members looking for redemption and a licence to kill in the name of jihad. One of the most prominent examples is the network that carried out both the Paris and Brussels attacks. Co-ordinator Abdelhamid Abaaoud, bomber Ibrahim Abdeslam and his brother Salah were all involved in crime in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, while Paris supermarket gunman Amedy Coulibaly had served time for receiving stolen goods, drug trafficking and robbery. Like many other Islamists, Belgacem is believed to have been radicalised in prison and was put under surveillance after being freed, although it was unclear when monitoring was stopped.

Le Pen's insurgent candidacy has already had an effect on French politics. She has forced center right, and center left parties to move closer to her positions on immigration and assimilation of Muslims. Whether Macron can co-opt enough Le Pen supporters to give him a first round victory in the elections next month is probably not in the cards. But if, as expected, no candidate gets 50% of the vote in the first round, the top two challengers will face off in May. Macron hopes his pro-EU stance will attract parties of the left and right to support his candidacy against Le Pen, giving him a majority in May.

But a few more terror attacks like Orly, or God forbid, like the Paris attack at the theater and restaurant that killed 130, and all the conventional wisdom will go out the window. People have been outraged at the apparent lack of competence in the French security services that had led to Islamic extremists carrying out regular attacks on French citizens.
Gregg Garland, Walgreens district manager, recently was handed the Missouri Community College Associations MoWINs Grant Partnership Award by Mineral Area Colleges vice president of college affairs, Gil Kennon.

Garland has played an instrumental role in the development of the Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program offered at Mineral Area College through the MoSTEMWINs program.

The relationship between the college and Walgreens began when Garland was a store manager at the 24-hour Walgreens in Farmington.

He and the managing pharmacist at the time met with college staff to arrange clinical rotations for students participating in the Pharmacy Technician program. He has also helped to provide the students with mock interviews.

Now in his position as district manager he has helped the college expand its partnership with Walgreens throughout the Southeast Missouri area.
Crazy Shiznit Happening With Israel and PM Benjamin Netanyahu's cabal. I posted below snippets of 4 news stories that explain what is taking place, you'll get a sense of a bigger picture playing out.

~e

Netanyahu Says He Will Hold Snap Elections if Israel's New Public Broadcaster Not Killed Within Days

Explained: By threatening elections, Netanyahu is taking a huge risk - why now?

There's a good chance Israel is heading for elections, Netanyahu's whip says

Analysis Netanyahus attitude toward the media is irrational - and pathetic

PM NETANYAHU FLIES TO CHINA AMID COALITION CRISIS

RUSSIA SUMMONS ISRAELI ENVOY OVER SYRIA AIR STRIKE









Trump Administration Ousts U.N. Official to Protect Israel From Criticism

With coalition in crisis over prime minister's attempt to shut down new public broadcaster, Netanyahu says he will decide on election by middle of the week.Chaim Levinson and Jonathan Lis Mar 18, 2017 10:27 PMPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem March 16, 2017. AMIR COHEN/REUTERSPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he will hold snap elections if no deal is reached to shut down Israel's new public broadcaster before its official launch.The prime minister told his ministers on Saturday that if Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon refuses to shut down the new broadcasting corporation and reform the old one by the middle of the week, he will send Israel to the polls.Netanyahu and Kahlon reached an agreement on Thursday that the new public broadcasting corporation will start operating as scheduled on April 30. But on Saturday Netanyahu said that he "changed his mind" about the deal.**********************************************************************BYJPOST.COM STAFF MARCH 19, 2017 08:45The debated establishment of the new Israel Broadcasting Corporation has led to disarray within the government.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to China on Sunday morning for an official state visit amid a burgeoning coalition crisis that threatens to dissolve the government.Netanyahu said, "we are going to mark 25 years since the establishment of relations between Israel and this great power."Netanyahu threatens to dissolve government amid broadcasting corporation debateNetanyahu also mentioned that Israel is in high demand, "which you can learn from the recent visits to Washington, Moscow and several other nations, and now also China."The trip comes amid a coalition crisis that has spurred talk of early elections with regard to a contentious debate over the establishment of the new Israel Broadcasting Corporation (IBC).Netanyahu has fought against the IBC, which would replace the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and operate under less government control.*******************************************************************Netanyahu: IAF acted to stop weapons transfer to HezbollahRussia on Friday summoned Israeli Ambassador Gary Koren to justify Israels air strike in Syria at a target near the city of Palmyra.According to Channel 2 the strike hit close to Russian troops. The Foreign Ministry confirmed Korens meeting with the Russians, just one day after the ambassador presented his credentials, but did not expand on its content.*******************************************************************Glenn GreenwaldMarch 18 2017, 10:39 a.mON WEDNESDAY, a U.N. agency published a report noting that Israel has established an apartheid regime that dominates the Palestinian people as a whole. Yesterday, the author of that report, who has served as executive secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) since 2010, Rima Khalef, resigned after the Trump administration, working in conjunction with Israel, pressured the U.N. secretary-general to demand that she withdraw the report.Khalef, a Jordanian national who has served in multiple high government positions, refused the demand to repudiate her own report, instead choosing to resign. The report  which was co-authored by the Jewish American Princeton professor and former U.N. official Richard Falk, a longtime critic of Israeli occupation  has now been removed from the UNESCWA website.
By: Koushan Das

Established over 50 years ago, Thailands automotive sector has developed into the biggest automotive hub in Southeast Asia and one of the largest in the world. As of 2016, Thailand stands as the 13th largest automotive manufacturer in the world. The country offers a dual advantage in terms of a large domestic market as well as an established automotive cluster of component suppliers. The industry accounts for nearly 12 percent of Thailands GDP and employs more than 500,000 people including the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMs) and Tier 1, 2, and 3 suppliers. Japanese OEMs hold 85 percent market share while the US OEMs account for the remaining 15 percent.

Recent Automotive Regulations

In the year 2016, the government introduced new excise taxes based on carbon dioxide emissions, E85 gasohol compatibility, and fuel efficiency instead of engine size. The most affected segments were the SUVs and pick-up trucks. The industry witnessed an increase in sales in the second half of 2015 as consumers were facing new excises taxes from 2016 onwards.

The government is also supporting eco-car production by providing incentives to manufacturers such as income tax exemption for a fixed period, excise tax incentives, and other tax incentives. Similar to eco-cars, the government also sees a scope for electric vehicles (EV). To promote EV production, the Thailands Board of Investment in 2016 decided to waive import tariffs on battery-electric vehicles and provide incentives for battery electric vehicle (BEV) production.

Automotive Cluster

The automotive cluster in Thailand includes 700 Tier 1 companies, and 1,700 Tier 2, and 3 companies employing almost 80 percent of the total automotive workforce. Thai-made parts and components recognized for their high quality by the global OEMs account for almost 85 percent of the total assembled parts in the country. Almost 75 percent of the countrys automotive exports are automotive parts, followed by engines and spare parts. More than 50 of the top 100 global OEM part suppliers have a manufacturing base in the country.

Future Outlook

The year 2016 witnessed a decline in production and exports, while domestic sales grew in comparison to previous year. Domestic sale in 2017 is expected to rise by 6.7 percent. However, exports are not expected to grow due to reduced oil prices and global economic conditions. Record household debt, lower purchasing power, and tightening of loan approval process will tend to affect the domestic recovery in 2017.

The governments first-car-buyer scheme implemented in 2011 provided tax break for first-time buyers, which led to a surge in 2012 sales and a subsequent drop in 2013. The scheme did not allow the transfer of ownership of such vehicles for a period of five years. Buyers who took advantage of the scheme are now eligible to transfer ownership. Most current car owners are also considering purchasing newer and efficient models driven by the carbon dioxide based excise duty implemented in 2016. OEMs estimate 300,000 buyers from the governments first-time car buyer program to buy new cars every year. Anticipating a rise in demand, most of the Japanese car companies are also launching newer and fuel-efficient models in 2017 to attract new buyers.

The recent carbon-dioxide based excise duty reflects the governments initiative to move to more eco-friendly cars in the near future. Eco-cars emitting less greenhouse gasses than conventional gasoline based cars accounted for 39.8 percent of the market in 2016, up from 35.7 percent in 2015. The government will need to provide incentives to consumers to switch to EVs and develop the supporting infrastructure such as charging stations in a bid to promote EVs.

In the near future, Thailand will continue to be a manufacturing center in Southeast Asia, but has to move towards R&D to have a sustainable growth. Focusing on technologies such as EVs, eco-car, and hybrids, will allow Thailand to cater to its export markets, which are slowly moving towards phasing out internal combustion engines in the next 15 to 20 years.



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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.
I had no idea that LIES were like a contagious disease. WE have seen time and time again how Trump says something completely outrageous--no proof-- and instead of questioning the statement, Trump's mindless cult followers accept the statement. No, in fact. They LOVE the statement. It's unbelievable.But now, Fox News is caught in the cross fire: "Fox News cannot confirm Judge [Andrew] Napolitano's commentary," Shepherd Smith said. "Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind that the now-president of the United States was surveilled at any time, in any way. Full stop."British intelligence officials have denied an allegation that the UK helped former president Barack Obama wiretap Donald Trump during the 2016 election.The claim was repeated by the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, on Thursday and dismissed as utterly ridiculous by a GCHQ spokesperson.The spokesperson added in a statement: Recent allegations made by media commentator judge Andrew Napolitano about GCHQ being asked to conduct wiretapping against the then president-elect are nonsense. They are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored.So now we live in an America where anyone, including the sitting president, can say anything--no matter how outrageous--and we just accept it??It's sickening.
Kamal remembers his eldest brother Chandrahaasan, who passed way in the UK on Sunday.

One after another, tragedies seem to be taking a toll on Kamal Haasan. In January, he had lost his bhabhi  his eldest brother Chandrahaasans wife. Before that, he had a fatal fall resulting in multiple fractures keeping his confined to bed for six months. Meanwhile, his partner for 13 years Gautami had called it quits and left him. Now, his father figure Chandrahaasan has passed away, adding to his grief.

Fate, if thats what you call it, is certainly giving me a lot of attention, says Kamal mirthlessly, hours after his brothers demise. He was on the way back from the US where he had been after the death of bhabhi. For a change of environment, he has been with his son for a few months. He was on his way back and had stopped over at London to be with his daughter for a short break from the long journey when he suffered a heart attack, adds the actor.

The family is now awaiting the coroners report. Hassans are not into rituals, itll be a quiet family funeral service. We request friends and well-wishers to respect the familys privacy, the actor said.

Recalling the good times with his brother, Kamal says, He was 20 years elder to me and played a very important role in running my production house. When Vishwaroopam was caught up in a controversy, he held peace talks with the protesters. I will miss him.
On the other hand, a total of 124 paramilitary companies have been deployed for the agitation in Haryana on Sunday.

New Delhi: The Jat community, which is set to launch an agitation across Delhi-NCR demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions, has confirmed they would meet Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday.

The development comes hours after Khattar urged protestors to meet him and other ministers ahead of the agitation.

Jat leader Yashpal Malik has confirmed the scheduled meeting with the Chief Minister at 12 pm on Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday, Khattar said the government was serious about the issues of the Jat community and assured them of resolving the issue soon.

"On March 16, a meeting took place between the (Jat) agitators and the government officials, during that some confusion emerged. The government is serious about the agitators' concern. It is our foremost duty to uphold peace and fraternity in the state. We are committed to resolve this issue," Khattar said.

"Hence, I, along with other ministers, urge the agitating people to come to the Haryana Bhawan at 12 pm today and talk to us. I and (Minister of State for Law and Justice) P P Choudhary along with other ministers will be waiting. We all believe in 'Haryana eik and Haryanvi eik' and uphold the welfare of the state," he added.

Meanwhile, a total of 124 paramilitary companies have been deployed for the agitation in Haryana on Sunday.

The Delhi Police has issued a traffic advisory to the people in view of the agitation. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will also suspend its train services to and from all stations outside Delhi from 11.30 pm on Sunday.

The protestors gave a call for the march to besiege Parliament and to hold dharnas on the Delhi border, blocking all highways, to press for their demands for reservation.

Apart from reservation, the Jats have also been demanding jobs to the next of kin of those killed in violence in the agitation last year, compensation to those injured, withdrawal of cases against them and action against officers who ordered action against the Jats.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday pitched for overall development in the nation, saying that 'Jan Shakti' is more important than the strength of the government.

"Like the freedom movement, we need a movement for development where collective aspirations will propel growth of the nation," said the Prime Minister while addressing a conclave held in Mumbai via video conferencing.

Prime Minister Modi further said that the new India is about Avsar (opportunity) and not about Upkaar (favour).

"Technology has changed so much. We have to keep pace with the aspirations of the youth. Earlier decisions were election driven or based on set notions of officials. This has changed now." he added.

Stating that the processes adopted by the government are citizen friendly, the Prime Minister said they have focused on time-bound implementation and integrated thinking.

Highlighting the initiatives taken by the Central Government in different sectors, the Prime Minister said, "India's economy is being transformed and manufacturing sector is getting a strong impetus. We have also begun work on electrifying villages that did not receive electricity for so many years after Independence."

He further added, "We have merged the Railway Budget with the General Budget to ensure faster growth of not only the railways but also overall transport sector. Speed of work in the railway and the road sector is progressing at a very quick pace."

He also said the work in health sector is on at a quick pace and a roadmap has been prepared to make healthcare accessible to the nation.
The main purpose of the visit of 80-year-old Asif to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi, according to news agency reports.

New Delhi: Two Indian clerics who went missing in Pakistan are safe and will be back in the city on Monday, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.

The two clerics  Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah in New Delhi and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami  had gone to Lahore on March 8 and were to return to India on March 20.

I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow, Ms Swaraj tweeted.

The main purpose of the visit of 80-year-old Asif to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi, according to news agency reports.

Pakistan had conveyed to India on Saturday that the clerics were traced and had reached Karachi.

Ms Swaraj had taken up the issue with Pakistani Prime Ministers adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz on Saturday and had requested him to trace the missing clerics.

According to Pakistani media reports, the clerics had been in interior Sindh where there was no communication network and that is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts. Earlier, Pakistani sources were quoted by news agencies as saying that the duo were in the custody of Pakistans intelligence agency ISI over their alleged links with the MQM. They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at Lahores Allama Iqbal International Airport, the Pakistani sources had said.
New Delhi: Yogi Adityanath's elevation as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is part of Narendra Modi's vision of a "new India", AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said today, taking a jibe at the decision.

Owasi, a firebrand Muslim leader, said he was the least surprised by the decision.

This is an assault on India's age-old "ganga jamuni tehzeeb" -- a fusion of Hindu and Muslim cultures, he said.

"This is Modiji and BJP's new India. But this is not at all surprising. The Samajwadi Party cheated the Muslims when it was in power. And now we will see a model of exclusivist development. This is the 'vikas' they talk about," Owaisi told PTI.

While Owaisi was vocal on the issue, another prominent Muslim leader, Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari took a guarded approach, hoping Adityanath would shed his controversial past.

"I welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi's post-election statement that a government has to be run through consensus, not majority. I hope the new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh will follow these words. Hope the controversies will remain a thing of the past," Bukhari said.

Earlier, Owaisi, a firebrand Muslim leader, tweeted, "Mr Modi is making a "NEW INDIA" in UP (sic)."

44-year-old Adityanath, a priest-turned-politician, is known for his provocative speeches and mass following across the state and never shies away from making controversial remarks, be it about Islam or Pakistan.

Right from comparing Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan to Hafiz Saeed during the intolerance debate in 2015 to asking people to leave India if they don't practise 'Surya Namaskar' in 2015, the Yogi has been at the centre of several controversies.
New Delhi: Criticising Yogi Adityanath's selection by BJP as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily on Saturday said it is a "big assault" on secularism, but his party said it will act as a watchdog of people's interests.

"It is a big assault on secularism in the country. Maybe, the BJP or RSS would like to endorse their cause of Hinduism. India is not Hinduism. Hinduism is not India," Moily pointed out.

"India is built above castes and religions and 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one family) is the very foundation of our secular society. It is the biggest assault ever done on secularism," he further said.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "Congress Party will continue to act as a watchdog of people's interests and play a constructive role in progress of state of UP".

He also said the prerogative to choose Chief Minister is always of the ruling party. "Excessive delay in arriving at a decision as also the compulsion to create two posts of Deputy CMs reflects a bitter conflict to share spoils of power despite the overwhelming majority of over 300 MLAs."

Surjewala wished the new UP government well and said, "we sincerely hope that BJP government in UP will now rise above rival claims and counter claims for share of power and concentrate upon fulfilling the promises made to people including waiving loans of farmers, reducing electricity tariff, giving cost plus 50 percent of MSP to farmers, creating jobs for UP's youth, reviving UP's industries and undertaking 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas'."

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, in a tribute to the new UP chief minister, put out a poem entitled "Tribute to new CM of UP".

"BJP troll brigade obviously demented IQ deficient. What a pity that party could not find intelligent advocates for lost cause," he also tweeted.

In another tweet, former Union Minister Khurshid said, "No more pretence! Yogi Adityanath to sit where Pantji, NDT, Bahugana et al once sat. Great test PM has put BJP trolls to. Explain this. (sic)"

Another former Union Minister Rajiv Shukla said, "There is a question mark on whether Yogi Adityanath will fulfil the three issues of good governance, development and taking everybody along. This will also be a challenge for him and one wonders how he will be able to deliver on these fronts. He will have to find a solution."

Another Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "Congratulations UP! Hello media the man you called 'fringe' is now mainstream!."

In another tweet, she said, "The New India Mr Modi spoke about, he is now putting into action with the choice of UP CM. Welcome to the new normal..."

She also said, "Also the 'Vikas ka mukhauta'. The mask is truly off..bring on Shamshaan-Kabristaan, Diwali-Eid narrative".

"How the PM has chosen to interpret the UP results is shown in his selection of the new UP CM #Development. "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. Actions speak louder than words(sic)," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said in a series of tweets, questioning Modis inclusive agenda.

This is an assault on India's age-old "Ganga jamuni tehzeeb" -- a fusion of Hindu and Muslim cultures, said AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, adding that he was not surprised and that this is the meaning of Modis New India.
The Shiv Sena leader also opined that despite Adityanaths appointment, the Ram temple in Ayodhya will not be built.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena gave a wide berth to the controversy and the cries of outrage by the Opposition over Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath being given the reigns of Uttar Pradesh, however, the party added a word of advice for the firebrand priest turned politician.

Speaking to ANI here, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, "I have no comments to offer on this as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government can appoint anyone as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh according to their will."

When asked if the controversial MP, known for his provocative statements, could handle UP, Raut said that it's best if Adityanath steered clear of making notorious remarks, as it will create chaos in the state.

"The controversial remarks won't work now as he will be the next chief minister of the Uttar Pradesh, India's largest state. If in case he does make such remarks, it will create chaos in the state. Now he should talk about development," he said.

Commenting on the Ram temple promise in Ayodhya, Raut asserted that if the Ram temple will not be built even after Yogi Adityanath appointment as UP chief minister, it will never get constructed.

The BJP named Yogi Adityanath as the next Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma have been appointed as the deputy chief ministers of the state on Saturday.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the oath-taking ceremony would take place at 2:15 pm on Sunday in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

Adityanath had flown to New Delhi on Saturday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Adityanath, a five-time MP from the Gorakhpur constituency, was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at the age of 26.

Currently, Adityanath serves as the Mahant of Guru Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur, following the death of Mahanth Aavaidyanath on September 12, 2014.

The other contenders in the race were Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, Union Minister Manoj Sinha, BJP leader Shrikant Sharma and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
The victim's family has alleged that he would have survived if the security guards had taken him inside on time.

New Delhi: A 65-year-old man died following a cardiac arrest while standing in the queue at a pharmacy on the campus of GTB Hospital here on Saturday.

The patient, Harkesh Chand, a resident of Ashok Nagar, had come in the morning to buy medicines for his grandson and was waiting in the queue when he collapsed suddenly.

Chand's family members have alleged that had the security guards in the campus taken him inside the hospital on time for treatment, he would have survived.

However, the hospital authorities have dismissed the charge.

"The patient was declared brought dead in the emergency. His arteries were blocked due to a cardiac arrest," said a senior doctor.

Dr Sunil Kumar, medical superintendent of GTB hospital, said, "The allegation levelled by the family is not correct as the person had died on the spot due to a heart attack. The post-mortem has already revealed that there were blockages in his artery which led to his sudden cardiac arrest because of which he died."
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday held talks with the agitating Jat leaders from the state on the quota issue.

New Delhi: With Jats calling off their agitation, Delhi Metro on Sunday announced that its services will be normal on Sunday but for restrictions on exit at certain stations.

On Monday, metro stations in Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad will remain open as usual, but the commuters will not be allowed to exit at Yellow Line's four stations - Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk, Udyog Bhavan and Lok Kalyan Marg.

However, entry will be allowed at these stations, an advisory by Delhi Metro stated.

On Saturday, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had announced that trains will not travel beyond the city's borders from 11.30 PM today, while 12 stations in Central Delhi were be shut from 8 PM till further orders.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday held talks with the agitating Jat leaders from the state on the quota issue.

Later, All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) chairperson Yashpal Malik said, "Our agitation and march towards Delhi has been called off."

Jats are demanding reservations in government jobs and educational institutions, besides withdrawing of criminal cases registered against several youths of the community, release of those lodged in jail, and compensation and government jobs to the next of kin of those killed in last year's agitation.
12 stations in Central Delhi will also be closed until 8 pm till further orders. Several important routes have also been closed.

New Delhi: In preparation for the proposed Jat agitation here, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will suspend its train services to and from all stations outside Delhi from 11.30 pm on Sunday.

According to reports, 12 stations in Central Delhi will also be closed from 8 pm on Sunday till further orders. An advisory for commuters has also been issued by the Delhi Police which has ordered the closure of several important routes.

As directed by Delhi Police authorities, Metro services will not be available at all Metro Stations outside Delhi (NCR stations) i.e. on Line -2 (Guru Dronacharya to Huda City Centre) on Line-3 and 4 (Kaushambi to Vaishali and Noida Sector-15 to Noida City Center ) and on Line-6 (Sarai to Escotrs Mujesar) from March 19, 11.30 pm onwards till further instructions from the police authorities.

Moreover, following metro stations in Delhi region will also remain closed for public from 8:00 pm onwards on March 19 till further directions - Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan, Lok Kalyan Marg, Janpath, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, R K Ashram Marg, Pragati Maidan, Khan Market and Shivaji Stadium.

However, interchange facility will be available at all interchange stations.

The services at all these Metro stations will be resumed only after getting clearance from the Delhi Police.

Unhappy with the authorities over their demands and grievances being unaddressed, Jat protesters on Wednesday announced non-cooperation after Holi (March 13) and are taking their stir to Delhi from tomorrow.

They gave a call for the march to besiege Parliament and to hold dharnas on the Delhi border, blocking all highways, to press for their demands for reservation.

The Haryana Assembly on Wednesday discussed the ongoing Jat agitation.

Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Singh Chautala, who moved an adjournment motion during the Budget session, said the Congress and the BJP were trying to play politics on reservation in government jobs and educational institutions to the Jats of Haryana.

Chautala said the state's BJP government had failed to implement the community's demands even after agreeing to them last year.

Apart from reservation, the Jats are demanding jobs to the next of kin of those killed in violence in the agitation last year, compensation to those injured, withdrawal of cases against them and action against officers who ordered action against the Jats.

Violence during the Jat agitation, in February 2016, claimed the lives of 30 people and injured around 200 people. Government and private property worth hundreds of crores of rupees was damaged.
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The vandals were enraged by an objectionable post by a man who was being held in Trombay police station.

Mumbai: Enraged over an objectionable post by a man on social media, a group of people allegedly vandalised a police station in suburban Trombay where he was kept after being arrested, police said on Sunday.

The vandals demanded that the accused be handed over to them and in a fit of rage they also set afire some police vehicles outside the police station, they said.

The incident led to tension in the area, police said. Later, 17 people were arrested for rioting, they said.

A complaint was lodged on Saturday against the man for an objectionable post by him on Facebook that allegedly hurt some religious sentiments, a senior police official said.

The man was arrested and booked under IPC section 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to hurt religion), he said.

However, a group of people went to the Trombay police station late on Saturday night and demanded that the man be handed over to them, Additional Commissioner of Police (eastern region) Manoj Lohiya said.

They allegedly set afire some police vehicles and also vandalised the police station in the wee hours today, he said.

A case under sections for rioting was registered against the vandals and 17 people have been arrested in this connection, Lohiya said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-VI, Shahaji Umap said the situation in the area is now under control. Security has been stepped up in the area to avoid any untoward incident, he added.
According to the police, the provision states that IGP has special powers to appoint someone as constable based on their contribution.

Raipur: The wife of a police informer, who was killed in a gun-battle with Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Saturday, has been appointed as a police constable.

"The order to appoint Geetha Gavde, wife of martyred 'Gopniya Sainik' Sukram Gavde, has been issued," Inspector General of Police (in-charge) Bastar Range Sundarraj P said.

'Gopniya Sainiks' (secret troopers) are appointed by district superintendent of police at local level for anti-Naxal operations, especially for gathering intelligence. On Saturday, in a gun battle with Naxals in Dantewada, Gavde and police constable Nirmal Netam were killed. Five Naxals were also killed in the skirmish. The wreath laying ceremony for the slain security personnel was held on Sunday at Dantewada district headquarters.

"Geetha, Gavde's wife, expressed her desire to join the police force. As a mark of respect to the sacrifice made by her husband, I decided to appoint her as constable in Dantewada district police unit," said the IG.

"Since Gavde was not a constable, his wife was not entitled to compassionate appointment as a constable. So, under the special provision, she was appointed," he added.

According to the police, the provision states that IGP has special powers to appoint someone as constable based on the contribution of any individual in anti-Naxal operations.
The award is given to about 400 young scholars each year across all disciplines to support their research and educational development.

Houston: An Indian-American computer scientist has won National Science Foundation's prestigious CAREER award for his research on redesigning current machine-learning processes.

Anshumali Shrivastava was one of the recipients of the CAREER awards given to about 400 scholars each year across all disciplines to support the research and educational development of young scholars likely to become leaders in their fields.

"My research leverages the existing algorithmic advances for pushing machine learning to the extreme scale," said Shrivastava, an assistant professor of computer science at Rice university.

Shrivastava hopes to come up with clever algorithmic strategies to enable faster, more scalable computations required by big data and machine-learning technologies.

"I design 'hashing and sketching algorithms', a class of randomised algorithms that can process humongous data sets in seconds. Most of the machine-learning algorithms still in use were developed from the 1960s through the 1980s," he said.

"They were not designed with computational complexity in mind. They focused on finding the 'right' measurements from the data. Most of the measurements are now quite expensive to compute. With big data, we're realising that standard techniques fail to address new constraints of computations, energy, memory and other resources," he said.

Shrivastava earned an integrated MS and BS in mathematics and computing from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in 2008 and a PhD in computer science from Cornell University in 2015, the same year he joined the Rice faculty.

"Can we redesign current machine-learning processes that rely only on operations that are efficient and do not affect the outputs significantly? That is the central question in my research," he said.

CAREER awards are the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards exemplifying the role of teacher-scholars through research, education and the integration of education and research. The award comes with a federal grant for research and education activities for five consecutive years.
Mr Modi and Amit Shah, the two senior men in the BJP today, are alive to the need to build regional figures and icons.

Quick and somewhat superficial analysis after the Uttar Pradesh election has tended to pronounce the death of regional politics and the arrival of BJP dominance, under the leadership of Narendra Modi. This is being called a throwback to the Congress hegemony of the early 1970s.

While there is no doubting Prime Minister Narendra Modis pan-Indian popularity, and his ability to swing votes in even a provincial election, it would be unwise to write off regional impulses. These are still there, but these have changed. It is important to acknowledge their continued existence, as well their contemporary evolution.

When regional identities and political parties peaked in the 1990s, they transformed national politics. In an extreme situation, they tended to make even a national election a compendium of state elections. This happened most markedly in 1996 and 2004.

Today, we are seeing a reversal of that phenomenon: national politics and a sense of national identity is substantially influencing regional politics.

The demonstration effect of economic and development gains in other states and the relative performance of the Union government; macroeconomic linkages that are uniting hundreds of millions of Indians who previously lived in sequestered and local economies; the advent of communication technologies that are transmitting consumer habits and social traditions, as well as political preferences and pan-Indian hopes, concerns and aspirations  all these are beginning to be felt. That is why even a state election need not be immune to the charisma of a national leader.

Nevertheless the voter will now expect delivery  and a realisation of his or her most deeply-felt needs and urges, delivered in a state-specific context. The channel of this delivery will inevitably be a provincial politician and a chief minister. The national leaders credibility can complement the work of a low-key and still emerging chief minister, but cannot substitute for it.

In 2019 in Maharashtra, voters will deliver a verdict on Devendra Fadnavis. Likewise by 2022 in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP would ideally have found a five-year chief minister who has established a presence as a regional strongman and competent administrator.

Voters may be tiring of identity and emotive politics for the sake of identity and emotive politics, devoid of content, policy ideas and delivery.

Yet, that shunning of older-style regional politics only heightens the national partys  in this case the BJPs  obligation to perform better in government. The voter has to be given enough reason to believe, in five years, that he or she has made the right choice. Otherwise, a regional backlash could result.

Mr Modi and Amit Shah, the two senior men in the BJP today, are alive to the need to build regional figures and icons. In states where such politicians are easily available, the party has empowered them. For instance, the campaign for the Karnataka election of early 2018 is being designed by B.S. Yeddyurappa. In Himachal Pradesh, the Virbhadra Singh generation is gradually giving way to the J.P. Nadda generation.

The political capital and electoral appeal of Mr Modi is allowing him, and Mr Shah, to empower new-generation and first-time chief ministers in state after state. Not all the selections will work out, true, but many will. The successful ones will emerge as effective state-level leaders able to hold their own well into the late 2020s.

In this careful nurturing and incubation of state leaders of the future, the BJP of 2017 is very different from the Congress of the 1970s  to which it is often but erroneously compared. In that period, Indira Gandhi consciously undermined state leaders and chief ministers, and hacked away at the regional roots of the Congress.

Take two examples. The victory of N.T. Rama Rao and his start-up party, the Telugu Desam, in the Andhra Pradesh election of 1983 was a milestone in regional parties. In the previous five years, since the Congress had won the 1978 Assembly election, Indira Gandhi had nominated four different men to serve as chief minister. Not one was allowed to settle down. The longest tenure was that of M. Chenna Reddy, chief minister for two and a half years. The shortest tenure was that of K. Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy  just over three months.

In Uttar Pradesh, not one Congress chief minister has managed to complete a full-five year term. The Congress last ran the state in the decade between 1980 and 1989. In this period, it gave UP four different men as chief minister  oscillating between a Thakur candidate and a Brahmin candidate to keep its two pillars happy. One of the four men, N.D. Tiwari, was chief minister on two separate occasions.

As such, when the Congress later accused regional parties of causing instability, the obvious counter-question was: how stable were Congress chief ministers and state governments in the first place?

To be fair, the BJPs four-and-a-half year term in Uttar Pradesh (1997-2002) threw up three different chief ministers.

Even so, in recent years the partys record in other states  Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, for example  has been better.

It has allowed its chief ministers an extended run, and trusted them to learn on the job and improve both governance capability and electoral attractiveness.

As such, if the BJP finds itself a chief minister in Uttar Pradesh who is simply allowed to govern the state  and who is not undercut by his national bosses  for a full five years, Narendra Modi would already have achieved something Indira Gandhi never permitted.

That would be a telling retort to those who make silly and puerile assessments of how Modi is the new Indira.
Over the years, India has erred in not forcefully voicing the Gilgit-Baltistan issue in international forums.

A Pakistani minister set the proverbial cat amongst Indias foreign policy establishment by announcing that Pakistan was thinking of constitutional changes to make Gilgit-Baltistan its fifth province. What are the implications of this new fracas?

Gilgit and Baltistan were given on a 60-year lease by the Maharaja of Kashmir to the British in 1935. This is incontrovertible, thus implying it was a part of the kingdom. When the British paramountcy lapsed on August 15, 1947 under the Indian Independence Act, states which till then had not acceded to India or Pakistan had full control of their territories revert to them. The Maharaja of Kashmir promptly appointed Brig. Ghansara Singh as governor of Gilgit. Following the accession by Maharaja Hari Singh to India on October 26, 1947 after Pakistani tribals and troops in disguise invaded Kashmir, two British officers, led by Maj. William Brown, reporting to British superiors still commanding the Pakistan Army, allowed if not abetted Gilgit Scouts under their command to surround the governors residence and on November 1 hoist the Pakistani flag at Gilgit. After obtaining reinforcements from Pakistan, they then marched on and annexed Skardu and Kargil by mid-1948.

Over the years, India has diplomatically erred in not forcefully voicing the Gilgit-Baltistan issue in international forums. Pakistan thus first turned both regions into agencies, and then in 1970 into Northern Areas Council. The current move is a third transmutation, now in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi espousing the cause of persecuted minorities in Pakistan, including indigenous Shias of Gilgit-Baltistan, in his Republic Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

The immediate reason appears to be India forcefully objecting to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) traversing that region. India argues that Gilgit-Baltistan, in spite of whatever constitutional subterfuge that Pakistan adopts, is its territory under their control. The Indian Parliament adopted a resolution on February 22, 1994 that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India, and that Pakistan must vacate parts of the state under its occupation.

Pakistan, first, has specific responsibility dictated in the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. For instance, UNSC Resolution 47 of April 21, 1948 in para 1(a) requires Pakistan to secure withdrawal from the State of Jammu and Kashmir of tribesmen and Pakistani nationals not normally resident there. In breach of this in the past, Pakistan has not only not withdrawn its Army but at least since the government of Gen. Zia-ul Haq has forced demographic changes by pushing in Sunni outsiders.

Further, confirming that Gilgit-Baltistan is a disputed territory are clauses in the 1963 agreement between China and Pakistan by which the latter ceded to China the Shaksgam Valley, also known as the Trans-Karokaram Tract. As per those clauses, the agreement is subject to final settlement of the disputed area between India and Pakistan. Thus, it is surprising that by a domestic constitutional sleight of hand Pakistan thinks it can alter the legal status of that territory.

What then are Indias options? One is to protest diplomatically, which India has already done. India could, but is normally chary of involving the UN in the issue, as Pakistan is breaching existing UNSC resolutions. Tactically, India avoids internationalisation of India-Pakistan issues as the bilateral mode enables India to retain control over options. China likewise resists the South China Sea dispute even being discussed in a regional association like Asean, seeking bilateral discussions with Asean members having rival claims.

Contradictory signals from both India and Pakistan have been seen over the past few months. The new Pakistani Army chief has avoided public rhetoric and been generally in line with the Nawaz Sharif government. The detention of Hafiz Saeed has raised some hope that Pakistan may eventually be controlling India-specific terror groups. India too had begun, in the midst of the Uttar Pradesh electoral developments, to allow a gradual resumption of contacts  the latest being a group of members of Parliament to visit Pakistan.

However, as often in the past on both sides, the intelligence agencies can derail processes with their own pathologies dictating actions. Two clerics of the Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah, one being its head Asif Ali Nizami, suddenly went missing when boarding a flight at Lahore airport for Karachi. What made the issue curious was that this could not have happened without the knowledge or intervention of Pakistani security agencies, which have been on high alert in their Punjab. It turns out that they had indeed been detained by intelligence agencies suspecting their link to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) of Altaf Hussain.

Meanwhile, Pakistans Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa began a three-day visit to China. This is his first visit after taking over. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, during the call on him by Gen. Bajwa, said that China appreciates Pakistans efforts to maintain healthy relations with its neighbours, including India and Afghanistan. Mr Yi also lauded Pakistani support to the One Belt One Road project, of which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is one offshoot. This puts the onus on India as the one responsible for tension if any in the region.

Perhaps Prime Minister Narendra Modi was already tweaking his Pakistan policy as evidenced by calibrated resumption of contacts at the non-governmental level. But his challenge will be how to adjust his domestic political compulsions to the imperatives of foreign policy. For instance, the crowning of Yogi Adiyanath as the new chief minister in Lucknow augurs poorly for communal harmony in UP, as indeed for relations with Islamic nations. Domestic and foreign policies cannot be in separate silos, in conflict with each other. To harmoniously blend them will determine the success or failure, particularly in the neighbourhood, of Mr Modi as a statesman.
Authorities also found an altered Wikipedia page that showed a fake obituary for Eichenwald with a death date of December 16.

Washington DC: A Maryland man has been arrested on federal charges that he intentionally used an animated tweet to trigger an epileptic seizure in a Newsweek reporter who had been critical of President Donald Trump.

The reporter, Kurt Eichenwald, was at his home office in Dallas on December 15 when he clicked on a Twitter message sent him by a man using the pseudonym "@jew_goldstein." A blinding strobe light began flashing on his screen, sending Eichenwald -- who has openly discussed his epilepsy -- into a seizure. His wife found him on the floor.

The Justice Department said yesterday that it had arrested John R Rivello, 29, of Salisbury, Maryland, on a criminal complaint from Texas charging him with cyberstalking with the intent to kill or cause bodily harm. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.

An affidavit filed with the complaint said that a search of Rivello's Twitter account showed he had sent other messages about Eichenwald saying "I know he has epilepsy" and "I hope this sends him into a seizure."

The authorities also found an altered Wikipedia page in Rivello's iCloud account that showed a fake obituary for Eichenwald with a death date of December 16.

Eichenwald's lawyer Steven Lieberman said the use of a strobe light against a known epileptic was "no different than a bomb sent in the mail or anthrax sent in an envelope," according to The New York Times, where Eichenwald spent years as an investigative reporter.

That made the incident different from other cyber stalking cases, where the intent is to cause psychological  not explicitly physical -- harm.

Eichenwald, 55, has some 319,000 Twitter followers. He had been critical of Trump throughout the presidential campaign last year.

When his wife found him on the floor on December 15, she first called 911, and then alerted the authorities to the message from "@jew_goldstein."

Eichenwald was incapacitated for days, lost feeling in one hand, and had trouble speaking for weeks, his lawyer told The Times.

Since the attack, Eichenwald said, 40 more accounts have sent him strobe lights. He has passed their information to the FBI.
Meanwhile 10 other insurgents were killed in separate airstrike in neighbouring Paktia province.

10 other insurgents were killed in separate airstrike in neighbouring Paktia province, said Zelmai Wesaa, provincial governor for Paktia. (Photo: Representational/AP)

Kabul: Afghan officials say that at least 12 insurgents including two of their commanders have been killed in separate drone attacks in eastern Afghanistan.

Mohammad Rahman Ayaz, spokesman for the provincial governor in eastern Paktia province, said on Sunday that the two insurgent commanders were targeted by a drone while they were travelling in a vehicle on Saturday in the Barmal district.

Meanwhile 10 other insurgents were killed in separate airstrike in neighbouring Paktia province, said Zelmai Wesaa, provincial governor for Paktia.

Wessa added the attack took place in the Dand-e Patan district near the Pakistani border.
Abe will visit technology show CeBIT in Hanover followed by a summit with Angela Merkel and a meeting with Francois Hollande in Paris.

Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe headed on Sunday for a four-day trip to Europe, hoping to discuss security issues and make progress on trade as regional tensions soar over accelerating North Korean threats.

Abe's trip, which will take him to Germany, France, Belgium and Italy, comes a few days after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Tokyo for talks on North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

The top US diplomat also travelled to Seoul and Beijing after Tokyo. Japan has been on edge over North Korean launches since a mid-range ballistic missile flew without warning over the northern part of the country and into the western Pacific in 1998.

The pace of the North's missile development has intensified and its projectiles have since last year been landing ever closer to Japan's coast, with three of the four missiles launched earlier this month falling in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) off Akita prefecture.

"I want to exchange opinions openly with G7 leaders," Abe told reporters at a Tokyo airport before his departure. "We hope to closely cooperate with the EU on issues the international community is facing such as the problems on North Korea and free trade," he said.

Abe's itinerary includes a visit to technology show CeBIT in Hanover followed by a summit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and a meeting with French President Francois Hollande in Paris.

Abe will hold talks with European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker and freshly re-elected European Union President Donald Tusk in Brussels as the EU aims to close a free trade deal with Tokyo this year.

The Japanese premier will return to Tokyo on Wednesday after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, chair of this year's Group of Seven industrialised countries.
Shahan Choudhury, now 30, is thought to have travelled to Syria towards the end of 2015.

Choudhury's family believes he was "brainwashed" by Islamist extremists during the 18 months he spent awaiting trial on remand at Belmarsh maximum security prison in south-east London. (Photo: Representational/AFP)

London: A former Bangladeshi-origin murder suspect who was radicalised in a British prison is believed to have gone to Syria to join the Islamic State.

Shahan Choudhry was also joined by his wife and three young children in the war zone after they left their London flat last year, according to a media report.

Choudhury first came to the attention of British police in 2005 when he was charged with the murder of Karl Hamilton, a 17-year-old hospital worker.

Then 18, Choudhury was accused of being part of a gang of Asian youths who clashed with Hamilton and his friends over an alleged 15-pound drug debt, 'The Sunday Times' reported.

Choudhury, also known as "Spadey", was acquitted at the Old Bailey court in London in 2007. But his family believe he was "brainwashed" by Islamist extremists during the 18 months he spent awaiting trial on remand at Belmarsh maximum security prison in south-east London.

"He was just like any other western kid when he went in but by the time he came out he was going on about religion and how the non-believers would all end up in the hellfire," a relative told the newspaper.

Choudhury, now 30, is thought to have travelled to Syria towards the end of 2015.

His 26-year-old wife Mehak is expected to have followed him in early 2016 with their two daughters, aged about four and two, and their baby son.

The family disappeared overnight, leaving all their possessions at the flat, according to their landlady. Choudhury is the latest Briton to come to light as a follower of UK-based radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary, currently in jail for attracting support for ISIS after avoiding prosecution for almost two decades.
At the airport, the man knocked the soldier to the ground and grabbed at her rifle, a senior military source said.

Paris: Troops at Paris Orly airport shot dead a man who tried to grab a female soldiers weapon on Saturday, triggering a major security alert that briefly shut down the airport, leaving thousands stranded.

The incident comes as France remains on high alert following a series of jihadist attacks that have claimed over 230 lives since January 2015.

Prosecutors said they had opened an anti-terror investigation.

France goes to the polls on April 23 in the first round of a two-stage presidential election in which security is one of the main issues on voters minds.

The shooting took place on the second day of an official visit to Paris by Britains Prince William and his wife Kate.

Interior minister Bruno Le Roux said the man who was killed was known to the police and intelligence services.

He said the suspect was also linked to an attack on the police just north of Paris earlier on Saturday, in which an officer was slightly wounded.

At the airport, the man knocked the soldier to the ground and grabbed at her rifle, a senior military source said.

The two other soldiers with her then opened fire, killing him, the source said. No-one else was injured in the incident.

According to an eyewitness who spoke to AFP, the attacker had at one point held the female soldier hostage.

The man took a soldier hostage, he was holding her by the neck and he was threatening two other soldiers with the womans rifle, said a traveller.
Thumbnail sketch: The police wanted to question some member of the US diplomatic contingent in New Zealand. The request was denied based on diplomatic immunity.The New Zealand government punted the guy.From the article: "."Have any of you got more details? The NZ cops aren't commenting.
German media pointed to the incident as another marker of the meeting's general icy mood between the German chancellor and the US president.

Angela Merkel's suggestion of another handshake went unheard or ignored by Donald Trump. (Photo: AP)

Berlin: Donald Trump's spokesman has denied that the US president refused to shake hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they say side-by-side in the White House last week.

"I don't think he heard the question" posed by Merkel when she suggested they shake hands, in full view of press cameras, spokesman Sean Spicer told German weekly Der Spiegel published on Sunday.

The quote was translated into English from Der Spiegel's online German website.

The veteran German chancellor had arrived for her first meeting with Trump at a snowy White House hoping to reverse a chill in relations after Trump's incendiary election rhetoric, in which he called Merkel's acceptance of refugees a "catastrophic mistake" and suggested she was "ruining Germany."

The visit on Friday began cordially, with the pair shaking hands at the entrance of the White House. But later, sitting side-by-side in the Oval Office, Merkel's suggestion of another handshake went unheard or ignored by Trump  an awkward moment in what are usually highly scripted occasions.

German media pointed to the incident as another marker of the meeting's general icy mood between the cautious German chancellor and impulsive US president.

In a frequently awkward joint press conference in the East Room, Trump and Merkel showed little common ground as they addressed a host of thorny issues including NATO, defence spending and free trade deals.

For most of the 30 minutes, Merkel was stony-faced as Trump ripped into Washington's NATO allies for not paying for their "fair share" for transatlantic defence and demanded "fair and reciprocal trade" deals.

Today, Germany's biggest-selling daily Bild said that throughout the White House meeting, not once did Trump look her in the eye.

Donald Trump's spokesman has denied that the US president refused to shake hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they say side-by-side in the White House last week.

"I don't think he heard the question" posed by Merkel when she suggested they shake hands, in full view of press cameras, spokesman Sean Spicer told German weekly Der Spiegel published on Sunday.

The quote was translated into English from Der Spiegel's online German website.

The veteran German chancellor had arrived for her first meeting with Trump at a snowy White House hoping to reverse a chill in relations after Trump's incendiary election rhetoric, in which he called Merkel's acceptance of refugees a "catastrophic mistake" and suggested she was "ruining Germany."

The visit on Friday began cordially, with the pair shaking hands at the entrance of the White House. But later, sitting side-by-side in the Oval Office, Merkel's suggestion of another handshake went unheard or ignored by Trump  an awkward moment in what are usually highly scripted occasions.

German media pointed to the incident as another marker of the meeting's general icy mood between the cautious German chancellor and impulsive US president.

In a frequently awkward joint press conference in the East Room, Trump and Merkel showed little common ground as they addressed a host of thorny issues including NATO, defence spending and free trade deals.

For most of the 30 minutes, Merkel was stony-faced as Trump ripped into Washington's NATO allies for not paying for their "fair share" for transatlantic defence and demanded "fair and reciprocal trade" deals.

Today, Germany's biggest-selling daily Bild said that throughout the White House meeting, not once did Trump look her in the eye.
Somalia's Foreign Minister Abdusalam Omer urged the Saudi-led coalition fighting Huthi rebels in Yemen to investigate.

The bloodshed was quickly condemned by UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (Photo: Representational Image)

Mogadishu: Somalia has called on the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen to investigate an incident in which dozens of Somali refugees were shot dead on board a boat.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack that killed more than 40 Somali refugees in waters off the coast of war-torn Yemen early on Friday.

The bloodshed was quickly condemned by UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Somalia's Foreign Minister Abdusalam Omer urged the Saudi-led coalition fighting Huthi rebels in Yemen to investigate.

Somalia is a member of the US-backed coalition fighting against Shiite Huthi rebels aligned with Iran. "We call on our partners in the Saudi-led coalition to investigate the raid," the minister said in a statement released late Saturday.

"It is very sad, targeting a boat carrying Somali migrants near the coast of Hodeida in Yemen." On Friday, a coalition spokesman denied responsibility for the attack.

The Red Sea attack took place off rebel-held port of Hodeida, with women and children among the dead.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which has operations in Yemen, said 42 bodies were found, and more than 30 wounded people were reportedly taken to hospital.

The IOM said it believed the boat was heading for Sudan when it was attacked. Despite a two-year war that has cost more than 7,000 lives and brought the country to the brink of famine, Yemen continues to attract people fleeing the horn of Africa.

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, says Yemen is hosting more than 255,000 Somali refugees.
At the Angelus Pope Francis comments on Christs dialogue with the Samaritan woman: "This Gospel is meant for us!". Lent opportunity to encounter Jesus "in prayer, in a heart to heart conversation, see his face in the face of a suffering brother or sister ". Solidarity with the people of Peru, hit by floods. The beatification in Bolzano of Josef Mayr-Nusser, Nazi martyr: a model for the laity and for fathers.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Dear brothers, the water that gives eternal life has been poured out into our hearts the day of our Baptism; then God transformed us and filled us with His grace. But it may be that we have forgotten this great gift, or reduced it to a mere piece of personal data; and maybe we go in search of "wells" whose waters cannot quench our thirst", said Pope Francis to pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square to pray the Angelus.

The Pope drew the symbol of water from the comment on today's Gospel (Lent III A, Jn. 4: 5-42), which presents the encounter and dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman.

"While the disciples go into the village to get food - said Francis - Jesus remains at a well and asks a woman, who had come to draw water for a drink. This request leads to a dialogue. Why does a Jew deign to ask something of a Samaritan woman? Jesus answers: if you knew who I am, and the gift I have for you, you would be the one to ask and I would give you 'living water', water that satisfies every thirst and becomes an inexhaustible source in the heart of the drinker (vv . 10-14) ".

"Going to the well to draw water is tiring and boring; it would be nice to have a trickling fountain! But Jesus speaks of a different water. When she realizes that the man she is talking to is a prophet, she confides her life to him and asks religious questions. Her thirst for affection and a full life was not satisfied by the five husbands with whom she had, indeed, experienced delusions and deceptions. So the woman was impressed by the great respect that Jesus had for her and when He even speaks of the true faith, as a relationship with God the Father 'in spirit and in truth', then you can imagine that this man could be the Messiah, and Jesus  how rare - confirms: "it is I, who speak to you" (v. 26). He says he is the messiah to a woman who had such a disordered life."

"This Gospel - insisted the pontiff - is meant right for us! Jesus speaks to us like the Samaritan woman. Of course, we already know who Jesus is, but perhaps we have not yet met in person, we know, but maybe I have not met him personally, we have not yet recognized as our Savior. This time of Lent is a good time to approach him, meet him in prayer in a heart to heart conversation, talk to Him, listen to Him, to see his face in the face of a suffering brother or sister. In this way we can renew in us the grace of Baptism, quench our thirst at the source of the Word of God and his Holy Spirit; and so discover the joy of becoming builders of peace and instruments of reconciliation in everyday life".

"May the Virgin Mary - he concluded - help us to draw constantly on the grace that is that water that flows from the rock which is Christ the Savior, that we may profess our faith with conviction and proclaim the wonders of God's love with joy, source of mercy and of good for all of us. "

After the Marian prayer, Francis expressed his closeness "to the dear population of Peru, hit hard by devastating floods". "I pray - he said - for the victims and for those engaged in relief operations".

He then recalled that Josef Mayr-Nusser was beatified yesterday, in Bolzano. He was a family man and member Catholic Action, who was martyred because he refused to join the Nazis for fidelity to the Gospel. "Because of his great moral and spiritual stature - said the Pope - he is a model for the lay faithful, especially for fathers, who we remember today with great affection, though the liturgical feast of St. Joseph, their patron, which this' year will be celebrated tomorrow. For all fathers: Let us salute them with a big round of applause."
Banks lose millions on Aussie law firm loans

The bulk of the huge loans taken out by Australian-listed law firm Slater & Gordon have been sold to a firm which handles distressed debts, resulting in large losses for the lenders.



Westpac, National Australia Bank, RBS and Barclays have taken losses of up to 80 per cent, the Financial Times reports.



The firm which has acquired the loans will be involved in a restructuring of the law firm, which has seen its business hit by tough conditions in the UK personal injury market and costs and other matters related to the Quindell professional services business.



Bigger office for offshore specialist

International offshore law firm Harneys has moved its Singapore office to a larger location.



After several years of growth for the firms city-state location, it has relocated to 138 Market Street, Capita Green, allowing extra space for its team of lawyers who advise on the laws of the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands.



Why a missing comma has led to a costly court ruling

The often-ignored comma which precedes the final item in a list  known as the Oxford Comma - has resulted in a costly court ruling.



A US dairy had won a previous claim by its drivers that they should be paid $10 million in overtime because the relevant law in the state of Maine was wrongly punctuated; however, that ruling was overturned last week.



The case hinges on a list of activities for which overtime is not paid:



The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of: (1) Agricultural produce; (2) Meat and fish products; and (3) Perishable foods.



The drivers said that as there is no comma between the words shipment and or the clause does not refer to packing and distribution as two activities but only to the activity of packing.



With the drivers believing that this means that distribution is not listed as a separate activity from packing and as they only distribute goods they say their overtime is not excluded.



The BBC reports that Judge David D. Barron said that as the states employment laws must be interpreted liberally, he is allowing the drivers narrower reading of the exemption.
The verdict is in and the use of the Oxford comma is deemed essential  at least when it comes to the law. No less than the US First Circuit Court of Appeals has defended the oft-contested use of the comma, in a decision that keeps alive a US$10m dispute in Portland, Maine.The court ruled in favour of a group of 75 Oakhurst Dairy truck drivers, who argue in a case filed three years ago that the company owed them overtime pay. The Maine US District Court initially sided with the company in the ruling that is now overturned.For want of a comma, we have this case, reads the first line of the decision penned by First Circuit Judge David Barron.Also called the serial comma, the Oxford comma is used before conjunctions to mark the last item in a list of three or more items. In Maine state law, the Oxford comma was not used in the following list of activities that are not subject to overtime protections:The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of:(1) Agricultural produce;(2) Meat and fish products; and(3) Perishable foods.Heres the issue: The lack of a comma makes it ambiguous whether distribution alone is an exempt activity, or part of the phrase, packing for shipment and distribution.Outside of 40 hours of work in any one week, workers in the state must be paid 1.5 times the regular hourly rate. The drivers earned between US$46,800 and US$52,000 per year without overtime and averaged 12 hours of extra work per week, according to the New York Times. The publication also notes that the Maine Legislative Drafting Manual specifically instructs policymakers to not use the Oxford comma.Barron said that if that exemption used a serial comma to mark off the last of the activities it lists, then the exemption would clearly encompass an activity that the drivers perform. And, in that event, the drivers would plainly fall within the exemption and thus outside the overtime laws protection.The District Court, in its ruling that sided with Oakhurst, said the Maine legislature unambiguously intended for distribution to be an exempt activity in its own right. The appellate court disagreed, concluding that the scope is actually not so clear in this regard.And because, under Maine law, ambiguities in the state's wage and hour laws must be construed liberally in order to accomplish their remedial purpose, we adopt the drivers narrower reading of the exemption, Barron wrote.
Hi dears,



I applied my complete PMV in October 2016, I did the medical tests in mid November 2016.

The embassy didn't call me to meet with them for an interview but

I had a call from the Australian embassy in Lebanon as a form of phone interview that went very good and went for around an hour, I also had another call from the embassy in Lebanon around two weeks after this call telling me they are sending the Form 80 to Australia and they asked some questions like in which area we are thinking of living in the future... the officer also thanked me about how well prepared and clear my form is...



-It's been now more than 5 months and no one contacted my Fiance/Sponsor in Australia, what is the reason for this? I heard of couples interview with the embassy in Lebanon after application (also, my fiance was here from Nov 2016 until Jan 2017 and the embassy knew this because her booking was submitted with the application.



-In the case that I submitted a full application in the same day will this fasten the processing time of the visa?



Thank you in advance
On a clear evening as twilight fades from the early spring skies of mid-March, look toward the southern horizon around 8:30 p.m. and youll spy the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. Also known as the Dog Star, its morning appearance heralded the flooding of the Nile River in ancient Egypt and the dog days of summer in ancient Greece.

Sirius marks the nose of the constellation of Canis Major, Latin for greater dog. Greek mythology tells us he is one of Orions hunting dogs helping him fight Taurus the Bull. Sirius appears so brilliant partly because it shines 25 times more powerfully than our Sun, and partly to its being the second nearest bright star in the sky at 8.6 light years distant. Sirius is accompanied by a white dwarf star, known as the "Pup." The Pup packs nearly a Suns worth of mass into a ball about the size of Earth; a teaspoon of its material weighs over 3,000 pounds.

Just to the right of Sirius is a fairly bright star, named Mirzam by the medieval Arabs and catalogued as Beta Canis Majoris (CMa) by Bayer in 1603. One of the Big Dogs front legs, it seems dimmer because its farther from us. At 490 light years, Mirzam is over 50 times more distant than Sirius.

About a fists width below Sirius is an obvious triangle of bright stars. These are part of the hindquarters of the Big Dog. The rightmost, catalogued as Epsilon CMa, is also named Adhara. Its slightly brighter and closer than Beta at 405 light years. To the left of Adhara, the other two stars of the triangle are Delta and Eta CMa, also named Wezen and Aludra. Theyre much more distant at around 1,800 light years.

Using binoculars, look for a fuzzy patch below Sirius about a third of the way towards Adhara. Designated M41 by Messier in 1771, its a cluster of around 100 stars 2,300 light years away. With a telescope, you can see its individual members.

All of these objects, including our Sun, are a part of the Orion Spiral Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. In a dark sky, you can see the almost vertical Milky Way just to the left of Canis Major. This is the combined light of billions of stars within several more spiral arms of our galaxy.

When we gaze into the depths of outer space, were also seeing into the past. Look at Canis Major and know that youre observing a 4D universe, ranging from the relatively nearby Sirius to the spiral arms at the edge of intergalactic space. The light we see today from these most distant sources was emitted when the last Ice Age was at its peak, and mammoths roamed the earth.

August eclipse

Even though five months away, you should be planning for the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse. Most of the mid-valley will experience up to two minutes of darkness, starting around 10:15 a.m.

An excellent online resource is eclipsewise.com.

Resource: HVA club

Heart of the Valley Astronomers conducts numerous outreach activities at area schools and organizations, hosts star parties and provides assistance to anyone with an interest in astronomy.

The club meets the second Tuesday of each month at the Walnut Community Room in Corvallis, and is open to everyone. For more information, see www.hvaastronomy.com, or Facebook.

Question of the Month

When was the last total solar eclipse visible from Corvallis? See the answer in next month's column!

Last Months Answer: Neptune is the planet farthest from the sun.
Officials at a Montreal flight school say they are at a loss to explain how two Chinese students flying school-owned Cessna 152s collided above a busy shopping mall and crashed on Friday, killing one of the students and severely injuring the other. One of the aircraft went through the roof of the mall; the other crumpled in the parking lot and the pilot flying died at the scene. No one on the ground was hurt but two witnesses were treated for shock. The cause is not obvious, Daniel Adams, operations manager and director of flight safety of Cargair, told the Montreal Gazette. There was no reason to think something like this could happen. The conditions were perfect. It was a storm of good weather: there was no wind, it was magnificent, the visibility was excellent. So what happened?

The flights originated from St-Hubert Airport and the students, among about 150 the school trains annually for Chinese airlines, did all the normal flight planning before their flights. The only anomaly was that one of the pilots inexplicably and without making a radio call suddenly changed altitude. The conflict was noticed by a controller who tried four times to raise one of the aircraft on the radio to tell him to maintain 1,600 feet and that the other aircraft was taking off a mile away. There was no response from the pilot, who had previously had routine contact with the tower. Although they were both from China, the pilots were fluent in English and had no difficulty communicating with ATC, Adams told the Gazette. One of the students had 40 hours on his student permit and the other was a private pilot with 140 hours working on his commercial ticket. The dead pilot was in the aircraft that was taking off, according to the Gazette.
The Aviation Herald is reporting that the European Aviation Safety Agency is about to issue a safety information bulletin about high-altitude wake turbulence after a Challenger 604 business jet was written off after flying 1,000 feet below an A380. According to the Aviation Herald, the incident happened Jan. 7 over the Arabian Sea. The vortices from the Emirates super jumbo jet reportedly caused the big business jet to roll three to five times as it went out of control and lost 10,000 feet before the pilots wrestled it under control and restarted the engines. The Challenger headed for an emergency landing in Oman and there were serious injuries to some of the nine people aboard. The G forces on the airframe damaged it beyond repair.

The Aviation Herald, which says it has had some trouble verifying some details, said German authorities are leading the investigation because the bizjet was registered there. Canadas Transportation Safety Board is also taking part because the plane was built there by Canadair, which was taken over by Bombardier. EASA is preparing its safety bulletin because reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSM) make 1,000-foot separations standard in most of the world and the airspace is getting more crowded. High-altitude wake turbulence lasts longer than the landing and takeoff variety and can affect aircraft up to 25 NM away. The advice to pilots hit by wake turbulence is also counterintuitive in that it says the best immediate reaction is none. Be aware that it has been demonstrated during flight tests that if the pilot reacts at the first roll motion, when in the core of the vortex, the roll motion could be amplified by this initial piloting action, EASA says in the draft. The result can be a final bank angle greater than if the pilot would not have moved the controls.
19 March 2017 12:15 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

A high-ranking official with the Iranian railways organization has briefed Trend on the latest developments concerning Azerbaijans plans to invest in the development of his countrys railway system in a bid to help the full activation of the International North-South Transportation Corridor.



Nourollah Beiranvand, the deputy for planning and investment at the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, says the Azerbaijani officials have recently agreed to provide 60 million euros for developing railway facilities in Astara City (Iran).



According to the official, about a half of it is projected to finance the construction of a 1.4 kilometer-long railway in Astara as well as the railway station building.



The remaining half will go for the construction of four terminals of fuelling, general cargo, grain and containers, he said.



The official underscored that the annual capacity of the corridor for transferring goods is expected to hike by two million tons after finalizing the project for creating railway facilities in Astara city.



Elaborating on the details of the agreement, Nourollah Beiranvand added that the Azerbaijani side has also undertaken covering investment risks of the project.



Missing link: Rasht-Astara section



Further speaking about the plans to connect the railways of Iran and Azerbaijan as part of the International North-South Transportation Corridor, Nourollah Beiranvand described the Rasht-Astara railway segment (inside Iran) as the "missing link" of the corridor.



To complete the railway links of the transportation corridor, Iran had earlier agreed to construct inland railway segments in northern parts of the country in order to extend its railway network to the border area with the neighboring Azerbaijan through the two cities of Astara on both sides.



The initial plan included Qazvin-Rasht and Rasht-Astara railway segments. In the meantime, Azerbaijan has launched a construction project to extend its railway into Irans territory which is going through the final tests and will be implemented soon.



According to Nourollah Beiranvand, the construction of the Qazvin-Rasht segment is almost over and it is expected to come on stream within the next six months.



However, the sides still need to finalize the ongoing talks on the financing of the project for the construction of the 164 kilometer-long railway segment linking the two Iranian cities of Rasht and Astara.



Speaking about difficulties concerning the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway segment, the official said that the lands where the railway segment is planned to be laid are valuable in terms of price and the Iranian officials need to purchase those lands from the owners.



According to the latest agreements between Iranian and Azerbaijani officials, the Islamic Republic has been obliged to purchase those lands and Azerbaijan will finance the construction of the $500-million railway segment.



Beiranvand forecasted that the document on financing Rasht-Astara segment is expected to be inked over the next one month and the construction of the segment by March 2018.



Nourollah Beiranvand believes that the main goal of strategic cooperation between the railways of Iran and Azerbaijan is activating the International North-South Transportation Corridor which will eventually link Russia and Azerbaijan to High-Seas through the Islamic Republic.



Underscoring the commercial and geopolitical importance of the corridor, he added that the corridor is expected to benefit Iran in terms of increasing the volume of cargo transferred through the county and in the meantime the corridor will provide a much shorter route for transporting Indian goods.



Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia corridor promises to cut down over 40 percent of logistics cost and halve travel time.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 March 2017 15:43 (UTC+04:00)

"The Global Baku Forum has become an important international event," said Co-chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandria in Egypt Ismail Serageldin in an interview with AZERTAC.

"This Forum is growing every year. The fifth edition sees huge participation of currently serving presidents, as well as former presidents and prime ministers. We are really thankful to enormous support and inspiration of President Ilham Aliyev, who has fully supported this initiative of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center. He has not only received members of Board of Trustees of the Center, but also came and spoke at the inauguration ceremony".

Ismail Serageldin said: "The purpose of the Forum is not to focus on specific conflicts because we have many of them. We are talking about the fundamental principles that annexation of lands by war is unacceptable. We need to respect the resolutions of the UN Security Council. We hope the international public opinion will mobilize itself and stand by right."

---

ow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 March 2017 13:00 (UTC+04:00)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the Canakkale Victory Day celebrations in Gallipoli, Turkey.

"The Turkish people are willing to sacrifice everything in the name of their homeland, flag, adhan, freedom and future," said Erdogan.

"Our aim is to be worthy of our ancestors who changed the course of history in Canakkale."

The ceremony marked the 102 year anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, a military campaign which eventually turned the tide in favor of the Ottoman Empire fighting against the Allied Powers during the First World War, Yeni Safak reports.

"The Republic of Turkey is not our first government, but it will be our last. Ottoman history is ours, Seljuk history is ours, and all the states that have existed in our history spanning thousands of years are ours," said Erdogan.

"It was only yesterday that mothers and fathers were sending their children to Canakkale saying, 'Either be martyred or a wounded veteran.' This is the type of people Turks are," Erdogan said.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The Lavender Scare blew wide open in the nations newspapers in late March of 1950 when arch-conservative columnist George Sokolsky, an early admirer of Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-WI) and Roy Cohn, (pictured above) took to his column to blast the U.S. State Department, once again, for harboring known Communists and worse. HOMOSEXUALS!

Wrote Sokolsky:

When Maximillian Harden, the German journalist, called attention to a similar camarilla in the Kaisers court, involving Prince Eulenburg, it shocked and astonished the world. Yet, in this generation, in the United States, a charge that 91 employees of the state department were dismissed for being homosexuals passes with little excitement.

And so the Lavender Scare began.

The Lavender Scare is a rarely talked about but an important part of our history and the persecution we have endured. In the 1950s during the anti-communist campaign known as McCarthyism. Gay men and lesbians were often considered fellow travelers of the communists, with McCarthy also charging not only that the government had been infiltrated by homosexuals, and that they posed a threat equally as grave to national security because gay men and lesbians could be blackmailed into revealing state secrets. The lavender scare began may be seen as the time when homosexuals became the chief scapegoats of the Cold War because of fear, bigotry and hatred.

In 1950, the same year that Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed 205 communists were working in the State Department.

On April 19, 1950, the Republican National Chairman Guy George Gabrielson said that sexual perverts who have infiltrated our Government in recent years were perhaps as dangerous as the actual Communists.

The State Department at first denied that it employed any suspected communists. But under intense questioning from McCarthys Republican allies, they did admit that they had fired 91 homosexuals as security risks. This seemed to substantiate McCarthys otherwise wild charges and increase his popular support. Soon outraged citizens, newspaper editors, and members of Congress were calling for an investigation. In the summer of 1950, a committee of the US Senate investigated the employment of homosexuals and other sex perverts in the government. Although they could not uncover a single example of a homosexual American citizen who had betrayed secrets as a result of blackmail, they wrote a highly circulated and influential report that asserted that gay men and lesbians exhibited weak moral character and had a corrosive influence on their fellow employees. One homosexual can pollute a government office, the Senate report concluded. Based on little evidence, the attacks represented a way for Republicans, the minority party at the time, to attack the Democrats and the New Deal agencies they had created as centers of immorality.

McCarthy then hired Roy Cohn later exposed as being a homosexual himself and who died of AIDS in 1986, as chief counsel of his Congressional subcommittee. Together, McCarthy and Cohn were responsible for the firing of scores of gay men and women from government employment and strong-armed many opponents into silence using rumors of their homosexuality. In 1953, during the final months of the Truman administration, the State Department reported that it had fired 425 employees for allegations of homosexuality.

McCarthy often used accusations of homosexuality as a smear tactic in his anti-communist crusade, often combining the Second Red Scare with the Lavender Scare. On one occasion, he went so far as to announce to reporters, If you want to be against McCarthy, boys, youve got to be either a Communist or a cocksucker. Some historians have argued that, in linking communism and homosexuality and psychological imbalance, McCarthy was employing guilt-by-association if evidence for communist activity was lacking.

On April 27th, 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower that year declared homosexuals a threat to national security and ordered the immediate firing of every gay man and lesbian working for the U.S. government using an Executive Order which would stay in effect until President Clinton on May 28, 1998 finally signed Executive Order 13087 banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in federal hiring practices and in the granting of security clearances.

In January 2017, the State Department formally apologized.

The Lavender Scare ended many gay men and womens promising careers, ruined lives, and pushed many to suicide. It is a darker side of our history that is rarely talked about and one that we should never forget to ensure that it doesnt happen again.

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ODM leader welcomed by his ODM team at the Orange house today. 19/03/2017. PHOTO | Courtesy

The ODM leader Raila Odinga who went to S. Africa then later flew to America came today morning and he was welcomed by Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok, Mombasa governor Hassan Joho, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Mp Junet Mohammed, Senator Johnstone Muthama, TipTip leader Kalembe Ndile, Senator Bon Khalwale, Musalia Mudavadi and senator Omar Hassan at Jomo Kenyatta international Airport.Raila Odinga who has been away for close to two weeks attended his daughter and later had a special invitation to the white house. According to critics, the opposition leader was to be alerted according to what the US president spoke on phone to the President of Kenya.He is the second leader in Kenya to step white house in the President Donald Trump reign. The first leader who visited earlier was the Mombasa governor Ali Hassan Joho who attended a youth radicalization world workshop in Washington DC later invited.He also met officials of the International Republican Institute where they discussed matters of mutual interest to Kenya and the US and later visited The Atlantic Council where he held discussions with the top leadership led by Mr Peter Pham.The Opposition leader also met the US president Donald Trump where they discussed on issues affecting Africa especial Corruption. The US President urged the African leaders to fight against corruption for them to regain the trust lost against western countries. President Trump assured full support to Kenya and may reconsider the health donation that was promised to Africa by the former US president Barack Obama.
I am a retired newspaperman. I am 69 and live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 45 years, Lou Ann. We grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather.

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It was a reunion eight years in the making.

This weekend, 11-year-old Nicholas Kalojiannis met the woman who helped save his life.

Nicholas Kalojiannis, 11, got to meet the woman helped save his life

Susan Burton donated bone marrow that matched to Kalojiannis

Kalojiannis family hope their story inspires others to consider bone marrow donation

The Hillsborough County boy has spent the majority of his life battling an extremely rare condition.

"Our world went from literally him being or a normal infant to having a cold to years of trying to figure out answers," mom, Alicia Kalojiannis said.

Doctors recently determined that Nicholas has a mutation within his immune system.

"His immune system doesn't have a memory so once the immune system revs up it doesn't come down so it attacks and ravages his whole body, Kalojiannis said.



Nicholas Kalojiannis has spent the majority of his life battling an extremely rare condition.

Nicholass mom, Alicia said his body was so worn down, he needed a bone marrow transplant. She and her husband werent a match so they joined a registry and ended up finding the perfect fit more than a thousand miles away in New Hampshire. Susan Burton was able to give the boy a second chance.

"I feel really blessed to have been able to be even the small part of it that I was and the way they've welcomed me to their family is such an amazing thing," Burton said.

Through text messages, social media, playing cards, and Pokemon, Susan and Nicholas have formed an unbreakable bond that the Kalojiannis family is forever grateful for.

"You can't, you can never repay someone for the gift of life. People just don't know enough about be the match and bone marrow donation and how us as humans can be better humans by helping others," Alicia Kalojiannis said.

Nicholass journey is far from over. He still battles a number of illnesses including diabetes, chronic malabsorption of the gut, growth hormone deficiency, thyroid problems, and chronic lung infections.

But because of Burtons donation, he is able to lead a normal life.

Burton and the Kalojiannis family hope their story inspires others to consider bone marrow donation.

For more information, visit www.bethematch.org.
The St. Petersburg Police Department is investigating a shooting on 22nd Avenue North just west of I-275.

Two men got into an argument at Wawa

The two later argued again at a traffic light on 22nd

Man inside vehicle shot man on bicycle, police said



According to investigators, Bryan Stevens, 34, who was riding a bicycle, got into an argument with Vincent Pontone, 59, at the convenience store located at 2465 22nd Avenue North.

Police said Stevens threw coffee at or on Pontone after the verbal argument. He left the area on his bike, police said. Pontone was seen leaving Wawa in his car a short time later.

The two men came into contact with each other again at a traffic light on 22nd Avenue North.

According to police, another verbal argument began.

Pontone told police Stevens approached him aggressively. In fear, Pontone said grabbed a gun and fired two shots.

Stevens was hit in the upper torso twice, according to the police report. He was transported to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg.


A Muslim UCF graduate, now USF pre med student, took a risk traveling to help others.

Muslim student travels to Syria to help refugees despite risks

Sameer Jagani on a mission to bring good into this world

Jagani plans to continue traveling and helping others

Sameer Jagani, 22, went to the Middle East, just as the travel ban went into effect, and on the sixth anniversary of the start of the Syrian Civil War.

Jagani is determined to do good in a world filled with uncertainty.

In January, Jagani volunteered at a Syrian refugee camp in Greece.

Where all the boats you see on the news with refugees coming in? I would actually be on the shore, welcoming those boats, he said.

But Jagani said he wanted to do more and go to Syria.

The real difficulty was convincing my parents, Jagani said. I booked my ticket the day of the travel ban. Things got a little rocky, everyone was trying to convince me not to go.

In February, he traveled with a British humanitarian aid group to Syria.

On the right side of the road, everythings fine. On the left side, everything is destroyed, Jagani said.

Each day he posted videos showing the destruction around him and the heartbreak.

These four kids are by themselves, split amongst two families, Jagani said, describing one of his videos.

He said what he saw there moved him to tears.

I went to one of these schools, and they would not let go of you, he said.

Jagani doesnt know where hell go next, but said hes not done.

He said the emotional toll is worth it.

I thought to myself, no matter what the consequences are, if I can help someone, Ill do it.

He has also raised over 50,000 dollars for Syrian women and children.

Jagani also said he didnt have any trouble getting back into the United States.

He also mentioned that the town where his group went, southeast of Damascus, was bombed this past weekend. Over 70 people on a pilgrimage there died.
American Legion Post 71 honored one of the first woman Marines to serve in combat operations on Saturday.

Kathryn "Kat" Gates-Skipper joined the Marines in 1975

She was one of the first women to do so

American Legion Post 71 honored her for her work in veterans' health care

Kathryn Kat Gates-Skipper was one of several people given an award of appreciation for her dedication to pushing for better veterans health care and for promoting the American Legion Post 71 which, in its new facility, serves as an all veterans center.

Gates-Skipper, 59, of Lake Wales, was born in Tripoli, Libya to an Italian mom. She was adopted by an Air Force Colonel and his wife living in Libya. She said soon after she became a naturalized American citizen.

While in college, she decided to join the Marines to test herself, and to also follow in the footsteps of her family.

I said if I can make it through a Marine Corps boot camp, I could do anything, said Gates-Skipper.

She joined the Marines in 1975 when it was still segregated. She went on to become the first woman Marine to stay overnight in the field for combat training, and the first to stay aboard a war ship overnight.

She was activated to the Gulf War, and had the task of cleaning the belongings of fallen Marines, and making sure those belongings were returned to their families.

On Saturday, she recalled looking through a bloody wallet during the War, and finding the picture of a fallen Marine and his baby.

Theres just some things that will never go away. It was an honor for me to do that job because thats going back to the deceased family, Gates-Skipper said.

When asked how she was treated by her male colleagues back then, she declined to comment.

Theres a lot of things Id rather not recall at this moment, she said.

When asked about her thoughts regarding the current scandal involving Marines accused of sharing photos of nude female service members on Facebook, she said shed rather not comment, but said it did bother her.

No matter if it was Army, Navy or Air Force, thats my sister in arms. We need to respect, you know, we came a long way to try to get that. Some of us are still fighting that because of that stigma of the men not agreeing with women in the military, Gates-Skipper said.

She did have an opinion about women fighting on the front lines.

I dont believe women should be in the front lines because lets face it, were not made the same way, she said. Im not saying theres women out that there that cant do it, and thats great. Thats all well and good but my personal opinion because of certain things like Mother Nature and stuff, I dont agree. I dont think that women should be right out there.

In 2012, she volunteered and worked with Concerned Veterans for America, pushing President Obama to bring reform to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It led to the passage of the VA Accountability Act being signed in Aug. 2014.

In 2015, she became chairwoman of the Florida Veterans for Trump.

Shes currently running for the Polk County Commission District 2 seat, which will be vacant in 2018. 
In a news conference Sunday, Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler confirmed that missing woman, Tricia Freeman, was murdered on Tuesday inside her home at the hands of her daughters boyfriend.

Police Chief: Missing Palmetto woman murdered by daughter's boyfriend

Roy Nichols charged with 2nd degree murder

Kayla Coyler charged with accessory to murder

PREVIOUS STORY: Missing Palmetto woman's daughter one of two arrested in West Virginia

Roy Nichols Jr., 26, and Kayla Coyler, 21, were arrested Saturday in West Virginia after they were suspected of stealing Freemans vehicle.

Officials said Nichols admitted to killing Freeman after an argument. He is facing second degree murder charges. Coyler is being charged with accessory to murder. Police said Colyer helped Freeman dispose of her mother's body.



"What he told the investigators is that there was an argument," said Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler. "And that she (Tricia Freeman) made some statements that set him off, and that's how the struggle ensued.

"I guess there's an internal tracking device in that car, and its very very detailed. We're working on that as we speak and that is going to be very valuable. We'll be able to pinpoint the car and where it stopped and for how long... and that may help us narrow down the search area for her remains too."

Tricia Freeman was reported missing on Tuesday after friends said she didnt show up for work.

On Thursday, Freemans car was discovered abandoned in a park in Ashland, Kentucky.

Police said they found blood inside Freemans car.

Officials said Nichols admitted to taking Freemans body out of her house and leaving it somewhere else. Palmetto Police have not specified where that location is, but say they are searching the area. They did say it is somewhere in the state of Florida.

The pair were arrested in West Virginia and will be extradited back to Manatee County on Monday.
'It was just like an action movie.'

Shots fired as Vietnam police take down heroin trafficker Vietnam police seize 33 kilos of heroin after series of gun shots

Police in northern Vietnam fired shots and flipped a car on Saturday night as they chased down a drug dealer carrying nearly 35 kilograms of heroin, worth an estimated $500,000-800,000.



Camera footage from a toll station in Chuong My District showed dozens of police officers and several police cars chasing an SUV at around 10 p.m. Saturday.

Officers shot out a rear wheel of the car but it failed to stop until a police car rammed it, causing it to flip over.

The driver and several people in the car fled the scene as they tried to fight off the police," an eyewitness said. "It was just like an action movie.

Police officers confirmed that one man was arrested in possession of nearly 35 kilograms of heroin.

They said the raid was carried out by the Ministry of Public Security in coordination with officers from Hanoi and neighboring Hoa Binh Province.

Police arrest a man from the car. Photo by X.Tung

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported that police in Hoa Binh also arrested two people on Saturday afternoon with around 10 kilograms of heroin.

Vietnam has some of the worlds toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty.

The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death.

Although the laws have been strictly enforced with capital punishment handed down regularly, there is no sign that drug running has been deterred.

Related news:

> Lao drug smugglers arrested after chase in Vietnam

> Heroin smuggler opens fire at police in northern Vietnam
Irish premier Enda Kenny has said he and Prime Minister Theresa May are in agreement that there will be no return to direct rule in Northern Ireland.

Addressing a business event in New York, Mr Kenny urged the parties at Stormont to focus on forming a new power-sharing Executive.

Next week politicians will enter the third and final week of negotiations to strike a deal before a statutory deadline.

If the deadline passes without an accord to bring together a new power-sharing Executive, the UK Government is legally obliged to call another election.

Some have predicted that, in those circumstances, London might move to pass emergency legislation to reintroduce direct rule.

Mr Kenny's remarks at Bloomberg's offices in New York suggested that Mrs May had ruled that option out.

"I hope that the elected Members of the Assembly will now focus through their parties on actually putting an Executive in place within the three weeks from the date of the election," he said.

"If that doesn't happen the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland would then either have to hold further elections, or have direct rule again from Britain.

"I have spoken very clearly to the British Prime Minister and we are both agreed that there will be no return to direct rule from London.

"So I do hope that the Executive can be put in place, because this has implications for the peace process."

Mr Kenny also indicated he would not announce any retirement plans until political uncertainty in Northern Ireland was addressed and the EU's negotiating stance on Brexit was agreed.

The Taoiseach said those "immediate priorities" would take precedence over "everything else" on his return to Ireland today after a week-long trip to the United States.

Prior to leaving for his engagements in the US, the Taoiseach told members of his Fine Gael party he would address his future "effectively and conclusively" upon his return from the St Patrick's Day celebrations.

Mr Kenny, who has been Taoiseach since 2011, had been under pressure to set a timetable for his departure following criticism of his handling of a number of recent political controversies in Ireland.

After taking part in the St Patrick's Day parade in New York, he made clear that dealing with his own future would take a back seat to pressing concerns at Stormont and within the European Union.

"What I did say to my own party was I would deal with this matter effectively and conclusively, and that is my intention, but I think these are priorities that take precedence over everything else," he said.

"You can't have a situation where you have no leadership in Northern Ireland and where we have to define from a European Union point of view where Ireland would be, what the agreed terms of reference for the (Brexit) negotiations are."
Even more reason to celebrate your special day in top Vietnamese tourist town.

The ancient town of Hoi An in central Vietnam has decided to celebrate International Happiness Day by making at least some people happy: those who were born on the same day.

The local culture and tourism center has decided to offer free entrance tickets and gifts to any visitors who were born on March 20, which this year falls on Monday. Tourists simply have to present their identification papers, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper quoted the center officials as saying.

The city will also hold an exhibition at the An Hoi crossroads displaying pictures taken by local photographers to give visitors a glimpse of life in Hoi An and the pursuit of happiness.

There will be musical performances on Monday night near the 400-year-old Japanese Bridge with a theme of love and happiness, the center said.

Hoi An charges foreigners VND120,000 (more than $5) and locals VND80,000 for an entrance ticket that includes admission to a large number of attractions, notably the iconic Japanese Bridge and the three-century-old Fukian Assembly Hall. Some privately-owned sites sell their own tickets and will not be free.

Once a bustling trade port in the region, Hoi An is now one of the most peaceful towns in the country, drawing tourists to its picturesque wooden houses, pagodas, street-side eateries and hundreds of tailor shops.

A travel forum run by U.S. magazine USA Today described Hoi An as one of the 10 most beautiful places in Southeast Asia, a place where one can find tranquility and timelessness.

Best Day on Earth, a book produced by U.K. travel publisher Rough Guides in 2015, listed Hoi Ans full-moon festival among the worlds most extraordinary travel experiences for the hundreds of lanterns that glow along alleys and river banks around town and the paper lanterns that float down the Thu Bon River.

The town, dubbed a global food paradise by popular travel site Lonely Planet, received more than 1.3 million foreigners last year, up 26 percent against 2015, according to official data.

Related news:

> Aussie travel blogger in CNN ad names Ha Long, Hoi An her Vietnam favorites

> #Wanderlust: 10 places to drop by when youre in Hoi An
Police officers taking part in a multi-agency exercise on the River Thames in east London

Armed police have played out the chaos of a "pleasure boat" terrorist attack on the Thames in a unique marine-based exercise to test the emergency response to gunmen.

A sightseeing vessel became the scene of a fierce mock-gun battle between armed officers and police volunteers posing as terrorists shortly after 11am on Sunday, close to the London Docklands area.

The exercise marks the first time the Metropolitan Police have enacted a live-action, water-borne exercise of its kind, with over 200 officers involved.

Armed officers boarded the moving vessel in a hail of gunfire just over two hours after a simulated hijacking in which a group of around five officers posing as gun-wielding terrorists assumed command of the boat in a role-play hostage scenario.

At least one "body", played by a police volunteer, was cast overboard, and officers were deployed in a bid to assess the effectiveness of rescue operation tactics in life-like conditions.

The multi-agency operation was carried out between the Met, the Port of London Authority, London Coastguard, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade.

It was designed to test every phase of the emergency services' effectiveness with a river-based terrorist attack in the capital - from the moment an incident is reported, to the conclusion of a rescue operation.

Commander BJ Harrington, head of the Met's Public Order Command, said the exercise was not planned in response to any "specific intelligence" about an impending marine attack.

But he noted that recent terrorist incidents on the continent showed how would-be attackers have diversified their means of inflicting harm to the general public.

He said: "It's important to point out that the exercise has not been designed in response to any specific threat.

"There's no information that we have that we're preparing for.

"Of course, we have seen a number of incidents abroad in the past few years: Nice, Berlin - we have seen different methodologies developing, and, of course, the river runs right the way through London so why wouldn't we prepare for that."

The exercise comes just two weeks after the Met's most senior counter-terrorism officer, assistant commissioner Mark Rowley, revealed that security services have thwarted 13 potential terrorist attacks in the UK in less than four years.

The figure is one higher than the last tally given in October.

Assistant commissioner Rowley said up to 500 counter-terror investigations are operational at any one time, with investigators making arrests at a rate of close to one a day on average since 2014.

The official threat level for international terrorism in the UK has stood at severe - meaning an attack is "highly likely" - for more than two years.

Commander Harrington said the exercise marks the first time all the involved agencies have come together to test their interoperability and effectiveness as a group, and hoped it would act as a deterrent to any would-be attackers.

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He said: "Most importantly, we give the people who are going to have to do this tricky and difficult and dangerous stuff the opportunity to have confidence that they can do it, and hopefully, above all, give confidence to people who live and work and visit London to say the police, the agencies, blue light agencies and other public service agencies, are in a really good position to protect them and keep them safe.

"I do hope there is a deterrent effect in this when they see how effective our people are."

A previous major inter-agency exercise in June 2015, Operation Strong Tower, saw hundreds of officers respond to a simulated terror threat in a disused London Underground station.

This was just five days after 30 Britons were killed when a gunman attacked holidaymakers on a beach in Tunisia.

Sunday's operation, code-named Anchor, comes just 24 hours after French police shot dead a 39-year-old gunman at Paris's Orly airport.

Speaking from the scene of the exercise, Commander Harrington praised the bravery of service personnel who deal with terrorist situations.

He said: "I just want to stress the bravery of the people involved in this.

"They go forward to face what is a deadly attack - they have no concern for their own lives.

"They're potentially heavily armed and add to that the complexity of a tidal river and I think we should have all praise to them.

"It fills me with confidence that these people are prepared to do this kind of thing."
Police said inquiries are under way to 'establish the full circumstances of the incident'

A man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of a one-year-old boy and the attempted murder of a girl believed to be his twin sister, Scotland Yard said.

Bidhya Sagar Das, 33, was wanted by police in connection with an incident at a flat in Wilberforce Road, near Finsbury Park, north London.

Both toddlers were discovered with critical injuries at the address on Saturday night and were taken to an east London hospital, where the boy died in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Scotland Yard said Das was arrested in the Hackney area at 7.15pm on Sunday.

He has been taken to an east London police station where he remains in custody.

The girl remains in hospital in a critical condition.

Witnesses heard a woman shouting for help on the street outside at around 11.10pm on Saturday and later saw two children being carried out of the property.

Mihai Manea, 29, who lives on the second floor of the white three-storey building, said the children were twins and lived on the top floor with their Romanian mother and Indian father.

A woman living opposite the building, who gave her name as Gui Gui, said she heard a woman shouting late on Saturday night and opened the window to offer help.

"I was watching TV," she said. "I heard someone was shouting.

"She kept on shouting. I do not know what she was shouting.

"I opened the window and I asked her 'Can I help you, can I call the police for you?'

"She said, 'My kids'."

She later saw two young children being carried out of the building, with one held very close to a member of the emergency services.

The incident is believed to be domestic and enquiries continue, police said.

Next of kin have been informed of the boy's death but formal identification and a post-mortem examination are yet to take place.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams, of the Metropolitan Police, said: "This is clearly a tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the family of the two young children.

"Despite the best efforts of medical professionals a baby boy sadly died in the early hours of this morning. A baby girl currently remains in a critical condition and is receiving specialist medical care.

"Whilst we remain in the early stages of the investigation, a man has now been arrested.

"I would still like to hear from anyone who may have any information regarding this terrible incident."

Anyone with information should contact police on 020 8345 3775 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Theresa May has been warned that grammar schools do nothing for the majority of children, who do not attend them

Theresa May is facing a powerful new cross-party campaign to derail her flagship education reform programme to expand the number of grammar schools in England.

Conservative former education secretary Nicky Morgan has joined forces with Liberal Democrat former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and Labour ex-shadow education minister Lucy Powell to oppose the plan.

In a joint article in The Observer, they argue that creating new grammar schools will do nothing to promote social mobility and warn there is no room for more "division or political ideology" in the education system.

"We must rise to the challenge with a new national mission to boost education and social mobility for all," they write.

"That's why we are putting aside what we disagree on, to come together and to build a cross-party consensus in favour of what works for our children not what sounds good to politicians."

Their intervention is likely to set alarm bells ringing in Downing Street after other influential Conservatives, including the chairman of the Commons Education Committee Neil Carmichael, also voiced opposition to the plan.

With a working majority of just 17, Mrs May's vulnerability to Tory revolts was underlined last week when Chancellor Philip Hammond was humiliatingly forced to back down over his Budget reforms to National Insurance following a backlash from the backbenches.

In their article, the three say that an "endless debate" about more selection in the education system simply risked squeezing out positive developments that were taking place elsewhere.

"Those championing selection as the silver bullet for tackling social mobility, or as the panacea for creating good new school places, are misguided," they said.

"All the evidence is clear that grammar schools damage social mobility.

"Whilst they can boost attainment for the already highly gifted, they do nothing for the majority of children, who do not attend them. Indeed, in highly selective areas, children not in grammars do worse than their peers in non-selective areas.

"In a time when resources are so limited and many other educational reforms are still in their infancy or yet to be proven - from University Technical Colleges and new T-levels to the expansion of free childcare and hundreds of new free schools - now is not the time for more division or political ideology in education."

Speaking to journalists at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai, former education secretary Michael Gove said: "I thought Nicky was a great education secretary and I think hers is a voice always worth listening to in the debate.

"But I take a slightly different position.

"My position is that I'm going to wait to see what the government brings forward but I think that the thing to do for someone like me is to say there's no merit in looking at this, or I won't look at this I should say, through any prism other than looking at what's proposed, looking at the evidence and considering each proposal on its merits."

He later said he supported extension of selection when they created specialist maths schools, which teach post-16 students.

"So, I can't say I'm against selection per se, I just think you need to look at each individual proposition as it's put forward," Mr Gove added.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks during a press conference in Beijing during his first official visit to China (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)

Donald Trump is looking forward to his first meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said.

In talks with Mr Xi in Beijing on Sunday, Mr Tillerson said Mr Trump places a "very high value" on communications with the Chinese president via phone calls and exchanges of letters.

Mr Tillerson said Mr Trump looked forward to "the opportunity of a visit in the future," an apparent reference to unconfirmed reports of plans for the two men to meet in Florida next month.

Mr Tillerson has struck a cordial tone during his meetings in Beijing, the last stop in a tour of Asia that also included visits to Japan and South Korea.

His trip has been dominated by concerns over North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programme.

On the final day of his swing through Asia, Mr Tillerson's conciliatory approach was in contrast to Mr Trump's tough talk on Chinese economic competition during his presidential campaign.

Mr Xi told him that China considered his meetings on Saturday with foreign minister Wang Yi and senior diplomat Yang Jiechi to have been productive and constructive.

"Both (Trump) and I believe that we need to make joint efforts to advance China-US co-operation and we believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era," Mr Xi said.

Mr Tillerson's Beijing visit followed his remarks in South Korea on Friday that pre-emptive military action against North Korea might be necessary if the threat from its weapons programme reaches a level "that we believe requires action".

China, the North's biggest source of diplomatic support and economic assistance, has not responded directly to those comments, although Beijing has called repeatedly for all sides to take steps to reduce tensions.

China has agreed reluctantly to UN Security Council resolutions sanctioning North Korea, but is adamantly opposed to measures that might bring about a collapse of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's regime.

Beijing fears his fall would send waves of refugees into north-eastern China and see South Korean and American forces taking up positions along its border.

Beijing's patience with Pyongyang appears to be growing thin, however.

Last month, China potentially deprived Mr Kim's regime of a crucial source of foreign currency by banning imports of North Korean coal for the rest of the year.

AP
Chuck Berry, pictured in 2009, who has died at his Missouri home aged 90 (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)

Chuck Berry, rock 'n' roll's founding guitar hero who defined the music's joy and rebellion in such classics as Johnny B Goode has died. He was 90.

Emergency responders summoned to Berry's home by his caretaker about 12.40pm on Saturday found him unresponsive, police in Missouri's St Charles County said.

Attempts to revive Berry failed, and he was pronounced dead shortly before 1.30pm, police said.

A police spokeswoman, Val Joyner, told The Associated Press she had no additional details about the death of Berry, calling him "really a legend".

Berry's core repertoire was some three dozen songs, his influence incalculable, from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to virtually any group from garage band to arena act that called itself rock 'n' roll.

While Elvis Presley gave rock its libidinous, hip-shaking image, Berry was the auteur, setting the template for a new sound and way of life.

Well before the rise of Bob Dylan, Berry wedded social commentary to the beat and rush of popular music.

"He was singing good lyrics, and intelligent lyrics, in the 50s when people were singing, 'Oh, baby, I love you so,'" John Lennon once observed.

Berry, in his late 20s before his first major hit, crafted lyrics that spoke to the teenagers of the day and remained fresh decades later.

Roll Over Beethoven was an anthem to rock's history-making power, while Rock And Roll Music was a guidebook for all bands that followed ("It's got a back beat, you can't lose it").

Johnny B Goode, the tale of a guitar-playing country boy whose mother tells him he will be a star, was Berry's signature song.

The song was inspired in part by Johnnie Johnson, the boogie-woogie piano master who collaborated on many Berry hits, but the story could have easily been Berry's or Presley's.

Johnny B Goode could have only been a guitarist.

The guitar was rock 'n' roll's signature instrument and Berry's sound, a melting pot of country flash and rhythm 'n blues drive, turned on a generation of musicians.

They included the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, who acknowledged he had "lifted every lick" from his hero; the Beatles' George Harrison; Bruce Springsteen; and the Who's Pete Townshend.

When Nasa launched the unmanned Voyager I in 1977, an album was stored on the craft that would explain music on Earth to extraterrestrials.

The one rock song included was Johnny B Goode.

Country, pop and rock artists have recorded Berry songs, including the Beatles (Roll Over Beethoven), Emmylou Harris (You Never Can Tell) and AC/DC (School Days).

The Rolling Stones' first single was a cover of Berry's Come On and they went on to perform and record Around And Around, Let It Rock and others.

He received a Grammy for lifetime achievement in 1984 and two years later became a charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with Presley, Buddy Holly, Little Richard and others.

In the 1990s, Berry began giving monthly concerts in the intimate setting of the "Duck Room" of the Blueberry Hill club in St Louis, drawing visitors from around the world.

At times he was joined by his son, guitarist Charles Berry Jr, and daughter, Ingrid Berry Clay, on vocals and harmonica. He married their mother, Themetta Suggs, in 1948. They had four children.

Charles Edward Anderson Berry was born in St Louis on October 18 1926. As a child he practised a bent-leg stride that enabled him to slip under tables, a prelude to the trademark "duck walk" of his adult years.

Berry studied the mechanics of music and how it was transmitted. As a teenager, he loved to take radios apart and put them back together.

He began his musical career at 15 when he went on stage at a high school review to perform a cover of Jay McShann's Confessin' The Blues. Berry would never forget the ovation he received.

Influenced by bandleader Louis Jordan and blues guitarist T-Bone Walker among others, Berry signed with Chicago's Chess Records in 1955 after hooking up with Johnson three years earlier.

Maybellene reworked the country song Ida Red and rose into the top 10 of the national pop charts, a rare achievement for a black artist at that time.

H its followed, including Roll Over Beethoven, and Sweet Little Sixteen. Among his other songs were Nadine, Let it Rock, Almost Grown and the racy novelty number My Ding-A-Ling, which topped the charts in 1972, his only No. 1 single.

Berry did not care for hard drugs, but he knew too well the outlaw life.

His troubles began in 1944, when a joyriding trip to Kansas City turned into a crime spree involving armed robberies and car theft. Berry served three years of a 10-year sentence at a reformatory.

In the early 1960s, his career was nearly destroyed when he was indicted for violating the Mann Act, which barred transportation of a minor across state lines for "immoral purposes".

There were two trials, the first so racist that a guilty verdict was vacated, and the second leading to prison time, 18 months of a three-year term.

Berry continued to record after getting out, and his legacy was duly honoured by the Beatles and the Stones, but his hit-making days were essentially over.

Tax charges came in 1979, based on Berry's insistence he receive concert fees in cash, and another three-year prison sentence, all but 120 days of which was suspended.

Some former female employees sued him for allegedly videotaping them in the toilet of his restaurant. The cases were settled in 1994, after Berry paid 1.3 million dollars (1.1 million pounds).

Openly money-minded, Berry was an entrepreneur with a St Louis nightclub and property he dubbed Berry Park, which included a home, guitar-shaped swimming pool, restaurant, cottages and concert venue.

He declined to have a regular band and instead used local musicians, willing to work cheap, wherever he performed. Springsteen was among those who had an early gig backing Berry.

AP
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The views expressed on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Economics or the University of Oregon.
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This month, the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, and the U.S. Department of the Interior, the DOI, announced a grant to the Kenya Ministry of Environment and the Africa Conservation Centre to support Kenyas National Wildlife Conservation Strategy.

The grant and seven other grants awarded over the past year provide a total of $1.3 million, or 103 million Kenyan shillings, to support conservation and combat wildlife crime in Kenya and East Africa and lay the groundwork for sustained collaboration between U.S. government and Kenyan counterparts.

Wildlife crime threatens the security, economy, and biodiversity of East Africa, as demand for products like elephant ivory and rhino horn continues to rise and poaching methods become increasingly sophisticated. International networks for poaching, transit, and sale of illegal wildlife products target wildlife populations across borders, creating a complex problem that transcends national boundaries. Kenya is currently a key source and transit country for illegal wildlife products from Africa.

The conservation and sustainable management of wildlife and habitats is crucial to the regions long term economic growth and development.

In support of the U.S. National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking, USAID is taking action to enhance wildlife management and the enforcement and prosecution of wildlife crime.

USAID has partnered with the DOIs International Technical Assistance Program, or DOI-ITAP, on a five-year project that uses DOIs expertise in law enforcement, investigation, and prosecution to create a strong network of regional actors to combat wildlife trafficking throughout East Africa.

Since March 2016, USAID and DOI-ITAP have funded work with government agencies responsible for managing wildlife, non-governmental organizations fighting wildlife crime, and civil society groups that inform the public about this serious issue.

In addition to the Ministry of Environment grant, projects supported include grants administered by Save the Elephants to support the Elephant Crisis Fund; regional coordinating efforts and enhanced community engagement to counter wildlife crime by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature; high-profile events like the Giants Club Summit; public outreach initiatives by WildlifeDirect; security for rhino protection by the Laikipia Wildlife Forum; and organizational planning to protect wildlife at the Kenya Wildlife Service.

As U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec noted, By protecting wildlife and the environment, we can create jobs and build prosperity while preserving Kenyas rich natural heritage.
As has been the case in previous years, human rights conditions in Zimbabwe remain deeply troubling, according to the recently-issued State Department Country Reports On Human Rights Practices.

In 2016, the government of President Robert Mugabe continued to violate human rights, disregarding the protections enumerated in the countrys 2013 constitution. The most important human rights problems remained the governments targeting members of non-ZANU-PF parties and civil society activists for abduction, arrest, torture, abuse, and harassment; partisan application of the rule of law by security forces and the judiciary; and restrictions on civil liberties, including freedoms of expression and assembly.

In 2016, the government intensified its repression of peaceful protesters. Police abuse increased, and security forces used excessive force to crush dissent. Human rights defenders, civil society activists, journalists, and government opponents, were harassed, threatened or faced arbitrary arrest by security forces. The government restricted freedom of the press. Although citizens have the constitutional right to choose their own government in free and fair elections, this right was restricted.

Corruption at all levels of government was rampant in Zimbabwe. Despite the fact that the government took some limited steps to punish security sector officials and ZANU-PF supporters who committed violations, impunity for past politically-motivated violence was a problem. The government, for example, failed to provide any updates on the 2015 disappearance of activist Itai Dzamara.

Rape, domestic violence, and discrimination against women remained widespread problems. Despite the fact that last January, Zimbabwes Constitutional Court declared child marriage to be unconstitutional and set 18 as the minimum marriage age, the government has yet to amend or repeal all existing marriage laws that still allow child marriage.

On the other side of that spectrum, widows were forced from their marital homes by relatives, and their property confiscated, with little recourse to the formal justice system.

The State Department Human Rights Reports are not meant to point fingers or judge the actions of sovereign nations. Nor are these U.S. policy documents. The Reports do not draw legal conclusions.

Promoting human rights and democratic governance is a core element of U.S. foreign policy, said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.Standing up for human rights and democracy is not just a moral imperative but is in the best interests of the United States in making the world more stable and secure.
PR Newswire

DOHA, Qatar, March 19, 2017

DOHA, Qatar, March 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- After reaching the mark of two million users per month to become the largest flight metasearch engine in Brazil, No Borders Investments ("NBI") announces a substantive investment in Voopter with co-investor Travel Capitalist Ventures.

The "Series B " comes from No Borders Investments, a Doha-headquartered private investment firm making $1M to $100M USD investments in market leaders around the world. Current investments include government bonds, EU-based property funds spanning the Champs-Elysees in Paris; Zurich and Geneva, Switzerland; and Mayfair, London. NBI also has direct investments in Newport Beach, California, US-based Content Market (former CEO of Virgin Charter, part of the Virgin Group of Companies), and Bangalore, India-based JetSmart.

According to Mr. Abdulla Khalid, CEO and Managing Partner at No Borders Investments, "Investments in Brazil, South Africa and India allow us to diversify investments across asset class and geography while adhering to our core investment thesis. I look forward to announcing our other investments in late Q3 of this year."

No Borders Investments adds to funding from Global Founders Capital (GFC), a German venture capital company that trains talented entrepreneurs globally. This is GFC's second investment in the Brazilian flight search startup.

Voopter's unique offerings are geared to Brazilian consumers, who prefer to receive personalized promotional information and to plan trips in advance. Voopter provides tools adapted to this traveler profile such as a multi-dates calendar, collaborative alert system and curated content.

"This investment will help us to speed up our growth in the Brazilian market, where Voopter is already the leading metasearch," says Pettersom Paiva, CEO of Voopter. "But there is still great potential for growth. It will also back the launch of our 'media' and 'data' divisions, which will consolidate our offers for other travel business than airlines and OTA's."

About No Borders InvestmentsFounded in 2014, No Borders Investments is a Doha based investment firm making $1M to $100M investments in high growth companies and Funds in the Middle East, India, the United States and EU. More information can be found at www.nobordersinvestments.com.

About VoopterVoopter is the leading flight metasearch in Brazil, with more than two million users and 250,000 cross tickets per month. The company presents the best fares available both through airlines and online travel agencies. Available at no cost on the web, and on iOS and Android systems, it features a unique multi-dates calendar, while the system shows users the cheapest trip combination. In addition, Voopter offers users the option to create alerts, which generates notifications when the ticket price is within the range the user is willing to pay. More information can be found at www.voopter.com.br.

Contact:

Florence YaegerCommunications DirectorTravel Capitalist Ventures+1 [email protected] www.travelcapitalist.com
Corbridge Road is situated in Reading, 25 km from LaplandUK, 29 km from Legoland Windsor, and 31 km from Newbury Racecourse. This property offers access to a patio, free private parking and free WiFi....

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The White House Flat by Select SA in Reading offers accommodation with free WiFi, 22 km from LaplandUK, 26 km from Newbury Racecourse and 30 km from Legoland Windsor.

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Featuring free, unlimited WiFi and air conditioning, Kings Road Aparthotel is located in Reading, just 0.2 miles from The Blade building and 0.4 miles from the Oracle Shopping Centre.

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A modern, purpose-built hotel, the Parkside International offers en suite rooms, free on-site parking and a bar and restaurant. The hotel is just 1.5 miles from Reading town centre.

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This is a Preferred Partner property. It is committed to providing guests with a positive experience thanks to its commendable service and good value. This property may pay Booking.com a bit more to be in this Programme.
Dr. Glenn B. Stracher is Professor Emeritus of Geology and Physics at East Georgia State College, University System of Georgia, Swainsboro, Georgia, USA. After receiving his M.S. in Geology and a Ph.D. in Geology and Engineering Mechanics from the University of Nebraska, he served as a Lady Davis Scholar at the Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. He was also nominated by the United Nations as a Fulbright Scholar while in graduate school before completing his postdoctoral work in Israel. Dr. Stracher is the former chair of the Geological Society of America's Coal Geology Division and served on the society's External Awards Committee. He is the co-author of three chemical thermodynamics books, published in English and Japanese and taught graduate level courses in this subject at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. In 2010, he was named a University System of Georgia "Shining Star," by the state's Board of Regents, for excellence in research and teaching. In 2015, he was named a Geological Society of America Fellow for his contributions to coal-fires science. Trained as a structural geologist, mineralogist, and metamorphic petrologist, the main focus of his research since 1995; and for which he is internationally known, is coal fires burning around the world. In addition to numerous peer-reviewed publications about coal fires, he has convened coal-fires symposia with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Geological Society of America (GSA), and led four GSA National coal-fires field trips. Dr. Stracher is the editor of the Geological Society of America book, Geology of Coal Fires: Case Studies from Around the World. He also edited the International Journal of Coal Geology special publication, Coal Fires Burning Around the World: A Global Catastrophe. His latest project is a four-volume book published by Elsevier and entitled Coal and Peat Fires: A Global Perspective http://www.elsevierdirect.com/brochures/coalpeatfires/index.html The China University of Mining and Technology in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, has invited him to teach short courses about coal and peat fires using this four-volume book. He has also received an invitation to visit and do research at Tianjin University in China. Dr. Stracher appears in two National Geographic Channel (NGC) movies about coal-fires: Wild Fires, part of a seven part NGC series entitled Built for Destruction, and the more recent movie, Underground Inferno, that has won several international film-festival awards. Currently, he is working with historian Timo Hauge at the German Mining Museum in Bochum, Germany, on a permanent display about mine fires. The display in the 37,000 square foot museum will open in 2018 and feature much of Dr. Stracher's work, as well as photos taken by Glenn and Janet Stracher during their numerous field expeditions. The German Mining Museum is the most famous mining museum in the world. The web address of the museum is: http://www.bergbaumuseum.de/index.php/en. Dr. Glenn B. Stracher and his wife, Janet, were recently the guests of four universities in China, where Dr. Stracher gave six presentations. In addition to the 2,000 page, four-volume book Dr. Stracher published with Elsevier, entitled Coal and Peat Fires: A Global Perspective, he recently signed a contract with the company to publish a fifth volume entitled Coal and Peat Fires: New Global Perspectives. The latest work is scheduled for publication late in 2017 or 2018. The fifth volume will include contributions from engineers and scientists in China. The Strachers have been invited to return to China at a later date, where Dr. Stracher would serve as a visiting professor at the China University of Mining and Technology and the Xi'an University of Science and Technology. Anupma Prakash is Professor of Geophysics (Remote Sensing) at the Department of Geosciences and the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA. After receiving her M.Sc. degree in Geology from Lucknow University, India, and a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from the Indian Institute of Technology - Roorkee, India, she moved to the Netherlands to work for the International Institute of Geo-information Surveys and Earth Sciences (ITC), Enschede, The Netherlands. She is internationally recognized for her research on the use of remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques for investigating surface and underground coal mine fires. Her coal fire research involves fire detection, mapping, monitoring, depth estimation, characterization and quantitative estimation of environmental impacts. Ellina Sokol is a distinguished research scientist at the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk, Siberia.
After many meetings and debates, the Chicago delegation succeeded in working with the New York United Federation of Teachers, Local 2 (UFT) to push the AFT to take stronger stands on charter school accountability and school closings  though many delegates from Chicago would have liked the language to have been even stronger.

Generally speaking, the New York delegation represented organizing charters as the best model for handling their role in reshaping unions, despite the fact that according to many reports few charter schools in New York have been organized as is the case in Chicago. This logic is the same touted by the Progressive Caucus of the AFT. The few that have been organized are a part of the UFT local though they have separate contracts negotiated with the help of UFT. The Chicago delegation reflection the mindset that allowing new charters to continue to proliferate while attempting to organize existing charters is an end game in which public schools and the union lose.



Jen Johnson, CTU, Local 1 in Substance


Gardai are appealing for witnesses after a man suffered serious head injuries during an attempted robbery in Dublin yesterday.

The victim, a man in his 40s, was a member of staff at a newsagents on Fitzmaurice Road in Finglas.
Update - 2pm: Three teenagers have appeared in court charged in connection with a stabbing incident in Longford Town on St Patrick's Day.

18-year-old Ciaran McDonnell, of 34 College Park, Longford town, was charged with assault and remanded in custody to appear in court again next Friday.

Two others - aged 17 and 15 - who cannot be named for legal reasons were charged and released on bail to appear before Longford District Court on Tuesday.

A man in his 30s has since been transferred to St James Hospital in Dublin where he remains in a serious condition following the attack.

Update - 10.20am: Gardai investigating a stabbing in Longford Town on St Patrick's Day have charged three males.

An 18-year-old man and two youths will appear before a special sitting of Longford District Court this morning.

The victim is still being treated in hospital.

Earlier: An 18-year-old man and two youths are still being questioned after a man in his 30s was stabbed in Longford town.

The stabbing happened on New Street shortly after 8.30pm on Friday night.

The man was taken to the Midlands Regional Hospital in Mullingar in a critical condition.

Gardai are continuing to appeal for witnesses.
Update - 1.15pm: The Coast Guard and RNLI have rescued eight people after their boat capsized off the Sligo coast.

It has been reported that one person is in Sligo University Hospital with serious injuries after the incident in the Atlantic, while another person suffered minor injuries.

There was a May Day call to Malin Head Coast Guard at 11.25am this morning which reported that a boat from a local diving club had overturned.

The man in a serious condition was airlifted to hospital from the upturned boat, while the second man was taken to hospital by ambulance after being brought to Aughris Pier with his crewmates.

Earlier: The Coast Guard have been called to rescue six people on a boat that has got into difficulty on the west coast of Ireland.

The Coast Guard helicopter based in Sligo has is on its way to the alert while local RNLI units have also responded with paramedics on stand-by.

It is reported that a small craft is in difficulty in waters offshore of Skreen in the southern part of Sligo Bay, and it is believed that one person is in the water.

There are unconfirmed reports one person may have fallen ill with a cardiac complaint.

There are also fishing vessels and pleasure boats rushing to the scene to offer support.
Donald Trump is looking forward to his first meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said.

In talks with Mr Xi in Beijing on Sunday, Mr Tillerson said Mr Trump places a "very high value" on communications with the Chinese president via phone calls and exchanges of letters.

Mr Tillerson said Mr Trump looked forward to "the opportunity of a visit in the future," an apparent reference to unconfirmed reports of plans for the two men to meet in Florida next month.

Mr Tillerson has struck a cordial tone during his meetings in Beijing, the last stop in a tour of Asia that also included visits to Japan and South Korea.

His trip has been dominated by concerns over North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programme.

On the final day of his swing through Asia, Mr Tillerson's conciliatory approach was in contrast to Mr Trump's tough talk on Chinese economic competition during his presidential campaign.

Mr Xi told him that China considered his meetings on Saturday with foreign minister Wang Yi and senior diplomat Yang Jiechi to have been productive and constructive.

Rex Tillerson and Wang Yi.

"Both (Trump) and I believe that we need to make joint efforts to advance China-US co-operation and we believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era," Mr Xi said.

Mr Tillerson's Beijing visit followed his remarks in South Korea on Friday that pre-emptive military action against North Korea might be necessary if the threat from its weapons programme reaches a level "that we believe requires action".

China, the North's biggest source of diplomatic support and economic assistance, has not responded directly to those comments, although Beijing has called repeatedly for all sides to take steps to reduce tensions.

China has agreed reluctantly to UN Security Council resolutions sanctioning North Korea, but is adamantly opposed to measures that might bring about a collapse of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's regime.

Beijing fears his fall would send waves of refugees into north-eastern China and see South Korean and American forces taking up positions along its border.

Beijing's patience with Pyongyang appears to be growing thin, however.

Last month, China potentially deprived Mr Kim's regime of a crucial source of foreign currency by banning imports of North Korean coal for the rest of the year.

AP
A gunman shot and killed a journalist on Sunday in the Mexican state of Veracruz, adding to the toll in a state plagued by drug-gang violence and allegations of government corruption.

Ricardo Monlui was leaving a restaurant with his wife and a son in the town of Yanga, outside the larger city of Cordoba, when a man who appeared to have been waiting shot him twice and fled, local police chief Carlos Samuel Hernandez said.
Update 8.50pm: A man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of a one-year-old boy and the attempted murder of a girl believed to be his twin sister, Scotland Yard said.

Bidhya Sagar Das, 33, was wanted by police in connection with an incident at a flat in Wilberforce Road, near Finsbury Park, north London.

Both toddlers were discovered with critical injuries at the address on Saturday night and were taken to an east London hospital, where the boy died in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Scotland Yard said Das was arrested in the Hackney area at 7.15pm on Sunday.

He has been taken to an east London police station where he remains in custody.

The girl remains in hospital in a critical condition.

Update: 3pm The suspect has been named as Bidhya Sagar Das, 33.

Scotland Yard has appealed for the public's help in tracing the suspect.

Earlier: A major search for a "suspect" in a London park is under way after a one-year-old boy died and a girl of the same age was left in a critical condition.

Officers were called to reports of two children injured in a flat in Wilberforce Road, near Finsbury Park, in north London at 11.10pm on Saturday, Scotland Yard said.

Both toddlers, believed to be twins, were found with critical injuries and were taken to an east London hospital where the boy died in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Finsbury Park: Boy, 1, dies and girl fighting for life after being injured at flat https://t.co/QcH4vFWkwG pic.twitter.com/G8pszkBGqW  SECCEN - Security Central Uk (@securityctrl) March 19, 2017

The girl remains in a critical condition.

The Metropolitan Police said: "Next of kin are aware. Formal identification awaits and a post-mortem examination will be scheduled in due course."

They added that inquiries were under way to "establish the full circumstances of the incident" and said that no arrests had been made.

The National Police Air Service helicopter tweeted that it was assisting "officers searching Finsbury Park for a suspect".

Assisting @MPSHackney officers searching Finsbury Park for a suspect.  NPAS South East Region (@NPASSouthEast) March 19, 2017

A police car was parked outside the white three-storey building where the children are believed to have been injured.

Police officers have been visiting and searching properties along the tree-lined street.

A woman living opposite the building, who gave her name as Gui Gui, said she heard a woman shouting late last night and opened the window to offer help.

"I was watching TV," she said. "I heard someone was shouting.

"She kept on shouting. I do not know what she was shouting.

"I opened the window and I asked her 'Can I help you, can I call the police for you?'

"She said, 'My kids'."

The neighbour said she later saw two young children being carried out of the building, with one being held very close to a member of the emergency services.

Mihai Menea, 29, who lives on the second floor of the building, said the children were twins.

They lived on the top floor with their Romanian mother and Indian father, he said.

The father worked at the nearby Pembury Hotel as a receptionist, where Mr Menea also works, until a few days ago, he said.

Mr Menea described the mood inside the property as "tense".

"It's really tense," he said. "There's police coming and going all the time."
Ben Harley had always wanted a Weber barbecue.

For about $750, he thought it was a worthwhile purchase from a reputable brand.

So when he headed online to buy one, Mr Harley was buoyed to find a deal that would snag him a discount of more than $200.

"I searched online for the model I wanted and clicked one of the first ad links. They were offering it for $506 at the time, so naturally I was very interested," he said.
When Italian luxury label Ermenegildo Zegna purchased a stake in the historic Achill Farm in Armidale, New South Wales, no one could have guessed how hard the subsequent three years would be.

Zegna learnt the harsh truth about Australian farming. Its 6300-acre property was hit by a debilitating drought, forcing a decision to "tighten the belts", according to Chairman Paolo Zegna, and test every hope he and sixth-generation wool grower Charlie Coventry had for the property.

Fashionable farming: Paolo Zegna samples the wool at Achill Farm. Credit:Benjamen Judd

But it seems that things are finally taking a turn for the pair. Whether by providence or luck, Fairfax Media's arrival at the property Saturday morning happened to coincide with the region's single biggest rain event in four years.

"As farmers, this is really exciting for us," says Coventry. "It's really put a smile on our faces. Especially over the past four years, we have really been dogged sideways. What we started with in this joint venture has really been a challenge but we continued with our investment."
Paul Keating has dramatically added his voice to those of industry and finance experts warning the Turnbull government against allowing superannuation savings to be used for house purchases, branding the idea scandalous, ideological and designed to "pull the backside out" of super.

Writing exclusively for Fairfax Media, Mr Keating has linked what he calls the "policy bankruptcy" of the idea with the Coalition's treatment of Medicare, calling the programs the two great community standards that the Liberal Party "has done everything in its power to either thwart or destroy".

In a savage assault on the housing affordability measure under consideration by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison, Mr Keating said it is a triple threat because it would drive up prices, would permanently gut retirement nest eggs for the under 40s and would compromise the optimal investment profiles of the super funds themselves.

Financial systems inquiry head David Murray has also expressed concerns over the suggestion, even as it appears to be gaining supporters on the crossbench.
Actress Melissa George has opened up about the violent end to her relationship in an extraordinary interview during which she has called on Australia for help.

George, 40, and French entrepreneur Jean David Blanc, 48, the father of her two sons, were both found guilty of assaulting each other last year after a domestic incident in their Parisian home.

The attack, according to George who spoke to Seven's Sunday Night program, lasted 27 minutes and ended with her bloodied, bruised and barely conscious in the back of an Uber in the early hours of the morning.

The two began arguing after George was trying to sleep while he ate and watched a movie.
They're the fashion stars of tomorrow and if their technicolour collections are any guide, the future is bright.

From Sarah Schofield's coats and dresses in dazzling fuschia to Tony Lee's electric blue knitwear, the National Graduate Showcase lit up the Royal Exhibition Building on Sunday night, the closing day of the 21st Melbourne Fashion Festival.

Sarah Schofield prepares for the National Graduate Showcase at the Melbourne Fashion Festival on Sunday. Credit:Arsineh Houspian

The 11 designers who took part in the show were selected as the top students in their class, with many previous participants going on to launch successful labels of their own or gain positions with top fashion houses.

Schofield's love of fashion began on her family's farm at Bannockburn, where, as a teenager, she used to traipse around in work boots and a ball gown.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced a Brisbane high school principal will run for Labor in the south Brisbane seat of Mansfield.

Corrine McMillan, the principal of Cavendish Road State High School, has been endorsed unopposed for Labor in the seat currently held by the LNP's Ian Walker.

High School principal Corrine McMillan will run for Labor in the south Brisbane seat of Mansfield at the next state election.

While the shadow attorney-general has held the seat since 2012, the planned state electoral redistribution has tipped the seat in favour of the ALP by a margin of 0.9 per cent, according to the ABC's Antony Green.

The Premier said she was happy Ms McMillan has been endorsed to run for Labor at the next state election, which is not expected to be held until 2018.
Sky Brown has always loved two things, the water and her skateboard.

At just eight years old, she became the youngest girl ever to compete against adults on the Vans Park Series Pro tour.

Sky Brown, eight years old from Japan, poses at Snapper Rocks. Credit:Chris Hyde

Now, the Japanese phenomenon is on the Gold Coast after sponsor Roxy brought her over to experience the Roxy Pro at Snapper Rocks, Coolangatta.

"She's had a rad time here and the place is super super beautiful, the beaches the people and the wildlife and of course the surf," her father, Stu, said.
A teenage boy has been flown to hospital after falling at a beach on the Mornington Peninsula.

Ambulance officers were called to St Andrews Beach, south of Rye, about 11.15am.

Credit:Paul Rovere/Fairfax Media

The boy was assessed for head injuries and airlifted to The Alfred hospital.

He remains in hospital in a critical condition.
Mike Nahan has put his hand up to lead the depleted WA Liberal Party after sensationally blaming Colin Barnett for his government's catastrophic loss at last weekend's state election.

And the former treasurer revealed the Liberals expected the former premier to hand over the leadership reins well before the March state election.

"He was not up to leading the team in this (election) campaign and as a result we had a landslide loss," Dr Nahan told The Sunday Times.

Breaking a week-long silence, Dr Nahan said there was division in the Liberal party after Mr Barnett refused to hand over the reins last September.
Washington: As the Trump administration advanced plans to erect a multibillion-dollar wall on the southern border, the leader of Mexico's national governors' association said on Saturday in Washington that US President Donald Trump's budget proposal proves that US taxpayers will foot the bill.

Trump has insisted that he will force Mexico to pay for the wall, but Mexican officials have refused. The President's budget request on Thursday included $2.6 billion, mostly for the first stages of the wall.

"Trump is asking the Americans to pay for the wall," Graco Ramirez, governor of the Mexican state of Morelos, said in a news conference. "The first victory is ours."

Ramirez, who is president of the National Conference of Governors of Mexico, was in Washington for a meeting at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Bangkok: Thai police say they have uncovered a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha after seizing a weapons cache belonging to a fugitive anti-junta activist.

It is the latest discovery of a weapons stockpile belonging to a member of the red shirt movement, a political group loyal to the exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Assassination plot: Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha. Credit:Getty Images

Police on Saturday found dozens of rifles and grenades, along with thousands of rounds of ammunition, at a house belonging to red shirt leader Wuthipong Kochathamakun, who has been on the run since the military coup.

Police arrested nine men in connection with the arms seizure, saying they had clear evidence the suspects and their extended network were aiming to cause unrest.
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THERE was the spring and warmer weather to look forward to. At least that was something.

By mid-March 1941, Bristolians were looking back on a winter they would never forget for the rest of their lives  no matter how much they wanted to.

There had been major air raids and small ones, the deaths and injuries of friends, neighbours and even family members. Many familiar old buildings and streets were now heaps of rubble, and hundreds of people had been bombed out of their homes.

For many, even those who had not suffered personal loss of property or loved ones, the day-to-day stresses were becoming intolerable. Raids meant a dozen inconveniences, from gas and water supplies being cut to problems getting food.

Parents anxiously herded their families into air raid shelters each night in case the bombers should visit. While exhausted people tried to grab some sleep, the thermometer regularly dropped below zero.

Church services were crowded. People prayed for the bombing to end, or, at the very least, implored a God whose very existence many doubted now to bring warmer weather.

There had been no major raid on Bristol since early January, but no-one was under any illusions that it was over. Avonmouth had suffered a heavy attack in mid-January and some bombs had fallen on Clifton, Stoke Bishop and Redland. The Bishop of Bristols palace, all but destroyed in a previous raid, was hit again.

There were false alarms on several evenings, and minor attacks in February. A Heinkel III was shot down and crashed into the mudflats at Portbury, with all but one of her crew killed.

At the end of February there was a daylight raid on Parnalls aircraft factory at Yate, killing 11 people and injuring 49 more.

March brought more. At dusk on the 6th a single bomber dropped a stick of high explosives on Southmead, damaging 300 homes.

These were mostly council houses built between the wars and everyone was impressed at how well they withstood the damage. What was more talked-about however, was the way in which the raider, after dropping its bombs, flew around the estate at low level machine-gunning civilians.

This appears to have happened before, but according to the records it happened more frequently after the Southmead attack.

Until now it had been possible to believe that the bombers were going for targets of military importance such as factories or dock and rail facilities, and that civilian casualties were a by-product, collateral damage to use the modern term.

But deliberately shooting at people on the ground who were not military personnel was something else. On this occasion 18 people were injured, but only one killed.

Infamous raid on Parnalls

The infamous raid on Parnalls in Yate also took place during this period. The factory was a producer of gun turrets and so was an obvious target, and the Luftwaffe had already made over a dozen failed attempts to hit it.

Just after 2pm on February 27, a single aircraft, flying at just 30 metres, reached Yate and released six bombs onto the factory.

These were set with delayed-action fuses for maximum disruption, exploding at intervals over the coming minutes. In the end, 53 workers were killed and 150 more were injured, and the factory was seriously damaged.

The same aircraft and same crew returned on March 7, again in broad daylight, this time killing three and injuring 20. The factory was now so seriously damaged that production halted and was dispersed to other factories and workshops around Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

It would be re-built and running again long before the wars end, but for such a small town these were horrible and traumatic events.

The Yate raider passed over St George in Bristol on the 7th, machine-gunning civilians as it did so. It was needless savagery like this that gave grim satisfaction to many in later years, when the RAF was carrying out massive bombing raids on Germany.

Only a few people at the time questioned the morality of bombing which was going to kill civilians, when the Germans had not only done it first, but had shot at women and children in the streets.

The next big raid on Bristol came on Sunday, March 16.

This attack remains relatively unknown compared to some of the others, but it would be the worst of all for casualties. By the end of it, the official figures were 257 dead and 391 injured.

The heavy toll in life was because most of the bombs fell on residential areas. The raid was targeting Avonmouth and the City Docks and/or the rail system around Temple Meads, but in the event very few bombs fell on those strategically important places.

The sirens went off at around 8.15pm. The all-clear was five hours later, but 11 minutes after that the alarm was sounded once more.

The attack had not stopped, and now many people were caught by bombs when out in the streets returning to their homes. The final raiders passed was not sounded until 4.10am.

Whitehall, Fishponds, Easton, St Pauls, Montpelier and Kingsdown were hardest hit, but bombs fell on Clifton, Cotham and Redland as well. Shirehampton, Knowle and Avonmouth also suffered damage.

Cottage burned so furiously it acted as a beacon for bombers

A cottage in Shirehampton burned so furiously that it acted as a beacon for the bombers; no less than 78 craters caused by high explosive bombs were found in the vicinity afterwards. Bombs also fell on Clevedon.

Visibility was poor over Bristol that night, making it hard for the raiders to find their targets, and this is probably the reason why so many bombs hit homes instead of rail and port facilities.

Six people were killed at the entrance to a public shelter in St George. Another shelter, in St Gabriels Road, Easton, was partly demolished by a high explosive bomb and 25 people were killed.

St Michaels Church was set on fire; at the time there were 300 people sheltering in the crypt, but all escaped unharmed. Those in the crypt of St Barnabas Church were not so lucky; 15 bodies were recovered from the rubble in the following days.

Mass Observation, which researched the lives and attitudes of ordinary Britons using volunteer interviewers, reported that morale in Bristol was badly affected.

The big raid on Sunday, March 16, has done more to upset morale in Bristol than any two of the previous raids put together.

"People are getting worn out by the continual bombardment  The irregular, sporadic, sudden switching of heavy raids here has had a strongly disturbing effect.

The raid produced several harrowing stories. One woman was rescued from a cellar where she had been buried for ten hours alongside her parents, who were dead.

A doctor sat all night beside a woman trapped under the remains of a house, holding her hand and giving her shots of morphine from time to time.

Tales of astonishing courage

As always, though, there were also tales of astonishing courage.

Two nurses from the Bristol Maternity Hospital made national headlines two months later when it was announced that they were to be awarded the George Medal, the second-highest civilian decoration for bravery after the George Cross.

Assistant Matron Elsie Stevens and Sister Violet Frampton volunteered to go out to attend a heavily-pregnant woman at a house nearby just after the alarm sounded. They braved falling bombs to find that the patient was trapped in the cellar of a house which was in danger of collapsing.

Stevens was lowered through a narrow opening and crawled through fallen masonry and with the help of the rescue squad was able to get two children and an elderly woman out. The pregnant woman, though, was completely trapped.

Frampton returned through the blazing streets to get morphine from the hospital and when she returned Stevens was once again went down to give the woman a painkilling injection.

All this was going on during an intense air raid. A high explosive bomb falling even some streets away could have collapsed the entire building on top of them.

At the same time, they were breathing in coal gas from a broken main. But now Sister Frampton was lowered down as well, and the two of them stayed beside the patient, working slowly and carefully to try and release her.

It was 3am before they had even freed the womans head and were able to make her slightly more comfortable. They also sustained her with sips of tea while the rescue squad up above desperately worked to free them.

The raid was over, but she was still trapped in the rubble...

The records and news reports gloss over the details, but between the lines it appears that the poor woman gave birth at around 8am.

The raid was over, but she was still trapped in the rubble. She was finally freed at 1pm and taken to the hospital where it was reported that mother and baby were doing well.
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Police are appealing for witnesses after half-a-dozen cash machines were vandalised in the Westbury-on-Trym area of Bristol during the weekend.

One man has been arrested in connection with the offences.

This latest crime in the area comes after another ram raid on the McColls newsagents and convenience store in the High Street, shortly after midnight on Saturday.

The raiders smashed the front doors of the store before taking alcohol from the premises.

The Co-op in nearby Henbury was also raided the same night.

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I hate referenda and always have done. They are the refuge of weak governments. The 1975 European Referendum was a ridiculous political contrivance and every referendum ever since has been the same or worse.

But they happened and, catastrophically, last year Britain voted to leave the EU. As the Brexiteers never tire of telling us - get used to it. Well I am, and it doesn't stop me being angry about it. Sadly it is an historical fact that the British (mostly English) voted for something that is stupid and damaging. As a result, the Scots cant wait to have another go to gain their freedom from England.

Much though I dont want to see a break up of the Union, I dont find it hard to understand why they are calling on the Prime Minister to agree to a re-run of 2014. Why? Because they were sold a pup. The British Government told them that voting to stay in the UK meant staying in the EU. Now look whats gone and happened.

On top of that, its a big opportunity for the Scottish Nationalists. Unlike in England, where Theresa may faces no real political opposition, Nicola Sturgeon has fire in her belly and a level of political nous that May lacks, and Sturgeon relishes the battle ahead with the Conservative Government. Our dull, autocratic prime minister may have turned down the Scottish request, but the SNP will continue to snap at her heels, doubtless to great effect.

I am out on the streets of Bristol most weekends with my colleagues from Bristol for Europe, a Brexit resistance movement that was born out of spontaneous anti-Brexit demonstrations on College Green last year. Recruiting Bristolians is remarkably easy - we have signed up close to 5,000 already.

But en passant I hear others who voted to remain saying they are unhappy but we must respect the will of the people. The people have spoken, it would be undemocratic to defy them - every time these phrases are spoken a chill goes down my spine. Democracy didnt suddenly come to an end on 23rd June, thereby silencing people like me forever, did it?

It is Orwellian to argue that the people of Bristol and elsewhere cant change their minds. When the facts change then policies should change too. It will be to the SNPs advantage as the efforts of the Government to negotiate a deal with the 27 nations of the EU unravel, as they surely will. It should similarly be to the advantage of those who have always believed that exiting the EU will cause untold damage to the UK and remove at one stroke many civil liberties, most particularly the right to carry an EU passport.

The lead-up to the invoking of Article 50 has been a dismal reflection of the health of British democracy. Vague and unexplained policies have been allowed to go almost unchallenged in parliament. If our parliamentary government is unable to function as a representative democracy, as the great parliamentarian Edmund Burke argued in 1774 in a speech to the electors of Bristol, then the people will have to take the matter into their own hands.

In the course of time, we will demand that we have the opportunity to overthrow the mad decision made last June and kick out the political zealots and all their lies and deceits. And it should be noted that another referendum would be the third on EU membership, not the second.

Stephen Perry is an officer of Bristol for Europe, a cross-party collaborative group which campaigns to ensure that Britain plays a leading role at the heart of the European Union.
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Warehouse supervisor Matt Ellicott is used to lugging washing machines and fridges around.

But the challenge he has taken on this weekend is rather more daunting.

He is pushing a massive American-style fridge weighing 19stone from his workplace in Bishopston, Bristol to the Cross Hands pub in Bedminster Down on the other side of the city  a distance of SEVEN miles.

Matt, 31, from Lawrence Weston, who weighs less than 12stone himself, took on the feat to raise money for St Peters Hospice and in memory of his nan, Janet Walsh, who died of inoperable cancer last year.

Before setting off from Nailsea Electrical on the Gloucester Road, Matt, who was supported by family and friends, said: I enjoy a challenge.

Im determined to do this. Im used to moving fridges and washing machines so Im up for this.

No doubt well have a few beers at some pubs on the way for refreshment.

The idea of the fridge push came about after a colleague pushed a washing machine from the store to his home in South Bristol last year.

Matts boss, Ben Gilks said: Im very proud of what hes doing. Its a tough challenge but hes got the determination to do it.

The fridge, worth nearly 2,000, was donated by SMEG and Nailsea Electrical.

Matt gets to keep the fridge if he finishes the push.

Anyone who wants to make a donation can do it on the Just Giving page here.
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Six cars and vans have been torched in a night of arson attacks across Bristol.

Fire fighters were called out to deal with blazes in the north, south, east and west of the city overnight.

The first call was to Harmer Close in Henbury, where a Peugeot car was found on fire at 8.40pm last night.

Less than three hours later, at 11.27pm, a Ford Transit van was set on fire in Vincent Close, Lawrence Weston.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service said the fire completely destroyed the van.

At 2.09am today another car was found on fire in Long Handstones, Cadbury Heath.

Under an hour later, shortly after 3am, a fire was started in Whiting Road, Withywood, which damaged three vehicles.

A fire service spokesman confirmed that all of the fires had been started deliberately.

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New investor strengthens Invoice Finance Group Partnership will provide funding, new products for SMEs

ING brought in $47.8bn worth of loans in 2016, increasing the total amount by 10% in a strong set of financial results.The amount of residential loans rose by just over 7% from $38.7bn in 2015 to $41.4bn a year later. Owner-occupier mortgages increased by 12% while investor loans declined by mid-single digits, ING CEO Uday Sareen told Australian Broker.This remains a sizeable increase for the bank since owner-occupier loans make up 77% of its total retail mortgage portfolio. Brokers have been crucial for INGs financial success with 90% of all loans originated through the third party channel in 2016.Buying a home is such an important decision for people and very relevant to ING developing the main financial relationship with customers, Sareen said.One of INGs biggest investments of 2016 was Lendfast, an end-to-end processing system for mortgages. The system is all about efficiencies in the origination process for both brokers and customers.Lendfast has great capabilities, which we expect to see shining through in the coming months as we bed in the system  including cutting turnaround times by one third, providing live updates, and empowering brokers to do more, underpinned by our brokers sales and support network.In fact, the platform has resulted in a 50% reduction in processing time per loan with customers able to upload documents digitally from anywhere while being reminded of vital milestones and forgotten tasks through automated notifications.The banks strong customer growth has been invigorated by these advanced digital offerings, Sareen said.People are increasingly looking for a seamless digital experience from their service providers and the onus is on banks to provide that experience. For us by far the majority of our customer interactions are via the mobile app.
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Playboy magazine used to be the illicit thrill that men of all ages hid in their sock drawers.

Now it is more like the socks. Even though the magazine recently decided to add naked ladies back into the mix (no nudes, it seems, was bad nudes), it is still hard to get excited by Playboy anymore. But to give props where props are due: It is also hard to imagine we would ever be as blase as we are today about sex, and even womens lib, if it werent for Hugh Hefner and his crazy 1953 creation.

Hef was a frustrated cartoonist at the time, working in the Esquire subscription department. When his request for a $5 a week raise got turned down, he decided to strike out on his own. Somehow he pulled together $10,000 and prepared to launch a racy new magazine: Stag.

Fortunately for him, the name Stag was already taken. So instead he called it Playboy. The first edition featured a centerfold (a word we wouldnt even have without Hef!) dubbed, Sweetheart of the Month. By the very next issue, the centerfold was rechristened Playmate. And as author Julie Keller has mused, There is a vast ideological gap between the words.

There sure is. Sweetheart harkened back to courtship. But a playmate is someone you play with. It is fun, but it isnt forever.

Thus began the smashing of taboos.

The genius of Playboy was not that it published naked young flesh. You could buy dirty pictures even then. As Time Magazine noted in a cover story on Hefner at the height of his career  1972, when Playboy was selling 7 million copies a month  He took the old-fashioned, shame-thumbed girlie magazine, stripped off the plain wrapper, added gloss, class, and culture.

And how! As its subscriber base grew, so did Playboys reputation as a purveyor of taste, showcasing some of the best writers around. So, yes, obligatory joke here: You really could read Playboy just for the articles.

The lofty writing not only provided gentlemen with an excuse for their subscriptions, it helped change the entire perception of non-marital sex, from dark, dirty doings with prostitutes to a sophisticated pastime men pursued with willing women of their own class. This, of course, required willing women. And that required a revolution.

Hefner himself has said he was a feminist before it was cool. Exactly how feminist remains one for the gender studies classes. Sure, he objectified womens bodies. But he also supported birth control (he had to), pre-marital sex (ditto), and sexual pleasure for both partners (why not?).

Ironically, one thing he did not seem to believe in was actual, earthy sexiness. Peter Bloch, a former editor at Penthouse, recalls being disappointed by his Playboy subscription every month.

The girls were very cute, but they were photo-shopped and in weird poses, he lamented. Any woman I saw walking down the street seemed more sexy.

Its possible thats because Hefner wasnt really selling sex. He was selling lifestyle. The women were simply part of a modern mans lair, along with a wet bar and hi-fi. Thats why Hef made sure all the advertising was aspirational. Howard Lederer, the magazines ad director, told Time in 1972: We dont want a reader to suddenly come on an ad that says he has bad breath.

Martin Pazzani was brand manager at Smirnoff Vodka back in Playboys heyday.

We spent tens of millions on Playboy ads, he recalls. Today hes the head of a premium Tequila, Tears of Llorona, and he does not advertise in Playboy  or any magazine.

Thats part one of the one-two punch that knocked the wind out of Playboy.

The internet was a problem for just about every existing media enterprise, says Nat Ives, executive director of Advertising Age.

Of course, the internet provided more than just a new ad medium. It provided more porn than all the Playmates of all time.

Today the bunny logo, once so titillating, looks like something from a 70s time capsule. But because it is still one of the most recognizable brands one earth, publicist Richard Laermer came up with a great idea for it:

Open a Playboy Museum.

Do it in Vegas. Showcase the man, the mansion, the magazine. Trace their trajectory across the times they changed. Fill the gift shop with Playboy overstock  mugs, sunglasses, key chains. And in the cafe, serving Heffacino?

Bunnies! Male, female, and gender fluid, wiggling their tails. Just like that, Playboy goes from creeky to cheeky again, and is celebrated for its amazing place in American history.

Not just its place in the sock drawer.

Read Lenore Skenazys column every Sunday morning on Brook lynPa per.com
Election Day 2022: The stakes are high with all eyes on Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania voters on Election Day will make decisions that could reshape the future of both the commonwealth and nation.
Stuart Yates, president of the Painting and Decorating Association, cut the ribbon to officially open a new Kent Blaxill decorative store in Market Harborough on 16 March, which will serve both the professional decorator and home DIY markets.

It is the 14th store to be operated by the company, which was founded more than 175 years ago. Managed by Scott Templeman, the 2,900 sq ft branch is located at Unit B1, Welland Business Park, Market Harborough, LE16 7PS.

Declaring the branch open, Mr Yates said: This is a fantastic facility  if it was in Chesterfield where I am based I would definitely be using it.

Simon Blaxill, managing director of Kent Blaxill, said: We have until now described ourselves as an East Anglian company, but this branch is taking us into the Midlands. It is really important to us to get right the family firm ethos with good service, and we are really looking forward to building a strong relationship with Market Harborough.

The branch is stocked with an extensive range of paints and related products, with a strong focus on designer paints such as Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and Paint Library, Zoffany, Sandersons and Earthborn, as well as regular trade brands such as Dulux, Crown and Armstead.

James Park, Kent Blaxills decorative manager, said: It stretches our boundaries and will also enable us to service some of the bigger contractors working in Leicester, Kettering and Corby.

Mr Templeman added: The store has a big impact and I am really looking forward to providing a great service and building a relationship with our customers.

Kent Blaxill will also be opening a branch in Kings Lynn in April.

Picture Caption: Stuart Yates, president of the Painting and Decorating Association, opens the Kent Blaxill Market Harborough store along with staff, suppliers and customers.
Election Day in New Jersey: Who's running for the House, how to vote

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The plans to begin extracting coal from the $16.5-billion Carmichael project in Australia in 2020 after environmental protests had delayed the first phase of the mine.
In a major victory for government-owned Air India, the airline won an arbitration case against US-based air charter company Dynamic International Airways, putting an end to a more than three-year-old legal tussle between the two parties. The order given by arbitrator, former Comptroller and Auditor General P Sesh Kumar will require the US-based charter operator to pay an amount of around Rs 65.71 crore to the national airline.
Commercial vehicle major Ltd (ALL) is planning to set up a new facility in Jharkhand. This will be the first investment from a major automobile company in the state, which has identified the sector as one of the key drivers to make it one of the industrial hubs in the country.
Leading global financers, export credit fund from China and Korea and international banks which earlier refused to fund the Carmichael coal mine project of the Group are in talks with the Indian conglomerate to fund the project. The company has yet again rubbished the opposition from the climate groups saying this will not impact the funding for the project.
Struggling to turn around its operations in this country, US-based automobile maker India (GM) has almost turned its Talegaon (near Pune) factory into an export base for its small car, the Beat.
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A large number of corporate debt proposals would miss the March-end deadline and fall into the non-performing assets (NPAs) category, with banks refusing to clear the files unless given immunity from prosecution, bankers and chief executive officers said.
The Jat community, who is set to launch an agitation across Delhi-NCR demanding reservation in government jobs, schools and colleges, has confirmed they would meet Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday.

The development comes hours after Khattar urged protestors to meet him and other ministers ahead of the agitation.

Jat leader Yashpal Malik has confirmed the scheduled meeting with the Chief Minister at 12 pm today.

Earlier today, Khattar said the government was serious about the issues of the Jat community and assured them of resolving the issue soon.

"On March 16, a meeting took place between the (jat) agitators and the government officials, during that some confusion emerged. The government is serious about the agitators' concern. It is our foremost duty to uphold peace and fraternity in the state. We are committed to resolve this issue," Khattar said.

"Hence, I, along with other ministers, urge the agitating people to come to the Haryana Bhawan at 12 pm on Monday and talk to us. I and (Minister of State for Law and Justice) P P Choudhary along with other ministers will be waiting. We all believe in 'Haryana eik and Haryanvi eik' and uphold the welfare of the state," he added.



Meanwhile, a total of 124 paramilitary companies have been deployed for the agitation in Haryana tomorrow.

The Delhi Police has issued a traffic advisory to the people in view of the agitation. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will also suspend its train services to and from all stations outside Delhi from 11.30 pm on Sunday.



On Wednesday, the Jat protesters announced that they will begin their stir in Delhi on March 20.

They gave a call for the march to besiege Parliament and to hold dharnas on the Delhi border, blocking all highways, to press for their demands for reservation.

Apart from reservation, the Jats have also been demanding jobs to the next of kin of those killed in violence in the agitation last year, compensation to those injured, withdrawal of cases against them and action against officers who ordered action against the Jats.
Global energy-related emissions were flat for a third straight year in 2016 even as the global economy grew, according to the International Energy Agency, signalling a continuing decoupling of emissions and economic activity.
The finance ministry is unlikely to sign on to the proposal for a bad (debt) bank, going by its response to some of the line ministries on similar proposals. The latest of those is the one to form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to house Air Indias (AIs) debt.

The finance ministry argues that debt of any entity must largely be serviced from its own resources, instead of expecting the government to pay for these. While the government is AIs owner, the suggestion for it to take a haircut on behalf of the airline does not find favour.

AI has proposed to house a major portion of its Rs 45,000 crore of debt in an SPV, to cleanse its balance sheet. A third of the loans were raised to finance the cost of aircraft acquisition; the rest are for working capital. The loan overhang and the cost of servicing it at Rs4,000 crore a year cripples the airlines ability to set aside money for investment in route expansion or upgrading of services. The proposal is leant to have got the support of the civil aviation ministry.

Finance ministry officers have made their position clear through informal discussions with the aviation ministry. The ministry has said such bailouts will create a precedent for other stressed entities. AI is running a large operation and the ministry feels there is enough room for it to clear out its debt.

AIs proposal is similar to the one suggested for public sector banks to house their bad debts. HDFC Chairman, Deepak Parekh and Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian have also supported the setting up of one or more bad banks, to pull out non-performing loans from state-owned lenders. Subramanian has used the term twin balance sheet problem to describe the issue. The bad debts cripple the ability of these banks to commit fresh credit to companies, while the companies which have run up the debt, starved of fresh investments, are unable to raise resources to service the debt.

However, the finance ministry is reluctant to commit resources for this. It has also discouraged two other ministries, road transport and railways, from suggesting SPVs to house the debt of companies which have invested in these infrastructure sectors. There have been several rounds of discussions with the banks, between Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu and Roads and Shipping Minister

Nitin Gadkari. Both ministers have been advised by the banks to suggest to the finance ministry to give the nod for an SPV, to get rid of the debt of companies that have invested in these sectors.

In this connection, the finance ministry has praised the National Highways Authority of India in renewing of toll charging. Collections were put in abeyance at the 370 toll plazas in the country after demonetisation was announced on November 8, since road users suddenly did not have the cash to pay these. But, by the first week of December, toll collection had recommenced at all plazas.

The finance ministry says this saved many of the road projects from slipping into the substandard assets category, which could have added to the pressure on banks. It has argued that this model shows appropriate pricing of the services will ensure projects will not need government-funded bailouts.
The issue of land acquisition is once again flaring up. As many as 280 cases have landed in the Supreme Court under the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act of 2013 in the past three years, says a study by the Centre for Policy Research (CPR).
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has extended his greetings and felicitations to the Government and people of the Republic of Tunisia on the eve of their National Day (March 20, 2017). .

.

In a message to His Excellency Mr. Beji Caid Essebsi, the President of the Republic of Tunisia, the President has said, On behalf of the Government, the people of India and on my own behalf, it is with immense pleasure that I extend warm greetings and felicitations to you and to the friendly people of the Republic of Tunisia on the occasion of your National Day. .

.

Our two countries enjoy a close and multi-faceted relationship. The fruitful visit of Vice President Mr. Mohammad Hamid Ansari to Tunisia in June 2016 has laid the foundation for a deeper and diversified relationship between our nations. India remains committed to work with Tunisia for further strengthening and deepening our mutually beneficial co-operation in diverse fields of common interest. .

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I take this opportunity to convey my best wishes for Your Excellencys good health and well-being and for the progress and prosperity of the people of Tunisia". .

.
Finance chiefs of the Group of 20 nations renewed their pledge to finalise an overhaul of global bank-capital rules, but stopped short of making progress on certain proposals that have led to a standoff between Europe and the US.
Ferdinand Piech, the scion of an automaking dynasty who dominated for two decades, is trying to sell his substantial indirect stake in the company to members of his extended family, which could create uncertainty in the aftermath of the carmakers diesel deception.
Germany angrily warned Turkey today that President Recep Tayyip had "gone too far" after he accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of using "Nazi measures" in an escalating diplomatic feud.

Turkey and the European Union are locked in an explosive crisis that threatens to jeopardise Ankara's bid to join the bloc, as tensions rise ahead of an April 16 referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers.

The row erupted after authorities in Germany and other EU states refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign for a 'yes' vote on their soil, provoking a volcanic response from the Turkish strongman who said the spirit of Nazi Germany was rampant in Europe.

"When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," said in a televised speech today.

"But you are right now employing Nazi measures," said referring to Merkel, pointedly using the informal "you" in Turkish.

"Against who? My Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers" who planned to hold campaign rallies for a 'yes' vote in next month's referendum, he said.

Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded Erdogan's comments "shocking".

"We are tolerant but we're not stupid," he told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper. "That's why I have let my Turkish counterpart know very clearly that a boundary has been crossed here."



Germany, home to 1.4 million Turkish voters, hosts by far the largest Turkish diaspora community in the world but the partnership between Ankara and Berlin has been ripped to shreds by the current crisis.

Turkey reacted furiously to a Frankfurt rally on Saturday urging a 'no' vote where protesters brandished insignia of outlawed Kurdish rebels, accusing Germany of double standards.

"Yesterday (Saturday), Germany put its name under another scandal," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told CNN-Turk.

He said the German ambassador had been summoned although this was not confirmed by Berlin.

The Turkish foreign ministry accused the German authorities "of the worst example of double standards" for allowing the pro-Kurdish protest while preventing Turkish ministers from campaigning there for a 'yes' vote.

Many protesters carried symbols of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terror organisation not just by Turkey but also the EU and the United States.

Ankara also reacted with indignation after Germany's intelligence chief said he was unconvinced by Turkish assertions that US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen was behind the failed July coup aimed at overthrowing Erdogan.

Kalin said Europe was seeking to "whitewash" Gulen's group, while Defence Minister Fikri Isik said the comments raised questions about whether Berlin itself was involved in the putsch.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Faced with an intractable homeless problem, officials in Portland are thinking inside the box.

A handful of homeless families will soon move into tiny, government-constructed modular units in the backyards of willing homeowners. Under the pilot program taking effect this summer, the homeowners will take over the heated, fully plumbed tiny houses in five years and can use them for rental income.

The project, called A Place for You, is believed to be the first in the nation to recruit stable residents to address a homeless crisis thats gotten so bad the city last year declared a state of emergency and made it legal to sleep on the street.

Portland has an affordable rental shortage of 24,000 units and nearly 4,000 people sleep on the street, in a shelter or in transitional housing each night. Residents just passed a $260 million housing bond, but it will be two years before those units are ready, said Mary Li, director of Multnomah Countys new Idea Lab, which developed the concept.

The first phase is very small  likely just four families  with hopes to expand significantly if it works out or regroup if there are problems, Li said.

We said to ourselves, What does FEMA do when they have to house 10,000 people after an earthquake? Well, they grab a bunch of trailers and they plop them in a field, she said.

Well, theres underutilized space in peoples backyards. What if we provide a lower-cost  but very habitable option  in peoples backyards?About 200 homeowners have signed up to learn more after Multnomah Countys project was first made public this week by the citys alternative weekly paper.
The United States broke with other large industrial nations over trade on Saturday as the Trump administration rejected concerns among allies about spreading protectionism and made clear that it would seek new approaches to managing global commerce.
In the wake of the Jat community set to launch an agitation tomorrow across Delhi-NCR demanding reservation in government jobs, schools and colleges,

Director General of Police (DGP) of Haryana K.P. Singh on Sunday assured students, who would appear for their board exams on Monday, to provide them with adequate security.

"The Haryana Police team assures to provide tight security to students who will appear for their Class XII examinations commencing from Monday - March 20," he said.

"People should not panic. The Haryana Police have taken security measures for the security of people. We request commuters not to use tractor-trolley on Delhi-Haryana roads tomorrow," he added.

Earlier in the day, hoping to build a consensus between the Jat community and the government, the All-India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) leader Yashpal Malik on Sunday said they had seven issues which could only be resolved through a dialogue, while confirming the Jat community would meet Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

The development came hours after Khattar urged protestors to meet him and other ministers ahead of the agitation.

Khattar said the government was serious about the issues of the Jat community and assured them of resolving the issue soon.

Meanwhile, a total of 124 paramilitary companies have been deployed for the agitation in Haryana tomorrow.

The Delhi Police has issued a traffic advisory to the people in view of the agitation. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will also suspend its train services to and from all stations outside Delhi from 11.30 p.m. on Sunday.

On Wednesday, the Jat protesters announced that they will begin their stir in Delhi on March 20.

They gave a call for the march to besiege Parliament and to hold dharnas on the Delhi border, blocking all highways, to press for their demands for reservation.

Apart from reservation, the Jats have also been demanding jobs to the next of kin of those killed in violence in the agitation last year, compensation to those injured, withdrawal of cases against them and action against officers who ordered action against the Jats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jat protesters on Sunday postponed the 'Delhi Gherao' following discussing the matter with the Haryana Government.

"Suspended Delhi Kooch after agreement with the Haryana Government on all issues," Jat leader Yashpal Malik told the media here.

Malik asserted that they have assured the government that tomorrow's Delhi Kooch programme has been suspended and Jats would now not come to Delhi.

Malik further said that they would take decision on coming protests in a state executive meeting to be held on March 26.

With an intention of pacifying the protesters, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the Jat reservation process at the Centre will begin after appointment of chairman and members of Commission for Backward Classes.

The Chief Minister also appealed to the people to cooperate in order to maintain peace and harmony.

Earlier in the day, hoping to build a consensus between the Jat community and the government, the All-India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) leader Yashpal Malik on Sunday said they had seven issues which could only be resolved through a dialogue, while confirming the Jat community would meet Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

The development came hours after Khattar urged protestors to meet him and other ministers ahead of the agitation.

Khattar said the government was serious about the issues of the Jat community and assured them of resolving the issue soon.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain has given his approval to the much awaited Hindu Marriage Bill, 2017on the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, turning it into a law.

It is the first personal law in Pakistan to regulate the marriages in the Hindu community providing a mechanism for registration of Hindu marriage which includes conditions for contracting the marriage, procedure for dissolution of the marriage and the grounds on the basis of which such a marriage can be dissolved.

The law aims to protect marriages, families, mothers and their children and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Hindu families.

It is a consolidated law for solemnisation of marriages by Hindu families residing in Pakistan, according to a government press release.

Sharif said on the occasion, the government is focused on the provision of equal rights to minority communities residing in Pakistan, reports the Express Tribune.

"They are as patriotic as any other community and, therefore, it is the responsibility of the state to provide equal protection to them," he added.

The law provides for procedures relating to restitution of conjugal rights, judicial separation, void and voidable marriages, termination of marriage, the financial security of spouses and children, alternate relief in termination of marriages, and termination of marriage by mutual consent.

It also provides divorcees with the right to marry again, the entitlement of remarriage by a Hindu widow at her own will and consent after the stipulated time, and the legitimacy of children.

Marriages solemnised before the law comes into effect will be retroactively validated, but family courts would need to be petitioned for the relevant registration and documentation.

The law also provides for punishments of imprisonment and fines up to Rs.100, 000 or both for contraventions.

All the offences under the law shall be non-cognisable and non-compoundable and can be tried by a first class magistrate.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Taking the charge with full enthusiasm from day one, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday asserted that their government would work for all sections of the society without any discrimination, adding that women safety would be prioritised.

"Our Government will work for the welfare of the people. We will work for all the sections of the society without any discrimination. Special efforts will be made for the welfare of the poor, Dalits and backward classes," Chief Minister Adityanath said while addressing the media here.

Adityanath assured that their government would also work towards the betterment of the law and order situation in the state.

"The people have born a heavy loss due to the deteriorated situation of law and order and corruption. Our Government will work for the welfare of the people," he said.

Adityanath said that in the last 15 years Uttar Pradesh has been left behind in all respects, adding that they would take the state on path of growth and development.

The Chief Minister also ascertained that the government would work towards youth employment in the state.

"We will surely work to improve job crisis," he said.

Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) firebrand leader Yogi Adityanath was sworn-in as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

The ceremony, held in the state capital, saw the swearing-in of 21 cabinet ministers, nine Ministers of State (MoS) with Independent Charge and 13 MoS.

Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya were sworn-in as the deputy chief ministers of the state.

Yogi Adityanath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, was unanimously elected the BJP Legislature Party leader at a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs in Lucknow last evening. He, later, met the Governor and staked claim to form the government in the state.

Senior party leader and Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, who was the central observer at the Legislature Party meeting, said it was a watershed moment for the BJP and it has become a common man's party. He said, the mandate is for development, and against corruption and black money.

In the recently held polls in the state, BJP had bagged 312 seats, and its allies 13, taking the alliance's tally to 325 in the 403-member Assembly.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Expressing delight over Yogi Adityanath, who is all set to take oath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister today at 2

"For me, Modi ji being the Prime Minister of India and my younger brother Yogi ji becoming Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is the best news of 21st century," Bharti told ANI.

Bharti further stated that she was also hopeful that Yogi would focus on development in the state.

"Yogi ji will simultaneously focus on development and nationalism, which is like a slap on the face of leftists," said Bharti.

Yogi Adityanath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, was unanimously elected BJP Legislature Party leader at a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs in Lucknow last evening. He, later, met the Governor and staked claim to form the government in the state.

Talking to reporters at Raj Bhavan, he said, he would follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan 'Sab ka saath, Sab ka vikas' and ensure all round development of the state.

Senior party leader and Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, who was the central observer at the Legislature Party meeting, said it was a watershed moment for the BJP and it has become a common man's party. He said, the mandate is for development, and against corruption and black money.

In the recently held polls in the state, BJP had bagged 312 seats, and its allies 13, taking the alliance's tally to 325 in the 403-member Assembly.

Meanwhile, Adityanath has called on his followers and admirers to maintain law and order during their celebrations, while giving full freedom to the state police to take action on those who create ruckus.

"There should be no chaos in the name of celebrations. Police must deal swiftly and firmly with miscreants," he said.

Following the Chief Minister designate's orders, all the District Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) have been called to ensure law and order is maintained.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Some 30,000 Kurds staged a protest in the German city of Frankfurt against Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the media reported on Sunday.

Protesters on Saturday evening came from all over Germany ahead of Kurdish new year celebrations, the BBC reported.

They called for democracy and a "No" vote in the April 16 Turkish referendum on increasing presidential powers.

A diplomatic row has been escalating between the countries since Germany refused to let Turkish ministers hold pro-government rallies two weeks ago.

A police spokesman described Saturday's rally in Frankfurt as peaceful.

About 1.4 million Turks in Germany can vote in the April referendum, which could give Erdogan new powers over the budget and the appointment of ministers and judges, as well as the power to dismiss parliament, reports the BBC.

On March 13, Erdogan stepped up a week of anti-German rhetoric by accusing Chancellor Angela Merkel of "supporting terrorists".

Her spokesman described the jibe as "clearly absurd".

He also accused Germany of "Nazi practices" for blocking his ministers from speaking in Germany.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Six youths, including an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Youth Wing leader, have been arrested on charge of robbing a businessman of Rs 25 lakh here, police said on Sunday.

Police said the accused had been identified as Jitender, 27, Sabab, 26, Najeeb, 24, Nadeem, 23, Naved, 22, and Mahammad Yusuf, 19. All are residents of Maujpur in east Delhi.

"They had on March 12 robbed Rs 25 lakh from a businessman, Vipul Jain, on gun point. Jain, also a resident of Maujpur, and locals tried to chase the robbers. As Nadeem's bike fell down while fleeing, he was overpowered and handed over to police," Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Yadav said.

Nadeem also fired one round in order to make his escape, resulting in gunshot injury to local resident Naresh Kumar, Yadav said.

"Nadeem shared information about his associate's hideouts, following which police arrested them on Saturday night from Maujpur. Najeeb, who is brother of Naved, is the President of Jafrabad unit of the AAP Youth Wing," the police officer said.

Najeeb and his brother were found to be involved in over a dozen cases of snatching, he 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 Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad (ABVP) workers staged a protest against visiting Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Sunday, blaming him for the killing of RSS workers in Kerala.

Raising slogans of "Vijayan go back" they tried to disrupt a meeting which was being addressed by the Kerala Chief Minister. Police, however, arrested the protesters including women.

Mild tension prevailed outside RTC Kalabhavan where the CPI-M leader was addressing a meeting of Malayalis living here.

Holding ABVP flags, a group of protesters tried to rush towards the meeting venue.

Police stopped the protesters, bodily lifted them into waiting police vehicles and shifted to a police station.

Vijayan is in Hyderabad on a two-day visit to attend various programmes. He will address a public meeting of CPI-M in Saroornagar on the city outskirts on Sunday evening.

Police have made tight security arrangements for his visit in view of threats from right-wing organisations.

A BJP legislator in Hyderabad, Raja Singh, has threatened to obstruct the public meeting.

"If the Kerala CM, who is a murderer of Hindus, is invited to the event, I will not allow it to happen. I will go to any extent to stop the meeting," said Raja Singh, a member of Telangana assembly.

He had demanded of the Telangana government not to grant permission to Vijayan to visit Hyderabad.

An RSS leader from Madhya Pradesh had earlier this month announced a Rs 1-crore reward for anyone who brings the head of Kerala Chief Minister.

Several activists of the RSS and Kerala's ruling CPI-M were killed in the political violence in the southern state.

Reacting to the threat, Vijayan had said that he could not stop work due to such threats. "The RSS has taken the heads of many people. I can't stop working and travelling due to this. Let them issue many more threats... I don't care," he had said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The BJP's ruling alliance partner in Jharkhand, AJSU has opposed the Domicile Policy, amendments in two land acts and demanded hike in the reservation quota for the backward community.

The All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) made the demands at its three-day annual convention which concluded here on Sunday.

"The party rejects the amendment in the two land acts and opposes the Domicile Policy in the current format. The party also demands that the reservation of the backward community should be increased from 14 to 27 per cent in the state," Deo Sharan Bhagat, AJSU spokesperson, told reporters here.

He added that the party wanted the state government to work for the welfare of the people.

"But we are not with the state government on amendment of the land acts and Domicile Policy," he said.

Raghubar Das-led government last year brought much awaited Domicile Policy and amended the two land acts -- Chhota Nagpur Tenancy Act (CNT) and Santhal Pargana Act (SPT).

"The purpose of creation of the state has not been fulfilled. The aspiration of the people is development not amendment in the land acts," AJSU President Sudesh Mahto said.

At the convention, the party leaders demanded that 27 per cent reservation be provided in the state to the backward community. The leaders said that backwards constitute more than 50 per cent population of the state but they get only 14 per cent reservation.

The AJSU leaders also demanded special session of the assembly be convened for increasing the reservation quota to backward communities. They pointed out that some states had increased the total reservation to more than 50 per cent.

During the discussion, the party leaders said that the CNT-SPT Acts were like a protective cover of the Jharkhandi people and no one could make changes in that.

They said that for implementation of these acts, Bhagwan Birsa Munda and Sido-Kanhu fought with the Britishers, "but the state government was disrespecting these great sons" of Jharkhand.

The AJSU said that the amendments to these acts were against the wishes of the people of the state and their party would always stand for the people.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Army has rescued 127 tourists stranded at the Sela Pass near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, official sources said on Sunday.

"Troops of Blazing Sword Division rescued 127 tourists from near Tawang, about 280 km from Tezpur," Defence Spokesperson (Kolkata) Wing Commander S.S. Birdi said.

The rescue operation started on Saturday night and continued till the early hours of Sunday. Those rescued included five foreign nationals from Japan, New Zealand and Bulgaria.

The tourists were trapped after a massive snow blizzard struck around 2.45 p.m. on Saturday between Ahirgarh, Sela and Nuranang on the Tezpur-Tawang road in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, Birdi said.

The body of a Bulgarian national, who fell into a gorge, was recovered around midnight.

The rescued persons were accommodated at the Army transit camps and provided with medical assistance.

The road, with about 2-3 feet of snow, was opened by the Border Roads Organisation for traffic on Sunday and all vehicles of the stranded tourists were recovered.

Most of the rescued persons have since left for their respective destinations, Birdi added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Contrary to its earlier stand of infusing fresh capital in strong banks, the central government has decided to infuse fresh capital totalling Rs 8,586 crore into 10 weak banks subject to commitment to quarterly milestones by bank boards, management, employees and unions, said a top leader of All India Bank Employees' Union (AIBEA).

He also said SBI Caps will draw a bank wise action plan based on which a tripartite agreement between the government, bank management and employee unions will be signed committing themselves towards certain milestones.

"The central government has written to the heads of 10 banks indicating the amount of fresh capital it would infuse during FY2017. But the infusion is subject to a tripartite agreement between the central government, banks and the unions for a time bound turn around programme," C.H. Venkatachalam, General Secretary of AIBEA, told IANS on Sunday.

He said the government has said that the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is to commit all the three parties to specified and quantifiable milestones to be measured on quarterly basis.

Venkatachalam said the reason for signing the MoU is understandable and AIBEA is ready for it.

He said the central government has listed out five parameters under which the milestones would be fixed.

These are: (a) active management of non-performing assets (NPA), strengthening of lending and monitoring processes; (b) arranging capital from the market; (c) plan for disposal of non-core assets; (d) divesting stakes in subsidiaries, closure of loss-making domestic and international branches; (e) reduction in operational expenses including employee benefits to would be reversed once the banks turns around.

According to Venkatachalam, the unions may be agreeable with all the conditions barring the raising of equity capital from the market as it would result in disinvestment.

"All the government-owned banks are making good operational profits. The net profit is low owing to provisions for bad loans. If only the bank management focus their energies on recoveries than all the government owned banks will be very much profitable," Venkatachalam said.

He said the capital adequacy norms or the Basel norms are for private banks and need not apply for government owned banks.

"All the bank unions will be meeting in Kolkata on March 24 to discuss the government's proposal," Venkatachalam said.

He added the government has asked the heads of the 10 banks to give their consent on its new proposals.

Venkatachalam said the name of the banks and the amount of capital to be infused by the government are:

Allahabad Bank (Rs 418 cr), Andhra Bank (Rs 1,100 cr), Bank of India (Rs 1,500 cr), Bank of Maharashtra (Rs 300 cr), Central Bank of India (Rs 100 cr), Dena Bank (Rs 600 cr), IDBI Bank (Rs 1,900 cr), Indian Overseas Bank (Rs 1,100 cr), UCO Bank (Rs 1,150 cr), and United Bank of India (Rs 418 cr).

Venkatachalam said the Kolkata-based UCO Bank management is likely to meet the bank unions and brief them about the government's proposal.

"No other bank management has called the unions for a discussion. Perhaps this would happen soon," Venkatachalam added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
This has not been a good year for Kamal Haasan. The actor-extraordinaire is being dealt one crippling blow after another by Fate.

"Fate, if that's what you call it, is certainly giving me a lot of attention," said Kamal Haasan mirthlessly, hours after his eldest brother Chandrahasan passed away.

In January, Kamal Haasan lost his bhabhi (sister-in-lw), Chandrahasan's wife. Prior to that, the actor had a nasty fall which almost killed him and has kept him confined to his bed and home for six months now and still some to go.

Right after the multiple fractures in his leg, Kamal Haasan's companion and partner for 13 years Gautami decided to quit the relationship.

The latest tragedy in the family has stunned the Haasans.

"My brother was on the way back from the US where he had gone to be with his son after my bhabhi passed away. We wanted him to get a change of environment. He was with his son for a few months. He was in London with my niece, his daughter, for a short break from his journey when the heart attack happened," said Kamal Haasan.

The family now waits for the body to be released.

"In the UK even a minor heart attack is cause for a post-mortem. We're waiting for the coroner's report before we decide what is to be done. In any case we Hassans are not much into rituals. So it would be a quiet family funeral service. We would request all friends and well-wishers to respect the family's privacy," Haasan added.

Recalling the good times with his brother, Kamal Haasan said: "He was 20 years elder to me and almost a father figure. A lot of what I am was determined by what he was. My brother was completely self-made. Do you know, he washed his own clothes till the very last day of his life.

"When my bhabhi died this year, it somewhere broke him from inside. It was the only time I've seen him break down. I mean, otherwise his eyes would well up during emotional scenes in films. But the first and only time he cried in real life was when he lost his wife.

"He played a very important role in the running of my production house. When 'Vishwaroopam' was in a controversy, he mediated and held peace talks with the protestors. Will I miss him? I suppose I will. He lived a full life. I'd like to live the way he did."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bollywood actress Dia Mirza says she believes in the concept of sustainable fashion and feels emphasis needs to be laid on reuse and recycle of products as a matter of respect towards nature.

Swedish fashion retail giant H&M, along with Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) hosted a preview to introduce the new Conscious Exclusive collection of the brand at the Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) where Dia was invited as the special guest.

The event also highlighted the brand's efforts towards sustainable fashion and its ongoing initiative which urges customers to join in the movement for a circular fashion future.

Talking about her love for sustainable fashion, Dia told IANS: "I am huge champion of nature and this line of H&M reflects my personal ethos... I think it's important to pay attention on how one can reuse and recycle for sustainable fashion."

Dia was seen wearing a sheer, feminine tulle gown, created with 100 per cent recycled polyester from the H&M Conscious collection.

The actress says that even when she is away from cameras, she prefers to opt for clothes that are sustainable.

"The only thing I am concerned about is being comfortable, and if I am dressed appropriately for the occasion, I take great pride in that. My stylist is always looking out for putting me in clothes that are sustainable, so we celebrate fabrics and also opt for designers who choose to make clothes from hand woven and organic materials.

"I think it's all about finding balance," said the former beauty queen.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat will pay a four-day visit to Nepal from February 11 and participate in the Nepal Army Day celebrations in Kathmandu, official sources said on Friday.

General Rawat will witness the Army Day Parade on February 12 in Tundhikhel in the heart of Kathmandu. An Indian Army band has since arrived in the Nepal capital to participate in the parade.

"On the invitation of our Army chief General Rajendra Chhetri, the Indian Army chief will visit Kathmandu a day ahead of the Nepal Army Day. He will be among the chief guests, which includes Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari," said Nepal Army Spokesperson Brigadier General Gokul Bhandari.

The Indian Chief of Army Staff is also the honorary chief of the Nepal Army, and hence he has been invited this year as a special guest, Bhandari said.

Apart from meeting with his counterpart, General Rawat will call on President Bhandari, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Defence Minister Bhimsen Das Pradhan and other Nepal leaders.

The Indian Army is a major import source for military stores for the Nepal Army.

The two sides will discuss various aspects of military-to-military cooperation during General Rawat's visit, which comes at a time when Nepal is getting ready for the formation a new government led by K.P. Oli, Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist.

The visit also comes at a time when two senior military officials from the United States and United Kingdom will be visiting Nepal.

General Sir Nicholas Patrick Carter, Chief of General Staff (CGS) of the British Army is currently visiting Nepal and has held talks with General Chhetri.

Similarly, Commanding Chief of the US Army in Asia Pacific General Robert B. Brown, will land in Kathmandu tonight (Friday) on a military mission.

After the Indian Army, the US Army is the biggest source of arms import for Nepal since long. The US Army also provides disaster-related assistance to the Nepal Army and helped during the earthquake in 2015.

(Anil Giri can be contacted at girianil@gmail.com)

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Luke Evans almost turned down the role of Gaston in "Beauty and the Beast" but changed his mind after watching the Disney cartoon with his godchildren.

The 37-year-old says he almost said no to the part because he wasn't sure about it, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

"It took a couple of tries by my agents to get me in for 'Beauty and the Beast' because I hadn't really watched the animated movie for a very long time and I had forgotten how great the journey of Gaston is,"Evan said.

"You see all the facets of the character, from the loveable rogue to the buffoon to the jealous, revengeful sort of monster that he becomes by the end of the movie. So, it actually took me sitting down and watching the cartoon with my godchildren which made me see how brilliant the role was and that I totally should do it," he added.

The actor, who is mostly known for playing grey, dark and villainous roles says he is comfortable singing as it it is like "therapy to him".

"I'll sing to anybody at any time, at anything, I will just sing. I love to sing. It was a joy for me to finally get to do it on the big screen in such a wonderful vehicle as Beauty and the Beast, playing this character with those songs. It was magic," 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.)
Delhi Metro announced on Sunday it will run normal services on Monday following the Jat leaders' decision to postpone their agitation but said services will be hit in four stations.

The Metro had earlier said that services to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh will end at 11.30 p.m. on Sunday until further notice and that 12 stations in central Delhi will be closed to the public from Sunday night.

The Metro later said it had reversed the decision following a Delhi Police advisory.

"All metro stations will remain open today (Sunday) and thereafter," the Delhi Metro Rail Corp said in a statement.

It, however, said there will be no exit from Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Lok Kalyan Marg stations in the heart of the capital on the Yellow Line on Monday.

"However, entry will be allowed at these four stations," it said.

The police had on Saturday asked the Metro to curtail its services to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in a bid to foil the entry of Jats into Delhi.

Leaders of Jats are demanding reservation for the community in jobs and educational institutions. They had threatened to lay siege to Parliament on Monday.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a brief chat with Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and outgoing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav here on Sunday.

While both Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh mingled with BJP leaders on the dais, when Modi arrived, he met a few BJP leaders and took a chair next to Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister designate Yogi Adityanath.

After the ceremony in which 44 ministers were sworn in, Modi got up and waved to the thousands gathered to witness the return of the Bharatiya Janata Party to power in the state after a gap of 14 years.

As Modi was about to leave, Mulayam Singh rushed towards him and patted him on the back.

Modi immediately smiled and warmly shook Mulayam Singh's hands. The Yadav chieftain then took Modi to his son Akhilesh Yadav.

The Prime Minister patted the back of the former Chief Minister.

Mulayam Singh then whispered something into Modi's ear after which the Prime Minister broke into a hearty laugh. BJP President Amit Shah briefly joined them.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator in Nagaland has received threats allegedly by supporters of Home Minister Y. Patton for submitting questions on the appointments in the Home Department to the state assembly secretariat.

Mmhonlumo Kikon, one of the four BJP members in the 60-member Nagaland Assembly, has been receiving threatening text messages allegedly by Patton's supporters asking him to withdraw his starred and unstarred questions.

"For the last four to five days, I have been receiving threat messages on my mobile phone from supporters of the Home Minister forcing me to withdraw my starred and unstarred questions submitted to the assembly secretariat on the appointment process in the Home Department," Kikon told IANS over the phone.

The questions were submitted to the Commissioner and Secretary of Nagaland Legislative Assembly N. Benjamin Newmai to be answered during the budget session from March 21.

The BJP legislator has asked about procedure followed for the appointment of Sub Inspector, Assistant Sub Inspector, Armed Branch Sub Inspector, Unarmed Branch Sub Inspector, Nagaland Police Telecommunication Organisation besides third grade clerical posts for the year 2014-2017.

"In my queries, I have also asked the Home Minister to furnish the newspaper advertisement for the same posts before the interviews were called and conducted, if there is any," he said.

"I do not know why they are asking me to withdraw my questions. It is a right of any legislator to pose questions in the assembly concerning the welfare of the people and especially about good governance in the state," Kikon said.

The BJP legislator said that he would not withdraw his questions since he has also put up several questions seeking answers from the Health and Family Welfare Department, Food and Civil Supply Department, School Education Department and Roads and Bridges Department.

The BJP is supporting the 26-day-old Shurhozelie Liezietsu-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) government. Paiwang Konyak, a BJP legislator is a cabinet minister in the government.

Liezietsu was sworn in as Chief Minister on February 22 after T.R. Zeliang resigned over the demands of protesting tribal groups who were opposed to his move to hold civic polls with 33 per cent reservation for women.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
There are other companies that can replace Korean firm Posco if it decides to withdraw from its delayed steel project in Odisha, Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal said on Sunday.

"There are more and more opportunities in India and if one company chooses to pull out, others will come in," Goyal said on the sidelines of an international diamonds conference here 'Mines to Market'.

Commenting on the delay in land acquisition and other issues, Goyal said the project approval "had happened during the earlier regime and now things are becoming more transparent".

Odisha Industries Minister Debi Prasad Mishra recently said that Posco India has in a letter requested the state government to take back the 2,700 acres of land provided to the company near Paradip for setting up a 12 million-tonne-per-annum steel plant at an investment of Rs 52,000 crore.

Late last year, the Odisha government informed the state assembly that Posco had not made any progress in setting up its $12-billion steel plant, even though the state government had allocated land for the purpose.

Odisha Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Mallick had informed the state assembly that the government had seen media reports that Posco has temporarily put the project on hold.

Posco India, touted as the country's largest foreign direct investment, which is mired in controversy for the last nearly 11 years, has put the project on hold.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and voiced confidence in the "new team" to make Uttar Pradesh a "Uttam Pradesh" by doing "record development".

"Congratulations to Yogi Adityanathji, (Deputy Chief Ministers) Keshav Prasad Mauryaji, Dinesh Sharmaji and all those who took oath. Best wishes for serving UP," Modi tweeted.

Modi said the new team would do "record development" in Uttar Pradesh to make it "Uttam Pradesh".

"I have immense confidence that this new team will leave no stone unturned in making UP Uttam Pradesh. There will be record development. Our sole mission and motive is development. When UP develops, India develops," Modi said.

The Prime Minister said he wanted to serve Uttar Pradesh's youth and create opportunities for them.

Modi also appreciated the hard work of Bharatiya Janata Party workers and people's support which he said helped the party to form governments in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand.

"With the blessings of people and hard work of our Karyakartas, the BJP has formed governments in four of the five states that went to the polls. Our unwavering efforts to create a Bhavya and Divya Bharat continue. India's Jan Shakti is powering the rise of a new and transformed India," he added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Meera Chopra will soon be making her foreign debut through a yet-untitled Canadian fantasy series. The actress says her cousin sister Priyanka Chopra, who enjoys international acclaim thanks to her hit American show "Quantico", has been a huge inspiration for her.

"Priyanka has always been instrumental in my career. She always supports me and I look up to her and get inspired. I'm not following her... I cannot! But she is a huge inspiration," Meera told IANS through an email.

Giving details about her role, Meera said: "I will be playing the role of an astrologer. My role significantly helps in shaping up the life of the lead pair. The contract has been signed with Canada's privately-owned network CTV network. The co-stars and the director are still being decided upon."

Meera says she got the role after a long process.

"Starting from November to January, I auditioned multiple times where I had to send various video clips. I got the confirmation only a few days back," said the actress, who will start shooting for the series by July-end.

After working in the southern film industry, Meera made her Bollywood debut with "1920 London" last year. She asserts that she is not focusing on making a career in Hollywood as of now.

The actress said: "There is no laid plan for Hollywood as of now, I'm more than happy to take it as it comes. My entire focus right now is on Bollywood. For me, my own industry will always be more important and will always come first. It's a different pleasure and satisfaction altogether when you work with your own people. So Bollywood would always be the priority."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
John Byrne, former boyfriend of actress Tilda Swinton, says he was born after an incestuous relationship between his mother and his grandfather.

Artist and writer Byrne revealed in an interview with The Times UK that he was told the truth about his parents by his cousin in 2002 at the Scotland home he shared with Swinton, reports nydailynews.com.

His cousin Aileen was told the news by her mother before she passed away and she then confided in Swinton who said Byrne deserved to know.

"Do you think I should tell Iain (a family name for Byrne)?" Aileen had asked Swinton.

To that, she replied: "You've got to tell him."

"She called me in and handed me the phone," Byrne said.

His mother never told him of the relationship and passed away in the 1980s. She suffered from a mental illness, which Byrne believed was a result of being "utterly and totally" in love with her own father.

"I think he gave me that wonderful mixture of genes with his own daughter, the eldest of the family. That's what they do in Ireland," he said, adding that "I presume it's what they do in unlettered places and lettered places. It's traditional, and nobody speaks about it".

Byrne and Swinton, 56, split in 2005 and he has since been dating lighting designer Jeanine Davies.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The world's biggest economies have dropped a long-standing public endorsement of free trade at their first meeting with the US President Donald Trump's administration.

Finance Ministers and central bank Governors from the G-20 group of leading economies, including the US, China, Mexico, Germany and India, held two days of tough talking in the German town of Baden-Baden.

The formal statement issued after the meeting on Saturday contained only a bland reference to "working to strengthen the contribution of trade to our economies", CNN reported.

Conspicuous by its absence was the phrase "we will resist all forms of protectionism" that was contained in the communique from the last meeting of the group in China in July 2016.

It also did not contain a pledge to finance efforts to combat climate change, Efe news said.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, however, downplayed the content of the statement.

"This is my first G20, so what was in the past communique is not necessarily relevant from my standpoint," Mnuchin said.

In a press conference afterward, he described the meeting as extremely productive and stressed that Trump's administration believed in free trade.

However, he added that it was good for the US as long as it was balanced.

He said the US, which since Trump took office has withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and called for the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) to be renegotiated, was looking to enter into trade deals that are a "win-win" situation for the parties involved.

The Finance Minister of host Germany, Wolfgang Schauble, said for his part that the negotiations were very difficult but that a door had been left open for future talks.

He added that the final communique contained language that was not very concrete but which reflected the economies' shared commitment to fair trade, as demanded by the US, and rejection of currency manipulation.

Trump has accused two G20 members, China and Japan, of currency manipulation, while one of his top trade advisers has leveled the same complaint against Germany.

Given the opposition from the US and Saudi Arabia, the G20's communique also differed from its 2016 statement in that no reference was made to the members' readiness to finance the battle against climate change.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi summoned on Sunday the Swiss Ambassador "to discuss" the report of the Swiss representative in the human rights council in the UN, about the human rights situation in the Gulf state of Bahrain.

Abdul Rahim Al-Awadhi, UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation for Legal Affairs, has summoned Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to the UAE, in attendance of Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum Al-Maktoum, Director of the European Affairs Department at the Ministry.

Al-Awadhi expressed to the Swiss ambassador UAE's "denunciation" over the Swiss statement from last Tuesday against Bahrain at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

He added that "it was better if such issues were resolved through established bilateral channels between Bahrain and Switzerland".

The statement was also perceived as not representative of the truth, as Bahrain has made numerous steps to improve its human rights record. The UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain are members of the six countries unions Gulf cooperation council (GCC) and close political allies.

Al-Awadhi informed Ambassador Tissafi that the security and stability of Bahrain is integral to security and stability of the UAE, "and such statements give a pretext for committing destructive and terrorist acts", the UAE Assistant Minister said.

He added that the UAE is looking forward to Switzerland's reviewing of their position on this issue.

On Saturday, the GCC Secretary-General Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the statement which was made last Tuesday by the Swiss representative before the UNHRC, slamming the "accusations and distortions" regarding the situation of human rights in Bahrain.
Actor Vivek Oberoi took a local train after 15 years to launch his affordable housing project Karrm Brahmaand here.

He says his dream to provide affordable quality homes to the common man has been fulfilled with the project, a township situated alongside a beach. The project offers over 5,000 homes for people with limited means.

"I'm glad the dream of Karrm Infrastructure to provide affordable quality homes to the common man has been fulfilled," Vivek said in a statement.

The actor travelled in the second class of the suburban train on Saturday to Kelve Road, along with media persons for the launch.

Vivek last travelled by a local train 15 years ago for the 2002 film "Saathiya".

"The idea is to improve the living conditions of the poor and underprivileged and to provide their families a respectable accommodation and a safer environment. Like Kelve Road, the Shahpur plan has also met with a huge response. From 2018, almost 14,000 families will start living a quality life," he added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said the world needs to discuss and deliberate as to why it is facing the scourge of violence and how to stop the "wanton destruction".

"No part of the world today is free from the scourge of violence. This crisis is all pervasive. The basic question being raised today is how to stop this wanton destruction and come back to sanity," the President said.

He was speaking as the chief guest at the valedictory session of the three-day international conference, "Buddhism in the 21st Century - Perspectives and Responses to Global Challenges and Crises", at Rajgir in Nalanda district of Bihar.

Speaking about the relevance of Buddhism, the President said the philosophy of Buddhism is as relevant today as ever -- especially as the world grapples with complex problems that seem intractable.

"Buddhism has had a deep influence on human civilisation. The mighty emperor Ashoka, who had the ambition of extending his empire as far as he could, was converted into a missionary. Dhamma Ashoka is remembered in history rather than warrior Ashoka," he said.

He said that in the 21st century, the path of Lord Buddha and Buddhism will help the world get rid of viloence and terrorism.

About the historical significance of the ancient Nalanda University, Mukherjee said it reflects our ancient educational system which attracted mighty minds in the form of students and teachers in ancient India.

Quoting Gandhiji on the Buddha, Mukherjee said: "He was saturated with the best which was in Hinduism... His great Hindu spirit cuts its way through the forest of meaningless words which had overlaid the golden truth which was in the Vedas."

The President congratulated the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara for publishing the entire Pali Tripitaka (texts or words of the Buddha) in 41 volumes in the Devanagari script.

Appreciating the initiatives of Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, the President said this will go a long way in popularising the tenets of Buddhism and will help the coming generations to easily connect with the supreme ideals of humanity, forbearance, discipline and compassion.

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Friday inaugurated the three-day international Buddhist conference which is being attended by 1,000 delegates from 35 countries.

The conference is being organised by the Union Ministry of Culture.

--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.)
CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechuri on Sunday said that by making Yogi Adityanath the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and its ideological parent the RSS have sent out a clear message that "they want to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra".

It is also a clear message by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh that the backward classes, minorities and other oppressed sections of society "will have to accept upper caste leadership", the Communist Party of India-Marxist leader said at a public rally here.

He also accused Yogi Adityanath of always speaking against the Muslim and the Dalits.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Yogi Adityanath was earlier accused of inciting communal tensions. "He has always been the symbol of communal violence, riots, intolerance and hatred," Vijayan said.

"One cannot forget the fact that he has gone to the extreme of comparing Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan with Jamaat-ud-Dawa leader Hafiz Saeed. He also tarnished the image of socio-cultural leaders ranging from Aamir Khan to Mother Teresa and also asked those reluctant to do 'suryanamaskar' to go to Pakistan."

Vijayan said that at a time when the Ayodhya Ram temple issue was relegated to the background of Indian politics, Adityanath triggered a venomous communal campaign to bring it to the centre of BJP agenda.

"By making a person having criminal background the Chief Minister of the largest state, the message the BJP sends to the nation is that they will continue to try to capture power by resorting to communal riots," the Chief Minister said.

He said only a party with sheer contempt for secularism and democracy can elevate such person as the Chief Minister.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the wake of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) firebrand leader Yogi Adityanath's ascension to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, senior party leader on Sunday asserted there was no danger for any minority community under the former's rule.

"Koi khatra nahi hai, aap aaram se rahiye. (There is no danger; all will feel comfortable under his rule) That is my surety," he said.

Joshi further asserted the people of the state would see development in his constituency.

" has brought a lot of development in his constituency. Be it schools or hospitals, he had made them all for the poor. I'm sure he will take up on the path of development for the state," he said.

Yogi Adityanath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, was unanimously elected Legislature Party leader at a meeting of the newly-elected in Lucknow last evening. He, later, met the Governor and staked claim to form the government in the state.

Senior party leader and Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who was the central observer at the Legislature Party meeting, said it was a watershed moment for the and it has become a common man's party. He said, the mandate is for development, and against corruption and black money.

In the recently held polls in the state, had bagged 312 seats, and its allies 13, taking the alliance's tally to 325 in the 403-member Assembly.
In late 2014, addressing an event of the Hindu Yuva Vahini at Jhandewalan in New Delhi, implored the gathering  attended mostly by young men  to launch a reverse love jihad. He said if Muslims married Hindu girls to convert them, Hindu men should also marry Muslim girls.

The yogi, named on Saturday to become the next chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, also said if there was any trouble, he would provide them support, just as he did to Hindu young men in Gorakhpur.

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was once described as the mukhauta, or the mask, of the Sangh Parivar; Prime Minister Narendra Modi reinvented himself from his image of a Hindu hridaya samrat, or the emperor of Hindu hearts, to a vikas purush or the man of development. The saffron clad 44-year-old is the brazen face of aggressive Hindutva.

The head priest of Gorakhnath temple is never defensive about his brand of Hindutva. In Gorakhpur, he has taken up causes such as conversion of Christians and Muslims to Hinduism, and cow protection. Adityanath has even been briefly jailed for allegedly inciting violence during the Gorakhpur communal riots in 2007.

But he remains enormously popular among his supporters. A five-time Member of Parliament of Lok Sabha from Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath was first elected in 1998 at the age of 26 and has never lost an election.

In Parliament, Adityanath has earlier moved a private members Bill for amending Article 1 of the Constitution to replace the word India with Hindusthan. The Bill argues that Article 1 should read Bharat, that is Hindustan and not India, that is Bharat

In Gorakhpur, a town on the India-Nepal border, Adityanath is a revered figure.

Each morning, he meets his constituents and sundry petitioners on the premises of Gorakhnath Mutt. The petitioners could range from a poor peasant wanting financial assistance to a mid-level bureaucrat in need of a transfer. All approach him and touch his feet, including government servants and police personnel.









In his speeches, Adityanath frequently boasts that professors of universities and bureaucrats come to him for help because they are being terrorised by a particular community or their daughters are in love with a man from a minority community. He claims to quickly solve such cases.

Adityanath is a Rajput from Garhwal in Uttarakhand. He is unmarried, always wears saffron robes, including matching socks, and thick earrings. Of late, Adityanath has also taken to wearing dark glasses when outdoors in daytime.

After the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, BJP chief Amit Shah made Adityanath the in-charge of by-polls in 10 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh that took place later that year. At least for a year now, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has wanted him to be declared the BJPs chief ministerial candidate, but the party leadership thought this could lead to infighting.

While Adityanath might be an upper caste Thakur, the Gorakhnath Mutt is frequented mostly by Other Backward Classes, which has always helped him garner support from across the caste spectrum in Gorakhpur.

Such is his popularity that in the recently concluded Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP leadership was jittery that Adityanath might field independent candidates to ensure the defeat of official party candidates since some of his recommendations in distribution of tickets were not met.

The party leadership reached out to him, provided him a helicopter to tour the state and address public meetings. On Sunday, he will be sworn-in as the states chief minister.
With Gorakhpur Member of Parliament (MP) donning the mantle of the 21st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh today, he also became the 4th leader in a row to be elevated to the coveted post while not being a member of either house of the UP legislature.
Expresseing deep disappointment over the Bharatiya Janata Party's decision to elect their firebrand leader Yogi Adityanath's as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Muslim Cleric Maulana Mohammad Sajid Rashidi questioned the saffron party that how can a man with a history of propagating divisive agenda lead Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development plans for the state.
Sometime in the year 2015, a video surfaced on social media where the Hindutva hardliner and BJP leader Adityanath  who is also the caretaker of the famous Gorakhnath Mutt in Gorakhpur  sat silently on stage as a supporter gave a call to dig up the graves of Muslim women and rape them. While this dastardly call was widely criticised, the speaker, a member of the Hindu Yuva Vahini  a militant Hindutva organisation founded by Adityanath  declared that when the Yogi came to power, Muslims would be stripped of the right to vote and treated as second-class citizens.
Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party's Gujarat in-charge Gopal Rai will be meeting farmers of Sanand tehsil in the district, the party said today.

"For three days starting tomorrow, Rai will meet farmers of nine villages in Sanand who had, on February 14, organised a march to demand water supply for their fields," an AAP statement said here.

Several farmers were injured in police lathi-charge when the protest turned violent, it noted.

Rai will press the BJP government in Gujarat to meet five demands of these farmers, and will formulate a plan for further agitation if the government did not fulfil them, AAP said.

AAP leader Ashish Khetan had visited the farmers after the February 14 incident. The party also wrote to the National Human Rights Commission seeking an inquiry, it said.

The farmers are now demanding apology for police action, withdrawal of "false cases" against them, financial aid to those who were injured in lathi charge, resolution of the water problem and completion of Narmada canal network.

Rai's visit is a part of AAP's 'Azadi Andolan' which is being organised across Gujarat and which will conclude in Gandhinagar on March 26 with a rally of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Afghan officials say that at least 12 insurgents including two of their commanders have been killed in separate drone attacks in eastern Afghanistan.

Mohammad Rahman Ayaz, spokesman for the provincial governor in eastern Paktika province, said today that the two insurgent commanders were targeted by a drone while they were traveling in a vehicle yesterday in the Barmal district.

Meanwhile 10 other insurgents were killed in separate airstrike in neighboring Paktia province, said Zelmai Wesaa, provincial governor for Paktia. Wessa added the attack took place in the Dand-e Patan district near the Pakistani border.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Metals-to-mining magnate Anil Agarwal has explained his decision to acquire a majority stake in international mining company Anglo American, a move that surprised analysts earlier this week.

"I like Anglo's entire balanced portfolio, both in South Africa and elsewhere. I believe Anglo has several world-class assets, including (diamond giant) De Beers," Agarwal told the weekly Sunday Times here amid speculation that he was planning a takeover bid after becoming the second largest shareholder in Anglo American.

Agarwal also said he did not favour any move to try to break Anglo American into South African and international arms as he believed the group's strength lay in both businesses.

What had attracted him to the company was its strategy, he said adding he believes the business had significant upside, especially as the team executed its business plan.

Agarwal's acquisition of shares worth $2.4 billion gives him a 12 per cent stake, just below that of South Africa's Public Investment Corporation, which has 13.5 per cent holding.

Analysts here said the purchase was surprising, considering that Agarwal had failed in a bid last year to merge his businesses with Anglo American, but there was no way of predicting what Agarwal's plans were.

An analyst who did not want to be named told the weekly that there were no or very limited synergies between Agarwal's Resources and Anglo American.

"This is not the first time he has done this kind of move, but he will work it out. He is a very patient man. He does not rush. He will wait for an opportunity, so even if he will have to wait for one or two years before he gets what he wants, he will do it," the analyst said.

In a research report earlier in the week from HSBC, analysts David Plemming and Emma Townshend also suggested merger plans by Agarwal.

"We do believe that the intent is to seek some form of alliance or merger between Anglo American and Vedanta, ideally in a friendly way so as to avoid any massive price premia," the report quoted them as saying.

But because the two had different assets in different parts of the world, a merger was unlikely to be supported by Anglo American, the report added.

The Agarwal Family Trust, Volcan Investments, owns 69 per cent of London-listed Resources, which has interests in aluminium, copper, iron ore and zinc through its and Hindustan Zinc.

Anglo American, started in South African by Ernest Oppenheimer a century ago, has interests all over the world but has been struggling with its South African operations in recent years due to difficult operating environment challenges such as labour demands for higher wages as well as declining commodity prices globally.
A gunman shot and killed a journalist in the Mexican state of Veracruz, adding to the toll in a state plagued by drug gang violence and allegations of government corruption.

Ricardo Monlui was yesterday leaving a restaurant with his wife and a son in the town of Yanga, outside the larger city of Cordoba, when a man who appeared to have been waiting shot Monlui twice, and then fled, said local police chief Carlos Samuel Hernandez. The wife and son apparently were unhurt.

Monlui is at least the 11th journalist to be slain in just over six years in Veracruz state, but the first since former Gov Javier Duarte quit last year and vanished in the face of corruption charges. New Gov Miguel Angel Yunes, who took office in December, expressed indignation at the killing.

Monlui was head of the Cordoba region's press association and was a columnist for new newspapers El Sol de Cordoba and Diario de Xalapa, as well as the magazine Analysis Politico.

Hernandez said officials are trying to identify the killer and are not yet sure of a motive.

The Washington-based Committee to Protect Journalists has said Mexico is the most dangerous part of the hemisphere for journalists and Veracruz, on the Gulf of Mexico, has been the most deadly part of Mexico.

The committee says 86 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992, 37 of them for motives directly related to their work and 49 for reasons not yet clear.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat will arrive here on a four-day official visit to Nepal on March 28 during which he is scheduled to call on the country's top leadership and hold talks on stepping up bilateral defence cooperation.

Rawat will meet President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister Prachanda, Defence Minister Bal Krishna Khand and his Nepali counterpart General Rajendra Chhetri during his visit from March 28 to 31, Kathmandu Post reported.

A special function will be organised at the President's Office where Bhandari will confer the honorary chief title on Rawat, the report said.

The army chiefs of both the countries have a tradition of exchanging their honorary titles to mark their special relations.

Rawat, who became the chief of the Indian Army on December 31 last year, will also visit the Indian pension paying camps in Pokhara and Muktinath areas.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bangladesh Supreme Court today upheld the death sentence of banned Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami's former leader and two of his accomplices for a grenade attack in 2004 on Britain's then envoy here.

HuJI leader Mufti Hannan lost the legal battle to save himself from the charges of an attempt on life of the former UK envoy to Bangladesh, bdnews reported.

An Appellate Division bench led by the chief justice scrapped petitions by Hannan and two others for a review of the verdict.

The order means that Hannan and his associates Sharif Shahedul Alam and Delwar Hossain can now be executed.

With the review pleas being rejected by the top court, they are left with the only option of seeking presidential clemency by admitting guilt.

If they do not go for it or the president rejects their plea, the government will go ahead with their executions.

In May 2004, then British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury came under a grenade attack while coming out of the Hazrat Shahjalal's shrine in his hometown Sylhet.

Police's Assistant Sub-inspector Kamal Uddin died on the spot. Two constables succumbed to their injuries in a hospital later.

The envoy was injured along with nearly 40 employees of the Sylhet district administration.

In December 2008, a Sylhet court ordered death sentence for the three.

It also ordered life in prison for two others, Mohibullah alias Mofizur Rahman and Mufti Moin Uddin alias Abu Zandal. They had not appealed against the decision.

All of five of the convicts are in jail now.

Hannan and the two other death-row convicts moved the High Court, but failed to get a verdict in their favour.

They challenged the decision with the Appellate Division, which on December 7 last year upheld the sentence.

Hannan is said to be the mastermind of 13 terrorist attacks, including an attempt on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's life.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has mourned the loss of his daughter-in-law and actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's father, Krishnaraj Rai.

Rai died on Saturday at a suburban hospital here due to health issues.

He was hospitalised a few weeks ago and later shifted to the ICU. He was reportedly battling cancer.

"Death has but one end... And words cannot define it," Bachchan tweeted.

The 74-year-old actor also expressed grief on his blog by writing, "Death... The inevitable end."



Although Bachchan did not mention Rai's name in any of his social media posts, his each and every word was appearing as tribute to his daughter-in-law's father.

"Glimpses of reactions in the mind, of the lost one, of those that shall reflect on the lost one and suddenly then in the midst of sorrow and grief among the grieved and grieving.

"That walk to the ultimate destination and the reality... Embracing the tragedy, the discussions on its transport, its rituals, its formalities... The custom, the tradition, the visitors with the sadness and the embrace of consolation, the last rites, the carriage, the placement, the cremation...

"What to say what to put out where to put to... All laden with grief and departure," he wrote.

He concluded his blogpost with, "and the happiest of them all, is the one that has gone.. For he is already in the arms of the heavens and in a realm of peace and tranquility..

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday said that BJP leaders had claimed in the past that their party, as a policy, was against the creation of deputy chief minister's post.

It has now created the same post in Uttar Pradesh, he pointed out, speaking to PTI.

"Shiv Sena never demanded the post (during the talks between two parties for alliance in Maharashtra). The issue of deputy chief minister came up during meetings with BJP leaders where they said it was BJP's policy decision not to create such a post," Raut said.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath's government which was sworn in on Sunday has two deputy CMs.
The wife of a police informer, who was killed in a gun-battle with Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district yesterday, has been appointed as a police constable.

"The order to appoint Geetha Gavde, wife of martyred 'Gopniya Sainik' Sukram Gavde, has been issued," Inspector General of Police (in-charge) Bastar Range Sundarraj P told PTI.

'Gopniya Sainiks' (secret troopers) are appointed by district superintendent of police at local level for anti-Naxal operations, especially for gathering intelligence.

Yesterday, in a gun battle with Naxals in Dantewada, Gavde and police constable Nirmal Netam were killed. Five Naxals were also killed in the skirmish.

The wreath laying ceremony for the slain security personnel was today held at Dantewada district headquarters.

"Geetha, Gavde's wife, expressed her desire to join the police force. As a mark of respect to the sacrifice made by her husband, I decided to appoint her as constable in Dantewada district police unit," said the IG.

"Since Gavde was not a constable, his wife was not entitled to compassionate appointment as a constable. So, under the special provision, she was appointed," he added.

According to the police, the provision states that IGP has special powers to appoint someone as constable based on the contribution of any individual in anti-Naxal operations.

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Canada hopes its new global skills strategy will attract highly specialised professionals from India and elsewhere who will contribute to the growth of Canadian companies, according to a senior Canadian minister.

Canada has launched the Global Skills Strategy aimed at facilitating faster access to top global talent for the firms committed to bring new skills to the country and create jobs.

"We are very proud of our thriving Indian community in Canada...We have a thriving Indian community in Canada that is widespread across all provinces and they contribute in many different ways so we anticipate that this will be no different," Canadian Minister of Employment, Workforce Development & Labour Patty Hajdu told PTI here.

Hajdu said she anticipates companies in her country will be able to recruit talent from India under the new strategy if the professionals meet the requirements of the firms and will help contribute to their growth.

"Certainly if companies find an employee in India that fits the specifications of what they need, we anticipate that more Indian people will come to Canada," she added.

Hajdu, who was here to participate in the Commission on the Status of Women session at the UN, said the Global Talent Stream will help Canadian companies, particularly those that are experiencing high growth, find extremely skilled labour and talent.

She said if companies in the technology sector and other sectors are able to get professionals with very specialised skills, they will go on to create more Canadian jobs.

"I would anticipate that there may be that kind of talent in India. This strategy is driven by the corporations and companies," she said, adding companies will have to find the specific talent they need whether in India, Europe or the US.

The initiative by Canada to draw global talent comes at a time when the US is tightening its immigration policies under the "America First" priority of the Trump administration.

Hajdu said Canada has always valued the contribution of immigrants to the country.

"We are a country that values diversity because we know that diversity actually creates strong cohesive societies and creates economic growth and that diversity is critical for innovation," she said.

She, however, emphasised that Canada is focussed on ensuring that its citizens have good jobs but is also aware that sometimes the talent that itneeds in specific sectors is not available in the volume locally that it needs to be.

"We know that when we remain open to possibilities of reaching into other countries for talent and finding individuals that want to come to Canada and then companies use that talent to create great jobs for Canadians, this is a win win situation," she said.

Hajdu said Canada has always been a very open country that has seen waves of immigration from a number of different countries. "This (global skills initiative) is no different. This is about us responding to the needs that the companies have to recruit the best and the brightest," she said.

"We are very focussed in growing the middle class, making sure that we have a strong economy. We are responding to the concerns of the corporate sector in making business easier for these companies," she added.

Under the new initiative, once the company will identify specific person or positions it needs to fill, it will work closely with Canadian authorities, she said, adding that her agency is committed to ensuring that immigration gives the work permit within 10 days, much faster than the previous 7-10 months depending on the situation.

It will also be ensured that the companies do their due diligence to make sure Canadians are first approached and hired if they meet the requirements, she added.

The new initiative is aimed to help high-growth Canadian companies attract the specialised global talent they need to innovate and grow by providing a faster and more predictable streamlined service.

It will also assist Canadian firms in filling in-demand occupations where there is a demonstrated gap in the Canadian labour market.

Under the new stream, a Global Talent List of eligible high-demand occupations is being developed in consultation with labour market experts and key stakeholders.

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A Canadian school teacher whose teaching philosophy underscores hope and acts of kindness in an isolated corner of Quebec has won a USD 1 million prize in what has become one of the most-coveted and high-profile awards for teaching excellence.

Maggie MacDonnell was awarded the annual Global Teacher Prize during a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

MacDonnell beat out thousands of applicants from around the world.

Last year, Palestinian teacher Hanan al-Hroub won for her efforts in encouraging students to renounce violence and embrace dialogue. The inaugural prize went to Nancie Atwell, an English teacher from Maine.

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Enthused by last year's high demand for chillies, Mohan Behera of Bada Madhapur village in Ganjam district raised the crop in over one acre land this time, hoping to get Rs 30-35 per kg.

However, his dream was shattered as the price of green chilli plummeted to Rs 4 to Rs 5 per kg this year. Like Mohan, several chilli growers suffered huge loss due to price crash as in case of tomato growers in the district.

"We have invested around Rs one lakh per acre to raise the green chilli. As the price of the crop fell sharoply, we can get back only Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000," said Sarat Khuntia of the same village.

Generally local commission agents procure the crop from the farmers and to supply to the chilli yards in Guntur and other areas in Andhra Pradesh. This time, they could not procure due to reduced demand, said Kishor Reddy, newly elected ZP member, who is also a chilli farmer.

He demanded setting up of a cold storage in the area to preserve the vegetable crops.

In protest against the distress sale, the farmers of Bada Madhapur area, where chilli was cultivated in around 500-hectares, staged road blockade over the week-end dumping bagful of green chillies.

Teshildar of Chhatrapur S K Sahu has assured the agitators that the attention of the government would be drawn to their plight.

Bumper crop and reduced demand were be the major reasons for the price crash of green chilli this year, said Deputy Director of Horticulture, Ganjam, Bhagaban Das.

He said the acreage of the chilli in the district this year was 5421-hectares against last year's around 5000 hectares.

"Since chilli is not a perishable product, we advised the farmers not to go for distress sale and to make it dry to fetch remunerative price," said Das.

He, however, said marketing of the produce was not their area. "Our job is only to increase the productivity of the crops," he said.

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China and the US should handle "sensitive issues" in their bilateral ties properly, Chinese President Xi Jinping today told visiting Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as he called cooperation the "only correct choice" for providing a "new start" to their relations.

Xi's assertion came amidst a number of contentious issues in Sino-US relations, including the South China Sea, the status of Taiwan, trade as well as the North Korean missile and nuclear threats.

"We should properly handle and manage sensitive issues to promote the healthy and stable development of sino-US relationship from a new start," Xi told Tillerson here.

Cooperation is the "only correct" choice for both the countries, Xi said apparently referring to anti-China rhetoric by US President Donald Trump.

Trump had branded China a currency manipulator stealing American jobs and also threatened to impose 45 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods.

In his meeting with Tillerson today, Xi said the two sides should grasp the general direction for the development of China-US relations in an attitude responsible for history and future generations.

He suggested that the two countries increase strategic trust and mutual understanding, review bilateral ties from long-term and strategic perspectives and expand fields of cooperation for win-win outcomes, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

The two countries should also enhance coordination on regional hotspot issues, respect each other's core interests and major concerns and encourage friendly exchanges, Xi said as he invited Trump to China.

Responding to Xi's invitation, Tillerson said Trump placed a "very high value on the communications that have already occurred" between the two presidents.

"He looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future," Tillerson said.

"We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthening of the ties between China and the US, and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation," he said.

Ahead of Tillerson's visit to China, Trump also put out a tweet to criticise Beijing's role in dealing with North Korea.

"North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help," Trump tweeted.

However, Tillerson yesterday held lengthy round of "frank and candid" talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

After talks, Tillerson said the US would work with China to deal with threats posed by North Korea, which is also a close ally of Beijing.

Tillerson visited South Korea on Friday and cautioned North Korea that all options are on the table to deal with Pyongyang's provocative nuclear and missile programmes.

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Heavy clashes rocked eastern districts of the Syrian capital today after rebels and jihadists launched a surprise assault on regime forces there, a monitor and state television said.

Rebels and allied jihadists, led by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, attacked government positions in the Jobar district and advanced into the neighbouring Abbasid Square area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

"They targeted government forces with two car bombs and several suicide attackers," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

The Britain-based Observatory had no immediate information on casualties from the clashes.

Control of Jobar -- which has been a battleground district for more than two years -- is divided between rebels and allied jihadists on one side, and government forces on the other.

Syrian state television reported that the army was "thwarting an attack by terrorists" with artillery fire and had ordered residents to stay inside.

It aired footage from Abbasid Square, typically buzzing with activity but now empty except for the sound of shelling.

AFP correspondents in Damascus said army units had sealed off the routes into Abbasid Square and explosions could be heard across the city.

Several schools announced they would close through Monday, and many civilians cowered inside in fear of stray bullets and shelling.

According to the Observatory, the Islamist Faylaq al-Rahman rebel group and the Fateh al-Sham Front -- known as Al-Nusra Front before it broke ties with Al-Qaeda -- were present in Jobar.

"This neighbourhood is the most important front line because it's the closest rebel position to the heart of the capital," said Abdel Rahman.

Government forces have long sought to push the rebels out of the district because of its proximity to the city centre in Damascus.

But with today's attack, Abdel Rahman said, "rebels have shifted from a defensive position in Jobar to an offensive one".

"These are not intermittent clashes -- these are ongoing attempts to advance," he said.

The Observatory said rebels had launched the attack from Jobar as a way to relieve allied fighters in the nearby districts of Barzeh, Tishreen, and Qabun from government attacks.

"Nine regime forces and at least 12 Islamist rebels were killed" in those three districts over the last 24 hours, the Observatory said.

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Australian company Coffee by Di Bella, which currently has 11 outlets in the city, plans to almost double its presence here by the year end at an investment of USD 2.5 million.

"Coffee by Di Bella is a premium coffee company, and we are stepping up our India operations. We will open nine more outlets in Mumbai by year end," the company's founder Phillip Di Bella told PTI here.

The company will invest a total of USD 2.5 million in its expansion here, he said.

Coffee by Di Bella began operations in the country in 2012. It is looking to revamp and step up its business here as coffee culture in the country is on an upswing.

"Presently, we are focusing on Mumbai. We have already begun studying other markets including Delhi, Bengaluru and Gujarat and will open outlets there in the next two to three years," he said.

The company plans to open 100 stores in the next five years.

It has about 300 employees, which will double to 600 by year-end, Di Bella said.

"We intend to employ more people in the next five years as we expand," he said.

The company has got a new management in place in the country and has also invested heavily in training staff, he added.

In line with several beverage chains that are expanding in India, Coffee by Di Bella has customised its menu to suit Indian tastes and include more food items.

It operates sustainably and sources directly from local farmers, Di Bella said.

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The Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee today held 'Dalit justice march' in two assembly constituencies to protest against the "neglect" of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities by the central and state governments.

The march was held in reserve wards in Kasturba Nagar and Trilokpuri.

"...The sanitation workers of the Municipal Corporations of Delhi had to resort to strikes five times to get their salaries, and their salaries were released only after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi joined the sanitation workers' dharna in east Delhi," the party claimed in a press release.

The march, organised by the SC department of the DPCC, is being held in the 46 reserved municipal wards of Delhi.

The DPCC had earlier organised the march in various places including Mangolpuri, Kasturba Nagar assembly constituency, Kotla Mubarkpur's Thyagraj Nagar Valmiki Temple, Trilokpuri assembly constituency and Kalyanpuri.

The Dalit community is the worst affected and the march will highlight their problems and neglects, DPCC president Ajay Makan had said while inaugurating the march.

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Thousands of policemen were deployed, metro and road traffic curtailed and prohibitory orders imposed in parts of the national capital in view of the planned march to Parliament tomorrow by Jat protesters from Haryana and neighbouring states who are demanding reservation.

The city was virtually on tenterhooks following protesters' threat to block entry points and various agencies involved in providing essential services have been instructed to make necessary arrangements so that people do not face any inconvenience because of the stir.

Security has been tightened as a similar agitation by the Jats had resulted in large-scale violence in Haryana in February last year, leaving 30 people dead and more than 300 people injured. Violence broke out today in Fatehabad, 200 km from here, is Haryana as Jat protesters clashed with police while moving towards Delhi, leaving four policemen including a Deputy Superintendent of Police injured.

The traffic flow in the city is likely to be hit severely as the agitators have announced that the magnitude of the protest will be large this time and it will be felt across Delhi.

The Centre had yesterday directed governments of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to invoke CrPC 144 to stop Jat protesters and has mobilised 247 companies (about 24,700 personnel) of paramilitary forces.

Delhi Police has also cancelled leaves of its personnel till further orders and imposed prohibitory orders and several traffic restrictions to prevent Jat community members from going ahead with their protest.

The All India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti (AIJASS), which is spearheading the agitation demanding reservations in education and government jobs, has given a call for a march to the national capital to gherao Parliament and to hold dharnas on the Delhi border blocking all highways to press for its demands.

Metro trains will not travel beyond the city's borders from 11.30 PM while 12 stations in Central Delhi will be shut from 8 PM till further orders.

The affected stations will be Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan, Lok Kalyan Marg, Janpath, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, R K Ashram Marg, Pragati Maidan, Khan Market and Shivaji stadium.

However, interchange facility will be available at the



stations.

Several schools have been closed in the city.

As directed by Delhi Police, services will not be available at Metro Yellow line stations at Gurgaon, Blue Line stations at Noida and Violet Line stations at Faridabad.

Roads like Kamal Ataturk Marg, Safdarjung Road, Kautilya Marg, Kautilaya T Point Near Bihar Bhawan, route from Teen Murti to Gole Methi roundabout and Zakir Hussain Road for the commuters coming from Nizamuddin to India Gate will be closed from 8 PM onwards today.

Other routes between Ring Road and San Martin Marg, Amrita Shergill from Lodhi Road, Max Mueller Mag from Lodhi Road, Arch Bishop Macarious from Lodhi Road and all lanes leading to Panchkuia road except Mandir Marg, RK Ashram Marg and Hospital Road will be closed from 11 PM onwards tomorrow.

"Bona fide residents, employees working in offices situated in Lutyens' Delhi, emergency vehicles, entrance exam candidates, ambulance, hearse van, fire brigade, school buses and those who have come to the area for some work will only be allowed entry after furnishing proof," a senior police official said.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has also issued advisory for class 10 and 12 students appearing for board examination tomorrow to reach the examination centres well before the scheduled time to avoid any inconvenience in anticipation of the gherao.

A high alert has also been sounded in Haryana and the state DGP K P Singh said all highways and other roads passing through the state will remain open so that students do not face any problems in the wake of Jat protester.

All security measures have been taken, so that people, especially students who are appearing in the CBSE Board examinations on March 20, may travel through the state without any fear, he said.

"Security measures have been put in place at examination centres so that students and their guardians may not face any problem," the DGP said in an advisory issued here today.

In view of the Jats threatening to "choke" Delhi tomorrow and ghearo Parliament, he said ban had been placed on plying tractor-trolleys to Delhi, besides using tractor-trolleys as a means of transport in Haryana and Delhi.

He advised the people not to ply tractor-trolleys to avoid facing any inconvenience.

Singh said strict security measures had been put in place throughout the state and assured that the police was making all endeavour to ensure that peace prevails in Haryana.

The Jats have been sitting on dharna in various parts of Haryana since January 29.

They are demanding reservations in government jobs and educational institutions, besides withdrawing of criminal cases registered against several youths of the community, release of those lodged in jail, and compensation and government jobs to the next of kin of those killed in last year's agitation.
Resident doctors at the civic-run Sion Hospital here stopped reporting to duty from this evening to protest recent incidents of assault on doctors.

Yesterday, a doctor was allegedly beaten up by the relatives following a patient's death at the Sion Hospital.

Similar incident took place at government hospital in Dhule some days ago.

In a letter to the Dean of Sion Hospital, the resident doctors said they were unable to report to the duty as they couldn't "concentrate" on the work. They stopped working from 7 pm.

"The current spate of attacks on resident doctors is worrisome. We are not able to concentrate, hence we have decided not to report to the duty (at Sion Hospital)....There is urgent need to beef up security at government hospitals," an office-bearer of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors said.

The Bombay High Court has restrained resident doctors in the state from going on a strike till a 'grievance cell' constituted by the government to look into their problems submits its report.

The doctors, therefore, can not go on strike officially.

Medical Education Minister Girish Mahajan told PTI, "The attacks on resident doctors are unfortunate and assailants should not be spared....We are trying to provide more security to doctors.

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A Deputy Superintendent of Police was among four policemen injured when Jat protesters clashed with police during their march towards Delhi here today, police said.

A Jat leader, however, claimed that police had lobbed tear gas shells and tried to disperse them when they were marching in a peaceful manner. He claimed a few protesters were also injured.

The clash took place in Dhani Gopal village on Sirsa-Hisar Delhi National Highway when police tried to stop tractor trolleys carrying protesters from heading towards the national capital, police said.

They said some stones were also pelted by the protesters as they clashed with the cops.

Police said that DSP rank officer Gurdial Singh and three constables were injured.

Police also said that two of its buses were damaged while some equipment of the electronic media was snatched allegedly by the protesters while they were covering the event.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has invited Jat leaders for talks in Delhi today, in a bid to end the community's 50-day long quota stir.

The talks come ahead of the Jat community's plans to gherao Parliament tomorrow in support of their demands.

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A fire broke out at the state-run Serampore Walsh Hospital in Hooghly district today.

"Smoke filled the Operation Theatre on the second floor as some hospital employees were doing maintenance work," a senior district official said, quoting eyewitness accounts.

The panic-stricken employees went downstairs even as two fire tenders rushed to the spot and the situation was brought under control.

No operation was scheduled at the OT in the first half of the day, the official said, adding the patients at other floor were not affected in the fire.

Superintendent of Police Sukesh Jain said a police force has been sent to the spot.

The fire could have been triggered from switch board, a fire brigade official said.

The patients' wards were on the ground floor and first floor of the hospital.

Mousumi Das, a patient in the maternity ward, said "We were all panick-stricken with the of smoke billowing out from the 2nd floor, but the hospital administration assured us and none had to be evacuated.

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A section of crew of Government buses went on a flash strike here in support of retired employees of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation.

The crew of two bus depots expressed their solidarity with the retired employees, who are seeking implementation of old pension scheme, by sitting in front of their offices.

Nearly 100 buses remained indoor, resulting in commuters waiting for the vehicle at various bus stops in the city, police said.

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Flights at Paris' Orly airport were returning to normal today a day after a man triggered a major security alert and travel chaos when he attacked a soldier before being shot dead.

Anti-terror investigators today released the father of the assailant but were continuing to hold his brother and cousin as they sought to build a profile of Ziyed Ben Belgacem, a 39-year-old French national.

All three family members had made contact with the police themselves, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins told a press conference late on Saturday.

Molins said Ben Belgacem grabbed a female soldier and put a gun to her head, seizing her assault rifle.

"Put your weapons down, hands on your heads. I'm here to die for Allah. In any case, people are going to die," the attacker told the troops in Molins's account of the attack.

He tried to use the soldier as a human shield but she dropped to her knees, giving her two colleagues an opportunity to shoot him.

Ben Belgacem was carrying a petrol can in a backpack as well as a copy of the Koran, Molins said. Officials say he had a string of criminal convictions and was previously investigated for links to radical Islam.

An autopsy is to be carried out Sunday to determine if he was under the effects of alcohol or drugs during the attack, the sources said.

A small amount of cocaine and a machete were found during a search of his apartment in in the northern Paris suburb of Garges-les-Gonesse yesterday afternoon.

Flights were halted at Orly for several hours following the shooting, which happened just before 8:30 am (local time). Around 3,000 people were evacuated from the building.

"The air traffic is fairly normal", a spokesman for the Paris airport authority told AFP this morning.

"There are however still some slight delays, of on average around 20 minutes".

About 100 people who were unable to board flights slept at Orly in beds provided by the airport, while 100 to 200 others spent the night at hotels provided by airlines.

Molins said Ben Belgacem had also fired at police in Garges-les-Gonesse earlier yesterday, slightly injuring one officer in the head.

His father and brother told investigators he had contacted them an hour and a half after that incident, telling them he had 'done something stupid'.

His 35-year-old cousin had also met with the suspect in a bar on Friday night.

The incident comes as France remains on high alert following a series of jihadist attacks that have claimed more than 230 lives since January 2015.

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The man shot dead at Paris's Orly airport after attacking a soldier was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time, a judicial source has said.

Investigators are still trying to understand what motivated Saturday's assault by 39-year-old Ziyed Ben Belgacem, which led to a major security scare and the temporary closure of the capital's second-busiest airport.

"Toxicology tests carried out on Sunday showed an alcohol level of 0.93 grams per litre in his blood, and the presence of cannabis and cocaine," the source said.

Ben Belgacem's father had insisted earlier yesterday that his son was "not a terrorist" and that his actions were caused by drink and drugs.

Ben Belgacem, who was born in France to Tunisian parents, grabbed a soldier on patrol at Orly's southern terminal on Saturday morning. He put a gun to her head and seized her rifle, saying he wanted to "die for Allah".

The attacker, who had also fired at police in a northern Paris suburb earlier that morning, was shot dead by two other soldiers after a scuffle.

Ben Belgacem's father insisted his son -- who had spent time in prison for armed robbery and drug-dealing -- was not a extremist.

"My son was not a terrorist. He never prayed, and he drank," the father, who was in shock and whose first name was not given, told Europe 1 radio.

Investigators were examining his telephone.

The attack at Orly comes with France still on high alert following a wave of jihadist attacks that have claimed more than 230 lives in two years.

The violence has made security a key issue in France's two-round presidential election on April 23 and May 7.

Ben Belgacem's brother and cousin were released yesterday after they, like the attacker's father, were held for questioning. All three had approached police themselves on Saturday after the attack.

After spending Friday night in a bar with his cousin, Ben Belgacem was pulled over by police for speeding in the gritty northern Paris suburb of Garges-les-Gonesse, where he lived, just before 7:00 am.

He drew a gun and fired, slightly injuring one officer. Shortly after, he contacted his relatives to tell them he had "done something stupid", they told police.

Ben Belgacem later appeared at the bar where he had been the previous night, firing more shots and stealing another car before continuing on to the airport.

He had been investigated in 2015 over suspicions he had radicalised while serving jail time, but his name did not feature on the list of those thought to pose a high risk.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Ben Belgacem appeared to have become caught up in a "sort of headlong flight that became more and more destructive".

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A 45-year-old woman, rescued from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia last week with the help of the External Affairs Ministry, was brought back here today.

The woman, a native of Dholka town in Ahmedabad district, was rescued after the state Education Minister and Dholka MLA Bhupendrasinh Chudasama came to know about her plight and contacted state Home department officials, who in turn had informed the MEA.

She was allegedly tortured by a Saudi family with who she was working in Riyadh.

The woman arrived at the Mumbai airport early today and was escorted here by the officials of the Women Crime Branch.

"The unmarried woman who had gone to Riyadh for work currently resides in Ahmedabad with her sister. After her successful rescue in Riyadh, she landed in Mumbai today and subsequently brought back here by our officials," said the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) J K Bhatt.

Her name is withheld since the police have registered a case of human trafficking against the agents who had sent her to Riyadh.

Chudasama had tweeted that he had learnt about her plight through a newspaper report. He had announced on March 14 that the woman has been successfully rescued and will be brought back.

"After the matter came to light, we lodged a case of human trafficking against the agents who had sent her to Riyadh. We have arrested two of them so far," Bhatt said.

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The Delhi High Court has issued a slew of directions to expedite setting up of halfway homes for mentally-ill prisoners and recruiting trained staff to be deployed there, saying these homes should start working with "utmost urgency".

Halfway homes are residences for individuals who are released from institutions treating the mentally ill or drug addicts to facilitate their readjustment in normal life.

A bench of Justices Gita Mittal and Anu Malhotra asked the Principal Secretary (Home) of Delhi government to complete the drafting of rules for recruiting staff to these homes and forward it to the Health Secretary expeditiously.

The Health Secretary has been asked to scrutinise the rules and forward it within four weeks to the Chief Secretary who in turn shall forward it within two months from the date of order to the UPSC for finalisation and notification.

"Given the imperative need to commence functioning of the halfway homes with utmost urgency, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) shall prioritise scrutiny of these rules and ensure these recruitment rules are finalised within four weeks of receipt from the Chief Secretary and notified immediately thereafter," the bench said in its order of February 22.

The head of the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) has been asked to give the timelines within which three halfway homes, being built by it in Dwarka, Rohini and Narela areas of Delhi, would be handed over to the Social Welfare Department.

The bench also directed the government to adhere to the timelines given by it for operationalisation of the half-way homes and for recruitment of staff to deal with mental health issues in Tihar Jail.

The directions came on an appeal moved in 2011 by a woman in August 2010 convicted of murdering her husband and step- daughter. She was later found to be suffering from schizophrenia.

The court had started looking into half-way homes for mentally-ill prisoners as the woman's brothers and sisters did not want to take her in or stand surety for her because of her illness, for which she has been undergoing treatment at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS).

In its order, the high court also directed the Director



General (Prisons) to consider implementation of the model prison manual suggested by the Centre in 2016.

The Chief Secretary of Delhi government has also been directed to give the timeline within which all new prisons would be operationalised.

The direction came after Delhi government standing counsel Rahul Mehra submitted before the court that at the new jail in Mandoli in east Delhi, two prisons having a total capacity of 1500 prisoners were already functional and two more, one of them for women, having a capacity of 650 inmates each shall be operationalised within the next two weeks.

However, no timeline for operationalising the two prisons was placed before the court, which therefore directed the government to give the details.

The bench took on record a status report submitted by the IHBAS which has said that two halfway homes with a total capacity of 50 have been operationalised from February 15.

Construction of a third halfway home for 100 additional inmates was underway, IHBAS had told the court.
Actor Boman Irani is looking forward to the forthcoming 'Munnabhai' film and says he will be after filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani if there is not any role for him in the movie.

The 57-year-old-actor appeared in Hirani's debut film "Munna Bhai MBBS" and went on to collaborate with the director in films like "Lage Raho Munnabhai", "3 Idiots" and "PK".

Recently, the director announced he would be making the third installment of the Munnabhai series and Boman could not be more excited.

"I am looking forward to it too. Circuit and Munna would be the automatic choice for the film, not me. The third character is always the floating, fresh character. There should be a character available for me but I would terrorise Rajkumar Hirani if there isn't a character for me," Boman told PTI.

"Right now he (Hirani) is busy with the Dutt biopic so once that finishes we go into Munnabhai space," he adds.

In the first part, Boman played the role of Dr Asthana while in the second he was an unscrupulous businessman, called Lucky Singh.

The actor has meanwhile lent his voice to the play, 'Gandhi-The Musical'. Boman has given voice to 'The Raj', which portrays the system that Mahatma Gandhi was constantly battling against.

Boman says it was the idea of portraying Gandhi's life in a Broadway musical format which appealed to him.

"The format is more of a Broadway musical, which is unique. We are looking at his life from South Africa till the day he was assassinated. The story is told through many different styles of music and drama."



The actor, who has a theatre background, feels it is not necessary that an artist who is great on stage will be equally brilliant in cinema.

"There are some actors who are fantastic on stage and not so great in cinema. I don't know why that is, it could be the personality, the approach to the acting craft. But you are better off being a theatre actor that does cinema because you have more power and arsenal to be equipped to do movies.

"Sometimes it doesn't quite translate. A cinema actor may not be necessarily brilliant on stage. The whole discipline is different," he says.

The English musical, backed by NCPA and Silly Point Productions, will be staged at NCPA from April 1 onwards.

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Indonesia has deported two French journalists for committing visa violations while shooting a documentary film in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua.

Immigration office spokesman Agung Sampurno said Sunday the journalists, Jean Frank Pierre and Basille Marie Longhamp, were sent home Friday through Mozes Kilangin airport in Timika.

The journalists carried out coverage from the air but had ordinary visas without necessary documents from related institutions, Sampurno said today.

He quoted local immigration chief Jesaya Samuel Enock as saying the journalists' activities were appropriate as they were sponsored by the national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia but lacked coordination with related institutions.

Local media reported Pierre and Longhamp were taken into custody when they were about to take pictures of Cartenz areas using a helicopter.

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Italy's president, whose brother was murdered by Cosa Nostra, has traveled to an organised crime stronghold in southern Italy to honor hundreds of Italians slain by the country's mobsters over the past decades.

President Sergio Mattarella praised the judges, prosecutors, police officers, union leaders, businessmen and politicians who courageously combatted or denounced organized crime.

During the ceremony today in Locri, a Calabrian town that is a longtime base of the 'ndrangheta crime syndicate, the names of innocent victims, some accidentally hit by crossfire of feuding crime clans, were read aloud.

Among the names was that of the president's brother, Piersanti Mattarella, the Sicilian governor assassinated in Palermo in 1980.

Mattarella lamented that the "Mafia is still strong" and controls or tries to infiltrate much of Italy's economy.

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Jharkhand is confident that it will actualise by 2019 more than 80 per cent of the total investment commitments worth over Rs 3 lakh crore which was signed during the state investment summit last month, a top state government official said today.

The state is also hoping to generate around 3 lakh jobs during the period on account of these investments.

During its maiden global investment summit 'Momentum Jharkhand' last month, the state had seen signing of 210 initial pacts worth Rs 3.10 lakh crore with global and domestic investors.

"State of Jharkhand has reached an inflection point...We are arching for a greater achievement and we would look forward to 100 per cent achievement in actualising MoUs...We will work very hard towards that," Jharkhand Chief Secretary Raj Bala Verma told PTI.

She said post global investor summit, "We have become even more aggressive in getting these investments grounded."



Investors' felicitation meets are conducted in different cities to fast-track projects.

"We have sliced the MoUs as per cities like Bengaluru, Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai, and we are going and meeting the investors who have signed the MoUs in each city and we are trying to profile their needs so that it can happen faster," Verma said.

She added that Jharkhand is keen to fast-track its development with huge mineral resources and has welcomed investors and is prepared to offer land and other facilities to businesses on a platter.

"During investors meet, we got encouraging results in the form of 210 MoUs worth Rs 3.10 lakh crore. Out of 210, 172 MoUs are such which can start within a year and in two years they will get completed," the Chief Secretary said.

She said rest 38 pacts are big MoUs with mineral based companies and pertaining to infrastructure development and could take more than two years.

"We will be generating huge employment of 3 lakh from 172 MoUs which we have signed," she said.

Enumerating advantages for setting up ventures in Jharkhand, the Chief Secretary said the state is investment ready in view of "being the fastest growing economy in the eastern region besides being number one in labour reforms and ranking number five when it comes to attracting FDI".

She said the environment has become so conducing in the state that no mandays are lost there due to labour strike.

"We have excellent policies. A total of 19 policies have come up in the new government and each is sector specific. We are now focusing across sectors...It is going to attract huge investments. There are policies for textile, apparel, footwear, food processing, energy, solar, film and BPO to name a few," she said.

Verma said the policies were "flexible" and the state has invited feedback from stakeholders, based on which it is always ready to address their concerns.

To boost investment, the Jharkhand Investment Promotion Board, headed by the Chief Minister Raghubar Das, is in place with industrialists as members, Verma said.

Besides, there is Jharkhand Investment Board to monitor the grounding of projects and it is also being chaired by the Chief Minister, she said.

Jharkhand had received investment commitments of a whopping Rs 3 lakh crore during the two-day maiden global investment summit in Ranchi last month.

Adani Group led by Gautam Adani is examining possibility to invest Rs 50,000 crore in coal to polymer complex and exploring 5 locations for this.

Some of the other large investment commitments include Rs 5,000 crore each from Aditya Birla Group and Vedanta Resources, while Jindal Steel and Power and Adani Group proposed investment of Rs 20,000 crore each.
Enthused by a successful Global Investor Summit last month, the Jharkhand government is now following it up with a reach-out programme and is expecting 10 projects to go on stream in the next 60 days.

"We want 172 MoUs to translate into actual investment in a years time and 10 projects should kick off in April and May. The pace of investment flow should pick up in the subsequent months," Industry Secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal told PTI.

Jharkhand received investment commitment of Rs 3.10 lakh crore during the two-day maiden Global Investors Summit last month.

Post Momentum Jharkhand Investors Summit, the Department of Industries started investors' facilitation meet to understand issues and provide help and support from state administration wherever possible, he said.

"The advantage of such meets with investors, who signed MoUs, is that they started work much more seriously in terms of financial closure, preparation of the DPR (detailed project report), application of allotment of land and seeking other permission and regulatory approvals," he said.

The state government has already identified land to be allotted to various industries in cities like Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro and Ranchi, he said.

The state government has already held Investors' Facilitation Meet at Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, he said.

He also said that the government has already devised timeline by which different mining areas would be put for auction that would further accelerate investment process.

During the next 12 months, he said, "we are targeting those MoUs which could get on ground fast. So we have identified 172 investment agreements entailing investment flow of Rs 80,000 crore.

"But large investment proposals over Rs 50,000 crore which are contingent upon availability of mines, huge land acquisition, forest clearance etc would take more than year to go on stream."



Once all these proposals are realised on the ground, it has potential to create 1.92 lakh direct employment opportunities and 2.70 lakh indirect employments, he said.

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A Superintendent of Police and a DSP were among nine policemen injured today when Jat protesters clashed with them on being prevented from marching toward Delhi.

The protesters also set fire to two police buses during the clash that took place in Dhani Gopal village on Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi national highway.

The situation turned tense when Jat protesters from villages of Chamarkhera and Kheri of Hisar district tried to enter Fatehabad district to join dharna at Dhani Gopal.

Tractor trolleys carrying Jat protesters tried to breach police barricades. DSP Gurdial Singh, who was deputed at the barrier, requested them to go on foot and join the dharna peacefully but the protesters did not relent, police said.

Later, some miscreants pelted the police party with stones. Retaliating, policemen resorted to lathicharge.

Nine policemen were injured in the clash and the protesters torched two police buses.

SP O P Narwal suffered injury on his hand. DSP Gurdial Singh, Inspector Kuldeep, ASIs Sadhu Ram, Sohan Lal, Major Singh, Daya Ram and Krishan were also hurt, police said.

The DSP and the Inspector have been hospitalised, SP Narwal said.

More police force was called in to control the situation.

Narwal told reporters that "the situation is under control. At the barrier, we did not allow tractor trolleys from Hisar to enter our district. Instead of accepting our request, they started hurling stones at police and the situation turned tense. Some protesters even wielded lathis."



The protesters also scuffled with media persons. They allegedly deleted videos and photos of the incident from their cameras and damaged their equipment.

The persons later filed a complaint with police, demanding action against Jat agitators.

(REOPENS DEL52)



A Jat leader claimed police lobbed tear gas shells and tried to disperse them when they were marching in a peaceful manner.

A few protesters were injured in the incident, he claimed.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar held talks with the Jat leaders in Delhi today, in a bid to end the community's 50-day long quota stir.

The talks were held ahead of the Jat community's plans to gherao Parliament tomorrow in support of their demands.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC had been earlier imposed and internet services suspended in many sensitive districts of Haryana including in Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonepat and Kaithal.

The All-India Jat Aarkashan Sangarsh Samiti, the body spearheading the ongoing quota stir which entered its 50th day today, had earlier threatened that it would lay siege to the national capital tomorrow after which security forces were put on high alert in several districts including those bordering Delhi.

Notably, a complete ban on the movement of tractor trolleys on highways and roads in sensitive districts was earlier imposed by the authorities.

Violence during the agitation last year had left 30 people dead and government and private property worth hundreds of crores of rupees was damaged.
Asharudeen struck twice to guide Kerala to a dominating 4-1 win over Mizoram in the final round of the Group "A" league match and enter the semi-finals of the 71st Santosh Trophy at Tilak Stadium here today.

Besides substitute Asharudeen (64th min, 84th), Jobby Justin (7th), seesan S (9th) also scored for Kerala to move to the top of the table with seven points from three matches.

Kerala could have won by a bigger margin had their strikers not missed clear chances, particularily, Justin who missed three clear chances.

Mizoram, who was at the receiving end, pulled one back in the 86th minute through substitute Lalrammawia Rammawia.

Kerala became the second team after West Bengal to qualify for the semi-finals, while Mizoram remained on third place with 4 points from three matches.

Kerala played an attacking game and were in command from the start with Justin and Sahal Abdul Samad combining well putting the rival defence under pressure as Kerala scored two early goals in a span of two minutes.

Justin, who scored a hatrick against Railway, put his team up in the 7th minute with a precise header off a free kick taken from the right by Sree Rag VV.

Two minutes latter, Jishnu Bala Krishnan took a shot at the goal which deflected a rival defender and came to Seesan S who volleyed home from outside the box to give Kerala a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Kerala kept up the pressure and Justin had a glorious chance to enhance the lead in the 24th minute but he failed to direct the ball into the net with only keeper to beat off a pass from the left. Latter in the dying minute before the interval he again failed to score from close.

Mizoram's chance to put up a fight ended when Lalfakzuala Fakzuala got his second yellow card in the 27th munute for abusing referee Crystal John.

Kerala, who had the match under their command, slackened the pace towards the end of the first half and Mizoram nearly scored when Lalrammuanpuia's shot from inside the box hit the bar off a flag kick taken by Ramfangzauva from the right.

Kerala continued in the same vein after resumption and Justin had two clear chance to score but he failed to guide the ball into the net and was latter replaced by Usman P.

Substitute Asharudeen then made it 3-0 in the 64th minute when he raced down the box off a pass from substitute Usman P and after beating keeper Lalruaipuia directed the ball into the net with an angular drive.

Asharudeen than rounded off the tally in the 84th minute off a pass from Mohammed parakkottil to complete the rout.

Mizoram than pulled one back in the 86th minute through substitute Lalrammawia.

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Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today held talks with the agitating Jat leaders from the state on the quota issue ahead of their planned march to Parliament in the national capital, where massive security arrangements have been made by authorities.

Before meeting Khattar here,All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) ChaipersonYashpal Maliksaid that their protest will be peaceful and they will decide their next course of action after the talks.

"The protests will be peaceful. For 50 days our protests were peaceful. We have made seven demands and we are here to meet the CM and others with a positive frame of mind.

"We believe that talks will provide solution to the issues... But we will decide our future course of action based on the outcome of the meeting,"Malik told reporters here.

"If we reach agreement on all issues, I will inform you," he said on whether they will suspend the agitation.

Malik was accompanied by a group of 60-70 representatives of various khaps (sub-sects)of the Jat community.

Besides Khattar, Union Cabinet Minister Birender Singh was among those present in the meeting.

In view of the planned march tomorrow, prohibitory orders have been clamped in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to stop Jat protesters from entering Delhi and about 24,700 paramilitary personnel have been mobilies to maintain peace. Metro and road transport has been curtailed and several schools have been closed in the national capital.

The AIJASS, which is spearheading the agitation demanding reservations in education and government jobs, has given a call for a march to the national capital to gherao Parliament and to hold dharnas on the Delhi border blocking all highways to press for its demands.

Metro trains will not travel beyond the city's borders from 11.30 PM while 12 stations in Central Delhi will be shut from 8 PM till further orders.

As directed by Delhi Police, services will not be available at Yellow line stations at Gurgaon, Blue Line stations at Noida and Violet Line stations at Faridabad.

Roads like Kamal Ataturk Marg, Safdarjung Road, Kautilya Marg, Kautilaya T Point Near Bihar Bhawan, route from Teen Murti to Gole Methi roundabout and Zakir Hussain Road for commuters coming from Nizamuddin to India Gate will be closed from 8 PM onwards today.

In an advisory, the Union Home Ministry has said that



protesters should be arrested or detained much before they enter Delhi. It also called for disallowing movement of buses carrying the protesters on highways and banning tractor trolley movement.

Internet services have been suspended in many 'sensitive' districts of Haryana including in Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonepat.

Haryana DGP K P Singh has said that all highways and other roads passing through the state are open and all security measures have been taken.

Earlier speaking to reporters, Khattar had said that the state government is committed to resolve the issue.

Besides quota, the Jats have been demanding release of people jailed during last year's agitation, withdrawal of cases slapped during the protest and government jobs for the kin of those killed and injured while taking part in the stir.

The Jats have been sitting on dharna in various parts of Haryana since January 29.

A Haryana ministerial panel led by senior Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had held talks with the Jats in Panipat on March 16, after which the Minister had said that an agreement had been reached with the Jat community and the deadlock could end soon.

Around 30 people were killed and more than 300 people injured when a similar agitation by the Jats had resulted in large-scale violence in Haryana in February last year.
A newly built bridge connecting Padukere village in neighbouring Udupi district with Malpe fisheries harbour has been thrown open to the public.

State Fisheries and Youth Services Minister Pramod Madhwaraj inaugurated the bridge yesterday.

Madhwaraj said people of Padukere village would no longer have to depend on traditional boats to cross the Udayavar rivulet between Padukere and Malpe as the bridge would provide faster road connectivity between the two places.

The minister said Rs 13.5 crore had been spent for the construction of the bridge. The width of the bridge was increased from the initial plan of 4.2 metres to 5.25 metres, he said.

The approach road to the bridge was constructed in Padukere at a cost of Rs 50 lakh and on the other side, Rs 60 lakh was spent for the approach road.

He said the virgin beach at Padukere would be developed into a major tourist centre. The Udupi deputy commissioner had been given instructions to bring Padukere beach development under the purview of Malpe Beach Development Committee.

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A man was arrested from West Bengal today for his alleged involvement in the murder of an official of a shipping company in this port town of Odisha in October last year, police said.

Ashok Bihari alias Kadir Khan, who had been hiding in West Bengal using different names, was picked up from Howrah area by a special team of police from Paradip, said Additional Superintendent of Police, Gadadhar Pradhani.

With this, a total of eleven people have so far been arrested by the police in connection with the killing of shipping company official Mahendra Swain here on October 26, last year, the ASP said adding efforts are on to nab three others in the sensational murder case.

Bihari, who played a major role in the conspiracy behind the murder of Mahendra Swain, would be brought here soon on transit remand, Pradhani said.

Swain had been gunned down in Madhuban area in this port town apparently due to business rivalry over stevedoring work in Paradip port, police said.

Those arrested so far in the case include prominent businessman and Managing Director of Odisha Stevedores Ltd (OSL), Mahimananda Mishra and his close aide Basant Bal. The two were arrested by a police team from Thailand in December last year, police said.

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Pakistan's Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking security to mark the death anniversary of Indian freedom fighter, citing threats from "religious extremists".

The foundation's chairman advocate Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi filed a writ petition yesterday contending that the organisers of the March 23 event should be provided with security.

Qureshi said threats had been received from "religious extremists" for the event.

"We had requested the provincial government and police high ups to ensure security for the function but they did not respond positively," Qureshi said.

He said the Punjab chief secretary, inspector general of police and DIG operations Lahore have been denying protection and security at public place which is a fundamental right of every citizen of the country.

Advocate Qureshi requested the court to order the respondent authorities to take security measures for the upcoming event in order to protect the lives of the participants and public at large.

Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh would take up the petition tomorrow.

March 23 marks the death anniversary of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh who was hanged along with his comrades Raj Guru and Sukhdev in 1931 at Fawara Chowk in Shadman Lahore.

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The Arab coalition battling rebels in Yemen has called for Hodeida port to be placed under UN supervision, after dozens of Somali refugees were killed on a boat offshore.

"We are also aware of allegations that the attack was carried out by a helicopter and naval vessel belonging to the Saudi-led coalition," it said in a statement yesterday.

"We can confirm the coalition was not responsible for any attack on a refugee boat on Friday and... There was no firing by any coalition forces on Friday in the area" of Hodeida.

The coalition called for the port there "to be placed immediately under United Nations supervision".

"This would facilitate the flow of humanitarian supplies to the Yemeni people, while at the same time ending the use of the port for weapons smuggling and people trafficking."



Somalia has called on the coalition fighting in support of the Yemeni government to investigate the incident in which more than 40 Somali refugees were shot dead on board a boat.

Somalia itself is a member of the coalition fighting against Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen.

"We call on our partners in the Saudi-led coalition to investigate the raid," Somalia's Foreign Minister Abdusalam Omer said in a statement released Saturday.

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NCP supremo Sharad Pawar today said all the like-minded parties need to come together to counter the BJP.

He also said that with Yogi Adityanath becoming the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, "mandir-masjid" politics may get a boost.

"Looking at the kind of support BJP has garnered in the Assembly elections, it is very clear that all the like-minded parties need to come together (to face it)," said Pawar, who was here to inaugurate NCP's new office.

"All the (non-BJP) parties need to do introspection about their shortcomings. To provide a strong alternative to BJP, it is necessary that all the like-minded parties come together," he said, speaking to reporters.

Asked if any talks had started for this purpose, he said he wasn't aware.

"It is a suggestion. As of now, no detailed discussions have been held....If NCP gets a proposal to be a part of such alliance, we will respond positively," he said.

On the hardliner BJP leader Yogi Adityanath becoming the Chief Minister of UP, Pawar expressed fear that communal politics may take precedence in the northern state.

"Being such a big state, UP needs a leadership with a clear foresight to execute development agenda. However I am now worried about the people of UP, as the new leadership might pay more attention to 'mandir-masjid' issues rather than bringing real development," he said.

His party was open to pre-poll alliance in Gujarat where



Assembly elections are due this year, Pawar said. In 2012 state polls, NCP had a tie-up with Congress and won two seats.

"We haven't received any proposal from any party for alliance. Though our experience with Congress wasn't pleasant last time, we are still open to alliance with it," he said.

Earlier, addressing the local NCP workers, Pawar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had failed to keep his elections promises.

"People voted for BJP because Modi made tall promises before 2014 polls. Modi had promised to increase farmers' income by 50 per cent. But after three years farmers' income has only decreased. That is why large number of farmers have ended their lives during BJP rule," he claimed.

"Initially people thought demonetisation was a good decision. However, it only took away jobs. Around 52 per cent of workers in the small industries became jobless," he said.
Somalia has called on the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen to investigate an incident in which dozens of Somali refugees were shot dead on board a boat.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack that killed more than 40 Somali refugees in waters off the coast of war-torn Yemen early on Friday.

The bloodshed was quickly condemned by UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Somalia's Foreign Minister Abdusalam Omer urged the Saudi-led coalition fighting Huthi rebels in Yemen to investigate.

Somalia is a member of the US-backed coalition fighting against Shiite Huthi rebels aligned with Iran.

"We call on our partners in the Saudi-led coalition to investigate the raid," the minister said in a statement released late yesterday.

"It is very sad, targeting a boat carrying Somali migrants near the coast of Hodeida in Yemen."



On Friday, a coalition spokesman denied responsibility for the attack.

The Red Sea attack took place off rebel-held port of Hodeida, with women and children among the dead.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which has operations in Yemen, said 42 bodies were found, and more than 30 wounded people were reportedly taken to hospital.

The IOM said it believed the boat was heading for Sudan when it was attacked.

Despite a two-year war that has cost more than 7,000 lives and brought the country to the brink of famine, Yemen continues to attract people fleeing the horn of Africa.

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, says Yemen is hosting more than 255,000 Somali refugees.

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Realty firm plans to invest about Rs 4,000 crore to develop low-cost homes as it expects demand for affordable housing to rise after getting infrastructure status in the budget.

has engaged consultants to raise about Rs 1,000 crore through external commercial borrowing (ECB) to fund the development of 40,000 affordable homes planned over the next four years, its Chairman R K Arora said.

"The affordable housing has got a big boost in the budget this year. We are changing building plans of our existing projects in Greater Noida, Yamuna Expressway, Gurgaon, Meerut and Dehradun to launch low-cost homes," Arora said.

Asked about the investment, he said: "We already have land. On construction, we will require Rs 3,500-4,000 crore for 40,000 flats".

He said the company has appointed consultants to raise funds through ECB route.

"We will raise about 25 per cent of the total investment. Rest can be funded through internal accruals and advances from customers," Arora said.

The affordable housing projects would meet the criteria laid in the Prime Minister's Awas Yojna (PMAY) so that prospective buyers could get the loan subsidy up to 4 per cent, he added.

The government in the budget announced infrastructure status to affordable housing. It also proposed to amend the Section 80-IBA, relaxing the condition of period of completion of the affordable housing projects for claiming deduction from the current three years to five years.

The size of affordable housing has been increased as now instead of built up area of 30 and 60 sq meter, the carpet area of 30 and 60 sq meter will be counted.

is fighting a legal battle in the Supreme Court related to its housing project in Noida. In April 2014, the Allahabad High Court had ordered to demolish the company's two 40-storey towers in a housing project.

The realty firm challenged the high court order in the apex court. The two towers -- Apex and Ceyane -- have in total 857 apartments, of which about 600 flats were sold.
Two doctors have gone missing in Pakistan and are believed to be in the custody of the country's intelligence agencies for their alleged links with a banned religious organisation.

Lahore's King Edward Medical University (KEMC) Pro Vice-Chancellor Asad Aslam said two doctors of Mayo Hospital - Muhammad Javed and Hafiz Muhammad Adnan - went missing on March 14. Both doctors were returning home after their night duty.

Both doctors are graduates of KEMU and belong to south Punjab. A "kidnapping" case has been registered against unidentified men with the Lahore police.

Two doctors are being held by the Counter Terrorism Department, Express Tribune reported, citing police sources



Jam Muhammad Rizwan, brother of Adnan, told police his brother was abducted when he left for home on March 14.

"No one from the government is helping us to trace both doctors. Since they work in the public sector hospital it is the duty of the government to ensure their safe recovery," he said.

Sources said that both doctors have been picked up by the intelligence agencies for their alleged links with a banned religious organisation. However, the name of the organisation is not known.

"They are being interrogated for their connection with the organisation which has waged war against the law enforcement agencies in the country," the sources said, adding both doctors might be presented before police for registration of FIR in case their alleged link to the outfit is established.

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A former Bangladeshi-origin murder suspect who was radicalised in a British prison is believed to have gone to Syria to join the Islamic State.

Shahan Choudhry was also joined by his wife and three young children in the war zone after they left their London flat last year, according to a media report.

Choudhury first came to the attention of British police in 2005 when he was charged with the murder of Karl Hamilton, a 17-year-old hospital worker.

Then 18, Choudhury was accused of being part of a gang of Asian youths who clashed with Hamilton and his friends over an alleged 15-pound drug debt, 'The Sunday Times' reported.

Choudhury, also known as "Spadey", was acquitted at the Old Bailey court in London in 2007.

But his family believe he was "brainwashed" by Islamist extremists during the 18 months he spent awaiting trial on remand at Belmarsh maximum security prison in south-east London.

"He was just like any other western kid when he went in but by the time he came out he was going on about religion and how the non-believers would all end up in the hellfire," a relative told the newspaper.

Choudhury, now 30, is thought to have travelled to Syria towards the end of 2015.

His 26-year-old wife Mehak is expected to have followed him in early 2016 with their two daughters, aged about four and two, and their baby son.

The family disappeared overnight, leaving all their possessions at the flat, according to their landlady.

Choudhury is the latest Briton to come to light as a follower of UK-based radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary, currently in jail for attracting support for ISIS after avoiding prosecution for almost two decades.

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The UK government is overhauling its rape laws to allow alleged rape victims to pre-record their evidence and spare them from cross-examination in open court.

UK justice secretary Liz Truss said that such schemes of pre-recording testimony before the trial piloted in three cities showed they led to a higher level of "early guilty pleas".

The plans could come into force as early as September this year.

"It reduces the level of trauma for the victim. I want to see that being the standard offer in those cases and that will give more victims confidence to come forward," Truss was quoted as saying by the Sunday Times.

Under the new regulations, victims and vulnerable witnesses would be able to give evidence "in a room in the court where it's much less intimidating, where there are ground rules set by the judge," Truss said.

She said the pre-recorded interviews will also provide "much clearer ground rules" to counsel.

Judges will be able to limit the length of the cross-examination during such testimony to avoid victims having to testify for days on end and will determine the types of questions that can be asked.

Truss noted: "At the moment prior sexual history can only be asked about in exceptional circumstances, but sometimes questions can be asked that verge on that territory. If a question is asked that is inadmissable, that can be cut out of the tape by the judge."



Pre-recorded evidence is already being launched for child sex cases in the UK.

The justice minister also announced a crackdown on paedophiles grooming children on social media with a new offence of "sexual communication with a child".

Those convicted will automatically go on the sex offender register and face up to two years in jail.

Truss will officially outline both plans on Monday, when MPs are scheduled to vote on the second reading of the Prisons and Courts Bill in the House of Commons.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 36-year-old "mentally ill" man in the US has live-streamed his own death on Facebook when a police officer shot him during a traffic stop.

Rodney James Hess was streaming on Facebook Live when he was shot on Thursday, his family said in their own Facebook posting.

He was stopped by police in Alamo, Tennessee and was killed as his fiancee watched on helplessly online.

Hess was shot after Crockett County sheriff's deputies approached his vehicle because it was parked at a perpendicular angle along Highway 412 near the west Tennessee town of Alamo, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesman Josh DeVine said in a statement.

Officers reported that Hess refused officer commands, made erratic statements and tried to strike officers at least twice with his vehicle, DeVine said.

"During the escalation of events, at least one Crockett County deputy fired his service weapon through the front windshield of the vehicle driven by Hess, striking him," DeVine said.

"At this time, we do not believe Hess used a firearm in connection to this incident."



Hess' video shows officers standing near the car and he can be heard saying, "I would like the higher commands to come out."



"I found out as it was happening. I was at work and my aunt called me and was like, 'Rodney is in trouble.' He was on Facebook and I logged on and I watched it," his fiancee, Johnisha Provost, said.

"He just suffered from mental illness and people need to be aware of how to deal with mental illness. They could have just shot his tyres out or they could have handled it differently. They didn't have to kill him," she said.

The video image became jerky and captured sounds of a commotion and a loud, sharp sound, followed by a man screaming. The video showed the interior of a vehicle and passing scenery until a crashing sound occurs, CNN reported.

The shooting is currently being investigated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a sprawling banquet hall, Ahmed Rehab walked to a lectern facing a glittering group of diners and launched into a searing speech excoriating the Donald Trump administration.

"This fight is not just our fight, it is America's fight," Rehab told the packed room of 1,200 attendees - mostly American Muslims at a fundraiser for the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which Rehab heads.

"As you look at those who are trying to ban good people from coming to this country," Rehab continued, "people who've committed no crime whatsoever other than in their minds the crime of being Muslim... We will have none of it."



The room broke into applause.

The president's efforts to institute a ban on travelers from certain Muslim-majority countries have been met with a strong response from Muslim Americans and their supporters.

But there is also fear that Islamophobia is on the rise, and that the Trump administration may still target Muslims.

"There's a real dread of what's coming next, what's going to happen, who will be targeted," said Louise Cainkar, president of the Arab American Studies Association, and author of a book that examined how Arab and Muslim Americans were affected by policies following the September 11 attacks.

"There's a sense that they're going to once again go after civic organizations, possibly surveil mosques, things that have been done in the past," she said.

What is different now, she said, is that Muslim and Arab groups have established ties with other communities -- and demonstrations against Trump's rhetoric now draw a mix of people from various faiths and backgrounds.

"This is new, and this is really energizing people," she said.

At the banquet hall, those listening to Rehab's speech had mixed reactions -- some concerned, others optimistic because of the sense of cooperation with outside groups.

"My kids are all American citizens," explained Fraheen Hashmi, a 36-year-old pharmacist with four young children.

"It's just scary to raise them in this environment," she said, worried that they might grow up embarrassed of their heritage or afraid to identify as Muslim.

Zayna Saadeh was worried, too. The 59-year-old Palestinian immigrant has lived in the United States for 40 years. But now, she keeps the front door of her clothing store locked for fear of xenophobic attacks. She unlocks only when someone rings the doorbell.

"We're not stranger(s)," in the United States she said, but"that's how we feel a lot of times right now."



Advocacy groups have reported a sharp rise in hate crimes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 27-year-old woman from Mumbra here allegedly killed her four-year-old daughter before committing suicide today, police said.

Shirin Hanik Khan pushed her daughter Amrin and son Taukif (7) from the 15th floor of a Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) building, a senior police official of Shil-Daighar police station said.

Later Shirin jumped from the building located in Rashid Compound. The woman along with her children went to the building on the pretext of looking for a new flat, he said.

While Shirin and Amrin died on the spot, Taukif sustained injuries and was rushed to a hospital, the officer added.

Prima facie, frequent quarrels with her husband is the reason for Shirin taking the extreme step, police said, adding a case was registered.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Zimbabwe government is planning to establish a "direct link" with India for diamond trading without third party involvement, it said today.

"Both India and Zimbabwe want a direct trade in diamonds without involving any third party. India has been importing diamonds mined in our country via third party till now. A direct link will create a seamless supply chain, which will boost the industry further in both the countries," Zimbabwe Minister of Mines and Mine Development Walter Chidakwa said.

Chidakwa was speaking to PTI at the International Diamond Conference here.

He met the Union Minister of State for Mines Piyush Goyal who shared similar ideas and assured of complete support, Chidakwa said.

"We have a message to the Indian companies that there has been a lull (in diamond supply from Zimbabwe) but very soon we will be back in the market and will be able to sell the diamonds," he said.

Zimbabwe will require skilled manpower to increase diamond manufacturing and will need India's support, Chidakwa said.

"I will soon meet with India's minister for skill development and entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy and discuss how India can contribute in skill development in the diamond sector, which will help in creating employment in Zimbabwe," Chidakwa said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Adani Enterprises said it would finalise an investment decision by June for its in the northern Australian state of Queensland, which has been delayed due to protests from environmental groups.

For more than five years, Adani has battled opposition from green groups who fear the project will produce so much coal for export to India that it will require a mega-port expansion into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

While Adani, a business group with interests in power and ports, has said the project would not threaten the reef and has secured most major state and federal government approvals, it still faces several court challenges.

Raising funds has also been tough given the sensitivities of lending to a controversial project.

However, the group's chairman, Gautam Adani, expressed optimism the project would proceed and said the board would take a final decision on investments in May or June, including structure and planned funding.

He was speaking during an interaction with a group of reporters in Mumbai and was accompanied by Queensland premier Anastasia Palaszczuk who was in the country to visit Adani's port and solar facilities

"Definitely," Adani said, when asked if he was confident the project would go ahead. "Our internal planning is 2020 ...(for) first coal to come out," Adani added, noting construction could begin within three months of the board's decision.

Palaszczuk said the Carmichael project had the full support of her government and that she did not see any obstacles in Adani securing final approval from Australia.

Funding

Analysts have raised doubts about whether Adani can fund what would be Australia's biggest coal mine given the opposition from green groups and a slump in coal prices. Some banks, including Deutsche Bank and Commonwealth Bank of Australia, have said they will not provide funding.

But Adani said he was not concerned.

The company has shrunk the project and is now targeting an annual output of 25 million tonnes in the first phase, which could save costs, Adani said. Production will eventually be expanded to the planned 40 million tonnes, he added.

Of the $4 billion required for the first phase, Adani will have to raise about $2.5 billion in debt, he said. The company says it has already invested $3.3 billion in the project.

Adani is hoping to get $800 million to $900 million from Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility and is counting on funding from export credit agencies in China or South Korea. It plans go to commercial banks for any short-fall.

"Banks have been misled by some of the environmental groups and that was a main issue," Adani said.

The project still faces strong opposition, with a group of high-profile Australians recently saying they will "fight tooth and nail" against Adani's plans.

However, Palaszczuk said the Adani project was crucial for jobs in Queensland.

"I've got such a situation in regional Queensland where people are hurting, families are hurting, because they don't have employment with the downturn in the resources sector," she said. "So, I need this project for Queensland."
For and Pepsi, summer has always been a season of plenty. As temperatures shoot up, so do advertising budgets and brand launches. However this year, the plans have received a setback in the South, primarily Tamil Nadu, where sales are down because of a traders boycott. While the full impact on final sales numbers is still not known, a number of small homegrown brands say their sales have doubled since the beginning of the month and they have lined up new launches and promotional schemes to cash in on the emerging opportunity. They are also raising production capacities to make the most of the summer months.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday underlined a zero tolerance policy towards law and order issues, even as he sought to assuage the concerns among a section of minorities over his perceptible Hindu hardline image.
The Cabinet on Monday may take up for approval the supporting GST legislations, which will then be introduced in Parliament as the government sprints to meet the July 1 target date for rollout of the new indirect tax regime.

A set of four supporting legislations -- the Compensation Law, the Central-GST or C-GST, Integrated-GST or I-GST and Union Territory-GST or UT-GST -- are likely to together go to the Cabinet for approval.

Sources said the Cabinet meeting has been called for Monday morning and the agenda list may not be very long.

The GST Council, in its previous two meetings, had given approval to the four legislations as also the State-GST (S-GST) bill. While the S-GST has to be passed by each of the state legislative assemblies, the other four laws have to be approved by Parliament.

Once approved, levy of Goods and Services Tax (GST) will get legal backing.

The government is hoping the C-GST, I-GST, UT-GST and the GST Compensation laws will be approved in the current session of Parliament and the S-GST by each of the state legislatures soon to help roll out the new indirect tax regime from July 1.

While a composite GST will be levied on sale of goods or rendering of services after the new indirect tax regime is rolled out, the revenue would be split between Centre and states in almost equal proportion.

This because central taxes like excise and service tax and state levies like VAT will be subsumed in the GST.

While the C-GST will give powers to the Centre to levy GST on goods and services after Union levies like excise and service tax are subsumed, the I-GST is to be levied on inter-state supplies.

The S-GST will allow states to levy the tax after VAT and other state levies are subsumed in the GST. The UT-GST will also go to Parliament for approval.

Sources said the Council has already finalised a four-tier tax structure of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent, but the model GST law has kept the peak rate at 40 per cent (20 per cent to be levied by the Centre and an equal amount by states) to obviate the need for approaching Parliament for any change in rates in future.

Similarly, the cess to be levied on top of peak rate on selected demerit goods like luxury cars for creation of a corpus that will be used for compensating states for any loss of revenue from GST implementation in the first five years, has been capped at 15 per cent.

Sources said the government may attempt for all the four laws to be taken up for approval in Parliament together during the ongoing Budget session that ends on April 12.
The government is weighing the option of permitting overseas retailers to open stores for selling Made in India products only as it looks to relax the norms for multi-brand retail for attracting more funds and generating more jobs.

Sources said the government is considering permitting foreign supermarket players to open retail stores but only for sale of Made in India products. Although the current foreign direct investment policy permits overseas players to hold 51 per cent stake in an Indian retail company, the BJP in its election manifesto had opposed foreign investment in the retail segment. So far, only one foreign player, Tesco, has received approval for opening stores under the multi-brand retail policy. The previous UPA government had cleared the proposal.

The FDI policy also imposes several conditions for foreign players like mandatory sourcing of goods from MSMEs and a certain percentage of investment in the back-end infrastructure. These conditions have acted as constraints for foreign retailers. However, if they would be allowed to retail Made in India goods in the country, these mandatory rules may not be imposed on them, sources added. Opening the retail sector, the government last year permitted 100 per cent FDI in domestic trading of food products.

Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has recently indicated that the government is actively considering a proposal to allow FDI in non-food items, along with food products, under the multi-brand retail policy and a decision may be taken ahead of the mega world food event here in November. The move assume significance as the government is also expected to announce relaxations in the FDI policy in more sectors, including single brand retail.

The easing of the policy will be on the lines of the announcements made by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Budget for 2017-18.

The government last year relaxed FDI norms in over a dozen sectors, including defence, civil aviation, construction and development, private security agencies, real estate and news broadcasting.

The government is also considering a proposal to increase FDI limit in print media to 49 per cent from 26 per cent.

Besides, a proposal to allow 100 per cent FDI through automatic route in single brand retail is also under consideration with a view to attracting more global players.

Foreign investments are considered crucial for India, which needs around USD 1 trillion to overhaul its infrastructure such as ports, airports and highways to boost growth.

Foreign investments will help improve the countrys balance of payments situation and strengthen the value of the rupee against global currencies, especially the US dollar.

FDI inflows into India firmed up by 22 per cent to USD 35.85 billion during April-December 2016.


A few brief excerpts from a note today by Goldman Sachs economist Daan Struyven: Balance Sheet Runoff: Sooner, Slower, Safer



The debate within the FOMC about balance sheet normalization is now underway. Fed officials have two basic choices. They can rely exclusively on the funds rate for now and leave balance sheet decisions to the new leadership team in 2018, or they can combine ongoing funds rate hikes with a turn to balance sheet runoff later this year.

...

A ... practical case for early balance sheet normalization is based on the upcoming Fed leadership transition. If the new appointmentsespecially the new Chairare thought to favor aggressive balance sheet normalization, perhaps even including asset sales ... financial markets might experience heightened uncertainty during the transition. ...



The current FOMC could reduce that uncertainty by establishing an early baseline path for very gradual balance sheet rundown. Committee decisions are subject to change, of course, but markets would probably take comfort from the fact that most FOMC members will remain in their positions and that it is harder for the new leadership to radically change a policy that is already in place than to devise a new one. We therefore expect the committee to announce gradual tapering of reinvestments in December 2017, while holding the funds rate unchanged at that meeting.

CR Note: This might depend on who is the next Fed Chair. Fed Chair Janet Yellen's term expires in Feb 2018 and the smart choice would be to reappoint her to another term (Like Reagan reappointing Democrat Volcker in 1983, Clinton reappointing Republican Greenspan, and Obama reappointing Republican Bernanke).
Bamenda: Security Forces carrying out arrests W. Musa

A mixed control comprising Army, Police and Gendarmes have arrested dozens of youths without Identity cards in some neighborhoods in Bamenda at the weekend.

The massive arrest began early Saturday March 18, 2017 when security forces blocked major roads leading to travelers, New Church Azire and Metta Quarters. They demanded everyone passing by to present his or her identity card or be arrested.

Several Motor Bike riders who did not move along with their Identity Cards were simply apprehended.

No single Motor Bike riders could cross the line without being interrogated by security forces.

They also moved from house to house, compound to compound and neighborhood to neighborhood asking those asking several questions to those they find on their way.

As a result several persons preferred to stay at home than go out and be arrested.

Mobile phones were also been checked by the security forces without telling the owners why the operation but observers hold that these areas have been noted for its resistance in the crisis ongoing in the two English speaking regions and that an area like Metta Quarters is always ready to resist violence by security especially last January 13, 2017 when sounds of locally made guns were heard in the area as security shot four persons on their legs when dialogue between Government and trade Union leaders lasted late in the night.

By Wilson MUSA
| BY Kim Shaw |

Join Campaign Brief at AdFest next week for Sunset Drinks overlooking the magnificent views at the Royal Cliff Hotel in Pattaya, Thailand. We are again joining with The Sweet Shop, Fin Design + Effects and The Gunnery to though put on a sunset drinks party late afternoon on Friday March 24th just before the first AdFest awards presentation.
In education, he dramatically increased federal funding to private schools ,which they largely spent on non-educational luxuries. He starved public schools. The result is the worsening scores Australia gets on national and international testing. Again, it has been difficult to unwind because of the demand that "no school should be worse off", which Julia Gillard was forced to accede to.
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 ...
Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam Peoples Army Phan Van Giang

and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Army (RCA) Pol Saroeun

(Photo: VNA)



At the talks, Pol Saroeun stressed the importance of the Vietnamese guests visit to the implementation of cooperation agreements between the RCA High Command and the VPA General Staff, consolidating the role of defence engagements as a pillar of bilateral relations.



For his part, Phan Van Giang reiterated that Vietnam prioritises the enhancement of friendship and comprehensive cooperation with other countries, especially those sharing long-time friendship and a borderline with Vietnam like Cambodia.



Both sides took note of sound collaboration between the two armies, particularly in delegation exchange, personnel training, border safeguard, and the repatriation of remains of Vietnamese soldiers, who died in Cambodia during wartime.



They agreed to fully and effectively implement the contents of bilateral agreements sealed by high-ranking leaders, for mutual understanding, peace and security.



After their talks, the two officers attended the inauguration ceremony of the RCAs office building, which was built within the framework of Vietnamese and Cambodian armies cooperation.



A day earlier, the Chief of the VPA General Staff and his delegation had a meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen, who affirmed the Cambodian Government will offer all conditions needed for the two armies to carry out their joint work in all fields.



Also on March 17th, the Vietnamese delegation met with Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tea Banh.



Highlighting the necessity for increased cooperation between the two armies, particularly in information exchange, personnel training and joint patrol along the border, Tea Banh pledged to create favourable conditions for those affiliations based on agreement between the two defence ministries.



Giang noted that Cambodia is the first country he visits after taking office as Chief of the VPA General Staff, which demonstrates his respect and commitment to boosting multifaceted engagements between the two armies.



As part of his visit to Cambodia from March 17th to 20th, Giang will visit the Vietnam-Cambodia friendship monument in Phnom Penh, the Vietnamese Embassy and some Cambodian military units./.
Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong (Source: AP)

Vietnam and Singapore established diplomatic ties on August 1st, 1973, and bilateral ties have been thriving especially since Vietnam became a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995.



The two countries signed a Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Cooperation Framework in the 21st Century in 2004, creating a legal foundation and optimal conditions to promote their all-around friendship and cooperation,



On the occasion of PM Lees visit to Vietnam in September 2013 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, both sides issued a Joint Statement on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership.



Over the past years, the Vietnam-Singapore strategic partnership has been going forward in a practical and trustworthy manner with regular exchange of visits by delegations at all levels and extended cooperation via Party, State, National Assembly and government channels. Bilateral links across the fields of economy-trade and investment, national defence-security, education-training, transport, tourism, finance and law have flourished.



Since 1996, Singapore has been one of the three largest partners of Vietnam. The island state is Vietnams third largest trade partner in ASEAN and the sixth largest in the world.



Two-way trade hit USD7.1 billion last year, with major traded products being petrol and oils, computer, electronics and spare parts, and mobile phones. Additionally, Vietnam ships fisheries, coffee, pepper and vegetables to Singapore.



Singapores direct investment in Vietnam has kept going up since 1998, now totaling USD39 billion, making the island state the third largest investor among 101 countries and territories in Vietnam



Singapores investment is mostly in real estate, processing industry, engineering and construction, with the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) considered a symbol of Singapore investment efficiency.



The two countries have been organising trade ministerial-level meetings every 8 months and alternately in each country under their Framework Agreement on Vietnam-Singapore Connectivity signed on December 6, 2005 in Singapore. So far, they have convened 12 meetings, with the latest one held in Singapore last September.



The two countries State banks have worked closely together via regular exchange of visits to share information and experience. Singapore actively offers technical support and personnel training to Vietnam, and wants to join the finance-banking restructure in Vietnam.



Affiliation in aviation, maritime navigation and road transport also expanded, evidenced by the launch of direct flights linking Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Phu Quoc with Singapore. Both sides shared their master plans on seaport development and agreed to jointly build and manage Thi Vai seaport in the southern province of Ba Ria  Vung Tau.



In April 2017, Vietnam and Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Education Cooperation. The Singaporean government annually offers university scholarships to Vietnamese students. The two countries also signed agreements on a training programme in Singapore for mid and high-ranking Vietnamese Party officials for 2011-2013 and a specialised training programme for high-ranking Vietnamese Party officials for 2013-2015 and 2016-2017.



In 2014, Singapore became the fifth most popular study destination for Vietnamese students with nearly 8,500 Vietnamese students.



In cultural field, the two nations mainly partner within the framework of the ASEAN Committee for Culture and Information (ASEAN  COCI). Singapore is Vietnams significant tourist market and also a popular destination for Vietnamese travellers. The Vietnam-Singapore Tourism Cooperation Joint Committee has so far convened 14 sessions, with the most recent one being held in the Central Highlands city of Da Lat in May 2016.



Last year, Vietnam welcomed 257,014 visitors from Singapore, up 8.7 percent annually while nearly 470,000 Vietnamese visited the island state, marking a 12 percent increase. Since 2006, bilateral tourism coordination has been added to the framework of the two economies connectivity.



In March 2008, the two justice ministers signed an MoU on Legal and Judicial Cooperation. Both sides worked closely together at multilateral and global forums such as ASEAN, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and the United Nations.



Singapore is actively assisting Vietnam in building the agenda for the APEC 2017.



The two countries have actively cooperated, shared opinions and protected ASEANs common stance on strategic security in the region, including the East Sea issue./.
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XLRI- Xavier School of Management, a B-School, is going to hold its 61st Annual Convocation on 25th March, 2017.

XLRI Graduation Day Agenda

On graduation day, 606 XLRI students will receive their graduating certificates and medals including

358 students of Postgraduate Programmes in Management - BM and HRM

117 students of 15-months PGDM (General Management) Programme

11 students of Fellow Program in Management (FPM) from Jamshedpur Campus

56 students of 2014-2017 batch of PGDM-BM Programme (Evening)

29 students of 2013 -2016 batch of PGDM-BM Programme (Dubai) and

17 students of 2014 - 2017 batch of PGDM-BM Programme (Dubai)

18 Indian students of the third batch (2015- 17) of the Global MBA Programme by XLRI in partnership with Weatherhead School of Management, USA and School of Economics & Management of Tongji University Shanghai, China

Besides certificate and medal from their home school - XLRI they will also be awarded a joint certification from the 3-schools' consortium on the occasion.

XLRI Convocation

Speaking about this occasion Fr. E Abraham S.J., Director, XLRI said, "Convocation is considered the most significant event in the academic year for every student, faculty, and staff as it is the culmination of all the efforts put in by an individual during their time at the campus. This year is an important milestone for us at XLRI as we celebrate the 61st Convocation of our institution".

Mr. T. V. Narendran, Chairman, Board of Governors at XLRI & MD - Tata Steel India and South East Asia said, "For over six decades XLRI has steadfastly held on to its mission of proffering world-class education across various management-centric programs. XLRI diligently strives to create a value-based and ethics driven teaching and learning environment whilst underscoring the need for all- round development. This emphasis on inculcating certain core- values is what sets XLRI apart from other B-schools in the country."

Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal

This year XLRI would confer the prestigious 'Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal for Industrial and Social Peace' to Mr. Adi Godrej, Chairman, The Godrej Group. He will also deliver the convocation address to the graduating students at the event.

Father Abraham, Director, XLRI further added, "We are immensely happy to present this year's 'Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal for Social and Industrial Peace' to Adi Godrej, Chairman of The Godrej Group."

About Awardee Adi Godrej

Adi Godrej has been president of several Indian trade and industrial bodies and educational institutions. He is Chairman of the Board of the Indian School of Business, and past President of the Confederation of Indian Industry. He has been a member of the Dean's Advisory Council of the MIT Sloan School of Management, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, and a member of the Wharton Asian Executive Board. Mr. Godrej is also a patron of the Himalayan Club.

He is the recipient of several awards and recognitions, including the Rajiv Gandhi Award 2002, the American India Foundation (AIF) Leadership in Philanthropy Award 2010, the Entrepreneur of the Year at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2010, the Best Businessman of the Year for the GQ Men of the Year Awards 2010, Chemexcil's Lifetime Achievement Award 2010, the AIMA - JRD Tata Corporate Leadership Award 2010, the Bombay Management Association - Management Man of the Year Award 2010-2011, the Qimpro Platinum Standard Award for Business in 2011, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2012, the Padma Bhushan 2012, the Asian Awards Entrepreneur of the Year 2013, the All India Management Association - Business Leader of the Year 2015 and the Golden Peacock Lifetime Achievement Award for Ethical Leadership 2016.

About XLRI:

XLRI-Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur is a premier, private management institute in India founded in 1949 by Fr Quinn Enright, S.J. in the 'steel city' of Jamshedpur (www.xlri.ac.in). Over the last six decades, the institute has grown into a top-ranking business management school of international repute with a wide portfolio of management programs and research publications.

Its alumni are spread around the globe and have demonstrated responsible business leadership in their organizations. XLRI continually strives to contribute its mite to the professional growth and management of numerous organizations and institutions across industry sectors. XLRI has been awarded two prestigious International Accreditations, viz., AACSB - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and AMBA - Association of MBAs. XLRI has also earned the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) accreditation.

XLRI Hosts Entrepreneurship Conference: Interactive Sessions Held
Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc at the event (Photo: VNA)

Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc made the statement at a ceremony in Hanoi on March 17th to mark the International Francophone Day (March 20th), which was jointly held by the Foreign Ministry and the OIF.



Speaking highly of the stellar achievements made by the Francophone community in tackling global challenges like security and development, Ngoc affirmed that Vietnam will continue to work hard to consolidate solidarity and collaboration among the community for global peace, stability and sustainable development.



Vietnam will be a bridge to promote the French language in the Asia-Pacific, Ngoc added.



For his part, OIF Director for the Asia-Pacific Eric Normand Thibeault expressed his delight at the sound collaboration between Vietnam and the OIF in 2016, particularly in politics, which is reflected in the Vietnam visit by the OIF Secretary General and President Tran Dai Quangs attendance of the 16th Francophone Summit in Madagascar during the year.



He asserted that the OIF attaches importance to cooperation projects with Vietnam, especially those on teaching the French language and teaching in French, promoting culture diversification, applying digital technology, preparing for Vietnams participation in the UNs peace-keeping force and responding to climate change.



At the event, Nguyen Khanh Huyen, a lecturer of Hanoi Architecture University, and Ho Thi Minh Trang from Da Nang were presented with awards for their contributions to promote collaboration relations between Vietnam and the OIF.



Vietnam was among founding countries of the OIF in 1970. Over the years, the OIF has maintained active cooperation with Vietnam including the exchange of training and technical expertise in a number of fields.



French is spoken by 274 million people in 80 countries across the world. Vietnam is home to the biggest number of French-speaking people (674,000) in Asia./.
Remember that elegant sedan concept that Pininfarina unveiled a couple of weeks ago in Geneva? Well it turns out its heading for production.



The sedan in question is the H600, styled by the famed Italian design house for the Hong Kong-based Hybrid Kinetic Group. The company was founded by Yung Benjamin Yeung  the same man behind Chinese automaker Brilliance  who is now taking aim square at Tesla and its Model S.

Underneath its stunning design, the H600 boasts a hybrid powertrain that  like Jaguars aborted C-X75 concept  incorporates a microturbine engine, in this case acting as a range-extender. The powertrain is said to produce upwards of 800 horsepower, which struck us as rather ambitious at the time of its unveiling, but well be interested to see how it pans out.

Previous plans (under the name HK Motors) for a plant in Alabama fell through, but HK has regrouped, and aims to launch the H600 in the United States and China by the end of this decade.

A lot of Chinese companies overpromise and underdeliver. Were going to be the opposite, spokesman Carter Yeung told Automotive News. Were always going to make mistakes. Its how you recover from those that defines how this company will be run in the future.

Following initial trial production at Pininfarinas facilty in Italy, production is now slated to take place in China. HK reportedly plans to build over 200,000 of them within 5-10 years, and has other plans in store as well. Look for two more models to be revealed at the Shanghai Auto Show next month.

Photo Gallery
Police from the Union Country Sheriffs Office in North Carolina are searching for two people who stole a Ford Shelby Mustang GT350R from a dealership.



On March 5, two thieves broke into the Crossroads Ford dealership and managed to gain access to the GT350R in the showroom.

CCTV footage then shows them driving through two doors into the service area of the dealership before stopping and searching for a number of minutes attempting to open up the service bay doors. They were unable to and eventually decided to drive straight through one of the doors.

Police ended up locating the car on March 13 at a nearby business.

WSOCTV reports that the Mustang in question was valued at ore than $100,000 and if true, that means it had s significant dealer markup.

VIDEO
The A-10 Thunderbolt isnt the newest jet in the US Air Force inventory. Its not the fastest, the flashiest, or the most expensive. It cant break the sound barrier, and it has no stealth capabilities. But it is very good at one thing: destroying things on the ground.



Commonly known as the Warthog, the A-10 packs a mighty punch. Its armored, incorporates a giant 30-millimeter Gatling gun (capable of firing 3,900 rounds per minute), and can support a huge payload of air-to-surface missiles. And despite its heavy weight, it can take off from relatively short airstrips.

Those qualities make it an indispensable tool in the US arsenal. Just see what it can do in this video. Captured at the Saylor Creek Training Range in Owyhee County, Idaho, it shows a Warthog doing what it does best  in this case, annihilating a Humvee, shorthand for the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) that civilians would know better as the AM General Hummer.

Fortunately this particular Humvee is remote-operated with no personnel on board to be harmed in the exercise. But it goes to show just what the Warthog can do with that giant cannon in the nose  and why the A-10 isnt likely to be retired any time soon, even after 45 years now in service.

Video
Photo: The Canadian Press

One of the most hardline sovereigntists in Quebec's legislature was crowned leader of the federal Bloc Quebecois on Saturday after no other candidates emerged to oppose her.

Martine Ouellet is a former Parti Quebecois cabinet minister who now sits in Quebec's legislature as an independent.

She wasted no time going after Justin Trudeau, telling a rally Saturday that the prime minister is a friend of the oil companies.

She also reiterated her commitment to Quebec's independence.

"Our adversaries say we're closed, but it's exactly the opposite," she said. "It's because we're open to the planet that we want to become a country."

The only other potential candidate in the race, Felix Pinel, said earlier this week that he hadn't collected enough signatures to run.

Ouellet, 47, ran twice to become Parti Quebecois leader, and finished third in the most recent leadership race in 2016.

In that race she was the only candidate who promised to hold a sovereignty referendum in a first mandate if elected premier.

She has said she plans to keep her seat in Quebec's legislature while serving as Bloc leader until her mandate is up in 2018.

On Saturday, Ouellet promised to protect Quebec's environment and fight to end tax havens and the exodus of company headquarters from the province.

She also said she would fight the Energy East pipeline, which she called "the worst threat to fresh water in Quebec."

The Bloc Quebecois holds 10 seats in the House of Commons.

Rheal Fortin has been interim leader since Gilles Duceppe resigned after he failed to win a seat in the last federal election.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Former MP Jason Kenney won the leadership of Alberta's Progressive Conservatives in a decisive first ballot victory Saturday on a promise to dissolve the storied party and revitalize the fragmented conservative movement.

"Today we have chosen unity. Today, it's springtime in Alberta!" Kenney proclaimed.

Supporters roared, cheered, chanted "Jason" and clouds of orange, white, and blue balloons floated down from the ceiling.

"Today this great party has acted with courage and vision to, in the words of (former PC premier) Ralph Klein, stop arguing about history and instead to make history," Kenney said.

Kenney promised that as premier he will take a wrecking ball to all the policies of Premier Rachel Notley's governing NDP, starting with the carbon tax on gasoline and home heating bills.

"Today is the beginning of the end of this disastrous socialist government," said Kenney.

"We have decided to ensure the defeat of this tax-hiking, job-killing, debt-loving, mean-spirited, incompetent NDP government."

Kenney, 48, captured 75 per cent  or 1,113  of 1,476 votes cast in the party's first delegated convention since 1985.

Richard Starke, a sitting PC legislature member, was second with 323 votes. Longtime party member Byron Nelson was a distant third, with 40 votes.

Kenney will now begin the next phase of his unite-the-right campaign by seeking a deal with the Wildrose party to join forces under a new conservative banner.

Under Alberta rules, political parties cannot merge. Rather, they must fold up shop and surrender their assets before seeking to create a new party.

Wildrose party Leader Brian Jean has said he's open to meeting with the new PC leader Monday, but has stressed that any new conservative party will be created under a Wildrose legal framework, with the approval of Wildrose members.

Jean congratulated Kenney in a statement Saturday evening.

"Wildrose has its dancing shoes on when it comes to creating a single, principled, consolidated, conservative movement," he said.

Kenney has stressed unity is necessary to avoid the vote splitting he says led to the majority win by Notley's NDP in 2015. Notley's win brought to an end four decades of PC rule in the province.

Unification with the Wildrose dominated the leadership race from the time last July when Kenney first pitched the plan. The Wildrose was created over a decade ago from disaffected right-wing voters, libertarians and Progressive Conservatives unhappy with what they perceived as a party that had stopped listening to the grassroots and had abandoned the tenets of fiscal conservatism.

The issue cleaved the party. Kenney's critics fear he will abandon the PC's centrist approach on social issues to embrace the social conservatism of the Wildrose.

Delegates booed Starke during his speech earlier Saturday when he warned that a merger with the Wildrose could tar the PCs with the label of intolerance toward women and minorities.

Both Starke and Nelson said they will stay on to move the party in the right direction.

"I'll be telling (Kenney) that Albertans expect to see a centrist, progressive conservative values (party) whether we call it that or something else," said Starke.

"We go forward now as conservatives together," added Nelson. "I will support (Kenney) in any way he wants."

The NDP immediately reached out to progressive voters on Twitter after Kenney's win.

"Progressives looking for a modern and moderate party? Welcome," the party said. "Join us."

For Kenney, unity is a road map with no road. There is no provision in the PC constitution to dissolve itself and the leader is just one vote on the party's board of directors.

The PCs and Wildrose, should they join forces, would have just two years to create constituency associations and field candidates in time for the next election, set for the spring of 2019.

Party president Katherine O'Neill said the board will meet Sunday to discuss the next steps on Kenney's plan.

"Our membership spoke very clearly today," said O'Neill.

"We have to work with this, and I'm looking forward to doing it."

Economic Development Minister Deron Bilous, at the convention to represent the governing NDP, said if Kenney wants to ratchet back spending, he needs to specify to Albertans which projects and programs he'll cut.
Photo: CTV

A victim of a Vancouver stabbing spree is sharing his story.

For Keenan Moore, the morning of March 2 seemed to be going normally.

He had no idea that it would be his last day of work for at least six months, or that his insurance wouldnt provide enough coverage for him and his family to live on during that time.

There was no indication that this fellow was going to attack me, he recalls. There was none. Because if I had an inkling like that, theres no way I wouldve turned my back on this fellow."

Moore was just starting his work day as a bank courier when he became the first victim of what turned out to be a seemingly random stabbing spree across the city.

There were four separate incidents along Vancouvers Broadway corridor, all believed to have been perpetrated by the same 33-year-old man, who police say had no known connection to the victims.

Moore was stabbed multiple times with a butchers knife, suffering deep wounds to the back of his head and right hand.

He was left bleeding on the sidewalk near the intersection of Broadway and Cambie Street, where good Samaritansincluding a doctortended to him until paramedics arrived.

After the incident, he soon learned that his problems were not over. He will be unable to work for months, at least, and he is only eligible for minimal workers compensation in the meantime. .

A family member has set up a crowdfunding page to help cover costs for the couple and their two teenage daughtersone of whom has disabilitiesduring Moores recovery process.

The 33-year-old suspect in the stabbing spree remains in custody and is facing assault charges.

With files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: The Canadian Press

Servers clad in short skirts and stilettos could soon be a thing of the past, as British Columbia and Ontario take steps to ditch sexualized dress codes. But women in other industries can face unwritten expectations of lipstick and heels, say workplace equality experts.

Researchers and human rights lawyers say a broader discussion is needed of the pressures faced by women to spend more time and money on their looks than men. Gender stereotypes can permeate all kinds of workplaces, including when it comes to physical appearance, they say.

"Women can be judged more harshly due to these pervasive stereotypes," said Julie Nugent, vice-president and centre leader at the Catalyst Research Centre for Corporate Practice. "When you think about dress and physical appearance, women face higher standards in a lot of cases than men."

Nugent said women leaders are often subject to what's known as the "Goldilocks syndrome," where they're perceived as either too tough or too soft, but never "just right." This also affects expectations for how women dress, in which their looks are scrutinized more than men's, she said.

"Sometimes that (focus on appearance) could even take away from a woman's abilities or her leadership style," she said. "That can be sort of white noise in the background."

B.C. Premier Christy Clark recently voiced support for a private member's bill that would have banned mandatory high heels in the workplace. But rather than pass the bill, her government is looking for the most "effective way" to make the fix, which could include changes to regulations.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission put forward a policy position last year making it clear that requiring female staff to wear high heels, low-cut tops or short skirts could violate the human rights code.

But in the U.K., the issue has also been debated in the context of professional workplaces. British lawmakers condemned sexist dress codes after Nicola Thorp complained that her employment agency required "regularly reapplied" make-up and shoes with at least a five-centimetre heel while she was working at a finance firm.

Renu Mandhane, chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, said the issue comes up most often in restaurants and bars.

"Often, when you're talking about offices and businesses, it's more about the implied expectation, rather than a formalized dress code," she said.

Diane Craig, president and founder of Corporate Class, which trains aspiring business leaders, said appearance is one pillar of "executive presence," but it's probably the least important one. She disagreed that women are required spend more money or time on their looks.

"We get our nails done. We get our eyebrows shaped. There's all of those things. It's like high maintenance. It's not that it's necessary," she said. "What's most important is that you are well-groomed and appear professional."
Photo: globalteachersprize.org

A Canadian school teacher whose teaching philosophy underscores hope and acts of kindness in an isolated corner of Quebec won a $1 million prize Sunday in what has become one of the most-coveted and high-profile awards for teaching excellence.

Maggie MacDonnell was awarded the annual Global Teacher Prize during a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, beating out thousands of applicants from around the world.

The prize was established three years ago to recognize one exceptional teacher a year who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession, employs innovative classroom practices and encourages others to join the teaching profession.

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was on hand to present the prize to MacDonnell. Her name was announced by French astronaut Thomas Pasquet in a video message from the International Space Station.

MacDonnell was among 10 finalists flown to Dubai to attend the ceremony. The nine others hail from Pakistan, the UK, Jamaica, Spain, Germany, China, Kenya, Australia and Brazil.

MacDonnell has been teaching for six years in a remote Arctic village called Salluit. According to her biography, Salluit is home to the second northernmost Inuit indigenous community in Quebec, with a population of just over 1,300, and can only be reached by air.

Her perseverance to continue teaching in the remote area, where many teachers leave their post midway through the year, made her a standout for the award. MacDonnell created a number of programs for boys and girls, including job mentorship and funds to assist with healthy meals.

She also established a fitness centre for youth and adults in the local community, where drug use and alcoholism rates are high due to the region's harsh winters and isolation. The tiny village witnessed six suicides in 2015, all affecting young males between the ages of 18 and 25.

Her approach focuses on emphasizing "acts of kindness" such as running a community kitchen and attending suicide prevention training.

"The memory that continues to haunt me is when I see these Canadian teenagers, their very own classmates of the deceased, literally digging the grave," she said. "I didn't know until I came to Salluit that that was a Canadian reality."

Last year, Palestinian teacher Hanan al-Hroub won for her efforts in encouraging students to renounce violence and embrace dialogue.

The award is presented by the Varkey Foundation. Its founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company, which has more than 250 schools around the world.
Photo: @TranBC_WestKoot

UPDATE: 2:40 p.m.

Highway 1 has reopened in both directions from Field to the B.C. and Alberta border, east of Field.

UPDATE: 2 p.m.

Highway 3 has reopened to traffic following a mudslide Saturday that closed the road 10 km west of Creston. The road is reduced to single lane alternating traffic.

UPDATE: 12:40 p.m.

Highway 1 is closed in both directions from Field to the B.C.-Alberta border because of avalanche control.

Drive BC reports the highway should reopen around 1:30 p.m.



UPDATE: 11:30 a.m.

Drive BC reports delays for drivers heading westbound on the Kootenay Lake ferry due to heavy traffic volumes.

Two hour delays are expected.

UPDATE: 10:05 a.m.

Drive BC says Highway 31 is open to single lane alternating traffic 12 km north of Coffee Creek Bridge.

The road was closed due to a mudslide.

Highway 3 remained closed in both directions 10 km west of Creston on Sunday morning because of a mud slide.

Crews have been working to remove debris.

Drive BC reported the estimated time of opening between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

An alternate route is available via Hwy 3A and Kootenay Lake Ferry.

Meanwhile, Drive BC said Highway 31 was closed in both directions 12 km north of Coffee Creek Bridge in the Kootenays because of debris on road.

Cleanup was underway.

A detour is available via Highway 6 and Highway 31A.
Photo: Contributed

Some residents are upset over their electricity bills this winter, as cold temperatures have driven energy use through the roof.

Allan Schockenmaier and Valerie Maltese blame their large bill on FortisBC's Residential Conservation Rate, which charges an increased rate for electricity usage over 1,600 kWh.

The two-tier electricity rate is simply a tax on all residents that use electricity for space and water heating, they say in a letter to their MLA. It charges residents, such as ourselves, an electricity rate that is way above the cost of generating that electricity.

Read more.
Photo: ICBC

Decorative licence plates of British Columbia parks are selling fast.

The province reports that 10,000 BC Parks licence plates sold in less than eight weeks after the specialty plates were unveiled earlier this year.

The designs include: a Kermode bear found only in B.C., the snow-capped Purcell Mountains, and a view from Porteau Cove overlooking Howe Sound.

"I am one of the 10,000 British Columbians who have purchased one of these attractive, new BC Parks licence plates, and I believe that the success of this program shows a real desire among British Columbians to reflect the pride in our BC Parks on their vehicle, said Transportation Minister Todd Stone. The revenue generated will be used to invest in improvements and parks programs, to ensure the legacy of BC Parks for future generations."

The province introduced the series of specialty licence plates in partnership with the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia.

They cost $50 for the initial purchase and $40 for each annual renewal. All net proceeds are re-invested in provincial parks through the Park Enhancement Fund. So far, $150,000 has been raised for the fund.

The plate designs can be viewed online.

BC Parks manages the third-largest parks system in North America behind the United States' National Park Service and Parks Canada.
The election results in Uttar Pradesh have done what 2014 Lok Sabha election results could not. They have shaken Congress and all Opposition parties out of their complacency-induced slumber, forcing many leaders to highlight the need to come together like never before. That proposition is actually a no-brainer, since that was the message sent out by the victory of the Grand Alliance in Bihar. The question to ask at this point of time is: what is it that will unite the Opposition as well as make such a united Opposition's appeal palatable to the electorate in various states and at the Centre?

The Bihar model

The erstwhile Janata Parivar parties were the first ones to realise this need when they announced nothing less than their merger into one outfit. This was as early as in 2014, just months after BJP stormed to power at the Centre with a brute majority in the Lok Sabha. However, the Samajwadi Party's then-supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav backed out, forcing a curtailed version of the originally proposed model.

Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) and Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal kept up the momentum and found a willing partner in the Congress. The gamble paid off and this coalition won Bihar.

However, what has now come back to haunt the parties is that no one took any lessons from the Bihar model.

No such alliance was created in Uttar Pradesh, where Mayawati's once-formidable Bahujan Samaj Party competed against the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance.

The index of opposition unity had already been weakened just ahead of the UP polls, when the entire Opposition failed to evolve a common stand on demonetisation. There were several different camps, with the Left not agreeing to join the one with Congress and Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress in it, the SP taking an ambiguous stand, and the JD(U) supporting it.

Need for counter narrative

It is disagreements and mutual points of conflict like these which cast a long shadow of doubt over the formation of a rainbow coalition against the BJP. Yet, the parties are talking about the dire need for such a coalition.

What some of them are saying in addition is that this coalition will also need a new narrative to counter the one which BJP has succeeded in propagating.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has said that an alternative to the BJPs communal project can only emerge through a counter narrative opposed to that projected by the BJP and PM Modi.

When asked what would be the contours of this 'alternative' narrative, Yechury said the contours would be provided by a 'people's movement'.

From the Congress ranks, senior leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Mani Shankar Aiyar has also stressed on the need for a 'rainbow coalition' of secular parties, because today, the danger we face is of the Savarkarite ideology taking root across the country.

He stressed: The need of the hour is to gather all non-Savarkarites to stop this TsuNaMo. Otherwise, the idea of India created by Nehru would be taken over by the idea of India envisaged by Savarkar.

Aiyar added that the only answer to the BJP's surge was to move towards a higher index of Opposition unity, which is the only feasible way of retaining the idea of India. Otherwise, there is no stopping this juggernaut, which will crush all of us.

In an article published on the website http://peoplesdemocracy.in/, Yechury hinted that this counter-narrative would have to be built on a pro-poor economic policy. He elaborated: The probabilities for mounting such a pro-people alternative narrative existed, particularly in the aftermath of demonetisation that imposed unprecedented economic miseries on the vast sections of the poor and the marginalised.

The RJD's Manoj Jha also said something similar. Jha told Catch that a robust alliance is definitely needed, and that it is important to appear different from the BJP.

His recommendation, too, was that the Opposition would need to come up with a pro-people economic policy, that would revolve around social justice. He said in the face of cross-caste Hindu consolidation, secularism would still have to be upheld, but the Opposition would have to be wary of starting the narrative from secularism. Secularism, he added, would have to be wedded to social justice.

Differences among the parties

But the biggest impediment to the emergence of a common counter-narrative will be the differences among parties and their inability to rise above them. Yechury, for example, blamed the SP, the BSP and the Congress in his article for failing to reach out to aggrieved farmers and labourers, and drawing them into popular mobilisations against the BJPs economic policies and the PMs demonetisation. The bourgeois Opposition parties fell into the trap of the BJPs narrative and became preoccupied with seeking to mobilise identity and caste-based sections of people for electoral support, he added.

Nitish Kumar's statement on the day of the election results also dropped several hints about what is weighing on his mind, and which way he is likely to go in near future.

His statement carried two points for the UP results  one, non-BJP parties did not try to bring together the backward classes, and two, there was no need to oppose demonetisation so vociferously because it had given rise to a feeling of satisfaction among people that the rich had been hit.

The statement clearly shows that Opposition parties that had taken different stands on demonetisation are still not willing to sink their differences. What kind of a counter-narrative will be stitched in such a situation? It's hard to fathom.
Chino, CA (91710)

Today

Cloudy skies with periods of light rain this afternoon. High near 65F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low around 55F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd L) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (2nd R) in Beijing, capital of China, March 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

China and the United States are now in close communication on arrangements for a meeting between the two presidents and exchanges at other levels, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during his talks with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Saturday.

"We attach great importance to your visit," Wang told Tillerson at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

It is Tillerson's first visit to China since he assumed office last month. He is also the first cabinet-level official in the new administration of the United States to visit China.

"We have in-depth discussions on arranging a recent meeting between two presidents and starting relevant preparations," Wang said, adding that the two sides agreed to keep close communication to ensure a successful meeting between the two presidents as well as exchanges at other levels in the next stage.

"Your visit marks a very important step to push forward that process," Wang told Tillerson.

China-U.S. ties are now transitioning and developing steadily along a positive direction, Wang said, calling for implementation of the consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump.

Wang said China is willing to work with the U.S. side on communication and cooperation, enhancing trust and properly handling differences to promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral ties in the new phase along the right track so as to benefit the people of two countries and the world at large.

Wang called for more cooperation in foreign affairs, the economy and trade, the military, law enforcement, people-to-people exchanges and local communication.

The essence of China-U.S. trade relations is mutual benefit, said Wang, encouraging both countries to expand trade and investment cooperation and properly handle trade fictions.

He also called on the two countries to reinforce coordination on hotspot issues including the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue, Afghanistan, Syria and maintain close communication under the multilateral framework such as the United Nations, the G20 and the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

Wang also restated China's position on Taiwan and the South China Sea issues, emphasizing that China and the United States should respect each other's core interests and major concerns, discreetly deal with sensitive issues to protect bilateral ties from unnecessary influences.

Reviewing the achievements of bilateral ties, Tillerson said it is necessary for both countries to have closer cooperation and coordination in face with changing international situation.

Tillerson said the United States adheres to the one-China policy and is willing to work with China to implement the consensus reached by their leaders and explore more cooperation in the spirit of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation.

The United States would like to have more high-level exchanges with China, and more dialogue in diplomatic security, macroeconomic policy coordination, law enforcement, cyberspace and people-to-people exchanges.

Tillerson's visit aims to make "political preparations" for the meeting between two presidents, and both sides would make the best use of this chance to seek common ground, said Jia Xiudong, a researcher with the China Institute of International Studies.

He said the necessity of strengthening cooperation between China and the United States have been further strengthened since Trump took office.

"What Tillerson said on bilateral ties this afternoon sent positive signals," said Jia.

IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION ON KOREAN PENINSULA NUCLEAR ISSUE

Tillerson's visit came at a time when the crisis on the Korean Peninsula was aggravated by the recent test firing of missiles by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), so far the most substantial reaction to the Seoul-Washington military exercises, and the controversial U.S. deployment of the THAAD anti-missile systems in the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Wang said that he had "an in-depth discussion" with Tillerson on the Korean Pensinular nuclear issue and "reached consensus on the general direction" in their talks.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula is now at a new crossroad, Wang said when meeting the press together with Tillerson.

It would either escalate and finally lead to conflicts or have a breakthrough to resume negotiations and bring the nuclear issue back onto the track of dialogue, Wang said.

"We hope that all concerned parties, including the United States, would be cool-headed and make wise choices," he said.

Wang said both countries firmly support the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and pledge a comprehensive and strict implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, Wang said.

"We both hope to find ways to resume talks and will not give up any efforts committed to realizing peace," he added.

Wang said China would like to continue the dialogue on the issue with the United States, as this is an important area of cooperation between the two countries.

Tillerson told reporters that during the talks with Wang, they share a common view that tensions on the peninsula are quite high right now and that things have reached a rather dangerous level.

"We have committed ourselves to doing everything we can to prevent any type of conflict from breaking out," Tillerson told reporters.

During the meeting, Wang reiterated China's opposition to the deployment of the THAAD in the ROK.

Also on Saturday, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi met with Tillerson, the second meeting between the two within one month as Yang visited Washington D.C. late February.

Tillerson arrived in Beijing on Saturday from Seoul. This is his first official Asian tour which began on Wednesday and also took him to Japan.
(Xinhua) 09:47, March 19, 2017

The central city of Homs will soon be free of any rebel presence, as the first batch of rebels and their families started evacuating their last stronghold in the city on Saturday under an activated deal with the government.

Busses ready to carry the armed rebels and their families were lined up at the entrance of the al-Wair neighborhood, with government soldiers, policemen, and several Russian military policemen, on alert to secure a smooth process that could see Homs city free of any rebel presence in a matter of days, or weeks, as al-Wair is the last rebel-held neighborhood in the city.

As many as 423 rebels and 1,065 civilians, who are family members of the rebels, evacuated al-Wair on Saturday, with the process ongoing until the evacuation of 10,000 rebels and their families from that large neighborhood at the western outskirts of Homs.

Government officials say those evacuating are from the rebels who refuse to embark on a "reconciliation" with the government, adding that they will be transported to rebel-held areas in the city of Jarablus in the countryside of the northern city of Aleppo.

Saturday's evacuation is actually not the first from al-Wair, as the original agreement for the rebel evacuation was reached in late 2015, when the first batch of rebels left the neighborhood. In 2016, another batch left, and the deal was mired later with renewed tension and battles, until being reactivated this month.

It's worth noting that the first two evacuations were done under the supervision of the UN, but the latest one was reached under the mediation of Russia, with no role of the UN in it.

The governor of Homs said that after the rebel evacuation, over 40,000 people will remain in the neighborhood.

For his part, Ammar Sibai, another official in the Homs Governorate, said that over 100,000 displaced people from al-Wair will return to their homes after the departure of the last rebel batch from the neighborhood.

Previous statistics said that al-Wair used to be a home for 300,000 people ahead of the eruption of the six-year-old war in Syria, and that the number decreased to 75,000 who were besieged by the government forces since 2014.

For the government, regaining the neighborhood is a significant progress that will make them in full control of the city of Homs, which is Syria's third largest city. It's also the heart of Syria due to its location in the central part of the city.

Homs is one of Syria's most important industrial centers, boasting the country's largest oil refinery and key oil and gas fields in its eastern countryside.

The city is also the hub connecting major Syrian cities with one another, and wresting full control over the city will be an important step in the government push to have full control over Syria's major five cities of Damascus, Homs, Latakia, Aleppo and Hama.

For the rebels, losing their last stronghold in Homs is a major blow, following the huge defeat they suffered when the government forces recaptured the entire city of Aleppo in December of last year, after the rebels' evacuation from the eastern part of that key city in northern Syria.

Homs was called the "Capital of Revolution" by the rebels, as it was one of the first cities to join the anti-government movement in Syria in mid-March 2011.

By mid 2012, up to a fifth of the city became under the opposition control. In the same year the government forces unleashed an offensive to capture the fallen areas.

In late 2014, the rebels in the old city of Homs accepted a deal for their evacuation from the ancient part of the city, which has been largely obliterated due to the military campaign in that part of the city.

In 2015, the deal for al-Wair was reached, similar to that of the of old city, before being reactivated on March 14 this year.

"This deal will be conducive in restoring peace and security to the city of Homs in general, and the al-Wair in particular. I think that the next few weeks will see the full evacuation of the rebels from the neighborhood and the return of normal life to the city," Barazi, the Homs governor, told Xinhua at the entrance of al-Wair Saturday.

Following the full evacuation of the rebels from al-Wair, the government efforts will be focused on achieving similar deals in the northern countryside of Homs, where the rebels still hold some areas.

"This deal will help in achieving similar deals in the northern countryside of Homs," Barazi added.

Meanwhile, a Russian officer at the site told Xinhua that his country is guarantor to the activated deal.

"This is why the Russian forces came to Syria, to help our friends restore normal life to this country, and the Russian side is the guarantor to the implementation of this deal in al-Wair and will monitor the execution of the deal," he said.
(Global Times) 09:53, March 19, 2017

Apple CEO Tim Cook (right) talks to Professor Qian Yingyi, dean of School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University at the 18th China Development Forum (CDF) in Beijing on March 18, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

China should continue its reforms and encourage foreign enterprises to invest, Apple CEO Tim Cook said on Saturday at a forum in Beijing where he also defended globalization.

"It's important that China continues to open itself and widen the door," Cook said during the annual China Development Forum hosted by the Development Research Center of the State Council, a top government think tank. He will meet with Chinese leaders in the next few days.

Cook made the remarks a day after the Cupertino-based firm announced two new research and development hubs in China to be set up in Shanghai and Suzhou. Last year, Apple announced its plans to open research centers in Beijing and Shenzhen.

At the forum, the helmsman of the US tech giant with operations across the world also made his case for globalization.

"Most people would conclude that the problem is that globalization hasn't helped everyone, and it's hurt some people. But it doesn't follow that globalization is bad. It follows that we haven't done a good job of lifting up everyone and we think we have to put an intense amount of effort in doing that, because the world is so much better off."

Unlike his predecessor Steve Jobs, Cook has in recent years paid frequent visits to the Chinese mainland where the iPhone maker has profited but nevertheless has been losing market share to local brands in recent years.

From November to January, Apple held 16.6 percent of the Chinese smartphone market, down from 25 percent from the previous year, while Chinese rivals such as Huawei were seen advancing at Apple's expense, according to the latest data from market consultancy Kantar Worldpanel.

When asked his opinion on Chinese phone manufacturers such as Huawei and Xiaomi, Cook said they "do really good work and I think the competition is more fierce in China not only in this industry, but in many industries than it is in anywhere in the world. And I think that's a credit to a number of local companies that put their energies into making really good products."

As for Apple's dominance in the smartphone arena in terms of profits, he commented that "There's a lot there I've seen, Apple's market share of smartphones I think in that way could be classified monopoly, [but] I don't see that at all."

He went on to say "What we tried to do is just we focus on making the best products ...and we'll have a pretty good business. But we don't try to make the most. Our objective has never been to make the most. So we do not have a market share objective or a unit objective."

It's not only the cut-throat competition that has impressed Cook, but also the prevalence of mobile payment in China. "China is way ahead here," he said.

"I rarely go somewhere in China that doesnt accept mobile payment ... If I go out in the heartland of the US, too often mobile payment is not in the vernacular at all.

The reasons behind the stark contrast, as the Apple CEO put it, are partly due to the prevailing use of credit cards in the US and slow adoption of mobile payment terminals among merchants. In China, however, "there's just a high willingness to change and to move to what's new and what's obviously better."
A visitor tries a pair of HTC Vive virtual reality (VR) goggles, during the annual Computex computer exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan. [Photo/Agencies]

Taiwan-based smartphone company HTC Corp announced that it will sell its land and plant in Shanghai for 630 million yuan ($91.5 million), in a strategic move to fund expansion of its fledgling virtual reality business.

The 114,831 square meter smartphone factory will be sold to Shanghai Xingbao Information Technology Co Ltdand the net gain of the disposal is estimated at about 147.76 million yuan, HTC said.

The decision was made on Wednesday by its board, with the aim of restructuring its operations and assets.

The company said the move was part of its asset rationalization program to improve operational efficiency. HTC added that there were no implications for its business or staff levels and its production capacity would remain as planned.

After the sale of Shanghai factory, HTC's smartphone production will rely mainly on its Taoyuan factories in Taiwan, and the net gain is expected to be invested on its VR unit, HTC Vive.

Zhao Ziming, an analyst at Beijing-based consultancy Analysys, said the move showed HTC's resolve to gear up its expansion in the emerging VR business, in order to gain a leading position in the market.

"In recent years its smartphone business has declined rapidly, especially in the Chinese mainland market," Zhao said. "After selling the Shanghai facility, the company will be able to use more resources to develop the VR business."

Zhao said the sale would likely impact HTC's smartphone business and there could be changes to staff deployment.

HTC used to own several factories across the Chinese mainland and in Taiwan, which produce its own brand of smartphones.

The Shanghai plant, which stands out as one of the key manufacturing facilities, was reportedly able to produce up to 2 million smartphones per month.

But analysts said that the current demand for HTC smartphones does not appear to support that level of installed capacity, and it was proving hard for the Taiwan phone maker win back its past glory in the global smartphone sector.

HTC reported in January that its annual revenue declined by more than a third in 2016. Last year the company earned NT$78.16 billion ($2.55 billion), a fall of 35.77 percent, on revenue of NT$121.68 billion.

Zhao said the move also showed that HTC was pinning its hopes on its VR brand, HTC Vive.

"In recent years, HTC's priorities have transferred from the smartphone to the VR business," Zhao said.
(Xinhua) 13:07, March 19, 2017

Chinese President Xi Jinping met here Sunday with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

It is Tillerson's first visit to China since he assumed office last month. Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held separate meetings with Tillerson on Saturday.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, March 19

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

A meeting with representatives of the German embassy was held at the Turkmen State Migration Service, the Service said.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on partnership in the field of migration.

The issuance of visas for the German citizens was also discussed, the message said.

The representatives of the German embassy stressed Germanys high interest in the further development of the traditionally friendly relations with Turkmenistan, pursuing a policy of peace and positive neutrality.

According to the message, Turkmenistan and Germany support each other in the international arena.

Both countries are actively developing bilateral and multilateral ties as part of the biggest international organizations, the message said.

Some 167 investment projects and contracts with German capital worth $540 million and 555 million euro were registered in Turkmenistan.
If you see a low-flying helicopter hauling what appears to be a giant, mechanical Hula-Hoop near Lake Michigan's shoreline this week, there's no need to panic. It's only Illinois' latest science project.

Starting as soon as Wednesday, a helicopter will be carrying a large electromagnetic array from Kenosha to the Illinois-Indiana state line as the Illinois State Geological Survey hopes to shed light on a question that's plagued Chicago-area beachgoers for decades: Where has all the sand gone?

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"In some areas, there's not enough sand and, in other places, there's too much," said Diane Tecic, program director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Coastal Management Program. "What we realized is we don't have all the information that we need to make decisions and find actual solutions that are going to work (to fix this issue)."

The coastal flyover will use specialized equipment imported from Denmark to diagram the landscape of the lake floor. By using electromagnetic signals, researchers will not only be able to get a clearer picture of Lake Michigan's profile, but also better understand its composition.

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"That's a really important baseline," state geologist Ethan Theuerkauf said. "This particular technology will tell you not only where sand is, but the thickness of those deposits."

Over the past two centuries, man-made infrastructure along Lake Michigan  such as piers and harbors  has disrupted the natural, southward drift of sand from Wisconsin to Indiana, the process that formed the Indiana Dunes over thousands of years. By disturbing this coastal dynamic, beaches in some areas have begun to disappear while sand has built up in other areas. From dredging harbors to importing sand for beaches, this issue has cost coastal communities in Illinois roughly $3 million a year, according to a survey conducted by Chicago-based nonprofit Alliance for the Great Lakes last year.

"The more that I've gotten into this, the more you realize the complexity of the issue," Tecic said. "There are number of different things making it a challenging issue. There's not an easy answer. For a long time, people would say, 'Put in a jetty,' or 'Nourish a beach,' not understanding that we're a part of a big, regional system."

This research, funded by the DNR through a $233,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, hopes to be among the first studies to examine how sand deposits along the lake floor have changed over time. The study will be the first in more than two decades, when the Geological Survey measured differences in sand thickness at several stretches of Lake Michigan by manually measuring with a metal rod between 1974 to 1994. That study found that the lake bed was getting deeper by up to 4 inches annually in some areas in Illinois.

Experts like Tecic have some theories as to what the project might find. Waukegan Harbor has notoriously trapped sand over the years, requiring the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the channel each year and dump much of the sediment south of the harbor. Tecic said preliminary evidence suggests there may be a large mound of sand due south of the harbor, resulting from a "dead zone," an area without much wave action, or an abnormal current that isn't carrying the sand toward southern parts of the lakefront.

This research will also aim to explore another pressing issue, called lake bed downcutting. In areas where there is no longer sand covering the lake bed, waves have carved into the primarily clay bed, a process that is irreversible. The deeper shoreline creates the opportunity for larger, more violent waves to exacerbate beach erosion, according to Theuerkauf.

But researchers will have to wait about a year for the voluminous amount of data to be analyzed. However, snapshots of the information could be published sooner, Theuerkauf said.

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Developed in Denmark in the early 1990s, the technology implemented in this scientific research has been used in Canada and Europe for mining projects. In November, the equipment was also used to survey Yellowstone National Park in an attempt to learn more about the park's intricate underground waterways that provide the means for its renowned geysers and hot springs.

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In the past, the Army Corps viewed sand as a nuisance when it built up along coastal infrastructure, dumping it far offshore. With the helicopter making passes between the beach and up to 1,500 feet offshore, this could be the first study to determine whether the sand has dispersed or whether there's a large deposit that can be reclaimed.

For over a year, coastal communities have come together to air problems stemming from shifting sands as well as brainstorm possible solutions. In areas like Illinois Beach State Park in Zion, beaches have lost hundreds of feet due to large waves from violent storms and rising lake levels. In other communities, such as Waukegan, sands have clogged harbors, stalling boating commerce and carrying hefty price tags to remove sand each year.

"We need to work on understanding our coastline," Tecic said. "We have really important recreational assets, natural habitats and economics along Lake Michigan. And all of that is threatened by the way the sand is moving."

Though exposure to high amounts of electromagnetic waves can be harmful to people and animals, the electromagnetic field generated from the array is comparable to what we see in everyday life. Flying at around 150 feet above the ground, the array emits less of a magnetic field than a plasma TV, according to the state Geological Survey.

tbriscoe@chicagotribune.com

twitter @_TonyBriscoe
A 31-year-old Fernwood man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Lakeview, forcing her into the trunk of her car and driving the car for miles before crashing into a tree was denied bail during a bond hearing Sunday.

O'Brian Jarqueese Henigan walked into the courtroom at Leighton Criminal Court Building with a scowl on his face and medical bandages wrapped around his right forearm as Cook County Judge Laura Sullivan announced charges against him: aggravated criminal sexual assault, kidnapping, vehicular hijacking, possession of a controlled substance, armed robbery and being an armed "habitual criminal."

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Sullivan called Henigan, of the 10100 block of South Emerald Avenue on the Far South Side, "a real and present danger" to the public.

Chicago police earlier identified the suspect as Jarqueese O'Brian Henigan and said he lived in the 10300 block of South Halsted Street.

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On March 9, a 24-year-old woman had left a detached garage in the 3700 block of North Fremont Street and was opening the door of a home nearby when Henigan ambushed her with a handgun, Assistant State's Attorney Amari Dawson said.

The victim offered up her belongings, but Henigan ordered her to return to the garage, Dawson said. He took her cellphone, debit card, purse and another bag she was carrying before directing her into the trunk, where he sexually assaulted her, Dawson said.

After demanding her PIN number, Henigan used her phone for directions and went to an ATM near his home. Unable to get money, he held a gun to her thigh and threatened to shoot her, Dawson said. He went to a second ATM where he was able to withdraw $40.

After pursuing him for miles, Chicago police attempted to stop Henigan, resulting in a high-speed chase in which he crashed into a tree on the Far South Side and fled.

The victim, who later freed herself from the trunk after the crash, was taken to a local hospital with bleeding to the brain, abrasions and bruises to her forehead and thigh, police and prosecutors said. Police recovered a 9-millimeter Ruger handgun with a round in the chamber at the scene of the crash, Dawson said.

Police later determined Henigan had tried to use the victim's credit cards at two locations near his Fernwood home, Dawson said. Video surveillance recorded a person at both locations, and police facial recognition software came up with Henigan as a possible suspect. The victim identified Henigan in a photo array, Dawson said.

When police analyzed the victim's phone, they found the suspect's address in the Google Maps application, and it matched the address Henigan used when he was released from prison in October 2016.

Henigan was spotted by police Friday while walking near his home. When officers attempted to arrest him, Henigan pulled away and tried to run. Police placed him in a wrist lock and arm bar while putting him into handcuffs, according to a police report. Henigan was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center after he complained of pain in his wrist.

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Henigan admitted to several of the accusations but denied assaulting the victim, Dawson said.

Officers also recovered two baggies of marijuana and one baggie of suspected crack cocaine that Henigan tried to throw away during his attempt to flee, police said.

Henigan has a lengthy criminal record, most recently a 2013 conviction for unlawful use of a weapon by a felon in Lake County. He also faces extradition to Kansas, where he is wanted on rape and robbery charges, though prosecutors would not provide additional details about those allegations.

His defense attorney said Henigan is married with two children, is enrolled at Kaplan University for business management and works as a chef. Henigan's attorney also said in court that his client has "mental health issues."

"I do find the proof is evident and the presumption is great," Sullivan said. "I also find that the defendant presents a real and present danger to the public that denial of bail is necessary to prevent the fulfillment of the threat he presents."

tbriscoe@chicagotribune.com

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MILWAUKEE  A 51-year-old man who waited more than three decades to confess he killed a 13-year-old girl was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison, the maximum a judge could impose.



Jose E. Ferreira's sentence came almost 35 years to the day after he shoved Carrie Ann Jopek down a flight of stairs at a Milwaukee home on March 16, 1982. Police questioned him several times over the years, but it wasn't until late 2015 that he confessed to his wife, a local television station and a police detective.



"I can't take back how it happened," Ferreira said in a soft voice before he was sentenced by Judge Jeffrey Conen. "Sorry, from the deepest pain in my heart, sorry."



Throughout Friday's hearing, Jopek's mother held a picture on her lap of her daughter when she was 13. She also held the photo when she faced the judge to speak before the sentencing, as Ferreira sat with his head down a few feet away, wearing an orange jail jumpsuit.



"He's still alive. Carrie's gone. They only time I'll see her again is in heaven," Caroyln Tousignant said.



Jopek had been suspended from school on the day of her death because she was walking the halls without a pass. That afternoon, she went to a friend's house where several other teenagers were drinking.



Ferreira, who was 16 at the time, told police that he and Jopek were going to the basement and he assumed they were going to make out. But Jopek expressed reservations at the foot of the stairs, and that's when Ferreira pushed her, according to the account he gave detectives.



He said he initially thought Jopek was unconscious, so he began fondling her before realizing her neck was broken. He took her body to the rear porch of the house, where 17 months later a carpenter found her while doing some remodeling. Jopek was still wearing a coat and high-top sneakers.



Tousignant said she didn't buy Ferreira's apology. She believes her daughter has been haunting him this whole time.



"That girl was very persistent," her mother said. She said she wished Ferreira's sentence was longer but was grateful for closure.



Despite Ferreira's confession, he initially pleaded not guilty to second-degree homicide. But just as attorneys were about to select a jury for his trial in January, he struck a deal with prosecutors, saying at the time: "I just want this over and done with."



He pleaded guilty to reduced charges of attempted second-degree sexual assault and false imprisonment.



Assistant District Attorney Karl Hayes acknowledged the case would've been difficult to prosecute, saying there was "a paucity of evidence" and that there are questions about what happened that will never be answered.



He referred to Ferreira as a "pathetic individual" who posed no danger to the public anymore.



He and Ferreira's attorney painted a picture of a man who led a tortured life, having brushes with the law over the years and suffering from mental illnesses. He was drinking heavily before he confessed.



"Mr. Ferreira had hit a wall, sort of a rock bottom," Hayes said.
A trio of violent strong-arm robberies on the North Side earlier this month prompted police to issue a community alert, officials said.

During the robberies, a group of about three or four males approached victims on the street and began to punch and kick them, knocking them to the ground, police said.

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"While continuing to beat the victims while they are on the ground,'' the attackers take their cash, cellphones or wallets, according to the alert.

The most recent robbery occurred about 5:30 a.m. March 11 in the 4500 block of North Broadway in the Uptown neighborhood, police said.

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The other two occurred March 7. The first was at 1:10 a.m. in the 2700 block of West Lawrence Avenue in the city's Ravenswood neighborhood, and the other was reported at 8:30 p.m. in the 4500 block of North Magnolia Avenue in the Sheridan Park neighborhood, police said.

There are "several'' attackers, all described as black males between the ages of 15 and 25 who are 5-foot-9 to 6-feet tall. They were wearing different-colored hooded sweatshirts and blue jeans during the three attacks, police said.

No further detail was given about the men.

Police said anyone with information should contact Area North detectives at 312-744-8263.
When Judge Neil Gorsuch arrives on Capitol Hill on Monday morning to begin his confirmation hearings for a seat on the Supreme Court, he will give President Donald Trump his first chance to make a lasting imprint on the federal judiciary - and Republicans a fresh test to work their will now that they control all of Washington's levers of power.

Gorsuch, a federal appeals court judge from Colorado, was promoted by conservative legal activists because of his sterling credentials, a decade of right-of-center rulings and his allegiance to the same brand of constitutional interpretation employed by the late justice he would replace, Antonin Scalia.

"Single best thing the president's done," said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham, R-S.C., a frequent Trump foil who predicted Republican unity on the matter and an easy victory for the president following the string of controversies that Trump has wrought since he took office.

All of that also sets up a stark dilemma for Senate Democrats. Monday brings their newest opportunity since the confirmation hearings of Trump's Cabinet to take a stand against a young administration that has horrified liberal Americans with efforts to strip away provisions of the Affordable Care Act, impose an entry ban on some immigrants and deeply cut federal agencies.

The left also remains angry about a Supreme Court seat that has sat vacant since Scalia died 13 months ago, after which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., decided to block a hearing for President Barack Obama's selection for the seat, Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Gorsuch seemed to forecast what might await him from Democrats in a 2002 column he wrote lamenting the state of the Supreme Court nomination process: "When a favored candidate is voted down for lack of sufficient political sympathy to those in control, grudges are held for years, and retaliation is guaranteed."

Yet Democrats are divided about how to take on a genial jurist who has made few waves in the weeks since Trump nominated him and he began meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Gorsuch "is a bit of a puzzle," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. "We're going to try to put those pieces together so that the puzzle is complete and we have an understanding of what kind of a fifth vote will be going on the court."

Asked about what more she hopes to learn about Gorsuch's stances, Feinstein said: "Voting rights. Right to choose. Guns. Corporate dollars in elections. Worker safety. Ability of federal agencies to regulate. All of the environmental issues - water, air."

Senators and their staffsare also examining Gorsuch's role as a high-ranking official in the U.S. Justice Department at the time the George W. Bush administration was dealing with Guantanamo Bay detainees, reports of torture and anti-terrorism policies.

A new trove of materials released this weekend show Gorsuch playing a central role in coordinating legal and legislative strategy, but portraying himself as reconciling the many opinions of those in the administration rather than driving policy.

"I am but the scrivener looking for language that might please everybody," he wrote in one email.

Four days of hearings are set to begin Monday, when Gorsuch will sit and listen for several hours as members of the Judiciary Committee read opening statements. He is poised to deliver his opening statement on Monday afternoon, giving senators and the nation an early indication of how he might serve on the court.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Gorsuch is set to face at least 50 minutes of questioning by each member of the panel. The proceedings are expected to conclude Thursday with a panel of witnesses speaking for or against Gorsuch.

Some of the issues that normally animate Supreme Court confirmation hearings won't depend upon Gorsuch. Decisions from last term showed there was still support on the court for limited affirmative action in higher education, for instance. The majority that found a constitutional right for same-sex couples to marry remains. And whatever Gorsuch's position on abortion rights, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy's vote to strike down a Texas law last year reaffirmed the court's rulings that say government may not pass restrictions that unduly burden a woman's right to an abortion.

But Gorsuch would probably reinforce the court's pro-business image and skepticism about some significant environmental programs begun under Obama. His past decisions show him to be extremely protective of the rights of those who object to even generally applicable government laws and regulations that they say violate their religious beliefs.

If Gorsuch is approved in time for the court's April hearings, he could play a significant role in a separation of powers case in which a church complains it was illegally denied a state grant. A conservative movement to curb the power of labor unions - stalled last year by Scalia's death - is sure to resume. Cases involving legal protections for gay and transgender people are likely to arrive at the court soon.

Beyond their questions about Gorsuch's own record, Democrats plan to use his confirmation hearing to question the overall direction of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.'s court.

"When I hear my Republican colleagues say, 'We want another judge like Scalia, who isn't an activist,' I say, 'What are you talking about? This has been an incredibly activist court,' " said Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., a member of the Judiciary Committee. "So I want to ask him" about that.

The future of the court was a significant factor in Trump winning over conservative voters who might otherwise have been uncomfortable with the candidate's ideology, values and personal history.

"Even if people don't like me, they have to vote for me," Trump said at a rally in Virginia last year. "You know why? Justices of the Supreme Court."

In November exit polls, more than 1 in 5 voters said that Supreme Court appointments were "the most important factor" in determining their choice; of those voters, 56 percent went to Trump.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Trump's final opponent in last year's presidential campaign, described the Gorsuch pick as "the most transparent Supreme Court selection process in modern times" because Trump drew Gorsuch from a list of 21 candidates supplied to him by conservative legal groups during the campaign.

Gorsuch's nomination "is not the product just of ordinary Washington political decision-making but rather a presidential election decided by the American people," Cruz said.

Not a single Democrat, meanwhile, has pledged support for Gorsuch. That is partly fueled by a liberal base agitating for a win since Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20. Unable to block the large majority of Trump's executive branch nominations, some Democrats want to draw blood and force Gorsuch to clear procedural hurdles that require 60 senators to vote in his favor. Republicans have only 52 members in the upper chamber, so they would need eight Democrats to cross the aisle and vote with them.

Mounting a filibuster to force such a vote could amount to a declaration of war against Republicans that some Democrats, particularly those from conservative states that voted for Trump last year, may be unwilling to do.

"The reality is that there is political pressure on them," Caroline Fredrickson, president of the liberal American Constitution Society, said of Democrats. The Supreme Court is different from other choices Trump will make, she said, because "this is forever, or at least for the rest of my lifetime."

Democrats have expressed specific concern about Gorsuch's record of independence following Trump's criticism of the judiciary, including his remark about the "so-called judge" who struck down his first entry ban. Afterward, Gorsuch called Trump's attacks on the courts "demoralizing."

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said Republicans should expect Democrats to aggressively question Gorsuch because "we're in a new world" that includes strong opposition to Trump from working-class voters.

"I have deep, deep doubts about him and his judicial demeanor, and the fact that he appears to be a calm, erudite person is not the key issue here," Schumer said. "There are lot of people like that. It's what goes into how he decides cases."

Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., said he will ask Gorsuch to weigh in on Trump's push to implement an entry ban on visitors from certain majority-Muslim countries, because "the Supreme Court in the near future will be tested on constitutional questions involving separation of powers."

Franken and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said they want to press Gorsuch on his cases involving campaign finance law, while Franken said he will also focus on Gorsuch's record on voting rights and women's reproductive rights. Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., said he plans to use documents provided by the Justice Department to ask Gorsuch about his years working for Bush on such matters as executive authority and the interrogation of terrorism suspects.

Gorsuch "is going to have to establish very much that he'd be independent of any president and that he's going to uphold the rights of all Americans," Leahy said. "He's got a lot of work to do in that regard."

Many conservative activists and GOP lawmakers say that the laundry list of Democratic concerns is evidence that they don't quite know how to pin down Gorsuch.

Questions about Gorsuch's potential independence from the Trump White House or conservative causes will be "an exercise in self-contradiction for the Democrats," said Leonard Leo, who has been advising Trump on judicial matters and is on leave from his role as executive vice president of the conservative Federalist Society, which helped advise Trump on his list of potential court nominees.

"They want Judge Gorsuch to say, 'I'm my own man, I'm independent, I'm going to evaluate the actions of the executive branch on their own merits without regards to the president or any political issue,' " he said. "And then 10 minutes later they're going to ask him to promise how he's going to rule on Roe v. Wade and every other case that comes before the court."

"There'll be an effort to use him as a pinata to jam the president," Leo said, later adding that such attempts would be "unfortunate and inappropriate."

And there could be other issues to emerge. With only eight members and the threat of ideological deadlock, the court has seemed reluctant to accept some controversial cases.

Gorsuch's nomination to replace Scalia, with whom he shares an "originalist" philosophy of constitutional interpretation, is in some ways like other recent replacements - by some measures a zero sum, ideologically speaking. Bush's two nominees, Roberts and Samuel A. Alito Jr., also replaced Republican nominees. Obama's choices of Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan took the places of liberals.

But justices' ideologies are not predictable purely by virtue of the party of the president who nominated them. Alito's replacement of the more moderate Sandra Day O'Connor moved the court to the right on several issues, including abortion, voting rights and campaign finance law.

"I don't accept the premise that it's 'Scalia's seat,'" Durbin said. "I don't know what the next seat will be or when it will be, so I take each of them seriously."

Watching how Gorsuch fares will be the eight current members of the high court, who have said very little publicly in the past year about their diminished ranks.

Weeks before Scalia's death, Roberts told an audience in Boston that public skepticism concerning the court starts with the Senate confirmation process. Decades ago, two of the court's most controversial justices - Scalia on the right and Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the left - were confirmed practically unanimously, he said.

But the three "extremely well-qualified" nominees who followed Roberts - Alito, Sotomayor and Kagan - were approved largely on party-line votes.

"That suggests to me that the process is being used for something other than ensuring the qualifications of the nominees," Roberts said.

Skittish Republicans acknowledged that Trump could still spoil Gorsuch's chances. Graham said it could happen "if the president tweets any more about judges."

Said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the chamber's second-ranking Republican: "I think the best thing the White House could do is just let the Senate do its work."

The Washington Post's Karen Tumulty contributed to this report.
It was 1992. I was 23 years old. And it was my first year as a Chicago Public Schools teacher. My school was on the South Side, and I was determined to shape a positive life trajectory for my students, many of whom were mired in turmoil during one of the heights of Chicago's gang violence. Political assaults on public schools were ramping up as accountability mandates were put into place to reverse years of poor academic performance in many South and West Side schools.

By 1995, my third year teaching, the Republicans in Springfield had passed the Chicago School Reform Amendatory Act. This law gave Chicago's mayor the power to appoint school board members and replaced the superintendent's role with a chief executive. This shift led to a host of changes that included school accountability measures, trimmed union bargaining rights and school rehabilitation and construction projects under CPS's first CEO, Paul Vallas. In 1996, more than 100 CPS schools were placed on academic probation, and the state legislature passed the Illinois Charter School Law, which approved the creation of 15 charter schools in Chicago. The tensions between CPS and Illinois state legislature were put into motion.

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All of this is a prelude to Chance the Rapper's philanthropic donation to CPS.

After Grammy Award-winning artist Chance the Rapper, now 23, met with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on March 3, he assessed the meeting as less than productive. In response, he decided to donate $1 million to CPS and an additional $10,000 to each of nine individual schools.

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A graduate of CPS, this young black man has sent a message to youth: Continue to seek support from others, but in the meantime be willing to take action on your own.

Chance the Rapper is the embodiment of the message I provided to my students 25 years ago when I implored them to arm themselves with intellect and the passion to create Chicago. His actions also remind me of the words of my CPS teachers in the early 1980s who challenged me to memorize the poem "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley, who wrote, "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."

Chance the Rapper's action should be a call to arms for all youth in Chicago to become engaged, both civically and politically, at a time when they are besieged by ignominious commentators who insist that young people are unwilling to engage in matters of importance.

It is my hope that young people  who can't donate $1 million like Chance did  find a way to donate their time by volunteering. Change does not happen by chance; it happens by choice.

Alfred W. Tatum is dean of the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
When the White House put out its blueprint for the federal budget, which is notable for outlining $54 billion in cuts for domestic programs, shrieks of outrage went up on Capitol Hill. "Draconian" and "counterproductive" were some of the words used to describe the plan. "Not realistic" and "unfair" were also heard. And those responses came from Republicans.

Democrats were even less impressed. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said it "would be a disaster for America." Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont called the plan "morally obscene."

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From the lamentations, you might not guess that the reductions amount to just 1.5 percent of federal outlays. Nor would you realize that as a share of gross domestic product, spending would remain one-fifth higher than it was in 2000. If these cuts are "Draconian," Lake Calumet is an ocean.

But the reactions are a reminder that every item in the federal budget is there because someone wanted it  and that someone cannot be expected to silently accept its diminution. Any individual or organization that gets money from one of the affected programs has every reason to raise a ruckus to keep the funds flowing.

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That's why we're grateful to White House budget director Mick Mulvaney for reminding everyone of the ultimate source of every dollar. "We're trying to focus on both the recipients of the money and the folks who give us the money in the first place," he said Thursday.

Among the agencies that would be zeroed out are the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (which got $445 million last year), the Appalachian Regional Commission ($146 million), the National Endowment for the Arts ($148 million) and the National Endowment for the Humanities ($148 million). The plan would cut the Environmental Protection Agency by $2.6 billion, the Agriculture Department by $4.7 billion and the State Department by nearly $11 billion.

We don't take it on faith that every one of these proposed savings is justified. But it's certainly legitimate, even obligatory, for Congress to periodically scrutinize long-lived programs and agencies to confirm that they are achieving a sound purpose at an appropriate cost. The default response of letting every outlay continue, and grow with each passing year, is not a wise one any time  least of all in an era of huge federal budget deficits.

One phrase that was not heard much from opponents of the plan was "$20 trillion in federal debt." But that's what decades of chronic overspending have created. Just servicing that debt will cost taxpayers $270 billion this year  which is $270 billion that can't be spent on other functions, such as the ones President Donald Trump proposes to cut.

Is it really so outrageous to think public broadcasting can support itself in the age of Netflix? Is that $148 million for the NEA indispensable, given that Americans donated $17 billion last year  more than 100 times as much  to support the arts? If Appalachia still depends on special assistance from Washington, what does that say about the effectiveness of the 52-year-old Appalachian Regional Commission? If Trump thinks the EPA can function with less money, shouldn't the agency and its defenders be asked to prove its value?

Plenty of local and state organizations count on federal funding, and they warn that some states and cities wouldn't make it up if it went missing. But there are a couple of reasons for that. One is that these programs are not as high a priority to those states and localities as competing ones are. Another is that states, unlike the feds, can't run enormous deficits every year. While this will be shocking news in Illinois, states are supposed to balance their budgets.

The Trump administration's proposals will force lawmakers and citizens to reconsider not only the benefits of all the targeted outlays but also the cost of continuing them. Our leaders have gotten used to operating as though Washington could live beyond its means forever. If this blueprint destroys that illusion, it will have done a great service.

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.

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The Oswego East High School community is mourning the sudden loss of a student.

Superintendent John Sparlin confirmed in a letter distributed throughout the district that a junior at Oswego East High School died Friday. He was 16.

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"As a district family and community, we are all grieving the loss of this young life," Sparlin said in a letter to parents and school community.

Sparlin said district and school officials are deeply saddened and they thoughts are with the boy's family and friends.

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"Our heartfelt thoughts are with his family, friends and our students," the superintendent said.

Sparlin did not reference details of how the student died.

Kane County Coroner Rob Russell said, "At this point, we are in the initial stages of the death investigation.

"An autopsy is scheduled for Monday and we hope to shed more light on this sudden death of such a young person," the coroner said.

Russell said further details would be made public Monday.

Sparlin said the district is prepared to cope with the student's death.

"The death of a student has a profound effect on the school community," Sparlin said.

Sparlin said the district's crisis team of counselors would be available Sunday afternoon at Oswego East High School to assist students, their families, and staff members in processing the tragic loss. He said the team of psychologists and social workers, as well as the Kendall County Crisis Team, would be made available throughout the coming days and weeks.

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Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
I am a former District 109 Board of Education member and lifelong resident of District 113. My wife Sherri and I have five childrenone in District 109, two at Deerfield High School, and two who graduated from Deerfield High School and are now in college.

I have known Elizabeth "Lizzy" Garlovsky since we were students together at Highland Park High School. We even worked together for a few years as attorneys in the same law firm. I know first hand that Lizzy is a person of high integrity, intelligence and professionalism. Her experience and dedication to the community make her uniquely qualified to serve on the District 113 Board of Education.

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Lizzy is a talented and successful attorney, who practices in the area of trusts and estates where she advises individuals, families, entrepreneurs and business owners in an area of the law that is not only technical in nature but also human.

I also know Lizzy as a wonderful mother, friend, and community activist. As an example, a few years ago, I asked Lizzy if she would be willing to donate some of her time to the Senior Care Volunteer Network (formerly Faith in Action). Lizzy did not think twice about the opportunity to serve her community and I know the organization was thrilled with her contributions.

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The District 113 Board of Education needs dedicated, approachable and passionate members who are willing to devote the time and energy to the position so that all students can continue to receive the world class education they deserve. Lizzy Garlovsky possesses the qualities and the desire to represent our community and to advocate for our children. I am endorsing Lizzy Garlovsky and urge you to vote for her for the District 113 Board of Education.

-Brian Browdy

Deerfield
Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 18



By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:



A high-ranking official with the Iranian railways organization has briefed Trend on the latest developments concerning Azerbaijans plans to invest in the development of his countrys railway system in a bid to help the full activation of the International North-South Transportation Corridor.



Nourollah Beiranvand, the deputy for planning and investment at the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, says the Azerbaijani officials have recently agreed to provide 60 million euros for developing railway facilities in Astara City (Iran).



According to the official, about a half of it is projected to finance the construction of a 1.4 kilometer-long railway in Astara as well as the railway station building.



The remaining half will go for the construction of four terminals of fuelling, general cargo, grain and containers, he said.



The official underscored that the annual capacity of the corridor for transferring goods is expected to hike by two million tons after finalizing the project for creating railway facilities in Astara city.



Elaborating on the details of the agreement, Nourollah Beiranvand added that the Azerbaijani side has also undertaken covering investment risks of the project.



Missing link: Rasht-Astara section



Further speaking about the plans to connect the railways of Iran and Azerbaijan as part of the International North-South Transportation Corridor, Nourollah Beiranvand described the Rasht-Astara railway segment (inside Iran) as the "missing link" of the corridor.



To complete the railway links of the transportation corridor, Iran had earlier agreed to construct inland railway segments in northern parts of the country in order to extend its railway network to the border area with the neighboring Azerbaijan through the two cities of Astara on both sides.



The initial plan included Qazvin-Rasht and Rasht-Astara railway segments. In the meantime, Azerbaijan has launched a construction project to extend its railway into Irans territory which is going through the final tests and will be implemented soon.



According to Nourollah Beiranvand, the construction of the Qazvin-Rasht segment is almost over and it is expected to come on stream within the next six months.



However, the sides still need to finalize the ongoing talks on the financing of the project for the construction of the 164 kilometer-long railway segment linking the two Iranian cities of Rasht and Astara.



Speaking about difficulties concerning the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway segment, the official said that the lands where the railway segment is planned to be laid are valuable in terms of price and the Iranian officials need to purchase those lands from the owners.



According to the latest agreements between Iranian and Azerbaijani officials, the Islamic Republic has been obliged to purchase those lands and Azerbaijan will finance the construction of the $500-million railway segment.



Beiranvand forecasted that the document on financing Rasht-Astara segment is expected to be inked over the next one month and the construction of the segment by March 2018.



Nourollah Beiranvand believes that the main goal of strategic cooperation between the railways of Iran and Azerbaijan is activating the International North-South Transportation Corridor which will eventually link Russia and Azerbaijan to High-Seas through the Islamic Republic.



Underscoring the commercial and geopolitical importance of the corridor, he added that the corridor is expected to benefit Iran in terms of increasing the volume of cargo transferred through the county and in the meantime the corridor will provide a much shorter route for transporting Indian goods.



Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia corridor promises to cut down over 40 percent of logistics cost and halve travel time.
Although the town hall crowd was smaller than similar events held in Deerfield and Northlake, audience members asked U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider many questions Saturday about how he will fight President Donald Trump's proposed budget. (Michael Schmidt / Lake County News-Sun)

The political town hall fever that brought out big crowds for recent events held by U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider in Northbrook and Deerfield seemed to have subsided Saturday, making for a more intimate interaction when Schneider brought his town hall tour to North Chicago.

However, that didn't mean the 40 or so constituents who came to North Chicago Community High School didn't pepper Schneider, D-Deerfield, with some tough questions even as many expressed support for his efforts to resist the agenda of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, which controls both houses of Congress.

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"There's a lot that bothers me in Washington," said Carolyn Harris, a constituent from Buffalo Grove who also attended the town hall in Northbrook, speaking before the event began. "I'll keep coming."

Schneider, elected to a new term in November after being out of office since 2014 when he was unseated by Republican Robert Dold, touched on a range of issues during the hourlong question-and-answer session, including health care, criminal justice reform, voter turnout and gun control. He emphasized that while Democrats are now in the minority, "we have our voice."

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Some audience questions, including one posed by North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham, focused on Trump's proposed budget, which was released late last week. Trump is seeking to eliminate funding sources that cities count on, such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant program, which helps pay for infrastructure improvements, housing rehabilitation and economic development initiatives in lower-income neighborhoods.

"Do you see how you will be able to work across the aisle to keep that funding in place?" Rockingham asked.

"I'm going to fight this budget every way I can," Schneider said, calling Trump's budget "ill-conceived" and "mean in spirit."

"It takes communities that are struggling and makes them weaker," Schneider said of the proposed budget.

Bryan Oglesby, of North Chicago, challenged Schneider to be more vocal in addressing criminal justice reform as a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Oglesby said former President Barack Obama made some strides in addressing problems in the criminal justice system but the issue, in his opinion, has been pushed to the side since Trump's election victory.

"We need to rethink a system that has targeted young people, particularly young people of color, for nonviolent crimes," Schneider said.

Before he took questions, Schneider talked about Republicans' efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, one of Obama's signature domestic achievements. Schneider said the law is "not perfect, but it was a step forward. It was something that helped 20 million people" obtain health insurance, he said. The Republican proposal to replace it, Schneider said, "isn't the direction we should be going."

"It's a step backward.  Everyone in this country has a right to quality, affordable health care," Schneider said.

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The congressman also urged everyone in the audience to vote in the April 4 local elections, and to encourage friends and neighbors to vote as well.

lhammill@tribpub.com

Twitter @lucashammill
Mayoral candidate Sam Cunningham speaks at the mayoral forum hosted by League of Women Voters, Waukegan AAUW and Waukegan Township Sunday at the Waukegan Township Park Place Senior Center in Waukegan, March 19, 2017. (Michael Schmidt / Lake County News-Sun)

Fielding questions on economic development, the lakefront and diversity issues during a candidate forum Sunday afternoon, the two candidates to be Waukegan's next mayor both emphasized the need for better planning but laid out their different approaches

Ald. Lisa May, an independent representing the 7th Ward, and Ald. Sam Cunningham, a Democrat in the 1st Ward, are running to replace Mayor Wayne Motley, who lost his bid for re-election during the February primary.

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Early voting starts Monday ahead of the April 4 election.

"A proper county seat"

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Revitalization would start at the Waukegan Municipal Beach and then spread to the harbor, the downtown area and eventually throughout the city by providing quality services through its police, public works and mayor's office, said Cunningham, who later described his approach to the job of mayor as "chief salesman."

"I'm going to be the one selling the story [of Waukegan]," said Cunningham, who pointed his experience in insurance as giving him the skills to bring people in.

Cunningham proposed holding activities down at the beach from the end of March until it gets cold in the fall, with the goal of attracting some of the people stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago up Sheridan Road into Waukegan.

He also said he would be out talking to those groups as well as the local Chamber of Commerce and school officials.

May, the founder of the grassroots Friends of the Waukegan Beach organization who has made the beach a focal point of her time leading up to and during her time on the City Council, said she'd like to turn the dunes, the beaches and the park land over to the Waukegan Park District, which she said was set up to care of recreational areas.

May proposed approaching the professional development community for ideas on what to do with city-owned property near the lakefront. She said she was in favor of a mix of commercial and residential, especially plans that capitalized on the Metra train station to draw in young professionals commuting to Chicago.

Cunningham said a mix of industrial and recreational has worked for the city in the past, but the goal of attracting people to the area needs to be the focus. He doesn't want any future use to detract from that purpose.

May emphasized professionalism as the way to make Waukegan, as one questioner put it, "a proper county seat."

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"That means professional practices, fair hiring practices, professional bidding processes, openly communicating with our residents, creating a give-and-take with our residents," May said. "Being the county seat, it's very important for us to operate in the same professional manner that our county does. That means having professionals in the right places in City Hall, in the important positions. It means being accessible to our residents. It means engaging with our aldermen, truly making decisions based on the community's input."

May said she would consider hiring a city manager, but it would require a change of the city's government type. In the meantime, she said it didn't make sense to hire a city manager because it would add another high level position in city government.

Instead of a city manager, Cunningham said he would hire a chief of staff with city operations experience.

Both Cunningham and May talked about the importance of planning, Cunningham adding that five-, 10- and 15-year plans also allow residents to see what's happening, and May noting that the city should be using financial forecasts in looking forward.

The city should be staffed with professionals, "not friends, not family, but those who can get the job done," Cunningham said.

By being professional and fair, Waukegan would also be encouraging economic development, May said.

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"I want everyone to know that everyone who comes to City Hall, whether it's a new business owner or developer, everyone's going to get the same treatment," May said. "Your relationship to anyone in City Hall, including me, is not going to make any difference when we start choosing businesses and developers. It's called a level playing field."

Neither candidate said they backed declaring Waukegan a "sanctuary city," though they said their goal would be to make sure all residents had access to services.

The definition of "sanctuary city" varies from place to place, but typically have policies in place that limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The idea has spread to college campuses and other public places but has also drawn blowback, including from President Donald Trump who has threatened to cut off federal funding to such cities.

Of Waukegan's nearly 90,000 residents, about 53 percent are Hispanic, according to 2010 Census data.

"What I approve of is this," Cunningham said. "I approve that anyone who's a taxpaying citizen, who owns a home in this community, that you are given the services that this community has to offer. That's what we approve of. Whether that means sanctuary or not, you are living here, providing an economic means for this community to excel. That's what our obligation is. What's going on in Washington, D.C., and Springfield is not our concern. I want to concentrate on here."

While May said she does not support designating Waukegan a sanctuary city, that doesn't mean she doesn't intend to operate the city like one. City staff will not ask residents about their immigration status and ensure that residents are comfortable calling the police or using city services.

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She also proposed in a question about diversifying the Police Department incentives for officers who are bilingual and provide professional development to help officers communicate with non-English speakers. Cunningham said the issue starts with recruitment and if officers are recruited among Waukegan residents, they'll naturally reflect the population.

"I think a sanctuary city, one, puts a target on our back, and two, I think it also gives a false sense of security to the immigrant population," May said.

emcoleman@tribpub.com

Twitter @mekcoleman
What's Quickly? It's where readers sound off on the issues of the day. Have a quote, question or quip? Call Quickly at 312-222-2426 or email quickly@post-trib.com.

Maybe Trump, Ryan and Mulvaney should volunteer at Meals on Wheels for a few days. Open their eyes to real life.

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Shame on the Gary School Corporation for hiring a public relations specialist to put a positive "spin" on the state of the school system. Here is free advice: Stop spending money you do not have. There is no need to put a positive spin on something that is beyond out of control.

Because nobody in our government was willing to support Trump's outrageous claim on wiretapping, the folks at Fox News gave him another excuse to use. He now claims Britain's GCHQ doted on him. Except Britain, our ally, demanded an apology immediately.

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Last weekend we heard about 5 minutes worth of news about a White House jumper. I'm pretty sure it was a setup/diversion from the news at hand. No follow up from this story.

It's getting pretty bad when a big percentage of Republicans are siding with President Obama. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., is demanding that President Trump apologize to President Obama.

The current U.S. administration has put forth a budget, which is madness. The score of this budget is a lopsided win for D.C. Beltway. Taxpayers lose by reductions in domestic and social programs, while the administration gets an increase in two nondomestic programs and one politically sensitive domestic program  Veterans Affairs. So, there is more than one type of March madness!

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists and the hopes of its children.

Post Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

North Korea is threatening nuclear war. Do you Trump supporters feel perfectly safe now, after putting a man with the mental capacity of a 6-year-old in charge of our nearly nonexistent foreign policy?

It's a good thing that our president doesn't drink. Can you imagine how much worse he would be after a night of drinking?

It is very clear to me that we need a major upheaval in our elected officials. We need to enact a law about term limits ASAP. These relics in office have totally lost touch with the real world. One term and out.

Who in their right mind thinks we should overfund our defense budget and build a ridiculous wall while cutting budgets that help the elderly, the children and the poor?

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You would think that if your goal was to get people to like you, your first priority wouldn't be to see how many people you could aggravate.

You are correct, Congressman Steve King and the others in Washington think that they belong to a superior class. Except their behavior is in the gutter, every single day.

Read more at www.post-trib.com/quickly
What's Quickly? It's where readers sound off on the issues of the day. Have a quote, question or quip? Call Quickly at 312-222-2426 or email quickly@post-trib.com.

We already spend more on our military than the whole rest of the world combined, and yet Trump says we need to spend more? And at the expense of things like Meals on Wheels, public television, education and medical research? And you say I'm supposed to "give him a chance?" Not a chance.

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This budget proposal is the perfect example of never, ever electing the 1 percent to any office. No common sense and no compassion for anyone. I bet they would stab their own mother in order to get her money.

The wiretap lie temporarily accomplished its objective through deflection. But guess what, White House occupant? The American people and the authorities still want your Russian ties thoroughly investigated. The American people also want to know what you are hiding in your taxes that could disqualify you from the Oval Office.

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I am all for cutting government waste, but it seems that they go after the little fish. What happened to the investigation into misuse of funds in the Dept. of Defense? Not much, just reward the fraudulent activity with billions more to waste.

Even if, or when, we get rid of Donald Trump at the end of his first term, it will take decades to repair the damage done to our country by him and the barbarians in his Cabinet. They're undoing environmental progress that's taken more than half a century to accomplish, mainly so their supporters can add to their already obscene profits.

I have actually enjoyed all the liberal hate mongering, vitriol and petulant attitudes that they have shown since November 8 when the most corrupt woman who ever walked the face of the Earth got defeated. They have shown the world what they truly stand for  hatred and anarchy.

Maybe if Trump gave up going to Mar-A-Lago for a weekend or two, we could still afford to keep Meals on Wheels.

Post Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Trump is tweeting, while everything is falling apart. Just like Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

"It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live."

You can tell what kind of people Democrats are by reading the Quicklies. There's nothing but pure nastiness written in the column and maybe a couple nice comments by the Republicans.

Supposedly, someone has released Trump's tax return for 2005. What is that all about!! Where are the returns from 2006 to 2016 years and what is hidden in them? Republican Congressmen, in town hall meetings, have been asked for Trump to produce his tax returns. They answer with a "positive answer," then return to Washington and revert to their jellyfish status  spineless.

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Trump accuses everyone else of "overreach" but never considers himself of doing the same.

Something is wrong. The FBI silence is unnerving. It's clear there's a criminal investigation of some sort. But what?

Read more at www.post-trib.com/quickly
2022 election guide: Here are Pueblo County's top races, ballot issues

Here's what you need to know about the local candidates and ballot questions in the 2022 election, as well as how to vote in Pueblo, Colorado.
Tehran, Iran, March 19

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Irans Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations Gholamali Khoshroo has said Iran, together with Russia and Turkey as Guarantor States, will spare no efforts to guarantee a ceasefire regime in Syria, agreed on December 30, 2016.

Khoshroo made the statement in an address to the United Nations Security Council, Mehr news agency reported March 19.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, with the aim of ending the ongoing crises in Syria and within the framework of its principled policy based on respecting the Syrian territorial integrity and sovereignty, finding a political solution to the crisis through intra-Syrian talks and objection to the instrumental use of terrorism for political gains; has taken effective measures upon the request of the Syrian Arab Republic in different political, humanitarian and anti-terrorism areas, including sending humanitarian assistance to Syrian civilians, he said.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, in line with the trilateral statement issued by the foreign ministers of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey on December 20, 2016 in Moscow as well as the statement issued in International Meeting on Syria on January 24, 2017 in Astana, welcomes peaceful settlement of the armed conflict in Syria and together with the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey as Guarantor States, will spare no efforts to guarantee the Ceasefire Regime in Syria, agreed on December 30, 2016.

Khoshroo added that the Islamic Republic of Iran will assist the Syrian Arab Republic so that the armed forces of the Syrian government and the groups joined them upon request of the government - for restoration of order and fighting against terrorism in Syria - support to the implementation of the ceasefire.

Terrorist groups mentioned in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254, including the Islamic State (aka IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh), al Nusra Front and their affiliated groups, are not subject to the Ceasefire Regime, he observed.
American musician Chuck Berry, also known as 'father of Rock'n'Roll', was found dead at his home in St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday, according to local police. He was 90.

"The St. Charles County Police Department sadly confirms the death of Charles Edward Anderson Berry Sr., better known as legendary musician Chuck Berry," a post on the St. Charles Country police Facebook page said.

Police said first responders arrived at Berry's home around noon Saturday and found the man unresponsive. Berry could not be revived despite the best efforts of the responders and was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m. (1816 GMT), the police said.

Emerging in the 1950s as one of the first star guitarists and lyricists, Berry was the author and performer of the rock'n'roll classics like "Johnny B. Goode", "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Roll Over Beethoven."
State Councilor Yang Jiechi (8th L) and representatives of BRICS countries pose in Feb. at the opening ceremony of the year's first BRICS Sherpa meeting in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. [Photo/Xinhua]

China will work actively with parties concerned to push forward the financial cooperation among the BRICS countries and make more achievements, China's finance minister and central bank chief have said.

They made the remarks on Friday at the BRICS summit for finance ministers and central bankers held in Germany's southwestern city of Baden-Baden.

China's Finance Minister Xiao Jie noted that the BRICS, comprising of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, have been coordinating constantly and deepening cooperation in the financial sector, and made major contributions in promoting growth for BRICS and world economy and improving global economic governance.

Xiao said the BRICS in recent years have made landmark achievements like establishing New Development Bank BRICS, Contingent Reserve Arrangement, offering vital platforms for enhancing and deepening the financial cooperation among BRICS countries.

In 2017, China will work to further promote the existing cooperation mechanisms of the BRICS, and meanwhile explore cooperation in fields of public-private partnership, boosting convergence of accounting standards on bond-issuing and related auditing, and taxation, in a bid to lift the current financial cooperation to a new level, Xiao said.

China's central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan, on the same day, said the BRICS should further step up cooperation under the framework of the Group of Twenty (G20), especially in fields of international financial architecture, inclusive finance and green finance.

Zhou suggested the BRICS could discuss topics on improving network layout of the financial institutions and services, and promoting currency swap and settlement in local currencies, in a bid to boost pragmatic financial cooperation and prepare for the coming BRICS state leaders' summit in Xiamen, China in September.
Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks at the 18th China Development Forum (CDF) in Beijing on March 18, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Apple's CEO Tim Cook has said that the company hasn't reached the point of being a monopoly in China, or in any other countries.

Cook made the remarks at the opening of the China Development Forum in Beijing on Saturday, when asked about whether Apple's share in the smartphone market can be described as such.

The CEO also hailed Chinese smartphone makers, when talking about Apple's objectives.

He said: "but we don't try to make the most. Our objective has never been to make the most. So we do not have the market share objective or a unit objective if you will. I think the Chinese companies that you mentioned do really good work."

He added that China's domestic entrepreneurship is attributable to its home brands' performance in the face of fierce competition.

Cook also revealed that Apple plans to build two research and development centers in east Chinese cities of Shanghai and Suzhou, in order to better tap into China's pool of talents.

Initiated in 2000, the China Development Forum is aimed at building a high-level communication platform between political officials, business leaders, and scholars from the world.

This year's forum focuses on topics such as China's economic transformation and structural reforms, as well as global issues including globalization and China-US relations.
You are here: Home

Police in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province have busted 39 major cross-border drug-trafficking cases and seized a total of four tonnes of drugs over the past five years.

Local police cracked 14 cross-border drug-trafficking rings and arrested 127 drug dealers, the public security bureau of the prefecture announced on Friday.

Xishuangbanna police have established good relationship with parties, governments and armed forces from neighboring countries, which contributed to the achievements.

Xishuangbanna, located in the south of Yunnan, is one of the Chinese border regions most affected by drug use, due to its proximity to the opium-growing Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia.
China-US relations [By Zhang Xueshi / China.org.cn]

On Feb. 28, 1972, China and the United States released the Shanghai Communique, which laid out the foundation for the two countries to establish diplomatic ties.

The Shanghai Communique is a highly creative and significant guiding document for this relationship. The architect of this on the U.S. side, President Richard Nixon, described it as "a bridge across 16,000 miles and 22 years of hostilities dividing us in the past." It still has a profound guiding significance for the countries' current relationship.

President Nixon was willing to break the ice by visiting China, highlighting that easing tensions between China and the U.S. conformed with changes in the international situation and was beneficial to the national interests of both sides.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, sunk deep in the mire of the Vietnam War, the United States was at a strategic disadvantage while competing for world hegemony with the Soviet Union. At the same time, its blockade and isolation policies towards China hadn't worked. Increasingly, it couldn't ignore China's existence in the international community.

The great foresight and strategic determination of the leaders of the two countries become a decisive factor in improving the climate for the issuance of the Shanghai Communique.

The strategic initiative of "building a new model of major country relations" put forward by new leaders on both sides in 2012 was also a result of progressive advances on the previous basis of "building a positive, cooperative and comprehensive bilateral relationship." Thus, it's clear there is no other option but to cooperation.

Second, in long-term contacts, the two countries have always sought common ground while holding back differences to form a situation where competition and cooperation coexist. One-sided emphasis on differences and competition between the two sides may entail dreadful consequences, such as strategic conflicts.

Obviously, it is very difficult for China and the United States to reach a consensus on every issue due to different historical and cultural backgrounds and different political systems. However, the Shanghai Communique tells us that seeking common ground while holding back differences is a "magic weapon" to maintain a stable development of relations.

For example, although countries around the world cannot reach a consensus on the definition of terrorism, it does not prevent China and the U.S. from jointly dealing with it.

Since the end of the Cold War, every U.S. president has been inclined to adopt tough policies towards China early in their time in office. However, relations have always come back on track after a "learning curve" period by the new administration. The reason is that leaders of the two countries recognize cooperation is beneficial and there can be no winners in a fight.

Third, economic and trade exchanges serve as "ballast" in the Sino-American relationship. Winning or losing in an individual deal is a common occurrence, so frequently threatening each other with a trade war is unreasonable and dangerous.

The bilateral trade volume stood at only US$2.5 billion in the early days of formal diplomatic ties; last year, the figure was US$519.6 billion, a 207-fold increase.

The Chinese market has brought tremendous benefits to the United States. In terms of goods trade, China is the fastest growing export market for the United States outside of North America. 26 percent of Boeing aircraft, 56 percent of American soybeans and 16 percent of American cars are exported to China, creating huge employment opportunities and promoting the economic interests of the United States.

Rather than creating obstacles, the two governments should be looking for new areas of economic and trade cooperation, such as energy imports and exports and infrastructure construction so as to benefit the people of both countries.

Fourth, and most importantly, the "one-China" principle established in the Shanghai Communique is the political basis for the normal development of China-U.S. relations, and this principle tolerates no challenge.

Just as the United States has its anti-secession law to prevent federal division, China has its own Anti-Secession Law to prevent external forces from undermining its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Zhang Zhixin is a researcher of American politics at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

The article was translated by Li Jingrong from an unabridged version published in Chinese.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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China and the United States are now in close communication on arrangements for a meeting between the two presidents and exchanges at other levels, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during his talks with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Saturday.





Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd L) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (2nd R) in Beijing, capital of China, March 18, 2017. [Photo / Xinhua]

"We attach great importance to your visit," Wang told Tillerson at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

It is Tillerson's first visit to China since he assumed office last month. He is also the first cabinet-level official in the new administration of the United States to visit China.

"We have in-depth discussions on arranging a recent meeting between two presidents and starting relevant preparations," Wang said, adding that the two sides agreed to keep close communication to ensure a successful meeting between the two presidents as well as exchanges at other levels in the next stage.

"Your visit marks a very important step to push forward that process," Wang told Tillerson.

China-U.S. ties are now transitioning and developing steadily along a positive direction, Wang said, calling for implementation of the consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump.

Wang said China is willing to work with the U.S. side on communication and cooperation, enhancing trust and properly handling differences to promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral ties in the new phase along the right track so as to benefit the people of two countries and the world at large.

Wang called for more cooperation in foreign affairs, the economy and trade, the military, law enforcement, people-to-people exchanges and local communication.

The essence of China-U.S. trade relations is mutual benefit, said Wang, encouraging both countries to expand trade and investment cooperation and properly handle trade frictions.

He also called on the two countries to reinforce coordination on hotspot issues including the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue, Afghanistan, Syria and maintain close communication under the multilateral framework such as the United Nations, the G20 and the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

Wang also restated China's position on Taiwan and the South China Sea issues, emphasizing that China and the United States should respect each other's core interests and major concerns, discreetly deal with sensitive issues to protect bilateral ties from unnecessary influences.

Reviewing the achievements of bilateral ties, Tillerson said it is necessary for both countries to have closer cooperation and coordination in face with changing international situation.

Tillerson said the United States adheres to the one-China policy and is willing to work with China to implement the consensus reached by their leaders and explore more cooperation in the spirit of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation.

The United States would like to have more high-level exchanges with China, and more dialogue in diplomatic security, macroeconomic policy coordination, law enforcement, cyberspace and people-to-people exchanges.

Tillerson's visit aims to make "political preparations" for the meeting between two presidents, and both sides would make the best use of this chance to seek common ground, said Jia Xiudong, a researcher with the China Institute of International Studies.

He said the necessity of strengthening cooperation between China and the United States have been further strengthened since Trump took office.

"What Tillerson said on bilateral ties this afternoon sent positive signals," said Jia.
An Afghan serviceman opened fire at a base in the country's southern Helmand province, wounding three US soldiers, the NATO Resolute Support Mission said Sunday, Sputnik reported.

"Three US soldiers wounded when shot by Afghan soldier on a base in Helmand Province. US soldiers receiving medical care," the mission said on its official Twitter.

According to media reports, the Afghan soldier was killed.

The Resolute Support mission, focused on training, advising and assisting the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, was launched on January 1, 2015.
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A radicalized man, previously known to the police for theft and drug offences, was shot dead after attacking a soldier earlier on Saturday at Orly airport, south Paris, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said.

Identified as Zied Ben Belgacem, the 39-year-old French national tried to grab a Famas assault rifle from a young female solider of the air force who was patrolling the airport as part of the "Sentinelle" security operation, Molins said.

The man and the soldier fell to the ground for a short struggle before two members of the patrol opened fire on him three times, killing him.

The man, already on the watch list of intelligence services for radicalization, showed "determination to go to the end," telling soldiers that he was "here to die... There will be deaths," according to the prosecutor.

The attacker's father, brother and cousin have been placed into custody, he added.
United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's first visit to China has two purposes among others that are equally important  arranging for a meeting between the Chinese and US presidents, and maneuvering further consensus on responding to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear/missile stunts.

A meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump would serve the imperative need for ironing out bilateral ties ruffled repeatedly by the disruptive, sometimes confusing, postures of the recently inaugurated Trump team. Both the lingering sense of uncertainty regarding China-US relations and the dangerous state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula call for one.

Xi and Trump have talked twice on the phone, providing a timely sense of clarity when suspicions threatened to mislead policy choices. But talking face to face will certainly be more conducive to the kind of constructive interaction the relationship badly needs at this critical crossroads.

Xi chose to focus on the "important opportunities", rather than the broadly perceived, potentially inflammable challenges, facing bilateral ties on Sunday when meeting Tillerson.

And while Xi accentuated that the countries "have every possibility to become very good cooperation partners", Tillerson assured Xi of the Trump administration's commitment to the principles of "no confrontation, no conflict, mutual respect, win-win cooperation".

Besides anchoring the recently volatile relationship, a meeting between the two leaders would provide a clearer sense of direction. Not to mention Beijing and Washington need face-to-face dialogue at the highest level to coordinate stances and actions on the Peninsula issue.

With Tillerson declaring the "policy of strategic patience has ended" and a military response is an "option on the table", Beijing's call for Pyongyang to suspend nuclear/missile activities in exchange for Washington to halt joint military exercise with the Republic of Korea may not ring a bell with either of them.

Things appear especially difficult for Beijing because, while it tries to continue playing the "switchman" in the risky task of what Foreign Minister Wang Yi described as preventing the imminent head-on collision between two "accelerating trains", the US president has just repeated his accusation that Beijing has "done little to help" in stopping Pyongyang.

Ironically though, Washington is asking Beijing to help alleviate its own security concern while putting Beijing in harm's way.

While rushing the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, which Beijing identifies as a security threat, into the ROK in disregard of Beijing's protests, Washington is reportedly plotting a new, bigger arms sales package to Taiwan.

Clearly the two leaders still have plenty to straighten out when they meet.
BEIJING - Chinese companies have outperformed their Asian counterparts in digital transformation, according to a report by a leading software developer.

About 91 percent of Chinese mainland respondents used software development strategy DevOps and about 88 percent Agile. In other Asian countries the figures were 88 percent and 86 percent respectively, according to a report by CA Technologies.

Agile and DevOps are two of the most popular tools to help companies to upgrade their IT infrastructure.

Digitalization is expanding into other industries like banking, manufacturing and telecoms, according to Martin Mackay, CA Technologies president and general manager responsible for the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region.

Despite high awareness of digitalization tools, only 33 percent of Chinese respondents used them throughout the company, the report showed.

Other than technology and investment, Martin pointed out that the biggest challenge for companies in digitizing is culture, with a flat corporate culture easier to digitize than a hierarchical one.

"It's not that the IT department wants to change, but that the business is changing, and you have to adapt to changes faster than your competitors," said Nick Lim, ASEAN and Greater China vice president with CA Technologies.

"China is a key market for us and we will continue to grow business here as ongoing economic upgrades mean more companies in China will go digital," Lim added.
Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli delivers a speech at the China Development Forum in Beijing, March 19, 2017. [Photo/Weibo.com]

China will make efforts to channel capital into the real economy to achieve sustainable development, said Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli on Sunday.

A large amount of funds have been invested in the real estate sector and if it is not well managed, there could be the problem of bubbles, he added. China will take measures to prevent financial risks from developing, Zhang said, adding that the Chinese economy will not encounter major problems and can achieve sustainable growth.

He also said China will further open up its economy to the outside world and provide private investors wider access to sectors that are yet to open.

Global economy needs structural reform, says vice-premier

The road of global economic recovery has been bumpy in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, said Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli on Sunday.

Structural reform is needed to solve the deep-rooted problems of the world economy, he told participants of the China Development Forum.

He said China has made relentless efforts to reform its economic structure and contribute to global economic recovery, Zhang said, adding that China contributed to about 30 percent of world growth in 2016 while contribution of Asia as a whole was about 50 percent.

The China Development Forum opens in Beijing, March 19, 2017. [Photo/Weibo.com]

China committed to economic opening-up: Vice-premier

China will remain committed to its stance of economic opening-up and further improving the business environment for foreign investors, said Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli on Sunday.

"China will push for a higher-level economic opening-up," he told participants of the China Development Forum.

Zhang also said in the next five years, China's trade volume will rise to $8 trillion and its actually utilized direct foreign investment will reach $600 billion. Chinese enterprises and individuals are expected to make outbound direct investment of $750 billion in the same period while the number of Chinese tourists going abroad is expected to reach 700 million, he said.
Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli delivers a speech at the China Development Forum in Beijing, March 19, 2017. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/chinadaily.com.cn]

China remains committed to its stance of economic opening-up and further improve the business environment for foreign investors, said Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli on Sunday.

"China will push for more opening-up," he told participants of the China Development Forum.

China's economic exchanges with the outside world will continue to increase, he said. In the next five years, the country's trade volume will reach $8 trillion and its actually utilized direct foreign investment will hit $600 billion, he said, adding that Chinese enterprises and individuals are expected to make outbound direct investment of $750 billion in the same period while the number of Chinese tourists going abroad is expected to reach 700 million.

Zhang urged the nation to continue to restructure its economy, shifting focus to innovation, strategically emerging industries, and advanced manufacturing. Meanwhile, the country must safeguard financial security and "put prevention of financial risks higher on its agenda". He warned against the trend of funds flowing into the real estate sector and said if it is not well managed, there could be the problem of asset bubbles.

But Zhang remained upbeat about the prospects of the Chinese economy. "So long as our real economy continues to expand and our financial system does not encounter systematic risks, we're confident that the Chinese economy will not have major problems and can achieve sustainable and healthy growth."

Zhang also said the road of global economic recovery has been bumpy in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis. Structural reform is needed to solve the deep-rooted problems of the world economy, he said.

He said China has made relentless efforts to reform its economic structure and contributed to global economic recovery, he said, adding that China contributed to about 30 percent of global growth in 2016 while contribution of Asia as a whole was about 50 percent.
Amin Nasser, president and CEO of Saudi Aramco, discusses the company's strategy with China Daily. [Photo provided to China Daily by Saudi Aramco]

The world's largest oil producer Saudi Arabian Oil Co, also known as Saudi Aramco, will continue to beef up integrated downstream investments in China as part of efforts to bolster its presence in the world's second largest economy, said its President and CEO Amin Nasser.

Saudi Arabia's state oil company is pressing ahead looking for indigenous partners to establish joint ventures in China for downstream businesses  integrates refining, chemical, retail and distribution, said Nasser in an interview with China Daily in Beijing during the ongoing China Development Forum.

Part of its plans include raising the proportion of its crude oil export to China over the next couple of years, a move Nasser said will help China's energy security. Currently, Aramco's crude exports to China are nearly 15 percent of China's total imports.

Aramco's strategic planning in China illustrated the deepening link between the two countries, which has been reinforced by the $65 billion worth of bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding on production capacity and investment cooperation signed this week during the state visit of Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud last week.

According to Nasser, he met Wang Yupu, the chairman of China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, or Sinopec, and will meet his counterparts at China National Petroleum Corporation  the nation's two state-owned oil giants, with a goal "to identify and expand downstream opportunities for both."

Aramco's investments are geared for the long-term in China's downstream sector as it is not only trying to match such businesses with its export volume of crude oil to the market place but also take a holistic approach that includes R&D and innovative technologies that benefits the environment.

As part of the strategy, Aramco signed on Thursday two memorandums of understanding with Chinese companies during the Saudi-China Investment Forum.

With regards to its plan to go public in 2018, predicted to be the largest in the world, Nasser said "things are going very well". More details will be disclosed in the coming months since the process of the IPO is under way, he added.
China will continue to deepen the supply-side structural reforms to address the economic imbalances and to achieve sustainable growth, He Lifeng, director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said on Sunday.

He, the head of the country's top economic planner, warned about rising financial risks and excessive capital flowing into the property market, which has resulted in surging housing prices in some cities and higher costs for the real economy.

In his remarks at the China Development Forum, the NDRC head vowed that China will continue to properly dispose the non-performing assets, reduce corporate leverage, and to tightly contain excessive credit from flowing into the property sector.
BEIJING - A Beijing court has ordered eLong.com, a digital service company, to pay 105,660 yuan ($15,278) to a customer who booked fake five-star hotels via the site.

Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court upheld its first instance judgement to order the Internet firm to pay three times the customer's booking fee.

The customer, who has only been identified by his surname Li, filed the lawsuit after he found the three hotels that he booked via eLong.com in January 2016 were not five-star hotels as advertized by the site.

Previously, eLong.com had refused to pay a fine of 150,000 yuan issued by the city's industry and commerce department in June 2016 for misleading advertising.

There are 700 million Internet users in China, more than half the population. Travel sites are among the most popular services. China Internet Network Information Center said the online booking business has problems ranging from low price competition, non-standard operation and lack of supervision.
Liu Yong, chief of the No 4 coal-fired unit, touches the button to suspend the unit on the morning of March 18, meaning the Huaneng Beijing Thermal Power Plant has suspended all operations. [Photo/VCG]

BEIJING - Beijing's last large coal-fired power plant suspended operations on Saturday, meaning the capital has become China's first city with all its power plants fueled by clean energy.

The Huaneng Beijing Thermal Power Plant was built up and put into operation in June 1999. It has five coal-fired units with a total installed capacity of 845,000 kilowatts and heating capacity of 26 million square meters.

Du Chengzhang, general manager of the plant, said it is an efficient and environmental friendly plant with advanced emission treatment equipment. The plant has provided important support to the stable operation of Beijing's electric power system and the heat-supply system.

After the suspension of the plant, about 1.76 million tonnes of coal, 91 tonnes of sulfur dioxide and 285 tonnes of nitrogen oxide emissions will be cut annually.

According to a clean air plan by Beijing from 2013 to 2017, Beijing will build four gas thermal power centers and shut down the four large coal-fueled thermal power plants during the period.

Another three plants which used to consume over 6.8 million tonnes of coal each year were closed in 2014 and 2015.

Du said Huaneng will prepare to serve as an emergency heat source for the capital's heating system after operations cease.

Three of the four gas thermal power have already been built and are in use.

Beijing has 27 power plants, all fueled by clean energy with a total installed capacity of 11.3 million kilowatts.

According to the city's plan, Beijing will build no more large-scale power plants.
KUNMING - Police in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province have busted 39 major cross-border drug-trafficking cases and seized a total of four tonnes of drugs over the past five years.

Local police cracked 14 cross-border drug-trafficking rings and arrested 127 drug dealers, the public security bureau of the prefecture announced on Friday.

Xishuangbanna police have established good relationship with parties, governments and armed forces from neighboring countries, which contributed to the achievements.

Xishuangbanna, located in the south of Yunnan, is one of the Chinese border regions most affected by drug use, due to its proximity to the opium-growing Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met President Xi Jinping of China for 30 minutes on Sunday in Beijing and told him that U.S. President Donald Trump anticipates a meeting "soon," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement, Reuters reported.

Xi and Tillerson agreed that opportunities existed for greater cooperation between the two countries, though differences remain, Toner said. Tillerson ended his first trip to Asia since taking office with an agreement to work with China on North Korea.
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XI'AN - Hongjiannao Lake, China's largest desert freshwater lake, expanded in 2016 for the first time in a decade.

The surface area of the lake, located in Shenmu County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, stood at 32.94 square kilometers by the end of last year, up around 4.5 percent year on year, according to statistics from the provincial remote sensing information center for agriculture.

The lake, sandwiched between the Muus Desert in Shaanxi and the Erdos Plateau in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, saw its water level retreat by 30 to 60 centimeters a year since 2006.

In 2015, it shrank to less than 32 square kilometers. At its largest, the lake covered 67 square kilometers in 1969.

Significant increase in precipitation, including artificial rainfall, as well as more water from reservoirs upstream, contributed to the lake's expansion.
BEIJING - Army inspectors have been dispatched to review discipline at the local-troop level, according to the Central Military Commission (CMC).

The third inspection group features five teams, said the CMC.

In 2016, the CMC dispatched two groups, made of 12 teams.

With a focus on anti-graft work, military inspectors have found issues concerning cadre's adherence to the Party's code of conduct and submitted evidence to be investigated.
A poster for Beauty and the Beast [Photo/mtime.com]

The wait is finally over for fans looking to relive the romance of Beauty and the Beast. Disney's live action reboot of the classic tale has already opened in many parts of the world and is opening simultaneously today in China and the United States.

The story of Beauty and the Beast dates back all the way to 1740, when it was first published by French writer Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. The film expands on the original story and centers around a prince who is imprisoned and under a spell as a beast. His only hope is to be freed by true love. A girl named Belle enters his castle and becomes his savior.

The movie stars British pair Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, who is best known for having played Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey. While promoting the film recently, Emma Watson talked about what the story means to her.

"I think that, that don't judge a book by its cover, look beyond the superficial. And I think it also celebrates the idea that love takes on this almost soul connection, the spiritual connection, this bigger connection. As you say, we need to be reminded of that now more than ever," said Watson.

Disney's animation of the story in 1991 was a worldwide hit, featuring an Oscar- and Grammy-winning original song of the same title by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson. The song has been covered by John Legend and Ariana Grande ahead of the release of the new film, and a Chinese version has also been preformed by Tian Fuzhen and Jing Boran. Celine Dion has been asked to perform a new song for the latest release, titled "How Does A Moment Last Forever".

The soundtrack of the new Beauty and the Beast is now also available.

Related: Which 'Beauty and the Beast' music video will fans like best?
BADEN-BADEN, Germany - Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie on Saturday met with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The two sides have called for enhancing the economic cooperation between the two countries.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Germany's southwestern city of Baden-Baden.

Both sides emphasized the great significance of intensifying the Chinese-U.S. economic cooperation, not only to both countries but also to the world economic growth, saying that China and the United States should highly treasure the hard-won achievements of bilateral economic cooperation.

In addition, the two sides agreed to further strengthen communication, to stick to the connotation of bilateral economic cooperation and to make it more effective and pragmatic.

It is the first meeting between Xiao and Mnuchin.
WASHINGTON - If you are not satisfied with the shape of your nose, blame it on climate, not your parents or grandparents.

In a study published this week in the journal PLOS Genetics, researchers from the Pennsylvania State University found that human noses may have been shaped, at least in part, by a long process of adaptation to local climate conditions.

Generally, wider noses are more common in warm and humid climates, while narrower noses are more common in cold and dry climates, it said.

The findings were based on an examination of the size and shape of noses on people with West African, South Asian, East Asian, or Northern European ancestry.

The researchers looked at the width of the nostrils, the distance between nostrils, the height of the nose, nose ridge length, nose protrusion, external area of the nose and the area of the nostrils by using 3D facial imaging.

It showed that the width of the nostrils is strongly correlated with temperature and absolute humidity, but not the result of a random process called genetic drift.

One purpose of the nose is to condition the air that we breathe, to ensure that it is warm and moist when it reaches the lungs, which helps to prevent infections.

The current study found the narrower nostrils seem to alter the airflow so that the mucous-covered inside of the nose can humidify and warm the air more efficiently.

"It was probably more essential to have this trait in cold and dry climates," it said.

"People with narrower nostrils probably fared better and had more offspring than people with wider nostrils, in colder climates. This lead to a gradual decrease in nose width in populations living far away from the equator."

The nose has had a complex evolutionary history, however, and researchers suspected that additional factors, such as cultural preferences when picking a mate, have also played a role in shaping the nose.

Investigations into nose shape evolution and climate adaptation may have medical as well as anthropological implications.

Studies of human adaptation are essential to our understanding of disease and yield insights into why certain conditions, such as sickle cell anemia, lactose intolerance or skin cancer, are more common in certain populations.

The researchers said that it may be worth investigating whether the shape of the nose and the size of the nasal cavity impact one's risk of contracting a respiratory disease when living in a climate that is different from one's ancestors.
Is China the Answer? Nine Years On.

Sometimes, the answer will be yes, sometimes it will be no, and sometimes it will be something in between. For those for whom the answer is yes, the China they encounter (or continue to encounter) is one that is much changed from that of 2013. But many of the fundamentals remain the same. Keeping your nose clean is no guarantee of a smooth ride, but not keeping your nose clean is pretty much a guarantee of trouble.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry on Saturday evening has condemned Germany for allowing terrorist PKK followers to march in the city of Frankfurt, Anadolu reported.

In a written statement, the ministry said it is a "thought-provoking case" within the scope of fight against terrorism that Germany - which recognizes PKK as a terrorist group - allowed symphatizers to use PKK symbols and its jailed head Abdullah Ocalan's posters during the marching.

"We condemn this insincere attitude," the ministry said, adding that Germany's envoy in Ankara has been informed about the discomfort on the issue.

German officials Saturday allowed terrorist PKK followers to march in the city of Frankfurt, in marked contrast to its recently blocking Turkish ministers and politicians from addressing Turkish voters in the country.

Around 9,000 people marched in the central German city of Frankfurt with banned PKK posters and flags, openly defying the federal government's prohibition of terrorist symbols in public places.

The PKK sympathizers also carried banned posters and flags and shouted slogans against Turkey, even though the Interior Ministry on March 2 updated its list of prohibited PKK symbols to include the image of the terrorist organization's jailed head Abdullah Ocalan.
Two soldiers were martyred in the operations against PKK terrorists in Lice district of Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakir, Anadolu reported.

Two soldiers, who were seriously wounded during the ongoing operations, succumbed to their injuries at Selahattin Eyyubi State Hospital in Diyarbakir, according to the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Six PKK terrorist were killed in the operations, added sources.

Security forces have been conducting broad operations against PKK terrorists in Diyarbakirs Lice, Kulp, and Hani districts since March 5.

More than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives since the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July 2015.
(Photo : Getty Images. ) U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson softened stance on North Korea during his maiden china visit. He vowed to work with China to to persuade Pyongyang to make a course correction."

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After giving a blunt warning to North Korea in Seoul, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a sort of u-turn after landing in China on Saturday. Following an hour long meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Tillerson adopted a softer stance as he did not issue any war threat or military actions against the North Korean regime.



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Tillerson admitted that tensions in the peninsula are currently running high and things have reached to a really dangerous level. But he added that both leaders agreed to work together for persuading Pyongyang to "make a course correction and move away from the development of their nuclear weapons."



Tillerson did not talk about any punitive actions as he avoided a confrontationist tone and spoke about taking a middle path. He stated "we've committed ourselves to doing everything we can to prevent any type of conflict from breaking out."



In response, Wang also supported the use of diplomatic means to solve the North Korea's nuclear conundrum as he stressed on using the U.N sanctions. He called on all the concerned parties to avoid taking confrontational path.



"No matter what happens, we have to stay committed to diplomatic means as a way to seek peaceful settlement," Wang said.



Tillerson gave dire warning to North Korea in Seoul



In contrast, Tillerson clearly adopted an aggressive and confrontational stance on North Korea issue during his South Korea visit. In fact, he minced no words as he gave by far the most strake warning to the reclusive communist state.



He warned that "all options were on the table" while not ruling out any military actions against Pyongyang. The U.S. leader also stressed that there is no scope of negotiations unless North Korea completely gives up its nuclear program.



The timing of Tillerson's warning almost coincided with U.S. President Donald Trump's latest fiery tweet on North Korea issue, where he again levelled accusations against China.



"North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been 'playing' the United States for years. China has done little to help," Trump tweeted.



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Tagsrex tillerson, China and U.S., China and North Korea, North Korea, North Korea nuclear program
(Photo : Getty Images. ) Speaking at a conference in Beijing, Apple's CEO asked China to open up its market further in order to truly relish the fruits of globalisation.

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Apple's CEO Tim Cook has called on China to continue opening up its market for truly relishing the fruits of globalization. The Apple boss was speaking at a government sponsored development forum in Beijing on Saturday.



Cook's message on 'liberalized market' comes at a time when Donald Trump's protectionist trade policies have propelled a heated debate on globalization across the world.



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"I think it's important that China continues to open itself and widens the door if you will," cook said at the forum. The talismanic CEO noted that anti-globalization policies never contributed to people's growth.



"The reality is countries that are closed, that isolate themselves, it's not good for their people," he added.



Ahead of cook's speech, Apple announced on Friday that it would set up two new R&D centres in Shanghai and Suzhou, which are in addition to two separate R&D centres that are coming up in Beijing and Shenzhen cities. All the four centres will start operation later this year. The company also announced it will invest more than invest more than 3.5 billion Yuan ($507.1 million) in these centres.



Apple's ambitious expansion plans come amid falling sales in China, which has greatly dampened its revenue prospects. The ferocious competition from a hosts of homegrown brands like Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and ZTE has left Apple's iPhone sales slogging in the world's largest smartphone market.



It is not only the competition factor that has left the American tech behemoth vulnerable in the lucrative Chinese market. The threat from China's nationalistic media has made the legendary Steve Job's company feeling equally uncomfortable.



An article in the state-owned The Global Times warned that Apple may have to face ire from Chinese people in the wake of the trade war between the U.S. and China.



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(Photo : Getty Images. ) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is scheduled to visit Australia and New Zealand between March 22 and March 29 to hold talks on trade and investment.

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will visit Australia and New Zealand later this month. The weeklong visit that will focus mainly on trade and investment deals is the second high profile visit by a Chinese official since President Xi Jingping's visit to both countries in 2014.



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Li would commence his visit between 22 March and 29 March, which would include halt at Canberra, Sydney and Auckland. The Chinese premier's trade visit to Australia and New Zealand comes during President Donald Trump's on-going trade protectionist campaign that led the U.S. withdrawal from the 12 nations Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).



Li will meet his counterparts Bill English and Malcom Turnbull during the visit to discuss host of trade related issues. Australia and New Zealand are expected to urge China's premier to open up the lucrative Chinese market for their companies and exporters.



It is not clear whether the sensitive issue of South China Sea will be discussed during the visit. Over the years both the Trans Pacific countries have tilted to the U.S. over the issue of disputed maritime territory.



Canberra had to especially work hard to maintain a strategic balance between the U.S. and China, with latter being its largest trading partner. Canberra's frequent outburst against China's sovereign claim over the disputed South China Sea region has often led to strain in both country's bilateral relationship.



Last week, Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop faced Chinese media's ire for her criticisms against China's democratic practices. Bishop lamented over the fact that China continues to follow an undemocratic system while addressing a conference in Singapore.



There is apparently a growing debate among Australian lawmakers on how to deal with China in the wake of its economic rise. Last year, the former Prime Minister Paul Keating described Canberra's current foreign policy as "simply incapable" of coping with China's economic and diplomatic clout.



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There is a temptation because of the overwhelming predominance of round cases to assume that wristwatches began that way and only later did variations in shape, often termed form cases, appear. Easy to glide to that belief, but wrong. In fact the very first wristwatch created was housed in a form case. That was Breguet No. 2639 ordered on June 8, 1810 by Caroline Murat, the Queen of Naples and completed on December 21, 1812 and priced at 5000 francs. According to the Breguet archives, this first wristwatch in the world was an oblong repeater for bracelet.

To be true, the Queen of Naples wristwatch was fully a century ahead of its time as wristwatches did not really become popular until after World War I. Almost immediately surpassing pocket watches in popularity, the dominant shape was round. Nonetheless, form cases made an almost immediate appearance, albeit in far smaller numbers, setting a pattern that persists today.

What is overlooked, even by connoisseurs, is that producing a form case wristwatch presents a unique set of challenges over the more common round form. This is Particularly true if the watches are to feature handmade guilloche dials in the Breguet style. The particular demands of crafting form guilloche dials are best understood by recognizing that there are, in fact, three distinct categories of shape: dials that may have a form other than round but are, nonetheless, flat; those that are curved in one direction only (normally from 12 oclock to 6 oclock) and those curved in two directions (from 12 oclock to 6 oclock and from 9 oclock to 3 oclock). The watches with dials curved in two directions are often described as having spherical or bombe forms. Of course, the latter two categories are the most complex and, as stands to reason, the most difficult to produce. It is there that Breguets Heritage Collection is found; fitted into tonneau shaped cases, all the models of the Heritage Collection feature bombe dials except for one model which is curved in a single direction.

Hand guilloche work as it is practiced at Breguet is one of watchmakings grand crafts. Fully respecting a tradition which dates back two centuries to the workshops of Breguets founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet, the artisans working in Breguets Vallee de Joux atelier, practice the metier as it was done historically, that is to say completely by hand. The cutting tool mounted on a classical rose engine machine is controlled by both hands of the guillocheur; one hand rotates the gold disk of the dial, the other hand applies the pressure so that the cutting tip, called a buren, will delicately carve the surface with the desired guilloche pattern. The pattern motif itself is created as rotating cams move the tip of the buren in different directions as the dial disk turns in front of it. There is no room for the slightest error. If the pressure applied to the cutting tip of the buren by one hand is not perfectly constant the pattern will be uneven and must be rejected as flawed. Similarly, if the rate of turn, controlled by the other hand, varies or worse still the rotation is stopped mid-pattern there is again a risk of uneven carving which likewise is a flaw. It should also be remembered that enormous precision is called for in the making of a dial. The placement of each and every pattern and its dimensions must conform to an exacting plan for the dial to fit the movement and its hands. Imagine, for example, if the pattern for a subdial, such as a date indication or power reserve, were not exactly where the movement design called for it to be. These demands are extreme and only the most talented and experienced guillocheurs are qualified to make a Breguet dial.

This description of the guilloche craft applies to all dial forms, flat and curved and the earliest efforts to craft a curved guilloche dial did not depart greatly from those used to carve flat dials. Indeed for the earliest single dimension curved models, the dial when placed on the guilloche machine was flat and the guillocheurs worked upon it as they would a traditional flat dial. To achieve the desired curved shape, the dial would be bentone direction onlyafter it had been decorated. What followed was a delicate process to adjust the fit of the bent dial onto the movement and into the case.

Things become dramatically more complex with a spherical or bombe dial. Working on a flat dial and later bending it into a spherical shaped after decoration becomes out of the question. The required precision in the shape and its fi t into the case simply cannot be assured. So it falls upon the shoulders of the guillocheur to create by hand the guilloche pattern upon a spherical surface. To understand the enormously elevated level of craft required to decorate a bombe surface, put yourself in the shoes, so to speak, of a master guillocheur. As with a flat dial, one of your hands will be completely occupied turning the dial on the machine. Remember, as with a flat dial, that rate of turn must be perfectly steady. No room for hesitation or jiggles. Your other hand, the one that presses the tip of the buren onto the rotating surface, now has a far more difficult job to do than if the dial were flat. For as the surface turns, if you are holding your buren in one spot, the dial surface will be alternately approaching and receding from the tip (unless of course you are cutting a perfect radial circle on the dial). Worse still, since the tip is also being moved back and forth by the cams of the machine to produce a decorative pattern, there will be even more changes to the positions on the surface of the sphere, some closer others further away, presenting themselves to the contact point of the buren tip.

So how does the guillocheur delicately carve the pattern, always with a constant depth of the cuts, if the surface upon which he is working is constantly changing its distance from the tip of the cutting tool? The answer is two fold: sight and feel. Always watching the cutting through a microscope the guillocheur examines the fine filigrees of gold that are being cut away from the surface of the dial.

His trained eye can adjust the pressure on the buren tip to produce absolutely constant-neither bigger nor smaller threads of gold being cut from the surface. His second sense, feel, plays a large role as well. By touch he can sense the depth that the cutting tip is carving into the surface and adjust the pressure being applied by his hand to compensate as the spherical surface changes its position. Only a handful of craftsman in the entire world are capable of meeting this challenge. So few in fact that currently Breguet was the first and remains the only watch house that has ever offered watch collections with spherically shaped guilloche dials.

If you are a student of watchmaking art, you have no doubt called to mind curved, indeed slightly spherical in shape, pocket watch cases from the past that have featured guilloche decoration. As an aside, guilloche decoration upon a pocket watch case serves a useful purpose, as the design hides finger prints! However, there is an order of magnitude difference in the difficulty of placing a guilloche motif upon a watch case than upon a watch dial. Far higher precision is required for the realization of a dial than for a pocket watch case. Thus, it has taken nearly two hundred years since there were guilloche decorated cases being offered for there to be guilloche bombe dials.

The Heritage Collection is rich in its assortment of models. The single axis model is the reference 5480 which offers a clous de Paris motif on the main surface of its dial, which is curved from 12 to 6. Two models of the Heritage Collection feature not only spherical dials, but ones decorated with entirely original patterns created by Breguets guillocheurs. The reference 5497 tourbillon has an exclusive to Breguet drape moire pattern on the main surface and flinque alterne pattern on the subdial. Drape moire, as well graces the outer portion of the dial of the reference 5400 chronograph. Rounding out the mens collection is the reference 3660 which has a bombe guilloche dial decorated with the drape moire pattern and a recessed small seconds subdial.

Women have not been forgotten in the collection. The reference 8661 offers a moon phase display and a central guilloche subdial. The pattern is the elaborate flinque alterne with an additional twist as it is hand guilloched upon mother of pearl.

The physical and emotional sensations when trying on a piece from the Heritage collection are that of flow and fit as the curvature of the watch forms to the wrist. Intellectually, though, go a step further, to appreciate the unique talents of Breguets guillocheurs who made this shape possible.
(Photo : Getty Images. ) Kashmir is a disputed territory between India and Pakistan, with both South Asian countries staking claim over the Himalayan region.

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China's ambitious One Belt, One Road project got a rare backing from United Nations (UN) on Friday. The massive intercontinental project that seeks to revive the traditional maritime route was mentioned in a paragraph in the UN resolution that was adopted unanimously by all member nations.



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The UN resolution was tabled to extend the stay of the UN Assistance Mission in the war-stricken Afghanistan region for another one year. The concerned paragraph in the resolution called on all the countries to "strengthen the process of regional economic cooperation through regional development initiatives such as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (the Belt and Road) Initiative."



The resolution also mentioned other regional infrastructure projects such as the Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project and the recently signed Chabahar port project between India and Iran.



Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the One Belt, One Road Project as soon as he assumed the power in 2013. Xi's project essentially aims to bring a trade revolution by connecting China with rest of Eurasia through a series of massive infrastructure projects.



China claims that at least 100 countries spanning across different continents have lent their support to its flagship project.



UN support may leave India Miffed



The UN's support for the Maritime Silk Road project may leave India - China's regional rival - completely annoyed. New Delhi has repeatedly stated that its security is severely compromised due to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor's (CPEC), a part of One Belt Project, which passes through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK).



The Indian government has lodged a protest over this issue with Beijing and Islamabad. But both countries, who share an acrimonious relation with India, have not paid any heed to New Delhi's concerns.



Kashmir is a disputed territory between India and Pakistan, with both South Asian countries staking claim over the Himalayan region. The region has been split between the two countries through a Line of Control (LOC) since 1947. Both countries have fought four wars over the region.



The Indian government has so far not commented on UN's support for China's flagship project. But the local media has taken a critical note of it, claiming that the UN support has put India's sovereign claim over Kashmir in danger.



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TagsIndia, One Belt, One Road, Maritime Silk Road Project, China and India, china
(Photo : US Navy) The ex-U.S. Navy frigate, USS Taylor, now with Taiwan.

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The Republic of China (Taiwan) last week took ownership of two refurbished U.S. Navy Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates optimized for anti-submarine warfare.



The two decommissioned U.S. Navy frigates now part of the Republic of China Navy (ROCN) are the ex-USS Taylor (FFG-50) and the ex-USS Gary (FFG-51). Both frigates were commissioned into the U.S. Navy in 1984 and decommissioned in 2015.



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They are to be commissioned into the ROCN in 2018. Acquiring the frigates cost Taiwan some $190 million.



Among the equipment on both warships is the AN/SQR-19 Multi-Function Towed Array Sonar (TACTAS) used for hunting down submarines. TACTAS, which provides very long-range passive detection of enemy submarines, is a long cable full of microphones towed about a mile behind a warship.



Taiwan was previously blocked from acquiring the AN/SQR-19. The retention of the system onboard both warships ships confirms an anti-submarine role in line with the Knox-class frigates (which are also ex-U.S. Navy vessels) they will replace in the ROCN.



ROCN operates six Knox-class frigates, all of which serve in an anti-submarine warfare (ASuW) role.



The Taylor and Gary were reactivated in Charleston, South Carolina by VSE Corporation, a technical services company based in Virginia.



ROCN's other main surface combatants include four Kidd-class guided missile destroyers (also ex-U.S. Navy) and are called the Kee Lung-class. RoCN also operates six French La Fayette-class frigates (FL-3000) and eight license-built Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates.



These warships are fitted with the indigenous Hsiung-Feng II anti-ship missiles (AShM), and will eventually include the hypersonic HF-3.



Taiwan looks to double the range of its formidable HF-3 hypersonic anti-ship missile so this missile can destroy invasion forces of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) that might invade Taiwan before 2020.



The exact top speed of the HF-3 is unknown, but some experts believe to be in excess of Mach 10 (12,000 km/h). The HF-3 can carry a nuclear warhead.



A speed this fast would make the HF-3 faster than India's BrahMos (touted as the world's fastest anti-ship cruise missile) with a speed of Mach 3 (3,700 km/h) and China's 3M-80MBE anti-ship missile, also with a speed of Mach 3.



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TagsRepublic of China, Taiwan, U.S. Navy, Republic of China Navy, USS Taylor, USS Gary, AN/SQR-19 Multi-Function Towed Array Sonar
(Photo : ROCAF) Taiwan's HF-2E land attack missile.

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For the first time, the Republic of China (Taiwan) publicly admitted it has a missile that can hit bases and installations of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) inside mainland Chinese territory across the Taiwan Strait, which is 220 km at its widest and 130 km at its narrowest.



Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan told the Legislative Yuan (Taiwan's Parliament) the Republic of China Armed Forces (ROCAF) has the ability to launch missiles deep into Chinese territory, an eye-popping assertion considering what's known about ROCAF's land attack cruise missiles.



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Taiwan media quoted ministry officials as claiming Taiwan can fire missiles at PLA bases 1,000 km away. Should this claim be accurate, it means most PLA military bases geared towards an amphibious invasion of Taiwan are within range of this missile, most probably the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) land attack cruise missile.



Armed with a standard unitary high-explosive 450 kg warhead, the HF-2E can smash targets 700 km away. The closest PLA base is 240 km distant, while the farthest is some 1,300 km out.



"It is the first time the ministry has confirmed this," commented member of parliament Wang Ting-yu.



Lt. Gen. Chiang Chen-chung, director of the Office for Operations and Planning for the Ministry of National Defense, said ROCAF does indeed have the capability to launch a missile counterattack against China.



"We do have the capability and we are continuing to reinforce such capability," said Gen. Chiang.



He revealed ROCAF can also attack PLA bases directing operations against Taiwan some 1,300 km distant.



The Quadrennial Defense Report (QDR) submitted to Parliament affirmed Taiwan's strategy of "double-level deterrence," which the defense ministry defines as a strategy of not just defense, but of rapid response to prevent an invasion.



"Should the enemy insist on invading, we will weaken their capabilities by striking enemy troops at their home bases, fighting them at sea, crushing them as they approach the coastlines and wiping them out on the beaches," noted the QDR.



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TagsTaiwan, People's Liberation Army, Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan, Republic of China Armed Forces, Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) land attack cruise missile, Lt. Gen. Chiang Chen-chung
I had the privilege or reading a pre-release version of "God Shines Forth: How the Nature of God Shapes and Drives the Mission of the Church." Here are 20 quotes from the book, which you should pick up.
Faith Organizations to Hold Prayer Vigil at The Supreme Court on Eve of Judge Neil Gorsuch Confirmation Hearings

The prayer vigil will begin on Sunday, March 19, at 2:30 P.M. on the public sidewalk at the west front of the Supreme Court.

Contact: Rev. Patrick Mahoney, Christian Defense Coalition, Church on the Hill, 540-538-4741

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2017 / Christian Newswire / -- On March 20, the United States begins confirmation hearings on one of the most important issues facing our nation today. That is, who will be the next Justice of the United States Supreme Court. President Trump has picked Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy left by the passing of Justice Scalia.

Event Details --

When: Sunday, March 19, at 2:30 P.M.





Where: On the public sidewalk at the west front of the Supreme Court, Washington, DC



Link to On the public sidewalk at the west front of the Supreme Court, Washington, DCLink to Facebook page for event.

This Justice will provide the key "swing" vote in many of the critical cases, like Roe v. Wade, and will be an important judicial voice for decades to come.

Considering this, it is urgent that the Christian community seek God for His leading, direction and guidance for the Senate confirmation hearings and that the next Supreme Court Justice will be a person who will honor God, the eternal principles of justice, embrace the Constitution and equal justice for all.

Rev. Patrick Mahoney, Pastor of Church on the Hill and Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, states;

"In light of the historic nature of this pick, it is critical for the faith community to earnestly seek God for His direction, leading and guidance. Our prayer is that next Supreme Court Justice will be a person who will honor the founding principles of our Constitution, not legislate from the bench, provide equal justice under law for all Americans and help end the violence of abortion.



"We will also be praying for what promises to be a bruising confirmation process. We pray that God will protect the nomination process of Judge Gorsuch from slander, libel, false accusations and deliberate humiliation. We will ask God that he will be judged on his record, not on bias, contempt or prejudice. As Christians, we can see God shift, shape and transform history through the power of united prayer."

For more information or interviews contact: Rev. Patrick Mahoney at 540.538.4741
Resolutions Relating to Monasteries Adopted by Orthodox Christian Laity

Contact: George Matsoukas, Executive Director, Orthodox Christian Laity, 877-585-0245, gmatsoukas@ocl.org



LAS VEGAS, March 18, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) Board of Directors announces the adoption of the following Resolutions at its recently concluded Board Meeting, February 10-12, 2017:

"OCL respectfully calls upon the Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to enforce its own Regulations relating to the Monasteries operating under its auspices in the United States; that each Metropolitan who has monasteries within his Metropolis require full compliance by those monasteries with the letter and spirit of those Regulations; and, that all information concerning the operations of those monasteries, including but not limited to financial disclosures, be made public.



"OCL respectfully calls upon the Assembly of Bishops to request that all jurisdictions that have not yet done so adopt regulations regarding monasteries in the United States requiring transparency and accountability in financial reporting and Hierarchical oversight of theological teachings; that the Assembly encourage full compliance by those monasteries with the letter and spirit of those Regulations; and, that information relating to the well-being of the Church be made public."

The Resolutions were adopted after the Board reviewed the provisions of the "General Regulations for the Establishment and Operation of Holy Monasteries in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America" [Protocol #95] issued by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on February 16, 2005. The Regulations are set forth in the Official Documents of the Archdiocese on the website of the Archdiocese (goarch.org).



Article 4 of the Regulations set forth the "Rights and Duties of the Metropolitan" which include: "the highest oversight" and "The auditing of the financial records of the Monastery."



Article 14 requires the permission of the local Metropolitan for the construction of buildings.



Article 15 (b) requires Monasteries to "contribute financial assistance to the local Metropolis and the Archdiocese for the benefit of the Church and the community." (c) requires every monastery to submit to the Metropolis a financial report for the previous year and a budget for the coming year. (e) requires each Monastery to judiciously maintain financial records "detailing the exact daily income and expenditures, as well as documents pertaining to their entities."



Article 16 (d) states: "The Monastery Sanctuary is not a parish church. As such, the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage is fully prohibited in Monasteries of the Archdiocese. In special cases, the Sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation may be conducted in the Monasteries, provided there is a compelling reason that is deemed acceptable by the local Metropolitan, who grants the requisite episcopal permission for the celebration of the Sacrament and issues the proper certificate. In any case, the registration of such Baptism and/or Chrismation shall be done in the official books of the parish to which the one baptized or chrismated (anointed) belongs."



The OCL is a pan-Orthodox educational and advocacy ministry formed in 1987 whose purposes are:

"To advocate the restoration and strengthening of the historic role of the laity in the conciliar governance of the Orthodox Christian Church in the United States; to support the spiritual renewal and regeneration of the Orthodox Christian Church in the United States in its Apostolic Mission; to advocate and promote transparency and accountability in the governance of the Orthodox Christian Church in the United States; and to advocate and champion the establishment of an administratively and canonically unified self-governing autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church in the United States."

OCL will hold its 30th Annual Conference in Chicago, October 27-29, 2017. For more information, contact George E. Matsoukas, Executive Director at (561) 585-0245 or gmatsoukas@ocl.org.
BBC apologises for asking 'what is right punishment for blasphemy?'

The BBC apologised on Saturday for asking 'what is the right punishment for blasphemy?' on its Asian Network Twitter account.

Intended to spark a debate about blasphemy on social media, the post came after the Pakistani government asked Facebook to help crack down on irreverence to God online.

In the original tweet, host Shazia Awan referred to a BBC article on the Pakistani government's plan to punish blasphemy.

What is the right punishment for blasphemy?



Tweet @ShaziaAwan with what you think using the hashtag #AsianNetwork pic.twitter.com/HVAKQrdhBr  BBC Asian Network (@bbcasiannetwork) March 17, 2017

In the apology the network said the tweet was badly worded and never intended to imply blasphemy should ever be punished.

Apologies for poorly worded question from #AsianNetwork yday. Q was in context of Pak asking FB to help we shd have made that clear 1/2  BBC Asian Network (@bbcasiannetwork) March 18, 2017

We never intend to imply Blasphemy should be punished. Provocative question that got it wrong 2/2  BBC Asian Network (@bbcasiannetwork) March 18, 2017

It came after the network was heavily criticised for asking the question.

Absolutely appalling: The @BBC are asking "what is the right punishment for blasphemy?" https://t.co/r8bXywA1OV  Secularism UK (@NatSecSoc) March 17, 2017

Blasphemy laws are highly contentious in Pakistan with breaches often leading to mob riots and extra-judicial killings.

Christians and other minority groups are targeted under the controversial laws, human rights groups claim.

But Pakistan's interior minister Chaudhry Nisar vowed he would take 'any steps necessary' to ban blasphemous content online and wants Facebook to help identify those posting it.

'Facebook and other service providers should share all information about the people behind this blasphemous content with us,' he is quoted as saying in local media.
Tom Cruise and Bill Paxton speak onstage at the Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures preview of 'Edge of Tomorrow' during Comic-Con International 2013 at San Diego Convention Center. (Photo : Getty Images/Kevin Winter)

Starring the late Bill Paxton, "Mean Dreams" hit theaters on March 17, Friday. The indie thriller was written by Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby and directed by Nathan Morlando.



"It was brutal," Morlando told People about waking to a text message explaining the news about the death of one of the lead actors of "Mean Dreams." "I was filled with disbelief."



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According to Morlando, Paxton had just taken him out for a beautiful lunch so their wives could meet and they were becoming really close. The late actor was married to Louise Newbury from 1987 to his death on Feb. 25 while the director is married to Allison Black, one of the producers of "Mean Girls."



Paxton was becoming like a big brother to Morlando, the latter said adding that he was very grateful for that. The director said he was really looking forward to the future with Paxton as a friend and a collaborator.



It is then understandable why Paxton's death caused Morlando much crying. The director said they "spent days crying actually, reflecting on him and his greatness and generosity."



Before "Mean Dreams," Paxton starred in another thriller titled "Term Life," which was released on April 29, 2016. His co-stars included Vince Vaughn, Hailee Steinfeld, Jonathan Banks, Jordi Molla, Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Mike Epps, Jon Favreau, William Levy and Shea Whigham.



In "Mean Dreams," Paxton played a dirty cop and abusive father named Wayne Caraway. His co-stars were Sophie Nelisse, Josh Wiggins, Colm Feore, Ryan Blakely, Joe Cobden, Tara Nicodemo and Vickie Papavs, among others.



On the small screen, Paxton played Det. Frank Rourke in the CBS series "Training Day." Airing Thursdays, the show struggled with its ratings, had a quick increase after Paxton's death but declined again.



This made CBS decide to move "Training Day" from 10:00 p.m. every Thursday to 9:00 p.m. every Saturday. The new time slot will start on April 8, Deadline has learned.



Watch Conan O'Brien as he remembers Paxton:






Beloved pastor and father of 6 fatally stabbed in the neck by parishioner he was praying for

In a tragedy of unspeakable proportion, a pastor and a father of six from Salinas, California was brutally killed by a man he was praying for.

Pastor Herbert Valero, 68, of Victory Outreach Church in Salinas, California was fatally stabbed in the neck just outside his home by the lone suspect, Servando Ayala Silva, 37, a member of his flock, on Tuesday night, KSBW reported.

Salinas Police Department Sgt. Christopher Lane said after the stabbing, Valero was still able to run inside his house, clutching his bleeding neck, telling his family that Silva had attacked him before he collapsed and died.

Police quickly arrested Silva on charges of first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon (a small drywall saw), and probation violation. He is now detained at the Monterey County Jail.

Lane said the police are still investigating what pushed Silva to kill Valero whom he visited at his home that night to seek his prayer.

Valero had distinguished himself as a dedicated pastor who's always willing to help anyone, particularly young people battling drug addictions and living in the streets.

"Pastor Herb was a servant of the community, he dedicated his life to God," said his close friend, Salinas City Council member Tony Barrera.

"He was determined to make somebody's life a little bit better. He was able to minister broken men and women. He would go into the prisons, Chinatown, he would go everywhere," Barrera added.

Barrera said Valero had opened his house to anyone who needed his help, like what his accused killer did on Tuesday night.

A parishioner told KSBW that anybody could visit the pastor's house and ask for something as small as a glass of water.

Valero's church is a part of the Victory Outreach International movement which is "a unique ministry that reaches people in the inner cities of the world; touching lives from all walks of life," according to The Christian Post.

In a statement on his church's website, Valero explained that he started Victory Outreach Church in 1989 to empower people to change their lives with God's help.

"Since 1989 I have had a single-minded purpose with a clear mission: to empower individuals to take control of their lives by placing their future in the hands of God. I have seen multitudes exchange a hopeless subsistence for a new resolve and confidence in life with a determination to help others," he said.

Members of Valero's congregation expressed their profound grief at the church's Facebook page.

One parishioner wrote: "We will miss you Pastor Herb. You were a true example of a Godly man, loving husband and caring father. Your legacy lives on all over the world; we will continue to fight the good fight vigorously with passion!"

Another said: "Pastor Herb, please know that your legacy of love and evangelism is rooted deep into the lives of thousands, my son's being one of them. He was called to Heaven on Mother's Day 2006 ... My gratitude to you, Pastor Herb, is endless. It was through your love and fatherly ways that my son surrendered his life and soul to God ... because YOU took your time and invested some of it into my son, he made it into Thee Kingdom of Heaven!"
Church congregation's prayer leads to miracles that save life of baby needing heart transplant

Prayer has a way of turning the impossible into something amazingly and miraculously real.

This was proven once again recently when prayers sparked a series of miracles that resulted in saving the life of a baby girl who urgently needed a heart transplant to survive.

Late last year, doctors at the Levine Children's Hospital told parents Melanie Hillman Leitner and Mike Leitner from Charlotte, North Carolina that their baby, Ella Kate, was "in a race against time" after they found a large mass in the left ventricle of her heart that was killing her, WBTV-TV reported. The doctors said Ella might not make it to her first birthday, unless she received a heart transplant.

In November, her name was placed on the transplant list.

The couple's church, the Abundant Life Foursquare Church in Mooresville, found out about their baby's condition, and on Jan. 29, the pastor stopped the service, asking the congregation to pray over Ella and her family as well.

And then the first miracle manifested. "On our way home from church we got the call that changed our world," Melanie said. The caller said they have "the perfect heart for Ella."

"If this wasn't a God moment, I don't know what could be," Melanie said.

Unknown to her at that time, as the congregants were praying over Ella, another prayer was being said for her baby in the hospital in Charlotte where she was being treated. The prayer was said on the occasion of the dedication of the hospital's new MedCenter aircraftthe same plane that would later pick up Ella's new heart, another miraculous coincidence.

The Leitner couple then learned that the heart to be transplanted to Ella was not her blood type. Nevertheless, the surgeons performed the transplantthe first ABO incompatible heart transplant done at the hospital, and it was a success.That was the third miracle.

Ella Kate celebrated her first birthday recentlywith a brand-new heart and a new lease on life.

The Leitners said they are "eternally grateful" to the family of a little girl who agreed to have the heart of their little one who died to be transplanted to Ella.

Just days ago, in an earlier report, another child was also miraculously saved from death after prayers were said for the 22-month-old toddler.

Matty Cunningham was found "blue and dead" floating in a neighbour's pond.

Family members "prayed and prayed and prayed" and "begged God for a miracle," Elsa, the boy's mom.

Later at the hospital where they took him, doctors at first thought the boy was already dead. But when they performed an MRI on his brain, the test result showed no brain damage at all.

Hours later, Matty miraculously came back to life to the utter delight of his family.
We've seen our fair share of fixer-uppers in our weekly look at the most popular properties on realtor.com. Places with potential offered at a discounted price often attract a crazy amount of interest among our readers.

But this week's most popular home was something else entirely. This sprawling place isn't exactly a fixer-upperit's a complete tear-down. Located in the Texas town of McKinney, the fire-damaged home hit the market just over a week ago with a deeply discount price. It doesn't appear as if the home can be saved, but maybe that's what's so darn appealing to potential buyers. The property is already pending sale and will likely be razed in favor of a new home.
March is a busy month in the Capitol as many families, students and teachers make their way to Austin for spring break. We enjoy seeing everyone, but there is, of course, no spring break for legislators as final bills are filed and committee agendas are full of potential legislation.

Here are five things happening at your Capitol this week:

1.Law Enforcement Day

On Monday, the Senate held its first Law Enforcement Day to recognize the officers who protect our state. It also marked the end of the 60-day constitutional prohibition on considering non-emergency legislation. To honor these brave men and women, the first bills heard were all law enforcement related. Lt. Governor Patrick said it well when he hoped they "hear loud and clear that the Texas Senate put them first when this session began, because they deserve to be first."

As law enforcement officers watched from the gallery, legislation was passed declaring July 7th as "Fallen Law Enforcement Officer Day" in Texas. This date marks the day Dallas police officers were killed during a peaceful march. Legislation was also passed to create a 'Blue Alert' System, which sends out an alert when someone who has injured a police office. The Senate also provided a property tax exemption for the spouse of an officer killed in the line of duty and established a $25 million grant program to buy bullet-proof vests for all Texas officers.

2.Bills Filed

Last Friday was the Legislatures bill filing deadline for all legislation and joint resolutions except for local bills, emergency appropriations and emergency items determined by the Governor. Over 5,300 bills were filed in the House and approximately 2,700 were filed in the Senate. Many of the bills filed will not receive a committee hearing or make it to the House and Senate floors. We have a lot of work ahead of us as we continue through the legislative process.

3.School Accountability System

Last session, legislation was passed creating an A-F accountability system in an effort to provide a transparent and comprehensive way of evaluating how a school district or campus is performing. After the preliminary ratings were released, it became apparent there needed to be some changes made. Rep. Dan Huberty, Chair of the House Education Committee, has filed HB 22 which would reduce the number of categories in which each campus and school district would be graded. It would also eliminate an overall letter grade, instead giving a letter grade for each category. The implementation of this system would also be pushed to 2019 to allow for more time for development. I will continue to keep you updated as this bill moves through the legislative process.

4.Made in Texas

House Bill 1514 has been filed to require wines with a Texas label to be made 100 percent with Texas grown grapes. Current law only requires 75 percent of the grapes must be grown in the state for it to be labeled a Texas wine. Advocates for this bill believe products that are advertised as being made in the state should be fully Texas made. There is also a belief this bill would help to encourage more grape production and improve the authenticity of the state's wines.

Opponents of the bill fear it could limit options for winemakers if there are unexpected events such as a strong storm which could ruin a grape crop. There is a provision in the bill which would allow the Texas Department of Agriculture to allow exceptions to the 100 percent threshold if drought or severe weather were to damage the states grape crops.

5.Voter ID

Senate State Affairs Committee has approved a bill to overhaul Texas's current Voter ID Law in response to a recent ruling by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals which declared the current law discriminatory against minorities who may have not access to the acceptable types of identification. Senate Bill 5, filed by Senator Joan Huffman, allows voters to present alternate forms of ID without being questioned, as well as permits voters ages 70& to use photo IDs that are expired but otherwise allowed. While making the ballot more accessible, the bill also cracks down on those who lie about not having photo ID. Such perpetrators could be charged with a third degree felony and earn up to ten years in prison if found guilty.
Karen Fiorito is no stranger to taking on big public figures in big public ways.

In 2004, the Santa Monica, Calif.-based artist did a billboard featuring then-President George W. Bush and members of his administration and accused them of lying to the American public.

Now, Fiorito is back, this time taking on President Donald Trump on a billboard in Phoenix, Ariz. And, this one is also drawing lots of attention.

Trump is centered on the billboard with mushroom clouds and dollar signs in the shape of swastikas on either side of him.

WALL WORK: Texas city considers barring contractors from working on wall from city work

A Russian flag lapel pin has also been added to Trump's picture - a reference to Russian hacking in the election and Trump's friendly language toward the long-time adversary of the United States.

On Facebook, the billboard is drawing reaction from fans and foes of Fiorito's.

Danny Sirko posted to Fiorito's Facebook page, but seemed something less than pleased with the art work.

"A slave of Darkness by the spread of RADICAL LEFT-WING LIBERAL PROGRESSIVISM," Sirko wrote.

AIMING HIGH: Mexican congressman scales border wall to make point to Trump

Others, though. were more enamored of the art.

" i love this! but it IS strong in reality..." wrote Rula Kaliroi.

"I felt I needed to make a very strong statement. I am glad you like it!," Fiorito responded.

>>>Scroll through the gallery to see some of the most opinionated, colorful signs in protest of Donald Trump
Authorities are searching for a suspect who seriously injured a man during a shooting Saturday night in northwest Houston.

Harris County Precinct 1 deputies responded around 9:30 p.m. to the Inwood Grove apartments on Alabonson Road and Bayou Forest Drive.
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A man fatally shot himself Sunday morning during an apparent murder-suicide attempt near a north Houston nursing home.

Officers responded to the scene near Brookhollow Heights Transitional Care Center on North Loop West just after 8 a.m. Sunday, after an argument between a man and a woman turned violent.

The two were driving along the feeder road when the man - who police did not immediately identify - smashed the car into a concrete barrier.

"We can only assume maybe they got in an argument on the way here. He tried to kill both of them by hitting that barrier," an officer told reporters at the scene.

They both jumped out of the car and, shotgun in tow, the man started chasing the woman before shooting her in the arm and the stomach.

Suddenly, he stopped in front of the nursing home and shot himself in what an officer described as an "attempted murder-suicide."

Just a day before the outburst of gunfire, the man brought the woman to the hospital after she was stabbed with a screwdriver, although the circumstances surrounding the incident are unclear.
Natural History Museum Launch The Vault (Photo : Getty Images)

In a bid to make their wedding proposal different from what most men do  that is kneel down and offer a diamond ring  some Chinese men use rings made of different materials to ask the hand of the woman in marriage. Hong Kong multimillionaire Chen Ronglian used a ring made out of a champagne wire cage when he proposed in November to Taiwanese actress Ady An.



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Boulder for a Wedding Proposal



On March 14, Urumqi resident Liu Fei went to a public square with his girlfriend, went down on his one knee on a heart-shaped rose petals and asked for her hand in marriage. After she said yes, some of the mans friends took off the cover of a boulder located in the middle of the square, Oddity Central reported.



The boulder, a 33-ton meteorite worth 1 million yuan, or $145,000, he used to propose to her. The money was supposed to be used to buy an apartment. It was not the first time the couple saw the meteorite. In 2016, the couple went to Kashgar, an ancient city, to see it which was owed by a local collector.



Symbol of Enduring & Stable Marriage



Although she was not that excited to see the meteorite, the girlfriend nevertheless joined Liu Fei in the trip. While in Kashgar, he asked her if she also liked the rock. When she said yes, he decided to get it later for the wedding proposal. Liu Fei explained that he opted for a meteorite instead of just a traditional diamond ring, which he also gave her, because the space rock is a symbol of an enduring and stable marriage, SBS reported.



The story became viral on Chinas social media where some netizens expressed skepticism with the meteorite. But others said that Liu Fei got a good bargain since he could cut it into small pieces and sell it at the price of a diamond. Other issues raised by netizens include the space the meteorite would eat up in their house and the possible health risks of radiation from the space rock.


The last anyone saw of 24-year-old Tori Golka, she left her boyfriend's place in Irving, Texas, to pick up her 3-year-old son.

She never showed up. No call. No note. Nothing. That was Monday, March 13.
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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Over 2,000 people demonstrated in the Greek capital in support of migrants and refugees on Saturday, calling for an end to the EU's year-old migrant pact with Turkey that cracked down on migrant flows.

"Cancel EU-Turkey deal of shame," read the banner at the head of the procession marching through the streets of Athens toward the European Commission offices, near the Greek parliament building.

The protest, organised by leftist, anti-racist and migrant organisations, was also attended by refugees and migrants, notably from Syria and Afghanistan, many with their children.

On March 18, 2016, Turkey signed a landmark agreement with the European Union, which helped put the brakes on a massive influx of migrants and refugees, especially from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Along with a series of border closures in 2016 in the Balkans and eastern Europe, the deal essentially blocked the Aegean route used by more than a million people from Turkey to Europe in 2015 and 2016.

The pact substantially reduced migrant flows and cut down on the number of migrant drownings in that part of the Mediterranean, but it also stranded thousands of exiles on Greek islands.

Now about 9,000 migrants and refugees are awaiting decisions on asylum claims, which can sometimes take months, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The Greek government puts that number at 14,000, including refugees from Syria.

"Asylum and housing for refugees", "No to deportations", chanted the demonstrators, marching under banners calling for the "Opening of borders".

Turkey's pledge, in exchange for more aid, visa-free travel and the speeding up of Ankara's long-stalled EU accession talks, was also aimed at deterring migrants from making the perilous sea crossing in the first place, knowing they could be sent back.

Some 1,183 migrants were returned to Turkey in the year ending in January, Greek police figures show.

Humanitarian organisations have contested the validity of the accord, saying it infringes on the rights of asylum by presuming Turkey is a safe haven for refugees.

The top Greek administrative court is expected to render a decision in April on a case brought by two Syrians.

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Related Rebel missile attack kills 26 Yemen soldiers in camp

Egypt has strongly denounced Friday's attack by a Houthi militia on a mosque in Marib province east of the Yemeni capital Sanaa which killed at least 26 people, the foreign ministry said.

In a statement late on Saturday, FM spokesman Ahmed Abou Zeid emphasised Cairos support to Yemens legitimate government and the Yemeni people.

Al-Azhar, the world's oldest seat of Sunni Islamic learning, also denounced the attack, saying that such crime is rejected by all religions, humanitarian norms and international laws that call for the protection of places of worship, according to a statement from the institution.

A military source loyal to the internationally recognised government of President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi said the attack targeted the mosque at Kofel camp during Friday weekly prayers, AFP reported.

The Yemeni civil war broke out in September 2014 when Houthi rebels, who are Shia, took over the capital Sanaa and overthrew the country's government.

The war has pit Hadi's government and the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis, who are allied with ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Pro-government forces have retaken large parts of Marib province from the Iran-backed Houthis since Saudi Arabia launched a coalition to intervene in support of Hadi in March 2015.

Egypt has been participating with naval and air forces in the Saudi-led military coalition since it was launched.

The Yemen war has killed more than 7,000 people, about half of them civilians.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Upon the revised Trump travel ban being introduced, senior White House policy adviser Stephen Miller told Fox News, "fundamentally, you're still going to have the same policy outcome" as the original. As a result, when the revised policy was challenged in court, the outcome was also the same as the original.

A federal judge in Hawaii blocked the revised travel ban, citing comments made by Miller, Rudy Giuliani and Trump, that "betray the Executive Order's stated secular purpose."

U.S. District judge Derrick Watson in his ruling wrote that "the stated secular purpose of the Executive Order is, at the very least, 'secondary to a religious objective' of temporarily suspending the entry of Muslims." Noting Trump's comments on the campaign trail, Watson wrote that there is nothing veiled about Trump's call for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States"

In the revised ban, the Trump administration had removed any religious references in the wording. Government lawyers wanted the court to just focus on the text. The judged ruled that the context was just as relevant,as were comments made by Trump, Giuliani and Miller speaking to the true motive of the orders.

Based on the context and the comments by Trump, the judge came to the conclusion that " a reasonable, objective observer...would concluded that the Executive Order was issued with a purpose to disfavor a particular religion."

Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin brought the case. Chin argued the revised ban would still have "detrimental" effect on residents, businesses and universities in Hawaii. In its complaint, the state said the revised order discriminates against Muslims and violates the U.S. Constitution's due process and equal protection guarantees.

The judge discounted that the revised ban removed exceptions for Christians in the six countries listed. Noting that the populations of the countries is over 90% Muslim, the judge found the order still amounts to a Muslim ban.

"It appeared the judge was not willing to buy the federal government's contention that they just need to stick to the neutral language," said Chin.

Trump blasted the "terrible ruling" as a "unprecedented judicial overreach" that "make us look weak." Trump said he would take the case "as far as it needs to go, including all the way up to the Supreme Court."

The administration rolled out the revised order better than they did the first one. And they did eliminate some previous legal grounds to block it, such as excluding current green card and visa holders. But the revised ban still retains the same major problem as the first -- only targeting predominantly Muslim countries.

The biggest legal stumbling block for the travel ban is not even in the order. It's the public comments that Trump, Giuliani and Miller have and continue to make about the order's original intent.

Even after the judge handed down a ruling citing Trump's comments, Trump made yet another comment that could be used against him in court, calling the new order just a "watered-down" version of the first one.

So far, all the federal judges who have ruled against the order believe the comments by Trump and his administration can be considered in making a ruling. If the Supreme Court also believes the comments should be considered, Trump should expect the outcome to be the same as from the lower courts.

If Trump issues a third revised Executive Order, he should also order himself and Stephen Miller to not comment on it publicly.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - For nearly 12 hours, nurses at Normandy Manor of Rocky River accidentally poisoned Susanne Lawrence.

The nurses had given her 20 times the prescribed dosage of oxycodone, or 500 milligrams, according to state and federal reports. They failed to read the label on the drug and did not dilute it, investigators said, adding that Lawrence died hours after her last dosage on July 7, 2015. She was 83.

Dozens of other residents in Ohio nursing homes have died over the past few years in incidents involving their care, a Plain Dealer review of inspection reports shows. A federal statistical measure, meanwhile, rates Ohio's nursing homes among the nation's lowest in quality of care.

"It's a real crisis in Ohio for elderly residents,'' said Brian Lee, a national authority on nursing home care based in Austin, Texas.

Some Ohio nursing home administrators and advocates say the rating system is flawed because, among other things, it punishes facilities that take in the most seriously ill residents.

But national experts say the rating system, known as Nursing Home Compare, does make adjustments based on the severity of a resident's illness. They also say there are many skilled nursing homes that do a good job of providing care, despite limited resources.

In Ohio though, nursing home care is far from ideal, said Lee, who leads a Texas-based national advocacy group called Families for Better Care.

"It's a shock to consumers about the lousy nursing home care there is in Ohio until the federal data hits them in the face," he said.

Starting today and in the coming months, The Plain Dealer will examine the state of Ohio's nursing homes, the rating system used to judge them, and the steps consumers can take to choose wisely among them.

During three months of study so far, reporters found that:

Nearly 41 percent of the facilities in Ohio earned a below-average rating of one or two stars on the federal Nursing Home Compare standard, as of Dec. 1, compared to 35 percent nationally.

At least 31 Ohio nursing home deaths in the last three years were attributed by authorities to issues of care. Residents' lawyers argue the number could be far higher, because they depend upon self-reporting by nursing homes.

Ohio's minimum staffing rules are relatively lenient. Facilities in the state are required to make available 2.5 hours a day of nursing staff time for each resident. Florida and California require much more.

Ohio requires only 75 hours of training for the aides who provide much of the care in a nursing facility. California requires 150 hours.

Many states have given themselves the ability to fine nursing homes that violate their standards. In places like California, state fines are used to strengthen nursing home inspections. Ohio doesn't fine nursing homes. Instead, it recommends a dollar amount to the federal government, which sets and collects the fines. A portion of the fines is returned to the state.

Nearly 30 percent of Ohio's 963 nursing homes were fined $6.37 million in the past three years.

Ohio has one inspector for every six nursing homes. Michigan, Kentucky and Illinois have one inspector for every four facilities.

Four out of five nursing homes in Ohio are operated by for-profit organizations. For-profit facilities are more than three times as likely to be ranked at the bottom of the federal Nursing Home Compare scale, and are half as likely to earn a top rating.

Home operators in Ohio say Nursing Home Compare is an imperfect measure of performance. It takes into account staffing levels, inspection reports and quality of care, but it does not account for things like resident satisfaction. The Plain Dealer, however, found that questionable resident deaths tended to occur more frequently in lower-rated homes.

Questions of care already are hugely important in Ohio. If its nursing homes were gathered into a single city, their 75,000 residents would rank eighth in the state in population, somewhere between Parma and Canton. Medicaid spends about $2.7 billion a year to care for 50,000 of those residents; for those paying privately, costs can exceed $8,000 per month.

Those numbers will rise over the next 20 years, as the population of residents aged 65 and older is expected to jump by 45 percent.

Outside experts say the state is starting from a position of weakness.

The one-star question

As of Dec. 1, Ohio had 184 nursing homes that earned only one star on the Nursing Home Compare scale, which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services unveiled in 2008 to help residents find quality nursing home care. The ratings are based on a star system, with one being the lowest, five the highest.

"It should be worrisome to people that Ohio has that many [one-star facilities],'' said Charlene Harrington, a professor emeritus in the School of Nursing at the University of California at San Francisco and a member of the Nursing Home Compare advisory committee.

"One-star nursing homes tend to have a lot of deficiencies and low staff. Most people don't realize this," Harrington said. "They tend to choose nursing homes for their loved ones that are close by. They don't know any better.''

Another 198 facilities in Ohio earned two stars, also considered a below-standard rating. In total, nearly 41 percent of all the facilities in Ohio scored one or two stars. West Virginia is the country's worst performer in that category, with 50 percent of its nursing homes getting one- and two-star ratings.

Administrators of one-star nursing homes in Northeast Ohio argue that the rating system is flawed. They say it punishes care centers that take in the most seriously ill residents, or those most prone to falls, bed sores or hospital re-admissions.

But experts like Harrington argue that risk adjustment is already part of the system. She said those adjustments are made in staffing and quality measures based on the severity of residents' illnesses.

Families should choose nursing homes based on their observations, questions and scheduled and unscheduled visits to the facilities, administrators said.

Peter Van Runkle, executive director of the Ohio Health Care Association, which represents hundreds of nursing homes in the state, has long been a critic of the rating system. He said it fails to take into account the views of nursing home residents.

He and nursing home administrators said the Long-Term Care Consumer Guide, released by the Ohio Department of Aging, is more helpful because it provides answers to a sample of questions from residents and their families and gives their responses online.

Van Runkle is a proponent of how Ohio's nursing homes are run.

"Overall, I think most skilled nursing centers do a great job providing care with scarce resources,'' he said. "There really are many people out there whose calling is to care for our most vulnerable citizens.''

The federal system's five-star ratings are built around the results of inspections and reported problems with care. Therefore, it would be logical for homes where potentially avoidable deaths were recorded to have lower ratings.

Of the 31 deaths in which regulators cited errors in treatment since 2013, more than half - 16 - occurred in one-star homes, The Plain Dealer found. Another nine were in two-star facilities. None occurred in five-star homes.

Staffing as a key to success

The same Nursing Home Compare ratings that question the care at hundreds of homes also say that hundreds more in Ohio provide excellent care.

As of Dec. 1, 195 of those facilities got five stars. Ohio trailed only California, with 409 nursing homes, for the most facilities with five stars.

Another 191 Ohio nursing homes received four stars, putting 40 percent of all homes above standards. The national average was 46 percent. Ohio ranks eighth from the bottom in the number of highly rated facilities. Rhode Island leads the nation with 63 percent of nursing homes that are above average.

In Greater Cleveland, Altercare of Ohio Inc. had six nursing homes rated among the best in the region, as of Dec. 1. Its facilities are in Kent, Mayfield Village, Cuyahoga Falls, Wadsworth, Cuyahoga Falls and Warrensville Heights.

The nursing home chain declined to comment on the ratings, but federal reports say its facilities got above-average marks for quality of care and for its level of staffing -- registered nurses, licensed-practical nurses and nurse's aides and physical therapists.

Menorah Park Center for Senior Living in Beachwood also obtained high ratings. Menorah Park, a non-profit, is one of the largest nursing homes in the United States. It also received a five-star rating. The center has 355 residents.

"We have high standards of care," said Richard Schwalberg, Menorah Park's administrator. "We expect the best from our staff. That's our over-riding standard. We treat our residents as if they are our own parents and grandparents. The bottom line is, we care."

Harrington, the University of California at San Francisco professor emeritus, said staffing plays a key role in high-rated nursing homes.

Nurse's aides handle much of the direct patient care, such as bathing, lifting and feeding patients. National experts recommend one aide for every five residents in the morning, one aide for every 10 in the afternoon and one aide for every 15 at night, when residents are asleep.

Ohio does not require similar standards. Instead, the state requires that nursing staffs provide a minimum 2.5 hours of direct care per resident per day. Harrington said that is far too low. In fact, she said the state should mandate closer to 4 hours of direct care per resident per day.

Among national leaders in quality of care, Florida requires 3.6 hours per patient per day and California 3.2. Locally, Menorah Park said it provides an average 4.5 hours of daily care per resident, an 80 percent increase over what Ohio requires.

Despite the demanding nature of their work, nurse's aides in Ohio are required to take only 75 hours of instruction before they begin working. Barbers need 1,800 hours of instruction before starting work. Manicurists need 200 hours.

Other states require more training for nurse's aides. California, for instance, requires nurse's aides to have 150 hours of training.

"You should be truly appalled,'' said Robyn Grant, director of public policy and advocacy at the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care in Washington, D.C. "Those paid to care for the frail and the vulnerable - people who may have physical and cognitive impairments - get less training than someone who wants to be a barber?''

Inspectors for the Ohio Department of Health, the very people who watch for problems in nursing homes, face their own issues. Ohio has 153 inspectors to check on the state's 963 nursing homes - or one employee for every six care facilities - and handle any complaints that take place there. Michigan, meanwhile, has 103 inspectors to investigate 460 nursing homes, or nearly one employee for every four facilities.

Report cites failure to read label in patient's death

Normandy Manor of Rocky River, a two-star rated nursing home, was fined $9,620 by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in connection with Susanne Lawrence's death in 2015. She had been given large doses of oxycodone while a resident there.

Lawrence was a mother of six children, a grandmother of 21 and a great-grandmother of 10. She raised her family and when her children left home, she went back to school to study architecture and interior design, according to her obituary.

She started her company Lawrence Interior Design, and retired around age 70. In May 2014, she moved to Normandy Manor.

Fourteen months later, Lawrence's failing health put her in the nursing home's hospice care. There, her doctor ordered she receive five milligrams of oxycodone every four hours for pain, court records and a state investigative report show.

Instead, on July 6, 2015, court records and investigative reports show she was given 100 milligrams of oxycodone, and nurses administered the same dosage four more times, which means she received 500 milligrams instead of the doctor-recommended 25 milligrams, records say. She died seven hours after receiving her last dose.

An Ohio Department of Health official said in a report that the error occurred when nurses gave Lawrence doses from a "higher-concentration solution in the narcotic drawer.''

According to the report, a nursing home investigator was told by the facility's director of nursing that two nurses "did not read the labeled medication to ensure the required dose was prepared but administered 5ml without any calculation.''

Investigators never explicitly reported that the overdose caused Lawrence's death. They did say that the nursing home's director of nursing "confirmed the medication errors were significant and could put a resident at risk for respiratory arrest or even death.''

Lawrence's family has filed a lawsuit in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court against the nursing home. The suit said the nursing staff negligently administered the dosage of oxycodone to Lawrence.

Normandy Manor did not return calls seeking comment. Its attorney, Andrew Cox, said he could not comment on pending litigation.

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ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Chuck Berry, the rock 'n' roll founder who defined its joy and rebellion in "Johnny B. Goode" and other classics, has died in St. Charles County, Missouri, west of St. Louis. He was 90.

St. Charles county police say they responded to a medical emergency Saturday afternoon and found Berry unresponsive. He could not be revived and was pronounced dead.

The St. Charles County Police Department in Missouri confirmed his death on its Facebook page.

Berry hit the Top 10 in 1955 with "Maybellene" and went on to influence generations of musicians. Among his other hits were "Johnny B. Goode" and "Roll Over Beethoven."

"Chuck Berry created the rock sound and captured our thoughts, feelings and concerns with his lyrics,'' read a statement issued by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. "It's hard to imagine rock and roll without him and fitting that he was the first person inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.''

Cleveland connections

Berry was the first inductee of the first class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and he was among the stars who played the 1995 concert at Cleveland Stadium that celebrated its opening.

He unexpectedly closed it, in fact, when lights in the stadium were turned on mistakenly during his performance of "Rock and Roll Music" with Bruce Springsteen and Melissa Etheridge.

In 2012, the Rock Hall and Case Western Reserve University honored him with a weeklong American Music Masters celebration that culminated in a sold-out concert at the State Theatre on Playhouse Square.

His Cleveland shows included a 1958 "Big Rocking Band" extravaganza presented by Alan Freed at Public Hall with Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis, concerts at the Agora and headlining a Freed-inspired Majic Moondog Coronation Ball in 1998.

Berry's influence

Berry's core repertoire was some three dozen songs, his influence incalculable, from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to virtually any group from garage band to arena act that called itself rock 'n roll. While Elvis Presley gave rock its libidinous, hip-shaking image, Berry was the auteur, setting the template for a new sound and way of life. Well before the rise of Bob Dylan, Berry wedded social commentary to the beat and rush of popular music.

"He was singing good lyrics, and intelligent lyrics, in the '50s when people were singing, "Oh, baby, I love you so,'" John Lennon once observed.

Berry, in his late 20s before his first major hit, crafted lyrics that spoke to the teenagers of the day and remained fresh decades later. "Sweet Little Sixteen" captured rock 'n' roll fandom, an early and innocent ode to the young girls later known as "groupies." ''School Day" told of the sing-song trials of the classroom ("American history and practical math; you're studying hard, hoping to pass...") and the liberation of rock 'n' roll once the day's final bell rang.

"Roll Over Beethoven" was an anthem to rock's history-making power, while "Rock and Roll Music" was a guidebook for all bands that followed ("It's got a back beat, you can't lose it"). "Back in the U.S.A." was a black man's straight-faced tribute to his country at a time there was no guarantee Berry would be served at the drive-ins and corner cafes he was celebrating.

"Everything I wrote about wasn't about me, but about the people listening," he once said.

Berry hit the Top 10 in 1955 with "Maybellene" and went on to influence generations of musicians. Among his other hits were "Johnny B. Goode" and "Roll Over Beethoven." (Chris Morris/The Plain Dealer)

"Johnny B. Goode," the tale of a guitar-playing country boy whose mother tells him he'll be a star, was Berry's signature song, the archetypal narrative for would-be rockers and among the most ecstatic recordings in the music's history. Berry can hardly contain himself as the words hurry out ("Deep down Louisiana close to New Orleans/Way back up in the woods among the evergreens") and the downpour of guitar, drums and keyboards amplifies every call of "Go, Johnny Go!"

The song was inspired in part by Johnnie Johnson, the boogie-woogie piano master who collaborated on many Berry hits, but the story could have easily been Berry's, Presley's or countless others'. Commercial calculation made the song universal: Berry had meant to call Johnny a "colored boy," but changed "colored" to "country," enabling not only radio play, but musicians of any color to imagine themselves as stars.

"Chances are you have talent," Berry later wrote of the song. "But will the name and the light come to you? No! You have to go!"

Johnny B. Goode could have only been a guitarist. The guitar was rock 'n' roll's signature instrument and Berry's clarion sound, a melting pot of country flash and rhythm 'n blues drive, turned on at least a generation of musicians, among them the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, who once acknowledged he had "lifted every lick" from his hero; the Beatles' George Harrison; Bruce Springsteen; and the Who's Pete Townshend.

When NASA launched the unmanned Voyager I in 1977, an album was stored on the craft that would explain music on Earth to extraterrestrials. The one rock song included was "Johnny B. Goode."

Charles Edward Anderson Berry was born in St. Louis on Oct. 18, 1926. As a child he practiced a bent-leg stride that enabled him to slip under tables, a prelude to the duck walk of his adult years. His mother, like Johnny B. Goode's, told him he would make it, and make it big.

Blues roots

A fan of blues, swing and boogie woogie, Berry studied the very mechanics of music and how it was transmitted. As a teenager, he loved to take radios apart and put them back together. Using a Nick Manoloff guitar chord book, he learned how to play the hits of the time. He was fascinated by chord progressions and rhythms, discovering that many songs borrowed heavily from the Gershwins' "I Got Rhythm."

He began his musical career at age 15 when he went on stage at a high school review to do his own version of Jay McShann's "Confessin' the Blues." Berry would never forget the ovation he received.

"Long did the encouragement of that performance assist me in programming my songs and even their delivery while performing," he wrote in his autobiography. "I added and deleted according to the audiences' response to different gestures, and chose songs to build an act that would constantly stimulate my audience."

Meanwhile, his troubles with the law began, in 1944, when a joy riding trip to Kansas City turned into a crime spree involving armed robberies and car theft. Berry served three years of a 10-year sentence at a reformatory.

A year after his October 1947 release, Berry met and married Themetta Suggs, who stayed by his side despite some of his well-publicized indiscretions. Berry then started sitting in with local bands. By 1950, he had graduated to a six-string electric guitar and was making his own crude recordings on a reel to reel machine.

On New Year's Eve 1952 at The Cosmopolitan club in East St. Louis, Illinois, Johnson called Berry to fill in for an ailing saxophonist in his Sir John Trio.

"He gave me a break" and his first commercial gig, for $4, Berry later recalled. "I was excited. My best turned into a mess. I stole the group from Johnnie."

Influenced by bandleader Louis Jourdan, blues guitarist T-Bone Walker and jazz man Charlie Christian, but also hip to country music, novelty songs and the emerging teen audiences of the post-World War II era, Berry signed with Chicago's Chess Records in 1955. "Maybellene" reworked the country song "Ida Red" and rose into the top 10 of the national pop charts, a rare achievement for a black artist at that time.

According to Berry, label owner Leonard Chess was taken by the novelty of a "hillbilly song sung by a black man," an inversion of Presley's covers of blues songs.

Several hits followed, including "Roll Over Beethoven," ''School Day" and "Sweet Little Sixteen." Among his other songs: "Too Much Monkey Business," ''Nadine," ''No Particular Place To Go," ''Almost Grown" and the racy novelty number "My Ding-A-Ling," which topped the charts in 1972.

Berry also appeared in a dozen movies, doing his distinctive bent-legged "duck-walk" in several teen exploitation flicks of the '50s. Richards organized the well-received 1987 documentary "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll," a concert at St. Louis' Fox Theatre to celebrate Berry's 60th birthday. It featured Eric Clapton, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, who recalled being told by his own mother that Berry, not he, was the true king of rock 'n' roll.

Cover king

Country, pop and rock artists have recorded Berry songs, including the Beatles ("Roll Over Beethoven"), Emmylou Harris ("You Never Can Tell"), Buck Owens ("Johnny B. Goode") and AC/DC ("School Days"). The Rolling Stones' first single was a cover of Berry's "Come On" and they went on to perform and record "Around and Around," ''Let it Rock" and others. Berry riffs pop up in countless songs, from the Stones' ravenous "Brown Sugar" to the Eagles' mellow country-rock ballad "Peaceful Easy Feeling."

Some stars covered him too well. The Beach Boys borrowed the melody of "Sweet Little Sixteen" for their surf anthem "Surfin' U.S.A." without initially crediting Berry. The Beatles' "Come Together," written by John Lennon, was close enough to Berry's "You Can't Catch Me" to inspire a lawsuit by music publisher Morris Levy. In an out of court settlement, Lennon agreed to record "You Can't Catch Me" for his 1975 "Rock n' Roll" album.

Berry himself was accused of theft. In 2000, Johnson sued Berry over royalties and credit he believed he was due for the songs they composed together over more than 20 years of collaboration. The lawsuit was dismissed two years later, but Richards was among those who believed Johnson had been cheated, writing in his memoir "Life" that Johnson set up the arrangements for Berry and was so essential to the music that many of Berry's songs were recorded in keys more suited for the piano.

Openly money-minded, Berry was an entrepreneur with a St. Louis nightclub and, in a small town west of there, property he dubbed Berry Park, which included a home, guitar-shaped swimming pool, restaurant, cottages and concert venue. He declined to have a regular band and instead used local musicians, willing to work cheap. Springsteen was among those who had an early gig backing Berry.

Burned by an industry that demanded a share of his songwriting credits, Berry was deeply suspicious of even his admirers, as anybody could tell from watching him give Richards the business in "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll." For the movie's concerts, he confounded Richards by playing songs in different keys and tempos than they had been in rehearsal. Richards would recall turning to his fellow musicians and shrugging, "Wing it, boys."

His career nearly ended decades earlier, when he was indicted for violating the Mann Act, which barred transportation of a minor across state lines for "immoral purposes." An all-white jury found him guilty in 1960, but the charges were vacated after the judge made racist comments. A trial in 1961 led to his serving 1 1/2 years of a three-year term. Berry continued to record after getting out, and his legacy was duly honored by the Beatles and the Stones, but his hit-making days were essentially over.

"Down from stardom/then I fell/to this lowly prison cell," Berry wrote as his jail time began.

Tax charges came in 1979, and another three-year prison sentence, all but 120 days of which was suspended. Some former female employees later sued him for allegedly videotaping them in the bathroom of his restaurant. The cases were settled in 1994, after Berry paid $1.3 million.

"Every 15 years, in fact, it seems I make a big mistake," Berry acknowledged in his memoir.

Still, echoing the lyrics of "Back in the U.S.A.," he said: "There's no other place I would rather live, including Africa, than America. I believe in the system."
reutteralgae.jpg

A famous 2010 photograph of Lake Erie's algal blooms, this Ohio Sea Grant image captured Executive Director Jeff Reutter's hand scooping up some of the noxious green slime from western Lake Erie. President Donald Trump's budget would end the Sea Grant research program and zero out Great Lakes Restoration funding.

(Photo courtesy of Ohio Sea Grant)

MARBLEHEAD, Ohio -- What does President Donald Trump and his staff have against the fishermen of Lake Erie?

In proposing what seems to be the most environmentally unfriendly federal budget ever, Trump is sending to Congress a Draconian plan neglecting Lake Erie and the Great Lakes in very punitive ways. Programs created almost a half-century ago to successfully cleanse Ohio's rivers, streams and Lake Erie - and more recently, the important Great Lakes Restoration Initiative - are being sliced, diced and even eliminated.

"I think the president was fairly straightforward on (the budget cuts he sees as relating to climate change)," said White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney at a press briefing on Thursday. "We're not spending money on that anymore. We consider that to be a waste of your money."

The embarrassment of industrial waste catching fire on the Cuyahoga River in 1969 was responsible for the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the federal Clean Water Act.

1969 Cleveland Press photo of aftermath of fires on the Cuyahoga River,

Joined by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Sea Grant and other state and federal agencies, Lake Erie has since been transformed into a wonderful place to fish, boat and swim.

It is obvious the fight for a clean Great Lakes and one of America's favorite fishing holes is far from over.

Protection for the Great Lakes will be exacerbated by a proposed 31 percent cut in the EPA budget.

The most shocking is the proposed elimination of $300 million to fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. A sorely needed program, the GRLI battles problems ranging from the slimy algal blooms of Lake Erie to the threat of an Asian carp invasion from the Illinois River, where the invasive creatures dominate the river fishery.

Also slashed in Trump's budget are climate change programs and research by the State Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Interior Department. Eliminated would be the Sea Grant program, a friend of both commercial and sport fishermen that more than pays for itself. Close to home, the Ohio Sea Grant program focuses on the Lake Erie fishery, training fisheries experts, helping restore Lake Erie and its coast and educating the public on environmental issues.

Dr. Jeff Reutter was executive director of the Ohio Sea Grant program for more than a quarter century.

At the recent 8th binational meeting of the Lake Erie Millennium Network in Windsor, Ontario, Reutter said regulations from the EPA and the help of a wide variety of local and federal scientists are the keys to a clean Lake Erie.

"If we lose the EPA, we lose Lake Erie," said Reutter.

The safety of boaters and anglers around the Great Lakes is also an issue. The U.S. Coast Guard faces a 14 percent cut in its budget. Retired former Coast Guard commandant Adm. James Loy told Politico the cuts would be devastating, affecting the agency "across the board in all its missions."

The proposed budget is so shortsighted, bipartisan opposition is rampant. Among Republicans, Sen. Rob Portman and Rep. Dave Joyce are against the cuts. Leading the Democratic opposition are Sen. Sherrod Brown and Rep. Marcy Kaptur.

In the scheme of things, the federal budget is an appropriations bill. While Trump and his staff have proposed a shortsighted road map to eliminate climate change programs, fisheries research, environmental protection, maritime security and much more, Congress will have to pass it.

Hopefully, there are legislators who care enough about the environment, clean water, robust fisheries and the Great Lakes to thwart such a Machiavellian budget.

D'Arcy Egan, the longtime Plain Dealer outdoors writer, who retired in 2015, occasionally write columns that appear in The Plain Dealer and on cleveland.com. He can be reached at darcyegan@roadrunner.com

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westlake police cruiser

A 25-year-old Amherst woman March 10 stole bedding, towels and an iron from the room she rented at a Westlake hotel.

(Patrick Cooley, cleveland.com)

Petty theft, Clemens Road: A 25-year-old Amherst woman March 10 stole bedding, towels and an iron from the room she rented at a Westlake hotel. After the investigating officer contacted her, she said she might have accidentally taken the items. She returned them to the owner the same day and then turned herself in to police for petty theft.

Fraud, Windsong Court: A Westlake man's debit card was used fraudulently March 10 at a supermarket in the southern United States. The bank blocked the $1,747 transaction.

Disorderly conduct, Glenmore Drive: An intoxicated 21-year-old man was locked out of his mom's home March 11 due to his condition. He pounded on the doors and windows and called Westlake police to report that mom had exiled him. Officers arrested him for disorderly conduct while intoxicated. In the jail, he put up a fight while being booked and received a resisting arrest charge.

Disorderly conduct, Columbia Road: An intoxicated 28-year-old Ravenna woman March 11 pounded on the door of a stranger's Columbia Road home. Officers found her shoeless, sockless, and coatless. She was cited for disorderly conduct while intoxicated and taken to St. John Medical Center for possible injuries.

Fraud, Birchdale Drive: Someone filed a phony federal income tax return using a Birchdale Drive man's information. The fraud was discovered when the victim's accountant filed his true return. The matter was reported March 11.

Fraud times two: A Settlers Reserve Way man was the victim of a double identity theft. First, someone applied for a credit card March 5 masquerading as him. The IRS later notified him that someone filed a phony tax return in his name March 11.

Drunken Driving, Walter Road: A 65-year-old North Olmsted man hit a Walter Road utility pole March 11. He pushed a firefighter who was trying to aid him and was secured to the gurney. He also had to be restrained at St. John Medical Center. A urine specimen was taken for analysis by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner. He was cited for operating a vehicle while impaired and failure to control.

Petty theft, Detroit Road: Staff of a Detroit Road store detained a 13-year-old Elyria girl after she was suspected of stealing $21 worth of items. Her mother was called to the scene. The child will face petty theft charges in juvenile court.

Theft, Cedarwood Drive: About $500 cash is missing from a Cedarwood Drive home. The owner's new girlfriend found the door open March 15. The owner suspects a previous girlfriend.

Thefts, Cahoon Road: Two Parma women report property taken from a 2012 Dodge Avenger parked at a Cahoon Road business the night of March 15. Clothing, sporting goods, a laptop, and other items worth at least $,1400 were taken. There were no signs of forced entry. Across the street on Caroline Circle, a garage door opener was taken from an unlocked 2014 Kia Soul. The victim saw a male run from the scene

Petty theft, Clemens Road: A 25-year-old Amherst woman March 10 stole bedding, towels and an iron from the room she rented at a Westlake hotel. After the investigating officer contacted her, she said she might have accidentally taken the items. She returned them to the owner the same day and then turned herself in to police for petty theft.

Fraud, Windsong Court: A Westlake man's debit card was used fraudulently March 10 at a supermarket in the southern United States. The bank blocked the $1,747 transaction.

Disorderly conduct, Glenmore Drive: An intoxicated 21-year-old man was locked out of his mom's home March 11 due to his condition. He pounded on the doors and windows and called Westlake police to report that mom had exiled him. Officers arrested him for disorderly conduct while intoxicated. In the jail, he put up a fight while being booked and received a resisting arrest charge.

Disorderly conduct, Columbia Road: An intoxicated 28-year-old Ravenna woman March 11 pounded on the door of a stranger's Columbia Road home. Officers found her shoeless, sockless, and coatless. She was cited for disorderly conduct while intoxicated and taken to St. John Medical Center for possible injuries.

Fraud, Birchdale Drive: Someone filed a phony federal income tax return using a Birchdale Drive man's information. The fraud was discovered when the victim's accountant filed his true return. The matter was reported March 11.

Fraud times two: A Settlers Reserve Way man was the victim of a double identity theft. First, someone applied for a credit card March 5 masquerading as him. The IRS later notified him that someone filed a phony tax return in his name March 11.

Drunken Driving, Walter Road: A 65-year-old North Olmsted man hit a Walter Road utility pole March 11. He pushed a firefighter who was trying to aid him and was secured to the gurney. He also had to be restrained at St. John Medical Center. A urine specimen was taken for analysis by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner. He was cited for operating a vehicle while impaired and failure to control.

Petty theft, Detroit Road: Staff of a Detroit Road store detained a 13-year-old Elyria girl after she was suspected of stealing $21 worth of items. Her mother was called to the scene. The child will face petty theft charges in juvenile court.

Theft, Cedarwood Drive: About $500 cash is missing from a Cedarwood Drive home. The owner's new girlfriend found the door open March 15. The owner suspects a previous girlfriend.

Thefts, Cahoon Road: Two Parma women report property taken from a 2012 Dodge Avenger parked at a Cahoon Road business the night of March 15. Clothing, sporting goods, a laptop, and other items worth at least $,1400 were taken. There were no signs of forced entry. Across the street on Caroline Circle, a garage door opener was taken from an unlocked 2014 Kia Soul. The victim saw a male run from the scene

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
Payphones in O'Hare International Airport, circa 1963. Source: Chicago Dept of Aviation

Airports, mostly seen as gateways that ferry passengers to distant cities and far-flung countries, have grown beyond their original mandate.

Although long-distance travel is still their primary role, airports have recently moved to make traveling more efficient and enjoyable for travelers  and more profitable for the airports themselves. In recent years, an ever-expanding and impressive mix of dining and shopping amenities greet fliers at major travel hubs. A recent survey by airport membership association Airports Council International - North America identified the top 10 airport amenities on the continent  including top-of-the-line new features airports intend to add in the next few years. Along with amenities like ATMs, free internet access and more vending machines, the ACI's list also included pet relief facilities, children play areas and rooms for nursing mothers. "Whether engaging with passengers through an animal therapy program to instill a sense of calm in a busy terminal, or providing ample electrical charging stations for mobile devices, airports are committed to not only meeting passengers' expectations but exceeding them," said Kevin Burke, the ACI-NA's president and CEO.

According to the ACI-NA survey, airports are adding more nursing rooms for mothers. Source: Pittsburgh International Airport

In part to make way for these new amenities, airports told the ACI-NA that over the next three to five years, they plan to phase out or eliminate lesser attractions  so travelers will need to bid goodbye to airport smoking rooms, payphones and bank branches. 'Built-in customer base'

Although cash machines are plentiful at many airports, staffed bank branches are already quite rare. Yet one notable holdout is Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where a branch of the Wings Financial Credit Union thrives.

"The local bank has a built-in customer base, as they began as a credit union for airline and airport employees," said airport spokeswoman Melissa Scovronski, "So we don't expect to eliminate that service." Smoking lounges still exist at just a handful of major U.S. airports, including Washington Dulles International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. However, several are already moving to square themselves with years of anti-smoking public policy: Salt Lake City International Airport closed all its smoking rooms last year, and by the end of 2018, Denver International will shutter its last remaining smoking lounge.

Smoking lounges at many U.S. airports are being snuffed out. Source: Denver International Airport
China has maintained a cool head regarding President Donald Trump's "America First" policies, according to a former People's Bank of China member.

"China tries to watch what kind of policies President Trump can implement, rather than what he promised," Li Daokui, a former academic member of the Monetary Policy Committee for the PBoC, told CNBC Saturday at the China Development Forum.

In the meantime, Beijing has effectively used both informal and formal channels to communicate with the White House, added Li, who is currently the Mansfield Freeman Chair Professor at Tsinghua University.

"People used to worry a lot, a few months ago, two months ago, even one month ago about what Trump would do to the relationship. But so far, the Sino-U.S. relation has been the best, I think even better, perhaps, than the U.S.-Australian relationship," the former central banker said, adding that indications suggested Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Florida will be an "informal conversation" held "between friends."
During the three-day visit the leaders will discuss bilateral cooperation and the Palestinian-Israeli peace process

Related New era of US-Egypt cooperation at hand: Rep. congressman Rohrabacher Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is set to visit the United States upon invitation from his counterpart President Donald Trump the first week in April, Al-Ahram newspaper reported on Sunday.

During the three-day visit, the leaders will discuss bilateral cooperation as well as the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited the US last month to prepare for the visit.

Rhetoric from both sides since Trump's election late last year has been warm, in contrast with relations under the administration of Barack Obama which grew strained after the ouster of Egypt's Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

Shortly after Morsi's ouster, which the Obama administration described as a military coup, Washington temporarily suspended its annual $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt. However, aid was resumed in 2015.

El-Sisi was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his election as president in November 2016.

The Egyptian president met with then-presidential candidate Trump in September last year on the sidelines of the 71st UN General Assembly in New York.

Trump described his meeting with El-Sisi as "productive and great."

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Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers had strong words for President Donald Trump's administration on Sunday, warning that the White House could be squandering one of its most valuable assets.

"I think that making policy based on facts, advancing issues based on analysis, is central to the effective functioning of government. And so I'm very concerned by the repeated tendency to engage in alternative facts and to assert things that are not supported by reality," Summers told CNBC from the China Development Forum in Beijing.

"And I think over time that will do great damage to credibility, and in many ways in governing, credibility is the coin of the realm."

Summers also addressed Saturday's communique from the G-20 finance ministers and central bankers, which appeared to break the long-standing practice of strongly endorsing open trade. That outcome indicated a victory for Trump's representative, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and a defeat for nations like Germany who sought a strong defense for free trading principles.
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that Germany owes NATO and the United States "vast sums" of money for defense.

"There is no debt account at NATO," von der Leyen said in a statement, adding that it was wrong to link the alliance's target for members to spend 2 percent of their economic output on defense by 2024 solely to NATO.

"Defense spending also goes into UN peacekeeping missions, into our European missions and into our contribution to the fight against IS terrorism," von der Leyen said.

She said everyone wanted the burden to be shared fairly and for that to happen it was necessary to have a "modern security concept" that included a modern NATO but also a European defense union and investment in the United Nations.
House Intelligence Committee chair Devin Nunes said Sunday he has still seen no evidence to show Trump Tower was wiretapped after reviewing information from the Department of Justice.



"Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, there never was," the California Republican representative told "Fox News Sunday."



It marks another rebuke of President Donald Trump's explosive claim that the Obama administration tapped his phones ahead of the 2016 election, which he stood by as recently as Friday. The White House has defended Trump's accusation even amid rebuttals from top congressional leaders and a key foreign ally.

The Department of Justice said Friday it turned over information congressional committees sought on the allegation. Top lawmakers asked for any evidence of potential court orders or warrants related to Trump, his campaign surrogates, family or friends.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the intelligence committee's Democratic ranking member, said Sunday he expects FBI Director James Comey to rebut Trump's claim at a hearingMonday. The hearing is related to the committee's ongoing investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

"I expect that he will.And I hope that we can put at end to this wild goose chase because what thepresident said was just patently false. And the wrecking ball it created has banged into our British allies, our German allies," Schiff told "Meet the Press."

Nunes said Sunday he is not aware of a foreign intelligence surveillance warrant to monitor Trump. He added that "if you take the president literally, it didn't happen."

However, he noted that he remains concerned about "other surveillance activities," referencing the communications related to formerNational Security Advisor Michael Flynn that were leaked. Flynn'scontradictions to White House officials about his calls with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the U.S., led to his resignation.

Trump did not back down from the wiretapping accusation on Friday.

"On wiretapping by this past administration, at least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump said to German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a joint press conference. The National Security Agency allegedly monitored phone calls involving Merkel and her aides, straining relations with Trump's predecessor, President Barack Obama.



That statement came just after key senators said Thursday they did not have evidence to support Trump's wiretapping accusation.



"Based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government either before or after Election Day 2016," the statement by Republican Chairman Sen. Richard Burr and Sen. Mark Warner, the committee's Democratic vice chairman, said.



Nunes and Schiff both said last week that they did not have evidence to support the wiretapping accusation. Nunes said he did not "think there was an actual tap of Trump Tower."

The White House and its allies in recent days have attempted to change the interpretation of Trump's explosive tweets from earlier this month. In four separate statements on Twitter, Trump said he was the target of a wiretap.



In two of those, Trump put quotes around the term, which White House Spokesperson Sean Spicer said means he may not have meant it literally. Still, in one of those tweets, Trump called it a "fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October."



Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!

Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!

I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!

How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!

Spicer argued Thursday that Trump referred to "broad surveillance," not a physical wiretap. He contended that reporters have focused too much on the president's accusation, which he made without citing evidence, and not statements denying that Trump campaign officials had ties with Russian officials.



Nunes said Sunday he has not seen evidence to show collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
"Japan and Europe, those who value freedom and human rights and respect democratic rules must act in cooperation," Abe told an audience at the CeBIT technology trade fair in Hannover, Germany. "That's why we must conclude an economic partnership agreement between the Japan and EU in order to express this commitment."

Negotiations between the EU and Japan for a free trade agreement began on March 25, 2013, but has faced roadblocks because of disagreements over issues from auto industry regulations to limits on Europe's food goods.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday urged the European Union (EU) to finally sign a free trade deal with Japan following nearly four years of negotiations.

Merkel backed Abe's comments, urging negotiators to "do it quickly" and then slammed the EU for its slow decision-making process.



"Decision making in the EU is sluggish  it's not a blame game and I get often it's the individual member states  Often they can't agree," Merkel said.



Japan is the EU's sixth-largest trading partner behind the likes of China and Russia, and last year accounted for around 124.5 billion euros (about US$133.7 billion) of trade.



The comments from Abe and Merkel come following meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump who has continuously taken an anti-globalization stance. Trump has accused Japan of purposefully devaluing its currency to boost its exports, a charge that Abe has denied. The U.S. president has also withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a major trade deal that included Japan. Trump's agenda has put more emphasis now on a free trade pact with the EU.



Trump's advisor Peter Navarro, who heads up the National Trade Council, also accused Germany of using the weak euro to boost exports. Against this backdrop, Merkel warned against putting up barriers between countries.



"It's very good that Japan says we want a free trade agreement ... Germany would love to be a propelling driver behind the agreement coming into being. We do want open markets  we certainly don't want any barriers  we want to link our societies with one another and let them deal fairly with one another and that is what free trade is all about," Merkel said.



Abe framed his comments around the need for connectedness among countries, just as technology increasingly is becoming connected. Talking about the internet of things (IOT)  the billions of internet-connected devices expected to come online in the next few years  Abe said that Germany and Japan need to work together to drive innovation.



The Japanese prime minister called for "common technology standards" across the world to help this. "IOT will connect everything," Abe said.

He added: "It is through connectedness that economies will grow, Japan having grown through reaping  the benefits of free trade and investment, wants to be the champion upholding open systems alongside Germany."
Supporters of Meals on Wheels showered the nonprofit organization in online donations  over $100,000 over a two-day period  in response to the White House's budget proposal to defund dozens of social programs, the nonprofit organization said Saturday.

On a typical day, Meals on Wheels America says it receives about $1,000 in unsolicited online donations.

"One would assume that concerned individuals who see the value in Meals on Wheels want it [to continue] to serve seniors in need," spokeswoman Jenny Bertolette told NBC News.

More from NBC News:



Trump's Budget: A Visual Guide to the Biggest Winners and Losers

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Bertolette said money was still pouring in and would help support existing advocacy efforts, such as researching of nutritional meals benefiting seniors and convincing Congress that access for seniors to federal nutrition programs must be improved.

Meals on Wheels, a public-private partnership, has more than 5,000 local and state delivery programs that provide food to isolated, disabled or poor seniors while also offering safety and medical checks. The program served about 2.4 million seniors last year, including more than 500,000 veterans.

The organization says it spends $1.43 billion for its total nutritional programs, while saving the federal government $34 billion in Medicare and Medicaid costs.

While Meals on Wheels relies heavily on donations, that's offset by federal funding from the Older Americans Act, which is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services and accounts for 35 percent of the program's total funding. In addition, about 3 percent comes from federal Community Development Block Grants and Community Services Block Grants, which provide money to state- and local-level Meals on Wheels to cover net losses.

The organization said its program is even more crucial now with the U.S. population aging and the numbers of seniors who are benefiting from the Older Americans Act declining.

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The Trump administration's proposed budget, which was unveiled Thursday, would increase defense spending by $54 billion, while taking money out of domestic programs and discretionary spending.

Health and Human Services would lose hundreds of millions of dollars under the budget. The Community Development Block Grants provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development would be eliminated completely.

"We can't spend money on programs just because they sound good and great," Mick Mulvaney, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, told reporters Thursday. "Meals on Wheels sounds great. Again that's a state decision to fund that particular portion to it. To take the federal money and give it to the states and say, 'Look, we want to give you money for programs that don't work.' I can't defend that anymore."

Congress must still sign off on the Trump administration's budget, but there is already push back from both Republicans and Democrats. Some lawmakers slammed Mulvaney's remarks and lauded the work that groups such as Meals on Wheels do.

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Despite the potential cuts, Bertolette said the budget doesn't yet provide enough information to determine how much Meals on Wheels would be affected financially.

Still, the organization said it will team up with fellow supporters and members of Congress to defend its need for funding.

"We know that this budget proposal is only the beginning and we have our work cut out for us in the coming months," Bertolette said.
President Donald Trump's approval rating has hit a new low, according to the latest Gallup poll.



As of Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, Trump's approval rating has sunk to 37 percent, while those who disapprove of the president's job stands at 58 percent. His approval rating stood at 45 percent one week prior.

(Source: Gallup.)

The Gallup poll, which measures public opinion and attitudes, and has margin of error of 3 percentage points, also noted the economic confidence index was down 3 points to 7. Consumer spending was up $16, however, at $111.

Gallup polled about 1,500 adults nationwide.

The latest numbers came as U.S. House Republicans work on changes to the health-care bill that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. Trump has been wooing lawmakers to vote for the bill, according to Reuters.

He won the backing of a dozen conservative lawmakers on Friday after an Oval Office meeting in which the president endorsed a work requirement and block-grant option for Medicaid.

Americans also anticipate the Trump administration rolling out a major overhaul of the U.S. tax code, one of the hallmarks of the president's campaign.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer has told Ireland's Sunday Independent newspaper that the administration may not begin tax reform until late spring or the summer. Though, many don't expect to see tax reform until next year.

Trump has also been criticized for his handling of allegations of Russia ties and rhetoric surrounding global warming.

FBI Director James Comey is set to testify Monday on Trump's claims that former President Barack Obama "wire tapped" Trump Tower.

-- Reuters contributed to this report.
The personal information of tens of thousands of customers of Saks Fifth Avenue has been publicly available in plain text online, BuzzFeed News has learned.



The online shopping site for the brand is maintained by the digital division of its owner, the Canada-based Hudson's Bay Company. Until recently, unencrypted, publicly accessible web pages on the site contained tens of thousands of records for customers who signed up for wait lists to buy products.



The records included email addresses and product codes for the items customers expressed interest in buying; some also contained phone numbers. Each record also included a date and time, and one of a handful of recurring IP addresses.



The pages, which were reviewed by BuzzFeed News in recent days, were taken offline after HBC was contacted for comment on this story. The Saks website also serves logged in customers some pages over unencrypted connections, leaving online shoppers' information vulnerable to hackers while they browse the site on an open Wifi network.



"This is as bad as security gets," said Robert Graham, a cybersecurity expert and owner of Errata Security, to BuzzFeed News. "Everyone is vulnerable."



"We take this matter seriously," a Hudson Bay Company spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. "We want to reassure our customers that no credit, payment, or password information was ever exposed. The security of our customers is of utmost priority and we are moving quickly and aggressively to resolve the situation, which is limited to a low single-digit percentage of email addresses. We have resolved any issue related to customer phone numbers, which was an even smaller percent."

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"We take this matter seriously," a Hudson Bay Company spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. "We want to reassure our customers that no credit, payment, or password information was ever exposed. The security of our customers is of utmost priority and we are moving quickly and aggressively to resolve the situation, which is limited to a low single-digit percentage of email addresses. We have resolved any issue related to customer phone numbers, which was an even smaller percent."

Here's a redacted screenshot of the kind of information that was publicly available:

It is unclear why the information was publicly available online. But a Hudson Bay Company spokesperson told BuzzFeed News it has "teams dedicated to the security of our customers' data and follow industry best practices for information security."



The Canadian retailer is the oldest continually operating business in North America, with roots dating back to a fur trader founded in 1670. The company is currently on the hunt for a major new U.S. department store acquisition, and has been in takeover talks with both Neiman Marcus and Macy's, the New York Times reported last week.

One publicly-accessible page viewed by BuzzFeed News included a number of Gmail, AOL and Hotmail addresses, along with work email accounts from JPMorgan, Charter Communications and government addresses. These were often paired with phone numbers left by the customer.

Graham, the cybersecurity professional who reviewed some of the vulnerabilities after being contacted by BuzzFeed News, said they could expose people to further security headaches.

"Where there's smoke, there's fire," he said. "There is probably a way to get password information, but you would have to search further."

The online shopping sites also use a mix of secure and non-secure pages, which can pose another vulnerability to shoppers.

On Saks Fifth Avenue's homepage, a small notification appears in the website bar warning users that the connection is not secure. Even when a shopper is logged into their account, a number of the site's other pages do not require secure browsing, which a user can verify when "https" appears ahead of the URL.

Graham said that this mix of secure and non-secure pages can leave a shopper vulnerable when browsing on an open WiFi network, as are commonly found in coffee shops and other public places.

A hacker using the same wireless network as a Saks online shopper could eavesdrop on their connection in some circumstances, intercepting data that could allow them to login to the system as the customer in the future, making purchases and grabbing personal information.

"The solution is for every webpage to be encrypted, not just the login," said Graham. "They should all be https links."

UPDATE

This article was updated with more information on the data that was made publicly accessible, and the IP address details included in each record. Mar. 20, 2017, at 12:48 a.m.

CORRECTION: Personal information for Saks Fifth Avenue customers was made publicly available. An earlier version of this article said the issue also affected Gilt and Lord & Taylor, two other companies also owned by the Hudson's Bay Company.
Egyptian writer and intellectual El-Sayed Yassin passed away on Sunday at the age of 84.

Yassin, whose funeral will be held Sunday afternoon in 6 October City, was admitted to the ICU in February where he remained until his death, according to his son Amr.

Yassin is considered one of the most prominent and influential writers on Egyptian politics in the years prior the 2011 revolution.

Born in 1933 in Alexandria, Yassin earned a law degree from Alexandria University in 1957 and pursued postgraduate studies at French universities.

The sociologist was director of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies from 1975 to 1995 and was a researcher at the National Research Centre.

Most recently, he served as the director of the Arab Center for Research and Study, conducting extensive research in the fields of sociology and philosophy.

Yassin penned hundreds of articles, op-eds and books covering a range of topics including politics, political sociology, and criminology.

Yassin received a number of awards over the course of his career, including the State Award and Nile Prize in sociology.

He published a number of books, including one as late as 2011 titled Afaq Al-Maarifa Fi Asr Al-Awlama (Horizons of Knowledge in the Age of Globalisation).

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Jeff Jones, the president of Uber, is quitting the car-hailing company after less than a year. The move by the No. 2 exec, said sources, is directly related to the multiple controversies there, including explosive charges of sexism and sexual harassment.

Uber confirmed the departure and will be sending a statement.

Jones also confirmed the departure with a blistering assessment of the company. "It is now clear, however, that the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business," he said in a statement to Recode.

Jones, said sources, determined that this was not the situation he signed on for, especially after Uber CEO Travis Kalanick announced a search for a new COO to help him right the very troubled ship.

More from Recode:

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Here's how Google's rival to Microsoft Office, G Suite, came together

That was not the reason for Jones' departure, sources said, even though it meant that Kalanick was bringing in a new exec who could outrank him. Instead, these sources said, Jones determined that the situation at the company was more problematic than he realized.

Jones was certainly touted by Kalanick as a big hire when he arrived at Uber last fall from Target, where he was its well-regarded CMO. His job, among others, was to remake the company's tainted image. He also was president of its main ride-sharing business.

Kalanick and Jones met just a year ago at the TED conference in Vancouver and there was much excitement that the company was attracting top-level corporate execs.

Jones replaced board member Ryan Graves, who started at the company as CEO but relinquished that role to Travis Kalanick in 2010, as president. Graves now heads up the company's delivery business, UberEverything. The transition was pitched as a necessary move as the ride-hail company continued to scale.

"Over the last six months, Ryan and I have become increasingly convinced that our rapidly growing marketing efforts needed to be far more integrated with our city operations," Kalanick wrote in a post announcing Jones' hire.

Jones spent much of the beginning of his tenure as the president of ride-sharing driving for Uber and meeting with drivers, after which he sent drivers an email about what he learned and what the company intends to do.

"It's clear that there's much we can be doing better. Listening is where we get our best ideas, because they come from you, the people using Uber every day " he wrote.

But in February, Jones' second public attempt to reach drivers went awry when drivers began flooding Jones' Facebook page with angry comments and complaints during a question and answer session.

Jones' decision to leave Uber likely won't surprise people who worked with him at Target. "Jeff does not like conflict," a source previously told Recode.

The situation at the company has deteriorated since then, obviously, after a blog post by a former female engineer chronicled a deeply dysfunctional management led by Kalanick that favored what board member Arianna Huffington called "brilliant jerks."

Jerks indeed, as what has happened since then has made clear. Since the post, the company has fired its engineering head after revelations of a serious sexual harassment investigation at his previous employer, saw its head of product leave after questionable sexual behavior was uncovered at a company event and has initiated an investigation into the entire situation with a former Attorney General of the United States at the lead.

In addition, the now persistently apologetic Kalanick announced the search for a COO to help him do a better job.

By Kara Swisher and Johana Bhuiyan, Recode.net.

CNBC's parent NBCUniversal is an investor in Recode's parent Vox, and the companies have a content-sharing arrangement.
House flipping is hot again, with investors flipping property at the fastest pace in a decade. Yet behind their walls, that picture-perfect dream home could conceal a nightmare.

A flipped house is one that has been sold at least twice within one year. Real estate site Trulia said more than six percent of last year's home sales were flipsthe most since before the financial crisis.

With flipped property soaring in popularity again, so are the risks associated with buying a lemon, experts say.

"What you have to watch out for is if a house has been totally renovated, everything , not just the kitchen or a bathroom, but the whole house, "Frank Lesh, executive director of the American Society of Home Inspectors, told CNBC's "On the Money" in an interview.

"That's a good sign that it was probably flipped fairly quickly," he warned.

In the speed to fix-up a house and re-sell it at a profit, corners could be cut. Work could be completed without required permits, or Lesh said, appliances or lighting could be installed without "proper connections in the electrical panel."

In especially hot property markets, fixer-uppers that mask flaws are more prevalent, he said. "Because people are trying to turn around houses very quickly and if a market is hot, sometimes people forego the home inspection and that is never a good idea," Lesh added.

Some quick turnover homes have only had cosmetic fixes that mask mechanical or structural issues that even trained eyes may not be able to catch.

"There are a lot of things that a home inspector can do but there's just some that we can't," Lesh acknowledged.
Egypt's army said it killed 18 highly dangerous terrorists in different parts of the restive North Sinai as well as arrested 37 suspects, two different statements on the army spokesmans official Facebook page read.



Army forces killed the 18 suspected terrorists in airstrikes in North Sinais Al-Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuwayed cities.



The army said it also destroyed two major tunnels south of Rafah, each containing equipment such as electricity cables and oxygen tanks.



A number of motorcycles reportedly belonging to terrorist elements were also destroyed during the army raids.



Egypts army and police forces have been waging a campaign over the past three years against an Islamist militant insurgency in North Sinai.

Hundreds of security personnel and militants have been killed in the violence.

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Types of obituaries

The Missourian publishes two types of obituaries  family obituaries and life stories.

A family obituary is the version submitted by a funeral home or family. Please see the submission form for details on cost and deadlines. Family obituaries

A life story is a closer look at a person's life and involves a reporter contacting family and friends. Life stories are based on newsworthiness and consent of the family. Life stories.
The holidays are creeping up on us
Egypt's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Hegazy and special representative of the UN secretary-general in Libya Martin Kobler discussed recent efforts to reach national consensus between factions in the war-torn country, Egypt's army said in a statement on Sunday.

The meeting, which was held in Cairo, reviewed the results of recent meetings facilitated by a national dialogue committee created by Egypt to bridge differences between various rival factions.

Egypt supports an end to the Libyan crisis that preserves Libyan state unity, territorial security and bolster stability, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Kobler urged continuous regional and international efforts to resolve the six-year-old crisis.

Two rival governments are competing for power in Libya  the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), based in Tripoli, and the House of Representatives in the eastern city of Tobruk.

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Dahlia Youssef, a member of the Egyptian parliament's foreign relations committee, disclosed Sunday that a US congressional delegation will visit Egypt next month to review relations between Cairo and Washington. "The visit will come as part of efforts to put Egyptian-American relations back on a sound track," said Youssef.

Youssef, who was on a one-week visit to Washington, also disclosed that "an Egyptian parliamentary delegation will visit the United States very soon."

"President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is expected to meet with new US President Donald Trump in the White House early April, and it is expected that his visit will be followed by another visit from an Egyptian parliamentary delegation to Washington in April or May," said Youssef.

Youssef told reporters that she has high hopes that an Egyptian-American parliamentary friendship association will be formed in Cairo next month.

"Like we formed parliamentary friendship associations with MPs from Germany, England, and Russia, we will also probe the possibility of doing the same with American congressional leaders who will visit Cairo next month," said Youssef.

Youssef said her one-week visit to the United States aimed to open channels with American congressmen and officials close to US President Donald Trump.

"While I was keen to meet with President Trump's advisor for Middle East affairs, Walid Pharis, and officials from the State Department, I was also interested in visiting some American research centres to discuss terrorism, radical Islam, and reform of religious discourse," said Youssef.

She added that she also visited a number of high-profile American companies that have investments in Egypt, especially in areas of automobiles, oil exploration and pharmaceuticals.

While Youssef was in Washington, US mainstream media voiced opposition to a campaign aimed to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation. Media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and CNN insisted on portraying the Muslim Brotherhood as a moderate and non-violent organisation.

"The American media's campaign whitewashing the Muslim Brotherhood was not new and came as no surprise to me," said Youssef, adding that "most of the officials and MPs" she met agreed that "the new administration of Donald Trump is serious on confronting radical Islam and I think that this will be a top priority of discussion when President El-Sisi visits Washington next month."

According to Youssef, political centres in Washington, especially congress members affiliated with the Republican Party, agree that the new administration of Donald Trump wants to open a new page with Egypt. She cited Republican Congressman Steve King as stressing that "there is a strong desire in the Donald Trump administration and among Republican Congress members to move Egyptian-American relations forward and that the two countries develop a new strategy against political Islam."

King self-financed a trip to Egypt in 2015 after the US House of Representatives' leadership revoked his funding to join a congressional delegation to Cairo.

Youssef said US officials and Congressmen strongly believe that Egypt's role in a new anti-radical Islam strategy is highly crucial.

"They also said they believe that Egypt's role in finding a solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will be highly important in the coming period," said Youssef.

Meanwhile, Egypt parliament's foreign relations committee held a meeting 15 March to review Egyptian-American relations. Tarek El-Khouli, secretary of parliament's foreign relations committee, told reporters that "the meeting focused on President El-Sisi's visit to Washington and the expected exchange of visits between MPs in Egypt and America."

El-Khouli said a number of US Congress members have lately shown interest in forming a parliamentary friendship association with Egyptian MPs.

"We hope that we will meet with these Congress members next month to form an Egyptian-American parliamentary friendship association," said El-Khouli.

El-Khouli said such a friendship association will be highly effective in conducting a fruitful dialogue on relations between Cairo and Washington. "A main objective of such an association is also to stand up to American liberal media campaigns that are supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood and other radical Islam movements," said El-Khouli.

Many Egyptian MPs believe that Egypt's President El-Sisi's visit to Washington will focus on ways to stand up to radical Islamist movements, especially the Muslim Brotherhood.

Youssef said what was encouraging during her visit to Washington was that "several American media outlets were mobilised to stand up to the pro-Muslim Brotherhood campaign led by The New York Times and expose its lies."

"I was also happy that Trump officials and US congressmen said the pro-Brotherhood campaign will not dissuade the new administration from making a move against the organisation."

Speculation is rife in Cairo that Trump and El-Sisi will call for an international conference on terrorism to be held in Egypt.

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President of Cairo University Gaber Nassar said that a two-day international tourism and physiotherapy conference in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh sent a message that Sharm El-Sheikh is completely safe for world tourism.

The conference, which concluded Saturday evening, was organised by Cairo University and attracted dozens of travel agents and renowned physiotherapists from the Arab world, Western Europe, the United States and Canada.

Nassar said that Sharm El-Sheikh was able to quickly recover from the blow to its tourism caused by the 2015 crash of a Russian plane in Sinai and regain its high levels of tourist traffic.

Nassar said he was happy that European countries such as Germany recently decided to resume direct flights between their cities and Sharm El-Sheikh.

A number of European countries had imposed restrictions on travel to Sharm El-Sheikh shortly following the crash.

Nassar urged England, the only country other than Russia to have a travel ban on the Red Sea resort still in effect, to resume direct flights to Sharm El-Sheikh.

Maher El-Qabalawi, professor of physiotherapy at Cairo University, said the conference gave international travel agents a chance to see for themselves that Sharm El-Sheikh has all the potential necessary to attract tourists from around the world at record numbers.

El-Qabalawi said the conference also recommended that physiotherapists play a greater role in rehabilitating and treating victims of terrorism.

"[It was agreed at the conference] that therapists should do more to physically and psychologically rehabilitate all those seriously injured by terrorist acts," said El-Qabalawi.

El-Qabalawi said the conference also recommended that legislation on physiotherapy in Arab countries should be amended to keep pace with modern techniques and systems used in Western Europe and the United States.

El-Qabalawi said a protocol has been signed between Egyptian universities and a number of European and American universities for Egyptian therapists to receive training at European and US colleges.

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... Pancho was a bandit, boys,

his horse was fast as polished steel.

He wore his gun outside his pants

for all the honest world to feel...

Pancho and Lefty, by Townes Van Zandt

In a year when any mildly controversial bills are bound to fail in this thoroughly divided General Assembly, the Judiciary Committee finds itself rearranging desks in Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The committee could actually do something constructive for gun safety, like banning the law called open carry, which lets cowboys wear their pistols and revolvers on their belts for public consumption. Instead, the Judiciary Committee spent most of a 10-hour hearing on allegedly repairing a law that requires yahoos to have permits when they take Glock 9s out for a walk. A loophole lets them refuse to show the permits to an inquisitive cop.

Unlike the couple dozen dudes  a small turnout  in their orange double-XL Connecticut Citizens Defense League T-shirts, I dont feel safer knowing that someone other than a cop has a gun in a public place. Thats one of the reasons why I dont patronize those coffee places named after the character in Moby Dick: they support open carry.

There are about 240,000 permits in the state, so it would not be politically expedient to ban all weapon carrying. But even an armed camp like Florida prohibits open carry. And it has been upheld in court. Scott Wilson, the articulate president of the CCDL, admitted to the committee that open-carry incidents are few and far between, but he and his 27,000 members want their rights upheld, so this is the 2017 gunfight.

If you have the permit, then you have the right to carry your firearms, Wilson said.

They can still have their rights, but why should normal people wonder what the guy in front of them at the sandwich place has in mind when he  theyre always men  gets to the front of the line? On one level, Id accept concealed carry, because then the bad guys, whoever they are, dont know who has a firearm. Keep the crooks guessing, you know? Everyone might be armed.

A couple of pistol-packing instigators, including one in a Bridgeport Subway sandwich shop last year, had some high-stakes fun over their rights to carry firearms and not show their permits. They illustrated the loophole, and the divided General Assembly might not even be able to fix it this year because of the deadlocks in the House and Senate.

The special guest of the Judiciary Committee, who didnt get to sit in front of the cowardly committee until well after the five-hour mark, was a tall, thin 11-year-old named Lauren Milgram. She was a first-grader that bleak December day in 2012 when a sick, demented young man blasted through the front door of her school and killed six adults and 20 other first-graders. Laurens class was saved when her teacher, Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis, piled the kids into a classroom lavatory and locked the door.

Lauren, off school on a snow day, got a good dose of the Second Amendment types, and a taste for the politics among the Judiciary Committee. Her father, Eric, a chemist, said she took a little nap, but learned the caliber of Connecticut politicians getting paid with tax money to look out for her best interests. She could tell the differences among the committee members in the bag for the NRA; the urban legislators tired of street violence; and the dominant suburban types who think a half measure, forcing open-carriers to yield their permits, is the only way they can advance gun safety in 2017.

Eric and I talked about how we still occasionally get phone calls from, most likely, mentally ill people, who believe the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was a hoax and are called truthers by conspiracy radio.

Eric, whose son was a fourth-grader at Sandy Hook during the attack, grew up in Florida and fired shotguns competitively in his early teens. He said that one aggressive pro-gun PR tactic is to assert that people are fearful of them because they dont understand them. While he gets profiled as a liberal gun hater, when confronted, he offers people to go to a range, rent a rifle and use the Marine Corps marksman course: targets at 500 yards, $100 a point. He doesnt get takers.

Even in gun-crazy Florida they banned open carry because its not in the best interests of the public, Eric said, stressing that it didnt take Lauren long to size up the committee and the speakers. An 11-year-old child could see through the sophistry and absurdity of the positions, Eric said.

Yep, its a missed opportunity for the Judiciary Committee to do something serious about gun safety, to pursue a conversation, as the liars on either side call it. Me? I want an up and down vote and lawmakers on the record for gun safety. Connecticut isnt the wild West.

Ken Dixon can be reached in the Capitol at 860-549-4670 or at kdixon@ctpost.com. See twitter.com/KenDixonCT. His Facebook address is kendixonct.hearst. Dixons Connecticut Blog-o-rama is at blog.ctnews.com/dixon/
BRIDGEPORT  A teenager shot in the head Saturday afternoon at a Bretton Street housing complex has died from his wounds and a suspect is in custody, police said.

Gregory Francilme, 18, 680 Fairview Avenue, Bridgeport, was shot while outside the rear entrance of an apartment complex at 201 Bretton St. at 1:55 p.m., according to Bridgeport Police Capt. Brian Fitzgerald. He was transported to St. Vincents hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Francilme died just days before his 19th birthday, which was Monday.

A second victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was also transported to St. Vincents Hospital. Police said that victim was expected to survive.

Fitzgerald said a 19 year old man suspected of committing the murder is in custody in Waterbury, where he was arrested later Saturday for an unrelated robbery. Police will seek a warrant on Monday to charge the man with the Bridgeport homicide, he said.

We dont know the motive yet, Fitzgerald said. We will try to interview the other victim today [Sunday]. He was not being cooperative when we talked to him on Saturday.

The incident marks the citys sixth homicide of the year.

Saturdays shooting came a day after a 20-year-old man was struck by what police said were multiple gunshots early Friday morning, near Denver Avenue and Denver Court on the citys West Side.

The victim of that 3 a.m. shooting, whose name has not been released, reportedly checked himself into Bridgeport Hospital and was later listed as being in critical condition.

There was no indication of a connection between the shootings.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 203-576-TIPS (8477).
Somalia has called on the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen to investigate an incident in which dozens of Somali refugees were shot dead on board a boat.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack that killed more than 40 Somali refugees in waters off the coast of war-torn Yemen early on Friday.

The bloodshed was quickly condemned by UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Somalia's Foreign Minister Abdusalam Omer urged the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen to investigate.

Somalia is a member of the US-backed coalition fighting against Shia Houthi rebels aligned with Iran.

"We call on our partners in the Saudi-led coalition to investigate the raid," the minister said in a statement released late Saturday.

"It is very sad, targeting a boat carrying Somali migrants near the coast of Hodeida in Yemen."

On Friday, a coalition spokesman denied responsibility for the attack.

The Red Sea attack took place off rebel-held port of Hodeida, with women and children among the dead.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which has operations in Yemen, said 42 bodies were found, and more than 30 wounded people were reportedly taken to hospital.

The IOM said it believed the boat was heading for Sudan when it was attacked.

Despite a two-year war that has cost more than 7,000 lives and brought the country to the brink of famine, Yemen continues to attract people fleeing the horn of Africa.

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, says Yemen is hosting more than 255,000 Somali refugees.

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Iraqi army helicopters strafed and fired rockets at IS group positions in Mosul's Old City on Sunday as troops on the ground closed in on the strategic and symbolic prize of the al-Nuri Mosque.

Federal Police troops had advanced past the train station in western Mosul closer to the mosque. A police commander said they were very close to taking control of it.

Residents fled from the area, carrying bags of belongings and picking their way through the wrecked buildings as shells and gunfire echoed behind them. Most of them were women and children.

"Federal Police and Rapid Response forces resumed their advance after halting operations due to bad weather. The troops have a target of retaking the rest of the Old City," a police spokesman said.

The battle to recapture IS group's last stronghold in Iraq has now entered its sixth month.Iraqi government forces, backed by U.S. advisers, artillery and air support, have cleared the east and half of western Mosul and are now focussed on controlling the Old City.

Recent fighting has targeted the centuries-old al-Nuri Mosque, with its famous leaning minaret. Its capture would be a blow for IS group as it was from there that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate in July 2014 after the hardline militants had seized swathes ofIraq and Syria.

U.S. officials estimate about 2,000 IS fighters remain inside Iraq's second largest city, resisting with mortar fire, snipers and suicide car bombs that plough into army positions.

The black IS flag still flew from the mosque's minaret on Sunday.

RESIDENTS FLEE

Federal Police moved in on foot from near the train station towards the Old City, trotting through rubble-filled streets.

Police commander General Khalid al-Obedi told reporters on the frontline: "We are advancing towards the Old City. Their resistance is weakening. They are mostly using car bombs and that shows they are losing on the ground."

He barked orders into his radio as mortar rounds landed beyond his position.

Reporters saw an air strike hit IS positions about 300 meters (yards) ahead on the frontline. Helicopters circling overhead fired rockets and raked the ground with machinegun fire.

Federal police also arrested Husam Sheet al-Jabouri, the local chief of Diwan al-Hisba, an IS unit responsible for enforcing strict IS rules, in Mosul's Bab al-Sijin area, a police statement said.

As fighting has entered into the narrow alleyways and densely populated parts of west Mosul, more residents are fleeing liberated areas where food and water are scarce and homes are often caught in shelling.

Families with elderly relatives and children marched through western Mosul's muddy streets, past buildings pock-marked by bullet and bombs on Saturday. Some said they had hardly eaten in weeks, scrambling for supplies handed out by a local aid agency.

"It is terrible, IS have destroyed us. There is no food, no bread. There is absolutely nothing," said one resident.

As many as 600,000 civilians may be caught inside the city with the militants. About 255,000 people have been displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas since October, including more than 100,000 since the military campaign in western Mosul began on Feb. 19, according to United Nations figures.

The last week has seen the highest level of displacement yet, with 32,000 displaced between March 12 and 15.

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Heavy clashes rocked eastern districts of the Syrian capital on Sunday as rebels and Islamist militants tried to fight their way into the city centre in a surprise assault on government forces.

The attack comes just days before a fresh round of UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva aiming at ending Syria's six-year war.

Rebels and government forces agreed to a nationwide cessation of hostilities in December, but fighting has continued across much of the country, including in the capital.

Steady shelling and sniper fire could be heard across Damascus as rebel factions allied with former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front launched an attack on regime positions in the east of the city.

The attack began early in the day "with two car bombs and several suicide attackers" in the Jobar district, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

Rebels seized several buildings in Jobar and advanced into the nearby Abbasid Square area, seizing part of a large bus station and firing a barrage of rockets into multiple neighbourhoods, Abdel Rahman said.

Regime warplanes have targeted rebel positions with more than 30 air strikes since the morning, he added.

State media denied that rebel groups had entered the Abbasid district, however, reporting that the army had successfully "blocked an attack by terrorists on military points and residential buildings in Jobar".

State television aired footage from Abbasid Square, typically buzzing with activity but now empty because the army had ordered residents to stay inside.

AFP correspondents in Damascus said army units had sealed off the routes into the square, where a thick column of smoke rose into the cloudy sky.

The few people out on the street moved quickly between buildings, but many stayed in their homes in fear of stray bullets and shelling.

Several tanks were seen entering east Damascus as reinforcements ahead of a possible counter-offensive.

Several schools in the capital announced they would stay closed on Monday.

Control of Jobar -- which has been a battleground for more than two years -- is divided between rebels and allied jihadists and government forces.

According to the Observatory, the Islamist Faylaq al-Rahman rebel group and the Fateh al-Sham Front -- known as Al-Nusra Front before it broke ties with Al-Qaeda -- have a presence in the area. Government forces have long sought to push the rebels out of Jobar because of its proximity to the city centre.

But with Sunday's attack, Abdel Rahman said, "rebels have shifted from a defensive position in Jobar into an offensive one".

"These are not intermittent clashes -- these are ongoing attempts to advance," he said.

The Observatory said the rebel assault sought to relieve allied fighters in the nearby districts of Barzeh, Tishreen and Qabun.

"Nine regime forces and at least 12 Islamist rebels were killed" in those districts over the past 24 hours, the monitor said.

In recent months, the Syrian regime has sought to secure territory around the capital with renewed offensives on besieged rebel towns along with local "reconciliation" deals.

Under such agreements, the government agrees to end bombardments and stop besieging towns in exchange for a rebel withdrawal.

On Sunday, dozens of rebels and civilians who had been bused out of the last opposition-held district of Homs city reached northern Aleppo province.

An AFP photographer saw men, women and toddlers peeking out from behind curtains as the buses headed to Jarabulus, a town on the Syrian-Turkish border.

More than 320,000 people have been killed and millions have been displaced since Syria's conflict erupted six years ago with protests against President Bashar al-Assad's rule.

After a government crackdown, the uprising turned into an all-out war that has drawn in world powers on nearly all sides.

On Sunday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened to destroy Syria's air defence systems after they fired ground-to-air missiles at Israeli warplanes on Friday.

Syria's military said it shot down one Israeli jet and hit another as they carried out early morning strikes near the famed desert city of Palmyra.

Israel denied any of its planes were hit and said it had been targeting weapons bound for Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, which backs Assad in Syria.

The United Nations has sponsored peace talks to end the conflict since 2012, to no avail.

Government representatives and opposition figures are set to meet for a fourth round of negotiations on March 23 in Switzerland.

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You might think there is something endearing about unguarded dad dancing. Royal arms akimbo, pumping hard but out of time, here was a man on the brink of middle age, determined to let what remains of his hair down.

But plenty have taken a sterner view of Prince William.

And if the pictures and videos are disappointingly fuzzy, the overall impact could hardly have been more clear.

Royal arms akimbo, pumping hard but out of time, here was a man on the brink of middle age, determined to let what remains of his hair down

There, say his critics, is a prince of the realm wavering between the competing needs of disco and duty, an heir to the Throne caught out on a lads weekend with a blonde model or two when he should have been safely at home observing Commonwealth Day in Westminster Abbey. Dull, perhaps, but a key date in the Royal diary.

Even his admirers would concede that last weeks images have made quite a dent in a carefully crafted public persona: the caring family man, part of the almost perfect William and Kate double act.

They gave the impression he didnt care.

Not for the first time in recent months, William finds himself described as workshy and irresponsible. How, then, did the Prince or his team of advisers get it so wrong?

One answer is that the sugar-coated image he enjoyed for so long was almost too good to be true. For scratch the surface of William and what you find is a complex character. There is an over-confidence which some say is bordering on arrogance, and which senior Palace aides now fear is clouding the 34-year-olds judgment.

He can be petulant, capricious, even hostile, I am told  words you might not readily associate with the second in line to the throne.

Not for the first time in recent months, William finds himself described as workshy and irresponsible

Even his father, the Prince of Wales, has given up on passing on advice to his headstrong eldest son, and he is not alone. Most of those close to William say they prefer to act as a sounding board rather than run the risk of confrontation. It is safer that way. Even the Queen has concluded it is best to let William find his own path, to make his own mistakes.

Yesterday in Paris, William and Kate showed no sign of acknowledging the controversy. Posing with President Hollande, they were again perceived to be doing a good job, our most popular envoys batting for Great Britain plc.

There will be plenty who feel William is due a little sympathy. But in life, whether prince or pauper, timing is everything, and if he is not careful the Workshy Wills label will stick.

His destiny is mapped out for the next 50 years in a way none of us can truly appreciate. A sense of entitlement might be inevitable  but there, perhaps, lies the problem. Sources in the Royal Household say that in contrast with his father and grandmother, William is not the best listener. As one explained: The Duke of Cambridge has some very good, innovative ideas.

But the Duke can be a little unforgiving. When he gets it right everyone is patting him on the back, but who is there to criticise him and warn against getting it wrong?

At Kensington Palace, a dedicated but notably youthful group of advisers is slavishly loyal to the boss.

But a lack of experience can have serious drawbacks too. Private Secretary Miguel Head is accomplished, but for Williams press team it is a steep learning curve.

Verbier is hardly the first error of judgment.

Who advised him to make a passionate speech against the poaching of wildlife only days after returning from a 2014 boar-shooting holiday in Spain?

Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge pose at the Trocadero in fron of the Eiffel tower during an official two-day visit to Paris

Was it really sensible to threaten a total and widely criticised ban on ivory sales, as he did in the autumn, even though museums claim it could lead to the destruction of priceless artefacts?

The fact is William could easily have followed the example of his uncle, the Duke of York, also in Verbier, and flown back for Commonwealth Day.

In choosing to do his own thing, William has cast a light on a Royal Family in transition. As the Queen approaches 91, the Prince of Wales is increasingly influential at court. But the cautious retreat of the Queen is leaving a power vacuum.

And while under her rule we have seen one Royal Family, or Firm, we are now seeing a series of mini firms.

Increasingly, these different households have their own agendas. They often dont consider what the other is doing and seem happy to steal the headlines from each other.

Of course there are still certain engagements in the Royal calendar where attendance is mandatory. Trooping the Colour is at the top of the list. But Commonwealth Day observance is a close second. The Queen has always shown unwavering dedication to all that the Commonwealth represents. It matters to her, as does the succession of its head.

She has good reason to ponder. For all her hard work, the position as Commonwealth leader does not automatically extend to her successors; it is up to the Commonwealth countries themselves to decide who will replace her when the time comes.

Williams apparent lack of interest in Commonwealth Day will have been noted.

As Charles approaches 70 he accepts that his elder son and his photogenic daughter-in-law now have the star quality that bolsters numbers who flock to see them on foreign visits.

Courtiers say that William knows it too  and has become a little swayed by the attention. In this multi-media age, monarchy and celebrity can be blurred.

For many years Prince William has been cut a lot of slack. Now, however, he is at a crossroads. It is time for him to embrace his full-time role supporting his father and grandmother and put duty above all else.
What didnt the Prime Minister know, and when didnt she know it? Last week saw the old Nixonian mantra inverted.

The breaking of the Tory manifesto pledge on National Insurance Contributions (NICs). The triggering of Article 50. Nicola Sturgeon poised to gamble on a second Scottish referendum. Tory Election expenses. The potential cost of exiting Article 50 negotiations without a deal. Theresa May didnt seem to have a clue about any of it.

Its now nine months since she replaced David Cameron, appointed by her party to steady a nation in the grip of post-Brexit stress disorder.

I never thought Id say this, a pro-Cameron Cabinet Minister told me at the time, but Theresa is what we need now: a safe pair of hands.

Over the past seven days her hands have been as safe as those of an English slip fielder catching a bar of soap down an unlit coal mine. Shes dropped the ball on this, a Tory MP said to me after the Budget U-turn.

Not just the ball. She dropped the bails, the stumps, the pads, the gloves, the bat and the tray containing afternoon tea.

Over the past seven days Theresa May, pictured, has not just dropped the ball. She dropped the bails, the stumps, the pads, the gloves, the bat and the tray containing afternoon tea

Many headlines have focused on Philip Hammond and his role in the NICs shambles. But this has been a smokescreen, one created primarily by hardcore Eurosceptics looking to deliver an opportunistic punishment beating to a Chancellor who doesnt share their passion for a kamikaze Brexit.

Mainstream Cabinet Ministers and backbenchers are well aware that last weeks chaos originated in No 10.

Theyve been trying to juggle too much, and they missed it, one Minister said over the NICs debacle. Their focus wasnt on the Budget, it was on Article 50.

The fact the Budget has become an issue of secondary importance to the Prime Minister is as terrifying as it is telling.

But thats the reality of Brexit. Its the sodden, mouldering blanket draping itself over the Government.

To Mays credit  and contrary to reports  there was no attempt by No 10 to throw Hammond under a bus. Or if there was, by yesterday they were dragging him back out again.

Theresa had been briefed on all aspects of the Budget, a No 10 source told me, and the decision to reverse the NICs hike was taken by her and Philip jointly.

This is confirmed by Treasury officials. Actually, No 10 have been very supportive, one said.

There was a sticky moment when they thought we were briefing against them, but once we got that sorted theyve been solid.

So what happened? Whats the reason for Theresa Mays mid-March meltdown?

Partly its because she has made the mistake of believing her own narrative. When she entered No 10, I was told: This is not a change of Prime Minister, its a new government. But politics doesnt come with a reset button.

We might be fighting an election in a few weeks, said one Tory MP. And Im not doing that on the back of a broken manifesto promise.

May has also fallen victim to another of her favourite narratives  how un-spun Downing Street has become. Decision-making is now evidence-based.

Committee government has replaced sofa government.

All of which is laudable. But remove the politics from politics and this is where you end up.

With speculation about the triggering of Article 50 running unchecked for a week, when it could have been killed by a single phone call.

An Election expenses row left to simmer away, until it bubbled over and engulfed two of Mays advisers.

A Scottish First Minister demonstrating she can play the political game like a veteran, while the PM was reduced to angrily threatening to take her bat and ball away.

A week ago, a Minister told me what Mays strategy was going to be for dealing with Sturgeon.

Shes going to call her bluff, he said. Shes going to get in her face and dare her to call another referendum. The person whose bluff was called was May herself.

Which brings us to another of Mays problems. Shes making a habit of getting in peoples faces.

She got into the faces of the House of Lords, daring them to defy her on Brexit (they did). She got into Michael Heseltines face, sacking him from his role as an adviser on industrial strategy.

Again, its a posture that finds its roots in her thinly disguised disdain for her predecessor.

May regards David Cameron as a pretty-boy wuss who allowed himself to be pushed around. And she has no intention of having her head thrust down the toilet by the rough boys and girls of Westminster, Holyrood and Brussels.

But in her desire to stick up for herself, May is picking fights she doesnt need to pick, and even worse, starting fights she cant finish.

Dangerous times call for strong leaders, but they also call for measured and competent leaders. Theresa May is a safe pair of hands, or she is nothing. She needs to get a grip.

Speculation about an early Election is mounting. The only question now is how long can we go without one, says a Minister. Supporters of a snap poll argue Theresa May could use Nicola Sturgeons referendum as her casus belli. Its not opportunistic, its getting a mandate to protect the Union, says one. It would also make the 2015 Election expenses issue vanish at a stroke. Its 5/2 with the bookies  worth a flutter?
As George Osborne was named editor of the Evening Standard, former boss David Cameron was lurking nearby

George Osbornes appointment as editor of the Evening Standard was announced with fanfare in the newspapers offices at noon on Friday.

At that moment, his former boss David Cameron was lurking barely 100 yards away in a Kensington sandwich shop.

Dog is sure it was a coincidence, and the two will not use Georges new power base to plot against Theresa May

Etons pupils received the ultimate life lesson from old boy Cameron when he returned to his schoolboy haunts in the aftermath of the Brexit vote.

After one of the boys hazarded a question about his political downfall, the ex-PMs brisk reply burnished his reputation for chillaxing: Thats politics. These things happen.

Speak for yourself, Dave.

Angelina Jolie is friends with William Hague's ex-advisor, Baroness Arminka Helic

Ghostly rumours over Jolie's speech

Angelina Jolies admission to being nervous before her speech to the London School of Economics set Foreign Office set tongues wagging again about her friendship with William Hagues ex-adviser, Baroness Arminka Helic.

Jolies speech was on women, peace and security  a subject on which Bosnian-born Arminka excels.

Arminka can churn out speeches like that faster you can put mascara on, said a female diplomat. Doubtless every syllable was written by Angelinas fair hand.

It is not just Tory MPs brandishing the knives for Philip Hammond after his Budget U-turn. Scotland Yards close protection police officers dread being allocated to the Chancellor  due to his haughty attitude.

Some of the Cabinet are really chatty and good fun, Dog is told. Not snooty Hammond. He looks down his nose at us. Wrong guys to fall out with, Phil

Until Brexit do us part

Could it be that Brexiteer Tory MP David Davies cares more about a quickie divorce from Brussels than the fate of his Hungarian-born wife, Aliz?

With Theresa May refusing to guarantee the rights of EU passport holders (including Aliz) until Brexit negotiations start, Welsh MP Mr Davies says: It sounds cold-hearted, but its the right approach.

If Jeremy Corbyn thinks things look bleak on his Commons benches, they are close to apocalyptic among his peers.

Lord Winston says he avoids meeting his party leader because he wouldnt be able to say a civil word to him.

Ive been looking at his speeches from the 1980s.

'I cant see him getting better, says the eminent scientist  adding that he felt quite sick when Corbyn took over. Onwards and upwards, Jezza.

If Andy Street, ex-John Lewis boss and close friend of Tory MP Michael Fabricant, loses his battle with Labour in the West Midlands mayoral contest in May, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid can expect the finger of blame to point in his direction.

Local Tory canvassers say his decision to approve a plans for 6,000 green belt homes to be built in true-blue Sutton Coldfield has gone down like a bowl of cold sick on the doorstep.
Its like an explosion in a candy-floss factory. A tsunami of rippling waves, frills, flounces and fins so sugary, Ive got toothache. So ultra-feminine, youd be forgiven for thinking Scarlett OHara was back among us.

Its a difficult look to pull off  which is why, although the trend for frills started on the London catwalk for summer 2016, it has taken a whole year for it to trickle on to the backs of celebrities, mainly due to the fact the two hottest labels du jour have embraced the trend.

In Milan, Gucci sent out a collection made entirely of the sort of concertina frills you find around Boursin cheese.

Its a difficult look to pull off - but that hasn't stopped celebrities including Dakota Johnson, Rita Ora, Anais Gallagher, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicole Kidman and Sienna Miller (all pictured above) from trying

While in Paris, Isabel Marant put the worlds hottest model, Gigi Hadid, in a Lurex top with voluminous bell sleeves, and the front row of movers, shakers and stylists sat up and thought: I too want to resemble something you might find covering the lavatory roll in the smallest room.

Its a trend the high street has bought into, most notably at Topshop and Urban Outfitters (it has a ruffle gingham skirt for 59), but I doubt it will last long. Great swaths of fabric and complicated seams are expensive, which is why the Sixties shift stuck around for so long.

And who on earth needs concertinas of fabric on their hips? The look is all a bit Laura Ashley, too: florals, tiered maxi skirts and pie-crust collars.

Modern women, whove spent the past 20 years in body con dresses and toothpick jeans, are unused to feeling so much fabric around their bodies.

Its a worrying trend that negates 40 years of feminism, putting powerful women in something Grayson Perry might wear.

I would normally offer advice at this point, along the lines of: Want to wear frills? Keep the hair sleek, and expose some flesh somewhere, so people dont rummage around for the Andrex.

Instead, Im typing just one word. Dont.

Anais Gallagher This Mulberry gown has fins, just like a conga eel. The daughter of Oasis star Noel  here at last months London Fashion Week  is trying to pull off a look that works only with Dr Martens and a scowl. Advertisement

Dakota Johnson Well, its nice to see the actress with clothes on. But this pink confection by Gucci, for the Madrid premiere of Fifty Shades Darker last month, is totally ridiculous, like Spanish fancy dress. Advertisement

Gigi Hadid This look  worn by the supermodel on the Isabel Marant catwalk last week  is all 1980s Lurex and voluminous sleeves. If you invite the 21-year-old over, be sure to put away any valuable ornaments. Advertisement

Abbey Clancy Its confusing, the Strictly winners dress, seen on her at Thursdays launch party of Britains Next Top Model. It wants to be demure and pie-crust, but its also black and very revealing. Not quite what Laura Ashley had in mind Advertisement

Lily-Rose Depp Karl Lagerfeld sent model Lily-Rose down the Chanel runway in this confection in January. Its so sweet and girly, I was forced to have root-canal surgery. I can only hope he was being ironic. The puffball sleeves are so 1980s... Advertisement

Rita Ora The singer makes anything look sexy: the key is that this Giambattista Valli mullet dress, chosen for the LA premiere of Fifty Shades Darker, shows off her legs... as well as her air of steely confidence. Advertisement

Jessica Alba We put up with pyjama dressing  now were meant to go to Tesco in a negligee! The Barely Famous stars Ralph & Russo gown, for Vanity Fairs Oscars party last month, is too Doris Day. Advertisement

Nicole Kidman The Lion actress looks ready for bed in this too-Victorian Giambattista Valli outfit for the Golden Camera Awards earlier this month. Her head  all soignee and sleek  doesnt match the dress. Advertisement

Sienna Miller The actresss look  for the LA premiere of her new film Live By Night in January  reminds me of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and not in a good way. This Gucci gown has a nasty cape, too. Advertisement

Alexa Chung I cant believe my eyes. The queen of tomboy dressing went all girly in Erdem at a London fashion event last month. At least she keeps it edgy there are no flowers, and its in combat green. Advertisement

Leona Lewis Did the Bleeding Love singer pick some sort of straitjacket for MTVs Staying Alive Foundation charity do last week? A flamenco shirt like this can work but only if paired with some sharp tailoring. Advertisement
For many people, periods are still seen as 'gross', 'dirty' or a better reason than most to get out of school swimming lessons.

Not so for The Clams.

The Melbourne-based ballet troupe put on a special water performance dedicated entirely to menstruation on Saturday night, with the aim of promoting period acceptance and making light of the menstrual cycle.

Melbourne-based ballet troupe, The Clams (pictured), put on a special water performance dedicated to menstruation on Saturday night

The aim was to promote period acceptance, and make light of the menstrual cycle (pictured: The Clams)

The performance was titled: 'Crimson Tide: A Period Piece'

The special synchronised swimming show included giant pool float tampons and a four-part soundtrack synced to the four stages of the monthly cycle

Titled 'Crimson Tide: A Period Piece', The Clams' special synchronised swimming show included everything, from giant pool float tampons to a four-part soundtrack synced to the four stages of the monthly cycle - and even a dance involving a 15-metre piece of red fabric.

The show was bookended by DJ sets, and took place at Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Creation Centre in Melbourne.

'Our menstrual cycles should be understood and celebrated,' one of The Clams' members, Francis Van Beek, told Daily Mail Australia.

'We wanted to put on a bloody good show.'

There was even a dance involving a 15-metre piece of red fabric

'Our menstrual cycles should be understood and celebrated,' one of The Clams' members, Francis Van Beek, told Daily Mail Australia - 'we wanted to put on a bloody good show'

The 30-strong group was originally born from a feminist book club that formed just over a year ago.

None of the members - who are roughly aged between 28 and 40 - are trained dancers.

Instead, they decided they just wanted to make periods seem fun and also promote a strong feminist message.

'Broadly, we want to open up the conversation about menstruation,' Ms Van Beek told whimn.com.au prior to the performance.

'Women have code names for them, and we don't talk about it around men because it's seen as gross and disgusting.

'We need to have a more open and honest conversation about menstruation especially with the Government and GST on sanitary items.'

'Broadly, we want to open up the conversation about menstruation,' Ms Van Beek said prior to the performance

'We need to have a more open and honest conversation about menstruation especially with the Government and GST on sanitary items'

The Clams dedicated proceeds to Share the Dignity, a non-profit organisation that provides sanitary items and toiletries to disadvantaged women around Australia

Currently, there is a ten per cent 'tampon tax' in Australia.

The Clams dedicated their proceeds from the water performance to Share the Dignity.

This is non-profit organisation that provides sanitary items and toiletries to disadvantaged women around Australia.

For more information about The Clams, click here.
In the plush comfort of a leading American asset management company, Candace Heather appeared the epitome of a well-paid London executive.

Efficient and hard-working, she commanded a 75,000 salary with bonuses of up to 20,000  not a fortune by the extraordinary standards of the finance industry, but still a tidy sum.

Privately, her colleagues pondered her dowdy appearance. But mostly they dismissed her eccentricities as the foibles of an intensely private cat-lady who chose to live alone. They could hardly have been more wrong.

In the plush comfort of a leading American asset management company, Candace Heather appeared the epitome of a well-paid London executive

For when Candace left the office, she retreated not to a meticulously kept house in the suburbs, or a city centre apartment, but to a squalid, freezing flat. And it is there, she says, that she spent two decades under the Svengali-like influence of a psychotherapist who had isolated her from her family and friends and obsessively controlled her life.

Not only did she hand over huge sums of money, she followed his every instruction  even the most bizarre edicts, including a demand that she make hundreds of phone calls overnight, swearing her allegiance to his cause. It is an extraordinary story which raises yet more questions about the immense power of the unregulated psychotherapy industry.

Many will find it hard to comprehend how an evidently intelligent and successful woman could find herself, as she puts it, mentally enslaved by someone who on the surface was little more than a specialist in eating disorders. But as this newspaper has shown, and as experts in cults and mind-control techniques confirm, charismatic individuals can wield disturbing powers over vulnerable individuals.

It was as though he robbed me of my sanity, of my senses, Candace says. I came to believe that his instruction and teachings were all that kept me alive. I still think he saved my life, but he also became my master and captor.

Candace, now 51, says she remained effectively imprisoned for 23 years, something confirmed by her family. During that time she left her first husband, became estranged from her parents and led a life of misery and isolation.

Today, things could hardly be more different. Perched on a stool as the sunshine floods the airy kitchen of the Folkestone home she shares with new husband Simon and five-year-old twin daughters, Poppy and Daisy, she is a woman transformed.

It has been seven years since Candace, fearful and scared out of her wits, finally escaped the dingy flat where she suffered so much.

SIMILARITIES: The Mail on Sunday has previously told the troubling story of Laura Strutt, above

Now, with a well-paid job as head of marketing and communications at the same London firm, she has finally made peace with herself. Trim, in stylish jeans and sweater, she is poised and articulate, nothing like the young woman she describes as having endured this ordeal.

Candace says her eating problems began aged 13, as a schoolgirl living with her parents in Kent. She developed anorexia and, at 5ft 6ins, her weight dropped to a worrying 6st. By the time she was 17 she was bulimic. Doctors warned she risked irreversible heart and stomach damage, but she feels they offered little help.

In desperation, Candace answered an advertisement in Ms London, a popular free magazine of the time, offering psycho-therapy for compulsive food addicts.

She replied and met up with a man called Joseph Gomez, who claimed to be successfully treating almost 50 patients across the country. Initially Candace was not impressed. He was a short, shabbily-dressed, chubby man with little charisma. But his apparent expertise eventually dispelled her worries.

He drew up an eating plan which involved meticulously measuring out meals of proteins, vegetables and fruit. But he also made it clear she must be purged of her appearance addiction, her obsession with her weight. This, he insisted, was the root of her problems with food. Candace attended appointments three times a week over the first year, and in that time he encouraged her to gain 42lbs. This, he said, was her surrender weight.

What I didnt realise was that I was surrendering to him, she says. I was living in this pretend world that he ruled. I was so desperate not to return to the terrible binge eating that would see me vomiting for hours, or purging myself with laxatives so that I spent hours on bathroom floors  in pubs, trains, anywhere  writhing in pain as I threw up.

And for me this mans food plan stopped the addictive binge eating.

Her relationship with the therapist and his regime became as intense as her obsession with food had been. She agreed to move into a rented flat in London that Gomez claimed was owned by one of his patients, left a note telling her husband Neil she was leaving and drove to London.

This was the real start of my captivity, she continues. The night I arrived, crying and shaking, I was horrified. It was flea-ridden, shabby and sordid. There was no heating and no hot water but by then I felt worthless, that this was what I deserved. I had my cats but that was my only source of affection. Candaces failing self-esteem was gradually eroded still further. She was banned from looking in mirrors and from wearing make-up; Gomez insisting it was her vanity and ego that had led her to cling to illness. She was also forced to dress in shapeless clothes from charity shops, and even to eat garlic to ensure her breath stank.

AND here her story takes another strange, but this time optimistic, turn. Candace started taking professional jobs in the City and the West End, eventually specialising in communications in the financial industry, before getting employment with the American firm where she now works.

Not that it was easy. Candace learned to maintain a good, but distant, relationship with colleagues. In part, she was working because Gomez was demanding she pay him money  up to two thirds of her income  mostly in cash but also traceable through bank records.

The level of control became ever more extreme. Although there was no physical relationship with the therapist, looking back she says he seemed determined to suppress her sexuality. Angered by a confession that she desired a normal relationship with a man, Gomez devised a series of instructions that, whatever other purpose they served, would hamper any attempts at forming new relationships.

Candace Heather under the influence of the therapist at a writers' retreat in 2007

He insisted, for example, that she call specified telephone answering machines hundreds of times a night. Sometimes she had to recite religious texts, or swear that she had not smiled during the day, or conversed with colleagues.

She did this, she says, for an astonishing 16 years. Her bills often came to 500 a month. She even compiled spreadsheets to cope with the task. It was exhausting, I could barely keep my eyes open. I had bought a little heater and several times I fell asleep and burned myself on it.

I was literally dragging myself around. But such was the extent of my brainwashing that I never thought to lie. I told him every time I broke a rule, even if meant he came round and shouted at me for hours on end, calling me arrogant and despicable. It always ended the same. With him shouting that I would die if I didnt have him. And I truly believed that.

Why would anyone devise such an outlandish regime? Today she can only speculate. Repetition is a key method of brainwashing, as is sleep deprivation. Her therapist, she says, ensured she was occupied all night  the time when she might otherwise be conducting the sort of relationship she desired. At any rate, Candaces colleagues were none the wiser. They knew she suffered from diabetes and, when they regularly found her slumped asleep at her desk, assumed it was her illness. Her frantic parents hired a private detective to find out more about Gomez, but to no avail. And since she was a grown woman, there was no legal complaint she could make.

Finally, in February 2010, Candace says she began trying to find another therapist, hoping she might have the strength to leave. An American, Kay Sheppard, responded. Slowly, during a series of emails, Kay convinced Candace that she needed support to get away from Gomez because she had been controlled for so long. It was the lifeline Candace needed. She emailed her parents, admitting for the first time that she was questioning her treatment.

Im scared out of my wits, she told them. Her parents immediately drove to London.

It was a terrifying wait. Every moment I expected the therapist at the door. I was cowering and terrified. But the moment I saw my parents I felt a wave of security wash over me. Candace moved back in with her parents and over several months began to reclaim her life.

Hoping to battle her anorexia she met up with a man called Joseph Gomez, who claimed to be successfully treating almost 50 patients across the country

Candaces story is a disturbing reminder of the power unregulated therapists can wield. This newspaper has highlighted the case of Lord and Lady Caledon, who say their daughter, Victoria Cayzer, has fallen under the manipulative influence of a healer determined to separate her from her parents (although the healer and Victoria deny this).

There will be many who are sceptical of Candaces story. But she is confident enough to have published a book about her experiences  A Hunger For Life: A Memoir is available on Amazon. And extensive enquiries by The Mail on Sunday support her claims. Little is known of Gomez; certainly there is virtually no record of him as a therapist. Candace believes he is of Indian origin but made his home here many years ago. When tracked down to his London address, neither he nor a woman identifying herself as his wife would respond.

Today, there is almost nothing physical to connect Candace to her ordeal, apart from the boxes of evidence she kept, including the phone bills and the heartbreaking letters she was forced to send her mother.

The letters, each one identical, are poignant and unbearably sad: Dear Mum. Alive and well. Candace.

lIf you or any members of your family have had a similar experience, please call 0203 615 3010 or email adam.luck@mailonsunday.co.uk
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Monaco is renowned for its glitz and glamour, and its high society residents certainly did not disappoint at last night's annual Rose Ball.

Charlotte Casiraghi, 30, the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and the late Stefano Casiraghi, an Italian industrialist, left the glamour along with her brother Pierre's wife Beatrice.

However, her uncle Prince Albert and his wife Charlene were notably absent from proceedings, despite attending the Sainte Devote rugby tournament in Monte-Carlo earlier in the day.

Although Charlene has missed the ball to remain at home with her young children, twins Jaques and Gabriella, for the past two years, Albert has always been a regular fixture and only missed out due to a family bereavement several years ago.

Last night, however, he left it up to the younger members of the royal clan to represent the family at one of the most important social events of the year.

Pierre Casiraghi, Beatrice Borromeo and Charlotte Casiraghi arrive at the Rose Ball 2017 To Benefit The Princess Grace Foundation at Sporting Monte-Carlo

The couple would usually be the centre of attention in previous years, kicking off proceedings by leading the first dance.

Despite the absence of the royal couple, there was no shortage of glamour with Charlotte wowing in a plunging black dress with a nude panel covered in intricate floral patterns.

The show jumper, who grew up in the south of France and Paris gave her look a gothic edge with a slash of red lipstick, while her sister-in-law Beatrice also wowed in a dark navy dress with glittering embellishment.

The new mother, who gave birth to a son on 28 February, was showing no hint of sleepless nights as she joined her husband for their first public appearance since the baby's arrival.

Princess Charlene of Monaco and Prince Albert II of attended the Sainte Devote Rugby Tournament in Monte Carlo yesterday, but skipped the annual Rose Ball, one of the most important dates in the social calendar

Victoria Silvstedt put on a show stopping appearance in a red lace dress with sheer panel at the Rose Ball 2017

Charlotte Casiraghi was joined by the actress Juliette Maillot who has been friends with the royal since childhood

Beatrice Borromeo, Pierre Casiraghi, Princess Caroline of Hanover, Karl Lagerfeld and Charlotte Casiraghi pose for a photo ahead of the Roe Ball

The couple have been enjoying their first weeks as parents privately and have yet to release a photo of the baby or share his name.

Caroline's sons, Andrea Casiraghi and Pierre Casiraghi, also looked dapper for the occasion and sported traditional tuxedos.

Family friend Karl Lagerfeld designed this year's ball which was themed around the Viennese Secession, an art movement formed in 1897 by a group of Austrian artists.

Prince Albert and his then girlfriend Charlene hitting the dancefloor at the Rose Ball in 2009, before they were married. The couple were at one point the ball's star attraction

Charlene and Albert, pictured at the Rose ball in 2012, used to kick off the event

The Chanel designer, 83, was seen hitting the dancefloor alongside the other guests, although he didn't remove his trademark black sunglasses all night.

Actress Juliette Maillot, who is a lifelong friend of Charlotte Casiraghi, also brought a touch of class to the proceedings.

The star, like her friend, opted for the gothic look in a long black dress with daring sheer panels, while model Victoria Silvstedt was eye catching in a long red lace gown with

Charlotte added a gothic edge to her look with dark nails, smokey eye makeup and red lips

New mother Beatrice Borromeo was showing no hint of sleepless nights as she put on a glamorous display at Monaco's Rose Ball

Charlotte Casiraghi and Juliette Maillot dance during the onstage entertainment

Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld was seen catching up with new mother Beatrice Borromeo and her husband Pierre

Prince Serge of Yugoslavia and his wife Eleonora, Princess Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz as well as Princess Caroline of Hanover, who arrived on the arm of Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld.

The Rose Ball was first thrown in 1954 by Princess Grace of Monaco, the American actress who married Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

The event is currently presided over by the Sovereign Prince Albert II and Princess Caroline of Hanover and the funds raised go towards the Princess Grace Foundation, which assists young artists by providing scholarships.

It's named the Rose Ball as a nod to the late star's favourite flowers.

Prince Albert and his sisters Stephanie and Caroline are said to personally oversee the guest list of around 1,000 high society figures who pay 800 euro per ticket.

Karl Lagerfeld's personal assistant Sebastien Jondeau sat alongside Charlotte Casiraghi

Karl Lagerfeld is a regular at the event, but declined to take off his sunglasses even as the lights dimmed on the dancefloor

Charlotte Casiraghi, actress Mona Walravens and Karl Lagerfeld got into the party spirit while watching the on stage entertainment

Beatrice Borromeo enjoys a dance with her husband Pierre Casiraghi on their first night out since their birth of their son in February

Princess Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz, editor in chief of Vogue Arabia, stunned in a pink velvet cape

Fabienne Bazire, Nicolas Bazire and Guilaine Chenu were among the well heeled guests and the charity event

erge of Yougoslavia and his wife Eleonora of Yougoslavia (left) and Jacky Ickx and his wife Khadja Nin (right) attend the Rose Ball 2017 To benefit The Princess Grace Foundation
Most new mothers can barely face the thought of leaving the house to get a pint of milk.

But Beatrice Borromeo, 31, wife of Monaco's Pierre Casiraghi, managed to look impossibly glamorous as she enjoyed her first night out at the Rose Ball less than three weeks after having her first child.

Pierrer 29, is the son of Princess Caroline and the grandson of the late Princess Grace, formerly known as Grace Kelly, and the couple welcomed their son on 28 February.

However, Beatrice was showing no sign of sleepless nights, as she glowed in a navy dress with silver embellishment on the red carpet.

New mother Beatrice Borromeo, 31, wife of Monaco's Pierre Casiraghi, was glowing as she hit the red carpet just three weeks after giving birth

The couple hit the dancefloor as they enjoyed their first night off from parenthood

Pierre was sweetly protective of his wife, holding her hand as they navigated their way through the crowds

Pierre seemed sweetly protective of his wife, placing his arms around her as they posed for photos and leading her by the hand as they mingled with guests, including Karl Lagerfeld.

Later the couple took full advantage of their night off from parenthood and hit the dancefloor with other revellers, including Pierre's sister Charloote.

The couple has yet to release a name or photo of the newborn, though he seems to have been born some time on Tuesday, February 28.

According to People, Beatrice's older sister Matilde first hinted at the news when she posted an Instagram picture of the window of the hospital's maternity ward, writing: '28/2/2017 new day in the calendar of my family.'

Beatrice Casiraghi and Pierre Casiraghi attend the Rose Ball 2017 Secession Viennoise To Benefit The Princess Grace Foundation at Sporting Monte-Carlo

Mum and Dad's night off! The couple looked to be enjoying some precious alone time

Princess Caroline of Monaco's son and his journalist wife were the picture of elegance at last night's ball

Beatrice, 31, met her royal husband at Milans Bocconi University in May 2008, where Pierre was studying international business and she was studying law.

While attending school, Beatrice joined a news television show at the age of 19, and went on to work in radio, also reporting news. The hard-hitting journalist covered former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, among other topics.

She even found that her good looks  besides helping to land her a royal  also scored good scoops as a reporter.

Beatrice catches up with Karl Lagerfeld who designed the theme for this year's ball

'When it comes to men, it helps because they talk a lot to me! They say things that later they always regret,' she told Glamour.

In the same interview, which took place in March 2016, she revealed she was thinking of starting a family, saying: 'One day for sure: I come from a big family, and I want children of my own. But at the moment I'm thinking about putting my career in a place where it wouldn't get threatened by the presence of children.'

She and Pierre tied the knot in the summer of 2015 on the Borromeo islands, which are owned by her family.
When it comes to breakfast, you wont find me staring out of a rain-spattered window, nibbling toast or spooning cereal. Im much more likely to be at a beach cafe sipping fresh juice, or at a roadside food shack, forking up noodles in a foreign city.

While many women my age are pottering through retirement and keeping busy with the grandchildren, I have chosen a completely different path.

At 72, Im spending my twilight years travelling the world with nothing but a small backpack, laptop and camera.

While many women my age are pottering through retirement and keeping busy with the grandchildren, I have chosen a completely different path. Pictured sitting on a motorbike during a trip

At 72, Im spending my twilight years travelling the world with nothing but a small backpack, laptop and camera. Seen visiting a Buddhist monastery

You may think Im crazy, but Im single, I have my pension and I believe we can do incredible things once we realise the only boundaries are those we set ourselves.

In the past seven years, I have meandered through Asia, backpacked around central Europe, across Russia, Australia and the U.S., and done voluntary work in the Philippines, Cambodia and Thailand.

I spend precious weeks with my children and grandchildren each year  sometimes in summer and always around Christmas  but the rest of the time Ill be travelling. I have been to more than 50 countries so far.

I grew up in Essex in the Forties and Fifties, and there was little opportunity to stray far from our home in Southend-on-Sea. But when I was 19 my father took us to Spain on holiday. I fell in love with a Spaniard  and his country  and returned continually.

At 24, I married a Spanish businessman and eventually settled there. We had three children (Daniel, now 47; Maribel, 46; and Julian, 42) and I juggled motherhood with managing a hair salon. When my marriage ended after 12 years, I moved to the Canary Islands with my children and set up three salons there, later returning to Spain to work.

Any travelling I did during those years was hurried and run to a strict itinerary, with taxis from airport to hotel and back again.But in my late 40s, I impulsively flew to Bangkok with my youngest son (then 19) to join my sister who was backpacking, and I saw a side to travel that enchanted me.

You may think Im crazy, but Im single, I have my pension and I believe we can do incredible things once we realise the only boundaries are those we set ourselves. Geraldine is seen at Wat Rong Khun in Thailand

In the past seven years, I have meandered through Asia, backpacked around central Europe, across Russia, Australia and the U.S., and done voluntary work in the Philippines, Cambodia and Thailand

The memories stayed and the hankering grew, but there were so many what ifs to consider.

Then I read Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway, Susan Jeffers self-help book, and it changed everything. My travel bug grew. I flew to Bali with a girlfriend on a voyage of discovery, but when she started a relationship with a local man, she abandoned me.

I had to continue my holiday alone. I ate alone, went to the beach alone and explored alone and, to my surprise, I loved it.

Then, when I was 55, a relative kindly offered to help pay for me to go on a round-the-world trip. I was cautious in those days and booked an itinerary (through Trailfinders), flying to Bangkok, then overland to Malaysia and touring Australia before flying to Fiji, then the U.S. And I realised if I could do that on my own, I could do anything.

As soon as I got back, I started planning my next trip. By then both my parents had passed away and my children were happy and independent. There really was nothing to stop me.

I had a pension from all my years of work. It wasnt a huge amount, but I soon discovered that you really dont need much if youre prepared to stay in dormitory rooms in hostels, get about by bus or train and eat like the locals.

I spend precious weeks with my children and grandchildren each year  sometimes in summer and always around Christmas  but the rest of the time Ill be travelling. Pictured at Shwedagon Pagoda in Burma

When I plan to visit somewhere new, I research a suitable hostel  somewhere that has had great reviews, not too party-oriented and no age restriction (some dont take oldies). Koh Bolon beach in Thailand

Honestly, if you can afford the flight to Bangkok (usually about 600) and open your mind to the backpacker lifestyle, you can live on virtually nothing.

When I plan to visit somewhere new, I research a suitable hostel  somewhere that has had great reviews, not too party-oriented and no age restriction (some dont take oldies). A bed in a shared dormitory room can cost about 5. Then I budget to eat in food halls or street markets where you rarely pay more than about 40p for a plate. I dont drink or smoke, so my living costs are minimal.

Sometimes I save money by using overnight trains (you get to sleep on a proper bed), but if I like a place I may stay for weeks, then move on to the next with people Ive met or on my own.

Budget travel makes me feel truly alive. I dont hanker after air-conditioning, white fluffy towels or room service. Thats just soulless.

My fellow travellers are an eclectic mix. On any given night I might be sharing a room with gap-year students, an author researching a book, mid-lifers or families travelling on the cheap with their children, and even grandparents!

I do make a few concessions to my age. I wont travel overnight on a bus (it can be dangerous and its usually blooming uncomfortable). And Ill always plan to arrive during the day, never at night.

My fellow travellers are an eclectic mix. On any given night I might be sharing a room with gap-year students, an author researching a book, mid-lifers or families travelling on the cheap with their children, and even grandparents! Pictured: Kashmir, India

Yes, Ive had a few scares. I once rocked up at a gangster motel in Miami, where the doorman sidled up to me and hissed: This is not a place you should stay. Pictured: A sunset in Cambodia

Yes, Ive had a few scares. I once rocked up at a gangster motel in Miami, where the doorman sidled up to me and hissed: This is not a place you should stay.

In Thailand I was transported off into the night on a short cut by a corrupt (not Thai) tuk-tuk driver (I jumped out), and I have had to rebuff threatening advances in Kashmir. If something or someone doesnt feel right, I get away fast.

I pack very light  whatever you need you can always buy  and I dress to suit the climate.

Fortunately, I dont have to worry too much about rebutting the advances of Lotharios these days  but Im never lonely.

I now have friends all over the world and Im in constant contact with family and friends by email or Skype. My two eldest children live in Spain and my youngest is in the UK. They have four lovely children between them.

I pack very light  whatever you need you can always buy  and I dress to suit the climate. Pictured: Kashmir in India

Fortunately, I dont have to worry too much about rebutting the advances of Lotharios these days  but Im never lonely

My youngest son is 100 per cent behind my nomadic lifestyle, but my eldest thinks Im a little crazy and I suspect he thinks I should be a more conventional grandmother. However, I hope to inspire my grandchildren and, when they are old enough (they are three, nine, 14 and 15) Ill happily take them with me.

My advice to anyone who asks is to ignore what your family say and get out there!

I have absolutely no plans to stop, or even soften up. I want this way of life to continue for ever.

n Interview by Louise Atkinson. Follow Geraldines blog, backpackergranny.com.
Marine Le Pen's far-right rhetoric, Francois Fillon's survival tale and Emmanuel Macron's novel style: the ups and downs of the French presidential election have captured international attention.

The main focus: the rise of populism.

In Brexit Britain, the French electoral campaign is being closely-watched.

Many, from the media to leaders and Londoners still stunned by the result of the referendum on European Union membership, wonder whether Le Pen could actually come out on top.

Ian Bond, director of policy at the Centre for European Reform think tank, said the election reflects "the battle between mainstream politics and populism".

It will reveal whether populism "will take another step forward or if it has reached its peak, and if more reasonable politicians will be able to reassert themselves in Europe," he said.

The UK Independence Party's former leader Nigel Farage, a leading campaigner for Brexit, said that an election victory for Le Pen and her far-right National Front (FN) would "bring down" the European Union.

In Germany, the prospect of a Le Pen victory is worrisome and a "real danger" according to Sigmar Gabriel, the minister for foreign affairs.

"The only question that matters, is who can beat Marine Le Pen," the weekly news magazine Der Spiegel wrote.

In the United States, where many focus on whether the "Trumpism" wave will grow or fizzle out, Marine Le Pen's name is the only one to really stand out.

However, as the Richmond Times-Dispatch highlighted, there are differences between the US President and the aspiring French candidate, most notably, her "constancy and coherence," which Trump lacks, according to the newspaper.

As the CNN journalist Anderson Cooper pointed out, Le Pen is a "professional politician".

In Russia, Le Pen is the clear media favourite and her manifesto is presented as the best.

On Sunday, the popular "Vesti Nedeli" television show hailed her anti-immigration policies before delving into allegations about moderate candidate Emmanuel Macron's assets.

The show labelled him President Francois "Hollande's creature".

The other candidate to find favour in Russia is Francois Fillon.

The right-wing presidential hopeful, charged for misusing public funds, is described as the "victim of persecution" by Vesti Nedeli.

But his "Russian friendships" could end up working against him, the state news agency RIA Novosti said.

Elsewhere, the former PM's continued candidacy is a source of incredulity and ridicule.

"I can't see that in the UK," Bond said, adding: "If such a case arose, senior figures in any political party would give him a bottle of whisky and a revolver".

"Apparently, he drank the whisky and gave them the gun back".

In Germany, where politicians' ethics are under strong public scrutiny, Fillon's persistence has caused shock.

Der Spiegel said the Fillon "saga" not only affects the political elite but also seriously damages "the reputation of the republic and its institutions".

Macron is often found intriguing and, sometimes, charming.

German media praise "the blue-eyed boy who reads Goethe" -- a recent headline from the liberal Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The left-wing Tagesszeitung is more critical, describing Macron as "the elites' candidate" but also as "the last defence against the National Front".

In London, where he met with Prime Minister Theresa May and held a rally for thousands of supporters, his liberal views are attractive.

The daily Independent newspaper said: "It is Emmanuel Macron, not Marine Le Pen, who will come to be known as France's answer to Donald Trump."

Unsurprisingly, Russia expresses little love for him.

The Kremlin-backed Sputnik, which aims to gain a foothold in France, denounced what it views as the French media's "favourable" treatment of Macron.

It also said the "satanic trio" of NATO, the European Central Bank and the European Union want to "impose their Macron".

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At just 22, Sjana Earp has more than 1.2 million Instagram followers and spends her time taking stunning snaps in some of the most exotic and beautiful places in the world.

But the model and photographer, from Newcastle, New South Wales, never expected to become so popular on social media or to be making a substantial income as a result.

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, who claim these top influencers make up to $15,000 per post, Sjana opened up about her Instagram success and her plans for the future.

At just 22, Sjana Earp has more than 1.2 million Instagram followers and spends her time taking stunning snaps in some of the most exotic and beautiful places in the world

But the model and photographer, from Newcastle, New South Wales, never expected to become so popular on social media or to be making a substantial income as a result

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, who claim these top influencers make up to $15,000 per post, Sjana opened up about her Instagram success and her plans for the future

For Sjana, Instagram started as an emotional outlet before her followers skyrocketed - something she puts down to 'timing, luck and passion'.

'Instagram has provided me with an outlet - there's nothing worse than bottling up your emotions - and my followers accepted me being open about my feelings,' she said.

'Three years ago I was approached by an agency who wanted to manage me. My reaction was, "What? Really? I could get paid for doing this?".'

For Sjana, Instagram started as an emotional outlet before her followers skyrocketed - something she puts down to 'timing, luck and passion'

'Instagram has provided me with an outlet - there's nothing worse than bottling up your emotions - and my followers accepted me being open about my feelings,' she said

'Three years ago I was approached by an agency who wanted to manage me. My reaction was, "What? Really? I could get paid for doing this?",' she said

Sjana, who doesn't do sponsored posts unless she uses the brand/product herself, also said that she 'limits' herself more than many other influencers as it works better for her 'personal brand'.

As your following grows, so does the price tag associated with posts.

She also has a contract with yoga wear brand, Alo Yoga, due to her famed beachy yoga snaps.

So what's next for the Australian beauty?

'As your following grows, opportunities grow and so does the price tag associated with posts. It's a very spontaneous life. I don't know what's next but I do know how lucky I am to do what I do,' she said.

Sjana, who doesn't do sponsored posts unless she uses the product herself, also said that she 'limits' herself more than many other influencers as it works better for her 'personal brand'

'As your following grows, opportunities grow and so does the price tag associated with posts. It's a very spontaneous life,' she said

Sjana has also opened up about her success in the past and shared her tips for creating the perfect Instagram page.

One of the most important things, Sjana says, is Clarity.

'Your photos need to be viewable. If your images are not clear and sharp, they are going to be instantly less interesting and appealing. Sometimes this is just a matter of allowing the camera on your phone to focus on the subject before pressing the shutter button,' she wrote on her bog.

She is also anti-filter and believes the more natural a photo is, the better.

'I don't know what's next but I do know how lucky I am to do what I do,' she said

Sjana has also opened up about her success in the past and shared her tips for creating the perfect Instagram page

'The filters instagram provides are incredibly mechanical, and you may notice that if someone used a certain filter, you can name it instantly due to their tendency to be incredibly overpowering,' she wrote.

'Try to remember that although the filters give photos a great effect at times, it is not a magic wand. If you don't like plain photos, try using the edit on your phone  there is a "chrome" option on your phone that does make SOME photos appear brighter and more attractive. Especially food photos!'

The profile layout is also key when it comes to creating a good Instagram aesthetic.

'This is when you go onto your profile, and see the overall archive (grid style, not feed style),' she wrote.

'Try to remember that although the filters give photos a great effect at times, it is not a magic wand. If you don't like plain photos, try using the edit on your phone,' she advised

'There are some accounts that have an assigned column for different things i.e first column is a quote, second column is food photography and the last column is photos of themselves.

'Triangl swimwear keeps their account interesting by posting one photo of a model or person in their swimwear, then one photo of a beach/tropical scene.

'Keeping ALL photos bright and colourful. If you are to go on their profile, you will see that this consistent variation maintains a visually appealing feed.'

Other tips Sjana has given include ditching hash tags, always tagging people, using the bio and treating the platform like a 'community'.
If you have a problem, write to Zelda West-Meads at: YOU, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS, or email z.west-meads@you.co.uk

The split has traumatised our daughter

I separated from my wife two years ago because of the arguments  she threw things, drank excessively and now has serious health problems because of it. Social Services were involved and my son of 16 and daughter of 12 now live with me. My son wasnt too affected but it has had an impact on my daughter, who is quite shy. A year ago I started dating another woman whose seven-year-old daughter has accepted me. But my daughter still ignores my girlfriend. When she comes round, my daughter hardly speaks to her, hides in her room and never wants to go out with us. I have talked to her but I think she may be scared for some reason. My lovely girlfriends approach to parenting is with routines, whereas I am quite soft. When I go to see my girlfriend, I worry about my daughter so I often rush back home. Also my daughter texts me when I am with my girlfriend, which annoys her. All of this is putting a strain on our relationship. I want to make both of them feel special but I feel totally split.

Children and teenagers often find it very difficult to accept their parents new girlfriend or boyfriend. Your poor daughter has been through so much with an alcoholic and now seriously ill mother, witnessing violence and a divorce, so she needs to be handled with the utmost gentleness and love. Your girlfriend needs to recognise that she is dealing with a very frightened little girl whose mother was so disturbed that she couldnt be trusted with your daughter on her own. It concerns me that your girlfriend gets annoyed when your daughter texts you. She needs to put herself in your daughters shoes and see that she has effectively lost a parent and right now really needs her daddy and lots of understanding from your girlfriend. Unless your son is around (and gets on with his sister) or there is another adult at home, your daughter is too young and vulnerable to be left on her own for any length of time. I suggest that she sees a child psychologist for further help and support.

I dont want to work with my ex

I recently discovered that my ex-husband is joining the company I work for, though we wont be in the same office. I am aggrieved that we may bump into each other, causing us both embarrassment. We divorced ten years ago and dont have children together. Other people in the company know we were married and I imagine they are expecting some friction, which makes me feel less confident in my work as a senior manager. I dont know why I cant let go, as I dont have any feelings for him. On top of this my current marriage is under a huge amount of strain with the pressure of work and young children. The same problems that I experienced with my first husband are starting to reappear. I wonder if these feelings are more about how I feel about myself. I do have an underlying need to be liked by others.

As your colleagues know the background they will probably initially wonder how you are going to manage with your ex joining the company. So just say to yourself: this is a working environment, I will treat him like any other colleague. So be polite and friendly but stick to work issues and dont be tempted to stray into the past or ask too much about his life outside work. What does need to be addressed is your current marriage. As you suspect, it sounds as though you may be repeating patterns of behaviour. Perhaps you see criticism when there is none because you were put down as a child. Maybe you have low self-esteem, which fuels your need to be liked because you understandably want the reassurance. Have joint counselling with Relate (relate.org.uk) to explore this and hopefully restore your relationship with your current husband.

Hes abusive and controlling

I have been married since 1994 yet my husband and I could not be further apart. We have two children, the youngest is nine. Some years ago my husband couldnt always rise to the occasion sexually as he is a type 1 diabetic, but our sex life was still satisfactory. One night, however, he made me have sex even though I said no. I was angry and felt he had raped me, so sex stopped. He turned to porn, which continues to this day and now he doesnt want sex with me. On a couple of occasions he has tried to date other women. I believe this is down to us both neglecting our relationship but he can be abusive and tries to control me. I love him but I am not sure if I want to leave or stay.

Abusive and controlling behaviour is totally unacceptable and eventually destroys relationships, and your husband should never have forced sex on you. It must also be hurtful to feel sexually rejected now in favour of porn. The fact that he shows interest in other women suggests that he is still interested in sex but sadly not with you. I know this is hard, as you say you still love him, but it does not sound as if he is still in love with you. Unless he is prepared to change the way he treats you, you will never be happy married to him. Have counselling with the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (bacp.co.uk) to help you end the marriage.

If you have a problem, write to Zelda West-Meads at: YOU, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS, or email z.west-meads@you.co.uk
Its very old fashioned, says catwalk super-stylist Anthony Turner, wrinkling his nose as we discuss the strange societal diktat that decrees older women must not have long hair.

The truth is, if youve loved having long tresses all your life, new product technology means you can keep them in good condition at any age.

Stylist Anthony Turner created the hair at JW Andersons S/S 17 show

Anthony, who created the dreamily long, airy-fairy hair at JW Andersons S/S 17 show, recommends using LOreal Professionnels new Serie Expert Inforcer Vitamin B6 + Biotin Shampoo (12), Conditioner (13) and Masque (16), which act like a strengthening vitamin drink for locks.

LOreal Professionnels new Serie Expert Inforcer Vitamin B6 + Biotin Shampoo, Conditioner and Masque help to strengthen locks

Skipping blow-dries will reduce heat damage, plus help you achieve a light, natural texture that looks effortlessly youthful.

Massage LOreal Professionnels new and improved Mythic Oil into hair to prevent frizz

For those who fear frizz, Anthony pops a two-pence-piece-sized blob of LOreal Professionnels new and improved Mythic Oil (16.49, all lorealprofessionnel.co.uk, from April) on to his fingertips, then gradually massages it into hair, working upwards from the ends to ear-height, only.

Cancel that cut now.

As Mothers Day is next Sunday, Beauty Buzz wouldnt be complete without the mention of a limited-edition pairing to please all mummies.

Clarins Tender Moments Skin Illusion Blushes in Luminous Pink, Luminous Coral and Gold Havana (16 each) are perfectly coupled with the scented Daily Energizer Lovely Lip Balm (16, all clarins.co.uk).

Clarins Tender Moments Daily Energizer Lovely Lip Balm and Skin Illusion Blush in Luminous Coral make for the perfect Mother's Day pairing

The lip- and heart-print packaging will show her exactly how much she is loved.

This week were

Frederic Malle's Outrageous boasts an explosive tangerine, apple, cinnamon and musk scent

...loving perfumer Frederic Malles new Outrageous fragrance.

Outrageous, the latest scent from Frederic Malle, takes us to a world of Brazilian exoticism

As if stepping into a world of explosive Brazilian colour, heat and exoticism, its tangerine, apple, cinnamon and musk scent takes the mind to a beach at sunset  a caipirinha in hand.

Around 130, fredericmalle.com.

For those looking to bypass fluffy product promises and try skincare with serious weight behind it, AlumierMD  founded by a panel of leading scientists, dermatologists and industry experts  is worth checking out.

For skincare with serious weight behind it, AlumierMD's Enzymatic Peel and Retinol Eye Gel are worth checking out

The Enzymatic Peel five-minute mask (60) and anti-ageing Retinol Eye Gel (53, both alumiermd.co.uk) are turbocharged with great ingredients, high concentrations and advanced delivery systems.

Beauty assistant: Alice Robertson
Meet the entrepreneurs who are achieving start-up success by combining experience, innovation and a can-do attitude

The fragrance aficionado

NAME: JAYNE KETHRO

COMPANY: T LONDON

Having spent years crisscrossing the globe for work, Jayne, 54, found herself wishing she could capture the evocative aromas of her travels. A business idea was born and two years ago she launched T London  a collection of home fragrance, bath and body products for retail and luxury hotels. She lives in North London with her husband Ian.

Lightbulb moment Id worked for Molton Brown for 15 years, selling its miniature toiletries to luxury hotels around the world. It was my dream job, visiting wonderful places and meeting people from different cultures. I remember a trip to Mexico, sipping a cup of tea overlooking the turquoise waters of the Riviera Maya, catching a hint of lime blossom in the air and thinking, If only you could bottle this. That was when the seed of T London was sown. I decided I wanted to create fragrances blended to trigger emotions, moods and memories of special moments that always seemed to happen when I had a cup of tea in hand  this is why all the collections are named after teas.

The catalyst Four years ago I was finding the travel brutal  I was at a meeting in Singapore, having flown from London after a trip to Mexico, when my vision failed and I felt incredibly sick. I had bad jet-lag. I couldnt go on at that pace. I wanted to spend more time with friends and family  and I wanted a dog. I needed a new challenge.

The big idea I believed I could develop fragrances that really delivered. I had the experience, the contacts and the insight into the market. People wanted natural formulations and customers were increasingly passionate about British-made products. And there was that element of If I dont do it now.

First steps It took two years to develop the products, tweaking formulations and packaging. The Darjeeling candle took more than a year of sampling before I was happy with the throw of the aroma. My suppliers were incredibly helpful. I asked a lot of questions if I didnt understand something and made thorough notes.

The launch The London Liverpool Street Andaz Hotel signed up during the development phase and selected the Darjeeling collection as its signature fragrance  that gave me a real buzz. I sat in the lobby and overheard people commenting on the wonderful fragrance wafting around the hotel. Soon after, we started receiving calls from people looking for the Andaz aroma. Online retail orders continue to grow  as well as the UK, products go to the US, Japan, Greece and South America. Last year, T London also launched in selected branches of Fenwick.

The age advantage Experiences  both good and bad  give you wisdom which leads to insight. Plus, I was in a good place emotionally to take the next step.

Motto Travel is the greatest education.

t-london.com

The department store diva

NAME: DEBORAH HOLMES

COMPANY: SANDERSONS BOUTIQUE STORE

After 20 years as a full-time mother, Deborah, 54, was ready for a new challenge. In September 2016 she opened Sandersons, a boutique department store in a new shopping centre on the site of an old steelworks in her home town of Stocksbridge, North Sheffield. She is married with two daughters.

The catalyst My youngest daughter Lucy was leaving home for university and it seemed like the right time to do something for me. I had set up and sold my own business running a free newspaper before I had children, and I was keen for the girls to see their mum as a strong and capable businesswoman.

The big idea Our family business Dransfield Properties was working on Fox Valley, a new retail development, and I saw the opportunity to bring something fresh to the area. Many department stores feel samey. I wanted to bring a good line-up of recognised brands but also local and independent products.

First steps I had to persuade Fox Valley that taking on my project was a good idea. I put together a clear business plan about the sort of store I wanted Sandersons to be and was lucky to secure a loan through the family business.

Biggest challenges I had a long list of big brands I wanted to stock, but it was daunting asking them to take a chance on a new retail destination. I felt instinctively that Barbour, as a northern-based company, would understand what we were trying to achieve. When it said yes, I had the confidence to approach the next brand on the list. Persuading the cosmetics brand Inglot to come to the North wasnt easy. It is popular online with flagship stores in London. Weve also brought different skincare and cosmetics ranges to this part of Yorkshire, including Green People, Merumaya and SKN-RG.

The age advantage As a mother you take on so many roles and fight so many battles it has made me believe I can tackle anything. My experiences mean I am more measured in my response to issues at work and I see things through a wider lens. I enjoy teamwork and the talent it brings out in people  this is the most exciting part of creating a business  and I understand it better now than I did 30 years ago.

Whats next? Were five per cent up on our projections, footfall is growing and were going online on 1 September  our first birthday.

Motto Honesty, hard work and good instincts never let you down.

sandersonsdeptstore.co.uk

The events expert

NAME: DAME EMMA-JANE BROWN

COMPANY: EJB EVENTS

Former showjumper Emma-Jane, 54, founded EJB Events at the age of 50 and was voted Top Female Event Planner of the Year in 2016. She specialises in VIP experiences at sporting fixtures and an evening with conversations with Hollywood A-listers. She is divorced with two grown-up children and lives near Stratford-upon-Avon. She was made a dame for her success as an equestrian and for her charity work.

Life before I was the highest-ranked female showjumper for many years and represented Great Britain. In my late 20s, I was forced to retire after I developed an allergy to horses. I had such bad asthma that Id need oxygen between rounds. I was devastated because showjumping is a sport that you can continue doing into your 50s if youre fit. I spent the next two decades bringing up my children alone, doing charity work with disabled riders and helping to organise charity events. When my children flew the nest, it was time to strike out on my own.

The big idea I had a lot of experience of corporate hospitality at major sporting fixtures and felt there was an opportunity to provide experiences with an extra layer of flair. However, I wasnt the only events organiser out there and I knew it would be tough, so I warned myself, You have to give it 110 per cent with total dedication and determination. Once I started, I wasnt giving up.

First steps I spent 12 months mystery shopping  visiting hotels, restaurants and spas and testing out events to gauge what was good and what I would do better. I launched my first event in a world I knew well  a VIP trip to Cheltenham races for a party of 25 people. We started with champagne on a private train in the company of Grand National winner Bob Champion, who gave an insight into the world of racing and took us into the winners enclosure when we got to Cheltenham. Everyone was smiling all day. It was a real confidence boost to receive such warm feedback.

The age advantage As you get older, you have more life experience to deal with situations and people  a supplier missing a deadline, a venue letting you down or a difficult agent. As a rider, I was often the only female showjumper in the team (women compete against men equally) and I quickly learned to hold my own. Now I draw on that confidence during negotiations when Im often the only woman in the room.

Occasionally, I have to insist that an A-lister delivers on their promises  turning up on time and signing autographs  but its all about building good relationships and negotiating with a cool head. Its not something I could have done in my 20s.

Emma-Jane hosting events including with (from left) Peter Andre and Charlie Sheen

Life now Theres not a single part of my job that I dont enjoy. Life is varied but in some ways simpler than travelling the world with my horse and trying to be a good mother at the same time. Now that my children have left home, theres no cooking and no interventions required when there is a mountain of clothes on a bedroom floor. The stresses are still enormous  but its no worse than going into the jump-off against the clock.

Motto Never give up.

ejbevents.co.uk

The superfood soup supremo

NAME: AMANDA ARGENT

COMPANY: SOUPOLOGIE

In 2012, former marketing specialist Amanda, 54, co-founded superfood soup brand Soupologie with her accountant husband Stephen, after friends suggested their homemade soups were so delicious that they would sell. Soupologie is now stocked in supermarkets and the brands first eponymous cookbook has recently been published. The couple live in London and have four grown-up daughters.

Lightbulb moment When two of our girls turned vegetarian we all started to become more aware of our eating habits. We were buying quite a bit of soup, but when we looked at the ingredients, we realised that any goodness from the vegetables was counteracted by sugar, artificial thickeners and lashings of cream. Some manufacturers use cornflour to create the same mouthfeel of vegetables, while adding as few fresh ingredients as possible.

Stephen has always done the cooking in our family so he began making his own vegetable soups that were healthy and delicious. In 2011 we booked a stall at a local Christmas fair and within an hour all the soups had been sold.

First steps In 2012 we tried selling in more markets, which was useful to get customer feedback. The reactions made us realise that we needed to be vegan as well as gluten- and dairy-free. Some people said that we would never be mainstream because the soups were so niche. I always took the opposite view: that they had the widest appeal because being vegan they were completely non-offensive  and if people wanted to add meat or dairy, they could.

We have kept true to our beliefs and that has worked really well for us. Then it came down to Stephens magic in the kitchen. The girls and I gave him lists of vegetables that we liked, such as spinach and kale, garlic, beetroot and pomegranate and told him to create delicious soups.

The launch We asked local shops if they would take the soups on sale or return. To our surprise they always sold out and the orders kept getting larger. Once we had linked up with a distributor and quickly became his bestselling soup brand, it was time to start thinking big. We raised money on Crowdcube in 2014 and that gave us the basis to start a proper PR campaign and redesign our labels so that we could increase awareness of the brand.

The age advantage Maturity is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you have a certain confidence and the finance to take the plunge into a start-up. On the other hand, you have the knowledge of how horribly wrong it can go and the worry of all the responsibilities age brings. That can be an advantage, as investors can take comfort from maturity bringing a sense of accountability. What life experience has also given us is the confidence to delegate. We have surrounded ourselves with a really smart and enthusiastic team of people.

Biggest challenge Im certain that there are people of our age who have great ideas and would love to have the courage to try them. Theres very little obvious support for the over-50s  the media is full of stories about young entrepreneurs while older ones often get ignored. Starting a business is a huge leap into the unknown, and to do that, at 50-plus, needs encouragement. It wouldnt surprise me, however, to discover that mature entrepreneurs had a greater rate of success with their start-ups than younger ones.

Motto Anything is possible.

soupologie.com

The fashion powerhouse

NAME: NAYNA McINTOSH

COMPANY: HOPE

When Nayna, 54, couldnt find clothes to suit her, she left her corporate retail career to launch her own womens fashion brand Hope. She lives in Oxfordshire with her husband Harvey and their two teenage children.

The catalyst Having spent 30 years in fashion retail  and been part of the development of brands such as Per Una at Marks & Spencer and George at Asda  turning 50 was a time to reflect on the little voice in my head saying, You should set up your own brand. Through years of listening to market research, I knew that the 40-plus woman was an increasingly important part of the retail sector, yet often felt invisible and ignored by the fashion industry. There is nothing like getting to that age yourself to understand how this woman might feel. I was compelled to do something about it.

First steps I came up with a name, logo and moodboards for a new clothing brand, and shared them with a group of women  a mix of family, friends and colleagues. Their response was overwhelmingly positive and they gave me ideas of what the brand should and shouldnt include. Some even asked to be part of the team; suddenly, I had a designer, a product developer, a garment technologist, a marketer and a production planner. Our average age is 52  we know this woman because we are this woman.

The big idea We wanted to address some of the things that we felt frustrated about in the industry, particularly sizing. While size is just a number, many of us (myself included) are sensitive about it, so at Hope we offer UK dress size 8-20, but use the descriptions super slim, slim, curvy and super curvy  rather than a number or small, medium, large and extra large. I have yet to meet a woman who likes being described as XL! Another of our unique selling points is proportion. Choosing clothes according to the principle of thirds [for example, one-third top to two-thirds bottoms, or vice versa] elongates the body to appear taller and slimmer and we apply this to all our clothes.

Customers and friends of the brand model Hope outfits

Biggest challenge Raising funds is probably the hardest thing Ive ever done professionally. Ive learnt to be unafraid of asking and never to lose sight of the goal. I was delighted that my former M&S colleagues chose to back me, including former chief executive Lord Stuart Rose and ex-marketing director Steven Sharp. We are now at a stage to raise further funds and are considering a crowdfunding route to do this.

The launch Our idea was to sell directly to customers and provide a great personal styling service. As well as selling online, we adopted the at home social selling model. Last year we took the step of using non-professional models with different-shaped bodies for our website. Our customers said they could relate to the images and many have written asking to model for us next time.

Life now A dear friend said that I would never work so hard. I laughed, because Id always worked hard, but running your own business is a 24/7 venture  its exhausting at times yet empowering, and I love it. There are eight of us now, five of whom work remotely. This way we avoid the grind of a daily commute yet keep in close communication via calls, FaceTime and regular team meetings.

Age advantage At 50, its about work/life balance, not just for me but for my team. I am old enough to know that you dont all have to be in the same office to be effective and because many of us have worked together before, we have confidence in each other to do this.

Whats next? Weve been overwhelmed by overseas interest and have started shipping to the US. This gives us great encouragement that Hope has the potential to become a global brand.

Motto Follow your instinct and pursue your passion with persistence.

hopefashion.co.uk

The gadget girls

NAMES: CLARE MILFORD HAVEN AND PHILIPPA RAVENSCROFT

COMPANY: SQUIDGER

A few years ago, close friends Clare, 56, and Philippa, 61 (far right), came up with the idea for a gadget to squeeze the last drops of moisturiser, hand cream or toothpaste out of tubes. They launched Squidger in 2016. Clare, from Hampshire, runs a charity in memory of her son James and is married with four grown-up children; Philippa, a private chef, lives near Hungerford in Berkshire with her dog.

Lightbulb moment One day we were moaning to each other about always having to cut the top off the tube of expensive face cream to get the last drops out. Its a pet hate of both of ours. We decided there must be many other women who resented paying a lot of money for products when a good chunk gets stuck in the tube. Over a glass of wine that evening we thought impulsively, Lets do something about it!  probably without realising how much work and commitment it would be.

Rise of the over-50 female entrepreneurs In August 2015, a survey carried out among 500 business leaders by YouGov and private bank Kleinwort Benson found that women were more likely to set up successful businesses than men. Meanwhile, owners over the age of 55 were also the least likely to fear failing, at 34 per cent. The bank added that it had seen a 30 per cent rise in the number of female entrepreneur clients over the previous two years.

Last year, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) published the report Women in Enterprise: The Untapped Potential. It found that challenges for women business owners in the UK included balancing work and family life (40 per cent), achieving credibility for the business (37 per cent) and a lack of confidence (22 per cent). Helen Walbey, FSB Diversity Policy Chair, said: Women-led smaller businesses already contribute more than 75 billion to the UK economy, but less than one in five (18 per cent) of businesses are majority-run by women. If women were to set up businesses and grow them at the same rate as men, we would see a huge boost to growth and prosperity in this country. In fact, the government estimates it could add 600 billion to the economy.

Last year it was estimated that UK entrepreneurs aged 55 and over had cashed in 400 million of their pensions to fund new ventures, according to Clifton Asset Management and Pensionledfunding.com. Business owners over 55 have been capitalising on the Governments introduction of new pension freedoms in April 2015 and are opting to take a tax-free cash lump sum to create wealth. Advertisement

First steps We needed the help of an inventor. A friend suggested Adam Sutcliffe, who runs design agency Mental and is a senior lecturer in design and engineering at Queen Mary University of London. At first he was a bit bemused, but once he realised the money it would save consumers, he was 100 per cent on board and is now our partner.

The initial prototypes looked very odd, so we kept modifying the design until we were all happy with the look and effectiveness. We considered crowdfunding but as our start-up costs were not extortionate, we each put in money from our savings.

The launch We have started small and are doing everything ourselves, from printing labels to packing Squidgers for despatch in the warehouse. Our first sales came via our website. Every time a Squidger sold, it sounded an alert like an old-fashioned cash register; when it first went ker-ching, we nearly fell off our chairs.

Our first wholesale order came from a friend who saw the launch announcement on Facebook and ordered ten in each colour for her shop; she sold six within half an hour of us dropping them off. We are continuing to pursue our other work commitments until the business gets to a stage where we go full time.

Age advantage

Clare: I think that when you get to 50, you are no longer ambivalent about life and want to grab it with both hands. I have never been so busy, even when my children were small, and my friends all say the same thing. If you are going to do something, then dont hang about  just get on and do it! There are so many opportunities to be had and with the internet and social media it is much easier to get a new idea out there.

Philippa: In my late 50s and early 60s I found the confidence to begin to explore other avenues. I feel this awareness really only comes when you realise how short life can be. Somehow it simply felt right to start up Squidger.

Motto #getmoreout.

squidger.co.uk

Photographs: Shutterstock, Ian Mackenzie, Getty Images, Andy Barnes, Gino Galea, Getty Images, Timmy Vowles, Hopefashion.co.uk, Nicky Emmerson, Vanessa Taylor Photography
It is, unfortunately, an age-old story: boy meets girl, boy marries girl, boys family fail to see eye to eye with girl, and boy is caught in the crossfire.

But when the boy in question is the Olympic-medal-winning professional boxer and British Muslim sporting hero Amir Khan, and there are fortunes, careers and cultural expectations involved, the story becomes more bloody.

The girl in question is Faryal Makhdoom, his 25-year-old American wife. For the first few years of their relationship, Faryal, a part-time model with her own cosmetics company, kept a low profile.

Faryal Makhdoom is the 25-year-old American wife of boxer Amir Khan. Pictured, the coat (on chair) is by Shrimps, the dress is Chane Iby by @VintageFelix, the top is by Nina Ricci and the tights are by Falke; all from PIA

Following their marriage in 2013 and birth of their daughter, Lamaisah, in 2014, Faryal moved from New York to Amirs home town of Bolton in Greater Manchester.

But at the tail end of last year, a vicious public spat blew up between Faryal and 30-year-old Amirs parents and siblings, with his family accusing his wife of dressing improperly for a Muslim woman.

Faryal countered with accusations of verbal and physical abuse at their hands. From both sides, angry remarks and insults were slung on Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram.

Amirs parents used a television interview to hit back at Faryals claims, calling her an evil woman, while his sister took to social media to claim Faryal was preventing the family from seeing Lamaisah.

Pictured (left to right), Faryal's parents Shaukat and Zia Makhdoom, Faryal and Amir, and Amir's parents Falak and Shah Khan - all together at the couple's engagement party in Bolton

Faryal has filmed a television interview of her own on ITVs This Morning defending her modesty, as well as her style. Ive always been very modern in my dress. But Im not a drinker, a smoker, a party girl  I respect my religion a lot, she insisted.

I love my wife and I love my family and I am right in the middle, Amir has said. I want them to respect each other and for us to be one happy family. But this year began with Amir sacking his father, Shah, as his manager and leaving the UK for the United States with his wife and daughter; the couple were notably absent from his brothers wedding celebrations in January.

Given the combative nature of Faryals ripostes to her in-laws, I am anticipating someone tricky and truculent to turn up for the YOU interview and photo shoot.

The woman I meet, however, on this foggy Monday morning in San Francisco could not be more of a departure from the diva I have been expecting.

Last year, a public spat blew up between her and Amir's parents and siblings. Pictured, the couple discuss on This Morning who may have leaked an explicit sex tape of the boxer

Incredibly tiny, Faryal arrives at the studio in an off-duty Wag outfit of Uggs, sweatpants and a leopard-print bomber jacket, her face barely visible behind a pair of gigantic sunglasses. She is polite, well mannered, softly spoken and seems even younger than 25.

And while she has stridently defended her Western dress sense against her in-laws criticisms, she takes me to one side to express her concerns about showing too much skin in the photographs.

Im a Muslim woman, so Id like to be covered up, she says, almost apologetically. I cant wear anything too sexy or revealing.

It seems a little incongruous when, before I have even asked, Faryal goes on to detail the cosmetic injections shes recently had under her eyes and which she has documented on her Instagram feed.

After their marriage in 2013, Faryal moved from New York to Bolton. Pictured, Faryal and Amir at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in London

Because of lack of sleep, genes, dehydration, I get bags under my eyes and I wanted to get them lightened. So I went to my doctor, Simon [Ourian, a renowned cosmetic surgeon in LA]  hes Kim Kardashians doctor, she tells me proudly.

Faryal has also had fillers in her cheeks. I like high cheekbones, she says. The unnatural-looking nonsurgical enhancement is something else her husbands family and siblings have criticised Faryal for, likening her to Michael Jackson.

Ive never had plastic surgery. Fillers and plastic surgery are two different things and I want people to understand that, she insists.

If other women had this money and if they had a husband who was famous, they would do it, too. If I wasnt married to Amir Khan, Id probably be a regular girl and I might not do it. But Im in the limelight, I go to events, so its part of my life now.

Another part of that life is having a husband who is perennial headline fodder. In mid-January this year, the Khan family conflict took a turn for the seedier when a sex tape was leaked online, apparently showing Amir engaged in an intimate act while chatting on Skype with an unseen, unidentified woman.

It was claimed that the tape was made after his lavish wedding to Faryal.

Faryal countered with accusations of verbal and physical abuse at their hands. Khan is pictured with his mother, father and brother Haroon (right) on a private jet

It was something that happened a long, long time ago, well before my marriage, well before I had my little girl, Amir claimed in a joint interview that he and Faryal gave at the time.

Its upset me more than anything, but it happened when I was very young. I believe that someone [posted the video] out of revenge, someone close to us, said Faryal. Im not saying its a family member, Im not pointing any fingers, added Amir.

We all have a past and weve all done stupid things, Faryal says today. But other women have since come forward claiming to have had flings and flirtations with Amir since their wedding.

Faryal waves her hand to dismiss the notion of his alleged infidelities, giving me an eyeful of her enormous diamond engagement ring.

When youre in the public eye, a lot of people want to go after your marriage. I knew what I was signing myself up for, she says, firmly. I know Amir better than anyone and the main thing is trust. I could be working with a hundred men and Amir would trust me. At the end of the day, he comes home to me.

The 25-year-old Faryal is a part-time model with her own cosmetics company. She is pictured (right) wearing a Solace dress and rings by Kamryn Dame and her own collection; all from PIA

Home is currently a rented apartment in San Franciscos East Bay area. Though the couples departure to the US was painted as them fleeing the country to escape the feud, Amir is living on the West Coast to train for a comeback fight later this year.

His trainer, Virgil Hunter, is here, explains Faryal. So this is a temporary move for us while he is training. Were away from friends, away from family, away from anything that would distract him while he gets ready for his big fight, and then well return to the UK.

But it does give the couple some breathing space from his family. Being away [from them], we might miss each other and be able to make things right when we get back, she says. People say to me, You shouldnt have put your dirty laundry out there, but it blew up because Im Amirs wife.

While the two sides have traded slurs about money, modesty, access to grandchildren and control of businesses, it seems that at the root of the rift are conflicting expectations about a womans place and, in particular, a daughter-in-laws place.

For some cultures, the daughter-in-law is there to have babies, to cook and clean. They dont see that she can be an independent woman, that she can go out and work, and that husbands can help with the babies, says Faryal. But its not about religion  I know religious families who are very sophisticated. Its about education.

Faryal has previously suggested that Khan's parents tried to break them up, adding that the family's treatment of her husband was 'disgusting'. Pictured: Mariyah with Khan's mother Falak (left) and his father Shah (right)

Faryals own father, Shaukat, arrived in the US aged 16, initially on a holiday with his own father. His father wanted to take him back to Pakistan but he said, No, I want to stay here and make some money, Faryal tells me. He sent for her mother, Kousar, to join him a few years later and together they launched a succession of small businesses, including a Manhattan restaurant.

Faryal and her brother Mohammad grew up in Staten Island, a borough of New York popular with Indian, Pakistani and Italian families. It was a comfortable, affluent childhood; Faryals father has reportedly amassed a 7-million fortune from property investments.

My family is very religious but at the same time very modern. My parents taught us morals but also to be open-minded, says Faryal. Thats why they moved to America. If we cant be open-minded, then we should never have left our countries to begin with, she reasons.

Her parents valued education highly for both their children. They pushed us in our studies. My family took education really seriously, whereas Amirs didnt, says Faryal. Mohammad is currently in medical school training to be a doctor. I wanted to go to law school eventually and become a corporate lawyer, she recalls.

Faryal enrolled to study political science and journalism at Rutgers University School of Arts and Sciences in New Jersey. Less than two years into her studies, however, aged 19, she met Amir, then 24, through mutual friends at a party in New York. He said, Youre like a girl I would marry. I thought, what a total bull*******, she laughs.

They kept in touch on Skype, but she wasnt fully aware of the extent of his fame until eight months later when Faryal was visiting London with her family and Amir drove from Bolton to see her. They were papped together outside Harrods. Thats when I realised what a big deal he was, she admits, with a wry smile.

Faryal married Amir in a ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York in front of 250 guests, followed by an elaborate celebration for 3,800 people in Bolton

A week later, Amir arrived in New York with his parents to surprise her. They asked for my hand. We did it the halal way, as Muslims say, the right way of doing things. Thats when we officially started dating. Three months later, the couple were formally engaged.

Back then, she says, her relationship with Amirs family was smooth. When I got engaged, nobody said that my dress was too Western, or that I was too independent.

But three weeks before her wedding, she was asked by Amirs management team (which included his father and other family members) to sign a prenup. In our culture, thats really bad, she says, frowning.

I couldnt care less about the money but my parents felt very insulted, especially because they are so well off. My parents didnt make Amir sign a prenup.

Faryal signed the document nonetheless. I wanted to prove I didnt want the money. I wanted Amir. He is the love of my life. Amir later cancelled the prenup when Faryal was pregnant. I never asked him to do that, she insists. But it made me happy because it showed that he loved me.

The couple married in a ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York in front of 250 guests, followed by an elaborate celebration for 3,800 people in Bolton. Abandoning her degree, Faryal moved to the UK to join Amir.

In my head, living with my new husband was going to be this fairy tale, but it was hard and I didnt have any friends, she says. She didnt immediately take to her new environs. Bolton is very backward, she has said. Compared to New York, its a village.

Faryal (pictured with Amir in Miami in 2014) has been approached to take part in Big Brother

And living in close quarters with Amirs family, albeit in a different house but in the same grounds, meant there was no let-up when relations became ever more strained. Its not a Muslim thing to live with your in-laws  its a cultural thing, she says.

Most American Pakistanis dont do that. There seems to be a lot more of it in Northern England. Im not against joint families  but when you have your own space you can be more independent and I think there are fewer problems.

To that end, in spite of Amirs 30-million fortune, Faryal is determined to carve out her own identity and career. She recently modelled at the Asiana Bridal Show in Birmingham.

When I was younger I wanted to model but I was always too short [she says shes 5ft 3in but seems even smaller]. I love fashion and would like to model more.

She has launched a make-up range, Faryal Makhdoom Cosmetics, just lipsticks at the moment which will soon be expanded. And Im going to design a clothing range that Ill model too, she says.

When you're in the public eye, a lot of people want to go after your marriage. But Amir comes home to me

This summer, shell also be opening her beauty salon FMK within the 5-million banqueting complex Amir is creating as a business venture in Bolton. Im too busy to run it myself but I want my name on it; I want to be able to go there and meet peopleand get my hair done, she laughs.

And, in spite of her initial dismissiveness of Northern England, shes coming round to her adopted country. I love the UK, its home for me now, she says.

After Trump became president, my heart kind of drifted away from America. Im so glad I dont live in the US permanently. The amount of love I get in the UK is amazing, she says. Im someone. I cant even buy milk without being recognised  sometimes I have to pinch myself.

She might well soon be recognised beyond the milk run. A few days after we meet, Faryal reveals on Snapchat that she has been approached to take part in Big Brother, urging her followers to tell me whether I should or shouldnt.

She hopes to have another baby next year. My husband wants another child so badly, she confesses. Meanwhile, Lamaisah, she says, will be raised as Faryal was in the Muslim tradition. But I want my daughter to be an independent woman  Islam teaches that. I want her to go out, get her career, do whatever she wants and I will support her one hundred per cent.

Its an attitude shed like to see more of in her adopted community. I want to see more British Pakistani Muslim women speaking up for themselves, getting out there and doing something, she urges. Then, eventually, the stereotype  this idea of what a daughter-in-law should be  will die off.

 shopfaryal.com; @faryalmakhdoom
The country needs a movement like the freedom struggle for its development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, as he held up the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as an example of India's 'deliberative democracy'.

'Continuous discussions were held with the states for every clause of the law. GST decision was taken by consensus. All the states have taken the ownership,' he said in a special address, concluding the India Today Conclave 2017.

'GST has made us identify the federal structure of India afresh. Sabka saath, sabka vikas is not only a slogan for us.

The PM said that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as an example of India's 'deliberative democracy'

'We have this in every action and decision of our working.' In a reference to the session's theme, 'The Politics Of Disruption: Setting India's New Agenda', India Today Group Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie termed Modi 'Disruptor-in-Chief' for his achievements and leadership qualities that took his party to a landslide win in the Uttar Pradesh polls.

In response, Modi said that the 125 crore Indians were more deserving of the title.

'Earlier the government schemes used to be either election driven or based on the rigid bureaucratic framework. We need to change as per the time,' he said.

'The people are coming together in the country today to finish bad things within (it). This will strengthen the foundation of the new India.'

The country's economy is being transformed and the manufacturing sector is getting a boost, he said, adding that technology has undergone a drastic transformation in the last 20 years and aspirations of the youths have to be kept in mind in this era.

Modi said that the 125 crore Indians were more deserving of the title of 'disruptor'

'Without connecting the people of India, the progress of the nation is not possible,' he said.

'We have experienced that after Diwali - after action was taken against black money - you have seen the mindset of the nation. We are witnessing what is generally seen during the wars.'

UP Chief Minister Yogi and PM Modi

Modi also touched upon the increased pace of work in the railways and road sectors.

'Next generation infrastructure is our focus area. We have deployed significant resources for railway and road sectors. By merging railway budget with the general budget we have ensured faster growth of not only the railways but the overall transport sector,' he said.

Modi also spoke of the ambitious multi-purpose and multi-modal platform, PRAGATI, aimed at addressing common man's grievances and monitoring important programmes and revival of stalled Centre-state projects.

The PM mooted the idea of equal opportunity for all in the field of job creation, with the slogan 'opportunity to everyone, encouragement to everyone'.

He said his idea of new India consists of farms rich with crops as well as smiling farmers.

'We decided to provide electricity connectivity to 18,000 villages, which could not have power supply for 68 years after Independence.

About 650 days have passed since we launched the scheme and we have already done electrification in more than 12,000 villages,' he said.

'BJP is now a poll winning machine', says senior Congress leader

While the Congress is still licking its wounds after the loss in Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections (nto to mention the lost chance to form government in Goa and Manipur) senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has joined the chorus asking for deeper analysis and urgent corrective measures.

Participating in a debate on 'The Future of Politics' at India Today Conclave 2017, former union minister Chavan said, 'Without any doubt, Congress is facing grave crisis.

'The party has been in crisis earlier as well and we came out of it.

BJP workers celebrate the party's victory in the UP and Uttarakhand Assembly elections

'But, it does not mean that we will comeback automatically out of it.'

'We had been at low points in the past and even Mrs (Indira) Gandhi lost herself. But this time, crisis is real and we have to come out of it. In every single state, we have to study what has gone wrong and take measures,' Chavan said.

Chavan further said that right now the BJP is 'premier political party' in the country.

Participating in a debate on 'The Future of Politics' at India Today Conclave 2017, former union minister Chavan said, 'Without any doubt, Congress is facing grave crisis

'They are winning elections. They won panchayat and urban body elections in Maharashtra. The BJP is an election winning machine.' 'I am worried about the direction the BJP is taking the country to, Chavan said.

On the other hand, Union minister Piyush Goyal said that the BJP is winning elections after elections because they have a decisive leadership.

Goyal credited the electoral victories to firm and decisive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
A week after their stunning electoral victory in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP picked rabble-rousing Hindutva mascot Yogi Adityanath as the state's chief minister on Saturday.

The decision was marked by a rash of rumours before it was officially announced.

The party also chose two deputy CMs, a first in UP politics, seen as a bid to balance the complex caste equations and social diversity of the state.

Yogi Adityanath (left) celebrates at the announcement the two new deputy chief ministers, Dinesh Sharma (centre) and Venkaiah Naidu (right)

While the chief minister is a Thakur by caste, one of his deputies is an OBC and the other a Brahmin.

Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu announced the decisions after a long meeting with local BJP legislators in Lucknow.

'This is a watershed moment in the history of BJP,' he told reporters.

Adityanath will be sworn in on Sunday in a ceremony at Kanshiram Smriti Upvan in the state capital at 2.15pm where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah will be present.

The five-time Gorakhpur MP is known for his fiery Hindu rhetoric and has stirred controversies over his polarising and inflammatory speeches against Muslims.

News channels flashed pictures of party workers garlanding and feeding sweets to the Hindu hardliner who was draped in his iconic saffron-coloured robe.

The Hindutva mascot is known for his fiery rhetoric and has stirred controversies over his polarising and inflammatory speeches against Muslims

State BJP chief, Keshav Prasad Maurya, who was himself in contention for the top job, will be a deputy chief minister alongside senior BJP leader and Lucknow mayor Dinesh Sharma.

According to party insiders, the choice of the CM that shocked many was an obvious one in the context of the party's long-term plans - essentially its blueprint for the 2019 elections.

A senior party leader said: 'In two years, until 2019, no government can reconstruct UP as we have inherited it in a broken state.

'Therefore, development, though our long-term agenda, cannot be accomplished to the people's expectations and to an extent where we could expect another sweep in 2019.'

'Yogi's pro-Hindutva image helps there.'

Adityanath said he will follow the PM's 'sab ka saath, sab ka vikas' mantra and ensure all-round development of the country's most populous state.

'I am confident that the state will march on the path of development,' he said in his first brief media interaction at the Raj Bhawan.

Analysts say Yogi is many things rolled in one: he is a 'holy man', therefore caste doesn't stick to him. He is acceptable to all caste groups.

But he is a Thakur and there are a huge number of Thakur MLAs and the clan forms around 8 per cent of the state population.

Brahmins too, 10 per cent of the state's population, are happy as he is a religious figure.

As a man without a family he is seen as above personal corruption.

The Hindutva core constituency of the party too is satisfied.

Earlier in the day, supporters of Maurya and Adityanath held demonstrations in their support.

While Maurya has been camping in Delhi since Friday, a special chartered plane was sent to Gorakhpur on Saturday morning to bring Adityanath to the capital.

Both Yogi and Maurya held meetings with party president Amit Shah in Delhi.

Maurya and Yogi landed in Lucknow later in the afternoon and went to the VIP guesthouse to meet party observers Venkaiah Naidu and Bhupender Yadav at around 4pm.

They were later joined by Om Mathur, Kalraj Mishra, Sunil Bansal and Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal).

Prime Minister Modi addressed the India Today Conclave 2017 via video link following Adityanath's announcement

The meeting ended at around 5.15pm after which all of them left to meet the MLAs.

At around 6.30pm, senior party legislator Suresh Khanna proposed Yogi's name.

The proposal was supported by 11 other MLAs after which Naidu conveyed it to party president Amit Shah.

Yogi Adityanath (left) has been selected with Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh after a week of deliberations. Pictured with Dinesh Sharma (right) in Lucknow on Saturday.

'As it is the largest state, Yogiji requested for two senior colleagues to assist him to effectively implement the promises made to the people.

'I again conveyed this to Amit Shah, to which he agreed and thus Maurya and Sharma have been made his deputies,' Naidu informed the press.

The choice of chief minister surprised many after Modi made his development agenda the focus of his campaign ahead of the assembly polls.

Twitter users reacted strongly to the news.

Adityanath, also the head priest of the Gorakhnath Mutt in his constituency, has several criminal cases against him.

He has been charged in the past with rioting, attempt to murder, endangering life or personal safety of others, unlawful assembly, trespassing on burial places and criminal intimidation.

He is a strong votary of construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
A Gurugram court has sentenced 13 accused men to life imprisonment on Saturday in connection with the murder and attempt to murder at the Manesar plant of Maruti Suzuki India on July 18, 2012.

Additional District and Session Judge RP Goyal has also given a five-year imprisonment to four accused, while 14 others who have already served four and half years jail term were released after paying a fine of Rs 2,500.

The court felt they had faced 'enough punishment'.

Indian policemen stand guard at the main gate of the Maruti Suzuki Production Facility in Manesar. The month-long violence ended after a manager was killed and 96 injured

The 13 workers found guilty of murder were identified as union president Ram Mehar, Sandeep Dhillon, Ram Bilas, Sarabjeet Singh, Pawan Kumar, Sohan Kumar, Pradeep Kumar, Ajmer Singh, Jiya Lal, Amarjeet, Dhanraj Bhambi, Yogesh Kumar and Suresh Kumar.

They have been found guilty of murder, attempt to murder, rioting, destruction of property, and mischief under the Indian Penal Code.

The four workers found guilty of violence and rioting were identified as Pradeep Gujjar, Ram Shabad, Iqbal Singh and Joginder Singh.

Indian authorities threatened to charge all 3,000 Maruti Suzuki union workers at a plant after a riot that the labor union says began when a supervisor insulted an employee because of his caste

The court had convicted 31 workers on March 10, while 117 others were acquitted.

The 13 accused were charged with the murder of Avanish Kumar Dev, HR general manager, whose charred body was found in the facility following the riots on July 18, 2012.

Dev had died after he failed to escape a blaze which was started by rampaging employees in the Manesar plant.

Jobskeers wait outside the Maruti Suzuki Production Facility in Manesar following the riots

The police had arrested 148 workers in connection with the murder, whereas 62 others could not be arrested and have been declared proclaimed offenders.

Earlier, the defence lawyers also claimed that the convicted workers are the victims of a conspiracy and pointed out that most of them have spent more than four years in jail.

However, the prosecution demanded capital punishment for the accused, citing it to be a 'rarest of the rare' case.

Security staff survey damage to a factory building caused by rioting workers at Maruti Suzuki Manesar plant, near New Delhi

Prosecution lawyer Anurag Hooda said: 'We are satisfied with the court judgement. It was a historical decision. Such a decision will give strong message to others.'

Defence lawyers Rebecca John and Vrinda Grover said they would challenge the sentence in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

More than 100 other managers were injured in the day-long violence that shut the plant for over a month.

Earlier in the day, security was tightened outside Maruti Suzuki's offices after workers threatened to protest if the court failed to deliver justice to their colleagues.

Police stationed outside the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Gurugram, where the 13 rioters were sentenced to life in prison following the death of a manager at the Maruti Suzuki plant
Darren Rainey, 50, was an inmate at Dade Correctional Institution. A criminal probe into his death in 2012 cleared corrections officers suspected of using scalding water on him

Prosecutors in Florida have found no evidence of a crime in the death of a prison inmate left for nearly two hours in a hot shower, concluding that he died accidentally in part because of undiagnosed heart disease and suffered no burn injuries.

The memo released Friday by the office of Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle ends a lengthy criminal probe into the 2012 death of 50-year-old Darren Rainey, a mentally troubled man serving a two-year sentence on a cocaine charge.

An attorney for Rainey's family, Milton Grimes of Los Angeles, said in a statement that the family is 'disappointed and heartbroken' no charges will be brought.

'This is not justice for Darren, for his family, nor for the mentally ill who have been subject to similar abuse and mistreatment,' Grimes said.

One nurse said that Rainey was pulled from the shower with 90 per cent burns and that his skin was peeling off after he was left in the 180F shower.

An autopsy at the time did not record a cause of death and Rainey's body was cremated shortly after.

However, the investigation found no evidence that officers at the Dade Correctional Institution regularly used the hot shower to punish or torture inmates, as some of them claimed after Rainey's death.

Assistant State Attorneys Kathleen Hoague and Johnette Hardiman said in the 72-page memo that one inmate's assertions that Rainey was screaming for help and had been scalded to death were unfounded.

'The evidence fails to show that any correctional officer acted in reckless disregard of Rainey's life,' they wrote.

Rainey was taken to the shower on June 23, 2012, after he had smeared feces on himself, the walls of his cell and his bedsheets.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle (above) conducted a two-year investigation after inmates alleged that officers used hot water to torture Rainey

The shower, which was operated from an adjoining room by a corrections officer to prevent inmates from turning it off, was activated but Rainey refused to stand under the water, according to the memo.

Officer Roland Clarke told Rainey he couldn't go back to his cell until he washed off.

Finally, Rainey said he would comply and asked for soap, which he was given, the memo says.

After starting to wash, Rainey said, 'No, I don't want to do this,' and leaned on a wall away from the water, Clarke told investigators.

Officers continued to check on him, and finally after about two hours the decision was made to take Rainey out of the shower, but he was found lying face up in about 3 inches (8 centimeters) of water with no pulse and not breathing.

One inmate, Harold Hempstead, said he heard Rainey yelling and kicking at the shower door, saying, 'I'm sorry. I won't do it any more' and 'I can't take it no more.'

The prosecutors found Hempstead's claims, which he repeated to several news outlets, were not supported by other evidence, including video footage from inside the prison.

The above image shows the shower at the Dade Correctional Institution where Rainey died

Rainey was taken to the shower on June 23, 2012, after he had smeared feces on himself, the walls of his cell and his bedsheets

The shower, which was operated from an adjoining room by a corrections officer to prevent inmates from turning it off, was activated but Rainey refused to stand under the water, according to the memo

'Hempstead's testimony is inherently unreliable and therefore not credible,' Hoague and Hardiman wrote.

Several witnesses said Rainey's skin appeared to be peeled back or reddish in some spots - one inmate claimed he looked like a 'boiled lobster' - but an autopsy found this 'slippage' was most likely caused by friction or pressure on his moist and warm skin.

This could have happened during efforts to revive him, such as chest compressions, or when officers carried him out of the shower initially, the memo said.

The medical examiner, Emma Lew, attributed Rainey's death to a combination of his schizophrenia, heart disease and confinement in the small shower space.

She said schizophrenic people can have nervous system reactions that trigger a heart attack if they have an underlying condition.

'It is not substantiated that the temperatures inside the shower room were excessively high,' Lew wrote.

The prosecutors determined that corrections officers did not commit murder or manslaughter in Rainey's death and that taking him to the shower was appropriate under the circumstances.

'Placing an inmate who has defecated upon himself in a shower to decontaminate himself is not conduct that is criminally reckless,' they wrote. 'There was no evidence of any intent to harm Rainey.'
As a British backpacker who was allegedly kidnapped and repeatedly raped in the Australian outback recovers back home, she is subjected to fresh torment.

Heartless trolls stole photos from her social media accounts and used them to create fake profiles on escort sites in Cairns, Queensland.

The listings on three different sites describe her as a 22-year-old Swedish backpacker charging $350 an hour for sex.

A British backpacker who was allegedly kidnapped and repeatedly raped in the Australian outback had her photos stolen and used to create fake profiles on escort sites in Cairns

They presented her as being open to all kinds of sex, including threesomes, fantasies and fetishes, and bragged about the size of her breasts (this one was less graphic in its description)

The fake profiles presented her as being open to all kinds of sex, including threesomes, fantasies and fetishes, and bragged about the size of her breasts.

Photos used were mostly non sexualised - such as at the beach or eating with friends - but one included a picture of her naked in the shower, and two others show her on a bed in underwear.

It was not known if the fake profiles were made to humiliate her, or if the images were just opportunistically stolen to promote them.

Cairns police were pursuing whoever took the images and believe they were unrelated to the alleged kidnapping.

Photos used were mostly non sexualised, but one included a picture of her naked in the shower, and two others show her on a bed in underwear (pictured)

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: ''I'm sorry, I can't pay. My ex-boyfriend has my wallet and credit cards'

'Ive spoken to friends and witnesses who corroborate her version she wasnt doing that and it was quite likely another person who had access to those pictures,' senior constable Dave Harper told the Herald Sun.

'The phone number (on the sites) wasnt hers. It has no association with her whatsoever.'

Police allege the woman was 'raped four times, bashed and held captive' by her ex-boyfriend, also aged 22, for two months.



A British backpacker, 22, who was allegedly held hostage and repeatedly raped and beaten on a Queensland road trip is planning to head back the UK now that she has been released from hospital

The injured woman was earlier this month found behind the wheel of a white Pajero on the Warrego Highway, near Mitchell in Queensland.

Just minutes earlier, the backpacker had told a petrol station owner after filling the tank of the SUV: 'I'm sorry, I can't pay. My ex has my wallet and credit cards.'

Beverley Page, who manages the Caltex outback stop in Mitchell, 350 miles east of Brisbane, said 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 Daily Mail Australia: '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.'

'She was like a person in a trance. She leaned on the counter and the tears flowed down.

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'

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

The 22-year-old tourist, from Liverpool, England, tried to admit herself to Cairns Hospital (pictured) after suffering a cut to her eyebrow

'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 didn't 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'.

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 can't be named 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 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, the woman told the female owner behind the counter she was unable to pay for the petrol.

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 'trip to 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 friend, 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 haven't 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

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

The petrol station owner said the woman filled up the white Mitsubishi Pajero SUV with $60 of petrol.

Beverley Page said had the 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,' Ms Page said.

The backpacker told the cashier she could not pay for the petrol because her ex-boyfriend had her wallet and credit cards.

Ms Page 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,' Ms Page 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.

Ms Page, 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 Ms Page 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.
U.S. lawmakers from both parties said on Sunday they had seen no proof to support the claim by Republican President Donald Trump that his predecessor Barack Obama had wiretapped him last year, adding pressure on Trump to explain or back off his repeated assertion.

Several Republicans last week urged Trump to apologize for the allegations he made in a series of tweets on March 4. The maelstrom also caused tension with key U.S. allies and threatens to distract Republicans from campaign promises on health care and taxes.

"I don't know the basis for President Trump's assertion," U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I do believe he owes us that explanation."

Collins said she supported Trump as president, but she wouldn't side with him if he "misstated what the facts are."

FBI Director James Comey is expected to be asked about Trump's claims when he testifies at a rare public hearing on Monday about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Russia has denied the assertion.

Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee holding the hearing, called Trump's claims "patently false" and said he expected Comey to say as much on Monday.

The White House and Trump allies have sought to focus attention away from the controversies by calling for investigations of leaks to the news media.

Representative Devin Nunes, who leads the House intelligence panel, said leaks to reporters about former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn were criminal and that his panel was probing whether other names were leaked.

Trump has been dogged by allegations that his associates had ties to Russian officials. He fired Flynn last month after reports he had discussed sanctions with Russia's ambassador before Trump took office, without telling other White House officials.

"The one crime we know that's been committed is that one: the leaking of someone's name," Nunes said on "Fox News Sunday." "Were there any other names that were ... leaked out?"

NOT BACKING DOWN

Nunes, despite being a Trump ally who served on the president-elect's transition team, has not taken Trump's side on the wiretapping claim. On Fox, he said he did not believe it occurred.

Still, the White House has not backed down. The administration was forced to reassure key ally Britain after White House press secretary Sean Spicer repeated a Fox News analyst's claim that a British intelligence agency helped Obama wiretap Trump. The British government strongly denied it.

The issue led to an awkward moment on Friday at a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel when Trump was asked about the wiretap claims by a German reporter.

Trump said he and Merkel had "something in common," apparently referring to reports during the Obama administration that Merkel's phone was bugged. The quip left the German leader looking bewildered.

Senior Republican Representative Tom Cole told reporters on Friday that Trump owed Obama an apology. Representatives Charlie Dent and Will Hurd, also Republicans, made similar comments.

"I see no indication that that's true," Cole said of the wiretapping charge.

Unless Trump produces convincing proof, Cole added, "President Obama is owed an apology."

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Horrific photographs showing Melissa George's bruised face after her ex-partner allegedly slammed her head into a metal coat rack during an argument have been released.

The 40-year-old Australian actress claimed she was violently attacked by French entrepreneur Jean David Blanc, 49, at their penthouse apartment in Paris last year.

In an exclusive interview with Channel Seven's Sunday Night, an emotional Ms George said Mr Blanc stood over her after 'repeatedly' striking her in the face and body and said: 'Now you're a real actress.'

She also claimed Mr Blanc sent her text messages claiming she was 'destroying' their youngest son by breastfeeding him and had hired private detectives to 'disturb' her.

Mr Blanc firmly denies the allegations of violence. Last month, both he and Ms George were convicted of assault over the incident - a judgement both parties are appealing.

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Australian actress Melissa George claims she was violently attacked by her ex-partner, French businessman Jean David Blanc after an argument at their penthouse apartment in Paris last year. Pictured are her alleged injuries after the incident

Ms George, 40, said Mr Blanc,49, stood over her after 'repeatedly' striking her in the face and body and said: 'Now you're a real actress'

Ms George said she had marks around her wrists, bruising on her back (right) and hip (left), a broken inner lip and a huge lump above her eye as a result of the alleged attack

STATEMENT FROM JEAN-DAVID BLANC I wish to answer once and for all to the inaccurate information given by Melissa George. The Paris Court decision consisting of a shared custody of our young children was based on very long and various social workers investigations as well as psychologic examinations. This decision was ruled by the Judge who considered only the best interest of our children. That does not prevent Mrs George from working, as she's free to come and go to sets all over the world as she always did. As regards to our childrens interdiction to leave French territory without my prior authorization, this decision, also ruled by the Judge, is the result of Melissa George's attempt to secretly leave the country with our children without my consent, which led me to file a criminal complaint for kidnapping attempt. Regarding the supposed violence against Melissa George, I strongly contest it and have thus filed an appeal against the judgment, which is not final. I have always maintained that I had been attacked first and was only trying to protect myself. Melissa George was found guilty and charged for these offences. Advertisement

Ms George claimed Mr Blanc - the millionaire father of her two boys Raphael, 3, and Solal, 1 - was emotionally and physically abusive during their five-year romance.

The former Home and Away star claimed the alleged violent encounter happened on September 7 after Mr Blanc came home early in the morning and woke her up by watching television loudly, prompting a heated argument.

'It started with him on top of me with my arms locked above my head. I used my feet to get him off me... I wet the bed. I wet the floor,' Ms George told Sunday Night.

'I just went into a crazy moment of like, "I'm in deep sh**.'' And so I just tried to fight for myself which made him more angry, which made me more angry.

'He pushed me into the door, and then struck my face and I hit the wall and fell on the floor and I was out.'

After leaving to go to the bathroom, she claimed Mr Blanc grabbed the back of her head and smashed it into a metal valet when she threatened to call the police.

'That's when I scratched him. I tried to fight for my life... I had blood in my mouth. I was really full of adrenaline and sad and sick and vomiting.'

Allegations: Melissa's tell-all interview follows claims she was assaulted by her ex-partner Jean-David Blanc in Paris last September

'He... struck my face and I hit the wall and fell on the floor and I was out': Ms George claims she was knocked unconscious by Mr Blanc. The pair were both charged with assault after a judge ruled it impossible to determine who started the fight

Joint custody: The pair alternate full weeks looking after their children Raphael, 3, and Solal, 1. Ms George is unable to take her boys outside of France without express written permisson from Mr Blanc

She attempted to find her passport as a way of identifying herself and then stumbled outside after calling an Uber.

The Uber driver who picked up Ms George on the night revealed her terror when she entered his car.

Owais Atique, 22, accepted her request for an Uber ride at 2.24am but almost drove off when he saw her because he thought she was drunk.

Mr Atique revealed that when he saw the blood stains on Ms George's white blouse, he helped her into his Audi.

'She was crying, just crying, and saying, "I am scared, I am scared, please go he will find me, I'm scared",' Mr Atique told Sunday Night.

He added that Ms George also said: 'He hit me.'

The driver said he had wanted to take the actress to a hospital, but she wanted him to take her to a police station.

Pointing to his head, Mr Atique said: 'She was bleeding here. She was in a lot of pain. It's horrible, I was crying too.'

Ms George said she had marks around her wrists, bruising on her back and hip, a broken inner lip and a huge lump above her eye as a result of the alleged attack.

'The worst part was my neck. My neck wasn't able to move, turn left, right, up or down,' she told Sunday Night.

The Uber driver who picked up Ms George on the night of the alleged attack revealed her terror when she entered his car

'Big risk': The actress admitted she had 'no other choice' but to speak out, amidst reports she's facing kidnapping charges after she hoped to leave France with her two sons

Mr Atique said the actress explained what had happened to her, but he struggled to explain it in English, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Instead, he demonstrated by miming a head being slammed against his car door.

Two weeks later, he received a phone call from the actress, who visited him at his father's restaurant to thank him.

'She's a very nice person,' he said, adding he wasn't aware of who she was because he does not watch English television programmes or movies.

Speaking to Channel Seven reporter Steve Pennells, Ms George described an alleged contract she was given after her relationship with Mr Blanc became official.

'I got given a contract by a lawyer in Paris that said that in case of a separation, we must fight in France,' she said.

'(The contract said that) if we have boys, they must be circumcised, they must be brought up in the Jewish religion ... And I said to him, I'm not signing this. I'm not a business. So I didn't sign it, and to this day I still never signed that contract.'

Ms George also claimed she received text messages from Mr Blanc saying: 'You're destroying my baby by breastfeeding him... You need to put your boobs in a bag.'

She said she suspected Mr Blanc was hiring private detectives to follow her around Paris, 'planting' people to 'disturb her'.

'I get very paranoid. More jumpy and paranoid. There's a few people that just are planted to disturb me, that I see. I see the same people all the time,' she said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted a lawyer for Jean David Blanc for comment.

Facing charges: Melissa (pictured) and her ex were seen separately outside a Parisian court in October, where Jean-David Blanc appeared on charges of domestic assault

Custody battle: Melissa and her former lover are embroiled in a custody battle, with the French entrepreneur refusing to allow the pair's son Raphael and Solal to leave France

In September, Ms George was admitted to Cochin Hospital after turning up to a local police station with bruises and complaints of pain.

She was allegedly suffering from bruising to her face and said she was in pain and feeling faint.

The Perth-born star was allegedly assaulted by her partner of four years.

Mr Blanc denies the allegations, according to a report in French newspaper Le Parisien.

The pair were seen separately outside a Parisian court back in October, where Mr Blanc appeared on charges of domestic assault against her.

He denied the allegations and also pressed assault charges against her.

Last month, a judge convicted both of them of assault and ruled it impossible to determine who started the fight, as both showed injuries.

Mr Blanc reportedly accused the actress of trying to leave France with their two sons on a private jet, just days after the alleged altercation last year.

Court ruling: Last month, a judge convicted both Melissa and Jean-David of assault in relation to the September altercation and said it was impossible to determine who started the fight

'I deny these allegations': The Perth-born actress denied allegations of kidnapping after it was alleged she attempted to use a private jet to fly out of France with her two children last year

Ms George slammed the shocking allegations as 'totally fabricated.'

'The allegations of Melissa kidnapping her children are fabricated,' a representative for the star told New Idea in a statement.

'I am not taking these allegations lightly and it is in the hands of my lawyers,' the actress added.

'I deny these allegations and all actions today and always will be in the best interest of my sons Raphael and Solal.'

'I was absolutely not kidnapping. I'll always come back. Always come back. I will always do what's right,' Ms George told Sunday Night.

Earlier this month, her lawyer, Christophe Ayela told News Corp that her former lover's refusal to allow their two sons to leave France has prevented the actress from securing work.

'It's terrible for her career, disastrous,' Mr Ayela said.

'The two children are forbidden to leave the country without the written consent of the father. And of course he refuses to allow this,' he told News Corp in direct relation to France's Family Court order.

'It is scandalous that Australian kids (the children have triple nationalities - French, Australian and American) can't even go to visit their relatives in Australia.'

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 in November 2015.

Speaking out: Melissa's lawyer, Christophe Ayela, said her former lover's refusal to allow their two sons to leave France, has prevented the actress from securing work
Disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris has been seen in public for the first time in almost three years since being jailed as a child sex offender.

The Australian-born 86-year-old was caught on camera as he was taken to a hospital appointment outside prison.

Harris kept his head down and stared intently at a thick book he was carrying in his hands and covered his prison-issue blue uniform with a grey coat.

But he was immediately recognisable with his trademark white beard and thick head of hair.

Australian-born Rolf Harris, above centre, was caught on camera as he was taken to a hospital appointment

The fallen star was convicted of 12 historic indecent assaults on four young girls - one just seven or eight - between 1968 and 1986. Pictured is his mugshot that was released by police

Harris was not handcuffed as prison guards escorted him 100 yds into New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, pictured (stock photo)

Witnesses said the shamed musician quickly hid his face behind a book after realising he'd been seen.

Harris was not handcuffed but he was flanked by prison guards as they escorted him 100 yds from a prison van into New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, West Midlands.

One onlooker said: 'He was staring at the floor and then acted as if he was studying the cover of his book.

'He obviously didn't want to be recognised but everyone knows his face and with that hair and beard he stuck out like a sore thumb.

'When he realised he'd been spotted he suddenly held the book up to his face.'

Harris spent around 45 minutes at New Cross Hospital, pictured, for the undisclosed appointment

Following his appointment Harris was driven back to his cell at HMP Stafford, pictured, 20 miles away

One onlooker at New Cross Hospital, above, said: 'He was staring at the floor and then acted as if he was studying the cover of his book'

Harris spent around 45 minutes at the hospital for the undisclosed appointment before being driven back to his cell at HMP Stafford 20 miles away.

The fallen star was last seen in public in July 2014 when he arrived by boat from his Thames-side mansion in Berkshire to be sentenced at London's Southwark Crown Court.

Rolf Harris arriving with daughter Bindi, left, wife Alwen, centre, and niece Jenny, centre right, at Southwark Crown Court in London when he was convicted in 2014

He was convicted of 12 historic indecent assaults on four young girls - one just seven or eight - between 1968 and 1986.

He is serving a sentence of five years and nine months in the category-C prison.

He was cleared of three further assaults at a second trial last month but told he faces a retrial in May on another three sex offences jurors couldn't decide on, plus one new charge.
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A series of classic photos have been released of the 1971 Weeley Festival, which has been dubbed 'The Great British Woodstock.'

In the early 1970s, Weeley was little more than a tiny Essex village with a population of under 1,000 people.

Thanks to the work of some committed music fans, it was transformed into an enormous rock venue and was swamped by around 150,000 revellers.

On the billing for the August festival was Rod Stewart, Status Quo and Mungo Jerry among a whole host of other performers.

Photos from the gathering, organised by Clacton Round Table, show violent clashes with biker gangs, tents set on fire and some very unsanitary communal ladies' toilets.

The images have been compiled in a new book by author and radio presenter Ray Clark.

The astonishing photos show the carnage as festival goers clashed with biker gangs believed to be Hell's Angels.

Author Ray Clark wrote: 'These groups of leather-clad, long-haired young men on motorcycles were very intimidating when they roared on to festival sites, caring little for anyone foolish enough to get in their way.'

A series of classic photos have been released of the 1971 Weeley Festival (pictured), which has been dubbed 'The Great British Woodstock'

The astonishing photos show the carnage as festival goers clashed with biker gangs believed to be Hell's Angels

Photos from the rock concert also show enormous crowds gathered around as tents were accidentally set on fire

One image shows the communal ladies' toilets, which was essentially two rows of buckets covered with rudimentary toilet seats

Are you sitting comfortably? A helpful sign pointed the way to the shared women's lavatories at the festival

Author Ray Clark wrote: 'These groups of leather-clad, long-haired young men on motorcycles were very intimidating when they roared on to festival sites, caring little for anyone foolish enough to get in their way'

This image shows the gangs of Hells Angels being dragged from their jeeps by rowdy festival-goers at Weeley

The biker gangs often turned up at music festivals to act as self-appointed security before demanding cash or booze in return

Rod Stewart (left) and Ronnie Wood (centre) performed live in the Faces onstage at the festival organised in a small Essex village in 1971

As well as Rod Stewart (left), other musicians like Ray Dorset (right) of Mungo Jerry performed. Mungo Jerry's biggest hit was 'In the Summertime'

The full line up was announced on a poster. Other performers included Status Quo, Stone the Crows and T. Rex

In the early 1970s, Weeley was little more than a tiny Essex village with a population of under 1,000 people. Pictured, a view of the arena from the backstage area

Thanks to the work of some committed music fans, it was transformed into an enormous rock venue and was swamped by around 150,000 revellers. Pictured, a female fan with a Weeley t-shirt (left) and a biker knocked out on the floor (right)

The images have been compiled in a new book called 'The Great British Woodstock' by author and radio presenter Ray Clark

Author Ray Clark currently presents radio programmes for BBC Essex and Radio Caroline. Pictured, straw and a gas stove  a risky combination

Thousands of festival-goers gathered around a make-shift performance stage to watch the singers during the festival

As well as musical entertainment, groups of Hare Krishnas were seen at the festival singing and praying with revellers

This image shows one tent at the music festival evocatively named 'TRIPPER'S PARADISE' with music fans gathered inside

At the festival there were other facilities on the site including a free food kitchen complete with pots, pans and pit fires

Worn-out partiers rested after the fun of the festival. Flags from as far as Canada showed the international dimension of the event
Arnav Uppalapati, 17, (above) was arrested Thursday for allegedly strangling his mother, Nalini Tellaprolu, in the garage of their Cary, North Carolina, home on December 17, 2015

A North Carolina teen has been charged with murdering his mother after an investigation that stretched more than a year.

Arnav Uppalapati, now 17, was arrested Thursday night for allegedly strangling his mother in the garage of their Cary, North Carolina, home, police said.

Uppalapati has been charged as an adult and faces a life sentence.

On December 17, 2015, emergency personnel found the body of his mother, Nalini Tellaprolu, on the garage floor of their home on Roland Glen Road.

Tellaprolu had a plastic bag over her head and her feet were in the back seat of a car, according to an autopsy report.

Her body was covered with bruises and scratches on her face, neck, torso and arms, the News & Observer reports.

There were minor blunt force injuries, and the cartilage in her neck was fractured, according to the autopsy report.

Uppalapati had called 911 to say he found her in the garage after returning home from school.

He told police that he had last seen his mother alive the night before, when the two had dinner together.

Tellaprolu's (above) had a plastic bag over her head and her feet were in the back seat of a car

Uppalapati (center) has been charged as an adult and faces a life sentence

In the days after Tellaprolu's death, investigators learned that her husband, Babu Uppalapati, was out of state on a business trip.

Uppalapati told police that he had tried to contact his wife without success.

Investigators also learned that Tellaprolu, who activated the home security system nightly, had failed to do so on the night of December 16, 2015.

There were no signs of forced entry into the familys two-story, $450,000 home.

The 51-year-old mother of two failed to show up for work at Duke University Health System the following day.

Police found the 51-year-old mother of two on the garage floor of her home in this subdivision

Friends of the family were shocked to learn of Arnav Uppalapati's arrest.

'Were shocked as a community,' Tellaprolu's longtime friend, Padma Tummala told the News & Observer. 'This was not something we expected to hear. She focused all of her energy on her kids.'

Cary police Captain Randall Rhyne said they had not determined a motive or cause for the attack.

Rhyne declined to discuss what evidence led investigators to Uppalapati.
Yadira Arroyo died after she was run over by her own ambulance that had just been stolen

Men and women in uniform lined the streets leading to the Bronx funeral home where FDNY emergency medical technician Yadira Arroyo was transported on Saturday.

The eldest son of the fire department medic who was fatally run over by a stolen ambulance urged her colleagues and loved ones to be humbled rather than sad in her memory.

'Seeing everyone she affected, I know she didn't die in vain,' Jose Montes, the eldest of slain Fire Department emergency medical technician Yadira Arroyo's five sons, told the family members and colleagues gathered at the Bronx stationhouse where the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced it was giving $100,000 to the sons.

'I know my mother wouldn't have wanted people to be sad today. She would rather everyone - if you could take something from this, just let it humble you,' said Montes, 24. 'Just learn from this. Learn to hold your family closer every day, because life is short.'

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Fire fighters hold a bunting ceremony in the Bronx for Yadira Arroyo on Saturday

Jose Montes speaks about his mother Yadira Arroyo at the Bronx stationhouse on Saturday

Fire fighters and police line the streets to honor Yarida Arroyo as her body is transferred to Joseph A. Lucchese Funeral Home

Jose Gonzalez has been charged with murder for running over Yarida Arroyo in a stolen ambulance. He told reporters Friday he was innocent

Yarida Arroyo was considered a maternal figure to many of her co-workers and would respond to calls even when she had asthma attacks

Meanwhile, fire department announced funeral arrangements for Arroyo, a 14-year veteran of its emergency medical services. Her wake will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday at the Joseph A. Lucchese Funeral Home. Her funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. March 25 at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Roman Catholic Church. Both are in the Bronx.

Arroyo, 44, and another EMT were responding to a routine medical call Thursday when 25-year-old Jose Gonzalez hopped on the back of the ambulance, then darted into the driver's seat and ran Arroyo down after a man on the street flagged the vehicle down to say Gonzalez had stolen his backpack, authorities said.

Gonzalez has been charged with murder. He told reporters Friday he was innocent, while his lawyer said he's mentally ill and didn't act intentionally.

Arroyo was a dedicated EMT who responded to calls even during asthma attacks and was a mother figure to her co-workers, colleagues have said.

FDNY Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro speaks about Yarida Arroyo at the Bronx stationhouse

Police and a FDNY paramedic pay their respects to Yarida Arroyo who was killed on Thursday

Armed police stand guard as Yarida Arroyo's body is transferred Saturday. She was killed on Thursday when a man ran her over in her stolen ambulance

Men and women from the NYC Fire Department proudly march up Fifth Avenue during the St. Patrick's Day Parade honoring their fallen brothers and sisters in New York City, including Yarida Arroyo

The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, named for a firefighter killed in the Sept. 11 terror attacks, honors first responders and military members.

The donation is to be put in a trust for Arroyo's sons. The youngest is seven.

'Me and my brothers, we're all going to stick together,' Montes said. 'We're going to be here for each other and support each other in every single way.'
Trying to bring Frederick Douglass's slave narrative to life, a professor at a historically black university in Washington, DC, reportedly turned his classroom into a slave auction.

The unidentified Howard University professor, who is white, was teaching the abolitionist's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass when he allegedly singled out one of the two black men in the class.

'I stood up because I didnt expect him to do or say the things he said and did. I didnt sit down sooner because I was so shocked,' said the unidentified male student.

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A white professor at Howard University (above), a historically black school, allegedly held a mock slave auction when he asked his class to examine a black male student

Courtesy of WTTG

To explain how slaves were examined and auctioned, the professor allegedly asked the black student to stand because he looked "healthy" and "like the type of slave buyers would look for", the Caged Bird reports.

Students were told to examine the man's teeth, height, weight and strength so they could get a better sense of how much he was worth.

At one point, the professor asked the male student to "turn around so we can see your buttocks".

'He asked me to show my butt to the class so that he could get a better sense of my worth', said the male student, adding that the instructor told him he could sit down whenever he felt uncomfortable.

Noticing the class's physical response, the professor asked them if it was difficult for them to look at the man.

The professor was reportedly teaching a lesson on the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an autobiography written by the revered abolitionist (pictured)

'Its okay, Im uncomfortable too; Im white,' the professor allegedly assured the class.

That is when the class allegedly retaliated in disgust and the male student sat down.

'I wanted to hit him,' said the male student. 'I was being racially and sexually harassed in front of my peers and the only thing I could think to defend myself was by punching him.'

The professor allegedly concluded the lesson by letting the class know the male student would have been worth $400 on the slave auction block.

Students commented afterward that they believe the professor saw nothing wrong with his lesson and thought it was a new way to teach slavery.

'Personally, I'm upset because I feel as though you cant really have a mock slave auction at an HBCU, especially a professor of a different race,' said Howard University student Corey Jefferson.

'I feel a little bit disrespected by that because I feel like we are past that. That was years before this and now we are at a different age. It doesnt feel right,' Jefferson said.

The book that was being taught, Douglass's autobiography, describes the abolitionist's early life as a slave in Maryland and his escape from slavery.

Douglass later served as a Howard University trustee, a position that is commemorated with the Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall.

A Howard University spokesperson said the university is aware of the incident and is investigating the matter.

Similar instances have happened in classrooms before.

Earlier this month, a fifth-grade teacher at South Mountain Elementary in New Jersey asked their students to design posters for a mock slave auction, NJ.com reports.

In 2011, a Virginia fourth-grade teacher conducted a mock slave auction in her classroom, according to the Washington Post.
A 38-year-old man is in a serious condition after he was reportedly shot in the body as police search for a man believed to be armed with a gun.

A Brisbane man was shot in the stomach at 9.50pm on Saturday in Holland Park West prompting police to declare an emergent situation.

The man received first aid by a passing doctor before he was rushed to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a serious condition.

Police declared an emergency situation after a man was reportedly shot in the stomach in Brisbane's south east on Saturday night

A 38-year-old man was shot at Holland Park West on Saturday night

Police believe the alleged shooting was not a random incident.

'Police investigations in relation to this incident are on-going including locating the offender who remains outstanding and is believed to be a man,' according to a police statement.

'Preliminary information suggests this was not a random incident.'

The emergency declaration was initiated at the scene on Logan Road, south east Brisbane, and extended around the block to Marvin Street and Nursery Road.

Police declared an emergency situation at Logan Road on Saturday night

Since Sunday morning the emergency declaration has been revoked.

Police Acting Inspector Greg Veivers said no one was in custody and a gunman is believed to be on the run.

'Someone's been wounded and we were quite convinced someone was still outstanding with a firearm and there was the potential for further injuries,' he said.

Police are calling for anyone with information to come forward.
Britain risks losing pole position in the race to develop driverless cars if there is a crackdown on immigration after Brexit, say experts.

Restricting the flow of skilled workers will damage Government hopes of the UK becoming a world leader in a key industry of the future, according to a report by Oxford University.

It claims that firms developing the technology will be forced to move abroad instead.

The warning is a blow to Chancellor Philip Hammond, who highlighted driverless vehicles and robotics as a priority in this months Budget.

END OF THE ROAD? Oxford Universitys driverless car project is at risk

It is just one of many dire predictions of a brain drain as Britain leaves the European Union and the Government tries to cut net annual migration to under 100,000.

Doctors claim patient safety will be at risk if foreign doctors and nurses are banned, while business leaders say London alone will lose 7 billion in economic output and 2 billion in tax without migrant workers.

Oxford University told the Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry into immigration that its world-renowned research and teaching is in danger if it cannot attract the best people from abroad.

It says one in four of its staff is an EU national, along with eight per cent of undergraduates and 23 per cent of graduates.

There are severe risks to the entire higher education enterprise should the UK be seen by others as intellectually isolationist, parochial and inward-looking, it warns.

It gives detailed examples of what would happen if the Home Office cuts the number of overseas graduates allowed into the country on Tier 2 visas  for skilled workers with a job offer  or extends the system to EU nationals.

A report from Oxford University claims that firms developing the driverless vehicle technology will be forced to move abroad instead.

The report states: Oxfords Mobile Robotics Group (MRG) is providing the entire autonomy software system for the UKs flagship driverless cars projects.

'This is a collaborative project between Oxford, the Department for Transport, BAE Systems and Nissan.

It quotes the head of MRG, Paul Newman, as saying: I do not believe I can sustain the UKs position in this race if I cannot bring the right people to the UK and let them build careers here.

Careless legislation that negates our efforts to build excellence and generate wealth in the UK from technical leadership would cause me to reconsider where I run and build such a group.

The report states: Oxfords Mobile Robotics Group (MRG) is providing the entire autonomy software system for the UKs flagship driverless cars projects.

The British Medical Association told the inquiry the number of EU nationals applying to study at medical schools has fallen by 9 per cent this year.

Medical students play an integral role in the NHS workforce and so any fall in numbers could pose a risk to staffing levels and patient safety in the longer term, the doctors union warns.

Private healthcare giant Bupa says foreign nurses and carers play a crucial role in old peoples homes and any change to immigration policy must ensure the system can continue to provide quality care.

The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry says restricting visas to EU nationals would be highly detrimental and there would be a negative impact on economic output (estimated at 6.9 billion) and direct tax contributions (estimated at 2 billion).
Diana Carrillo was asked to prove she was in the country legally to be served alcohol when her friends went to Saint Marc Pub-Cafe

A group of friends in Huntington Beach was stunned when a waiter asked them to show proof of residency before he would serve them drinks.

Diana Carrillo, 24, shared the offensive experience on Facebook and the restaurant has been bombarded with negative reviews ever since. The waiter, whose name was not revealed, was fired.

Carrillo, her sister and two female friends went to Saint Marc Pub-Cafe on March 11 and were told by the waiter they needed to prove they were 'from here'.

Carrillo was especially taken aback because her parents are immigrants.

The friends were baffled by the apparent racism and were not sure if the employee was joking at first.

Kent Berden, the senior director of operations at the restaurant told the Orange County Register the waiter claimed he was joking but Carrillo is not convinced.

As an apology, Saint Marc's offered 10 percent of the weekend's profits go to a charity of the women's choice. They also invited them to be VIP guests but they declined.

Carrillo chose the Orange County Immigrant Youth United as the recipient of the restaurant's donations.

Ely Santillan (left) and Brenda Carrillo (right) were also asked to prove they were US residents by the waiter who has since been fired for the offensive questions

She told the Register she is worried incidents like these will continue because of the political climate surrounding immigration.

She said: 'I feel thats the direction were headed in, given whos the president.'

'Thats one of the reasons I posted it on social media rather than just dealing with the restaurant.'

The viral post on Facebook by Diana Carrillo read: 'A few friends and I went to Saint Marc's in Huntington Beach today. My sister and my friend were seated first and the waiter asked them for their "proof of residency" when they ordered a drink.'

'My friend in disbelief repeated what he said and his response was "yeah, I need to make sure you're from here before I serve you." Not knowing that this happened to them, my friend and I were then seated and he returned to the table and asked us for our "proof of residency." After fully digesting what he said, we all got up and left to speak to the manager. '

Saint Marc's offered 10 percent of the weekend's profits go to a charity of the women's choice and fired the racist employee

Carrillo's post was shared over 600 times on Facebook about the waiter's racist comments

'For a few seconds I thought maybe he was being a smart a** or joking but the fact that he said "I need to make sure you're from here before I serve you" was completely unacceptable. How many others has he said this too? I hope this employee is reprimanded for his actions. No establishment should tolerate discriminatory actions from their employees.'

Her sister Brenda Carrillo wrote on Facebook: 'Regardless of race or ethnicity, I don't believe anyone should ever be treated the way we were on Saturday. I really feel for the people who this has occurred to and were too afraid to speak out due to immigration status etc. If we don't speak out now, people will continue to believe that they are entitled to treat us, minorities, as less.'

'We all deserve a seat at the table.'

Since the incident the restaurant has been blasted with negative reviews on Facebook.

One wrote: 'Racism is a menu item I can't stomach.'

Another posted: 'I cannot support a establishment that blatantly discriminates against a large portion of our population.'
Great British Bake Off producers are so desperate to ensure the show is a success when it moves to Channel 4 that they offered Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders an astonishing 2.5 million to host it, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

But the sweet deal was not enough to entice the comedy duo  who fear the show will be a high-profile flop when it relaunches later this year.

It was never a viable option for them, said a source close to the pair. A lot of money was offered, but Channel 4 have bought a turkey.

Great British Bake Off producers are so desperate to ensure the show is a success when it moves to Channel 4 that they offered Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders an astonishing 2.5 million to host it

The broadcaster last year paid a reported 75 million to poach the show from the BBC, sparking anger among fans.

Hosts Mel and Sue and judge Mary Berry all refused to remain with the programme, citing loyalty to the Corporation, forcing programme-makers Love Productions to offer big-money contracts in an attempt to recreate the chemistry that made the original such a hit.

But French and Saunders hardly need the money. Jennifer, 58, is worth about 20 million, courtesy of projects such as Ab Fab and its spin-off movie; while Vicar Of Dibley star Dawn, 59, had already signed to ITV to host its child talent showcase Little Big Shots.

A Bake Off source said: They were the top of the list to replace Mel and Sue. They absolutely would have brought in the viewers but it wasnt to be. An offer was put in  a pretty high offer at that  but it wasnt enough. The impression was that actually, no amount would have been enough.

A spokeswoman for Love productions said: 'French and Saunders were not formally approached, this is untrue.'

On Thursday it was announced that comedians Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding would be the new hosts, with cookery writer Prue Leith, 77, taking over from Mary Berry.

On Thursday it was announced that comedians Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding would be the new hosts, with cookery writer Prue Leith, 77, taking over from Mary Berry

While Mel and Sue earned about 100,000 each per series, The Mail on Sunday has learned that Ms Toksvig is picking up 750,000, while Fielding will be paid 250,000.

The source added: Noel didnt have the same bargaining power as Sandi  she is always inundated with work offers, Noel less so. He is just delighted to be working on the show.

He cant believe his luck. Sandi is a big fan of Noels so they are excited about working together. It is Fieldings most high-profile TV job yet, but there are fears his drug-taking past and weird sense of humour will prove a turn-off for the shows conservative viewers.

Ms Leith will take home 500,000  the same as Mrs Berry  but also has a back end deal entitling her to a share of Bake Off merchandise, such as cookbooks.

Fellow judge Paul Hollywood, the only star to stay with the show, has had the same back-end deal added to his salary, also about 500,000.
Egyptian Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla said on Sunday his country had received two cargoes of diesel fuel from Saudi Arabian state-owned oil company Aramco on Friday and Saturday.

Molla was speaking at an energy conference in Cairo.

Saudi Arabia agreed in April last year to provide Egypt with 700,000 tonnes of refined oil products a month for five years, but the cargoes stopped arriving in early October.

Though officials from both sides have denied the existence of tensions or disagreements between the two countries, the two have been at odds on a number of political issues.

Egypt voted in favor of a Russian-backed but Saudi-opposed U.N. resolution on Syria in October, which excluded calls to stop bombing Aleppo.

In January an Egyptian court rejected a government plan to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.

Egypt announced last week that the petroleum product shipments would resume.

Egypt had turned to the spot market in recent months after Aramco's halt of shipments but also sought similar deals to make up the shortfall. Crude from Iraq was expected to arrive in late March as part of an agreement for 1 million barrels a month.

Molla said he was revising the import schedule with distributors following Aramco's decision to resume shipments.

In the longer term, Egypt's petroleum products imports will decrease from 35 percent of its consumption needs currently to 5-7 percent of consumption by 2020, Molla said, saving the country billions of dollars per year.

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A violent paranoid schizophrenic who punched and kicked a woman on a London Underground train has been spared extradition to his native Poland on human rights grounds.

Marek Dabrowski was wanted in his homeland over a robbery in November 2008 in which he allegedly knocked out a man before stealing more than 400 from him.

But before being arrested, he fled to Britain and lived on the streets for three years.

He later joined the anti-capitalist Occupy tented camp, which was set up outside St Pauls Cathedral from 2011 to 2012.

Paranoid schizophrenice Marek Dabrowski, who punched and kicked a woman on a London Underground train, has been spared extradition to his native Poland on human rights grounds

Last year Dabrowski was convicted of viciously assaulting two women on a Bakerloo Line train in March 2015.

The 32-year-old punched a woman in the face and then kicked her. When a brave bystander tried to intervene, she was pulled around the train by her hair, according to police.

Dabrowski was handed a suspended sentence and ordered to undergo mental health treatment after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

He is now living with his mother in London, taking anti-psychotic medication and receiving psychiatric supervision on the NHS.

He fled to Britain and joined the anti-capitalist Occupy tented camp, which was set up outside St Pauls Cathedral, after leaving Poland where he was wanted over a robbery

High Court judges Lord Justice Treacy and Mr Justice Nicol said he should not be sent back to Poland.

Allowing his appeal against an earlier judgment that he should be extradited under the terms of a European Arrest Warrant, the judges ruled it would breach his human right to a private and family life.

Lord Justice Treacy said: While it is to be hoped that arrangements would be made in Poland to avoid a relapse into very serious mental illness for this appellant, it cannot be gainsaid that return would involve a significant degree of risk of that occurring as well as considerable stress and hardship for this appellant.

That is to be contrasted with the settled way of life available to him here.

I would regard the foregoing analysis as one which indicates the consequences of extradition for this appellant are at a sufficient level of severity to render extradition incompatible with this appellants Article 8 rights.




Fashion designer Tom Ford made a surprising acknowledgment Saturday saying that the election of President Donald Trump made him want to return to his native America.

He told Women's Wear Daily that he had recently purchased a $38m home in Los Angeles and that he, his husband, and their son will soon take up residence there after relocating from London.

When asked about Trump's election, Ford said that 'it made me feel more nationalistic.'

'Oddly, it made me want to come back even more,' he said.

'We have a tremendous number of people in this country who feel disenfranchised and clearly we are not relating to or speaking to them. I am at my core American, and it made me want to come back. It didn't make me want to run away.'

The election of President Donald Trump (left) has made fashion designer Tom Ford (right) more eager to return to the United States, the designer said

Ford said that he felt a sense of responsibility in trying to help bridge the cultural and political partition that was laid so bare during the election.

Ford caused a stir last year when he said that he would not design dresses for First Lady Melania Trump (seen above)

'I think when you sense that there is a divide in your country and that there are people who perhaps you're not relating to, and that those of us who are fortunate enough to live in a world of very liberal human rights and privilege, it's a wake-up call that we're not addressing a big part of the country that does feel disenfranchised.'

'It made me feel more nationalistic, if anything,' Ford said of the election and its aftermath.

'The whole country is not like New York and LA and the world that I am used to living in.'

Ford, 55, has spent years living in London.

His comments about Trump are surprising given that he was recently ensnared in a controversy involving his brand.

Earlier this year, The Wynn Las Vegas removed all Tom Ford beauty products and eyewear from the resort after comments the designer made about Melania Trump.

Ford, 55, said during an appearance on The View in November that he would not be dressing Melania Trump while she was in the White House because his clothes are 'too expensive' for a first lady to wear, noting that in that position she would have to 'relate to everybody.'

Observers noted, however, that Ford did create a gown especially for former first lady Michelle Obama when she and her husband, then-President Barack Obama, were invited to dinner at Buckingham Palace.

Trump responded by telling Ainsley Earhardt on Fox & Friends that Melania never asked Ford to dress her.

'Never asked Tom Ford, doesn't like Tom Ford, doesn't like his designs,' said Trump.

He then went on to say: 'Tom Ford is an example. "I will not dress the First Lady." He was never asked to dress - and Steve Wynn just called me and he said he thought it was so terrible what Tom Ford said, that he threw his clothing out of his Las Vegas hotel.'

That was later confirmed by a spokesperson for Wynn Las Vegas, who told DailyMail.com in statement: 'Wynn Las Vegas confirms it removed the Tom Ford line of cosmetics and sunglasses from the resort this past weekend.'
Jeremy Corbyns leadership hit a humiliating new low after Labour MP Angela Smith told him to his face: Why dont you just go?

Jeremy Corbyns leadership hit a humiliating new low after a Labour MP told him to his face: Why dont you just go?

And the challenge by Angela Smith was rammed home in a separate tirade from John Prescott.

The former Deputy Prime Minister reportedly told Mr Corbyn: Youre not a leader and you never will be while you have a hole in your a***.

The astonishing onslaught highlights the growing despair among Labour MPs and peers over Mr Corbyns ratings and inept leadership.

Ms Smiths just go plea came at Wednesdays meeting of the partys parliamentary committee, made up of senior Labour MPs.

They accused Mr Corbyn of fluffing a chance to goad Theresa May in the Commons an hour earlier over the Budget U-turn on National Insurance.

Leaning in towards Mr Corbyn, Ms Smith rounded on him: Why dont you recognise its not working? Why dont you just go?

He replied lamely: Thank you for your support.

And as he left he scowled: Are you done with me now?

Lord Prescotts obscene taunt in a separate incident emerged after The Mail on Sunday revealed last week that he had described the Labour leader as useless and that his team were just not up to the f****** job.

His latest outburst was revealed by former Labour aide Don Brind, who said Prescotts contempt wont have come as a surprise to the Labour leader.

And the challenge by Angela Smith was rammed home in a separate tirade from John Prescott. The former Deputy Prime Minister reportedly told Mr Corbyn: Youre not a leader and you never will be while you have a hole in your a***'

Mr Brind went on: I understand he has said as much to Corbyns face, Youre not a leader and you never will be while youve got a hole in your backside. 

In fact, this newspaper has been told that the blunt former seaman was even ruder  he said a*** rather than backside. Mr Brind added: The question is who will help Jeremy escape from a job he never wanted?

Mr Brinds suggestion that Mr Corbyn never wanted to be leader received corroboration last night from an unlikely quarter  former Tory Minister Andrew Mitchell.

Mr Mitchell said that a month before Mr Corbyn entered the leadership contest in June 2015, he had ruled himself out when the pair discussed the matter on a human rights trip to the US.

Mr Corbyn told Mr Mitchell he would not stand in the way of fellow Left-wing MP John McDonnell succeeding Ed Miliband as leader. I asked Mr Corbyn if he would stand for the leadership and he replied, No, its Johns [McDonnell] turn,  said Mr Mitchell.

A source close to the Labour leadership confirmed Ms Smith had asked him to quit but denied that Lord Prescott had told him he was no leader.

Lord Prescott last night denied he had told Mr Corbyn he would never be a leader. Ms Smith was unavailable for comment.
MPs are kicking up a stink about the House of Commons selling babywear that makes a tasteless reference to potty time.

Babygrows and bibs are on sale in Commons souvenir shops bearing the slogan I passed a motion, a lavatory humour pun on MPs doing their duty in the debating chamber.

The babygrow features the Commons famous Portcullis logo.

'Tasteless tat': Two of the babywear items currently available from the Commons souvenir shop

Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke branded the items tasteless tat and took a potshot at Commons Speaker John Bercow, who has instigated a number of child-friendly initiatives at Westminster including a creche.

At this rate, well be selling Commons-branded nappies before long, said Mr Shelbrooke.

Theres a fine line between selling tasteful Commons-branded pens and bookmarks, and hawking grubby souvenirs.

Parliament should project itself as being about serious debates and law-making. Its demeaning.

Retailing at 10.95, the babygrows are bestsellers at Commons shops. Another babygrow bears the slogan: MP for Dribbletown.

A Commons spokesman said the slogans were a light-hearted nod to the many important democratic functions carried out by the House.

Mr Bercows office insisted the babywear selection was nothing to do with him.
Lady Lucan (pictured) is speaking to a documentary crew about the night her husband murdered their nanny

The reclusive wife of long-lost peer Lord Lucan has finally agreed to speak about her husband trying to bludgeon her to death at their Belgravia home.

Lady Lucan will speak about the fateful night for the first time in a documentary and has been seen in front of cameras at various London locations, including the Knightsbridge church where she married the 7th Earl.

She is understood to be receiving a 56,000 fee for her appearance, according to the Daily Express.

A friend of Lady Lucan told the paper her decision to co-operate with the documentary was motivated by money and to get 'revenge against her son' George.

She told the paper: 'She knows George will be angry when he sees the film.'

Her relationship with her children is said to have deteriorated following a breakdown.

Professional gambler Lord Lucan disappeared in November 1974 after the family nanny Sandra Rivett was found murdered at his home in London.

Professional gambler Lord Lucan (left) disappeared in November 1974 after the family nanny Sandra Rivett was found murdered at his home in London. Lord Lucan also repeatedly attacked his wife (right) who ran screaming, covered in blood, into her local pub

She was discovered in the basement having been bludgeoned to death with a lead pipe.

Lord Lucan also attacked his wife who ran screaming, covered in blood, into her local pub.

The Lucan children, George, Camilla and Frances, were sleeping upstairs at the time.

A friend of Lady Lucan said her decision to co-operate with the documentary was motivated by money and to get 'revenge against her son' George

The Lucan children, George (pictured as a boy with his parents), Camilla and Frances, were sleeping upstairs at the time of the murder

Officers concluded Lord 'Lucky' Lucan had murdered the nanny and then fled, leaving behind a trail of debt.

The mystery of his whereabouts has provoked decades of speculation and Lady Lucan has never spoken to filmmakers about the events of that night.

For some time Scotland Yard thought he had fled to Namibia but he was officially declared dead in 2016, more than 40 years after his disappearance.

His son George Bingham was finally granted a death certificate for his father in February last year and has now inherited the title as 8th Earl.
The world's top economic powers dropped a long-standing endorsement of open trade amid pushback from the Trump administration.

Financial leaders from the G20 group of leading economies, including the US, China and Germany, held tough discussions in the German town of Baden-Baden.

After deliberating for two days, they issued a statement Saturday that contained only a bland reference to "working to strengthen the contribution of trade to our economies".

World financial leaders from the G20 summit dropped its long-standing pledge of open and free trade amid pushback from President Donald Trump (pictured)

By comparison, last year's meeting called on them to resist "all forms" of protectionism, which can include border tariffs and rules that keep out imports to shield domestic companies from competition.

The threat of economic protectionism and border taxes from the White House have worried countries that rely on the US for trade.

Before the meeting, experts said that a failure by the G20 to commit to free trade would signal that Trump is serious about following through with those threats.

G20 members China, Canada and Mexico are America's largest trading partners, accounting for nearly $2trillion worth of imports and exports.

The statement from the G20 finance ministers and central bankers helps set the tone for further global economic cooperation.

Financial leaders from the G20 (pictured) group of leading economies, including the US, China and Germany, deliberated for two days in the German town of Baden-Baden

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, taking part in his first international meeting since being sworn in, sought to downplay the wording issue.

He said that the statement needed to reflect the discussion at the current summit.

'The historical language was not really relevant,' said Mnuchin.

'We believe in free trade: we are one of the largest markets in the world, we are one of the largest trading partners in the world.

'Having said that, we want to re-examine certain agreements ... And to the extent that agreements are old agreements and need to be renegotiated we'll consider that as well,' he said.

Mnuchin said trade deals need to offer a "win-win situation".

He said the Trump administration would be looking at relationships where the US was buying more than it could sell to its partner, and would be more aggressive in seeking enforcement of existing rules that would benefit the nation's workers through the Geneva-based World Trade Organization.

The WTO operates a system of negotiated trade rules and serves as a forum for resolving disputes.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin signing the visitors book at the G20 Finance Ministers meeting on Friday in Baden-Baden, Germany

China and European countries had pushed for a stronger affirmation of cross-border trade without tariffs or barriers.

Ironically, China and some European states tend to intervene more often in private sector business than the US government.

Canada took a middle approach in the talks, urging a statement supporting free trade but not taking a position on specific wording.

Host Germany dropped the no-protectionism pledge in the early drafting process ahead of the meeting, in apparent hope of not antagonizing the US and then finding a substitute that would also uphold free trade.

But attempts to include such language did not find agreement.

Trump and other critics of free trade argue that it can cause jobs, such as in the labor intensive manufacturing sector, to move to lower-cost countries.

Mnuchin (pictured) speaks during a G20 news conference on Saturday. He represented the US in two days of meetings with his counterparts from the world's 20 largest economies

Proponents say technological advances, such as automation that replaces workers with robots, are more to blame for the loss of jobs in such sectors.

Some advocates, like the International Monetary Fund, readily concede that the benefits of free trade have been uneven across societies, as less skilled workers lose out and the better trained prosper.

But they argue that trade restrictions will not help those left behind by the globalized economy and point to better training and education as part of the answer.

Trump has already pulled the US out of a proposed free trade deal with Japan and other Pacific Rim countries.

Seeking to put America first, Trump also has started the process to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada.

People attend a demonstration against the G20 on Saturday. The financial leaders also removed from their statement a pledge to finance the fight against global warming

Wolfgang Schaeuble, the finance minister of host country Germany, argued that it was not true that officials failed to find common ground.

'It's completely clear we are not for protectionism. But it wasn't clear what one or another meant by that,' Schaeuble said.

In the Trump administration's biggest clash yet with the international community, G20 leaders also removed from their statement a pledge to finance the fight against global warming.

This was an anticipated outcome after Trump called global warming a "hoax" concocted by China to hurt US industry and vowed to scrap the Paris climate accord aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

The G20 is an informal forum on economic cooperation made up of 19 countries plus the European Union.

The finance ministers' meeting will pave the way for a summit of national leaders in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7-8.

Its decisions do not have the same force as an international treaty but simply depend on individual countries' promises to follow through on them.
A cancer-stricken reality television star who was told he has just two years left to live will marry his partner to fulfill one of his wishes.

Celebrity builder John 'Cocksy' Cocks was diagnosed with terminal kidney cancer after discovering blood in his urine - and the disease has now spread to his lungs and spine.

But the 50-year-old New Zealander has not let the incurable condition deter him from spending his final months enjoying his life to the fullest.

And in eight weeks, the father - who has three children from his first marriage - will tie the knot with his partner of two years Dana Coote.

Celebrity builder John 'Cocksy' Cocks (right) will marry his partner of two years Dana Coote (left) after being told he has just two years to live following his kidney cancer diagnosis

The 50-year-old cancer-stricken reality TV star will marry his partner to fulfill one of his wishes

'I love her deeply so I put the old knee on the ground and said "Do you want to marry me and make yourself the happiest woman in the world?". She said "Okay",' he laughed as he told NZ Herald.

The couple met at a children's charity event.

Cocksy - who starred on shows such as My House, My Castle and April's Angels - has been ticking off his bucket list.

So far, he has purchased a new surfboard, an old Holden station wagon and embarked on a trip to Samoa. His next wish is to finish building his dream home.

'It's all very well having a shortened life span but if you don't use it to your best then what's the point of having it at all,' he said.

The father-of-three has not let the condition deter him from spending his final months

The builder - who has three daughters - admitted he was not afraid of dying but said he was more concerned for his loved ones who will suffer from grief when he's gone

Last April, Cocksy had one of his kidneys removed after he endured severe pains.

The father revealed how he was left in tears after being given the shocking news of how much longer he had left to live following his diagnosis.

The builder - who has three daughters - admitted he was not afraid of dying but said he was more concerned for his loved ones who will suffer from grief when he's gone.

'For the person who is going to [die] it's not such a drama. My fear will be for my girls, my partner and the people I love - how they continue their lives when I'm not there to help them,' he said.

'Dana is positive, but I know she has moments. My girls are the same. But I say to them, "Guys you have to carry on with your life".'
I can take petal, I love a bit of blossom, and if the ticket inspector calls me Miss rather than Madam I can feel faint with pleasure. I glow, and feel prettier, nicer, and yes, whole decades younger.

But last week I had the uncomfortable sensation of being far away and long ago as I listened to an MP Id never heard of called Sir Roger Gale (never trust a man called Roger) talk on the wireless about his wife and female employees in his constituency office.

His wife Suzy started work at 7am most mornings, he was saying in defence of the right of MPs to employ their nearest and dearest on the public payroll. Sometimes, she was still slaving away at her desk at 3am.

Really, Sir Roger Gale! (pictured) You seem like a nice enough old buffer but if life was fairer  and we know its not  Suzy would be the MP for Thanet North and not you

Suzy (Rogers third wife) earned 35,000 as his office manager and was utterly dedicated to her job, he went on, as were indeed the other girls in his office.

Shed go and visit constituents in distress, and then he repeated, as if we hadnt screamed at the radio on the first mention, as indeed will the other girls.

Cringe. I know hes 73 but to talk of his wife and team as girls makes them sound like the pit crew who change the tyres on the racing car that is the MP for North Thanet, with responsibilities not just in the UK but in Europe as well.

It wound the clock back in my head to his parents generation when, if you were born female, you had the choice of four careers, apart from wife and mother. Nurse. Secretary. Governess/teacher. And worst of all: ladys maid.

This isnt me having a hissy fit or sense-of-humour failure, male readers. Its about context. Time and place. We can all have a girls night out. A lads holiday. Eva Herzigova can put on a push-up Wonderbra and say Hello boys and nobody has yet, so far as I know, complained. But if youre an MP and a boss and a man, you have to watch your language a bit.

If youre an older white male in the mother of parliaments, having benefited from thousands of years of uninterrupted male supremacy, it behoves you to treat women  who historically havent had half your advantages  with respect, at least on national radio.

Even if theyre married to or work for you  or in the case of the desk/bedroom slave Suzy, both  and think youre marvellous. Theres a principle at stake.

Which is this. Im afraid that even in 2017, when an employer  especially an MP  refers to his wife or other female staff as girls, it reinforces the antique assumptions that the boss is a man, hes the big dog, and his wife and all other trailing women come as part of the package, two for the price of one, in a closet BOGOF deal.

And the end result of this is that men with wives continue to get selected as MPs much more often than women (with or without husbands) do. Of course, the wife may then be paid  anything from nothing to 40,000  but her wage is rolled into their joint household income, and is predicated and dependent on his job.

If you go down the list of the 150 MPs who employ connected staff, its overwhelmingly men employing wives. Many more presumably expect them to work unpaid, and off the books, out of duty. Meanwhile, there are only 13 women MPs who employ their husbands.

Making your wife your secretary, admitting to working her like a dog, and then calling her girl on national radio, like the headmistress at St Trinians Really, Sir Roger! You seem like a nice enough old buffer but if life was fairer  and we know its not  Suzy would be the MP for Thanet North and not you. After all  youve made it all too clear that she and the girls do all the work anyway.

 Sandi, Prue yes, OK, Ill have them in the Bake Off tent. Noel Fielding? Nono. Too unsavoury. The nation doesnt want him in the cake mix at all. A mighty bosh, Channel 4.

Jilly flies the flag for frisky older fillies

News from the pews: theres been a 47 per cent increase in the rate of over-65s walking down the aisle over the past five years.

Very sweet and, yes, romantic, but all I can think about is the upset children, the endless changing of the wills, the moving house, the paperwork and perturbation.

Author Jilly Cooper, above, is on Tinder despite recently turning 80, though she claims its only for research

Im far more reassured, curiously, by the news that Jilly Cooper  who recently turned 80  is on Tinder, which seems a far more sensible way to do things (though she claims its only for research).

I want people to do it in my next book, she said. They are all going to flick away like mad. Come on, Jilly. Please dont let us down. England expects you to fly the flag for frisky older fillies, so flick away.

 Prince William was on a ski break, had a boozy lunch and ended up in a club with a bunch of beerhead Hoorays. I cant see what he did wrong. Even an heir to the throne should be able to let (whats left of) his hair down and dad-dance like theres no one watching sometimes.

Five-jobs George sums up male ego

I dont know how hes going to get it all on one business card. Editor, the London Evening Standard. MP for Tatton. BlackRock, adviser. Chairman, Northern Powerhouse. Research Fellow, McCain Institute.

And those are just the main gigs. Husband and father to two teenagers, too.

George Osborne, above right, is MP for Tatton. He is now also: Editor, the London Evening Standard. BlackRock, adviser. Chairman, Northern Powerhouse. Research Fellow, McCain Institute

Its fair to say the new Austerity Editor George Osborne does not suffer from the impostor syndrome so common to my sex.

In fact, I dont know one woman of GOs age with a husband, children, and elderly parents who thinks that she can do two jobs, let alone five or six big day jobs.
A woman is in a critical condition after falling from a third-storey window during a warehouse party in Sydney's inner-west.

Police forced their way into the courtyard the 25-year-old had fallen into just before 5am on Sunday in Leichhardt, Nine News reported.

Witnesses had alerted police that the woman had fallen into the courtyard.

Scroll down for video

Paramedics load a woman, 25, into an ambulance after she fell from a third-storey window during a warehouse party in Leichhardt

The woman was rushed to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with critical head injuries

Emergency personnel were called to the warehouse for an unrelated issue at the same time.

The woman was rushed to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with critical head injuries.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge has been the setting for countless celebrations in the city for many decades.

And on Sunday, the bridge, affectionately known as 'The Coathanger', was centre stage for another celebration - its 85th birthday.

On March 19, 1932, the bridge was officially opened in dramatic scenes, following eight years of construction.

Scroll down for videos

A large crowd gathered for the official opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge on March 19, 1932

Thousands of people crossed the landmark as part of the bridge's opening celebrations

Excited crowds are pictured watching the pageant on the opening day of the bridge, affectionately known as 'The Coathanger'

Captain Francis de Groot is pictured being dragged from his horse by policemen after he had stalled the official opening of the Sydney landmark

Then New South Wales Premier Jack Lang was ready to cut the ribbon to mark the completion of a Sydney landmark when he was upstaged by a leader of right-wing group the New Guard.

Captain Francis De Groot rode in on a horse and used his sword to break the ribbon.

'In the name of common decency I declare this bridge open!,' he said.

The ribbon was put back together to allow Mr Lang a second chance at officially opening the bridge.

Spectacular footage of the opening was released by the National Film and Sound Archive in the lead-up to the bridge's special anniversary.

Large crowds were seen walking across the bridge and enjoying a pageant, which was part of the opening day celebrations.

A home video, taken by Melbourne man, Leslie Francis Farey, shows the bridge days after it opened in 1932

Curious pedestrians could be seen examining the bridge as they walked along it for the very first time

Since its opening, the bridge has been an integral part of the city, providing a road and train link between the Sydney's centre and north.

Thousands of people also climb the bridge each year as part of the popular BridgeClimb experience.

The NFSA also released a number of other videos detailing the bridge's history, as part of an online exhibition.

In another video, captured just days after the bridge opened in 1932, curious pedestrians, cars, and the now-defunct trams can be seen crossing bridge.

The home video was taken by Melbourne man, Leslie Francis Farey, and shows a vastly different Sydney.

Beginning with scenic shots of harbourside houses taken from the northern end of the bridge, Mr Farey's footage cuts to the famous structure because of it's arch-based design.

Pre-war cars and tramlines can be seen on the famous bridge

The video also shows residents taking their first steps on the bridge, cyclists taking in the view, and cars driving along at snail's pace.

Tram lines, which were converted to extra lanes to hold more traffic in the 1950s, can also be seen.

The footage finishes with the view of the harbour from the bridge, panning from Kirribilli on the city's north shore before finally cutting to Circular Quay.

About 1400 people worked on the bridge's construction, which cost 10 million Australian pounds.

Sixteen workers were killed during the construction period.
The designer, Aishat Kadyrova, showcased a collection of outfits in sumptuous fabrics that conform to the norms of dress in Chechnya's traditional society

In a former czar's palace in Moscow, models display a fashion collection designed by the 18-year-old daughter of Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of Russia's mainly Muslim region of Chechnya.

The designer, Aishat Kadyrova, showcased a collection of outfits in sumptuous fabrics that conform to the norms of dress in Chechnya's traditional society, with only the face and hands left uncovered.

Her first Moscow fashion show on Friday night was attended by figures from the Moscow fashion world, from the Chechen elite, as well as representatives from Middle Eastern states -- which her fashion house sees as a growing market for her outfits.

Ulzana Zadulayeva, a spokeswoman for the fashion house, told Reuters that the outfits were already being shipped to customers as far afield as Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

She said proposals had come in from people attending Friday's show to stage shows in other locations. "Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, we will be thinking about these," said Zadulayeva.

She also said the fashion house was hoping to set up stores in Moscow and St Petersburg under a franchise arrangement.

Aishat Kadyrova's father is a former separatist fighter-turned pro-Kremlin leader of Chechnya. Human rights groups accuse him of overseeing brutal crackdowns on opponents, an allegation he denies.

In fashion terms, Ramzan Kadyrov is best-known for going out in public wearing camouflage fatigues or track suits, and for occasionally posing for photographs with a lion he once kept as a pet.

His wife, Medni, set up a fashion house some years ago, called Firdaws. Their daughter Aishat has since taken over the enterprise.

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President Donald Trump took aim at MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and her colleagues at NBC News, calling them bad people for revealing his 2005 tax returns earlier this week.

Trump made the remarks in a taped interview with Fox News that aired on Saturday.

The president said that theres something wrong with Maddow and he also accused whoever leaked the tax returns of violating the law.

They leaked them, Trump said. Its illegal to do what they did, I think.

Maddow interviewed Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Cay Johnston, who obtained a copy of the first two pages of Trumps 2005 federal tax returns.

The 2005 tax documents aired by MSNBC and published by Johnston showed that Trump earned $153 million in income in 2005 and paid $38 million in taxes.

President Donald Trump (seen above during an interview with Fox News on Saturday) took aim at MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and her colleagues at NBC News, calling them bad people for revealing his 2005 tax returns during an episode of The Rachel Maddow Show this week

Maddow was ridiculed by critics who said that the journalistic scoop actually made Trump look good since it showed he paid a hefty percentage of his income to the government.

The MSNBC host was also lambasted for the dramatic build-up which kept viewers in suspense for nearly 20 minutes of her show before she revealed what was in Trumps tax returns.

Despite criticism and widespread mockery of how the show played out, Maddow scored her biggest audience ever on Tuesday after she hyped the tax documents.

Her show reached 4.13 million people, the Nielsen company said.

Despite criticism and widespread mockery of how the show played out, Maddow (above) scored her biggest audience ever on Tuesday after she hyped the tax documents

It was second only to a 'Countdown' episode with Keith Olbermann just before the 2008 election as MSNBC's most-watched series episode ever.

It was reported earlier this week that Trumps personal lawyers were considering whether to sue MSNBC and Johnston for releasing the tax returns, but legal experts say prevailing in court would be the longest of long shots because the First Amendment to the US Constitution protects freedom of the press.

That didnt stop Trump from continuing his attack on MSNBC and those who leaked the document.

I always heard a tax return was a very sacred kind of a thing, Trump said.

You dont leak them. Youre not allowed to. Its criminally offensive.

But they put them out, and I think it was terrible. But theyre good from that standpoint of my tax returns are good. All of my tax returns are good.

Trump told Fox News on Saturday that the tax returns are indicative of a larger trend in which anti-Trump elements are leaking damaging material to the press.

Its terrible whats going on in Washington. We have a certain establishment thats leaking.

A tax return is a very important thing and youre not supposed to be leaking them, and they do, the president said.

They just dont respect the law and we have to change that.

When Trump was asked whether the resistance against him was a result of genuine anger or President Obama pulling the strings, he said: It might be everything. Theres some anger, but theres great love on our side. Look at the crowds outside.

Trump has accused Obama of ordering a wiretap of his phones at Trump Tower during last years election, though he has done so without offering any proof.

The presidents claim has been denied by Obama as well as federal law enforcement and intelligence heads.

When asked if he believed Obama was trying to sabotage his presidency, Trump said: 'Hes been very nice to me personally but his people havent been nice.'

'And theres great animosity out there,' Trump said. 'Theres great anger. Leaking is just one example of it. Leaking and the level of anger is hard to believe.'

'While hes nice personally, there doesnt seem to be a lot of nice things happening behind the scenes and thats unfortunate.'
A woman has died after she was hit head-on by an allegedly stolen car driven by a teenager.

An 18-year-old man was behind the wheel of a Holden utility when it crossed over to the wrong side of the road near Geelong before colliding with the woman's car at about 12.30am on Sunday.

The woman died at the scene and the teenager is fighting for his life in hospital after the horror smash.

A woman has died after she was hit head-on by an allegedly stolen car driven by a teenager

An 18-year-old man was behind the wheel of a Holden utility when it crossed over to the wrong side of the road near Geelong at about 12.30am on Sunday. The woman's red Honda hatchback is pictured being removed from the scene

Victoria Police are contacting the woman's next of kin so are not ready to publicly identify her.

She was driving a red Honda hatchback when it collided with what police believe was a stolen Holden at Wallington.

Police said the Holden had been involved in another minor collision, near the scene, just moments earlier.

Police believe the Holden had been involved in another minor collision, near the scene, just moments earlier

'We're looking at the allegation that alcohol was involved, and also that the car may have been stolen,' Detective Sergeant Stephen Hill told reporters at the scene.

Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives are currently at the scene.

Anyone with information about the collision is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
Myra Hindley, pictured, was jailed for three murders in 1966 along with her lover Ian Brady. She died in prison aged 60 in 2002

Myra Hindley claims she was blackmailed into committing the Moors murders after her lover Ian Brady spiked her drink and took explicit pictures of her before threatening to kill her grandmother.

The couple's first killing came just days later in July 1963 when they slaughtered 16-year-old Pauline Reade before going on to murder four more children.

The serial killer tried to blame Brady for the abhorrent crimes as she told police: 'He became my God, my idol, my object of worship. I worshiped him blindly.'

In an extraordinary confession released today Hindley claims that her lover spiked her drink then took pornographic photographs of her while she was unconscious.

She alleged that Brady then threatened to release the images and 'push [her] granny down the stairs' while claiming he wanted to commit the 'perfect murder'.

According to the Mirror, she told police: 'He intended to do it and needed my help. He showed me pornographic photos taken the night he drugged me.

'He said if I didn't comply he'd let my family see them.'

After drugging her, Hindley claimed that Brady concocted a bizarre excuse - telling her that he planned to put down his 'old and sick' dog and was simply testing the drugs.

The shocking details come from her interviews with former detective Peter Topping who gathered 700 pages of evidence as he took Hindley back to the Moors in 1987 amid a hunt for the missing bodies of victims.

Hindley was jailed for three murders in 1966 along with her lover Ian Brady. They later confessed to another two murders before she died aged 60 in prison in 2002.

Hindley alleged that Ian Brady, pictured, threatened to release pornographic images taken while she was drugged unconscious

The shocking details come from Hindley's interviews with former detective Peter Topping. Hegathered 700 pages of evidence as he took Hindley, pictured, back to the Moors in 1987 amid a hunt for the missing bodies of victims

He has spent decades in Ashworth psychiatric hospital where he is force-fed at a cost of 300,000 a year.

It comes just a day after two bullet shells which matched a gun belonging to Brady were discovered.

It is a development hailed as close to a breakthrough by experts investigating the case of victim Keith Bennett - whose body has never been found.

Jailed serial killer Brady suggested a shotgun found on Saddleworth Moor last year was part of a secret arsenal of weapons he kept.

The Eibar double-barrelled weapon, in its original case, was found wrapped in a polythene sheet beneath rocks under an oak tree.

The Eibar double-barrelled weapon was found wrapped in a polythene sheet beneath rocks under an oak tree by police, pictured above

It was uncovered in December by a group searching for the remains of Keith Bennett, who was 12 when he was murdered.

Now investigator Darren Rae believes he is getting close to a breakthrough.

He told Manchester Evening News: 'Brady had sick fantasies about shooting someone.

'It is possible Keith's body may still hold the two bullets that can be matched to the shell casings I found.

'It is a really sad and tragic case, but I know I am so close to solving it. I want to bring some closure to Keith's family. The ultimate aim is to find his body.'
More than 100,000 people have signed an online petition calling for George Osborne to either stand down as an MP or resign as editor of the London Evening Standard.

Mr Osborne has attracted criticism after it was announced on Friday that he would be taking over from Sarah Sands as editor in May.

The petition, named 'George Osborne MP - Pick a job', was set up on site 38 Degrees and has gathered almost 135,000 signatures.

More than 100,000 people have signed a petition asking George Osborne to either resign his MP's seat or step down as editor of the London Evening Standard. He was announced on Friday

Mr Osborne has not had his editor role approved by the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba). Pictured, the petition on site 38 degrees gathered momentum over Saturday

The organisers of the petition wrote on the page: 'Its not appropriate for someone to be a member of the government and also control a huge amount of the media.

'When it comes to standing up for constituents - helping someone in need or providing vital support to struggling families - that should always be George Osbornes number one priority.'

As well as being MP for Tatton, Cheshire, he accepted a 650,000 part-time job as an advisor for investment firm Black Rock.

He is also a fellow at American think tank the McCain Institute, a speaker at the Washington Speaker's Bureau and chairman of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.

But Mr Osborne's job as editor has not yet been approved by the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba).

A spokesman told the Observer: 'We received his application on Monday and [the timing] is not something that the committee likes at all.'

Petition signers have said that Mr Osborne needs to focus on his constituents and said his 'judgement has proved unreliable' (pictured). As well as his job as an MP, he holds five other positions

Mr Osborne, pictured with current Evening Standard editor Sarah Sands, also has a 650,000 part-time job at investment firm Black Rock and plans to complete his role as an MP in the afternoons

A Senior Tory MP also told the paper: 'To represent Tatton while advancing the cause of everything to do with London will be tricky.'

The petition quickly gathered momentum over the start of the weekend, passing 100,000 signatures on Saturday evening.

One person wrote on the page: 'My first reaction on hearing this: Is this legal?'

Comedian Rory Bremner tweeted about the petition in a show of support

Another wrote: 'Being an MP should be a full time job.'

The link to the page was also tweeted by comedian Rory Bremner.

Almost two weeks before Mr Osborne accepted his position at the Evening Standard, a petition was launched asking the MP to quit his role at Black Rock to concentrate on his constituents.

The petition, submitted on March 8, was rejected as 'this would be a decision for Mr Osborne, not the UK Government or Parliament'.
An attempt to stop a shoplifter at a Rite Aid in Hillsboro, Oregon, escalated to a scuffle as an employee tried to subdue the struggling woman.

Witness footage shows a Rite Aid employee trying to detain a young woman in the store until police arrive.

The unidentified woman had allegedly stolen two items from the pharmacy chain and put them in her purse.

She repeatedly tells the unidentified male employee to 'let go' of her purse.

When he refuses, she attempts to twist her purse out of his hands.

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Footage shows a female shoplifter fighting with an employee at a Rite Aid in Hillsboro, Oregon

The male employee tries to detain the young woman in the store until police arrive

'We're going to call the police and deal with this the right way,' the employee says calmly.

A tug-of-war ensues, with both parties involved getting increasingly frustrated.

The incident unfolded in front of a cash register near the store's exit.

In the nearly five-minute video by KodyXO, the woman fights with the store employee trying to recover the merchandise.

'You know what happens to you when you insult someone?' the woman argues. 'You'll go to f***ing jail.'

Shoplifting in Oregon is a serious crime, punishable by up to 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine.

Stores there can sue shoplifters in civil court to recover damages.

'Good, good. When the police get here we'll see,' the employee replies, shaking his head.

The alleged shoplifter tries to provoke the employee and does not lose eye contact with him.

He allegedly caught her stealing two items from the store and putting them in her purse

The unidentified woman repeatedly tells the male employee to 'let go' of her purse

When he refuses, she attempts to twist her purse out of his hands

'You don't shoplift here. You can go somewhere else but not in here,' he says, as she continues to writhe under his grasp.

She agrees with him and asks him to let her go 'somewhere else' before attempting to yank her purse out of his hands.

Not caught on camera, is the pair's altercation in the store's parking lot, where the employee allegedly chased and brought her back inside.

She references this moment: ' You just hurt me in the parking lot.'

Another Rite Aid employee comes over to help and the woman asks if she can tell the man to let go of her.

The female employee informs her coworker that the police are on their way.

This elicits a violent response from the alleged shoplifter.

'Ah, you're gonna start kickin'?' the male employee says, surprised.

The woman asks another Rite Aid employee (left) if she can tell the man to let go of her

The unidentified female employee informs her coworker that the police are on their way

This elicits a violent response from the alleged shoplifter, who kicks the male employee

A female customer in a blue jacket approaches the pair in an attempt to break up the fight

It's at this time that a female customer in a blue windbreaker approaches the pair.

The alleged shoplifter tells her that the male employee hurt her in the parking lot.

'I'm gonna take you down for that now!' the male employee says as he wrestles her to the floor. The force knocks off her glasses.

A female witness can be heard in the background saying: 'M'am you need to chill out; you need to chill'

Halfway through the video the alleged shoplifter cries and screams 'let me go' as other Rite Aid employees and customers surround the fight.

Now with an audience, the alleged shoplifter throws a punch at the male employee - narrowly missing his head.

He continues to tell her to stop and does not retaliate.

Police arrive at the Rite Aid and arrest the alleged female shoplifter, sans purse

Shoplifting in Oregon is punishable by up to 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine

'Don't you hit her; she's smaller than you,' a female witness in a gray coat says on camera.

'I'm not hitting her,' the male employee replies as he continues to struggle with the alleged shoplifter.

'Don't bite him either,' the same female witness says, as she stands to the side with her arms crossed. She later informs the alleged shoplifter that she is being filmed.

Finally, the alleged shoplifter relinquishes her purse to the male employee, just as police arrive and arrest her.
A mother is seeking expressions of interest to open a 'vaccine free childcare' in her own home.

Heidi Street, from Sydney's Northern Beaches, turned to the secret Vaccine Free Australia Facebook group last week to promote the service, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

Ms Street, who has two children of her own, said she has 'a strong passion for children's health and wellbeing'.

A woman from Sydney's Northern Beaches posted on the secret Vaccine Free Australia page that she was 'taking expressions of interest' for 'vaccine free childcare'

The woman who promoted the vaccine free daycare group was Heidi Street (pictured)

In her Facebook post on March 15, Ms Street promoted her plan for 'Vaccine free childcare on the Northern Beaches'.

'I would like to open a daycare in my home for 3-4 children, 2 days per week. I'm flexible with hours and days,' she wrote.

She said the children would take part in activities such as walking to the beach and yoga while in her care.

'Please let me know if this interest you,' she wrote to the group's more than 5000 members.

New South Wales has 'no jab, no play' laws which mean unvaccinated children can be banned from childcare centres

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Street for comment.

New South Wales implemented 'no jab, no play' laws in 2014 which mean unvaccinated children can be banned from childcare centres.

But parents who object to vaccinations are still allowed to present a form co-signed by them and a doctor or an authorised immuniser.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this month announced he wanted to close that loophole and also have all unvaccinated children banned from being enrolled in childcare centres and preschools across Australia.
Another week of wet weather is expected for Sydneysiders as the city faces its wettest March on record.

Sydney has been drenched by more than 281 millimetres of rain on 19 of the last 22 days, with more on its way.

Thunderstorms are also on their way as the wild weather is expected to continue for at least the next week, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Pedestrians try to escape heavy rain in Sydney as the city faces its wettest March on record

Dark, ominous clouds form over the Sydney Opera House as wild weather lashes the city

Rain has fallen on 16 of 19 days in March so far, beating the monthly average of 14 wet weather days.

The drenching has already exceeded last year's monthly total of 193 millimetres and may exceed the last big total March rainfall of 270 millimetres in 2012 - the wettest March in almost 30 years.

And the record number of 26 wet weather days in March set in 1870 is not far from being beaten with nearly two weeks left in the month.

But BoM forecasters said it's likely to fall shy of the wettest March on record at 434.30 millimetres in 1892.

A passenger on a Manly ferry ride in Sydney's north captured the wild weather on board

The NSW State Emergency Service has received thousands of calls and conducted countless flood rescues

The Old Helensburgh railway tunnel before flooding in New South Wales

The Old Helensburgh railway tunnel after flooding in New South Wales

The mid-north coast of New South Wales has also been battered by heavy rainfall and BoM has predicted a significant drenching of 100-200mm across the region and NSW's northern rivers.

Around 2500 people were isolated by NSW floodwaters in north and mid-north coast communities earlier on Sunday, the State Emergency Service said.

But about 1300 still remain trapped as the NSW SES works to make sure isolated residents have vital supplies.

The Bureau of Meteorology says showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected for the coast, ranges and northern inland throughout the day, with flood warnings issued for 11 rivers.

Fifty millimetres is expected to fall in parts of the mid north coast and central tablelands, it says.

A bicycle courier pedals through heavy rain in Sydney in February

NSW braced for the worst thunderstorms of the season bringing flash flooding and giant hail

Heavy rain fall has brought flash flooding in parts of Sydney's CBD (pictured: St James Station)

Rainfall has eased in many areas but some waters are expected to continue rising to minor or moderate flooding levels.

NSW SES spokesman Brent Hunter urged people to stay away from flood waters, with police issuing fines for motorists ignoring warning signs.

Areas around the Bellinger, Nambucca, Macleay, Hastings and Manning rivers received more than 100mm in the 24 hours to Sunday morning.

Swimmers have been warned to avoid dangerous surf conditions after a 77-year-old man died after being pulled from the waters at Coogee Beach on Friday night.

Meanwhile other parts of Australia are enjoying sunnier days, with little rain fall in south east Queensland.

Pedestrians struggle to keep dry as wild weather lashes Sydney

Sydneysiders will have to hold on to their umbrellas a little longer as the city faces its wettest March on record

Sydney has been drenched by more than 281mm of rain on 19 of the last 22 days, with more on its way

FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

SYDNEY Monday: Max 28 and showers Tuesday: Max 28 and showers developing Wednesday: Max 29 and showers Thursday: Max 23 and light showers Friday: Max 23 and light showers BRISBANE Monday: Max 29 and showers Tuesday: Max 29 and showers Wednesday: Max 30 and showers Thursday: Max 30 and showers Friday: Max 28 and showers CANBERRA Monday: Max 31 and possible showers Tuesday: Max 26 and showers Wednesday: Max 28 and showers Thursday: Max 21 and possible shower Friday: Max 23 and partly cloudy DARWIN Monday: Max 31 and possible thunderstorm Tuesday: Max 31 and possible thunderstorm Wednesday: Max 31 and possible thunderstorm Thursday: Max 32 and possible thunderstorm Friday: Max 32 and possible thunderstorm MELBOURNE Monday: Max 28 and possible thunderstorm Tuesday: Max 28 and thunderstorms Wednesday: Max 21 and showers easing Thursday: Max 24 and partly cloudy Friday: Max 26 and mostly sunny ADELAIDE Monday: Max 34 and possible showers Tuesday: Max 28 and showers Wednesday: Max 26 and sunny Thursday: Max 28 and sunny Friday: Max 29 and mostly cloudy PERTH Monday: Max 26 and mostly sunny Tuesday: Max 25 and possible thunderstorms Wednesday: Max 29 and possible thunderstorms Thursday: Max 26 and possible shower Friday: Max 26 and possible shower HOBART Monday: Max 21 and showers Tuesday: Max 20 and showers Wednesday: Max 19 and showers easing Thursday: Max 20 and partly cloudy Friday: Max 20 and partly cloudy Source: Bureau of Meteorology

A woman is almost splashed by a bus as she walks on the pavement during heavy rain in Sydney

Rain has fallen on 16 of 19 days in March so far, beating the monthly average of 14 wet weather days

An uprooted tree outside an apartment in Sutherland in Sydney's south
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping Sunday a day after Kim Jong Un tested a new powerful rocket in North Korea.

Tillerson told Xi that President Donald Trump looks forward to enhancing understanding with China and the opportunity for a visit in the future.

They did not discuss the North Korea nuclear situation or or self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own.

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China's President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson before their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing

The meeting did not touch on contentious issues such as the North Korean nuclear program

Xi said he was glad to see good progress from Tillerson's meetings in China so far and that he and Trump expect a new stage of constructive development in bilateral relations.

Tillerson said Trump places a 'very high value on the communications that have already occurred' between Xi and Trump.

'He looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future,' Tillerson said.

'We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthening of the ties between China and the United States, and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation.'

Xi said Tillerson had made a lot efforts to achieve a smooth transition in this new era of relations.

'You said that China-U.S. relations can only be friendly. I express my appreciation for this,' Xi said.

Xi said Tillerson had made a lot efforts to achieve a smooth transition with the new administration

Tillerson said Trump places a 'very high value on the communications that have already occurred' between Xi and Trump

Xi added he had communicated with Trump several times.

'We both believe that China-U.S. cooperation henceforth is the directions we are both striving for. We are both expecting a new era for constructive development.'

Tillerson and Xi were meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People at the end of Tillerson's first visit to China after taking office last month.

North Korea conducted a test of a new high-thrust engine at its Tongchang-ri rocket launch station and leader Kim Jong Un said the successful test was "a new birth" of its rocket industry, Pyongyang's official media said on Sunday.

North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches, in defiance of U.N. sanctions, and is believed by experts and government officials to be working to develop nuclear-warhead missiles that could reach the United States.

Washington wants China, the North's neighbor and main trading partner, to use its influence to rein in the weapons programs.
Donald Trump Junior shared a clip of him jetting off to a weekend in Aspen from LaGuardia in New York City.

He wrote in the post his children were helping with the takeoff, suggesting they were in the cockpit with him: 'Kai and Donnie helping fly Trump Force One. Little takeoff action at LGA this evening. Family spring break.'

The three oldest Trump children will be heading west this weekend for some fun on the slopes, with Don Jr., Ivanka and Eric meeting up in Aspen for a family vacation.

It will be a reunion of sorts for the group, who took the same vacation together back in 2015 with their spouses and children, just a few months before their father announced he would be running for president.

The three Trump children will not be joined by the commander-in-chief on the trip, with President Trump taking off for Mar-a-Lago on Friday afternoon with third wife Melania and their son Barron.

It is still unclear what Tiffany's plans are this weekend.

Family portrait: Ivanka Trump and her family (above in 2015) are travelling to Aspen this weekend for a family vacation with brothers Don Jr. and Eric

Snow day: There will also reportedly be 100 Secret Service agents in town when the family arrives (Arabella building a snowman in 2015)

Gang's all here: The group previously took this same vacation back in 2015 (Don Jr. and Vanessa in 2015)

There is no word yet on where the Trump party will be staying, though it will likely be clear once the group arrives in town, as in addition to the six adults and eight children on the tip there will also be 100 Secret Service agents according to one source who spoke with The Aspen Times.

US Secret Service agents had already spoken to local authorities in advance of the group's arrival, and a local law enforcement source said that the Aspen Police Department was told they would not have to provide any assistance during the trip.

The cost of the tip is unclear, but it will likely be even more than the reported $3million bill that President Trump racks up every weekend he heads down to Palm Beach.

And it will likely all be covered by taxpayer money.

Attack ad: President Trump criticized the Obamas on multiple occasions for their trips to Aspen

Off they go: He is in Mar-a-Lago this weekend for the seventh time, with each trip costing a reported $3million

The trip comes just a few years after Trump criticized the Obama family for travelling to the same resort town on vacation.

'Michelle Obama's weekend ski trip to Aspen makes it 16 times that Obamas have gone on vacation in 3 years,' wrote President Trump in a 2012 tweet.

'With 15% US real unemployment and a 16T debt, @Michelle Obama's luxurious Aspen vacation - her 16th - cost us over $1M.'

President Trump is currently heading down to Mar-a-Lago for the seventh time in his two-month presidency, for a total cost of approximately $21million.
A man celebrating his bachelor party has been allegedly king hit in the back of the head three times and is now recovering in hospital.

Leighton Roberts pictured was allegedly hit in the head three times by two men on Saturday night

New Zealand man Leighton Roberts was celebrating his stag party in Auckland when he attempted to break up a fight involving 20 people on Saturday night.

The 28-year-old went to intervene to stop his cousin being attacked when was was allegedly hit three times in the back of the head by two random men, his brother Brad told the New Zealand Herald.

Mr Roberts, from Wellington, is now in a stable condition in Auckland Hospital.

He was in Auckland celebrating his upcoming wedding with fiancee Brooke Anderson.

A police spokesperson told the publication a patron from Nomads Hostel called the authorities claiming a brawl had broken out involving 15-20 people fighting outside.

Paramedics arrived at the scene and transported Leighton Roberts to Auckland Hospital where he is recovering.

Unfortunately police said they have no current leads to go off after reviewing CCTV footage and speaking to Mr Roberts.

'Police also reviewed CCTV footage of the area where the incident took place but it was not captured by any of the cameras,' a police spokesperson told the publication.

Police are continuing their investigation into the assault.

Leighton Roberts is recovering in hospital after the alleged attack
Malcolm Turnbull 'pulled a Donald Trump' on Sunday, launching a Twitter tirade after a media report claimed the government will scrap welfare payments in the May Budget.

The prime minister also labelled Bill Shorten a liar during a 'tweet rampage' sparked by a News Corp article claiming the government was looking to scrap all welfare payments below $20.02 a fortnight, a change targeted at aged pensioners.

In a series of rapid-fire tweets, the prime minister slapped down the report and took aim at the Labor leader.

Malcolm Turnbull 'pulled a Donald Trump' on Sunday, launching a Twitter tirade after a media report claimed the government will scrap welfare payments in the May Budget

The 'tweet rampage' was in response to a News Corp article claiming the government was looking to scrap all welfare payments below $20.02 a fortnight

The prime minister assured his followers the report was incorrect

In another tweet he said he had assured the author of the story this was the case, 'but she insisted on writing the story'

In a series of rapid-fire tweets, the prime minister slapped down the report and took aim at the Labor leader

'I can assure all aged pensioners the measure reported will NOT be in the budget,' he tweeted.

In another tweet he said he had assured the author of the story this was the case, 'but she insisted on writing the story'.

He finished: 'And sadly, I can assure you that you can always rely on Bill Shorten to lie'.

The tirade had some Twitter users comparing Mr Turnbull to President Trump, known for his social media rants against news organisations which criticise him.

Mr Shorten said the 'tweet rampage' shows the prime minister is feeling the pressure of running the government. Above, he is pictured at a a penalty rates rally in Melbourne on Sunday

Mr Turnbull wrote: 'I can assure you that you can always rely on Bill Shorten to lie'

'Malcolm Turnbull has pulled a Donald Trump - taking to Twitter to complain about a news story,' one commented.

Mr Shorten said the 'tweet rampage' shows the prime minister is feeling the pressure of running the government.

'I'm starting to feel sorry for Mr Turnbull,' Mr Shorten told reporters in Melbourne.

'Mr Turnbull, I think, is showing signs of pressure. He can't cope with the pressure.'

'I'm starting to feel sorry for Mr Turnbull,' Mr Shorten told reporters in Melbourne. Above, he is pictured with Deputy Leader of the Opposition Tanya Plibersek last week

'I can assure all aged pensioners the measure reported will NOT be in the budget,' Mr Turnbull tweeted. He is pictured here at his National Press Club address last month

He said Mr Turnbull should focus on the needs of everyday Australians instead of blaming Labor.

Social Services Minister Christian Porter said the newspaper article, which cited a departmental document, was 'wrong'.

'Such a proposal would not be fair to pensioners and any such measure will NOT be in the budget,' Mr Porter said in a statement.

The proposal referred to in the article was nothing more than a suggestion put forward by a department and immediately rejected by the government, as the journalist responsible for the article was advised, he said.
Faced with an intractable homeless problem, officials in Portland are thinking inside the box.

A handful of homeless families will soon move into tiny, government-constructed modular units in the backyards of willing homeowners.

Portland officials are looking for four backyards to place its Accessory Dwelling Units, what some people may call a granny flat, or a tiny home minus wheels.

Under the pilot program taking effect this summer, the homeowners will take over the heated, fully plumbed tiny houses in five years and can use them for rental income.

Portland residents will host small shelters for the city's homeless in their backyards

It's part of a government pilot program called A Place For You that will take effect this summer

The project, called A Place for You, is believed to be the first in the nation to recruit stable residents to address a homeless crisis that's gotten so bad the city last year declared a state of emergency and made it legal to sleep on the street.

Portland has an affordable rental shortage of 24,000 units and nearly 4,000 people sleep on the street, in a shelter or in transitional housing each night.

Residents just passed a $260 million housing bond, but it will be two years before those units are ready, said Mary Li, director of Multnomah County's new Idea Lab, which developed the concept.

'We said to ourselves, "What does FEMA do when they have to house 10,000 people after an earthquake?" Well, they grab a bunch of trailers and they plop them in a field,' Li said.

'Well, there's underutilized space in people's backyards. What if we provide a lower-cost - but very habitable option - in people's backyards?'

About 200 homeowners have signed up to learn more after Multnomah County's project was first made public this week by the city's alternative weekly paper.

Nearly 4,000 people sleep on the street, in a shelter/transitional housing nightly in Portland

Becca and Kelly Love were some of the first to express interest.

Becca, a social worker, and Kelly, a counselor, see the impacts of sky-high rents first-hand in their jobs working with low-income students at Portland Community College.

They live in North Portland, an area struggling with homelessness.

'Just because you don't have housing, it doesn't make you a bad person or more likely to be a bad tenant. In fact, you'd be a better tenant because you'd appreciate it,' said Becca Love.

'We've been trying to think of a way to help out in our community because we do have privilege ... but we didn't know what to do.'

Housing officials are still ironing out many details, but they will buy the first four modular units with $365,000 in government money and a charitable donation.

The 200-square-foot units under consideration will be large enough to house an adult and one - or possibly two - children, Li said.

All families will be screened and the homeowner and the tenants will sign a lease that spells out what behaviors won't be tolerated.

Mary Li, director of Multnomah County's new Idea Lab, which developed the concept

The families will receive social services that the county already provides to all homeless families they house, Li said, and they will pay 30 per cent of the rent themselves.

Li said the houses will be life-changing, especially for homeless parents.

'They're desperately afraid that something will happen to their children, that eventually someone might take their children from them,' she said.

'So they're working very hard to stay under the radar screen and make sure they're doing what they can to raise their children and have them be taken care of in the best way possible.'

Housing officials in the city and surrounding Multnomah County have increasingly turned to so-called "tiny houses" and even portable sleeping pods.

The new mayor, Ted Wheeler, has said he wants to move away from the unplanned tent villages that sprung up under his predecessor - often in gentrifying neighborhoods - and focus on planned communities of small, more permanent dwellings until the city can build more apartments.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (above) wants to move away from the unplanned tent villages that sprung up under his predecessor

Marc Jolin, director of the city and county's Joint Office of Homeless Services, (above) said up to 200 people in Portland sleep each night in a shelter reserved for families with children

A pilot project in the city's Kenton neighborhood, for example, will place 14 homeless women in portable sleeping pods, 8-by-12 foot units with a space for a bed and some storage.

The pod village was recently approved by the neighborhood association.

The city has added 600 shelter beds recently for a total of 1,200 year-round beds, but that isn't enough.

Up to 200 people sleep each night in a shelter reserved for families with children, said Marc Jolin, director of the city and county's Joint Office of Homeless Services.

'This project ... is as important as the work we're doing on shelters because we have far too many families with children living in our shelters,' said Jolin. 'We want to move them to permanent housing as quickly as possible.'
A senior detective in the controversial paedophile inquiry into Ted Heath has been accused of sending 'inappropriate' texts to a murder victim's relative.

Detective Superintendent Sean Memory, 48, was until recently the senior officer at the helm of a 1million investigation into claims that the former Prime Minister was linked to a network of paedophiles, who held satanic orgies.

Now on long-term sick leave, he is facing a 'misconduct' investigation that Wiltshire Police confirmed did not relate to Operation Conifer or his work as the senior officer in the probe.

Det Supt Sean Memory, the former senior officer in the Ted Heath paedophile inquiry, has been accused of sending 'inappropriate' texts to a relative of murder victim Sian O'Callghan

Claims have now surfaced that Memory sent 'inappropriate' texts to a female relative of Sian O'Callaghan, who was killed by Christopher Halliwell in 2011.

The former taxi driver was sentenced to life in prison for murdering O'Callaghan, a 22-year-old office worker from Swindon, as well as 20-year-old sex worker Becky Godden, in 2003.

Memory was the senior investigating officer in the murders of O'Callaghan and Godden.

Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, the relative's estranged husband said: 'I thought something was going on and I thought it was him [Det Supt Memory].

'She would get all these texts from him signed off with kisses.

'The content in one was completely inappropriate.'

His former wife said the claims were 'unfounded'.

Memory has been replaced by Supt Steve Kirby as the lead officer for Operation Conifer.

Sian O'Callaghan (left) and Becky Godden (right) were murdered by Christopher Halliwell

Double killer Halliwell, 52, a former taxi driver, will serve a life behind bars for his crimes

Earlier this month, it was reported the bill for the inquiry has topped 1million, which includes 900,000 on police salaries, 32,000 on accommodation and 22,000 on vehicle hire.

There are currently six officers and 11 civilian staff working on the investigation, which was set up in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.

Part of the report is due to be published in June. A final report may then be handed to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Sir Edward's godson, Lincoln Seligman, has openly criticised the investigation.

He told MailOnline: 'Nearly two years and a million pounds, and all we have from the Chief Constable are nudges and hints, and the occasional declaration that he's convinced of Edward Heath's guilt. And complete silence from the Wiltshire Police Commissioner.

'We need a judge like Sir Richard Henriques to look into the way this inquiry is being run. Urgently.'

A Wiltshire Police spokesperson said an external scrutiny panel has been set up 'to consider the ongoing proportionality and justification for the investigation.'

They added: 'Advice from the panel and its members has been sought on an ongoing basis and it continues to be a valuable part of the approach to the investigation.'
The BBC was last night dragged into a new fakery row after a documentary about Australian aborigines 'ravaged by alcohol addiction' misled viewers by pretending to show a 'party scene' which was actually a wake.

An episode of Hidden Australia presented by Reggie Yates showed mourners having a few drinks and some food after the death of a friend.

But to fit with the show's agenda, producers described it as a 'party scene' after they panicked when they realised they didn't have enough footage of drinking.

Misleading: An episode of Hidden Australia presented by Reggie Yates showed mourners having a few drinks and some food

But to fit with the show's agenda, producers described it as a 'party scene' after they panicked when they realised they didn't have enough footage of drinking

The BBC has apologised for 'misleading' viewers and taken the episode Black in the Outback offline

The BBC has apologised for 'misleading' viewers and taken the episode Black in the Outback offline.

It has also banned any more shows made by Sundog Pictures which is owned by Sir Richard Branson's 31-year-old son Sam, reports The Sun.

The episode was advertised with the words: 'Reggie meets an Aboriginal community ravaged by alcohol addiction, trying to find its place in modern Australia and heads to Melbourne to investigate its dangerous drug epidemic.'

The BBC said the January show was 'misleading' and sub-standard, adding: 'We would like to apologise.'

A spokesman told MailOnline: 'Following discussions with Sundog Pictures, the BBC now understands that the scene in the episode of Reggie Yates: Hidden Australia entitled Black in the Outback, which purported to be a party, included footage that had been filmed at a wake, and had been edited in a way which is misleading.

'This clearly falls below the standards we expect of programme makers and for this we would like to apologise.

'We take any suggestion that the BBC's high standards of accuracy and fairness have not been met very seriously, and will not commission any new programmes from Sundog Pictures, with their agreement, while we investigate further. We will also review all Sundog programmes currently in production.'

This is not the first time the BBC has been accused of faking scenes.

The show was made by Sundog Pictures, owned by Sam Branson, 31

A few months ago the corporation revealed that breathtaking Planet Earth II footage that appeared to show a wild golden eagle's view of a mountainous habitat was actually filmed using a captive bird that lives in a wildlife sanctuary in France.

The tame eagle, known as Slovak, was filmed swooping over the Alps at speeds of up to 200mph - taking viewers with it via a 'lipstick' camera strapped to its back.

In a video on its website, the BBC confirmed that Slovak, who resides at the Park les Aigles du Leman, was turned into a cameraman using his professional bird trainer.

The BBC previously admitted that producers posed as members of the public during daytime shows.

Programmes such as Sun, Sea And Bargain Spotting - fronted by former newsreader Angela Rippon - and Trash To Cash were found to have 'routinely misled' viewers, an internal report found.

Staff pretended to be customers buying items that contestants were selling - which twice changed the outcome of competitions.
Coles is under fire after a Western Australian store manager allegedly asked staff to come into work on a Sunday in exchange for pizza.

The strange request was apparently made via a letter posted on a notice board, where the manager asked 65 team members 'to give me four hrs free labour.'

'Yes, it is a big ask and I would not be requesting this unless it was absolutely necessary' the manager wrote, adding it was a 'personal request' and that there would be 'plentiful' pizza.

But the manager got in trouble after employees went to the local chapter of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers Association (SDA), ABC Radio Perth reported.

Coles is under fire after a Western Australian store manager allegedly asked staff to come into work on a Sunday in exchange for pizza

'As soon as he put that notice on the notice board SDA members started ringing us and we immediately got in contact with the manager and told him this was unacceptable and it would not be allowed,' SDA state secretary Peter OKeeffe told the radio program.

An employee who has worked as a night worker at the store for four years told the program the manager was likely feeling the pinch from Coles higher-ups:

'Pressure from [regional management] does not result in an increase in hours to be passed on to the store to complete the work,' the worker said.

'The manager would have been pressured and may have felt this was the only measure to ask his staff for this free work.'

Coles said in a statement the request was 'completely out of step with Coles way of working'

Coles is under fire after a Western Australian store manager allegedly asked staff to come into work on a Sunday in exchange for pizza

Had all of the 65 workers showed up to do the job, they would have contributed a total of 260 hours of free labour.

Coles said in a statement to ABC the request was 'completely out of step with Coles way of working.'

'The notice, which was posted by a trainee manger, was quickly removed. Any team members working at the stated time will be paid as normal,' the statement continued.
A German neuroscientist at a London university who is married to a Briton has been told to leave the UK after his application to stay after the Brexit vote was rejected.

Sam Schwarzkopf, who works at University College London, thought his application for permanent residency would be 'a formality' until he received a rejection by letter.

The scientist, who has lived here since 1999, was furious when he received a letter from the Home Office telling him to prepare to leave the UK.

'It's outrageous that they use statements like that, especially at a time like this,' he said.

Oxford University PhD student Dora-Olivia Vicol from Romania shows her UK Residence Documentation after spending weeks trying to obtain it

Mr Schwarzkopf is entitled to stay in the UK despite the votes' decision to leave the UK last June but had written to the Home Office for legal confirmation.

He was trying to obtain a small blue card emblazoned with the logo of Britain's Home Office and the words 'U.K. residence documentation' for European nationals.

The reply he received highlights the uncertainty faced by tens of thousands of European nationals battling British bureaucracy amid Brexit negotiations.

Residents of EU nations can live and work across the 28-nation bloc with no special visa or paperwork but that will change once Britain leaves the EU.

No-one is sure what will happen after the two-year divorce process due to begin by March 31.

Britain says it will end free movement and impose controls on EU immigration, but has given no details.

Officials in both the UK and the EU say the 3million EU citizens living in Britain - and the 1million Britons living elsewhere in the bloc - should be allowed to stay.

But there has not been a formal guarantee, or a decision on when the cutoff date for legal residence could be.

The number of residence cards issued by the British government shot up sevenfold between the final quarter of 2015 and the same period in 2016.

There were 240,000 applications last year, a number that has stressed the civil service, with 90,000 applications remaining unprocessed at the end of 2016.

Applicants have to fill out an 85-page form and supply reams of supporting documents including pay slips, bank statements and proofs of address.

Chris Jordan from Brighton in southern England weighed the material submitted by his German wife: It came to 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds).

More than a quarter of applicants are rejected, sometimes because of simple mistakes in filling out the form.

Schwarzkopf was turned down because he had sent a copy of his German passport rather than the original.

Like him, other rejected applicants have been sent government letters telling them to prepare to leave the country they call home.

Schwarzkopf said the 'threatening' wording of the letters 'is just really irresponsible.'

Following complaints from Schwarzkopf and others, the Home Office says it has changed the wording of its refusal letters 'to make clear that nobody who has the legal right to remain in the country has to leave the country.' It also says it has simplified the application process.

OXFORD PhD STUDENT'S CLAIM TO GET HEALTHCARE TOOK WEEKS I felt like I was going to fall through the cracks,' she said An Oxford University PhD student claims it took weeks to prove she was Romanian in order to get healthcare in the UK. Dora-Olivia Vicol said it took weeks to get a document from her homeland, Romania, to prove she had health coverage. 'I felt like I was going to fall through the cracks,' she said. Miss Vicol, who is studying migration, added: 'I had to scramble for papers and trace back my steps and try to find my paper trail. '(It was) like I had to authenticate myself and claim this right to be here.' Vicol's application was successful but she knows people who have failed and are trying again with the help of immigration lawyers. Although it is a lengthy and expensive process. Miss Vicol says well-educated young professionals like her and her friends may have the resources, but many others will not. This has come as a shock to many, since Britain's National Health Service provides free care to all residents, paid for from taxation. EU countries also have agreements that guarantee citizens can get medical treatment in other member states. Jonathan Portes, a professor of economics and public policy at Kings College London, said the system is 'a complete mess.' 'We've got a process - the permanent residence process - which clearly isn't capable of dealing with more than a few thousand people, let alone 3 million,' he said. 'So that process will have to be replaced, it will have to be streamlined. Everybody in government knows it - but we're still letting people apply for this, and then rejecting a third of them for stupid bureaucratic reasons. And of course the result has been ... that we're spreading uncertainty and confusion.' In the meantime, some successful applicants are reconsidering whether they want to stay in Britain. Advertisement

It stressed in a statement that 'the rights of EU citizens remain unchanged while we are a member of the European Union.'

It also said 'there is no requirement for any EU national to apply for documentation certifying permanent residency' to confirm that status. But that hasn't slowed the tide of applications.

Critics accuse the British government of acting with insensitivity - or even hostility - to long-time residents.

'The goalposts have been moved retrospectively,' Liberal Democrat politician Sarah Ludford said in the House of Lords earlier this month. 'People are being asked to document every movement in their lives.'

Some applicants have fallen foul of a requirement that people who are not employed or looking for work, such as students and full-time parents, must prove that that they had 'comprehensive sickness insurance' while living in Britain.

Mr Schwarzkopf reapplied and was approved. But he has already started looking for academic posts abroad.

'These last few months have confirmed to me that I will be leaving,' he said. 'I don't know when, but I know it will be fairly soon.'
The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin the grueling public vetting process of Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch, tomorrow.

In a bid to place hurdles in the way of Gorsuch's confirmation by the Republican-controlled Senate, Democrats on committee have said they will probe him on several fronts based mainly on his record as a federal appeals court judge and a Justice Department appointee under former President George W. Bush.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz said Sunday on the Face the Nation that Democrats can try to block Gorsuch, but they will not be able to tank his appointment.

'They don't have any good arguments again the Gorsuch, but they're furious that we're going to have a conservative nominated and confirmed,' he said. 'I'll tell you this. Judge Gorsuch will be confirmed. He will either get 60 votes and be confirmed or otherwise whatever procedural steps are necessary.'

Texas Senator Ted Cruz said Sunday on the Face the Nation that Democrats can try to block Judge Neil Gorsuch from the Supreme Court, but they will not be able to tank his appointment

The comment from Cruz, a Senate Judiciary member, suggested that Republicans are ready to go 'nuclear' if Democrats get in the way of a smooth confirmation process for the conservative judge.

Republicans have said they would prefer to keep the rules of the Senate intact. That requires a commitment to vote for Gorsuch from at least eight Senate Democrats.

It takes 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, and Republicans hold a slim majority of 52 seats.

They may have to embrace a procedural move floated during Obama's time in office by Democrats that would allow them to push through judicial nominees with a bare majority that's known as the nuclear option.

In his appearance on Face the Nation today Cruz quoted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and said, ' 'We will do whatever is necessary. A Democratic filibuster will not succeed.' I agree with the leader.'

'I think it's 50-50 whether the Democrats filibuster it,' he told host John Dickerson, leaving open the possibility that the opposing party back off this battle.

The fight over Gorsuch fell by the wayside in early March as lawmakers went to battle over Obamacare and Trump's claim that Barack Obama wiretapped him.

NARAL-Pro Choice, Planned Parenthood and a coalition of 50 other liberal groups sent Democratic lawmakers a letter in advance of this week's confirmation hearings telling them to buck up.

'Democrats have failed to demonstrate a strong, unified resistance to this nominee despite the fact that he is an ultra-conservative jurist who will undermine our basic freedoms and threaten the independence of the federal judiciary,' the letter stated. 'We need you to do better.'

The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin the grueling public vetting process of Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch (pictured) tomorrow

Democrats plan to make the case this week that the federal judge is a pro-business, social conservative insufficiently independent of the president.

Gorsuch has served on the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals since 2006. He would replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February 2016. If confirmed by the Senate, Gorsuch would restore a narrow 5-4 conservative majority on the court.

Among questions he will face will be whether he is sufficiently independent from Trump, who has criticized judges for ruling against his bid to restrict travel from Muslim-majority countries.

'The high burden of proof that Judge Gorsuch has to meet is largely a result of the president who nominated him,' Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut who sits on the committee, said last week at an event featuring several plaintiffs who lost cases that came before Gorsuch.

Another line of attack previewed by Democratic leader Chuck Schumer at the same event is to focus on rulings Gorsuch, 49, has authored in which corporate interests won out over individual workers.

'Judge Gorsuch may act like a neutral, calm judge but his record and his career clearly show he harbors a right wing, pro-corporate special interest legal agenda,' Schumer said.

One case involved truck driver Alphonse Maddin, who was fired after he disobeyed a supervisor and abandoned his trailer at the side of a road after the brakes froze. Gorsuch wrote a dissenting opinion as a three-judge panel ruled last year that Maddin was wrongly terminated and had to be reinstated with back pay.

Among questions the Supreme Court nominee will face is whether he is sufficiently independent from Trump, who has criticized judges for ruling against his bid to restrict travel from Muslim-majority countries

Another issue, set to be pressed by California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, is Gorsuch's role as a Justice Department lawyer under Bush from 2005 to 2006, when he helped defend controversial policies enacted after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, including the administration's expansive use of aggressive interrogation techniques.

Gorsuch' views on social issues, including a 2006 book he wrote in which he argued against the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia, will be discussed too.

In the book, Gorsuch cited the 'inviolability of human life,' calling it a 'basic good,' which some conservatives say could indicate that he is also opposed to abortion. Conservative activists have for decades sought to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide.

Republicans have praised Gorsuch's 11-year record on the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

'Notwithstanding Gorsuchs superb qualifications and principled approach to judging, Democrats and their liberal allies strain mightily to find plausible grounds to oppose his nomination,' Hatch said in a newspaper article on Friday.

Known for his genial demeanor and keen intellect, Gorsuch will, like prior nominees, seek to engage with senators as much as possible while declining to answer specific questions.

Much is at stake for Trump and his Republican Party. If confirmed as expected given the Republicans' control of the 100-member Senate, Gorsuch would restore the courts conservative tilt. Doing that without too much drama would be Trump's biggest win so far as president.

Gorsuch has served on the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals since 2006. He would replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February 2016. The two are seen together in the photo above

With the United States divided sharply between liberals and conservatives, ideological dominance of the Supreme Court, where justices serve for life, is a blue-ribbon prize, with an impact that can last for decades.

For Democrats, the hearing will dredge up bitter feelings. After Scalia died unexpectedly, former Democratic President Barack Obama nominated a replacement, but Republicans for months refused to consider him, blocking a leftward shift on the court.

Since Scalias death the court has been divided equally 4-4 between conservatives and liberals.

In some ways, the fight over Gorsuch will be just a preview of an even bigger battle to come over the next vacancy.

'Weve known for years, before Justice Scalia passed, that this next president would have two or three Supreme Court nominations,' said Carrie Severino, chief counsel of the Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative legal group.

Three court justices are elderly. Ruth Bader Ginsburg just turned 84. Her fellow liberal Stephen Breyer is 78. The courts frequent swing vote, conservative Anthony Kennedy, is 80.

If any of them was to be replaced by a conservative similar to Gorsuch, the court would have a firm 6-3 conservative majority, possibly for decades.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Lisa Shumaker)
A mother on her way home from work late at night died almost instantly after an drunk teenager allegedly slammed into her car with a stolen ute.

Winery manager Pamela Clark, 35, had been driving for just 200 metres when the 18-year-old boy collided head-on with her tiny red Honda near Geelong in Victoria.

According to 7 News, police allege the teenager was speeding and on the wrong side of the road when he crashed into Ms Clark's car at a roundabout.

Winery manager and mother Pamela Clark, 35, died almost instantly early on Sunday morning near Geelong when a drunk teenager allegedly slammed into her car with a stolen ute

She had been driving for just 200 metres when the 18-year-old boy collided head-on with her tiny red Honda (mangled wreckage pictured)

Horrific footage from the scene of the crash shows the mangled wreckages of both cars. The teenage driver was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition.

Police believe the ute had been stolen shortly beforehand and was involved in minor collision in a nearby street just moments before the fatal crash.

Witness Sandra Adams told reporters that she heard a loud bang.

'I was just on verge of sleeping and heard it and thought oh, I know that noise because we've had accidents out here before,' she said.

'The cars there was lots of smoke and just chaos really and everyone just running to try and help.

'Very confronting it's devastating to see something like that.'

Horrific footage from the scene of the crash shows the mangled wreckages of both cars

Tributes for Ms Clark flowed on Sunday morning.

Her sister took to Facebook to express her grief and disbelief, writing: My little sister, it's not fair, it shouldn't have been you. Love you forever.'

Other friends remembered Ms Clark for her 'tenacity and guidance' with 'enough love and life to light up any room.'

The 18-year-old driver is yet to be interviewed by police and remained in a critical condition in hospital on Sunday night.

'We're looking at the allegation that alcohol was involved, and also that the car may have been stolen,' Detective Sergeant Stephen Hill told reporters at the scene.

Anyone with information about the collision is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
Two men who picked up close to one thousand Euros from the floor after fleeing armed robbers dropped some of their loot have been arrested.

A bank robbing duo stole around 9,000 EUR (7,825 GBP) from a People's Credit Bank, in Caviano, Italy after threatening staff with handguns.

However as they fled part of the wad escaped their clutches, leaving 700 EUR (609 GBP) unclaimed on the street.

Robbery: One of the bank thieves brandishes his gun during the bank raid

The opportunists thought it was their lucky day when they saw bundles of notes but CCTV footage caught the men helping themselves to the stolen cash, leading to their subsequent arrests.

The legal status of the men who picked up the dropped cash, aged 38 and 25, is 'still pending before the judiciary' according to Italian media.

The armed thieves were also arrested after the robbery.

Rush: In their haste the robbers dropped hundreds of Euros on the street

Wad: One of the bank thieves was captured on CCTV footage holding a scores of bills

Opportunist: A passer-by picks up some of the dropped money on the street but unbeknownst to him was filmed doing so

One of the robbers is said to be aged 23 and had a criminal record that helped police put together clues as to who was responsible.

The age of the other thief was not reported. Police have yet to release the names of those involved in the crimes.
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Fleeing for their lives, thousands of displaced civilians from Mosul have been forced to find shelter in camps outside the city, as US-backed Iraqi forces intensify their battle against Islamic State militants.

But amid the rubble and chaos, young and old remain resolute as they try to maintain a sense of normality and adjust to a life unfamiliar to them.

Here in the camps, they receive food, shelter, blankets, foam mattresses and medical aid. Away from the fighting, they can at least attend to matters of personal hygiene, from bathing, to shaving and haircuts, while parents can keep their children warm and fed, knowing they are at least safer here than in Iraq's second largest city and Islamic State's last remaining stronghold.

Fleeing for their lives: Thousands have left their homes in Mosul and headed for camps outside the city, as fighting intensifies

An Iraqi soldier lends a hand to a young child arriving on an army truck, one of thousands arriving at camps from Mosul

Time out: Displaced refugees take their minds off war as they bathe in a pool of mineral water traditionally used for healing

Getting on with life: Men wash and bathe in pools of mineral water at Hammam al-Aleel, around 13km south of Mosul

Personal attention: After walking miles to reach the refugee camp, one displaced man helps another tidy his appearance

A displaced man shaves a fellow refugee as they attempt a sense of normalcy in the face of difficult living conditions

A young boy has his hair cut, another example the refugees' determination to carry on with everyday life within the camps

About 255,000 people have fled Mosul and surrounding areas since October, including more than 100,000 since the military campaign in western Mosul began on February 19, according to United Nations figures.

The last week has seen the highest level of displacement yet, with 32,000 people forced out of their homes between March 12 and 15.

Many walk for miles, holding all the possessions they can carry, before being transported by trucks to the camps located outside the city.

But many hundreds of thousands more are still within the danger zone. At the time of the latest push to recapture west Mosul, the area had around 750,000 residents.

Rights groups have expressed concern over the mounting civilian death toll, as Islamic State fights from homes and densely-populated areas, a threat the Iraqi military and US-led coalition have been countering with heavy weaponry to support troops on the ground.

Families fleeing Mosul in recent weeks have talked of high numbers of civilians killed by air strikes, and said that in many cases Islamic State fighters have already slipped away by the time the bombs hit.

'When the coalition see a sniper on a home, it's five or ten minutes before that house is hit,' Mohammed Mahmoud, a 40-year-old former police officer, told Reuters in another area of Mosul.

Safe for now: A toddler is among thousands of new refugees arriving every day at camps set up outside Iraq's second city

Sense of loss: A displaced woman recently arrived from Mosul, where the battle against IS continues, takes a moment to cry

Help is on the way: Women and children queue patiently outside a tent set up by the UN Refugee Agency to distribute aid

'But they don't kill the Daesh (ISIS) militants. Daesh withdraw, and the strikes end up killing civilians - whole families.'

Islamic State's tactics since the beginning of the offensive to drive them out of Mosul, which began in October, have been to deploy car bombs and snipers, rain shellfire on troops and residents alike and take cover among the civilian population.

Human Rights Watch has said the fight to recapture the western half of Mosul has been 'dirtier and deadlier to civilians' than the battle to retake the east, which was completed in January.

Young men help sort through and organise hundreds of boxes of food aid sent to refugees at the Hamam al-Alil camp

Keeping warm: A displaced boy carries blankets to his family, having fled from the war-ravaged city of Mosul just days earlier

The watchdog said Iraqi Interior Ministry units had recently used non-precision rockets in west Mosul.

'Their indiscriminate nature makes their use in populated civilian areas a serious violation of the laws of war,' it said in a statement.

Separately, the United Nations says it has received many reports of civilian deaths in air strikes.

The number of civilians killed in the Mosul campaign - by Islamic State, including executions, or by errant Iraqi and coalition fire - is unclear, with various estimates given by residents, watchdogs and the military.

The US-led coalition backing Iraqi forces with air power and military advisers admits causing unintentional civilian deaths.

These civilians are among the thousands who are fleeing their Mosul homes in recent weeks as the war on ISIS intensifies

Taking whatever possessions they can, Iraqi civilians are fleeing on foot across destroyed buildings and dangerous front lines

Some of the refugees have been wounded in the fighting, including this injured woman, being carried on a cart to safety

A police officer carries an injured boy through a destroyed train station, following fighting with Islamic State militants

This month the US military said the total number of civilians killed by the coalition since the start of operations against the militant group in 2014 in both Iraq and Syria was 220.

That estimate is lower than those of some monitoring groups.

Airwars, a journalist-run project to monitor civilian casualties, says at least 2,590 civilians have likely been killed by coalition 'actions' since 2014, including scores in Mosul in the first week of March alone.

Coalition and Iraqi forces have mostly been careful to avoid civilian deaths, a reason military officials said they slowed some assaults in eastern Mosul last year.

But the west, which houses the narrow-alleyed Old City, has been a tougher fight, and Islamic State have pinned down Iraqi forces for days on end in some areas without significant advances.

The level of destruction is visibly greater, with dozens of buildings flattened and large holes in roads from air strikes.

Mosul in ruins: Shells of buildings remain among the rubble of Iraq's second city and the last ISIS stronghold in the country

In ruins: Iraqi Federal Police officers carefully trek through the devestated remains of what was once Mosul train station

Destruction: An Iraqi policeman surveys damage to cars and buildings following strikes on west Mosul by US-backed forces

All that remains: A young boy rides his bike close to burnt out cars and rubble left behind following intense military action

Danger zone: More than 100,000 civilians are said to have fled, but thousands more still remain in the war-torn city

Deadly tactics: Islamic State militants equipped this vehicle with explosive materials before detonating it in West Mosul

'We have a plan to surround the Old City. Today we have advanced from the right and left sides and the only part left is right in the middle. God willing we will continue this plan today,' Federal Police Major General Haidar Dhirgham told Reuters.

The need to ensure the safety of civilians, many of them hungry from a lack of provisions and traumatized by living under Islamic State's harsh rule, was also a priority.

'I expect the liberation of Mosul completely in one month. I will not tell you one or two weeks, because that's not true, but within one or two months it will be completely liberated,' Dhirgham told Reuters.

Fighting for victory: Members of the Iraqi forces flash the victory gesture during an advance on ISIS to retake the city

As many as 6,000 ISIS fighters remain in Mosul, including other Arab nationalities and foreigners, he added.

Mosul has served as Islamic State's de facto capital since its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed himself head of a caliphate spanning Iraq and Syria from the Nuri Mosque in July 2014.

The recapture of the city by the government would drive the remnants of the ISIS army into the hinterlands. In neighbouring Syria, three separate forces are advancing on the city of Raqqa, the main Syrian city under Islamic State control.

As well as waging jihad in Iraq and Syria, the militants have inspired attacks in cities in Europe, Africa and elsewhere that have killed hundreds of civilians.

On duty: An Iraqi soldier keeps a lookout from a destroyed house as troops continue their assault on ISIS militants in the city

On the battle front: Iraqi fighters take aim at Islamic State jihadists as they advance in the Old City in western Mosul

Taking aim: The battle between Iraqi forces and IS group fighters has intensified, as the effort to retake Mosul continues

Battle of the sky: An Iraqi Air Force helicopter is seen firing missiles against Islamic State militants fighting in Mosul
A former suspect in a gang murder has fled to Syria - after being radicalised in what is allegedly one of Britain's most secure prisons.

Shahan Choudhury, 30, vanished from his flat in London last year and has since used Twitter to urge other British Muslims to carry out terror attacks in the UK.

His family say he was 'brainwashed' after spending 18 months on remand in HMP Belmarsh for allegedly taking part in the stabbing of a 17-year-old.

Shahan Choudhury allegedly took part in stabbing a 17-year-old to death over a 15 debt when he just was 18

He has been joined in Syria by his wife and three children, including a baby.

According to the Sunday Times the family's escape may have been funded by housing benefit payments.

Choudhury's wife Mehak is alleged to have traveled to Syria in early 2016, a few months after her husband.

The family's landlady discovered that Mehak had received a monthly housing benefit payment of 1,000 - which she'd failed to pass on as rent.

Shahan Choudhury first came to the police's attention when he was charged with being part of a gang who stabbed a 17-year-old hospital worker to death over an alleged 15 drug debt.

Hate preacher Anjem Choudary has been blamed for more than a dozen brainwashed radicals joining ISIS from the UK

He was acquitted in 2007 but his family believe he was 'brainwashed' by Islamic extremists at HMP Belmarsh.

As soon as he was released he joined the banned al-Muhajiroun (ALM), the hate group led by Anjem Choudary which has called for the implementation of Sharia Law in the U.K.

A relative said: 'He was just like any other western kid when he went in but by the time he came out he was going on about religion and how the kuffar [non-believers] would all end up in hellfire.'

One former inmate said that HMP Belmarsh has become 'like a jihadi training camp'

Mehak was also radicalised halfway through her A-levels, according to her family.

Her father, Mohammed, said: 'I told police at the time that my daughter was becoming brainwashed and was involved with these people.

'But they told me there was no evidence of extremism and that, as an adult, she could do what she wanted.'

HMP Belmarsh has become 'like a jihadi training camp' according to one former inmate.

He told the Evening Standard: 'The problem is that Belmarsh is also a holding prison and so young people are brainwashed and indoctrinated and then go out into the wider prison system and create wider Akhi networks.

'Governors, prison officers and imans all know about this.'

More than a dozen disciples of Anjem Choudary have managed to join ISIS - despite some of them being on the security service's radar.

Three other of Choudary's followers will challenge the anti-terrorism controls they have been placed under later this week at the High Court .
Tony Blair has admitted he had no idea how many people would move to Britain when the EU expanded in 2004.

And the ex-Prime Minister appeared to get wrong the facts of what happened to immigration numbers in a major interview to launch his new policy institute.

He said the surge in immigration to Britain did not happen until after 2008 and that Britain could only have imposed controls for four years.

In fact, net immigration leapt in 2004 and other EU nations imposed transitional controls for up to seven years.

Mr Blair's Labour government agreed to the EU expansion and was one of only a handful of European government not to impose any transitional controls on free movement from the new members.

Tony Blair has admitted he had no idea how many people would move to Britain when the EU expanded in 2004

The ex-Prime Minister appeared to get wrong the facts of what happened to immigration numbers in a major interview with the BBC's Andrew Marr to launch his new policy institute.

Mr Blair's interviewed was dominated by questions over his controversial record in Government a decade after he left office.

Asked if he knew how many people would move to Britain, Mr Blair told the BBC's Andrew Marr: 'No, we didn't know the numbers.'

Mr Blair said the 2004 expansion of the EU with 10 new countries including Poland, Lithuania and Hungary, had been a good thing for Britain's security and economy.

He said: 'There was was freedom of movement of people immediately.

'We could have delayed for four years their ability to come here and work. We didn't, it's true, the economy was in a completely different position in 2004.

'But I point out the majority of EU immigration came post 2008.

'One of the tragedies of Brexit is we are now in a situation where we think this enlargement of the European Union... was some sort of error.

'It was actually a bipartisan policy of both governments that has done great benefits to this country overall.'

Official data on net immigration shows a huge increase from 2003 to 2004, as the number of arrivals from EU countries increased from 15,000 to 87,000

Transitional controls on free movement in most parts of Europe continued for seven years until May 2011.

Official data on net immigration shows a huge increase from 2003 to 2004.

In 2003, some 15,000 EU migrants moved to Britain but in 2004 the figure was 87,000. In 2005 it was 96,000, in 2006 104,000 and in 2007 127,000.

Immigration from Europe fell away to 63,000.

The number of people arriving in Britain from outside the EU was higher in every year.

Mr Blair has launched his new institute to create ideas for centre ground politicians but it has been seen as a vehicle to try and find ways to halt Brexit.

He said the Government faced negotiations of 'unparalleled complexity' if it was to achieve its stated aim of delivering an agreement that replicates as closely as possible Britain's existing trade arrangements with the EU.

Mr Blair has launched his new institute to create ideas for centre ground politicians but it has been seen as a vehicle to try and find ways to halt Brexit.

While voters had backed Brexit in last year's referendum, he said he believed it was 'possible' the public mood would change if it did not result in the promised benefits, and Labour should be ready to capitalise on that.

'A few weeks ago in the House of Commons (Brexit Secretary) David Davis said they were going to deliver a deal with exactly the same benefits we now have from the single market and the customs union. We should hold them to that,' he told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show.

'If they are going to try and deliver exactly the same benefits as we have now in the single market and customs union, this is an endeavour of unparalleled complexity.

'When the only thing people can point to is, you are going to control a section of this EU immigration as the reason why we want to do this, I think it is possible - I don't put it higher than that - that people start to think, is this really the thing that is going to be important.

'What the Labour Party should say is, 'We believed in Remain, we still think the best thing is for Britain to be part of the European Union, we acknowledge the people voted against that, we acknowledge therefore the Government have a mandate to negotiate Brexit, but we are going to hold them to the test that they have set, and if they do not pass that test then we are going to retain the right to represent the people of this country should their will change, to offer them the option of staying'.'
German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that Germany owes NATO and the United States 'vast sums' of money for defence.

'There is no debt account at NATO,' von der Leyen said in a statement, adding that it was wrong to link the alliance's target for members to spend 2 per cent of their economic output on defence by 2024 solely to NATO.

'Defence spending also goes into UN peacekeeping missions, into our European missions and into our contribution to the fight against IS terrorism,' von der Leyen said.

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US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks at the White House in Washington DC, on Friday

US Vice President Mike Pence (L) recently met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on February 20, 2017

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen rejected Trump's claim that Germany owes NATO and the U.S. 'vast sums' of money

She said everyone wanted the burden to be shared fairly and for that to happen it was necessary to have a 'modern security concept' that included a modern NATO but also a European defence union and investment in the United Nations.

Trump said on Twitter on Saturday - a day after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington - that Germany 'owes vast sums of money to NATO; the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!'

Trump has urged Germany and other NATO members to accelerate efforts to meet NATO's defence spending target.

German defence spending is set to rise by 1.4 billion euros to 38.5 billion euros in 2018 - a figure that is projected to represent 1.26 per cent of economic output, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has said.

In 2016, Germany's defence spending ratio stood at 1.18 per cent.

During her trip to Washington, Merkel reiterated Germany's commitment to the 2 per cent military spending goal.

The two sat awkwardly in the Oval Office earlier while photographers snapped photos.

When Merkel asked for a handshake, Trump looked directly ahead and did not take the opportunity, missing the gesture of friendship, perhaps, as cameras loudly flashed.

But Trump offered warm words for Merkel at the end of his remarks. 'I want to thank you very much. Its a great honor to have you in the White House,' he said. 'Its a great honor to have you in the United States, and I look forward to spending time with you,' Trump said.

In a tweet, the President insisted that Germany owed the U.S. a debt for it's NATO membership

US defense spending - $679 billion in 2016 - accounts for nearly 70 per cent of the total defense budgets of NATO's 28 members
Ruth Davidson has warned Nicola Sturgeon that the 'SNP is not Scotland' as she accused them of using Brexit as an 'excuse'.

The Scottish Tory leader said the majority of Scots did not want to have another independence referendum and insisted there was no evidence they would change the clear result from three years ago.

Ms Sturgeon renewed her demands today almost a week after triggering an extraordinary constitutional row with Theresa May.

The First Minister said her clear intention was to apply to rejoin the EU as leader of an independent Scotland - but she admitted not being certain whether Scotland would use the pound or the euro.

The leaders of Scottish politics clashed in rival TV interviews this morning.

Ruth Davidson has warned Nicola Sturgeon that the 'SNP is not Scotland' as she accused them of using Brexit as an 'excuse'

The Scottish Tory leader told the BBC's Andrew Marr the majority of Scots did not want to have another independence referendum

Ms Davidson, leader of the official opposition in Holyrood, told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show that Ms Sturgeon was 'hell bent' on destroying the United Kingdom and described Brexit as 'this week's excuse' for another independence referendum.

Ms Davidson said: 'The SNP is not Scotland and they are acting against the majority wishes of the people of Scotland in putting forward their proposition on Monday.

'I've read far too many headlines saying, 'Scotland reacts X, Scotland reacts Y'. No, it doesn't.

'There are people right across Scotland, many, many thousands of them, that are so thankful for the Prime Minister to say let's take a pause on this.'

She said it was 'astonishing' that the SNP had not outlined a plan for independence during their spring conference in Aberdeen over the weekend.

Ms Davidson added: 'We have asked basic questions on things like currency, on things like a central bank, on things like whether we would even rejoin Europe as a full member, and Nicola Sturgeon seems unable to commit to that.'

In her own interview, with Sky New's Sophy Ridge, Ms Sturgeon defended her decision to push for a new referendum.

Nicola Sturgeon renewed her demands today almost a week after triggering an extraordinary constitutional row with Theresa May

Ms Sturgeon said Brexit had 'changed everything' and insisted it was right for Scots to be able to choose their future

She said: 'Brexit changed everything in 2016 and if we cast our mind back to 2014 referendum, we were told by those campaigning against independence that a Yes vote would jeopardise our place in the EU.

'The 2016 vote on the EU was a material change in circumstances - the future of the UK looks very different today looks very different and my argument is quite a simple one.

'We know as a result of the Brexit vote change is coming for Scotland. We can't avoid that change, the question is what kind of change do we want.'

Ms Sturgeon was accused of watering down her policy of rejoining the EU this week amid polling indicating a significant number of nationalists do not want to rejoin Europe.

Asked if she wanted to join as a full member she said: 'Yes. That is long standing SNP policy.'

Ms Sturgeon said the pound would be the 'starting point' for an independent Scotland.

All new EU members since 2000 have been obliged to join the single currency.
Pauline Hanson has called for the ABC and SBS to be privatised because she dislikes their 'leftist attitude'.

The One Nation leader told her followers in a Facebook live video chat the taxpayer-funded national broadcasters needed to be sold off.

'I'd cut out the ABC. I'm sick and tired of them with their leftist attitude. They are so left, and the SBS,' she said.

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Pauline Hanson says she would 'cut out the ABC' because she doesn't like their attitude

One Nation barred ABC journalists from covering One Nation's election night event in Perth

Pauline Hanson says SBS, which features newsreader Lee Lin Chin, isn't needed in Australia

The Queensland senator, whose party is opposed to multiculturalism, said the ethnic minorities broadcaster SBS was no longer necessary in the internet age.

'Get rid of the SBS. We don't need it. People can hook in via their iPads or their whatever and they can look at the news they want to look at from their country of origin,' she said.

'Why we are funding that? I don't think we need to.

'Sell it. Privatise it. Let them run it themselves and we can better use that money elsewhere.'

Pauline Hanson appeared on the ABC Insider's program two weeks ago to slam vaccinations

Senator Hanson also took aim at the ABC's new managing director Michelle Guthrie's $900,000 salary without mentioning her by name.

'What they get paid is just ridiculous,' she said.

Her comments about the ABC come a week after One Nation barred ABC journalists in Western Australia from entering her party's state election night event.

Two weeks ago, Senator Hanson told the ABC's Insiders program the federal government's 'no jab, no pay' program was a dictatorship because it cut welfare benefits to parents who failed to vaccinate their children.

She was interviewed by Barrie Cassidy, a former media adviser to Labor prime minister Bob Hawke.

The ABC costs more than $1 billion to run every financial year for operations and transmission

The ABC and SBS were allocated more than $1.4 billion during the most recent federal budget

Later in the Facebook chat, Senator Hanson called for the ABC to be overhauled so it concentrated more on rural and regional areas.

In the 2016/17 budget, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation was allocated more than a $1 billion for operations and transmission.

The Special Broadcasting Service, which recently aired a Face Up To Racism campaign, was given $379 million.

Former Liberal prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott accused the ABC of left-wing bias but neither had proposed to privatise the national broadcaster.

Senator Hanson last year accused the Seven Network's Weekend Sunrise host Andrew O'Keefe of having left-wing bias, adding she would refuse to go on his program if he was hosting.

She didn't outline why she believed the ABC and SBS were left biased in the Facebook chat, which also covered One Nation's plans in Queensland to give the public more power to oppose new mosques.
A mother of seven quietly went upstairs and hanged herself while at home with her children and husband after she discovered she was pregnant again.

Carla Murtagh, from Shard End, Birmingham, had booked an abortion for October 28 but later changed her mind and decided to keep the baby.

Nine days later the 34-year-old, who had a history of depression, was found hanged by her distraught husband Matthew who went upstairs to look for her after he thought she was 'acting quiet'.

Tragic: Carla Murtagh (pictured with her husband Matthew) quietly went upstairs and hanged herself after she discovered she was pregnant again

Troubled: Mrs Murtagh, from Shard End, Birmingham, had booked an abortion for October 28 but later changed her mind and decided to keep the baby

Mrs Murtagh was rushed to Heartlands Hospital by paramedics who failed resuscitate her, Birmingham Coroner's Court was told.

Doctors then performed an emergency caesarean on Mrs Murtagh, who was 25 weeks pregnant at the time, but the baby was stillborn.

A short time later she was pronounced dead by medics.

On the day of her death husband Mr Murtagh described how she had woken up in a 'bad mood', but had otherwise seemed fine.

Mrs Murtagh had started to cook a meal as the family was celebrating a birthday that day.

He had left the house with two of their children to buy a birthday cake from the supermarket.

When they returned, he said Mrs Murtagh had gone upstairs and was 'acting quiet'.

'She went upstairs and told me that she wanted to be left alone,' he said.

'I went downstairs to dish up the dinner and went up to get her.' He found his wife hanged in the bedroom and called for help.

Devastating: The 34-year-old, who had a history of depression, was found hanged by her distraught husband Matthew

He attempted CPR as paramedics arrived, and Mrs Murtagh was taken by ambulance to Heartlands Hospital.

The inquest heard how she and Mr Murtagh already had seven children, aged between 15 years and 14 months.

They had been 'shocked' to find Mrs Murtagh was pregnant again in August 2016 and wanted an abortion.

'We were shocked because it wasn't planned,' said husband Matthew. 'She considered having an abortion because we already had so many children.

'She was upset, and we were discussing how we were going to have another baby.'

Mrs Murtagh, who suffered with conditions including depression, consulted her GP at the end of August about her pregnancy and told him she wanted an abortion.

After being referred to the BPAS termination service, she was only able to get appointments in Liverpool or Doncaster.

Heart-rending: Doctors then performed an emergency caesarean on Mrs Murtagh, who was 25 weeks pregnant at the time, but the baby was stillborn

But on October 28 Mrs Murtagh was visited by midwife Donna Grey, who was able to arrange an appointment for her at a Marie Stopes clinic in Birmingham.

'When I went to her home that day she was very upset,' said the midwife.

'She wanted a termination. She was very unsure about her dates of the pregnancy.

'I spoke to Marie Stopes and they could offer her an appointment. After the consultation she said: 'Thank you. You've given me what I've been asking for, for a long time.'

But when the midwife saw Mrs Murtagh again on November 4, two days before her death, she found she had missed the appointment after deciding to have the baby after all.

The couple were 'shocked' to find Mrs Murtagh was pregnant again in August 2016 and wanted an abortion

'She told me they'd had a family discussion and decided to keep the baby,' Ms Grey said. 'She seemed happy, and wanted to get an appointment for a scan.'

A post-mortem examination later revealed the mother-of-seven had alcohol, cannabis and antidepressant fluoxetine in her blood, a combination that could result in Central Nervous System Depression.

Following Ms Murtagh's death, the local Clinical Commissioning Group launched an investigation into her care, but no failures were found on the part of her GP or midwives.

Giving a verdict of suicide, Coroner Louise Hunt said: 'This is a tragedy, and for the family I am so very sorry. It is very sad and you have had to sit through some difficult evidence.

'In time I hope you can remember the Carla you all loved and not in the sad way that she lost her life.'

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details
The hardworking family of the man accused of raping and murdering a British woman in the holiday resort of Goa are 'devastated and confused he could do such a thing'.

The accused Vikat Bhagat, 23, who has been charged with the rape and murder of 28-year-old Danielle McLaughlin, is the youngest brother of two sisters and nurses at hospitals in Southern Goa.

Geeta Bhagat, 25, cannot comprehend that her little brother who liked watching comedy films has committed such a crime.

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Geeta Bhagat, 25, from Canacona, in Goa, is the sister of Vikat Bhagat who has been accused of raping and murdering British backpacker Daniella McLaughlin

Vikat Bhagat, 23, has been charged with the rape and murder of 28-year-old Danielle McLaughlin

Danielle McLaughlin, 28, is pictured playing guitar in Kasol town during her first visit to Himachal Pradesh, northern India in March, 2016

'He never liked to study,' she said. 'He's the only one in the family who didn't finish school.

'I'm a girl. I can't think what this girl went through. It makes me feel so bad. If he has done it then he has to be punished but we just don't know. We can't process it. We are very confused.'

Danielle McLaughlin, from Donegal, was found dead in Goa

Mother Surekha Bhagat, 52, who works as a teacher in the local school up the road from their house, has not slept since her only son was arrested on Tuesday morning at the family home outside Palolem beach.

Geeta, who works as a staff nurse at the local hospital, said she was working when her brother arrived home on Monday night.

'My mother is diabetic,' she explained. 'So she goes to bed early and wakes up early so she can eat early in the day. She sleeps by the door so when Vikat arrived home on Monday night she heard him and got up to make him some food.'

But Surekha, who doesn't speak English, said she doesn't remember what time her son arrived home because she was still sleepy. She said she made him some rice, they sat at the table to eat and then the two went to bed.

Indian police pictured taking suspect Vikat Bhagat into a police station after medical tests at Goa Medical College

Vikat's sister said she never saw or met any of Vikat's friends. He'd spend time at home and often go out on the family's motorbike whenever he wanted

Surekha Bhagat, 52, has not slept since her only son was arrested on Tuesday morning at the family home (pictured) outside Palolem beach

Geeta added: 'When mum went to work the next morning she left Vikat in bed. Then, a few hours later the police arrived at the school and said Vikat is not answering the house door. They said a foreign woman has been found dead and Vikat had been seen with her so they wanted to question him.

'Mum went home and opened the house door and the police took Vikat away. It was all pretty calm. We just assumed he was helping them. But a few hours later mum got a call from an officer saying Vikat had confessed to killing this woman.

Mum was devastated. She was broken. It came from nowhere. She called me in such a mess. I came home and we just can't make sense of it. How is it possible? He's my little brother. We just can't understand it all. We're all so confused.'

Danielle McLaughlin, from Donegal, was found dead on Tuesday morning in a field between Agonda and Palolem beach, in Goa, southern India.

She had arrived in India on February 23rd for a six month trip and had spent time in North Goa before arriving in Agonda and Palolem last weekend.

On Monday she had spent time with friends she had made in India and was celebrating the Holi festival before she was last seen at Green Park beach resort with three Indian men at around 8.30pm.

Geeta said she never saw or met any of Vikat's friends. He'd spend time at home and often go out on the family's motorbike whenever he wanted. But she added he has never worked in his life.

There is surprise that Bhagat (pictured being led into a police station) was free despite having a long criminal record

Friends of Danielle say they were put in the same room as the main suspect Vikat Bhagat, who has allegedly confessed to the crime, to identify him. He is pictured with a hood over his head being escorted by police in Goa

'We never knew anything about his life out and about,' she said. 'We didn't know those people and he never brought anyone home. His outside life and home life were very separate.

'He never contributed any money. We used to pay for everything for him. Mum and I used to buy him his clothes and he lives here with us so he has a roof over his head and food to eat and my older sister and I used to fill the motorbike with petrol so he used to always use that. He never worked so he relied on us for money.

'He was never aggressive with us. He loved mum very much. He didn't listen to her but he was never rude. He used to take mum to the temple on a Monday and a Tuesday. And he was a fine brother.

'He used to watch comedy movies and crack jokes. To know he may have hurt this girl in this way is breaking our hearts.'

Father Surender Bhagat, 57, works in the gulf as a labourer and found out about his only son's arrest on Thursday.

Danielle had arrived in India on February 23rd for a six month trip

'Mum called him on Thursday,' Geeta said. 'He just broke down. He's diabetic too. He will not take this news well.'

Geeta stressed that they are a good family and this news is too much for them to process.

'We are good people, small people, we have all worked hard all our lives. My older sister is a nurse too. Thankfully people know us and they know we are good so people have been kind to us and have not said anything bad to our faces but we do not know what to do now.'

The family have not been allowed to speak or see Vikat since he was taken away.

Gita added: 'Mum has asked if she can see him but officers said no. He has no lawyer with him. We do not know about things like this. What do we do? He's completely alone and we just don't know what to think.'

When Vikat's case goes to trial Geeta said the family would not attend.

She added: 'We would not go to the trial. I can't even think about it. There's the death sentence here. There was one just recently. I can't even imagine it. If this happens to my brother; I don't know, it's too hard to think about.'

The sister has spoken as lawyer Vikram Varma said it's his duty to make sure the police do not miss any details of the case which could lead to an acquittal at a later date.

Vikram, who represented Fiona MacKeown after the death of her daughter Scarlett Keeling in Goa, in 2008, said: 'The last thing we need here is for this case to be acquitted at a later date.

'It has happened too many times. There have been too many instances in the past where the police have got evidence and then five years later at the trial the evidence is acquitted.

'The issue here is the police claim they have solved the crime and that conclusion is premature. We need solid evidence. Criminals often tell lies. We can't trust the word of a criminal. His alleged confession is not enough. So I am exploring all aspects of this case.

'If Danielle was intoxicated or drugged she would not be in a position to protect herself. So why the need to smash her face? And if she was not intoxicated; she was a strong young girl so she would have fought. Her injuries could have been the work of more than one man.

'We need ensure there is a conviction, and not an acquittal. And the results of the vaginal swabs will tell us if there was one or three men involved. But it could take one week or three months before we get those results.

'We have the right to demand a conviction. These acquittals boost the confidence of these criminals. If these criminals know they can be acquitted, then they'll keep doing it over and over again.'

Danielle did not 'deserve the suffering and pain she endured' say her friends as they repatriate her body and demand 'justice be served'

The best friend of rape and murder victim Danielle McLaughlin today called on people in Goa to 'stand-up to the criminals' who shelter among their close-knit communities to prey on foreign tourists with impunity.

In a moving public statement childhood friend Nicole Farren demanded 'justice be served' for the 28-year-old backpacker who was sexually assaulted and killed at the idyllic beach-front resort of Palolem on Monday night.

The young Irish woman reminded an audience of mostly ex-pats that murderers of foreign tourists in Goa had escaped justice before but called on the locals to make a stand against the 'powerful' criminals who remain beyond the law.

Danielle's best friend Nicole Farren, 26, from Ireland gave an emotionally charged speech

Nicole Farren and Sheridan Smith 25 (right), took part in a peace rally in Kanakona

Ms Farren reminded an audience of mostly ex-pats that murderers of foreign tourists in Goa had escaped justice before

'We understand that there have been cases of tourists who have been murdered in the past which were quickly solved by the police,' said Ms Farren, 26, from, Danielle's home town of Buncrana, Donegal.

'But after the trial these criminals have been acquitted.

'We sincerely hope that this will not happen in the case of our Danielle.'

Indian police have faced severe criticism for failing to jail suspects in previous tourist killings - particularly the rape and murder of 15-year-old schoolgirl Scarlett Keeling at Anjuna Beach in 2008.

Prime suspects Samson D'Souza and Placido Carvalho were cleared by an Indian court.

The suspicious death of tourist Felix Dahl, 22, from Finland, at nearby Patnum beach remains unsolved.

Ms Farren had travelled to India from Australia with fellow friend Sheridan Smith to repatriate Danielle's body to Ireland.

'We want justice for Danielle, she deserves justice,' she said.

Ms Farren had travelled to India from Australia with fellow friend Sheridan Smith to repatriate Danielle's body to Ireland

The best friend of rape and murder victim Danielle called on people in Goa to 'stand-up to the criminals'

In a moving public statement childhood friend Nicole Farren demanded 'justice be served' for the 28-year-old backpacker

Ms Farren said she understood the huge 'power' enjoyed by criminal gangs in Goa beach resorts but urged local people to come forward with all the information they had to bring Danielle's abusers to justice.

'We understand there is a lot of pressure on you the local people to protect criminals operating in the area who have a lot of power,' she said.

'Sometimes it is time to stand up and take a stand and say 'No, Enough is Enough'.

'If you stand up together, many of you, and tell what you know these criminals will lose their power over you. You are stronger than they are if you are together.

'We all want the same thing  justice  so let's do it together.'

Sheridan Smith, 25, from Melbourne, Australia said Danielle did not 'deserve the suffering and pain she endured'.

Sheridan Smith said Danielle did not 'deserve the suffering and pain she endured'

Ms Farren said she understood the huge 'power' enjoyed by criminal gangs in Goa beach resorts but urged local people to come forward with all the information they had

Playing tribute to the 28-year-old university graduate her friends said: 'Danielle lived life to the fullest and was such a vibrant soul'

People in Goa held aloft signs calling for justice following the harrowing tragedy

She added: 'Because Danielle's voice has been silenced we are here to represent her and make sure appropriate measures are taken and justice is served. We know that she would want us to speak up.'

Playing tribute to the 28-year-old university graduate Ms Smith said: 'Danielle lived life to the fullest and was such a vibrant soul.

'She brought so much light, love and laughter where ever she went and whoever she met along the way.'

Ms Smith said she and Ms Farren had been buoyed by the support from around the world for the arduous task of coming 'to Goa to take Danielle home as quickly as possible'.

She thanked the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust Foundation and staff from the British and Irish Embassies in India for their help 'every step of the way'.

Danielle McLauglin's body is expected to leave India as early as Monday as official certificates and notifications from police and government officials have already been approved.
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Hundreds of armed police in speedboats zoomed down the river Thames today as part of major anti-terrorist drill in London.

Specialist officers clad in black uniforms and toting machine guns stormed a hijacked cruise boat to rescue hostages from six 'terrorists' in the east of the capital.

The London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade and the RNLI were also involved in the exercise on the country's busiest waterway.

Terror drill: Hundreds of armed police in boats zoomed down the river Thames today as part of major anti-terrorist drill in London

Help is on the way: The police raced to the cruise ship to help to rescue the hostages who were pretending to be trapped in the boat

Begging for rescue: Actors pretending to be hostages pressed their hands up against the windows of the cruise ship

Hostage situation: An actor pretending to be a terrorist held a firearm to the head of an actor pretending to be a hostage

Some 200 armed officers were seen racing down the river towards the ship which was heading along the Thames estury towards central London.

They approached the cruise ship as cowering civilians banged on the windows pretending to be desperate for help.

One of the scenarios played out involved the 'terrorists' throwing a pretend corpse overboard and the police collecting it from the water.

Officers then boarded the ship and after a pretend gunfight 'secured' the terrorists before attending to the hostages they had rescued.

Police chiefs were quick to emphasise the first live excersise of its kind was not in anticipation of any specific attack but just general training to remain 'match fit' for combating terror.

Scotland Yard Commander BJ Harrington, in charge of the Thames exercise, said: 'We've seen attacks across the world, with tragic circumstances and in different guises. What we do is test and exercise all the time.

'This is just a natural progression into what is a busy waterway through the centre of the capital, to make sure that there is a good police response that works well in a marine environment.'

One of the scenarios played out involved the 'terrorists' throwing a pretend corpse overboard and the police collecting it from the water

Commander BJ Harrington, head of the Met's Public Order Command, added: 'It's important to point out that the exercise has not been designed in response to any specific threat. There's no information that we have that we're preparing for.

'Of course, we have seen a number of incidents abroad in the past few years: Nice, Berlin - we have seen different methodologies developing, and, of course, the river runs right the way through London so why wouldn't we prepare for that.'

The exercise comes just two weeks after the Met's most senior counter-terrorism officer, assistant commissioner Mark Rowley, revealed that security services have thwarted 13 potential terrorist attacks in the UK in less than four years.

The figure is one higher than the last tally given in October.

Assistant commissioner Rowley said up to 500 counter-terror investigations are operational at any one time, with investigators making arrests at a rate of close to one a day on average since 2014.

The London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade and the RNLI were also involved in the exercise on the country's busiest waterway

Man down: Police pretended to shoot at a terrorist who pretended to fire a machine gun in their direction from the boat

The official threat level for international terrorism in the UK has stood at severe - meaning an attack is 'highly likely' - for more than two years.

Commander Harrington said the exercise marks the first time all the involved agencies have come together to test their interoperability and effectiveness as a group, and hoped it would act as a deterrent to any would-be attackers.

He said: 'Most importantly, we give the people who are going to have to do this tricky and difficult and dangerous stuff the opportunity to have confidence that they can do it, and hopefully, above all, give confidence to people who live and work and visit London to say the police, the agencies, blue light agencies and other public service agencies, are in a really good position to protect them and keep them safe.

Drama: The hostages were seen begging the police to rescue them as officers tried to create a very realistic drill

Secured: Officers then boarded the ship and 'secured' the terrorists before attending to the hostages they had rescued

'I do hope there is a deterrent effect in this when they see how effective our people are.'

A previous major inter-agency exercise in June 2015, Operation Strong Tower, saw hundreds of officers respond to a simulated terror threat in a disused London Underground station.

This was just five days after 30 Britons were killed when a gunman attacked holidaymakers on a beach in Tunisia.

Sunday's operation, code-named Anchor, comes just 24 hours after French police shot dead a 39-year-old gunman at Paris's Orly airport.

Two hundred police officers stormed a hijacked cruise boat to rescue hostages

Warning: The Met police put out a warning tweet so that people would know there was no danger

On guard: Three officers stood vigilant at the back of the boat, holding their guns to their shoulders as their colleagues rescued the hostages

Speaking from the scene of the exercise, Commander Harrington praised the bravery of service personnel who deal with terrorist situations.

He said: 'I just want to stress the bravery of the people involved in this. They go forward to face what is a deadly attack - they have no concern for their own lives.

'They're potentially heavily armed and add to that the complexity of a tidal river and I think we should have all praise to them. It fills me with confidence that these people are prepared to do this kind of thing.'

In the shooting at Paris' Orly airport yesterday, a convicted criminal with links to radical Islam shouted 'I am here to die for Allah, there will be deaths' seconds before he was shot dead during the attack.

The 39-year-old, named locally as career criminal Ziyed Ben Belgacem, was killed after wrestling a soldier's gun from her and fleeing into a McDonald's.

He sent a text message to his brother and father stating 'I shot the police', shortly before he was killed.

Boats race to the ship to take on six pretend terrorists who had taken hostages and were driving towards central London

Rescued: Hostages were saved by the police officers who climbed aboard the ship from their black speed boats

Revealing his chilling final words, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said an anti-terrorist enquiry had been launched.

Today's exercise also comes after it was revealed that Britain's security services were probing at least four plots to commit terrorist atrocities, with shopping centres and stadiums thought to be at particular risk.

In February Max Hill QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism laws, said Britain faced a terror threat not seen since the IRA bombings of the 1970s, and Islamist extremists were targeting UK cities.

He revealed his 'enormous concern' over the threat posed by British jihadis returning from Syria fighting for Islamic State.

Last July a gunman in Munich murdered nine people during a mall shooting spree.
Skin creams used to treat common conditions like eczema and psoriasis could leave people at risk of setting themselves on fire.

In a shocking revelation at least 37 deaths have been linked to the creams since 2010.

The products contain paraffin, which can soak into fabric and make it flammable.

Paraffin, which is found in skin creams, can soak into fabric and make it flammable

Coroners and regulatory agencies have repeatedly warned of the dangers skin creams like E45 - but deaths continue to occur.

The investigation, carried out by BBC Radio 5 live, asked the 53 British fire brigades how many deaths had been linked to paraffin-based skin creams since 2010.

Only six responded but revealed 37 fatal incidents - which suggests that the true scale of the problem is still underreported.

Darren Munro, borough commander for London's Wandsworth Fire Station, said: 'In four out of the last six fatalities that I've personally attended, I would say the emollient cream has had a direct result in the flame spread and the speed at which the fire took hold.

Coroners and regulatory agencies are calling for creams like E45 to be more clearly marked with warnings

'The creams themselves aren't dangerous, it only becomes dangerous when you mix it in with other factors.'

Fire chiefs have warned that even washing clothes and linen might not eliminate the danger unless they are cleaned at high temperature.

One tragic example of the dangers of skin creamed occurred at Doncaster Royal Infirmary in 2006.

Philip Hoe was being treated for psoriasis when he sneaked out for a cigarette.

Sparks reacted with the emollient cream he was covered in and within seconds Mr Hoe was on fire.

Carol Hoe, Philip's husband, said: 'I got a phone call from the ward sister to say can you get to the hospital as soon as possible, Philip's had an accident.

'Philip had caught fire. He had sneaked off onto a landing for a sneaky cigarette, a gust of wind must have caught the lighter and it set fire to him.

Philip Hoe suffered 90% burns after the spark from his cigarette reacted with the emollient cream he was being treated with

'When we got there the staff came to me and told us he was covered with 90% burns. There was nothing they could do.

'To be quiet honest I'm really angry because at the inquest, the coroner said that further steps should be taken to give people warning about this and for nearly 40 more deaths to happen after Philip I just can't understand it.'

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is urging manufacturers to add a warning to the packaging of any skin cream that contains packaging.

They have also added they will explore whether paraffin-based creams should carry a warning as standard.

A spokeswoman for the Proprietary Association of Great Britain said normal use of emollients within the home was safe as long as people observed the on-pack instructions.

Fire chiefs have warned that even washing the clothes or sheets may not eliminate the danger

She added: 'Manufacturers of emollients are not at present required by regulation or statue to include fire safety warnings on packaging. Safety is nonetheless of paramount importance to the OTC medicines industry.

'In light of this investigation PAGB is looking to explore this issue further with the member companies and relevant bodies to see if in future, safety warnings should be added to on-pack labeling for all paraffin based emollients as standard practice.'
An incredible collection of 19 medals awarded to a husband and wife during the Second World War is tipped to sell at auction for 10,000.

Courageous Colonel Sir Peter Hilton was one of only 25 men awarded the Military Cross three times, while his wife Lady Winifred was a member of the Women's Auxillary Air Force, who worked in special operations on radar, decoding and cyphers in Liverpool and Belfast.

The supercouple - who amassed a staggering 19 medals between them - met in 1940 when Sir Peter was billeted in Matlock, Derbyshire, after being evacuated from Dunkirk. They got married two years later.

War heroes: Colonel Sir Peter Hilton and wife Lady Winifred amassed 19 medals between them

Impressive: Their medal collection is expected to fetch 10,000 when it goes to auction

Sir Peter served in the Royal Horse Artillery and saw action at Dunkirk, El Alamein and Normandy, where he was seriously wounded and recognised for his bravery.

In later life, Sir Peter served as Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire from 1978 to 1994. He was knighted in 1993 and died in 1995.

For his war service, he was awarded a Military Cross with two bars, Knight Commander Victorian Order with Neck Cross and Breast Star (KCVO), Order of St John, 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, Italy Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, War Medal, Coronation Medal, Jubilee Medal and Service Medal of the Order of St. John.

Lady Winifred's medal group consists of an Order of St John, 1939-45 Star, Defence Medal, War Medal, Jubilee Medal and the Women's Voluntary Service Medal.

She was involved with more than 60 charities and voluntary organisations, including the Royal British Legion, where she was president of the group's women's section and St John Ambulance.

Included in the collection, which has never appeared at auction, are photographs and an intimate notebook Sir Peter kept while in North Africa.

In one entry dated February 14, 1942, he touchingly professes his love to his new wife and says he hopes that, whether or not he survives the conflict, she will one day get to read his heartfelt words.

He writes: 'Darling Angel, I hope you'll read this letter one day, and that from it you'll see how much I've thought of you while I've been away from you, and that you'll be pleased.

The Knight Commander of the Victorian Order awarded to Colonel Sir Peter Hilton

Sir Peter wrote a touching plea to 'whoever finds this book' to send it to his wife if he could not

'I'm not writing every day and we're not allowed to keep diaries, for fear of information being given away to the enemy.'

Sir Peter made a contingency plan in case he wasn't able to give the notebook to Lady Winifred himself.

He wrote Lady Winifred's Derbyshire address in the diary and asked 'whoever finds this book, whoever it may be, will they please make every effort to send it to Mrs Hilton'.

He adds: 'If necessary wait until this war is over to send it off, but I do beg you, whether friend or enemy or neutral, to make sure that it gets to my wife.'

Sir Peter was born near Sunderland and joined the British Expeditionary Force in 1939.

The collection of medals, letters, photographs and notebook is set to go under the hammer

After being evacuated from Dunkirk, he served with the 7th Armoured Division, seeing action at El Alamein.

He was then with the 5th United States Army in Italy, before returning to join the Normandy invasion with the Royal Horse Artillery in 1944, where he was badly wounded.

The medals are being sold by Hansons Auctioneers of Derbyshire.

Adrian Stevenson, specialist at Hansons, said: 'A husband and wife group is always special, but the fact that he was awarded the Military Cross three times is incredibly rare as only 25 men achieved that.

'Peter fought in all the iconic battles of the Second World War. He was at Dunkirk, Alamein, Normandy. It doesn't get better than that.

'People who are not interested in the war have heard of those battles. They were the turning points of the war.'

The auction takes place on Tuesday.
A Louisiana cop was shot dead with the alleged gunman left wounded at a shootout in a barbershop late on Saturday night.

The Sheriff's Office deputy from East Baton Rouge Parish was shot just before midnight during an investigation at the Classic Cuts shop.

The deputy was investigating a domestic situation when the shooting happened.

An East Baton Rouge sheriff's deputy was shot and killed while he and another deputy were responding to an incident and conducting an investigation near a barber shop

A second deputy who witnessed the shooting escaped without injury

The officer who has not yet been named died at a hospital, nearby.

A second deputy who witnessed the shooting escaped without injury.

'It's a tragic night for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office,' EBRSO spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks said. 'We're focused on working with the family, praying for the family and making sure that our deputies have the help and support that they need.'

It is the second cop killing to happen in East Baton Rouge Parish over the past 12 months.

45-year-old Deputy Bradford Garafola was killed last July.

He along with two officers from the Baton Rouge Police Department were ambushed and shot dead in the days after a sniper attack in Dallas, where five officers were killed.

The officer who has not yet been named died at a hospital, nearby. Offciers stood to attention as his body was driven by

It is the second cop killing to happen in East Baton Rouge Parish over the past 12 months

Elected officials from Louisiana have reached out to support the family.

Acting United States Attorney Corey Amundson stated: 'Our hearts and prayers are with the family and friends of the fallen deputy and all the brave men and women in law enforcement who risk their own safety every single day to protect the communities they serve. We will devote whatever federal law enforcement resources are necessary to ensure that justice is served.'

Rep. Cedric Richmond stated: 'My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the fallen officer and the entire East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office. Our law enforcement officers willingly place themselves in harm's way to keep us safe and when this level of tragedy occurs we all grieve the loss together.

'This officer was part of the fabric of the East Baton Rouge community and embodied the integrity, honesty, and character that the uniform represents. I am thankful for his service, his sacrifice, and offer my deepest condolences to his family and fellow officers during this most difficult time.'
'The Morning Walk' suffered two long scratches and has been removed from the gallery

The National Gallery was thrown into panic when a visitor attacked one of the paintings with a screwdriver.

'The Morning Walk', a 1785 portrait by Thomas Gainsborough, suffered two long scratches that penetrated the paint layers.

Gallery assistants quickly rushed to detain the man, with members of the public helping to restrain him.

Unconfirmed reports claim that the man said he had a bomb.

A Metropolitan police spokesman said: 'Police were called at approximately 14.10 hours on Saturday, 18 March to reports of a painting damaged at the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square.

'A man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. He was taken to a central London police station where he remains in custody.'

Keith Gregory, 63, of no fixed address, was later charged with causing criminal damage to the painting on Sunday.

He has been remanded in custody and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday.

The painting was removed from display. National Gallery conservators are now assessing the level of damage.

The painting (top right) sits in the National Gallery's iconic Room 34, which featured in the James Bond film Skyfall

The East Wing of the National Gallery had to be evacuated and was closed for two hours after the incident.

'The Morning Walk', which sold for 30,000 in 1954, sits directly opposite 'The Fighting Temeraire' by Joseph Turner - made famous for its appearance in the James Bond movie 'Skyfall'.

The painting, also known as 'Mr and Mrs William Hallett', features a young couple on a woodland stroll with an attentive dog at woman's heel. At the time portraits of wealthy couples in a natural setting were a popular status symbol.

The East Wing of the National Gallery (pictured) had to be evacuated for two hours

Thomas Gainsborough was one of the leading portrait painters in England in the 18th century - and a founding member of the Royal Academy.

Some of his paintings have sold for up to 6.5 million pounds.
A woman has been charged with murder after her aunt was found hacked to death with a meat cleaver in the Queens home where the two women lived.

Elizabeth Sanchez, 30, faces life in prison if she is found guilty of brutally stabbing her aunt Maria Palaguachi in the head, shoulders and hands with a large kitchen knife.

Palaguachi, 50, was found dead in a pool of blood inside her bedroom in Queens, New York, by her daughter on Thursday morning.

Although it has not been determined what led to the vicious attack, police visited the home just days before the aunt's death for a domestic dispute incident.

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Maria Palaguachi, 50, (pictured) was found hacked to death with a meat cleaver in Queens, New York, on Thursday morning. Her niece Elizabeth Sanchez, 30, was charged with her murder

Palaguachi was pronounced dead at the scene (pictured). Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Sanchez faces 25 years to life in prison

Police made their seventh visit to the home located at 174th St. near 137th Ave, last Sunday, over a fight between Palaguachi and her husband over changing the locks, the NY Daily News reported.

Over the years, officials made frequent visits to the residence for domestic disputes. Sanchez, who also goes by Digna Sanchez-Ortiz, reportedly shared the two-story home with her aunt.

In addition to the multiple wounds found on Palaguachi's upper body, officials said she had scrapes on her neck and hemorrhaging in both eyes, a condition linked with strangulation.

Over the years, officials made frequent visits to the residence located at 174th St. near 137th Ave in Jamaica, Queens, for domestic disputes. The last visit was on March 12

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Saturday that Sanchez is awaiting arraignment on a murder charge and faces 25 years to life in prison.

A neighbor told the NY Daily News that the house was always filled with people and estimated there were about 50 people in the home at all times.

He said: 'There's a lot of people coming and going all the time. It's a big family. It's like six or seven kids. Their house is a revolving door.'
A Sydney man facing a terrorism trial in Bulgaria says he's outraged that Australian authorities have 'sold him out'.

John Zakhariev is facing allegations he trained in the Balkan nation with the intention of fighting in Syria for Islamic State.

The 21-year-old's lawyer has previously claimed it was Australian authorities that notified Bulgarian counterparts that Zakhariev had been in Syria in 2013 and was 'interested in terrorism'.

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John Zakhariev is accused of training in Bulgaria with the intention of joining IS in 2013

Zakhariev, a former Waverley College student, blamed the AFP and ASIO for his situation

In his first Australian TV interview since the arrest, Zakhariev said he was 'absolutely outraged' by the Australian Federal Police and spy agencies.

'It seems to me that the AFP and ASIO only specialise in selling Australians citizens off to foreign nations,' he told the Seven Network on Sunday.

Zakhariev flatly rejected he was a terrorist, saying prosecutors have failed to provide 'a shred of evidence' in their case against him.

Bulgarian authorities claim Zakhariev attempted to train at local shooting ranges.

The 21-year-old former private school student wants to return to Australia from Bulgaria

John Zakhariev sits in a courtroom in Sofia facing trial for undertaking firearms training

Zakhariev says he only went to a couple of ranges in Sofia and had help from an instructor to load the magazine.

'I didn't train,' he said.

'This is a very poorly attempted entrapment operation on the part of Bulgarian authorities.'

The former Waverley College student said he would like to return to Australia and was struggling in jail.

The former Waverley College student is alleged to have tried to join a terror group in Syria

'Every second is a battle to keep it together.'

The AFP in a previous statement said it would not confirm or deny whom it may be investigating and does not comment on matters of intelligence.

Zakhariev's mother was born in Vietnam while his late father was from Bulgaria, the ABC reports.

He apparently to converted to Islam during or after his time at Waverley College in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
President Donald Trump says president Barack Obama has 'been very nice to me personally, but his people havent been nice.'

'Hes nice personally, there doesnt seem to be a lot of nice things happening behind the scenes. And thats unfortunate,' Trump told Fox News' Jesse Watters in an interview that aired Saturday.

Two weeks ago the current president accused the former one of wiretapping him, an act he called 'low' and 'sick' in tweets.

While Trump has been insistent that he was surveiled in some way by the previous administration, his anger at Obama himself appears to have tapered off.

President Donald Trump says president Barack Obama has 'been very nice to me personally, but his people havent been nice.' 'Hes nice personally, there doesnt seem to be a lot of nice things happening behind the scenes,' Trump told Fox News' Jesse Watters

Watters had mentioned rioting in the street and asked Trump if he thinks Obama wants him to succeed. He also prodded the president about the so-called deep state and the possibility that Obama is 'pulling the strings behind the scenes.'

The deep state refers to the entrenched bureaucracy within the government, career civil servants who the right-wing on Trump's party believes are working to unseat the Republican president.

In the Fox News interview conducted on Wednesday while Trump was in Nashville, Watters asked the president about 'the anti-Trump resistance.'

'It's out there in the streets. Some of its in the federal government,' he asserted. 'How much of it do you think is that genuine anger, and how much do you think that someone Obama [is] pulling the string from behind the scenes.'

Trump replied, 'It might be everything, you know, there's some anger. There's great love on our side. I mean look at the crowds outside.'

Watters had mentioned rioting in the street and asked Trump if he thinks Obama wants him to succeed. He also prodded the president about the so-called deep state and the possibility that Obama is 'pulling the strings behind the scenes'

Trump's spokesman had been quizzed directly about the 'deep state' and the administration's belief that it was working to undermine the sitting president at a White House press briefing earlier this month.

'I think that there's no question when you have eight years of one party in office, there are people who stay in government and continue to espouse the agenda of the previous administration,' Sean Spicer said.

The question was posed after the White House said that it would like Congress to investigate 'leaks of classified information' as well as Trump's claim that Obama wiretapped him.

The White House has offered no evidence to back up the allegation. Spicer has said that Trump was spied on, however, and he will be vindicated by the end of the process.

The presidents claim has been denied by Obama, through a spokesman, as well as his former intelligence head.

Since then, the White House has dialed back the claim to surveillance broadly and contended that Trump did not mean that Obama ordered the eavesdropping himself.

It's not known when the two presidents last spoke. Obama has been on vacation in Hawaii, Tahiti and elsewhere since the inauguration.

It's not known when the two presidents last spoke. Obama has been on vacation in Hawaii, Tahiti and elsewhere since the inauguration. They are seen here in the Oval Office two days after the election

Asked by Watters if he believed Obama was trying to sabotage his presidency, Trump said: 'Hes been very nice to me personally but his people havent been nice.'

'And theres great animosity out there,' Trump said. 'Theres great anger. Leaking is just one example of it. Leaking and the level of anger is hard to believe.'

Trump also took aim at MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and her colleagues at NBC News, calling them bad people for revealing his leaked 2005 tax returns last week.

The president said that theres something wrong with Maddow and he also accused whoever leaked the tax returns of violating the law.

They leaked them, Trump said. Its illegal to do what they did, I think.

Maddow interviewed Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Cay Johnston, who obtained a copy of the first two pages of Trumps 2005 federal tax returns.

The 2005 tax documents aired by MSNBC and published by Johnston showed that Trump earned $153 million in income in 2005 and paid $38 million in taxes.

Maddow was slammed by critics who said that the journalistic scoop actually made Trump look good since it showed he paid a hefty percentage of his income to the government.

The MSNBC host was also lambasted for the dramatic build-up which kept viewers in suspense for nearly 20 minutes of her show before she revealed what was in Trumps tax returns.

Despite criticism and widespread mockery of how the show played out, Maddow scored her biggest audience ever on Tuesday after she hyped the tax documents.

Her show reached 4.13 million people, Nielsen said.

Despite criticism and widespread mockery of how the show played out, Rachel Maddow (above) scored her biggest audience ever on Tuesday after she hyped the tax documents. Trump told Watters there's 'something wrong' with Maddow

It was second only to a 'Countdown' episode with Keith Olbermann just before the 2008 election as MSNBC's most-watched series episode ever.

It was reported earlier this week that Trumps personal lawyers were considering whether to sue MSNBC and Johnston for releasing the tax returns, but legal experts say prevailing in court would be the longest of long shots because the First Amendment to the US Constitution protects freedom of the press.

That didnt stop Trump from continuing his attack on MSNBC and those who leaked the document.

I always heard a tax return was a very sacred kind of a thing, Trump said.

You dont leak them. Youre not allowed to. Its criminally offensive.

But they put them out, and I think it was terrible. But theyre good from that standpoint of my tax returns are good. All of my tax returns are good.

Trump told Watters that the tax returns are indicative of a larger trend in which anti-Trump elements are leaking damaging material to the press.

Its terrible whats going on in Washington. We have a certain establishment thats leaking.

A tax return is a very important thing and youre not supposed to be leaking them, and they do, the president said.

They just dont respect the law and we have to change that.
A Muslim youth worker says Australia will 'face atrocities every day' if it can't stop vulnerable young people turning to extremism.

Sarkis Achmar said children as young as 10 were at risk of being radicalised at Australian schools like the controversial Punchbowl Boys High in Sydney.

'We're gonna face atrocities every day on Australian soil. I'm not fearmongering, I'm not scaring, but a small percentage has a very large impact,' he told 60 Minutes.

The community leader who has dedicated the past decade of his life to rescuing wayward youths from extremism said schoolyards were targets for jihadist recruiters, and de-radicalisation programs were essential to combating them.

Muslim youth worker Sarkis Achmar says Australia will 'face atrocities every day' if it can't stop children as young as 10 being radicalised at Australian schools

He said schoolyards like Punchbowl Boys High School were targets for jihadist recruiters

'As long as the spotlight is off it will raise its ugly head again. It's just the way it is out there, man, I've known it was coming from years ago,' he said.

'It's not an Islam thing, its these people who have an evil agenda, and they're using our Australian way of life against ourselves.'

The problem was brought to light when principal Chris Griffiths and his deputy Joumana Dennaoui were dumped from Punchbowl High earlier this month.

They were removed for blocking a de-radicalisation program Mr Achmar said was essential for stopping students being recruited for terrorism.

Mr Achmar talks with Channel 9's Karl Stefanovic on the streets on Punchbowl

The problem was brought to light when principal Chris Griffiths (pictured) and his deputy Joumana Dennaoui were dumped from Punchbowl High earlier this month

It followed a series of allegations by staff, parents, and students of violent threats made to non-Muslim staff and female teachers being excluded from events.

NSW Education boss Mark Scott finally confirmed staff were threatened with violence, which Mr Griffiths didn't report, and some female staff felt excluded.

'If you have threats to staff, threats of violence, these are the kinds of things that should be appropriately reported,' he said.

'We had evidence that there had been minimal, if any, reporting coming from the school fro a period of time.'

NSW Education boss Mark Scott finally confirmed staff were threatened with violence, which Mr Griffiths didn't report, and some female staff felt excluded

The incidents included threats of beheading in the name of ISIS, and a staff member being attacked after a student refused to participate in a de-radicalisation program

The incidents included threats of beheading in the name of ISIS, and a staff member being attacked after a student refused to participate in a de-radicalisation program.

But former Punchbowl High vice-captain Jihad Rifi said the programs ostracise Muslim students and does ISIS recruiters 'a favour'.

'They detach us from the Australian society and they make us lose our sense of belonging,' he told the Channel 9 program.

'Try to get to know the boys and hear their grievances, because if they've got no-one to turn to, then who are they going to turn to? I think we know the answer.

'Radicals aren't going to come from a school like mine, because I was there and I've experienced it.'

But former Punchbowl High vice-captain Jihad Rifi said the programs ostracise Muslim students and does ISIS recruiters 'a favour'

Mr Rifi said Mr Griffiths did not shake hands with women since he converted to Islam in 2014, and allowed students to do the same, but this had nothing to do with his sacking

Mr Rifi said Mr Griffiths did not shake hands with women since he converted to Islam in 2014, and allowed students to do the same, but this had nothing to do with his sacking.

He also denied women were disrespected or not allowed to participate in school events, as was claimed.

However, his prominent doctor father Jamal Rifi said Mr Griffiths was wrong to close the school off from the community and not cooperate with police.

'What we had before, was a winning formula. Why do you wanna change that? We did not pass a judgement, but we sat there, we watched, and definitely he fell on his sword,' he said.

Other charges leveled against the school and Mr Griffiths include that he was trying to make the school Muslim-only, preventing police liaison officers from entering - with 'actively hostile' relations so bad they couldn't get in for 2.5 years.

Mr Rifi prepares to kneel down and pray at his home near the school

Mr Griffiths' replacement Robert Patruno took over, two men of Middle Eastern appearance, aged 19 and 20, allegedly threatened him

Police were 'concerned about his rhetoric' and felt he was leading students down a 'dangerous path', after they had good relations when his predecessor Jihad Dib was in charge.

'Students were being told that if 'the pigs' stop you, to film them and refuse their directions,' a senior constable told the Telegraph.

Several employees claimed non-Muslim staff were verbally attacked, including with threats of beheading, by Muslim students declaring themselves ISIS sympathisers.

Non-Muslim students said they were bullied into attending Muslim prayers, lectures on the Koran and cut their hair to conform to Islam.

Then, just as Mr Griffiths' replacement Robert Patruno took over, two men of Middle Eastern appearance, aged 19 and 20, allegedly threatened him.

'We're going to get you. We're going to f*** you up, you dog. F*** you,' the men allegedly said, according to the Telegraph.

The school was identified as one of 19 New South Wales schools at risk of radicalising Muslim students.
The father of a teenage girl who disappeared with an armed, 50-year-old teacher was determined his daughter would return home after authorities issued two Amber Alerts saying she could be 'anywhere'.

Authorities believe Elizabeth Thomas, 15, of Maury County, Tennessee, was kidnapped on Monday by Tad Cummins, who may have lured the girl to sexually abuse her.

At a vigil for his daughter on Saturday night, Anthony Thomas said: 'What Tad did, he stole my daughter from me, but Maury County is a big community. He didnt just steal from me, he stole from the whole community.

But he remained hopeful, saying: 'We are going to get her back. Please help us bring her home.'

Authorities have now issued two Amber Alertsin the search for Elizabeth Thomas (right), saying they believe Tad Cummins (left) may have lured the girl to sexually abuse her

At the vigil on Saturday, Thomas' family members pleaded for her return. The teen's father Anthony Thomas (left) said Tad 'stole my daughter from me' while her sister choked back tears

At the vigil on Saturday, Thomas' family members pleaded for her return.

Her sister cried and said Thomas completed their family of 10 children. She had a message for the 15-year-old and said: 'I want you to come home, because we all love you. I want to see you again. '

The nationwide search for Thomas and Cummins has now entered its seventh day.

Cummins, who faces charges of aggravated kidnapping and sexual contact with a minor, has been added to the state's 'Top 10 Most Wanted' list.

The former health teacher at the Culleoka Unit School allegedly met Thomas through the local chapter of HOSA, an international student organization that promotes career opportunities in the health care industry.

Cummins was suspended in February after he was caught kissing the young student, and has since been fired.

Thomas (pictured) was last pinpointed in Decatur, Alabama, on Monday at 3.06pm, but the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said there have been 'no credible sightings' since

Authorities in Tennessee released surveillance video from a gas station showing the final sighting of the married teacher who filled up his SUV before disappearing with Thomas.

Video from the Shell gas station near a Shoney's in Columbia shows Cummins pulling up in his silver Nissan Rogue at 8.35am on Monday morning.

The 50-year-old is seen getting out of his car and filling up, before driving off about four minutes later.

Thomas was last seen being dropped off at the same Shoney's eatery by her friend at 8am. Her parents reported her missing later in the day.

Thomas was last pinpointed in Decatur, Alabama, on Monday at 3.06pm, but the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said there have been 'no credible sightings' since.

Surveillance footage shows teacher Tad Cummins filling up his silver Nissan Rogue at a gas station near a Shoney's in Columbia, Tennessee, on the day he vanished with a student

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released these photos on Friday showing Cummins in the weeks before he vanished with the teenager

Authorities released a photo of the car Cummins is said to be driving with plates 976-ZPT

'It's absolutely important that everyone in this nation know about these individuals because frankly, they could be anywhere right now,' Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesman Josh DeVine told Fox 17 Nashville.

'We've amped up our language because we really need the public to know that this young girl is in danger.'

According to TBI's second Amber Alert, the investigation into the alleged abduction has revealed 'a troubling pattern' by Cummins.

It suggested the married father and grandfather 'may have been abusing his role as a teacher to groom this vulnerable girl for some time in an effort to lure and potentially sexually exploit her.'

Investigators said Cummins, who is believed to be armed with two handguns, had secured a $4,500 title loan for a personal vehicle just days before his disappearance.

The FBI has now joined the search and on Thursday evening a nationwide BOLO, or a be on the look out alert, was issued for both Cummins and Thomas.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation first issued an Amber Alert for Thomas on Tuesday

Tennessee law enforcement officials said five days into the search for Thomas (left and right), the trail has gone 'fairly cold'

The TBI said Saturday: 'The low number of tips, combined with the limited resources Cummins is believed to have in his possession, leads investigators to believe he may be keeping her out of view of the general public.

'For example, he potentially may have them sleeping in the vehicle or Cummins may have driven them far away from Tennessee to a rural community.

'Having now been on the run for more than five days, Cummins may have taken her, frankly, anywhere.'

Thomas (pictured above with students) met Cummins through the local chapter of HOSA, a student organization that promotes careers in the health care industry

Authorities in Tennessee and Alabama are searching for missing 15-year-old Mary Catherine 'Elizabeth' Thomas (left) and her teacher, 50-year-old Tad Cummins (right)

The teenager is described as being 5-foot-5, weighing 120lbs, with blonde hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing a flannel shirt and black leggings.

Cummins is described as 6 feet tall, with brown hair, brown eyes, and weighing 200lbs. The former health science teacher at Culleoka Unit School, is carrying two handguns and is driving a silver Nissan Rogue with Tennessee plates 976ZPT.

On his Twitter account, Cummins describes himself, in part, as a 'Jesus freak,' husband, father and grandfather.

In recent weeks, an Instagram account under Cummins' name posted several quotes about love. His last post six days ago stated: 'It's a beautiful day to start.'

Anyone with information on the pair's whereabouts is being asked to call the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND, or the Maury County, Tennessee, sheriff at 931-375-8654.

On his Twitter account Cummins (left) describes himself as a 'Jesus freak,' husband, father and grandfather. Thomas was last seen at a Columbia, Tennessee, eatery Monday morning

Cummins is said to be armed with two handguns and driving a silver Nissan Rogue, similar to the one pictured above

Clue: Tad Cummins' vehicle has Tennessee plates 976ZPT
Nicky Morgan has joined forces with Labour and the Lib Dems in declaring war on her own Governments plans for a new wave of grammar schools.

In a highly unusual move, the former education secretary launched a cross-party campaign against the proposals by labelling them misguided and damaging to social mobility.

Her stinging attack came as even the former headmaster of Eton  one of the worlds top academically selective schools  came forward to criticise the grammar concept as old hat.

Tory rebel Nicky Morgan (left today) has secured the support of ex-Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg and Labour's Lucy Powell (right) in a new push against grammar school expansion

Mrs Morgans intervention was delivered in an article written jointly with one-time Labour education spokesman Lucy Powell and former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg. Theresa May wants a new generation of grammars that prioritise the poorest pupils to boost attainment among disadvantaged youngsters.

But overturning Labours 1998 ban on new grammars is likely to face opposition from at least 30 Tory MPs. Mrs Morgan, who was sacked in the Prime Ministers post-referendum reshuffle last year, ignored calls for new selective schools during her time in office  although she did allow one in Kent to expand.

She earned her Ms U-turn nickname because of frequent policy changes after she succeeded Michael Gove at the department. After she was fired, Mrs Morgan told Conservative activists she was not in favour of the idea of more grammars, saying it is not the right move at this time.

Yesterday, the Loughborough MP was joined in her opposition by Tony Little, the former Eton headmaster. He told the Varkey Foundation Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai that selection doesnt work for all pupils, arguing ministers should instead focus on enhancing childrens learning and development before the age of five.

Mr Little said: The academic selection argument is too much rooted in a vision of the past.

Nick Clegg, pictured at the Lib Dem conference on Friday, warned alongside his colleagues that grammar schools would create 'division' in the education system

Mrs Morgans article, published in the Left-wing Observer, stated that she will be working with the two other parties to oppose the plans.

It claimed to put aside what we disagree on to build a cross-party consensus in favour of what works for our children  not what sounds good to politicians.

In a clear swipe at Mrs May, the article claimed: Those championing selection as the silver bullet for tackling social mobility, or as the panacea for creating good new school places, are misguided. It said that grammar schools damage social mobility and that in highly selective areas children not in grammars do worse than their peers in non-selective areas.

The article argued having the brightest pupils in comprehensives helps raise standards for all, concluding: Times have moved on. Expanding selection isnt part of the answer to tackling social mobility.

An announcement is expected shortly on the outcome of a recent government consultation on how new selective schools could best help disadvantaged pupils.

Getting grammar schools through the Commons is expected to be very difficult for Theresa May, pictured at the Tory Spring Forum on Friday, and coordinated opposition will make the task even harder.

In the Budget 12 days ago, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced an additional 320million for free schools, including grammars.

But with a Commons working majority of 17, party whips are aware they will struggle to get the plans passed into legislation.

Other backbenchers opposed to the policy include the Conservative chairman of the education select committee, Neil Carmichael.

A Department for Education spokesman said its reforms had seen 1.8million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010, with the attainment gap among the poorest narrowing.

The spokesman added: But there is more to do. We know bright children from disadvantaged backgrounds thrive at grammar schools, which is why we have set out plans to end the ban and enable new selective school places to be provided, with conditions in place to ensure they contribute to the improvement of the wider schools system.
A member of the Bali Nine drug syndicate has pleaded guilty to killing his 27-year-old girlfriend.

Khanh Thanh Ly, 35, is awaiting his sentencing for the murder of Miming Listiyani, whose badly beaten body was discovered by police on April 7, 2016, near Cabarita Wharf in west Sydney, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Ly, who went to school with Bali Nine leader Myuran Sukumaran and supervised the ring's drug mules, dated Ms Listiyani for two years before her death.

Khanh Thanh Ly (pictured), 35, who was a member of the Bali Nine drug syndicate, has pleaded guilty to murdering his girlfriend Miming Listiyani, 27

Ms Listiyani's (pictured) badly beaten body was found near Cabarita Wharf in west Sydney in April last year

Ly had allegedly picked up the young wannabe pastry chef from her home in Cabarita before the pair got into an argument, according to facts presented to the Burwood Local Court.

The 35-year-old allegedly smashed Ms Listiyani's head into the pavement before shoving her in the boot of his car while she was unconscious.

Police were called to the area after a witness claimed they saw Ly pulling the 27-year-old through Cabarita Park and to the Parramatta River's edge.

Ly had allegedly picked up the young wannabe pastry chef I(pictured) from her home before the pair got into an argument

Ly is accused of smashing the 27-year-old's head into the pavement

Police were called to the scene by a witness who claimed they saw Ly drag the young woman's body to the water's edge

Ms Listiyani had 'sustained significant blunt force trauma to the head as well as sizeable ligature marks consistent with strangulation,' according to the facts presented to the court

Ly allegedly hid in the bushes as officers, who claim they saw Ly standing over Ms Listiyani's naked body, arrived.

Officers arrested Ly at the scene after using capsicum spray to calm him down and was charged with the 27-year-old's murder, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Ms Listiyani had 'sustained significant blunt force trauma to the head as well as sizeable ligature marks consistent with strangulation,' according to the facts presented to the court.

Ly is expected to appear in the Supreme Court on April 7.
The mother a young boy who committed suicide earlier this month claims her son was driven to his death by bullies.

Maya Rodriguez tragically found her 11-year-old son, Julio - or 'Junior' as his family called him - dead inside his closet last week in their Dallas, Texas, home.

The heartbroken mother-of-six was checking on her kids before they went to bed when she made the horrible discovery.

Julio Rodriguez (pictured) was found dead in his bedroom by his mother last week. His family claims he killed himself after being bullied at school

'The door was locked. It's never locked,' she told WFAA.

'I opened the door immediately and I saw Junior hanging up in the closet.'

The grieving mother said her son, who was usually perfectly mannered and kind, changed in the weeks leading up to his death.

'He was a very, very, good kid. He always had that beautiful smile,' she said.

Maya Rodriguez (pictured with Julio) said: 'Pay attention to bullying, a bully has taken my son to death'

The 11-year-old (pictured, right) is seen with two of his siblings. He was known as 'Junior' to his loved ones

'Prior to his death, he was hitting the table, hitting the wall, walking back and forth. He had moments where he was very aggressive.'

She then offered a plea to all parents to be more aware of what their children could be going through at school.

'Pay attention to bullying, a bully has taken my son to death,' she told the network.

'I'm in pain, my family is in pain and the community is in pain.'

Julio was a student at Stockard Middle School in Dallas, Texas. His sister, Monserrat, was the year above him and she said she did not know her brother was being bullied until it was too late

Another of Julio's sisters, Isabel, posted this picture of her brother's farewell on social media

The sixth grader's sister, Monserrat, told WFAA it 'really hurts' that she had no idea how badly her brother was struggling.

'I didnt know he was being bullied until after it happened,' the 13-year-old, who attended Stockard Middle School with her brother, said.

'At Stockard, the bullying that happens is mental bullying, like they tell you you're ugly, they'd put you down mentally. Physically would be the fighting.

Julio's family has created a GoFundMe page to held cover the costs of his funeral and other expenses

'I think they got in his head because I do know my brother is a sensitive kid.'

Other family members claimed their beloved 'Junior' was being pressured by bullies to sell drugs, according to the network.

Julio's family has created a GoFundMe page to held cover the costs of his funeral and other expenses.

For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255
Over a thousand people remain trapped by floodwaters after another day of heavy rain in northern NSW, as Sydney braces for a week of rain and its wettest March on record.

Severe thunderstorms are expected to bring torrential downpours which could bring flash flooding in Walgett, Lightning Ridge, Collarenebri and Brewarrina overnight.

The wet conditions should see large hailstones batter the towns, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning that conditions could worsen into early Monday morning.

Over a thousand people remain trapped by floodwaters after another day of heavy rain in northern NSW (SES pictured after rescuing two campers at Bonshaw)

Severe thunderstorms are expected to bring torrential downpours which could bring flash flooding in the region overnight

The SES rescued 78 people this week and received almost 3200 calls for assistance (pictured rescuing two people from a car stuck in Telegraph Point on Sunday)

Around 2500 people were isolated by NSW floodwaters in north and mid-north coast communities earlier on Sunday, the State Emergency Service said.

The SES rescued 78 people this week and received almost 3200 calls for assistance.

A spokesman for SES NSW told 9 News the service was making sure that trapped residents were safe and had enough vital supplies to survive the floods.

'We are seeing people regaining the access to their properties,' the spokesman said.

A severe thunderstorm warning in place for the Central Tablelands was cancelled on Sunday, while an evacuation order at the Bellinger River Tourist Park was lifted.

In the Clarence Nambucca region the floodwaters flushed out a python, creating further risks for residents trying to stay safe in the hazardous conditions.

In addition to the hazards brought by floodwaters, this python was flushed out in the Clarence Nambucca region on Sunday

The wet conditions should see large hailstones batter Walgett, Lightning Ridge, Collarenebri and Brewarrina overnight

A spokesman for SES NSW said the service was making sure that trapped residents were safe and had enough vital supplies to survive the floods

As central NSW residents contend with soggy conditions, another week of wet weather is expected for Sydneysiders as the city faces its wettest March on record.

Sydney has been drenched by more than 281 millimetres of rain on 19 of the last 22 days, with more on its way.

Thunderstorms are also on their way as the wild weather is expected to continue for at least the next week, according to the BoM.

Rain has fallen on 16 of 19 days in March so far, beating the monthly average of 14 wet weather days.

A passenger on a Manly ferry ride in Sydney's north captured the wild weather on board

The NSW State Emergency Service has received thousands of calls and conducted countless flood rescues

The Old Helensburgh railway tunnel before (left) and after (right) flooding in New South Wales

The drenching has already exceeded last year's monthly total of 193 millimetres and may exceed the last big total March rainfall of 270 millimetres in 2012 - the wettest March in almost 30 years.

And the record number of 26 wet weather days in March set in 1870 is not far from being beaten with nearly two weeks left in the month.

But BoM forecasters said it's likely to fall shy of the wettest March on record at 434.30 millimetres in 1892.

The mid-north coast of New South Wales has also been battered by heavy rainfall and BoM has predicted a significant drenching of 100-200mm across the region and NSW's northern rivers.

The Bureau of Meteorology says showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected for the coast, ranges and northern inland throughout the day, with flood warnings issued for 11 rivers.

Fifty millimetres is expected to fall in parts of the mid north coast and central tablelands, it says.

A bicycle courier pedals through heavy rain in Sydney in February

NSW braced for the worst thunderstorms of the season bringing flash flooding and giant hail

Heavy rain fall has brought flash flooding in parts of Sydney's CBD (pictured: St James Station)

Rainfall has eased in many areas but some waters are expected to continue rising to minor or moderate flooding levels.

NSW SES spokesman Brent Hunter urged people to stay away from flood waters, with police issuing fines for motorists ignoring warning signs.

Areas around the Bellinger, Nambucca, Macleay, Hastings and Manning rivers received more than 100mm in the 24 hours to Sunday morning.

Swimmers have been warned to avoid dangerous surf conditions after a 77-year-old man died after being pulled from the waters at Coogee Beach on Friday night.

Meanwhile other parts of Australia are enjoying sunnier days, with little rain fall in south east Queensland.

Pedestrians struggle to keep dry as wild weather lashes Sydney

Sydneysiders will have to hold on to their umbrellas a little longer as the city faces its wettest March on record

Sydney has been drenched by more than 281mm of rain on 19 of the last 22 days, with more on its way

FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

SYDNEY Monday: Max 28 and showers Tuesday: Max 28 and showers developing Wednesday: Max 29 and showers Thursday: Max 23 and light showers Friday: Max 23 and light showers BRISBANE Monday: Max 29 and showers Tuesday: Max 29 and showers Wednesday: Max 30 and showers Thursday: Max 30 and showers Friday: Max 28 and showers CANBERRA Monday: Max 31 and possible showers Tuesday: Max 26 and showers Wednesday: Max 28 and showers Thursday: Max 21 and possible shower Friday: Max 23 and partly cloudy DARWIN Monday: Max 31 and possible thunderstorm Tuesday: Max 31 and possible thunderstorm Wednesday: Max 31 and possible thunderstorm Thursday: Max 32 and possible thunderstorm Friday: Max 32 and possible thunderstorm MELBOURNE Monday: Max 28 and possible thunderstorm Tuesday: Max 28 and thunderstorms Wednesday: Max 21 and showers easing Thursday: Max 24 and partly cloudy Friday: Max 26 and mostly sunny ADELAIDE Monday: Max 34 and possible showers Tuesday: Max 28 and showers Wednesday: Max 26 and sunny Thursday: Max 28 and sunny Friday: Max 29 and mostly cloudy PERTH Monday: Max 26 and mostly sunny Tuesday: Max 25 and possible thunderstorms Wednesday: Max 29 and possible thunderstorms Thursday: Max 26 and possible shower Friday: Max 26 and possible shower HOBART Monday: Max 21 and showers Tuesday: Max 20 and showers Wednesday: Max 19 and showers easing Thursday: Max 20 and partly cloudy Friday: Max 20 and partly cloudy Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Rain has fallen on 16 of 19 days in March so far, beating the monthly average of 14 wet weather days
The father of the suspected Islamist attacker gunned down at Paris Orly Airport insists his son 'was never a terrorist'.

The 39-year-old, named locally as career criminal Ziyed Ben Belgacem, was killed after wrestling a soldier's gun from her and fleeing into a McDonald's.

A terrorist enquiry has been launched into the death of Ben Belgacem, who was last released from prison in November.

But his father - whose first name has not been released - told Europe 1 radio station that Ben Belgacem was not a practicing Muslim, and had no links to terrorist groups.

The 39-year-old, named locally as career criminal Ziyed Ben Belgacem, was killed after wrestling a soldier's gun from her and fleeing into a McDonald's

A picture purported to show the man who was shot dead at Paris Orly airport this morning after snatching a soldier's gun

'My son was never a terrorist,' said the father. 'He never attended prayer. He drank. But under the effects of alcohol and cannabis, this is where one ends up.'

Mr Ben Belgacem said that on the day of his death his son 'called me at seven, eight in the morning and said, there you go, dad.

'He was extremely angry, even his mother couldn't understand him. He told me, "I ask for your forgiveness. I've screwed up with a gendarme".'

Today it emerged the Ben Belgacem originally launched attacks on a police traffic patrol and a packed bar with a pellet gun.

This meant that he was unable to kill or seriously wound anyone, forcing him to try and steal a soldier's assault rifle.

He was promptly gunned down in an airport terminal on Saturday morning, on the day that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were visiting the French capital.

The revelation follows claims by France's most senior intelligence chief that would-be jihadists are finding it increasingly difficult to find weapons, ammunition and other explosives.

The man opened fire on three police officers in Stains, in the north of Paris, at 6.55am. He fled in a Renault Clio, which was found in Vitry-sur-Seine, where a woman's car was stolen at gunpoint. He was shot dead after grabbing a soldier's gun at Orly airport at 8.30am

Patrick Calvar, who run the DGSI agency - France's equivalent of MI5 - told a parliamentary committee last month: 'Several incidents show us that the candidates for violent action are numerous but that they face logistical problems, especially in acquiring weapons.'

Ben Belgacem was thought to be high on drugs and alcohol when he first pointed the 9mm pellet gun at a policewoman who had stopped his Renault Clio in the northern suburbs of Paris.

Lead shot grazed her face, but she was not seriously hurt by a weapon that is at worst associated with eye injuries.

Ben Belgacem also sprayed shots around a bar before hijacking another car but - again - nobody was injured by the pellets.

The apartment block where Ben Belgacem lived is being searched by police after this morning's shooting

Travelers wait outside the Orly airport, south of Paris, which was evacuated this morning after a man was shot dead

It was only when he got to Orly - Paris's second major airport - soon after 8am on Saturday that Ben Belgacem tried to get a proper gun off a female soldier before two of her comrades shot him dead.

Today an autopsy will try to establish whether Ben Belgacem, a cocaine and cannabis user who had been seen drinking in a bar late of Saturday night, was high at the time of his death.

Ben Belgacem was meant to be reporting to police under bail conditions connected to an armed robbery, and there were fears he had been radicalised in jail.

The last major terrorist attack in France involving guns and explosives was in November 2015, when 130 people died and 368 were injured by Islamic State suicide operatives in Paris.

Since then arms dealers have proved increasingly reluctant to supply would-be terrorists, and there have also been clampdowns on the possession of guns by the French authorities.
President Donald Trump is promising the largest tax reduction in American history.

His proposed tax cut will rival the one Ronald Reagan introduced and passed his first year in office, 1981.

'It will be the biggest tax cut since Reagan and probably bigger than Reagan,' Trump told Fox News in a taped interview.

The White House now says it will send the plan to Congress in 'late spring to summer' after promising in late February that it would be ready in a 'couple weeks.'

President Donald Trump is promising the largest tax reduction in American history. 'It will be the biggest tax cut since Reagan and probably bigger than Reagan,' Trump told Fox News in a taped interview

Trump committed then to having it done 'sometime during the month of March, maybe mid-to-early March.'

'We'll be submitting something that I think people will be very impressed by,' he stated.

Trump took the Oval Office by storm, but Capitol Hill was slow to approve his Cabinet, leading to legislative delays. Bickering over Obamacare also complicated the calendar.

Press Secretary Sean Spicer told an Irish newspaper the administration is eyeing 'late spring to summer' for its overhaul

With the House due to take up the first of the GOP's bills to pick apart the previous health care law and rework it around conservative principles this Thursday, the White House has one eye on tax reform.

Press Secretary Sean Spicer told an Irish newspaper, 'We are going to have tax reform after we get healthcare completed.'

'I think we are looking at late spring to summer,' he told the Irish Independent newspaper this week during the visit of prime minister Enda Kenny.

Republicans hold 237 seats in the House and need 216 votes to send up the Obamacare replacement to the Senate. House Speaker Paul Ryan told Fox News on Sunday that he feels 'very good' about the legislation and expects it to pass.

'The president has become a great closer,' Ryan asserted.

Trump has been promising mammoth reforms to the nation's tax structure that he says will help corporations and low-to-middle income Americans.

He told Fox News' Jesse Watters in a Wednesday interview that aired on Saturday, 'We're going to get a big reduction, we're going to bring business down from 15% to 20% from 36% and 38% and higher in some instances.

'We are the highest taxed nation in the world. And we are going to bring taxes way down,' Trump said. 'And for middle income, we're also getting rid of brackets. We are going from 7 to 4 or 3 brackets. And that will be such a pleasure.'

Trump said Americans with limited income may pay nothing in taxes at all in the future.

'I would like to see zero if you dont make much. Like zero, and that's what it's going to be, it's going to be zero up to a level,' he said. 'Then it's going be 12.5%, 15%. It's going to be 10%.'

He said the plan has not been completed, telling Watters, 'We're working on the different numbers right now.'

But he declared: 'It will be the biggest tax cut since Reagan and probably bigger than Reagan.'

The Tax Foundation told Politico in September that the cuts Trump proposed on the campaign trail would lead to a larger than than the one imposed by Reagan in 1981, regarded as the most extensive in US history.
Philadelphia's largest Cinco de Mayo celebration will not be held this year because of federal immigration crackdowns.

El Carnaval de Puebla, which attracts as many as 15,000 people from as far away as Chicago, is normally held in late April or early May.

But this year the event's cancellation was deemed to be 'sad but responsible' following the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, organizer Edgar Ramirez told NBC Philadelphia.

El Carnaval de Puebla, pictured, is Philadelphia's largest Cinco de Mayo celebration and began in 2007. Organizers made the 'sad but responsible' decision not to hold it this year due to federal immigration crackdowns following the inauguration of Donald Trump

The event normally attracts as many as 15,000 people from as far away as Chicago, but this year will see no such festivities

Ramirez said the festival's six organizers unanimously decided to cancel the event.

He said: 'Everyone is offended by the actions of [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. They did not feel comfortable holding the event.'

The cancellation comes as ICE officials announced that 248 people in Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia were taken into federal custody and are due to be deported following two weeks of raids.

An ICE officer said that the government organization does not 'target aliens indiscriminately' but rather conducted 'targeted' actions.

Carnaval celebrates the May 5, 1862 victory of Mexican forces over the French at the Battle of Puebla.

Organizers hope to hold the celebration in coming years.

Last year, then-candidate and current president Donald Trump tweeted on May 5: 'The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!'

Donald Trump posted a photo to Twitter sitting in front of a taco bowl on May 5, or Cinco de Mayo, last year
Real Housewives of New Jersey star Kim DePaola has found herself in the center of a double murder investigation.

Two bodies were found in DePaola's burned out Audi in Paterson, New Jersey, on Friday.

The men, who have not yet been named by authorities, had been shot in the head and charred beyond recognition.

On Sunday, it was revealed that the Audi S Line is owned by DePaola who is best known as Kim D, the Bravo show's villainous recurring guest star.

Two bodies were found in a car owned by Real Housewives of New Jersey star Kim DePaola(left with co-star Teresa Giudice in 2013) on Friday. The vehicle belongs to her adult son Chris (right) who lent it to a friend while he was out of town

The vehicle belongs to her adult son Chris who lent it to friend Aaron Anderson last week while he was out of town, according to TMZ.

No one had heard from 27-year-old Anderson on Friday when fire fighters discovered the car ablaze on East 28th Street.

Police had to cut the roof off the vehicle to pull the bodies from inside, NBC New York reported.

Sources said they could not immediately identify the victims' gender or race because they were so badly burned.

Fire fighters had to cut through the roof of the Audi S Line to pull the bodies out. The car went up in flames almost immediately after witnesses heard two gunshots

The car was found ablaze in Paterson, New Jersey on Friday. Both victims were burned beyond recognition

DePaola is a recurring guest star on the Bravo show. She is seen above filming a 2009 episode with Jacqueline Laurita and Teresa Giudice

She is best known as Kim D and was vilified during the show's fourth season in 2011 (above) for implying co-star Melissa Gorga (far left) had once worked as a stripper

Witnesses told how they heard two gun shots before the car went up in flames.

Police in Paterson have not released the victims' identities. DePaola did not respond to requests on Sunday morning.

The boutique owner earned a reputation as one of the show's trouble makers after finding herself in the middle of more than one scandal concerning its main cast.

During the show's explosive Season 4 finale, she was blamed for suggesting co-star Melissa Gorga had once worked as a stripper.
Donald Trump's son Eric gave an update on his and his siblings' life since the inauguration during a Fox News interview that aired Sunday morning.

The president's second eldest son told anchor Maria Bartiromo at Trump Tower they were having 'a lot of fun' leading the Trump Organization.

He also slammed the recent leak of his father's 2005 tax return as being 'very third world', adding that the practice scared him personally.

Eric, 33, and his brother Donald Jr, 39, have been left to lead their father's company from Manhattan since the mogul moved to the White House.

Eric Trump gave an update on his and his siblings' life since their father's inauguration during a Fox News interview that aired Sunday morning (pictured)

The president's second eldest son told anchor Maria Bartiromo (right) at Trump Tower they were having 'a lot of fun' leading the Trump Organization

Eric also rejoiced that the leak of his father's 2005 tax return had showed that the mogul paid $38 million in taxes on more than $150 million worth of income that year, but slammed the anonymous source who released two pages of his 1040 form to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.

'It's really sad that we're in an environment where tax returns are leaked by whoever it may be. I mean, just think about it. Just think how dangerous that is, how third world that is of a practice to happen when personal information is being put out by people for political agendas. As a civilian it's actually scary to me.'

The 33-year-old businessman also told Bartiromo he misses having his father around at Trump Tower now that he and Donald Jr run the business.

Bartiromo (pictured during the interview) also asked Eric about the recent leak of his father's 2005 tax return. He called the process 'very third world'

He insisted they'd had 'amazing reactions' while doing business abroad, even in countries with a significant Muslim population, despite his father's immigration policies targeting travelers from Muslim-majority countries.

However the company has decided to stop picking up projects overseas, Eric announced.

'In light of politics, we've said "hey, listen, we're not going to expand anymore internationally. We're not going to do any new international projects." And that was a big piece of what we did,' he told Bartiromo.

Eric said he and his brother Donald Jr spent a lot of time together, sometimes joined by their sister Ivanka, who has moved to Washington, DC now that her husband Jared Kushner is a senior adviser at the White House.

'We have a lot of fun,' he said. 'We're always smiling. Don has five kids and they're always running up and down, so we have the new generation. We take our jobs very seriously, but as a family company we have a lot of fun.'
Tim Farron has challenged centrist Tory MPs to defect to the Lib Dems or resign their seats to help him fight a hard Brexit.

The Liberal Democrat leader said Mrs May had dragged the Tories to the right while Labour had collapsed on the left.

Mr Farron claimed the last four Prime Ministers - David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and Sir John Major - now had more in common with his party than their own.

In remarks that will anger No 10, he compared Theresa May's politics to those of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Marine Le Pen.

And he praised Labour MPs Jamie Reed and Tristram Hunt, and Tory Stephen Philips, for walking away from their parties in Parliament by quitting their seats.

Tim Farron, speaking in York today (pictured) has challenged centrist Tory MPs to defect to the Lib Dems or resign their seats to help him fight a hard Brexit

Addressing activists at his spring conference, Mr Farron said the Liberal Democrats could provide an 'army' to these 'generals' in other parties left behind by their leaders.

In remarks aimed at Remain-supporting Tories, Mr Farron said: 'We shared power with their party for five years, so I think I can say this to them bluntly You arent in that party any more. It has gone.

'You are now the supporters of a Government that is as anti-business as Jeremy Corbyn.

'You are now the cheerleaders of a government that is an anti-refugees as Nigel Farage.

'And you know its wrong, so for pitys sake, have some self-respect. Defect or resign.

'If you dont then when the next election comes we will do to you what we did to Zac Goldsmith.'

Mr Farron said Theresa May had chosen a 'hard Brexit' that involved quitting the single market.

And he warned the Tory Prime Minister it would lead to a loss of business support.

But he said it could all happen because Mrs May is unopposed by a dying Labour Party.

Mr Farron claimed the last four Prime Ministers - David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and Sir John Major - now had more in common with his party than their own

Mr Farron said: Im sure you all hear people saying this is a huge opportunity for a progressive party.

'Some of them might be hoping that the Labour Party will sort itself out. Ive got news for you, Labour are done.

'Some might be hoping for a new party to miraculously emerge. Well, where is it then?

'But they are not wrong. It is a huge opportunity for a progressive party. This party. All you generals without armies, here's your army.

'You want a vehicle. Get on board. You want a movement. Move. Stop waiting for something to happen. Join us and make something happen.'

Mr Farron was congratulated by his predecessor Nick Clegg following his speech at York's Barbican Centre (pictured)

In a controversial section of his speech, Mr Farron accused Mrs May of being obsessed by her Ukip 'flank'.

He said she was part of an 'ugly consensus' on the right of politics across the West and vowed to provide a 'real opposition'.

Defining his enemy, Mr Farron said: 'Nationalism. Authoritarianism. Protectionism. Reversing the progress we have made on human rights.

'No longer generous towards refugees or the poorest people around the world. Climate change indifference and denial.

'The politics of Trump. Of Putin. Of Le Pen. And now the politics of Her Majestys Government.'
House Speaker Paul Ryan said Sunday that he feels 'very good' about the GOP healthcare bill.

'I feel like, It's exactly where we want to be. And the reason I feel so good about this is because the president's become a great closer,' Ryan said of the legislation that needs 216 GOP votes to advance.

Republican leaders plan to bring the healthcare bill to a vote on the House of Representatives floor on Thursday.

Speaking on the Fox News Sunday television program, Ryan said they were working to address concerns that had been raised by rank-and-file Republicans to the legislation.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said Sunday that he feels 'very good' about the GOP health care bill. 'I feel like, It's exactly where we want to be. And the reason I feel so good about this is because the president's become a great closer'

The GOP is overhauling the bill to provide more generous tax credits for older Americans and to add a work requirement for the Medicaid program for the poor, Ryan said Sunday.

'We think we should be offering even more assistance than the bill currently does,' for lower-income people age 50 to 64, Ryan said of the tax credits for health insurance that are proposed in the legislation.

Ryan also said Republicans are working on changes that would allow federal block grants to states for Medicaid.

Even as Ryan said he felt confident about the health bill's prospects in the House, a leading conservative lawmaker told the C-Span 'Newsmakers' program that there were currently 40 Republican 'no' votes in the House.

Republicans hold a majority in the chamber but cannot afford to have over 21 defections for the measure to pass.

Representative Mark Meadows, the chairman of the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus, said the bill would 'absolutely not' pass the way it is now.

Meadows, a North Carolina Republican, also said the changes being considered for the Medicaid program would not go far enough, if they left it up to states to decide whether to put in place a work requirement.

An optional work requirement for Medicaid would be 'a step backwards, not a step forwards,' Meadows said in an appearance on C-Span's 'Newsmakers.'

If the healthcare bill were to pass the House, it also would face significant challenges in the Senate.

Senator Tom Cotton, a conservative Arkansas Republican who has been a critic of the legislation, said that the problem with the legislation was that it would not reduce premiums for people on the private insurance market.

Lawmakers need to slow down and solve this problem, he said.

'Its fixable, but its going to take a lot of work,' Cotton said on CNNs 'State of the Union.'

CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION: Even as Ryan said he felt confident about the health bill's prospects in the House, a leading conservative lawmaker told the C-Span 'Newsmakers' program that there were currently 40 Republican 'no' votes in the House

Moderate Republicans have also expressed concerns about the bill.

Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said she was concerned about a report from the Congressional Budget Office that said 14 million people would lose health coverage under the House bill over the next year and 24 million over the next decade.

Collins also said she could not vote for the bill if it 'disproportionately affects older, rural Americans.'

Along with Collins, Sens. Mike Lee, Dean Heller, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul have said they will not vote for the bill the way it it currently written. The GOP can only afford to lose one of them.

'The number one issue is premiums. Premiums, premiums, premiums,' Cruz told CBS' John Dickerson Sunday.

The Texas Republican said Sunday on Face the Nation, 'The only way to drive down premiums is we need to repeal the insurance mandates. There are 12 insurance mandates that are in Obamacare. The House bill only touches two of them. We need to repeal those mandates to drive down costs.

'We need to allow purchases across state lines. We need to allow association health plans. And we need to allow people to pay premiums from health savings accounts.'

NO VOTES: Senators Susan Collins, Mike Lee, Dean Heller, Ted Cruz (left) and Rand Paul (right) have all said they will not vote for the bill the way it it currently written. The GOP can only afford to lose one of them

Dickerson asked Cruz if he would vote for the bill if it doesn't include those reforms, to which the senator said, 'I cannot vote for any bill that keeps premiums rising.'

Ryan has said Republicans face a 'binary choice' as he tries to sell them on the deal.

'When we bring this to a vote, either were going to keep the Obamacare status quothe law is collapsing, five states have one plan left, over a third of the counties in America have only one insurer left, some are already pulling out. Massive premium increases in the futurea collapsing law.

'Or, we replace it with patient-centered health care that works. Where we give people more freedom. Where we let the states go back to running their health insurance markets,' he said Sunday. 'That is what we ran on. This is the plan we ran on all last year.'

Appearing on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Paul, a Kentucky Republican, disputed that claim.

'We as conservatives ran on repeal of Obamacare...We never ran on a replacement of Obamacare Lite. We never ran on making the entitlement subsidies permanent,' he said. 'We never ran on an individual mandate or keeping the taxes or keeping the Medicaid expansion.

'We didn't run on that, and so they're really flat-out false in telling us, "oh, you guys ran on this plan." None of us ran on this plan. We ran on repealing Obamacare because it doesn't work.'
House Intelligence chief Devin Nunes says the FBI provided no evidence on Friday of a warrant to wiretap Trump Tower.

The only electronic surveillance his committee knows of, Nunes said, was the monitoring of calls between former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and the Russian ambassador to the United States.

'There was no FISA warrant that I'm aware of to tap Trump Tower,' the California Republican stated on Fox News Sunday.'

He also said: "Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, there never was. The information we received Friday continues to lead us in that direction."

Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the panel, accused Trump of leading Congress on a 'wild goose chase' in a competing interview on NBC's Meet the Press.

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House Intelligence chief Devin Nunes says the FBI provided no evidence on Friday of a warrant to wiretap Trump Tower (left). Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the panel, accused Trump of leading Congress on a 'wild goose chase' in a competing interview on NBC's Meet the Press (right)

The Justice Department complied on Friday with a demand from the committee to turn over evidence relating to Trump's claims that Barack Obama wiretapped him. It sent copies of the materials to a companion committee in the Senate, as well.

Schiff says he received a classified briefing on the documents Friday after most lawmakers had left town.

'Once again, no evidence to support the President's claim that he was wiretapped by his predecessor,' he said.

Making reference to a colleague's claim that legislative bodies need to 'get to the bottom' of Trump's allegations, Schiff said: 'We are at the bottom of this.'

'There is nothing at the bottom,' he added.

Nunes, commenting on the wiretapping allegation on Fox, said, 'If you take the president literally, it didn't happen.'

'Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, but there never was, and the information we got on Friday continues to lead us in that direction.'

FBI Director James Comey will have to testify on the matter tomorrow in front of the House Intelligence Committee during a hearing on Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Will Hurd, a Republican on the panel, said in a Sunday morning appearance that he believes it's time for Trump to apologize for the incredible assault on the former president.

'It never hurts to say you're sorry,' Hurd, a former undercover CIA operative, told ABC's George Stephanopoulos. 'It's not just sorry to the president, but also to the U.K. for the claims or the intimation that the U.K. was involved in this, as well.'

FBI Director James Comey will have to testify on the matter tomorrow in front of the House Intelligence Committee during a hearing on Russian meddling in the 2016 election

The US government has not backed up President Trump's claim that Obama ordered intelligence agencies to spy on him during the 2016 election. Trump is seen arriving in Palm Beach on Friday ahead of another weekend at the 'Winter White House'

Trump's White House on Thursday brought British intelligence into the saga when it referred to a report on Fox & Friends that claimed Obama had the GCHQ spy on Trump for him.

The British government immediately slapped down the claim, made by Fox's Judge Andrew Napolitano.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer nevertheless repeated it as he read off a list of news reports on Thursday that purportedly supported the president's claim that Obama spied on him.

TIME TO APOLOGIZE? Republican Rep. Will Hurd says Trump needs to tell Barack Obama he's sorry for claiming that he spied on him

Spicer told a reporter in the same briefing that he was not accusing the British of bad behavior.

'All were doing is literally reading off what other stations and people have reported,' he said, 'and I think that casts into concern some of the activities that may have occurred during the 16 election.'

Britain's spy service shredded the charge.

A GCHQ spokesperson said the claims were 'nonsense.'

'They are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored,' press officer said in a statement.

Spicer reportedly issued an apology to the British ambassador to the United States, although the White House says he merely restated his position during a call.

Trump was unapologetic when he was asked about the international incident by a German reporter during a news conference on Friday afternoon at the White House.

'We said nothing. All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television. I didnt make an opinion on it,' Trump said. 'That was a statement made by a very talented lawyer on Fox. And so you shouldnt be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox, okay?'

In an awkward moment, Trump extended a hand to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was standing at a podium to his right, and said, 'at least we have something in common, perhaps.'

Merkel is known to have been a subject of Obama administration wiretapping. The embarrassing information was disclosed in leaked US documents by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Trump's comment Friday had some attendees of the televised event gasping and others laughing as a visibly affected Merkel squinted and turned her gaze down.

Reacting to the incident this morning, Trump's Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told Chuck Todd on Meet the Press that the president's remark 'was sort of tongue in cheek.'

Schiff said on the same program that he believes Comey will end speculation about the alleged tapping of Trump in his testimony on Monday.

'I expect that he will. And I hope that we can put an end to this wild goose chase because what the president said was just patently false,' the California Democrat said. 'And the wrecking ball it created now has banged into our British allies and our German allies, it's continuing to grow in terms of damage, and he needs to put an end to this.'

On Face the Nation House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, another member of the House Intelligence Committee, blasted Trump was the 'Deflector-in Chief' because 'hell come up with anything to change the subject from something thats not going well for him.'

Pelosi agreed that Comey should address the allegation at the hearing tomorrow.

'If he doesnt, I think that he should be asked to do so, and why wouldnt he?' she asked.

Schiff (left) said he believes Comey will end speculation about the alleged tapping of Trump in his testimony on Monday. He and Nunes are pictured at a news conference last week on Capitol Hill

Trump's sole defender in the legislature on Sunday was Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.

'I think it would be quite good for the administration to put forward what evidence there is,' the Texas lawmaker said on Face the Nation. 'I will point out this is not necessarily as outlandish as everyone in the press suggest.'

Cruz, a rival of Trump's in the GOP primary for president last year, argued that the 'Obama administration targeted their political enemies.'

'We do know that the IRS for example, targeted citizens' groups who spoke out in defense of the Constitution, who spoke out against Obama,' he said. 'And so the notion is not necessarily outlandish, but it's serious. So it needs to be based on facts.'

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union that he has not seen any intelligence that would indicate that the spying happened, however.

'Not that I have seen, and not that I'm aware of,' he told host Jake Tapper.

Cotton is a Republican serving on Senate Intelligence.

'Like the House committee, the Senate Intelligence Committee will review the specific claim,' he said. 'But I do think it's important that we look at the broader context here.

'As you said, the House committee hearing tomorrow is going to be in part about the unsubstantiated allegations in the media and by some Democrats of collusion between Trump associates and Russian intelligence.'

UNLIKELY ALLY: Trump's sole defender in the legislature on Sunday was Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. The Texas lawmaker said on Face the Nation, 'I will point out this is not necessarily as outlandish as everyone in the press suggest'

Cotton noted that Obama's director of national intelligence, James Clapper, said he'd seen no evidence of a connection between the Trump campaign and the Russians.

Schiff made reference to the same Clapper claim on Meet the Press and said that he was surprised the former DNI said that because 'I don't think you can make that claim categorically, as he did.

'I would characterize it this way, at the outset of the investigation, there was circumstantial evidence of collusion. There was direct evidence, I think, of deception,' he said.

The Democrat said investigation will not necessarially lead to a grand jury or criminal indictment. 'But there was certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation.'

At tomorrow's hearing, Schiff said Comey will likely be limited in what he can share publicly on that topic.

'But there's a lot he can tell us about the Russian motivations for their intervention in our election, how the Russians operate in Europe, what techniques they use and what we should be on the lookout for in our investigation in Europe and other places,' he said. 'The full range of Russian intervention and what that looks like.'

As far as an election conspiracy between Trump operatives and the Russians goes, Nunes said he had seen 'no evidence' of that.

'Up to speed on everything I have up to this morning, no evidence of collusion,' he said.

Nunes said he his hoping to find out if anyone other than Flynn was swept up in government spying on Russian officials like Sergey Kislyak.

Flynn's conversations with the Russian ambassador were picked up by the FBI in routine surveillance, information that was then leaked to the press.

'The one crime that we know that's been committed is that one - the leaking of someone's name through the FISA system. That is a crime that has been committed,' Nunes told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday.

Nunes believes government workers who were loyal to and left with or shortly after Obama did the leaking.

'I think that's pretty clear. It's pretty clear that that's happening. There's even been stories written about it in numerous newspapers talking about how they said they left breadcrumbs around to hurt the Trump administration,' he said.

Appearing on ABC's This Week Sen. Rand Paul offered the Trump administration some friendly advice about how to handle suspected leakers - haul them in and give them lie detector tests.

'We know one thing for sure, that the Obama administration did spy on Flynn...It is very, very important that whoever released that go to jail, because you cannot have members of the intelligence community listening to the most private and highly classified information and then releasing that to The New York Times,' Paul said.

'There can only be a certain handful of people who did that. I would bring them all in. They would have to take lie detector tests.'
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Devoted Buddhists entered feverish trances as they recharged the 'magical protection' of their sacred tattoos last week in Thailand.

They were taking part in a spiritual festival, held every March, where monks tattoo thousands of pilgrims at Wat Bang Phra, a large Buddhist temple near Bangkok.

The body art is believed to contain supernatural powers that ward off bad luck and protect wearers from harm.

But the tattoos must be redrawn every year to maintain their magic.

Many pilgrims at the festival found themselves overcome by the power of the ink and entered a trance known as Khong Khuen - magical force rising.

They became possessed and took on the characteristics of their tattoos. Some sprinted through crowds of cross-legged believers in attempts to storm the temple's stage, only to be met by a wall of guards who held them back.

Photographer Claudio Sieber, 34, said: 'Some scenes reminded me of zombie movies like Dawn of the Dead, especially when they start crawling on the ground or running towards you. As the believers start to get possessed their eyes start to see through you, the devilish laughs making it even more dramatic.'

Dozens of paramedics were on hand at the festival to help pull the devotees out of their trance by hugging them and rubbing their ears until they returned to reality.

When it all came to a close, the monks led a prayer before the masses rushed the stage to get a blast of holy water from a high-powered hose.

A man covered in tattoos and overcome with possession prepares to charge the stage at the temple

A man collapses into waiting arms as his trance comes to an end

The pictures were taken by nomad photographer Claudio Sieber

A monk carefully pokes a tattoo as two assisting monks hold the man's skin in place

A man bows his head in silent prayer during the feverish festivities

Thousands of devout Buddhists attend the Spiritual Festival at Wat Bang Phra, near Bangkok, every March

Those who try to storm the stage are held back by a wall of temple guards and soldiers

A man is held by a paramedic, who rubs the devotees ears to pull him out of his possessed state

Some pilgrims are overcome by the power of the ink and enter a trance called Khong Khuen

A monk carefully pokes a visitor's tattoo as assistants hold him in place

The intircate Thai tattoos - called San Yant - provide different protections to their wearer

A man is calmed by an onlooker after his possession abates

A man crawling on the floor yells out as he is overcome by the power of the festival

Monks spray the crowd with holy water from a high-powered hose to conclude the festivities

A possessed man crawls toward the stage. Mr Sieber said the scenes were reminiscent of zombie films
Before the days of the electric chair and lethal injection, New York lawmakers thought long and hard about how best to do away with doomed prisoners.

In 1887, after a handful of hanging mishaps, they funneled their efforts in to a report titled The Commission to Investigate and Report the Most Humane and Practical Method of Carrying into Effect the Sentence of Death in Capital Cases.

The document colloquially became known as the Gerry Report or Commission after one of its authors, Elbridge Gerry.

It listed 34 different methods of execution used around the world and compared them painstakingly.

In 1887, a group of lawmakers were tasked with studying alternative methods of execution after a spate of unsuccessful hangings. They considered beheading and looked to France for inspiration. An illustration of King Louis XVI's 1793 execution is shown above

THE GERRY REPORT'S 34 METHODS OF EXECUTION Auto da fe Beheading Flaying Blowing from a cannon Boiling Burning Burying alive Breaking on the wheel Crucifixion Decimation Cutting in half Dismemberment Drowning Wild beasts Beating with clubs Flogging Hanging Impalement Iron Maiden Poisoning Rack Shooting Stabbing Strangling Stoning Suffocation Pressing to death Crushing Guillotine Strangle with a chord Harikari (enforced suicide by sword) Throwing from a cliff Running the gauntlet Pounding in a mortar Advertisement

Stabbing, stoning, drowning, boiling, dismembering and even shooting prisoners out of a cannon were all considered.

The report was seen by Popular Mechanics and published in part on Sunday.

It was written by Gerry along with Matthew Hale and Alfred Southwick in response to a spate of disastrous hangings which prompted the public to deem it an uncivilized way to execute prisoners.

Men had been accidentally decapitated or left to slowly choke as a result of poor planning, shoddy ropes and ill-calculated rope length.

The report's authors turned to other nations for inspiration.

They compared how beheadings were carried out in Japan, England and France and even looked back to the Middle Ages for other ideas.

Iron Maidens were among the techniques they studied. The metal sarcophagi were used in Medieval times to kill victims with nails or spikes on in the inside of the door which impaled them once closed.

Poisoning, pressing to death, impalement, cutting a person in half and taking all of their limbs apart one by one were also looked at but ruled out.

The report was in response to a spate of unsuccessful hangings in New York which the public deemed inhumane. Hanging continued to be used as an execution method for decades in other states and is still legal in New Hampshire and Washington

The Guillotine was included in the list as was the Iron Maiden, a medieval death device which resembled a sarcophagus but had spikes on the interior of its door to impale the victim once closed

The electric chair was the suggested solution. The first inmate to be subjected to it was William Kremmler in 1890. Above, an 1888 illustration of how it might work

Elbridge Gerry (left) and Alfred Southwick (right) wrote the report which became known as the Gerry Commission

Eventually, the authors concluded that despite the set-backs, hanging was still the most humane form of ending another's life.

In 1890, the first electrocution took place. William Kemmler, a murderer who killed his girlfriend with an axe, was the first death row prisoner to be subjected to it.

He was executed at Auburn Prison in New York.

Southwick, one of the report's authors who was a dentist, suggested electrocution as a humane form of execution years earlier after watching a drunk accidentally kill himself when he touched an electricity generator in Buffalo.

Old Spark was the name given to the model of chair used to conduct hundreds of executions across America in the mid 20th Century

The chair was used as the primary form of capital punishment in most states for decades until it too attracted controversy.

It can still be used in rare circumstances in eight states if chosen by the inmate or if the lethal injection, the preferred method, is not available.

Prison gas chambers also became popular in the early 1920s until they too became outlawed in many states as inhumane.

It is still used in four states if the prisoner chooses it over the lethal injection and if they were sentenced before the lethal injection became the primary method in that state. They are Arizona, California, Missouri and Wyoming.

Death by firing squad is still legal in Utah and hangings can still take place in New Hampshire and Washington.
The Drager 5000, pictured, uses saliva samples via mouth swabs to determine the presence of any of seven drugs in an individual's system

San Diego authorities are testing out a device used to assess whether someone is driving under the influence of drugs.

Police officers debuted two 'Drager 5000' devices, which use saliva samples to determine whether an individual is under the influence of any of seven drugs, on Friday, CBS 8 reported.

The contraption, which receives samples via mouth swabs administered by police, can detect amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, opiates and prescription drugs.

The devices, which cost around $6,000, are not able to detect how much of a drug is in an individual's system, the San Diego Union Tribune reported.

A blood test - which, unlike the Drager 5000, officers are allowed to force people to do - is able to determine that amount.

San Diego became the latest place and second California city to pilot the device on Friday. The contraption is able to detect amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, opiates and prescription drugs. Pictured: A test demonstration showing an individual using the machine

It is not clear whether anyone was arrested in San Diego on Friday night, Saint Patrick's Day, due to the use of the devices.

The tests follow the passing of November's Proposition 64, or the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which legalized certain aspects of marijuana usage.

San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said: 'It's a huge concern of ours with the legalization of marijuana that we're going to see an increase in impaired drugged driving.'

The Drager 5000 has been around in the US since 2009 and is currently used in states such as New York and Arizona and countries including Australia and Germany.

San Diego is the second California city after Los Angeles to utilize the device.

The tool looks for the active delta-9 THC compound, which can stay in the system for hours following marijuana use, to determine the presence of marijuana in a person's body.

As it is only able to detect certain drugs and cannot determine how much of a drug is in a person's system, experts say blood tests are still necessary to determine if someone was driving while on drugs.
A turf war between 'New York' moderates and hardliner populists is brewing in the Trump administration, a new report claims.

A faction of pro-business pragmatists led by Goldman Sachs alums Gary Cohn and Dina Powell is gaining influence with the President, to the consternation of populist Steve Bannon and his newfound ally Reince Priebus, the Washington Post claimed Saturday, citing interviews with 18 senior White House officials and confidantes.

National Economic Council director Cohn, a registered Democrat, and deputy National Security Advisor Powell, a senior White House staffer under George W. Bush, are said to have the ear of Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, arguably Trump's most trusted advisor.

Perhaps sensing a threat to the nationalist agenda on immigration and trade that he helped Trump champion during the campaign, Senior Advisor Bannon has supposedly forged a closer alliance with Chief-of-Staff Priebus to counter the influence of the 'New Yorkers,' who are derided as 'the Democrats' in some White House circles.

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Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, and Dina Powell, deputy National Security Advisor, are said to be gaining influence in the Trump administration, heading a 'New York' faction of advisors opposed to Steve Bannon's nationalist hardliners

Trump Senior Advisor Steve Bannon (left) and Chief-of-Staff Reince Priebus (center) are said to have forged a closer alliance with each other to counter the New York moderates

The factions headed by Cohn/Powell and Bannon/Priebus are supposedly vying for influence with President Trump, who has a history of pitting subordinates against one another

Bannon and Priebus were reportedly at odds early on in the Trump administration, and their alliance would marry Bannon's populist message of economic nationalism with Priebus' establishment-GOP ties.

'We have an incredible team that is talented, unified and focused on advancing the presidents bold agenda,' Priebus said in a statement to the Post. 'The greatness of this team comes from the unique strengths each member brings to this administration.'

Priebus, who controls the President's schedule, recently butted heads with the New York camp over access, eventually relenting in allowing other senior advisors input on who meets with Trump, the Post reports.

'It would be interesting to see to what degree the New York liberals change Trump and to what degree Trump changes the New York liberals,' former House speaker Newt Gingrich told the Post.

'Trump's intention is to be Trump,' said Gingrich, who has an informal advisory role with Trump. 'Being tough on trade. Recentering the country on American nationalism. Taking on illegal immigration. Strengthening our military. Decentralizing the system. Radical reduction in regulations.'

The New York faction supposedly lost a scheduling battle on Wednesday, when Trump was weighing whether to join daughter Ivanka and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a Broadway play in Manhattan, or visit the grave of seventh president Andrew Jackson in Nashville, Tennessee.

'The greatness of this team comes from the unique strengths each member brings to this administration,' Priebus said in a statement.

Bannon champions a nationalist economic agenda and hard line on immigration (file)

Trump spurned the advice of New York-linked aides to join Ivanka on Broadway, saying 'Absolutely not,' aides told the Post, opting instead to pay homage to Jackson's nationalist legacy.

Yet Cohn has been making inroads with his pro-trade agenda in favor of globalization, overpowering Bannon loyalist Peter Navarro in a meeting earlier this month, according to the Financial Times.

And Powell has been gaining prominence, after Trump this week named her deputy national security adviser for strategy in addition to her prior post as senior counselor for economic initiatives.

On Friday, Powell sat only two seats from Trump at a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, with only Vice President Mike Pence between Powell and the President.

On Friday, Powell (second from left) sat only two seats from Trump at a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, with only Vice President Mike Pence between her and the President

In both the Trump Organization and his reality TV series The Apprentice, Trump is well known for pitting subordinates against each other, suggesting that internal conflict will be a regular feature of his administration.

'We chose to hire a lot of alphas,' one top advisor told the Post.

'People in politics are insecure and will either adapt to the fact that this is an entrepreneurial White House and survive, or they won't. The cream will rise and the s**t will sink.'
Angelina Jolie with Cambodian aid worker Mounh Sarath who facilitated the adoption of Maddox

The documentation Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie used to adopt her eldest son contained false information, a Cambodian aid worker has claimed.

Mounh Sarath, 51, wrote that he was the father of Maddox Jolie-Pitt on the boy's adoption papers in order to speed up the process of passing him into Jolie's care in 2003.

He also claims he provided a local address on the papers and still has power of attorney over the 15-year-old, who Jolie took back to the United States.

He said: 'In court documents, Maddox is still my son. She never cleared this up.

'She had to change his name, so the only way was for me to do it. I said he's my son.

Sarath added that he has now fallen out with the 41-year-old star.

He told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: 'I would be happy if Cambodia didn't see her again.'

He showed The Sun on Sunday the document filed with a court in Battambong province in August 2003 which confirms the court considered him the father.

Despite the claims there is no implication that Jolie nor her then husband, Billy Bob Thornton, who adopted Maddox too, knew that Sarath did this.

At the time of Maddox's adoption, the US had imposed tougher restrictions on adopting children from Cambodia due to trafficking fears.

Maddox, 15, with his adoptive parents Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, who gained custody of him in 2006, three years after Jolie

The claim from Sarath is the latest controversy regarding the adoption of Maddox.

Adoption agent Lauryn Galindo was jailed for falsifying names, birth dates and places of birth of Cambodian children she helped to place with US families soon after Jolie and Billy Bob took full custody of Maddox.

However at the time Jolie insisted she went to 'great lengths to ensure Maddox did not have a living birth-mother in Cambodia' and that she would 'never rob a mother of her child.'

Jolie has six children with ex-husband Brad Pitt including three international adoptees

The actress recently directed First They Killed My Father, a movie about the 1975 to 1979 genocide of 1.7 million Cambodians during communist dictator Pol Pot's regime.

Most died from either starvation, disease or were killed in mass executions, and Jolie admitted making the film had made her better understand her son's country of birth.

She said: 'This country means a great deal to me, this country has been through so much. This war affected every single individual here, and I wanted to understand myself.

'I don't know much of Maddox's birth parents, but I believe they would have gone through this war.'

Jolie, who was given Cambodian citizenship in 2005, has six children with ex-husband Brad Pitt including three international adoptees.

Along with Maddox they adopted Pax Thien from Vietman, Zahara from Ethiopia and Shiloh who originally hails from Namibia. They also have biological twins; eight-year old Knox and Vivienne.
Hassan Aden, pictured, formerly served as Greenville, NC's police chief and is currently a law enforcement consultant. He was detained at JFK airport for 90 minutes

A former North Carolina police chief said he is disappointed with his country of 42 years after he was detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday.

Hassan Aden of Alexandria, Virginia, said he was detained at the New York City airport on March 13 for 90 minutes upon his return from Paris.

Aden, who now works as a law enforcement consultant but formerly served as Greenville, North Carolina's Police Chief, said a customs officer took him into a room and told him that his name 'was used as an alias by someone on some watch list.'

The 52-year-old consultant was travelling home from his mother's 80th birthday, WNCT 9 reported.

On return from Paris, where he celebrated mother's 80th birthday, he was detained because his name 'was used as an alias by someone on some watch list,' customs officials said. He said that he was 'profiled' and that 'no one is safe from this type of unlawful government intrusion'

Aden, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen at the age of 10 when he was an Italian citizen, described his experience in a Facebook post.

Listing his law enforcement and government service credentials, he wrote: 'If this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone with attributes that can be "profiled."

'No one is safe from this type of unlawful government intrusion.'

He added: 'This experience has left me feeling vulnerable and unsure of the future of a country that was once great and that I proudly called my own.

'This experience makes me question if this is indeed home.

'My freedoms were restricted, and I cannot be sure it won't happen again, and that it won't happen to my family, my children, the next time we travel abroad.'

Aden said that while he supports the officers of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, he also believes his 90-minute detention was unreasonable.

Customs and Border Patrol officials didn't immediately comment.
Howard Schultz, the current CEO of Starbucks, is weeks away from stepping down from his role at the giant coffee chain next month.

The move was announced in December 2016, and Schultz will remain at the company as executive chairman. Kevin Johnson, Starbucks' chief operating officer, will take on the role as CEO on April 3, 2017.

Earlier this year, Schultz made a vow to hire thousands refugees in response to President Donald Trump's first travel ban. Trump supporters have called for a boycott of the chain since January 29, when Schultz vowed to hire 10,000 refugees over five years.

Afterwards, consumer perception levels took a hit as measured by YouGov BrandIndex's Buzz score, falling by two-thirds between January 29 and February 13.

Howard Schultz will step down as Starbucks CEO on April 3, as announced in December of last year

In the announcement that he was stepping down, Schultz said he 'will shift his focus to innovation, design and development of Starbucks Reserve Roasteries around the world, expansion of the Starbucks Reserve retail store format and the company's social impact initiatives' and 'focus on Starbucks next wave of retail innovation.'

Schultz has always been vocal about the need for greater sensitivity in balancing profit margins while advancing socio-economic conscientiousness.

He was also a public Clinton supporter and prominent Democrat, and even considered as a running mate for the Democratic nominee at one point.

Schultz in a letter to employees said the promise of the American Dream was 'being called into question' and that 'the civility and human rights we have all taken for granted for so long are under attack.'

The YouGov consumer survery also noted that the data around this boycott is different because both the measures of consumers' sentiment towards companies and their willingness to purchase from those brands are declining.

At the time, analysts at Credit Suisse said the coffee giant's move had a negative impact on recent sales, but Starbucks vehemently disputed this and issued their own statement on March 10 to that effect..

Matt Ryan, chief strategy officer for Starbucks, said in a statement: 'Over the past week, there has been misinformation widely disseminated in the market about our brand, and stakeholders need the facts.

'The following note came from the president of Kantar Millward Brown  our long-term partner in providing brand and consumer equity research  clarifying current Starbucks brand perception. Reports suggesting anything other than this should be viewed skeptically and do not reflect the customer satisfaction and perception trends we are seeing so far in 2017.'

'In fact, in February 2017after the announcementwe did not observe any substantive impact on Customer Consideration, Future Visitation Intent or Brand Perceptions or any other key performance metrics for the Starbucks brand.'

Immediately Consumer perception levels took a hit as measured by YouGov BrandIndex's Buzz score, falling by two-thirds between January 29 and February 13

Schultz, with an estimated net worth of $3.1billion, will remain at Starbucks as executive chairman and will focus on strengthening the company's high-end coffee shops.

Schultz will be replaced as CEO by Kevin Johnson, Starbucks' chief operating officer, on April 3, 2017, The Seattle Times reported.

The self-made billionaire bought and turned the Seattle-based business from a fledgling company with four stores to a massive chain with 25,000 franchises worldwide.

The 63-year-old will remain at the Seattle-based company as executive chairman, focusing on building up Starbucks' high-end coffee shops

Starbucks is estimated to be worth $85billion, according to Forbes. Its share price has taken a hit since Schultz's refugee comments, but has risen in the past week to 55.78 USD.

Prior to the comments, 30 per cent of consumers said they would consider buying from Starbucks next time they made a coffee purchase. However, now that number fell to 26 per cent, according to a YouGov spokesman.

'Consumer perception dropped almost immediately,' said YouGov BrandIndex CEO Ted Marzilli, who added that the statistically significant drop in purchase consideration data showed that consumers became less keen to buy from Starbucks.

Schultz will be replaced by Kevin Johnson (pictured), Starbucks' chief operating officer, who will be become the CEO effective after Schultz's departure

'That would indicate the announcement has had a negative impact on Starbucks, and might indicate a negative impact on sales in the near term,' he said.

'We're not just here to raise the stock price,' he told Forbes in March of 2016. 'What can we do to use our strength for social good?'

As CEO, he offered to subsidize tuition for baristas looking to get their degrees online. He also spearheaded the move to place Starbucks franchises on military bases in order as a way to provide jobs for veterans and soldiers' spouses.

During the recent election campaign, speculation was rampant that Schultz was considered as a possible running mate on the Democratic ticket.

Schultz, who said he was a 'lifelong' Democrat, wrongly predicted that Clinton would take the White House.

On the morning after the election, Schultz penned a note to his employees saying he was 'stunned' by Donald Trump's victory.

'We cannot know what the precise impact will be on our country and the rest of the world,' Schultz wrote.

'I am hopeful that we will overcome the vitriol and division of this unprecedented election season.'

Starbucks is estimated to be worth $85billion and Schultz has an estimated net worth of $3.1billion, according to Forbes

He 'is definitely being pursued' as a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, The Seattle Times reported.

Among other things, boycott supporters are urging like-minded friends to support Starbucks rival Dunkin' Donuts . Representatives from Dunkin' Donuts declined to comment on the surveys and the boycott's impact on sales.

The consumer sentiment data comes at a sensitive time for Starbucks, which reported an accelerated decline in traffic to established U.S. restaurants during the latest quarter.

Starbucks executives pinned much of the blame for its traffic setback on a pileup of mobile orders, which caused bottlenecks at drink pickup stations that thwarted walk-in customers.
Jarqueese O'Brian Henigan robbed a 24-year-old woman and sexually assaulted her, police said

A 31-year-old man has been charged for sexually assaulting a woman and forcing her into the trunk of a car, which he drove nearly 20 miles before crashing into a tree.

Jarqueese O'Brian Henigan robbed a 24-year-old woman and sexually assaulted her in Chicago, Illinois on March 9, police said.

Henigan has been charged with several felonies, including kidnapping, vehicular hijacking, and aggravated criminal assault.

Henigan approached the woman with a gun while she was leaving a garage in the 3700 block of North Fremont Street around 8.20pm, police said.

The woman handed over her belongings before Henigan sexually assaulted her, police said.

He then forced her into the trunk of her Mazda and drove off, stopping at several ATMs and tried to withdraw cash, police said.

Henigan crashed the car into a tree in the 11500 block of South Throop Street, about 22 miles south of the garage, police said.

He then forced her into the trunk of her Mazda and drove more than 20 miles before he crashed into a tree (pictured)

Henigan fled and the woman managed to escape from the trunk before she was taken to the hospital

Henigan fled and the woman managed to escape from the trunk before she was taken to the hospital.

He has been charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault, kidnapping, vehicular hijacking, possession of a controlled substance, armed robbery and being an armed 'habitual criminal.'

There was also a warrant out for his arrest for resisting a peace officer. Henigan is due to appear in court on Sunday.
A man has been stabbed as he was pushing children on a swing at a playground today.

The victim, aged in his mid-20s, was attacked at a park in Southwark, south London, at around 1.20pm this afternoon while he was with two children at a set of swings.

Shocked witnesses said a pair of youths set upon the man with a knife and that he staggered to a pub where he was given first aid.

A man was stabbed today at a playground in Southwark, pictured, as he was 'pushing children on a swing'

According to the Evening Standard, the London Air Ambulance was called to The Cut bar in Southwark where the man was treated for his injuries.

It is understood he is in a stable condition in hospital.

A spokesman for the Met Police said: 'Police were called at approximately 1.20pm to reports of a man assaulted on The Cut, SE1.

'Officers, the London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance attended.

The London Air Ambulance attended the scene and treated the victim for his wounds (file picture)

'A man, believed to be aged in his mid-20s, was found suffering from a stab injury. He was taken to a south London hospital where he remains in a stable condition; his injuries are not believed to life-threatening.

'At this early stage of the investigation, it is believed that the man was assaulted in Nelson Square.

'There have been no arrests and inquiries continue.'
A mother went into labour just hours after her wedding and lost her premature baby four days later.

Victoria Holland, 28, from Oldbury, West Midlands, was 27 weeks pregant when she got married to HGV driver Thomas.

She had been feeling achy and tired the day before the ceremony and she went into labour five minutes after arriving at the hospital.

Victoria Holland, 28, from Oldbury, West Midlands was 27 weeks pregnant when she married HGV driver Thomas. She went into labour after the ceremony and lost her first child. Pictured with Reuben, six months

She said: 'It all happened really quickly.

'I'd called the hospital and they thought it was probably a water infection.

'I couldn't believe it when I went into labour.'

Freddie was born at 2.35am that morning and weighed just 2lb 10oz.

He was whisked straight to an incubator in neonatal as he was so small.

Three days later, doctors discovered there were high levels of acid in his blood.

Premature baby Freddie weighed just 2lbs 10oz when he was born and was taken to an incubator. His organs started shutting down after four days. Pictured, Victoria's tattoo in memorial of her child

Sadly, at just four days old, Freddie's organs started shutting down and

Victoria and her husband Thomas were faced with the devastating decision: whether to let him carry on or to switch off his CPAP life support machine.

'It was the hardest decision we've ever had to make.

'But we could see how much pain he was in, and that made it an easier decision.

'No parent wants their child to suffer.

'The doctors said the likelihood was he would pass away at some point.

'The vicar came to baptise him with our family there and then they turned off the machines so everyone could have cuddles.

'He was alive for two and a half hours when he passed away in my arms.'

The heartbroken couple spent a few hours in hospital with Freddie where they bathed and dressed him. They also put together a memory box including teddies and a book called Guess How Much I love You.

Victoria has Freddie's name, footprint and birth date tattooed onto her arm with the words 'Love you to the moon and back' - a quote from that poignant book.

Edward's Trust is a charity which helps parents, children and young people following the death of a child or a parent.

Services at the Edgbaston centre include one-to-one counselling, support groups, pre-bereavement support, wellbeing and complementary services like massage and reiki, remembrance services and social activities.

Victoria went to Edward's Trust for one-to-one counselling, especially during Freddie's post mortem when it was discovered he only had one kidney and that was what had caused the build up of acid in his body.

'The counselling was really helpful, it was good to be able to talk without feeling silly or thinking the person was going to judge you.

'The post mortem was hard but without it I'd have always been thinking was it something I'd done wrong?

'Because of the post mortem I knew there was nothing we could have done.

'I saw the counsellor for around five months and it really helped.'

She also went to the Edward's Trust countryside retreat in Church Stretton.

Victoria went to Edward's Trust for one-to-one counselling, especially during Freddie's post mortem when it was discovered he only had one kidney. Pictured, Victoria with other mums who have lost children

'The retreat was beautiful,' says Victoria, who went onto work as a maternity support worker at Russells Hall Hospital as she felt she wanted to give something back.

'It's so nice to have someone take care of you when you're going through that loss.

'You want to bury yourself in a big hole and shut off from the world because your life has stopped but life is carrying on all around you.

'Going to the retreat took a bit of pressure off and, at the end of the weekend, I felt like a weight had been lifted. I felt refreshed and uplifted.

'It gives you a sense of hope.

'There's a small stream and the counsellors suggested we wrote something onto a pebble that we wanted to take away from the retreat and something we wanted to throw into the stream.

'The pebble I took away with me said 'hope' and a few months later, I found out I was pregnant again.'

Victoria says her circle of friends through Edward's Trust helped her through her pregnancy.

'Throughout my pregnancy I just kept thinking is history going to repeat itself?' she says.

The mother was 33 weeks pregnant when she next went into labour with second child Reuben. He was also whisked away to an incubator, but Victoria was able to hold him when he was four days old. The Edward's Trust helps support parents who have lost children

'I don't know where I'd be without my friends from Edward's Trust.

'When you have bad days, they say something to put a smile on your face.'

Sadly, more difficult times were to come when, at 33 weeks pregnant, it seemed as though Victoria's worst nightmares were coming true.

She went into Birmingham Women's Hospital because she was feeling reduced movements and was shocked when she started having contractions.

Following another quick delivery, Reuben was born on September 20, 2016 weighing 5lb.

He was whisked into an incubator before Victoria could even hold him.

'I was filled with fear,' says Victoria.

'Freddie was alive for just four days - was the same thing going to happen again?

'I hadn't had chance to cuddle Freddie until the day we turned off the machines.'

Thankfully, Victoria did get to hold Reuben on day four but he remained in an incubator for two weeks.

Then, at last, the couple were able to bring their precious baby home.

'I was anxious but it was amazing to bring him home.'

Today, Reuben is a healthy six month old and Victoria has a tattoo on her back to mark her 'rainbow baby' - a baby who brings hope after a storm.

Marking their wedding anniversary is naturally a difficult time for Victoria and Thomas.

The couple celebrated their wedding anniversary and Freddie's birthday on May 30 and 31 last year.

'I try to separate the two because our wedding day went well and we didn't actually have Freddie until the early hours of the following morning,' she explains.

'We went out for a meal for our anniversary then people came round on Freddie's birthday with balloons and birthday cake and we all had a meal and took pictures of Reuben at Freddie's graveside.

'We celebrated the fact we'd had four precious days with him.'
Shelby Smith, 27, thought she had a run-of-the-mill sore throat at first

A woman who lost six fingers and two toes in a horrific case of strep throat says she's lucky to be alive as she forges ahead with her recovery.

Knoxville, Tennessee woman Shelby Smith, 27, thought she had a run-of-the-mill sore throat when she started convulsing and her lips turned blue, she explained to WATE this week.

'Still in my mind I didn't think I was as sick as I really was,' said Smith, a retail worker who is engaged to be married.

In fact, she'd gone into septic shock, a rare and potentially deadly complication of the strep infection.

Smith was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance and put into a medically induced coma for a week.

When she awoke, her hand looked 'like something from a horror movie,' Smith said.

Smith, left and right, is seen before the strep throat infection that recently struck her ill

Smith awoke from a coma to find her right hand looking 'like something from a horror movie'

Medication to treat Smith's life-threatening condition had diverted blood circulation toward her vital organs, cutting off circulation to her extremities

Her left index finger and two toes on her left foot were also affected

Medication to treat Smith's life-threatening condition had diverted blood circulation toward her vital organs, cutting off circulation to her extremities.

WHAT IS STREP THROAT? Streptococcal pharyngitis is a common bacteria that infects the back of the throat

Diagnosed millions of times a year in the US

Spread through coughs and sneezes

Treated with antibiotics Advertisement

'This is one of the most life-threatening illnesses we see as far as a bacterial infection,' Dr. Jeffry King, an infections disease specialist who treated Smith, told the news station.

'These cases are very rare, there are only a few hundred a year,' King said.

Smith ended up having partial amputations of all the fingers on her right hand, and her left index finger.

She also lost two toes on her left foot.

Smith's finance Caleb Weinzierl, 24, nursed her back to health through the grueling ordeal. The two were engaged in January.

Smith had to have the tip of her left index finger amputated in the grueling ordeal

Every finger on her right hand was partially amputated. Smith doesn't have health insurance

'Even when my heart tried to give out, you never let go of the hope that I would return,' she wrote in a Facebook post dedicated to Weinzierl. 'I truly can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you.'

Smith's case follows shortly after that of a Michigan father of three who had both hands and feet amputated in a similar strep throat case.

She said she does not have health insurance, and her family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help with medical bills.

Despite the loss of her fingers, she's determined to move forward with life.

'I can either buckle under the pressure,' she said, 'or I can pick myself up and move on and just make a new normal.'
Gina Miller of Gina's Psychic Studio in Mentor, Ohio, pleaded guilty to aggravated theft

A self-described psychic reader pleaded guilty to stealing $1.4million in cash, Rolex watches, cars and Chanel purses from several clients.

Gina Miller of Gina's Psychic Studio in Mentor, Ohio, was indicted in September on 28 charges including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and aggravated theft.

Miller, who may be sentenced to a maximum of eight years in prison, stole from at least 12 victims - with many others too embarrassed to cooperate, police said.

Miller, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated theft on March 10 in Lake County Common Pleas Court.

She was first accused of stealing from an elderly woman in March 2015, and police launched an investigation that lasted more than a year, the News Herald reported.

The crimes dated back since 2001, and Miller told several victims to pay up, or else harm would befall them or their family members, police said.

Some of her clients leased cars for her, and authorities issued a search warrant at both her business and home.

They seized $23,618 in cash, along with a Frigidaire stove, a disco ball, four Rolexes, a diamond ring, gold cuff links, and Louis Vuitton and Chanel purses, according to Assistant Prosecutor Charles Cichocki.

Miller appeared in court with her attorney, and will remain free on $150,000 bond while wearing a GPS tracking device until her sentencing hearing on April 27.

Investigators found some of Miller's victims were too embarrassed, while others did not press charges because the statute of limitations had run out.

The crimes dated back since 2001, and Miller told several victims that they or their family members would be harmed if they didn't pay up, police said
A group of passengers prayed together when their flight from London Stansted had to make an emergency landing in Amsterdam.

The Boeing 767 lost pressure in the cabin and passengers had to wear oxygen masks as the plane touched down at Schipol Airport.

It was meant to be flying to Rzeszow, in Poland, where the Jewish passengers are believed to have planned a pilgrimage.

A group of Jewish passengers prayed together when their flight from London Stansted had to make an emergency landing in Amsterdam. They had to wear oxygen masks when the air pressure in the cabin dropped

Panning around the cabin, the video captures the men reading from their prayer books and singing Ani Maamin, which translates as I believe.

In the prayer, the thirteen Jewish principles of faith are read out and can be sung along with music.

Most sat looking forward, breathing into their oxygen masks while others sat round and talked to each other.

Others took pictures and videos on their phones, documenting the incident.

The Titan Airways flight made a mayday call at 9.43 UTC and landed in Amsterdam at 10.

No one was hurt in the incident.

A spokesman said: 'There were no injuries amongst the passengers and crew but on arrival the aircraft was met by emergency service personnel as a precaution to ensure the welfare of the passengers.

'Whilst such events are rare, all Titan Airways crew undergo regular rigorous training in accordance with EU EASA regulations to ensure they manage such situations successfully.'

A spokesman said: 'On arrival the aircraft was met by emergency service personnel as a precaution to ensure the welfare of the passengers.' Pictured, the passengers sit and pray as they breathe through their oxygen masks

The Boeing 767 flight from London Stansted to Rzeszow, Poland had to make an emergency landing. As the plane touched down in Amsterdam, passengers read from prayer books and sung

Panning around the cabin, the video captures the men reading from their prayer books and singing Ani Maamin, which translates as I believe. No one was hurt in the incident

It is thought that a group of Jewish people chartered the flight to make a pilgrimage to Poland.

Every year, thousands flock to Lezajsk to go to the grave of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, who is one of the founders of the Hasidic movement.

He died in 1787, after which his grave became a hotspot for his followers.

The pilgrimage site is just 30 miles from Rzeszow, where the plane was supposed to be landing.

Around 6,000 people visited the Rabbi's grave in 2012 and it is thought that Londoners make this trip annually.

It is thought that a group of Jewish people chartered the flight to make a pilgrimage to Poland. Pictured, the passengers putting on their masks

It is believed that the plane was chartered by a group of Jews who were travelling on a holy pilgrimage. Pictured, the passengers hold their oxygen masks as the plane makes an emergency landing
A Canadian school teacher whose philosophy underscores hope and acts of kindness in an isolated corner of Quebec won a $1 million prize recognizing her tremendous work.

Maggie MacDonnell was awarded the annual Global Teacher Prize during a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, beating out thousands of applicants from around the world.

The prize was established three years ago to recognize one exceptional teacher a year who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession, employs innovative classroom practices and encourages others to join the teaching profession.

It is considered one of the most-coveted and high-profile awards for teaching excellence.

Maggie MacDonnell (pictured Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, left, and one of her students, right) with was awarded the annual Global Teacher Prize in Dubai on Sunday

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was on hand to present the prize to MacDonnell. Her name was announced by French astronaut Thomas Pasquet in a video message from the International Space Station.

MacDonnell was among 10 finalists flown to Dubai to attend the ceremony. The nine others hail from Pakistan, the UK, Jamaica, Spain, Germany, China, Kenya, Australia and Brazil.

MacDonnell has been teaching for six years in a remote Arctic village called Salluit. According to her biography, Salluit is home to the second northernmost Inuit indigenous community in Quebec, with a population of just over 1,300, and can only be reached by air.

Her perseverance to continue teaching in the remote area, where many teachers leave their post midway through the year, made her a standout for the award.

MacDonnell (pictured after being announced as the winner of the award) also receives $1million

MacDonnell (pictured) has been teaching for six years in a remote Arctic village called Salluit

MacDonnell created a number of programs for boys and girls, including job mentorship and funds to assist with healthy meals.

She also established a fitness center for youth and adults in the local community, where drug use and alcoholism rates are high due to the region's harsh winters and isolation.

The tiny village witnessed six suicides in 2015, all affecting young males between the ages of 18 and 25.

Her approach focuses on emphasizing 'acts of kindness' such as running a community kitchen and attending suicide prevention training.

MacDonnell (pictured giving a speech on Sunday) also established a fitness center for youth and adults in the local community, where drug use and alcoholism rates are high due to the region's harsh winters and isolation

Canadian teacher Maggie MacDonnell (left) was emotional as she received the Global Teacher Prize from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, on Sunday

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was quick to heap praise on the incredible Canadian teacher for her award

'The memory that continues to haunt me is when I see these Canadian teenagers, their very own classmates of the deceased, literally digging the grave,' she said.

'I didn't know until I came to Salluit that that was a Canadian reality.'

Last year, Palestinian teacher Hanan al-Hroub won for her efforts in encouraging students to renounce violence and embrace dialogue.

The inaugural prize went to Nancie Atwell, an English teacher from Maine.

MacDonnell is pictured with a group of her students in the tiny village of Salluit - in a remote part of Quebec

Salluit (pictured) is home to the second northernmost Inuit indigenous community in Quebec, with a population of just over 1,300, and can only be reached by air

The award is presented by the Varkey Foundation. Its founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company, which has more than 250 schools around the world.

The foundation's CEO, Vikas Pota, said in a statement that the award aims to shine a spotlight on great teachers and share their stories with the world.

Also Sunday, 15 countries, including Chile, Iraq, Japan, Pakistan, Portugal, Somalia, Ukraine and Yemen, announced they would launch national teaching prizes with the support of the Varkey Foundation.
Sharon Tate's sister has described the harrowing moment she learned Manson's family had butchered her sibling and said she doubted the followers did it because 'it just didnt make sense'.

Debra Tate recalled the moment her family was told that the movie star was brutally stabbed to death as 'horrible', in an ABC documentary special that aired on Friday.

Only a 16-year-old at the time, Debra said her mother was screaming and a 'basket case' upon receiving a phone call from Los Angeles police that confirmed the 26-year-old's death.

Debra also revealed she initially didn't believe Manson and his followers were responsible for killing Sharon Tate, who was eight months pregnant at the time, because 'it just didn't make sense'.

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Debra Tate (left) recalled the moment her family was told that Sharon Tate (right) was brutally stabbed to death as 'horrible'

Debra Tate said her mother was screaming and a 'basket case' upon receiving the phone call from Los Angeles police. Pictured: The body of actress Sharon Tate being removed from her Los Angeles home, after her murder by Charles Manson and his 'family' in August 1969

Sharon Tate was 26 years old and eight months pregnant at the time of her death. She was married to filmmaker Roman Polanski (left). Manson (pictured right in 1971) was convicted of murder even though he did not physically take part in the crimes

Debra said the last time she saw Sharon, the wife of Roman Polanski, alive was when she watched the moon landing with her on July 20, 1969, a few weeks before the elder Tate was killed on August 9, 1969.

She said to ABC News: 'We just did not understand how somebody could walk into that house and get as far as they did without someone stopping them first, and to tell you the truth, to this very day that bothers me. It really does.'

After learning the Manson family was behind the bloodied scene, Debra still didn't think they were responsible.

She added: 'I was quite frankly a little doubtful, once again. These grungy, unorganized, hippy folk living off the land and out of garbage cans - it just didnt make sense to me.'

Debra spoke to ABC News for documentary special centering around the deadly cult leader called Truth and Lies: The Family Manson.

It featured never-before-seen footage from his 1993 jailhouse interview with Diane Sawyer, with Manson delving into his troubled past.

ABC News aired a documentary special that centered around the deadly cult leader in Truth and Lies. Manson (pictured in December 1969) was convicted of murder because prosecutors proved he incited his followers to commit the murders

Debra Tate led efforts to block parole for Manson follower Leslie Van Houten. She delivered a petition of 139,000 names to Governor Jerry Brown's office in June 2016 (pictured)

Debra Tate led efforts to block parole for Manson follower Leslie Van Houten, who was sentenced life in prison for helping kill Rosemary and Leno La Bianca.

Although Van Houten denied she was there the night Sharon Tate was murdered, Debra stood with members of the La Bianca family as they turned in copies of petitions to block her parole in June of 2016.

Van Houten admitted during her parole hearing she would have killed babies if Charles Manson had given her that order.

Manson was convicted of murder even though he did not physically take part in the crimes. Prosecutors proved he incited his followers to commit the murders though.

Manson and his 'family', including Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Van Houten were sentenced to death in 1971 for the Tate-LaBianca murders. The sentences were later commuted to life in prison after California abolished the death penalty.
A British-born radio DJ is vying to become the prince of a small town in Italy that has declared itself independent from Rome.

Mark Dezzani was born in the new town of Crawley, West Sussex, but is now vying to become the Prince of Seborga, which carries the title of 'His Temendousness'.

If he wins the upcoming election, Mr Dezzani, 55, said he is considering changing the ceremonial title to 'His Awesomeness'.

British-born radio DJ Mark Dezzani is vying to become the prince of a small town in Italy that has declared itself independent from Rome

Mr Dezzani was born in the new town of Crawley, West Sussex, but is now vying to become the Prince of Seborga (pictured), which carries the title of 'His Temendousness'

The regional radio DJ is competing against current ruler Marcello I (pictured), a businessman and speedboat champion, in the elections held on April 23

'Each person can choose their own name and I'm thinking of "His Awesomeness", although it doesn't translate very well into Italian', he told The Sunday Telegraph.

The regional radio DJ is competing against current ruler Marcello I, a businessman and speedboat champion, in the elections held on April 23.

Marcello Menegatto has ruled with his German-born wife Princess Nina since 2010 but the post is not hereditary and 200 voters go to the polls every seven years.

Mr Dezzani, who has lived in the region of Liguria for 34 years, wants to introduce more pomp and ceremony to the principality in order to attract tourism.

One of his elections promises is to introduce a 'Lugino' online currency, similar to the bitcoin, if he wins the largely ceremonial post.

He also wants to turn a derelict restaurant into a royal palace and is even considering changing the grand title that princes of Seborga are given.

Mr Dezzani, who has lived in the region of Liguria for 34 years, wants to introduce more pomp and ceremony to the principality in order to attract tourism

Seborga is a small village in the northwest that declared itself independent in the 60s, claiming it was never properly incorporated into Italy

Seborga is a small village in the northwest that declared itself independent in the 60s, claiming it was never properly incorporated into Italy.

Its founders argued that when it was sold to the Savoy dynasty in 1729, the deal was not properly registered. They claimed that it could therefore not be considered part of the nation when the ruling Savoy house went on to unify Italy in 1861.

The principality's founder was a flower-grower called Giorgio Carbone, who called himself His Serene Highness Prince Giorgio I, who ruled until his death in 2009.

Its founders argued that when it was sold to the Savoy dynasty in 1729, the deal was not properly registered

Its independence is not recognised outside the village but Mr Dezzani says it is important that they themselves believe in it, describing it as 'a state of mind'

The quirky story, which was the subject of a televised documentary called How To Start Your Own Country, has attracted tourism to the region

Its independence is not recognised outside the village but Mr Dezzani says it is important that they themselves believe in it, describing it as 'a state of mind'.

The quirky story, which was the subject of a televised documentary called How To Start Your Own Country, has attracted tourism to the region.

Its current ruler, Marcello I, appears publicly wearing a suit but Mr Dezzani wants to introduce ceremonial uniform, with apaulettes and braid.

Mr Dezzanni added: 'Without being too pretentious or megalomaniac about it, I think we can promote the values of peace, tolerance and openness.'
An Army major has been suspended after 'uploading an explicit photo of himself' in uniform to an online dating app.

Major Alex Hamilton, who serves as a reservist in the Royal Logistics Corp, was accused of 'bringing the Army into disrepute' after posting a photo where he 'exposed himself' on dating service Grindr, which is geared towards gay and bisexual men.

It is understood the photo was seen by another member in his squadron who then 'threatened to share it' unless the major 'did him favours'.

Major Alex Hamilton, pictured with wife Nicky at their wedding, has been suspended by the Army over 'uploading an explicit photo of himself in uniform' to dating app Grindr

According to The Sun, married Major Hamilton reported the private to the military police and accused him of blackmail.

It is understood the military police have made an arrest over the incident, but Major Hamilton was himself suspended over the incident.

A source told the paper the photo was taken to make it look like the major was 'on parade' except that he 'had his trousers down and is obviously very excited'.

The source said: 'Had he conducted himself in this way in his own time no one would have blinked an eye. But he has ignored instructions given to forces and posed for the snap in his uniform, and, very clearly, in barracks.

'He holds a senior position and is recently married. Every sympathy goes to his wife and family. The young private callously hoped to use the pic to his advantage. Imagine if this had been a foreign spy trying to use it to access state secrets.'

The reservist, pictured, is said to have gone to the military police after a private in his squadron found the image and 'blackmailed him demanding favours'

Major Hamilton, originally from Northampton but now living in London, according to social media, married wife Nicky, 37, in a ceremony at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Berkshire last year.

The soldier wore full military uniform during the ceremony and has uploaded several pictures from the day on social media.

It is understood he has been in charge of his squadron at his base in Surrey since 2014 while also working as an engineer for Network Rail.

The Ministry of Defence declined to comment on the incident when contacted by the MailOnline.
Some men will go to extreme lengths to impress the woman of their dreams.

Just ask 18-year-old Lee De Paauw, who almost had his armed ripped off by a monster four-metre long crocodile after jumping into infested waters in an attempt to win over glamorous British backpacker Sophie Paterson.

The foolhardy teenager was lucky to get away with his life, punching the huge reptile in the face after it sunk its jaws into his arm and tried to drown him in a 'death roll'.

Despite his heroics, Miss Paterson was not impressed, telling her admirer: 'Being attacked by animals doesnt really do it for me.'

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British backpacker Sophie Paterson (left and right), 24, dared a teenager to jump into crocodile-infested waters

Lee De Paauw, 18, punched a crocodile after he was dared to jump into the river on Sunday

Tourist Sophie Paterson, 24, was having drinks with Mr De Paauw in the early hours of Sunday morning when she dared him to jump into the Johnstone River in the far north of Queensland.

The teenager, who lives nearby, foolishly went for it - only to be attacked by a huge saltwater crocodile that was lurking in the creek.

Speaking to the Fitzy & Wippa radio show from his hospital bed, Mr De Paauw explained why he leaped into the water.

'Being dared, I jumped off the jetty and I was swimming back around to the stairs to get out.

'I was about to pull myself back up when the croc grabbed my arm and dragged me back out and started rolling me.

'I hit it in the nose and it loosened its grip. I got another hit in and it was right in its eye. It dropped me then.'

A surprisingly chipper Mr De Paauw added that it would all be worth it if Miss Paterson came on a date with him.

'Hopefully that girl buys me a drink,' he said, adding that he had her number.

Luckily for the plucky teenager, Miss Paterson was also on the show.

But that was where Mr De Paauw's fortune ended, with his backpacker crush saying she was not impressed by his antics - adding that there was no chemistry between them.

'He's too young for me,' she said.

'Being attacked by animals doesnt really do it for me.'

Miss Paterson and Mr De Paauw shared a short conversation on air, but it was a little awkward.

The radio hosts suggested the British tourist pay the teenager a visit in hospital, but she did not seem up for it.

The teenager leaped into the Johnstone River (file picture) but almost immediately started 'splashing and screaming'

Miss Paterson had earlier told the Courier Mail that Mr De Paauw had boasted of how he could swim in the water over drinks at a nearby hostel.

'He was talking about the local creek saying "I can swim out" and so we said, "go on then", but we didn't think he would do it,' she said.

'He sort of made this claim "I'll swim out and back". At first we just said "don't be so ridiculous" and didn't think he was going to go through with it.

The teenager leaped into the water but almost immediately started "splashing and screaming".

Miss Paterson, from Yeovil, Somerset, watched in horror as the teenager wrestled himself free from the crocodile and hauled himself out of the water, covered in blood.

'There was blood everywhere and he just wouldn't stop screaming. I thought he had lost his arm because of how bad it looked,' she said.

Mr De Paauw was rushed to hospital, where doctors were able to save his arm.

Brenton Gangemi, owner of local wildlife cruises Snapping Tours, said he believed the culprit croc was a three-and-a-half to four metre male saltwater crocodile (file picture)

Paramedic Neil Noble said it was fortunate Mr de Paauw was able to escape the reptile's grip before he drowned in a 'death roll'.

'Reports from the scene are he was dared to jump into the water, which he did and unfortunately that area is well known for its crocodile population,' Mr Noble said.

'We're just very grateful that he's survived this incident because it could have turned out to be quite fatal.'

Brenton Gangemi, owner of local wildlife cruises Snapping Tours, said he believed the culprit croc was a three-and-a-half to four metre male saltwater crocodile that had been frequenting the area recently.

Mr Gangemi said the man could also have been attacked by a bull shark as they were common in the river.

Saltwater crocodiles are one of Australia's most dangerous land animals and have been responsible for eight confirmed fatal attacks in Queensland since 1985.

In May 2016 New Zealand-born photographer Cindy Waldron died after she was dragged under water by a 4.3m saltwater crocodile while walking with a friend at Thornton Beach, north of Cairns.
Vice President Mike Pence, who is in Florida promoting the Republican Party's planned overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system, attended a service at a church on Sunday morning.

Pence attended the 10am service at Church by the Glades in Coral Springs, about 45 miles southwest of Mar-a-Lago, where Donald Trump is spending the weekend.

Pastor David Hughes, who provided a live stream of the service, wrote on Instagram: 'Our intent is for this NOT to be a political or partisan event, but rather an opportunity to hear how a sitting Vice President integrates his personal faith with his very public calling.'

Mike Pence attended a 10am church service in Coral Springs, Florida today. He is in the state to promote the Republican Party's planned overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system. He spoke for 20 minutes with Pastor David Hughes, pictured

Hughes promoted the event in an Instagram post in which he said: 'Our intent is for this NOT to be a political or partisan event, but rather an opportunity to hear how a sitting Vice President integrates his personal faith with his very public calling'

Interested patrons needed to arrive at least one hour before the service due to increased security.

Pastor Hughes wrote: 'See you @cbglades for an unforgettable weekend!'

At the church, Pence spoke with Hughes in an interview that lasted 20 minutes before Hughes' sermon.

Pence said that Donald Trump is 'one of the most considerate people I've ever met,' the Sun-Sentinel reported.

He added, with regard to an alleged political and cultural divide in the country: 'For me, my house, it all really comes down to just treating others the way you want to be treated.'

Pence answered questions about his faith and at one point was asked about Donald Trump, who he said is 'one of the most considerate people I've ever met'

Church by the Glades is about 45 miles southwest of Mar-a-Lago, where Donald Trump is spending the weekend. After the service, Pence tweeted: 'Thank you for the warm welcome'

Hughes said the church's congregation congregation is 'not red or blue, not donkeys or elephants, just Jesus.'

Regular Sunday services were also held throughout the day.

Afterwards, Pence tweeted: 'Blessed to have the opportunity to worship with the friendly faces at @cbglades. Thank you for the warm welcome.'

About 50 people protested the visit across the street. Many of the the protest signs incorporated LGBT signs and flags.

On Saturday, Pence told a Jacksonville audience: 'President Trump will give the American people the freedom to buy health insurance across state lines, the way you buy life insurance or car insurance,' CBS Miami reported.
Britain's richest Asians have increased their collective wealth by a record 14billion in one year, according to a survey published this weekend.

The Asian Rich List  which gives the estimated wealth of the countrys richest 101 Asians  has revealed that they are collectively worth a staggering 69.9billion, compared to 55billion last year.

The wealthiest Asians in Britain are the Hinduja Brothers, who are worth 19billion - an increase of 2.5billion since last year.

The 2017 British Asian Rich List revealed that the country's Asian business community has increased its wealth to a record 70billion - up more than 15billion from last year

London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, who was guest of honour, said: London is home to one of the largest, and most diverse South Asian communities in the world, which contributes a huge amount to our citys success  socially, culturally and economically. Nowhere is that clearer than in the business community.

The Hindujas, who are four brothers, own a range of industries from IT to breweries. They employ 75,000 people in 35 countries.

In the US, the brothers own a luxury apartment in Trump Tower, and are said to be friends with US president Donald Trump.

In London, they own Carlton House Terrace, a 58m, 25-bedroom Georgian apartment complex, a stones throw from Buckingham Palace.

Steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, has come second in the list with an estimated fortune of 12.6billion - an impressive increase of 6.2billion in one year.

Mr Mittal - who, until recently, was the richest man in the UK - had seen his fortune tumble in recent years as a result of falling global steel prices.

Sri Prakash Lohia, 64, the head of a petrochemical conglomerate called Indorama, is the third richest in the list, at 4billion, up by one billion since last year.

The top 10 richest men and women in the list collectively are worth 48.4billion, according to the survey

The Asian Rich list was launched at a gala dinner near the Palace of Westminster on Friday night

The top 10 richest men and women in the list collectively are worth 48.4billion, according to the survey.

The Asian Rich list was launched at a gala dinner near the Palace of Westminster on Friday night.

London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, who was guest of honour, said: London is home to one of the largest, and most diverse South Asian communities in the world, which contributes a huge amount to our citys success  socially, culturally and economically. Nowhere is that clearer than in the business community.
Malcolm Turnbull's popularity has seen a massive surge since he announced his $2 billion Snowy Mountains power scheme and slammed a union boss for saying she was fine with people 'breaking the law'.

The Coalition are now sitting on 48 per cent of the two-party preferred vote against Labor's 52 per cent and the Prime Minister remains more popular than opposition leader Bill Shorten.

On Thursday, Mr Turnbull announced the 'Snowy River 2.0' scheme to power the equivalent of 500,000 homes.

The popularity surge also comes after Mr Turnbull suggested there was not much work to be done with ACTU secretary Sally McManus after she said there is no problem with breaking the law when it's unjust.

Malcolm Turnbull's popularity has seen a massive surge since he announced his $2 billion Snowy Mountains power scheme. He is pictured here on Thursday during a tour of Tumut 3 power station in Talbingo

On Thursday, Mr Turnbull (pictured) announced the 'Snowy River 2.0' scheme to power the equivalent of 500,000 homes

'I believe in the rule of law where the law is fair and right but when it's unjust, I don't think there's a problem with breaking it,' Ms McManus told Leigh Sales on ABC's 7.30 program on Wednesday night.

Ms McManus said laws for workers taking industrial action were 'wrong'.

'It shouldn't be so hard for workers in our country to take industrial action,' she said.

Mr Turnbull hit back at the comments on Friday, saying there isn't much work the government can do with Ms McManus.

'She believes that you only have to have to obey the law, or unions only have to obey the law, if they agree with it,' he told radio 3AW.

'What she has done is defied the whole rule of law and this is the culture of thuggery and lawlessness that the CFMEU'.

On Monday, ACTU president Ged Kearney came to her defence, describing her as being 'refreshingly honest'.

He argued reaction to the comments was out of proportion because the vast bulk of union work was within the law.

'But I think what Sally said is refreshingly honest and very open and is actually a universal belief,' she told ABC radio.

The popularity surge also comes after Mr Turnbull said there was not much work to be done with ACTU secretary Sally McManus (pictured) after she said there is no problem with breaking the law when it's unjust

'I believe in the rule of law where the law is fair and right but when it's unjust, I don't think there's a problem with breaking it,' Ms McManus (R) told Leigh Sales (L) on ABC's 7.30

Mr Turnbull (pictured with Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad) hit back at the comments on Friday, saying there isn't much work the government can do with Ms McManus

The federal government Newspoll comes ahead of parliament sitting on Monday for the final sitting weeks ahead of the budget due on May 9

The federal government Newspoll comes ahead of parliament sitting on Monday for the final sitting weeks ahead of the budget due on May 9.

The coalition's primary vote has grown from 34 per cent to 37 per cent, while Labor's has dropped from 37 per cent to 35 per cent.

On the preferred prime minister measure Mr Turnbull remains more popular than Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten, at 43 per cent to 29 per cent respectively.

Key Senate crossbenchers said they are not surprised the Turnbull government has received a poll boost after the prime minister announced an expansion to the Snowy Hydro scheme.

'Any plans that can try to cut electricity bills around the country, are certainly going to get people's attention and their support,' Senator Derryn Hinch told Network Seven on Monday.

The coalition's primary vote has grown from 34 per cent to 37 per cent, while Labor's (Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is pictured) has dropped from 37 per cent to 35 per cent

On the preferred prime minister measure Mr Turnbull remains more popular than Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten (pictured), at 43 per cent to 29 per cent respectively

Senator Hinch said Mr Turnbull's $2 billion announcement last week reeked of a boost in jobs and confidence.

'I think it's a great idea,' he said.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says people want action and the plan is a start.

'Hence he has gone up in the polls a little bit, I think it will be very much welcomed by the backbenchers,' she said.

Talk about possibly allowing young people to dip into their superannuation savings to buy their first home may have contributed, Senator Hanson said.

Key Senate crossbenchers said they are not surprised the Turnbull government has received a poll boost after the prime minister announced the Snowy Hydro Scheme
British businessman Bill Browder fears he will be targeted by Putin's assassins trying to cover up a state scandal he knows about

A British businessman fears he will be targeted by Putin's assassins after others who he helped expose government corruption were poisoned.

Bill Browder, 52, believes he is in danger because he is at the centre of a probe into the death of campaigner Alex Perepilichny, who was killed with poisoned soup.

Mr Perepilichny had exposed state involvement in the theft of nearly 200million from a fund that is run by Mr Browder's company Hermitage Capital.

Since then, Vladmir Kara-Murza, who worked with Perepilichny, claims he has been poisoned twice by Putin's assassins but survived both attempts.

Mr Browder, 52, said: I'm the only surviving victim of a Russian government scheme to steal money and kill everybody along the way,' reports The Sunday People.

Mr Perepilichny, a father of two, died while jogging near his 3million London home in London in 2012, a year after he exposed the scandal.

Last week it emerged that vegetable poison was found in his stomach lining, leading to speculation of foul play.

However, an inquest into his death was delayed last year after authorities ruled that some of the documents involved could threaten national security.

Last week, fellow activist Mr Kara-Murza, revealed that he was twice poisoned and at one point was given just a five per cent chance of survival.

He claims he was poisoned the first time in May 2015 while at a work meeting with colleagues in Moscow, when he became incredibly sick in just 20 minutes.

'Then I don't remember anything for the next month,' he told Leslie Stahl on60 minutes while speaking on TV in the US.

He believes that Putin (pictured this month) has already arranged the killing of a colleague who helped expose the scandal, Alex Perepilichny, who died in mysterious circumstances in 2012

Despite a toxicology lab in France finding no evidence in his blood of any specific toxin, Kara-Murza maintains convinced that he was poisoned by the Kremlin.

'I have absolutely no doubt that this was a deliberate poisoning, that it was intended to kill because, as I mentioned already, the doctors told my wife that it's about a five per cent chance of survival. And when it's that kind of chance, it's not to scare. It's to kill,' he explained to Stahl.

As soon as Kara-Murza improved, he told Stahl he was itching to get back to Russia to continue his work.

Even though threats against him had intensified, he continued his opposition work when he was poisoned again for the second time last month.

His wife, Yevgenia, told Stahl: 'All of a sudden he begins experiencing this very elevated heart rate, his blood pressure drops very low. He begins sweating and he has trouble breathing'.

Since then, Vladmir Kara-Murza, who worked with Perepilichny, claims he has been poisoned twice by Putin's assassins but survived both attempts (pictured in hospital in 2015)

They believe that Kara-Murza was attacked the same way as before. However, this time, he was taken directly to the same medical team that treated him in 2015, who knew exactly what they were dealing with and how to handle it.

Yevgenia said: 'The Russian doctors' official diagnosis is an acute intoxication by an undetermined substance, which is poisoning'.

However, despite believing that he's been poisoned twice by Putin, Kara-Murza says he still plans to go back.

He said: 'I'm the fortunate one, i'm still here i'm still talking to you, many of my colleagues cannot do that'.

However, despite believing that he's been poisoned twice by Putin, Kara-Murza says he still plans to go back to Russia

The second poisoning took place just as Washington was raising questions about President Trump's relationship to Putin, which made Kara-Murza an issue on the Senate floor.

Politicians on both sides have spoken out against the apparent poisoning, but the Trump administration has not, reported CBS.

Though there is no direct evidence of a Kremlin connection to the many deaths, Kara-Murza and Mr Browder believe that the list of names speaks for itself.

Political opponents and human rights lawyers have been shot, rogue spies have been hunted down, and overly inquisitive reporters have died mysteriously in plane crashes or by car bombs, he claims.

There has also been a string of individuals poisoned or shot dead by unnamed assassins.
A former bikie boss has chosen to leave Australia rather than risk deportation.

Italian-born Vince Focarelli, who calls Adelaide home, told 9 News he feared he would end up in a detention centre if he does not leave Australia on his own accord.

The former Comancheros leader turned devout Muslim was told in February the Federal Government wanted to cancel his visa because of his criminal past, The Advertiser reported.

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Former bikie boss Vince Focarelli is planning to leave Australia rather than risk deportation

Focarelli spent several years as a bikie member and survived six attempts on his life

'They have the law, the legislation to abide by but if I stick around and wait for them, chances are I'll be held in a detention centre,' Focarelli told 9 News.

'I and everyone else both know that the underworld and the criminal element of my life back then is finished.

'I have nothing to sort out and there is nothing to sort out with me.'

Focarelli spent several years as a bikie member and survived six attempts on his life.

He is planning to head back to his native Italy while his visa issue is sorted.

'Once I settle down, wherever it may be, my wife and her daughter will come along,' Focarelli said.

Focarelli and his wife closed their Adelaide halal restaurant La'Fig Cucina on Sunday

He held a farewell party for friends, family and supporters on Sunday - the same day he shut his inner-city halal restaurant La'Fig Cucina, which is now on the market.

'This farewell party means that I'm going, that's the bottom line,' Focarelli said.

Focarelli was given 28 days to justify why his visa should not be rejected.

He said he was hopeful his visa situation would be fixed while he spent time out of the country.

'My lawyers are still working around the clock,' the former bikie said.

Immigration minister Peter Dutton will have the final say on whether Focarelli can still keep his Australian visa.
Trump's national budget has received criticism on both sides of the political spectrum.

Surprisingly, the Washington Post came out with one of the first positive reviews of the budget that looks like it could have been written by the President himself.

Filled with words such as 'strong,' 'fight' and 'weak,' the opinion piece uses some of the President's favorite words to understandingly tear the plan to shreds.

Thursday's column by Alexandra Petri is titled 'Trump's budget makes perfect sense and will fix America, and I will tell you why,' and begins by denouncing critics of the budget priorities as 'wimps,' suggesting that we don't need teachers when we can spend the money on 'other things that go BOOM and POW'.

The Washington Post came out with one of the first positive reviews of the budget that looks like it could have been written by the President himself

Filled with words such as 'strong,' 'fight' and 'weak,' the opinion piece uses some of the President's favorite words to understandingly tear the plan to shreds

The White House, it seems, did not pick up on the irony before putting a link to the article in its '1600 Daily' newsletter, which gives the administration's take on each day's news and is sent to anyone who signs up.

Budget supporters were likely to read the opening paragraphs, which stated that: 'this budget will make America a lean, mean fighting machine with bulging, rippling muscles and not an ounce of fat.'

It continued to explain that America has been weak for far too long, and that the budget is designed to eliminate the soft and weak.

The satirical piece then went on to offer an explanation of each part of the budget that the Trump administration was cutting, saying why it is not necessary to the prosperity of a strong America.

If any of the president's supporters didn't immediately assume it was sarcastic, they were quick to realize.

One passage about cutting the budget for the Environmental Protection Agency was particularly full of politically-charged quips.

Petri, who is a humor columnist, is likely to get a scolding from the President's twitter account once he catches on (if he hasn't already)

It reads: 'We absolutely do not need this. Clean rivers and breathable air are making us SOFT and letting the Chinese and the Russians get the jump on us.

'We must go back to the America that was great, when the air was full of coal and danger and the way you could tell if the air was breathable was by carrying a canary around with you at all times, perched on your leathery, coal-dust-covered finger.

'Furthermore, we will cut funding to Superfund cleanup in the EPA because the only thing manlier than clean water is DIRTY water.'

Petri, who is a humor columnist, is likely to get a scolding from the President's twitter account once he catches on (if he hasn't already).

Given his distrust in the media and complaints about 'fake news,' it is just a matter of time before someone on his administration picks up on the satirical nature of the article.
The White House has learned a valuable lesson: read past the headline before sharing a link.

The official White House newsletter on Friday included a link encouraging readers to check out an article titled 'Trumps budget makes perfect sense and will fix America, and I will tell you why,' apparently not realizing it was a piece of satire.

'This budget will make America a lean, mean fighting machine with bulging, rippling muscles and not an ounce of fat,' Washington Post opinion writer Alexandra Petri penned in her Thursday column.

'All schoolchildren will be taught by an F-35 wearing a Make America Great Again hat,' she continued.

The White House included the satirical article mocking Trump's budget under the 'News Reports' section of a daily newsletter, apparently after reading only the headline

Trump, shown Friday speaking to reporters on Air Force One, released a budget plan on Thursday slashing domestic spending by $54 billion to boost defense outlays

Trump released a budget plan on Thursday that slashes domestic spending by $54 billion to fund a boost in defense outlays.

Petri, clearly no fan of President Donald Trump's budget proposal, went on to jokingly justify budget cuts to the State Department ('Only HARD POWER now'), Environmental Protection Agency ('Clean rivers and breathable air are making us SOFT') and the Department of Agriculture ('We will be HUNTERS again'), among others.

'I was as surprised as anyone to discover that I was Real News,' Petri wrote in a follow-up piece after seeing her humor column described as a 'News Report' by the White House.

'Here I thought that I was toiling away in the Dank Cesspool of the Mainstream Media, but all along I was a Trusted News Source, just like Breitbart.com!' she continued, referring to the right-wing news and opinion site known to be a Trump favorite.

The Washington Post came out with one of the first positive reviews of the budget that looks like it could have been written by the President himself

'I honestly thought that, no matter the headline, there was no way that anyone could think this piece was anything other than [satire],' wrote Petri. 'But I have always overestimated peoples desire to read things I write.'

By Sunday, the link to Petri's column had been removed from White House website.

'This is 2017 in a nutshell: You start with what you think is obviously a joke, and then a few days later it is being sent out from the White House,' Petri concluded.
A bid to deport a ruthless armed robber ended in farce when immigration officials in Portugal insisted he was not from the country  and made him catch a flight back to the UK.

Paulo Antonio, whose true identity remains a mystery, was jailed for nine years for robbing a post office with an imitation gun.

But after he completed his sentence in 2010, Lisbon officials said there was no evidence he was Portuguese and refused to accept him.

Seven years on, Antonio is still living in the UK and, funded by legal aid, is now fighting deportation to Jamaica.

Paulo Antonio, pictured, was jailed in the UK for armed robbery and sent to Portugal after completing his sentence, only to be returned by immigration officials because there was 'no evidence' he was Portuguese

Although the Home Office believes he is Jamaican, the countrys officials say there is no proof he is one of theirs and have resisted attempts to receive him.

Antonio is now back on the streets and is embroiled in a compensation battle for being illegally detained after his failed deportation to Portugal.

In another blow to the British taxpayer, he was granted legal aid to seek compensation for being held by police who were trying to determine his real nationality.

He initially won 50,000 in damages but, following an appeal by the Home Office, was stripped of the pay-out last month.

A new hearing into the former reggae DJs compensation claim is due later this year  further delaying efforts to deport him.

In the Court of Appeal trial to overturn Antonios award, it was revealed that he has confused UK immigration officials with a series of lies about his background.

Antonio is also embroiled in a compensation battle after initially winning a 50,000 pay-out for being 'illegally detained' by police, only for the Court of Appeal, pictured, to overturn the decision last month

He delayed his deportation by giving two dates of birth, three different names for his father and two names for his mother.

He told the Home Office in 2008 his mother was still alive but later said she had died in Nebraska, US, in 1996.

In another interview he said her house had been destroyed in Hurricane Katrina in 2005  which hit the southern states of America, not Nebraska.

He was uncooperative and less than frank about his origins and history, and thus his nationality, the Court of Appeal heard.

A trial in 2005 heard how Antonio threatened staff with a fake gun at a post office in Telford, Shropshire, in 2003, and escaped with 1,300 in cash.

A post office worker told Shrewsbury Crown Court: He was stood in front of me pointing a gun.

The Home Office, pictured, believes he is Jamaican and is trying to have him deported

'I was frightened for my life and I thought I would leave my children without a mother.

Antonio targeted another post office in Telford but left empty-handed. He was convicted of robbery, attempted robbery and using an imitation firearm.

Last night the Home Office said: This Government puts the rights of the British public before those of criminals, and foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes in the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them.

'We have removed over 35,000 foreign national offenders since 2010.
The father of Bronx 'EMT killer' Jose Gonzalez has said his son was targeted by gangs and was mentally ill, while explosive footage has emerged showing his violent reaction during a previous arrest.

Jose Gonzalez Sr told police of his 25-year-old son's history with 'Bloods' street gang who sought him out at a young age after his mother died.

Gonzalez Jr's most recent arrest was captured on film in which he spews profanities at New York police officers and breaks a window of the police van while handcuffed.

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Jose Gonzalez Sr told police of his 25-year-old son's history with 'Bloods' street gang - who sought him out at a young age after his mother died

Gonzalez, nicknamed 'Breezy Blood', is accused of hijacking an ambulance in the Bronx on Thursday and running over a 14-year veteran EMT - killing her.

Yadira Arroyo, a 44-year-old mother of five children, was killed Thursday night after Jose Gonzalez carjacked her ambulance and ran her over

He has been arrested 31 times previously and landed himself in psychiatric facilities on six occasions.

Each time, however, he was released, and family members say he exhibited signs of schizophrenia and depression.

His father issued an apology to the family of EMT Yadira Arroyo, who was a mother of five children, and said he tried his hardest to break through to his son, but to no avail.

'I'm devastated, and it's hard - the fact that I'm trying to get him to want to become a working person and try to stable himself out.

'But there's something about his ID, and how he identifies and how he thinks he's looked upon among his peers,' Gonzalez Sr told ABC7.

'I never expected that he would end up doing something like this, at all,' he said.

'If anything I thought something would happen to him, because of the way he carries himself.'

His father issued an apology to the family of EMT Yadira Arroyo, who was a mother of five children, and said he tried his hardest to break through to his son, but to no avail

Less than a month ago, Gonzalez Jr was arrested in the Bronx and charged with criminal mischief.

He was seen kicking through a window of an NYPD van and relentlessly insulting the surrounding officers in a video obtained by the NY Post.

Twenty one of his previous arrests are sealed, but the 10 that aren't include charges of robbery, assault, criminal mischief, criminal possession of marijuana, public lewdness, graffiti and sale of marijuana.

He reportedly lives in an affordable housing apartment opened in 2015 by Volunteers of America for chronically homeless people.

Newly obtained surveillance footage appears to show the man standing on the ambulance's rear bumper clinging to the rear door

Arroyo's partner Monique Williams stands over her colleague's body following the carjacking - which unfolded in a matter of moments

Arroyo's body is seen in the street after Gonzalez stole her ambulance and ran her over. The scene was captured by a bystander

'Suck my dk while you suck on a dirty py, you dirty bitch!' Gonzalez shouted in the video obtained by NY Post.

'I broke this window! I did it! What! Take me to the hospital!'

He was later released by a judge on no bond. Previous arrests have led authorities to label him as an 'emotionally disturbed' person, and despite his multiple stints in psychiatric facilities, he still was not getting the help he needed.

His father believes that the city failed him - and a mental health professional says the incident reveals the ugly underbelly of state-wide denial of the mentally ill.

Previous arrests have led authorities to label him as an 'emotionally disturbed' person, and despite his multiple stints in psychiatric facilities, he still was not getting the help he needed

His father believes that the city failed him - and a mental health professional says the incident reveals the ugly underbelly of state-wide denial of the mentally ill

'New York City refuses to focus its mental health efforts on the seriously mentally ill,' DJ Jaffe, the executive director of Mental Illness Policy Organization told the Post.

'Police knew he was seriously ill, but the hospital released him without treatment. It's so predictable,' he continued.

A man who lived with Gonzalez Jr at the Creston Avenue Residence homeless shelter in the Bronx said it was clear that the alleged killer had 'different personalities'.

Witnesses who saw him hijack Arroyo's ambulance said that he had previously been going door-to-door begging, before he hopped on to the back of the EMT's vehicle.

When he was finally apprehended, those on the scene said he was 'incoherent' and talking to himself erratically.

As he was being escorted by NYPD from 43rd Precinct early Friday morning to be booked in jail, he told the crowd he was innocent.

Scores of Orroyo's fellow officials lined outside of the precinct and shouted at him as he was escorted out.

'Youre a piece of s***,' one EMT said.

'Theres a special place in hell for people like you,' another added.

Gonzalez Jr is currently facing charges of murder, grand larceny and operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs.

His father said that he simply encourages his son to 'be careful, be humble and just pray.'
Most 14-year-old boys cant be separated from their PlayStations but you wont find Damian Hurley locked away in his bedroom at night  hes too busy escorting his mother Liz around town and to TV chat shows.

The actress, 51, invited the strapping teenager to be her plus-one at the Time Of Their Lives film premiere in London and she later declared on Instagram that Damian was the best date a girl can have.

Damian Hurley and Elizabeth Hurley in an ALEXIS red dress at the 'The Time of Their Lives' film premiere, in London

She also took her teenage son onto a chat show with Harry Connick Jr to discuss the Royals

Damian, whose father is tycoon Steve Bing, has an astonishing six godfathers, including Elton John, Hugh Grant and Denis Leary.

He plays a sex-obsessed psychiatrist in What The Butler Saw but Rufus Hound required a session with an A&E doctor after an on-stage mishap.

The 38-year-old gashed his hand on a pair of scissors during the first act of the farce at the Curve Theatre in Leicester.

Rufus  pictured above on stage with co-star Dakota Blue Richards  carried on gamely despite a gash in his hand

Despite bleeding heavily, Rufus carried on gamely, but after the final curtain he was taken to hospital where he received stitches.

To add insult to injury, one critic awarded the play only two stars out of five. Ouch!
He went from relative obscurity to household name on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

Now, Nazeem Hussain's surprise success has seen his stocks soar, landing a role in Bill Nye's upcoming Netflix series and securing stand-up tours in the US and UK.

Speaking to news.com.au, the 31-year-old acknowledged there had been a bit of a learning curve since entering the public eye, as he adjusts to the pressures of feeling like he has to represent the entire Muslim community.

On the rise: I'm A Celebrity's Nazeem Hussain has revealed his stocks are on the rise following his surprise success on the show

During the candid chat, the fourth-place finisher on the Channel 10 series admitted that he was shielded from public scrutiny when he worked for the ABC and SBS, because viewers already shared his political opinions.

Nazeem appeared genuinely surprised at how long he lasted in the Jungle, admitting: 'I didn't think people would respond to me'.

While the benefits of fame are clear to see, the personality admitted that being a minority in the public spotlight comes with its own set of challenges.

'Naturally when you are a young Muslim man in Australia with all that is going on in the country and the world, you do carry that baggage,' he said, confessing he struggles with the pressures of feeling like a representative of an entire religion.

Stand-up and pay attention: Furthering his fast ascension, Nazeem will also tour his stand-up comedy in the US and UK later in the year

'My angle is a comedian who is Muslim, who likes to make jokes about I guess white people and Muslims too. I make jokes about just everything I find funny. My family is funny. Australia is funny. I find funny in dark places. The things that ordinarily make people sad, I find those things kind of funny. I am a weird guy as are all comedians.'

He went onto to say the majority of people could speak their minds without being compared to the morals of their belief system, whereas minorities were held accountable and treated like a representative of their community.

Despite the pressure, Nazeem certainly represented his community well on I'm A Celebrity, forming connections with politically opposite Steve and wowing the Australian public with his kindness and emotional depth.

In one touching moment, camp mates finally saw him in the company of his wife Shaheeda and immediately saw the comedian light up, relax and come out of his shell.

The challenges: While the benefits of fame are clear to see, the personality admitted that being a minority in the public spotlight comes with its own set of challenges

Ambassador: 'Naturally when you are a young Muslim man in Australia with all that is going on in the country and the world, you do carry that baggage,' he said, confessing he struggles with the pressures of feeling like a representative of an entire religion

The difference: He felt that the majority of people could speak their minds without being compared to the morals of their belief system, whereas minorities were held accountable and treated like a representative of their community

Bolstered by his surprise success, the comedian announced he'd been cast as a correspondent in Netflix talk-show series Bill Nye Saves The World, a move that will give the international market their first encounter with the Legally Brown star.

'That Netflix opportunity just came like that... then all of a sudden the next week I was flying to the US to film with Bill Nye, who is one of the biggest personalities in the States,' he recounted.

Touching! Despite the pressure, Nazeem certainly represented his community well on I'm A Celebrity. In one touching moment, camp mates finally saw him in the company of his wife Shaheeda and immediately saw the comedian light up

Keeping doing what you're doing! If the talented personality has the same connection with his international audience, the only hurdle he'll have to overcome is himself
Judd Apatow is standing behind Artie Lange.

The famed comedy producer on Friday pledged his support for the 49-year-old comedian, as news of Lange's arrest in connection with drug possession earlier this week made national headlines.

'We would never give up on Artie or anyone struggling with addiction,' said the 49-year-old Apatow, who produces the HBO shows Girls and Crashing, the latter of which features Howard Stern's one-time sidekick playing himself.

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Got his back: Judd Apatow (R) pledged his support for Crashing star Artie Lange (L) following the comedian's recent drug arrest. The two were snapped filming the HBO series in NYC in November of 2015

Loyal: The comedy producer took to Twitter as fans asked him about Lange's status on the show following his arrest

Others who chimed in with well-wishes for Lange included fellow comic Norm Macdonald, who took to Twitter to express his concern for his longtime friend, who he shared the screen with in the 1998 film Dirty Work, as well as ABC's The Norm Show.

'I want you to know @artiequitter that I was heartbroken by the [news] this morning and am praying for you,' the Canadian comic, 57, tweeted.

Lange was arrested Sunday in his native Hoboken, New Jersey after police recovered cocaine, heroin and drug paraphernalia the comedian had both on himself and in his vehicle, Hoboken police spokesman Sgt. Edgardo Cruz told NJ.com.

Talented trio: Lange was at the SiriusXM studios with Pete Holmes and Apatow for a symposium on the HBO comedy series last month

Showing support: Longtime Lange pal Norm Macdonald expressed his concern via social media on Friday

The unabashed comic - who's detailed his odyssey through drug addiction and show business in his memoirs Too Fat To Fish and Crash and Burn - took to Twitter to address his fans on the latest events Friday, saying he was 'doing great' and has 'never wanted to live more.'

He added: 'I wish I could tell u how my story ends. I hope it's being old & smiling cuz of unique memories. But I'm such a flawed person guys. Tryin!'

Stern, Lange's boss of more than eight years, had not yet commented on the situation as of Saturday.

More laughs ahead: Apatow (pictured last month) earlier this week learned that Crashing was renewed for a second season on HBO

Radio silence: Lange's old boss Howard Stern had yet to comment on his Twitter account, on the latest news involving the comedian

Daily Mail has reached out to Stern for comment but has yet to hear a response.

As last month, Lange told NJ.com that he and the King of All Media were no longer on speaking terms, in the wake of Lange's 2009 departure from the show amid a previous drug crisis that manifested into a suicide attempt; as well as his criticism of Stern's on-air product in recent years.

'Like any other friendship, they ebb and flow, but right now it's a big ebb. Howard doesn't talk to me,' he told the outlet. 'I became a full-blown junkie, and when you do that, after helping me and trying to help me immensely, they tell you in rehab, you might lose some relationships that you cherish, and Howard is one of them.'
She recently posed Vogue Australia.

And it seems supermodel Karlie Kloss left a special surprise for the creative and editorial heads of the fashion magazine.

Vogue Editor-In-Chief Edwina McCann has revealed that the 24-year-old stunner left a heartfelt thank you note following her Sydney and Melbourne photo shoots.

Super surprise: Karlie Kloss left a special surprise for the creative and editorial heads of the fashion magazine

She was in Australia in February to open for the David Jones Autumn/Winter fashion show, as well as commitments with Adidas and Calvin Klein.

Karlie wrote to fashion director Christine Centenera and I following the shoot to say how much she had enjoyed the day,' Edwina said in a report by The Daily Telegraph.

'For me, aside from being delightfully polite, she stands for so many things young women can aspire to,' the fashion editor added.

With her canine pal: Karlie was in Australia in February to open for the David Jones Autumn/Winter fashion show, as well as commitments with Adidas and Calvin Klein

Vogue Editor-In-Chief Edwina McCann revealed the 24-year-old left a heartfelt thank you note following her and fashion director Christine Centenera after Sydney and Melbourne photo shoots

Edwina also praised the Chicago-born model for her proactive attitude to life beyond modelling, in particular her coding courses and her scholarship funds.

In a report by Stellar she said: 'Having role models like Karlie saying computer engineering is cool is changing the whole language around, not just coding itself, but being involved with technology.'

'We realised our audience in Australia was really responding to what Karlie was doing. She was a catalyst for driving us to become involved with this very quickly,' she added.

A vision in white: Edwina also praised the Chicago-born model for her proactive attitude to life beyond modelling, in particular her coding courses and her scholarship funds

When Karlie is not busy on the runway or from in front of the camera lens, she has her head down in computer coding.

'It's been a good challenge. I like having something to focus on outside of fashion; the structure and discipline of school and having deadlines,' she told Stellar.

The statuesque blonde has set up a Kode With Klossy, a two week program for girls and young women to learn coding with the Flatiron School in New York City.

The April issue of Vogue Australia, featuring Karlie Kloss on the cover, will hit the stands on March 20.
She has once again proved to be TV gold, after her new role on Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway was met with praise.

And Scarlett Moffatt was hard to miss as she emerged from her plush new London pad to head to ITV Studios for the next live instalment of the popular series.

The Gogglebox star, 26, was super trendy in a hot pink jacket, which she paired with basic essentials - all while toting her belongings in a lavish Louis Vuitton bag.

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Exciting night ahead! Scarlett Moffatt proved hard to miss as she emerged from her plush new London pad to head to ITV Studios for the next live instalment of Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway

The Durham native failed to muster up a smile as she looked to see if the coast was clear before clambering into the car.

Scarlett teamed her eye-catching outerwear with a thin-knit grey sweater- which had Copenhagen 1998 etched onto it - and roll-up skinny jeans.

Waiting until she reached the studios to glam herself up, the Queen of the Jungle kept her make-up to a minimum and tied her luscious chestnut locks into a slouchy top-knot.

She looked in deep though as she draped the haute couture handbag on one hand, while wheeling along a suitcase.

Tickled pink! The Gogglebox star, 26, was super trendy in a hot pink jacket, which she paired with basic essentials - all while toting her belongings in a lavish Louis Vuitton bag

Casual: Scarlett teamed her eye-catching outerwear with a thin-knit grey sweater- which had Copenhagen 1998 etched onto it

Mane attraction: She ensured to tie her luscious chestnut locks in to a slouchy top-knot for optimum practicality

Scarlett has been a hit on the show so far - with viewers flocking to Twitter to praise her 'hysterical' hosting role after mere minutes of the first edition.

'You were b****y brilliant - so down to earth and normal - lush to see how well you're doing - you deserve every success xx,' one viewer wrote.

'You were great! You're naturally funny and I like that! X' another added, while another concurred: 'You should be so proud of yourself, absolute natural.x

One impressed fan then penned: 'You were brilliant Scarlett just what we need to brighten a wet and cold Sat night. I wish you success in your new careerxx.'

Keeping it natural: Waiting until she reached the studios to glam herself up, the Queen of the Jungle kept her make-up to a minimum

In the zone: She looked in deep though as she draped the haute couture handbag on one hand, while wheeling along a suitcase

Success: She has once again proved to be TV gold, after her new role on Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway was met with praise

From one thing to another: The brunette, who rose to fame on Gogglebox, bagged her exciting live TV role after winning the most recent series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

The brunette, who rose to fame on Gogglebox, bagged her exciting live TV role after winning the most recent series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

Having won over the British public with her witty sense of humour, Scarlett also went on to score a backstage presenting role at this year's National Television Awards, held at London's O2 Arena last month.

Reflecting on her new-found fame, the star said last week: 'Its been a crazy few months since leaving the jungle. I have been up to so much and been having so much fun!'

Helping hand: A chauffeur took over and tucked her suitcase into the boot of the car

'My dad told me once that the key to being happy was waking up every day and loving what you do, and Im so lucky that Im in that situation.'

Adding that her schedule is now jam-packed however, she went on to admit that her blossoming career only makes her time with family and friends all the more precious.

She said: 'Because Ive been so busy lately I really cherish catching up with my friends and family, those little moments of relaxing and having a proper laugh together.

She's a star: Scarlett has been a hit on the show so far - having replaced Ashley Roberts as the glamorous co-host to Ant and Dec on the new series

'Im surrounded by so many people who make me smile and laugh every day, its fantastic.'

Scarlett has also recently revealed that she used to fangirl over the famous Geordie duo Ant and Dec in her youth - making her new role even more overwhelming and difficult to comprehend.

'Im so lucky that I am already doing my dream job. I get to work with Ant and Dec, what more could a girl want?' she laughed, before adding: 'On the last episode of Saturday Night Takeaway I was doing the can can with Mrs Browns Boys, it was hilarious!'
Their marriage has endured its fair share of drama over the years.

But Katie Price and Kieran Hayler seemed more loved-up than ever on Saturday night, as she surprised him with a party for his 30th birthday in London - before stepping things up a notch by gifting him a brand new convertible.

The excitable model, 38, unveiled the Audi RS8, compete with personalised number plate, before throwing herself fully into the merriment of the evening, which eventually saw her risk baring her derriere in her tiny mini skirt.

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Living it up: Katie Price and Kieran Hayler seemed more loved-up than ever on Saturday night, as she surprised him with a party for his 30th birthday in London - before stepping things up a notch by gifting him a brand new convertible

Kieran was seen excitably hopping into the driver's seat with a beaming smile on his face as his present was revealed before the party got into full swing.

Katie was also quick to clamber into the motor, looking rather worse-for-wear -despite vowing that she would be going sober for the year.

While the former strip turned began to play with his new motor, a glamorous Katie took the chance to vent her frustration at planning such a big surprise gift for a paranoid Kieran.

She began: 'For the last 2 weeks I have changed the code of my phone, and he thought was having an affair...'

Met with a smile from Kieran, she then added: 'When really, I've been organising his surprise 30th and the car of his dreams!'

Just for you: The excitable model, 38, unveiled the Audi RS8, compete with personalised number plate, before throwing herself fully into the merriment of the evening, which eventually saw her risk baring her derriere in her tiny mini skirt

Hometime? At one moment Katie appeared alarmed while entering the car

Dream team: Katie Price and Kieran Hayler looked more loved-up than ever on Saturday night, as she surprised him with a party for his 30th birthday at London's Gilgamesh

Never without her witty sense of humour however, Katie then added to the laughter of guests: 'The thing is, he wanted a coupe. But if I'm going to spend the money, I want to drive it to, so I got a convertible!'

Asking him whether he liked the extravagant present, the part-time stripper gushed that he loved it, before leaning up to his wife to give her a kiss as thanks.

After the sweet PDA however, Katie then reaffirmed her intentions jokingly to Kieran as she quipped: 'I am going to drive it as well though!'

Putting a Price on love! Katie then stepped things up a notch by gifting him with a lavish new car - an Audi RS8 complete with personalised number plate

Explanation: While the builder began to play with his new motor, a glamorous Katie took the chance to vent her frustration at planning such a big surprise gift for a paranoid Kieran

Sweet: She began: 'For the last 2 weeks I have changed the code of my phone, and he thought was having an affair, when really, I've been organising his surprise and the car of his dreams!'

Witty: Katie then added to the laughter of guests: 'The thing is, he wanted a coupe. But if I'm going to spend the money, I want to drive it to, so I got a convertible!'

Besotted: Asking him whether he liked the extravagant present, the part-time stripper gushed that he loved it, before leaning up to his wife to give her a kiss as thanks

After the big reveal of the car, the pair put on an incredibly united front as they arrived at London's Gilgamesh hand-in-hand, laughing and chatting together as they headed in to the circus-themed bash.

While it was Kieran's big night as the birthday boy, Katie somewhat stole the spotlight in her typically sexy but stylish leather ensemble.

The mother-of-five showed off her enviable figure in a micro-mini fringed skirt, which cut off high up her thigh to flash her long and lean pins, clad in a heavy layer of fake tan.

Be careful! Katie carefully navigated her way into the cab

Falling out: Her endless legs were the main focus of the look

Keeping co-ordinated from head to toe, Katie paired the skirt with a satin black crop top - featuring a daring plunging neckline to tease at her famously ample cleavage, and cinched in at her petite waist with a chic ribbon tie.

Tying her look together, the reality star accessorised with nude platform heels and a matching sleek clutch bag by designer Yves Saint Laurent.

She styled her hair into her trademark big and bouncy curls, before adding a thick set of false lashes and slick of bright pink lipstick in glamorous finishing touches.

What a pair: The pair put on an incredibly united front as they arrived at the swanky London venue hand-in-hand, laughing and chatting together as they headed inside

Leading lady: While it was Kieran's big night as the birthday boy, Katie somewhat stole the spotlight in her typically sexy but stylish leather ensemble

Later in the night Katie appeared to lose her composure somewhat as she fell into a car and risked flashing her posterior due to her perilously short skirt.

Katie was seen laughing and playfully posing for cameras outside the party, before heading in for a fun night out with her equally stylish man - who could not stop beaming in light of his surprise.

Katie and Kieran were joined at the celebrations by a number of celebrity pals as well as their close friends - including Nikki Grahame, Lady Nadia Essex and TOWIE newcomer Jamie Reed alongside his new flame Jade Lewis.

Katie appeared to throw herself into the spirit of things at the bash, despite vowing to go sober in December.

All black everything: Katie paired a fringed skirt with a satin black crop top - featuring a daring plunging neckline to tease at her famously ample cleavage

Speaking on Loose Women after she was filmed in a shocking drunken outburst involving disabled son Harvey, 14, she challenged herself to a year of sobriety.

She said: 'Its taken me 38 years to do this Ive never done dry January and Im not going to drink for the whole year.

'When Im pregnant I can do it its just one year out of my life,' she said, adding: 'When I drink Im a nightmare!'

She added: 'I dont drink at home. Two glasses of champagne gets me [drunk] but I stay all night chatting to people.

'Im not a rowdy drunk. I'm not a rowdy drunk, I'm not even naughty. I'm going top do it for a whole year and prove you all wrong.'

Showing her stripes: Katie and Kieran were joined at the celebrations by a number of celebrity pals - including Lady Nadia Essex (above) and TOWIE newcomer Jamie Reed

The only way is out! Jamie also headed to the event with his new squeeze Jade Lewis - following his split from Amber Turner

The pair have enjoyed a busy week as Kieran's birthday celebrations kick off - having spent a jubilant day at Cheltenham Races on Friday.

Katie appeared to find huge success on the exciting day after she was seen jumping for joy and kissing her betting tickets immediately after Sizing John's win at 7-1 odds.

While their marriage was rocked in 2014 after it emerged Kieran had enjoyed a tryst with Katie's best friend, the couple looked happier than ever at the bash - which fell just days after the TV personality admitted she wanted more children.

During an appearance on ITV's Loose Women on Monday, the 38-year-old former model said: 'I've got five kids, I've had four Caesareans, but I do want more children.

'I'm lucky that I've had five children. There's women out there who want children and can't have any. It would kill me if the doctors said I can't have anymore children. I want three more.'

Racy in lace! Nikki Grahame certainly turned heads in a daring semi-sheer dress, which exposed most of her black lingerie underneath
Kate Hudson and mother Goldie Hawn enjoyed quite the social Saturday.

But while the legendary actress and her daughter hit up a party, her longtime boyfriend Kurt Russell was taking care of business at home.

Kate and Goldie headed to a baby shower in Malibu together as the 66-year-old Big Trouble In Little China actor was spotted mopping up the driveway of his Brentwood home.

During the outing, the 37-year-old actress looked ever elegant while making her rounds in a pretty blue dress that highlighted her long legs and delicate frame.

Bonding time: Kate Hudson and mother Goldie Hawn were spotted hitting a baby shower in Malibu together on Saturday

While the girls are away: Meanwhile Goldie's longtime boyfriend Kurt Russell was spotted mopping up the driveway of his Brentwood home

Tthe Almost Famous actress donned an elegant powder blue floral dress that looked effortless chic upon the star's thin frame.

Mom Goldie Hawn was also spotted at the shower, looking much younger than her 71 years while sporting an airy pair of checkered pants she paired with a breezy black tank.

The mother-of-two carried several bunches of purple hydrangeas which complimented her floral ensemble and graceful air as she walked into Malibu's Taverna Tony.

Happy day! The 37-year-old beauty wore a cheery smile as she arrived to Malibu's Taverna Tony for a friend's baby shower

Style star: The Almost Famous actress wowed in her romantic dress which she paired with retro-looking white sunglasses and flirty nude heels

Flower power: The Fool's Gold actress matched her pretty blue dress with several bunches of blooms for the baby shower

With her hands full of flowers, Kate carried her things in a chic pastel pink bag slung over her shoulder.

Adding a further level of glamour to her daytime ensemble, the second generation star rocked understated nude heels with a subtle ruffle at the ankle.

Earlier in the day, Kate made a quick visit to some friends in Beverly Hills.

The How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days lead looked animated as she shared some words with her pals outside their Beverly Hills home while shielding her eyes behind retro looking white shades.

Golden girl! The 71-year-old old stunner was at the same baby shower as her daughter Kate

Pop of pink! With her hands full of flowers, Kate slung a chic pink bag slung over her shoulder

Chit chat: The 37-year-old donned an elegant blue dress and nude heels as she stopped by her pal's Beverly Hills home to say hi

As she stood in the sun, Kate's blonde tresses practically glittered piled on top of her head and after a few minutes chatting, the star hugged her friends and headed off.

The actress-mother leads a full life, running the successful atheleisure brand Fabletics in addition to her bountiful acting career.

The blonde beauty returns to the big screen later this year with the film Marshall, a biopic about the first black Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall which stars the talented Chadwick Boseman.

What a gent! While Goldie and Kate had fun, Kurt was spotted doing a bit of spring cleaning

Busy day: The 66-year-old legendary actor was tending to the yellow bucket and mop

Spring cleaning: Kurt seemed to enjoy the day alone at the house

Relaxed: He wore a navy T-shirt and baggy jeans as he went barefoot
She may be a Hollywood star, but her son is a rock star in the making.

Actress Selma Blair and five-year-old son Arthur visited the grand opening of the childcare outlet WeVillage's Los Angeles flagship store in Studio City on Saturday.

While the 44-year-old dressed to impress in Ramy Brook, it was her little boy that was showing a real passion for fashion.

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Out and about: Selma Blair, 44, took her five-year-old son Arthur to the grand opening of the childcare outlet WeVillage's LA flagship store in Studio City, California on Saturday

The actress looked gorgeous in a sleeveless red dress by Ramy Brook with a Gorjana necklace and silver heels as she walked the red carpet at the daytime event.

The 5ft3 Cruel Intentions star had her dark locks down on the sunny Los Angeles day at the facility, which was designed by environmental expert Bridget Cardenas.

Selma, who wore jewelry around her neck and on her hands, was snapped hugging her son.

The five-year-old wore a pair of black boardshorts with stars on them and a coordinating black and white T-shirt all from Jagged Culture.

Look of love: The actress dropped to one knee in sharing a loving moment with her boy

Next up: Selma co-stars with Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage in the upcoming thriller Mom and Dad

Sticking with his color theme, the kindergartner wore a pair of black and white slip-on sneakers.

Selma, who played Kris Jenner in last year's The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, opened up to People this week about how she let her son pick out their family dog, a Chihuahua-pug nicknamed Ducky, at an animal adoption event in Los Angeles about a year-and-a-half ago.

'I was looking at some dogs and then Arthur said, 'What about that one?' and pointed to Ducky,' she said. 'Ducky walked right into his lap, and Arthur said, 'I prefer this one.' So we took Ducky home that day. Immediately we knew.'

Gorgeous: The show biz veteran gave shutterbugs a few poses as she took some solo shots on the red carpet

The Ordinary World star said the new family pooch 'fell asleep in Arthur's lap on the way home, and [she] never had a moment of thinking it wasn't the right dog for us.'

The Mothers and Daughters actress said that her son isn't the only member of the household to take to the 13-year-old female pooch, as she's found herself crying on the canine's shoulder from time-to-time.

'I'm a single mom, and I need somebody to talk about my day with, and it's not always appropriate to talk about with my son because he's a little too young,' she said. 'Fortunately, Ducky is 91 in dog years, so she can handle whatever I have to say!'

Weekend fun: Jerry O'Connell and Rebecca Romijn brought their daughters Dolly and Charlie to the proceedings

Other celebrities snapped at the opening included Crossing Jordan star Jerry O'Connell and model wife Rebecca Romijn and their children, Dolly and Charlie.

Also popping by was Modern Family actress Julie Bowen and her son Gustav Phillips.

While celeb chef Curtis Stone and his beautiful actress wife, Lindsay Price, also came to check out the space.
Their relationship was officially revealed last month and the pair have already jetted away for a romantic break in Barbados together.

And now Lisa Hogan, 46, seems ready to take the romance up a gear by speaking about her new love Jeremy Clarkson, 56, publicly for the first time.

Lisa, the ex-wife of a profligate millionaire playboy nicknamed Baron Bonkers, told the Sunday Mirror: 'I'm very happy. He's really great.'

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'I'm very happy': Lisa Hogan, 46, has spoken about her new relationship with Jeremy Clarkson, 56, for the first time and said 'he's really great'

The striking 6ft 2in Irish actress famously walked away unscathed when a private jet she was travelling in crashed on a dual carriageway near RAF Northolt in West London in 1996.

The beauty simply said after the life-threatening experience: 'I'm going to be late for my rehearsals.'

But Lisa declared that was nothing to the crashes former Top Gear host Jeremy had been involved in.

New love: The pair appeared in public for the first time together at a gala on Thursday and sources said that the former Top Gear host introduced Lisa as his 'girlfriend'

High profile couple: The Dubliner said it gave her 'shivers' thinking about how many car crashes Jeremy has experienced

'It gives me shivers thinking about it. I've had one crash but he's had three.

'Although I walked out on to a road of traffic. Who does that?'

The new couple made their first public appearance together at the Roundhouse Gala at The Roundhouse in London on Thursday.

Statuesque: The 6ft 2in actress can easily hold her own next to the tall TV personality

The Grand Tour host and the blonde beauty put on a very cosy display as they posed for snaps, looking very loved-up.

The event was organised by Rolling Stones rocker Ronnie Wood's wife Sally.

Jeremy reportedly introduced Lisa as his 'girlfriend' at the star-studded bash.

The Dubliner split from her eccentric millionaire husband Steven Bentinck in 2005.

Society blonde: Lisa, pictured here in 2010, was 'discovered' by comedian John Cleese who employed her as a researcher and gave her a small role in his film Fierce Creatures

Survivor: The actress famously walked away unscathed when the private jet she was travelling in crashed on a dual carriageway in 1996. She simply said after the crash: 'I'm going to be late for my rehearsals'

Lisa was 'discovered' by comedian John Cleese in the early 1990s when she was struggling to get a second-hand-clothes business off the ground.

He subsequently employed her as a researcher, became a close friend and even gave her a role in Fierce Creatures, his follow-up to A Fish Called Wanda.

Despite reports to the contrary, they were never romantically involved.

Jeremy - who was fired by the BBC when he punched a producer in the face - divorced his wife of 21 years, Frances, in 2014.
When it comes to living life, they cannot manage to do so unless a camera is in front of them.

And on Saturday, Kim Zolciak-Biermann and daughter Brielle took to Snapchat as cameras followed them to document their adventures in Italy.

The twosome, along with Kim's husband Kroy, have been traveling the European country since Friday.

Living life on social media: On Saturday, Kim Zolciak-Biermann, 38, and daughter Brielle, 20, took to Snapchat as cameras followed them to document their adventures in Italy

'We're heading to Venice which is really awesome, but I sure hope we make our boat, because if we don't I don't know where we're sleeping,' said Kim, 38.

The ladies, along with other members of their group, attempted to pass the time as they traveled to the romantic city.

The ride turned into car karaoke, with the passengers singing along to songs such as Beauty and the Beast and My Wish.

Snap to it: The ladies, along with other members of their group, attempted to pass the time as they traveled to the romantic city

'My mini': The reality mum and Brielle both put their lips on display as they posed for a photo on Snapchat

'Road trippin to Venice': The ride turned into car karaoke, with the passengers singing along to songs such as Beauty and the Beast and My Wish

The vacation was both work and fun, as a film crew followed the Don't Be Tardy family around for their adventure.

Since 2012, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kim has had her own Bravo show, which focused on her husband, their children and their life in Georgia.

Season five of the reality series wrapped in December, and it appears another is on the way.

Success! The girls made it to their boat on time, as Brielle Snapped from inside

Caught in the middle: Fans appeared to crowd the reality stars

Keeping Up With the Biermanns: The vacation was both work and fun, as a film crew followed the Don't Be Tardy family around for their adventure

On Friday, the entrepreneur headed to the Cosmoprof Worldwide Beauty Convention in Bologna.

While there, the blonde was not shy as a vendor worker massaged her bum in front of attendees.

The Kashmere skincare line owner was there to scout for her business.

'All for Kashmere, to bring you guys the latest and greatest products,' said Kim on Snapchat.
She's a mother of four who notoriously bounced back to her pre-pregnancy weight weeks after giving birth to twins all while juggling her TV, radio and ambassadorship duties.

So for Rebecca Judd, 34, it's safe to say there's a lot on her plate.

As was the case on Saturday night, when the wife of AFL legend shared a snap from a ladies night out as she prepared to dine on a massive steak.

Gals night! Rebecca Judd (pictured in blue) shared snaps from her lavish ladies night on Saturday, enjoying champagne and cocktails before preparing to dine on a massive steak

The model-turned-TV-presenter took to her Instagram story to document her lavish gals dinner at QT Melbourne's Pascal Bar and Grill.

Snapped flaunting a frilly blue halterneck that wrapped around her toned arms earlier in the night, the beauty made the feast the focus for the rest of the posts.

First up, Bec poured a sneaky glass of Perrier Jouet Grand Brut champagne, before later clinking full cocktail glasses with her dinner guests.

Many of the personality's fans may have been envious to witness her next clip, which showed her preparing to chow down what looked like the restaurant's $38 Rump steak with hot onion-mustard gravy.

Frilly! Flaunting a frilly blue halterneck that wrapped around her toned arms earlier in the night, still looking stunning after giving birth to twins last year

Entree! First up, the TV personality poured a sneaky glass of Perrier Jouet Grand Brut champagne

Main course! Later, the mother-of-four clinkied full cocktail glasses with her dinner guests

The choice of meal suggests that the naturally slender beauty doesn't resort to any drastic measures to maintain her stunning figure, treating herself on occasion.

'Dinner is served,' she's heard saying in the video, before turning the camera to show the rest of her table's equally hearty meals.

Bec and Chris welcomed twin sons Tom and Darcy six-months ago, with Billie, 3 and Oscar, 5 making the couple a tight-knit family of six.

Hungry? Many of the personality's fans may be envious to witness her next clip, which showed her preparing to chow down what looked like the restaurants $38 Rump steak with hot onion-mustard gravy

'Dinner is served': 'Dinner is served,' she's heard saying in the video, before turning the camera to show the rest of her table's equally hearty meals

She didn't take long to bounce back into shape after giving birth, and was back in the gym working out just a few weeks after welcoming her newborns.

After just four weeks, she was showing off her slender figure in a bikini, having shed the majority of her baby weight in impressive time.

In addition to presenting the weather for Channel Nine, Bec also co-hosts KIIS FM's 3pm pick-up one day a week.

Healthy! The choice of meal suggests that the naturally slender beauty doesn't resort to any drastic measures to maintain her stunning figure

Family! Bec is married to former AFL Legend Chris Judd (L) and the couple share four children, including Billie, 3 and Oscar, 5 (pictured here)

Full house! When the KIIS FM host gave birth to twins last year, her family of four grew to six

Bounce back! She didn't take long to bounce back into shape after giving birth, and was back in the gym working out just a few weeks after welcoming her newborns




X-Men star Nicholas Hoult is dating Playboy pinup Bryana Holly.

The 27-year-old British actor has been spotted 'looking really loved-up' with the bikini model, who has been previously linked to Brody Jenner and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Bryana, 24 - who has been described as a 'tease' and a 'beach babe' by Playmates - is 'getting close' to the hunky star.

'Nicholas and Bryana have been getting close for months now,' a source told The Sun.

'They've been getting close': X-Men star Nicholas Hoult is dating Playboy pinup Bryana Holly, according to The Sun

The insider continued: 'At first they spent a lot of time in Los Angeles together and even took a trip away to go hiking up the mountains.

'Bryana has also started flying over to London a lot so she can see Nicholas.

It's a hectic year for the Mad Max: Fury Road actor, who has five new films set for release.

'He is very busy with work so its hard to get their schedules to match - but when they can see each other they do and they are having a great time together.'

'A great time': The bikini model, 24 - who has been described as a 'tease' and a 'beach babe' by Playmates - is 'getting close' to the hunky star, a source told the publication

The source added: 'Theyve been spotted looking really loved-up, going to gigs and movies together and relaxing at Soho House.

'Bryana used to flaunt her relationships, always sharing selfies with Ashton [Irwin] and appearing on Brodys reality shows with him.

'But shes happy to be more low-key for Nick, which is a great sign.'

The Orange County, California stunner, who dated Kim Kardashian's step brother, was frequently featured on their E! reality show.

Former flames: The blonde beauty dated Brody Jenner for several months back in 2013

'The night ended really badly': But the couple split after a dramatic falling out at the annual Playboy Mansion Halloween party in October 2013

The couple dated for several months in 2013 before a dramatic falling out at the annual Playboy Mansion Halloween party in October.

A source told DailyMail.com: 'Brody and Bryana both partied at the Playboy Mansion to celebrate Halloween, something Bryana was really looking forward to, but the night ended really badly.

'Straight away the next day both deleted each other off Instagram.

'Bryana even went as far as deleting all the photographs with Brody, including their special trip to Hawaii.'

Nicholas previously dated Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence for five years before they split in 2014.
He is the Hollywood heartthrob who has starred in an array of Oscar-nominated films and was once engaged to film star beauty Sienna Miller.

But the 44-year-old proved that he still needed to exert himself to maintain his silver screen physique as he worked up a sweat jogging in London on Saturday.

The Cold Mountain actor grimaced as he pounded the pavements on his work out.

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Sweaty work: Jude Law, 44, worked up a sweat as he jogged in London on Saturday

The father-of-five sported a practical ensemble of navy running shorts and a long sleeved light weight grey jogging top.

He donned black sneakers and kept warm in a beanie hat.

Like most joggers, Jude required some tracks to get the adrenaline pumping and at times appeared lost in the music as he grunted and groaned up a steep hill.

Buff star: The father-of-five grimaced as he pounded the capital's pavements in navy running shorts and a grey light weight jogging top

No pain, no gain: The star looked like he was working hard as he embarked on the jog

Jude is in hot demand as an actor after starring as Pope Pius XIII in the TV series The Young Pope and he is preparing to shoot the second series.

Fans will also be able to see the star in Guy Ritchie's new film King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword which is set to be released in May.

Jude will appear as Vortigern alongside Charlie Hunnam as King Arthur.

The actor, whose love life was tabloid fodder for many years, is enjoying a happy relationship with doctor of psychology Phillipa Coan, 30.

The couple were first seen together in June 2015, after confirming their romance following speculation across social media.

Career resurgence: Jude is back in demand after his turn as Pope Pius XIII in TV series The Young Pope

Keen jogger: The star, who was once engaged to Sienna Miller, showed that he needs to exert himself to stay in shape

The Mail on Sunday reported that the Alfie star was so taken with Phillipa he told friends it was serious and that he was determined not to 'mess it up' this time.

Jude echoed these sentiments in an interview with Modern Luxury, when he explained he wouldn't be oversharing aspects of his relationship.

'Shes mine and no one elses,' he explained. 'Im very, very happy.'
Joanne Mas, 39, has hit out at claims she was involved in an 'explosive' argument with husband Danny Dyer, 39, during a recent trip to Selfridges.

It had been claimed the star 'reeked of booze' during the reported altercation, but Joanne was quick to deny the allegations.

She told MailOnline: 'This whole story is a load of rubbish. We had a lovely day and we are not going to let that be ruined by another fabricated story.'

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Hitting out: Joanne Mas has hit out at claims she was involved in an 'explosive' argument with husband Danny Dyer during a recent trip to Selfridges

An EastEnders spokesperson added: 'Yet again there is absolutely no truth in any of these allegations.'

Joanne spoke out after The Sun claimed Danny was 'all over the place' and 'reeked of booze' - despite taking well publicised time off from BBC's Eastenders to deal with his 'exhaustion' and 'stress'.

'It seemed that Danny didnt want to be there, and the more Jo wanted to see, the more annoyed he got,' a shopper told the site about the 'red-faced' star.

Not good: On-lookers revealed to The Sun that the actor seemed 'all over the place' and 'reeked of booze' - despite taking well publicised time off from Eastenders to deal with his 'exhaustion' and 'stress'

'She kept saying to him, "I thought we were coming here for me". Then she was irritated because a fan approached him and started chatting.

'He smelt like hed been drinking - which was a surprise given it is well known hes on a break to sort himself out.'

The source also revealed they were surprised as they didn't expect someone of such calibre to 'behave like that in public.'

'He smelt like hed been drinking': The source also revealed they were surprised as they didn't expect someone of such a calibre to 'behave like that in public'

This comes after The Mirror revealed that he was planning to dedicate himself to his wife Joanne, who proposed in February 2015, before they walked the aisle in Hampshire last year.

According to the publication, the couple are now set to relight their romance by jetting to the Maldives: 'Since they got married Danny has been working non stop, they havent had a lot of time together and he wants to make Jo feel special.

'Hes very focused on his family. His time in South Africa has done him the world of good. Now he just wants to do lots of fun things with his family.'

Meanwhile, Danny is expected to return 'imminently' to Eastenders after he took a break from the soap amid claims he was suffering from 'exhaustion and stress'.

The big return: Meanwhile, Danny is expected to return 'imminently' to Eastenders after he took a break from the soap amid claims he was suffering from 'exhaustion and stress'

A source told the Daily Star: 'He dropped in to get his new scripts. He hasnt started filming just yet.

'Everyone is looking forward to seeing him back in action. Hes one of the soaps key stars.'

This comes after writers of the hit soap reportedly 'working around the clock' to amend his character's impending story-lines.

The actor has fast become a fan favourite and is currently involved in some big storylines, including the funeral of his grandmother.

But due to his recent break from the soap, writers may have to come up with an 'excuse' why the character will not attend the funeral.

Under pressure: This comes after writers of the hit soap reportedly 'working around the clock' to amend his character's impending story-lines

Drama: The actor has fast become a fan favourite and is currently involved in some big storylines, including the upcoming funeral of his grandmother

'He dropped in': The soap-star - who takes on the role of pub landlord Mick Carter in the popular BBC soap - reportedly dropped by Albert Square to discuss his upcoming storylines

Danny jetted off to South Africa last month to recuperate in the midst of his momentary split from the BBC show - but has since returned.

It was reported in January that an incident at the National Television Awards saw an 'intoxicated' Danny become embroiled in a 'meltdown' leading to claims that he was bowing out of EastEnders for a rest period.

Despite the claims, and an accompanying video, soap bosses came forward after the leaked clip to deny that he is 'spiralling out of control, exhausted and needs to control his temper.'

Following the explosive allegations, Danny removed himself temporarily from his role as Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter to recuperate in South Africa.
Kannur VC Dr Gopinath Ravindran was the last to respond to Raj Bhavan shortly before the 5pm deadline.
Neil Patrick Harris, husband David Burtka and their little ones have a tradition of St. Patrick's Day pranks.

While the Burtka-Harris family typically tries to trap a visiting leprechaun, this year they decided to switch things up and make peace with the gold hoarding little guys.

Twins Gideon and Harper's St. Patrick's day didn't go according to plan though, as they woke up to a mess filled apartment courtesy of the 'leprechauns', which the 43-year-old star happily shared with his Instagram followers

Uh oh! Neil Patrick Harris's kids Gideon and Harper were not pleased when they woke up to a mess filled home instead of catching a St. Patrick's Day leprechaun Saturday

Neil shared the moment on Instagram, showing the clearly perturbed faces of his and husband David Burtka's six-year-old twins.

The How I Met Your Mother star captioned the sour pic, 'What the flip?!? The Leprechauns trashed our house.

'Gideon and Harper were far from pleased by all this Irish mischief.'

NPH lets fans survey the damage for themselves, adding several pics of upside down chairs, toilet papered chandeliers, scattered couch cushions and potatoes strewn everywhere.

Surveying the damage: The 'leprechauns' piled up chairs and threw toilet paper around the family's Harlem apartment

Pranked! The family woke to find their home in disarray after St. Patrick's Day

'Never': The 'leprechauns' weren't looking to make friends with the twins, as they responding to the twin's peace offering by spelling out the word 'never' with tiny potatoes

The day prior, the twins donned glittering emerald sunglasses and green hats as they asked the leprechauns for a truce in a darling video. But from the looks of their home, the small Irishmen's answer seemed to be 'no.'

The supernatural sneaks didn't surrender, but did leave a creatively crafted message for the family.

'The rapscallions wrote their response to the kids' video in potatoes. See for yourself! #begosh #begorrah' wrote NPH, while showing off the word 'never' crafted out of fingerling potatoes.

Peace offering: Gideon and Harper, both six, recorded a sweet video for St. Patrick's Day where they asked the pesky Irish spirits for a truce and gave them small gifts

Looks like the Burtka-Harris family will have to wait until next year for another chance to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The Doogie Houser star and actor-turned-chef David Burtka welcomed twins Gideon and Harper to the world in 2010 via a surrogate. The couple married in 2014.

Fans can currently find Neil in Netflix's Series Of Unfortunate Events, where the singing-dancing-acting star plays the villainous Count Olaf.
She's the Big Brother star known for her penchant for cosmetic surgery and flaunting her latest procedures on social media.

And in Skye Wheatley's latest lingerie shoot, the 23-year-old showcased her enhanced cleavage as she slipped into a lace bra with matching G-string panties.

Pairing the ensemble with a lace pussycat headpiece, the blonde bombshell channelled her inner sex kitten.

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Sex kitten: In Skye Wheatley's latest lingerie shoot, the 23-year-old showcased her enhanced cleavage as she slippled into a lace bra with matching G-string panties

Her bronzed limbs were on full display as Skye's long blonde tresses fell onto her shoulders.

She wore her makeup bold with a smokey eye and bright pink lip.

The makeup artist playfully posed on a white couch while she flaunted her toned stomach.

Meow pussy cat! The makeup artist playfully posed on a white couch while she flaunted her toned stomach

In other pictures, Skye is seen channelling her inner glamazon as she posed by some leafy green pot plants wearing another set of lacy lingerie.

In one photo she is seen pushing together her arms exposing even more ample cleavage.

While she has never been shy to speak of her boob jobs, lip fillers and rhinoplasty, fans have been speculating that she may have also gone under the knife to enlarge her derriere, which appears larger than usual in recent snaps.

It's a jungle out there! Skye is seen channelling her inner glamazon as she posed by some leafy green pot plants wearing another set of lacy lingerie

Skye has been open about discussing her cosmetic surgery, as she famously talks about her botched breast augmentation in Thailand in 2015.

The model also makes sure to share videos to YouTube documenting her various procedures.

'I like to look at myself as an ugly ducking,' she confessed on YouTube last year, before adding: 'And the older I get, the more improved I am.'
Married At First Sight's Cheryl Maitland put on a VERY busty display in a plunging skintight red jumpsuit over the weekend.

And now pictures have surfaced of reality TV star Skye Wheatley donning an almost identical jumpsuit.

In a sexy photoshoot, the blonde bombshell flaunts her surgically enhanced assets in a similar cleavage bearing outfit.

Who wore it better? Pictures have surfaced of reality TV star Skye Wheatley donning an almost identical jumpsuit to Married At First Sight's Cheryl Maitland

The 23-year-old chose to team her outfit with black platform heels, whereas Cheryl wore the slightly more slim-fitting catsuit with a pair of nude strappy sandals.

Skye also wore her hear in girlish bunchies and kept her makeup bold with a bright red lip.

She accessorised the look with a pair of round-rimmed reflective sunglasses.

Raising the bar: The 23-year-old chose to team her outfit with black platform heels, whereas Cheryl wore the slightly more slim-fitting catsuit with a pair of nude strappy sandals

Both Cheryl and Skye have admitted to undergoing breast surgeries in the past.

Cheryl admitted to undergoing a breast enlargement in her teens after she was bullied in high school.

She told NW magazine: 'I hit puberty really late, and as a result, I was teased for many years for my lack of bust'.

She is also no stranger to making headlines over her racy past - as photos of her as a topless waitress surfaced online earlier this year.

Lady in red: Skye also wore her hear in girlish bunchies and kept her makeup bold with a bright red lip

Skye on the other hand is well known for documenting her plastic surgery visits on social media.

She has been open about discussing her cosmetic surgery, as she famously talks about her botched breast augmentation in Thailand in 2015.

The model also makes sure to share videos to YouTube documenting her various procedures.

'I like to look at myself as an ugly ducking,' she confessed on YouTube last year, before adding: 'And the older I get, the more improved I am.'
She's been on a cast member of Home And Away for the past 17 years.

But it seems Ada Nicodemou has nothing but nice words for her co-stars who have gone on to launch successful Hollywood careers, in particular Chris Hemsworth.

The 39-year-old actress has played Leah Patterson on the long running soap since 1994 and starred alongside the Thor star between 2004 to 2007.

Red hot! Ada Nicodemou has been a cast member of Home And Away for the past 17 years

Ada revealed to Stellar that she and the heartthrob still maintain a great friendship.

When asked if he would return her calls, she told the publication: 'He most certainly would, he's a lovely down-to-earth guy.'

The single-mum said that she even tried to use her friendship with the Marvel Superhero to win brownie points with her son.

Good friends: 'He most certainly would, he's a lovely down-to-earth guy,' she said of the Thor star

Good old days: The 39-year-old actress has played Leah Patterson on the long running soap since 1994 and starred alongside the Thor star between 2004 to 2007

'We saw him on TV as Thor and I said to my son Johnas, 'Mummy knows Thor'. He looked blankly at me,' she said.

The Greek-Cypriot-born actress has been a fixture on Australian screens for over two decades with majority of her time spent on the set of Summer Bay, alongside Ray Meagher who plays Alf Stewart.

Surprised at how long her character has been a resident of the beachside town, she said she doesn't think Alf has ever called her a 'flaming galah'.

Summer bay stars: The single mum said that she even tried to use her friendship with the Marvel Superhero to win brownie points with her son

She has recently stepped out with boyfriend millionaire boyfriend Adam Rigby, who is the CEO of Nabo, an online community networking website and app, following her split from husband of nine-years restaurateur Chrys Xipolitas, last November.

A source told Woman's Day: 'It's still early days, but you can tell Adam is making her happy. She has a spring in her step and is finally enjoying life again  it's like she's a different person!'

'Ada is in such a great place, you can see it written all over her face,' they added.
She's been soaking up the sun on vacation with latest hunky beau.

But Olivia Culpo was back closer to home on Saturday as she stepped out solo to pick up a juice in Brentwood, California.

The 24-year-old former beauty pageant queen was without Danny Amendola, as she sipped on a pink drink on Saturday.

Healthy living: Olivia Culpo stepped out on Saturday to pick up a juice in Brentwood, California

The former Miss Universe looked to need a fresh outfit, as her classic white Tee and blue jeans combo were littered with holes.

She flashed the flesh underneath the peculiar top, and teamed them with sneakers which appeared to be sporting a brazilian.

The pretty brunette posed for a gal pal taking pictures on her phone.

On the bench: The 24-year-old former beauty pageant queen was without Danny Amendola, as she sipped on a pink drink on Saturday, while her pal took a picture

She left her Gucci Dionysus handbag beside her on a bench, and perfected her smile for the snap.

The beauty showcased her flawless features, and added a peachy blush and strong red lipstick.

Her chestnut tresses were in a centre parting with soft waves framing her face.

Pretty: The beauty showcased her flawless features, and added a peachy blush and strong red lipstick

Holey-smoke! Her chestnut tresses were in a centre parting with soft waves framing her face

She's enjoyed vacations in the Bahamas and Miami with her New England Patriots star boyfriend.

She previously dated Nick Jonas for two years, before they split in June 2015.

Olivia made a cameo appearance in his video for hot song Jealous, which is said to be penned about a time he caught another man ogling her when they were together.

Paradise PDA! She wrapped herself around her man on vacay in the Bahamas
They all boast millions of social media followers.

And on Saturday, Kendall and Kylie Jenner teamed up with their good friend Hailey Baldwin to share some fun in the sun with fans.

The social media starlets enjoyed a relaxing day at the pool together, where they had fun soaking up the rays and playing around on Snapchat.

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Relaxing in style: The Jenner sisters enjoyed a day at the pool with their pal Hailey Baldwin Saturday

Hailey, 20, and Kylie, 19, cozied up while trying on the ever-popular dog filter.

The California girls both flaunted fresh faces, wearing minimal makeup and sporting well-groomed brows.

Both girls slicked their wet locks back while topping of their swim looks with hints of jewelry. Kylie rocked a sizable pair of diamond studs in the pool while Hailey opted for a delicate golden chain upon her neck.

Party animals! Kylie and the darling daughter of Stephen Baldwin played around with the flirty dog filter while Kendall looked sultry in her own solo Snap wearing a cheetah mask

The youngest of the Kardashian clan shared a solo snap of her supermodel sister Kendall donning Snapchat's cheetah-inspired mask accompanied with animated balloons.

The 21-year-old runway talent flaunted her bust subtly while wearing a white bikini by Puma and batting her ample eyelashes at the camera.

The Los Angeles native topped off her look with a chic nameplate necklace.

White hot! The runway stunner subtly showed off her ample cleavage in a white bikini

Earlier in the day, BFFs Kendall and Hailey indulged in a little bit of retail therapy out in Beverly Hills.

It seemed that the 20-year-old model needed a bit of cheering up after a $200k of her jewelry was discovered stolen Thursday.

The KUWTK figure called the police on Thursday morning after she noticed jewelry was missing from her bedroom and was frightened someone was still in the house, according to TMZ.
It pays to be Bella Hadid's friend.

On Saturday, the 20-year-old model whisked her gal pals via private jet to Jamaica.

The younger sister of Gigi Hadid thanked company JetLux for the flight, an airline company that often works with celebrities for their exclusive air transport.

Girls' trip: On Saturday, Bella Hadid, 20, whisked her gal pals via private jet to Jamaica

'Decided to take my girls to Jamaica thanks so much @jetluxlife for the last minute ,' wrote the star.

Bella dressed her slim figure in a white, billowy top, which she matched to her high heel shoes.

The model's long legs were hidden beneath a pair of cropped flare jeans.

Did she get a discount? The 20-year-old thanked company JetLux for the flight, an airline company that often works with celebrities for their exclusive air transport

Once there, the beauty gave her Instagram followers a look into her trip via her story

To satisfy their cravings, the girls enjoyed a smorgasbord of food, including meat, veggies, rice and fruit

Perfect: Her trip away couldn't have come at a better time for the young Dior spokesmodel

Once there, the beauty gave her Instagram followers a look into her trip via her story.

Bella shared a selfie with her pals, each clad in a cropped top.

To satisfy their cravings, the girls enjoyed a smorgasbord of food, including meat, veggies, rice and fruit.

Triplets: Bella shared a selfie with her pals, each clad in a cropped top

Her trip away couldn't have come at a better time for the young Dior spokesmodel.

The beauty is currently single, having broken up with ex The Weeknd last November.

Her former beau is reportedly dating Selena Gomez. The two were spotted earlier this week in his hometown of Toronto.
She's The Bachelor reject who failed to find love with Richie Strahan, but found it with fellow contestant Megan Marx.

And after their shock break up, it seems Tiffany Scanlon getting on with her life.

The 30-year-old took to Instagram to share a pictured of herself with a female friend at the Diplo concert.

Dancing through the heartbreak? Tiffany Scanlon getting on with her life after sharing a picture of herself with a female friend at the Diplo concert in Perth

Tiffany appeared all smiles with her arm around her gal pal wearing a see-through tank top and bra, as she showing off her abs.

The Perth-born beauty flaunted her trim pins in a tight black leggings by Transit Clothing, but made sure to keep comfortable for the show completing the look with a pair of black sneakers.

She captioned the post: 'Coupla seriously sweaty rigs from dancing up a storm! Sorry for the Insta story spam last night, I was a wee bit excited lol! Scroll across to see an awesome photo bomb;

No Megan? Tiffany captioned her post-Diplo concert Instagram photo, 'Coupla seriously sweaty rigs from dancing up a storm! Sorry for the Insta story spam last night, I was a wee bit excited lol!

'Well played sir, well played,' Tiffany added, thanking the American music producer.

Fans of the blonde stunner loved post and commented on the snap.

One said: 'You're too cute for words.'

Another wrote: 'Love these pictures Tiffany. Caption too.'

A reconciliation on the cards? Tiffany hinted at the possibility of a reconciliation with ex-girlfriend Megan Marx, 27, on Friday's Kyle and Jackie O Show

While it looks like the two former loverbird's have parted ways, on Friday's Kyle and Jackie O Show, Tiffany hinted at the possibility of a reconciliation.

'We're just giving us some distance and time,' the 30-year-old revealed, before adding that she hasn't been with anyone else since: 'No way in that thought [process] at all.'

'It was a mutual thing, so much pressure in the end,' Tiffany told co-hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson on the split.

'We're giving it time': She also revealed she hasn't been with anyone else since

'I was really, really devastated when it all happened. We did keep it on the quiet for a few weeks, before it leaked to the media.

'I saw her just before she left for Europe and now we're just giving us some distance and time,' the blonde beauty continued.

And as for a new lover, Tiffany quickly shut down the concept, sharing on the program: 'No way at all at the moment.'

'I was tired of pretending to be happy': Tiffany revealed she and Megan were offered their own TV series before fame put 'pressure' on their relationship and led to their split, in a lengthy post on her new blog The Tiffany Times

The comments come shortly after Tiffany revealed in a lengthy post on her new blog The Tiffany Times, that she 'paid the price' by taking her relationship public.

Appearing to regret sharing details of her relationship with the world, she wrote: 'We made the decision (mistake) at that point to share our relationship with the public...This, I believe, would eventually cost us our relationship.'

Tiffany said the public scrutiny and increased media interest after her rise to fame led to the couple parting ways.

'We had paid the ultimate price for sharing our relationship so publicly and putting so much pressure on it,' she said of the mutual split.

'We had paid the ultimate price for sharing our relationship': She appeared to regret sharing details of her same-sex relationship to the world, calling the decision a 'mistake'

Too much attention? Tiffany said the fan messages, public scrutiny and increased media interest after her rise to fame influenced the break-up with Megan

Before their break-up, the fitness enthusiast revealed the couple had many commercial opportunities lined up.

'We were in discussions with Ratpak to have our own TV series with the aim of educating people on same sex relationships and sexual fluidity,' she said.

Tiffany revealed they were planning to write a book sharing their story and were also creating an underwear line called Miffties.

'We were in discussions to have our own TV series': Before the split, she revealed the couple had commercial opportunities lined up, including a TV show and their own underwear label

Business opportunities: Tiffany revealed they were planning to write a book together sharing their story and were also creating an underwear line called Miffties

While Tiffany and Megan announced their split earlier this month, Tiffany revealed things actually started to unravel around Christmas.

She continued: 'We were going to a tonne of events and I was finding it more and more difficult to enjoy myself now that we were more recognisable to the public.

'Strangers grabbing at us for pictures, not even introducing themselves or talking to us, men asking for threesomes, people accusing us of faking our relationship.

'I was tired of the scrutiny, tired of defending myself, tired of the negative attention and tired of pretending to be happy,' Tiffany added.

Hidden struggles: Tiffany also revealed she was privately battling depression, brought on by the stress and anxiety of living a public life, which eventually affected her relationship

The 2000-word post outlined the way public attention took its toll on both women, with Tiffany also discussing her history with depression.

She claimed her depression was brought on by the stress and anxiety of living such a public life after The Bachelor.

At her lowest point, she postponed her flight to Bali to meet Megan because her anxiety had made her physically ill.

'I couldnt hold down food, couldnt focus on anything...Crying hysterically I could not get myself into the car to go to the airport so I postponed my flight.'

Unlikely meeting place! The former couple met on The Bachelor Australia last year, where they were both contestants vying for the heart of Richie Strahan

Her former Bachelor co-star Keira Maguire had previously claimed Tiffany and Megan's same-sex romance was 'fake' and a 'publicity stunt.'

Mamamia reported that the former reality TV 'villain' had dismissed the relationship during an Instagram Live video, saying: 'Yes they are faking their relationship.'

The sassy blonde also warned fans 'not to be fooled' by the couple's public displays of affection on Instagram, before stating they 'aren't lesbians.'
She's the Australian model who recently revealed she doesn't need chicken fillets to enhance her naturally ample bust.

And on Sunday, Shanina Shaik showed off her posterior in the mirror, and this time, there was no doubt she was all natural.

The 26-year-old took to Instagram to share a snap of the skimpy, stunning outfit she wore to her friend and fellow model Taylor Hill's birthday in Las Vegas.

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Flaunt it! Shanina Shaik showed off her posterior in a skimpy, stunning sequined dress as she celebrated her friend Taylor Hill's birthday in Las Vegas on Sunday

Standing in one of the city's lavish hotel bathrooms, the model stood side-on, snapping a mirror selfie.

Shanina tilted her lithe legs to accentuate her ample derriere, while a very high seam-split in her sequined dress almost exposed her underwear.

The stunning model wore her hair straightened, as she completed her outfit with daring stiletto heels.

Vegas! The 26-year-old beauty somehow manages to routinely find time to live it up despite her busy modelling schedule

'Had to dress up for #tays birthday,' she wrote in the caption, referencing one of her friends.

She added the hashtags: 'vegas' and 'one night only.'

It's a testament to the busy beauty that she continues to find time in her schedule to live it up, recently snapped enjoying the sun and sand of Antigua before heading back to her base in New York.

Once again, she took to Instagram to share a racy post of her ample assets in a blue and white crochet bikini top which she hashtagged #nochickenfillets.

Busty outlook: She recently shared a racy Instagram post of ample assets in a white crochet bikini top

Shanina has been in Antigua since Saturday shooting a campaign for Australian designer Johansen.

The Melbourne-born beauty was due to fly out of island but had been forced to stay back on the Caribbean island following a blizzard warning in New York, according to the National Weather Service.

The Victoria's Secret model received plenty of comments from her fans complimenting her busty display as well as her bikini.

Waiting out the storm: The Australian model has been in the Caribbean Island of Antigua shooting a campaign for Australian designer Johansen

Fan love: She received plenty of comments from her followers complimenting her busty display as well as her bikini

One commented: 'Beautiful as always.'

Another simply said: 'this bathing suit.'

She also shared a photo of herself by the beach with the caption: 'By the beach in Antigua #wishyouwerehere.'

Wish you were here: Shanina was due to fly back to New York but a blizzard warning in New York forced her to stay back

Love birds: Shanina is engaged to DJ Rukus a.k.a Greg Andrews

Shanina is currently engaged to DJ Rukus, born Greg Andrews, and the couple are in no rush to tie the knot.

The model told the Today show earlier this year: 'We're doing it slowly, we have a long engagement which is quite nice.'

'But I can tell you I do have an idea for my dress, so I'm really happy about that,' she added.

Glammed up: She said that they are in no rush to get married since getting engaged in January 2016

Genetically blessed: Shanina said her Australian, Lithuanian, Pakistani and Saudi Arabian heritage helped her get work following her move to New York
He's long said how well he can cook seafood, being the self-proclaimed Seafood King on My Kitchen Rules.

And on Sunday's episode, confident Josh pulled out the goods during the sudden-death cook off against Kelsey and Amanda, after a series of disastrous attempts.

The Broome native was told by judge Manu Feildel that he can indeed cook seafood, as he and Amy knocked the sisters out of the competition, having beaten them by just two points.

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They did it, FINALLY! On MKR on Sunday, Josh was told by judge Manu Feildel that he can indeed cook seafood (Josh is seen with wife Amy during feedback)

In the feedback of their three-course meal and before the judges scores were revealed, Manu told Josh: 'We know you can cook fish now, tick!'

Fellow judge Pete Evans also chimed in, adding: 'The crab was good and the salmon for me, was spot on.'

Josh, relieved after proving himself, exclaimed: 'That's what I wanted!'

Impressed: In the feedback of their three-course meal and before the judges scores were revealed, Manu Feildel (pictured) told Josh: 'We know you can cook fish now, tick!'

Going home: Pictured are Kelsey (L) and Amanda (R) who lost to Josh and Amy during the sudden-death cook-off

The winning dish? Josh and Amy served grilled salmon for main

For entree, Josh and Amy cooked tempura soft shell crab with papaya salad, grilled salmon with couscous and coriander sauce for the main, and a dessert of apple and berry fry pie.

Kelsey and Amanda made deep fried calamari with mango and avocado salad and lemon aioli for entree, a main of cooked prawn red curry, and a dessert of churros with chocolate sauce.

The cook off took place on a cruise ship, and in the galley.

Guest judge Guy Grossi, said Josh and Amy's crab for the entree was cooked to perfection, but what let them down was their salad, which had onion in it and was overpowering.

Looks good! Josh and Amy served an entree of tempura soft shell crab with papaya salad

Interesting: Josh and Amy made a dessert of Apple and Berry fry pie

Tasty! Kelsey and Amanda were making deep fried calamari with mango and avocado salad and lemon aioli

Cook off: Josh and Amy bickered while cooking, in a bid to beat the others

Colin Fassnidge said their salmon was done well, saying: 'It was pink, moist and well seasoned.'

But he said the coucous was a failure.

'It was like two different teams put dishes on the plate, it was just a bit disjointed.'

Karen Martini meanwhile added that for their dessert, the pastry and dough was so overcooked.

Amy and Josh finished on a total of 28 points out of 60, while Kelsey and Amanda finished on 26 points.

Kelsey and Amanda were commended for their perfect dessert, but their calamari entree fell short as they put too many crumbs on the dish.

One for the sweet lovers: Kelsey and Amanda were commended for their perfect dessert, but their calamari entree fell short as they put too many crumbs on the dish

Sorry, girls! With their curry, the judges said it lacked flavour

Stress! Manu meanwhile added: 'I don't think I saw Kelsey and Amanda in that kitchen tonight, no fun, no joy, stress, stress stress'

With their curry, the judges said it lacked flavour.

'There was no depth of curry in there,' Colin said.

Manu meanwhile added: 'I don't think I saw Kelsey and Amanda in that kitchen tonight, no fun, no joy, stress, stress stress,' he said, with the girls agreeing with him.

After it was revealed that they were going home, Kelsey and Amanda got emotional and Amanda cried.

In the hot seat: Seen are judges (from L to R) Colin Fassnidge, Liz Egan, Guy Grossi and Karen Martini

'I'm really proud of us, I feel blessed to be here,' Amanda told the judges.

Manu complimented them, saying: 'Two great cooks, two loud sisters and two wonderful mums on their way home.'

Amanda joked that things were going to be 'a lot quieter now,' on the show.

Josh added: 'Maybe that's a way we can get to the grand final, constantly going to sudden-death and beating teams!'
She was pictured bawling her eyes out on a Perth street last month.

And weeks after Alex Nation reportedly had an explosive fight with her beau Richie Strahan in public, the Bachelor winner was pictured not wearing the promise ring he gave her last year.

Richie presented Alex the white gold promise ring during the Bachelor finale, as a symbol of their love.

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Where's the ring? Weeks after Alex Nation reportedly had an explosive fight with her beau Richie Strahan in public, the Bachelor winner was pictured not wearing the promise ring he gave her

While the 25-year-old normally wears the GP Israel diamond ring on her right hand, she opted not to wear it during an outing in Melbourne on Saturday.

Sporting an edgy Harley Davidon T-shirt and a frayed mini skit paired with thigh-high boots, the single mum was pictured chatting to a mystery man as she let her hair down.

The outing comes after Alex and Richie, 32, were last photographed in public together having a bitter fight on a Perth street in February.

Over? Richie presented Alex the white gold promise ring during the Bachelor finale, as a symbol of their love

Symbol of love: Promise rings commonly signify love and commitment for couples who are not yet engaged or married

Bling: The white gold ring features two diamond-encrusted bands that are connected by a larger rose-cut diamond at the centre, complete with light reflecting facets

Amid rumours that the couple may have split, Alex also made a solo appearance at Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival last week but made sure to wear her ring.

While Alex uploaded to Instagram her own photos from the night out at VAMFF, she has not shared an image of her and Richie on social media for the past six weeks.

Richie has also not shared a snap of him and Alex together for three weeks, with the couple last making a public event appearance at the Australian Open in January.

Who's that dude? Alex headed out to a Melbourne bar on Saturday and was seen chatting to a mystery bloke

Happy? Alex, who was dressed in a camel filled mini skirt and Harley Davidson shirt, looked relaxed and was all smiles at the event

MIA ;Richie has also not shared a snap of him and Alex together for three weeks, with the couple last making a public event appearance at the Australian Open in January

Fight? NW Magazine reported the couple had a 'huge fight' in public and a witness had said Alex's eyes were 'red raw from crying'

In February, Alex and Richie were pictured looking tense on a Perth street, with the model's eyes appearing bloodshot from crying.

NW Magazine reported the couple had a 'huge fight' in public and a witness had said Alex's eyes were 'red raw from crying'.

New Idea last week claimed the couple were struggling with the geographical distance between them, with Alex residing in Victoria's Mornington Peninsula while Richie lives in Perth.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Alex Nation for comment.
She's known for stopping her concerts and letting die-hard fans propose to their partners.

And during her show in Melbourne on Sunday, British crooner Adele invited a crying fan on stage, who unexpectedly proposed to his boyfriend.

Fans took to Twitter shortly after the proposal, to gush over the sweet moment.

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What a moment! A man proposed to his boyfriend on stage at Adele's Melbourne show on Sunday evening, at Etihad Stadium (Adele is pictured at her Sydney show earlier this month)

One fan Tweeted: 'Omggg (sic) she's giving him her microphone and the guy is proposing.'

Another added: 'Adele's Melbourne show is already off to a kick-arse (sic) start with a super sweet same-sex marriage proposal.'

Another congratulated the pair, Tweeting: 'Congrats to this lovely guys who got engaged on stage at #AdeleMelbourne.'

Sweet: Another added that 'Adele's Melbourne show is already off to a kick-arse start with a super sweet same-sex marriage proposal'

Speaking out: One fan urged Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to 'take note'

Smitten: The proposal was between concertgoers Wade and Chris

One fan urged Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to 'take note,' considering same-sex marriage is illegal in Australia.

'Wonderful. @Adele promoting gay marriage with a proposal on stage. Bless. Take note @TurnbullMalcolm It's not hard.'

The proposal was between concertgoers Wade and Chris.

Adele first invited Chris on stage after he cried during her opening song, Hello.

When on stage, Wade got on bended knee to pop the question, with Adele being in complete shock.

That hair flip! During her Melbourne show on Saturday evening, the Rolling in the Deep singer thrilled fans when she impersonated her friend Beyonce

Go girl! Adele flipped her hair back and forth as she stood in front of a fan, like Beyonce (L)

'That wasnt planned, I had no idea!,' the hit maker said.

During her Melbourne show on Saturday evening, the Rolling in the Deep singer thrilled fans when she impersonated her friend Beyonce while flipping her hair back and forth in front of a wind machine.

Earlier in the evening, Adele joked that if her fans were looking for a good time they had come to the wrong place, describing her concert as 'basically just two hours of crying and songs about my ex-boyfriend'.

Sense of humour: Adele joked that if her fans were looking for a good time they had come to the wrong place, describing her concert as 'basically just two hours of crying and songs about my ex-boyfriend'

Sunday's show was Adele's final show in Australia.

The 28-year-old told her crowd on Saturday, how surprised she was that she had so much fun on tour.

'I'm not much of a touring artist, I'd rather be home having Chinese to be honest,' she confessed.
She is a world famous fashion icon who originally shot to fame as a Spice Girl back in the 1990s.

Victoria Beckham was dubbed Posh Spice and the 42-year-old designer has never been able to escape her nickname - as one London barista proved on Sunday.

The fashion guru's second son Romeo, 14, posted an amused picture of her coffee cup labelled 'Posh' to Instagram, with the caption: 'When my mum goes to Starbucks!!'

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Posh iced americano: Victoria Beckham was dubbed Posh Spice and the 42-year-old designer has never been able to escape her nickname - as one London barista proved on Sunday

Victoria, who has been known as one half of Posh and Becks since the couple met and began dating back in 1997, must be used to her nickname by now.

But the picture of what looks to be an iced white americano annotated with her name still amused her son.

The pair were out for a walk in London on Sunday morning with their dog Olive and stopped for an iced beverage on the way.

Romeo showed he takes after his mum in a fashionable ensemble, wearing tapered gray jogging bottoms, sparkling white trainers and a hoodie.

Walkies time! Romeo and his mum were out for a walk in London on Sunday morning with their dog Olive and stopped for an iced beverage on the way

It was love at first sight when they met at a Manchester United match back in 1997.

And Victoria heaped praise on her retired sportsman husband, calling him her 'soulmate', in an interview on the Today show in the States last Friday.

Victoria spoke about her family, saying of David: 'He's my soulmate. He's the most incredible husband. We complement each other.

Smitten: The post comes after Victoria heaped praise upon her husband David during an appearance on the Today show on Friday

'He inspires me every day': Victoria says she loves the way David treats her and their children whom she raises children Brooklyn, 18, Romeo, 14, Cruz, eleven and five-year-old Harper

'He inspires me every day, with the children, the way he treats me; it just works. We are lucky to have each other.'

The couple married in a lavish ceremony in at Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland in 1999, complete with thrones, crowns and a big bucks magazine deal.

The former Spice Girl has also revealed that she regularly borrows David's clothes.

Tell-all interview: Victoria was discussing her new fashion collaboration with Target during the televised chat on Today

Chic: The fashionista was impeccably dressed and perfectly groomed for her TV appearance

Doting dad: The former Spice Girl raises children Brooklyn, 18, Romeo, 14, Cruz, eleven and five-year-old Harper with David

She told Instyle.co.uk: 'I steal so much of his stuff. He was away the other day and I phoned him and said "I've just found these trousers hanging up in your wardrobe. Is it OK if I take them and sort of tweak them a little bit?"'

Victoria says she encourages her children to be 'individual' and to dress how they want to, adding that they do 'pay attention' to what they wear.

Speaking about daughter Harper, she said: 'She is very feminine, she loves to wear pretty dresses and pretty skirts, but she has got three older brothers so she's a little bit of a tomboy as well.'

Victoria also added that her style has evolved over time, admitting that her tracksuit bottoms are her guilty pleasure.

Posh and Becks for life: The couple married in a lavish ceremony in at Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland in 1999, complete with thrones, crowns and a big bucks magazine deal

Still going strong: David previously stated that the secret to his and Victoria's marriage is being able to 'work through' the 'tough times'

Speaking on the 75th anniversary edition of Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, David revealed: 'We did throw a lot at (our first wedding). We have renewed our vows since then and it was a lot more private, there was about six people there in our house.

Mulling over their relationship history, David also revealed the rather bizarre dates they once shared: 'I drove down, I picked her up ... we used to sit in a Harvester car park and we just used to kiss, of course, and spend time together.'

Further on in the insightful interview, he stated that the secret to his and Victoria's marriage is being able to 'work through' the 'tough times'.

He admits that he and Victoria know each other inside out - and it is this mutual love and understanding of each other and their children that has kept them together for so long.

David explained that their union works due to their strong moral backgrounds, as well as their ability to discuss any 'mistakes' that occur during their high-profile romance.

He said: 'We've got strong parents. We were brought up with the right values.'
He's currently in a high-profile relationship with American-based shoe designer, Jasmine Yarbrough, 33.

And Karl Stefanovic may now be considering moving to the United States for his new love, according to recent reports.

Last week New Idea claimed the 42-year-old 'met with lawyers to explore options around leaving the Today Show and becoming Nine's US bureau chief so he can be close to his girlfriend.'

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Important meeting? Karl Stefanovic was seen leaving a high-powered law firm in Sydney earlier this month, a week after New Idea reported he had met with lawyers to consider relocating to the US to be closer to girlfriend Jasmine Yarbrough

Earlier this month, Karl was spotted leaving a high-powered law firm in Sydney, cutting a formal figure in a suit and tie.

The Channel Nine personality looked dapper in the navy suit as he made his way from the premises located in Sydney's CBD.

He wore a matching dark blue tie that was patterned with red and white stripes, and completed his look with a light blue button-up shirt.

Karl's mother Jenny reportedly joined him in the city, but did not join him inside the law firm.

Taking care of business: Karl was seen taking a phone call in the foyer of SWAAB Attorneys

Before leaving the inner-city offices of SWAAB Attorneys , Karl was seen in the foyer taking a phone call, and continued talking as he made his way along the footpath.

Clearly in the middle of important business, the Today Show co-host was later seen sending a text before clutching his phone tightly.

Later in the day, Karl was seen in Cremorne, on Sydney's affluent North Shore, picking up a carton of milk and banana to fuel him after his trip into the city.

Busy day: Karl was clearly in the middle of business, continuing to talk on his phone before sending a text message

Picking up the essentials: Later Karl was seen leaving a convenience store with a bottle of milk and a banana

Serious business: Karl was suited-up but looked somewhat downcast after his visit to the firm

He was also seen carrying a suit jacket as he walked around the residential neighbourhood running errands.

It comes a week after a Channel Nine insider reportedly told the New Idea that Karl 'knows he would take a pay cut, but would love to relocate to the US in a similar role.'

Despite friends allegedly cautioning the father-of-three against any drastic moves, the estranged husband of Cassandra Thorburn, 44, has already made up his mind.

Keeping him company: Karl's mother Jenny accompanied him to the law firm, but did not go inside

Running errands: Karl was seen clutching a suit bag and several shirts

'He's 100 per cent committed to the relationship and sees a future with Jasmine. And after 21 years of marriage, he's not interested in taking things slow - he wants it all with Jasmine,' said a source.

'But he knows long-distance relationships are hard - especially when you're talking about the U.S. and Australia.

The insider added: 'Jasmine is committed to her work life in LA so Karl decided he'd go to her.'

Over: Karl and Cassandra, 44, split in September last year after 21 years of marriage

The blonde beauty is currently part owner of fashion brand Mara & Mine who create luxury slip on shoes for celebrities such as Kendall Jenner and Margot Robbie.

She set up the brand in 2013 with Tamie Ingham.

The Brisbane-born designer is also a model with Chic Management and has appeared in campaigns such as Midori.

New role? According to a report in New Idea, it is believed 'Karl met with lawyers to explore options around leaving the breakfast show and becoming Nine's US bureau chief so he can be close to his girlfriend'

The woman who stole Karl's heart: The blonde beauty is currently part owner of fashion brand Mara & Mine who create luxury slip on shoes for celebrities such as Kendall Jenner and Margot Robbie

Jasmine has been previously linked to Australian Wallabies player and Delta Goodrem's ex Drew Mitchell who she dated on and off for years.

It's believed the couple, who are said to have met on a boat party in December and have been seeing each other since Christmas.

Karl split from his wife of 21-years, Cassandra Thorburn, last year.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Karl's rep for comment in relation to this story.

Smitten: 'He's 100 per cent committed to the relationship and sees a future with Jasmine. And after 21 years of marriage, he's not interested in taking things slow - he wants it all with Jasmine,' a friend told New Idea
Their sun-soaked getaway has been a flurry of boats, bikinis and booze.

And Mario Falcone and his girlfriend Becky Miesner continued their idyllic trip to Barbados as they showed off their incredible beach bodies while living it up on the shores on Saturday.

The 29-year-old TOWIE star, who has just made his comeback on the ITVBe show, looked enamoured with his stunning partner who was flaunting her perky cleavage and taut abs in a stylish black bikini with embroidered details.

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Just the two of us... Mario Falcone and his girlfriend Becky Miesner continued their idyllic trip to Barbados as they showed off their incredible beach bodies while living it up on the shores on Saturday

Mario soared to fame when he entered the ITVBe show as Lucy Mecklenburgh's boyfriend in 2011 before becoming a central character once he split from the health guru after she cheated on him with Mark Wright.

After many storylines involving his convoluted love life it seems the handsome star has finally found true love in the brunette beauty who looked phenomenal during their trip to the high seas.

Slipping into a black bikini she allowed her body to do the talking, with the triangle cups boosting her perky cleavage and a coloured trim lining the trim of the top.

The barely-there bottoms boasted the same tasselend trim comprising of blue and red colouring while sitting low of her hips to display her taut stomach.

Look at me: The 29-year-old TOWIE star, who has just made his comeback on the ITVBe show, looked enamoured with his stunning partner who was flaunting her perky cleavage and taut abs in a stylish black bikini with embroidered details

Casual: Later in the day the duo wrapped up as Becky slipped into a stunning pink coverup which billowed in the wind while Mario wore a loosely buttoned blue shirt

Becky's long brunette tresses billowed in the warm Caribbean breeze as she clutched a drink and partied it up alongside her beloved beau.

She shielded her make-up free face with a huge pair of mirrored sunglasses which perfectly exhibited her flawless bone structure from underneath.

Mario meanwhile was sporting simple trunks while proudly showing off his ripped torso and intricately inked tattooed arms.

The one: In a recent interview with Star magazine, the tailor said he had 'never felt that way' before about any other girl and could see himself having a family with salon-owner Becky

His new long tresses were scraped into a simple bun while his thick beard partially concealed his handsome features yet perfected his beach hunk look.

Later in the day the duo wrapped up as Becky slipped into a stunning pink coverup which billowed in the wind while Mario wore a loosely buttoned blue shirt.

In a recent interview with Star magazine, the tailor said he had 'never felt that way' before about any other girl and could see himself having a family with salon-owner Becky.

Happier than ever: He said: 'I can't stand to think about upsetting her like I have with other girls in the past. I can see us having kids and getting engaged, which I have never felt before'

Happier than ever: Mario had previously hinted at engagement plans with the petite beauty after he posted a video of Becky dancing on his Twitter page. He said: 'I truly hope and pray I marry this girl one day!'

He said: 'I can't stand to think about upsetting her like I have with other girls in the past. I can see us having kids and getting engaged, which I have never felt before.'

Mario had previously hinted at engagement plans with the petite beauty after he posted a video of Becky dancing on his Twitter page. He said: 'I truly hope and pray I marry this girl one day!'

And when he returned to Essex last week, he intensified the rumours that he was planning to propose soon, calling Becky 'the One'.
She's just launched a new app to help women deal with bad break-ups.

But Zoe Foster-Blake's own personal life couldn't be going more smoothly, as she prepares to welcome her second child with radio star husband, Hamish.

On Sunday, the businesswoman and author took to Instagram to share a snap of her burgeoning bump from the tropical 'babymoon' she is taking on Hamilton Island in Queensland.

Bumping along nicely! On Sunday, Zoe Foster-Blake shared a snap that showed her basking in the sun on her 'babymoon' with husband Hamish, as the couple prepare to welcome their second child

In the snap, the 36-year-old poses with her head held back as she shows off the baby bump before a scenic backdrop that includes a pool and palm trees.

While Zoe's exact due date remains unknown, the star confirmed her pregnancy almost two months ago, with an Instagram post that parodied Beyonce's announcement that she was expecting twins.

In her new picture, Zoe's bump is covered by a loose-fitting white Gucci t-shirt, a current favourite of fashionistas, with PR maven Roxy Jacenko also known to wear the designer tee.

'Preggo massage': Zoe seemed keen to relax in the lap of luxury

In the picture, the star tagged the designer labels of her sunglasses (Celine), sandals (Miu Miu) and bag (Gucci), before humorously tagging her bump as 'teenybaby.'

In what appears to be a sponsored post, Zoe captioned the snap, 'Babymoon? BabySUN more like it!! Ha ha ha classic. We've had a heck of a time, thanks for hosting us, Qualia. And! We only looked at photos of our son about 130x a day!'

Zoe and Hamish are staying at the luxurious Qualia resort during their babymoon, which they have taken without their son Sonny, 2.

Loved-up: Zoe just launched a break-up app, but won't be needing any of her own advice as she prepares to celebrate her fifth wedding anniversary with her comedian husband

Zoe's snap was the latest of a number of postings the couple have shared from the getaway.

Clearly enjoying the lavish escape, the star uploaded a photo on Saturday that showed her wearing a fluffy bath robe before she was indulged in what she called a 'preggo massage'.

Picture perfect: Hamish shared a photo that showed his humorous attempts to capture the perfect selfie

She also shared a couple-selfie, that showed her and Hamish smiling in their swimwear.

Meanwhile, funnyman Hamish shared a photo with his 720,000 followers as he reclined in an infinity pool pretending to take the perfect holiday selfie.

The 'babymoon' was no doubt a welcome break for the busy working couple, with Zoe last week launching Break-Up Boss, an app filled with advice for getting past an old lover and moving on.

New addition: Zoe and Hamish's son Sonny is set to become a big brother with the second Foster-Blake child just months away
She jetted off on an incredible 18 holidays last year.

And Millie Mackintosh appeared to be missing the sun as she shared a cute flashback snap of her on a luxurious getaway with boyfriend Hugo Taylor.

The 27-year-old beauty clearly cannot wait to be reunited with the sunglasses entrepreneur, who is currently away, captioning the snap: 'Counting down the days! Missing my sunshine @hugotaylorlondon.'

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'Missing my sunshine': Millie Mackintosh appeared to be missing the sun as she shared a cute flashback snap of her on a luxurious getaway with boyfriend Hugo Taylor

In the gushing Instagram snap, the Made In Chelsea star is seen in a strapless white swimsuit, with her arms wrapped around her beau as he lifted her up while on the beach.

Boyfriend Hugo, 30, touched down in Dubai on Saturday, before attending the British Polo Day in Abu Dhabi.

The couple had enjoyed a romantic night out in Paris earlier this month, while Millie was in the French capital for Paris Fashion Week.

Loved up: The couple had enjoyed a romantic night out in Paris earlier this month, while Millie was in the French capital for Paris Fashion Week

The pair also enjoyed a getaway in South Africa at the end of 2016, posting a stunning of series snaps on social media.

Although it's been a turbulent year in terms of Millie's personal life - announcing her split and subsequent divorce from rapper husband Professor Green, 33, in the early part of 2016 - she's taken her mind off things with plenty of exotic holidays.

Since then, her fairytale reunion with beau Hugo has taken her globe-trotting to Monico, Mauritius, Greece and Antibes, since May.

Cute couple: Millie was seen in a sexy swimsuit as she posted for a sweet picture with Hugo while on a romantic break in South Africa

Pucker up! They looked more in love than ever as they packed on the PDA in another snap

Millie and Hugo previously dated back in 2011 when they met on E4 reality show, Made In Chelsea.

But the union was not to last and ended rather dramatically when Millie discovered Hugo had cheated on her with her friend, Rosie Fortescue.

At the time, Millie claimed she would always love Hugo, saying in an interview: 'I loved him - those feelings dont disappear  but I just always have to remind myself why were not together.

Getting her tan on: Millie went on 18 holidays in 2016, sharing endless snaps of herself in various exotic locations

'I do think that, for the rest of my life, every time I see him, Ill get that feeling in my stomach. I dont think I could ever not get that butterfly feeling.'

Millie and Pro Green announced their split in February after just over four years together. Their two-and-a-half-year marriage was dissolved in just 30 seconds in May.

In a statement at the time, they said: 'It is a mutual decision, we still care deeply about each other and would like it to be known that it is on amicable terms and we wish each other well.'
They've been dating for three months.

And Karl Stefanovic, 42, already appears to be growing more serious with girlfriend Jasmine Yarbrough, 33, as a new report claims the Today co-host met her parents on Friday.

According to a Daily Telegraph report on Monday, the smitten couple enjoyed a romantic getaway in Brisbane where the father-of-three met the model's family.

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Heating up: Karl Stefanovic, 42, already appears to be growing more serious with girlfriend Jasmine Yarbrough, 33, as a new report claims the Today co-host met her parents on Friday

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Karl's representatives for comment.

The pair, who met in December, were pictured arriving back in Sydney on Sunday where fellow Channel Nine personality Richard Wilkins and his son Christian reportedly met them.

Perhaps in an effort to try and evade photographers, Jasmine and Karl left Sydney airport separately - with the model leaving in a vehicle with Richard and Christian.

Karl's meeting with Jasmine and her parents follows a report claiming the media personality is considering relocating to the US, where Jasmine resides.

Keen: According to a Daily Telegraph report on Monday, the smitten couple enjoyed a romantic getaway in Brisbane where the father-of-three met the model's family

According to New Idea, 'Karl met with lawyers to explore options around leaving the breakfast show and becoming Nine's US bureau chief so he can be close to his girlfriend.'

A Channel Nine insider reportedly told the publication, 'He knows he would take a pay cut, but would love to relocate to the US in a similar role.'

Despite friends allegedly cautioning him against any drastic moves, the estranged husband of Cassandra Thorburn has already made up his mind.

Moving on? Karl and Jasmine are set to ready to take the next step in their relationship as the Today host is reportedly considering leaving Australia to be with her in the US

New role? According to a report in New Idea, it is believed 'Karl met with lawyers to explore options around leaving the breakfast show and becoming Nine's US bureau chief so he can be close to his girlfriend'

'He's 100 per cent committed to the relationship and sees a future with Jasmine. And after 21 years of marriage, he's not interested in taking things slow - he wants it all with Jasmine,' said a source.

'But he knows long-distance relationships are hard - especially when you're talking about the U.S. and Australia.

The insider added: 'Jasmine is committed to her work life in LA so Karl decided he'd go to her.'

The blonde beauty is currently part owner of fashion brand Mara & Mine who create luxury slip on shoes for celebrities such as Kendall Jenner and Margot Robbie.

The woman who stole Karl's heart: The blonde beauty is currently part owner of fashion brand Mara & Mine who create luxury slip on shoes for celebrities such as Kendall Jenner and Margot Robbie

She set up the brand in 2013 with Tamie Ingham.

The Brisbane-born designer is also a model with Chic Management and has appeared in campaigns such as Midori.

Jasmine has been previously linked to Australian Wallabies player and Delta Goodrem's ex Drew Mitchell who she dated on and off for years.

Over: Karl split from his wife of 21-years, Cassandra Thorburn, 44, last year

It's believed the couple, who are said to have met on a boat party in December and have been seeing each other since Christmas.

Karl split from his wife of 21-years, Cassandra Thorburn, 44, last year.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Karl's rep for comment in relation to this story.

Read more! In this week's issue of New Idea




Stephanie Davis has shared a rare snap of her son Caben Albi on social media in the midst of her and ex-boyfriend Jeremy McConnell's legal woes.

The 24-year-old former Hollyoaks actress took to Instagram to post an image of her three-month-old son shortly after it was revealed that Jeremy had been arrested on suspicion of assault just days after she shared an image of her heavily bruised legs.

Caben looked incredibly sweet in the snap as he smiled for the camera, while Stephanie gleefully penned a caption gushing over her bundle of joy.

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Mellow yellow: Stephanie Davis has shared a rare snap of her son Caben Albi on social media in the midst of her and ex-boyfriend Jeremy McConnell's legal woes

Stephanie was reportedly 'shaken' after calling the police on Jeremy at the home she shares with their baby son Caben-Albi, a source told MailOnline.

One newspaper named the alleged victim as Stephanie, following pictures she posted of her bruised legs. Merseyside Police confirmed to MailOnline that were called to a property regarding an incident that happened on 9 March.

Despite remaining silent on the issue, she took to Instagram on Sunday to simply share a snap of her adorable son as he gurgled happily.

Seemingly shirking her woes, she added a loving caption reading: 'My Ray Of Sunshine... Love waking up to this little face... Makes me smile... What Sundays are all about.'

The stunner: The 24-year-old former Hollyoaks actress took to Instagram to post an image of her three-month-old son shortly after it was revealed that Jeremy had been arrested on suspicion of assault just days after she shared an image of her heavily bruised legs

Just a day earlier he posted a snap of the tot's freshly decorated bedroom as she moves on from a tumultuous seven day period.

Captioning her latest shot, she gave no mention of her ex-boyfriend while crediting family member for helping to assemble her son's furniture.

'Cabens wardrobes and Cot up in his new room,' she wrote: 'Still lots to do but it finally feels like home. Thankyou to my dad for helping all today with Building Everything hope your backs not to sore. Just to finish it off now.'

Onwards and upwards: Stephanie has posted a snap of son Caben freshly decorated bedroom as she moves on from a tumultuous seven day period

Celebrity Big Brother star McConnell was released after being questioned by police but according to new reports his arrest has consequently led to to MTV bosses weighing up his involvement with reality show Ex On The Beach.

A spokesperson for MTV has declined to comment to MailOnline; McConnell's rep also refused to comment.

A source claimed that bosses are 'considering dropping Jeremy from the lineup,' telling The Sun: 'Jeremy has been called by EOTB regarding the assault allegations against him. Whilst there is still an ongoing investigation with the police regarding this, MTV are considering dropping him from the latest series.'

The Irish model and reality star was set to come face-to-face with Stephanie's ex-boyfriend Sam Reece - who is allegedly in talks with the show - for the first time.

Unlikely to cross paths: Stephanie's ex boyfriend Sam Reece (pictured) had reportedly been set to face Jeremy on the dating show's new series

'MTV bosses are considering dropping Jeremy': Stephanie's ex was released by police on Thursday following his arrest but the investigation is still ongoing

McConnell had struck up a romance with Stephanie on Celebrity Big Brother early last year when she had still been dating the First Dates star.

Reports that he will no longer appear on Ex On The Beach come after he was released on Wednesday following his arrest.

A spokesperson for Merseyside police told MailOnline on Thursday: 'A 27-year-old man arrested earlier today on suspicion of assault and criminal damage has been released pending a disposal decision.'

The comment follows an earlier statement which explained McConnell had voluntarily attended a police station.

That was then: A police spokesperson confirmed the news while a representative for Jeremy explained: 'Jeremy denies any wrong doing, however he is fully cooperating with the police in their investigations' (pictured entering the Big Brother house in January 2016)

Shock: The investigation comes after Stephanie stunned followers on Snapchat with a picture of her bruised legs. She made no reference to the marks, simply writing: 'Trying to relax'

Cute: Stephanie gave birth to Caben-Albi, her only child with Jeremy, in January

Naming Stephanie as the victim, The Mirror claims McConnell allegedly began 'behaving oddly' during a visit to the home where Stephanie lives with son Caben-Albi.

A spokesperson for Merseyside Police had told MailOnline: 'Merseyside Police can confirm a report was received of an assault at a property (in Liverpool) on Thursday (9 March). Officers were contacted on Sunday, 12 March and an investigation into the incident is on-going. At this time no arrests have been made.'

Meanwhile, a representative for Jeremy explained to MailOnline: 'Jeremy denies any wrong doing, however he is fully cooperating with the police in their investigations.'

The claims come a mere few days after his ex posted shocking pictures of her bruised legs on Snapchat.

Though she did not mention how she received the marks, she simply wrote: 'Trying to relax.'

Investigating: Police say they were called to a home in the city on March 9. It is alleged Stephanie made a statement

The actress went on to 'like' a tweet from a concerned fan, who wrote: 'What the hell has happened to your legs love?'

Another message liked by Stephanie read: 'Jesus love, them bruises. Hope youre OK.'

McConnell is said to have relocated to Liverpool in recent weeks to be closer to his ex-girlfriend - who split from last year - and their two-month-old son Caben-Albi.

It was reported earlier in the week that his auntie had died in his native Ireland, just days after his father's death - leading to claims he has jetted back to Ireland to deal with his grief.

Tough times: A spokesperson for Merseyside Police told MailOnline: 'Merseyside Police can confirm a report was received of an assault at a property (in Liverpool) on Thursday (9 March)'

Sources told The Sun: 'Jeremy has temporarily left Liverpool  where hes been renting a flat nearby Stephanies home  to be with close friends and family in Ireland. He needs the support of loved ones during this tough time and has headed home so he can have space to properly grieve.

'Its been an incredibly stressful for Jeremy... As a result his relationship with Stephanie has become strained again but hopefully some time apart will do them both good.'

McConnell has always been candid about his tragedies, having discussed his triple loss when he first appeared on TV on MTV's now-defunct reality show Beauty School Cop Outs, with his father and sister being his only remaining family members.

Moved: Sources told The Sun: 'Jeremy has temporarily left Liverpool  where hes been renting a flat nearby Stephanies home  to be with close friends and family in Ireland'

The Dublin native had already been through incredible heartbreak, having previously opened up about his mother, brother and sister passing away within months of each other when he was a teenager.

He said: 'When I was 15 I was at my cousin's and my mum fell asleep. I got back about two hours later and she was gone  she had a brain haemorrhage. Shortly after that my brother broke his neck in a motorbike accident. After that, my sister had a heart attack  she suffered with epilepsy. All in the space of 15 months.

'Of course I miss them, I loved them dearly, but I think that's what levelled me out a bit  I express myself the way I want to. I just grew up really fast.'
Rowan Atkinson dusted off his world famous Mr Bean character today at the premiere of his latest film which is only released in China.

The comedian, 62, decided to revive the bumbling loner for the one-billion strong Chinese audience after a 5million divorce with his wife of 24 years, Sunetra in 2015.

The film titled Top Funny Comedian is expected to prove extremely lucrative after Mr Bean's Holiday released in 2007 grossed more than 2.4million in China alone.

Atkinson, worth an estimated 70million, took to the stage to perform his mute slapstick-style comedy which gloriously transcends languages.

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He's back! Rowan Atkinson dusted off his world famous Mr Bean character today at the premiere of his latest film which is only released in China

Loving it: He pulled a series of hilarious facial expressions as he showed off the items

Clad in his famous brown suit and red tie, Mr Bean was his typical animated self as he pulled a series of facial expressions and pulled out some props.

Top Funny Comedian The Movie is a spin-off of the popular Chinese variety show of the same name and sees the star - who is known as Mr Foolish Bean in Asia - as one of the leading characters in the role.

The film stars comedians Guo Degang and Yue Yunpeng as they venture from from Beijing to Macao.

As Guo speaks limited English and Rowan no mandarin, he revealed the pair were forced to communicate mainly through body language.

'Just with facial expressions and gestures we seemed to understand each other,' Guo said at a promotional event in Beijing.

'It was really an interesting experience, which proves that comedy can cross boundaries.'

Split: Top Funny Comedian The Movie is the first film Rowan has worked on since being granted a 'quickie divorce' from Sunatra Atkinson, 56, (left) and moving in with Louise Ford (right), 33

Hilarious: With his mute slapstick-style comedy transcending any language barriers, the 62-year-old comedian had the crowds in stitches as he addressed them

Everything's coming up roses! Mr Bean seemed to be feeling flirtatious as he offered up a bouquet of roses on the stage

Top Funny Comedian The Movie is the first film Rowan has worked on since being granted a 'quickie divorce' from Sunatra Atkinson, 56, after he left her for a comedy actress half his age in 2015.

Their divorce was granted on the grounds of 'unreasonable behaviour'.

Rowan is currently dating comedy actress Louise. She has appeared in Channel 4's Misfits and starred alongside Inbetweeners actors Simon Bird and Joe Thomas in Skys Chickens.

Rowan and Sunetra were building an 11million home in Oxfordshire at the time of their split in 2014.

Cheers! Mr Bean toasted his new film with his co-stars and the premier in China

Handful: Rowan Atkinson reprising Mr Bean held a variety of props as he entertained on stage

Following the split, Blackadder star moved into a 4million London cottage while Sunetra resided in a 21million mansion in the capital, bought for her by Rowan in 2014.

One of Britains most wealthy entertainers with a fortune of around 70million, Atkinson sold his rare McLaren F1 supercar for 8million months before his divorce was granted in 2015.

Atkinson first met his wife, the daughter of an Indian engineer from Ealing, West London, in the late Eighties, when she was working as a make-up artist for the BBC

He was previously in a relationship with Men Behaving Badly star Leslie Ash who he planted an avenue of rowan and ash trees for at his country home.

Miss Ford and Atkinson met in 2013 after appearing together in the West End as he starred in the comic play Quartermaine's Terms.

Confused? The star appeared to have no idea what items he was handling at the premiere

Back in action: Rowan Atkison was back to playing Mr Bean as he transformed into the iconic character for the premiere of his new film, Top Funny Comedian, in China on Sunday

The comedienne grew up in Bexleyheath, south-east London, before gaining an English degree at Southampton University.

After graduating, she won a place at RADA where she was in the same year and treaded the boards with now Hollywood actress Gemma Arterton.

This led to appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with the Royal Shakespeare Company and parts in television comedies.

More recently, Rowan has been keeping busy reprising his role as Rufus, the pushy and overly-devoted salesman, for the Comic Relief Love Actually special.

Whilst his role this time around has not been released, it looks like fans are in for a repeat of his iconic scene as he was pictured behind the till ready to throw himself into some gift-wrapping, as with his famous scene in the 2003 movie.

His initial turn in the franchise was one of the most iconic as he starred opposite the late Alan Rickman who played Harry, the husband of Emma Thompson's character Karen, who goes on to cheat on her.

Bouncing back: Rowan split from his wife of 24 years, Sunetra, in a costly settlement in 2015 but appeared to be making the money back with his new film

As he plots his affair with his secretary, he goes to Rufus' department store to buy a necklace for his potential mistress although he is in the same building as his wife.

While trying to hurry the purchase along, he comes across Rowan's character who lavishly, arduously and hilariously goes through an elaborate wrapping process.

As he boxed up the necklace, he placed the item in a bag before scattering sequins, placing a cinnamon stick and tying a huge bow - in a process many fans will instantly recognise.
As a father of five, Larry King knows the all encompassing joy fatherhood brings.

So the veteran broadcaster looked on indulgently as new dad Micheal Phelps showed off photos on his phone as they met up at a charity event on Saturday.

Having left baby Boomer at home for a date night with wife Nicole, it seemed their young son was on his mind as Phelps pulled out his phone on the red carpet.

Larry and his eighth wife Shawn gathered round to take a look at the images as the swimmer talked.

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Has everyone seen Boomer? Michael Phelps shows Larry and Shawn King photos on his phone as new dad leaves baby at home for a date night with wife Nicole

The foursome met up at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix on Saturday night.

The hotel was holding the Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night XXIII, which celebrated the iconic boxer who died last June.

Michael had teamed his steel grey suit with a black tie, matching his white dress shirt with a white pocket square and draping an arm about his wife.

Duo: Michael Phelps and his wife Nicole at an event to honor Muhammad Ali at the Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix on Saturday night

Showstopper: Nicole, whom he'd married in secret last June and with whom he's got one son, was a knockout in a floor-length black sleeveless gown

Nicole, who he married in secret last June, was a knockout in a floor-length black sleeveless gown.

Sections of fabric were missing at her sides, allowing her to showcase her enviably chiseled torso, and the dress featured a small train.

Miss California USA 2010 and the former Olympic swimmer had begun dating as far back as 2009, and after an on-and-off dating period got engaged in 2015.

Keeping each other close: Michael had teamed his steel grey suit with a black tie, matching his white dress shirt with a white pocket square and draping an arm about his wife

They welcomed their firstborn child, little Boomer, last May, a little bit over a month before their publicity-shy wedding.

Benefiting charities including the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute, Celebrity Fight Night was crammed with famous figures.

Mr. and Mrs. Phelps got around to hobnobbing with, among others, 83-year-old Larry King and his 57-year-old eighth wife Shawn King.

Quartet: Veteran talk-show host Larry complemented a black suit with a black dress shirt, black tie and black-rimmed spectacles for his night out

Veteran talk-show host Larry complemented a black suit with a black dress shirt, black tie and black-rimmed spectacles for his night out.

Meanwhile, his latest spouse, who's managed to stay married to him since 1997, wore a pleated, Grecian-inspired orange gown that stressed her svelte figure.

What appeared to be a set of gold bangles complemented the massive hoop earrings dangling amid her mane of curly blonde hair.

Confreres: Michael also met up with his fellow former Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken, who was paralyzed below the waist after a 2014 ATV accident severed her spinal cord

High spirits: She and Michael not only shook hands while standing on the carpet together, but also posed for a close-up photo while both apparently seated at their table

Michael also met up with his fellow former Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken, who was paralyzed below the waist after a 2014 ATV accident severed her spinal cord.

Amy had turned up to Saturday night's bash in a wheelchair, having slid into a black gown streaked with sections of sheer fabric, including over her decolletage.

She and Michael not only shook hands while standing on the carpet together, but also posed for a close-up photo while both apparently seated at their table.

The woman in black: Bo Derek, a long beaded green necklace sliding over her generously visible cleavage, was another of the guests who stood for photos with the Phelpses

Pride of place: Likewise the top brass - Celebrity Fight Night founder and chairman Jimmy Walker and his wife Nancy - who posed with Mr. and Mrs. Phelps as well

Bo Derek, a long beaded green necklace sliding over her generously visible cleavage, was another of the guests who stood for photos with the Phelpses.

Likewise the top brass - Celebrity Fight Night founder and chairman Jimmy Walker and his wife Nancy - who posed with Mr. and Mrs. Phelps as well.

Music producer David Foster was also seen chatting into a microphone with Michael, much to the apparent amusement of the all-time most-decorated Olympian.

Having a laugh: Music producer David Foster was also seen chatting into a microphone with Michael, much to the apparent amusement of the all-time most-decorated Olympian

History: Miss California USA 2010 and the former Olympic swimmer had begun dating as far back as 2009, and after an on-and-off dating period got engaged in 2015

They welcomed their firstborn child, little Boomer, last May, a little bit over a month before their publicity-shy wedding
She is used to dazzling on the red carpet after a decade in the spotlight.

Yet Stephanie Pratt's new dog Max will no doubt have to get used to life as a superstar as the pet pup was toted along the red carpet on Smurfs: The Lost Village gala film screening on Sunday.

The 30-year-old Made In Chelsea star looked sensational in a lace dress which skimmed her figure to perfection yet it was Max who stole the show in his little blue ensemble in homage to the movie characters.

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Cutie! Stephanie Pratt's new dog Max will no doubt have to get used to life as a superstar as the pet pup was toted along the red carpet on Smurfs: The Lost Village gala film screening on Sunday

Stephanie woes at the bash as she slipped into the incredibly elegant dress complete with long sleeves and a flicked out mermaid hem.

The gown nipped in at her tiny waist before covering her up with the high neck, although she gave a hint of flesh with her legs on display.

She boosted her already statuesque height with the addition of a stunning pair of nude platforms with an ankle strap and sky-high heel.

Keeping her beauty regimen simple, her blonde tresses were styled into loose waves tumbling over her shoulders and falling from a centre parting.

Look at us! The 30-year-old Made In Chelsea star looked sensational in a lace dress which skimmed her figure to perfection yet it was Max who stole the show in his little blue ensemble in homage to the movie characters

Blue and beautiful: Stephanie woes at the bash as she slipped into the incredibly elegant dress complete with long sleeves and a flicked out mermaid hem

Just the two of us: The gown nipped in at her tiny waist before covering her up with the high neck, although she gave a hint of flesh with her legs on display

Her dewy complexion was enviably clear while just a slick of mascara helped draw out her twinkling eyes with a pink gloss plumping her pout.

Little Max was dressed in honour of event as he wore a blue jacket in the colour instantly synonymous with the Eighties cartoon.

After relocating from her native Los Angeles to London where she began starring in MIC, she revealed she has felt 'something is missing' in her life.

Dazzling: Her dewy complexion was enviably clear while just a slick of mascara helped draw out her twinkling eyes with a pink gloss plumping her pout

Barking mad: Little Max was dressed in honour of event as he wore a blue jacket in the colour instantly synonymous with the Eighties cartoon

Something missing... After relocating from her native Los Angeles to London where she began starring in MIC, she revealed she has felt 'something is missing' in her life

Stephanie took to Instagram on Thursday to reveal she had introduced a new pooch into her life in Max.

She added a caption reading: 'It happened - u guys know I'm dog obsessed & for 3 years something has been missing in my life here in London- I am so happy to introduce my sweet little boy #Max #itsabouttime'.

Clearly enamoured, she has posted an array of snaps ever since Max arrived with her Instagram account littered with sweet image.

Blue beauty: Stephanie took to Instagram on Thursday to reveal she had introduced a new pooch into her life in Max

It's happened: She added a caption reading: 'It happened - u guys know I'm dog obsessed & for 3 years something has been missing in my life here in London- I am so happy to introduce my sweet little boy #Max #itsabouttime'
Thandie Newton has claimed she cannot work in her native UK due to the limited roles for black actors in historical dramas.

The 44-year-old Westworld star spoke to the Sunday Times Magazine about how the rise in period dramas has resulted in 'slim pickings for people of colour'.

In her candid interview, the esteemed actress admitted such programmes would force her to play the victim of racial abuse, as she drew from British Film Institute research findings, stating that 59% of UK films since 2006 had no black actors.

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Not for me: Thandie Newton has claimed she cannot work in her native UK due to the limited roles for black actors in historical dramas

Later this year, Thandie will debut in BBC's Line of Duty as Roz Huntley, yet prior to that, her TV experience in the UK has been extremely limited relative to her success.

The London-born star is adamant the rise of shows such as The Crown, Downton Abbey and Victoria - particularly shows about royalty - mean there is little place for 'people of colour' due to the inevitable typecasting.

She said: 'I love being here, but I can't work, because I can't do Downton Abbey, can't be in Victoria, can't be in Call The Midwife - well, I could, but I don't want to play someone who's being racially abused...

'I'm not interested in that, don't want to do it... there just seems to be a desire for stuff about the Royal Family, stuff from the past, which is understandable, but it just makes it slim pickings for people of colour.'

Struggled: The 44-year-old Westworld star spoke to the Sunday Times Magazine about how the rise in period dramas has resulted in 'slim pickings for people of colour' (pictured playing Maeve in Westworld)

Harder to find: In her candid interview, the esteemed actress admitted such programmes would force her to play the victim of racial abuse, as she drew from British Film Institute research findings, stating that 59% of UK films since 2006 had no black actors

Her criticism is not the first of its kind, after David Oyelowo insisted that due to lack of opportunity in the UK, there had been an influx of British actors in America.

The Selma star told Radio Times: 'We make period dramas in Britain, but there are almost never black people in them, even though we've been on these shores for hundreds of years. It's frustrating, because it doesn't have to be that way.'

The row comes after Samuel L. Jackson claimed last week that American directors are casting black British actors in their projects because they are cheaper - when African-American stars could do a more authentic job.

Speaking out: Her criticism is not the first of its kind, after David Oyelowo insisted that due to lack of opportunity in the UK, there had been an influx of British actors in America

However David Harewood has now hit out at the actor's claims by admitting that British stars are chosen because they are 'damn good' at the job.

The Homeland star, 51, explained to the Guardian on Monday that black British actors are often the preferred choice as they can separate themselves from the American history - before joking that he is certainly not a budget option after years of hard work in the US.

The Birmingham-born star retaliated to Jackson's claims in a letter on the site, which addressed the simple fact that Brits are often cast in American dramas due to their talent, and not for any financial reason.

Thinking out loud: The row comes after Samuel L. Jackson claimed last week that American directors are casting black British actors in their projects because they are cheaper - when African-American stars could do a more authentic job

He said: 'The idea that American producers and directors are choosing black British talent to save themselves a buck or two is ridiculous  its because were damn good.'

Having starred in big-time series such as Homeland and The Night Manager, as well as blockbusters like Blood Diamond, David then added that his successful career certainly does not make him a bargain to hire.

He joked: 'Ive worked extremely hard in the US for the last few years now, and I can tell you Im not exactly a budget option!'
Since bursting onto the young Hollywood social scene during last year's high-profile fling with Justin Bieber, Sofia Richie has been known for her eye-catching style.

But Lionel's 18-year-old daughter ditched her usual street style for a rather more elegant look for a night out in West Hollywood on Saturday.

Her blonde hair slicked back and wound into a bun, she looked especially chic in a form-fitting navy sweater with a sky blue mock turtleneck.

Stylish as ever: The 18-year-old daughter of Lionel RIchie was true to form on Saturday when she was spotted out and about in West Hollywood

Sofia slid on a pair of charcoal trousers that emphasized her svelte legs and flung a grainy grey coat into the crooks of her arms.

Gleaming black boots rounded out the ensemble, and she clutched an olive green purse as she headed down the pavement.

Though her legendary father's been something of a clotheshorse himself throughout his decades-long career, Sofia's told InStyle UK she ignores his tips in this area.

Pop of color: Her blonde hair slicked back and wound into a bun, she looked especially chic in a form-fitting navy sweater with a sky blue mock turtleneck

Ready for the temperature to drop: She'd slid on a pair of charcoal trousers that emphasized her svelte legs and flung a grainy grey coat into the crooks of her arms

'I do not take style advice from my dad, absolutely not!' the half-sister of Nicole Richie said. 'I say to him: "stay in your lane, I will stay in mine."'

She did reflect to Complex last year that she'd once mulled drifting into his lane, saying: 'I wanted to have a music career for a long time. Music is my life and it speaks to me - Rihanna, a lot of Frank Ocean, I love Shawn Mendes!'

Nowadays, though, 'I dont want my own music career. Im Lionel Richies daughter. When I do this I have to be 100 percent good, and it was too much pressure for me.'

Muted shades: Gleaming black boots rounded out the ensemble, and she carried an olive green purse as she headed down the pavement

Her own way: Though her father Lionel Richie's been something of a clotheshorse himself throughout his career, Sofia's told InStyle UK she does 'not take style advice from' him

Her ambition now is that 'I just want to have my own direction and be free with it. I dont want anyone to have a hold on me because of my dad.'

Something else she doesn't want to be is a socialite, explaining: 'Youre a socialite because youre born into it. Thats not what I want. I actually really enjoy work ethic.'

Sofia is Lionel's daughter by his second wife Diane Alexander, whom he was married to from 1998 until 2004 and with whom he's also got a 22-year-old son called Myles.

'It's going down': Her social media revealed on Sunday that she was going 'Back to the braids'

Styling: As her Snapchat Story showed, she'd worn a Calvin Klein set of denim overalls over a black and white T-shirt

The details: Close-up views of the new hairdo showed it from different angles
He's newly single following his break-up from Blac Chyna.

But Scott Disick has assured fans that Rob Kardashian 'seems to be doing good.'

'Rob really is a positive person, so no matter where hes at, he always sounds pretty good, so I think hes doing good,' Scott told People magazine.

This optimism comes on the heels of rumors that Rob might wind up facing off against Blac Chyna over custody of their four-month-old daughter Dream.

'I see him a ton': Scott Disick has revealed his thoughts on Rob Kardashian's current situation, assuring People that 'he seems to be doing good'

Scott's saidof his ex Kourtney's brother: 'Hes my neighbor, we live down the street so I see him a ton, and he seems to be doing good  new dad, hes excited, he loves his daughter to death, so it cant be that bad.'

Rob began dating the zaftig former exotic dancer last January, ultimately getting engaged to her in April and welcoming Dream with her in November.

They dramatically split in December, Rob posting a Snapchat video bewailing her absence while wandering through their empty house, but reunited soon after.

'He loves his daughter to death': Scott had noted that 'Rob really is a positive person, so no matter where hes at, he always sounds pretty good, so I think hes doing good'

There are conflicting rumors about whether they've split again since, and though neither of them's confirmed as much, a source has dished to People about conflict over Dream in an article that ran earlier this week.

'Rob wants dual custody of their child and Blac Chyna is giving pushback,' said the source, adding: 'They are still figuring things out but she will certainly do whatever it takes to have Dream be with her for the majority of the time.'

Meanwhile, Rob's mother 'is backing Rob up 100 percent and wont let Chyna get away with anything thats less than fair.'

Trouble in store?: This optimism comes on the heels of rumors that Rob might wind up facing off against Blac Chyna over custody of their infant daughter Dream

People was quoting a source earlier this month who'd claimed: 'I expect things to get ugly. Chyna wants full custody with Rob only getting visitations.'

Yet Chyna was amicable this Friday, posting an Instagram photo of herself and Rob together and wishing him: 'Happy Birthday' in a caption with a shamrock emoji.

She also turned up in a pink Land Rover to his 30th birthday party that evening, which also happened to have been St. Patrick's Day.

Covering the April issue of Cosmopolitan South Africa, she told the magazine she and Rob 'love each other and we're fighting for each other.'

Background: Rob began dating the zaftig former exotic dancer last January, ultimately getting engaged to her in April and welcoming Dream with her in November

Making nice: Chyna was amicable this Friday, posting an Instagram photo of herself and Rob together and wishing him: 'Happy Birthday' in a caption with a shamrock emoji

Scott himself's no stranger to co-parenting with an ex, considering he's got three children by Rob's eldest sister.

Mason, Scott and Kourtney's firstborn son, had his 2009 birth immortalized on camera for an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

A daughter called Penelope was born in 2012, followed by a son called Reign born on Mason's fifth birthday. Kourtney and Scott most recently split in 2015.
Kim Zolciak and her family continued their Italian holiday on Sunday, taking in Venice's sights, including the canals.

She and her eldest daughter, 20-year-old Brielle, documented their vacation shenanigans on their respective Snapchat Stories.

Brielle posted a photo of her 15-year-old sister Ariana looking shocoked in the Piazza San Marco, as one of the square's ubiquitous pigeons sat on her head.

Kim Zolciak and her family - including husband Kroy Biermann - continued their Italian holiday at the weekend, taking in Venice's sights, including the canals

By the next photo Brielle uploaded, the pigeon had decamped from Ariana's crown, but she was still surrounded by more of them on the ground.

A caption across the top of the screen read: 'the bird was just on her head omg,' and Ariana seemed to have been caught in the middle of a laugh.

Brielle's also posted video footage of the view off the side of a gondola as she and others of her family glided through one of the city's waterways.

Looking gobsmacked: Kim's 20-year-old daughter Brielle posted a photo of Kim's 15-year-old daughter Brielle with a pigeon on her head in the Piazza San Marco

'the bird was just on her head omg': By the next photo Brielle uploaded, the pigeon had decamped from Ariana's crown, but she was still surrounded by more of them on the ground

Ariana made frequent appearances on Brielle's Snapchat Story that day, including one in which the younger sibling stood in what appeared to be a costume shop.

Holding a feathered opera mask up to her face, Ariana stared off camera, seeming to try and put on an air of hauteur. Various other masks were visible behind her.

Meanwhile, Kim's Snapchat Story on Saturday played host to a selfie video she'd taken in what appeared to be their hotel room in the capital of Veneto.

On the move: Brielle's also posted video footage of the view off the side of a gondola as she and others of her family glided through one of the city's waterways

Veering the camera so that her spouse Kroy Biermann was visible in the background, she said: 'Venice vibes! Look at my hot-ass husband.'

Brielle's posted a close-up Snapchat photo of her wrist, Kim's and Kroy's, all of which had Cartier bracelets on. Brielle captioned: 'twinning w kim n kroy now! yay!'

On Saturday, she'd posted a Snapchat image of him as seen from behind while he leaned over their hotel bathtub wearing nothing but a towel.

Feathered: Ariana made frequent appearances on Brielle's Snapchat Story that day, including one in which the younger sibling stood in what appeared to be a costume shop

'twinning': Brielle's posted a close-up Snapchat photo of her wrist, Kim's and Kroy's, all of which had Cartier bracelets on

That day, she'd also taken the show to Instagram, uploading a cute photo of herself and her man sitting in a gondola as it floated across the water at night.

Kim's eldest two daughters - Brielle and Ariana - were born before she'd met Kroy, but her other four children are hers by her present husband.

Kroy Jr. was born in May of 2011, roughly half a year before his parents' Georgia wedding, and his younger brother Kash was born the following August.

Three-year-old fraternal twins - a little girl called Kaia and a little boy called Kane - were born in 2013. Kroy the elder also legally adopted Brielle and Ariana.

'My hot-ass husband': Meanwhile, Kim's Snapchat Story on Saturday played host to a selfie video she'd taken in what appeared to be their hotel room in the capital of Veneto
Having risen to fame on E4's Made In Chelsea, they are no strangers to the city's most lavish and glamorous events.

But Nicola Hughes and Tiffany Watson proved they were still kids at heart on Sunday, as they enjoyed a day at the Smurfs: The Lost Village premiere in London.

Irish beauty Nicola, 26, cast aside the cold weather and opted for a thigh-skimming mini skirt adorned with trendy fringing as she joined her former co-star at the bash, held in Leicester Square.

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Blonde bombshells: Nicola Hughes (R) and Tiffany Watson (L) proved they were still kids at heart on Sunday, as they enjoyed a day at the Smurfs: The Lost Village premiere in London

The fringe of fashion: Irish beauty Nicola, 26, cast aside the cold weather and opted for a thigh-skimming mini skirt adorned with trendy fringing as she joined her former co-star at the bash

The model was not afraid to show off her long and lean pins at the daytime premiere in a seriously short mini skirt, adorned with quirky fringing on the hem.

Cutting off at a daring height to leave her legs on show, the denim number also cinched in at her middle and skimmed her frame the hem, to draw attention to her slim waist and enviable figure.

Keeping things casually cool, Nicola teamed the skirt with a loose fitting black shirt patterned with tiny white stars, and a pair of black leather cowboy boots.

Leggy lady: The model was not afraid to show off her long and lean pins at the daytime premiere in a seriously short mini skirt, adorned with quirky fringing on the hem

Simplicity is key: Keeping things casually cool, Nicola teamed the skirt with a loose fitting black shirt patterned with tiny white stars, and a pair of black leather cowboy boots

She styled her blonde tresses into big and bouncy curls, before adding a sultry, smoky eye and lashings of mascara to accentuate her naturally striking features.

First smouldering on her way in to the cinema, the blonde then showcased her more playful side inside as she jokingly posed with a Smurf mascot ahead of the film.

The model was joined by her former co-star Tiffany Watson at the event - marking an undoubtedly happy reunion since Nicola's departure from the E4 show in June 2016.

Having a ball: First smouldering on her way in to the cinema, the blonde then showcased her more playful side inside as she jokingly posed with a Smurf mascot ahead of the film

The 23-year-old sister of MIC stalwart Lucy looked equally chic in vintage-style skinny jeans, which featured darker denim panels at the side to elongate her already leggy pins.

She paired her strides with a gorgeous gingham blouse, which was embroidered with a pink flower on one side and cut off just above her hip to give a subtle flash of midriff as she posed for cameras.

Adding pink sandal heels and a pastel blue bag for a splash of colour, Tiffany looked utterly relaxed as she giggled with her pal on her way into the star-studded event.

Both blonde bombshells rose to prominence on the E4 reality series, but Nicola left in 2016 following her split from Alex Mytton.

Blonde babes: The model was joined by her former co-star Tiffany Watson at the event - who opted for a gingham blouse and vintage-style skinny jeans

The hunk, who is now dating 19-year-old Bvlgari model Lottie Moss, ended their romance via text on summer spin off MIC: South Of France - having slept with co-star Olivia Bentley mere days earlier.

Nicola however has since gone on to show her ex what he is missing by carving a career as a model herself, following a catwalk appearance in the Rocky Star show at London Fashion Week last month.

Meanwhile Tiffany enjoyed a girls' day out away from her long-term boyfriend Sam Thompson, who she has enjoyed an array of loved-up outings with recently.

The pair ended the most recent series of MIC on a high, after Sam was seen giving Tiffany a key to his house in the December finale.

The latest installment of the popular Smurfs series, starring Demi Lovato and Joe Manganiello, is set for release on April 7.
She's carved out a career on the runway, having signed with Wilhelmina models in December 2016.

And while fashion is calling, Ewan McGregor's eldest daughter Clara, 21, appears to have taken inspiration from her father's unique style choices as she showcased her enviable figure in head-turning print on Instagram.

The budding actress - who is keen to aspire to her 45-year-old father's career - flaunted her toned torso in a skimpy psychedelic bikini in the candid social media shot, shared on Sunday.

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Bikini babe: Ewan McGregor's eldest daughter Clara, 21, appears to have taken inspiration from her father's unique style choices as she showcased her enviable figure in head-turning bikini on Instagram

The fashion darling - who's mother is French production designer Eve Mavrakis - playfully showcased her honed slender physique as she paddled in her private pool while soaking up the sun.

Highlighting her model features, the NYU student framed her face with a pair of retro inspired sunglasses which offset her warm brown tresses that she styled on top of her head.

In typical millennial fashion, she captioned the flesh-flaunting snap with a pineapple emoji alongside the word 'head'.

Clara has slowly been making her way into the spotlight over the past 12 months, having dipped her toe in the A-list world while accompanying her father to the premiere of Miles Ahead in 2016.

Attention grabbing: Despite wanting to command attention on the night, Ewan's stunning daughter managed to capture many's imagination with her effortless beauty at the 2016 premiere of Miles Ahead

Spotlight: Clara has slowly been making her way into the spotlight over the past 12 months, pictured with her father Ewan

Despite wanting to command attention on the night, it was his stunning daughter who managed to capture many's imagination with her effortless beauty.

Clara is the eldest of McGregors four daughters - her sisters are 15-year-olds Esther and Jamyan, who was adopted from Mongolia, and five-year-old Anouk - from his 21-year-long marriage.

The New York based beauty was born the month Danny Boyle's cult classic Trainspotting hit cinema screens in February 1996, which propelled Ewan's career to new heights.

Now making her own forary into acting, she is currently enrolled at New York Universitys prestigious Tisch School of the Arts.

Starlet: The New York based beauty was born the month Danny Boyle's cult classic Trainspotting hit cinema screens in February 1996, which propelled Ewan's career to new heights

Last year, she got her breakout role in indie flick Groove about three Booklyn-based musicians who escape busking in the subway to take part in a coveted music competition.

The film seeker undertook the role of Nicole in the flick which she shot in New York.

In her fashion career, she has worked with 1980s supermodel Helena Christensen, appeared in fashion bible W magazine and has been tipped by Vogue as 'one to watch' for 2017.

Clara grew up in Londons St Johns Wood, before the family moved to LA eight years ago.

What a beaut: Making a forary into acting, she is currently enrolled in at New York Universitys prestigious Tisch School of the Arts

And despite the fame her father has amassed, Clara - who has amassed over 15,000 Instagram followers - has stayed remarkably down to earth, insisting her father refused to give her everything she wanted, despite his reported 35 million wealth.

Speaking to the Daily Mail's Caroline Gringham she said: 'I always had to work for my own money.

'I worked in a clothes shop, as a waitress, doing babysitting. He wanted to teach me the value of money. Dad always stressed the value of hard work.'

Although living away from her family abode in LA, the starlet has settled in the Big Apple and is currently dating Scotsman and fellow NYU film student Gordon Goodman - who's father is award-winning composer and musician Paul Goodman.
EastEnders viewers were shocked when news leaked that dementia sufferer Sylvie Carter was going to be killed off in top secret scenes.

And despite the devastation, Sunday's fictional funeral scenes were forced to go ahead without the Carter patriarch Mick, while lead actor Danny Dyer is still taking an extended break from the soap.

Scriptwriters must have used all their ingenuity to fill the major plot hole, as Sylvie's son Mick was unable to gather along with Tina, Whitney, Shirley and Johnny.

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No Danny: Danny Dyer's character Mick Carter was missing as actors Luisa Bradshaw-White (Tina), Shona McGarty (Whitney), Linda Henry (Shirley) and Ted Reilly (Johnny) filmed Sylvie Carter's funeral for Eastenders on Sunday

Actors Luisa Bradshaw-White (Tina), Shona McGarty (Whitney), Linda Henry (Shirley) and Ted Reilly (Johnny) were spotted filming the sombre scenes on Sunday.

But there was no sign of Danny who is still on a highly publicised break from the soap amid claims he was suffering from 'exhaustion and stress'.

Reports emerged this weekend that even though Danny was due back to the soap, 'imminently' there has been some trouble working around the plot hole.

A source told the Daily Star: 'He dropped in to get his new scripts. He hasnt started filming just yet. But he is expected to return imminently.'

MIA: Danny Dyer has played Mick Carter on the popular soap since 2013 but has taken a highly publicised break from the BBC show due to 'exhaustion and stress'

Popular soap: The Carter characters looked at ease as they ran through their lines

Funeral attire: Shona McGarty, who plays Whitney in the BBC soap, sported a black plaid coat and vertiginous heels for the day of filming

One man missing: Larger-than-life Mick Carter was missing from his own mother's funeral

Explaining Sunday's work-around, a second insider told the newspaper: 'It's going to look very odd for Mick not to attend the funeral, but the writers are having to come up with some excuse as to why he cannot be there.

'We all know Danny comes first so the writers are working around the clock to tweak key stories.'

However, an EastEnders spokesperson has since told MailOnline the claims have been exaggerated, revealing that show writers 'were well aware of Danny's break and are not working around the clock to amend storylines'.

Danny, 39, jetted off to South Africa last month to recuperate in the midst of his momentary split from the BBC show.

Reflective: Linda Henry, who plays Shirley Carter, wore all-black but threw on a pale pink coat

Emotional scenes: Viewers were shocked when news leaked that Carter matriarch Sylvie was going to be killed off

Coffin: There was a hearse and coffin clearly visible as the Carter clan gathered to say goodbye to Dementia sufferer Sylvie

He returned to Britain earlier this week and was spotted reunited with wife Joanne Mas on a shopping trip in Essex on Wednesday.

It was reported in January that an incident at the National Television Awards saw an 'intoxicated' Danny become embroiled in a 'meltdown' leading to claims that he was bowing out of EastEnders for a rest period.

Despite the claims, and an accompanying video, soap bosses came forward after the leaked clip to deny that he is 'spiralling out of control, exhausted and needs to control his temper.'

Saying goodbye: Linda has played Shirley in the long-running soap for more than 10 years

It's too much: At one point the emotions appeared to be getting to actor Ted Reilly who was spotted rubbing his eyes

Whitney Carter: The Albert Square resident sported a full face of make up for the funeral

Touching: Flowers spelling out the word 'Mum' were spotted as the crew organised the shoot

Following the explosive allegations, Danny has removed himself temporarily from his role as Queen Vic landlord Mick.

Carter characters Tina, Whitney, Shirley and Johnny were all together for filming in North London as part of emotional scenes at Hendon Crematorium.

Actress Natalie Cassidy, who plays Sonia in the soap, will also be in the episode but she was sneaked in and out of the shoot as bosses tried to keep the funeral details under wraps.

Linda Marlowe, 76, played Sylvie Carter in the soap, arriving in Albert Square in 2014.

She had a turbulent relationship with Mick, Dyer's character, who threw her out when he discovered that Shirley was his mother and that Sylvie had thrown Shirley down the stairs in an attempt to make her miscarry baby Mick.

Serious: Shona was spotted looking downcast as she joined the other actors to film the funeral

Carter clan: Fans have speculated that writers must come up with a watertight excuse for Mick Carter's absence at his own mother's funeral

Tough scenes: Shona tilted her head and looked skyward as she filmed the sensitive scene
From a shaven-headed heroin addict in Trainspotting to young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, Ewan McGregor has sported many guises, but his daughter, Clara, has come up with her own image.

The 21-year-old model posted this photograph online at the weekend of her wearing a psychedelic bikini, with her hair styled in a spiky pony tail, which she described as Pineapple head.

Clara, who was brought up in California by Ewan and his wife, Eve (inset with Clara as a baby), is trying to follow in her fathers footsteps by studying to be an actress at New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts.

The 21-year-old model posted this photograph online at the weekend of her wearing a psychedelic bikini

Actor Ewan McGregor with wife Eve and baby daughter Clara at the Cannes Film Festival Channel 4 lunch

Members of the bohemian Garrick Club, who include Stephen Fry and Downtons Hugh Bonneville, had better be on their best behaviour.

Canon Roger Royle, 78, the priest known for presenting Radio 2s Sunday Half Hour, has just been elected a member.

One whispers: Rogers years at the BBC mean hes not easily shocked.

For some MPs, the most startling recent Commons development was not the bungled Budget, but the knee-length brown suede boots and short skirt worn the other day by Anne-Marie Trevelyan, 47.

The Tory backbencher was sitting two rows behind ministers, and Opposition MPs found themselves distracted every time she crossed her legs.

She was in a pelmet-length skirt and these remarkable boots, gasps one male MP.

It was unsporting as it made it almost impossible for us to concentrate on what ministers were saying.
He's defended his bride at very turn but Married at First Sight's Jesse, 31, is once again facing shock claims that Michelle is leading him on.

A Woman's Day report alleges that Michelle, 32, 'has been desperately trying to remain in the series' because producers promised 'a supersize paycheck' if she does.

Although Channel Nine has denied the claims, the magazine alleges that Michelle was offered 'double the girls weekly fee of $800' earning $1600 a week as well as 'added extra bonuses' for staying with Jesse.

For real? He's defended his bride at very turn but Married at First Sight's Jesse, 31, is once again facing shock claims that Michelle is leading him on

The magazine claims the deal came about as producers were 'desperate' to have both twins on the show but while Michelle's twin sister Sharon was looking for love'and keen to be on the show, Michelle was reportedly reluctant.

The Woman's Day report also reveals that Jesse and Michelle had a what looked like 'fiery showdown' outside Sharon's 32nd birthday party in Perth.

'It looks like heartbroken Jesse could be catching on,' the magazine said of the alleged fight.

However, a Channel Nine spokesperson has told Daily Mail Australia that the story is 'categorically untrue'.

Last week, while appearing on the Today show, Jesse refuted criticism by those who felt Michelle 'was not that into him'.

Trouble: A Woman's Day report alleges that Michelle, 32, 'has been desperately trying to stay in the series' for the 'promise of a supersize paycheck'

Pay day? Although Channel Nine has denied the claims, the magazine alleges that Michelle was offered 'double the girls weekly fee of $800' earning $1600 a week as well as 'added extra bonuses' for staying with Jesse

The Adelaide fruit and veg retailer told the Today hosts, Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson, 'I know her very well and I know that's not her intent. We're both very open with each other. We both spoke to each other.'

Lisa then questioned, 'we can see you've really tried in this relationship and you have given it everything. And on social media everyone is saying that she's not really into you.'

But Jesse insisted it wasn't true adding, ' If she had no feelings towards me she definitely would have left.'

Twin worries: The Woman's Day report also reveals that Jesse and Michelle had a what looked like 'fiery showdown' outside Sharon's 32nd birthday party in Perth

'The thing is with us we felt pretty close when we were in Adelaide and Perth and when were were in our own element we felt comfortable together,' Jesse affirmed.

He then said that all he cared about was his comfort with his bride, saying, 'We felt really comfortable together and that is what made us want to give it a shot'.
Jeremy Paxman, 66, recovering from kne surgery, was spotted taking a stroll with rumoured new beau Jillian Taylor, 37, a books editor. Mr Paxman broke from his wife of 34 years, Elizabeth Clough, 64, last year

Tottering along with a walking stick, he looks like an elderly father out with his grown-up daughter.

In fact, this is Jeremy Paxman and the new, much younger, woman in his life after his split from his partner of 34 years.

The pair were spotted last week outside his 1.5million Notting Hill flat which the former Newsnight presenter moved into after leaving his family farmhouse near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.

The famously grumpy interviewer  who was once dubbed the thinking womans crumpet - is now said to be in a relationship with Jillian Taylor, 37, a books editor nearly 30 years his junior.

The pair emerged from the six storey mansion block last Saturday and chatted to each other as they strolled side by side along the road before getting into a waiting silver Mercedes and being driven off.

It is not clear how long Paxman, 66, has been using a walking stick, but he was recently pictured with a cut on his head suggesting he may be recovering from a fall.

Paxman has been spotted with Miss Taylor several times since his split from TV producer Elizabeth Clough, 64, the mother of his three children Jessica, 26, and twins Jack and Victoria, 19.

They are believed to have broken up in November, although the news was only confirmed last month in a brief statement from his agent, saying: Jeremy Paxman and his partner separated last year.

They retain a mutual respect for each other and a deep love for their children.

The presenter, known for his ruthless questioning of politicians, has refused to speak to reporters about his relationship with Miss Taylor.

He is believed to have first worked with in 2010 when she was the researcher and editorial assistant for his best-selling book: Empire: What Ruling The World Did To The British.

He described her in the acknowledgements as conscientious, imaginative and astonishingly industrious.

She also worked on Paxmans next historical book, Great Britains Great War, which came out in 2013.

Jeremy Paxman and Elizabeth Clough are believed to have broken up in November 2016, although the news was only confirmed last month by his agent

This time Paxman was even more gushing in his praise, saying: She is probably the perfect researcher - bright, resourceful, cheerful and indefatigable.

The following year the pair travelled to Orkney for an overnight trip where she helped him research a Financial Times article about the sinking of the HMS Hampshire during the First World War.

In his autobiography, A Life In Questions, which was published last year, Paxman conceded that family relationships dont resonate happily with me.

He also described at times having a passionate hatred for his father Keith after he walked out on the family when the presenter was 24.

Paxman also won praise for writing openly about a long battle with depression, explaining: I have spent several years seeing a therapist, and several more on antidepressants  I dont see any reason to be ashamed of saying Ive suffered depression.
Georgia Love didn't choose Cameron Cranley at the end of The Bachelor.

But the 28-year-old seems to still have quite a close bond with the handsome 26-year-old.

The two former flames were spotted together leaving the State Theatre in Sydney after the premiere of Beauty and The Beast on March 9.

Premiere night: Georgia Love was spotted with The Bachelorette runner up and former flame Cameron Cranley

A source told New Idea when they saw Cameron and Georgia together, they thought that Lee was not too far.

'But when I looked around, it was just the two of them and they were very close to each other.'

They added: 'It's understandable if they just bumped into each other in the cinema, but when I saw them leave together, laughing and smiling from ear to ear it made me think there was more to it - but also does Lee know?'

Dinner date: A source said that the two cosy together, and seen laughing and smiling from ear to ear

Flying solo? The source added that Georgia's boyfriend Lee Elliot was nowhere to be seen at the event

This sighting comes after a Georgia and Lee reportedly had a blazing row, with the Bachelorette storming out mid dinner at Sydney's Da Orazio recently.

In a previous interview with Daily Mail Australia, Cameron said the two made an amazing and beautiful couple.

'But when I'm not with them I couldn't tell you, I can't really comment [on whether they have broken up],' he said.

Still good mates: Cameron explained that he doesn't find his friendship with Lee awkward, despite having dated the same girl

The men have proven to have a great friendship with one another, even sharing pictures of their outings on Instagram.

Cameron explained that he doesn't find his friendship with Lee awkward, despite having dated the same girl.

'For me it's literally hanging out with one of my best mates and his girl who I happen to know quite well,' he explained.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Georgia Love and Cameron Cranley for comment.
A surgeon implants a pacemaker to a patient

An Ohio man claimed he was forced into a hasty window escape when his house caught fire last year. His pacemaker data obtained by police showed otherwise, and he was charged with arson and insurance fraud.

In Pennsylvania, authorities dismissed rape charges after data from a woman's Fitbit contradicted her version of her whereabouts during the 2015 alleged assault.

Vast amounts of data collected from our connected devices -- fitness bands, smart refrigerators, thermostats and automobiles, among others -- are increasingly being used in US legal proceedings to prove or disprove claims by people involved.

In a recent case that made headlines, authorities in Arkansas sought, and eventually obtained, data from a murder suspect's Amazon Echo speaker to obtain evidence.

The US Federal Trade Commission in February fined television maker Vizio for secretly gathering data on viewers collected from its smart TVs and selling the information to marketers.

The maker of the smartphone-connected sex toy We-Vibe meanwhile agreed in March to a court settlement of a class-action suit from buyers who claimed "highly intimate and sensitive data" was uploaded to the cloud without permission -- and shown last year to be vulnerable to hackers.

- 'Privacy is dead' -

Trying to come to grips with data collected, stored and analyzed by all these devices can be daunting.

"When one looks at the expectation of privacy today it is radically different than it was a generation ago," said Erik Laykin, a digital forensics specialist with the consultancy Duff & Phelps and author of a 2013 book on computer forensics. "Privacy is dead."

Laykin has consulted or testified in cases of insurance fraud, divorce and other legal proceedings where digital evidence can be relevant.

He said the "always on" nature of "internet of Things" devices means huge amounts of personal information is circulating among companies, in the internet cloud and elsewhere, with few standards on how the data is protected or used.

"The net result of these technologies is that we are forgoing our personal privacy and our personal autonomy and even sovereignty as humans and relinquishing that to a combination of state, harvesters of big data, omnipresent institutions and systems."

A report last year from Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for internet studies pointed out the range of new connected devices that can yield evidence for law enforcement, "ranging from televisions and toasters to bed sheets, light bulbs, cameras, toothbrushes, door locks, cars, watches and other wearables," which "are being packed with sensors and wireless connectivity."

"The audio and video sensors on IoT devices will open up numerous avenues for government actors to demand access to real-time and recorded communications," the report said.

John Sammons, a Marshall University professor of digital forensics and a former police officer, said this new abundance of evidence can be good for law enforcement if investigators can find relevant data.

"You have to be aware it's even there," he said.

"Most police officers would not even think to look at a Fitbit or a thermostat."

Another problem is the sheer volume of data and computing resources needed to obtain specific data, often requiring weeks of computing time.

Sammons presented research on use of connected cars this year at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, saying newer vehicles with improved connectivity offer "a significant new source of potential evidence" for both criminal and civil litigation.

- Privacy in the cloud? -

Privacy activists meanwhile worry that these devices can unleash new kinds of surveillance without the knowledge of users, and that the legal system must define limits for constitutional protections against unreasonable searches.

Jay Stanley of the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said gathering data from connected speakers such as the Amazon Echo should face the same standard as wiretaps, which need a warrant from a judge based on probable cause of a crime, rather than a more streamlined law enforcement subpoena.

"In your house you should have absolute privacy," Stanley said.

One gray area in the law is that conversations recorded on home speakers may be sent to the cloud; in that case the holding of the data by a "third party" may wipe away constitutional privacy protection.

"We think there needs to be jurisprudential and legislative means of addressing these issues," Stanley said. "The privacy invasions are so significant."

Jules Polonetsky, chief executive of the non-profit Future of Privacy Forum, said that while legal issues are still being debated, "you should always know if you have a device that is sending data elsewhere."

Polonetsky said it's important to set a legal and constitutional privacy framework to reassure consumers.

"It's critical we get the balance between data utility and law enforcement access right," he said, "or people won't trust these devices."
China's President Xi Jinping (L) meets US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on March 19, 2017

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pledged in talks on Sunday to work to strengthen a relationship strained by disputes over North Korea and trade.

Xi met Tillerson in Beijing just hours after nuclear-armed North Korea tested the US-China relationship anew by announcing a provocative rocket engine trial, and with delicate negotiations under way for a Xi summit with President Donald Trump.

Xi told Tillerson that he and Trump had resolved in a phone call last month "to make joint efforts to advance China-US cooperation, and we believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era."

"I'm confident that as long as we can do this the relationship can surely move in the right direction," Xi said.

China's President Xi Jinping (R) meets with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on March 19, 2017

En route to Beijing, Tillerson visited US allies Japan and South Korea where he declared Washington would drop the "failed" approach of "strategic patience" with Pyongyang -- adding that US military action against the North was possible.

That marked a sharp break with China, which favours careful diplomacy over heated rhetoric.

Relations have also been strained by China's fierce opposition to a US missile defence system being rolled out in South Korea and Trump's Twitter accusation on Friday that China was not doing enough to control Pyongyang, its neighbour and historic ally.

Trump has also repeatedly accused China of unfair trade practices.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrive for a joint press conference at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, on March 18, 2017

But Tillerson has made nice while in Beijing.

"We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a ... strengthening of the ties between China and the United States and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation," he told Xi.

Earlier Sunday North Korean state media said the isolated regime had tested a powerful engine hailed by leader Kim Jong-Un as a "new birth" for its rocket industry, which experts view as cover for developing intercontinental ballistic missiles.

- Rocket 'rebirth' -

The announcement's timing appeared intended to sour Tillerson's China visit.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson boards his plane at Beijing airport on March 19, 2017, after earlier in the day meeting with China's President Xi Jinping

On Saturday Tillerson said after talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that tensions on the Korean peninsula had reached a "dangerous level".

Tillerson and Wang pledged to work together to denuclearise Kim's rogue regime, but offered no clear way forward.

Wang, however, chided Tillerson over his recent tough talk, saying "we hope all parties, including our friends from the United States, can size up the situation in a cool-headed" fashion.

It was not clear whether Xi and Tillerson discussed North Korea.

The North's state news agency KCNA said Kim oversaw the rocket engine test and "emphasised that the whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries" -- a possible veiled warning to Pyongyang's adversaries.

Ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun splashed photos across its front page showing a beaming, baton-wielding Kim looking on as flames roared out of the engine.

State TV also showed Kim meeting soldiers and scientists at the site and hugging and giving a piggy-back to an aged soldier who appeared to be bursting into tears in joy.

KCNA said the new engine could be used to launch satellites, but rockets are easily repurposed to carry warheads.

North Korea is banned by the international community from pursuing nuclear and missile programmes but has defiantly ploughed ahead.

It staged its two latest nuclear tests last year and recently fired off missiles which it described as practice for an attack on US bases in Japan.

Kim said the successful engine test signified "a new birth" of North Korea's rocket industry.

- Summit in the works -

Xi met Tillerson as the two sides haggle behind closed doors over a summit with Trump, a frequent China critic.

A successful meeting could be crucial in setting the tone for the relationship between the world's two largest economies in coming years.

Officials who spoke on condition of anonymity have told AFP that Trump has tentatively agreed to host Xi at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in early April.

But they said the plan was running up against differences over North Korea, what "deliverables" can emerge, and anger over leaks about the planning.

It remained unclear whether Tillerson's apparently cordial Beijing visit would now pave the way.

Tillerson mentioned "the opportunity for a visit in the future" but otherwise gave no further details. He left China without speaking to media.

Coverage of the low-profile trip has been complicated by the decision to travel without the usual press pack -- a break with a half-century of tradition.

Instead, Tillerson angered US and foreign correspondents accredited to cover the State Department by travelling with just one journalist -- from a little-known conservative publication called the Independent Journal Review.
A sheriff's deputy (R) talks to an immigration detainee (L) at the Theo Lacy Facility, a county jail which also houses immigration detainees

In fluorescent uniforms, dozens of inmates blink in the afternoon sun as they line up in the yard for lunch, the low murmur of their chatter punctuated suddenly by a solitary plaintive cry.

"This is horrible!" the voice cries out, before another quickly follows: "We aren't criminals!"

The two inmates are among 524 undocumented immigrants in the Theo Lacy Facility in the Californian city of Orange, which AFP visited this week on a tour for journalists.

The visit was organized after inspectors found illegal immigrants were being subjected to severe punishment and rotten food.

"We treat them seriously," said head guard Jason Park, underlining the rigid discipline but respectful treatment inmates can expect at the jail, which can house more than 3,000 prisoners.

He ushered journalists into the giant facility stretching over 11 acres (4.5 hectares), where everything was clean, in order and quiet.

Park barred reporters from talking to the inmates, who passed by, hands behind backs, dressed in yellow if they were detained undocumented immigrants, or otherwise in orange.

Theo Lacy, located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Los Angeles, is named after a 19th century rancher turned sheriff who was the chief lawman when Orange County arrested its first murderer.

Operated by the Sheriff's Department of Orange County, the Theo Lacy Facility serves as a detention center for the US Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Operated by the Sheriff's Department of Orange County, the jail serves as a detention center for the US Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE is set to become more powerful under President Donald Trump, who took office in January after campaigning to deport an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.

The Detention Watch Network, a national coalition of watchdogs, slammed Theo Lacy in 2012 for alleged verbal and psychological abuse, medical neglect and racism against immigrants.

DWN's organizing director Danny Cendejas says things haven't changed.

"It's one of the worst jails for immigrants," he told AFP, indicating that the problems are longstanding and feared to be getting worse with Trump's crackdown plan.

- Killers and rapists -

Some of the immigrant detainees -- who are mostly from Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador -- are finishing sentences for non-immigration crimes and hope to be deported. Others have violated US immigration laws.

The prisoners are triaged according to risk, some placed in blocks with no individual cells. The most dangerous are held in cells that lead into a communal locked area, resembling a guarded fishbowl.

Prisoners at the Theo Lacy Facility are triaged according to risk, some in blocks with no individual cells, the most dangerous in cells that lead into a communal locked area

AFP witnessed one inmate pressing a sheet of paper on which he had scrawled "HELP" against the window in his door. ICE officers noticed the protest and rushed to his cell.

The average detention for a migration case is 121 days.

Former inmate Jesus -- his family name is concealed for security reasons -- had been in and out of jail before he came to the attention of immigration officials, who decided his record made him a candidate for deportation.

The 33-year-old Mexican spent 100 days in Theo Lacy in 2013 before being released on bail, although he still faces deportation.

Jesus is deaf and, as a result, found himself housed on a wing for the mentally deficient, where he says he was unable to sleep, afraid and plagued by paranoia.

Among his jail mates, he says, were killers and rapists, among them Scott Dekraai, who shot and killed eight people at a beauty salon in Seal Beach, Orange County, in 2011.

Inmates were "banging my glass wall," he said, adding that he experienced panic attacks when he was sleeping, reading or using the bathroom. He remains on medication.

- Tour vs. report -

Theo Lacy's objective for the media visit was to show inconsistencies in the Department of Homeland Security's report, such as the finding that disciplinary action did not comply with ICE detention standards.

Park showed off what appeared to be the exemplary solitary confinement cell -- complete with Bible, comb and a folder containing legal documents -- in a block in which five immigrants without papers were being kept.

He wasn't able to explain what they had done to end up in solitary, but their time there is expected to be more comfortable than the average inmate's.

According to the sheriff's department, undocumented immigrants being punished with solitary confinement should not be subject to further privations meted out to the general prison population, such as withdrawal of leisure facilities and visitation rights.

The DHS report had noted "moldy and mildewed shower stalls" and non-functioning telephones, problems that Theo Lacy insisted were being rapidly addressed.

In the kitchen, the tour highlighted the sanitary standards to which staff adhere, in an attempt to demonstrate that, contrary to the report, no one is served rotten food.

Jesus, who uses sign language but communicated with AFP by text message, recalled witnessing officials punishing prisoners with decomposed food and seeing worms in the water fountain in his cell.
In a speech at the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, which he heads, Ahmed Rehab, said the fight against the Trump administration was "America's fight"

In a sprawling banquet hall, Ahmed Rehab walked to a lectern facing a glittering group of diners and launched into a searing speech excoriating the Donald Trump administration.

"This fight is not just our fight, it is America's fight," Rehab told the packed room of 1,200 attendees - mostly American Muslims at a fundraiser for the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which Rehab heads.

"As you look at those who are trying to ban good people from coming to this country," Rehab continued, "people who've committed no crime whatsoever other than in their minds the crime of being Muslim... we will have none of it."

The room broke into applause.

The president's efforts to institute a ban on travelers from certain Muslim-majority countries have been met with a strong response from Muslim Americans and their supporters.

But there is also fear that Islamophobia is on the rise, and that the Trump administration may still target Muslims.

"There's a real dread of what's coming next, what's going to happen, who will be targeted," said Louise Cainkar, president of the Arab American Studies Association, and author of a book that examined how Arab and Muslim Americans were affected by policies following the September 11 attacks.

"There's a sense that they're going to once again go after civic organizations, possibly surveil mosques, things that have been done in the past," she said.

What is different now, she said, is that Muslim and Arab groups have established ties with other communities -- and demonstrations against Trump's rhetoric now draw a mix of people from various faiths and backgrounds.

"This is new, and this is really energizing people," she said.

- 'It's just scary' -

People take part in a rally called 'I Am A Muslim Too' in a show of solidarity with American Muslims at Times Square in New York City

At the banquet hall, those listening to Rehab's speech had mixed reactions -- some concerned, others optimistic because of the sense of cooperation with outside groups.

"My kids are all American citizens," explained Fraheen Hashmi, a 36-year-old pharmacist with four young children.

"It's just scary to raise them in this environment," she said, worried that they might grow up embarrassed of their heritage or afraid to identify as Muslim.

Zayna Saadeh was worried, too. The 59-year-old Palestinian immigrant has lived in the United States for 40 years. But now, she keeps the front door of her clothing store locked for fear of xenophobic attacks. She unlocks only when someone rings the doorbell.

"We're not stranger(s)," in the United States she said, but"that's how we feel a lot of times right now."

Advocacy groups have reported a sharp rise in hate crimes.

Anti-Muslim groups nearly tripled last year, according to an annual census by the Southern Poverty Law Center. And in 2015, hate crimes against Muslims increased 67 percent, according to the FBI.

Those numbers may be going up, amid increasing reports of new incidents.

Last month, an arson fire damaged a Florida mosque, and a Kansas man was accused of shooting two Indian immigrants who he perceived as Middle Easterners, killing one.

This week, the Islamic Center of Tucson reported that a vandal had scattered ripped up copies of the Quran, Islam's holy text, around the mosque.

- 'Best of America' -

But there has also been a rallying response from Muslim groups and supporters, as Muslim-Americans have felt more scrutiny and threats.

During his speech at the banquet hall, Rehab pointed to new allies in the room -- non-Muslim lawyers who helped travelers during Trump's ill-fated first attempt at a ban that triggered chaos at American airports until it was halted by US courts.

"My friends, you are the best of America," he said.

Other attendees echoed that optimism.

"The negative could be turned into a positive, and I think that's what we're seeing now," said Akif Ali, a 36-year-old born in Houston.

"The best part is that the American public themselves have become very generous to us," added Saqib Khan, a US-born lawyer of Pakistani descent.

- 'Rapidly mobilizing' -

One evidence of the growing support was a gathering at Chicago's Grace Place Episcopal Church, where about 30 people -- many community activists for various other causes -- attended a presentation billed as a teach-in about Islamophobia.

Sofia Sami, dressed in the traditional Muslim head covering known as the hijab, stepped in front of a projection screen to help lead the group.

They watched samples of news coverage, discussed their own perceptions, and considered ways rhetoric shapes policies.

Two hours later as people cleared out, Sami reflected on how American politics are changing.

"A lot of people who aren't Muslims are watching the news and seeking ways to support," said the 24-year-old first generation American of Indian descent.

CAIR, Rehab's group, has expanded its capacity in Chicago to take on hundreds of new volunteers, grown its network of schools, mosques and community centers and held know-your-rights training sessions.

"These are definitely times that are rapidly mobilizing the Muslim community, or co-strugglers of color and allies," said CAIR spokeswoman Hoda Katebi.
Activists and family members of people who have died from opioid/heroin use take part in a "Fed Up!" rally at Capitol Hill in Washington, DC

Of the 2,900 babies born last year in Cabell County, West Virginia, 500 had to be weaned off of opioid dependence.

In Ohio, counties are renting refrigerated trailers to store the mounting number of bodies of drug overdose victims.

In New Hampshire, hospitals have so many overdose patients they have to treat them in operating rooms and neonatal nurseries.

And in Palm Beach County, Florida, where President Donald Trump spends his weekends, 10 people died of overdoses on Friday alone, likely from a batch of heroin tainted by fentanyl, a powerful, synthetic opioid pain medication.

After a decade and hundreds of thousands of deaths, the US opioid addiction crisis is entering a new phase. With the government finally cracking down on the free flow of prescription pain killers fueling the crisis, addicts are turning to heroin pouring in from Mexico.

And towns, cities and states are being overwhelmed.

- Overdose deaths surging -

More than 33,000 people across the country died in 2015 from opioid overdoses, up 15.5 percent from 2014. That equated to a record 10 overdose deaths for every 100,000 people -- 10 times the level in 1971, when the US government declared its "War on Drugs" after a surge in overdoses.

But whereas six years ago four out of five overdose deaths came from prescription painkillers like oxycodone and hydrocodone, now heroin and heroin-fentanyl deaths account for about half.

In Cabell County, the overdose death rate was about 30 per 100,000, not even the highest in West Virginia, the state hit hardest by the addiction crisis.

Lawyer Paul Farrell last week filed suit for Cabell and a neighboring county, Kanawha, seeking damages from drug companies for dumping massive amounts of addictive opioids into the state, fueling the addiction epidemic.

"My community is dying on a daily basis," he said. Every sixth baby born locally suffers from neonatal abstinence syndrome, in which a mother's addiction is passed on to her child.

"The hospital has to rock these babies 24 hours a day as they scream their way through addiction," Farrell said.

He said counties like his had little choice but to sue to force drug companies to pay for the present and future costs of the crisis.

"What we're asking for is not only to hold them responsible for blatantly violating federal and state laws, but to fix the damage they caused, so that we stop creating another generation of addicts," Farrell said.

- Hundreds of millions of pills -

How prescription opioid producers and distributors fed the crisis is made clear by previously unreleased US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) data reported in December by the Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette-Mail.

It showed that from 2007 to 2012, those companies sold 780 million opioid painkillers in West Virginia, 421 extremely addictive pills for every man, woman and child in the poor eastern state.

Every state is feeling the impact. On March 1, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared the addiction crisis a "state of emergency," allowing him to draw on funds normally appropriated for natural disasters to deal with the problem.

Two weeks ago, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a sweeping new campaign to cut addiction, after the city's overdose death toll hit 1,075 last year.

"The pharmaceutical industry for years has encouraged the overuse of addictive painkillers," he said.

- From prescription drugs to heroin -

The surge in deaths follows a shift in the nature of the crisis. After the DEA last year ordered a 25 percent cutback in the distribution of prescription opioids, addicts turned to heroin. But that drug is frequently cut with extremely potent fentanyl, causing even more overdoses.

"Everybody is starting to see a slowdown of prescription opiates. As you see supply drop, what we are seeing is an equal rise of heroin," said Farrell.

"We are going to see an all-time high transition to heroin abuse in the next five years."

To raise funds to deal with it, cities and counties are suing manufacturers like Purdue Pharma, which makes OxyContin, the most prevalent of the opioid painkillers; mega-drug wholesalers McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen; and pharmacy operators like Rite Aid and Walmart.

New Hampshire, the New England state which rivals West Virginia for the rate of overdose deaths, has sued Purdue.

"Last year we had 450 overdose deaths" in a state of 1.3 million, Senior Assistant Attorney General James Boffetti told AFP. "Their marketing exacerbated this addiction problem."

Paul Hanly, whose law firm Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC is suing 11 opioid distributors and manufacturers on behalf of Erie County, New York, said the companies' behavior resembled that of neighborhood drug pushers.

"Certain of the conduct that is alleged in our cases and the West Virginia cases do smack of racketeering and conspiracy," he said.

The companies are fighting the suits, denying they are to blame.

In a statement to AFP that reflected the stances of the others, Cardinal Health said: "We believe that these copycat lawsuits do not advance any of the hard work needed to solve the opioid abuse crisis - an epidemic driven by addiction, demand and the diversion of medications for illegitimate use."
China and the Philippines have had a long-running dispute over competing claims in the South China Sea

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday he could not stop China from building on a disputed shoal near his country's west coast because it was too powerful.

The mayor of China's Sansha city has reportedly said his country would set up an environmental monitoring station on Scarborough Shoal, which China seized from the Philippines in 2012.

"We cannot stop China from doing (these) things," Duterte told journalists when asked about the reports.

"What do you want me to do? Declare war against China? I can't. We will lose all our military and policemen tomorrow and we (will be) a destroyed nation," he told a press conference before departing for a visit to Myanmar.

Duterte said he would tell the Chinese: "Just keep it (the waters) open and do not interfere with our coast guard."

He also brushed aside concerns over Chinese survey ships that had been seen near Benham Rise -- waters east of the main Philippine island of Luzon that have been recognised by the United Nation as indisputably Philippine territory.

Earlier this month Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he was very concerned that the ships had been seen at that location, sometimes for as long as a month.

But Duterte said: "So what if they stop there? They admit it is within the territory of the Philippines. That does not satisfy you?"

He described the complaints against China as "nit-picking."

The Philippines under Duterte's predecessor Benigno Aquino had actively challenged China's claim to control most of the South China Sea, despite counter-claims by several other nations.

However Duterte, who took office last year, has reversed that policy and is seeking billions of dollars worth of investments and grants from Beijing.

"We are now improving the economy because of the help of China. Why will you be so shameless just because they are passing by?" he told reporters on Sunday.

Beijing has already reclaimed large areas around several islets and reefs in the Spratly archipelago elsewhere in the South China Sea, and installed military facilities on some of them.

However analysts warn that building on Scarborough Shoal would radically change the situation since it is just 230 kilometres (143 miles) from Luzon.

Outposts on the shoal would put Chinese jet fighters and missiles within easy striking distance of military bases in the Philippines, some of which could host US troops.

The shoal also commands the northeast exit of the sea, so a Chinese military outpost there could stop other countries' navies from using the waters.
The refugees were hit by light weapons fire in waters off the rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida

Somalia has called on the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen to investigate an incident in which dozens of Somali refugees were shot dead on board a boat.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack that killed more than 40 Somali refugees in waters off the coast of war-torn Yemen early on Friday.

The bloodshed was quickly condemned by UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Somalia's Foreign Minister Abdusalam Omer urged the Saudi-led coalition fighting Huthi rebels in Yemen to investigate.

Somalia is a member of the US-backed coalition fighting against Shiite Huthi rebels aligned with Iran.

"We call on our partners in the Saudi-led coalition to investigate the raid," the minister said in a statement released late Saturday.

"It is very sad, targeting a boat carrying Somali migrants near the coast of Hodeida in Yemen."

On Friday, a coalition spokesman denied responsibility for the attack.

The Red Sea attack took place off rebel-held port of Hodeida, with women and children among the dead.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which has operations in Yemen, said 42 bodies were found, and more than 30 wounded people were reportedly taken to hospital.

The IOM said it believed the boat was heading for Sudan when it was attacked.

Despite a two-year war that has cost more than 7,000 lives and brought the country to the brink of famine, Yemen continues to attract people fleeing the horn of Africa.

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, says Yemen is hosting more than 255,000 Somali refugees.
US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks at the White House in Washington DC, on March 17, 2017

Donald Trump's spokesman has denied that the US president refused to shake hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they sat side-by-side in the White House last week.

"I don't think he heard the question" posed by Merkel when she suggested they shake hands, in full view of press cameras, spokesman Sean Spicer told German weekly Der Spiegel published Sunday.

The quote was translated into English from Der Spiegel's online German website.

The veteran German chancellor had arrived for her first meeting with Trump at a snowy White House hoping to reverse a chill in relations after Trump's incendiary election rhetoric, in which he called Merkel's acceptance of refugees a "catastrophic mistake" and suggested she was "ruining Germany."

The visit on Friday began cordially, with the pair shaking hands at the entrance of the White House. But later, sitting side-by-side in the Oval Office, Merkel's suggestion of another handshake went unheard or ignored by Trump -- an awkward moment in what are usually highly scripted occasions.

German media pointed to the incident as another marker of the meeting's general icy mood between the cautious German chancellor and impulsive US president.

In a frequently awkward joint press conference in the East Room, Trump and Merkel showed little common ground as they addressed a host of thorny issues including NATO, defense spending and free trade deals.

For most of the 30 minutes, Merkel was stony-faced as Trump ripped into Washington's NATO allies for not paying for their "fair share" for transatlantic defense and demanded "fair and reciprocal trade" deals.

On Sunday, Germany's biggest-selling daily Bild said that throughout the White House meeting, not once did Trump look her in the eye.
The burglary took place just hours after the Constitutional Court, headed by chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, delivered a scathing ruling against the ANC government over welfare payments

South African politicians traded accusations on Sunday over a mysterious break-in at the Johannesburg offices of the country's top judge a day after his court severely criticised the ANC government.

Burglars targeted Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng's offices early on Saturday, stealing 15 computers containing sensitive information about 250 judges, officials said.

Senior opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) lawmaker John Steenhuisen accused State Security Minister David Mahlobo of being behind the break-in.

"My money's on Mahlobo... Intimidation of judiciary," Steenhuisen wrote on Twitter, vowing to fight against "corruption and abuse of state power."

"It is highly suspicious that the break-in occurred the day after the Constitutional Court handed down a damning judgement," a party statement said.

The ruling ANC accused the DA of "wild allegations (and) frivolous conspiracy theories" and called for police to track down the thieves.

The radical leftist EFF party also alleged Mahlobo was involved in the burglary.

Police described the break-in as "an attack on the judicial system" and vowed to catch the criminals.

The burglars reportedly only took computers from the human resources department, leaving other computers and valuables behind.

The theft occurred hours after the Constitutional Court, which is headed by Mogoeng, delivered a scathing ruling against the ANC government over welfare payments.

It criticised the "extraordinary conduct" of ministers, saying they had shown no interest in solving a contractual dispute that put at risk payments to millions of South Africa's poorest citizens.

On Sunday, the State Security Agency issued a statement dismissing "the baseless accusations made by some insinuating our involvement" in the break-in.

The burglary "should be a concern to all and not a matter of ridicule," it added.

President Jacob Zuma's ANC government has been hit by multiple corruption scandals and court setbacks.

The party, which led the struggle against apartheid, came to power in 1994 under Nelson Mandela but has lost support in recent years, posting its worst election results in local polls last year.

South Africa holds its next general election in 2019.
Israel has threatened to 'destroy' Syrian air defence systems 'without the slightest hesitation' after Bashar al-Assad's army fired missiles at jets carrying out airstrikes.

Warplanes hit several targets in Syria on Friday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the strikes targeted weapons bound for Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement.

But Israel's Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman says forces loyal to Syrian dictator Assad fired missiles at some of their jets during the raids.

'The next time the Syrians use their air defence systems against our planes we will destroy them without the slightest hesitation,' Lieberman said yesterday.

Israel has threatened to 'destroy' Syrian air defence systems 'without the slightest hesitation' after Bashr al-Assad's army fired missiles at jets carrying out airstrikes (file picture)

Syria's military said it had downed one of the Israeli planes and hit another as they were carrying out the pre-dawn strikes near the famed desert city of Palmyra that it recaptured from jihadists this month.

The Israeli military denied that any planes had been hit. The Syrian government has made similar claims in the past.

An Israeli army statement said 'several anti-aircraft missiles' were fired following the raid but that none hit their targets.

One missile was intercepted by Israel's Arrow air defence system, Israeli media reported.

It was the most serious incident between the two countries since the Syrian civil war began six years ago.

Israel says forces loyal to Syrian dictator Assad (pictured) fired missiles at some of their jets during the raids.

In April 2016, Netanyahu admitted for the first time that Israel had attacked dozens of convoys transporting weapons in Syria destined for Hezbollah, which fought a 2006 war with Israel and is now battling alongside the Damascus regime.

Israel does not usually confirm or deny individual raids, but it may have been led to do so this time by the circumstances of the incident.

Israel seized most of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, in a move never recognised by the international community.

Israel and Syria are still technically at war, though the border had remained largely quiet for decades until 2011 when the Syrian conflict began.
Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas have seized drugs with a street value of around $1 million (900,000 euros) over the past few months

A Hamas military court on Sunday sentenced two Palestinians to death for drug smuggling in the Gaza Strip, in the first punishment of its kind in the enclave.

"The Gaza military court announced the death penalty for two civilians from Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, for selling narcotics," the Hamas-controlled interior ministry said in a statement.

It said a third was sentenced to hard labour.

Authorities have seized drugs with a street value of around $1 million (900,000 euros) over the past few months, the ministry said.

They seized 1,250 packets of cannabis and 400,000 pills of Tramadol -- a powerful opiate-based painkiller -- in January alone, it said.

Until Sunday, only people guilty of spying for Israel or murder had received the death penalty in Gaza, which has been controlled by Islamist Hamas since 2007.

All Palestinian death sentences in theory have to be approved by president Mahmud Abbas, but Hamas has long refused to accept his legitimacy.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) said Sunday's sentences were a "serious precedent" and that bringing civilians before a military court was a breach of Palestinian law.

It said that one of the two men was condemned to death by hanging and the other was to be shot.

The PCHR said in an English-language statement that to carry out the sentences would be "extra-judicial killing, and those (who) participated or contributed to issuing them should be held accountable on grounds of extra-judicial killing and abuse of power".

"Applying this penalty in drugs cases is very dangerous, particularly in absence of fair trial guarantees and presence of many reports exposing widespread use of torture during the interrogation period, especially in drugs crimes," it added.

The centre said that 14 death sentences have been passed down in Gaza since the start of 2017.

Since the Islamist Hamas seized control of the strip in 2007, a total of 106 capital sentences have been declared. Not all were carried out.
Prime Minister of Iraq Haider Al-Abadi during a talk at the second day of the 53rd Munich Security Conference (MSC) on February 18, 2017

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi left for Washington on Sunday to meet President Donald Trump as his forces press an assault to recapture west Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group.

The premier's office said Abadi would also meet Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, without giving specific dates.

On Wednesday, the prime minister is to take part in a ministerial meeting of the 68-nation coalition lined up against the Islamic State group.

Iraqi authorities in October launched an offensive to retake the northern city of Mosul from IS with the support of US-led coalition air strikes.

They retook the east side of Mosul in January before setting their sights on the more densely-populated west of the city, the last major urban centre held by IS in Iraq.

The Iraqi government earlier this month welcomed its nationals' exemption from a revised travel ban drawn up by Trump as an "important step" that strengthens ties between Baghdad and Washington.
Relations between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, pictured in May 2016, have been strained, with a senior Palestinian official recently being refused entry to Egypt to attend a conference

Mahmud Abbas will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Monday with ties strained between them and ahead of the Palestinian leader's talks with Donald Trump in Washington.

The Palestinian president is to meet Trump at the White House for the first time in early April, a Palestinian official said on condition of anonymity.

An Arab League summit is also set for March 29 in Jordan, and Abbas's discussions with Sisi are likely to touch on the meeting.

The meetings come as the American president's administration wades into the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with one of his top advisers holding talks with both Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week.

Jordanian King Abdullah II is also reportedly to meet Trump in April. Abbas spoke to Trump by phone earlier this month.

Egypt and Jordan are the only two Arab countries to have signed peace treaties with Israel, and would be key players in any regional peace process which the Trump administration says it would like to pursue.

Trump cast uncertainty over years of international efforts to foster a two-state solution to the conflict when he met Netanyahu last month.

At that meeting, Trump broke with decades of US policy by saying he was not bound to a two-state solution to the conflict and would be open to one state if it meant peace.

Ties between Abbas and Cairo have been strained, with senior Palestinian official Jibril Rajoub recently refused entry to Egypt to attend a conference. The Palestinian delegation then left in protest.

Media reports have said the tensions involve Cairo's efforts to support one of Abbas's rivals, Mohammed Dahlan, and a failed attempt to hold a regional peace summit including Israel.

Palestinian leaders reportedly opposed such a summit because they did not believe Netanyahu was serious about peace.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia, pictured in action on March 15, 2017, says he is injured and will not play at the Miami Open

World number two Novak Djokovic won't defend his Miami Masters title next week, saying Sunday that he was withdrawing because of an elbow injury, the same ailment that has also sidelined top-ranked Andy Murray.

"Sadly, I won't be able to defend my title in Miami this week," Djokovic said in a Facebook posting.

"My doctor has strongly advised against play because my elbow injury, that I keep carrying on for months, got worse in the past week. I will do everything in my power to recover and do all the necessary therapy to be able to return on court as soon as possible."

Djokovic joins world number one Murray on the sidelines for the elite hard court tournament. Murray pulled out Saturday, also with an elbow injury.

Even as Murray withdrew, there were reports that Djokovic was seeing a doctor in Monte Carlo about elbow trouble after falling in the fourth round to 16th-ranked Nick Kyrgios at the Indian Wells Masters.

Djokovic's loss to Kyrgios was his second in as many weeks to the Australian, who also upset him in the quarter-finals at Acapulco.

"Believe me, it is as shocking to me as it is to you," Djokovic told his fans on Facebook.

"I had incredible run in Miami, I won there my first Masters tournament and started my campaign towards the top of the world rankings. No wonder they say that in sport the biggest and most painful defeats come from injuries, and not from opponents.

"I am lucky that throughout my career I didn't have many injuries, but I guess that all that I've been through physically in the past so many years did leave a mark on my body."

Djokovic, a 12-time Grand Slam champion, announced the move on Twitter, saying, "I apologize to my fans and ppl who purchased tickets to watch me play live at @MiamiOpen. Sadly, I'm injured and won't be able to compete."

"We wish a quick recovery to our champion," tournament organizers tweeted.

Not only are the world's top two men missing from the Miami event, the biggest name in the women's game, Serena Williams, will miss the Florida tournament with the knee trouble that also caused her to opt out of Indian Wells.

The tournament will, however, have the women's world number one, with Germany's Angelique Kerber poised to return to the summit on Monday despite a fourth-round exit at Indian Wells because of Williams's inactivity.

Kyrgios's triumph over Djokovic ended the Serb's 19-match winning streak at Indian Wells, where he had won the last three titles to go with those he took in 2008 and 2011.

Djokovic's withdrawal from Miami is just the latest setback for a player who endured a drop in form after completing the career Grand Slam with a long-sought French Open victory last year.

He relinquished his Wimbledon and US Open titles and was shocked in the first round of the Rio Olympics by Juan Martin del Potro, losing his world number one ranking to Murray along the way.

Although he opened 2017 on a promising note with a title in Doha, he slumped to a second-round exit at the Australian Open, and didn't play again until Acapulco.
SAO PAULO (AP) - Brazil's agriculture minister says he will meet with ambassadors and representatives of the European meat industry amid an investigation of Brazilian meatpackers that police allege have used chemicals to improve the appearance and smell of expired meats.

Blairo Maggi on Saturday told Sao Paulo's Jovem Pan radio station the meeting is scheduled for Monday. Calls to the ministry seeking more details went unanswered.

Investigator Mauricio Moscardi Grillo said Friday some of the expired meat was exported to Europe. He said four containers of meat contaminated with salmonella were stopped in Italy in 2016.

Two of the country's largest meatpackers JBS and BRF are among those being investigated.

Both have issued separate statements denying any wrongdoing and saying they comply with regulations.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A black man who was fatally shot by St. Paul police had pointed a gun at officers twice after he was ordered to drop it, authorities said Saturday. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension also said authorities have video from a nearby building that shows the man with a gun, but does not capture the full incident.

Cordale Quinn Handy, 29, of Waukegan, Illinois, died of multiple gunshot wounds early Wednesday after police say they were called to a report of a domestic incident that was physically violent.

An attorney for Handy's family disputes the police version of events and called for an independent investigation.

"It is our understanding that the police seized cellphone video that may or may not have captured the actual shooting, and it's our understanding that Cordale never presented a threat to the officers," said family attorney Andrew M. Stroth. "It's imperative that BCA releases all video of the incident."

Stroth added that he believes authorities also seized audio of the incident.

When asked about cellphone video, Department of Public Safety spokesman Bruce Gordon said he can't discuss what additional evidence is part of the investigation. The information released Saturday by authorities makes no mention of cellphone video or audio, but notes officers were not wearing body cameras. The BCA said video and other data will be released when the case is closed.

According to the BCA, officers were responding to a domestic call at an apartment building when they encountered Handy outside with a handgun.

"After repeated commands to drop the gun, Handy pointed the weapon twice at officers," the BCA said in a statement. "Two officers fired their weapons, striking Handy. Officers located a handgun next to Handy. The handgun was kicked away by officers to secure the scene and recovered several feet away."

The officers who fired their weapons were identified Saturday as Mikko Norman and Nathaniel Younce. Both have been with St. Paul police for just over two years. Neither officer has any disciplinary action in his personnel file, and Norman has one commendation, though details about it were unavailable Saturday.

The BCA said a third officer didn't see the shooting. All three officers are on standard administrative leave.

Stroth said the narrative put forth by authorities contradicts witness accounts. When asked about the domestic incident, Stroth said: "From what we understand, Cordale was upset, but it was not a domestic incident."

There were reports of shots fired, and the BCA recovered spent shell casings inside the apartment.

The BCA said its investigation is ongoing.

___

Follow Amy Forliti on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/amyforliti . More of her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/amy-forliti.
AUBURN, Ga. (AP) - Police are investigating a fatal shooting outside a grocery store in a suburb northeast of Atlanta.

WSB-TV (http://2wsb.tv/2mEw1Nx ) reports Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith says the shooting happened Saturday around 5:20 p.m. in the parking lot of an Ingles grocery store in Auburn.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, a 911 call came from the store about a domestic disturbance.

Officers arrived to find 51-year-old Dorothy Russell of Statham, Georgia, shot to death in a car.

Police say Russell was fatally shot by her husband, 50-year-old Darrin Russell.

The GBI says Russell fled in a Mercedes, but was caught 45 minutes later.

Russell has been charged with one count of murder. He's being held in the Barrow County jail.

It was not immediately clear if Russell has an attorney.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesia has deported two French journalists for committing visa violations while shooting a documentary film in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua, an official said Sunday.

The journalists, Jean Frank Pierre and Basille Marie Longhamp, were sent home Friday through Mozes Kilangin airport in Timika, said immigration office spokesman Agung Sampurno.

The pair were working on "The Explorers," a project about nature, culture and other attractions at several locations in the Indonesian province on the western part of New Guinea. Papua province, a former Dutch colony, is known for biodiversity and large mining reserves as well as a simmering separatist movement among its indigenous people, and foreign journalists face restrictions while working there.

Sampurno said the two French journalists had ordinary visas without necessary documents from related institutions.

He quoted local immigration chief Jesaya Samuel Enock as saying the journalists' activities were appropriate, as they were sponsored by the national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, but they had started working last week while their necessary documents were still being processed. Enock said they are being banned from entering Indonesia for next six months.

Local media reported Pierre and Longhamp were taken into custody when they were about to take pictures of Cartenz using a rented helicopter. They also planned to take pictures at locations in the neighboring province of West Papua.

Fabio Maria Lopes Costa of the Alliance of Independence Journalists denounced their deportations as contradicting the policy of President Joko Widodo to allow foreign journalists to cover the province.

Pierre and Longhamp are the third group of French journalists to be deported or punished for illegal coverage in Papua since 2010.

Two television journalists were detained in 2014 for tourist visa violations and were sentenced to two and a half months in jail for illegal reporting in the Papua. In 2010, two journalists were detained and then deported after filming a human rights rally by some 100 students.

Foreign journalists were then barred from reporting in Papua unless they receive a government permit.
NEW DELHI (AP) - A court in northern India has sentenced 13 factory workers to life imprisonment for taking part in violence at the country's largest automobile factory that led to the death of a manager nearly five years ago.

Four other workers were sentenced to five years in prison for the rioting that broke out at the Maruti Suzuki manufacturing unit in Manesar in Haryana state in July 2012 following a dispute between workers and management at the factory.

The subsidiary of Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp. operates two factories in India.

FILE - In this July 19, 2012, file photo, security guards stand near a burnt down reception block of Maruti Suzuki factory in Manesar, near New Delhi, India. A court in north India has sentenced 13 factory workers to life imprisonment for taking part in violence at the country's largest automobile factory that led to the death of a manager nearly five years ago. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das, File)

A day after the violence erupted, the body of human resources manager Awanish Kumar Dev was found badly charred in a conference room. Dozens of managers and executives were also injured with several suffering broken bones, the company had said at the time.

According to the company, the unrest erupted when a worker beat up a supervisor and the workers union prevented management from disciplining the worker and blocked exit gates.

The Maruti Suzuki Workers Union said a supervisor had abused and made discriminatory comments to a low-caste worker, leading to the violence.

The court on Saturday also fined 14 other workers accused of rioting and vandalism at the factory.

Defense and prosecution lawyers said they would appeal the verdict in a higher court.

"There is no evidence to link these workers to the murder. We hope for justice in the superior court," Vrinda Grover, a defense lawyer, told the Indian Express newspaper.
NEW DELHI (AP) - Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Sunday dismissed an appeal seeking the scrapping of a death sentence for the former head of a banned militant group over a 2004 grenade attack on Britain's then-envoy to Dhaka.

The dismissal by a three-member panel of judges means there is no more barrier to executing Mufti Hannan and two of his accomplices for the attack. Hannan was the top leader of Harkatul Jihad, which was banned by the government in 2005.

The latest judgment came in response to the appeal for a review of a December verdict that upheld a High Court rule that confirmed the death sentence.

FILE - In this June 16, 2014 file photo, Mufti Abdul Hannan, center, leader of banned radical group Harkatul Jihad al Islami, stands at a court in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Sunday dismissed an appeal seeking the scrapping of a death sentence for the former head of a banned militant group over a 2004 grenade attack on Britain's then-envoy to Dhaka. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad, File)

Hannan and his accomplices are still allowed to seek presidential clemency, but it is unlikely that it would be granted.

Hannan and the two accomplices were found guilty in 2008 of orchestrating the attack against Bangladesh-born British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury while he was visiting a popular 700-year-old Islamic shrine in the northeastern city of Sylhet in 2004. Choudhury was unharmed, but the attack killed three police officers and wounded 70 other people.

In 2008, a trial court also sentenced two other associates of Hannan to life in prison in connection with the attack.

Hannan took the helm of Harkatul Jihad in the late 1990s. The group, formed in 1992 by Bangladeshis returning from fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan, has been blamed for many other attacks in the Muslim-majority nation.

Hannan was also sentenced to death for another attack in 2001 that killed 10 people during a New Year's celebration. He remains on trial for a 2004 grenade attack that killed 24 people and targeted current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was the opposition leader at the time. Hasina narrowly escaped.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - A Hamas military court has sentenced two Palestinians to death for drug dealing, in the first-such case since the militant group seized the Gaza Strip a decade ago.

The Interior Ministry says Sunday that one would be killed by a firing squad. The other defendant was sentenced in absentia.

The ministry said security forces seized $2 million in illicit drugs in January alone, which was equivalent to what was seized in all of 2016. Most of the seized drugs were narcotics and cannabis.

Hamas has issued and implemented capital punishment mostly against people found guilty of murder or of collaborating with Israel. These verdicts were the first against drug dealers.

The defendants were previously given lighter sentences, but the ministry says the dealers "were not deterred."
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) - Three suicide bombers suspected to be members of Boko Haram detonated explosive devices strapped on their bodies Saturday night, killing at least four people in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.

One member of the civilian militia, a woman and two children were killed and 8 others were injured, officials said.

Residents of Maiduguri were jolted by some deafening sounds of explosions at about 9 p.m. on Saturday.

The attackers were a male and two teenage girls believed to be working for Boko Haram, Nigeria's homegrown Islamic extremism rebels, said Victor Isuku, spokesman of the Borno state police command.

The bombers infiltrated Maiduguri by sneaking in during the dark hours, but were spotted by members of the civilian self-defense group on sentry duty, he said. The three then detonated their explosives, said Isuku, a deputy superintendent of police.

Suicide bomb attacks have almost become a daily occurrence around Maiduguri recently.

A teenage female who had been strapped with explosives but was captured and disarmed last month by security officials said the bombers are usually brought on motorcycles to the outskirts of Maiduguri by some male Boko Haram members and then they proceed on foot into the town. She said it took them two to three days to get to Maiduguri from their bush locations.
SITTWE, Myanmar (AP) - Hundreds of hard-line Buddhists in a Myanmar state wracked by religious violence protested Sunday against the government's plan to give citizenship to some members of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority community.

Rakhine state's dominant Arakan National Party led the protest in Sittwe, the state capital, where many Rohingya lived before an outbreak of inter-communal violence in 2012 forced them to flee their homes.

"We are protesting to tell the government to rightfully follow the 1982 citizenship law and we cannot allow the government giving citizenship cards to these illegal migrants," said Aung Htay, a protest organizer.

The Rohingya face severe discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, with many in Rakhine and elsewhere considering them to be illegal migrants from neighboring Bangladesh, even though Rohingya have been in Myanmar for generations. The 2012 violence killed hundreds and drove about 140,000 people - predominantly Rohingya - from their homes to camps for the internally displaced, where most remain.

Rakhine, one of the poorest states in Myanmar, is home to more than 1 million stateless Rohingya.

Sunday's protest took place three days after the Rakhine Advisory Commission, led by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, urged Myanmar's government to reconsider a failed program to verify Rohingya for Myanmar citizenship and to remove restrictions on freedom of movement.

"We also look at the question of citizenship, and we also call for all those who have been recognized as citizens to have all the rights attached to that citizenship," Ghassan Salame, a member of the commission, said last week.

Myanmar's new civilian government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, welcomed the commission's proposal. Suu Kyi's office said that most of the commission's recommendations would be "implemented promptly."

The government withdrew the Rohingya's so-called white cards two years ago as part of a plan to expel them from the country and cancel their citizenship under the 1982 law.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Air Force is quietly shrinking its deployed force of land-based nuclear missiles as part of a holdover Obama administration plan to comply with an arms control treaty with Russia. The reductions are nearing completion despite President Donald Trump's argument that the treaty gives Moscow an unfair advantage in nuclear firepower.

The reduction to 400 missiles from 450 is the first for the intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, force in a decade - when the arsenal came down from 500 such weapons. The Air Force says the latest cut in Minuteman 3 missiles will be completed in April, leaving the deployed ICBM arsenal at its smallest size since the early 1960s.

In 2014, President Barack Obama's administration announced the planned ICBM reduction to tailor the overall nuclear force, including bombers and nuclear-armed submarines, to the New START accord that the U.S. and Russia sealed in 2010. Both nations must comply with the treaty's limits by February 2018.

FILE - This Jan. 9, 2014, file photo shows a mockup of a Minuteman 3 nuclear missile used for training by missile maintenance crews at F. E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo. The Air Force is quietly shrinking its deployed force of long-range nuclear missiles as part of a holdover Obama administration plan to comply with an arms control treaty with Russia, The Associated Press has learned. The plan is proceeding despite President Donald Trump's argument that the deal gave Moscow an unfair advantage in strategic nuclear firepower. (AP Photo/Robert Burns, File)

The shrinking of the ICBM force runs counter, at least rhetorically, to Trump's belief that the U.S. has fallen behind Russia in nuclear muscle. In December, he tweeted that the U.S. must "greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes." He has criticized New START as a bad deal.

It's unclear how Trump intends to conduct a nuclear expansion, which critics call unnecessary and a potential drain on funds needed for non-nuclear forces. A long-term plan to replace and modernize the current nuclear force is already underway and will end up costing hundreds of billions of dollars.

As of March 14, the Air Force had 406 Minuteman missiles in launch-ready silos, Maj. Daniel Dubois, an Air Force spokesman, said Friday. In September the number was 417. Dubois said the number will be down to 400 by April. Also as part of the treaty's compliance process, the Air Force in January finished converting 41 B-52H bombers to non-nuclear status.

Michaela Dodge, a defense policy analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank, says the U.S. should get out of New START.

"There should be a way to reverse those decreases," she said, referring to the 50 Minuteman missiles pulled out of their silos. "As long as Russia continues to increase the number of its nuclear warheads under New START, we should not be decreasing."

Russia's warheads have surpassed the treaty limit of 1,550, and the U.S. is below the limit. But by next February, neither is expected to be above.

Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, said Moscow would honor its New START commitment.

"It's important for the United States to stay on schedule," he said, arguing that such efforts "will help ensure that Russia does the same."

Based on military calculations, Obama declared in 2013 that the U.S. could safely reduce its nuclear force by one-third from New START levels. But negotiations to do so never took place. They seem even unlikelier after Russia's military actions in Ukraine and Kremlin rhetoric that U.S. officials have considered reckless and dangerous. However, Trump's suggestions of interest in a grand bargain with Russia, including nuclear reductions, could provide an avenue for fresh talks.

After taking office, Trump ordered a review of nuclear forces, a Pentagon-led process likely to take a year or more. Among the key questions: whether to continue Obama's weapons modernization plan and a possible withdrawal from New START. One element of the modernization plan calls for a new-generation ICBM force that could cost more than $100 billion.

Sticking with New START would not necessarily constrain the U.S. for long. It expires in February 2021 unless both sides agree on an extension. Besides the overall warhead limit, the treaty allows each side a maximum of 700 deployed launchers, including missile silos. Russia and the United States can decide for themselves how their totals are apportioned among the three weapons categories: ICBMs, submarines and bombers.

The 50 underground silos from which the Minuteman missiles are being removed will be kept "warm," meaning capable of returning to active use. The missiles are being put in storage. Those decisions came after members of Congress from the ICBM base states - North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana - pushed for no elimination of silos.

The 400 remaining deployed ICBMs would be the fewest since 1962, according to a history of the force written by Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists.
An Afghan soldier opened fire Sunday inside a base in the southern Helmand province, wounding three U.S. soldiers before being shot dead.

Navy Cpt. Bill Salvin, a U.S. military spokesman, said coalition forces had killed the soldier 'to end the attack,' but Col. Mohammad Rasoul Zazai, an Afghan army spokesman, said the soldier had made a 'mistake' and had not fired deliberately.

Several U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan in recent years in so-called insider attacks carried out by Afghan police or soldiers.

Three American troops were wounded when an Afghan soldier opened fire in southern Helmand province in the first known 'insider attack' on international forces this year (file pic)

In October, an Afghan man in a military uniform shot dead a U.S. soldier and an American civilian contractor inside a military base in Kabul before being killed.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, Taliban insurgents attacked a district headquarters in the Kandahar province using a suicide car bomb, said Samim Khpolwak, a spokesman for the governor.

He declined to say how many people were killed or wounded.

A security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information, said six police were killed and five others were wounded in the assault, which was claimed by the Taliban.

So-called insider attacks - when Afghan soldiers and police turn their guns on their colleagues or on international troops - have been a major problem during the more than 15-year-long war.

There have been long-simmering tensions between Afghan and foreign forces (file photo)

In the southern Zabul province, an army operation killed 13 Taliban and wounded 11 others, said Gen. Sadiqullah Saberi.

He said two Afghan soldiers were killed and three others were wounded by a roadside bomb during the operation.

Two Taliban commanders were killed in an apparent U.S. drone strike in the Barmal district of the eastern Paktika province, said Mohammad Rahman Ayaz, spokesman for the provincial governor.

Another 10 insurgents were killed in a separate drone strike in the Dand-e Patan district of neighboring Paktia province, said Gov. Zelmai Wessa.
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A wildfire burning in the mountains just outside downtown Boulder, Colorado has forced more than a thousand residents to evacuate.

The fire ignited dead trees that exploded into black plumes of smoke on Sunday.

Wind pushed the flames in the wooded area a couple of miles west of Pearl Street, the shopping and dining heart of the university city's downtown.

The fire was only about 62 acres and hadn't caused any injuries or damaged structures by noon on Sunday, but strong gusts and warm and dry weather threatened to fan the flames.

Smoke rises from the wildfire after sunrise. There were no reports of injuries or damage to homes, emergency officials said.

The wildfire was first reported around 1.40am on Sunday to the west of Boulder, Colorado. Authorities have ordered over 1,000 to evacuated the area

Eight aircraft fought the wildfire: A US Forest Service heavy air tanker (pictured), a single-engine air tanker out of Fort Collins, two Chinook and two Blackhawk helicopters from the National Guard, plus one lead and one multi-mission aircraft

Bucket drop on the flames began around 8.30am on Sunday. The fire was roughly 20 per cent contained by noon

A National Guard helicopter drops water on the wildfire near Sunshine Canyon west of Boulder

Authorities made more than 1,000 calls to residents ordering them to evacuate and warned an additional 2,200 to get ready to leave if conditions worsened, said Gabi Boerkircher of the Boulder Office of Emergency Management.

It wasn't clear exactly how many houses or residents were evacuated because the calls could have gone to multiple people living in the same home and likely didn't include children.

There were no reports of injuries or damage to homes, emergency officials said.

At least eight aircraft were making drops to battle the flames, and a community center has opened as an evacuation shelter.

The fire was at 20 per cent containment by noon Sunday, according to the Boulder OEM.

Officials were not sure how the fire started. It was first reported around 1.40am Sunday.

A firefighter walks near the flames on the south side of the Sunshine Fire near Boulder Canyon on Sunday

Seth Frankel, who has been warned that he and his family may need to evacuate, said he had packed up 'generations of things' that can't be replaced and was ready to go if the air quality got worse.

He said smoke is pouring toward neighborhoods and many dead trees are combusting and sending black smoke into the air less than a half-mile from his home. But he and his wife, a Boulder native, and three daughters have dealt with fires and floods before.

'It's always alarming and always on your mind, but it's not an uncommon sensation around here,' said Frankel, who has lived in Boulder for 20 years.

He got word about the fire early Sunday from a neighbor who received a warning call and has been outside with neighbors watching the flames and smoke. But he let his daughters, 9, 11 and 13, get some more sleep.

'It's still alarming, but there's no panic,' Frankel said.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - The Palestinian president has awarded his people's highest honor to a former U.N. official who was forced to resign last week after authoring a report that accused Israel of establishing an "apartheid regime."

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said Sunday that President Mahmoud Abbas informed Rima Khalaf by phone that she would receive the Palestine Medal of the Highest Honor in recognition of her "courage and support" for the Palestinian people.

A statement said Abbas "stressed to Dr. Khalaf that our people appreciate her humanitarian and national position."

Khalaf, a U.N. undersecretary-general, resigned Friday after refusing to withdraw her report for the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.

Its authors concluded that "Israel has established an apartheid regime that systematically institutionalizes racial oppression and domination of the Palestinian people as a whole."

The report was swiftly condemned by U.S. and Israeli officials, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' office said it had been published without any prior consultations and did not reflect his views.

Khalaf, a Jordanian who headed the Beirut-based ESCWA, said she couldn't accept being subjected to pressure from Guterres to withdraw the report. The report has been removed from the commission's website.

In Jordan, government spokesman Mohammed Momani described Khalaf as a patriot who has held senior positions in the kingdom.

"We in Jordan view international reports about what the Palestinian people are being subjected to, from daily restrictions to injustice, as something that is in their interest," he said.

More than 4 million Palestinians remain under direct or indirect Israel rule half a century after Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. Repeated U.S.-led attempts to negotiate a solution by setting up a Palestinian state alongside Israel, roughly in the 1967 lines, have failed.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A sheriff's deputy in Louisiana is dead after being shot near a movie theater in Baton Rouge, police said Sunday.

East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office deputy Shawn T. Anderson was rushed to the hospital after being shot while on duty late Saturday, spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks said in a news release. Anderson, 43, was conducting an investigation with another deputy at a strip mall near the AMC movie theater when the shooting occurred.

"Our hearts are broken as we grieve for one of our brothers," Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said.

Louisiana State Trooper Senior Bryan Lee, left, addresses media about the fatal shooting of an East Baton Rouge Sheriff Deputy as East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sheriff Deputy spokesperson Casey Hick, second from left, Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, second from right, and Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie listen Sunday, March 19, 2017, in Baton Rouge, La. The deputy was killed while doing investigative work at a strip mall on Saturday. (Michael Dunlap/The Advocate via AP)

Louisiana State Police spokesman Bryan Lee told local media outlets that the deputies were not responding to a call for service.

A suspect was shot and injured and taken to a hospital. The condition of the suspect was unavailable.

Anderson began working at the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office in 1999. He was presented the Life Saving Award in 2010 for saving the life of a woman on Old Mississippi River bridge and recognized for serving more than sixty high-risk warrants in 2013 as part of a SWAT team with no injuries or shots fired. He also delivered a baby on the side of the road last year.

Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and Police Chief Carl Dabadie asked for prayers for Anderson's family.

"I think we are a very praying community and I think that thoughts and prayers are needed here and we come together just like we always do and always have," Dabadie added. "There's no doubt we won't here, also."

The New Orleans Advocate (http://bit.ly/2nzNuM0 ) quoted Hicks as saying the Louisiana State Police would conduct the investigation.

Authorities did not release the identity of the suspect.

The deputy was taken from Ochsner Medical Center shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday with a procession of law enforcement vehicles.

"Our hearts and prayers are with the family and friends of the fallen deputy and all the brave men and women in law enforcement who risk their own safety every single day to protect the communities they serve," said Corey Amundson, acting U.S. attorney. "We will devote whatever federal law enforcement resources are necessary to ensure that justice is served."

Emergency personnel work at the scene early Sunday, March 19, 2017, of a fatal shooting Saturday in Baton Rouge, La. A sheriff's deputy died after being shot near a barber shop during the course of an investigation, authorities said Sunday. (Michael Dunlap/The Advocate via AP)

Emergency personnel work at the scene early Sunday, March 19, 2017, of a fatal shooting Saturday in Baton Rouge, La. A sheriff's deputy died after being shot near a barber shop during the course of an investigation, authorities said Sunday. (Michael Dunlap/The Advocate via AP)
LONDON (AP) - A man has been charged with criminal damage after a painting in Britain's National Gallery was slashed in front of shocked visitors.

Witnesses say a man lashed out with what looked like a screwdriver at Thomas Gainsborough's 18th-century portrait of a wealthy young couple, "Mr. and Mrs. William Hallett" - better known as "The Morning Walk" - at the gallery on Saturday.

The gallery on London's Trafalgar Square says the suspect was detained by staff and visitors, and later arrested.

It says damage to the painting "is limited to two long scratches which have penetrated the paint layers, but not the supporting canvas."

The Metropolitan Police said Sunday that 54-year-old Keith Gregory, of no fixed address, was charged with criminal damage. He is due to appear in court on Monday.
ROME (AP) - Italy's president, whose brother was murdered by Cosa Nostra, traveled on Sunday to an organized crime stronghold to honor hundreds of Italians slain by the country's crime clans over the past decades.

President Sergio Mattarella also praised the judges, prosecutors, police officers, union leaders, businessmen and politicians who courageously combatted or denounced organized crime.

During the ceremony in Locri, a Calabrian town that is a long-time base of the 'ndrangheta crime syndicate, the names of innocent victims - some caught in the crossfire of turf wars - were read aloud. Among the names was that of the president's brother, Piersanti Mattarella, the Sicilian governor assassinated in Palermo in 1980.

Italian Presdient Sergio Mattarella speaks at an event to honor victims of Mafia crimes, in the Calabrian town of Locri, southern Italy, Sunday, March 19, 2017. Mattarella on Sunday paid tribute to those slain for opposing organized crime, including judges, police officers, union leaders, entrepreneurs, and politicians, like his own brother, who were killed by the mob. (Francesco Ammendola/Italian Presidential Press Service pool photo via AP)

The event anticipated Italy's annual remembrance day, occurring later this week, for victims of organized crime.

Near Naples, hundreds of scouts filled a church in the mobster-infested town of Casal di Principe to pay tribute to a priest, Giuseppe Diana, who denounced the local Caselesi crime clan of the Camorra syndicate. Diana was shot to death in the church sacristy in 1994.

Mattarella lamented the "Mafia is still strong" and controls or tries to infiltrate much of Italy's economy. He denounced "gray areas, those of complicity," which mobsters exploit, a reference to corruptible politicians and public administrators who, investigations have found, help mafiosi win lucrative contracts in construction and social services, such as hospitals.

While rooted for generations in Italy's underdeveloped south, the 'ndrangheta, Camorra and other syndicates have also infiltrated businesses in affluent northern Italy. Mobsters have been laundering illicit profits in popular restaurants and cafes in Rome and elsewhere. Legitimate manufacturing businesses in the north turned to the Camorra to illegally dispose of toxic waste to save money and avoid bureaucracy.

Still, progress has come. Young people in Sicily inspired many shopkeepers and industrialists there to stop paying Cosa Nostra "protection" money.

Locri Bishop Francesco Oliva insisted Calabria wants to break with a past "stained by the blood of crime feuds that sowed death and desperation."

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Frances D'Emilio is on twitter at www.twitter.com/fdemilio

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This story has been corrected to show that Francesco Oliva is a bishop, not archbishop.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Penn State's former president is about to go on trial on charges that children were put at risk by how he responded to complaints about Jerry Sandusky more than 15 years ago, and two of his former top lieutenants who just pleaded guilty in the case could testify against him.

Jury selection begins Monday in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in the case that will determine whether Graham Spanier's handling of the Sandusky scandal amounted to the three felonies he stands accused of. He's charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of children and a single conspiracy charge.

Spanier headed the Penn State university system when Sandusky was charged with child molestation in November 2011. Spanier was forced out as president days later.

Sandusky is now in prison on child molestation convictions.
SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) - Macedonian police said Sunday they have cracked down on a criminal ring of drug dealers and arrested six people charged with "illegal manufacturing and sale of narcotics."

Police raided homes in the capital, Skopje, and the cities of Bitola and Prilep in the southwest, seizing about 10 kilograms of marijuana, 700 grams of heroin, 250 grams of cocaine, 570 tablets of "ecstasy," as well as substantial sums of money, cellphones and cars.

An investigative judge has ordered five of the suspects to be detained for 30 days, while one is on home arrest. Police are searching for two other suspects.

The leader of the group is a 47-year-old man from Prilep, identified by police only by the initials D.V.
PARIS (AP) - Several thousand people marched in Paris on Sunday against police violence.

The demonstration was the latest protest sparked by the alleged rape in February of a young black man with a police baton, and other police abuse.

Demonstrators carried banners with portraits of victims of alleged police brutality.

People gesture as they protest against police violence, in Paris, Sunday, March 19, 2017. Protesters carried placards and banners as they gathered at Place de la Republique, a square in the centre of the French capital, to listen to speeches. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Anarchists faced off with riot police at the end of the march and tear gas was fired but clashes remained limited in scope and violence.

The alleged police rape of Theo in the Paris suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois turned the 22-year-old into a symbol for minorities standing up to police violence. His last name hasn't been publicly released.

He was hospitalized for two weeks. One officer was charged with rape, while three others were accused of aggravated assault. All deny intentional wrongdoing.

People hold a banner reading "Justice and dignity, stop to the police impunity" during a demonstration against police violence, in Paris, Sunday, March 19, 2017. Protesters carried placards and banners as they gathered at Place de la Republique, a square in the centre of the French capital, to listen to speeches. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A woman holds a placard reading "Jonathant Ngo Koumba died August 8, 2014" as she protests against police violence, in Paris, Sunday, March 19, 2017. Protesters carried placards and banners as they gathered at Place de la Republique, a square in the centre of the French capital, to listen to speeches. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

People gesture as they protest against police violence, in Paris, Sunday, March 19, 2017. Protesters carried placards and banners as they gathered at Place de la Republique, a square in the centre of the French capital, to listen to speeches. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Riot police officers stand along a demonstration against police violence, in Paris, Sunday, March 19, 2017. Protesters carried placards and banners as they gathered at Place de la Republique, a square in the centre of the French capital, to listen to speeches. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A woman holds a placard during a demonstration against police violence, in Paris, Sunday, March 19, 2017. Protesters carried placards and banners as they gathered at Place de la Republique, a square in the centre of the French capital, to listen to speeches. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
XALAPA, Mexico (AP) - An attacker shot a journalist to death Sunday in the Mexican state of Veracruz, adding to the toll in a region plagued by drug gang violence and allegations of government corruption.

Journalist Ricardo Monlui was leaving a restaurant with his wife and a son in the town of Yanga, outside the larger city of Cordoba, when a man who appeared to have been waiting shot Monlui twice and fled, local police chief Carlos Samuel Hernandez said. The wife and son apparently were unhurt.

Monlui is at least the 11th journalist to be slain in just over six years in Veracruz state, but the first since former Gov. Javier Duarte quit last year and vanished in the face of corruption charges. New Gov. Miguel Angel Yunes, who took office in December, expressed indignation at the killing.

This March 16, 2016 photo released by El Sol de Cordoba newspaper shows a photo of journalist Ricardo Monlui in an unknown location in Mexico. An attacker shot the journalist to death Sunday, March 19, 2017 in the Mexican state of Veracruz, adding to the toll in a region plagued by drug gang violence and allegations of government corruption. (El Sol de Cordoba via AP)

As a battleground for rival drug cartels, Veracruz is one of Mexico's most violent states. The governor reported that eight people, including five police officers, also were killed Sunday during a gunbattle in the Coxquihi municipality in a mountainous area of northern Veracruz. Yunes said it wasn't yet clear what happened.

Later in the day, state Attorney General Jorge Winckler reported that 47 skulls and other body parts had been found in eight clandestine graves outside a port on Alvarado lagoon.

The announcement came five days after Winckler revealed that 300 sets of remains had been removed in recent months from secret burial sites in other parts of the state, including 253 found in the northern part of Veracruz city. He said those remains appeared to have been victims of drug cartels killed years ago.

Winkler said Sunday that officials have not yet explored all the sites where they have reports of possible illegal burials in the state because there is not enough space in forensic facilities.

Monlui, the slain journalist, was head of the Cordoba region's press association and was a columnist for the new newspapers El Sol de Cordoba and Diario de Xalapa as well as the magazine Analysis Politico.

Hernandez said officials were trying to identify the killer and were not yet sure of a motive.

The Washington-based Committee to Protect Journalists has said that Mexico is the most dangerous part of the hemisphere for journalists and that Veracruz, on the Gulf of Mexico, has been the most deadly part of the country. The committee says 86 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992, 37 of them for motives directly related to their work and 49 for reasons not yet clear.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Brazil's president met Sunday with dozens of ambassadors from countries that import Brazilian meat, seeking to minimize damage from a corruption probe that alleges meatpackers bribed inspectors to keep rotten meat on the market.

Speaking at the presidential palace, President Michel Temer told the diplomats that Brazil's "government wants to reiterate its confidence in the quality of our national product."

Temer set up the meeting following inquiries from the European Union and China over the scandal. Federal police issued 38 arrest warrants involving the giant meatpackers JBS and BRF in a blow to Brazil's reputation as one of the world's leading meat producers.

Brazil's President Michel Temer, right, talks with his Minister of Agriculture Blairo Maggi during a meeting with ambassadors of Brazilian meat consumer countries and representatives of the agriculture and meat sector at ] Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, March 19, 2017. Temer is holding several meetings on Sunday in light of a recent corruption probe that revealed Brazilian meatpackers bribed inspectors to keep rotten meat on the market. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

The president minimized the investigation, saying that only 33 of the 11,000 inspectors at the Agriculture Ministry are being investigated for allegedly taking bribes to overlook meatpackers using chemicals to improve the appearance and smell of expired meat.

Some of the bad meat was exported to Europe, investigators have said. Temer told the ambassadors that the Agriculture Ministry would soon release a list of countries that could have received rotten meat as well as the name of the meatpackers responsible.

Temer said a task force would be created to speed up the investigation of the plants that were targeted. In a statement, his office also said it wanted to reiterate that packing plants are open to inspection by nations that buy Brazilian meats. Officials said Brazil exports meat to about 150 countries.

Wrapping up the meeting, the president invited the ambassadors for dinner at a traditional Brazilian barbecue restaurant in Brasilia.

Earlier, Temer met with his agriculture and foreign commerce ministers as well as meatpacking industry leaders to talk about impact of the case.

Authorities say that out of the 4,800 meatpacking facilities subject to federal inspection in Brazil, 21 are under investigation, including units of the two big companies JBS and BRF.

Federal police also said Friday the two-year investigation had determined that part of the money allegedly paid by JBS and BRF was channeled to two of Brazil's major political parties, including Temer's.

Brazil's President Michel Temer, center top, leads a meeting with agriculture and meat sector representatives at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, March 19, 2017. Temer is holding several meetings on Sunday in light of a recent corruption probe that revealed Brazilian meatpackers bribed inspectors to keep rotten meat on the market. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
A man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of a one-year-old boy and the attempted murder of a girl believed to be his twin sister, Scotland Yard said.

Bidhya Sagar Das, 33, was wanted by police in connection with an incident at a flat in Wilberforce Road, near Finsbury Park, north London.

Both toddlers were discovered with critical injuries at the address on Saturday night and were taken to an east London hospital, where the boy died in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Scotland Yard said Das was arrested in the Hackney area at 7.15pm on Sunday. He has been taken to an east London police station where he remains in custody.

UPDATE: Officers investigating the murder of a child in #Hackney have tonight arrested... https://t.co/klk3IKS638 pic.twitter.com/YziZ9jwv8O  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 19, 2017

The girl remains in hospital in a critical condition.

Witnesses heard a woman shouting for help on the street outside at around 11.10pm on Saturday and later saw two children being carried out of the property.

Mihai Manea, 29, who lives on the second floor of the white three-storey building, said the children were twins and lived on the top floor with their Romanian mother and Indian father.

A woman living opposite the building, who gave her name as Gui Gui, said she heard a woman shouting late on Saturday night and opened the window to offer help.

Witnesses heard a woman shouting for help on Wilberforce Road, which has been sealed off by police

I was watching TV, she said. I heard someone was shouting. She kept on shouting. I do not know what she was shouting. I opened the window and I asked her Can I help you, can I call the police for you? She said, My kids.

She later saw two young children being carried out of the building, with one held very close to a member of the emergency services.

The incident is believed to be domestic and enquiries continue, police said.

Police officers enter the Wilberforce Road flat (Victoria Jones/PA)

Next of kin have been informed of the boys death but formal identification and a post-mortem examination are yet to take place.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams, of the Metropolitan Police, said: This is clearly a tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the family of the two young children.

Despite the best efforts of medical professionals a baby boy sadly died in the early hours of this morning. A baby girl currently remains in a critical condition and is receiving specialist medical care.

Whilst we remain in the early stages of the investigation, a man has now been arrested. I would still like to hear from anyone who may have any information regarding this terrible incident.

Anyone with information should contact police on 020 8345 3775 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Steve Cook praised Bournemouths back four as the Cherries finally kept their first clean sheet of 2017 in Saturdays vital 2-0 win over fellow relegation candidates Swansea.

Eddie Howes had slipped alarmingly down the table having not managed to keep a clean sheet since a New Years Eve victory against the Swans.

In that time they shipped 26 goals and took just six Premier League points as they were dragged into the battle for survival.





"A clean sheet's been a long time coming."



More from Steve Cook  https://t.co/MYhaTlupkg#afcb  pic.twitter.com/2ghgVypf69  AFC Bournemouth  (@afcbournemouth) March 19, 2017

Last weekends 3-2 win over West Ham was fraught with tension but against Paul Clements Swansea the defence stood firm and was largely unchallenged, and Cook knows that is not a coincidence.

A clean sheet has been a long time coming, he said.

Its been since Swansea away on New Years Eve, which is far too long and weve conceded a lot of goals.

As a back four weve been working really hard in the last couple of weeks and ever since Manchester United weve looked very solid.

Manchester United's Zlatan Ibrahimovic reacts after his penalty is saved against Bournemouth

Im delighted, its like scoring goals when youre a defender so a clean sheet is huge for us.

While keeping Swansea out at one end, the Cherries had Benik Afobe to thank for sealing a huge three points which takes them as high as 12th.

The former Wolves striker saw his tame first-half strike deflected in off the unwitting Alfie Mawson, with the Swans man credited with an own goal.

But after the interval Afobe, who has struggled for form since joining the club last January, finished off the visitors with a well-taken effort.

All week weve been talking about getting our first back-to-back Premier League wins. Weve done that today and kept a clean sheet and luckily enough Ive scored the goal," Afobe told Bournemouths official website.

Its been a good weekend for us and now well all be looking forward to the international break and being ready for the Southampton game.

The Bournemouth squad will travel to Dubai for warm-weather training over the international break, no doubt with a fresh spring in their step.

But for Swansea, the two-week gap until their next fixture will drag after back to back defeats against opponents also fighting for the top-flight status.

A loss at Hull was followed by this reverse at the Vitality Stadium and captain Jack Cork admitted the players had not done themselves justice on the south coast.

Paul Clement watched his side lose at Bournemouth

"It was very disappointing," he said. "We didnt play as well as we could and we are well aware of that.

"The first goal was unlucky because it takes a massive deflection, but after that we didnt react well enough. In the second half we didnt get going.

"This is another setback for us, but now we have two big home games to come after the international break. We must react positively in those matches."
Jon Toral is looking forward to Rangers spending the international break building on Pedro Caixinhas successful start to his tenure as manager.

A 4-0 Ladbrokes Premiership win over Hamilton at Ibrox on Saturday kept the Light Blues eight points behind second-placed Aberdeen.

Goals from midfielder Emerson Hyndman and veteran defender Clint Hill had the home side in easy street at the interval with a Martyn Waghorn penalty and a strike from captain Lee Wallace making it a good day for the Portuguese boss.

FT: @RangersFC 4:0 @AcciesFC (Hyndman 26' Hill 41' Waghorn 56' Wallace 74') Four goals and three points for the Gers at Ibrox today. pic.twitter.com/ozd3Axueyj  Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) March 18, 2017

Rangers host Motherwell in two weeks and midfielder Toral, whose free-kick was knocked in by Hill for his third goal in as many games, hopes further progress will be made by then.

The 22-year-old Spaniard, on loan from Arsenal, said: It is a good start under the new manager. He changed a couple of things but the lads understood what he wanted and I think we are going to get better.

We have two weeks on the training pitch where he will insist on the things he wants to implement. He has asked us to press harder, keep possession and create more chances and that is what we are going to try to do, and work on the training pitch.

On behalf of all my Technical Staff I would like to Thank You for the fantastic welcome today at Ibrox Stadium!

Thanks for being with us!  Pedro Caixinha (@PedroCaixinha) March 18, 2017

Caixinha has his sights on the in-form Dons who beat Hearts 2-0 at Pittodrie on Saturday.

It keeps the same distance with less points to fight for, he said. We still need to play against them twice. The next game, for me, is always the most important one. Now we are going to have two longer weeks so we will have more time to prepare things.

I work to a pattern. They will come back on Monday to train and from there we go until Saturday when we finish here playing with our squad combined with under-20 players because we want to finish with a match situation. They will have one day free again and then we will start preparing for the next match.

Lee Wallace (centre) celebrates scoring Rangers' fourth goal

Accies, who had conceded 10 goals in the two matches previous to the trip to Govan, dropped to the bottom of the table behind Inverness on goal difference.

Boss Martin Canning said: It was always going to be a difficult game, with our recent results, their new manager and a big crowd. We are conceding goals at big moments in games. It seems we are switching off and giving ourselves an uphill task and little opportunity to have a real go.

The one thing we have always done is respond well to negative performances and we need to make sure we do that.
A man has been charged after a staff member was held hostage at a bank.

David Hempseed is accused of false imprisonment and possession of an imitation firearm at the NatWest in Bristol Road South, Northfield, Birmingham.

A man has been charged in relation to holding a staff member hostage at a Birmingham bank on Friday (17 March): https://t.co/e9UOgTZjTP pic.twitter.com/inEdjuRAuR  West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) March 19, 2017

The 60-year-old, of Northfield, is also charged with possession of a knife and arson with intent to endanger life, West Midlands Police said.

A man has been charged with offences at a branch of NatWest

He has been remanded in custody to face the allegations at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Monday.

Police were called to the branch at around 11.45am on Friday and the incident came to an end at around 12.50pm. The force said no-one was injured.
Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Miami Open through injury.

The defending champion has followed Andy Murray in pulling out of the tournament, which begins on Wednesday, due to an elbow problem.

Djokovic wrote on Facebook: I have some very disappointing news to share with you regarding the Miami Open tournament.

Novak Djokovic

My doctor has strongly advised against playing because my elbow injury, that I keep carrying on for months, got worse in the past week.

I will do everything in my power to recover and do all the necessary therapy to be able to return on court as soon as possible. Sadly, I wont be able to defend my title in Miami this week.

Novak Djokovic has been forced to withdraw due to an elbow injury. We wish a quick recovery to our champion. pic.twitter.com/BPof3TwgWw  Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) March 19, 2017

World number one Murray confirmed his withdrawal, also due to an elbow injury, on Saturday.

Djokovics decision means Murrays lead over the Serbian at the top of the ATP Tour rankings will stretch to around 4,000 points.
By Devidutta Tripathy

MUMBAI, March 19 (Reuters) - India's Adani Enterprises said it would finalise an investment decision by June for its Carmichael coal project in the northern Australian state of Queensland, which has been delayed due to protests from environmental groups.

For more than five years, Adani has battled opposition from green groups who fear the project will produce so much coal for export to India that it will require a mega-port expansion into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

While Adani, a business group with interests in power and ports, has said the project would not threaten the reef and has secured most major state and federal government approvals, it still faces several court challenges.

Raising funds has also been tough given the sensitivities of lending to a controversial project.

However, the group's chairman, Gautam Adani, expressed optimism the project would proceed and said the board would take a final decision on investments in May or June, including structure and planned funding.

He was speaking during an interaction with a group of reporters in Mumbai and was accompanied by Queensland premier Anastasia Palaszczuk who was in the country to visit Adani's port and solar facilities

"Definitely," Adani said, when asked if he was confident the project would go ahead. "Our internal planning is 2020 ...(for) first coal to come out," Adani added, noting construction could begin within three months of the board's decision.

Palaszczuk said the Carmichael project had the full support of her government and that she did not see any obstacles in Adani securing final approval from Australia.

FUNDING

Analysts have raised doubts about whether Adani can fund what would be Australia's biggest coal mine given the opposition from green groups and a slump in coal prices. Some banks, including Deutsche Bank and Commonwealth Bank of Australia, have said they will not provide funding.

But Adani said he was not concerned.

The company has shrunk the project and is now targeting an annual output of 25 million tonnes in the first phase, which could save costs, Adani said. Production will eventually be expanded to the planned 40 million tonnes, he added.

Of the $4 billion required for the first phase, Adani will have to raise about $2.5 billion in debt, he said. The company says it has already invested $3.3 billion in the project.

Adani is hoping to get $800 million to $900 million from Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility and is counting on funding from export credit agencies in China or South Korea. It plans go to commercial banks for any short-fall.

"Banks have been misled by some of the environmental groups and that was a main issue," Adani said.

The project still faces strong opposition, with a group of high-profile Australians recently saying they will "fight tooth and nail" against Adani's plans.

However, Palaszczuk said the Adani project was crucial for jobs in Queensland.

"I've got such a situation in regional Queensland where people are hurting, families are hurting, because they don't have employment with the downturn in the resources sector," she said. "So, I need this project for Queensland." (Editing by Rafael Nam and Himani Sarkar)
BEIJING, March 19 (Reuters) - Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan left on Sunday for official visits to Sri Lanka and Nepal, the Defence Ministry said, trips that could unnerve neighbouring India.

China is vying to increase its influence in Nepal, which serves as a natural buffer between China and India, challenging India's long-held position as the dominant outside power in the landlocked nation.

China has also invested heavily in Sri Lanka, funding airports, roads, railways and ports, and including the island nation of 21 million people on its "One Belt, One Road" mission to create a modern-day "Silk Road" across Asia.

The ministry, in a short statement, said Deputy Naval Chief Su Zhiqian would accompany Chang.

It gave no other details.

China's Defence Ministry said in December that China would hold its first military drills with Nepal in 2017.

In 2014, Sri Lanka allowed a Chinese submarine and a warship to dock at its port in the capital Colombo, prompting concern in New Delhi.

India, which has a festering border dispute with China, has looked at the latter's strategic ambitions in South Asia and in the Indian Ocean with some nervousness.

China has close defence ties with India's long-time rival Pakistan, and has been getting closer to Bangladesh and the Maldives too. Chinese warships now increasingly drill in the Indian Ocean too, as Beijing becomes more confident about projecting power far from its shores. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
By Patrick Markey and John Davison

MOSUL, Iraq, March 19 (Reuters) - Iraqi army helicopters strafed and fired rockets at Islamic State positions in Mosul's Old City on Sunday as troops on the ground closed in on the strategic and symbolic prize of the al-Nuri Mosque.

Federal Police troops had advanced past the train station in western Mosul closer to the mosque. A police commander said they were very close to taking control of it.

Residents fled from the area, carrying bags of belongings and picking their way through the wrecked buildings as shells and gunfire echoed behind them. Most of them were women and children.

"Federal Police and Rapid Response forces resumed their advance after halting operations due to bad weather. The troops have a target of retaking the rest of the Old City," a police spokesman said.

The battle to recapture Islamic State's last stronghold in Iraq has now entered its sixth month. Iraqi government forces, backed by U.S. advisers, artillery and air support, have cleared the east and half of western Mosul and are now focused on controlling the Old City.

Recent fighting has targeted the centuries-old al-Nuri Mosque, with its famous leaning minaret. Its capture would be a blow for Islamic State as it was from there that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate in July 2014 after the hardline militants had seized swathes of Iraq and Syria.

U.S. officials estimate about 2,000 IS fighters remain inside Iraq's second largest city, resisting with mortar fire, snipers and suicide car bombs that plough into army positions.

The black Islamic State flag still flew from the mosque's minaret on Sunday.

RESIDENTS FLEE

Federal Police moved in on foot from near the train station towards the Old City, trotting through rubble-filled streets.

Police commander General Khalid al-Obedi told reporters on the frontline: "We are advancing toward the Old City. Their resistance is weakening. They are mostly using car bombs and that shows they are losing on the ground."

He barked orders into his radio as mortar rounds landed beyond his position.

Reporters saw an air strike hit Islamic State positions about 300 meters (yards) ahead on the frontline. Helicopters circling overhead fired rockets and raked the ground with machinegun fire.

Federal police also arrested Husam Sheet al-Jabouri, the local chief of Diwan al-Hisba, an IS unit responsible for enforcing strict Islamic rules, in Mosul's Bab al-Sijin area, a police statement said.

As fighting has entered into the narrow alleyways and densely populated parts of west Mosul, more residents are fleeing liberated areas where food and water are scarce and homes are often caught in shelling.

Families with elderly relatives and children marched through western Mosul's muddy streets, past buildings pock-marked by bullet and bombs on Saturday. Some said they had hardly eaten in weeks, scrambling for supplies handed out by a local aid agency.

"It is terrible, Islamic State have destroyed us. There is no food, no bread. There is absolutely nothing," said one resident.

As many as 600,000 civilians may be caught inside the city with the militants. About 255,000 people have been displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas since October, including more than 100,000 since the military campaign in western Mosul began on Feb. 19, according to United Nations figures.

The last week has seen the highest level of displacement yet, with 32,000 displaced between March 12 and 15.

(Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad, Writing by Angus MacSwan in Erbil; Editing by Keith Weir)
New CM: Yogi Adityanath at Parliament House in New Delhi

As a saffron-robed Hindu holy man Yogi Adityanath prepares to become Uttar Pradesh's chief minister, thoughts turn to the shift in course by Prime Minister Modi that could redefine the world's largest democracy as a Hindu supremacist nation.

By choosing a firebrand Hindu ascetic with a history of agitation against minority Muslims to lead India's most populous state, stunned observers are claiming that the move marks a departure from the platform of development on which Modi rose to national power in 2014.

'Modi is saying India is a Hindu country and shall remain so,' veteran journalist and commentator Shekhar Gupta told Reuters.

Adding, 'Hindus will rule, so you had better behave.'

A spokesman for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) however said the government did not make any distinction between citizens on the basis of religion.

Adityanath, 44, was elected by state lawmakers on Saturday, a week after the BJP won a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh by mobilising the Hindu vote. The BJP won the biggest majority for any party in the state legislature in 40 years.

He took the oath of office at an open-air ceremony in the state capital Lucknow on Sunday, before shaking hands with Modi and other BJP elders who attended.

After the ceremony, Modi said in a tweet: 'Our sole mission and motive is development. When U.P. develops, India develops.'

The BJP fielded no candidates from the Muslim minority that makes up 19 percent of the population in a state with a population of 220 million that is home to 15 percent of the world's poor. If it were a country, Uttar Pradesh would be the world's fifth-most populous.

India's 1.3 billion people are about 80 percent Hindu and 14 percent Muslim, with the rest made up of Christians, Sikhs and other minorities. It is officially a secular nation, but the BJP has for years fought elections on a Hindu nationalist agenda, with party members in the past being accused of making anti-Muslim statements to polarise Hindu voters.

'Modi and the BJP had promised the poor of India good times to come,' said Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, editor of the Economic & Political Weekly.

'When they fail to create jobs, revive the economy or lift investment, they are going to fall back more on the majoritarian agenda.'

Modi, in his victory speech after the Uttar Pradesh triumph, had called for the creation of a 'New India' by 2022, effectively staking a claim to a second term at the general election that is due to be held in two years.

Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev with Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath (file pic)

Don't judge

Adityanath, elected five times to the federal parliament from Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh, has been magnanimous in victory, pledging to uphold Modi's slogan of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' ('all together, development for all').

'Everyone who is prejudging the decision is doing it at their own peril - these arguments were also used in the case of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,' BJP spokesman Nalin Kohli told Reuters.

'Almost three years down the line there is no departure from 'sabka saath, sabka vikas'; there is no let up in providing governance and improving delivery to the poorest; and there can be no distinction between citizens on the basis of their faith, region or identity.'

Kohli also dismissed suggestions that Adityanath's election would undermine the secular basis of Indian democracy. There are precedents for Hindu devotees taking high office, he said, including Uma Bharti, a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh state who is now Modi's water resources minister.

A source close to the powerful Hindu nationalist umbrella group to which the BJP belongs, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), said Adityanath would undergo a complete image makeover to repackage him as a moderate reformer.

Love Jihad

Adityanath has in the past accused Muslim men of waging 'love jihad', or a love war, to entrap Hindu women and convert them to Islam. He drew a reprimand from the election authorities for exhorting Hindus to convert 100 Muslims for every Hindu that adopted Islam.

Further, he disclosed in his 2014 election affidavit that he faced criminal cases including attempted murder; intimidation; promoting religious enmity; defiling a place of worship; rioting; and trespassing on burial places.

Such cases are common in India's rough-and-tumble politics. Although judges have taken cognisance of three cases against Adityanath, no formal charges have been filed.

Yogi Adityanath back in 2005 as BJP Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh

As the month-long Uttar Pradesh poll progressed, the rhetoric used by Modi and his campaign chief Amit Shah struck an increasingly harsh tone: In one speech Modi said villages with graveyards should have crematoriums too - a veiled reference to the different burial practices of Muslims and Hindus.

One of India's most prominent Muslim politicians, former Jammu and Kashmir state chief minister Omar Abdullah, said in a tweet that Muslims in Uttar Pradesh 'must be terrified of what the future has in store for them.' He also directed his anger at the current J&K CM for choosing, 'a man who called for the dead bodies of Muslim women to be raped'.
By Ellen Francis and Suleiman Al-Khalidi

BEIRUT/AMMAN, March 19 (Reuters) - Syrian rebels launched a major offensive on Sunday that brought them close to the heart of the Old City of Damascus, and government forces responded with intense bombardments of rebel-held areas.

The escalation, reported by witnesses, state TV, rebel sources, and a monitoring group, marked a bid by the rebels to relieve army pressure on besieged areas they control to the east of the capital.

Moderate Free Syrian Army (FSA) and jihadist groups were both involved in the assault on the districts of Jobar and Abbasiyin, some 2 km (1.2 miles) east of the Old City walls.

Syrian state television said the army had repelled an infiltration attempts by the militants and bombarded them with artillery, inflicting heavy losses.

Witnesses said the army deployed tanks in some adjacent neighbourhoods, and troops could be seen patrolling on foot.

"The streets are empty and the army has despatched dozens of troops in the streets, and tanks are being moved. The sounds of mortars from Jobar have not stopped," said a resident of the nearby Tijara district, who asked not to be named.

Another witness said most shops had closed in areas close to the fighting, as people fled further away from the clashes.

Heavy explosions rang out in the background as state TV broadcast live from Abbasiyin square, a usually teeming area that seemed to be deserted of traffic and pedestrians.

GOVERNMENT PRESSURE

With the recapture of the city of Aleppo last December, President Bashar al-Assad's army reinforced its dominant position across most of the country. Since then it has been trying to break down rebel resistance in Damascus and reassert full control of the capital after six years of war.

The army and its militias have for months been targeting Eastern Ghouta, the biggest remaining rebel bastion near Damascus, while making only incremental gains.

Rebel sources said their attack on parts of Jobar, which they held for a time in 2013, was in response to their loss of ground in Qaboun and Barza, two other districts to the north.

"This is to relieve the pressure on rebels, with the regime not stopping its bombardment and artillery shelling on our people," Abu Abdo, a commander from rebel group Failaq al Rahman said via internet messaging, adding that the aim was to link up Jobar with Qaboun.

He said the rebel operation had included two suicide bombings launched by Tahrir al Sham, a coalition of jihadist groups whose backbone is the former al Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war, said rebels had captured several industrial sites and buildings between Jobar and Qaboun after launching their surprise attack.

An official of Ahrar al-Sham rebel group said the capture of large swathes of the industrial area that has long been an army line of defence for the capital could help a bid to push deeper into the heart of the capital in coming days.

The Observatory said rebel shells hit several districts, and government warplanes pounded the Jobar area in response. At least 30 raids were conducted and hundreds of surface-to-surface missiles targeted rebel-held areas.

Another rebel fighter acknowledged army advances in the last two days towards a major road between Qaboun and Barza had been a big blow.

The capture of that road would sever the link between the two besieged rebel districts, where tens of thousands of people live and would force the hands of rebels to agree to deals worked out elsewhere that force them to pull back to northern Syria.

The deals are viewed by rebels as forcibly displacing people who oppose Assad after years of bombardment and siege.

"Taking this road would isolate Barza and Qaboun completely and with a security belt around it," said Abu Abdullah, another fighter with Failaq al Rahman.7

Rebels said several factions in Eastern Ghouta, including the dominant Jaish al-Islam group, were sending reinforcements to Jobar to help rebels maintain the momentum of the assault. (Reporting by Ellen Francis in Beirut and Suleiman al Khalidi in Amman, additional reporting by Kinda Makieh; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Sandra Maler)
ISTANBUL, March 19 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday accused a jailed Turkish-German journalist of being a terrorist agent, adding "Thank God he has been arrested", comments likely to cause further unease in Berlin over the incident.

Erdogan, who was speaking at a meeting of an Islamic foundation in Istanbul, said the reporter, Deniz Yucel of Germany's Die Welt newspaper, would be tried by Turkey's independent judiciary.

Authorities arrested Yucel, a dual Turkish and German national, last month on charges of propaganda in support of a terrorist organisation and inciting the public to violence.

He was initially detained after he reported on emails that a leftist hacker collective had purportedly obtained from the private account of Berat Albayrak, Turkey's energy minister and Erdogan's son-in-law.

He is the first German journalist to be detained in a Turkish crackdown following the failed July 15 coup that has frequently targeted the media. Berlin has said that a separate claim that Yucel was working as a German spy was "absolutely baseless". (Reporting by Ece Toksabay; writing by David Dolan; editing by Jason Neely)
By Ece Toksabay

ANKARA, March 19 (Reuters) - Turkey on Sunday accused Germany of supporting the network of a U.S.-based Muslim cleric it blames for last year's attempted coup, comments likely to aggravate a diplomatic feud between the two countries.

Germany and Turkey have been locked in a deepening row after Berlin banned some Turkish ministers from speaking to rallies of expatriate Turks ahead of a referendum next month, citing public safety concerns.

On Saturday, German news magazine Der Spiegel published an interview with the head of Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency, who said Ankara had failed to convince it that the cleric Fethullah Gulen was responsible for the coup attempt.

"Turkey has tried to convince us of that at every level but so far it has not succeeded," Bruno Kahl was quoted as saying.

President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman said Kahl's comments were proof Germany was supporting Gulen's network, which Ankara refers to as the "Gulenist Terrorist Organisation" or "FETO".

"It's an effort to invalidate all the information we have given them on FETO. It's a sign of their support for FETO," Ibrahim Kalin told broadcaster CNN Turk.

"Why are they protecting them? Because these are useful instruments for Germany to use against Turkey."

There was no response from Germany to the comments.

Ankara blames Gulen's network of followers in the military for the abortive putsch in July, when a group of rogue soldiers seized tanks, helicopters and war planes to attack parliament and attempt to overthrow the government. More than 240 people were killed in the coup attempt.

Gulen, a former Erdogan ally who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, has denied the charges and condemned the coup.

JAILED JOURNALIST

Kalin said there was a possibility Erdogan could plan a rally to address Turks in Germany before the April 16 referendum on changing the constitution, a move that would further heighten tensions with Berlin.

The constitutional change would give Erdogan sweeping new powers. Critics say it would give him too much power.

At a speech on Sunday in Istanbul, Erdogan lashed out against a Turkish-German journalist now in jail in Turkey, calling him a terrorist agent and adding "Thank God he has been arrested".

Erdogan, who was speaking at a meeting of an Islamic foundation, said the reporter, Deniz Yucel of Germany's Die Welt newspaper, would be tried by Turkey's independent judiciary.

Authorities arrested Yucel, a dual Turkish and German national, last month on charges of propaganda in support of a terrorist organisation and inciting the public to violence.

He was initially detained after he reported on emails that a leftist hacker collective had purportedly obtained from the private account of Berat Albayrak, Turkey's energy minister and Erdogan's son-in-law. (Additional reporting by Michelle Martin in Berlin; writing by David Dolan; editing by Jason Neely/Keith Weir)
ZAGREB, March 19 (Reuters) - Croatian food group Agrokor, which is struggling to resolve major debt problems, said on Sunday it was working on a new business model aimed at protecting employees, suppliers and other partners. Agrokor, the biggest Croatian private company and the biggest food producer and retailer in the Balkans, came under pressure from investors and the Zagreb government to clear up its debt problems, which could destabilise the local economy . "Management, together with key investors, works on a new business model which will protect interests of all the stakeholders, primarily taking care about employees, suppliers and partners ... The chosen model will be presented soon," Agrokor said in a statement. It also said that the statement was prompted by inaccurate information about the company's position that have appeared in media in recent days. Agrokor employs nearly 60,000 people across the Balkans. It annual revenue of 50 billion kuna ($7.25 billion) in 2015, around 15 percent of Croatia's gross domestic product. It is not listed, but some of the companies it owns are traded on the Zagreb exchange. According to the latest data, from last September, its debt amounted to 45 billion kuna against capital of around 7.5 billion kuna. A major portion of that debt, some 500 million euros ($537.05 million), will mature in early 2018. One of the major creditors is Russia's Sberbank . Analysts say the company's troubles came because it expanded its business too aggressively and relied on risky borrowing. One option for Agrokor might be the sale of some of its profitable assets or a change in ownership structure, analysts say. The Zagreb-based company is currently controlled by local businessman Ivica Todoric. ($1 = 6.8930 kuna) ($1 = 0.9310 euros) (Reporting by Igor Ilic, editing by Larry King)
Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan will be in Sri Lanka and Nepal this week on an official visit, the Defence Ministry said and according to agency reports these visits are likely to unnerve neighbouring India.

China is vying to increase its influence in Nepal, which serves as a natural buffer between China and India, challenging India's long-held position as the dominant outside power in the landlocked nation.

China has also invested heavily in Sri Lanka, funding airports, roads, railways and ports, and including the island nation of 21 million people on its "One Belt, One Road" mission to create a modern-day "Silk Road" across Asia.

The ministry, in a short statement, said Deputy Naval Chief Su Zhiqian would accompany Minister Chang but it gave no other details.

China's Defence Ministry said in December that China would hold its first military drills with Nepal this year.

In 2014, Sri Lanka allowed a Chinese submarine and a warship to dock at its port in the capital Colombo, prompting concern in New Delhi.

India, which has a festering border dispute with China, has looked at the latter's strategic ambitions in South Asia and in the Indian Ocean with some nervousness.

China has close defence ties with India's long-time rival Pakistan, and has been getting closer to Bangladesh and the Maldives too.

Chinese warships now increasingly drill in the Indian Ocean as Beijing becomes more confident about projecting power far from its shores. (REUTERS)
What is evident for all to see is that Yahapalanaya has deteriorated today into the expression of a totally autocratic culture, in Parliament and in the country at large. Across the country vital elections at grass-roots level are postponed indefinitely on the flimsiest of pretexts, while the situation in the nations highest legislature represents a caricature of the basic norms of a robust democracy.

Parliamentary proceedings in the first week of March were marred by several developments, all of them significant and some unique.

The Speaker suspended the Joint Opposition leader from attending parliamentary sessions for a week. Police officers were brought into the Chamber to assist in his expulsion. During Chamal Rajapaksas tenure as Speaker and that of W.J.M. Loku Bandara, there was turmoil in Parliament on many occasions, involving not only verbal abuse but fisticuffs, repeated interruption of proceedings, invasion of the well of Parliament followed by sit-ins extending throughout the night, removal of the Mace and display of posters within the Chamber of the House. Regrettable as these events certainly were, not on a single occasion was any parliamentarian, let alone an occupant of the front bench and the leader of a political party and parliamentary leader of the group of parties comprising the JO suspended from sittings of the House. A police presence in the Chamber was not contemplated for a moment.

With no parallel whatever in parliamentary history, in this or any other country, the government of the day walked out of the Chamber, signifying complete abdication of its responsibilities in the Legislature.

The following circumstances, presented with no embellishment, indicate the depth and gravity of the developing crisis with regard to fundamental democratic values.



I. Constitutional Role of the Opposition Leader

It is taken for granted in parliamentary tradition and practice all over the world that the Opposition Leader must be seen as the head of an alternative government, an Administration in waiting, to replace the government in power. Not even the most extravagant imagination could credit Mr. R. Sampanthan, for all his sterling qualities, with this potential.

He leads a Party which counts no more than 16 MPs out of 225. The Tamil National Alliance, of which he is the head, polled a mere 4.6% of the national vote at the last parliamentary elections. It is difficult to recall any instance when Mr. Sampanthan raised his voice effectively in parliament against government policy, in respect of any national issue transcending matters pertaining to the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Having played an indispensable role in installing the present government in office, he is regarded by a wide spectrum of the public as an essential component of the government, resolutely committed to its continuation in power.

"The cardinal principle in this context is that the Speaker, as custodian of the rights of all members of the House, should not only be entirely impartial but that his objectivity should be unhesitatingly perceived and acknowledged. The perception is just as important as the reality"



It is, therefore, hardly surprising that Mr. Sampanthan should turn out to be the only Opposition Leader in any country at any time, to vote for a Government Budget, unreservedly and without moving any material Amendment to its contents. He also cut an incongruous figure when, as Opposition Leader, he voted in Parliament this month for the suspension from parliamentary sittings of a senior colleague sitting with him on the Opposition front bench, who had persevered in his attempts to resist encroachment by the Government on the collective rights of the Opposition.

By contrast, the JO, consisting of a broad coalition of parties stridently critical of the core policies of the incumbent administration, has demonstrably secured acceptance in the public mind as the authentic voice of the Opposition. Public exposure of parliamentary debates provides ample testimony to this. And yet, the incongruous reality is that the leaders of these parties are denied facilities even in terms of office equipment, secretarial assistance and logistical support, all of which are essential for them to perform adequately the duties cast upon them by the voters. It is surely repulsive to observe them in a position of dependence on the present Opposition Leader for access to these basic facilities.



II. Dimensions of the 19th Amendment

The Speakers recognition of Mr. Sampanthan as Opposition Leader, flawed at its very root, assumes an even more serious dimension on account of a perspective relevant to the 19th Amendment. Indeed, it would seem that his appointment was an initiative to subvert the principal objectives of this landmark legislation.

One of its much trumpeted accomplishments is the creation of a Constitutional Council, the composition of which is governed by the provisions of this Amendment. The CC, which is entrusted with functions of the highest importance, including recommendations for the appointment of such key personnel as the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, the Inspector General of Police and Chairmen of the independent Commissions  consists of 10 members with the Speaker as Chairman.

The Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader, who are ex-officio members are vested with responsibility for identifying five others to be appointed to the CC. The Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader together with their five nominees, therefore comprise a group of seven persons, making up an overwhelming majority of the total membership of the CC.

The Speakers recognition of Mr. Sampanthan as Opposition Leader ensures that the government is comfortably able to have its nominees appointed to crucial positions in the public life of the nation. The country has seen the disastrous consequences of this state of affairs during the past two years.

The situation is further aggravated by the deliberate failure on the part of the CC to comply with seminal requirements of the 19th Amendment, for example, stipulation of criteria for the recommending of appointments (an obligation which the Council is compulsorily called upon to perform within three months, but has inexcusably gone by default up to now). The contrived absence of any norms or yardstick has enabled the government, acting through a pliable and accommodative Constitutional Council, to overlook when expediency demands considerations such as seniority without the assignment of any intelligible reason for a seemingly arbitrary choice. This has happened repeatedly, giving rise to growing cynicism and rapid erosion of public confidence.



III. Arithmetic of the Situation

The bizarre character of contemporary events is underscored by this factor. It is established principle in India that no political party is entitled to the position of Opposition Leader unless that party commands a minimum of 10% of the total number of seats in the House. The numerical strength of the TNA in Parliament is, of course, well below this threshold.

The absurdity of Mr. Sampanthans appointment is seen in sharp relief in the context of refusal by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, upon formation of the Narendra Modi Government, to concede the post of Opposition Leader to the Congress, on the grounds that the latter did not satisfy the mandatory criterion as to its strength. By the same token, no Opposition Leader was named when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was sworn in as the first Prime Minister of independent India.

"The Speakers recognition of Mr. Sampanthan as Opposition Leader, flawed at its very root, assumes an even more serious dimension on account of a perspective relevant to the 19th Amendment"

IV. Incapacitation of the JO

By its very nature, the joint opposition is an umbrella political grouping which embraces within it several parties, which while subscribing to a common outlook and convictions in respect of major issues, advisedly retain their distinct identity. Sustained denial of their right to articulate their separate points of view on the floor of Parliament smacks of a stubborn affront to highly visible political reality.

The result of this attitude has been the unwarranted withholding from these parties and their leaders of their due entitlement to adequate opportunity for participation in debates and in the work of Parliamentary Committees, as well as their right to raise urgent issues in the public interest under Standing Order 23(2), in adjournment debates and other contexts. The public were recently treated to the farcical spectacle of leaders of the JO being compelled to hold a media conference in the members car park.

The thrust of these circumstances goes well beyond deprivation of the legitimate rights and privileges, as such, of MPs; it impinges crucially on the aspirations of voters who returned them to Parliament and debilitates, in vital respects, the functioning of a vibrant representative democracy.



V. An Unconvincing Policy Rationale

The argument repeatedly resorted to by the Speaker to explain and justify this state of things is the circumstance that all the parties comprising the JO contested the parliamentary elections under the common symbol of the betel leaf. It is claimed that this results in their necessarily having to be looked upon as an inseparable entity governed by the hierarchy of the UPFA. The SLFP is its largest component and more than one-half of its members elected to Parliament on the UPFA ticket sit and vote in Parliament as the JO. The President, who is also the leader of the SLFP, has fully acquiesced to these members functioning in the Opposition and voting against salient government measures including the Budget. Notwithstanding all this, it is contended that the SLFP hierarchy, which has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the UNP, has the unqualified right to exercise effective control over the decisions and actions of SLFP MPs forming part of the JO.

The anomaly to which this gives rise, is manifestly incompatible with established precedent in this country as well as overseas. In 1981, during a period of intense crisis within the SLFP, the elections authority determined that Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike had legitimate control over the party machinery. When action was sought to be taken, on the basis of this ruling, against Maithripala Senanayake and others who constituted the rival faction, the Speaker at the time, holding that the decision by the elections authority in this regard was not binding on Parliament, insisted on appointing a Parliamentary Committee to make its own assessment. Moreover, the course of events in India during the conflict between the two wings of the Congress, one led by Indira Gandhi and the other by Kamraj and Morarji Desai, is unmistakably at variance with the reasoning underpinning the decision by the Speaker.



VI. Inspiration Derived from Precedent

The cardinal principle in this context is that the Speaker, as custodian of the rights of all members of the House, should not only be entirely impartial but that his objectivity should be unhesitatingly perceived and acknowledged. The perception is just as important as the reality.

This essential attribute of the Speaker is firmly anchored in hallowed tradition, associated as it is with the iconic figure of Speaker Lenthall. During the civil war between King Charles I and his Parliament, the monarch, in his relentless pursuit of the leaders of the parliamentary party opposed to him, went with his armed entourage, demanded entry into the Chamber of the House of Commons and insisted that the Speaker should surrender his adversaries to him. The memorable words of Speaker Lenthall have reverberated through the annals of British and Commonwealth parliamentary history. The Speaker, addressing the indignant King, declared: Sire, I have neither eyes to see, nor ears to hear, nor tongue to speak, except that which this House commands. Decisively rebuffed, the King could do no more than observe prior to his ignominious retreat: The birds have flown. The Speakers words, signifying the need for explicit manifestation of absolute independence of the Speaker of Parliament from any tinge of Executive patronage and influence, as a necessary condition for the integrity of Parliament itself, have clear resonance in our own country today.
A leading member attached to the North-based criminal gang 'Awa' that committed armed crimes in the Jaffna Peninsula has been arrested in the Dehiwela area by a special police team attached to the Jaffna Division, Police said.

After a thorough interrogation the police have found a sword which is suspecting to have been used at the gang's criminal activities.

The investigation has revealed that the sword-wielding gang that created fear psychosis in the Jaffna Peninsula has abandoned the area and hiding in other parts of the country.

The Police said that they are on the hunt for the rest of the gang members and would arrest them very soon and thereby halt all its criminal activities that has been terrorising the Northern Province.

The suspect was produced before the Jaffna Magistrate and was remanded till March 31.
The Grama Rajya draft legislation which is nearing completion will be given to Sri Lanka's youth so that they too can make suggestions or amendments, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said.

He said this after inspecting a bridge built by the Happitiya Youth Club in Neluwa.

This project was selected as the winner in the Gamata Kotiyak youth competition conducted by the National Youth Council and the ITN.

The Prime Minister said the youth would be given a role to play in the Grama Rajya, which the government hoped to set up soon.

He said the government would introduce on a new education system which would focus on vocational education which would help make the youth employable and suggested that village youth clubs be given contracts to carry out small development projects.

The youth asked the Prime Minister several questions on of which was when the government would provide them jobs.

He said the large number of development projects being launched and and the reforms being introduced to the education system would help the youth to find employment.

An elderly man was heard asking, When are you going to penalize the thieves. The Prime Minister asked the man to allow the youth to ask questions and later responded to responded to his question saying the Attorney General will take the relevant steps against the wrongdoers.

"You too can come and view the court proceedings," the Prime Minister said. (Yohan Perera)
Denying parliamentarian Geetha Kumarasinghes allegations made to the media that he was a dual citizenship holder, Skills Development Minister Samarasinghe said he did not hold dual citizenship either in Switzerland or in any other country except that of being a citizen of Sri Lanka.

Responding Mr. Samarasinghe said that she had made a false statement on previous occasions as well and during his age of 61 years he didnt have to obtain citizenship of other countries.

Issuing a press release the Minister said that any ordinary citizen had the right to become a citizen in any other country, however, cannot accept such a move by a public representative or a politician.

I have served for my country over 30-years. Though I have deserve or capable to hold a dual citizenship, as an honorable politician I didnt even imagine doing so. We are bound to protect our Constitution. A politician cannot accept any other countrys Constitution and could not pledge his loyalty to that country, he said.

However, he said that if Ms. Kumarasinghe continued to make such false statements against him and try to tarnish his image, he would resort to legal action. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)
MDMK general secretary Vaiko and his followers along with traders union leader T.Vellaiyan were arrested on Saturday when they attempted to besiege the deputy high commission of Sri Lanka in Chennai opposing a resolution in the UN Human Rights Council seeking more time for the island nation to probe the war crimes during the military offensive in 2009.

Addressing the protesters, Vaiko said the United States would bring a resolution giving two more years for Sri Lanka to hold an inquiry into the war crimes and the resolution also says that no international jurists could enter the island nation without the latters consent.

The new resolution will bury justice for Tamils at the United Nations since a resolution asking Lanka to carry out an international, independent investigation was passed in the UNHRC in 2015, MDMK general secretary Vaiko said.(Deccan Chronicle)
Uttar Pradesh, one of the most populous states in the country, offered one surprise after the other - the biggest one being the elevation of a hardliner within the BJP, Yogi Adityanath, to the CM's chair.

The moment the announcement was made, Yogi Adityanath took a sharp turn from his stand and stated that "sabka saath, sabka vikas" would be the guiding principle for governance. Many may take that with a pinch of salt. Especially in the light of the fact that while campaigning for the UP Assembly election, he minced no words in projecting the hardliner within him.

In fact, BJP candidates vied with one another in seeking Yogi's presence in their respective areas for campaigning. He raised the communal card to feverish pitch and despite a scathing attack from the opposition, kept harping on the Hindutva agenda.

Possibly, the BJP had sniffed an opportunity in him and wanted to utilise his potential to polarise votes to the hilt and as such he was put to use in a big way in areas with a clear divide between the majority and minority communities.

Shamshaan-kabristaan, triple talaq, Ram Mandir, "Hindu exodus" and the issue of slaughterhouses were all raked up by the Yogi with the sole intent of vote polarisation.

The formula worked wonders for the BJP, for which winning UP was very important as stakes were high for both Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi himself.

Possibly, the central leadership of the BJP knows well that the hardliner approach which worked wonders for the party in UP will also work wonders in 2019 and that is the reason why Adityanath has been entrusted the responsibility of managing UP.

The top leadership of the BJP had been making tall claims during the poll campaign, including loan wavers to farmers, closure of slaughterhouses, electricity to all villages, establishment of rule of law, repayment to sugarcane farmers, besides a host of other issues such as rebuilding the Ram Mandir.

Not that these are undeliverable. Yogi will have to first reign in the bureaucracy that has acquired deftness in swerving allegiance. With the bureaucracy in control, he will have to ensure governance that transcends castes and communities and the toughest challenge would be to control the unruly mafia which has over the period earned the dubious distinction of managing proximity to any government that comes to rule the state. Effective governance would necessitate breaking the vicious cycle of the mafia, politician and bureaucracy nexus.

More so, Yogi can't now afford to drive away from the Hindutva agenda altogether because the mass appeal and support he managed to generate had Hindutva as its main plank.

The 2014 results were emboldening for the BJP and created aspirations for 2019 and Yogi would be just the right person to set the stage for the party. Governance in UP will have connotations and impact far and wide and will to a great extent decide the future of the party.

The future is bound to have Hindutva as the overriding principle. The BJP after having garnered unexpected gains through reverse polarisation now can't afford a U-turn and by putting Adityanath at the forefront, it is trying to send aloud the message that it will stick to the agenda of Hindutva.
When Meg Richey was in ninth grade, her bus driver suddenly stopped showing up to work.

Through most of middle school and into the beginning of high school, Mike Morris had been the driver whom she and many other students loved and knew they could count on to listen to them and take a genuine interest in their lives.

Richey, a student at Western Albemarle High School, remembers how Mr. Morris  as the students knew him  would go beyond just asking students how their day was; he wanted to know how they were doing.

What tests do you have today? Are you prepared? Are you worried? How did it all go?  It was nice to have someone whom the students felt truly cared.

Then one day, Mr. Morris wasnt there.

Richey and other students who rode his bus would later learn he had had his foot amputated due to complications from diabetes. Morris later passed away.

Now a junior in high school, Richey has taken the grief of losing Morris and her talent, passion and curiosity for technology as inspirations to invent a device that could help patients like him in the future.

Richey, 16, has created a working prototype of a custom foot orthotic, or insole, with attached sensors to detect the changes in pressure at the bottom of a diabetic patients foot.

The device would track any changes in pressure throughout the day and alert the wearer of changes that could be the result or start of an ulcer that could lead to infection, which could then lead to amputation.

Versions of this technology already exist in some forms, but what separates Richeys creation from others is that hers might be the first that incorporates sensor technology into custom-fit orthotics, versus those that are off-the-shelf.

And after being named one of two grand prize winners at the Virginia Piedmont Regional Science Fair on March 9, Richey intends to take the project  a provisional patent already has been filed  and find a way to produce it on a commercial scale.

At the same time, Richey will continue establishing her young career in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields  which are typically viewed as a male-dominated area of study and work.

After learning her bus driver had died, Richey went to her father, Brett Richey, for answers.

She wasnt just looking for support from a parent; she was trying to understand what had happened to Mr. Morris.

Richeys family has long been in the business of making and selling orthopedic footwear and products for diabetic foot care.

Brett Richey, CEO of Foot and Ankle Specialists of the Mid-Atlantic, explained to her that peripheral neuropathy, or a decrease in sensation in the extremities that can be caused by diabetes, often means a patient loses feeling in their feet.

When this happens, the patient might not feel discomfort or pain on the bottom of their foot, such as from an open cut, which could then become infected. And if the infection is not treated quickly, it could spread, which can lead to a need for amputation.

According to the American Diabetes Association, foot ulcers and even amputation  often a consequence of neuropathy or peripheral arterial disease are common and represent major causes of morbidity and mortality in people with diabetes.

Dr. David Armstrong, director of the Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance and professor of surgery at the University of Arizona, said neuropathy is a little-known and easily preventable issue that can have a serious effect on diabetic patients lives.

Its pretty hard to find a problem that is bigger that fewer people know about, he said.

According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, diabetes is the No. 1 cause of nontraumatic lower extremity amputations in the country. Between 14 and 24 percent of diabetic patients who develop a foot ulcer will need an amputation.

The APMA also states that at least $15 billion per year is spent in the United States to treat diabetic foot ulcers.

Brett Richey said a lot can be done with self-inspection to make sure ulcers are not forming, or the patient can have someone else do the checking for them, but the risks of the condition escalating are still present.

* * *

After talking to her dad, Meg Richey realized that there were not many measures available at that time to prevent what happened to Morris. She took that news and began the research that eventually led to her invention.

The current version of her device  or the Morris Orthotic, a Smart Orthotic for Diabetic Patients, as she called it at the science fair  is a very early model, and while its not ready for use, its proof that the idea could become a reality.

Richey used a custom insoleand placed sensors along where the metatarsals and heel of the users foot would be. The sensors track the pressure distributed between these points on the foot, and the data are collected on an SD card in a small electronic device attached to the orthotic.

The data can then be transferred to a computer, where it can be determined if there was any unusual changes in pressure.

To show that it could work, Richey wore the insole and tracked her own foot pressure data and placed small, stacked pieces of paper with varying levels of thickness in her shoe to simulate a buildup of pressure. Her device was able to record the difference in pressure between when the paper was in her shoe and when it was not.

Richey said her ultimate goal is to be able to send data wirelessly via Bluetooth. That goal, she said, was too lofty for the March science fair.

To Brett Richeys knowledge, the exact product his daughter has been working on is not currently available.

I know people have built sensors into off-the-shelf insoles, but to be able to build them into custom insoles, Im not aware that anybodys working on that, he said.

Thanks to the relatively low production costs so far, and the products potential to be an easily accessible piece of wearable technology, Richey and her father  and Armstrong  believe the device could become the standard of care in the future.

Im just very confident that we are now seeing, finally, this sort of nexus of consumer electronics in medical devices, and its just super exciting to be working in this area now, Armstrong said.

And now that the regional science fair is done, Richey said its time to begin moving forward with plans with Foot and Ankle Specialists of the Mid-Atlantic to get it professionally developed and begin its implementation.

With the exception of advice from her father and access to orthotics, Meg Richeys efforts have been a solo act.

Shes done the research for her project, collected the materials and done the work herself.

Last summer, just as she has started the project, she reached out to a local organization for assistance to help her work get off the ground.

Mike Verdicchio, a fourth-year engineering student at the University of Virginia and program lead at HackCville, responded to Richeys request.

Since then, he provided advice about the programming needed to track the data and helped Richey to map out the project in its earliest stages, such as how to plan and phase out the building process, create a proof of concept and then prototype before investing too much time and money in a final product.

Before meeting with Richey, Verdicchio said he never knew an invention like this could exist or that it was even possible.

Meg pretty much came to me with everything, he said.

Verdicchio emphasized repeatedly that this is not his project, and that its been Richeys 100 percent since the beginning.

I thought it was insane and incredible, he said in January as the project was taking form. Its an idea I couldnt even think of, and Ive been through three-and-a-half years of engineering school. Im supposed to be thinking of ideas like this.

* * *

Earlier this year, Richey was awarded a $10,000 scholarship from PepsiCo and 21st Century Fox for her work on this invention.

The scholarship competition, called The Search for Hidden Figures, was inspired by the film Hidden Figures and open to teenage and adult women working and studying in science, technology, engineering and mathematics  or STEM  fields.

Richey was one of more than 7,000 applicants, and in addition to the scholarship money, she won a private screening of the film.

This acknowledgment highlights the often overlooked STEM work done by women, which is in line with some of the challenges Richey has encountered.

Richey recalled a moment last year when she tried to join her schools cyber security club. But when she entered the room as the only girl  and wearing a dress and wedges  she was asked if they could help her, or if she was lost.

And in a field that tends to be male-dominated, she feels she has needed to prove herself more than her male counterparts when it comes to just showing shes capable of doing the work.

But with this project, Richey feels she has taken a big step toward proving and establishing herself in this line of work and erasing any question of her capabilities.

This is my way of sort of being like, I think its wrong; I think this is for me and this is me showing you that its for me through something that I feel like is very impactful in the world, she said.

Verdicchio said its important to have diversity in STEM fields to bring more perspectives to the way professionals think and create.

A lot of engineering isnt necessarily hard skills, like can you do this, can you make that, but its also what ideas are brought to the table, what methods of doing it and stuff like that are brought, so diversity in STEM really helps with that, he said.

* * *

For most of the time that Richey has been working on her project, she had opted not to tell Jackie Morris, her former bus drivers widow.

She afraid that saying anything would reopen old wounds and that it might be inappropriate to talk about an idea that potentially could have saved Mike Morris life.

But after she won the scholarship, Richey knew that word would reach Jackie Morris at some point.

Morris said when Richey told her about the project, how it worked and how she was inspired to create it, she was speechless.

Jackie Morris, who is also a bus driver for the county schools, took a long pause, holding back tears, before she started talking about the conversation she had with Richey and her project.

Mike never realized how many lives he touched, she said. I think its a wonderful thing that shes done, and if just one person like a bus driver can inspire our young people, can you imagine all the lives that would change from this one thing?

In their conversation, Richey said she and Morris reminisced about how Mr. Morris cared about all of his students, how he took the time to ask how your day was going and take a genuine interest in his students lives.

One thing she said that struck me was that he would be really proud, Richey said.
More than 100 aspiring entrepreneurs at the University of Virginia recently celebrated the opening of a new space for them to meet, make plans and find ways to change the world.

The Lighthouse, a repurposed storage room in Thornton Hall, is the new home of Works in Progress, a program sponsored by the Department of Engineering and Society that aims to bring together student entrepreneurs and support them at any stage of their endeavors.
The two Indian Sufi Clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah were missing in Pakistan. Today on the matter the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted on Twitter.

I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow, she wrote in a tweet.

On 20 march both of them will return back to India. The authorities of India raised the missing matter with the Pakistan Foreign Ministry for its help in it.

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Naxals killed in gunbattle in Dantewada
MADISON  Brad Jackson told the assemblage about a story he heard while bell-ringing last December at Yoders in Madison County.

She told me her father was in London during the bombings in World War II, the Little Fork Episcopal Church pastor said. He was a chaplain and told his children after the war how much he appreciated The Salvation Army during those trying times.

Jackson added that the woman now lived in Columbus, Ohio, but she always gave a donation whenever she saw a red kettle.

She actually gave two donations, Jackson said. Going in the store and again when she left.

Jackson, who also serves the community as a board member of the Salvation Armys Madison County service unit, said that what the woman said next inspired him to repeat it at the annual meeting of the county unit.

Dad taught us to give and give, the woman said. Now, I give in memory to him.

Jacksons memory from bell-ringing  known nationally as the Red Kettle campaign proved similar to others who gave testimony at the units annual luncheon held recently at the Madison County Rescue Squad building.

The service unit honors the bell-ringers who make the local drive successful every year.

In 2016, the local drive ran from the Saturday before Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve and unit chair Billy Hale said more than 80 volunteers manned the buckets at four locations, including the Wal-Mart in Greene County.

That new location came about because the Charlottesville Corps decided they didnt have the manpower to do it, Hale said.

Charlottesville Corps co-leader Maj. Sue Shiels attended even though her group is part of the Virginia department, while Madison is in the National Capitol department.

Were not supposed to cross over, but we got special permission from national, Shiels said. We decided this year not to hire people to ring and, thus, didnt think we had sufficient volunteers for the Wal-Mart location.

That blessing proved a boon for the local unit, which finished second among the service unit sector in Virginia with a final tally of $32,275.33.

Smythe County raised $49,748 and Wise County got $30,000. Those units are in Southwest Virginia, an area Kim Rutherford of Roanoke covers for the national organization.

Rutherford said Madison  as a unit  topped three or four corps in raising money this past season.

You folks make our bucket season special, Rutherford said. I heard so much about Madison County and how great the volunteers are that I had to come and see it for myself.

Everyone seems like family. Its mind-blowing.

Board members said more than 700 man-hours were expended and an average of $44 was raised during each hour that buckets were manned.

Ninety percent of all money raised stays local, Hale said. We use it to help families in time of emergencies.

Examples that Hale offered included emergency car repairs or a pressing need for heat in the winter.

We work with [the Madison County Emergency Services Association] in assisting those in need, Hale said. The group even shares office space with MESA.

MESA has software that tracks clients for the past two years, Hale said. That helps us help more people.

The unit raised $26,563 in 2015 and gave out $22,875 in 2016, the last full year records are available.

Funds went to help people in the community to pay for utilities, rent and crisis situations, as well as to send five children to summer camp and Christmas gifts for 16 through the Angel Tree program.

We also participated in two parades and sent $3,000 to West Virginia when they had the big flood last year, Hale said.

That out-of-area funding came about because many from West Virginia came to Madisons aid when it suffered similar flood damage several decades ago.

Certificates were given to the top five volunteers who rang bells, including top ringer George Sedner, who logged 86 hours. Others recognized were Jimmy Fox, 52 hours; Frank King, 35 hours; Andy Anderson, 28 hours; and Robert Legge, 21.75 hours.

Were grateful for all who helped, and all I can say is, you all did it, Hale said.
This is just a wild guess, but the folks at the National Rifle Association and the folks at the Council on American-Islamic Relations probably dont sit around thinking about ways they can collaborate for the good of their mutual interests. Maybe they should.

Recently, law-enforcement officials charged almost two dozen Virginians who allegedly took part in a gun-running ring. The accused bought boatloads of firearms in Virginia and sold them in New York City for exorbitant sums. The tough gun-control laws in New York have made gun-running very profitable, and the repeal of Virginias one-gun-a-month law four years ago has made it very easy.

Naturally, this has inspired gun-control advocates to suggest the law should be reinstated. The General Assembly passed the law largely to dry up the iron pipeline between Virginia and New York, and while it was in effect it seemed to work as intended, at least in the early years.

With the law repealed, gun-runners seem to have gotten back into business, and one was recorded making light of Virginias ostensibly lax gun laws: Theres no limit to how many guns I can go buy from the store, Antwan Walker said. In Virginia, our laws are so little, I can give guns away.

A few things about the story bear noting: Two of the ringleaders are violent convicts. Some of the bulk firearm sales were effected through straw purchases, which are illegal. And shipping the guns up to New York also is illegal. That is, after all, why authorities were able to bring charges in the first place.

This should chasten gun-control advocates, since it shows that the system works: Guns were seized and bad guys charged, and a successful operation makes an odd basis on which to build a case for even more restrictions.

But the outcome also should chasten gun-control opponents, since laws against gun-running and straw purchases are part of gun control. Not every attempt at gun control is an abject failure.

Yet a bigger point needs drawing out. The trouble with the one-gun-a-month law is that it truncates the rights of all Virginians, in order to thwart the designs of a minuscule minority who want to run guns to New York. To the ordinary gun owner in Virginia, who follows the law and leaves other people alone unless they mess with him first, it must seem brutally unfair to restrict his right to keep and bear arms because of something somebody else did, or might do in the future.

And this is precisely how the Trump administrations assaults on Muslims must seem to persons of the Islamic faith.

The vast majority of them pose no threat to anyone, and never will. Hence President Trumps campaign talk of a ban on Muslims and his administrations restrictions on travel from certain Islamic countries seem brutally unfair as well.

Not only that, they seem ineffective. Of the 10 fatal terrorist attacks linked to Islamic radicalism that have occurred on U.S. soil since (and including) 9/11, not one of them would have been thwarted by the sort of ban that Trump imposed, and is imposing again in slightly altered form.

Defenders of the travel ban probably would reply that the ban might prevent such attacks in the future. This is how advocates of gun control support their position, too: Everybody is a peaceful, law-abiding citizen  right up until the moment he commits a violent crime. And since we cant predict with perfect accuracy who will commit a crime at some point in the indeterminate future, the best answer is to place restrictions on everybody.

Hence, one can build a utilitarian case for policies like one-gun-a-month and the Trump travel ban: Yes, they inconvenience a certain number of people, but the inconvenience of all those people in the aggregate still does not outweigh the ghastly horror of a rampage killing or a terrorist attack. Better safe than sorry.

Utilitarianism is great when youre trying to plan bus routes. But it is incompatible with Americas regard for individual rights: You cant restrict the liberties of someone who has done nothing wrong because of what some other person did in the past  or theoretically might do in the future. Which is why maybe the NRA and CAIR should talk. Because that principle protects both the gun owner and the person of faith alike.

And every other one of us, too.

A. Barton Hinkle is a writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Contact him at bhinkle@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6627.
Relatively large numbers of Virginians in both major political parties are expected to vote June 13 in dueling party primaries for statewide, House of Delegates and local offices.

June 13 promises to be the first big test of how much new political activism is being aroused in the era of Donald Trumps presidency.

Elected Democrats and Republicans predict higher than normal voter turnout in their parties' primaries, and voter registrars expect the same.

"People are upset, said Jake Washburne, Albemarle Countys registrar of voters. Everything is so polarized.

All six Democrats running for statewide office this year are running hard against Trump policies, while one of the three GOP hopefuls for their partys gubernatorial nomination was a Trump statewide campaign chairman.

Washburne said three times as many people as normal may vote this June. Having six candidates for governor, three on the Republican side and two Democrats, also is going to boost turnout in each party primary.

Having Democrats Tom Perriello of Albemarle County and Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam of Norfolk vie in a big-money race for the partys nomination for governor will boost turnout, Washburne added.

Trumps name wont be on the ballot, but Virginians will be choosing party nominees for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and delegate in a period of unusual political change and stirring reactions to the change.

Normally, Washburn said, as many as 10 percent of registered voters might show up for contested primaries in a non-presidential statewide primary year. He said he wouldn't be surprised if 30 percent vote this spring.

Del. David J. Toscano, D-Charlottesville, said 2017 is shaping up as an unusual year because many more candidates are putting themselves forward to run for the House of Delegates than in recent years.

Its raining candidates for us right now, said Toscano, the House minority leader, who has until March 30 to find Democrats to run for House seats held by 66 Republicans.

It is unlike anything I have ever seen in my political life, the former Charlottesville mayor said of the higher levels of interest in politics since Trump became president on Jan. 20.

Trump is one of the main reasons that so many Democrats are stepping forward to run, Toscano said. In a few Northern Virginia districts, three Democrats are running in House primaries.

In Northern Virginia, so many of the cues are taken from whats happening across the river in Washington, D.C., he said. People are more energized on the Democratic side, thanks to disagreements and anger with Trump.

Energy is running higher in both parties, said Del. Rich Anderson, R-Woodbridge. Republicans also feel passionately about the changes coming in Washington.

"I think we may have a larger turnout on both sides, simply because both sides are more energized, Anderson said of the primaries.

"Democrats are energized because of the presidential results of last November. Republicans are energized, partly because their guy won and partly because theyre energized in response to Democratic energy, said Anderson, who grew up in Roanoke.

"Last Saturdays Prince William County Republican Party Lincoln-Reagan Dinner was the largest and most energetic Ive seen in 15 years, he said.

Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, agrees the turnout is quite likely to be higher in both parties primaries. "Because of the statewide races, a lot more people are likely to vote, Bell said. "People seem more interested in national politics than in previous cycles.

On the GOP side, gubernatorial hopeful Corey Stewart, once a statewide Trump campaign chair, is running with claims that he was Trump before Donald Trump.

Polls indicate the front-runner among the three GOP candidates for governor is still former Republican National Chairman Ed Gillespie. Stewart trails in polls, along with fellow Republican Frank Wagner. Republican Denver Riggleman of Nelson County suspended his campaign late last week.

Trump was defeated in Virginia by 5 percentage points last November by Hillary Clinton, making the Old Dominion the only Southern state that was not in the Trump column.

Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, said Democrats are passionate about redefining their party.

"I believe the Democratic party primaries will have higher turnout than normal," he said. "I believe this is a unique moment in time where the American left is trying to find its voice and direction. The Democratic Party is trying to determine how it will respond to this flood of new energy.

"There is a deep desire for new age leadership on the left, Rasoul said.

Voters can cast ballots in either partys primary on June 13, but not in both parties contests. Virginia residents have until May 22 to register to be a primary voter. Virginians can vote at age 17 in the primaries if they will turn 18 by Nov. 7.

Smaller special elections in other states have seen unusually strong voter turnouts the past few months, but Virginia is the first entire state to vote since Trump took office.

Absentee ballot voting will start on April 28, so in 40 days Virginians can start casting ballots for or against Trump and his policies, if national politics bleeds into the first entire state to vote since Jan. 20. If public passion is a measure, primaries will attract stronger than normal numbers on both sides.

Bob Gibson is senior researcher at the Academy for Civic Renewal in the University of Virginias Cooper Center for Public Service. The opinions expressed here are his own and not necessarily those of the academy.
New Delhi: The government is expected to give approval to the merger of Bharatiya Mahila Bank with the country's largest lender SBI within three months. The Cabinet last month approved amalgamation of five associates of SBI with the parent but the merger of Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) was not considered due to some issues, sources said.

"Now it a is matter of time. The final approval from the Cabinet should come within three months," a source said. The Union Cabinet has already given in-principle approval to the merger of BMB with State Bank of India (SBI).

With the final approval, the first round of consolidation of public sector banks would be over. According to sources, the next round of consolidation in the PSU banks would begin after these six lenders are integrated with SBI.

BMB, set up in 2013, has 103 branches with its presence in almost all the states. The total business of the bank is about Rs 1,600 crore with Rs 1,000 crore of deposits and Rs 600 crore of advances, majority of which is retail business, according to the bank's website.

Integration process of all the five associates with SBI would start from April 1 as part of the largest consolidation exercise in the banking history of India. The assets of 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 be transfered to SBI from April 1, 2017.

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 USD 555 billion, 22,500 branches and 58,000 ATMs.

It will have over 50 crore customers. Of the five subsidiary banks, SBBJ, SBM and SBT are listed. The board of SBI earlier approved the merger plan under which SBBJ shareholders will get 28 shares of SBI (Re 1 each) for every 10 shares (Rs 10 each) held. Similarly, SBM and SBT shareholders will get 22 shares of SBI for every 10 shares. The shares of the listed associates will be delisted from stock exchanges following the merger.
The now-suspended police chief in the district of Yongsan has been booked for an investigation, along with the head of the Yongsan Ward office and two others, on charges of profess...
Mumbai: Undeterred by Posco-India's offer to return the land provided for its steel project in Odisha, Union Minister Piyush Goyal today said if one company pulls out, others will come in.

"There are more and more opportunities in India and if one company chooses to pull out, others will come in," Goyal said on the sidelines of International Diamond Conference 'Mines to Market'.

Commenting on the delay in land acquisition and other policy issues as regards the Korean company, the Coal and Power Minister said, "It had happened during the earlier regime and now things are becoming more transparent."

Odisha's Industries Minister Debi Prasad Mishra had said that Posco-India in a letter requested the state government to take back its 2,700 acres of land provided to it near Paradip for setting up a 12 mtpa steel plant at an investment of Rs 52,000 crore.

As the steel major had not made any formal communication with the Odisha government about its plan, the present letter is considered as the first move for scrapping of the project.

Posco-India had signed an agreement with the state government in June 21, 2005 for setting up its mega steel facility near Paradip. Meanwhile, Goyal said the Centre is working with state governments and trying to make things more simpler for new companies to come in.

"For the mining sector, to bring in transparency, we have separated exploration and exploitation of the mines by amending the Mining Act. Now things will become much easier," he said.

Addressing the diamond exporters, he said the Centre is also taking steps to issue separate exploration contracts, which will be separate from exploiting of the mines. "India plans to change rules of exploration of mines. We plan to have separate contracts to explore the mines. We will pay the companies to explore and we will take the risk. We will also incentivise them if the exploration turns valuable," Goyal said.

As for the exploitation of the reserves found, it will be done through the auction, the minister said. He also urged Indian companies to participate in the exploration as well as the exploitation process.

"One should not only depend only on large international companies in the mining sector. The time has come to take a leap and not follow the world," Goyal said. "We are going to explore the minerals and invite bids for the process of exploiting the resources found," he said.
New Delhi: Government think tank NITI Aayog has prepared a draft note on "incentivising" domestic manufacturing of light weight body armours for the army and para-military forces.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had asked the NITI Aayog to prepare a roadmap on the possibility of encouraging production of home-made light weight body armours. NITI Aayog has consulted stakeholders like industries which are engaged in research as well as para military forces and armed forces, a senior government official told PTI.

The idea has been mooted apparently because the bullet proof vests and helmets in use currently by the Indian forces are very heavy, causing a lot of discomfort and leaving the personnel at a disadvantage during an encounter with heavily- armed terrorists.

Although, India is a major producer and exporter of body armour, its own security forces are many a time deprived of such equipment, particularly the light weight ones. As per an estimate, there is a requirement of over 50,000 bullet proof kits for the police force in the country.

According to some reports, Indian firms export bullet proof vests and helmets to over 230 forces in over 100 countries, including the UK, Germany and Spain. Indian companies like Kanpur-based MKU and Tata Advanced Materials export body armour to armed forces around the world.

If the light weight bullet proof vests and helmets are produced in bulk within the country, it will ensure low-cost supplies and end to the endless wait for foreign vendors to supply the equipment.
Mumbai: Manoj Bajpayee says while a director can have a set genre, actors should not be biased towards a specific type of movie.

The 47-year-old actor, who will be seen playing a pivotal role in the upcoming spy action film Naam Shabana, says actors should constantly look for good roles and good scripts, irrespective of the genre.

"A director may work within the confines of a genre, but actors don't have a genre set. They are looking for good scripts and they go wherever they find one. That's what I do as well. I'm not biased towards any particular type of film, story or genre.

"But actors should not be biased towards their favourite genre. I am always looking for something exciting, entertaining and challenging. Sometimes it comes from Neeraj Pandey (scriptwriter for 'Naam Shabana'), sometimes it comes in the form of a Hansal Mehta ('Aligarh') too and sometimes it is from Anurag Kashyap ('Gangs of Wasseypur')," says Manoj.

Talking about his character in Naam Shabana, the actor says, "This man has a gruesome past. He was a jawan and has seen many deaths, cold-blooded murders, including fellow agents."

Manoj says it was a difficult role for him as Neeraj wanted him to say his lines without showing any emotion.

"As my character is stone-cold and a matter-of-fact man, he makes no relations with agents under his training. It was difficult for me to do because there were so many lines and keeping them completely devoid of emotion was tough. This was our writer Neeraj Pandey's strict instruction that his tone should not be modulated at all," says Manoj.

The actor says Naam Shabana is a very important film for him and it is special as it based on real-time research and concrete investigation.

Talking about the film, which is a spin-off of to the 2015 film "Baby", protagonist Taapsee Pannu says she does not relate with her character but thanks to the film, she can now defend herself without any fear.

"Preparing both physically and mentally for this role made me so strong that I could actually go on doing action sequences for more than 12 hours a day. I can now defend myself any time.

The actress says Baby was a real opportunity for her.

"For me, it was a huge role. I did not treat it like a cameo. I would like to thank Neeraj Sir to give it to me when even 'Pink' had not happened."

Naam Shabana releases on March 31.
Mumbai: While the public assault on Sanjay Leela Bhansali and vandalism on the sets of his film Padmavati in Jaipur made headlines few weeks ago, another such instance on the sets of the film in Kolhapur this week added more misery to the team of the film.

While the attackers, who even put the sets in Kolhapur on fire, are still unidentified, the attack in Jaipur was reportedly carried out by the Karni Sena acivists.

The alleged activists of the organisation have protested again, this time by burning an effigy of Bhansali in Nallasopara, near Mumbai on Saturday.

They even screamed chants that they would not allow the film to release.

Watch the video here:

The fringe outfit is protesting the distortion of facts related to Rajput Queen Padmavati in the film. The outfit is particularly agitated at reports of there being being a lovemaking scene between Padmavati and tyrant Alauddin Khilji.

The team of the film have repeatedly emphasised that there is no such sequence between Padmavati and Khilji, to be played by Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh respectively.

The two attacks have caused immense monetary loss to the makers.
Who tipped the goons off about Sanjay Leela Bhansalis new shooting location? Its unbelievable that the filmmakers Padmavati is in trouble once again.

The Kolhapur shoot location was not revealed to anyone  not even to SLBs mother or friends. How then did the goons who set fire to it know about it? People close to Padmavati are wondering how and why the same crew could be attacked so viciously, twice!

After the second attack on Tuesday night, the entire team of Padmavati was trying to keep SLBs morale high in Kolhapur. They joked, sang, and teased one another.

It was their way of fighting fear  darr lage toh gaana gaa (Sing when afraid). Not an easy thing to do, when your dream is savagely attacked twice. This is not the first time SLBs cinema has been attacked. He shot the epic Devdas under the most trying circumstances, with the producer in the hospital and funds drying up.

The filmmaker would wait in the hospital lobby every evening for funds for the next days shoots. One day, when funds simply dried up, one of the lead players of Devdas simply refused to shoot. Pehle paise, phir shooting, she said, refusing to come out of her van. The words still echo in SLBs ears.

And we all know about the protests and backlash after Bajirao Mastani. When it was released, a distinguished Marathi actor, known for his outspoken ways, called up SLB and abused him for showing their Maratha hero dancing.

Then there was also the time the entire set of Black was razed to the ground. None of this deterred him in the past. But will Sanjay make a comeback now? Wait and watch.
At a recent launch of bone marrow transplant and birthing centre of Nanavati Super Specialty Hospital in Mumbai, Shah Rukh Khan was all praises for his favourite doctor at the hospital  Dr Ali Irani.

Abhay Soi, chairman and managing director of the hospital expressed gratitude for the trust, and respect the two share. He said, Our relationship has strengthened over the years, thanks to the care taken by Dr Ali of all of Shah Rukhs family.

He has taken care of my sister, wife and also of Abram when he was born. Theyve voluntarily named a special childrens ward after my mothers name and that is indeed a special thing to do, said an emotional Shah Rukh. Adding further the King Khan revealed, My childs life was saved at this hospital and I will forever be thankful to all of them for it.

About his own injuries SRK says, I have been coming to Nanavati Hospital for more than 25 years for my injuries, especially my knee injury which is still being taken care of. I love to get injured while shooting some grave stunts. I have almost nine to ten injuries only in my leg.
Parents spend their lives working hard, making sacrifices and often even giving up their dreams for the sake of their children. Providing a good education, upbringing and support in every way for children to have a successful and prosperous future is every parents priority in life.

But the gesture of a Kerala man living in Bahrain towards his parents was something that captivated everyones attention. The man named Devis Devassy Chiramel wanted his parents to visit him in Bahrain, but his father kept refusing since he wears a traditional mundu without any shoes and didnt want to embarrass his son.

To convince his father to visit Bahrain, Chiramel decided to go barefoot unless his elderly parents joined him. In his post Chiramel wrote that Its a little painful as I walk barefoot. But when I think of my parents sacrifices for me, the pain doesnt affect me/is sweet.

Chiramel, who convinced his parents to travel to Bahrain, added that It is when I became a father myself that I understood the sacrifices that my parents have done for me. Instead of keeping flowers on the grave of your parents, it is better to hand them flowers when they are alive.

The post is melting hearts all over the internet as people cant stop appreciating this touching gesture.
Hyderabad: A trip to Vizag by five Class VII girls spread panic among their parents at Amberpet on Thursday. The girls, aged between 12 and 13, left for Vishakapatnam as per their plan, without informing parents. They were found on Friday at the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) in Vizag by the police. The girls from Pragati Vidyaniketan School in Bapunagar, came back home from school and took a train to Vizag. The students are G. Sangeetha, Nandini G., Prathibha, E. Srinidhi and Preethi V. After a complaint by parents, Amberpet police tracked them down to a zoo in Vizag.

Parents said the girls came home from school on Thursday and changed into regular clothes. They then asked their parents for money saying they are going to a friends place. I saw them in the colony and after sometime I saw the parents searching for them, said a resident. Pratibh's mother, who was at the police station said, She asked me for money to go to a friends place. She started crying when I refused. As soon as I gave the money she left saying she will be back soon.

Police tracked one girls phone signals to Gannavaram. One of the girls, Sangeetha, was carrying a mobile phone. Her father was asked by the police to send her an SMS using which they traced her location. The first signal was from the Vijayawada-Ganna-varam area, said Amberpet inspector A.P. Anand Kumar. He said the girls were carrying `12,500 with them. They had also invited another girl but she had refused.

The girls were planning a 2-day trip to celebrate the birthday of Sangeetha and planned to visit Vizag beach, temple and zoo. They planned to come back on Sunday. Four police teams were deputed for the search. Zoo staff recognised the girls from photographs in the news and alerted the Arilova police, who took the girls into custody. The police informed their parents and put the girls in a juvenile home near the rural tahsildar office in Vizag. The girls are safe and will be brought to the city on Saturday, confirmed DCP V. Satyanarayana.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yogi Adityanath returns after he was elected leader of the BJP Uttar Pradesh state legislature party in Lucknow. (Photo: AP)

Lucknow: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yogi Adityanath was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh today, as Governor Ram Naik administered the oath of office and secrecy to Adityanath and his Cabinet at a function in Lucknow's Kanshiram memorial ground in the afternoon.

State BJP President Keshav Prasad Maurya and the party's National Vice-President Dinesh Sharma are the new Deputy Chief Ministers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Party President Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled States attended the ceremony.

Maurya on Sunday said he had no issues with Adityanath being chosen as CM.

"I have been entrusted with responsibility of Deputy CM. I will work on law and order situation," he stressed.

Another firebrand Hindutva leader, Uma Bharti, said that Adityanath would focus on development and nationalism.

"For me Modi ji being the PM of India, and my younger brother Yogi ji becoming UP CM is the best news of the 21st century," she claimed.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the lone Muslim minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, on Saturday defended the BJP's choice of controversial leader Yogi Adityanath as the next UP chief minister, saying he will work for the party's "inclusive growth" agenda.

Minister of State for Minority Affairs Naqvi said that Adityanath will prove his critics wrong by his developmental work and will emerge as the best chief minister.

Rejecting apprehensions of Adityanath being a hardline Hindutva leader, Naqvi said he was a "hardline leader of inclusive development".

Naqvi said Adityanath will prove all political pundits and analysts who have concerns regarding him "wrong".

BJP national secretary Siddarth Nath Singh played down Yogi's hardline Hindutva image. "That image may be with media but he (Adityanath) has been elected again and again. He stands for development and that is the agenda we have got and we will will stick to the agenda," Siddharth Nath Singh told reporters soon after the Gorakhpur MP's election as the BJP legislature party leader.

Adityanath visited Smriti Upwan in Lucknow ahead of his oath taking ceremony on Sunday, but cancelled a planned visit to Gorakhpur.

Yogi Adityanath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, was unanimously elected BJP Legislature Party leader at a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs in Lucknow last evening. He, later, met the Governor and staked claim to form the government in the state.

Talking to reporters at Raj Bhavan, he said, he would follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan 'Sab ka saath, Sab ka vikas' and ensure all round development of the state.

Senior party leader and Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who was the central observer at the Legislature Party meeting, said it was a watershed moment for the BJP and it has become a common man's party. He said, the mandate is for development, and against corruption and black money.

But the Opposition Congress, the CPI(M) and AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi have crossed swords with BJP for the decision.

In the recently held polls in the state, BJP had bagged 312 seats, and its allies 13, taking the alliance's tally to 325 in the 403-member Assembly.

Meanwhile, Adityanath has called on his followers and admirers to maintain law and order during their celebrations, while giving full freedom to the state police to take action on those who create ruckus.

"There should be no chaos in the name of celebrations. Police must deal swiftly and firmly with miscreants," he said.

Following the Chief Minister designate's orders, all the District Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) have been called to ensure law and order is maintained.
New Delhi: Criticising Yogi Adityanath's selection by BJP as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily on Saturday said it is a "big assault" on secularism, but his party said it will act as a watchdog of people's interests.

"It is a big assault on secularism in the country. Maybe, the BJP or RSS would like to endorse their cause of Hinduism. India is not Hinduism. Hinduism is not India.

"India is built above castes and religions and 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one family) is the very foundation of our secular society. It is the biggest assault ever done on secularism," Moily said.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "Congress Party will continue to act as a watchdog of people's interests and play a constructive role in progress of state of UP".

He also said the prerogative to choose Chief Minister is always of the ruling party. "Excessive delay in arriving at a decision as also the compulsion to create two posts of Deputy CMs reflects a bitter conflict to share spoils of power despite overwhelming majority of over 300 MLAs."

Surjewala wished the new UP government well and said, "we sincerely hope that BJP government in UP will now rise above rival claims and counter claims for share of power and concentrate upon fulfilling the promises made to people including waiving loans of farmers, reducing electricity tariff, giving cost plus 50 pc of MSP to farmers, creating jobs for UP's youth, reviving UP's industries and undertaking 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas'."

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, in a tribute to the new UP chief minister, put out a poem entitled "Tribute to new CM of UP".

"BJP troll brigade obviously demented IQ deficient. What a pity that party could not find intelligent advocates for lost cause," he also tweeted.

In another tweet, former Union Minister Khurshid said, "No more pretence! Yogi Adityanath to sit where Pantji, NDT, Bahugana et al once sat. Great test PM has put BJP trolls to. Explain this."

Another former Union Minister Rajiv Shukla said, "There is a question mark on whether Yogi Adityanath will fulfil the three issues of good governance, development and taking everybody along. This will also be a challenge for him and one wonders how he will be able to deliver on these fronts. He will have to find solution."

Another Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "Congratulations UP! Hello media the man you called 'fringe' is now mainstream!."

In another tweet, she said, "The New India Mr Modi spoke about, he is now putting into action with the choice of UP CM. Welcome to the new normal..."

She also said, "Also the 'vikas ka mukhauta'. The mask is truly off..bring on Shamshaan-Kabristaan, Diwali-Eid narrative".

"How the PM has chosen to interpret the UP results is shown in his selection of the new UP CM #Development. "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. Actions speak louder than words(sic)," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said in a series of tweets, questioning Modis inclusive agenda.

This is an assault on India's age-old "ganga jamuni tehzeeb" -- a fusion of Hindu and Muslim cultures, said AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, adding that he was not surprised and that this is the meaning of Modis New India.
Coimbatore: Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam (DVK) activist and atheist H Farook was murdered in Coimbatore on Thursday night on the orders of a Bengaluru blast convict, said reports.

Farook, who belonged to pro-Periyar rationalist group DVK, was killed because of a Facebook post in which one of his children held a placard saying Kadavul illai, Kadavul illai, Kadavul illai (No God, No God, No God).

The suspect, M Asradh (31), has surrended. But police believe the murder was carried out by a gang of four belonging to a banned group.

Asradh surrendered before a district magistrate confessing to the murder, but police are looking for a bomb blast accuseds brother-in-law, Saddam Hussain, himself a murder accused, and relative Shamsuddin, said reports.

The name of the blast accused has not been revealed, but he is suspected to have carried out the plan from inside a jail.

Police claimed that most of the members were part of some banned radical groups a decade ago. Police believe the bomb blast accused is the mentor of one such group and controlled it through his followers. They said the group had been issuing threats to Farook for his atheist stand as well as targeting similar Muslim youths who had deviated from the faith.

Farook had received warnings from the group earlier asking him to desist from ridiculing God and religion.

Police said Farook was attacked when he stepped out of his house after receiving a call on Thursday night. A gang of four people chased and hacked him to death. He had deep injuries on his stomach and neck. Although local residents who rushed to the spot tried to catch the assailants, they managed to escape, the officer was quoted as saying.

In one of his last posts on Facebook on March 13, Farook said his views had made him an enemy of many. He said, I am an enemy of God, enemy of religion, enemy of caste and enemy of all blind beliefs. But I am not an enemy of humans who believe in humanity.
New Delhi: Jats on Sunday called off their quota agitation scheduled for Monday in the national capital, following a truce that was reached after a meeting between the leaders of the community and the Haryana government.

Jat leaders decided to call off their agitation after a marathon four-hour meeting with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and two Union Ministers Birender Singh and P P Chaudhary who both are Jats.

"Centre and state will soon begin the process of giving reservation, following the Delhi High court order," Khattar told reporters in a joint press conference along with All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) Chairperson Yashpal Malik.

He also appealed to people in the state to cooperate in maintaining peace and harmony.

"Ab Jat Dilli na aa rahe (Now Jats are not coming to Delhi). We have called off our agitation and march towards Delhi. The state government has agreed to our demands," Malik told reporters after the meeting.

He added that the community will call off its dharna from most of the places in the state, barring few where it will continue with symbolic protests.

Besides quotas, the Jats have been demanding release of people jailed during last year's agitation, withdrawal of cases slapped during the protests and government jobs for the kin of those killed and injured while taking part in the stir.

The Jats have been sitting on dharna in various parts of Haryana since January 29.

"The government will now work according to the law and will undertake a survey and check ground realities so that the decision that we finally take will stand in court," P P Chaudhary," Minister of State for Law and Justice said.

He added, "The reservation process will expedite after appointment of National Commission of Backward Classes (NCBC) chairperson and we want to ensure reservation for the community which is not stuck anywhere due to legal issues".

A Haryana ministerial panel led by senior Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had held talks with the Jats in Panipat on March 16, after which the minister had said that an agreement had been reached with the community and the deadlock could end soon.

Around 30 people were killed and more than 300 people injured when a similar agitation by the Jats had resulted in large-scale violence in Haryana in February last year.

In view of the planned march tomorrow, prohibitory orders had been clamped in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to stop the Jat protesters from entering Delhi.

About 24,700 paramilitary personnel had been mobilised to maintain peace. Metro and road transport has been curtailed and several schools have been closed in the national capital.

Khattar said the two sides firmed up the latest decisions with a "consensus" arrived between them.

He added that as part of the decisions made, the Haryana government will "re-assess cases registered between 2010-17 on the protesters and Jats will get full justice".

"The next of kin of the killed and handicapped during these protests will be provided permanent jobs. Also, all those who were injured during protests will be provided their compensation quickly.

"The role of the officers will also be probed and we will take strict action against the guilty after investigation. All this will be done quickly and in a time-bound manner so that Jats gets justice. This is our desire and we believe that this issue will get resolved," he said.

He added that as soon as the Chairman and members of the NCBC are appointed, the process of reservation for Jats will be initiated at the Centre.

"With regard to Haryana, the bill for reservation is pending in the High Court and as soon as the decision comes, we will begin the process to include them in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution," he added.
Punjab Governor V.P. Singh Badnore administering oath to the new Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh at the Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh on Thursday. (Photo: PTI)

Chandigarh: The Amarinder Singh dispensation on Friday put a ban on use beacons on government vehicles, foreign travel of ministers for two years and organising of banquets on state expense, in a bid to end VIP culture in Punjab.

Beacons will be only allowed on vehicles engaged in emergency services like ambulances and fire brigades, and on cars of the Chief Justice and judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, an official spokesman said.

The council of ministers took this "historic" decision in their first cabinet meeting here to do away with the VIP culture in the state, he said.

The spokesman said the cabinet has decided to stop the use of red beacons and those of other colours, it has put a two-year ban on foreign travel of all ministers and MLAs on state expense, and banned banquets or dinners at government expense.

The cabinet has decided that foreign travel will be allowed where it is so mandated or provided and under bilateral arrangement, he said, adding a new policy on use of beacons on vehicles will soon be notified.

Salary, allowances and reimbursements for MLAs will be updated every month on the official website and would be made public, the spokesman said.

MLAs and MPs would declare their immovable properties every year on January 1, and for 2017-18 they will have to make the declaration by July 1, he said.

To minimise the burden of the state government, the cabinet has also decided that insurance schemes will cover reimbursement of medical expenses of MLAs, ministers, former ministers and the chief minister, the spokesman said.

Protocol for laying foundation stones and inaugurations by legislators and ministers will be defined and norms will be laid down, he said.

Foundation stones would be laid only by the President, the Vice-President, the Lok Sabha Speaker, Union Ministers, the Chief Minister, assembly Speakers and state ministers, the spokesman said.

No state banquets or dinners would be held at government expense, except in the honour of the President, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha Speaker, Governors and visiting foreign dignitaries, he said.

The district administrations will function as normal even if the Chief Minister or a minister is visiting its area concerned, the spokesman said.

If VIPs require any official, he would make himself available with the prior written permission from the appropriate authority, he said.

The spokesman said government officials will not seek resolution of grievances at the political-level, except with the prior appointment and permission of the competent authority, he said.

The cabinet also decided to exempt journalists from paying toll tax on state highways in Punjab.
Asif Nizami and Nazim Nizami, the Sufi clerics who had gone missing. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Expressing happiness over the news of return of the two Indian Sufi clerics of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah who went missing in Pakistan, Amir Nizami, son of one of the clerics thanked the Indian Government and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for their efforts in tracing the two.

"We got to know the news circulating in Pakistan media. We also got a call from the Indian government. We would like to thank the Indian government and Sushma Swaraj for their efforts. We would also thank Pakistan media," Nizami told ANI.

Nizami also said that the clerics' mobile phones were now active, adding that they would be able to talk to them very soon.

The two clerics are set to return to India on March 20, according to Pakistan media reports.

According to Pakistan media reports, two Indian clerics surfaced in Karachi and told that they had gone to meet their devotees in interior Sindh, where there was no phone connectivity.

The clerics identified as Asif Nizami and his friend Nazim Nizami, belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah.

The duo had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore.

One of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore, reports claimed.

The Indian authorities had raised the issue with the Pakistan Foreign Ministry seeking its help in tracing their missing citizens.

Syed Asif Ali Nizami is the head priest of New Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah.

Meanwhile, a Dargah Committee meeting is underway in Delhi's Nizamuddin regarding the disappearances.

Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that she has taken up the matter to Islamabad officials.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria also acknowledged that an Indian request seeking assistance for the recovery of two clerics had been received.
According to reports, 12 stations in Central Delhi will also be closed until 8 pm till further orders. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: In preparation for the proposed Jat agitation in Delhi, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will suspend its train services to and from all stations outside Delhi from 11.30 pm on Sunday.

According to reports, 12 stations in Central Delhi will also be closed until 8 pm till further orders. An advisory for commuters has also been issued by the Delhi Police which has ordered the closure of several important routes.

As directed by Delhi Police authorities, Metro services will not be available at all Metro Stations outside Delhi (NCR stations) i.e. on Line -2 (Guru Dronacharya to Huda City Centre) on Line-3 and 4 (Kaushambi to Vaishali and Noida Sector-15 to Noida City Center ) and on Line-6 (Sarai to Escotrs Mujesar) from March 19, 11.30 p.m. onwards till further instructions from the police authorities.

Moreover, following metro stations in Delhi region will also remain closed for public from 8:00 pm onwards on March 19 till further directions - Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan, Lok Kalyan Marg, Janpath, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, R K Ashram Marg, Pragati Maidan, Khan Market and Shivaji Stadium.

However, interchange facility will be available at all interchange stations.

The services at all these Metro stations will be resumed only after getting clearance from the Delhi Police.

Unhappy with the authorities over their demands and grievances being unaddressed, Jat protesters on Wednesday announced non-cooperation after Holi (March 13) and are taking their stir to Delhi from tomorrow.

They gave a call for the march to besiege Parliament and to hold dharnas on the Delhi border, blocking all highways, to press for their demands for reservation.

The Haryana Assembly on Wednesday discussed the ongoing Jat agitation.

Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Singh Chautala, who moved an adjournment motion during the Budget session, said the Congress and the BJP were trying to play politics on reservation in government jobs and educational institutions to the Jats of Haryana.

Chautala said the state's BJP government had failed to implement the community's demands even after agreeing to them last year.

Apart from reservation, the Jats are demanding jobs to the next of kin of those killed in violence in the agitation last year, compensation to those injured, withdrawal of cases against them and action against officers who ordered action against the Jats.

Violence during the Jat agitation, in February 2016, claimed the lives of 30 people and injured around 200 people. Government and private property worth hundreds of crores of rupees was damaged.
Bengaluru: What started in 1959 by the then 17-year-old N.S. Hema, who is affected by polio in both her legs and an arm, the Association for People with Disability (APD), which works out of Bengaluru, has grown to touch the lives of thousands of differently abled people across the state.

We have worked extensively for the last 55 years to reach out and rehabilitate people with disability from underprivileged sections. Our motto is to mainstream them and make their lives more inclusive. We also aim to create equal opportunities for people with various disabilities, giving them the confidence that comes with independence. We believe that every person with disability is capable and it is only the society that has to create opportunities for them," said Mr K.N. Gopinath, Executive Director, APD.

One of their major programmes is early intervention. We run the project across seven districts to detect disabilities as soon as possible. Early detection helps in early rehabilitation which helps in mainstreaming such children early. Under this programme, we screen children from birth till five years. We have already supported over 3,000 children in these districts," he said.

Education is the next key focus and mainstreaming the children into proper schools is always a challenge. To tackle this, we have the inclusive education programme, which supports children from 6 to18 years and helps them get into proper schools, either government or private. We provide training and resource material for teachers and also educate other students to make them tolerant towards the differently-abled. We have supported 2,600 children under the programme," he said.

APD gives vocational training for the children to make them financially independent. Over 200 trained students are employed every year at Vasudev Adiga's and Adyar Anand Bhavan. Our programmes are all employment-oriented. We look at what the employers want, sign MoUs with them and design the training programme accordingly. We also have horticulture, hospitality, industrial and call centre training programmes. Over 92% of the trained youngsters have been employed in different sectors. These programmes are aimed at the youth from rural areas as they are not educated. We also help the employers with training and other resources, so that the workplace is inclusive for the hired employees, he said.

APD runs a support programme where speech therapy, mobility, hearing therapy and rehabilitation are the focus. Over 4,000 people have already been supported under this. For those who want to go beyond the service sector, the organisation runs a policy and advocacy programme to hone their leadership skills.

We support 12 NGOs that which are working mostly in North Karnataka. We provide them with training resources and funds," he said.
New Delhi: Two Indian clerics who went missing in Pakistan are safe and will be back in the city on Monday, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.

I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi on Monday, she said in a tweet.

The two clerics  Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami,  had gone to Lahore on March 8 and were to return to India on March 20.

The purpose of Asifs visit to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi, according to news agency reports. Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics were traced and reached Karachi.

Ms Swaraj had taken up the issue with Pakistan Prime Ministers adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz on Saturday and had requested him to trace the missing clerics.

According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in interior Sindh where there was no communication network and that is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts.

Earlier, Pakistani sources were quoted by news agencies as saying that the duo were in the custody of Pakistans intelligence agency ISI over their alleged links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.
P. Satyanarayana had worked with a Saudi firm for about two decades and was retrenched. He had called his family to say he was returning after collecting his dues. The next they heard was that he was dead.

Hyderabad: A Jagtial resident, who was on the verge of being sent back home after working for more than two decades in Saudi Arabia, died last week of an alleged heart attack. The family is now waiting for his body.

Ponnam Satyanarayana, 48, had last come home in 2015. His family says all formalities have been completed but the hospital dues have not been paid and his body is not being released.

His family said Satyanarayana was a washerman who went to Saudi Arabia to work as a painter with the Saudi Lebanese Modern Construction Company in Riyadh. He stayed with the company for the last two decades.

He used to return for six months every two years to meet his family, comprising wife Vasantha and sons Shiva Kumar, who is now doing his MTech and Raghu who is studying for his engineering. Ms Vasantha makes bidis. His family said he was paid well.

After the company started making losses, it started retrenching em-ployees. Satyanarayana was among the last 50 left. He had called his family on March 10 to tell them that his papers were being processed and he would return soon.

The next they heard that was that he had been admitted to hospital, where he died later.

We heard that the embassy gave clearance the same day, but the hospital is delaying (the process) as their bills are not cleared. The employer is not concerned as his Iqama has expired, said Satyanarayanas elder son Shiva Kumar, who is pursuing his MTech. He said his father was not paid wages for 14 months and his service benefits were also due. There is a case in the labour court on the issue.

We have requested that the mortal remains of my father are sent at the earliest, and that his employer release his salary dues and service benefits for 20 years, Mr Kumar told this correspondent.
Lucknow: In the backdrop of BJP MP Yogi Adityanath taking oath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, BSP supremo Mayawati on Sunday alleged that the saffron party wanted to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls not on its development plank, but by "polarising voters".

"BJP wants to contest the 2019 polls not on the issue of development, but by polarising the voters. That is why they have made an RSS man the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh," she told reporters in Lucknow.

"I got the invitation but boycotted the oath-taking ceremony as the BJP has betrayed the backward castes and Brahmins by making him (Adityanath) the chief minister following the RSS agenda.

"As the BJP has not honoured any of its promises made in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, it will be banking on its polarisation agenda in 2019," she claimed.

Regarding Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, an OBC, not becoming the chief minister, Mayawati said, "His (Maurya's) name was put forward to garner OBC support. Had he not been made deputy chief minister, he would have got a heart attack. He has been betrayed and so have been the Brahmins, whose votes were taken by the BJP.

"I have been a chief minister. I know that deputy chief ministers have no role to play. It would have been better if they (Maurya and Dinesh Sharma) were made cabinet ministers with some departments."

The BSP chief also alleged that when Kalyan Singh of the BJP, also an OBC, was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the saffron party had "conspired", so that he could not continue at the top post for long.

Describing the BJP as an "anti-OBC" party, she alleged that it had "let the VP Singh government at the Centre fall" on the issue of reservation.

"This state government has not been formed by honest practices. Besides tampering with the EVMs, it (BJP) has betrayed the OBCs and Brahmins," Mayawati said.
Yogi Adityanath arrives for the BJPs legislature party meeting in Lucknow on Saturday, where he was elected the BJPLP leader. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The chants of Sabka saath sabka vikas on Saturday gave away to frenzied cries of Jai Shri Ram and UP mein rahena hoga toh Yogi Yogi kahena hoga as the BJPs Gorakhpur MP, Ajay Singh alias Yogi Adityanath, known for his divisive past and politics, was anointed as the next chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Sources said putting the Hindutva hawk and founder of the Hindu Yuva Vahini at the helm of affairs in UP was a conscious decision by the BJP top brass in consultation with the RSS.

BJP to step up politics of polarisation

The decision to pick Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister was sealed at a meeting between BJP chief Amit Shah and RSS second-in-command Bhaiyyaji Joshi in Mumbai last week.

The BJP now appears all set to step up the politics of polarisation ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in order to consolidate the entire Hindu votebank, cutting across caste dynamics, with Uttar Pradesh seen as the gateway to New Delhi, some in the party feel. One of the main things that Yogi Adityanath is expected to focus on is the construction the Ram temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya.

Talking about the decision, a BJP leader said, After demonetisation, this is Mr Modis second gamble before the 2019 elections.

It was, however, also felt in some circles that Adityanaths choice as Chief Minister runs the risk of the resurrection of a decimated Opposition in UP as well as across the country.

Moderates in the BJP who had been claiming that the UP mandate was a vote for development appeared stunned and till the last moment some top UP leaders kept saying that it could not be true.

The decision to make Adityanath Chief Minister was a closely guarded secret and a number of other names, including that of Union minister Manoj Sinha, were kept in circulation to keep everyone guessing.

A top Cabinet minister, speaking to this newspaper late on Saturday, said, Its decided. Manoj Sinha will be the CM. Unaware of the developments behind closed doors, a confident and beaming Mr Sinha went Saturday morning to temples in Varanasi to offer prayers. By the afternoon he was snapping at the media, and accusing them of dragging his name into the race unnecessarily.
Lucknow: Addressing his first press conference as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, BJP leader Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that his government would work for the people of the state without any bias.

Adityanath, the mascot of the BJPs Hindutva-wrapped agenda of development, on Sunday said, Government will work for all section of society without any partiality, for this administration will be made accountable and answerable.

Claiming that the people of Uttar Pradesh have suffered because of corruption and poor law and order situation, the new chief minister said his government will work for the betterment of the state.

Shrikant Sharma, a minister in the newly-formed BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government, also addressed the mediapersons, declaring the further initiatives taken by Adityanath.

The chief minister has requested cabinet ministers to refrain from making unnecessary statements which can hurt someone's sentiment, Sharma said.

He has requested cabinet ministers to refrain from making unnecessary statements which can hurt someone's sentiment, Sharma added.

Adityanath was sworn in as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday afternoon at a ceremony held at Lucknow's Kanshiram Smriti Upvan in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.

Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya were also sworn in as the deputy chief ministers of the state.

Besides, 43 ministers of the new UP government were also sworn in at the ceremony. This included 22 Cabinet ministers, 12 Junior Ministers and 9 Ministers of State (MoS) with Independent charge.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party veteran Mulayam Singh Yadav also attended the swearing in ceremony.

In a grand show of strength, Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Goa CM Manohar Parrikar  all BJP CMs  also attended the ceremony. Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu also graced the occasion.

After the swearing in ceremony, Modi assured the people of Uttar Pradesh that there will be record development in the state under the new leadership.

I have immense confidence that this new team will leave no stone unturned in making UP Uttam Pradesh. There will be record development, Modi tweeted.

Modi said that the BJPs sole mission and motive is development of the state.

When UP develops, India develops. We want to serve UP's youth & create opportunities for them, he said in another tweet.
Lucknow: In the wake of Bharatiya Janata Party firebrand leader Yogi Adityanath's ascension to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, senior party leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Sunday asserted there was no danger for any minority community under the former's rule.

"Koi khatra nahi hai, aap aaram se rahiye. (There is no danger; all will feel comfortable under his rule) That is my surety," he said.

Joshi further asserted the people of the state would see development in his constituency.

"Yogi Adityanath has brought a lot of development in his constituency. Be it schools or hospitals, he had made them all for the poor. I'm sure he will take up on the path of development for the state," he said.

Yogi Adityanath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, was unanimously elected BJP Legislature Party leader at a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs in Lucknow last evening. He, later, met the Governor and staked claim to form the government in the state.

Senior party leader and Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, who was the central observer at the Legislature Party meeting, said it was a watershed moment for the BJP and it has become a common man's party. He said, the mandate is for development, and against corruption and black money.

In the recently held polls in the state, BJP had bagged 312 seats, and its allies 13, taking the alliance's tally to 325 in the 403-member Assembly.
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday lobbied with his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan for the allotment of land to Telangana Tourism at Sabarimala for the construction of a guest house for pilgrims.

Telangana and Kerala had entered into an MoU last year on this issue.

Mr Rao has hosted a lunch for the visiting Kerala Chief Minister at his camp office on Sunday.

Mr Vijayan is in the city to attend a public meeting organised to mark the completion of a 4,200-km padayatra by the state CPM secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram and his nine party leaders.

Both Chief Ministers appreciated the strengths each others state and expressed willingness to help each other. IT minister K.T. Rama Rao, who was present during the meeting, suggested that Kerala can enter into an MoU with Telangana on the exchange of IT know-ledge on the lines of Goa.

But later, Mr Pinarayi criticised his host for pursuing pro-rich policies. Inequalities and injustices have led to the formation of Telangana state, but it has become clear that the same imbalances exist even two and a-half years after Telangana getting statehood due to due to wrong policies of the TRS government, he said.

Mr Pinarayi accused the NDA government of discriminating against the southern states just because these states did not vote for the BJP. He also criticised the Congress for its failure to form its governments in both Goa and Manipur and said the Congress image is getting weakened day by day.

Speaking to the media, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury criticised the BJP for trying to implement its saffron agenda by annihilating a few sections like Dalits and the Muslims.

With the choice of Yogi Adityanath for the Uttar Pradesh Chief Ministers post, the CPM leaders alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government has decided to further to communalise the country with its Hind-utva agenda by 2019.

Accusing Mr Adityanath as a communal person, Mr Yechury said he does not make a speech without speaking against the Muslims. After the victory in UP, he alleged the BJP will implement its agenda with greater vigour and called upon the people, who believe in democracy and secularism, to resist such moves.
It all started when Mr Reddy referred to a regional TV news channel report indicating political differences between the two and condemned the report stating that they both were working for strengthening the TRS.

Hyderabad: The simmering differences between TRS leaders in Mahbubnagar district came out into the open during the partys membership drive on Sunday.

The hostility between TRS Mahbubnagar MP A.P. Jithender Reddy and TRS Mahbubnagar MLA V. Srinivas Goud came to the fore while they were addressing the media persons.

It all started when Mr Reddy referred to a regional TV news channel report indicating political differences between the two and condemned the report stating that they both were working for strengthening the TRS.

Mr Goud too condemned the report about the differences between him and the MP, but he claimed that a Cabinet minister had told him that the MP preempted his chances of getting the ministerial post, triggering a war of words between them.

Mr Reddy dared Mr Goud to prove his allegation and declared that he will quit politics, if the charge was proved correct. Mr Reddy said he had insisted on giving three ministerial posts for Mahbubnagar district, but Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had ruled out having three ministers from any district.

Explaining further, Mr Reddy said the Chief Mini-ster had opted for Jupally Krishna Rao as he had quit his Cabinet post in the Congress government to join the TRS, besides C. Laxma Reddy, who was working with the TRS since its inception.

This is the reason for Mr Goud not getting the minister post. Neither did I make any attempts to deny the minister post for him nor did I bring pressure on the CM for the same. I demand Mr Goud to disclose the name of minister, who blamed me for scuttling his chances of becoming a minister, Mr Reddy said. With both of them quarreling at the press meet, other party leaders intervened and pacified them.
The BJPs choice of Yogi Adityanath, the head of the Gorakhnath Mutt (or monastic order) and chief priest of the temple associated with it in the eastern UP city of Gorakhpur, as chief minister in Uttar Pradesh following the partys sweeping victory in the recent Assembly polls in Indias largest state, which also plays a pivotal role in national politics, is likely to make the country extremely apprehensive. This is due to the Yogis strong credentials as the principal instigator behind Hindu-Muslim tensions in UP in recent years. If there is a Mr Alt-Hindu Right in the state, it is this Yogi, or Hindu renouncer, who was sworn in as Chief Minister on Sunday as the head of a 47-member ministry. He has in the past run communal campaigns on trumped-up issues and given them names like love jihad, and ghar wapsi.

The Yogi has been winning Lok Sabha elections from Gorakhpur since 1998. Ironically, he was still thought to be part of the BJPs loony fringe, although the party sought to capitalise on his campaigns politically. His elevation as CM exposes the worrying reality that he is not fringe, but perfectly mainstream within his party. The BJPs professed development agenda, highlighted in the 2014 Lok Sabha campaign by then PM candidate Narendra Modi, and since then encapsulated in the PMs slogan of Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas (With everyone, development for all) wasnt much in evidence in the Assembly poll campaign Mr Modi ran practically single-handedly. And then comes the shocker of the elevation of Adityanath, a man who is not religious but communal. He has also shown no streak so far of taking up matters relating to development.

Its hard to see how this man can make good that deficit. Like him, the two deputy chief ministers announced at his behest on Saturday are also plain RSS protagonists, with no experience of administration or development politics. For UP, one of the countrys poorest states, this is unfortunate. We have to wait and see what kind of administration takes shape under Adityanath. But there should be little surprise if the focus shifts to Ayodhya and Ram Mandir politics in the cynical expectation that this will help mobilise the votes of Hindus in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, on which Mr Modi has his eyes firmly set. Has Yogi Adityanath been foregrounded in order to lead a massive Hindutva-style divisive mobilisation to prepare for 2019? The bad old days of 1992, which saw the destruction of the Babri Masjid, and the riots and mayhem that followed across the country, could possibly return if reckless political sentiments are not reined in. Development and national advance will suffer when the politics of societal confrontation are thrust centrestage.
Bengaluru: Whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will swear in Yogi Adityanath as the 32nd chief minister of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday evening with as much enthusiasm as he would have his first choice, Mr. Siddharth Nath Singh, is open to question.

Clearly, however neither the prime minister nor party president Mr. Amit Shah, the architect of the BJPs stupendous success in winning four out of five states, had bargained for the young Mahant throwing his hat in the ring. It would mean that a novice with no experience in governance was taking control of the BJPs top prize, UP, and that Singh, Modis much speculated pick, the so-called Experiment Boy and former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastris grandson, the newly minted MLA from Allahabad, was cut unceremoniously from the short-list

The Yogi hadnt even stood for elections in the hard fought campaign to win UP. His relationship with the BJP has been anything but smooth. The five time Gorakhpur MP has strenuously denied it, but eight members of his aggressive Hindu Yuva Vahini had filed their nominations against BJP candidates, only to withdraw it later.

So, why and when did the firebrand saffron clad graduate decide that the top job was his for the taking? The catalyst, a source close to developments said, may have been none other than Communications Minister Mr. Manoj Sinha, the front-runner for the CMs post who was told early on Friday night, that he was no longer in the running. The source said that Mr. Sinha, had his hopes up after BJP insiders let it be known that Union Home Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh had turned down the job when he was told that he would have to take two deputy chief ministers on board.

In Varanasi on Saturday, Mr. Sinha had gone temple-hopping in what many saw as him seeking the blessings of the gods before he took on the top job on Sunday. Instead, a disappointed Mr. Sinha, it is learnt, was given the bad news by a senior party functionary that he was no longer being considered for the job. He was reportedly told that the man who was most likely to make the cut as the new UP CM would be Siddharth Nath Singh, a Kurmi, and coincidentally, also from Gorakhpur.

Mr Sinha, insiders said lost little time in alerting Yogi Adityanath of the threat in his own backyard. Yogi, who sees himself as the only leader from Gorakhpur, and has always been unwilling to share that space with any other leader, was clearly alarmed. The Yogi reportedly flew to Delhi, and met with the Prime Minister, and promised to work with the prime minister on his 2019 development agenda rather than the divisive Hindutva, love jihad and forced conversions that have been his hallmark. Empty promises or not, only time will tell

Mascot of hindutva

Born on June 5 1972, Adityanath was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at 26. He has been elected as an MP from Gorakhpur to the Lok Sabha in the 1998, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 elections.

Yogi Adityanath comes from a Rajput family. He completed his Bachelors degree in science from Uttarakhand.

He is also the founder of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, a social, cultural and nationalist group of youth who seek to provide rightist Hindu platform.

Adityanath is the Mahant (head priest) of the Gorakhnath Mutt, a Hindu temple in Gorakhpur, following the death of his spiritual father, Mahant Avaidyanath in September 2014.

Adityanath has rebelled against his party on several occasions, but because of the sway he holds over the Hindu voters, the BJP apparently could not ignore his leadership qualities.

A strong votary of construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, Adityanath drove BJPs Hindutva campaign in the eastern UP in the just concluded Assembly polls.

In 2005, Adityanath allegedly led a purification drive which involved the conversion of Christians to Hinduism. In one such instance, 1,800 Christians were reportedly converted to Hinduism in the town of Etah in UP.

Born Ajay Singh, the diminutive shaven headed politician is known for his powerful oratory, though most of his speeches hinge on divisive lines and has been in the forefront in keeping the communal politics alive in the country.

Clad in his trademark saffron-coloured robe, Aditayanth, a Gorakhpur MP, has been seeking greater power and is expected to give a push to BJPs Hindutva-wrapped agenda of development with the emergence of a separate powerbase for the party in eastern UP.

He lauded US President Trumps travel ban that aimed to halt immigrants from a handful of Muslim-majority countries from entering America, saying India needed similar action to check terrorism.

What he had said on crucial issues

On Minorities: There have been 450 riots cases in West UP in two-and-a-half years of Samajwadi Party rule because the population of a particular community is rising manifold. Why are there no riots in eastern UP? You can easily understand. In places where there are 10-20% minority population, stray communal incidents take place. Where there are 20-35% of them, serious communal riots take place and where they are more than 35%, there is no place for non-Muslims.

On Kairana Exodus: Yogi is not talking about today, Yogi is talking about future. Exodus is a very big issue for usBJP will not let western Uttar Pradesh turn into another Kashmir.

On Shah Rukh Khan: Shah Rukh Khan should remember that if people would boycott his films, he would also have to wander in the streets like a normal Muslim
Perhaps it is the curse of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. But it seems that anyone who is chancellor cannot really live happily ever after. Once upon a time, during the Labour government (seems in another century) Gordon Brown lived a fitfully unhappy life till he became Prime Minister, and then it all fell apart. Then came George Osborne, another PM in waiting, whose ambition was thwarted by David Camerons resignation and the swift elevation of Theresa May. And now it seems Chancellor Philip Hammond has made a sorry mess by rescinding a budget promise. So it might not be long before he too bites the dust. But Mr Osborne, after quitting the government has decided that he needs at least five different careers, not just one. After all, you cant trust a single career  look what happened when he was chancellor!

But the latest job to be taken up by Mr Osborne has stumped even his most ardent fans. Why would he ever want to be the editor of the Evening Standard? From making the news to breaking the news is a huge jump for anyone! And this is the Evening Standard! A free newspaper which is thrust into our hands as we rush to catch our buses and trains. But perhaps Mr Osborne really means it when he says We will judge what the government, Londons politicians and the political parties do against this simple test: is it good for London? So according to him he will hold his fellow politicians accountable to what they are doing for the city! And risk them turning against him? Can you be a reporter and a politician? Hmmm Already there is unease on the green benches, and calls for him to resign as MP.

Meanwhile, we had a great interaction with filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, and her husband and scriptwriter, Paul Berges, when the director of Viceroys House, came for a discussion on the Partition of India to the House of Lords. She spoke about how, in her tour around the country for the film, she has found people reacting very positively. For the Partition Museum team it was a special moment as she donated material used in the making of the film to the museum collections. These include dresses used in the film, as well as research material and bound scripts that show the development of the film, and intricate charts used by her to plot the story. As the film is based on historical events all this material will be eventually used by both film aficionados as well as scholars of the period.

Among the interesting material we collected were very fascinating copies of the letters exchanged between Jinnah and Churchill much before the Partition: this is a little known side of the two leaders. Not only did they meet in secret, they were using the Daily Mail correspondent based in Delhi at the time as a go between. Thus, there was a conspiratorial element to their assignations  unknown to either Nehru, Gandhi, or even later, Mountbatten. It is the contention of some, including Ms Chadha, that the Partition boundaries had already been decided much before Radcliffe came into the picture. And this cosy camaraderie between Jinnah and Churchill could have been behind it. The Partition Museum team is now planning a charity premiere for the film at Amritsar, so watch this space. The film archives will be kept in the museum by August 2017, when it will be 70 years since the Partition. So you can see them all there!

And if there was any doubt that there can be trouble in paradise  it came this week with Prince William famously leaving his wife and kids at home, and bunking the Commonwealth celebrations for dad dancing in Switzerland with some of the lads. Such was the shock in the UK (where people are more used to Harry dancing naked than his brother dancing with his clothes on) that the media has reported nothing else but this for almost a week. The tone has been reproachful as the press has questioned whether he did this because he is work shy. Really? As far as we can make out, most of the work involves William and Kate wearing nice clothes and a friendly smile and meeting thousands of people every day. If he wants to hang out with his friends on a weekend and chat normally can he be blamed? After all, this is seriously hard work and the poor man must be exhausted. But all I want to know is that if Kate and William were not around for us to shake hands with  and were dancing on a mountain top permanently  would we be devastated? Perhaps fashion designers and palace staff more than us! After all the outrage, the duo are out again in France shaking hands and looking pretty. It is obvious that William will behave himself and attend all official functions for some time.
Locked up in ice capping a Bolivian mountain lie 18,000 years of climate history, but this precious archive of environmental change since the last Ice Age is melting fast.

Locked up in about 140 metres (460 feet) of ice capping a Bolivian mountain lie 18,000 years of climate history, dating back to an epoch when humans were only just learning to farm.

But this precious archive of environmental change since the last Ice Age is melting fast, to the despair of scientists.

They have now decided to take matters in hand, in a remarkable initiative that combines glaciology with high-altitude trekking.

An international team will set out in May on a gruelling trip up Bolivia's 6,400-metre Illimani peak to drill three ice cores from its crowning glacier.

These will be preserved for posterity, along with cores from other glaciers, in the natural freezer that is Antarctica.

"Eventually, these ice cores will be all that is left of the glaciers," said Jerome Chappellaz of France's CNRS research institute, a partner in the endeavour dubbed Ice Memory.

Glacier ice contains traces of gas, chemicals and dust.

Analysed in the lab, this is a treasure trove of data on past changes in the climate and environment, including rainfall trends, forest fires, atmospheric temperatures, levels of greenhouse gases and chemical pollutants. They provide a crucial benchmark for understanding how our climate is mutating.

"The glaciers... hold the memory of former climates and help to predict future environmental changes," said the Institute of Research for Development (IRD), another mission member.

But time is running out.

"If global warming continues at its current rate, glaciers at an altitude below 3,500 metres in the Alps and 5,400 metres in the Andes will have disappeared by the end of the 21st century," said the IRD.

"These are unique pages in the history of our environment which will... be lost forever."

A glacier is a slow-moving mass of ice formed when snow accumulates year after year, compacting the layers below into a dense body of ice.

- Sanctuary -

At the Illimani site, two metres of snow fall every year, translating into a very detailed record that by now lies 140 metres deep.

"Studying the glacier therefore means the past of this environment can be reconstructed as far back as the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)" -- the peak freeze, about 21,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, mission coordinators said in a statement.

At the time, vast ice sheets cover much of North America, northern Europe, and Asia, before starting to melt as the climate warmed, allowing modern humans to thrive and spread.

The Illimani expedition is the second leg of Ice Memory.

The first three ice cores -- between 126 and 129 metres long -- were taken from the Col du Dome glacier in Mont Blanc in the Alps in August last year.

They have been placed in a deep freeze at a research institute in Grenoble, at the foot of the Alps, to eventually be moved to the French-Italian Antarctic research base Concordia.

There a cave is being prepared for their permanent storage at an average of minus 54 degrees Celsius (minus 65.2 degrees Fahrenheit) -- a temperature that should keep them safe even at top-of-the-scale global warming.

The "ice archive sanctuary" should be ready by 2020.

In the end, the team hopes to amass hundreds of ice samples.

But drilling an ice core at these kinds of altitudes is no easy feat.

"It requires a lot of equipment," Illimani project head Patrick Ginot of the IRD told AFP ahead of the team's departure.

"Twenty guides and carriers will help us to transport the material from an altitude of 4,500 metres to the summit at 6,300 metres.

There is a passable road for up to 4,500 metres, but beyond that not even a helicopter can go.

The helpers will carry the material, all 1.5 tonnes or 30 cubic metres of it, up the last 1,800 metres on their backs -- about 30 kilogrammes per person at a time.

- 'Property of humanity' -

The kit includes the core drill, 75 specially insulated boxes, and camping gear. It all left from Grenoble on a 10,000-kilometre (6,200-mile) boat ride for La Paz in February.

Upon reaching the summit, two teams of six to eight people will take turns drilling, so as to minimise the physical challenges of high-altitude exertion.

The mission will take about a month, after which the team will have an estimated three tonnes of ice to bring back down.

The precious samples will be placed in the 75 insulated boxes to travel to Grenoble on a five- to six-week boat journey.

"One of the most difficult challenges will be to maintain the cold chain," said Ginot.

One core from Col du Dome and one from Illimani, will remain in Grenoble for analysis, while the other four are bound for Antarctica.

"These samples will be the property of humanity," said the IRD.

They will be preserved "in order to enable future generations of scientists to carry out unprecedented analysis."

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The Canadian charged in connection with a massive hack of Yahoo accounts that the United States says was a Russian plot is a young man who has boasted on social media of his wealth and love of expensive cars, online accounts show.

Karim Baratov, a 22-year-old dual Kazakh-Canadian citizen, is fighting extradition to face U.S. charges he was paid by Russian intelligence agents to break into email accounts. The 2014 theft of 500 million Yahoo Inc accounts was at the time the largest ever such breach.

Speaking by text message, Baratov's lawyer, Amedeo DiCarlo, said on Friday that his client denies all the allegations. He called Baratov a "political scapegoat" and added he "is healthy and confident."

Canadian police arrested and detained Baratov on Tuesday in Hamilton, Ontario. DiCarlo also spoke to reporters outside the Hamilton court where Baratov was due to appear via video on Friday, adding that a bail hearing was to be set for April 5.

Baratov was one of four people charged in a U.S. Justice Department indictment on Wednesday that portrayed Russian security services as having worked hand-in-hand with cyber criminals in the Yahoo case. U.S. authorities are seeking his extradition and have up to 60 days to prepare their case prior to an extradition hearing; until then, Baratov's arrest is provisional.

Baratov has an extensive presence on social media, especially in online groups devoted to exotic-car aficionados.

On sites including Facebook and Instagram, photos show him posing in front of a string of high-end cars bearing his personalized license plates.

He also boasts of having paid off a mortgage while still in high school and of having sold an internet company for $20 million as a teen. Reuters has been unable to verify either of those claims, and his lawyer did not respond to specific queries about them.

Neighbors said they knew Baratov as a young man who threw parties with attendees' fancy cars stretching up and down the block.

On his Instagram account, Baratov is seen partying in Toronto nightclubs, flexing his muscles and talking about workouts and taking supplements.

Silvia, a 66-year-old retired hospital worker who lives around the corner from Baratov and who declined to give her last name, said that last Halloween he gave her trick-or-treating grandson and other children a fistful of U.S. dollar bills.

"It was weird," she said.

DiCarlo declined to comment when asked what Baratov did to support his lifestyle.

On Thursday, nobody answered the phone or responded to knocks at the door of the two-storey house on Chamber Drive in Hamilton, a city 75 kilometers (45 miles) west of Toronto where Baratov lives.

The Toronto Star newspaper reported that the house had been listed for sale on Monday for C$930,000 ($698,146) but was abruptly de-listed on Wednesday. Neighbors said the "For Sale" sign was taken down the same day.

Two men and a woman who arrived at the house on Thursday and said they were looking to buy the house were shown inside by a man who told Reuters he was brokering a potential sale.

Baratov lives alone in the three-bedroom house, neighbors said, but his parents sometimes visit. They said his father, who was there when Baratov was arrested, helped him move in, in the summer of 2015, and was sometimes was seen shoveling snow from his son's sidewalk.

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This will be Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's first visit to Washington since taking office in 2014. (Photo: AP)

Cairo: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and US President Donald Trump will meet in Washington next month, Egypt's leading state-owned newspaper said on Sunday.

Al-Ahram said in a front-page report the two leaders will meet during the first week of April, in what will be el-Sissi's first visit to Washington since taking office in 2014.

El-Sissi and Trump have already shown a bond when they met in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Trump, at the time the Republican presidential nominee, said there was "good chemistry" and el-Sissi, a general-turned-politician said Trump would "without a doubt" make a strong leader.

Cairo and Washington are expected to forge closer ties under Trump following years of tension over the Obama administration's emphasis on human rights and Cairo's perception that it supported the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

El-Sissi, as defense minister, led the military's 2013 ouster of the Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi following days of massive protests against the Islamist leader's divisive rule.

His removal ushered in the start of a massive crackdown against both Islamists and secular pro-democracy activists that jailed thousands and killed hundreds in street clashes with police.

The crackdown was frequently criticized by the Obama administration, which suspended some aid and sought to distance itself from el-Sissi's government. Obama never invited el-Sissi to the White House.

Egypt and the United States have been close allies for most of the nearly 40 years since Cairo signed a peace treaty with Israel, with Egypt becoming the second largest recipient of US aid after Israel, with some USD 1.3 billion annually in military aid.
Venezuela: Fifteen corpses, three of them headless, have been found in a mass grave at a Venezuelan prison and more may be discovered, investigators said on Saturday.

The grisly find this month at the General Penitentiary in central Guarico state has thrown a spotlight on the South American nation's crowded, violent and gang-dominated prisons where scores of inmates die each year.

The public prosecutor's office said 20 forensic experts combing the site at a prison stable had found the remains of at least 15 people, though three were missing skulls.

"We presume there are more corpses," it said in a statement.

Authorities have given no explanation for the deaths and there has been little national outcry given the litany of horror in Venezuela's prisons in recent decades.

Rights group A Window On Liberty has said the number of victims, presumed killed in gang violence before the prison was recently closed for refurbishment, could rise to 100.

"Whether 14, 50 or 100, they were people under the state's responsibility," the group's coordinator Carlos Nieto said, adding that the facility used to house 9,000 inmates.

Venezuela's prisons are notorious for ease of access to weapons and drugs as well as mobile phones and computers hooked up to the Internet, allowing inmates easy access to the outside world, often to run criminal activities.

Some prisons have discos and even swimming pools.

The country's more than 30 facilities house about 50,000 people, but were built for a third of that, rights groups say.

In perhaps Venezuela's worst single prison incident, about 130 prisoners were burned or hacked to death with machetes during gang fights at Sabaneta jail in Maracaibo in 1994.

Late last year, gruesome accusations surfaced that two men were murdered, mutilated by a confessed cannibal then fed to fellow prisoners during rioting at a police detention center in western Tachira state.
New York: An al-Qaeda operative, who had travelled to Pakistan and met leaders of the terror group there, has been convicted by a jury here on multiple terrorism offenses including conspiracy to murder American military personnel in Afghanistan and bomb the US embassy in Nigeria.

Ibrahim Suleiman Adnan Adam Harun, 46, a citizen of Niger, was convicted on all five counts presented to the jury, including conspiracy to murder US nationals, conspiracy to bomb a government facility, conspiracy to provide material support to foreign terrorist organisation al-Qaeda and use of explosives in connection with terrorist activities.

When sentenced in June, Harun faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Harun had travelled to Afghanistan in the weeks before the September 11 attacks and had joined al-Qaeda, trained at the groups training camps and participated in attacks on US and Coalition troops in Afghanistan in which two American service members were killed and others were seriously wounded in 2003.

He had also received training in explosives from an al-Qaeda weapons expert and travelled from Pakistan to Nigeria intending to attack US government facilities there. "Harun is an al-Qaeda operative who targeted US personnel and diplomatic facilities across two continents.

The evidence presented at trial established that the defendant and other jihadists attacked a US military patrol in Afghanistan, resulting in the death of two American soldiers and the serious injury of others," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary B McCord for National Security.

During the two-week trial, the government established that immediately after the September 11 terrorist attacks, al-Qaeda military leaders sent Harun to training camps in Afghanistan, in anticipation of an American invasion.

At these camps, he learned how to use weapons and explosives and met top al Qaeda leaders. Harun then travelled to Waziristan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas region of Pakistan, where he operated under Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi, one of bin Ladens deputies who was al-Qaeda's top military commander in Afghanistan at that time.

In April, 2003, Harun and fellow jihadists ambushed a US military patrol from Firebase Shkin. Two US servicemen were killed in the attack and several others were seriously wounded. Harun was also wounded but escaped to Pakistan.

While recovering from his wounds in Pakistan, Harun met with senior al-Qaeda officials including Abu Faraj al-Libi, then al Qaedas external operations chief, and expressed his desire to engage in acts of terror against US interests outside of Afghanistan, specifically attacks similar to 1998 al-Qaeda bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

He also swore formal allegiance to al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden through bin Laden's military commander Abdul Hadi.

In summer of 2003, Harun traveled from Pakistan to Nigeria, where he planned to bomb the US Embassy.

In early 2005, Harun was arrested by Libyan authorities and held in custody until his release in June 2011.

Subsequently, Harun was arrested on June 24, 2011 by Italian authorities and was later extradited to the US to face charges pending in the Eastern District of New York.
Washington DC: United States President Donald Trump took to Twitter to express his rant against the media, stating that despite its 'fake news' reports, his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel was 'GREAT'.

"Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes......vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!" Trump tweeted.

It's a well known fact that Trump has never shied away from a handshake when it comes to greeting international leaders and the "death-grip" memes galore are proof to that, however, German Chancellor Merkel had a sticky moment with the U.S. President as besides not shaking her hand, he barely even made eye contact with her during the customary photo-op.

In a photo op after their Oval Office meeting, the two leaders sat next to each other in separate chairs. Merkel could be seen leaning towards Trump, who sat with his hands firmly locked between his knees, a very 'un-Trump' like gesture.

Merkel then appeared to ask the President if he wanted to shake hands, which is customary in photo ops, but Trump simply did not respond. He barely even looked at his German counterpart while quickly answering a few questions from the press.

By contrast, the President did shake hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when they recently visited him in the Oval Office, which incidentally did provide great fodder to memesters.
The shrinking of the ICBM force runs counter, at least rhetorically, to Trump's belief that the US has fallen behind Russia in nuclear muscle. (Photo: File)

Washington: The Air Force is quietly shrinking its deployed force of land-based nuclear missiles as part of a holdover Obama administration plan to comply with an arms control treaty with Russia. The reductions are nearing completion despite President Donald Trump's argument that the treaty gives Moscow an unfair advantage in nuclear firepower.

The reduction to 400 missiles from 450 is the first for the intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, force in a decade - when the arsenal came down from 500 such weapons. The Air Force says the latest cut in Minuteman 3 missiles will be completed in April, leaving the deployed ICBM arsenal at its smallest size since the early 1960s.

In 2014, President Barack Obama's administration announced the planned ICBM reduction to tailor the overall nuclear force, including bombers and nuclear-armed submarines, to the New START accord that the US and Russia sealed in 2010. Both nations must comply with the treaty's limits by February 2018.

The shrinking of the ICBM force runs counter, at least rhetorically, to Trump's belief that the US has fallen behind Russia in nuclear muscle. In December, he tweeted that the US must "greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes." He has criticised New START as a bad deal.

It's unclear how Trump intends to conduct a nuclear expansion, which critics call unnecessary and a potential drain on funds needed for non-nuclear forces. A long-term plan to replace and modernise the current nuclear force is already underway and will end up costing hundreds of billions of dollars.

As of March 14, the Air Force had 406 Minuteman missiles in launch-ready silos, Maj. Daniel Dubois, an Air Force spokesman, said Friday. In September the number was 417.

Dubois said the number will be down to 400 by April. Also as part of the treaty's compliance process, the Air Force in January finished converting 41 B-52H bombers to non-nuclear status.

Michaela Dodge, a defence policy analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank, says the US should get out of New START. "There should be a way to reverse those decreases," she said, referring to the 50 Minuteman missiles pulled out of their silos. "As long as Russia continues to increase the number of its nuclear warheads under New START, we should not be decreasing."

Russia's warheads have surpassed the treaty limit of 1,550, and the US is below the limit. But by next February, neither is expected to be above. Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, said Moscow would honor its New START commitment.

"It's important for the United States to stay on schedule," he said, arguing that such efforts "will help ensure that Russia does the same." Based on military calculations, Obama declared in 2013 that the US could safely reduce its nuclear force by one-third from New START levels. But negotiations to do so never took place.

They seem even unlikelier after Russia's military actions in Ukraine and Kremlin rhetoric that US officials have considered reckless and dangerous. However, Trump's suggestions of interest in a grand bargain with Russia, including nuclear reductions, could provide an avenue for fresh talks.

After taking office, Trump ordered a review of nuclear forces, a Pentagon-led process likely to take a year or more. Among the key questions: whether to continue Obama's weapons modernisation plan and a possible withdrawal from New START. One element of the modernisation plan calls for a new-generation ICBM force that could cost more than USD 100 billion.

Sticking with New START would not necessarily constrain the US for long. It expires in February 2021 unless both sides agree on an extension. Besides the overall warhead limit, the treaty allows each side a maximum of 700 deployed launchers, including missile silos.

Russia and the United States can decide for themselves how their totals are apportioned among the three weapons categories: ICBMs, submarines and bombers.

The 50 underground silos from which the Minuteman missiles are being removed will be kept "warm," meaning capable of returning to active use. The missiles are being put in storage. Those decisions came after members of Congress from the ICBM base states - North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana - pushed for no elimination of silos.

The 400 remaining deployed ICBMs would be the fewest since 1962, according to a history of the force written by Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists.
10 other insurgents were killed in separate airstrike in neighbouring Paktia province, said Zelmai Wesaa, provincial governor for Paktia. (Photo: Representational/AP)

Kabul: Afghan officials say that at least 12 insurgents including two of their commanders have been killed in separate drone attacks in eastern Afghanistan.

Mohammad Rahman Ayaz, spokesman for the provincial governor in eastern Paktia province, said on Sunday that the two insurgent commanders were targeted by a drone while they were travelling in a vehicle on Saturday in the Barmal district.

Meanwhile 10 other insurgents were killed in separate airstrike in neighbouring Paktia province, said Zelmai Wesaa, provincial governor for Paktia.

Wessa added the attack took place in the Dand-e Patan district near the Pakistani border.
Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe headed on Sunday for a four-day trip to Europe, hoping to discuss security issues and make progress on trade as regional tensions soar over accelerating North Korean threats.

Abe's trip, which will take him to Germany, France, Belgium and Italy, comes a few days after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Tokyo for talks on North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

The top US diplomat also travelled to Seoul and Beijing after Tokyo. Japan has been on edge over North Korean launches since a mid-range ballistic missile flew without warning over the northern part of the country and into the western Pacific in 1998.

The pace of the North's missile development has intensified and its projectiles have since last year been landing ever closer to Japan's coast, with three of the four missiles launched earlier this month falling in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) off Akita prefecture.

"I want to exchange opinions openly with G7 leaders," Abe told reporters at a Tokyo airport before his departure. "We hope to closely cooperate with the EU on issues the international community is facing such as the problems on North Korea and free trade," he said.

Abe's itinerary includes a visit to technology show CeBIT in Hanover followed by a summit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and a meeting with French President Francois Hollande in Paris.

Abe will hold talks with European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker and freshly re-elected European Union President Donald Tusk in Brussels as the EU aims to close a free trade deal with Tokyo this year.

The Japanese premier will return to Tokyo on Wednesday after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, chair of this year's Group of Seven industrialised countries.
The Red Sea attack took place off rebel-held port of Hodeida, with women and children among the dead. (Representational Image: AP)

Mogadishu: Somalia has called on the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen to investigate an incident in which dozens of Somali refugees were shot dead on board a boat.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack that killed more than 40 Somali refugees in waters off the coast of war-torn Yemen early on Friday.

The bloodshed was quickly condemned by UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Somalia's Foreign Minister Abdusalam Omer urged the Saudi-led coalition fighting Huthi rebels in Yemen to investigate.

Somalia is a member of the US-backed coalition fighting against Shiite Huthi rebels aligned with Iran. "We call on our partners in the Saudi-led coalition to investigate the raid," the minister said in a statement released late Saturday.

"It is very sad, targeting a boat carrying Somali migrants near the coast of Hodeida in Yemen." On Friday, a coalition spokesman denied responsibility for the attack.

The Red Sea attack took place off rebel-held port of Hodeida, with women and children among the dead.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which has operations in Yemen, said 42 bodies were found, and more than 30 wounded people were reportedly taken to hospital.

The IOM said it believed the boat was heading for Sudan when it was attacked. Despite a two-year war that has cost more than 7,000 lives and brought the country to the brink of famine, Yemen continues to attract people fleeing the horn of Africa.

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, says Yemen is hosting more than 255,000 Somali refugees.
Erdogan and members of the government have dominated the airwaves, holding twice-daily campaign speeches that are televised live in their entirety on all channels. (Photo: AP)

Ankara: Opposition figures in Turkey say they have faced threats, violence, arbitrary detentions, a lack of TV airtime and even sabotage in the campaign for a referendum on expanding the president's powers.

The complaints come even as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself has slammed European countries for not letting his ministers campaign on their soil for the April 16 vote on giving his office more power.

Erdogan kept up the criticism in an Istanbul speech on Sunday, denouncing the Netherlands and then singling out German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "You are committing Nazi practices too," he said. "To whom? To my Turkish brothers and sisters in Germany."

Politicians campaigning against the constitutional changes proposed by the Turkish president also say the state of emergency in Turkey since a failed coup attempt in July prevents them from getting their message out ahead of the vote.

"Those who advocate for a 'no' vote are faced with a series of obstructions," said Utku Cakirozer, a former journalist who is now a lawmaker for the opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP.

While he, too, criticised moves by Germany and the Netherlands to stop Turkish ministers from campaigning to Turkish citizens abroad, Cakirozer said "our democracy bar has been lowered a great deal and needs to be raised rapidly."

At stake are changes that would usher in an executive presidential system, merging the powers of the prime minister and the president. Erdogan argues that a strong presidency will make Turkey better equipped to deal with economic and security challenges.

Critics say it would give Erdogan too much control and further erode the democratic separation of powers in the country.

With opinion polls suggesting the outcome of the tight race could be determined by yet-undecided voters, "no" campaigners say they face an uphill battle because Turkey's TV channels are either pro-government or refrain from broadcasts critical of the government for fear of reprisals.

Erdogan and members of the government have dominated the airwaves, holding twice-daily campaign speeches that are televised live in their entirety on all channels. Inauguration ceremonies and state-funded official trips also frequently turn into "yes" campaign events.

Meanwhile, the pro-government media largely ignore campaign rallies by the "no" camp. Even state-owned media, which is obliged to be neutral, cuts away early from speeches delivered by CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan's spokesman, disputed claims of an uneven playing field, saying the opposition was allowed to campaign freely. "Just because the president and the prime minister's rallies attract more numbers and it looks like only 'yes' campaigning, that's not true. It's a misperception," he told journalists last week.

The CHP says it has counted more than 100 incidents of obstructions to the "no" camp, ranging from physical assaults and death threats to detentions by police.

Sinan Ogan, a "no" campaigner who broke away from a nationalist party that backs Erdogan, was interrupted in mid-speech this month at a university in Istanbul by a man who ran on the stage and knocked down the podium, sparking scuffles in the hall.

"It's either our electricity cut (during rallies) or leaflets torn apart, or (the rally venue) is being restored at the last moment, or the podium is attacked, or there is an interruption attempt so that we cannot speak," he said. "And even if you do speak, no TV station will air it."

His political ally, Meral Aksener, was forced to hold a campaign event in the dark after the electricity at her venue in the city of Canakkale was cut off. Erdogan, who called the Dutch and German governments Nazis and fascists for barring Turkish ministers from campaigning in those countries, has said those who oppose the constitutional changes include terrorists and coup-plotters.

"That is why I believe my citizens, my brothers, will vote 'yes,'" he said. Turkey's state of emergency allows the government to rule by decree and to suppress demonstrations and gatherings. Some 41,000 people have been arrested and tens of thousands of others dismissed from public sector jobs for alleged links to the coup attempt or alleged ties to terror groups.

Those in jail include some 150 journalists and a dozen legislators from Turkey's pro-Kurdish party, which also opposes the constitutional changes.

A decree issued under the emergency powers has eliminated the High Electoral Board's ability to slap fines on TV stations that don't devote equal campaign time to opposing sides.

During a visit to Ankara last month, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for election observers to be allowed to monitor the vote. European institutions have also expressed concerns over the campaign process, including the restrictions on the freedom of expression and the right to assembly.

"If a constitutional referendum must absolutely be held during a state of emergency, restrictions on political freedoms have to be lifted," the Venice Commission, a legal advisory body of the Strasbourg, France-based Council of Europe, said in a recent report. "If the restrictions may not be repealed, the constitutional referendum should be postponed until after the state of emergency."

The Sozcu newspaper, one of the few remaining outlets critical of the government, said in a front-page article Wednesday that what the Netherlands did was "wrong," but questioned what was going on at home. "The country's system of governance is changing but those who say 'no' are given no space to breathe," it wrote.
Beijing: The United States is looking forward to the first meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday, on the final day of a swing through Asia dominated by concerns over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

In talks with Xi in Beijing, Tillerson said Trump places a "very high value" on communications with the Chinese president. Trump looks forward to "the opportunity of a visit in the future," Tillerson said, in an apparent reference to unconfirmed reports of plans for the two leaders to meet in Florida next month.

While few details of his talks have been released, Tillerson appeared to strike a cordial tone during his meetings in Beijing, in a contrast to Trump's tough talk on Chinese economic competition during his presidential campaign.

Xi told Tillerson that China considered his meetings on Saturday with Foreign Ministry Wang Yi and top diplomat Yang Jiechi to have been productive and constructive.

"Both (Trump) and I believe that we need to make joint efforts to advance China-U.S. cooperation and we believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era," Xi said.

Tillerson's Beijing visit followed his remarks in South Korea on Friday that pre-emptive military action against North Korea might be necessary if the threat from its weapons program reaches a level "that we believe requires action."

China, the North's biggest source of diplomatic support and economic assistance, hasn't responded directly to those comments, although Beijing has called repeatedly for all sides to take steps to reduce tensions.

China has agreed reluctantly to U.N. Security Council resolutions sanctioning North Korea, but is adamantly opposed to measures that might bring about a collapse of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's regime. Beijing fears Kim's fall would send waves of refugees into northeastern China and see South Korean and American forces taking up positions along its border.

Beijing's patience with Pyongyang appears to be growing thin, however. Last month, China potentially deprived Kim's regime of a crucial source of foreign currency by banning imports of North Korean coal for the rest of the year.
Xi Jinping met Rex Tillerson as the two sides haggle behind closed doors over a summit with Donald Trump, a frequent China critic. (Photo: AP)

Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pledged in talks on Sunday to work to strengthen a relationship strained by disputes over North Korea and trade.

Xi met Tillerson in Beijing just hours after nuclear-armed North Korea tested the US-China relationship anew by announcing a provocative rocket engine trial, and with delicate negotiations under way for a Xi summit with President Donald Trump.

Xi told Tillerson that he and Trump had resolved in a phone call last month "to make joint efforts to advance China-US cooperation, and we believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era."

"I'm confident that as long as we can do this the relationship can surely move in the right direction," Xi said.

En route to Beijing, Tillerson visited US allies Japan and South Korea where he declared Washington would drop the "failed" approach of "strategic patience" with Pyongyang -- adding that US military action against the North was possible.

That marked a sharp break with China, which favours careful diplomacy over heated rhetoric.

Relations have also been strained by China's fierce opposition to a US missile defence system being rolled out in South Korea and Trump's Twitter accusation on Friday that China was not doing enough to control Pyongyang, its neighbour and historic ally.

Trump has also repeatedly accused China of unfair trade practices. But Tillerson has made nice while in Beijing.

"We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a ... strengthening of the ties between China and the United States and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation," he told Xi.

Earlier Sunday North Korean state media said the isolated regime had tested a powerful engine hailed by leader Kim Jong-Un as a "new birth" for its rocket industry, which experts view as cover for developing intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The announcement's timing appeared intended to sour Tillerson's China visit. On Saturday Tillerson said after talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that tensions on the Korean peninsula had reached a "dangerous level".

Tillerson and Wang pledged to work together to denuclearise Kim's rogue regime, but offered no clear way forward.

Wang, however, chided Tillerson over his recent tough talk, saying "we hope all parties, including our friends from the United States, can size up the situation in a cool-headed" fashion.

It was not clear whether Xi and Tillerson discussed North Korea. The North's state news agency KCNA said Kim oversaw the rocket engine test and "emphasised that the whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries" -- a possible veiled warning to Pyongyang's adversaries.

Ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun splashed photos across its front page showing a beaming, baton-wielding Kim looking on as flames roared out of the engine.

State TV also showed Kim meeting soldiers and scientists at the site and hugging and giving a piggy-back to an aged soldier who appeared to be bursting into tears in joy.

KCNA said the new engine could be used to launch satellites, but rockets are easily repurposed to carry warheads. North Korea is banned by the international community from pursuing nuclear and missile programmes but has defiantly ploughed ahead.

It staged its two latest nuclear tests last year and recently fired off missiles which it described as practice for an attack on US bases in Japan. Kim said the successful engine test signified "a new birth" of North Korea's rocket industry. Xi met Tillerson as the two sides haggle behind closed doors over a summit with Trump, a frequent China critic.

A successful meeting could be crucial in setting the tone for the relationship between the world's two largest economies in coming years. Officials who spoke on condition of anonymity have said that Trump has tentatively agreed to host Xi at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in early April.

But they said the plan was running up against differences over North Korea, what "deliverables" can emerge, and anger over leaks about the planning.

It remained unclear whether Tillerson's apparently cordial Beijing visit would now pave the way. Tillerson mentioned "the opportunity for a visit in the future" but otherwise gave no further details. He left China without speaking to media. Coverage of the low-profile trip has been complicated by the decision to travel without the usual press pack -- a break with a half-century of tradition.

Instead, Tillerson angered US and foreign correspondents accredited to cover the State Department by travelling with just one journalist -- from a little-known conservative publication called the Independent Journal Review.
Dinner conversations have turned sombre, weekend errands curtailed and late-night outings for teenagers heavily restricted, especially in suburban towns of the American heartland. Fear has become a factor of Indian life which until recently was a scrum of ambition, success, consumption and pride. Above all, it was hard work and a relentless eye on the prize  the American Dream. Indian Americans had it down to an art, as did their kids. They were winning spelling bees and science talent competitions, creating a whole new positive stereotype.



But Srinivas Kuchibhotlas cold-blooded murder in Olathe, Kansas, an attack on Deep Rai who was left injured in his own driveway in the town of Kent in Washington state and last weeks arson attack on a store owned by Indian Americans in Florida have made the community nervous. Everyone is asking, why us?



Kuchibhotlas attacker was specific when he began the altercation at the bar where the Indian engineer and his friend Alok Madasani were having a drink. The gunman asked them what visa they were on and then told them to get out of my country. The most chilling was a video posted on an anti-H1B website of Indian families enjoying a day in the park in Ohio with a running commentary on how Indians had taken over entire neighbourhoods and ravished the Midwest.



Then there are countless examples of verbal abuse at airports, micro and macro aggressions on buses and metros and bullying at school. The onslaught began during last years presidential election campaign as Donald Trump deftly wove his anti-immigrant message into his larger narrative about the malaise of white Middle America. He dipped into a pool of anger, found his assault weapons, mounted them at the heart of the idea of we-are-one-big-happy-family-of-immigrants and rode to victory. He was adding the jobless and the growing anti-Muslim brigades to Americas permanent resident racists. The lid was off.



I have no doubt that the highly divisive Trump campaign and his election as president have empowered and enabled the nativist elements, says Frank Islam, a prominent Indian American entrepreneur and philanthropist. While Trump didnt create the hate groups, he did mainstream the fringe elements and amplified their voices, he added. Initially, the rhetoric was against the Mexicans and Muslims. Now it has expanded to include all immigrants and minorities, including Indian Americans. Trump has appointed members of the alt-right in top echelons of his administration, giving them a voice and a seat at the table, Islam said.



To be sure, the lid on hate was first lifted after 9/11 when Sikh Americans came under attack because they were mistaken for Muslims. Former president George W Bush took a strong stand, reminding everyone about religious tolerance and in time, the hate talk subsided.



Life for Indians returned to the pursuit of happiness but the undercurrents stayed. A white supremacist went on a rampage in 2012 at a gurudwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six and wounding four. The then president Barack Obama reacted immediately, reminding everyone how much our country had been enriched by Sikhs, who are a part of our broader American family.



It took Trump time to condemn Kuchibhotlas killing. While we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms, he said in his speech to the US Congress last month. This was after US civil rights groups demanded action, India made noises at every level and Indian Americans called their senators and Congressmen, asking for public statements.



Dr Chowdry Jampala, a Chicago-based psychiatrist and president of the Telugu Association of North America, said while Indian Americans were jolted by Kuchibhotlas murder, they do realise that this is not a systematic vendetta against them. A bigot got hold of a gun and it could have happened to anyone at anytime.



So far, the Sikhs had borne the brunt of anti-Muslim hate because of their beards and turbans, this is the first time..., Jampala didnt complete his thought but the implication was clear. Hindu Americans had lived with a false sense of safety, which is now somewhat shattered.



Indian American community groups are sharing common sense precautions  dont get into arguments, dont speak in your language in public, dont dress too Indian and be proactive in avoiding trouble. In other words, keep your head down and be sensible. The attack has shaken the community and thrown them out of their comfort zone, says Islam. We have entered a dark and dangerous chapter in America. Even Jewish Americans who have such a long history in this country are being targeted.



Nation of immigrants

American civil society is out and front fighting and demanding justice. The South Asian Americans Leading Together (Saalt), an advocacy group, gathered Indian American Congressmen and women on the steps of the US Capitol building last week to send a message. Congressman Ami Bera said, Attacking someone based on where they come from or what they look like insults the very core of everything that we stand for as a nation of immigrants. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, a fiery progressive, said: America is your country, you belong here and we will stand up to protect your rights.



Saalt executive director Suman Raghunathan fired straight at Trump. Waiting nearly a week before commenting on a deadly shooting in Kansas wont do it. Issuing a second toxic Muslim ban wont do it. She wants direct action from the Trump administration to forge inclusion, justice and hope in this quintessential nation of immigrants.



Saalt has documented more than 200 incidents of hate violence and xenophobic political rhetoric aimed at South Asian and West Asian Americans in the 2016 campaign, more than 95% motivated by anti-Muslim sentiment.



But it must be pointed out that Trump is not the cause but a product of various forces that have been at work for some time. The Democratic Party is not as innocent as it would like to believe. Its top leader Senator Charles Schumer played a role in stigmatising H1B visa workers and feeding anti-immigrant sentiment. He called Infosys a chop shop in 2010 while arguing for hiking H1B fees to pay for border security. A chop shop is where stolen cars are cannibalised and parts sold to repair other stolen vehicles.



But what the attacks have also done is to make Indian Americans realise they need to come out of their mansions and mix with the mainstream so people dont think you are a parasite, says Jampala. The flip side is the need to join hands with other minority communities to present a united front against hate and violence. As Islam said, We as immigrants and minorities are in it together.



(The writer is a senior journalist based in Washington)




In his inauguration speech as US president, Donald Trump made an America First pledge where he promised that people would Buy American-Hire American. True to his word, he has set the wheels in motion for this to happen immediately on his election. The H1B Reforms Bill is a significant step in this process. So what is this bill and what does it seek to reform?



Simply stated, the H1B visa is one of the most sought after visas that allow a holder with specialised skills or expertise in specialised fields to work in the US. Under this programme, every year, US companies hire up to 65,000 highly skilled foreign workers as well as 20,000 international students to study in the US. So high is the demand for this visa that in just a few days of opening the H1B process, US authorities are flooded with applications far in excess of the annual quota.



So what is the issue? The issue is that technology companies, particularly of Indian origin, take up a majority of the H1B visas and bring in employees from India to work in the US. Since some of the H1B holders are paid much lower than what a typical US national in that position is paid, it is seen as a tool to replace US workers with lower paid foreign workers. Understandably, it evokes resentment in the minds of US nationals.



The new bill seeks, among others, to more than double the compensation for H1B workers to $1,30,000, earmark 20% of these visas for small and startup companies and prohibit companies with over 50 employees having 50% or more of their employees on H1B or L1 visa from hiring on H1B visas. The doubling of the minimum wage applies to companies with over 15% of US employees on H1B visas. It therefore excludes companies like IBM which do not fall in the ambit of this Bill.



Large Indian IT companies such as TCS, Infosys and Wipro will feel the immediate impact of the H1B reforms. If you look at the market reaction to this bill, it is a telling story. Immediately after the introduction of the H1B bill in the US House Of Representatives, five top Indian IT companies lost over $5 billion of market capitalisation in a single trading session. Interestingly, none of these companies have come up with a quantification of what the potential impact will be despite being publicly held and listed on stock markets.



The impact on the wage bill of Indian IT companies is undeniable. With the H1B visa holders compensation going up to $1,30,000, there is clear and present danger of the wage bill going up. In the short-run, this will need to come from the companies profits. In the long-run, perhaps some work could shift offshore and companies could negotiate with their clients and bridge some of this gap.



If you look at it from an employee perspective, there is a clear impact on employee psyche. In the past, the US was the preferred destination for most Indian technology workers. However, this is set to change. With the H1B bill seeking to prohibit spouses of H1B visa holders from working in the US, the added attraction for many Indian IT workers also disappears. Following the recent sporadic instances of people of Indian origin being targeted in violent incidents, yet another dimension has emerged in this puzzle. The Indian IT workers are now beginning to get apprehensive. Superimpose the fact that the coveted green card itself may now become a distant dream, and the circle of disillusionment is complete.



Competitive environment

Many Indian IT workers in the US on H1B visas are now unsure how long they can continue there. Consequently, many of them are exploring other options, including returning to India. The current turn of events is not without its impact on the US economy. There is no denying that outsourcing has cost some Americans their job. It is also a fact that the families of Indians who are in the US on H1B visa have contributed to the local economy.



In todays globally competitive environment, many of the US Fortune 500 companies rely on Indian IT companies to fulfil their IT needs at a very competitive cost. This is intrinsic to the success of these companies. Indian IT companies in turn rely on the existing H1B visa regime to continue delivering their services at the current service levels.



As of now, it is unclear how many of the US Fortune 500 companies are prepared to add on costs that are inevitable in the new H1B scenario. After all, it could blunt their competitiveness as well. However, US technology companies like IBM which can continue to bring in people on H1B can overcome this to some extent. The fact is that US citizens have some strong sentiments attached to the H1B visa reform issue. Clearly, immigration policy is an internal matter for the US and that is something we must not forget.



(The writer is an independent consultant based in New Delhi)




Two Indian clerics, including the head priest of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who went missing in Pakistan, are safe and will be back in the city tomorrow, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today.



"I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow," she said in a tweet.



The two clerics - Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, had gone to Lahore on March 8 and were to return to India on March 20. The main purpose of the visit of 80-year-old Asif to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi.



Yesterday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics were traced and reached Karachi last evening.



Swaraj had taken up the issue with Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz yesterday and requested him to trace the missing clerics.



According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network" and that is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts.



Earlier, Pakistani sources had said the two clerics were in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence agency over their alleged links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).



They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources had said.
BJP's hardline Hindutva poster boy and five-time MP, Yogi Adityanath was today sworn in as the 21st chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, heading a 47-member council of ministers that includes two deputy CMs.



A surprise inclusion was cricketer-turned-politician Mohsin Raza, who was sworn in as a minister of state becoming the lone Muslim face in the state government. BJP had not fielded any Muslim candidate in the Assembly polls.



Soon after assuming office, 44-year-old Adityanath got cracking and directed all his ministers to give details of their income, movable and immovable assets within 15 days to send a strong message that corruption will not be tolerated.



Adityanath, who has been attacked for his inflammatory remarks against Muslims in the past, asserted that his government "will work for all sections of the society without any discrimination. We will ensure balanced development of UP".



In his first media interaction after taking over, he asked his ministerial colleagues to refrain from making unnecessary statements that could hurt someone's sentiments.



Interestingly, the chief minister, his two deputies -- BJP state unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya (47) and party's national vice president Dinesh Sharma (53) -- and Raza (49) are not members of either House of the UP legislature.



Besides the two deputy CMs, his council of ministers has 22 other cabinet ministers, nine ministers of state with independent charge and 13 ministers of state.



Adityanath is the fourth chief minister from the saffron party, ending its 15-year hiatus in the Hindi heartland state.



The oath of office and secrecy was administered by Governor Ram Naik at Kashiram Smriti Upvan at a grand 90-minute ceremony attended by a galaxy of BJP luminaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and L K Advani.



Expressing "immense confidence" that this new team will leave no stone unturned in making UP 'Uttam Pradesh', Modi tweeted, "There will be record development. Our sole mission & motive is development. When UP develops, India develops. We want to serve UP's youth & create opportunities for them..."



Outgoing chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and his father and Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav also attended the function.



However, BSP supremo Mayawati chose to boycott the event alleging that by making "RSS man" Adityanath the chief minister, the saffron party wanted to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls not on its development plank, but by "polarising voters".



"I got the invitation but boycotted the oath-taking ceremony as the BJP has betrayed the backward castes and Brahmins by making him (Adityanath) the chief minister following the RSS agenda," she said.



The swearing-in ceremony was the culmination of a seven-phased Assembly election spread over two months in the most populous state, which gave BJP a landslide victory in the 403-member Assembly. BJP and its allies have won 325 seats.



Adityanath, who lacks administrative experience, was unanimously elected yesterday as the BJP legislature party leader at a meeting of the newly elected MLAs, a move that took many by surprise.



Before Adityanath, Kalyan Singh, Ram Prakash Gupta and Rajnath Singh of BJP had served as UP chief minister. Kalyan Singh, now Rajasthan governor, held the high office twice.



The chief minister has sought to strike a regional and caste balance in his 47-member council of ministers.



The BJP, which had fought the election jointly with its allies Apna Dal (Sonelal) and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), honoured the alliance giving one ministerial berth each to these caste-based outfits.



Om Prakash Rajbhar (SBSP) got a cabinet berth, while Jai Kumar Singh (AD-S) was made a minister of state.



In the Assembly polls, BJP won 312 of the 403 seats, while AD(S) got nine seats and SBSP won four.



There are at least 17 ministers from eastern UP, where BJP has made inroads this time, 12 are from western part of the state and 11 from the central region. There are three Dalit ministers while 26 hail from the upper castes. The rest belong to OBCs, like Kurmi and Rajbhar.



Senior UP BJP leaders are of the view that the party, which has had loyal support from the upper castes, needs to focus on the new vote bank also in the state in the run up to 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The club of bachelor chief ministers in the country has just expanded. Priest-turned politician Yogi Adityanath, 44, who was today sworn in as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, now joins Trivendra Singh Rawat, 56, (Uttarakhand), M L Khattar, 62 ,(Haryana), Sarbananda Sonowal, 54, (Assam) and 70-year-old BJD chief Naveen Patnaik (Odisha) in the league of singletons running state governments.



Adityanath, the controversial mascot of hardline Hindutva, is also the first male bachelor chief minister of the country's most populous state.



And by coincidence barring Patnaik and 62-year-old TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal,) all the chief ministers, who are unencumbered by a family, are from the BJP.

Rawat was sworn in yesterday and like Khattar is a former RSS pracharak.



Refusing to accept defeat after numerous failures in her quest to dethrone Left front rule in West Bengal, Mamata, a spinster, rose like a phoenix and finally succeeded in unseating the Left Front government in 2011.



She is currently serving her second term.The firebrand TMC leader often claimed in her public meetings that she has dedicated her entire life to the people of West Bengal and has no time for thinking about herself.



Among the current crop of top politicians, Rahul Gandhi, 46, the scion of the Congress party, BSP chief Mayawati, 61, and senior BJP leader Uma Bharti, 57, are unmarried.

Singlehood can even become an article of pride for politicians.



"I'm of low caste, I'm unmarried, and I'm yours," Mayawati has often proclaimed in her election rallies.



Naveen Patnaik, who is ruling Odisha since 2000, is also known for telling his electorate that unlike the Congress family, there is no danger of his government indulging in family rule as he himself is unmarried and has no family.



Rahul Gandhi when asked about his singlehood ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha polls had replied, "Right now I am engaged in fighting the elections. Unfortunately, I have not been focused on private life".



"Is it two years from now, one year from now?" he was asked. "When I find the right girl," Gandhi responded. "That means you have not found the right girl? the reporter asked. "When I find the right girl," Gandhi said again, "I will get married."



Among the other chief ministers, Nitish Kumar in Bihar and Manohar Parrikar in Goa, are widowers.Like many RSS activists, Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the ideological fountainhead of the BJP, decided against tying the knot.



Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a BJP stalwart, never married. He used to underline his bachelor status in public meetings saying that since he has no family, there is no question of nepotism or family rule. He became the Prime Minister of the country thrice.



Undoubtedly the most notable among all unmarried public figures was Dr A P J Abdul Kalam  a scientist who served as the country's 11th President. He died at the age of 83 in 2015.



Best known as the 'Missile Man of India', Dr Kalam's affection for space science overstepped the desire of walking on the marital landscape.



Another top political figure J Jayalalithaa, the late chief minister of Tamil Nadu, was a spinster. She died in December last year at the age of 68.


A Superintendent of Police and a DSP were among nine policemen injured today when Jat protesters clashed with them on being prevented from marching toward Delhi.



The protesters also set fire to two police buses during the clash that took place in Dhani Gopal village on Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi national highway.



The situation turned tense when Jat protesters from villages of Chamarkhera and Kheri of Hisar district tried to enter Fatehabad district to join dharna at Dhani Gopal.



Tractor trolleys carrying Jat protesters tried to breach police barricades. DSP Gurdial Singh, who was deputed at the barrier, requested them to go on foot and join the dharna peacefully but the protesters did not relent, police said.



Later, some miscreants pelted the police party with stones. Retaliating, policemen resorted to lathicharge.



Nine policemen were injured in the clash and the protesters torched two police buses.

SP O P Narwal suffered injury on his hand. DSP Gurdial Singh, Inspector Kuldeep, ASIs Sadhu Ram, Sohan Lal, Major Singh, Daya Ram and Krishan were also hurt, police said.

The DSP and the Inspector have been hospitalised, SP Narwal said.



More police force was called in to control the situation.Narwal told reporters that "the situation is under control. At the barrier, we did not allow tractor trolleys from Hisar to enter our district. Instead of accepting our request, they started hurling stones at police and the situation turned tense. Some protesters even wielded lathis."



The protesters also scuffled with media persons. They allegedly deleted videos and photos of the incident from their cameras and damaged their equipment.



The news persons later filed a complaint with police, demanding action against Jat agitators.


Donald Trump's spokesman has denied that the US president refused to shake hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they say side-by-side in the White House last week.



"I don't think he heard the question" posed by Merkel when she suggested they shake hands, in full view of press cameras, spokesman Sean Spicer told German weekly Der Spiegel published today.



The quote was translated into English from Der Spiegel's online German website.



The veteran German chancellor had arrived for her first meeting with Trump at a snowy White House hoping to reverse a chill in relations after Trump's incendiary election rhetoric, in which he called Merkel's acceptance of refugees a "catastrophic mistake" and suggested she was "ruining Germany."



The visit on Friday began cordially, with the pair shaking hands at the entrance of the White House. But later, sitting side-by-side in the Oval Office, Merkel's suggestion of another handshake went unheard or ignored by Trump -- an awkward moment in what are usually highly scripted occasions.



German media pointed to the incident as another marker of the meeting's general icy mood between the cautious German chancellor and impulsive US president.



In a frequently awkward joint press conference in the East Room, Trump and Merkel showed little common ground as they addressed a host of thorny issues including NATO, defense spending and free trade deals.



For most of the 30 minutes, Merkel was stony-faced as Trump ripped into Washington's NATO allies for not paying for their "fair share" for transatlantic defense and demanded "fair and reciprocal trade" deals.



Today, Germany's biggest-selling daily Bild said that throughout the White House meeting, not once did Trump look her in the eye.
The Manipur economic blockade imposed by the United Naga Council nearly five month ago would be lifted from midnight today, said an official statement after the talks among the Centre, the state government and the Naga groups.



The joint statement issued after the tripartite talks, held at the Senapati district headquarters, said there would be unconditional release of the arrested UNC leaders and all cases related to the economic blockade against the Naga tribe leaders and the student leaders will be closed.



The blockade was imposed by the UNC on November 1 to protest against the creation of seven new districts by erstwhile O Ibobi Singh-led Congress government in the state.



The statement was signed by Joint Secretary Satyendra Garg of the Union Home Ministry, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) J Suresh Babu and Commissioner (Works) Radhakumar Singh of the Manipur government and UNC general secretary S Milan and All Naga Students Association president Seth Shatsang.



The tripartite talks were held first on February 7 in Imphal for ending the blockade on two national highways NH 2 and NH 37, but they had failed to make any headway as the UNC refused to allow the seven new districts to be carved out.



The stake holders had earlier met in Delhi on February 4 and the Centre had expressed hope that the blockade would end soon.



The joint statement said the next round of tripartite talks would be held within a month at political level.
China and the US should handle "sensitive issues" in their bilateral ties properly, Chinese President Xi Jinping today told visiting Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as he called cooperation the "only correct choice" for providing a "new start" to their relations.



Xi's assertion came amidst a number of contentious issues in Sino-US relations, including the South China Sea, the status of Taiwan, trade as well as the North Korean missile and nuclear threats.



"We should properly handle and manage sensitive issues to promote the healthy and stable development of sino-US relationship from a new start," Xi told Tillerson here.



Cooperation is the "only correct" choice for both the countries, Xi said apparently referring to anti-China rhetoric by US President Donald Trump.



Trump had branded China a currency manipulator stealing American jobs and also threatened to impose 45 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods.



In his meeting with Tillerson today, Xi said the two sides should grasp the general direction for the development of China-US relations in an attitude responsible for history and future generations.



He suggested that the two countries increase strategic trust and mutual understanding, review bilateral ties from long-term and strategic perspectives and expand fields of cooperation for win-win outcomes, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.



The two countries should also enhance coordination on regional hotspot issues, respect each other's core interests and major concerns and encourage friendly exchanges, Xi said as he invited Trump to China.



Responding to Xi's invitation, Tillerson said Trump placed a "very high value on the communications that have already occurred" between the two presidents.



"He looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future," Tillerson said.



"We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthening of the ties between China and the US, and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation," he said.



Ahead of Tillerson's visit to China, Trump also put out a tweet to criticise Beijing's role in dealing with North Korea.



"North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help," Trump tweeted.



However, Tillerson yesterday held lengthy round of "frank and candid" talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.



After talks, Tillerson said the US would work with China to deal with threats posed by North Korea, which is also a close ally of Beijing.



Tillerson visited South Korea on Friday and cautioned North Korea that all options are on the table to deal with Pyongyang's provocative nuclear and missile programmes.



Last month, Trump agreed to "honour" the decades-old 'One China' policy on Taiwan during his first telephonic call with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, in a U-turn from his hardline stance on the sensitive issue which had angered Beijing. China claims Taiwan as a rebel province that must be reunified with the mailandland even by force.



Trump has accused China of unfair trade practices and currency manipulation, harming the US economy. He has also criticised Chinas military buildup in the South China Sea and accused it of doing too little to pressure North Korea over its nuclear and missile programmes.



Trump is expected to host Xi in Florida next month. Officials on both sides said North Korea dominated the discussions as two countries believe the situation reached dangerous levels.



China has proposed double suspension formula under which US and South Korea should stop aggressive military exercises and North Korea should stop nuclear weapons programme, which drew lukewarm response from Washington.



The US has been trying to pile pressure on China to act against North Korea and China is livid with Washington's move to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missiles in South Korea to counter the missile threat from the North Korea.



Tillerson also discussed the disputed South China Sea issue with Wang yesterday.

China in the past has vehemently opposed US naval ships and bombers passing through the disputed South China Sea, saying the US is militarising the region by deliberately sending military vessels.


The Uttar Pradesh government will work for balanced development of all sections "without discrimination", Chief Minister Adityanath today said and listed law and order, security of women among his top priorities.



In his first interaction with mediapersons after taking over, Adityanath said that his government will follow the 'sabka saath sabka vikas' (With all, development for all) agenda in serving the state.



"Our government will work for all sections of the society without any discrimination. We will ensure balanced development of UP," Adityanath said.



He accused past governments of being responsible for the sorry state of affairs in Uttar Pradesh.



"In the past 15 years, UP lagged in the race for development as previous governments indulged in corruption, nepotism and failed on the law and order front due to which people were affected," he said.



Effective measures will be taken by our government for welfare of common man, he added.



"The administration will be made sensible and answerable and emphasis will be on law and order," Adityanath said.



Women's empowerment, their security and honour will also be on top of the BJP government agenda, the chief minister added.



He stressed that work would be done to make development agriculture-based as it is main source of income for people.



"We will focus on skill development of youth so that they can get job opportunities. Government appointments will be made corruption free and transparent. Investment will be promoted for industrial and economic development," Adityanath said.



"I want to assure people that BJP got votes for development and security and we will show positive results soon," he said.



The choice of the fiery hindutva mascot as chief minister had led to some apprehensions but Adityanath has emphasised that he would follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' slogan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today launched a scathing personal attack against German Chancellor Angela Merkel, accusing her of using "Nazi measures" in an intensifying dispute between Ankara and Berlin.



Tensions flared after German authorities refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign for a 'yes' vote in the April 16 referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers, and he responded by saying Berlin was behaving like Nazi Germany.



"When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said in a televised speech. "But you are right now employing Nazi measures," Erdogan told Merkel using the informal 'you' in Turkish.



"Against who? My Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers" who went to the country to hold campaign rallies for a 'yes' vote in next month's referendum.



Authorities in Germany have blocked some Turkish ministers from holding rallies, infuriating Ankara.



Erdogan said the crisis in relations with Europe over the last days "showed that a new page had been opened in the ongoing fight against our country."



Accusing Europe of backing outlawed terror groups, he warned: "The masked ball is over!" without specifying further.



Turkey had earlier expressed fury that German authorities had yesterday allowed a pro-Kurdish demonstration in Frankfurt to go ahead where many participants carried insignia of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).



Germany meanwhile is livid over the jailing ahead of a trial on terror charges of dual Turkish-German national Deniz Yucel, the Turkey correspondent of the German newspaper Die Welt.



Erdogan described Yucel, whose arrest has caused global concern, as a "terror agent" and "supposed journalist" and accused Germany of hosting him for one month at its Istanbul consulate before he went to police for questioning.
Aleppo needs peace, time, money and freedom from external interference to recover from six years of war. Once Syria's most populous city, commercial hub and industrial engine, Aleppo has, since July 2012, suffered conflict, division and devastation. Thousands of its citizens have died, hundreds of thousands have fled and countless families have lost homes and livelihoods.



Aleppo needs peace to prosper. Although liberated from anti-government militias, it remains threatened by militiamen gathered in the adjacent province of Idlib. Qatar, and to a lesser extent Saudi Arabia, continue to fund and arm jihadis affiliated with al-Qaeda and Islamic State.



Turkey has given citizenship to and armed Syrians from the strategic northern border area with the aim of creating a Turkish zone of influence stretching deep into the countryside outside Aleppo. US-allied Syrian Kurds are battling Turkey for a wide band of territory along the border where they have proclaimed autonomy.



Aleppo requires peace to regain normal functionality. From July 2012 until the army re-united the city in December 2016, the city was divided between the government-held, more prosperous west, with 1.5 million people, and the insurgent-controlled poor east, where 2,50,000 were said by the UN to dwell. Two-thirds of that number had left before the insurgents capitulated.



Thousands are returning, cars and buses circulate on both sides, people are repairing and reconstructing homes, shops, and factories. But there is no electricity or water without which households, businesses and manufacturing plants cannot function. There is also a shortage of men. Many have been killed or fled the city or country. Anti-government fighters have moved to Jihadi-controlled Idlib province.



Battered eastern Aleppo requires time, money, and good will to rebuild. A Syrian architect told DH that at least $10 billion would be needed to repair damaged and looted buildings and flats and fix infrastructure. Resentful central, provincial and municipal authorities have to agree to invest in eastern Aleppo where residents welcomed armed rebels in 2012.



Before the war, factories and workshops were located there. During the conflict, entire plants were dismantled and smuggled to Turkey by armed elements in collusion with Turkish businessmen. Furthermore, merchants from western Aleppo traded with Turks although Ankara provided passage, guns, and money for fighters seeking to oust Syria's rulers.



Many residents of western Aleppo, which has been spared the damage wrought in the east, have lost shops and workshops in the front line Old Bazaar, 60% of which was destroyed during the war. While the government has provided hundreds with temporary stalls along busy streets in the city, many merchants from the Old City remain without premises to make or sell goods and are forced to seek alternative employment or aid from charitable societies.



Before the war, millions of tourists visited Syria annually. Many travelled to the ruins of the ancient city of Palmyra, the crusader castle called Krak des Chevaliers and Aleppo. This is no longer possible. Tourists cannot get visas or permission from the military to go to around the country. Aleppo's tourism sector has been wrecked.



Aleppo is a six-hour journey from Damascus, which is reached by car or bus from Beirut in neighbouring Lebanon. Syrianair has one functioning passenger plane and airlines of other countries no longer fly to Damascus, Aleppo or the coastal cities.



Aleppo's damaged eighth century Omayyad mosque, the 5,000 year-old citadel, now a military post, and the devastated souq were the main attractions. Visitors stayed in boutique hotels located in 18th and 19th century Ottoman mansions in the burnt and blasted Old City.



The only foreign visitors these days are diplomats, UN employees and journalists. Aleppo's high rise, five star hotel remains open due to the rental of entire floors by UN missions like the World Health Organisation.



Prospects dim

Taking all these factors into consideration, Aleppo's prospects appear dim although its remaining inhabitants are steadfast, hard-working and inventive. Eager to return, professionals and commercial folk who have settled elsewhere in Syria and abroad await peace, stability and investment.



Aleppo could recover if the global and regional powers who have waged proxy wars on Syrian soil reach a comprehensive agreement to cease and desist. Since the Syrian government does not have the funds to repair and rebuild war damage, the international community will have to provide an estimated $180-200 billion for reconstruction.



Power plants, water facilities, schools, hospitals, and administrative offices have to be reconstructed. While donors are eagerly attend pledging conferences, they routinely fail to honour pledges. For the whole of Syria and the sake of West Asia, they must deliver.



Funding is a political issue: wealthy Western and Arab countries which backed insurgents seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad have threatened to boycott a Marshall Plan for Syria as long as he is in charge even though his removal is likely to create a political vacuum rival jihadi war lords will exploit, launching fresh civil conflicts.


The stretch of road in front of the Regional Passport Office and the National Games Village in Koramangala is in a bad shape.



Just a light rainfall turns this pothole-filled road into a bunker of water, inconveniencing pedestrians, motorcyclists and schoolchildren. Will the authorities take note and get the potholes filled?

Rohit Joseph



Dirty toilets in Chinnaswamy Stadium

The toilets in the stadium are in a poor condition. During a recent visit, I found that the washbasins are dirty and the taps dry. Areas in and around the stadium need maintenance in terms of hygiene and cleaning. An ordinary ticket costs Rs 500 per day. Its high time the KSCA took care of spectators by providing them basic facilities like food and water at subsidised rates, clean toilets, and escalators or lifts for the disabled and senior citizens.

G S Meenakshi

110/Y, 4th Main, 4th Phase, 7th Block, BSK 3rd Stage



Park becomes dumping ground

The park at 6th Cross in Victoria Layout (Shanthalanagar ward) has been in a deplorable condition for long. It is being used as a garbage dumping ground where dogs and rats feed. Its been almost a year since we wrote to the local corporator, M B Dwarkanath, and BBMP authorities but nothing has been done yet. Will the authorities concerned spend some park development funds on this recreation ground, especially for the benefit of senior citizens of the locality.

T Balasubramanian and M Nanaiya

7th Cross Victoria Layout



Illegal felling of sandalwood trees

Around two months ago, a full-grown sandalwood tree near site numbers 21 and 23 in Classic Orchards Layout was cut down and carted off. Two days ago, another full-grown sandalwood tree was cut down in the same locality.



Since the locality is well-guarded round the clock, its suspected that some guards have colluded with unscrupulous local residents to steal the trees. The authorities must take action.

Affected residents Classic Orchards Layout,

Bannerghatta Road



Expedite work on rail platform

A year ago, the South Western Railway (SWR) awarded the contract for construction of a platform at Krishnadevaraya Halt Station, Hampinagar, Vijayanagar. Its been six months since the work came to a halt because of disagreements between the SWR and the contractor.



The situation has caused inconvenience to senior citizens and women passengers who have to board and get off trains within a short span of time with children and belongings.

Nanjundasawamy N



-----------------------------------------------------------

Letters of grievances are pouring in and we are doing our best to accommodate as many as possible. Readers may write in to highlight civic problems affecting their locality and we will help address them in an interactive and effective manner.



Grievances and issues related to public utility agencies such as Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (Bescom) would be highlighted in the weekly column.



The writeups, which could be accompanied by photographs highlighting the problems, will be published on Mondays.



Mail your grievances to: peoplesproblems @deccanherald.co.in
The shifting of the campus of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Science from Benglauru to Ramanagaram began on Sunday.



At a function in Ramanagaram organised to mark the beginning of the shifting process, Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the Ramanagaram district incharge minister, said the university would come up at Archakarahalli on 216 acres of land.



There are legal issues regarding 78 acres of land and construction will not be taken up there till the legal hurdles are cleared. The government will construct the campus and health city on the remaining 148 acres, he said.



Rs 800 crore deposits

Some people are misleading the public by claiming that the RGUHS lacks funds. The varsity has deposits of Rs 800 crore and tax will have to be paid for the deposit if the funds are not utilised. Moreover, Rs 580 crore will be spent for the construction of the campus, he said.



Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil said the government would release Rs 100 crore every year for the running of the university.
Residents of southeastern Bengaluru on Sunday organised Blood to Breathe, a silent campaign for closing down the waste-processing unit in Somasundarapalya run by the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).



At least 90 residents of HSR Layout, Kudlu Gate, Haralur, Haralukunte, Somasundarapalya and the surrounding localities took part in the blood donation camp held at Mount Litera Zee School, opposite the KCDC plant, to symbolise their pain of living close to the waste-processing unit.



Later on, the residents, including a large number of children, converged at the plant and held a sit-in, wearing black face masks to symbolise the air and dust pollution put out by the unit. Some of them scribbled messages such as Shut down the plant on the plants compound.



Garbage is being dumped here unscientifically. When the plant was started, the BBMP promised that only the garbage from the Bommanahalli zone would be processed here. But now, garbage from places like KR Market, Mahadevapura, JP Nagar and BTM Layout is being dumped here, said Kamesh Rastogi, a member of Kudlu Gate, Haralur, Haralukunte, Somasundarapalya and Parangipalya (KHHSP)  a federation of residents welfare associations.



Around 200 tonnes of mixed waste enters the plant per day, twice its maximum capacity, according to the residents.



Kavitha Reddy, an environment activist, said the KCDC unit had encroached upon a part of the Somasundarapalya lakebed and was dumping the waste there, literally killing the waterbody. We as citizens have been trying to reach out to the BBMP commissioner and higher officials but they are neither returning our phone calls nor responding to text messages, she claimed.



On March 13, the residents had staged a snap protest against the BBMPs last-minute decision to shut a meeting to redress their grievances. They have now vowed to continue the sit-in outside the KCDC unit until the BBMP shuts it down.



They sent back six garbage trucks that arrived at the plant on Sunday morning.

DH News Service
Cardiologists from Karnataka are set to launch a major programme to expand the coverage of angioplasty in far-flung areas. Doctors from Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology, Narayana Hrudalaya and many smaller hospitals would be associated with the scheme that is likely to be rolled out first in Kalaburagi by the middle of this year.



We will have to equip 10-15 taluk hospitals and train the doctors, which may take some time. We hope to start the programme around June-July, cardiologist and director of Jayadeva Hospital C M Manjunath told DH.



The programme would be based on a hub-and-spoke model that involves quick transfer of a patient in an ambulance to a small health centre before transferring him/her to a bigger hospital. Trained paramedics would perform an ECG inside the ambulance and transmit the image to specialists in hub hospitals where cardiologists would screen it and guide the van to nearby spoke centres for clot-busting medication before the patient is taken to the hub hospital for angiography and angioplasty, if needed. Subsequently, three more programmes would begin in areas surrounding Bengaluru, Mysuru and Mangaluru, each catering to a population of about 25 lakh.

The model was successfully tested in Tamil Nadu and received support from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). We are expanding our model in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Meghalaya. In Karnataka, 12 cath labs will be associated with the programme, including Jayadeva Hospital and Narayan Hrudalaya, said Director of Cardiology at the Madras Medical Mission Ajit Mullasari.



Currently, the average symptoms-to-door (hospital) time in the country is about 400 minutes whereas ideally, the patient should be hospitalised within half-an-hour and arterial procedure be done within two hours. Such programmes would help bridge the time gap, said ICMR official S Meenakshi. The Tamil Nadu ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Programme (TN-STEMI) is a unique heart attack management programme that demonstrated how it was possible to reduce mortality rate due to heart attacks significantly by involving a large number of hospitals and ambulances in the network.

The Tamil Nadu programme led to a nearly 10-fold increase (3.7% to 33.5%) in the proportion of patients transferred from smaller centres to bigger hospitals, higher rates of coronary angiography (from 35% to 60%) and higher rates of primary angioplasty (46% to 70%). More than 48% patients belonged from poor socio-economic background.



Each cluster needs about Rs 1.5 crore and at least 12 ambulances for the programme, said Thomas Alexander, a cardiologist at Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital in Coimbatore, which too is involved with the Tamil Nadu project.

DH News Service
The government is expected to give final approval to the merger of Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with the countrys largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) within three months. The Cabinet last month approved amalgamation of five associates of SBI with the parent but the merger of BMB was not considered due to some issues, sources said.



Now it a is matter of time. The final approval from the Cabinet should come within three months, a source said. The Union Cabinet has already given in-principle approval to the merger of BMB with SBI. With the final approval, the first round of consolidation of public sector banks would be over.



According to sources, the next round of consolidation in the PSU banks would begin after these six lenders are integrated with SBI. BMB, set up in 2013, has 103 branches with its presence in almost all the states. The total business of the bank is about Rs 1,600 crore with Rs 1,000 crore of deposits and Rs 600 crore of advances, majority of which is retail business, according to the banks website.



The integration process of all the five associates with SBI would start from April 1 as part of the largest consolidation exercise in the banking history of India. The assets of 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 be transfered to SBI from April 1, this year.




The Captain Amarinder Singh-led government on Saturday announced a ban on foreign travel of all ministers and MLAs on state governments expense for two years.



However, those travels mandated or provided under bilateral agreement or arrangement have been excluded from the ban.



The chief minister also announced to do away with the VIP culture in the state. Following the decision, red and other coloured beacon lights on all vehicles, except ambulance and fire brigade vehicles, the Chief Justice and the Judges of Punjab and Haryana High Court, would be abolished after a formal notification to this effect is issued. An official spokesperson said a new policy on use of such beacons on vehicles will soon be formulated and notified. Use of red beacons has been restricted by directives of the court as well.



Salary, allowances, reimbursements received by all MLAs would be updated every month on the official website and would be made available to the public. All MLAs and MPs would declare their immoveable properties on January 1 every year, and for the year 2017-18, the same would be done by July 1 this year.



In a bid to bring down liquor consumption in Punjab, the Cabinet announced to shut down as many as 484 liquor vends. The Cabinet also banned operation of all liquor vends within 500 metres from national and state highways. More than 100 important decisions aimed at fulfilling one-third of the electoral promises in the first phase were adopted in the meeting.
India and Russia have started the preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to St Petersburg early in June. Modi will attend an international economic forum, besides the annual summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin.



Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar visited Moscow for the India-Russia Foreign Office consultation this week. He met his counterparts Igor Morgulov and Sergey Ryabkov, both deputy foreign ministers.



They discussed a range of bilateral relations between India and Russia, including preparations for the 18th India-Russia annual summit, participation of the prime minister as the chief guest at the 21st St Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 1 and 2 and plans to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, said Gopal Baglay, external affairs ministry spokesperson.



Both sides (India and Russia) acknowledged the commonality of their positions on regional and global issues, reform of international institutions, cooperation against terrorism and narcotics and cooperation in regional groups like SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation), BRICS (a bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and RIC (a bloc organising Russia-India-China), the MEA stated in a press release on Saturday.



The foreign secretary also called on Yuri Ushakov, the foreign policy adviser to the Russian president, as well as Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Federation Council.

DH News Service


People of Rozada in Jaipur rural opted to shut down the only liquor shop in their village, thereby making it only the second panchayat in Rajasthan to become alcohol free.



A referendum on whether the liquor shop should be shut down or allowed to function saw 93% of the villagers voting in favour of its closure. Conducted under the sub-divisional magistrates supervision, the referendum looked more like a proper panchayat election with long queues before the voting station.



In the voting that went on from 8 am Sunday morning till 5 pm, 2,581 people cast their votes. While 2,270 - nearly 93% opted to shut down the liquor shop, 170 villagers voted against the closure and 141 votes were rejected. This is the best day of my life, 26-year-old Lalli Devi, whose husband Jaipal died of liver failure, told DH



Alcohol has ruined many families here, revealed Badam Devi, among those who voted for the liquor shops closure. Women are badly affected since they lose their husbands and sons to this habit. This is the worst disease from which many diseases spring.



The referendum is the culmination of a 363-day anti-liquor campaign conducted by the villagers, who are trying hard to close down the only existing alcohol vend with the help of the organisation Sharab Sangharsh Samiti.



Our team has sensitised the villagers and convinced the administration to shut down the shop here, the Samitis spokesperson Uttam Kumar Sharma told DH.



Tehsildar of Amber Tehsil (to which Rozada belongs) who acted as the returning officer for the referendum said the large turnout at the village could prompt other villages to close down liquor shops in their areas.



The referendum was held according to Rajasthan Excise Rules 1975 which authorises the panchayat to enforce prohibition or close down liquor shops if 51% of the villagers vote for it.



If 20% voters demand closure of a liquor shop in their area, the demand will be verified at the appropriate level and the proposal will be put to vote. If there are 51% votes in favour of the resolution, a provision will be made for the closure of the shop from the next financial year, the rules state.



In March 2016, Kachchbali Gram Panchayat in tribal-dominated Rajsamand district became the first village in Rajasthan to vote overwhelmingly to shut down its only liquor shop.



Rajasthan has seen a heated public debate on liquor prohibition over the past few years, especially after MLA Gurusharan Chhabra lost

his life while on a hunger strike demanding total prohibition.


Superintendents from four local school districts discussed modernizations of learning institutions, among other topics, at a forum at Pacific Trails Middle School in Carmel Valley on March 15.

The event, which was part of the North Coastal Council of PTAs bi-monthly meeting, invited Superintendents Holly McClurg of Del Mar Union School District, Timothy Baird of Encinitas Union School District, Eric Dill of San Dieguito Union High School District and Terry Decker of Solana Beach School District.

Modernization and upgrades of school facilities was a common denominator in the superintendents speeches.

At Del Mar Union School District, McClurg said the schools look pretty traditional and said the school plans to revamp its facilities so they dont look the same as they did decades ago.

We have to get out of that thinking of what we know schools to be, she said.

Decker said flexible learning environments  which can be easily converted with items like moveable furniture  can be part of the answer.

In November 2016, Solana Beach voters approved Measure JJ, which replaced or upgraded aging, outdated classrooms, science labs, libraries and school buildings.

Decker said the 60-year-old Skyline Elementary School will break ground on modernization in June.

The construction will take place over the next year, when students will be displaced and many of them will go to Earl Warren Middle School across the street.

Solana Highlands Elementary School and Solana Pacific Elementary School will also undergo modernization, Decker said. Improvements include a nutrition initiative and solar panels over parking areas.

Dill said flexible learning environments have proved beneficial in the high schools.

Weve created a bunch of boxes when we created our new classrooms, knowing that years from now there could be something completely different that we want to utilize those rooms for, he said. We dont want to be constrained by our furniture and the cabinetry.

He also formally announced there would be no lottery selection for the high schools, at least for the next year, partially due to various bell schedules to accommodate student and parent needs.

In Encinitas, Baird said the district is currently finishing out the $44 million bond extension approved in Proposition P, which voters approved in 2010 to upgrade Encinitas elementary schools.

The district would continue to develop and design its Farm Lab, which is essentially the districts version of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education, he said.

A teacher-collaboration program was also recently approved, Baird said.

Were in a bubble in our North Coastal area of the kinds of amazing work thats going on, he said. This idea of empowering our teachers to do more and expand what theyre doing is really something youll find in all of our districts.
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Changes to how compensation claims are calculated took some of the air out of Admiral's tires but the car insurer continues to be in good shape, The Times's Tempus argued.

Nonetheless, recent changes at the top of the company's management may mean a change of control is in the offing.

The new government ruling on compensation claims will cost the firm co-founded in 1991 by Henry Engelhardt roughly 150m.

Yet that's a one-off impact, while the company is continuing to grow strongly, expanding its presence overseas and is now the lead player in telematics, the tipster pointed out.

It is also investing in its home inusrance unit and moving into auto finance.

Englehardt recently stepped down, handing over to co-founder David Stevens, and Alastair Lyons, the chairman, is set to leave in April.

Given recent consolidation in the sector, such as Mitsui's takeover of Amlin, might these departures be the catalyst for a change in ownership?

"Stranger things have happened," Tempus said.

The Mail on Sunday's Midas column touted the strengths of the Fidelity Asian Values trust and its fund manager, Nitin Bajaj.

The investment trust combs among the almost 18,000 listed companies in Asia-Pacific - which are often little known by most big international inverstors - to find the most promising - targeting annual returns of over 10%.

The fund, run by Nitin Bajaj, a Singapore-based financial expert with a solid track record of success, invests in about 160 companies, ranging in size from 25m 20bn, though most lie on the smaller end.

Bajaj focuses on firms capable of delivering returns in excess of 50% over three years, whether via dividends, capital appreciation or both.

He also focuses on fast-growing companies which must be run by people he trusts - and be undervalued.

"The formula sounds simple and logical  and it works," Midas said.

Since April 2015, when Bajaj began running the fund, the trust's share price has doubled.

As a rule, the fund manager only focuses on businesses which are in sectors offering long-term growth.

One such case is Lion Brewery Ceylon, which brews and markets beer - including Carlsberg - in Sri Lanka. Carlsberg has a 80% market share in the country although consumption of the beer is still low as the nation recovers from its long civil war.

Bajaj is also known for having a contrarian streak. He was interested in India at the turn of the century, when few others were. More recently, he has been investing in South Korea, a country that is being rocked by political and corporate scandals.

"Fidelity Asian Values' manager, Nitin Bajaj, believes that he should treat every investment decision as if it involved his own money, a position made that much easier as he owns a significant number of shares in the fund," Midas said, telling readers the trust's shares were a long-term buy.
First of all, my experience of studying in China is quite different from the norm. I came to China when I was 9 years old as my mother was one of the first individuals to receive and accept the Chinese Government Scholarship after it was established with the Ministry of Education in my country. So while she was doing her masters degree, I was attending the nearby local primary school with a typical day a consisting of eating, playing, and sleeping. As I was a foreigner, and my enrollment there was considered experimental (they never had a foreign student before), the Chinese teachers didnt really bother with me once I didnt disturb the rest of the class.

It wasnt until I realized that we would be staying in Shanghai much longer than the 6 months or so my mother originally told me, that I figured it was time to start paying attention. I eventually picked up the language with ease and spent 6 years in Shanghai before returning home.

All of this was back in 2000 when life was simple, the air was clean, taxis were few and far between, there were barely any metro lines, and if you told someone you lived in China they would look at you as if you just popped out of an episode of The X Files.

Fast-forward to 2017 and things are very different. Since opening its doors, the process of coming to China has been constantly changing as their relationships with different nations develop. For example, some countries that may have needed a tourist visa in previous years may now have a visa-free agreement. On the other hand, if you plan to study short or long term in China, the process has always been quite clear and simple, and your university should have bilingual staff that are there to help you and provide the most up to date information. Dont be afraid to send them numerous emails or calls as this can save you a lot of stress in the end. When in doubt I would also suggest contacting your local Chinese Embassy or Consulate for the latest information and requirements.

Its not as scary as it seems. Here is you will find the tips on how to study in China.

1. What to prepare

When preparing to apply to university in China you need to prepare a bit of everything. It might sound daunting, but its not very hard to get. Unlike applying for university in the USA or UK, your foreign certificates in most cases do not need to be verified, notarized or apostilled in order to be accepted at your university. However, depending on the university, any documents that are not in Chinese or English do need to be translated into one of these languages. For most language programs, meaning short term, long-term, intensive, summer etc. usually only the following are needed:

Passport copy

Application form

Application fee

However for degree seeking programs such as bachelors, masters, PhD or credit earning exchange programs, the documents often needed are:

Passport copy

Application form

Application fee

High school certificate (or highest degree of education)

CV

HSK certificate (if the program is taught in Chinese)

Recommendation letter(s)

List of published articles/ sample of artwork

Statement of interest

Others (depending on the program and university)

Helpful tips:

1) Most Chinese taught degree seeking programs require HSK 4 or above. (Get help with HSK)

2) There may be entrance examinations

3) You may need to provide proof of your English language abilities if your program is taught in English and you are not from a China recognized English speaking country (US, CAN, UK, AUS, NZ, SA, IRE)

Visa & Resident permit

You will also need a recent medical exam, to supplement your residence permit application. This can either be done in your home country or upon entry to China before starting your program. In my personal experience at Donghua University in Shanghai, I entered China on a student visa and at orientation all new students were told to meet with their documents in a certain room on a certain day, officials from the Entry-Exit Bureau then came to the campus to check and approve all residence permit applications. There were also buses that transported us to the medical check center and back to campus, so we didnt have to worry about figuring it out ourselves.

Let me be clear on this, the student visa and residence permit are different things. The visa allows you to enter the country and lets immigration know that you are entering for the purpose of studying, the residence permit however always states a purpose and allows you to reside in China for that purpose. So if you are a student your purpose is to study, if youre working, its to work, and so on.

Program & Scholarships

The Internet is always a good place to start for resources if youre serious about your desire to study abroad, whether study in China or elsewhere. Look for blogs, Facebook pages, or your universitys website to request a brochure. However, do not be surprised if the English version of the site is not up to date, lacks information, or simply gives an Error 404 with every link, although unprofessional, it is quite common that the site is not maintained very well. The best bet is to find the contact information for the universitys international student department and contact them directly via phone or email. I would also recommend websites such as Study in China to find programs and scholarships.

If youre hoping to receive financial assistance you will be happy to learn that there are numerous scholarships out there, some are even targeted for specific countries such as the British Council China Scholarship for British passport holders, (and Irish passport holders for Northern Ireland domiciled). There are also various scholarships established by Chinese government, Chinese local governments, Confucius Institute, foreign governments, Chinese universities, and corporations, all dedicated to encouraging educational exchange. I would advise you to pay close attention to the application deadline, submission location, and what the scholarship entails (full/partial). For example, the Chinese Government Scholarship must be submitted in your home country to the entity responsible for applications, which is usually the Ministry of Education or a similar government agency, or the Chinese Embassy/Consulate in your country of citizenship/residency.

2. What to Expect

Studying in China is no different than studying anywhere else, you are expected to attended classes, perform well, complete assignments, obey the rules and regulations of your university, and follow the laws of P. R. China. Illegal scooters, overstaying visas, working illegally, and recreational use of drugs are offences punishable by law and can lead to cancelled visas and/or scholarships, deportation, or even detainment or arrest. One main difference I would say is that students are often treated like high school children. The university where I completed my bachelor`s degree enforced physical education for the first 2 years. This meant that we were forced to take a PE class every semester (I personally took yoga, dance, taekwondo and aerobics). We also were required to complete the morning run, which consisted of running around the campus with other Chinese students, swiping our student cards at both the start and finish line to record our attendance. If you missed too many runs then your overall PE grade would be affected. Absolutely ridiculous, right? Yes, I agree, thats why I never did it. However, my university said this was their way of ensuring students stayed mentally and physically fit and well rounded, as the majority of them were away from home for the first time in their lives, which I guess makes sense.

Another difference is that we attended classes as a class, rather than selecting courses you were interested in (that also fulfilled your requirements) and meeting other students. Students in my major all took the same classes together, so there was none of that Oh youre in my Introduction to Criminal Law 101 class right? experience, but at least you have about 20+ students you can easily contact to ask for notes instead of trying to make a friend in each course. Also, teachers took attendance; I did say it was like high school did I not? Imagine being in a lecture hall with 40+ students (my major was separated into two groups, class 1 and class 2 with a total of about 45) and you have to sit there waiting for everyones name to be called. Miss too many classes and the class monitor would have to report you to the academic advisor who would contact you for a stern talking to. Sometimes being an international student can help because they dont really bother once youre well behaved and passing the class, but I know of students that have been placed on probation or lost their scholarships because of low or nonexistent class attendance.

Something notable as well, at least at my university, was that the final exam was everything. There was no extra credit, mid term exam/project, group assignment etc. to help you pull up your struggling GPA. Only the final exam determined whether you passed or failed the course.

In addition, if youre applying to the same university as your sibling, friend, spouse or significant other, be sure to find out the campus your program is on because it wont be clearly stated in the name. It is possible that some universities can have campuses all over the city located in very remote university town type areas. If your university has an international student association, which it should, be sure to expect some interesting (and boring) on campus events. If your language skills are good you may even be asked to represent the university on TV or in Chinese competitions like I did. Yeah I got eliminated the first round, but at least I got an all expense paid trip to Beijing for about 2 weeks, met 90+ other students from all over the world that also studied in China, and got to represent my country on national TV.

3. Word of Advice

In the end, China is a lifetimes worth of interesting all in one place. You could end up studying Chinese in historical Beijing, getting your degree in the freezing mountains of Heilongjiang, then working in bustling Shanghai or exotic Hainan Islands. If you love it, you will find that it is easy to find your place. Graduating from a local university has now made it easier to obtain a work permit, and companies are searching for talented bilingual workers. If you dont like it, then at least you had the chance to experience it for yourself and have something to share with others back home.
The Donegal Democrat has been informed of the following deaths:

- Sarah McGlinchey (nee Clark), Tullyvinney, Raphoe

- Liam Duddy, Carrigans

- Sadie McLaughlin (John Joe), Moville

- Edith Little (nee Porter), Downings

- Garrett (Gary) Brennan, Artane, Dublin / Donegal

- Cathie Cunningham, Carrick

- Michael Doherty, Buncrana/Galway City

- Jamsie O'Connor, Dungloe

Sarah McGlinchey (nee Clark), Smileys Bray, Tullyvinney, Raphoe

The death has taken place of Sarah McGlinchey (nee Clark), Smileys Bray, Tullyvinney, Raphoe.

Removal from Brindley Manor Nursing home at 2pm this afternoon, Sunday, going to her late residence in Tullyvinney. Funeral from there on Tuesday morning at 10.30am, going to St Eunan's Church, Raphoe, for 11am Requiem Mass with burial afterwards in the Old Cemetery, Convoy.

Family flowers only please, donations in lieu if desired to Brindley Manor Patients comfort fund. Family time please from 10pm to 10am and on the morning of the funeral.

Liam Duddy, Lusticle, Carrigans

The death has taken place of Liam Duddy, Lusticle, Carrigans.

Reposing at the residence of his parents, Robbie and Monica. Funeral from there at 1.30pm on Monday for 2pm Requiem Mass at St. Baithins Church, St. Johnston, with burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.

Family flowers only please. Donations in lieu if desired to Donegal Hospice and Irish Cancer Society. Family time please from 11pm to 11am and the morning of the funeral.

Sadie McLaughlin (John Joe), St. Finians Park, Moville

The death has taken place of Sadie McLaughlin (John Joe), St. Finians Park, Moville.

Funeral from her home at 10.30am, Monday, March 20th, for 11am Requiem Mass in St. Pius X Church, Moville, followed by burial afterwards in Ballybrack Cemetery.

Edith Little (nee Porter), Downings

The death has taken place at Letterkenny University Hospital of Edith Little (nee Porter), Rosapenna, Downings.

Reposing at her late residence. Funeral from there at 11am on Monday, March 20th, going to Lakelands Crematorium, Cavan, for cremation at 3pm.

Family time from 10pm to 11am. Family flowers only. Donations in lieu if desired for Bone Marrow for Leukaemia Trust.

Michael Doherty, Buncrana/Galway City

The death has taken place in Letterkenny University Hospital of Michael Doherty, 2 Roundknowe, Buncrana/Galway City.

Reposing at McLaughlins Funeral Home, Buncrana. Removal from there on Sunday, going to 72 Inishannagh Park, Newcastle, Galway, to repose overnight. Funeral there at 11.30am on Monday, going to Sacred Heart Church, Galway, for 12 noon Requiem Mass, with interment afterwards in Rahoon Cemetery.

House private after 7.30pm on Sunday and on the morning of the funeral.

Cathie Cunningham, Carrick

The death has taken place in Donegal Hospice of Cathie Cunningham, Glen Road, Carrick.

Reposing at her late residence in Carrick. Funeral Mass at 11am on Monday in St. Columbas Church, Carrick, with burial immediately afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.

Family time from 11pm to 10am. Family flowers only please, donations if desired to Donegal Hospice.

Garrett (Gary) Brennan, Artane, Dublin / Donegal

The death has taken place of Garrett (Gary) Brennan, Artane, Dublin/Donegal, peacefully, at St. Francis Hospice, Raheny.

Reposing at Jennings Funeral Home, Oscar Traynor Road, Coolock on Sunday with family in attendance from 2pm to 4pm. Removal on Monday for funeral service at 2pm in Dardistown Crematorium Chapel. A Mass will be held in County Donegal at a later date.

Family flowers only. Donations if desired to St. Francis Hospice, Raheny.

Jamsie O'Connor, Dungloe and Edinburgh

The death has taken place in Edinburgh of Jamsie O'Connor, formerly from Craughyboyle, Dungloe.

Reposing at his brother-in-law Leo Bonners residence at Meenbanid.

Removal on Sunday at 9.30am to St. Marys Church, Kincasslagh for Mass at 10am with burial afterwards in Belcruit 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 discovery of a body near the Choctawhatchee River in the Echo Community of Dale County on Saturday is being investigated as a homicide.

Chief Deputy Mason Bynum said the case is being treated as a homicide based on evidence collected at the scene.

Ozark-Dale County E911 received a call about 5 p.m. Saturday in reference to a deceased person on East County Road 36.

Due to the state of decomposition the body was transported to the Alabama Department for Forensic Sciences for positive identification and an autopsy.

Bynum said limited information is being released to protect the integrity of the investigation.

Anyone with information or who may have seen any suspicious activity in that area is urged to contact the sheriffs office at 334-774-2335. An anonymous tip can be left by visiting www.daleso.com and clicking on the Crime Tip tab.

The sheriffs office is being assisted by the Dothan and Ozark police departments, Dale County District Attorneys Office, Dale County Coroners Office, Echo Fire and Rescue, ALEA Troopers and the Dale County Sheriffs Mounted Posse.
Home Four wheelers Honda To Develop India-Bound Global Car Platform oi-Sukesh

Japanese automaker Honda Motor is developing an all-new global car platform with a strong focus on India. This development could result in an inception of a new premium compact car, a sedan and an SUV.

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More than 2 million British tourists visited Catalonia in 2016

In 2016, Catalonia welcomed over 17.9 million foreign visitors, which equated to an expenditure figure of 17,328 million (increase of 12.8%). Catalonia has been the top destination for foreign tourists in Spain with over 23.8% of the total visits to the country, followed by the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands.

The United Kingdom is the second largest source market for tourism in Catalonia, with more than 2 million British tourists visiting Catalonia in 2016, a 6.9% growth when compared to 2015. Spending by British visitors in 2016 totalled 1.6 billion (9.4% increase), representing one of the strongest years recorded since 2005. The average spend per tourist increased by 2.7% compared with 2015, reaching the 798, while the average daily spend per tourist was 138, increasing a 2.3%.

Catalonia is a Mediterranean destination with a millenary history, an outstanding gastronomy, its own culture and language as well as a wealthy natural heritage. From the high Pyrenees to the 580km of coastline, the region offers extensive opportunities for tourists from culture cravers to family travelers, adventure enthusiasts to wildlife wanderers and those just looking to relax.

Known world-wide for its exceptional culinary scene, Catalonia celebrated the Year of Gastronomy in 2016 following the award of European Region of Gastronomy 2016, and it has reaffirmed its position as one of the leading gastronomic destinations in the world.

The Catalan Tourist Board has declared 2017 the Year of Sustainable Tourism following the path of the United Nations, and will include sustainability as an overall value into its own tourist model, focusing especially on areas such as ecotourism, nature tourism and accessible tourism, among others. The commitment and effort in actually making Catalonia a Sustainable Tourism destination has been going on for years and one of the main achievements has been the certification as Biosphere Destination in 2015, awarded by the Institute of Responsible Tourism.

For more information, see experience.catalunya.com
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Latest News

GATE 2023 application correction window to open tomorrow The GATE exam will be held in February 2023

Delhi environment minister to call meeting today for decision on reopening primary schools He is also expected to discuss the recent directions by the Centre's air quality panel

MCC round 2 registrations to end today for NEET UG counselling The choice filling and locking window will be closed on November 8
Date: 19/03/2017 Mitsubishi uses AI to create 3D maps for self driving cars Self driving vehicles require both in-vehicle sensors and dynamic maps. To keep the map information constantly up to date is a tough task. Mitsubishi Electric has come out with a new technology for automated-mapping and extraction of transitions in mapping landscape.



Mitsubishi Electric able to create dynamic 3D mapping using artificial intelligence (AI) software by using its own Mobile Mapping System (MMS). The 3-dimensional maps provide static information of roads and surrounding objects required for autonomous self-driving technologies. The maps are refreshed with dynamic information such as traffic signals, surrounding vehicles, and any such physical things for safe, highly precise autonomous driving.









AI powered automated mapping technology collects information such as road markings and traffic signs from laser-point clouds and camera data measured and collected by MMS. Mitsubishi Electric's MMS provides 3D positional information of roads and roadside structures with a 10cm or less accuracy. All this information is collected via a system consisting of laser scanners, cameras and GPS antennas, while driving. AI is used for improving the precision of extraction and recognition of the only data necessary, resulting in some 10 times faster map creation compared to industry-standard manual creation, as per Mitsubishi. The system also claimed by Mitsubishi as less expensive than the conventional methods.



Mitsubishi Electric generating dynamic maps early by using a different extraction technology. "By automatically extracting characteristic points of past data and the latest laser-point cloud data measured with MMS, the difference extraction technology is able to distinguish differences and changes where characteristic points do not match." quoted in Mitsubishi's release.



Due to this technology, The updating and maintenance is also done at a faster rate by automatic extraction of only the points that has changed, compared to updating the entire map each time.



Mitsubishi Electric plans to sell software utilizing this automated mapping and difference extraction technologies to map publishers including Dynamic Map Planning Corporation in the October month of 2017. The software will be used for the creation of highly precise 3D maps of expressways in Japan.



Mitsubishi to showcase this tech at event "CeBIT 2017" in Hannover, Germany happening on March 20 through March 24, 2017.

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The first striking feature of the seven-phased Uttar Pradesh polls was the ambiguity or the silence maintained by the Hindu voters, especially those from the upper castes who have been vocal in articulating their preferences in previous elections.

Whenever we met the Brahmins, Rajputs and Baniassingly or in small groups, we found them curiously reticent, replying in generic terms about the principal parties and contestants in their constituencies. In the past their answers would be contextualised in a broader perspective, embellished with historical nuggets, statistical data (subject to cross-verification) and insightful anecdotes.

The second aspect was the nuanced Muslim responses which ranged from spurts of enthusiasm for the Samajwadi Party(SP) Indian National Congress (henceforth, the Congress) alliance in the first two phases of polling in western UP and Rohilkhand. In the rounds that followed thereafter, the enthusiasm turned into confusion as to whether the SP-Congress formation or the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was better positioned to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It further tuned into indifference in the slog overs of the elections where, if anything, the minorities would be expected to poll more enthusiastically.

By the time polling moved to eastern UP in the sixth and seventh phases, the Hindus were markedly more aggressive about voting for the BJP. These included core BJP voters who stood by the party through its highs and lows as well as an expanded constituency that aligns itself with the BJP whenever it sees the party as a winner. When the long-drawn electioneering peaked in Prime Minister Narendra Modis road shows and stopovers at vantage political points like a Yadav monastery in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi, the Hindu voters came out of their cocoons and the election re-evoked the high-decibel ambience of 2014.

Strategic Silences

This shift has been defined as strategic silence by representatives of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) who were on the ground or engaged in backroom planning. The phrase is not novel in UPs political lexicon. In the 1993 state elections held a year after the Babri mosque was demolished, Muslims had adopted the same tactic. They would not reveal who they were voting for, unless one happened to know the community members and their opinion-moulders well enough to be taken into confidence. Conventional electoral wisdom had it that the Muslim votes would be shared by the fledgling SP-BSP alliance and the Janata Dal and therefore the division would work to the BJPs advantage. But Muslims sensed that the SP-BSP combine had begun to attract the backward castes and Dalits in big numbers and was emerging as the BJPs most formidable contender.

Barring western UP, where the BJP managed to hold its ground because of the absence of the SP in many places and because of the BSPs inability to sufficiently challenge the BJP on its own, the SP-BSP beat the BJP in large parts of the central and eastern districts and became the single largest alliance to eventually form a government, albeit ashort-lived one.

Muslim leaders later described the tactic as a sochi-samjhi ranneeti (well-thought out strategy), crafted to confound the other side. They said that the message was communicated through an efficient bush telegraph but it had escaped the RSS-BJPs attention. Indeed, in 1993 the Hindus aligned with the BJP were so confident of its victory that on polling days, they took their time to vote. It was by noon that they rushed to the booths when they saw that the Muslim turnout could outnumber that of the Hindus.

Western UP

In 2017, in the first phase of elections in west UPs Jatlandwhich incidentally also has a high Muslim, Dalit and backward castess presencethe pre-poll narrative was moulded by the anger spewed over Modi by the Jats. It was provoked by the BJPs faulty ticket distribution, thecentres failure to give Jats reservation, demonetisation, the appointment of a non-Jat like Manohar Lal Khattar as the Haryana chief minister and the fury of the small traders and retailers over the damages suffered after notebandi.

In trading hubs such as Saharanpur and Bijnor (which went to polls in phase two), the traders and retailers were upset with the centre for prodding the income tax department to issue notices through text messages on their mobile phones, which sought a time-bound explanation for the amounts that were deposited into their bank accounts after the demonetisation announcement. In these two towns, the traders collectively decided to not vote for the BJP and to opt for NOTA. By contrast, the Muslims, who were full of beans over the SP-Congress tie-up, left none in doubt about their choice.

The results revealed something different: the BJP scored impressively in western UP and Rohilkhand, nearly on a par with its showing in 2014. According to NDTVs estimates of the phase-wise polling percentages, the BJP obtained 43.72% of the votes in western UP and 39.82% in Rohilkhand. On 16 March, The Wire carried a report by Anoop Sadanandan about How Dainik Jagrans exit poll helped the BJP sweep UP, placing the BJPs vote share at 45.06% in phase one and 40.04% in phase two, sourced to the Chief Electoral Officer, UttarPradesh website.Influential as the daily Dainik Jagran has been in taking up the BJP since the years of the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, the partys consistently upward swing in the seven phases cannot be ascribed to a single exit poll.

Leftover castes

Bureaucrats in Lucknow, a few of whom hailed from western UP, cited one major reason: the BJP had consolidated the support of the leftover castes such as the Gujjar, Tyagi, Brahmin, Saini and Kashyap who are often not counted in the typical matrix which fashioned for years on the basis of the dominant groupings like the Jats, Muslims and Dalits (the Yadavs have a small presence in this region). The BJP discovered the untapped numerical potential of the unseen groupings. It not only fielded many candidates from these groups but also co-opted them in other ways. Chandramohan, an RSS pracharak (whole-timer) from Bulandshahr, said that when the BJP president Amit Shah constituted committees to oversee each polling booth, he was directed by the RSS to include members of the less visible castes in these 25-member panels so that they felt wanted. The sense of belonging did not cease with the inductions. Suggestions were elicited from these caste representatives and at times implemented to give them a feeling of empowerment, said Chandramohan.

A bureaucrat explained that an archetypal western UP assembly constituency has three lakh voters, of which Muslims account for a lakh and the Dalits (predominantly the Jatavs, the sub-caste to which the BSP leader Mayawati belongs) and Jats for 50 to 60,000 each. The remaining numbers are made up of the less visible castes and add up to nearly a lakh. This was the pile the BJP seriously looked at as its anchor because at that point it was unsure about the Jats who were apparently rooting for Ajit Singhs RashtriyaLok Dal (RLD).

Thwarting Muslims from the BSP

The second part of the BJPs game-plan was elaborated upon by a top leader who confessed that phase one was a doordie round for him not because of the Jats but the BSP. His estimate was that in 55 of the 73 constituencies, the prospective combine of Muslims and Jatavs that Mayawati had set her sights upon was a sure winner. Imagine, if the BSP had got 50 of these seats, we could have lost the election because this would have demoralised our workers straightaway, he said. Fortunately for the BJP and unfortunately for the BSP, the Muslim-Jatav combine did not fall in place.

At this juncture, word spread that the SP-Congress alliance was in fact on the upswing. The RSS and the BJP covertly pushed the word, convinced that this was the only way to thwart the Muslims from going the BSPs way. Clearly, the Muslims, who otherwise astutely figure out the arithmetical heft (or lack of it) of a party or an alliance, did not calculate that barring their votes, the SP-Congress was not assured of another bankable constituency. It was an emotional response. The image of Akhilesh Yadav is good, he is an inclusive leader. The idea of the Congress is important because nationally it is still the only party that can confront the BJP. Together we inferred that they would come to power, said Moradabads Urdu scholar Murtaza Iqbal. While the combine easily won the seats with strong Muslim electorateslike six of the eight in Iqbals MoradabadLok Sabha constituencywherever the Hindus coalesced into one force, the BJP had the upper hand as in Deoband, the seat of a reputed Islamic seminary.

The Muslim as the Oppressor

If mathematics was one aspect of the BJPs finessed blueprint, its messaging was the other.

Bhupinder Singh, also an RSS pracharak in western UP, said the central theme of the Sangh fraternitys message to the Hindus was Man hee man se vote dejiye, sayam rakhiye apne vani par (vote with your minds, be restrained in using your voice). Parsed, it meant do not advertise your choice. The votes had to be silent, it had to be a vote against secularism and a vote that placed Hindu values above ones caste. At the same time, we had to be mindful of not polarising the Muslim votes one way, said Singh.

Lucknow officialdoms information was that the RSSs volunteers, replenished by the swayamsevaks from Gujarat, went door-to-door in the west, purveying a slew of ideas,drawn from their pet theories about the Muslims. One of these were that until the BJP was voted to power in Gujarat, the Muslims had the right of way over everything, including the seats on state buses. They would place their skull caps on the seats and no Hindu would dare to touch them. That practice has since ceased, an RSS activist claimed. Another theory was that if Muslims were re-elected in big numbers as in 2012, they would take over the police and administration and use their clout toharass Hindu women.

Muslims were held culpable for causing large-scale palayan, or the exodus ,of Hindus seeking to protect the honour of their womenagainst the gangs who were running western UP. When the BJPs Kairana MP Hukum Singh flagged the issue and released lists of the migrants in June 2016, an investigation by the Indian Expressfound that most of them had left to seek better business opportunities. A few said that they left willingly because they found the environment tense after the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013. Singhs daughter, Mriganka, contested the assembly polls on the issue of palayan and was defeated by Nahida Hasan of the SP.Another report in the Indian Express by Harish Damodaran (20 June2016) showed that western UP sugarcane growers were more preoccupied with the non-payment of dues by the sugar mills than by palayan.

The BJPs Saharanpur MP Raghav Lakhanpal also raised the matter before the assembly polls, alleging that the murder of a local trader had forced several businessmen out of the town. Neither he nor the BJPs Saharanpur leaders had their names. Jaswant Batra, the vice-president of the towns traders association and a BJP member, categorically stated that the only migrations that took place were back in 2000 when Uttarakhand was carved out of UP because businessmen saw the new state as an attractive proposition.

The image of the Muslim as an oppressor was embodied in three political personas. The best known was SPs senior minister and Rampur legislator Mohammad Azam Khan, known for courting controversies through his intemperate statements. The other was the Congress leader from Saharanpur, Imran Masood who was booked in 2014 for making a hate speech against Modi. The BJP demonised him so excessively that he lost his seat, Nakur. The last was Mukhtar Ansari who despite being in the Lucknow jail for years on charges of murders always wins his seat in Mau, eastern UP. He won this election too from the BSP but the BJP painted him as a criminal.

Another idea propagated was that jobs in the police and administration would be cornered either by the Yadavs and Muslims (in that order) or by the Jatavs, if the SP and Mayawati were elected. Therefore, the BJP was the only party that can re-empower Hindus and bring them back in the system.

Overall, the notion of us versus them worked but largely so in western UP and principally in Rohilkand because Muslims constitute over 30% of the population, outnumbering the Hindus in places like Rampur. The RSS-BJPs campaign achieved its goal: the number of elected Muslim legislators dropped from 68 in 2012 to 25 in 2017.

Eastern UP

In the lower Doab, Avadh and eastern UP zones, the conception of the Yadav as bully and oppressor was played up by the BJP to first consolidate the votes of the upper castes and then regroup the non-Yadav backward castes and the disempowered Dalits. But true to the RSSs diktat, the stratagem to isolate the Yadavs was calibrated skilfully in order to not entirely alienate this caste and importantly, not to lose sight of the Muslim as the main adversary of the Hindu. This was why in central and eastern UP, the propaganda about Hindus being discriminated againstwhich was themed around the denial of land to crematoriums and the allocation of spaces to burialgroundsresonated even in the rural areas, more so after Modi spoke of the pursuit of double standards for different faiths by comparing the shamshanghat with the kabristhan.

It was evident that the message had got across as far as a village in Bahraich on the India-Nepal border from what Shiv Kumar Shukla, a farmer in Kunari Bangla, said. I live amidst a large number of Muslims and Yadavs and both vote for the SP. I cannot risk enmity with either because we are inter-dependent in many ways. At the same time, I want Modi to succeed in this election because a BJP government alone can give me security. The Muslims attack our DurgaPuja procession every year. The Yadavs have confiscated eight bighas of land belonging to my son-in-law. But nobody is ready to file a complaint because everyone at the police station, from top to down, is a Yadav, alleged Shukla.

On the opposite side of Shuklas home sat a group of Muslims, oblivious to what he thought. They did not factor the BJP in their assessment. Its a fight between the SP and the BSP and we are certain that most Hindus will vote for the SP, said Aqeel Ahmed, a small businessman.

In eastern UP, the historically disadvantaged castes like the Chouhan(salt makers),Nishad (fisherfolk) and the Musahars(who catch rats, collect honey and stitch leaf plates) rallied around the BJP, helping the party rub off its historical association with the upper castes for the time being at least.

But there was a twist in the tale that became apparent in a village, Samedha, just outside Azamgarh in eastern UP. Here, a Rajput, proud of his fluency in English, refused to disclose his name because the RSS-BJP had asked him to be discreet. His sprawling house located in the middle of wheat and mustard fields unmistakeably reinforced his status as an influential resident although the officially elected pradhan belonged to the numerically large Rajbhar caste. He claimed that the BJP leaders of Azamgarh courted him knowing well that only a Rajput can swing the votes of the backward castes and the Dalits for them.

Conclusions

In effect, the upper castes, who voted their hearts out for the BJP, were central to the methodology the party used for its social expansion. At the apex stood the Brahmins, Rajputs and Banias who concluded that neither the SP nor the BSP served their long-term interests. In 2007, the upper castes had rooted for the BSP to unseat an incumbent SP government. In 2012, they returned to the SP to punish Mayawati for allegedly misusing The SC and the ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act) 1989 against them. In both these elections, the BJP did not come across as a serious bidder for power.

With the BJP re-establishing pre-eminence in UP under Modi in 2014 after a hiatus, 2017 marked a gharwapasi (homecoming) for the upper castes. The caste and communal dynamics that played out through the various phases were wrapped in Modis version of development. At the core lay the RSS and the BJPs fundamental belief that the minorities can be relegated to the fringes of UPs polity in an order where the savarnas can be expected to call the shots.

However, the vote percentages that the other two parties securedthe SP got 21.8% out of the 298 seats it contested and its ally the Congress got 6.2% from the 105 seats it fought on while the BSP managed 22.2 %proved that their base support was intact, belying the BJPs claim that it had weaned chunks away from the SPs Yadavs and the BSPs Jatavs. The BJPs biggest challenge will be keeping the edifice of the upper castes, the most backward castes and the disempowered Dalits structure it has raised in a monolith before the next elections.
Crude oil likely to remain range bound in the near future

The rally, following the fall in US crude oil inventory, did not have enough legs to carry oil above $50 a barrel level.

Traders continue to worry about OPECs ability to reduce the supply glut and extend the deal for another six months.

"Much talk has been made of OPEC, non-OPEC compliance, but the fact is, that when you dig into the numbers, only Saudi Arabia has been pulling its weight," said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA brokerage in Singapore, reports CNBC.

Hence, markets latch on to every statement by Saudi Arabias energy minister Khalid-al-Falih.

The markets took some comfort yesterday, when Falih said that the production cuts can be extended, if necessary, according to Bloomberg News.

However, Asia, the growth engine of the world has seen no repercussion of the production cuts. It continues to be flooded with oil. Since December, when the cuts were announced, Asia has seen its supply increase by 3% to 714 million barrels, according to Thomson Reuters Oil Research and Forecasts data, reports the Economic Times.

OPEC and non-OPEC suppliers are fighting hard to maintain their market share in this market where new oil is flowing from as far as the US and Europe. The result, prices for Middle East and Asia-Pacific grades are near multi-month lows.

"Neither a weaker dollar nor Saudi talk of doing 'whatever it takes' to bring inventories down to healthier levels is inspiring much buying," said Timothy Evans, analyst at Citi Futures in New York, in a note Friday, reports Reuters.

Until the market participants are confident that the supply glut is increasing, oil will remain range bound.
Dear All,



Can you please let me know how many days it require for UAE work visa process?

my employer is saying from last 10days it is in process and waiting for feedback from juridiction.
hello all,



i plan to move to egypt in august 2017 and want to enroll my children in language school. does anyone know how i can enroll them while still in the USA? thanks
This has been a good brunch month for San Antonio, with two new restaurants specializing in that most glorious of hybrid meals opening in San Antonio. Established places are upping their brunch game, too, and the options for coffee, mimosas, Benedicts and all kinds of carb-laden dishes are better than ever.

Consider this the ultimate list of places in San Antonio that celebrate the weekend tradition. Some offer brunch only on Sunday; others only on Saturday. A few offer brunch all weekend and a handful of spots get down on the brunch party all week long.
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Bill Keller is of German descent. Anita Eggerts ancestors came from Sweden and Germany. Yet there they were in La Villita during Saturdays St. Patricks Day celebration.

Everybodys Irish on St. Patricks day, arent they? she asked with a smile as the couple patiently waited for the Tennessee Valley Authority bluegrass band to take the stage at the Arneson River Theatre.

It was a day of green beer, green beards and green plastic bowlers. Bagpipers and curled-toe leprechaun shoes. Even a mock Blarney Stone to be kissed.

Topping it all off was the worlds only St. Patricks Day parade on a river. Co-sponsored by the Harp & Shamrock Society and the Paseo del Rio Association, the parade featured 13 decorated barges filled with more bagpipers, cloggers, musicians playing Irish songs and more.

And, of course, the river was dyed green to match the regalers attire.

This was the first time in four years the societys celebration of the patron saint of Ireland has been held in La Villita. During the previous three, it took place on the campus of the University of the Incarnate Word.

It made sense to bring it back here where we could be so close to the river parade, said Carolyn Dowd, recently named the societys Irishman of the Year.

But there was a serious side to the celebration, too. On Friday, and for the 50th consecutive year, the society laid a wreath at the Alamo to honor the Irish who fought in the 1836 battle.

Of the 188 defenders, 12 were Irish-born and 30 were of Irish heritage, including Davy Crockett, said the groups president, Melissa Schulz.

For the second year, the groups Passport to Ireland booth offered assistance on genealogy research, an introduction to Gaelic language and, again, information about the bagpipes.

Interestingly, just steps away, another piece of Texas heritage  Tejano music  also was being celebrated. The two-day Univision Fan Fair featured a full lineup of bands on two stages and a chance for fans to meet and get autographs from their favorite artists.

In a vivid illustration of the melting pot that is San Antonio, the event also drew a large crowd  including a number dressed in green whod wandered over to listen to the music.
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Renaud Visage recently joined global venture capital firm Index Ventures as Venture Partner.

Visage is the co-founder and CTO of event marketplace Eventbrite and an angel investor in European and U.S. startups.

With engineering degrees from Cornell University (USA) and Ecole Centrale de Lyon (France), he started his career as an environmental consultant. Visage then joined Zing Networks, an Internet photo-sharing startup, as Director of Engineering (in 2000). Zing was funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and later acquired by Sony ImageStation.

In 2006, he joined forces with Kevin & Julia Hartz to found Eventbrite.

At Index, he will bring its experience to portfolio startups in order to scale their technology, and operations on both sides of the Atlantic as well as in France, where Visage was born.

He works closely with the Index teams in London and San Francisco.

FinSMEs

19/03/2017
Chiliya Chai is the name of a special brew of milky tea prepared by the orthodox Gujarati Muslim community, called the Chiliyas, at restaurants in Mumbai. Chiliya Chai is also the name of an Instagram account run by journalist Shaikh Ayaz, to speak about Muslims, modernity and black humour in Bombay.

He chose this particular name because it encapsulated the idea of a culture that is a melting pot. Chiliya restaurants dot every Muslim mohalla where young and old alike hang out for their daily dose of tea, omelette, khari, keema and conversation. The title is symbolic of that bonding culture, he explains.

He says that Chiliya Chai documents contemporary issues dominating much of the conversation around the Indian Muslim today: identity crisis, education, terrorism, religious fundamentalism, nationality, political marginalisation, poverty and poetry, among other subjects. He says that these are themes that one cannot escape if you are a Muslim in the modern world. Chiliya Chai is like an observatory, where Muslims come in and you chat with them about their life and views, or you either eavesdrop or pick up random street conversations, he adds. He says that above everything else, it is a love letter to the city.

The reasons Ayaz had in mind while creating the Instagram account are several. There is no objective except to document a part of the city and its inhabitants who are often seen as a statistic. I want to show them as people. The objective is to tell stories you may not find elsewhere, he says. As he began to spend more time in areas such as Agripada, Byculla, Dongri and other Muslim ghettos, he observed that there is a wind of change is blowing, and its the young generation that is driving this change. He says that they are educating themselves more, that their aspirations are the same as young non-Muslims, such as a better job, better homes and a liberal, cosmopolitan environment. Theres greater a need for mainstreaming', he says. I thought of documenting modernity seeping into the community and to capture this moment in the life of the city. There was modernity not just of outer appearance but of the mind, he elucidates. He also explains why he thinks Chiliya Chai has the ability to make a political, economic and sociological points, but more importantly humanist and secular ones too. In a post thats all about a man ranting about the pathetic state of the gate of a Muslim cemetery versus the grandeur of the next door Gurudwara gate, I have added a throwaway Munnabhai-like line on his good-hearted Marathi neighbour, who lent him his auto to drive until he gets his own, says Ayaz. Some of the people Ayaz features are well-known faces, while some are not. He says that the explanation for the choice of his subjects lies in the understanding that Chiliya Chai is a storytelling platform where literature, poetry, music, art, films and people converge. Thats why you will see the long-dead Manto, Saeed Mirza, Muzaffar Ali and Salman Rushdie rubbing shoulders with a girl from Mumbra, a guide from Bombay Central, an auto driver and father of two from Four Bungalows, a girl who works at LOreal but wants to dance and a Bohra woman who designs jhabla for children  its a democratic space, free for all, he explains.

He talks about how Muslims in the city who live in old and historic areas are economically deprived, but that if they were to receive opportunities, they could compete with just about anyone in the city. He likens them to Mumbai before it became a big city  a stardom that he feels was thrust upon it. They are societys underdogs, and as a writer, their stories are far more fascinating than that of the privileged kid sitting somewhere in Malabar Hill, he explains.

He speaks of the humour and style of speaking that Muslims employ. He has always found them to be darkly comic, with a deep sense of buried tragedy in their jokes. I wanted to capture this aspect. Unfortunately, the Muslims dont have their own Coen brothers to chronicle this black humour. So, somebody has to do the dirty job, he jokes.

Despite the obvious religious connotation of the subject matter, Ayaz insists that it isnt an Instagram account for Muslims. The page may be about Muslims, but it tells us something about the city and about the human condition Just because its a page on Muslims doesnt mean its only for the Muslims. Its for everyone. Many readers are non-Muslims, he explains.

Ayaz strongly believes that the Muslim community in India is at a churning. He says that there are several issues that they must sort out, such as population and identity crisis. He asserts that most of the Muslims he has met are conservative but secular, generous and open to discussion, and that India is home for them. According to him, it is ironic that a community which has been politically margininalised in terms of reservation and jobs can be so political. At a Muslim home, the discussion will always be politics or society. And of course, how to tell a good biryani from bad; we are foodies, he says. When asked about how he thinks people outside the community view Muslims, Ayaz says that he does not like the word outsiders. Yes, we do have religious and other kinds of differences but I think non-Muslims look at Muslims with curiosity. Those who dont interact much with Muslims view us differently, but those who have been brought up in cosmopolitan setups think generously of Muslims, he says.

Ayazs favourite posts include the one about Anwar Damani, the girl from Mumbra learning Japanese, the Bombay Central guide who surprised him with her maturity and incredible life story and the ones featuring Tyeb Mehta and MF Husain. He also mentions an Instagram story where he used pictures of God tiles on public streets meant to dissuade Indians from urinating in the open. I called the slides Amar (next to Ganpati), Akbar (next to an image of a Quran) and Anthony (next to Christ) followed by these lines: Public Urinal  The last refuge of the secular, he explains.

Has this project changed the way he perceives his own community? He replies by saying that as he spends more time meeting and talking to people, he is realising that India as a culture is extremely vast, and when Islam blended with the Indian culture, it developed a different and distinct flavour. I have met Muslims around the world and theres no better place than India and Indian Muslims are very aware of it. We dont realise it but its a miracle how a country like India is working at all  its a mega corporate, he opines.

Follow Chiliya Chai here.
Manju Warrier is a sweetie. There are no high-falutin, sophisticated adjectives that could describe her better. She is a sweetheart who fits well in a David-versus-Goliath scenario, because her David is one you so want to root for.

In debutant director Antony Sonys C/o Saira Banu, there are moments when that quality spills over into self-conscious cutesiness, but for the most part she is reined in at just the right point. There are also moments when Sony seems too aware of her beauty and charm, when he indulges in needless close-ups, lingering more than required on that pretty face, that sharp nose and those trademark large eyes. His awareness too, fortunately, is reined in more often than not.

This control is essential to the effectiveness of C/o Saira Banu, in which Warrier stars as the heroine of the title, a postwoman and foster mother to a law-student-cum-photography-aspirant not young enough to be her biological child. The child is Joshua Peter (Shane Nigam), whose brief rebellion against Saira in a fit of anger one night, leads to a tragic incident with the potential to ruin his life. Saira, whose formal education ended with Class 10, is pitted against the noted lawyer Annie John Tharavady (Amala Akkineni) in her battle to save Joshuas future.

It is an unusual conflict, one that is imbued with empathy for the seeming enemy, a determination to protect oneself without taking revenge on the one who has wronged you, and heartwarming female bonding. It has resonance in the present global political scenario of hate, and in so many ongoing national debates, including the one on capital punishment where the bloodlust of the masses and a desire for vengeance seem to override humanity, common sense and the larger social good.

Sonys direction and R.J. Shaans writing are not always polished, but their lack of finesse thankfully does not overshadow the crucial questions they raise through his film. The two also wisely steer clear of being preachy, a trap that a story such as this could have easily fallen into. Saira and Joshuas differing backgrounds, their unconventional relationship and the assumptions people make based on their names are all introduced without blowing bugles or beating drums.

Still, Team C/o Saira Banu must be called to account for its overly long first half and the many disruptions in the narrative. Too many songs, for instance, a couple of maudlin numbers sung at a gratingly high pitch, and music superimposed on a montage of Saira and Joshuas interactions to convey the easygoing nature of their relationship in a cliched fashion, all divert attention from the overall mood.

The film does itself no favours either with its sloppy closing scene set outside the state, and a silly red herring thrown at the audience towards the end, to manipulate us right before the appearance of a crucial witness in court. Why exactly did that character risk turning up in the crowd if he was not forced to be a witness? The loose thread is left hanging there.

Such intermittent amateurishness is irritating. FYI Mr Sony, no magazine of Nat Geos stature would accept Joshuas awkwardly structured caption for a prize-winning photograph, however good that photograph might be. In fact, this film needed an English language consultant at several places. Good intentions are no excuse for slipshod direction.

It is a measure of the immense strength of C/o Saira Banus theme, that its socio-political relevance and emotional resonance overcome even these distractions.

Warrier has the personality to carry a film on her shoulders. C/o Saira Banu is greatly helped by her charisma and Shane Nigams likeable presence  watching him as Joshua, it is easy to understand why a woman might go to such lengths to protect this flawed boy. Biju Sopanam deserves a special mention for his performance as a small-time lawyer and Sairas unlikely ally.

The clincher in the casting though is Amala Akkineni as Ms Tharavady. Returning to Malayalam cinema after a quarter of a century, Akkineni brings layers to her character as does the writing by Shaan. Her actions are disturbing, yet it is impossible to hate her. The actress is also a nice example of loveliness getting better with the grace and dignity that age brings.

In a disturbingly male-dominated industry, it is a pleasure to see that rare women-oriented project that has heft and is not positioned as an offbeat, weepy non-entertainer. This though is not what makes C/o Saira Banu worth watching despite its weaknesses. What makes it worth watching is its thought-provoking storyline, its seasoned artistes and unexpected suspense.

Yathartha jeevithathilolla drameyude pakathi polum oru kathayilum illa, Moley, an old man tells a youngster during the film. There is not half as much drama in fiction as there is in real life. Sairas is a very dramatic story, but at the end of the day she is but an ordinary woman who clutches straws in drowning desperation and ends up pulling a bunch of people including herself out of an intimidating, life-threatening ocean.

C/o Saira Banu examines varying definitions of motherhood without elevating mothers to devi status in a stereotypical manner. The women of this film make morally questionable choices to save their offspring from difficult situations, but it is not as if they let themselves off the hook. They did what they did. They are not saints. They exist. The film makes no excuses for them.

Power games too come in various forms. There are wheels within wheels in C/o Saira Banu, and we are reminded that the David we are cheering on may well be guilty too of taking advantage of another persons relatively small stature to save her own neck. One persons David, as Saira Banu learns, may well be another persons Goliath. It is worth looking past this films follies and uneven treatment to arrive at that point.
By Ruma Paul

| DHAKA

DHAKA Bangladesh police shot and killed a suspected militant who tried to cross a security checkpoint on a motorcycle armed with explosives early on Saturday, the latest in a string of security threats since a deadly attack on a cafe in July.Bangladesh's counter-terrorism Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said some of its officers opened fire when a man riding a motorcycle tried to break through a checkpoint in Dhaka's Khilgaon area."Several bombs were found attached to his body," the RAB's Legal and Media wing chief Mufti Mahmud Khan told Reuters, adding that an apparent suicide attack could have been foiled.He said two officers were wounded in the incident but it was not clear how they got hurt.

The latest incident came a day after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a security forces base near the international airport in the South Asian nation's capital, Dhaka.Bangladesh has stepped up security at all airports and prisons across the country after Friday's attack. The most serious recent attack came last July, when gunmen stormed a Dhaka cafe and killed 22 people, most of them foreigners.

On Thursday, four suspected members of an Islamist militant group blamed for that attack were killed during a police raid in the southeastern town of Chittagong.Al Qaeda and the Islamic State militant group have made competing claims over killings of foreigners, liberals and members of religious minorities in Bangladesh, a mostly Muslim country of 160 million people.

Authorities have consistently ruled out the presence of such groups, blaming domestic militants instead. However, security experts say the scale and sophistication of the cafe attack suggested links to a wider network.Police have killed more than 50 suspected militants in shootouts since the cafe attack, including the man they say was its mastermind, Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury. (Editing by Julia Glover)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Jatindra Dash

| BHUBANESWAR, India

BHUBANESWAR, India South Korean steelmaker POSCO has asked the eastern state of Odisha in India to take back land it acquired for a $12 billion steel project as it has not been able to start work, two senior state officials said on Saturday. The move could be a sign that the world's fourth-biggest steelmaker is scrapping the proposed 12 million-tonnes-a-year steel plant in the Indian state. In a letter to the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO), a state government agency that arranges to make industrial plots available to companies, POSCO has offered to surrender the land.

The state government had leased about 2,700 acres of land to POSCO, which the company has now offered to surrender. "Posco has asked us to take back the land as it could not utilize it as per the lease deed condition," IDCO chief general manager for land management Susanta Kumar Mohanty told Reuters.

State Industry Minister Debi Prasad Mishra said the land acquired for the project will now go into the IDCO land bank. Posco India officials could not be contacted outside of normal business hours.

The 2005 project was billed as India's biggest foreign direct investment at that time, but it has faced a series of delays due to a regulatory maze and protests from the local farmers.A mining law enacted by the federal government in 2015 made it mandatory for the company to buy a mining license for captive mines in an auction. Originally, the Odisha government had promised to help the company obtain the licence for free. (Reporting by by Jatindra Dash; Editing by Manoj Kumar and Tom Hogue)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Fatehabad: A Deputy Superintendent of Police was among four policemen injured when Jat protesters clashed with police during their march towards Delhi in Fatehabad on Sunday, police said.

A Jat leader, however, claimed that police had lobbed tear gas shells and tried to disperse them when they were marching in a peaceful manner. He claimed a few protesters were also injured.

The clash took place in Dhani Gopal village on Sirsa-Hisar Delhi National Highway when police tried to stop tractor trolleys carrying protesters from heading towards the national capital, police said.

They said some stones were also pelted by the protesters as they clashed with the cops.

Police said that DSP rank officer Gurdial Singh and three constables were injured.

Police also said that two of its buses were damaged while some equipment of the electronic media was snatched allegedly by the protesters while they were covering the event.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has invited Jat leaders for talks in Delhi on Sunday, in a bid to end the community's 50-day long quota stir.

The talks come ahead of the Jat community's plans to gherao Parliament on Monday in support of their demands.
Fatehabad (Haryana): A Superintendent of Police and a DSP were among nine policemen injured on Sunday when Jat protesters clashed with them on being prevented from marching toward Delhi.

The protesters also set fire to two police buses during the clash that took place in Dhani Gopal village on Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi national highway.

The situation turned tense when Jat protesters from villages of Chamarkhera and Kheri of Hisar district tried to enter Fatehabad district to join dharna at Dhani Gopal.

Tractor trolleys carrying Jat protesters tried to breach police barricades. DSP Gurdial Singh, who was deputed at the barrier, requested them to go on foot and join the dharna peacefully but the protesters did not relent, police said.

Later, some miscreants pelted the police party with stones. Retaliating, policemen resorted to lathicharge.

Nine policemen were injured in the clash and the protesters torched two police buses.

SP OP Narwal suffered injury on his hand. DSP Gurdial Singh, Inspector Kuldeep, ASIs Sadhu Ram, Sohan Lal, Major Singh, Daya Ram and Krishan were also hurt, police said.

The DSP and the Inspector have been hospitalised, SP Narwal said.

More police force was called in to control the situation.

Narwal told reporters that "the situation is under control. At the barrier, we did not allow tractor trolleys from Hisar to enter our district. Instead of accepting our request, they started hurling stones at police and the situation turned tense. Some protesters even wielded lathis."

The protesters also scuffled with media persons. They allegedly deleted videos and photos of the incident from their cameras and damaged their equipment.

The news persons later filed a complaint with police, demanding action against Jat agitators.
Jat leaders have postponed their protest seeking reservation for 15 days after a delegation of senior community leaders met Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, several TV reports said on Sunday. Khattar had invited Jat leaders for talks in Delhi on Sunday, in a bid to end the community's 50-day long agitation demanding reservation for the community.

According to Times Now, the Haryana government agreed to most of the demands made by the agitators, including the demand for compensating those who have been injured in the protests. With the protests postponed for a fortnight, New Delhi will not face a blockade on Monday. The Akhil Bhartiya Jat Arakashan Sangharsh Samiti, led by Yashpal Malik, had threatened to 'gherao' Parliament beginning on 20 March, to press for their demands.

Earlier, reports had also suggested that the Delhi metro service would be affected by the agitation.

Cops injured in clashes

Meanwhile, a deputy superintendent of police was among nine policemen who got injured when Jat protesters clashed with police during their march towards Delhi in Fatehabad on Sunday. Protesters also torched two police vehicles.

A Jat leader, however, claimed that police had lobbed tear gas shells and tried to disperse them when they were marching in a peaceful manner. He claimed a few protesters were also injured.

The clash took place in Dhani Gopal village on Sirsa-Hisar Delhi National Highway when police tried to stop tractor trolleys carrying protesters from heading towards the national capital, police said. They said some stones were also pelted by the protesters as they clashed with the police.

Heavy security around Delhi

In a pre-mptive move, the Centre had mobilised around 24,700 paramilitary personnel in various parts of Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in view of the Jat protests.

Officials supervising forces' deployment said a total of 247 companies of these forces have been tasked to secure various locations in and around the national capital region and parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The Centre had on Saturday asked police forces of Delhi and its neighbouring states to stop the agitators well before they reach the borders of the capital.

In an advisory, the Union Home Ministry had told the Delhi Police and governments of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to invoke CrPC 144 to stop Jat protesters, who threatened to stage protests in Delhi demanding reservations in jobs and education, from reaching the national capital.

Arrest or detain the protesters much before they enter Delhi, disallow movement of buses carrying the protesters on highways and ban tractor trolley movement, the advisory had said.

Apart from demanding quota for the community, the protesters have been demanding general amnesty for the accused in last year's February Jat stir, which and regular jobs for the kin of those persons killed in the agitation.

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.

(With inputs from agencies)
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has allocated less funds for the welfare of minorities in the state Budget for financial year 2017-18.

In the Budget presented in the state Assembly on Saturday, the allocation for the welfare of minorities was Rs 350 crore as compared to Rs 405 crore in 2016-17.

Various schemes for scholarships, training of minority youth and creation of basic amenities in minority residential areas are undertaken through this fund. Out of the Rs 350 crore allocated for 2017-18, Rs 125 crore has been earmarked for improving the settlements of minorities and providing various basic facilities in rural and urban areas.

State finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, while presenting the Budget, said that training is being provided to students of minority category to appear for competitive exams like UPSC, MPSC, banking services and others.

"Further, skill training is also provided. An amount of Rs 8 crore is being provided for this initiative," he said.

AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan expressed unhappiness over the budgetary allocation for welfare of minorities. He said, "The government, which talks about 'Sabha Saath-Sabha Vikas', has not increased the budget for minorities to Rs 1,000 crore as was being demanded."
Experts have doubted the attainability of targets set by the National Health Policy 2017, as it avoids the task of chalking out a clear path to synergise relationship between public and private players.

These fears come at a time when the new document emphasises on strategic purchasing of secondary and tertiary care from the private sector.

Dr Jayalakshmi Sridhar, a Chennai-based doctor and health consultant, told Firstpost that the health policy has hardly any information regarding how the government plans to partner with the private sector. Its a crucial factor, as 70 percent of Indias healthcare is provided by the private sector. The attainability of targets set by the policy will depend on the governments partnership with the private sector, she said.

A report published by McKinsey and Co. in 2012 suggested that a constructive and transparent dialogue between the public and the private sector was required to enhance public healthcare in India.

Analysing the health scenario of the country during the 2002 to 2010 period, the report said, Several pilots of public-private partnerships have been successful. However, none of them were scaled up to meet Indias health challenges.

Incidentally, 2002 was the year that marked the announcement of Indias last health policy, which had also failed to meet desired expectations on many accounts.

Explaining the urgency to synergise the public and the private health sectors, she said that the private players have been allowed to grow at an unregulated pace in India during the past few years, because of the resources they bring in.

There is little monitoring and quality control of private healthcare. Such a condition leads us to the question as to how this industry will help us achieve targets of the policy, she said.

Citing the sordid state of private healthcare in India, she pointed out how tuberculosis treatment is one example which indicates why private healthcare is not always the right medium to attain national goals. There are several studies showing that many private sector health practitioners are neither diagnosing the disease properly nor are they following the prescribed treating regimen, she said. How can we expect the private sector to treat tuberculosis when we do not know how to diagnose and treat the disease?

Pointing the perils of such flawed treatment, she said that this has not only jeopardised the attainability of the national target for eradicating tuberculosis, but has also caused antibiotic resistance in bodies infected with the disease.

Adding that eradication has been a major initiative of the central government since the last few decades, she added, Due to flawed diagnosis and treatment, medication becomes lengthy and cost of treatment shoots up. Consequently, many patients stop their treatment and finally develop antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance in patients bodies will result in extra visits to the doctor, hospitalisation or extended hospital stays, more expensive antibiotics to replace the older ineffective ones, and sometimes even death.

Ashok Aggarwal, activist and advocate in the Delhi High Court, told Firstpost that to attain the goal of universal health care, a separate law is needed to make public health a right. Many patients do not get proper treatment, because its often unaffordable for them. Private healthcare is expensive and public hospitals are over-burdened with little space and infrastructure left to facilitate treatment, he said.

He said that a law must be drafted, so that no patient is denied medication, and until then the target of universal healthcare set by the policy is likely to remain unattained.

Following are the major goals set by the national health policy, 2017:

- Progressively achieve universal health coverage

- Reinforce trust in public healthcare system

- Increase life expectancy from 67.5 to 70 by 2025

- Reduce TFR to 2.1 at the national and sub-national levels by 2025

- Reduce under-five mortality to 23 (per 1,000 live births) by 2024

- 90 percent of all people diagnosed with HIV+ should receive sustained anti-retroviral therapy, and 90 percent of all people receiving anti-retroviral therapy will have viral suppression, and 90 percent of all people living with HIV should know their status by 2020

- Achieve and eliminate status of leprosy by 2018, kala-azar by 2017, and lymphatic filariasis in endemic pockets in 2017

- Achieve and maintain a cure rate of above 85 percent in new sputum positive patients for tuberculosis and reduce incidence of new cases, to reach eliminated status by 2025

- To reduce premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory diseases by 25 percent by 2025

- Increase health expenditure by government as a percentage of GDP, from the existing 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent by 2025.
There are accidents which propel you in a certain way. says Ashhar Farhan when asked to recount the beginnings of the vibrant culture space Lamakaan that he along with his wife Humera Ahmed and friends Elahe Hiptoola and Biju Matthew started in 2010. Farhan, who always wanted to start a cultural space in the city converted the house belonging to his late uncle into a throbbing enter for creativity, culture, arts and theater adding a much needed aesthetic dimension to the city of Charminar, Hi-tech city and Biryani. The inaugural events, seven years back were a qawwali performance by Warsi Brothers and a play, Main Raahi Masoom by Hyderabad based artist Vinay Verma.

The most distinctive feature of the space is that it has used its natural rocks as a prop for the setting. The area spread over 500 square yards and two levels has an outdoor stage and seating area, a very reasonably priced canteen and is always choc-a- block with teeming crowds to attend a workshop, unwind over a play or simply to engage in some heated discussion over garam chai and Odia styled samosas!

On an average day, the place witness a diverse range of activities  plays, concerts, screenings, talks, books launches, workshops of every imaginable kind, music classes and even an organic bazaar. The weekends are jam packed affairs, with multiple sessions held simultaneously. While space is limited, they have little freed pockets over the years (like the terrace) and ensured an open and accessible arena for multifarious creative pursuits.

Why Lamakaan matters is that it charges a nominal rent giving voice to events lost in overheads of rent and marketing in other places while the tickets are priced at a modest Rs 100 usually, in the wherewithal of college goers and youngsters. Humera says that while the initial idea was to create place like the Prithvi theatre in Mumbai, which she and Farhan used to frequent, they later drew inspiration from the premises in the famous Vidyaranya school in Hyderabad which kept the natural rocks intact and built around the place.

Farhan says that Lamakaan is a liberal political space. He elaborates and says, When I say it is a political space, I dont mean it as a podium for parties like BJP or AAP. It means politics in its most primitive form where it gives people a platform be it gender politics, tribal rights groups or to raise questions LGBT rights. Even our cultural events are focused, we dont have stand-up comedy nights anymore as we realised that much of the humor was directed at women in poor taste or was homophobic. We think of this as a critical space which raises pertinent questions.

Political is a word which has been bandied about a lot here as the space allowed many events which would have not found a platform anywhere else. It was the venue of Rana Ayyubs book launch for Gujarat Files, a play Agnes of God which was slammed by the Catholic church for misinterpreting Christianity and even provided a platform for DU professor Saibaba, now jailed for his link to Maoists.

Farhan says:

Culture is always political. It is the epitome of politics.

He adds, During the Telangana movement, we were criticised by the government for showcasing Telangana culture. Recently, we were called anti national for allowing Kabir Kala Manch to hold an event in support of Rohit Vemula. But then we are criticised by both ends of the spectrum, like it happened when we allowed a play which spoke favorably of Godse. We allow freedom of speech as long as it isnt divisive or casteist. Its never been easy as people get harassed to accept that points of view differ.

Lamakaan has a clear policy regarding sponsorship though and does not accept liquor, tobacco, corporate or government sponsorship. It hasnt always been smooth sailing for the cultural titan. In 2015, there was a tussle with GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) over parking issues and complaints from neighbors. (It is in an upmarket residential area, Banjara Hills, Hyderabads answer to south Mumbai) which died a quick death thanks to immense public outrage.

Humera says that reasons for complaints could be anything and recounts a cop who dropped in to check out the bad place where women smoked. Farhan adds, This is an orthodox neighborhood and a lot f questions were raised when we held a queer festival. Now, protests dont get our blood pressure up. We tweaked it around a bit, we have bolted down sound systems and lights instead of speakers so that it is not too loud. Parking has now been moved to a nearby park.

The canteen is an integral part of the folkfore of the place. Right from the Irani Chai and Osmania Biscuit to the Deccani Khatti Dal and Mutton Qeema, it is a hit even with all groups  from students looking to save a buck to young executives from the five star hotels in the vicinity gorging on their breakfast.

Humera says she fends off constant queries to host birthday and kitty parties and adds, There is a new set of crowd ever year so we try and introduce new varieties which sometimes work, but sometimes dont like the shammi kebabs we tried. Also, we consciously price the food to under Rs 150 so that it is accessible to everyone.

An intangible offshoot of Lamakaan has been that of similar spaces sprouting in the city  Our Sacred Space in Secunderabad and the newly launched Phoenix Arena in Hi-tech city, both offering creative and intellectual respite to a city always on the move. Today it attracts people from all walks of life  students and elderly crowd, tyros and professionals as well as the struggling and famous.

As a part of its seventh anniversary, they have started a new digital initiative which the founders hope to build into a place for serious content. With Farhan claiming that the most they account for future is to make quarterly plans (of which getting more samosas from the kitchen is of supreme importance), what they have managed to create is a place where free will reigns supreme and provide a bustling metropolis, a place to pause and ponder.

Staying true to its name (Lamakaan means boundless in Arabic), this place has managed to transform itself from a sleepy old bungalow into a potpourri of dialogue, discussion and debate.

You can also listen to the interview:
How do you review an authors book that doesnt quite resonate, but whose work, spanning many formats, youve loved? I found myself asking that question repeatedly as I flipped through Murder in Mahim. Jerry Pintos new novel is a mystery set in Mumbai, and a whodunnit at that.

A recently-retired Peter Fernandes finds himself drawn to assisting his Inspector-friend Jende on a few exceptional cases. It is a mutually beneficial relationship; Jende hopes to have fruitful investigations drawing from Peters experience in chasing people down. Peter was, after all, a former journalist. For his part, Peter finds his role a worthy pre-occupation; to pass the day and tide over the insecurities of no longer being employed. His wife, a witty, sharp Millie with many evocations of Em, empathises, a man had to have an interest and he had to get out of the house. I would say that for women too but the whole genre of crime fiction is built on masculine enterprise. Two men with complementary competencies out to solve crime? Thats a trope weve seen one too many times.

When a young Proxy is found slashed in a toilet in Matunga station, his kidney scooped out, it is the beginning of an unexpected education for Peter.

In the ensuing unraveling, outliers rise to the surface. The ones that come out at night to be able to dream the same dreams as the rest of the citys ambitious. The knowledge of the city and its people, as Pinto presents, comes from a focused immersion in its fringe spaces. He writes about the invisible; characters who dot the spectrum of sexuality  men who have sex with men (MSM), male sex workers, those who identify as gay. Pleasure can be separated from business, and business itself need not define ones identity, Pinto wants to say. Even the names the sex workers assume, hence, are different. Their aliases embody the conviction that their ways to money do not define them.

But this escape is often a futile attempt. In a bid to trump the system that has disabled them, they only get further entrapped. Early in the novel, a psychologist whom Peter seeks out, explains: He realises he must always work that difficult line between advertising his wares and advertising what his work is. He may be the object of desire...but as soon as money enters the equation, this changes. Now, hes the whore...He is often abused. His ego is hurt but he does what he is told. He collects his money but anger builds. Its the same everywhere, isnt it? The corporate boardroom, the bedroom or that railway station toilet  men who think theyve lost power are prone to violent rage and it may be a long time before they emerge from it, if they emerge at all.

A commendable class consciousness runs through the book, highlighting how ones place in the hierarchy intersects with choices one is forced to make.

A character, Taxi-Taxi, brings out the inevitable disillusionment in quotidian wisdom: They want the money. And the only thing they have is the body. So, they will put the body on the market because they have seen all those Hindi movies where the shaukeen (enthusiasts) are willing to pay so much for fresh maal. Then they find out that this is also just a story; the body is also cheap. It doesnt have that much value. Men who pay that much, they dont fall in love. They want a new body everyday, if possible. This is how the poor boys go bad.

Through different voices, the distress of masculinity is brought forth. And these parts are thoroughly thought-provoking, especially when they roll off vernacular tongues, shifting the shape of English. If, like most of us, youre used to reading about sexuality in the high tones of academic jargon, these expositories infuse a pragmatic flavour to it. On the flip side, they derail the plot, making it seem almost secondary to the narrative. It jars with explosive twists  confessions, suicides and unprovoked rage -- which are a tad too dramatic apart from being easy resolutions.

The problem with Murder in Mahim is its need to develop empathy around sexuality and sex work struggles to jostle with the story. The characters are presented to further this purpose, to teach us something, over being independent, complex entities with the ability to surprise.

Although it is unfair to draw a comparison between different genre-novels by the same author, they are part of his oeuvre. In Em and the Big hoom, Pinto painted the world of mental illnesses with a touch of the real and an abundance of humour. There is a similar intent here - to capture the subterranean in its deserved complexity.

And he does do that. Jerry Pinto had a noble agenda writing Murder in Mahim, but the book turns into an overt pedagogic tool instead of being heuristic, and at the cost of a good, gripping story.
My hostel neighbour in college was a girl who was used to attention from the opposite sex. She was outspoken, badass and yet when it came to the men in her life, she always found the most regressive boyfriends. One of them actually asked her to start wearing a dupatta to college because, "now you're dating me, so why should anyone else see what I've seen?" No amount of coaxing would make her realise that she was far better being by herself. She was way too involved with all these jerks, who seemed to give her a sense of validation that I just couldn't understand.

Once we graduated from college, she went on to work for a newspaper in a smaller city. Her boss turned out to be a creep, and she would keep calling a bunch of us for advice on how to deal with his lecherous moves and looks. With every call, she sounded even more traumatised. Her boss would threaten her with acid attacks, harass her in the washrooms of their office, and even stalk her. When we asked her to take action and report this to her parents, she said her job was far important too her (she had taken a loan for her degree) and she didn't want to trouble her parents.

After many frantic calls to check on her safety, we finally let it pass and forgot about the issue. Cut to our convocation ceremony, where she turned up with her boss (and multiple hickeys on her neck). Suffice it to say, we were flabbergasted. None of us knew how to react to her bringing her harasser to a college event. We all judged her, and spoke about her for many days  "How could she?" was common, but what was even more common was, "She deserves it."

The person I am talking about is now happily married to a very nice guy, but it is only when I watched Imtiaz Ali's Highway did I understand the limbo and the grey area around sexual harassment. I stopped judging my friend after watching Alia Bhatt's confused, vulnerable portrayal of a sexual abuse victim. This is not to say that you can paint all forms of sexual abuse and harassment in the same stroke, but Highway brought me closer to understand the inner workings of a "victim."

My primary understanding was that nobody really deserves such treatment, but the hows and whys of harassment go beyond right and wrong.

In Highway, Bhatt was traumatised by this man (Randeep Hooda), completely alienated from the world she inhabited, but this is also the first man to have made her feel things she never felt before. It made me understand truly that there's no black and white when it comes to sex, and sexual harassment. Yes, consent is very important and if someone is harassing/stalking/abusing/threatening you, it definitely amounts to a crime worth reporting, but it's also a murky area  where morals, emotions and fear/courage have a large part to play.

This is especially important when we look at/analyse the TVF molestation case, which started with a Medium blog titled 'Indian Fowler' (after the viral blog on Uber written by Susan Fowler). The blogger alleged that founder Arunabh Kumar molested and harassed her for years. After the blog, multiple women came out and spoke about their share of inappropriate experiences with Kumar. But one of the biggest (and also the most ignorant) questions that was asked was: "Why did she not come out and speak up earlier?" This was followed by another ignorant question:

"Why doesn't she file an FIR?" (An FIR was later filed by lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui against Arunabh Kumar, but 2 whole days after the incident came to light)

Here's the thing, it's not as easy as it sounds to just get up after being harassed and reporting it to the police. Your work doesn't, and will not, end there. You will forever be the 'victim', forever be made to relive the trauma and the embarrassment, no matter how diplomatically someone asks you. It takes every bone of courage to come out and speak about a violation of your basic privacy. And what about the mental abuse, which is far more complex, given that it is not really 'tangible'.

During a conversation with comedian Daniel Fernandes, who is also a friend, we happened to discuss the question of right and wrong in a situation like this. "Given the nature of how blurred sometimes the lines of sexual harassment are, I want to say that it is very important to take every allegation seriously and not be dismissive in any way. This is irrespective of whether they are true or false. I feel very disheartened that these women had to deal with something like this. Nobody sets out to work looking to get molested or harassed. I am thankful for the courage these women have shown by speaking up and I hope that TVF now moves swiftly to get to the bottom of this," he says.

This would explain why according to IndiaSpend, 70 percent working women do not report workplace sexual harassment, citing the lack of compliance from their employers as the top reason. If you know that your claims are going to be met with judgmental counter-questions, would you complain about being harassed? The report claims:

Between 2014 and 2015, cases of sexual harassment within office premises more than doubledfrom 57 to 119according to National Crime Records Bureau data. There has also been a 51 percent rise in sexual harassment cases at other places related to work  from 469 in 2014 to 714 in 2015.

You would think with these kind of numbers, there would be active sexual harassment complaint cells and seminars being held across the country. You couldn't be more wrong.

Look at how TVF responded to the blog, for example. Instead of saying, "We will look into the matter" (basic HR lingo), TVF's statement read more like a threat.

But let's go over to the other side for a moment. It is important to note that until Kumar is proven guilty, there will always be a "but what if.." situation. Fair enough. We could all be wrong, and the blog could as well be some sort of crude prank, or troll, or even completely fake, like TVF claims it to be. It is exactly this grey area that most of us following the TVF news found ourselves in, with another blog post surfacing against Rohan Joshi, which was later retracted.

The conversation ends up moving away from "How do we make our workplace safer for women?" to "What is the truth?"  from a genuine crisis to a philosophical one.

Even if we assume, for a moment, that all the women who complained against Kumar are wrong and fake  this whole case poses a larger question of how we consume news around sexual harassment. How the conversation always moves toward "revealing the truth" instead of scrutinising the issue of safety and security. Is it shocking then, that women prefer not to complain and move on?

A fellow journalist friend of mine recalls a time when it was virtually impossible for her to work in a office where one of her male bosses kept demeaning her in public for rejecting his advances. "My life was almost hell in office. I was always targeted for the smallest things," she tells me. When I asked how difficult it was to tell someone about it, she says, "To whom should I tell? My seniors talk suggestively all the time. It is considered completely okay. In fact, people in my office consider women weak and completely dismiss us."

My face fell further when I spoke to another friend of mine, who has been a victim of multiple incidents of harassment. She went to law school in Delhi, and a year after she left, she started getting weird calls at 4 am in the morning.

"I answered it because I thought it could be one of my friends, who lives in a PG or something, wanting help. It was a guy saying my name, telling me in great detail what all he wanted to do to me and where all, and making orgasm noises," she revealed, adding, "I was very shaken up by that. The next morning I lodged an FIR with the Delhi police through a hotline number and the police caught the culprit  it was a girl's phone number! She was with me in law school and she hated me so she had given her phone and encouraged her male friend to 'teach me a lesson'," she says.

How would you classify this sort of incident? I didn't know how to respond to my friend when she asked me, "Does this work for your story? If not, I have so many more."

In fact, the number of women I spoke to, who told me that their workplace is sexist, would go into double digits. Some tell me their bosses have actively told people in the team that women are moody, weak and will get married, therefore they must not be trusted with important work. One journalist friend told me about an incident where her editor (a woman) actually sat her down and told her that single women start to lose their minds beyond a certain age if they're unmarried, and make up all kinds of stories. My friend is 33, and unmarried.

"Is this not harassment?" she asks me. I have no answer for her.

How do you define harassment? What becomes a conversation between two private individuals  to be regarded as a personal matter, and what is a crime?

These may seem like rudimentary questions, but they matter especially when an issue of harassment becomes public information, like in the TVF case. The bottom line is, when there are so many variations, so many types, it's hard to have a standardised rule-book of responses and action. This is also why TVF's response to harassment claims, and subsequently Kumar's interview with Mumbai Mirror, holds a mirror to how we look at sexual harassment.

It always ultimately becomes a question of truth, as opposed to safety.

Daniel reminds me of a crucial point amid all this grey noise. "I think it's hard being a woman irrespective of where you're working. In the last 24 hours alone, I've heard so many accounts of harassment across different industries. So many stories never seeing the light of day or just being swept under the carpet because these predators are perceived to be powerful. I cannot even imagine what it must feel like to have to deal with crime (let's call it what it is) on a daily basis when you're trying to work," he says.

And so, while we wait to find out what happened to Arunabh Kumar, TVF and the women who alleged harassment, it is important to remember that no matter what the authenticity of someone's claims are, the reality is that it is hard for women to be merely be working women and do their job as it is. If we don't hear about sexual harassment, we hear about rampant sexism, about unequal pay and about unfair and dangerous mindsets pertaining to women in the workplace.

The least we can do is this: Safety > Judgment.
Did the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) desist from naming its Chief Ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh before the assembly elections because it wanted to spring a nasty, or pleasant, surprise - depending on one's point of view  on an unsuspecting public?

For some, the earlier deafening silence on a possible chief minister might have been a deceitful ploy considering that as virtually the sole effective campaigner, Narendra Modi gave the impression that he remains focused on development notwithstanding a few sops to the Hindutva brigade as in the 'kabaristan-shamshan ghat' controversy relating to the Samajwadi Party's alleged partiality towards the Muslims.

To critics such as these, the choice of Yogi Adityanath  perhaps the most trenchant of the saffron hardliners  as UP's chief minister is also a message to the BJP's core constituency of communal-minded Hindus that for all the talk about 'sabka saath' and 'sabka vikas' or development for all, Modi's heart remains in the right place.

The jury will be out till it becomes clear whether the BJP is playing a double game. However, to give it the benefit of doubt, it has to be admitted that so far the party's emphasis has remained on development with even the Yogi articulating the key word, vikas, in his first few comments after his selection was announced while the central observer, Venkaiah Naidu, repeated it thrice to remove all misgivings. There is little doubt, however, that the choice of Yogi is one of the most audacious of gambles by Modi, far more than the demonetisation venture.

If the prime minister can make a person, whose anti-minority hate speeches figure prominently in Google searches, to change his saffron stripes, it will be an extraordinary achievement.

Perhaps Modi believes that if he himself can change from being a textbook fascist, as sociologist Ashis Nandy said, or a modern-day Nero, in the Supreme Court's view, or a person who "presided" over the killing of thousands, in Manmohan Singh's words, into an "avatar of modernism and progress", to quote Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, then so can Adityanath.

It is also undeniable that if anyone can bring about such a seminal transformation, it is Modi. It's not only that there is no one else in the BJP who is capable inducing a metamorphosis of this magnitude, there has also been a manifold increase in Modi's clout after UP's overwhelming verdict in the BJP's favour.

As the master of all he surveys at the moment, he can take the party and the country in almost any direction that he wants.

It has to be remembered that in the last few months, Modi succeeded in clipping Adityanath's wings in respect of the latter's ghar wapsi and love jihad programmes. One doesn't hear any more of these provocative campaigns to reconvert Muslims and stop Hindu-Muslim marriages. Modi also virtually called the gau rakshaks or the cow vigilantes anti-socials.

Considering that all these operations had the blessings of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP's ostensible mentor, Modi's boldness in reining them in is obvious. In this respect, he is way ahead of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the tallest leader in the BJP before him, who shied away from taking on the RSS in a frontal confrontation.

Even so, any effort to bring Yogi Adityanath in line will be Modi's biggest test. If he succeeds, it will be like inducing Hitler to embrace the Jews or Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of the Islamic Sttae expressing love for infidels. If Modi fails, it will mean that the hopes of putting India on a fast track of growth will go for a toss since it will show that he is not serious about economic growth. Neither the domestic corporate sector nor the foreign investors will be amused by such backtracking.

On the other hand, the taming of Yogi Adityanath will ring the death knell for all the saffron hawks whose hopes of ushering in their cherished Hindu rashtra where the Muslims and Christians will be second class citizens will be dashed.

From this standpoint, such a fallout will ring the curtains down on a project of Hindu supremacy which the RSS has pursued since its inception in 1925.

Much depends, however, not only on whether the mahant of Gorakhnath math eschews his longstanding anti-minority outlook, but also on whether he can function as an efficient Chief Minister. The selection of two deputy Chief Ministers shows that the BJP is not too sure on this score obviously because the man of "religion" has no previous experience in governance except that of running his math (monastery).

For the BJP, sushashan or good governance in UP is indispensable because of Modi's promise of enhancing its growth rate since, as he said, India's growth is linked to that of its biggest state. Since UP is one of the BIMARU or sick states, the challenge is all the greater.

Modi, therefore, can be said to have embarked on his most daring mission.
It's being called the saffron surprise by the media. Controversial Hindutva leader Yogi Adityanath's selection as the next Uttar Pradesh chief minister has caused a furore across the political spectrum. The 44-year-old sanyasi from Gorakhpur, who is the Mahant of the Gorakhnath math, is known to have several criminal cases against him.

Adityanath has been charged in the past with rioting, attempt to murder, criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly, trespassing on burial places and endangering life or personal safety of others. Adityanth was also detained for 11 days in 2007 for inciting violence in Gorakhpur.

Adityanath, who was born Ajay Singh, has had a meteoric rise ever since he was elected MP in 1998. His vitriolic speeches targeting minorities, liberals and the Opposition have gained him infamy as a rabble-rouser and a hardliner.

Here are some of the most outrageous statements made by the next chief minister of Uttar Pradesh:

Hindu Rashtra

It is a well-known fact that Hindu Rashtra is a cherished dream of some Hindutva exrtremists. So, it comes as no surprise that Adityanath has often spoken on making India a Hindu majoritarian nation.

Kairana exodus

In 2016, Kairana came into national limelight as allegations of a Hindu exodus from this Muslim-majority town began trickling in. Adityanath was quick to jump in this political slug fest.

Love Jihad

"Love Jihad" was a major poll plank for the saffron party during the 2014 by-polls in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Adityanath had been at the forefront of the caustic campaign. In an undated speech, he is reported to have told his audience to marry 100 Muslim women and bring them back to the Hindu-fold.

Minorities

It is no secret that Hindutva hotheads have since long harboured anti-minority sentiments.

Riots

The head priest of the Gorakhnath math had blamed the Samajwadi Party of creating riots and blamed the Muslim community of being hand in glow with the then administration.

Shah Rukh Khan

During the intolerance debate, which began in 2015, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan had raised concerns over the apparent rise in intolerance across the country. Adityanath, however, slammed the actor.

Religious conversions

Adityanath gained infamy in 2006 when he conducted a "purification drive" to convert Christians.

Secularism

The interpretation of secularism has been a bone of contention among Hindutva leaders. This is what Adityanath feels about secularism in India.

Yoga

In June 2015, the world observed the first "International Yoga Day". However, Adityanath had his own take on it, bringing in the anti-national debate in a seemingly harmless issue.
The economic blockade in Manipur will be lifted on 20 March, reports on Sunday said. According to a report by ANI, the agreement to lift the blockade was reached after talks between the United Naga Council, the Manipur government and the Centre in Senapati, Manipur.

#Manipur: Indefinite economic blockade will be lifted from today midnight. pic.twitter.com/UubiCGqAXd  ANI (@ANI_news) March 19, 2017

The landlocked state has been experiencing severe hardship in supply of essential items since 1 November after United Naga Council (UNC) imposed an indefinite economic blockade on the two national highways that serve as lifeline for the state.

The blockade was imposed following the state government's announcement of formation of seven new districts, four of which have been formally inaugurated. The UNC claims that the creation of new districts in the Naga dominated hill areas will encroach upon and divide the traditional land holdings of Naga tribes.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh had earlier said his government's top priority would be to solve the four-month-long economic blockade that has caused immense hardship to the people.

Speaking to the media after the inauguration of the first-ever BJP government in the state, Singh had said, "We need to solve the crisis as soon as possible."

With inputs from agencies
New Delhi: As the Yogi Adityanath-led government took over in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the "sole mission and motive is development" of the state, in an apparent bid to allay apprehensions over the hardline Hindutva mascot becoming the chief minister. Modi, while noting that BJP had formed the government in four out of five states that went to the polls recently, said, "Our unwavering efforts to create a 'Bhavya' (great) & 'Divya' (brilliant) Bharat (India) continue. India's Jan Shakti is powering the rise of a new & transformed India."

In a series of tweets just after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Adityanath and his council of ministers in Lucknow, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the new government will work for "record development" for Uttar Pradesh. "Congratulations to Yogi Adityanath Ji, Keshav Prasad Maurya Ji, Dinesh Sharma Ji & all those who took oath on Sunday. Best wishes for serving UP," he wrote.

"Our sole mission & motive is development. When UP develops, India develops. We want to serve UP's youth & create opportunities for them," Modi added. The Prime Minister's insistence on development being the only aim of the Adityanath government appears to be an attempt to allay apprehensions that some quarters may have over the hardline Hindutva mascot taking over as the chief minister. Forty-four-year-old Adityanath, a five-term Lok Sabha MP, is known for his provocative speeches and never shies away from making controversial remarks, be it about Islam or Pakistan.

"I have immense confidence that this new team (led by Adityanath) will leave no stone unturned in making UP Uttam Pradesh (foremost state). There will be record development," Modi said. In another tweet, the Prime Minister said, "With the blessings of people & hardwork of our Karyakartas the BJP has formed governments in 4 out of the 5 states that went to the polls." He added, "Our unwavering efforts to create a 'Bhavya' (great) & 'Divya' (brilliant) Bharat (India) continue. India's Jan Shakti is powering the rise of a new & transformed India."
Yogi Adityanath may not be a monk who sold his Ferrari, but in picking him for the post of Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have certainly sold us a Hindutva dummy in the name of "vikas". There are no two ways of saying the obvious truth. Installing such a divisive and thuggish figure at the helm of India's most populous and volatile state is a terrible, terrible decision.

It at once calls into question BJP's highfalutin "development" agenda and raises doubts over the genuineness of the prime minister's assertion when he spoke passionately about a new inclusive India during his victory speech post the UP elections. Speaking to BJP leaders and workers in New Delhi, Modi had pledged that his government is "of those who voted for it, and also those who have not; of those who have walked along, and of those who have not", urging everyone to join in the making of a new India.

It is difficult to see how he plans to achieve this goal by giving the UP CM's chair to a bigoted Hindutva hardliner who has made a career out of inflammatory anti-Muslim rhetoric. This isn't just legitimising the loony Right, but also telling Muslims that they are unwelcome in a state where they form nearly 20 percent of the population.

The brazenness of the move is breathtaking. It tells us several things at once and each of these conclusions make Modi appear weak and ineffectual at best and a mastermind of cynical agenda at worst.

Attempt at Hindu consolidation

The 2017 UP mandate was path-breaking for BJP for several reasons. It was fought exclusively as a referendum on Modi and the thumping win reflected the fact that a young electorate feels hopeful of a better future under him. The scale and sweep of BJP's win also suggested that a number of Muslim youths and women had favoured the party, in an endorsement of its development agenda and socially progressive stance on issues such as triple talaq.

Handing the reins of Uttar Pradesh to the Mahant of Goraknath Mutt, the founder of Right-wing organisation Hindu Yuva Vahini, is an indication that BJP is going for broke in 2019 as far as consolidation of Hindu votes is concerned. It could be a reactionary move to counter opposition parties ganging up against BJP based on a calculation that polarisation will automatically hand BJP unbeatable numbers because the majority will be with it. If this is indeed the reason, then it makes Modi look insecure  as someone who has no faith in development and growth being the platform for an even larger consolidation.

Did Yogi muscle his way through?

A more likely explanation is that Modi was compelled to install the five-time Gorakhpur MP at helm of UP because he was by far BJP's tallest leader in the state and the party's organisational structure stood at risk being sabotaged if Yogi was ignored. It is being said that the 44-year-old who has several criminal cases against him  including rioting and attempt to murder  commands a large and devoted army of followers who could have jeopardised BJP's chances in 2019 having played a big role in the party's win this year.

Did the prime minister blink in the face of Yogi's show of strength? After all, he is said to be backed fiercely by a huge number of MLAs. The scenes of delirium on display on Saturday when his name was eventually disclosed did indicate that his loyal army would have settled for nothing less.

Did this groundswell tilt the balance in Yogi's favour compared to more low-key but accomplished performers like Manoj Sinha? If true, this also projects Modi as a weak leader. He had an overwhelming mandate to play around with and no amount of strong-arm tactics should matter. On the other hand, selecting the rabid Hindutva hardliner is a hugely risky proposition because any wrong moves from his part would take away from the prime minister's political capital.

Did mandate give rise to arrogance?

It is instructive that not once during the entire exhaustive campaign was Yogi's name projected as a prospective CM candidate. This, despite all opinion polls showing him to be BJP's most popular leader in state. It was perhaps an indication that BJP recognised that the Mahant's polarising image was in direct contradiction with its inclusive plank. If the BJP had to make him the CM, why did it not let him spearhead the campaign? And because it had not, making him chief minister now is an insult to the sweeping mandate and belies a brazenness that Modi had warned the party against during his speech. Was he not serious then?

Make the worst boy the class monitor?

The most charitable explanation, however, is that responsibility will change the mercurial leader and bestow upon him the principles of raj dharma. Yogi, for all his courting of controversies, enjoys a clean, graft-free image and is known to be strict against corruption. His being at the helm will also take care of the bewildering caste equations. Maybe Modi did not feel comfortable in ignoring the choice of party MLAs, but was also careful in appointing two deputy CMs to ensure that Yogi remains within the parameters of development agenda. Venkaiah Naidu was certainly at pains to reiterate that it will be the sole motto of UP government.

Whatever be the reason behind Modi and Shah's choice, there is not a shadow of doubt that this controversial decision could have been avoided in favour of a more inclusive candidate. BJP certainly didn't lack talent in its ranks. But, in one stroke, Modi has given legitimacy and a full-time job to conspiracy theorists among opposition and media. Expect mayhem.
Opposition parties on Sunday came down heavily on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the party chose Yogi Adityanath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

According to a report in The Quint, Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha said the decision sent out an 'unambiguous' message that BJP is pursuing a policy of 'clear polarisation'. He also said that development is only a facade for actually pursuing the Hindutva agenda in India.

Congress leader Rizwan Arshad said that the decision is a cruel joke played on the people of Uttar Pradesh since Yogi Adityanath is a divisive man. He also said that Adityanath shamelessly propagates divisive agenda, which he carries forward from RSS. He added that the decision is an unfortunate one and Uttar Pradesh will return to chaos, old polarisation-communal days and masjid-mandir days.

Mayawati, leader of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), criticised the ruling party saying they deliberately chose someone from the Kshatriyas.

BJP ne CM yahan pradesh mein RSS agneda ko pura karne ke udashya se hi Kshatriya samaj se chhant kar #YogiAdityanath ko banaya hai: Mayawati pic.twitter.com/UKjjB6ucT3  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 19, 2017

BJP gathered votes of Other Backward Caste by advancing KP Maurya in the party and assuring him the CM post in rallies: BSP chief Mayawati pic.twitter.com/iJtYrYmEnd  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 19, 2017

According to the Hindustan Times, the CPI (M) slammed the BJP, accusing them of playing the communal card in the country's biggest state. Politburo member of the party Md Salim said that the selection is the culmination of Modi-Amit Shah brand of politics in the state where the BJP has systematically played communal card.

CPI-M's Brinda Karat termed Adityanath's selection as part of "RSS agenda". "It is clearly the RSS agenda and UP is the new experimental field for it. Since it is the victory of RSS (in UP elections), it has chosen the CM. "This gentleman has a criminal record. Several charges like rioting and more serious offences are against him in various courts in UP. That's the issue. Then why this rhetoric of ending criminalisation," she said, apparently referring to the BJP's criticism of the Samajwadi Party government over alleged poor law and order.

CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechuri on Sunday said that by making Yogi Adityanath the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and its ideological parent the RSS have sent out a clear message that "they want to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra".

It is also a clear message by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh that the backward classes, minorities and other oppressed sections of society "will have to accept upper caste leadership", the Communist Party of India-Marxist leader said at a public rally here.

He also accused Yogi Adityanath of always speaking against the Muslim and the Dalits.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Yogi Adityanath was earlier accused of inciting communal tensions. "He has always been the symbol of communal violence, riots, intolerance and hatred," Vijayan said.

"One cannot forget the fact that he has gone to the extreme of comparing Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan with Jamaat-ud-Dawa leader Hafiz Saeed. He also tarnished the image of socio-cultural leaders ranging from Aamir Khan to Mother Teresa and also asked those reluctant to do 'suryanamaskar' to go to Pakistan."

Vijayan said that at a time when the Ayodhya Ram temple issue was relegated to the background of Indian politics, Adityanath triggered a venomous communal campaign to bring it to the centre of BJP agenda.

"By making a person having criminal background the Chief Minister of the largest state, the message the BJP sends to the nation is that they will continue to try to capture power by resorting to communal riots," the Chief Minister said.

He said only a party with sheer contempt for secularism and democracy can elevate such person as the Chief Minister.

Criticising Yogi Adityanath's selection by BJP as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily had on Saturday said it is a "big assault" on secularism."It is a big assault on secularism in the country. Maybe, the BJP or RSS would like to endorse their cause of Hinduism. India is not Hinduism. Hinduism is not India. "India is built above castes and religions and 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one family) is the very foundation of our secular society. It is the biggest assault ever done on secularism," Moily said.

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, in a tribute to the new UP chief minister, put out a poem entitled "Tribute to new CM of UP". "BJP troll brigade obviously demented IQ deficient. What a pity that party could not find intelligent advocates for lost cause," he also tweeted.

In another tweet, former Union Minister Khurshid said, "No more pretence! Yogi Adityanath to sit where Pantji, NDT, Bahugana et al once sat. Great test PM has put BJP trolls to. Explain this."

Yogi Adityanath means development is now subordinated to Majoritarianism of Samshan over Kabristan.Harbinger to greater Polarisation-2019  Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) March 18, 2017

Congratulations @MehboobaMufti. Your friends & allies have chosen a man who called for the dead bodies of Muslim women to be raped as CM.  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) March 18, 2017

Can the spokespersons of the BJP now put to rest their oft repeated assertion that the RSS is only a social organisation?  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) March 18, 2017

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who is a Lok Sabha member from Hyderabad, said on Sunday that whoever becomes the chief minister, will have to abide by the country's Constitution and laws.

With inputs from the Agencies
Lucknow: Sending a strong message against corruption on day one, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday asked all his ministers to provide details of their income, moveable and immoveable assets within 15 days.

He gave this direction to his ministers at the introductory meeting soon after assuming office. "As uprooting corruption is the main agenda of our party, the CM in his first meeting with his ministers directed them to give details of their income, moveable and immoveable properties within 15 days to the (party) organisation as well as the secretary (to CM)," cabinet minister Srikant Sharma said.

He added that the chief minister also emphasised on "coordination" between government and the BJP organisation. It was also decided to train new legislators and devise ways as to how they can remain connected with the electorate. On portfolios, Sharma said that no decision has been taken in this regard as of now and the chief minister will decide it later.

Earlier Adityanath told mediapersons that his government will follow 'sabka saath sabka vikas' agenda and claimed that the previous governments were corruption-ridden because of which the state had suffered. "In past 15 years, UP lagged behind in the race of development as previous governments indulged in corruption, nepotism and failed on the law and order front due to which

people were affected," he said.
Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a brief chat with Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and outgoing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav here on Sunday.

While both Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh mingled with BJP leaders on the dais, when Modi arrived, he met a few BJP leaders and took a chair next to Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister designate Yogi Adityanath.

After the ceremony in which 44 ministers were sworn in, Modi got up and waved to the thousands gathered to witness the return of the Bharatiya Janata Party to power in the state after a gap of 14 years.

As Modi was about to leave, Mulayam Singh rushed towards him and patted him on the back.

Modi immediately smiled and warmly shook Mulayam Singh's hands. The Yadav chieftain then took Modi to his son Akhilesh Yadav.

The Prime Minister patted the back of the former chief minister.

Mulayam Singh then whispered something into Modi's ear after which the Prime Minister broke into a hearty laugh. BJP President Amit Shah briefly joined them.
In the sprawling campus of Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, lies a beautiful Bheem Sarovar and beside it a temple dedicated to Bheem, the second of the five Pandava brothers.

The idol of Bheem placed in a resting position on the floor that is marked by several cracks. The tale goes that Bheem came to invite Yogeshwar Gorakhnath, after whom the temple is named for Rajasuya yajna, organised by Yudhishthir.

As Gorakhnath was in samadhi, Bheem had to wait and the land on which he was resting, fell. And in that memory the lake was built. The story is important here because in last few years the physical heft of Bheem became an allegory to the political clout and heft that the Mahant or head priest of the Gorakhnath Mutt, Yogi Adityanath yields.

Now the head Mahant is also the head of the state government in Uttar Pradesh. The controversial leader who is known for his unapologetic divisive politics, was very ironically chosen unanimously as the Chief Minister of the most populous state of the country.

While reasons for Adityanath's elevation for the top post of the state will witness some high-decibel-deafening debate, what perhaps will be given less attention is how he actually forged this paradigm of power, that pushed him at top of political hierarchy, in such an unexpected manner.

Talking to people of Gorakhpur, who saw his rise in last two decades, it becomes clear that combination of historical reasons, unapologetic communalisation of social discourse and manipulation of unwarranted fear among masses, made Yogi Adityanath a leader who could bend Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to get the top post.

Consider this: In a city, with a more than 78 percent of Hindu population people, even youth, and even the educated youth, to a greater extent feel that they and their families are safe because of "Yogiji". A garment businessman from Gorakhpur who joined his family business after completing his graduate degree from Delhi University says, Those have left the city will never understand that without him (Yogi Aditiyanath) this will not be a safe place to live.

This rhetoric of Adityanath being the saviour of Hindus against the onslaught of Muslims has been intelligently built over the years. And it plays important role in creating support base for the new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

While communal polarisation has been the most important reason for the support of Yogi's brand of politics, other factors too play important role in it, which is acknowledged by people of the city at large, though not openly.

The Hindu Yuva Vahini, youth group, founded under the patronage of Yogi Adityanath has also an important role to play. Its volunteers were known to use strong-arm tactics in riots, cow-protection drives and to stop love jihad. It is the same organisation that fielded candidates against the saffron party in six Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh.

See, basically Purvanchal has lot of unemployed youth. They are easily swayed by the leaders like Adityanath whom they see as Yug Purush; and Hindu Hriday Samrat. These are essentially young people who do not have job or proper employment. This badge of Hindu Yuva Vahini karyakarta gives them a sense of pride. And they are ready to do anything for their leader, says a lawyer from Gorakhpur.

He adds, Gorakhpur was once known for places like Geeta Press. But in the 70s, it witnessed emergence of bahubali netas and mafias. A new language of what we colloquially called bhaukal  which can be loosely translated into an ability to impress though larger than life image emerged. And here is the leader who talks about destroying Pakistan. So, youth is bound to be impressed by his politics.

If you look at the statistics, in most of the places where his choice of candidates; like in Gorakhpur Gramin, constituencies in Siddharthnagar district, Sant Kabir Nagar, just to name few, BJP has won with very small margins. If it would not have been for Modi wave he would have lost all the seats, said a BJP supporter in Gorakhpur who does not support Adityanaths appointment as Chief Minister.

While talking to people who do not wear a saffron badge of Gorakhpur it becomes evident that lot of noise, empty rhetoric, unabashed jingoism and crude communal politics was what played an all-important role in the rise of Yogi Adityanath.

And what obviously added to it was religious and cultural importance that people of Gorakhpur attached to Gorakhnath temple, of which Adityanath is a proud Mahant.

While supporters of Adityanath are celebrating Holi for the second time in the month, there are host of silent observers in the city who are hoping a miraculous transformation of their firebrand MP ; who has several criminal cases against him ( some of the charges include rioting, attempt to murder, carrying deadly weapons, endangering life or personal safety of others, unlawful assembly, trespassing on burial places and criminal intimidation) into a leader who maintains the dignity of the post that his party has bestowed upon him.
With Yogi Adityanath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the wheel has made a full circle. Adityanath heads Gorakhdham peeth (also known as goraksha peeth), which virtually regulates the social life in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Terai region on account of its enormous clout over the region's political economy.

He inherits his political legacy from his mentor and father-figure Mahant Avaidyanath who along with his Guru Mahant Digvijaynath was a committed soldier of cow-protection campaign launched by Swami Prabhudutt Brahmachari. In the first Lok Sabha election in 1951, Brahmachari contested against India's first prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru from Phulpur constituency and lost badly. Though Brahmachari continued his campaign which eventually turned violent at many times, his views on cow protection could never find resonance in the main-stream politics.

Mahant Avaidynath who belonged to the Hindu Mahasabha represented Maniram assembly seat since 1962 and later represented Gorkahpur Lok Sabha four times (in 1970, 1989, 1991 and 1996) could never occupied the centrality in the mainstream Hindutva politics led by Atal Bihari Vajpayei and LK Advani. He was always on the fringe of extreme right politics.

But appointment of Adityanath is not only a clear departure from the past but also challenges the carefully constructed Nehruvian edifice of Indian polity that seeks to insulate religion from politics. Of course, it would be height of naivety to assume that the Mahant was appointed as the chief minister under pressure from the hardliners of the Sangh Parivar. Far from it , the most appropriate inference would be to say that what used to be the fringe element of Hindutva now occupies the mainstream under the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah dispensation of the party.

And there is indeed a method in the madness. Look at the election manifesto in which the BJP has promised to shut down mechanised abattoirs all over the state immediately after the party takes over the government. The obvious implication of this decision is that the abattoirs that are perceived to be owned by Muslims would stop functioning. Its impact would be felt more by Muslims than Hindus as slaughter-houses for big animals are believed to have employed large Mulsims.

In parts of western UP these abattoirs have become a source of large scale social discontent and conflict. In rural areas there were complaints of stealing away cows and buffalos by miscreants to sell them off in those abattoirs. In these elections, the BJP took up this cause and promised to shut down all mechanized slaughter-houses. Obviously with Yogi in the saddle, this order has to come with immediate effect and the new chief minister with his image of protectors of cows would ensure that the order is implemented with ruthless efficacy.

In his Gorakhpur and adjoining districts of Eastern UP, Adityanath is known to have created an army of volunteers that brazenly takes the side of Hindus in a situation of communal conflict. The fact that Yogis aggressiveness finds legitimacy among local Hindus speak volumes about the partisan stance of the state under Mulayam-Mayawati and later Akhilesh Yadavs regime. His volunteers took on gangsters like Mukhtar Ansari in Mau and Azamgarh in face of an adverse government and created a halo of savior for Adityanath. Given these credentials, Yogi would be best suited to assign the task of creating anti-Romeo squads that may unleash a reign of terror among those Muslim boys indulging in eve-teasing outside girls colleges.

Though the other political agenda of loan waiver for farmers and electricity supply can be take care of by others in the government, the unmistakable message of Yogis coronation as UP chief minister is reaffirmation of the partys faith in prakhar hindutva (full-blown Hindutva) as its political objective. Unlike the past when Vajpayei-Advani pursued the line of a moderate Hindutva and tempered their discourse with an inclusive and acceptable language, the new BJP leadership does not seem to be inhibited by these limitations.

Is it not a strange coincidence that Phulpur which was represented by Nehru is now represented by deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, a hardline Hindutva posterboy of the Sangh Parivar ? Of course the defeat of cow protector Swami Prabhu Dutt Brhamchari in 1951 is believed to be suitably avenged today by the Sangh Parivar.The political spectacle at Lucknow on Sunday would surely mark a new epoch of politics which will be radically different from the past. The new BJP would be as unashamed about pursing the path of Hindutva as political goal as non-BJP parties were in seeking Muslim votes in the past. Ironically enough, all this would be done within the framework of the Constitution. It gives an explicit message: let us not shed tears about it as Nehruvian concept of polity is buried deep in todays politics.
Dhaka: Bangladesh Supreme Court on Sunday upheld the death sentence of banned Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami's former leader and two of his accomplices for a grenade attack in 2004 on Britain's then envoy in Dhaka.

HuJI leader Mufti Hannan lost the legal battle to save himself from the charges of an attempt on life of the former UK envoy to Bangladesh, bdnews reported.

An Appellate Division bench led by the chief justice scrapped petitions by Hannan and two others for a review of the verdict.

The order means that Hannan and his associates Sharif Shahedul Alam and Delwar Hossain can now be executed.

With the review pleas being rejected by the top court, they are left with the only option of seeking presidential clemency by admitting guilt.

If they do not go for it or the president rejects their plea, the government will go ahead with their executions.

In May 2004, then British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury came under a grenade attack while coming out of the Hazrat Shahjalal's shrine in his hometown Sylhet.

Police's Assistant Sub-inspector Kamal Uddin died on the spot. Two constables succumbed to their injuries in a hospital later.

The envoy was injured along with nearly 40 employees of the Sylhet district administration.

In December 2008, a Sylhet court ordered death sentence for the three.

It also ordered life in prison for two others, Mohibullah alias Mofizur Rahman and Mufti Moin Uddin alias Abu Zandal. They had not appealed against the decision.

All of five of the convicts are in jail now.

Hannan and the two other death-row convicts moved the High Court, but failed to get a verdict in their favour.

They challenged the decision with the Appellate Division, which on 7 December last year upheld the sentence.

Hannan is said to be the mastermind of 13 terrorist attacks, including an attempt on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's life.
Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday met visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, saying cooperation is the only "right" choice for both countries.

"There are important development opportunities resulting from China-US ties," said Xi at the meeting in the Great Hall of People in Beijing.

Xi said he had maintained sound communications with his US counterpart Donald Trump through telephone calls and messages and they had agreed that the two countries could be good partners, Xinhua news agency reported.

To advance China-US ties in a healthy and steady manner, both sides, Xi said, could "enhance exchanges at high level and various levels; expand cooperation in bilateral, regional and global fields; and properly address and manage sensitive issues".

Xi suggested that the two countries increase strategic trust and mutual understanding, review bilateral ties from long-term and strategic perspectives and expand fields of cooperation for win-win outcomes.

"The two countries should also enhance coordination on regional hotspot issues, respect each other's core interests and major concerns and encourage friendly exchanges between the two peoples."

Xi also extended welcome to President Trump for a visit to China.

Tillerson said the US was "ready to develop relations with China based on the principle of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation".

After visiting Japan and South Korea in his first visit to Asia as the chief US diplomat, Tillerson arrived in China on Saturday, where he met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, and State Councillor Yang Jiechi, in Beijing on Saturday.
Tokyo: North Korea has conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine that leader Kim Jong-Un is calling a revolutionary breakthrough for the country's space program, the North's state media said on Sunday.

Kim attended Saturday's test at the Sohae launch site, according to the Korean Central News Agency, which said the test was intended to confirm the "new type" of engine's thrust power and gauge the reliability of its control system and structural safety.

Kim called the test "a great event of historic significance" for the country's indigenous rocket industry,

the KCNA report said. He also said the "whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries" and claimed the test marks what will be known as the "March 18

revolution" in the development of the country's rocket industry.

The report indicated that the engine is to be used for North Korea's space and satellite-launching program. North Korea is banned by the United Nations from conducting long-range missile tests, but it claims its satellite program is for peaceful use, a claim many in the US and elsewhere believe is questionable.

North Korean officials have said that under a five-year plan, they intend to launch more Earth observation satellites and what would be the country's first geostationary communications satellite which would be a major technological advance.

Getting that kind of satellite into place would likely require a more powerful engine than its previous ones. The North also claims it is trying to build a viable space program that would include a moon launch within the next 10 years.

The test was conducted as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in China on a swing through Asia that has been closely focused on concerns over how to deal with Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.

It's hard to know whether this test was deliberately timed to coincide with Tillerson's visit, but Pyongyang has been highly critical of ongoing US-South Korea wargames just south of the Demilitarized Zone and often conducts some sort of high-profile operation of its own in protest.

Earlier this month, it fired off four ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, reportedly reaching within 200

kilometers (120 miles) of Japan's shoreline.

Japan, which was Tillerson's first stop before traveling to South Korea and China, hosts tens of thousands of US troops.

While building ever better long-range missiles and smaller nuclear warheads to pair with them, North Korea has marked a number of successes in its space programme.
Manila: The Philippine military has used aircraft and artillery to attack a group of Muslim extremists who were learning how to make improvised explosive devices, a spokesman said on Sunday.

The attacks between 13-16 March were a severe blow to fighters of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), some of whose members have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, said Brigadier General Restituto Padilla.

"The target was completely destroyed," he said following assaults by planes, helicopter gunships and artillery in the southern island of Mindanao. There were no civilians in the area during the attack, he said.

Foreign and local extremists were meeting in a BIFF enclave in the southern province of Maguindanao when the attack was launched, Padilla said, declining to say where the foreigners had come from.

He cited intelligence sources as saying 21 extremists were killed and 26 wounded, although no bodies were recovered. Muslim rebels often carry away their dead and wounded.

Five completed improvised explosive devices were recovered along with bomb-making manuals and materials, the military said. Troops are still tracking down the remnants of the BIFF group, Padilla said.

Muslim rebels have waged a separatist insurgency in the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines since the 1970s, with the conflict claiming more than 120,000 lives.

While the major rebel organisations have for years observed a ceasefire as part of peace efforts, breakaway factions like the BIFF and other Muslim gangs still engage in bombings and kidnappings.
Beirut: Heavy clashes rocked eastern districts of the Syrian capital on Sunday after rebels and jihadists launched a surprise assault on regime forces there, a monitor and state television said.

Rebels and allied jihadists, led by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, attacked government positions in the Jobar district and advanced into the neighbouring Abbasid Square area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

"They targeted government forces with two car bombs and several suicide attackers," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

The Britain-based Observatory had no immediate information on casualties from the clashes. Control of Jobar  which has been a battleground district for more than two years  is divided between rebels and allied jihadists on one side, and government forces on the other.

Syrian state television reported that the army was "thwarting an attack by terrorists" with artillery fire and had ordered residents to stay inside.

It aired footage from Abbasid Square, typically buzzing with activity but now empty except for the sound of shelling. AFP correspondents in Damascus said army units had sealed off the routes into Abbasid Square and explosions could be heard across the city.

Several schools announced they would close through Monday, and many civilians cowered inside in fear of stray bullets and shelling.

According to the Observatory, the Islamist Faylaq al-Rahman rebel group and the Fateh al-Sham Front  known as Al-Nusra Front before it broke ties with Al-Qaeda  were present in Jobar.

"This neighbourhood is the most important front line because it's the closest rebel position to the heart of the capital," said Abdel Rahman.

Government forces have long sought to push the rebels out of the district because of its proximity to the city centre in Damascus.

But with Sunday's attack, Abdel Rahman said, "rebels have shifted from a defensive position in Jobar to an offensive one". "These are not intermittent clashes  these are ongoing attempts to advance," he said.

The Observatory said rebels had launched the attack from Jobar as a way to relieve allied fighters in the nearby districts of Barzeh, Tishreen, and Qabun from government attacks.

"Nine regime forces and at least 12 Islamist rebels were killed" in those three districts over the last 24 hours, the Observatory said.
President Donald Trump wants to rebuild the U.S. military -- and says he'll increase defense spending by $54 billion next year to do so. But Trump also wants to save taxpayers billions of dollarson government contracts-- buying vastly more hardware, but increasing overall defense spending by only 10%.

How is that possible?

Maybe by buying cheaper weapons systems that get the same job done for lower costs.

Lockheed Martin's F-35 is a wonderful plane -- with a very high price tag. But is there a way to do defense acquisitions cheaper? Image source: Lockheed Martin.

Big guns, bigger price tags

Take the Navy's new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), for example. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), each new LCS bought from Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) or Australia's Austal costs U.S. taxpayers approximately $655 million. Yet critics have blasted the vessel's design as "not ... survivablein high-intensity combat." For that matter, before even entering into combat, roughly half the LCSes delivered to the Navy have already suffered engine-related failures, and had to return to port for repairs.

Or consider the case of the F-35 fighter jet. Lockheed Martin's new stealth fighter has arguably attracted even more negative press than the LCS. The Pentagon's own weapons tester has called the F-35 "overall ineffective." In 2010,a scathing report from the Rand Corporation derided the F-35 as the plane that "can't turn, can't climb, can't [even] run" away. Yet it costs nearly $95 millionto buy even the cheapest, F-35A variant.

"Winning" funding for weapons programs like these, the Pentagon may soon lose the war against runaway defense costs. But that doesn't mean there aren't alternatives -- cheaper, less technologically advanced weapons systems that can nonetheless be used to augment higher-end hardware from major defense contractors like Lockheed Martin.

Here are three such alternatives.

Call it "Predator Lite"

RQ-23 TigerShark -- a nice drone. But can we stuff a Hellfire in here? Image source: Navmar Applied Sciences.

General Atomics' Predator drone was a marvel of engineering, capable of flying at speeds of 135 mph, remaining aloft for 24 hours without refueling, and carrying two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles for ground attack. At a price tag of roughly $4 million per unit, it was also a pretty affordable combat drone.

Unfortunately, Predator production has ceased, and the new drones that replaced it -- the Army's MQ-1C Gray Eagle and the Air Force's MQ-9 Reaper -- cost roughly 50% more, and four times more, respectively,than the Predator itself. What the Pentagon really needs is something that can perform the Predator's mission for it, but that costs less rather than more.

Enter privately held Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation, which in 2008 responded to the Air Force's call for a "lightweight, low cost UAV with an endurance of at least 18 hours with a payload" similar to Predator's by building the RQ-23 TigerShark.

Smaller than the Predatorand with a slower speed and shorter range, TigerShark is not as powerful a plane as Predator -- much less General Atomics' more advanced Gray Eagle and Reaper upgrades. But TigerShark's "XP Long Range" variant is capable of flying unrefueled for 15 hours at a stretch, and can carry a payload up to 150 pounds -- enough for one Hellfire missile. Best of all, TigerShark costs only $50,000per drone, a tiny fraction of what General Atomics has been charging.

Even at half the Predator's capability, that's a bargain price.

Ghost warship

Juliet's Ghost is a very pretty machine. Image source: Juliet Marine.

Speaking of bargain prices, remember how I told you the Navy's LCS warships cost $655 million a pop? Turns out, that's kind of a bargain. According to GAO figures, the Navy has spent an average of $3.5 billion per ship on its Arleigh Burke-class destroyers over the lifetime of that program, while the new Zumwaltclass of destroyers is expected to cost taxpayers more than $23 billion -- to acquire just three ships.

In contrast, privately held Juliet Marinehas offered to sell the Navy a new concept of wave-skimming warboat it developed, dubbed "the Ghost," for as little as $10 million each.

Again, Ghost is not nearly as powerful a platform as a Zumwalt warship, an Arleigh Burke, or even, probably, a Littoral Combat Ship. But its innovative 38-foot-long frame is big enough to carry as many as 90 short-range Nemesis surface-to-surface missiles aboard. And at a top speed of 50 knots, Ghost would be even faster than the Navy's fastest LCS -- darn near the fastest ship on the ocean.

All that for a bargain $10 million price tag, which would permit President Trump to build himself an all-Ghost, 350-ship Navy -- for less than half the cost of just one Zumwalt.

Ripsaw tank

How cheap is Howe & Howe's robo-tank, exactly? Image source: Howe & Howe Technologies.

We've covered cheap airplanes and cheap naval warships so far. Now how about a little something for G.I. Joe?

Currently, the mainstay of the U.S. Army is General Dynamics' (NYSE: GD) M1A2 main battle tank -- a 62.5-tonarmored beast that can cost $7.8 million just to refurbish, much less build all-new. That's an awful lot of money to pay for a piece of hardware that can be disabledby something as cheap as a $30 improvised explosive device, -- but privately held Howe & Howe Technologies may have the solution.

A few years ago, Howe & Howe offered to sell the U.S. Army a fleet of its internally developed "Ripsaw MS-1" remotely operated tanks. Unarmored (because it has no crew to protect), but well-armed with a top-mounted chaingun, Ripsaw is built from lightweight steel alloy tubes, weighs less than five tons, and can hit ground speeds as fast as 65 mph -- accelerating from zero to 65 in three seconds flat. Its price:Just $200,000 per unit.

The U.S. Army sometimes spends that much on a single bullet.

The upshot for investors

If President Trump is serious about wanting the Pentagon to spend its defense dollars more wisely, he should ask Congress to fund purchases of these (and similar) cut-rate weapons systems -- maybe not instead of higher-priced, more advanced weapons from Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and their peers, but in addition to them.

Because here's the thing: The weapons cited above are so much cheaper than traditional weapons systems that you can buy a lot of cheap, attritable hardware without necessarily taking away much funding from traditional defense giants like LockMart and General D.

So maybe Trump shouldn't curtail General Atomics' Reaper program entirely, but instead reduce purchases of Reapers by just one unit, and use that money to buy 295 of Navmar's TigerShark drones. Don't cancel the Littoral Combat Ship program, but skip the purchase of just one LCS, and use the funds to acquire 65 (and a half) Ghost warships to augment the power of the LCS fleet. And so on and so forth.

Funding innovation among private companies need not pose a threat to large, publicly traded defense companies. Rather, it can encourage small, privately owned defense start-ups to continue innovating and developing efficient, cheap weapons systems, without starving the major defense contractors of the money they need to develop higher-end stuff.

The result would be a win-win-win scenario -- for traditional defense contractors, for the start-ups, and for taxpayers, too.

10 stocks we like better than Lockheed MartinWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Lockheed Martin wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

Click here to learn about these picks!

*Stock Advisor returns as of February 6, 2017

Rich Smith has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
When crude oil prices crashed into the $20 range early last year, it had most oil-producing nations quaking in their boots. That's because few countries can make much -- if any -- money at that price point. I say most because there are a handful of producers that were still able to make a tidy profit at that price point. Leading the way was Saudi Arabia.

According to data from energy industry consultant Rystad Energy, on average it cost Saudi Arabia less than $9 to produce a barrel of oil last year. That's the cheapest in the world, though fellow OPEC countries Iran and Iraq can produce for around $10 per barrel as well, which is well below rival nations:

Data source: Rystad Energy and The Wall Street Journal. Chart byauthor.

Here's a look at why Saudi oil is so cheap, and what one emerging rival is doing to catch up.

Drilling down into what makes Saudi oil so cheap

Rystad Energy looks at four data points when figuring out a nation's average cash cost to produce a barrel of oil: Capital spending, production costs, administrative and transportation costs, and gross taxes. Here's a breakdown of those costs per barrel for Saudi Arabia:

Data source: Rystad Energy and The Wall Street Journal. Chart byauthor.

As that chart shows, Saudi Arabia only needs to spend $3.50 in capital to pull a barrel of oil out of the ground. This amount includes money invested in drilling new wells as well as the associated equipment. The reason its capital costs are so low is that the country's oil is located near the surface of the desert and pooled in vast fields, so it doesn't need to invest that much in drawing it out of the ground. Contrast this with countries that have large offshore production bases like Norway and the U.K., which incur significantly higher capex costs of $13.76 and $22.67, respectively, due to the need to build large offshore production platforms.

Meanwhile, the location and size of Saudi's oil fields also help keep its production costs down. While it's not the cheapest in the world, as several nations have production costs around $2 per barrel, it's still a fraction of the production costs of a country like Canada, which pays $11.56 to produce a barrel of oil. One reason Canada's production cost is so high is that oil sands make up the bulk of its output, which are either produced through a process that burns natural gas to make steam or with large mining shovels and trucks to dig the oil sands out of the ground.

On a percentage basis, Saudi Arabia has some of the highest administrative and transportation costs in the world at 27.7% of the total. However, that'sjust because its other expenses are so low. When looking at those costs on a per-barrel basis, they are toward the bottom.

Finally, the lack of taxes is a significant competitive advantage for Saudi Arabia and other ultra-low-cost producers like Iran and Iraq. For perspective, if Russia didn't have to pay taxes, its cash costs for oil would decline from $19.21 to $10.77, which is much more competitive with its Middle Eastern rivals. That said, while these Middle Eastern nations don't tax oil production, they still get their cut because oil profits support a large percentage of their federal budgets. In fact, oil provided 62% of the revenue for Saudi Arabia's government last year and is expected to provide 69% in 2017 due to rising oil prices.

Image source: Getty Images.

How does shale compare?

For years Saudi Arabia had been the undisputed world leader in the oil market. However, thanks to advances in shale drilling technology, oil production in the U.S. recovered from years of declines, and at one point America overtook Saudi Arabia as the world's largest producer. In fact, shale drillers pumped out so much oil that the world became vastly oversupplied, which caused prices to crash. The Saudis didn't help matters, choosing to leverage their low costs into higher volumes to drive as many shale producers out of the market as it could.

That move, however, backfired, because it forced shale producers to become much more efficient, which led to a significant reduction in costs. That said, cash costs for U.S. shale are still more than twice those of Saudi Arabia due to higher expenses across the board:

Data source: Rystad Energy and The Wall Street Journal. Chart byauthor.

Still, those costs have steadily come down over the years, with capital spending seeing the biggest improvement. For example, last year oil production from leading shale producer EOG Resources(NYSE: EOG) declined less than 1% despite a remarkable 42% reduction in capital spending versus 2015. Fueling that capital efficiency was a significant decrease in EOG's completed well costs after drilling expenses in the Bakken dropped from $8.8 million in 2014 to $5.1 million last year, while those in the Delaware Basin plunged from $15.4 million to just $8.5 million over that same time frame. EOG used several techniques to reduce costs, including using data to drive well placement decisions, drilling longer wells and using more sand, and other innovations.

Production expenses, likewise, have come down sharply. In EOG Resources' case, its cost per barrel of oil equivalent has fallen 22% since 2014. Meanwhile, production expenses in the Permian Basin have dropped to as low as $2.25 per barrel, according to Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE: PXD). Because of that, Pioneer Natural Resources' now-retired CEO Scott Sheffield said last year that "definitely we can compete with anything that Saudi Arabia has." That said, not all basins are quite that good, including former shining stars like the Eagle Ford and Bakken. However, shale is still in the early innings and has come a long way over the past decade, which suggests that companies could continue to innovate their way to even lower costs.

Investor takeaway

Saudi Arabia has the lowest oil production costs in the world thanks to two strategic advantages: Abundant pools of oil close to the surface and no taxes on production. Because of that, it can make money in almost any oil price environment. That said, Saudi Arabia made a mistakeby trying to use its low costs to kill the shale revolution; it only made shale stronger.

10 stocks we like better than EOG ResourcesWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and EOG Resources wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

Click here to learn about these picks!

*Stock Advisor returns as of February 6, 2017

Matt DiLallo has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of EOG Resources. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder, will meet with President Trump on Monday at the White House. A Senior Admin Official tells FOX that the meeting will be on a "variety of topics," including the economy.

Ahead of the meeting, Gates wrote an opinion editorial for TIME, stating that he has concerns about the administration's move to cut foreign aid spending, saying it keeps America safe.

We are deeply troubled that the budget proposal disproportionately affects the poorest people, abroad and at home," Sue Desmond-Hellmann, CEO of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said in a statement on Thursday. "Empowering people to lead healthy, productive lives creates more stable societies, which are critical to our national security. The foundation has partnered with the U.S. government for years on foreign aid, health and education initiatives.

US investments in health & development have created healthier, more stable societies at home & abroad. It's critical they remain a priority. pic.twitter.com/cX4F9YDwcO  Sue Desmond-Hellmann (@SueDHellmann) March 16, 2017

Bill and his wife Melinda, started the Gates Foundation 17 years ago to further global healthcare and education initiatives. Last November, President Obama awarded the couple the presidential medal of freedom for their commitment to social causes.

Gates is the richest man in the world with a net worth of $85 billion, according to Forbes. Much of that wealth followed his founding of tech-bellwether Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT).

Gates told FOX Business in January that he was excited about the next chapter with the Trump Administration and will continue The Gates Foundation partnerships with the government on global outreach.

Gates and Trump previously met at Trump Tower in December where they discussed health, education and the impact of foreign aid.

Calls by FOX Business to Gates were not returned at the time of publication.
Eric Trump, in his first interview since his father Donald Trump was elected president, said on Sunday the Trump Organization plans to stop development of real estate projects overseas.

"In light of politics, weve said hey, listen, were not going to expand anymore internationally. Were not going to do any new international projects. And that was a big piece of what we did, Trump, who is executive vice president of the organization, told Maria Bartiromo in an exclusive sitdown on Sunday Morning Futures.

Eric, along with older siblings Don Jr. and Ivanka, all have or have held positions within the family business prior to their father winning the presidential election. Once President Trump took office, he pledged to separate private interests from public policy. One way the president did this was by putting his holdings in a trust, managed by his sons and another executive from the company.

Though no longer growing internationally for the time being, Trump explained how he finds the next growth spot in the real estate market, saying part of it is gut and intuition.

You see places that are reducing taxes, theyre trying to incentivize businesses to come in. Those are always the places that do immensely well, Trump said, citing Florida as a key example.

They have low taxes, theyve got an incredible quality of life. Real estate prices werent astronomical, meaning you could move from a state like New York into Floridayou could get a much bigger bang for the buck, Trump said, adding I think youre seeing that right now in a lot of markets in Texas. You certainly saw that in North Carolina, South Carolina and other states that really grew massively.

Additionally, Trump explained how his fathers pro-American business agenda has impacted the company, which has properties and deals all over the world.

I dont think one and two are contrary to one another, Trump said. But I think when people abuse the system, they can be. I think the difference with us is we might do a project globally, but all the money comes back to the United States.
Americans angry with their lot elected the anti-establishment Donald Trump despite a U.S. economy running at an annual rate of around 3.5 percent and unemployment at a meager 4.6 percent.

Britons believing they were being left hanging voted to leave the wealthy European Union trading bloc regardless of an economy gaining a relatively solid 2.2 percent year-on-year and joblessness steadily falling to 4.9 percent at the time.

In the Netherlands this past week, economic growth rising to 2.3 percent year-on-year and unemployment at just 5.3 percent helped the center-right win, although it did not stop the anti-establishment, anti-European Union Geert Wilders from coming second - albeit faring less well than some had expected.

So what of France, the next big test of populist ire with its presidential first round coming on April 23 and the run-off on May 7? It is not in nearly as good shape.

"The recent (French) data shows improvement. Investment intentions have picked up. The labor market has improved," said Wiliam De Vijlder, group chief economist for BNP Paribas.

But, he added: "Do people look at the overall unemployment rate or do people look in certain cities look at factories that were once full, but no longer are?"

The gist here is that voters are more likely to cast their ballots on how they feel rather than on what the numbers say the economic case is.

Hence, the shock to Britain's elite in the Brexit referendum that great swathes of northern England felt left behind, or to America's chattering class that rust-belt voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan were not happy.

In France, which will drop some key data in the coming week, the numbers have been looking better, but not exactly robust.

GDP turned up on a quarterly basis in last year's third quarter but was only running at around 1 percent year-on-year. Unemployment dipped in December - but to 10 percent.

But the subsection on how consumers see their future financial situation - a strong indicator, according to De Vijlder - remain negative, if off its previous deep lows.

TEST TO COME

So to some extent the French election is being played out against a completely different economic background to the three countries where anti-establishment sentiment has triumphed or at least risen.

Whether this helps far-right National Front candidate Marine Le Pen or a centrist reformer like Emmanuel Macron remains to be seen. It certainly does not look to be helping the current Socialist administration.

But it does mean that the economic data in March and April may have at least a tangential impact on the result.

The coming week brings flash purchasing manager indexes for France, Germany and the euro zone as a whole.

French business activity jumped in February. Another climb could add to the idea that the economy is at least improving. It will be a week later before consumers give their latest soundings.

In the meantime, last month's euro zone and German PMIs were pretty strong. Another set along the same lines will suggest the recovery is showing signs of sustaining itself.

The coming week will also provide some more evidence of whether Britons really are shrugging off the potential impact of Brexit or beginning to sense things may not run as smoothly as before.

Tuesday sees the Confederation of British Industry's latest trends report and Thursday the release of British retail sales data for February.

(Editing by Tom Heneghan)
Mark Hamill is here to rescue your weekend with some good old-fashioned nostalgia.

The Star Wars actor shared a photo Saturday morning of himself as a young Luke Skywalker posing in the Tatooine desert on the first day of filming Star Wars: Episode IV  A New Hope. He stands with his hands folded across his heart.

Taken in Tunisia early morning day [number one] waiting for my [first] shot (emerging from home for robot auction), he wrote. Perhaps the very [first Luke picture].

Hamill has played Skywalker since 1977s A New Hope, the first installation in the Star Wars movie franchise. When we last saw Luke Skywalker at the end of The Force Awakens, he was hiding out in a Jedi Temple on the aquatic planet Ahch-To. Rey (Daisy Ridley) tracks him down and hands him his lightsaber. Then, the movie ends  Hamill doesnt utter a single word of dialogue in the film. Director J.J. Abrams called the moment this great long drum roll up to seeing this guy.

As of late, Hamills Twitter account has become a destination for fun, nostalgic fodder. After Donald Trumps election as president of the United States, Hamill tweeted out several clips of himself reading Trumps tweets in the voice of the Joker.
Survival, at the 2017 Shot Show, was very, very big. Why youd want to survive was never spelled out, but there was no shortage of stuff designed to get you through the Wrath to Come.

The problem is that very often, the Wrath to Come does not take the form of a nuclear exchange with North Korea, or currency collapse, or meteor strike, or any of the really dramatic stuff. Sometimes it takes the most mundane forms.

In Newfield, Maine, on February 3, a 34-year-old named John Sciaba, described as an experienced outdoorsman, was seen in the woods behind his house where he liked to camp overnight. He was not seen again. Shortly after the search for him began, a series of six heavy snowstorms set in, making it impossible for tracking dogs to track or for drones to go up in the air. When the snow finally stops, any traces of him will have been obliterated. It does not look good.

RELATED: THE ELEMENTS OF A PERFECT FIRE

This brings us to fire. Very often, if you can start a fire, it will save you. Not only will you not freeze to death, but a fire can be seen for miles at night, and a deliberately smoky fire can get up through the tree canopy that a drone cant see through.

Making a fire is much more difficult than you imagine, unless youve tried doing it. Watching "The Revenant," I get a kick out Leo DiCaprio body-surfing 5 miles down a freezing Class 3 rapids, washing up on shore, giving a very small tinder ball a few whacks with the old flint and steel, and instantly creating a roaring blaze by which he can meditate on his chances for an Oscar. Granted, in real life, trappers and Native Americans were very good at starting fires*, but even so

A more typical example is available at a club I belong to, which tests the skills of its members in a series of wilderness-skills events, one of which is called the Water Boil. Youre given a chunk of pine log, a pot with a quart of water, a hatchet that is purposely kept dull**, three strike-anywhere matches, a small stone on which to strike the matches, and 11 minutes*** in which to build a fire and bring the water to a rolling boil. Youre usually surrounded by club members who offer their opinions on your manual dexterity, chances of succeeding, technique, and manhood in general.

If you screw up in any phase, you flunk, amidst the joyful hoots, jeers and catcalls of your pals. Some do flunk, and where they screw up most often is in getting the fire started. Strike-anywhere matches, you will conclude if you watch the Water Boil, are pretty sorry objects. If your little striking stone is wet, or even damp, they wont ignite. They break. The heads snap off. The heads crumble. If the match does ignite, you get a pitiful flame that lasts maybe 10 seconds and blows out with ease.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN WATERPROOF MATCHES

One of the staples of woodcraft is to soak a bunch of kitchen matches in paraffin (or whatever burns), let them dry, and they will burn in any weather and save you. No thanks. Not on a bet.

Which brings us back to the SHOT Show. At the Industrial Revolution (importers of MoraKniv) booth they had a number of survival items, among which were two that I had not seen before, and look genuinely useful, conflagration-wise. The first is Titan matches, made by a company called UCO. The Titan is not just a waterproof match; it is a huge waterproof match. At over 4 inches long and four times thicker than a typical wood match, it is the blue whale of matches.

These things burn for up to 25 seconds with a nice, fat flame. While I was at the booth, someone asked how you put them out.

Wait, was the answer.

Titan matches are sold by Cabelas and REI, among others. Twelve of them come in a waterproof container along with three striker strips, for $9.99. If you cant get something burning with the whole dozen, maybe you shouldnt be in the woods.

The other item is on the exotic side. Its called Sweetfire, and is a fire starter made of a fibrous waste product called bagasse that comes from sugar cane. Its soaked in vegetable-based wax and dried into triangles that are 2 inches high and an inch wide at the base. The tops of the triangles are dipped in an igniter, which you strike as you do a match. Twenty of the things come in a kitchen-match-sized box. Each of them burns for 7 minutes, which is a long time.

UCO, which manufactures it, points out that Sweetfire is environmentally friendly and makes good use of something that would otherwise be considered waste. A box is either $5.99 or $8.95, depending on who you believe, and you can get Sweetfire from Amazon and other pyromaniacal sources.

I like both these items a lot better than all the multitudinous flint and steel strikers, which I find easy to lose and hard to use, the one exception being the Blast Match. If you cant use a Blast Match, theres something wrong with you.

*On Life Below Zero, Ive watched Glenn Villeneuve start a fire with a bow and drill he hacked out of a just-felled tree. He said that he long ago gave up his dependence on matches, and always starts fires this way, which is why hes good at it. Its one thing to use a bow and drill under ideal conditions, and quite another to do it in the snow, as he did. Id like to shake his hand some day.

**The hatchet, which is used only for splitting wood, is kept dull because unfailingly, some person in their frenzy to beat the stopwatch will whack themselves in the hand, and while a sharp edge would amputate, a dull edge merely results in a very bad cut.

Years ago, a friend of mine nearly severed his thumb. The surgeon told him that the thumb could be reattached, but would never flex again, so what angle did he want it set at? Just right to grip a 1911 pistol, said my friend, and the surgeon, who was a shooter himself, gave him what he wanted.

***The record for the Water Boil is 3 minutes and change, which I find hard to believe, but the stopwatch doesnt lie. Just getting the fire good and hot in 3 minutes is good work.
Health news from AskDrManny

President Obama and and First Lady Michelle Obama teamed up in a conference on Thursday to address cyberbullying, a growing problem in today's generation of children. Cyberbullying affects half of all American teenagers, according to the National Crime Prevention Council. Additional figures from the Cyberbullying Research Center indicate that it is responsible for suicidal thoughts in 20 percent of middle school-aged children. All it takes is a quick internet search to uncover the names and faces of children who have committed suicide after becoming victims of cyberbullying: Alexis Pilkington, 17, Ryan Halligan, 13, Tyler Clementi, 18 -- and these are only a tiny fraction of the kids who have suffered from online harassment. I know that as parents, it's hard for us to understand this aspect of our kids' lives. We didn't grow up with the internet or cell phones or iPads, and all these other gadgets our kids spend hours on every day. We weren't constantly connected to our social circles through Facebook or Twitter or instant messaging. But our kids are. They're constantly getting feedback from their friends (and those who aren't so friendly) on everything they do. While there's some accountability on Facebook and Twitter, there are also websites like Forumspring allow people to speak to -- and all too often, attack -- each other anonymously. How do you know if your child is being cyberbullied? That can be tough. Cyberbullying happens silently, in places you may not be able to access -- unless your child has given you their passwords to the social networking sites they use. But barring this admittedly unlikely situation, there are other ways to tell. Observe your child. Are they moody and withdrawn, moreso than a typical bout of the teenage blues would explain? Are they constantly monitoring their Facebook or Twitter? It may be that there's something they're specifically monitoring for, such as a cruel or taunting comment. And then there's an even more effective method: Ask them. Yes, kids can be secretive. Yes, they can be moody too. But it's better that they know that somebody's in their corner, willing to take action against the people who are tormenting them. Once you know your child is being cyberbullied there are specific actions you can take. I've outlined a few of them below: 1. Be supportive. Don't be passive. This isn't a case of sticks and stones and telling your child to "get a thicker skin." In cyberbullying, children are especially vulnerable because its following them everywhere -- including places where they should feel safe, like their homes. The attacks can also be even more vicious than everyday schoolyard taunts because people tend to feel less responsible for their actions on the internet. 2. If the attacks escalate, your response should as well. Notify the school. Ask a teacher or counselor to observe if there is a person or group bullying your child in the classroom. These may be the same people who are bullying your child online. 3. Consider counseling. Cyberbullying can have serious consequences. Kids have committed suicide over what people have said to them online. When depression becomes this severe, sometimes the most responsible thing is to admit that you need help. 4. Keep a record. Print out all instances of cyberbullying. There may come a time when the bullying escalates to a point where police intervention is necessary (such as when personal information is posted online, or the bullies are threatening physical harm). These printouts, along with electronic evidence, can be used by police to find the cyberbully offline. If you're uncertain as to whether or not bullying is escalating, remember: it's always better to be safe than sorry. Too many kids have fallen victim to cyberbullying already -- and for some, it cost them their lives. If you suspect your child is being cyberbullied, take action now. For more information, visit http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/.

The post What To Do if Your Child Is A Victim of Cyberbullying appeared first on AskDrManny.
Evangelicals: its still all about the Supreme Court.

Im not saying that health care, taxes and immigration reform arent important. They are. However, in an era when we are as divided as ever before as a nation, nearly all of these important issues will inevitably be decided in the courts  not by Congress.

In fact, President Trumps Supreme Court Justice nominee, Neil Gorsuch echoed this very sentiment in a National Review article he wrote over a decade ago: American liberals have become addicted to the courtroom, relying on judges and lawyers rather than elected leaders and the ballot box, as the primary means of effecting their social agenda on everything from gay marriage to assisted suicide to the use of vouchers for private-school education.

Pretty compelling words from the likely future Justice. But just in case wiretaps, twitter feeds, or Kellyanne Conway sitting on a sofa have clouded our collective brains since election day, allow me to remind you whats at stake.

On the one side we have originalist judges: those who believe in exercising judicial restraint by honoring the original intent of our Framers. On the other, we have judicial activists: those who believe in redefining the words of the Constitution, often deriving policies and de facto laws in the process. The former applies deference to Congress as the primary source of social and economic policy. The later applies deference to itself.

The late Justice Antonin Scalia defined "originalism" this way: "The Constitution that I interpret and apply is not living but dead, or as I prefer to call it, enduring. It means today not what current society, much less the court, thinks it ought to mean, but what it meant when it was adopted."

So why is it so important to have originalist judges? Because activist judges regularly obstruct the will of we the people by distorting what the Constitution says to suit their own agendas.

Take for example the landmark decision of Roe v. Wade which infamously legalized abortion. Whats less well known, is that before the ruling, elected governments in 46 states had prohibited abortion either at the ballot box or through legislation. Only four states had legalized abortion. In his dissenting opinion, Justice William Rehnquist slammed the activist ruling, stating, To reach its result the Court necessarily has had to find within the scope of the Fourteenth Amendment a right that was apparently completely unknown to the drafters of the Amendment. In other words, the court created policy by twisting the original intent of the Constitution, effectively overruling the will of the people in 46 states.

While Judge Gorsuch has not ruled on abortion directly, his position on the sanctity of life is clearly articulated in his 2009 book The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia. In reference to Roe v. Wade, Gorsuch maintains that there is no Constitutional basis for giving a mother more rights than her unborn child. Gorsuchs view stands in stark contrast to the legal rationale used by the majority opinion in the suit.

On other issues important to Evangelicals, Neil Gorsuch continues to shine. In fact, many of his most high-profile opinions have been in defense of religious freedom. He upheld Hobby Lobbys objection to Obamacares contraceptive mandate, which required for-profit organizations like Hobby Lobby to provide contraceptives to its employees even when this went against the organizations sincerely held religious beliefs. He similarly defended Little Sisters of the Poor when it too objected to the contraceptive mandate of Obamacare.

If all of this comes as a breath of fresh air, youre not alone. President Trump told the American people that he would nominate a Supreme Court Justice in the mold of Antonin Scalia. In Judge Gorsuch, a strict originalist, he has succeeded marvelously and honored his promise to Evangelicals. In turn, we Evangelicals must speak up and keep unrelenting pressure on the Senate to move swiftly to confirm this highly qualified nominee.

And if Washingtons daily media circus still has you distracted, just ask yourself this: What kind of judge would Hillary Clinton have nominated?

Dr. David Jeremiah is among the best known Christian leaders in the world. He serves as senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California and is the founder and host of Turning Point. Turning Points 30-minute radio program is heard on more than 2,200 radio stations daily. He has written more than fifty books.
In what has become an annual tradition of television programming claiming to reveal the real Jesus of Nazareth, it seems that CNN is off to an early start. Every Easter season, cable networks fill their lineups with specials featuring biblical and historical experts who often represent only the skeptical side of the longstanding debate about the historical Jesus.

This year, CNN even preempted their special series, Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, Forgery, with an even stronger than usual dose of their we will tell you, especially you Christians, what Christianity really is attitude towards believers and matters of faith. At CNN.com, all are invited to take a ten-question online promotional quiz entitled, Do you have faith in your knowledge of Christianity?

Among the crucially important matters of faith revealed by this little test are what a commune in southwest France serves for the Easter meal, what household items believers in Norway hide from evil spirits, what objects are thrown to celebrate Fat Tuesday in the Belgian town of Binche, which African nation claims to have the Ark of the Covenant, and who the shortest reigning Pontiff was.

In a quiz claiming to test ones knowledge of Christianity, there is sum total of one question about Jesus Christ (where did He walk on water?). Nothing is asked about Jesus birth, words, death or resurrection. There are no questions about the Christian understanding of truth, sin, or salvation. Nothing about Paul or Peter. Nothing about the afterlife. Nothing about the human condition.

In reality, the quiz reveals virtually nothing about ones knowledge of Christianity. It does, however, reveal much about how CNN and so many secular elites view religion, and the blind spot that clouds their thinking:: that secularists are just as much people of faith as the faithful they hope to educate.

For secularists who tend to see religion as little more than a cultural artifact of a world fast slipping away, the sort of obscure questions asked in the CNN.com quiz makes sense. Religious truth claims, in this view, only reflect the irrational beliefs of people hanging onto traditions from a time before omniscient science and enlightened reason. Religion describes only what people believe and do. It does not, and cannot, describe the world as it is.

In a recent presentation to the employees at Google, Tim Keller of New York Citys Redeemer Presbyterian Church called this view of religion simplistic and naive. First, the world  when one looks outside of Europe and North America  is getting more, not less, religious. To suggest the opposite is a statement of cultural imperialism. Second, if secularists are right about God  that He doesnt exist  then the universe and everything that exists, including our brains, resulted from natural, mindless processes. If this is really our story, than how can we substantiate our faith in human reason? Third, and this is critical, our faith in human reason is just that: faith. The statement that all things must be proven by reason to be true is an assumption we make that itself is not provable by reason. If embraced, it is taken by faith.

None of this is to say that secularism is false and Christianity is true. Both secularism and Christianity make claims about the world we live in, about human nature, and about God. Both secularists and Christians, as Keller went on to demonstrate, rely on reason and faith in investigating and offering explanations about the world we experience.

Too many brilliant people, after investigating Christian truth claims in light of their own existential struggles, have embraced faith for it to be cavalierly dismissed. Atheists like Anthony Flew, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and C.S. Lewis came to believe that the intricate design and stubborn persistence of moral norms we see in the universe were best explained by the existence of a Higher Power. Skeptics like Lee Strobel and Malcolm Muggeridge found that there was far more to this Jesus of Nazareth and the historical evidence of His resurrection than typically presented in the annual network specials.

Christianity, like all belief systems, certainly deserves to be investigated and scrutinized. No one settle for an unexamined faith. But, by all means, it deserves to be taken seriously.
Judge Neil Gorsuch heads to the Hill on Monday for confirmation hearings, and were told to wait for the fireworks. Only thing is, they wont happen. Its a foregone conclusion that hell take his seat as the ninth member of the Supreme Court on the first Monday next October.

Unless another member of the Court falls under a bus between now and then.

Liberal opposition research groups are struggling mightily to find ammunition to lodge at Gorsuch. They wont come up with much that we havent heard already, and thats not been anything of note.

Heres the worst of it. He studied at Oxford University under John Finnis and wrote a thesis on euthanasia for him. Finnis is a natural lawyer who believes that laws legitimacy derives from its adherence to rational principles about justice, which in turn can be understood by deliberating about common principles of humanity.

Thats what natural law means, and Jeremy Bentham called it "nonsense of stilts." That seems right to me.

Amongst the people I know, natural law theories have been taken up by conservatives who pick their philosophies according to how they advance their political agenda. Its like saying, Im right-wing so I should like Christian rock. Its really just about politics. Its what happens when pundits and law professors pretend theyre philosophers.

You can also be skeptical, as Blaise Pascal was, about whether youd find anything very uplifting in examining how people behave. Were no angels. Which is something James Madison and the other Framers of our Constitution well understood. They werent natural lawyers.

All this sounds like an issue that only legal philosophers would care about. Except for one thing. If you can derive a principled objection to euthanasia from natural law, as Gorsuch did in his book, thats going to bother the right-to-die crowd. And then theres the slippery slope.

If Gorsuch thinks mercy killing wrong, what about abortion, same-sex marriage and all of the other causes prized by the left? Nothing in Gorsuchs book spoke to them, but for the lifestyle liberals who have captured the soul of the Democratic Party those are the issues that matter. Not jobs, just transgender bathrooms.

Gorsuch is going to be asked how hed rule on these issues. Problem is, those are easy questions for a nominee to deflect. All you have to do is pull a Ginsburg.

In other words, the nominee needntand shouldntanswer questions about how he would vote in future cases. He shouldnt tie himself down before hes read the briefs and heard the arguments.

If he announces in advance that hes made up his mind, that arguments cant move him, he should recuse himself from deciding on the case. Thats what Ruth Bader Ginsburg said when she was up for confirmation. Made sense then, and it makes sense now.

So the questions will turn to a more abstract, a more philosophical level. Anything you can do, I can do meta.

Gorsuch is going to be asked whether hed decide cases according to his understanding of natural law, and pray tell just what does that mean to him about when life begins and might end.

Once again, however, Gorsuch has an easy out. What hell say, and what I think he believes, is that a judge should confine himself to the rules explicitly set forth in our constitution, legislation and case law, and to the principles implicit therein. There are foundational ideals in America law, and while some of them overlap with natural law doctrines, theyre to be followed because theyve been incorporated into our law and not because some philosopher voiced them.

The reason why I think thats what Gorsuch believes is because hes made clear his deep admiration for Justice Scalia. And Scalia was a textualist who didnt think the Supreme Court should be a roving commission sent to search for principles of justice from sources other than well-recognized legal doctrines. Thats pretty much what Justice Kagan said when she was up for confirmation, and Neil Gorsuch should take a page from her.

Justices Ginsburg and Kagan are justly well-respected judges. So is Merrick Garland. It says something about Gorsuch that, when he heard he had been chosen by the president, his first phone call was to Judge Garland. But elections have consequences, as someone once said. Like the president, Gorsuch is a conservative, even as Ginsburg and Kagan are liberals.

Scalia was a conservative as well. Some argue that Gorsuch should be confirmed because hes stepping into Scalias seat.

Nonsense. Conservatives dont have ownership of a seat on the Court, any more than liberals had ownership of a Massachusetts Senate seat when Ted Kennedy died.

Theres another reason why liberals wont want to accept the argument that conservatives are entitled to a Scalia seat on the Court. Its because this is the fight that matters, the one that will determine whether a Court now split 4-4 between conservatives and liberals on most issues will become a 5-4 Court dominated by conservatives. And that in turn will decide whether the executive branch will be permitted to wrestle its foreign policies and its travel ban from the judicial branch of government.
Throughout much of the Senate hearing process to confirm a new leader for the Department of Education, the conversation orbited around hot-button political issues  school choice, charter schools, Common Core and others.

But in order to effectively address these questions of how we educate American students, newly confirmed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos must first step out of the political fray and set a clear vision of what were preparing them for.

Discussions around issues such as school choice and standardized tests are helpful in determining the best way to arrive at the desired educational destination  in the same way you might decide which airline and route will take you to where you want to go for a trip. But for any journey, the airline and route are far less important than the destination.

The same is true for the U.S. education system. We need a clear vision of where the system needs to go, and why, before settling questions of how to get there.

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) related employment in the United States grew 10.5 percent  more than 800,000 jobs  between 2009 and 2015, according to a January 2017 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). If our nation's job market is trending this way now, imagine the exponential demand for qualified STEM employees in the future.

But while demand has increased, the American workforce has not been able to meet it. In a 2015 publication, the BLS identified great shortages in certain STEM talent pipelines to the job market, especially in computer science. The Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology in 2012 famously predicted a shortage of 1 million STEM professionals in the next decade.

When employers cant find people to fill their job vacancies, its not a job market problem. Its an education problem. Our schools havent given students the skills  and experiences  they need to be successful in the marketplace.

In the World Economic Forum's 2016-2017 Global Competitiveness Report, the U.S. ranks 33rd in math and science education. To match the demand for STEM-related jobs in our country, we will need to chart a new course.

As the leader of the Department of Education, DeVos most important task will be to cast a vision for what education can be for our next generation to meet the demands of a global economy. Our students need the skills to be critical thinkers, collaborators, and problem solvers. They also need to understand the options available to them.

Strong STEM education at all levels of education can help prepare students with these high demand skills, but it will require that we reframe how we teach them. Learning must be more than just content. When we engage students with project-based learning, students not only learn math and science, they apply math and science.

Project-based learning helps students see the relevancy of science and math to their lives and inspires them to pursue it. Instead of simply teaching content, our goal should be that students can apply their skills in situations outside the classroom. Not only can this build the abilities within our countrys next generation to meet the skills gap in our job market, but it can also excite an entire generation of students.

Instead of becoming distracted by politics, DeVos should focus on putting first things first for the education of our students. When students start their journey of education, we must ensure that whatever plane theyre on is headed to the right destination, one that gives them the STEM skills they will need to thrive in our global economy.
FBI Director James Comey is set to testify Monday before a House committee investigating Russian activities during the 2016 presidential election, amid expectations hell provide long-awaited answers and evidence on that issue and whether President Trump was indeed wiretapped.

The Justice Department on Friday gave the House intelligence committee requested information about Trump's claim of being wiretapped during the presidential election.

However, California Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, the committee chairman, won't say what was received.

Nunes told Fox News Sunday that he still has no evidence that Trump Tower was wiretapped by the Obama administration.

The president doesnt go and physically wiretap something, he said. But the other issue out there is the unmasking of names, the leaking of names. That happened to [former National Security Adviser] Michael Flynn. The concern we have is: Are there any other surveillance activities in the unmasking of names?

Comey has made little public comment on the issue, which has resulted in congressional lawmakers accusing him of stonewalling them.

His testimony will be made in conjunction with the committees investigation into the Russian involvement.

National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers also is set to testify.

The Senate intelligence committee and the FBI also are probing Russian involvement in the election.

The U.S. intelligence community has already concluded Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential race -- in which computer emails from the Democratic National Committee and related to the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton were stolen and made public.

Nunes says the committee still had not received information it requested from the FBI and CIA about whether information collected on U.S. persons was mishandled and leaked to the public.

He said the National Security Agency had provided some information and expects to fully meet the committee's request by the end of next week.

Nunes also said Sunday about the hearing: For the first time, the American people and all political parties are finally paying attention to the threat that Russian poses.

The ranking Democrat on the committee, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, declined to comment Friday evening.

The leaders of the House intelligence committee wrote the three agencies earlier this week, asking for details about Americans who surfaced in intelligence collections between June 2016 and January. The committee wanted to know how many conversations involving a U.S. person were swept up, whether their identities were unmasked and whether legal requirements for disseminating their identities were followed.

Identities of Americans who show up in U.S. surveillance against foreign targets are generally concealed, but can be unmasked by intelligence agencies in certain circumstances. Those include situations when the communications contain information that a crime has been or is about to be committed; when the Americans' identity is necessary to understand the importance of the foreign intelligence collected; or when the communication provides information that an American may be an agent of a foreign power.

And last week, the Senate intelligence committee announced a March 30 hearing in connection to its investigation into Russian activities during last year's presidential election. A first panel of witnesses will examine the history of Russian influence campaigns and a second panel will address how Russia uses cyber operations to support the activities.

Former intelligence officials and others from business and academia are scheduled to testify.

The committee earlier held an open hearing in January on the Russian activities in the 2016 election.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Egypt's leading state-owned newspaper says President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and U.S. President Donald Trump will meet in Washington next month.

Al-Ahram says in a front-page report Sunday the two leaders will meet during the first week of April, in what will be el-Sissi's first visit to Washington since taking office in 2014.

TRUMP HITS GERMANY ON NATO AFTER MERKEL VISIT

El-Sissi and Trump have already shown a bond when they met in September on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Trump, at the time the Republican presidential nominee, said there was "good chemistry" and el-Sissi said Trump would "without a doubt" make a strong leader.

Cairo and Washington are expected to forge closer ties under Trump following years of tension over the Obama administration's emphasis on human rights and Cairo's perception that it supported the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended his first trip to Asia Sunday by saying that the United States is looking forward to the first meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Tillerson said in talks with Xi in Beijing that Trump places a "very high value" on communications with the Chinese president.

Trump looks forward to "the opportunity of a visit in the future," Tillerson said.

"You said that China-U.S. relations can only be friendly. I express my appreciation for this," Xi said, according to Reuters.

Xi told Tillerson that China considered his meetings on Saturday with Foreign Ministry Wang Yi and top diplomat Yang Jiechi to have been productive and constructive.

"Both (Trump) and I believe that we need to make joint efforts to advance China-U.S. cooperation and we believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era," Xi said.

"We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthened, strengthening of the ties between China and the United States and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation," Tillerson said, according to Reuters.

Tillerson's Beijing visit followed his remarks on Friday in South Korea that pre-emptive military action against North Korea might be necessary if the threat from its weapons program reaches a level "that we believe requires action."

China hasn't responded directly to those comments, although Beijing has called repeatedly for all sides to take steps in reducing tensions.

China has reluctantly agreed to U.N. Security Council resolutions sanctioning North Korea, but is adamantly opposed to measures that might bring about a collapse of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's regime. Beijing fears Kim's fall would send waves of refugees into northeastern China and see South Korean and American forces taking up positions along its border.



The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Rep. Mark Meadows and Sens. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, among congressional Republicans skeptical about the GOPs ObamaCare replacement plan, met this weekend with key figures in President Trumps effort to pass and sign the legislation.



They met Saturday at Trumps south Florida club, Mar-a-Lago, with White House strategist Steven Bannon and other administration staffers, sources told Fox News on Sunday.

The sources said the meeting focused on health care, particularly about crafting a bill that will pass in the Senate and accomplish the goal of lowering insurance premiums for Americans.

The bill, crafted by the House GOP leadership, could get a final vote in the lower chamber as early as Thursday.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told Fox News Sunday that the bill is still being refined but hes confident about getting the minimum 218 votes.

However, hell need help from the roughly 30-member, conservative House Freedom Cause, led by Meadows, of North Carolina.

And several Senate Republicans have expressed concerns about the legislation.

Meadows; Lee, of Utah; and Cruz, of Texas, spoke last week at a Tea Party-style rally on Capitol Hill, at which they tried to create momentum to completely repeal and replace ObamaCare, amid the argument that the GOP plan is ObamaCare lite.

"The House plan has a lot of problems, Cruz, told the crowd.

He told CBS Face the Nation on Sunday that he would not support the bill as it stood.

Fox News Kristin Brown and Serafin Gomez contributed to this report.
President Trump told reporters Sunday that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un was "acting very, very badly" hours after the rogue state test-fired a new type of high-thrust rocket engine.

The president made the remark on board Air Force One as he prepared to return to Washington from a weekend at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago. Trump said he had "meetings on North Korea," but did not specify with whom or what was discussed.

"I will tell you he is acting very badly," Trump repeated before departing the press cabin.

NORTH KOREA TESTS NEW TYPE OF HIGH-THRUST ROCKET ENGINE

In a statement issued Sunday, North Korea claimed the test was a success, with Kim calling it "a great event of historic significance" for the country's indigenous rocket industry, a report from the official Korean Central News Agency said.

North Korea is banned by the United Nations from conducting long-range missile tests, but it claims its satellite program is for peaceful use, a claim many in the U.S. and elsewhere believe is questionable. A successful test would indicate that North Korea is increasingly capable of firing a long-range missile.

The test was conducted as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in China on a swing through Asia that has been closely focused on concerns over how to deal with Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

It's hard to know whether this test was deliberately timed to coincide with Tillerson's visit, but Pyongyang has been highly critical of ongoing U.S.-South Korea wargames just south of the Demilitarized Zone and often conducts some sort of high-profile operation of its own in protest.

Earlier this month, it fired off four ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, reportedly reaching within 120 miles of Japan's shoreline.

TILLERSON WON'T RULE OUT NUCLEARIZATION OF ASIAN ALLIES TO KEEP NORTH KOREA IN CHECK

Tillerson met with Chinese President Xi Jinping two days after saying that pre-emptive military action against North Korea might be necessary if the threat from its weapons program reaches a level "that we believe requires action."

China, the North's biggest source of diplomatic support and economic assistance, hasn't responded directly to those comments, although Beijing has called repeatedly for all sides to take steps to reduce tensions.

China has agreed reluctantly to U.N. Security Council resolutions sanctioning North Korea, but is adamantly opposed to measures that might bring about a collapse of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's regime. Beijing fears Kim's fall would send waves of refugees into northeastern China and see South Korean and American forces taking up positions along its border.

Neither Tillerson nor Xi addressed a Twitter message Trump posted Friday, in which the president stated that China had "done little to help" the U.S. efforts to contain North Korea's nuclear program. Trump stated that North Korea had been "'playing' the United States for years."

In another Twitter post days before his inauguration, Trump said that Kim's vow to construct an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking the U.S. "won't happen."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
FBI Director James Comey will enter the House hearing Monday on Russian activities during the presidential election as an imposing figure in many ways -- standing 6-foot-8 and having been at the center of numerous, high-profile criminal probes.

His law-enforcement career began in the late 1980s. His relatively short time as head of the FBI includes his decision in July 2016 to investigate Hillary Clintons use of private email servers as secretary of state. The agency concluded the probe roughly three months later without recommending criminal charges, but it was considered a severe blow to Clintons ultimately failed White House bid.

Comey, a former registered Republican, was appointed in 2013 by then-President Obama to run the FBI.

As a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York in the early 2000s, he prosecuted businesswoman Martha Stewart, who was convicted in 2004 in connection with stock deals and sentenced to five months in prison.

He also helped prosecute the Gambino crime family when he previously worked in that office, from roughly 1987 to 1993.

Comey also supported federal agents who sought felony charges in 2015 against then-CIA Director David Petraeus, related to his mishandling of classified information.

Comey was appointed by the George W. Bush administration to the position of deputy attorney general, responsible for overseeing Justice Department operations. (He has insisted the FBI is apolitical in its investigations.)

He left the Justice Department in 2005 to become a vice president and general counsel for defense contractor Lockheed Martin through 2010. He then joined the Connecticut-based hedge fund Bridgewater Associates before leaving in 2013 to teach at Columbia Law School in New York City.

Comey was born in Yonkers, N.Y., attended the College of William and Mary and earned a law degree from the University of Chicago. He is married with five children.

This story is based in part on wire service reports.
Police are investigating a fatal shooting outside a grocery store in a suburb northeast of Atlanta.

WSB-TV (http://2wsb.tv/2mEw1Nx ) reports Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith says the shooting happened Saturday around 5:20 p.m. in the parking lot of an Ingles grocery store in Auburn.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, a 911 call came from the store about a domestic disturbance.

Officers arrived to find 51-year-old Dorothy Russell of Statham, Georgia, shot to death in a car.

Police say Russell was fatally shot by her husband, 50-year-old Darrin Russell.

The GBI says Russell fled in a Mercedes, but was caught 45 minutes later.

Russell has been charged with one count of murder. He's being held in the Barrow County jail.

It was not immediately clear if Russell has an attorney.
A Texas high school's on-site prayer room -- which serves as a spot where Muslim students can pray -- is stirring controversy.

Liberty High School in Frisco established the room in 2009, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is concerned that the room may be off-limits to students of other religious denominations.

He said in a letter Friday to the school district that any exclusion would be inconsistent with the First Amendments protection of religious liberty.

A school district spokesman responded that the classroom is available to students of all walks of life in the afternoon when it is vacant.

The leader of a large Baptist church in Dallas told "Fox & Friends" Sunday that he is okay with the practice.

I believe as long as students had equal access to the room its not a First Amendment issue, Pastor Robert Jeffress said. I believe we really as conservatives need to be careful that we dont pervert the First Amendment like liberals do to use it for their own agenda.

Muslim-American Mustafa Tameez, a Democratic political consultant, told "Fox & Friends" that Paxton is trying to create a controversy where one doesnt exist.

In airports we have a chapel where people can go pray, he said. So its not necessarily just for Muslim students. Its for anybody, anybody of faith that wants to use a room to communicate with their creator."
Germany has rejected President Donald Trump's claim that the country owes NATO large sums for underspending on defense.

Trump tweeted Saturday that "Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO and the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!"

His comments came a day after his first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which he described as "great."

Berlin's defense budget has long been below NATO's target of 2 percent of a member's gross domestic product.

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday that "there's no debtor's account at NATO," adding: "To tie the 2 percent of defense spending, which we want to achieve in the middle of the next decade, only to NATO, is wrong."
Jimmy Breslin, the surly, iconic Pulitzer Prize-winning New York newspaper columnist who covered the funeral of President John F. Kennedy from his grave diggers perspective and corresponded with the Son of Sam killer, died on Sunday, multiple outlets reported. He was 88.

Breslin died at his Manhattan home of complications from pneumonia, his stepdaughter, Emily Eldridge, said.

Born in Queens, Breslin worked for nearly every newspaper with a New York zip code, including The New York Daily News, Newsday, The New York Herald Tribune and The New York Journal American.

Perhaps best known for his distinctly working class New York columns, Breslin was also a gifted novelist and also had turns as a screenwriter and playwright.

"I'm the best person ever to have a column in this business," he once boasted. "There's never been anybody in my league."

His column, Digging JFKs grave was his honor, was published in The New York Herald Tribune in November 1963. While most of the media flocked to cover the assassinated presidents funeral from a conventional perspective, Breslin went against the grain, taking the reader through a day-in-the-life of Kennedys grave dinner, Clifton Pollard.

Clifton Pollard wasn't at the funeral, Breslin wrote. He was over behind the hill, digging graves for $3.01 an hour in another section of the cemetery. He didn't know who the graves were for. He was just digging them and then covering them with boards.

In 1977, the so-called "Son of Sam" serial killer, David Berkowitz, wrote to Breslin, fueling legendary columns on the psychotic murderer for The New York Daily News.

The night he got arrested, I walked into the courtroom in Queens and he pointed at me [and] said, Theres Jimmy Breslin, my friend, Breslin said, according to The New York Daily News. What was that? Shoot him, I said.

As to his motivation, the answer you received depended on when you asked Breslin the question.

Once he said: Rage is the only quality which has kept me, or anybody I have ever studied, writing columns for newspapers.

Another time: To please a reader: me.

Breslin was born in Queens, the son of James Breslin Sr. and his wife Frances. The hard-drinking elder Breslin abandoned the family when Jimmy was 6; he died broken and broke in a Miami nursing home.

Breslin's mother supported the family by working for 30 years as a welfare system administrator.

Breslin demonstrated few early skills as a wordsmith; he once said that he graduated high school "in the requisite five years" before a brief, undistinguished stay at Long Island University.

The college dropout-to-be was already working at the Long Island Press when he enrolled at LIU in 1948. Breslin was a sportswriter, bouncing between papers until landing at the New York Herald Tribune.

His 1963 column on Kennedy's grave digger was a breakthrough and Breslin later covered Robert Kennedy's assassination, in 1968, from close-up: Breslin was standing 5 feet away when Sirhan Sirhan struck at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

In 1969, Breslin joined author Norman Mailer on a twisted political ticket: Mailer for mayor, Breslin for city council president. After their predictable loss, Breslin observed, "I'm mortified to have taken part in a process that has closed the bar for the better part of the day."

By then, the failed politician was a successful author. His second book, "Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?", was praised for its tales of the sad-sack New York Mets. "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" was made into a 1971 movie.

Breslin dabbled in television and magazine writing, but returned to the newspaper business in 1976 as a Daily News columnist and became part of one of the city's most horrifying stories; the "Son of Sam" killings in 1977. Berkowitz sent Breslin several letters and impressed the columnist enough for him to observe: "He's the only killer I ever knew who knew how to use a semicolon."

Breslin jumped to New York Newsday in 1988, signing a contract for more than $500,000 a year. During the Crown Heights riots in 1991, the then-61-year-old columnist commandeered a cab and ordered the driver to head directly into the action.

About 50 rioters instead yanked Breslin from the taxi, robbed and beat him. Breslin was left with only his underwear and his press card.

Three years later, he underwent successful surgery for a brain aneurysm  an episode that led to his memoir.

While Breslin had crowds of admirers, he created an equal number of enemies. One of his most enduring feuds was with ex-Mayor Edward I. Koch, who once promised to "give the eulogy at Jimmy Breslin's funeral," a vow undone when Koch died in early 2013. Breslin also made his own ill-fated prediction. In his last regular column for Newsday, on Election Day of 2004, he rejoiced in the expected win of Democrat John Kerry for president; Republican George W. Bush was instead re-elected.

Breslin had two daughters and four sons with his first wife, Rosemary, who died of cancer in 1981. He later married Ronnie Eldridge, a former New York City councilwoman.

His elder daughter, Rosemary Breslin, died in 2004 at age 47 from a rare blood disease. His other daughter, Kelly Breslin, collapsed at a New York restaurant in April 2009 and died a few days later. She was 44. Eldridge said an arrhythmia episode was considered a likely cause.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A sheriff's deputy in Louisiana is dead after being shot near a movie theater in Baton Rouge while on duty.

Local news outlets report that the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office deputy was rushed to the hospital after being shot late Saturday. Reports say he and another deputy were conducting an investigation when the shooting occurred.

A suspect was shot and injured and taken to a hospital.

The New Orleans Advocate quoted East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks as saying the Louisiana State Police would conduct the investigation. The slain deputy's identity was not released.
Police are investigating a fatal shooting outside a grocery store in a suburb northeast of Atlanta.

WSB-TV reports Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith says the shooting happened Saturday around 5:20 p.m. in the parking lot of an Ingles grocery store in Auburn.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, a 911 call came from the store about a domestic disturbance.

Officers arrived to find 51-year-old Dorothy Russell of Statham, Georgia, shot to death in a car.

Police say Russell was fatally shot by her husband, 50-year-old Darrin Russell.

The GBI says Russell fled in a Mercedes, but was caught 45 minutes later.

Russell has been charged with one count of murder. He's being held in the Barrow County jail.

It was not immediately clear if Russell has an attorney.
More than a year after the Dec. 2, 2015, terror attack in San Bernardino, Calif., that left 14 people dead, survivors of the horrifying ordeal continue to struggle physically and mentally.

The problems started when San Bernardino County placed the terror victims into Californias Workers Compensation System. Many survivors then had their claims repeatedly modified  or fully denied. Those denials prompted the state to conduct an investigation into how the cases were handled. The findings, published this month, concluded that in many cases, the denial of care was the fault of the victims personal physicians, stating: The fact that several requests were denied and then authorized upon further review suggests that better communication by providers to the countys claims administrators and better documentation at the time requests were first submitted might have reduced the number of UR denials and IMR (independent medical review) requests.

I have to fight for treatments all doctors and surgeons say I need. Everyone was saying I need this, and yet my claim was sent to utilization review and being denied, Valerie Weber told Fox News during her continued recovery at the end of last year. She was shot twice by Tashfeen Malik, who, along with her husband Syed Rizwan Farook, carried out the deadly assault.

One bullet paralyzed Webers left arm; the other shattered her pelvis. Weber is back in the I.C.U this weekend after she experienced complications from her most recent surgery.

Gary Kaplan, Webers attorney, says that while blame is being tossed around, the real accountability lies in a system not designed to handle wounds typically sustained on the front lines.

If you were in any other setting using your private insurance, the vast majority of the things that you require to get better would be authorized and paid for by insurance, and it just isnt in the workers compensation system. Kaplan says.

The San Bernardino County Board Chairman, Robert A. Lovingood, released a statement earlier this month. This has been unchartered territory for the county, for the doctors, and most certainly for the survivors. But the states investigation shows the county has worked hard and effectively to ensure safe, and complete care for the employees injured during this horrific attack. This has been the countys priority since that fateful day, Lovingood says.

Fox News has reached out numerous times over the past few months to the Countys Board of Supervisors for an on-camera interview, but all five board members declined to comment or appear. That silence has also been delivered to the survivors, who continue to seek help in their ongoing recovery process, some even petitioning President Trump for help.
Moldova's prime minister is asking the president to approve the suspension of the agriculture minister, Eduard Grama, who has been detained as a suspect in a scheme to illegally expropriate state-owned vineyards and buildings.

Premier Pavel Filip asked President Igor Dodon on Friday to agree to suspend Grama, who was detained this week by anti-corruption prosecutors. He has denied wrongdoing. Prosecutor say more than a dozen are suspected of involvement in the scheme to illegally lease 30 hectares (74 acres) of land and buildings owned by the National College of Viticulture and Winemaking.

In November, anti-corruption prosecutors arrested 12 people in the case, saying suspects illegally changed ownership documents to make the land more expensive and bribed state officials.
Three U.S. Army soldiers were shot and wounded Sunday when an Afghan Army soldier opened fire on them inside a base in southern Afghanistan's volatile Helmand Province, officials told Fox News.

The attack occurred around 1:30 p.m. local time at Camp Antonik in Washer District in Helmand.

"Coalition security forces on the base killed the soldier to end the attack," Capt. Bill Salvin, spokesman for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, told Fox News. "The U.S. soldiers are receiving medical treatment at this time and we will release more information when available."

The severity of the soldiers wounds was not immediately clear. Salvin declined to offer more details.

There are roughly 8,400 U.S. troops on the ground in Afghanistan -- more than in Iraq and Syria combined.

Additionally, the Pentagon is weighing a decision to send more U.S. forces to Afghanistan. The top U.S. commander in the country, Gen. John Nicholson, told Congress earlier this year he needed more U.S. and allied soldiers to help train the Afghan army.

A detachment of U.S. Marines is scheduled to replace the Army unit in Helmand Province in the coming weeks. Hundreds of Marines were killed fighting the Taliban in Helmand at the height of the Afghan war.

Since October, 12 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan and five Americans are currently being held hostage there.

Obama-era force management levels, known more broadly as "troop caps," have strictly controlled the number of U.S. soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan (and Iraq and Syria, too).

During a recent visit to Ft. Campbell, home of the famed 101st Airborne Division, Apache gunship pilots told Fox News about the recent deployment of 101's aviation brigade to Afghanistan -- only the helicopters and pilots deployed. The mechanics were left at home because of the troop caps.

As a result, expensive contractors were paid tens of millions of dollars to fix the helicopters overseas.
The Philippine president says his militarily inferior country can't stop China's actions in contested waters, responding to a reported plan by Beijing to construct an environmental monitoring station in a disputed shoal off the Philippines' northwest coast.

President Rodrigo Duterte, however, warned Sunday that he would invoke a July 12 arbitration ruling that invalidated China's territorial claims in the South China Sea if the Chinese "start to tinker with the entitlement," apparently meaning when Beijing starts to tap the offshore area's resources.

Duterte's remarks differ slightly from those of Manila's Department of Foreign Affairs, which said that it was trying to verify the news reports about China's construction plans on Scarborough Shoal and that it would refrain from commenting while doing so.
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French police have released the father of the Orly Airport attacker who was shot and killed while taking a soldier hostage.

The Paris prosecutor's office, which took charge of the probe after the Saturday morning attack, says the brother and a cousin of the suspect, Ziyed Ben Belgacem, remain in custody. The father was released overnight.

The office says an autopsy Sunday of the attacker's body will include drawing blood for drug and alcohol tests.

Prosecutors say Belgacem attacked a soldier at Paris' Orly Airport and wrested away her assault rifle. Her two colleagues shot and killed him before he could fire the military-grade weapon at the busy airport.

The attack forced Orly to shut down, sent passengers fleeing in panic and trapped hundreds aboard flights that had just landed.
A Hamas military court has sentenced two Palestinians to death for drug dealing, in the first-such case since the militant group seized the Gaza Strip a decade ago.

The Interior Ministry says Sunday that one would be killed by a firing squad. The other defendant was sentenced in absentia.

The ministry said security forces seized $2 million in illicit drugs in January alone, which was equivalent to what was seized in all of 2016. Most of the seized drugs were narcotics and cannabis.

Hamas has issued and implemented capital punishment mostly against people found guilty of murder or of collaborating with Israel. These verdicts were the first against drug dealers.

The defendants were previously given lighter sentences, but the ministry says the dealers "were not deterred."
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Several thousand people marched in Paris on Sunday against police violence.

The demonstration was the latest protest sparked by the alleged rape in February of a young black man with a police baton, and other police abuse.

Demonstrators carried banners with portraits of victims of alleged police brutality.

Anarchists faced off with riot police at the end of the march and tear gas was fired but clashes remained limited in scope and violence.

The alleged police rape of Theo in the Paris suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois turned the 22-year-old into a symbol for minorities standing up to police violence. His last name hasn't been publicly released.

He was hospitalized for two weeks. One officer was charged with rape, while three others were accused of aggravated assault. All deny intentional wrongdoing.
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U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the U.S. is looking forward to the first meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

In talks with Xi in Beijing on Sunday, Tillerson said Trump places a "very high value" on communications with the Chinese president via phone calls and exchanges of letters.

Tillerson said Trump looked forward to "the opportunity of a visit in the future," an apparent reference to unconfirmed reports of plans for Trump and Xi to meet in Florida next month.

Tillerson has struck a cordial tone during his meetings in Beijing, the last stop in a tour of Asia that also included visits to Japan and South Korea. His trip has been dominated by concerns over North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons program.
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British police in inflatable powerboats have boarded a River Thames cruise boat as part of an exercise simulating the hijacking of a tourist vessel in London.

The Metropolitan Police force says Sunday's training exercise is designed to test the emergency services' response to "a marauding terrorist attack."

It's the first such exercise to focus on the winding tidal river that carries large amounts of commuters, tourists and freight through the heart of London.

Last year a report commissioned by Mayor Sadiq Khan recommended strengthening security measures along the Thames.

Britain's official threat level from terrorism stands at "severe," meaning an attack is highly likely.
Despite some Sunday morning flakes spring is about to be sprung.

Cold air seeping southward this Sunday morning pushed the rain/snow line into the Fredericksburg vicinity just as an upper level disturbance was moving out of the area. Some folks undoubtedly did see flakes this morning but the precipitation is ending quickly. As I write this Sol - our sun - is already shining across the western half of Virginia and will reappear in the Burgs skies by late morning.

Speaking of precipitation Saturdays storm was an overachiever. Although expectations were for less than a quarter-inch of moisture the UMW weather station has recorded over an inch of much-needed rain in the past 24 hours. Thats good news for plants and soil moisture but local flooding (ex: Harrell Road in Stafford county) could be something to contend with this morning.

Thermometers will top out near 50 degrees this afternoon in the Fredericksburg area as northerly winds gusting to 20 mph keep things a bit cooler than normal. However after a Monday morning minimum in the low 30s tomorrow afternoon will warm to the 60 degree mark under strong March sunshine. Tomorrow morning also marks a seasonal milestone as the spring equinox (beginning of astronomical spring) arrives at 6:29 a.m.

Overall the long range weather pattern looks like it will keep the really cold air bottled up over Canada. Thus the likelihood of another Fredericksburg snow event is just about gone for this winter. However the advent of spring-like conditions should remind folks that severe weather season is on the near horizon.

As part of preparing for severe weather a Virginia statewide Tornado Drill is being conducted Tuesday morning. Its a great way for folks at work, school, or home to practice severe weather procedures before such an event may be necessary. The graphic is a good explanation of why tornado sirens  not common in Virginia  shouldnt be relied upon for warnings. Hey, its the 21st century...there are plenty of better ways to receive severe weather warnings these days!
Gabriel and Leo McAdam are Irish, though they may not know yet just what that means.

Gabriel is four years old, and Leo is two. So for now, other than a couple of visits to their fathers homeland, most of their cultural heritage comes from the Irish folktales he tells them.

Thats why their parents, Garreth and Amanda McAdam, brought them Saturday afternoon to the festival following the 15th annual St. Patricks Day Paraderenamed this year after founder Jeff Fitzpatrick, who died last fall.

We typically try to find something every year. This seemed the most appropriate, Garreth McAdam said. The family lives in Orange, but the Fredericksburg parade was the closest family-style St. Paddys Day event, Amanda McAdam said.

This year, between 1,500 and 1,600 people turned outalmost three times as many as in previous years, according to Rita Witte, the general manager for Adventure Brewing Co., which runs the event.

We all kind of agreed it was just something we should keep doing for the community, Witte said. Moving the festival to the A. Smith Bowman Distillery, where there is more space to move around, likely helped boost attendanceas did the weather, warming up for the first time this week since Mondays winter storm.

The parade featured firetrucks, Irish dancers, bands, local pageant winners, classic cars, and a variety of organizations. For the festival afterward, about 25 vendors and community organizations set up booths, and about 30some of which overlappedparticipated in the parade, Witte said.

One of those booths hosted the Strength & Honor Motorcycle Club, a nonprofit organization made up of public safety servants from firefighters to military.

Some of the members have a proud Irish heritage, chapter president Bryant Halstead said, but the club was there to raise awareness for causes it supports.

Members participated Saturday in a 25-push-up challenge to bring awareness to the statistic that 22 veterans per day die by suicide, with three extra push-ups in honor of all men, women and children affected by depression and other mental illness, chapter president Bryant Halstead said.

Its one of those topics that people have to be talking about, he said. We dont provide the services.  What we have is a program that has an audience and has a voice.

Though club members wear patches on leather vestsinsignia sometimes worn to signify territorythe club is non-territorial, Halstead said. But people are sometimes intimidated, and at events, the club members remind each other to stand back from their table instead of forming a line that could send the wrong message.

Were trying to shift that perception, he said.

Outside the distillery, the McAdam boys climbed trees while their parents enjoyed the live music and Adventure Brewing Co.s Fred Red.

Garreth McAdam, who met his wife when she studied abroad in Ireland, has now lived in the U.S. for 12 years. For him, St. Patricks Day is a chance to celebrate his heritagealthough he sometimes wishes Americans were as excited about the culture as the drinks poured on the holiday, he said.

I wish theyd focus on the culture as opposed the commercialism, he said.

At home, drinking is primarily a social activity, he said, with people rarely drinking to get drunk once theyre out of school. Id never done shots until I came here, he said.

To share his culture with his sons, he tells them Irish stories. Right now, their favorite is about Cu Chulainn or sometimes Cuhullin, a warrior who won fame starting when he was a young boy. The boys like the part of the story where Cu Chulainn throws a stone like in the Irish sport of hurling.

wThey like being warriors, he said.
The shutdown of a gun ring supplied with more than 200 guns bought in Virginia for resale in New York City has reinvigorated calls for a state law that limits handgun purchases to one per month.

Proponents wanting to restore a so-called one-gun-a-month measure in Virginia say it would stifle the flow of guns from the state to crime scenes elsewhere, and that a law repealed in 2012 after nearly 20 years on the books did just that.

Those opposed say the law would affect only law-abiding gun buyers.

Neither have it right.

In 1993, the year then-Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, a Democrat, signed the law, Virginia was the top supplier of guns recovered at crime scenes in New York and other northeastern states by way of the iron pipeline of Interstate 95.

Three years later, when the Virginia State Crime Commission studied the law after the first bill was introduced to repeal itit was a constant target by RepublicansVirginia dropped to eighth on the list of source states for firearms trafficking, according to figures from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives cited in the 1996 commission report.

There, in eighth place, Virginia remainseven after the laws repeal.

In 2015, three years after the law was struck down, 441 guns recovered in New York were traced to Virginia, according to the most recent ATF figures. The bureau now includes a disclaimer on its trace data saying not all firearms used in crime are traced and not all firearms traced are used in crime.

Thats 34 more guns than in 2011, the last full year one-handgun-a-month was in place.

END RUNS

Even when the law was in place, traffickers found ways around the monthly limit by using straw purchasesan illegal practice in which gunrunners pay Virginians without criminal records to buy their gunsor what gun-control advocates call the gun show loophole.

Virginia doesnt require background checks between private parties, such as independent sellers at gun shows; but a new state law that took effect last summer allows for voluntary checks by the Virginia State Police.

Plus, the law applied only to handguns. Virginia residents could, and still can, buy as many rifles and shotguns as they can afford.

It appears that many of the 217 guns sold to an undercover New York City police officer, which led to the 627-count indictment and 24 people charged, were purchased legally in Virginia from licensed gun shops, at gun shows or from private suppliers. But straw purchases, which were used by those busted in Brooklyn, are illegal in Virginia.

Of the 24 people charged, 22 are from Virginia15 from the Richmond area, one from Northern Virginia, and the rest from Hampton Roads.

It should raise some red flags when someone is buying that many guns, said Laura Cutilletta, the managing attorney for the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a California-based gun control group that grades each states gun laws.

Cutilletta supports one-gun-a-month laws, as well as universal background checks, including at gun shows.

She also suggested that gun dealers video-record their sales to help identify straw purchasers, and that local law enforcement track guns they find during investigations. That way, police can figure out if guns used in crimes come from any common sources, she said.

Part of the incentive is the lucrative market awaiting traffickers in states such as New York, where strict gun laws have driven up the price of black market guns to two and three times what traffickers pay for them in southern states.

(New York lawmakers) gave the criminals incentives to go out and find more guns, said Phillip Van Cleave, president of Virginia Citizens Defense League, a pro-gun rights group.

Van Cleave said during the 20 years the law was in effect, New Yorkers complained that Virginia guns still were making their way to criminals there. Virginia remains New Yorks largest source of guns, according to 2015 ATF data.

RICHMOND MURDERS

The homicide rate in Richmond is higher than it is in New York City, where strict limitations make carrying a gun difficult.

With a population of 220,289, Richmond has 27.7 homicides per 100,000 residents. New York City, where more than 19.8 million people live, has 3.9 homicides for every 100,000 residents.

In terms of homicide rate, Richmond compares more similarly to Chicago, where tight city gun laws are undermined by laxer laws in the suburbs and in neighboring states.

Last year, the Windy Citys homicide count soared to 762, nearly doubling the number a year earlier. Based on its population of 2.7 million, Chicago has a rate of 28 homicides per 100,000 people.

In Richmond, about 90 percent of the 61 slayings last year were committed with a gun.

Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham and Commonwealths Attorney Michael N. Herring often have stated that access to guns are to blame for the citys rising violent crime.

While law enforcement officials wait for lawmakers to enact some statute that will restrict the flow of guns, authorities have increased their efforts to seize firearms after they already are in the hands of people who shouldnt have them.

Richmond police seized 808 guns citywide in 2016 during its annual Fugitives and Firearms Initiative.
Dawn Elaine Jett Riley was born April 28, 1958 in Fredericksburg, Virginia to Frank and Evelyn Jett and was baby sister to three siblings. Dawn started her new life in Heaven on Saturday, March 18, 2017. Filled with Christs love and Holy Spirit, she lavished her love on others in the form of countless kindnesses and loving acts of service. There was a sweetness at her core like sweet honey in the rock. Her strength and peaceful nature made her the rock that family and friends sought out for comfort, peace and direction. Dawn was a graduate of Stafford High School and spent all of her adult life in Crozet, Virginia. A nurse by training, her strength of character and spirit assisted her as she cared for and walked with several family members from life on earth to life in heaven.

Fun-loving and filled with joy, Dawn loved celebrations and vacations with her husband, children and grandchildren at Mint Springs, Virginia Beach, Disney World and Hawaii. Her smiles and laugh filled every space large and small. Hostess extraordinaire, she loved to cook and enjoyed having extra people at her table. Dawn and Michael hosted missionaries through ANM for many years in their home. She had a heart for children and was a mentor to many throughout the years.

Dawn is survived by Michael Riley, her husband of thirty-seven years, her best friend, confidant and protector; daughter Jessica Riley OMalley (husband Dan); daughter Melissa Riley; son Michael Riley Jr. (wife Jessica); and step-daughter Michelle Griggs (husband Tony). Also, survived by eight grandchildren, lovingly known as her grands, Heather Griggs, Brian, Connor, Kaitlyn, Meghan and Kileigh OMalley, Leyland Riley, and Elijah Riley. Her father, Frank H. Jett; and siblings Marilyn Jett Tate (husband Tom), Gaynelle Jett Scott (husband Courtney), and Frank H. Jett Jr. (wife Susanna). Dawn is the well-loved aunt of eight nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her mother, Evelyn Jett, and brother-in-law, Jeffrey Chewning.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Advancing Native Missions (ANM), Box 5303 Charlottesville, VA 22905, (540-456-7111).

Visitation will be at Charlton and Groome, 619 Lifecore Drive, Fishersville, Va. (540-932-3600) on Friday, March 24 from 6-8 p.m. Burial will be private on Saturday morning, March 25 and afterwards a Celebration of Life service will be held at 11 a.m. at Christ Community Church at 329 Riverside Ave., Charlottesville, VA 22902.

Online condolences can be written online at charltongroomefuneralhome.com.
IF Democrats want to filibuster President Donald Trumps Supreme Court nominee, theyre entitled to do it.

In fact, Democrats are free to try and stop federal appeals court Judge Neil Gorsuchs confirmation for any reason they desire, whether ideological or personal, or even no particular reason at all.

There is nothing in the Constitution that compels senators to vote on judicial nominees the president forwards. The nation witnessed that approach by Republican senators after Justice Antonin Scalias death created this opening on the court more than a year ago.

Make no mistake, though: Sen. Chuck Schumer now opposes a potential SCOTUS justice because he promises to be impartial when upholding the Constitution.

Since Gorsuchs confirmation hearing starts Monday in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee and opponents have found little to latch onto, according to Politico (which means theyve found nothing to spin into accusations of misogyny or racism), Schumer and his allies have launched a ham-fisted effort to paint Gorsuch as a corporate stooge.

This argument includes a preposterous New York Times piece headlined Neil Gorsuch Has Web of Ties to Secretive Colorado Billionaire.

Who is this mysterious tycoon? Philip Anschutz, who is probably one of the most familiar names in Colorado. Hes so secretive, in fact, that one of the largest medical facilities in the state is named after him. Thats just one of the many buildings that bears his name. If its disqualifying for one of the states leading lawyers to have a relationship with one of its leading businessmen, then nearly every Coloradan in Washington, D.C., will have to pack up and head homeincluding Schumers colleague Sen. Michael Bennet.

Playing on this theme, Schumer trotted out a bunch of sad cases that supposedly illustrated the heartlessness at the core of Gorsuchs ideology. Judge Gorsuchs decisions had negative real-life implications for working Americans, he tweeted. Schumer also said, When the chips are down, far too often he sides with the powerful few over everyday Americans just trying to get a fair shake.

By chips, of course, Schumer means law. As just one example, he tweeted, Judge #Gorsuch ruled against Alphonse Maddin, from Michigan, a truck driver who was fired because he left his vehicle when freezing.

Well, guess what? The case was a bit more complicated than Gorsuch relishing an opportunity to punish working-class Americans. TransAm Trucking, Maddins employer, fired him for insubordination because instead of waiting for help after his truck broke, he unhooked the trailer and drove to a gas station. Maddin seemed to act reasonably, and an administrative law judge ruled that his firing was illegal because federal law protects employees who refuse to operate a vehicle in unsafe conditions. Gorsuch reasoned that Maddin had been asked by TransAm not to leave his trailer but did anyway.

It might be fair to ask whether TransAms decision was a wise or kind one, Gorsuch wrote in his dissent. But its not our job to answer questions like that. ... It is our job and work enough for the day to apply the law Congress did pass, not to imagine and enforce one it might have but didnt. The its not our job to answer questions like that is whats most offensive to left-wing sensibilities, which often champion judicial lawmaking.

Lets remember: Normalizing the idea that the Constitution should be subservient to progressive conceptions of justice goes back to Barack Obama, who in 2008 promised to nominate justices who shared ones deepest values, ones core concerns, ones broader perspectives on how the world works, and the depth and breadth of ones empathy. The left hailed this gibberish as proof of a thoughtful temperament, when in reality its a feel-good argument to subvert the constitutional duties of the president and the court to feelings.

At the time, Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the Democratic Party candidate, confirmed, Barack Obama has always believed that our courts should stand up for social and economic justice. Someone should ask Schumer whether it is ever acceptable for a judge to rule against a poor person and in favor of a large corporation? Or does social and economic justice take precedence over law?

Its debatable that Gorsuchs decisions hurt working people in the long run anyway. But the idea that Gorsuch is unsuited for the position because he wont reflexively rule in favor of those in lower socioeconomic positionsand this is the entirety of the argumentis an attack on the Constitution. Justices solemnly swear to administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich. There is no addendum that says unless theyre really poor.

Its up to communities and government to show empathy. Its the job of judges to rule on law. Schumer is arguing that the impartiality of the courts should be ceded to the identity of the participants. Thats un-American.

David Harsanyi is a senior editor at The Federalist. Follow him on Twitter @davidharsanyi.
A RECENT encounter with an old friend revealed that he has swallowed hook, line and sinker the notion that the media dispense fake news and that a bias permeates most of the formerly trusted outlets.

To which I would like to ask: How would he know? Does he believe this because members of the conservative media have told him this is the case?

Or is it because he somehow continues to allow himself to read the traditional news media, and has decided that everything reported in these venerable print sources and The Free LanceStar is biased?

My friend literally shuddered when I put forth the argument that in order to get anything even vaguely resembling the news of the day, he must be exposed to stories in traditional newspapers, and think it through for himself as to what is fact.

The people who say the news is biased, or fake, coming from the lame-stream media, are only too willing to accept and believe admitted bias from the point of view with which they agree. Apparently, bias is perfectly OK if it happens to fit your particular bias.

I suspect that most of the people who continue to read a daily newspaper in America cant or wont distinguish between news, opinion and analysis. They think that because the electronic mediaCNN, FOX News, et al.offer little in the way of actual news and instead spend their days offering up nothing but analysis that newspapers do the same. This is not the case.

In a daily newspaper, theres plenty of news reported by seasoned journalists who dig for the truth by attending City Council or Board of Supervisors meetings, covering live sporting events and interviewing news sourcespoliticians, government workers and other specialists in their fieldsto report what they have learned to the reading public.

Opinion, whether on the editorial or commentary pages, in columns or in a form clearly labeled analysis has always been permitted on the pages of the newspaper. But news, as reported by reporters on the events of the day, generally does not purposefully have bias.

When Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein reported on the Watergate break-in and the cover-up that went all the way to President Richard Nixon himself, it was news, Nixons protests notwithstanding. When Art Buchwald wrote columns about same, it was opinion and labeled as such. If you were a Nixon supporter, it was entirely up to you whether you wished to be exposed to the columns. But to think that the news stories on Page 1 also were merely a matter of opinion, or an intentional lie, just because you didnt like learning that a president for whom you voted could possibly have done such a thing, that comes under the category of not being able to handle the truth.

If a news story is reported for the truth and it turns out to be false, there are ways to punish those who willfully tell a lie. This falls under the category of libel, and those who do so can be, and are, punished by the law. As well they should be.

Therefore, regardless of which side of the political spectrum you favor, you should permit yourself to be exposed to news that makes you uncomfortable. If the president or a congressman is caught with his pants down, you may think, Oh, no! Not my guy! But not knowing about world, U.S. and local events because you automatically assume that these are lies turns all of us into an ignorant people not worthy of the republic for which [our U.S. flag] stands.

We should not be afraid of ideas, even when they differ from those we happen to hold. Neither should we close our eyes and ears to truth when we encounter it.

Remember the words of Thomas Jefferson. Although by the end of his life he was no fan of newspapers, our third president wrote: The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. No war on media, he!

Remember, too, the words of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore: Facts are many, but the truth is one.

Karen Owen is former Viewpoints editor of The Free LanceStar. She lives in Richmond.
Readers, we need your help to prove a merry Christmas for victims of domestic violence.
SHAME! Pretty Nigerian Girl Caught Stealing In A Malaysian Mall (Photos + Video)

kacylee at 18-03-2017 10:09 PM (5 years ago) (f)



According to a video currently circulating on social media, a Nigerian lady simply identified as Victoria, was caught stealing in Malaysia. According to the video, she had gone to a shop inside a mall in Malaysia, and while pretending to shop.

According to a video currently circulating on social media, a Nigerian lady simply identified as Victoria, was caught stealing in Malaysia. According to the video, she had gone to a shop inside a mall in Malaysia, and while pretending to shop.

Victoria picked up pieces of jewellery and tried to leave without paying for them. She was caught taken away for questioning by some of the malls security detail.



See video below:





Victoria, a Nigerian girl, caught stealing inside a mall, this afternoon, in Malaysia A post shared by Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) on Mar 18, 2017 at 3:05am PDT Victoria picked up pieces of jewellery and tried to leave without paying for them. She was caught taken away for questioning by some of the malls security detail.See video below:

Post Reply I have been reporting for several years now and I am very interested in visual news reportage with strong inclusion of photos and video multimedia. Posted: at 18-03-2017 10:09 PM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero

Keffejude at 18-03-2017 10:22 PM (5 years ago)

(m) pretty Posted: at 18-03-2017 10:22 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac pretty Reply

akinmanchy at 18-03-2017 10:57 PM (5 years ago)

(m) What a shame! And the annoying thing be say these things wey she steal sef nor get head, all those panda fake jewellery. Girl u fall my hand Life na jeje so just try to take am softly Posted: at 18-03-2017 10:57 PM (5 years ago) | Hero What a shame! And the annoying thing be say these things wey she steal sef nor get head, all those panda fake jewellery. Girl u fall my hand Reply

beneno at 19-03-2017 12:07 AM (5 years ago)

(m) See shame.God forbid Posted: at 19-03-2017 12:07 AM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero See shame.God forbid Reply

morgan1 at 19-03-2017 04:05 AM (5 years ago)

(m) I pity u,,,,,dem go too beat d shit out of u ehnnn,,, Posted: at 19-03-2017 04:05 AM (5 years ago) | Hero I pity u,,,,,dem go too beat d shit out of u ehnnn,,, Reply

victorstic1 at 19-03-2017 05:42 AM (5 years ago)

(m) CHAI ANOTHER BIAFRA DON GO REPRESENT NIGERIA VICTORIA CHUKWUMEREJE Posted: at 19-03-2017 05:42 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac CHAI ANOTHER BIAFRA DON GO REPRESENT NIGERIA VICTORIA CHUKWUMEREJE Reply

angesco at 19-03-2017 08:16 AM (5 years ago)

(f) Quote from: victorstic1 on 19-03-2017 05:42 AM CHAI ANOTHER BIAFRA DON GO REPRESENT NIGERIA VICTORIA CHUKWUMEREJE



To the Malaysians she is a NIGERIAN. PERIOD. Posted: at 19-03-2017 08:16 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac To the Malaysians she is a NIGERIAN. PERIOD. Reply

Vicky_joseph at 19-03-2017 11:16 AM (5 years ago)

(f) This is serious Posted: at 19-03-2017 11:16 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac This is serious Reply

gogoman at 19-03-2017 12:09 PM (5 years ago)

(m) NA WA OOOO Posted: at 19-03-2017 12:09 PM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero NA WA OOOO Reply

Otikadinje at 19-03-2017 12:15 PM (5 years ago)

(m) This is not her first time ole. Oscardeejay Posted: at 19-03-2017 12:15 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac This is not her first time ole. Reply

Otikadinje at 19-03-2017 12:15 PM (5 years ago)

(m) This is not her first time ole. Oscardeejay Posted: at 19-03-2017 12:15 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac This is not her first time ole. Reply

K01abinibi at 19-03-2017 06:16 PM (5 years ago)

(m) E dey inside blood Posted: at 19-03-2017 06:16 PM (5 years ago) | Upcoming E dey inside blood Reply

24magic at 19-03-2017 09:17 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Why did you do this Posted: at 19-03-2017 09:17 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Why did you do this Reply

Larry28 at 20-03-2017 11:30 AM (5 years ago)

(f) Posted: at 20-03-2017 11:30 AM (5 years ago) | Hero Reply

24magic at 23-03-2017 05:51 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Giving Nigerians bad names everywhere. Nawa Posted: at 23-03-2017 05:51 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Giving Nigerians bad names everywhere. Nawa Reply

kabukabu at 23-03-2017 06:26 PM (5 years ago)

(m) She is the mother of Afriqueen. Idiot Posted: at 23-03-2017 06:26 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac She is the mother of Afriqueen. Idiot Reply

akinmanchy at 30-03-2017 12:00 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Hmmmmmm Life na jeje so just try to take am softly Posted: at 30-03-2017 12:00 AM (5 years ago) | Hero Hmmmmmm Reply

BournIdentity at 31-03-2017 06:35 AM (5 years ago)

(m) NobsmallTin at all

Posted: at 31-03-2017 06:35 AM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero NobsmallTin at all Reply

akinmanchy at 31-03-2017 06:02 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Chai so sad



Life na jeje so just try to take am softly Posted: at 31-03-2017 06:02 PM (5 years ago) | Hero Chai so sad Reply
OnePlus 3T Black edition, Moto G5 Plus, Cat S60, Coolpad Note 5 Lite: Weekly launch roundup Features oi -Harish Kumar Here's a list of smartphones and other gadgets launched this week with their specs and other details.

This week we saw a few new smartphones being announced and launched from different brands such as OnePlus, Motorola, Huawei and Coolpad.

While OnePlus basically introduced a new color variant and a special edition of the OnePlus 3T the colette:edition, other brands have launched an entirely new device. As such Lenovo owned brand Motorola introduced the Moto G5 Plus which is a Flipkart exclusive smartphone.

Caterpillar also unveiled the Cat S60 while Coolpad launched the Note 5 Lite. These being the top of the line products from the brands respectively.

Best and affordable 4G VoLTE Android smartphones to buy under Rs 10,000

However, alongside these smartphones, there were also various other smartphones unveiled from brands like Vivo, Intex amongst others.

As smartphone launches are an exciting time, here's a list of all the phones that were launched this week.

Best Mobiles in India
North Korea Tests Powerful New Rocket Engine

By VOA News March 18, 2017

North Korea ground-tested a new high-thrust rocket engine, the country's official news agency, KCNA, said Sunday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the test was successful and "emphasized that the world will soon witness the great significance of the epoch-making victory we achieved today," KCNA reported.

The test consisted of firing the rocket engine while it was held in place on the ground, not powering a missile. The ignition took place at the Tongchang-ri rocket launch station, near the North's border with China, according to KCNA, which said Kim Jong Un went to the site at dawn, "mounted an observation post and gave the order to start the test."

From this same region, Pyongyang launched a satellite into space in February 2016 using banned intercontinental ballistic missile technology.

Possible ICBM engine tested

The state news agency quoted Kim as saying the new "high-thrust engine would help consolidate the scientific and technological foundation to match the world-level satellite delivery capability in the field of outer space development." This also indicated the engine being tested was likely intended for use in long-range missiles.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is on his first official trip to Asia this week, is now in China after visiting Japan and South Korea.

Tillerson has emphasized the need for a new approach to deal with the growing North Korean nuclear threat, and he stressed that the United States is willing to consider "all options" to rein in North Korea's aggressive military policies.

Analysts say this could include some form of limited military action, and would certainly confront North Korea more directly that the diplomatic approach backed by former President Barack Obama, whose policy in the region was known as one of "strategic patience."

Tensions at a dangerous level'

In South Korea Friday, Tillerson said: "Let me be very clear, the Policy of Strategic Patience has ended. We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures. All options are on the table."

Meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Saturday, Tillerson said tensions on the Korean Peninsula have reached a "rather dangerous level."

"I think we share a common view and a sense that tensions in the peninsula are quite high right now," Tillerson said. "We will work together to see if we cannot bring the government in Pyongyang to a place where they want to make a different course  make a course correction  and move away from the development of nuclear weapons."

Earlier this month, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan in response to annual U.S.-South Korea military drills, which the North sees as a preparation for war.

Three of the missiles flew about 1,000 kilometers and landed in Japanese waters, the Pentagon said. U.S. officials said the weapons were medium-range rockets that did not pose a threat to North America.

VOA's White House correspondent Steve Herman, Brian Padden in Seoul and Carla Babb at the Pentagon contributed to this report.

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Komatireddy Feels He Is Baahubali!

It is an open secret that senior Congress leader and Nalgonda MLA Komatireddy Venkat Reddy has been nurturing the ambition of becoming the chief ministerial candidate of the Congress party in 2018 elections. If not he, he wants his brother Rajagopal Reddy to be the front runner for the post.

So, when veteran Congress leader and CLP leader K Jana Reddy said the Congress party would get its Baahubali-2 to resurrect it in the 2019 elections, Komatireddy quickly jumped into the fray and staked the claim, albeit indirectly. In fact, he seems to have got into impression that he would fully fit the Baahubali-2 description.

Jana Reddy is fully correct. The Congress will get its Baahubali by 2019. It could be Jana Reddy or any other leader (read Komatireddy), the Nalgonda MLA said.

Komatireddy demanded that the State government release Nagarjuna Sagar water for irrigation purpose to Nalgonda district.

He asked the State government to release water to Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda and Khammam districts even though the water level reaches dead storage level in the Srisailam project.

He also alleged that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was least bothered even as his AP counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu had taken away Srisailam water to Rayalaseema.

He urged KCR to establish a Medical College in Nalgonda district headquarters.
This week's column:

After Gov. Roy Cooper offered an olive branch in his first State of the State speech last week, North Carolinas most powerful Republican responded with a video slapdown.

Cooper stressed common ground over and over in his remarks to the GOP-dominated legislature.

Phil Berger, the Eden Republican who leads the state Senate, followed with a sour and combative address that took personal jabs at Cooper.

In the prerecorded video, Berger noted that Cooper, a Democrat, had only squeaked into office in defeating incumbent Republican Gov. Pat McCrory.

He also blamed Cooper for the failure of the legislature to repeal the states discriminatory bathroom law, HB 2, in December, alleging that Cooper worked behind the scenes to rally Democrats against it  actually, Berger says Cooper ordered them to oppose it.

Berger neglected to mention his own inability to deliver enough Republican votes for a repeal in the House and Senate, which both contain GOP super majorities. If the Republicans truly wanted to repeal HB 2, they could do it without Democrats. And Berger full well knows that.

Wearing a Carolina blue tie (as if to remind us that the Tar Heels werent playing in Greensboro last week because of HB 2), he was just getting warmed up.

Berger also inaccurately said Cooper had sued the state over its voter ID law.

He accused Democrats of vulgar demonstrations.

He called Coopers vision for the state a mirage.

He bragged about GOP elective victories without mentioning the blatant gerrymandering that made many of them possible.

He was smug, petty and gratuitous.

It shouldnt have been so surprising. Berger could be just as dismissive of McCrory, whom he treated as more of an annoyance  or even worse, an afterthought  even though theyre both Republicans. Yet, to the bitter end, McCrory never grew a backbone, and humbly did the legislatures  and Bergers  bidding on his way out.

This is wrong and short-sighted, McCrory said of a bill that stripped Cooper of some his powers. Then he signed it into law anyway.

On second thought, maybe McCrory got what he deserved. But Cooper didnt.

You think Berger cares what Cooper deserves? Cooper was elected to the post, but Berger is the de facto governor of North Carolina. By and large, he calls the shots. When former Greensboro Mayor Robbie Perkins keeps warning us not to poke the bear, hes talking about Berger. And when Greensboro City Councilman Tony Wilkins waxed subservient about the folly of angering Big Daddy, he, too, was referring to Berger.

To be fair, you dont expect love letters from the GOP leader to a Democratic governor with whom he disagrees on almost every major issue. But there are genuine chances ahead for both men to work together for the greater good. A little civility would have helped.

So would a little honesty. And accountability.

Remember, Berger is the same guy whose staff was posting links to news stories on his Facebook page and changing the headlines to make them more favorable to his point of view. And didnt see anything wrong with that. An anti-bureaucrat who wears Big Government like a tailored suit, employing, as The News & Observer of Raleigh reports, a staff of 15 at a total annual cost of $1.07 million, $31,569 of it paid to his wife, who is a paralegal and researcher. Did I mention his family values?

And remember, the GOP passed HB 2 and cynically larded it with all types of discriminatory and over-reaching provisions that intruded on local governments. Yet, Berger still had the nerve to repeat as one of this themes the power of the people over government.

Trust more in the people of North Carolina, not the institutions of government, he said. This, from a legislator who has personally advocated or enabled one intrusion after another by Raleigh into local affairs: a water system in Asheville; an airport in Charlotte; school board and City Council elections in Guilford County; a wind farm in eastern North Carolina; HB 2.

Among other hypocritical oaths from Bergers speech: Government is best that governs least. Well continue to let you, not the government, make the decision on whats best for your family.

Whats most amazing is how Berger manages to say all of these things with a straight face.

Then again, why not? Its his state. We just live in it.
SUMMERFIELD  The irony is rich.

Residents incorporated northwest Guilford Countys three towns  Oak Ridge, Stokesdale and Summerfield  from 1989 through 1999 as protection from Greensboros annexation and the taxes and eventual crowding that come with that.

But now Summerfield finds its quiet way of life challenged from, of all places, within.

Some Realtors and residents say the town has too many expensive houses that just arent selling. Their solution: a new type of zoning called Planned Development that would allow developers to build less expensive, more concentrated housing on large tracts.

Planners say the new zoning would expand income diversity and create controlled growth.

It would also transform Summerfield into something that resembles Greensboro.

Some think that would be for the better. But hundreds of Summerfields 11,000 residents think otherwise.

They want things to stay the same.

But change may be inevitable.

This is a story rooted in Americas tradition of property rights and what happens when city growth clashes with country living.

In these rolling hills 12 miles from downtown Greensboro, youll meet people whose families have lived in Guilford County since the Revolutionary War.

Youll meet avid horse owners who have farms with white fences.

And youll meet thousands of suburban commuters who live in large, expensive homes on more than an acre of land.

Its a quiet way of life here and many residents dont want that disturbed by the sounds of construction.

For a time, its an area that seemed just beyond the reach of development. But a new interstate, a wider U.S. highway and other roads are making Summerfield and neighboring Oak Ridge more accessible for people who might want to move there  and developers willing to pave the way.

For residents, that reality has started to sink in.

I could live in Irving Park but I chose to live somewhere that didnt have those amenities that was quieter and didnt have the traffic, said Elizabeth McClellan, 45, whose family has lived in Summerfield for 12 years. People in Summerfield moved here ... because they dont want that to change.

Todd Rotruck, who moved to 15 acres in Summerfield in 2016, says he cant support the Planned Development proposal.

Why dont you just let the city of Greensboro annex you? Because thats the road youre going down, said Rotruck, a real estate agent and contractor.

Some critics of concentrated development have one worry in particular: water. Specifically, a lack of it.

Summerfields residents use water from wells and theyre currently required to maintain 1.3 acres of land for each home so the towns overall ground supply is protected.

Rotruck and other residents think that the higher density associated with planned developments will suck the water out of Summerfield.

The problem with these high-density developments, Rotruck said, is once its done and youre taking too much out of the water table, you cant fix it.

Churchill Brown has lived here for 17 years. The SunTrust real estate banker says he has no vested interest in any development. Still, as a homeowner he understands the need  the town is filled with mostly expensive homes.

Summerfield has scores of smaller, older houses in subdivisions built before the town incorporated, but new construction has kept the median home price high  $336,000 in 2014, according to officials.

Ultimately what happens over time, if people want to make a move, they lose money, Brown said. Ive seen it play out on my street.

Ordinance opponent Karen Knight said as a Long Island, N.Y., native, she has seen what development can do to rural areas.

I have hindsight because Ive lived this, she said. The reason I left New York is that they pack em in like sardines.

The idea of allowing concentrated housing in what is largely a rural area brought residents by the hundreds to public meetings earlier this year  residents who want their world to remain untouched.

Summerfields large lots are dictated by necessity. The town doesnt have a water or sewer system so homeowners rely on wells and septic systems.

The Planned Development zoning would allow developers to build communities on a minimum of 75 acres with small and large homes, retail, sidewalks, parks and any other use that conforms to goals in the detailed comprehensive plan the town adopted in 2010.

A key goal of the plan is to allow for a variety of single-family housing types to meet the needs of empty-nesters, senior citizens and young families.

Research from Town Manager Scott Whitaker and Town Planner Carrie Spencer shows that 25 percent of the people in Summerfield are between age 45 and 55 compared with less than 15 percent in all of Guilford County. The $336,000 median price of homes in Summerfield is more than twice the median price of $155,550 for all of Guilford County.

Whitaker and Spencer have presented their version of the ordinance to residents and the Summerfield Town Council, which has delayed any vote until later this year. Theyre revising the plan after hearing comments and suggestions at public meetings in January and February. Theyll present the draft revisions to the Zoning Board on March 27.

Under the proposal, each Planned Development will be examined by town planners, the public, the Zoning Board and the Town Council before being approved.

We didnt have to invite this controversy, Whitaker said. But if we dont care what Summerfield is going to look like 10 and 20 years from now, whos going to?

One thing that fueled this controversy: Summerfield is about to be in the sweet spot of two major road projects that will open in July.

The state Department of Transportation is building 9.4 miles of Interstate 73 from the Joseph M. Bryan Boulevard/Airport Parkway interchange in Greensboro across N.C. 68 to its end south of U.S. 220 near the Haw River.

I-73 will connect with another U.S. 220 project, which is currently under construction and will extend to N.C. 68 in Rockingham County. The interstate will connect drivers from Rockingham County and other northern areas to Greensboro.

Veteran Greensboro real estate executive Betty Smith of Smith Marketing Allen Tate Realtors said those new highways will determine the future of northwest Guilford County. Theyll also invariably ramp up demand for smaller, more affordable homes.

The people who want to live in big houses dont want to live near busy highways, she said.

Commercial projects are already popping up. Local developer David Couch, for example, is grading land for a large shopping center at the new interchange of I-73 and N.C. 150.

Planned developments, Smith said, are ways for developers and communities to design a vision to try to fit the land.

Plus, she added, theres simply an oversupply of big lots.

We have a large number of lots already on the ground and theres not a lot of buyers, she said.

Statistics show hundreds of large lots and houses are going unsold in northwestern Guilford County.

In Summerfield, Stokesdale and Oak Ridge, up to 1,900 developed and undeveloped lots were available in January, according to research provided by Smith.

That research shows the average new home price in the Summerfield/Oak Ridge area was $528,973 and $392,336 in the Stokesdale area.

According to her research, buyers will demand 300 new homes in the coming 12 months.

To that end, planners, developers and some residents say Summerfield needs affordable housing. It would attract more middle-class people. Ultimately, they may move into more expensive houses.

That housing could also be for people who want to downsize. They say older residents are already moving away from Summerfield because they can no longer maintain large houses.

Dwayne Crawford has lived in Summerfield most of his life. He doesnt object to any kind of planned development  as long as lots are no smaller than the required 1.3 acres.

Crawford is most concerned that adding higher-density homes, regardless of price, can strain water resources.

Gods rain and Gods earth hasnt changed, he said.

Couch, the developer behind the shopping center at the new interchange of I-73 and N.C. 150, wants to build a planned development on 800 acres he owns at Summerfield Farms on Pleasant Ridge Road.

If self-serving means he has an investment to protect, then Couch admits that. But he also said he is trying to offer a variety of housing that can be affordable to more than the well-to-do residents of Summerfield.

I think its a lot of b.s., Crawford said.

In any case, as Couch drove his Chevy Suburban around the hillsides of his land, he said to build a conventional subdivision here would be a waste of beautiful views. He showed a map of the property with areas he hopes to leave undeveloped.

Summerfield does not limit the amount of water homeowners can use from their wells. However, Couch says a few restrictions  low-flow fixtures, limited yard-watering days  could protect the water supply and allow developers to pursue projects with smaller lot sizes and higher density.

Water is an issue in Summerfield, Couch said, because they want to limit who gets over the wall.

McClellan, a former town council member who has had her share of clashes with Couch, is not impressed with his argument about fair housing.

That is just developer talk saying he is bringing fair housing, McClellan said. David Couch does not care about fair housing. The fair housing argument is ludicrous. We have a variety of housing here.

If the town were to see more development, she thinks it couldnt help but be transformed.

Summerfield would be the biggest loser, McClellan said, because it would lose its heart.
WINSTON-SALEM  Trihalomethanes: If consumed in sufficient quantities over many years, these chemicals may cause cancer as well as kidney or liver problems, and they could adversely affect the central nervous system, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Few places in North Carolina illustrate the struggle undertaken by local officials to combat trihalomethanes as clearly as the town of Madison and city of Eden, as well as Henry County, Va.

Their yearslong struggle is directly linked to the Belews Creek Steam Station, the massive coal-fired power plant owned by Duke Energy Corp. in Stokes County. According to conservationists, the presence of trihalomethanes in the public drinking water provided by Madison and Eden exposes an alarming flaw in the way the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates coal-fired power plants.

Ultimately, we have regulations to protect people and right now were failing, said Amy Adams, the North Carolina program manager at the nonprofit Appalachian Voices based in Boone.

Eden has spent more than $2 million over the past few years to upgrade its water-treatment system in an effort to better deal with trihalomethanes. The new treatment system will likely be operating soon, officials said last week.

We should be up and running within a month or so, Mayor Wayne Tuggle said. We should be in good shape.

Madison has spent just under $1 million to improve its water treatment.

Efforts to contact Madison officials were unsuccessful.

In Virginia, for years Henry County purchased water from Eden for its residents in the southern portion of the county known as Sandy Level. In May, Henry County stopped buying water from Eden, in part, because of the trihalomethanes that came along with the water. Rather, officials said, the county spent about $700,000 to provide water to the Sandy Level area.

While the trihalomethane problem was a factor, it was not the driving factor, Henry County officials said. Extending water lines to residents in the Sandy Level area was something that the county had wanted to do for a while.

But the trihalomethanes issue couldnt be ignored.

We did have concerns about the quality of water we were purchasing, county administrator Tim Hall said.

In all three cases, the common source of water was the Dan River.

Root of the problem

A primary cause for spikes of trihalomethanes in the drinking water provided by Madison and Eden is bromide, which comes from the Belews Creek power plant in Stokes.

Bromide has been released for years in violation of the federal Clean Water Act from the power plants coal ash basin. Seeps at the Belews coal ash basin allow bromide to flow into surface water and groundwater, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center.

As the crow flies, Madison and Eden lie a few miles downstream of the power plant.

Bromide from the power plant gets picked up by Madison and Eden as they pull water from the Dan.

When bromide interacts with chlorine  a necessary disinfectant commonly used by water-treatment plants to eliminate a broad spectrum of unwanted elements in raw water  an unhealthy byproduct emerges: trihalomethanes.

Duke Energy has reimbursed Madison and Eden for their water-treatment upgrades.

We want to ensure our operations dont hinder a downstream water systems ability to consistently meet drinking water standards, Duke Energy spokeswoman Erin Culbert said. In the Dan River, we appreciated understanding the challenges some water-treatment plants were facing and provided them technical expertise and resources to protect drinking water in their communities.

Pure drinking water?

Pure drinking water: Is there such a thing? Annual water-quality reports publicly available on the websites of municipalities and counties throughout North Carolina show that pure drinking water is hard to come by. Most water-quality reports consistently list a wide spectrum of interlopers, from heavy metals to chemicals.

Unwanted substances sometimes come in the form of a chemical compound with a five-syllable name derived from Latin, such as trihalomethanes.

Local, state and federal water-quality officials try to regulate public water supplies to keep such chemicals as trihalomethanes at bay, down to a level that presents merely a slight chance of making people sick. For trihalomethanes, the level is 80 parts per billion, set by the EPA.

But in the universe of water-quality regulation, there are usually two levels. One level is based on a goal that is more protective of public health, known as a maximum contaminant level goal, or MCLG. The other level is based on a goal that weighs what it may cost to control the pollutant as well as other factors. Its known as a maximum contaminant level, or MCL.

MCLs are set as close to MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology and taking cost into consideration, the EPA said.

For certain chemicals, the MCLG is frequently based on this formula: If a person weighing 70 kilograms (about 155 pounds) drinks 2 liters of water (about 81/2 8-ounce cups) over a lifetime, the person would run a one-in-a-million chance of getting cancer.

The level of 80 parts per billion related to trihalomethanes is not the public health goal.

Its the enforceable goal, or MCL.

Companies monitor the MCL number because its the one on which they may be cited with a notice of violation or financial penalties.

When water-quality officials inspect for the presence of trihalomethanes in public water supplies, they check for something known as total trihalomethanes, a group od four chemicals: bromodichloromethane, bromoform, dibromochloromethane and chloroform.

There is no collective MCLG for the group, according to the EPA. But there are individual MCLGs for some of the individual contaminants. For bromodichloromethane, the MCLG is zero. For bromoform, its also zero. For dibromochloromethane, its 60 ppb. And for chloroform, its 70 ppb.

All are more protective of health than the enforcement MCL of 80 ppb.

The town of Madison and city of Eden provide water that, on an annual average, contains TTHM levels in compliance with the MCL of 80 ppb.

Edens 2016 annual average, for example, runs about 55 ppb. But there are spikes. On the high range, some quarterly results show, TTHM levels reach between 95 and 100 ppb.

Over the years, those spikes forced a decision.

To combat the presence of trihalomethanes, Eden officials chose to move away from chlorine in favor of chloramine  the new treatment system that according to Tuggle, Edens mayor, should be running soon.

As Eden moved to convert its water-treatment process from chlorine to chloramine, Henry County decided to spend money to connect its residents in Sandy Level to the public water that Henry County itself treats and provides to the rest of its residents. The option of switching to a water supply treated by chloramine was not an attractive one.

We werent really in favor of the chloramine thing. Some use it, and it helps with the THM problem, but there are still some unknowns, said Mike Ward, the director of regulatory compliance and technical applications at the Henry County Public Service Authority.

Many public water systems have switched to chloramine as a disinfectant to combat trihalomethanes, according to the EPA. As with any chemical, its the dose, frequency and duration of exposure that can have an effect. Still, Eden provides its own advisory about chloramine.

Edens 2015 water-quality report highlights the citys planned switch from chlorine to chloramines, noting that three groups need to take precautions when using chloraminated water: kidney dialysis patients, fish pond and aquarium owners, and businesses that must use high quality water.

Bernie Moore, a member of the Eden City Council, said he was confident that the switch to chloramines would produce safe drinking water, but he said he was not aware of any group who may need to take precautions.

Im drinking the water, too. I want it to be safe, Moore said.

No easy solution

The increased presence of bromide in the Dan River is an indirect result of a clean-air law enacted by North Carolina in 2002. The states Clean Smokestacks Act set limits on the amount of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide puffed into the air by coal-fired power plants. As a result, Duke Energy installed scrubbers required by the state law to reduce those emissions.

And that led to cleaner air.

In 2006, before the scrubbers were installed, air-quality data reported 95,365 and 21,013 tons of emission, respectively, of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from the Belews Creek power plant, according to state environmental officials.

In 2010, two years after the scrubbers were installed, the emission of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides fell to 3,643 and 3,277 tons, respectively.

Harmful byproduct

But theres a drawback. Scrubbers may take more sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides out of the air but the process results in wastewater that contains bromide. After scrubbers were installed at the Belews Creek power plant in 2008, trihalomethanes started showing up in Madison and Eden.

Its been almost a decade since downstream drinking-water providers noticed spikes in carcinogens caused by discharges from Duke Energys Belews Creek facility, yet Duke Energys response confirms that the problem has not been fixed to date, said Frank Holleman, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Duke Energy needs to implement the only known solution that will eliminate bromide discharges from the coal ash basin: excavation of the coal ash, Holleman said.

Theres no easy fix.

Culbert, the Duke Energy spokeswoman, said that utilities nationwide are dealing with the same emerging issue.

There is no commercial technology to remove bromides from plant wastewater. As we participate in groundbreaking research, weve been addressing this by avoiding high-bromide coals as much as practical and by partnering with downstream water utilities as needed, she said.

Duke Energy has spent about $3.7 million in bromide research.

The EPA does not regulate bromide.

Although the power plants coal ash basin has allowed bromide to seep into groundwater and surface water, there is no MCL to regulate the bromide once it gets into the Dan.

The bromide at Belews is coming from the scrubber and not the coal ash, and the method of basin closure will have no effect on addressing bromide, Culbert said. Well safely remove ash basin water no matter how we close the basin, and bromide will continue to be released from the scrubber process just as it is from other coal plants with scrubbers across the nation.

The bromide problem merits a broad review, according to Adams, the Appalachian Voices program manager.

Is this a Dan River basin issue or is this more systemic? Are we going to find more of this with other scrubber systems? Adams said. This is the problem when you permit Duke Energy and other large polluters to put waste in streams that provide drinking water to thousands of people.
LIBERTY  Three small children were injured late Saturday after the SUV they were in was struck by a tractor-trailer.

According to a police news release, around 11:30 p.m., police, Highway Patrol, NCSHP Motor Carrier Enforcement, Liberty Fire Department and Randolph County EMS responded to an accident at the intersection of Greensboro Street and Swannanoa Avenue.

The wreck caused the SUV to overturn. The children were taken to Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro and Brenner Childrens Hospital in Winston-Salem. At this time the condition of the children is not known.

Charges may be filed against the operator of the tractor-trailer, who is not suspected of being impaired, after a detailed investigation has been completed, according to the release.
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In a desperate attempt to maintain relevance, Doug Clark says that people who believe untruths are now running the country (column, March 8). He proceeded to trash President Trump and a well-known independent media source (Infowars), continuing the Russia-blaming nonsense. After the presidents Twitter firestorm, the old media fell all over themselves to deny their own months-long Russia did it reporting. No wonder only 32 percent of the public trusts them.

It was particularly interesting this occurred one day after Wikileaks dumped the CIAs most dirty secrets of rampant worldwide spying, revealing how they spy on everyone, including all Americans, through our televisions, cellphones, computers and other internet-connected devices. It revealed the governments ability to re-direct technology to make it look like Russia conducted the spying.

In 2014, Princeton University concluded that America is not a constitutional republic but rather an oligarchy dominated by powerful elites. The same elites who own 90 percent of the lamestream media. Its the same sensational yellow journalism propaganda William Randolph Hearst used with his newspapers to incite the 1898 Spanish-American War.

Does Mr. Clark truly believe that President Trump, now in control of classified government information, would level such serious accusations of spying without proof?

Kate Adams

Greensboro
EDEN  Timmy Fraziers family and friends call him a miracle from God.

Frazier says he also owes his life to his older brother, Tommy.

The 48-year-old employee for the city of Eden surprised everyone  even his doctors  when he was well enough to be released from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem only six weeks after a life-threatening workplace accident on Jan. 26.

He is definitely a miracle for coming through the accident and recovering as fast as he did, said family friend Mildred Boodie Cochran. In 33 days, he is back home from a near-fatal accident. When this happened nobody thought he would live.

That day started like as usual any other when Frazier left for work as a laborer. The single father of two grown daughters was helping replace a sewer line on Front Street in the Draper section, when he walked around a dump truck and suddenly found himself crushed between the truck and a backhoe.

The backhoe operator had no idea, nor could he see Frazier next to the truck.

Mike Trantham saw the accident and yelled for the backhoe operator to release Frazier. As he did, Trantham caught the severely mangled Frazier as he fell.

I felt my insides moving because it broke all my ribs, said Frazier, who never lost consciousness although he was in tremendous pain.

EMS units quickly arrived. Realizing the seriousness of Fraziers condition, the paramedics called for a Wake Forest Baptist Health AirCare helicopter to take Frazier to the hopsital. The AirCare crew arrived in about 16 minutes, landing in the First Baptist Church parking lot despite dangerous winds.

They werent going to land because it was so windy that day, but the pilot said he was going to try one more time, Frazier said.

A paramedic on the helicopter quickly started IVs to stabilize Frazier before he was put on board. It took 16 minutes for the return trip to Winston-Salem.

There, Frazier was rushed into the emergency room, where an MRI revealed the severity of his injuries. At one point, he lost consciousness, and doctors performed CPR for one minute to bring him back. He went into surgery for the crushed lung, to remove his shattered spleen and repair his lacerated liver.

The next two days were touch-and-go as Fraziers family, friends and co-workers gathered at the hospital.

The second day, if it wasnt for God and my brother, Tommy, I wouldnt be here, Frazier said. The second day, I wanted to give up. All the morphine was drying out my body, and I couldnt get drink any water because I had a feeding drip down my throat.

I wanted to go home and die, he said. I wanted to be removed from there. Tommy told me I couldnt go; I was going to make it.

Frazier underwent two more operations while in the ICU. He had several broken vertebrae, requiring the surgeons to insert four steel rods into his back. They did a rib reconstruction to put permanent plates in his right ribs. Only one of Fraziers ribs was unbroken. The left-side ribs are still fractured. Although it will take a long time for them to heal on their own, no further surgery will be required unless Frazier decides to have those ribs plated, too. He still has a broken right shoulder blade.

Doctors were unsure if Frazier would make it. His daughter, Kimberly, 24, a certified nursing assistant, and Tommy were at Fraziers side the entire time he was in the ICU. Once, Fraziers temperature spiked and he was packed in ice from his armpits to his groin. Family members and nurses constantly kept ice-cold compresses on his face.

We were really worried about him, Tommy said. That was an eye-opener for me. I knew that it was critical, and I was worried about pneumonia.

After his last surgery, during the third week, Frazier began showing improvement and was transferred to the Reynolds Center for another week before being admitted to the Stitch Center, for rehabilitation.

The rehab was difficult the first two days.

After that, my body got used to it, said Frazier, who had worked out frequently in the Eden City Hall weight room. The doctors told him his good health may have helped him survive and recover so quickly.

Fraziers speedy recovery surprised everyone, including his doctors.

He improved so good, they allowed him to come home, Kimberly said.

About noon on March 10, Tommy, a retired Eden police detective captain, arrived to bring Frazier home.

A large Welcome Home Timmy sign was strung across the Kings Highway Bridge.

I cried when I saw it, Frazier said.

But that was just the beginning of the surprises his family and friends had in store.

At his Ewell Street residence, more signs were on his lawn, and a crowd of well-wishers welcomed him.

Amid hugs and kisses, Frazier shed many more tears. His supervisors, Public Works Director Paul Dishmon, Public Works Superintendent Daryl Tilley, Police Chief Reece Pyrtle, Assistant Police Chief Greg Light and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page were all there. And, of course, Fraziers younger daughter, Kathy, and his mother, Nancy, were on hand. His pastor, the Rev. Dwayne McDaniel of Solid Rock Baptist Church, who had visited him many days during his hospital stay, was there to offer prayers and encouragement.

Throughout this whole tragedy, I got great support from the city of Eden and the community, Frazier said. I appreciate all the good wishes and especially the prayers, and I think that is what got me through this ordeal. I never knew so many people cared.
MAYODAN  Research and information gathering has begun for planning officials as they continue to encourage future development of trails, river access and recreation activities surrounding natural assets.

Recreation officials with the Dan River Basin Association and Piedmont Triad Regional Council met with members of the West Rock Rivers and Trails group on March 7, to discuss trail barriers and possibilities within the projected Phase 2 of the M-M River Recreation Access Action Plan.

The meeting, which was open to the public, took place last Tuesday evening at the Squealing Pig in downtown Mayodan.

Phase 1 of the access plan was completed last summer. The Phase 2 study area will include the Dan River from the confluence of the Mayo, to and including Big Beaver Island Creek.

Phase 1 and 2 combined include several tracts of Mayo River State Park, including the large Mayo Mountain portion, where park headquarters are located. The plan covers a five-mile stretch of the Mayo River, two miles alongside the Dan and four and a half miles up Big Beaver Island Creek.

The whole study area will essentially create a blue/green necklace around Madison and Mayodan, potentially providing several opportunities recreationally through the connection of both towns.

We are bringing together residents and business owners, because we want to hear what possibilities people see for trails on the ground and river accesses as we incorporate our plan, said Jenny Edwards, who serves as Rockingam County program manager for the Dan River Basin Association.

Its important to go at outdoor recreation growth in a considerate and careful way and that we hear multiple viewpoints from residents. Outdoor recreation is a thriving economy and businesses associated with tourism essentially are the only businesses on the rise in Rockingham County right now. Outdoor recreation makes Rockingham County a much better place to live. Its very important to have these meetings because we need to hear what concerns are and where there are new opportunities, Edwards said.

With table-size maps of the region placed out, group members mapped out potential areas and barriers that will help form trail plans in the future.

Planners learned from several discussions, including one with Matt Cardwell, who serves as president of the Rockingham County Wildlife and Advisory Commission. Cardwell addressed specific hunting property and helped guide planners to areas where trails would affect leased hunting property.

The $15,000 study of Phase 2 will be funded by grant money provided by the Community Foundation of the Dan River Region through its RiverBank fund.

The Town of Madison will serve as the lead coordinating agency and the Dan River Basin Association will manage public participation, with the help of the Western Rockingham Rivers and Trails group, which formed in 2014.

Assistance will also be provided by Round Rock Designs Tony McGee, a trail-creating mastermind who has played a major role in the growth and creation of recreation trails in Rockingham County.

DRBA will also work closely with the Piedmont Land Conservancy and Piedmont Triad Regional Council, who will prepare the final rendition of the Phase 2 plan.

These three groups have been at the table from the forefront of this initiative. We all have very different strengths and knowledge of our communities  when we combine that we find that we get the best product, said Regional Planner Elizabeth Jernigan, with the PTRC.

The Piedmont Land Conservancy is such an asset to our region and we would not be where we are today, from a conservation standpoint, without the PLC. They are really well respected as are the Dan River Basin Association and the Piedmont Triad Regional Council. We all cover different geographies and this is the middle of that Venn diagram.

The next priority in the scope of work for the three organizations is to continue prioritizing properties for public river access. They hope to do so through more public engagement and supporting landowner outreach efforts by partner organizations on the value of trail easement and recreational easement donation.

This is the boots on the ground part of the plan, added Jernigan. We can put a lot of lines on the map but those lines dont mean anything if you cant turn them into trail. The way to do that is to work with stakeholder groups and look beyond the interest of everyday hikers and those that understand trails and their importance. We really wanted to bring in the county and towns to help people understand the economic value of reinventing these old mill towns into recreational assets for communities.

Trail access points and alignments within the study region will begin in March, as will the start of production on parcel maps outlining key opportunities and constraints.

After evaluating river and stream access points as well as recommended trail alignments, the group anticipates providing a Shapefile at the end of May.

The geospatial vector data of the recommended trail alignment and access points will allow for the viewing of Phase 2 on geographic information system software.

With the completion of the Phase 2 plan, officials see the M-M River Recreation Access Action Plan as the comprehensive road map to the connection of downtown Madison and Mayodan to several state park properties, municipal parks, current and potential river access points and the three local schools in western Rockingham County.

They see the outline as a path towards developing recreation trails and river frontage in an effort to better economic development, quality of life and improving health in Mayodan, Madison and Stoneville.

This county in particular is so well suited to build on recreational tourism because there are so many water quality and conservation benefits, added Jernigan.

There is such a value on conserving our lands that a lot of people dont recognize. We are helping people put some tangible dollar values on the importance of conservation and providing access to bring in tourism dollars and improve the health of our citizens and the local economy through these planning processes.
What happens when two lives run parallel tracks, only coming together for brief moments before going their separate ways again? Plenty of Time, the latest production of the N.C. A&T Theatre Department, explores that question.

Corey and Christina meet in 1968, when he is a young, working-class man with strong political views, and she is a well-to-do, outgoing high school student.

The two have a whirlwind romance that neither expects to be permanent, particularly when Corey is drafted into service and sent to Vietnam. But somehow, the characters develop a connection that lasts, and the two lovers keep coming back together once a year for a short weekend together.

The play touches on these moments at different points in the next four decades.

The two characters go to college, start careers, get married, have families and retire. But the bond they share keeps bringing them back together.

The story is inspired by the Alan Alda movie Same Time, Next Year, although with completely original characters and circumstances.

Were letting you into the lives of two people, said senior Arricka Street, who plays Christina. In fact, the play is focused entirely on these two characters.

For that reason, director Dr. Vanita Vactor chose to cast two pairs of actors in Plenty of Time. Street performs with Xavier Harris as Corey, while LaNora Smith and Ashton Ross perform together in the same roles.

Its been interesting to watch the two casts develop over time, Vactor said, noting that each pair brings a different approach to the characters.

Smith said, Christina has a hard time growing up. She has ideas of what a woman should be, but somewhere along the way, she gets lost. The play deals with her personal growth over the course of these many years.

Ross said that Corey speaks for a generation, namely the generation of African-American baby boomers who came of age in the late 1960s and early 70s. Ross said Coreys life is impacted by the Black Panther movement in the 1960s, the Vietnam War in the 1970s, AIDs in the 1980s and South Africas apartheid in the 1990s. These historical milestones have an impact on Corey, as they did many others of his generation.

He becomes a different character throughout the play, Harris said.
Toyotas, Hondas and other Japanese models traditionally dominate Consumer Reports' annual best cars list, so this year's compact car selection was a surprise.

The 2017 Chevrolet Cruze beat out two perennial CR favorites, the highly regarded Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic  and last year's winner, the Suburu Impreza in the publication's 10 Tops Picks of the year.
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GREENWICH  Sometime during the middle of this week on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., a lawyer from Cos Cob will offer his remarks to a sub-committee for the U.S. Senate, making the case that Neil Gorsuch should be named to the United States Supreme Court.

Its the least he can do for an old friend. Its also what he believes is the right thing to do.

Michael Behringer has a longstanding friendship with the Supreme Court nominee, since their days together as college students in upper Manhattan.

I know him really well, and hes an excellent choice for the court, regardless of your political ideology, Behringer said.

The Cos Cob resident said he can speak to Gorsuchs character after decades of friendship. He spearheaded a recent petition drive among fellow Columbia University alumni in support of the nomination.

We hail from across this great country: North to South, East to West, and most places in between, reads the petition, which includes signatures from a significant number of southern Connecticut residents. We are of different faiths and ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. We are Democrats, Republicans and Independents. As diverse as we are, we share a common belief that Neil Gorsuch would be an exemplary Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Behringer, who has moved from a legal career into private equity, said it wasnt that hard to get fellow Columbia alums to support Gorsuch, including Democrats and others who opposed President Donald Trumps election  even those with lingering resentment over the way President Obamas pick for the court, Merrick Garland, was stymied by political maneuvering.

People who were really anti-Trump, and felt the Garland nomination was handled poorly, signed it, said Behringer.

The two men met on the first day of class at Columbia in the mid-80s, and theyve been friends ever since. They belonged to the same fraternity, and theyve been groomsmen at each others weddings. When a work re-assignment took Behringer to Colorado, where Gorsuch was living, Behringer recalled how much his old friend did to help him get adjusted to his new surroundings.

Behringer, who graduated from law school at the University of Michigan, worked in mergers and acquisition. His career took him to business development at the Discovery Channel, then into the software field. He is currently in private equity at Warburg Pincus.

Rounding up his Columbia connections, Behringer got 154 names on the petition. He said his old classmate had an impact at the school they attended. Gorsuch founded The Federalist Paper, which provided a conservative voice on an avowedly liberal campus. But while the publication tended to adhere to the right, Behringer said, He made it a point, he was not an ideologue. He made sure there was a point-counterpoint, that all sides were heard.

Behringer does not belong to a major party, and he said hes a true independent in political orientation. He noted that hes contributed to Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, and hes also supported Republicans.

Gorsuch is likely to face opposition from Democrats on Capitol Hill. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a New York Congressman associated with the liberal wing of the party, put out a statement in January that read: Judge Gorsuch is Justice Scalia on steroids. His record demonstrates that, if confirmed, he would rely on his conservative, originalist philosophy to overturn critical precedents and to disregard the rights of everyday Americans while bolstering protections for corporations and special interests.

More than 100 civil rights organizations have gone on the record to oppose Gorsuchs nomination.

Behringer understands the partisan divide in Washington and the lingering resentments over Garland.

But hes a great person for the court, the Cos Cob lawyer said of his old friend. Review him on the merits, rather than a referendum on Trump or how Garland was handled. Thats where public opinion comes into play.

Behringer said he hopes the petition and public input will have some sway on Connecticuts senators as deliberations begin. I hope they do the right thing and vote to confirm, he said.

Behringer is also looking forward to giving his remarks about Gorsuch at the Senate sub-commitee, and said hes not nervous at all about appearing in front of cameras and a room-full of Washington power-brokers.

I really couldnt be prouder to do it, he said.

rmarchant@greenwichtime.com
GREENWICH  Experts from the Greenwich Police Department told residents this week that they could prevent many of the crimes in their neighborhoods.

Lock their car doors. Park in lighted areas. Put lights outside their homes and make sure someone is shoveling snow and collecting newspapers or mail.

Criminals do not like to work in the light, said Community Impact Officer Keith Hirsch. The number one deterrent for crime is lighting, not security systems and not guns, but lighting.

Hirsch, Community Impact Officer Dan Paladino and GPD Sgt. John Thorme were guests of the Riverside Association Thursday, asked to speak about a recent wave of thefts  especially of cars  that had been happening in the area.

Nearly 60 people gathered at St. Catherine of Siena Church to ask questions about current crime and how to protect their property.

Since Jan. 1, nine vehicles have been stolen from Greenwich, mostly from the eastern end of the town in Riverside and Old Greenwich, the officers said.

And in all of those cases, the vehicles were not locked and the keys were left inside.

All were asking you to do is lock your car, Hirsch said. Put your keys away. Not a single car that was stolen had the window smashed or hotwired when it was stolen. What does that tell you? If the keys were not in the car and it was locked, would it have been stolen? I would say 99 percent not.

The cars were taken off driveways and the streets in front of homes.

That was a bonus for them, Paladino said of the thieves. They were coming here to burglarize your car and when they go into the car and see that key, thats a bonus for them. They are joyriding these cars. They are not selling these cars. These cars are to get from Point A to Point B, except for one we recovered in Waterbury. These kids are playing a real life version of Grand Theft Auto. Its a game to them.

Hirsch said thieves peer into cars sitting outside looking for valuables. Much of whats stolen  including loose change  goes to pay for drugs.

Weve stopped people in the middle of the night and they have pockets full of quarters, Thorme said. Theyre not doing laundry, folks. Theyre drug dependent.

Owners need to lock their cars even if they dont think anything of value is in them, Hirsch said.

We get car break-ins every night but a lot of them go unreported, he said. People ...walk into their car and the only thing missing is the $5 in change. They have to get to work and after they search everything else and find the car is intact, they dont bother calling us. Its understandable and I get it, but from Oct. 1, 2016, to March 15, 2017, we had 41 reported motor vehicle burglaries in town with the majority of them in the Havemeyer Park (area). How many were forcefully entered? The answer is five. That means all the other ones were unlocked.

According to the three, much of the reported crime right now is in the eastern end of town; In the past, thefts and burglaries were in the west end of town. Much of property crime is cyclical, they said.

The officers said residents need to be aware of how their homes look to potential burglars.

Homeowners with mail or newspaper piled up, lawns that are not maintained or driveways that not shoveled are tip-offs that no one is home, they said.

They also stressed the importance of having alarms and remembering to arm them and lighting outside areas.

To help prevent either scams or break-ins, the officers said, make sure that anyone who comes to the door without an appointment is who they claim to be.

If someone identifies himself as from the water company, Eversource Energy, FedEx or the GPD, ask for credentials and check them. Call the organization and verify.

The officers also asked those attending the meeting to be good neighbors: watch for anything that looks suspicious  people who arent familiar in the neighborhood, loud bangs that could indicate a door being kicked in, people walking along peering in cars, someone in a delivery uniform with no delivery truck nearby.

Were here to help you guys, Paladino stressed. Its a partnership. We cant do what we want to do without your help.

Thorme also urged people to attend the monthly meetings of the Community Police Partnership at the departments headquarters on Greenwich Avenue. The meetings are designed to explain crime trends in town, update town information and give police and residents a chance to meet and chat.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Hello and welcome to the new edition of our Sunday Q&A! This week we discuss iPhone storage speeds, the Moto G5 Plus camera and the Note5. Oh, and the lack of any capable compact Android smartphones.

Aravind: Recently on a YouTube page I saw a video saying that Apple hides a secret from its users that lower memory variant of iPhone have much slower read/write speeds than the expensive higher memory models. Is it legal for apple to hide such an important thing from users (I am not sure if it is mentioned in t&c)?

It was actually us that first made that discovery back in October - the memory used in the 32GB version is much slower than the one the 128GB iPhones get. In our test the write speeds were nearly 8 times slower. It certainly is legal as there are no laws mandating that makers should announce memory speeds of their smartphones and almost no maker actually does that, so we cant be sure Apple is the only one doing this.

Its certainly not a very ethical way of doing things, but its not like Apple promised everyone storage that can achieve a certain speed. The good news is that it doesnt seem to affect the user experience that much, so besides the bad feeling that being treated like a second-rate customer inevitably gives, its not too big a deal.

Anonymous: Why are mobile companies not making high-end under 5 inches except for Apple? I am interested in buying an Android phone and was wondering if the Sony Xperia XZ Compact is coming or if its just a rumor ?

Ah, weve been there - we even had a petition to see if many of you, our readers were on the same page. Compact and powerful Android smartphones has been a severely underserved niche and wed love to see more action there as well.

But now lets try and answer your questions why. There are two reasons - the first one is that its simply easier to make a flagship large as it gives engineers much more volume to work with and lets them squeeze a bunch of extra hardware that enables many of the features that we would expect from a flagship device.

Consider this - the camera module is the same size reardless of how big your phone is, but proportionally it takes much less space on a phablet than on a 4 smartphone. Same with chipsets, DACs and most of the other internal components. There is also the matter of cooling, which is easier to solve when you have a larger area to distribute the heat to.

Theres also the matter of battery life - while a larger phone requires its battery to grow bigger just to make up for the larger screen and its increased consumption it still has an advantage there. You see the standby consumption is about the same regardless of the size of the phone - so a larger battery large phone will last much longer than a smaller phone with proportionally smaller battery.

The other reason is consumer demand - larger phones are so much better for browsing, gaming and multimedia consumption so understandably the demand for them is rising. In a poll on the ideal screen size we had last year - over 80% of you wanted phones larger than 5. About 30% of the voters actually wanted at least 5.4. I can bet you any amount of money that if we were to repeat that poll now the votes will have shifted even more towards the larger sizes.

So combining the higher R&D costs of a smaller flagship with its lower expected market demand means most companies dont even bother developing them.

All that said, Sony deserves credit for releasing a few very capable Compact flagships, most recently the X Compact. Those all did excellently in our reviews so you still have some options there. Unfortunately, nobody but Sony itself can tell if an Xperia XZ Compact is on the way, but fingers crossed well see it at some point this year.

Anonymous: Why isnt GSMArena having a feature every month telling about which phone is best to buy under each category?

We actually have that - its not a monthly feature but we do a shopping guide every once in a while when we see that the market has changed enough to warrant a new edition. Last one came at the end of last year and well certainly release a new one once all the MWC announcement hit the shelves and we get the full picture.

The main reason we are not doing these more often is the research required to make them useful is substantial and would divert resources from the reviews. We feel giving you detailed reviews and then letting you decide which smartphone in your budget best suits you is more useful than just putting up ready-made lists. And again, once we see a big enough shift in the market like the one we are about to witness over the next month and a half you can expect a new installment in the series.

Kristen: The Moto G5 Plus offers the same rear camera setup as the Samsung Galaxy S7 (excluding OIS). What are your thoughts on it?

We havent had the phone at the office yet so any conclusions and final verdicts at this point might sound extremely foolish once we see how the final product does in all the tests. Still, early samples from the camera that we took at the MWC floor look promising, if not quite Galaxy S7 grade. Heres hoping Lenovo used the extra time until the market launch to optimize the processing so the final units are actually able to match its high-flying colleague from team Samsung.

And the phone in general looks pretty promising too - a decently capable yet power-efficient chipset, stock Android Nougat and a battery that's plenty big for its size. What yours truly failed to mention, though, is how ugly the back side looked. Not that front is particularly pretty with its huge bezels, but to me none of the elements at the back work together. I guess looks will always be a matter of personal preference though and theres always the option to slap a case on it and save yourself the eyesore.

Jesu: I want to buy a Galaxy Note phone. As the Note7 is not an option is it worth buying the Note5 or its better to wait for the next one to come out?

This is a tough one - the Note7 fiasco really put the numerous Note series fans between a rock and a hard place. You could either settle for last years version or make do without the S Pen and a slightly smaller screen on the Galaxy S7 edge. The wait for the next Note wont be a short one either - at best it will take another 7 months to arrive.

The good news is Samsung is likely to bring back a slightly downgraded version of the Note7 to the market - these refurbished units will come with a smaller battery, but they should still be better than the Note5. We are yet to see how much theyll cost and if they wont bring any other corner cuttign. Still, unless there are other nasty surprises those should be the best options for Note fans that dont want to wait until Fall for an upgrade.

Alternatively, if you can leave without the Note exclusive goodies there are plenty of capable phablets in the market - the Huawei Mate 9 and LG V20 are both purchases you are unlikely to regret, while the Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus is there for those on a tighter budget.

Anonymous: Can you explain how you calculate battery endurance rating and also can you add standby time to the endurance chart?

Weve described the test in detail over here, along with most of the other tests we perform. What we do is calculate the endurance for the four tests (call, web browsing, video playback and standby) and then add them to a formula that by default would give us the endurance if you do an hour of calls, an hour of browsing and an hour of video per day with the phone being on standby for the rest of the time.

However you can use the sliders over here to customize the usage pattern so its closer to your personal one and get more relevant results.

The reason we dont add the standby test to the endurance chart is that it confuses more people than it helps. Those that believe its important to know can use simple math to calculate it using the numbers provided, but a modern day smartphone is not meant to spend a week on standby without being touched so we believe the number isnt really relevant. Instead we believe the endurance rating, while artificial on its own gives you a better reference point when comparing battery life between phones.

If you have any questions for us - you can send them by using the form over here.




Haiti - FLASH : UN proposes a new mission in Haiti





While the end of the mandate of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah) expires on April 15 (in Haiti since 2004), Antonio Guterres, the new Secretary General of the United Nations recommended in a report, that the funds remaining for the Minustah, be used for an additional short mission of 6 months. A recommendation that will be discussed by the member countries of the UN Security Council on April 11, countries that are favorable to the withdrawal but are divided on the presence of the United Nations after the end of Mission of the Minustah. The vote of the Security Council on this report, scheduled for April 15 in New York, will decide on the future presence or not of the United Nations in Haiti.



Guterres recommends that this new mission, whose mandate ends on 15 October 2017, focuses on strengthening the Haitian National Police (PNH) and the dysfunctional Haitian judicial system. The report stresses that such a strategy would reduce the possibility of repeating the failures of past transitions, such as the rapid decline in PNH capacity and large-scale public disturbances, as was the case at the close of the operation UN Peacekeeping in Haiti, on March 2000.



This new mission would not involve military personnel, whose the 2,370 military would gradually withdraw in totality ; It will be staffed with a reduced civilian staff of 50% and a UNPol police force of only 295 members, in charge, in particular, of supervising and advising the senior officials of the PNH.



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - DR : Haitian customs retain Dominican trucks at the border





Thursday, Dominican merchants reported that several trucks loaded with plantains, bananas, carrots, lemons and other Creole products were retained at the Jimani-Malpasse border by the Haitian authorities. They claim that the ban on Dominican exports to Haiti, of this type of products was lifted last year. They threatened to block the border if the Haitian authorities do not allow them to sell these products, worth several million pesos...



Osmar Benitez, Executive Vice-President of the Dominican Board of Agribusiness (JAD), said that the Haitian customs action was a reprisal for "a few days ago Dominican customs officers Have not let some Haitian products go by, so they decided to do the same. He pointed out that this blockage occurred when a delegation from the Haitian Government came to the Dominican Republic to meet, among others, businessmen, traders and customs officials and the Ministry of Dominican authorities concerned, to define the points of a Protocol to facilitate trade between the two nations.



According to Dominican experts on Haitian issues, there are sectors in Haiti that "apparently do not understand the purpose of this protocol and often adopt measures that only serve their interests [...]"



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politics : HRC adopts report on Haiti in Geneva





Friday in Geneva, as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Human Rights Council adopted, at midday, the final documents resulting from the UPR for Haiti. The Vice-President of the Council, Mr. Shalva Tsiskarashvili, said that, based on the information received, Haiti had received 213 recommendations, had accepted 188 and had taken note of the other 25.



Universal Periodic Review : Haiti



Pierre Andre Dunbar, Permanent Representative of Haiti to the United Nations Office at Geneva, explained that the implementation of international treaties required financial resources, which was why Haiti could not be party to all international covenants. As for the ratification of the Rome Statute, the Government had taken steps to fight crimes against humanity which did not require the ratification of that instrument. With respect to gender-based and sexual violence, the Constitution made provisions for the enjoyment of the rights of all citizens, regardless of their gender. The identification of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic remained a problem due to the fact that the process required negotiations with the Dominican Republic, which did not always cooperate. Mr. Dunbar also drew attention to the difficult situation in Haiti due to hurricane Matthew which had devastated the southern part of the country.



In the ensuing discussion, speakers commended Haitis participation in the Universal Periodic Review despite financial and environmental challenges. It welcomed the legal changes made to raise the legal marrying age, efforts to fight violence against women and girls, and measures to tackle corruption, trafficking in persons and child abuse. Speakers urged the Haitian Government to work closely with the Government of the Dominican Republic to restore Dominican nationality to those arbitrarily deprived of it in 2013. They also called attention to the situation of human rights defenders, the high level of discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, as well as the lack of housing.



Speaking were Brazil, Burundi, Congo, Cuba, Ecuador, Ghana, Iraq, Madagascar, Peru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Maldives, Philippines and Sierra Leone.



Also taking the floor were the following civil society organizations: Franciscans International, Amnesty International, Advocates for Human Rights, Rencontre Africaine pour la defense des droits de lhomme, Human Rights Watch, Istituto internationale Maria-Ausiliatrice delle Salesiane di Don Bosco, Coalition des Organisations haitiennes des Droits Humains pour lEPU, and Centre for Global Nonkilling.



The Council then adopted the outcome of the Universal Periodic Review of Haiti.



Paulino Wanawilla Unango, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs of the Republic of South Sudan, said that South Sudan had already acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols, and the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Government was committed to the implementation of the agreement on the resolution of the conflict signed in August 2015, and was carrying out the necessary institutional reforms stipulated in it, particularly the reforms related to organized forces and law enforcement institutions and the criminal justice system.



In the ensuing discussion, delegations welcomed the development of the national strategy for human rights, the setting up of a technical committee for the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing, and the adoption of a framework to mainstream gender issues. Speakers were deeply concerned by appalling levels of sexual violence since the outbreak of the conflict in 2013 and stressed the need for accountability of perpetrators, without which there would be no hope of bringing an end to the ongoing violence. Delegations urged South Sudan to deepen the cooperation with the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, work with the African Union on establishing the Hybrid Court, and turn into action its commitment to the deployment of the regional protection force as authorised by Security Council resolution 2304.



Speaking in the discussion were Maldives, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Togo, United Nations Childrens Fund, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Albania, Algeria, Angola and Botswana.



Also taking the floor were the following non-governmental organizations: Article 19-The International Centre against Censorship, Advocates for Human Rights, East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (joint statement), Centre Independent de Recherches et initiatives pour le Dialogue, Rencontre Africaine pour la defense des droits de lhomme, International Service for Human Rights, Lutheran World Federation, and Human Rights Watch.



Debate :



PIERRE ANDRE DUNBAR, Permanent Representative of Haiti to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that out of 213 recommendations, Haiti had accepted 188 and noted 25. Haiti had made efforts to regularly submit reports to treaty bodies, including the Universal Periodic Review. He noted that the implementation of international treaties required financial resources, which explained why Haiti could not be party to all international covenants. As for the ratification of the Rome Statute, the Government had taken steps to fight crimes against humanity which did not require the ratification of that instrument.



With respect to gender-based and sexual violence, the Constitution made provisions for the enjoyment of rights for all citizens, regardless of their gender. The identification of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic remained a problem due to the fact that the process required negotiations with the Dominican Republic, which did not always cooperate. As for increasing the minimum marrying age of girls and boys, legislation had already stipulated that that age was 18. The Civil Code prohibited the celebration of marriages between girls and boys below the age of 18 by State officials. As for the request to end all forced expulsions from camps, the authorities was constantly taking steps to prevent them. The Government was not fully able to guarantee the rights of persons expelled from third countries due to socio-economic difficulties in their countries of origin. The Government had not accepted the two recommendations regarding the criminalization of placing children in domestic service and fighting the high rate of adolescent pregnancies. The Government had accepted the three recommendations on the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between Haiti and the Dominican Republic with respect to repatriation mechanisms. Mr. Dunbar drew attention to the difficult situation in Haiti due to hurricane Matthew which had devastated the southern part of the country.



Brazil praised the Government for its timely examination even in the face of the tragic recent passage of Hurricane Mathew. It was confident that Haiti would foster best efforts to build resilience and implement the recommendations. Brazil praised the Governments efforts to enhance the living conditions of the poorest, and the implementation of a comprehensive strategy on social assistance, as well as the Governments respect for the rights of freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly.



Burundi welcomed the measures envisioned by Haiti to raise awareness and educate the population about their rights and duties. It commended the Governments plan to eliminate corruption, as well as the steps taken towards the promotion and protection of the rights of women. It was pleased to note the creation of the office to combat violence against women and girls.



Congo congratulated Haiti on the significant progress made on the institutional and legal fronts, so as to consolidate national measures for the promotion and protection of human rights. Congo welcomed the will of the Government of Haiti to implement the human rights strategy and called upon the Council to help in its implementation.



Cuba congratulated Haiti for the efforts undertaken for the protection of the Haitian people. The commitment of Haiti was clear. Cuba was happy that its recommendation on cooperation with international mechanisms had been accepted. Cuba appealed to the international community to support Haiti in implementing all rights, particularly the right to development.



Ecuador welcomed the fact that Haiti had accepted the recommendations made by Ecuador in a constructive and open manner, adding hope that there would be positive benefits for the Haitian society. It was aware of the challenges faced by Haiti, notably severe weather conditions.



Ghana noted with satisfaction that a significant number of recommendations enjoyed the support of Haiti. Ghana urged the international community to help Haiti to increase the size of the police force, reform the judicial system, build new prisons, establish a legal aid system, and eradicate illiteracy and gender inequality in education.



Iraq thanked Haiti for having responded positively to its recommendations. It encouraged Haiti to safeguard the rights of women and to pursue the equality of women in decision-making.



Madagascar welcomed the fruitful cooperation of Haiti with the Universal Periodic Review process, and its efforts to promote human rights in spite of natural disasters. It particularly welcomed Haitis fight against discrimination of women and girls.



Peru congratulated Haiti for the recent democratic elections. It took note that Haiti had accepted the vast majority of the recommendations, but regretted that the two recommendations by Peru had not been accepted. These had been made in a true constructive spirit.



Nigeria commended Haitis compliance with the mechanisms, despite the challenges that the country had faced following the hurricane. Nigeria was pleased to acknowledge the ratification of many human rights mechanisms by Haiti. It joined other delegations in recommending the adoption of the report of the working group on the Universal Periodic Review of Haiti.



Pakistan commended the Government of Haiti for accepting the majority of the recommendations, including those made by Pakistan. Pakistan appreciated that Haiti had made efforts to promote and protect the rights of its citizens, including women, children and persons with disabilities. Pakistan wished Haiti every success in the implementation of the accepted recommendations.



Paraguay welcomed the presentation of Haiti and its efforts to advance human rights. It recognized the willingness of the Government to accept the recommendations by Paraguay, in particular to ratify the International Labour Organization convention on domestic workers and the Convention against Torture. It also stressed the recommendations on the operation of national human rights mechanisms and on improving gender focus.



Maldives appreciated Haitis measures towards the protection and promotion of child rights, especially the provision of free education. It also positively noted Haitis progress towards disaster risk management and aftermath of natural disasters.



Philippines welcomed Haitis acceptance of the recommendation made by the Philippines, namely the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Migrants and their Families and International Labour Organization convention 189 on domestic workers. It also commended Haitis reforms in the justice system and measures to tackle corruption, trafficking in persons, violence against women and girls, and child abuse.



Sierra Leone commended Haitis participation in the Universal Periodic Review despite financial and environmental challenges. It welcomed the legal changes made to raise the legal marrying age, efforts to fight violence against women and girls, and the acceleration of the Child Protection Code.



Franciscans International, in a joint statement with International Commission of Jurists; and International Federation for Human Rights Leagues, recalled that the Government of Haiti had withdrawn its support for the renewal of the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the country. It called on the Government to consider the view of civil society before making the decision about the renewal of the mandate of the Independent Expert.



Amnesty International urged the Haitian Government to work closely with the Government of the Dominican Republic to restore Dominican nationality to those arbitrarily deprived of it in 2013. It also called attention to the situation of human rights defenders, and the high level of discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, as well as the lack of housing.



Advocates for Human Rights commended the Government for its support of recommendations that addressed womens human rights, such as reforms to promote gender equality and combat stereotypes, assistance for domestic violence victims, and increasing womens access to decision-making policies. It remained concerned, however, over the fact that the Government had noted, but not accepted, the recommendation to eliminate violence against women in all its manifestations.



Rencontre Africaine pour la defense des droits de lhomme appreciated the Governments efforts and congratulated the Haitian people for their resilience following the hurricane. It remained concerned about the lack of legislation criminalising rape, family violence, discrimination based on sex, extreme poverty, illegal detention, and the situation of children in domestic work. It invited Haiti to improve the access to education, water, and sanitation, in order to prevent disease.



Human Rights Watch continued to have deep concerns related to dire public health conditions in Haiti among the most vulnerable individuals, including those affected by or at risk of outbreaks of cholera. Despite accepting recommendations to ensure access to basic services such as water, housing and health for the population, many instances remained where Haiti could improve water and sanitation coverage.



Istituto internationale Maria-Ausiliatrice delle Salesiane di Don Bosco was pleased by the constructive attitude of the Government. Nevertheless, despite efforts to improve the quality of education, there were shortcomings. Demotivation and lack of training for teachers had a negative impact on the quality of education. This was why the majority of children signed up to private schools. The quality of education was directly related to the situation of families.



Centre pour les Droits Civils et Politiques  Centre CCPR welcomed the adoption of the strategic development plan for Haiti and said that extreme poverty continued to plague the country. Hurricane Mathew, the cost of which was estimated at $ 2.7 billion, had aggravated the food security of many in the country and hampered the efforts to improve the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights.



Centre for Global Nonkilling commended Haiti for its acceptance to abolish the death penalty and thanked Haiti for making a recommendation to Iceland to adopt universal basic income which would ensure better living for all. Respect for life must also be seen as respect for ones own life and therefore addressing suicide must be undertaken.



Conclusion :

Dunbar, Permanent Representative of Haiti to the United Nations Office at Geneva, in concluding remarks, thanked all delegations for their support to Haiti in its efforts to promote and protect human rights and reiterated the will to continue Haitis cooperation with all Human Rights Council mechanisms. Haiti was fully committed to implementing all accepted recommendations and reassured all States of the intention of the Government to bolster the legal and institutional framework and so turn the promotion and protection of human rights into a reality.



The Vice-President of the Council said that of the 213 recommendations received, Haiti had supported 188 and noted 25.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2017/03/19 | Source

Exports of Korean confectionery has surpassed imports for the first time thanks to growing popularity especially in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

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Confectionery exports reached US$251.63 million in 2015, compared to $243.29 in imports, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Monday.

They grew an average of 15.6 percent a year from 2011 to 2015.

Confectionery exports to Singapore alone jumped 4.2 times from $1.39 million to $5.78 million, and to Malaysia four times from $1.72 million to $6.86 million. Those to Saudi Arabia and the UAE rose 2.4 times to $5.86 million and 1.6 times to $1.96 million.

"Growing interest in Korea and its popular culture helped raise awareness of Korean confectionery", a ministry spokesman said.
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Ever consider visiting Iowa? If not, maybe you should. There are some great family stops and a lot to do. These are a few of our favorite stops on our recent visit.

Amana Colonies

Located 20 miles from Cider Rapids are the Amana Colonies, 7 villages that were originally German settlements in Iowa. Settled in 1855 the colonies remained self-sufficient until the 1930s. The Amanians operated independently as a community by farming and handcrafting to maintain their own local economy. Today you can visit the villages and shop at their craft stores, eat local fair, or drink a glass of wine or beer. Antiques, furniture, home decor, clothing, and gifts you will find nowhere else create a unique shopping adventure.

The Colonies tradition of great food is available for visitors to explore in the restaurants or specialty shops. The Amana Meat Shop and Smokehouse has over 160 years of experience offering ham, bacon, sausages, beef, and pork to visitors and online. The Ox Yoke Inn is a fantastic place to stop for lunch, and has amazing German style food. The staff is gracious and the food is affordable and filling. The Broom and Basket Shop is exactly what you might expect, a store dedicated to selling locally handmade brooms and baskets. Another interesting stop is Iowas Largest Walnut Rocker, at over 650 lbs. and 11 ft. tall. Great for a family picture. These are just examples of some of the interesting sites you can wander through on a visit to the Amanas.

Adventureland Park

A land of adventure awaits visitors outside Des Moines for thrill seekers and amusement park goers. Water rides and roller coasters are just a start to the fun. Magic shows, circus acts, live music, and over 100 rides all make up Iowas largest tourist attraction, Adventureland Park.

On a hot day nothing like a trip down the lazy river to cool off. Adventure Bay is a full waterpark experience. Water slides, wave pools, and Shipwreck Shores for the kids.

Science Center of Iowa

Science rules and no place is better proof of that than the Science Center of Iowa (SCI) Classes, hands on exhibits, and shows to engage visitors of all ages. Pint Sized Science offers programs for kids 3-5 like Superhero Science, Digging Dinos, and Sounds Like Science. These are amongst the classes that might interest the tiny learner in your family and there are option for older kids as well. Cafe Scientifique is a free program for adults and young adults.

Take a break and sit down in the SCI Blank IMAX Dome Theater to view a documentary film or even a Hollywood release. The dome is six-stories high, wrapping around viewers so the images fill your vision in every direction. Feel like you are inside the film while you get off your feet for a while.

Want to keep learning? Why not stay late? Overnight Adventures and Almost Overnights at the Science Center of Iowa are a whole new way to view SCI. Make the experience more than a museum visit by staying after dark.

There is so much to see and do- so if Iowa wasnt on your list of places to visit, jot it down. See you there!
Election day forecast? Sunny skies and, perhaps, a good turnout

"I hope that means that more people will go out and vote," said Barry Jackson, deputy elections director in Washington County.
By Mitra Taj LIMA (Reuters) - A sudden and abnormal warming of Pacific waters off Peru has unleashed the deadliest downpours in decades, with landslides and raging rivers sweeping away people, clogging highways and destroying crops. At least 62 people have died and more than 70,000 have become homeless as Peru's rainy season has delivered 10 times as much rainfall than usual, authorities said Friday. About half of Peru has been declared in emergency to expedite resources to the hardest hit areas, mostly in the north where rainfall has broken records in several districts, said Prime Minister Fernando Zavala. Peru is bracing itself for another month of flooding. A local El Nino phenomenon, the warming of surface sea temperatures in the Pacific, will likely continue along Peru's northern coast at least through April, said Dimitri Gutierrez, a scientist with Peru's El Nino committee. Coastal El Ninos in Peru tend to be preceded by the El Nino phenomenon in the Equatorial Central Pacific, which can trigger flooding and droughts around the world, said Gutierrez. But this year's event in Peru has developed from local conditions. The U.S. weather agency has put the chances of an El Nino developing in the second half of 2017 at 50-55 percent. While precipitation in Peru has not exceeded the powerful El Nino of 1998, more rain is falling in shorter periods of time - rapidly filling streets and rivers, said Jorge Chavez, a general tasked with coordinating the government's response. "We've never seen anything like this before," said Chavez. "From one moment to the next, sea temperatures rose and winds that keep precipitation from reaching land subsided." Some scientists have said climate change will make El Ninos more frequent and intense. In Peru, apocalyptic scenes recorded on cellphones and shared on social media have broadened the sense of chaos. A woman caked in mud pulled herself from under a debris-filled river earlier this week after a mudslide rushed through a valley where she was tending to crops. Bridges have collapsed as rivers have breached their banks, and cows and pigs have turned up on beaches after being carried away by rivers. "There's no need to panic, the government knows what it's doing," President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said in a televised event, urging people to stay clear of rivers. [nL2N1GU185] In Lima, the capital, classes have been suspended and running water has been restricted after treatment systems were clogged - prompting a rush on bottled water that produced shortages at some supermarkets. The vast majority of people affected by the extreme weather are poor, including many who built makeshift homes on floodplains that had been dry for 20 years, said Chavez. "There's no electricity, no drinking water...no transit because streets are flooded," said Valentin Fernandez, mayor of the town Nuevo Chimbote. Chavez said Peru must rethink its infrastructure to prepare for the potential "tropicalization" of the northern desert coast, which some climate models have forecast as temperatures rise. "We need more and better bridges, we need highways and cities with drainage systems," said Chavez. "We can't count on nature being predictable." (This story corrects to remove reference in first sentence to extreme weather in Peru being a sign of a potential El Nino; corrects sixth paragraph to show that Gutierrez said local El Ninos in Peru tend to be preceded, not followed by, the global El Nino pattern and that this year's event in Peru has developed from local conditions) (Reporting by Mitra Taj; Additional reporting by Reuters TV; Editing by Leslie Adler)
By Tom Arnold

DUBAI, March 19 (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), the emirate's second largest bank by assets, raised $230 million through the sale of a five-year Formosa bond, its second issuance sold in Taiwan this quarter, sources told Reuters on Sunday.

At least two other Gulf banks have made similar forays into the Formosa market in the past year as they look to diversify their funding sources.

Formosa bonds are sold in Taiwan by foreign issuers and denominated in currencies other than the Taiwanese dollar.

ADCB's five-year issue, which was placed with institutional investors, was arranged by JPMorgan Chase & Co, the sources said.

ADCB declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

Earlier this quarter, the bank raised around $750 million through a five-year Formosa bond, which was also placed with institutional investors, one of the sources said. That issue was arranged by Morgan Stanley.

National Bank of Abu Dhabi raised $885 million through the sale of a 30-year Formosa bond in January after issuing a $696 million public Formosa bond in October.

Qatar National Bank in July printed $330m of five-year Formosa floating-rate notes, two months after issuing three-year floating-rate notes of $1.1 billion.

(Editing by Jane Merriman)
JAIPUR: A day after an angry mob set a leopard afire after it was suspected of killing a man and feeding on his body, it emerged that administration could have averted the incident, had they taken immediate action.

Ironically, the incident comes 10 days after chief minister Vasundhara Raje, while presenting the budget for 2017-18 in the assembly, announced that Rajasthan will become the first state in the country to launch Project Leopard to conserve the apex predator. The spotted big cat was chased and burned to death by the villagers near Sariska Tiger Reserve, notwithstanding the fact that the forest officials have already tranquilised it with darts.

According to the latest wildlife census (2015), there are 434 leopards in Rajasthan. Around 20 felines were killed between 2014 and 2016 in accidents and human attacks but none so brutally as the one in Madhogarh on Saturday afternoon.

The incident becomes a big blot on the ambitious Project Leopard but not because of peoples anger but because of administrative lapses.

On the basis of what HT gathered from the ground, there have been four major administrative lapses which resulted in the leopards killing.

The first was the police failure to remove the body of 30-year-old man allegedly killed by the leopard on Friday evening from the site. Experts say the first step towards preventing a law and order flare-up is to remove the cause. According to information, the station house officer (SHO) of the nearest police station reached the spot around 7am but for two hours, when there were fewer than 20 people, he did not take the body away.

The police should have removed the body as soon as possible, said a former police officer. The sight of the mutilated body must have fuelled peoples anger leading to the casualty, he added.

Secondly, before tranquilizing the animal, police should have sanitised the area to enable the forest team work at ease. The forest team took 45 minutes to reach the spot after the animal was tranquilized, giving villagers enough time to regroup and overpower the police and the forest teams.

The third lapse was administrations sympathetic attitude towards the mob even after the worst had happened. When they set the leopard afire, there was no reason for the officers to go soft on the mob, said a forest officer, who served at Sariska a few years ago. Police should have used force to disperse the villagers, the damage was already done, there was no need to be lenient towards them, he added.

And lastly, even after several police officers were injured by stone attack by villagers, Alwars district collector and superintendent of police did not bother to visit the spot. Presence of top officers of the district makes managing law and order problem a lot easier. Such a crime has never been reported in Rajasthan. I dont know what prevented the DC and the SP from visiting the spot, wonders a former DGP.

But all is not lost yet. The administration needs to send out a strong message against such incidents. Action should be initiated against the guilty villagers and politicians should stay out of this. Madhogarh has Gujjar majority and police fear that politicians in the district who belong to the community may try to shield them.

The incident gives the administration an opportunity to set things right once and for all by not buckling under pressure.

Police case lodged

The forest department cremated the leopard after its autopsy on Saturday evening. Chief Wildlife Warden GL Reddy visited Alwar to take stock of the situation. Later, the department lodged a police case under sections 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) at Malakheda police station against unknown people. On Saturday, another case under section 9/51 of the Wildlife Act was also lodged by the forest department.

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The BJPs decision to appoint Hindutva hardliner Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh chief minister has drawn an avalanche of reactions from opposition parties. Expectedly, none of them are flattering.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala sounded cautious after the BJP gave UPs top job to Adityanath.

Excessive delay in arriving at a decision as also the compulsion to create two posts of Deputy CMs reflects a bitter conflict to share spoils of power despite overwhelming majority of over 300 MLAs, he said.

Another Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said, Congratulations UP! Hello media the man you called fringe is now mainstream!.

In another tweet, she said, Also the vikas ka mukhauta. The mask is truly off.. bring on Shamshaan-Kabristaan, Diwali-Eid narrative.

Other Congress leaders dont mince words either

It is a big assault on secularism in the country. Maybe, the BJP or RSS would like to endorse their cause of Hinduism. India is not Hinduism. Hinduism is not India, senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily said.

Another senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid tweeted, No more pretence! Yogi Adityanath to sit where Pantji, NDT, Bahugana et al once sat. Great test PM has put BJP trolls to. Explain this.

CPI(M)

The CPI (M) accused the BJP of systematically playing communal card in Indias biggest state, after the saffron party named Adityanath as UP CM.

Selection of Adityanath is the culmination of Modi-Amit Shah brand of politics in the state where the BJP systematically played communal card, said the partys politburo member Md. Salim.

Another CPM leader, Brinda Karat termed Adityanaths selection as part of RSS agenda.

It is clearly the RSS agenda and UP is the new experimental field for it. Since it is the victory of RSS (in UP elections), it has chosen the CM.

BJD leader Bhartrahari Mahtab

The Biju Janata Dal also questioned the decision to appoint Adityanath as chief minister.

He (Yogi Adityanath) never held any administrative post. This is an opportunity for him to prove his mettle. I hope he lives up to the expectations of all the people in UP, said BJD leader Bhartrahari Mahtab.

SPs Naresh Agrawal

Samajwadi Party MP Naresh Agrawal reacted cautiously.

I congratulate him on his election. We will wait and watch for six months. We hope he will change his thinking and desist from creating a divide between Hindus and Muslims. If he does, we will go among the people and oppose him, he said.

Trinamool Congress

Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy said: The BJP is in majority and it is their prerogative as to whom they name as the Chief Minister. But it is evident that the BJP wants to pursue a strong Hindutva line in Uttar Pradesh.

Shiv Sena

The Shiv Sena whose alliance with the BJP is under stress, also had a word of caution for the firebrand MP who has a history of making divisive remarks.

The controversial remarks wont work now as he will be the next chief minister of the Uttar Pradesh, Indias largest state. If in case he does make such remarks, it will create chaos in the state. Now he should talk about development, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said.

(With inputs from agencies)
Trivendra Singh Rawat, sworn in as the new Uttarakhand chief minister on Saturday, will face major challenges -- fast-tracking development, checking migration, and curbing corruption.

Rawat became the ninth CM of the hill state, and seventh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that won 57 of the 70 assembly seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised fast-paced development for Uttarakhand during election rallies. BJP president Amit Shah, in an attempt to turn the heat on the previous Congress government, said during the campaign that Uttarakhand lagged behind Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand though the three states were created in 2000. Now the pressure is on Rawat to walk the party leaders talk and put Uttarakhand on a fast lane of progress to catch up with other BJP- ruled states.

Here are the five major challenges before Rawat, a former RSS pracharak, considered close to BJP president Amit Shah.

BALANCING ACT: Keeping senior leaders in good stead is the foremost challenge. There were at least four other claimants to the CMs post, including Satpal Maharaj who left Congress in 2014 to join BJP. Rawat will have to win their hearts in a bid to run government smoothly.

CLEAN IMAGE: Former CM Harish Rawats image got a major drubbing owing to the corruption charges. It is believed Congress lost polls due to corrupt reflection. The current CM will have to maintain a clean image in the years to come.

CHECKING BUREAUCRACY: The political class in the state feels a section of bureaucrats has gone out of control. Several babus with clean image have taken postings out of the state. Rawat will have to make maximum use of the officials.

LIQUOR ISSUE: The previous government faced corruption charges after it implemented a tweaked excise policy to reportedly favour few brands. Having raised the voice for implementing blanket ban on liquor, Rawat will have to listen to the tourism industry before taking a call on changing the policy. Liquor is the major revenue grosser for the hill state.

CHECKING MIGRATION: Rawat hails from Pauri Garhwal district that has witnessed distress migration in the last several years. PM Modi had raised the issue during a poll rally. Rawat will need a strong policy to stop people from migrating to the plains and other states in search of employment.

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Retired forest ranger and father of Ajay Bisht aka Yogi Adityanath was quiet emotional while leaving for Lucknow on Sunday morning to attend the oath-taking ceremony of his son, who takes the reins of the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.

It is a festive time for locals in nondescript Panchur village in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand since Saturday after Adityanath was elected leader of the BJP legislative party in UP, paving way for him to become the UP CM.

We hope that Ajays (Yogi) elevation will start a new era of good governance in UP, his father Anand Bisht said, adding that the move will also benefit Uttarakhand.

A bachelor in mathematics from the Garhwal University, Ajay had left home two decades ago and was actively associated with the Ram Temple movement in the 90s. This is when he came in touch with Mahant Avaidyanath of Goraknath Temple and became his disciple, and was given the name Yogi Adityanath.

He is the second among four brothers and three sisters. One of his brothers is a local journalist while other is in transport business.

Although Adityanath is based in Gorakhpur, he has maintained contact with his ancestral village and relatives in Uttarakhand. He has also opened a school in the village in 1998 supported by the Goraknath trust and often visits the village to seek blessings from Kul Devi, a local deity.

Shantanu Badola, who hails from Adityanaths village, said he recently came to the village to campaign for former CM BC Khanduris daughter Ritu, who won from Yamkeshwar seat.

But then, no one had any idea that Yogiji was soon going to shine on top, Badola said.

Manoj Dabral, another villager now settled in Dehradun, feels his elevation as UP CM will help settle the pending issues of distribution of assets between both the states.

Adityanath will be the fourth Uttar Pradesh CM hailing from the hills after Govind Ballabh Pant, HN Bahuguna and ND Tiwari.

In fact, Pauri Garhwal district has now become two CMs in UP and Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat also comes from Pauri.

Rawat, who was sworn in on Saturday, also left for Lucknow to witness the swearing-in ceremony.

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Famous worldwide for its religiosity, Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur has now emerged as the new power centre in the Uttar Pradesh politics.

Headed by chief priest Yogi Adityanath, who has been appointed as the states chief minister, the temple has an illustrious past, both religious and political.

Religious History & Significance

It is believed that in 11 BC, the famous saint Guru Gorakhnath, an incarnation of Lord Shiva, visited the city and performed puja for long. The city itself derived its name from Guru Gorakhnath.

Every year on the eve of Makar Sakranti, the beginning of the Hindu year, thousands of devotees, even from neighbouring Nepal, visit the temple to offer khichdi and attend the month-long fair.

Academic and Social Ventures

The temple runs more than two dozen schools and colleges and hospitals. The Maharana Pratap Shiksha Parishad, the temples academic wing, runs 28 inter schools, five PG colleges, a polytechnic college, a PG college for Sanskrit (Sanskrit Vidyapeeth) a nursing college and a yoga centre in Gorakhpur and adjoining areas.

Apart from gaushalas (cow shelters) and regular yoga courses, the temple also runs different charity programmes, including financial help to the poor. On the conversion front too, the temple is said to have played a leading role in the past.

Political Role

The temples political connection has been strong for more than half a century, even before independence.

The then temple chief Mahant Digvijay Nath started his political career in 1921 with Congress and was arrested for actively taking part in Chauri Chaura incident. In 1937, he joined the Hindu Mahasabha and was arrested for inflaming passion against Mahatma Gandhi which led to his assassination. He later represented Gorakhpur in Lok Sabha in 1967.

Digvijay Naths political legacy was carried forward by Mahant Avaidyanath, who took over as Gorakhnath temple chief from him. Avaidyanath, a key leader in 90s Ramjanmabhoomi movement, was elected as MLA in1962, 1963, 1969, 1974 and served as MP later.

Yogi Adityanath, a five-time Gorakhpur MP and now the CM-designate, left his ancestral village in Pauri, Uttrakhand, to join the Nath Sect in 1997. After being anointed the successor of Avaidyanath, he went on to win Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat five times.

In September 2014, he took over as temple chief after Avaidyanath passed away. On Saturday, he was named the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.
By Devidutta Tripathy MUMBAI (Reuters) - Adani Enterprises said it would finalise an investment decision by June for its Carmichael coal project in the northern Australian state of Queensland, which has been delayed due to protests from environmental groups. For more than five years, Adani has battled opposition from green groups who fear the project will produce so much coal for export to India that it will require a mega-port expansion into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. While Adani, a business group with interests in power and ports, has said the project would not threaten the reef and has secured most major state and federal government approvals, it still faces several court challenges. Raising funds has also been tough given the sensitivities of lending to a controversial project. However, the group's chairman, Gautam Adani, expressed optimism the project would proceed and said the board would take a final decision on investments in May or June, including structure and planned funding. He was speaking during an interaction with a group of reporters in Mumbai and was accompanied by Queensland premier Anastasia Palaszczuk who was in the country to visit Adani's port and solar facilities "Definitely," Adani said, when asked if he was confident the project would go ahead. "Our internal planning is 2020 ...(for) first coal to come out," Adani added, noting construction could begin within three months of the board's decision. Palaszczuk said the Carmichael project had the full support of her government and that she did not see any obstacles in Adani securing final approval from Australia. FUNDING Analysts have raised doubts about whether Adani can fund what would be Australia's biggest coal mine given the opposition from green groups and a slump in coal prices. Some banks, including Deutsche Bank and Commonwealth Bank of Australia, have said they will not provide funding. But Adani said he was not concerned. The company has shrunk the project and is now targeting an annual output of 25 million tonnes in the first phase, which could save costs, Adani said. Production will eventually be expanded to the planned 40 million tonnes, he added. Of the $4 billion required for the first phase, Adani will have to raise about $2.5 billion in debt, he said. The company says it has already invested $3.3 billion in the project. Adani is hoping to get $800 million to $900 million from Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility and is counting on funding from export credit agencies in China or South Korea. It plans go to commercial banks for any short-fall. "Banks have been misled by some of the environmental groups and that was a main issue," Adani said. The project still faces strong opposition, with a group of high-profile Australians recently saying they will "fight tooth and nail" against Adani's plans. However, Palaszczuk said the Adani project was crucial for jobs in Queensland. "I've got such a situation in regional Queensland where people are hurting, families are hurting, because they don't have employment with the downturn in the resources sector," she said. "So, I need this project for Queensland." (Editing by Rafael Nam and Himani Sarkar)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Yogi Adityanath has been sworn in as the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, along with two deputies Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma.

The oath-taking ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. BJP legislators from Uttar Pradesh on Saturday elected Adityanath, the controversial mascot of hardline Hindutva, as the new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Opposition parties criticised the selection of the Hindu hardliner, a 44-year-old five-time law-maker who is also the head of the Gorakhnath temple, a centuries old shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Political analysts said the massive mandate might have helped the party overcome caste concerns and carry forward its agenda of Hindutva and development.

Highlights:

7.27 pm: Ministers have been requested to give details of their income, movable and immovable property within 15 days, says Shrikant Sharma

7.16 pm: CM has requested cabinet ministers to refrain from making unnecessary statements which can hurt someones sentiment, says Shrikant Sharma, UP minister

6.53 pm: Govt will work for all section of society without any partiality, for this administration will be made accountable and answerable: UP CM

6.30 pm: BSP chief Mayawati says that BJP won support of OBC voters by advancing KP Maurya in the party and assuring him the chief ministers post in rallies.

6.20 pm: Yogi Adityanath to address first press conference after taking over as UP CM in a short while

4.30 pm: Expelled Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on Sunday said a rogi (ill) Uttar Pradesh is blessed to have a chief minister like Yogi Adityanath and expressed confidence that corruption and nepotism would ward off from the state, a report in ANI says.

Heaping praise the newly elected Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Singh, in an exclusive conversation with ANI, said, I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Adityanath for the historic mandate.

4.15 pm: Yogi Adityanath becoming the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh is a mockery of Prime Minister Narendra Modis call for inclusive growth, the CPI-M said on Sunday. This choice by the RSS, executed by its political arm the BJP, is a deliberate move which bodes ill for the state, the Communist Party of India-Marxist said in a statement.

4.00 pm: I have immense confidence that this new team will leave no stone unturned in making UP Uttam Pradesh. There will be record development, tweets Modi. He conveys best wishes to Yogi Adityanath and the deputy chief ministers in serving the people of UP.

He also says, Our sole mission & motive is development. When UP develops, India develops. We want to serve UPs youth & create opportunities for them.

With the blessings of people & hardwork of our Karyakartas the BJP has formed governments in 4 out of the 5 states that went to the polls.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 19, 2017

Our unwavering efforts to create a 'Bhavya' & 'Divya' Bharat continue. India's Jan Shakti is powering the rise of a new & transformed India.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 19, 2017

3.45 pm: Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh greet Modi after the ceremony ends. In his rallies, Modi had ridiculed the opposition alliance of SP and Congress, saying they together stood for SCAM (Samajwadi, Congress and Mayawati).

3.30 pm: Former cricketer Mohsin Raza sworn in as minister of state in the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government. PTI reports that he is the lone Muslim face in the new administration. Neelkanth Tiwari, Girish Chandra Yadav and Baldev Aulakh sworn in as ministers of state.

2.45 pm: Dara Singh Chauhan, Dharampal Singh, Satyadev Pachauri , Ramapati Shastri, JP Singh, Om Prakash Rajbhar, Lakshmi Narain Chaudhary, Chetan Chauhan take oath. Shrikant Sharma (who was BJPs national secretary) also takes oath. He won the Mathura seat for the BJP after two decades, defeating Pradeep Mathur by more than a lakh votes.

Rajendra Pratap Singh, Sidharthnath Singh, Mukut Bihari Verma are sworn in as ministers.

2.27 pm: Surya Pratap Sahi, Suresh Khanna and Swami Prasad Maurya (who defected from the Bahujan Samaj Party) are sworn in as cabinet ministers. Khanna is an eight-time MLA from Shahjahanpur. Satish Mahana, Rajesh Agarwal and Rita Bahuguna Joshi also take oath.

SP Singh Baghel, a three-time MP from Jalesar as a candidate of the Samajwadi Party and had been BSPs Rajya Sabha member, is now sworn in as a cabinet minister in the BJP government in UP.

2.23 pm: Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma take oath as the states deputy chief ministers. This is the first time that the two deputy CMs have been appointed in UP. Sources say that Maurya is also likely to be made UPs home minister.

Former Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi, former Bahujan Samaj Party leader Brajesh Pathak are set to become cabinet ministers. He won this time from Tundla in Firozabad, a stronghold of the Yadav family

2.18 pm: Yogi Adityanath takes oath as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

2.00 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Lucknow to attend the oath-taking event. Senior leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi have also arrived. Maharashtra and Goa chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Manohar Parrikar also present.

PM Narendra Modi arrives at Lucknow's Smriti Upvan to attend swearing in ceremony of #YogiAdityanath as UP CM pic.twitter.com/ZglA1PfLSA  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 19, 2017

1.55 pm: Former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav arrive at Lucknows Smriti Upvan to attend swearing in ceremony.

1.00 pm: Forty-five ministers, including 22 cabinet ministers, will take oath in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP president Amit Shah and chief ministers of NDA-ruled states will attend the ceremony. There could be a maximum of 60 ministers in Uttar Pradesh government.

State BJP president Keshav Prasad Maurya and partys national vice-president Dinesh Sharma will be the deputy chief ministers.

Here is a list of MLAs who will be taking oath in the afternoon:

12:20 pm: Immediately after taking oath, Yogi will hold the new governments first cabinet meeting at 4.30pm at Lok Bhawan, the chief ministers secretariat. The cabinet will take a call on loan waiver of medium and marginal farmers.

11.00 am: People in Gorakhpur, where Adityanath was a temple priest, celebrate ahead of the oath-taking ceremony.

It is a festive time for locals in nondescript Panchur village in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand since Saturday after Adityanath was elected leader of the BJP legislative party in UP, paving way for him to become the UP CM. We hope that Ajays (Yogi) elevation will start a new era of good governance in UP, his father Anand Bisht said. Read the full story here.

People celebrate ahead of Yogi Adityanaths swearing-in ceremony, in Gorakhpur. (HT Photo)

10.00 am: Yogi Adityanath will take charge as CM in Lok Bhawanfollowed by a meeting with ministers. He will address a press conference at 5pm on Sunday: ANI

About 20 other ministers can be sworn-in on Sunday, according to sources.

9.00 am: Uttar Pradesh BJP chief KP Maurya tells ANI he has issues with Yogi Adityanath being chosen as the chief minister. I have been entrusted with the responsibility of a deputy CM... Ill work on the law and order situation.

Click here for full coverage on UP elections

7:30 am: Yogi Adityanath greets supporters as he leaves his VVIP guest house in Lucknow. He will be going to Gorakhpur -- his constituency -- after meeting with DGP Javeed Ahmad, principal secy Home Devashish Panda and SSP Lucknow, reports ANI.

(With inputs from agencies)

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A red flag from RSS, BJPs ideological mentor, spoiled telecom minister Manoj Sinhas chances at becoming the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

BJPs 312 MLAs elected Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath as their leader on Saturday, paving the way for his elevation as the chief minister.

As a tug of war played out between the contendersin Lucknow and DelhiBJP sources claimed that Sinha was edged out of the race much before it was claimed. Deliberations between the top BJP and RSS leaders after Holi saw him being dropped.

Sinha, also an ABVP activist during his BHU days, was not seen as suitable to take forward the ideological battle that the RSS was interested in.

RSS joint general secretary Krishna Gopal, who coordinates between the RSS and the BJP, was against the idea of Sinha becoming the chief minister. As RSS pracharak in Poorvanchal, when Sinha was an MP in the 90s, Gopal had a turf war with the Bhumihar leader.

Sinhas detractors in the RSS also claim that the perception about him having a soft corner for a particular caste worked against his favour. The RSS wanted a caste neutral leader, a source said.

Adityanath too flexed his muscles to lock down Sinhas chance. State BJP chief Maurya also joined the ranks.

Those who opposed Sinha also propped up the name of state BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, an OBC leader from Allahabad.

He had been in the race from the beginning of polls, but when it came to the selection, Maurya was seen as relatively light-weight leader to manage a big state like UP.

Some in the RSS felt that a heavyweight, like Rajnath Singh, should be in the hot seat. But, the idea did not cut much ice with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, who also wanted a young leader to become CM.

Lady luck smiled on the 44-year-old head priest of Goraknath mutt when RSS and VHP opined that he had all the qualities that they and BJP were looking for.

As chief minister, Adityanath is caste neutral. A Thakur leader from Pauri in Uttarakhand, Ajay Singh Bisht, Yogis original name, has a following across castes.

He is seen as a Hindu figure who can help the BJP consolidate its support base in 2019.

If Yogis caste identity plays out, it will also challenge Rajnath who has been the undisputed leader of Thakurs in UP.

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The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has played the biggest gamble by picking Yogi Adityanath as chief minister of the most populous state. For the fire brand Hindutva leader like Yogi, politics is a means to further the mission of serving for a cause. He comes from the league of saints who treat politics and religion as two faces of the same coin.

His daily routine is also like that of any religious leader. In no way does the condition of the room in which he lives indicate that he has been five-time member of Parliament. After waking up at 3: 30 am, Yogi remains busy with special prayers till 5 am daily. He spends the next hour taking a stroll around the temple premises followed by a self-study session till 8:30 am. After spending an hour in dealing with temple management issues, he takes a light breakfast at 9: 30 am.

He begins meeting public at 10 am and doesnt leave the spot unless he addressed the issues of the last person who visits him. This follows a visit to the areas in his parliamentary constituency followed by paying obeisance to cows. After another meeting with the temple management, he spends the next two hours in prayers. He takes dinner at 9: 30 pm followed by another self-studying session. He doesnt sleep for more than four hours. No wonder then that he is popularly known as Yogi Maharaj in Poorvanchal region of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Many times his speeches, laced with hardliner Hindutva messages have sparked controversies. In 2007, after the death of Rajkumar Agrahar, Yogi broke curfew and staged a protest leaving the administration in a tizzy. He was later arrested which was followed by arson and vandalism by his supporters across the city proving the clout that he enjoyed.

Given his stubborn image, Yogi is at times compared to Bal Thackeray, the Shiv Sena founder, but his stature is often considered bigger than the late leader from Maharashtra. So does his coronation as CM mean that BJP is showing how significant Hindu saints are for the party? This, despite 19.6 % of UPs 20 crore population comprises of Muslims. Will the move win the trust of Muslims for the party?

We cannot dismiss the fact that half of the districts in Uttar Pradesh are communally sensitive and Ram Janmabhoomi is also part of the state. One cannot ignore that Kashmir in West UP and terror factory of Azamgarh, as referred by Yogi, are also parts of Uttar Pradesh. A nation without Ram is incomplete for Yogi and constructing a Ram Temple in Ayodhya is first on his wish list.

The pro-Hindutva image apart, Yogi believes in taking up causes of the poor. He has been heard saying that no one who doesnt care about poor will remain happy in life. His supporters would hope that he lives true to this pro-poor image as well.

In his first address to his MLAs, Yogi invoked BJPs Sabka Saath Sabka Vikaas slogan. This might as well be a message for the people of Uttar Pradesh. Can we hope that the new innings that Yogi has just begun would pave way for the welfare of people of Uttar Pradesh? For sure he would know that he is being watched out by millions in his state and beyond.

(Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief of Hindustan. He tweets as @shekharkahin)
Sunny Leone says she wishes it was true that she would perform at Canadian pop star Justin Biebers debut gig in Mumbai in May, but for now, she is only excited about attending the gala night.

There were reports about Sunny joining the Sorry hitmakers debut concert in India as a performer.

Asked if it is true, Sunny said: Damn, I wish it was true. I know they have a bunch of names but who will perform... I have no idea. Im just excited Im going! So excited!

Justin Bieber performs at 102.7 KIIS FMs Wango Tango at StubHub Center on May 9, 2015 in Los Angeles. (File Photo)

For now, Sonakshi Sinha is confirmed as one of the celebrity performers at Biebers Purpose Tour gig in India. The concert will be held in May.

On the acting front, Sunny is currently busy with her upcoming film Tera Intezaar, starring Arbaaz Khan. Tera Intezaar will reportedly be shot in Kutch as well as in international locations.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
The nonchalant Bollywood camaraderie perhaps seemed novel to New York-based photographer Mark Bennington, who says business always comes first in Hollywood, while actors here work like a family.

Things are different here.The acting community in Bollywood works like a family...a tight knit family. Obviously, in a family you have brothers and sisters who at times love to hate each other. But, nonetheless they know they are a family, he says.

Hollywood, on the other hand, is more business oriented. There it is always business first and relationships second. There can be an exception, but generally it works that way, Bennington said, who has recently launched a coffee table book of photographs on the whos who of Bollywood.

Living the Dream: Life of the Bollywood Actor, which consists of photographs and interviews of 112 Bollywood stars, tells the story of many, that only few know.

The cover of Mark Bennington's new book Living the Dream: Life of the 'Bollywood' Actor. (PTI)

While the Foreword to the book has been penned by filmmaker and producer Karan Johar, casting director Shanoo Sharma has written the Afterword. Bennington insists that the book follows no hierarchy  while the ruling superstars conspicuously make the chunk of the book, newbies and yesteryears legends also find space in the tome.

On one page you will find a photograph of Rani Mukherji and on the other there is a photograph of someone you probably never heard of. Be it a one-hit wonder, a struggler or a yesteryear star, the book follows no hierarchy whatsoever. It is a book with no table of contents, he says.

Like most photographers, Benningtons shots are also candid and off-screen. But, the element of freshness is rendered through his uncanny compositions. For instance, he has captured Bollywoods Dream Girl, Hema Malini watering plants sporting a pair of jeans.

Have you seen something like this before ever? Bennington asks rhetorically.

There might be books where they have written about individuals, but not about the entire acting community. And if there is one, then surely it is not a book of photographs, he says.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more.
In about a month, Delhi will hold its municipal elections. These elections will test if Arvind Kejriwals Aam Aadmi Party remains as popular as it was when it swept to power in the state with a historic mandate two years ago. The upcoming polls will also bear out if Prime Minister Narendra Modis appeal is strong enough to help the BJP, which currently controls Delhis municipalities, overcome the anti-incumbency mood among voters. Not to be left behind, the Congress also has plans for these elections  it is enlisting newly-elected Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh as a star campaigner, the man who defeated AAP.

Delhi, for sure, is all set for a high-decibel campaign that could go either way: It could be a repeat of what we saw in Uttar Pradesh, where real issues took the backseat and ugly spats and personal attacks, often with caste and communal overtones, took centre stage; or it could turn into a great debate, to raise the issues affecting local body governance and seek solutions, not just in the context of Delhi but for the fast urbanising landscape of the nation too.

One fears the first scenario is what that will likely unravel as the campaign heats up in the coming days, but one also hopes that our leaders will see reason not to let that happen. This is because:

In India, urbanisation is rapidly on the rise. By 2030, 40% of its populations will be living in cities and towns. If we were to take the people living in urban agglomerates, that number would be well past the halfway mark.

To say that the pace of development in our cities has lagged the pace of their population growth would be an understatement. There is no single city or town in the country, which scores a perfect 10/10 on commonly used parameters for assessing urban amenities.

More than half of Indias urban households have no access to drainage facilities; only about a third have solid waste management; only 10% of the urban population has access to a sewer network; three-fourths of urban residents use private vehicles to commute and one out of six people live in slums, according to a survey of Indian cities by Janaagraha, a Bengaluru-based advocacy group. The numbers are not much different when it comes to schools and healthcare facilities, which are critical to what Modi would call the dream of a new India.

Click here for full coverage on Assembly elections 2017

Underscoring these deficiencies is a flawed structure of governance, which, in turn, has resulted in urban local bodies lacking capacities and resources to provide what residents need for a decent living. Even though constitutional amendments were made in the 1980s to empower local bodies and the intent of building a robust third layer of governance was reinforced through recommendations of successive finance commissions and federal policies, most states have either resisted or moved slowly in devolving power and resources to local bodies.

There is no uniformity across India in how the responsibility and resources of providing urban amenities and services are shared between the state government and the local bodies. In many cases, there are overlaps and multiple authorities that not only affect the quality of services but also cause citizens a lot of hardship. Most local bodies depend on resources that flow from the central or the state government. Few of them have done enough to find new avenues to raise financial resources on their own. Transparency and accountability on part of the local bodies is a major concern and affect a local bodys ability to raise its own revenue.

For long, policy makers and planners have ignored the issue of local body governance. Political parties never paid much attention because the urban vote didnt matter much in deciding who gets to rule the country or a state. Recent local body elections in Mumbai and Odisha have showed that may no longer be the case. The upcoming polls in Delhi will reinforce that.

Rajesh Mahapatra is chief content officer, Hindustan Times. He tweets @RajeshMahapatra

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BJP legislators from Kumaon alleged on Saturday that chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat neglected their region and gave better representation to Garhwal in his council of ministers, party sources said.

Rawat and nine ministers, including seven of cabinet rank, took oath on Friday.

BJP insiders said regional and caste imbalance in the ministry caused dissatisfaction among party legislators from Kumaon. This tilt of caste and regional imbalance against that region may cost our party heavily in the long run despite the brute majority it has got in the assembly election, a BJP legislator from Kumaon said. The saffron party won 57 of the 70 assembly seats.

There is a likelihood of most of the BJP MLAs from Kumaon joining the Congress if steps are not taken to correct the regional imbalance, party insiders said. The BJP legislators are also unhappy with Rawat for not inducting in his ministry a single Thakur from Kumaon.

The Thakur community from Kumaon went unrepresented in the Rawat cabinet though the region has given the party 23 of the total 29 seats, a BJP legislator said. The number of Thakur voters in the region (Kumaon) stands at 45 to 50%.

He said four Thakur legislators, including the CM, got representation from Garhwal in the ministry. Incidentally, all of them are Rawat by caste, a BJP leader from Kumaon said, referring to chief minister Rawat, Satpal Maharaj (also Rawat by caste), Harak Singh Rawat and Dhan Singh Rawat.

He said none of the BJPs five Thakur legislators from Kumaon got a representation in the cabinet. Bishen Singh Chuphal, Surendra Singh Jina, Pushkar Singh Dhami and Puran Singh Fartiyal have been winning assembly elections.

Even the youngest of them (Dhami and Jina) failed to get representation, said a BJP insider. Dhami is a two-time legislator and Jina won consecutively for the third time.

A section of BJP leaders also accused Rawat of not giving adequate representation to veteran Kumaon legislators from the Brahmin community. They are Bansidhar Bhagat (Kaladhungi) and Rajesh Shukla (Kichha).

Shukla defeated former Congress CM Harish Rawat by over 2000 votes. Its been a practice of political parties that they give a cabinet berth to a legislator who defeats a chief minister, said a state BJP office-bearer.

The ruling party denied that legislators from Kumaon were discriminated against. There is no substance in such allegations, said state BJP spokesperson Virendra Singh Bisht. The cabinet constituted by the chief minister is balanced; he has given equal representation to castes, communities and regions. He denied dissatisfaction among the BJP legislators from Kumaon.

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Raising hopes of hundreds of city residents, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to give a final deadline for allotment of developed plots to about 14,000 allotees in Rohini under the 1981 housing scheme.

While 11000 allotees were given allotment letters under the scheme in 2015 following court intervention, about 14000 allottees, for whom the Supreme Court had set July 2016 as final deadline, are still waiting to get possession of their land for over 35 years after the scheme was launched by the agency.

Sources in the L-G office said in a meeting of DDAs housing and engineering department held recently, Baijal directed the officials to come up with a clear roadmap within a fortnight. The department is expected to submit the plan later this week.

The officials have been directed to provide not only the date by which the plots will be allotted to the owners, but are also expected to give a detailed timeline for the services that will be provided at the settlement such as arrangement of roads, sewers etc, a senior official said.

Read: L-G rejects Rs 1-cr aid to OROP suicide victims family, Delhi govt cries foul

In 1981, the DDA had invited applications to allot fully developed plots measuring between 26 square metre and 90 square metre to people from economically weaker section (EWS), lower income group (LIG) and middle income group (MIG). A total of 25,366 people had to be allotted plots.

The DDA, however, failed to allot plots for years and the matter ultimately reached court.

The Supreme Court, in March 2015, had directed the DDA to issue final allotment letters to 11,000 allottees by September 2015 after completing the work of external developments, which will include roads, sewage, water connection lines and temporary electric connections. These plots are in Sectors 28, 29, 30 and 34 in Rohini.

For the remaining about 14,000 allottees, the DDA was ordered to hand over developed plots by July 2016 in Sectors 34, 35, 36 and 37 in Rohini. The DDA, however, had submitted an affidavit before the court informing its inability to provide plots immediately saying it could take 5-6 years in wrapping up the scheme, officials said.

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The Delhi government will keep a watch on occupants of the Dwarka flats, where 334 families of slum dwellers have been rehabilitated, in order to stop them from selling the allotted apartments.

The city government is slated to conduct surprise inspections at the premises. Towards this, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has collected fingerprint details of allottees and will conduct the inspections with biometric machines.

We have taken thumb impressions of people who have been shifted to flats in Dwarka. The housing complex is located near Sector 14 Metro station. Since it is a prime property, the occupants might get tempted to sell it. To check this, we will conduct surprise inspections monthly, said a DUSIB official. The official said that the allotment will be cancelled if the owner is not found to be living there.

Read: Delhi to get four multi-storey shelters for homeless

Officials said that the market value of the property is Rs 40 lakh, while the occupants have paid Rs 1.12 lakh for the flat and Rs 30,000 for maintenance. The department has provided help in the form of carpenters and plumbers to the residents. DUSIB is also aiding them in getting admission for children in nearby school, and in some cases, even providing buses.

In Delhi, the slum rehabilitation has been going on for the past two years. Earlier, the government gave plots, which many of them sold off. We dont want a repeat of the same. That is why we will keep a watch this time, the official said.

Similar rehabilitation work in Mumbai had turned into a big racket, with allottees continuing to live in slums, despite being given flats, which they put on rent.

The Delhi government has so far shifted several families from Mayur Vihar to Bakraula and Dwarka, and will be shifting many more over the coming days.

The slum rehabilitation policy of the AAP government was approved by the Delhi Cabinet in July 2016, but the file was sent back by lieutenant governor Anil Baijal in February with some observations. DUSIB, which approved the policy in April 2016, has now responded to L-Gs observations. The policy will be placed before Cabinet once again.

Read: Delhi govt to provide 24/7 toilet facility in slums

The Delhi government had kept the cut-off date as January 1, 2015. This meant that the slum clusters that came up after this date will be demolished and will not be eligible for rehabilitation.

The AAP government wanted the cut-off date to be February 14, 2015, the day they formed the government, in a bid to appease their vote bank. Their biggest poll prank was Jaha Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan and the cut-off date was fixed as February 14, keeping that in mind. But the ministry of urban development raised objections to it and in order to avoid confrontation, the AAP government agreed, said a senior Delhi government official.

The thrust of the policy is in situ rehabilitation, using land as a resource and relocation will be resorted to only as an exception. Attempts will be made to rehabilitate eligible slum dwellers at the same location or a location within a radius of five kilometres, said a Delhi government spokesperson.

DUSIB will function as the nodal agency and will rehabilitate the eligible JJ dwellers before removal of shanties as per the policy.

The project

DUSIB has identified four slum clusters from where the pilot rehabilitation project will start.

About 2,000 families living in north Delhis Sangam Park will be the first to be rehabilitated under Delhi governments slum-free policy.

DUSIB has 2,040 houses available for Economically Weaker Section (EWS). After Sangam Park, DUSIB has identified 20 slum clusters in Tagore Garden and Sultanpuri for the pilot project.

Of the three lakh slum in Delhi, only 40% are on Delhi governments land, while the rest are on land belonging to different agencies.

According to officials, there are around 70,000 shanties on Delhi governments land and 57,000 houses are ready in outer Delhi to rehabilitate the shanty occupants.

As per DUSIBs plan, about 500 acre of encroached land could be used for development.

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Captain Amarinder Singh will be deployed to take on the AAP in its home base in Delhi, after he defeated the Arvind Kejriwal-led party in Punjab, Congress leaders said on Saturday.

In a sign of the importance national parties are placing on the Delhi municipal elections, the BJP is also deploying high-profile names, including three central ministers, to supervise the partys campaign.

The Congress will hold a civic reception for the Punjab chief minister in Delhi. Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu could also canvass along with Delhi party chief Ajay Maken.

We are planning to rope in Captain Amarinder Singh since there is a substantial Punjabi population in Delhi, Congress leader incharge of Delhi, PC Chacko, told HT.

Singhs close aide Raveen Thukral said Singh could be a part of the Delhi campaign but it had not been finalised yet. The move assumes significance with the AAP participating in the civic polls on all 272 wards with full strength for the first time. The Congresss successful show against the AAP in Punjab is the primary reason behind the move to deploy Singh.

Singh is the one who caused the humiliating defeat of the AAP. The planned civic reception is to send this message to the voters of Delhi, a Congress leader said.

Aman Panwar, incharge (legal affairs), Delhi Congress, said the decision on the reception was taken during Singhs swearing-in ceremony on March 16, which Maken attended.

Maken campaigned in Punjab, therefore it is expected that both Singh and Sidhu will come to Delhi,said another Congress leader. Panwar added the Punjab poll result infused a new excitement among party workers in Delhi, which could be gauged from the fact that the Congress got nearly 1,100 more applications seeking tickets for the municipal elections after March 11, when the assembly poll results were announced.

The BJP has a star-studded line-up ready, too. The party appointed on Friday a team of four senior leaders, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Nirmala Sitharaman, Jitendra Singh, and Sanjeev Balyan, to supervise the municipal elections.

Commenting on the appointments, Sahasrabuddhe said all elections were important for the party and it took them seriously.

BJPs Ramlila Maidan convention for workers, to be held on March 25, will also be addressed by the party president Amit Shah and Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who will give tips to them for better booth level election management.

With the booth workers meeting, the BJP was to formally kick start the campaign for civic polls in the national capital. More than 65,000 party workers, who have been named panchparmeshwar, were invited to participate.

(With inputs from Aurangzeb Naqshbandi & Sukhdeep Kaur)

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Individuals who have Lost a Loved one in these Crashes are often Left Wondering how such an Accident could have Happened

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 19, 2017 / Sometimes called "life flights," medical helicopters and fixed wing aircraft are instrumental in getting critically ill patients to hospitals faster than an ambulance on the ground. They also regularly transport organs across the country for doctors to use in life-saving organ transplants. In addition, they serve patients in rural areas, where access to medical facilities is often limited. These dedicated air crews save lives every day. Tragically, these flights are subject to the same risks as those encountered by other aircraft.

Recently, four people lost their lives in a medical aircraft accident in Nevada. According to a Fox News report, the airplane experienced mechanical problems shortly after it took off, causing it to lose power and altitude. It crash-landed in a commercial parking lot near a retirement community, causing several parked vehicles to catch on fire. The four casualties include one patient and three crew members. There were no survivors.

Sadly, this accident comes within months of an eerily similar crash involving a medical flight. In July 2016, a medical transport plane crashed in northern California, also resulting in four fatalities and no survivors. A CNN report said the pilot reported smoke on board the aircraft five minutes before losing communication with air traffic controllers on the ground.

FAA Rules for Medical Helicopter Safety

"Although medical aircraft accidents are comparatively rare," says New York City aviation accident lawyer Jonathan C. Reiter, "they are nevertheless devastating when they happen. Individuals who have lost a loved one in these crashes are often left wondering how such an accident could have happened."

In 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) created new rules in an effort to improve helicopter safety, including flights involving medical helicopters. Under the new rule, all helicopters operating in the U.S. are now required to:

Story continues

Employ stricter flight procedures in inclement weather.

Use enhanced protocols for flights in challenging weather, including flying at night and landing in remote areas.

By 2017, use the most advanced on-board technology and equipment for avoiding terrain and obstacles.

By 2018, be equipped with flight data monitoring systems.

Additionally, the new rule specifically requires air ambulance helicopter pilots to install Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems, establish operations control centers if they operate 10 or more helicopters, use pre-flight risk-analysis programs, make sure pilots hold an instrument rating, and provide safety briefings for medical crew.

The FAA has stated that 125 fatalities occurring on air ambulance helicopters between 1991 and 2010 could have been avoided had the current rules for medical flights been in place sooner.

Media Contact:

Aviation Lawyer Jonathan C. Reiter. T: 866-324-9211.

Jonathan C. Reiter Law Firm, PLLC

The Empire State Building

350 5th Avenue #6400

New York, NY 10118

T: (212) 736-0979

source: http://injuryaccidentnews.jcreiterlaw.com/2017/03/14/aviation-lawyer-jonathan-c-reiter-discusses-medical-aircraft-crash/

SOURCE: Jonathan C. Reiter Law Firm, PLLC via Submit Press Release 123
Sadio Sheikh, 28, is inconsolable when asked about her parents. A refugee from Somalia, she lives alone in Delhi. Just a mention of her parents unleashes a flood of dark memories she is unable to deal with. She does not want to talk about her parents, her past, why she left Somalia. But she is willing to talk about her life as a refugee in Delhi.

It is tough being a single woman refugee in Delhi. I face a lot of hardships, and at times harassment; the biggest problem is most people here do not know who refugees are, says Sheikh.

While Sheikh is not willing to discuss the harassment she faces, Neija from Myanmar, also a single woman refugee who lives in west Delhis Bodella village, is more forthcoming. At times men follow me, they peek into my room. I do not know whom to turn to for support, she says.

A lot of people think refugees are some poor, illiterate foreigners and look down upon us. They do not appreciate the circumstances of our arrival here.

Delhi is home to about half of the 24,000 refugees and 9,000 asylum seekers -- mostly Somalis, Syrians, Afghans, Burmese -- registered with UNHCR in India. Then there are about 8,000 Tibetans in the capital;4,500 of them live in Tibetan refugee colony at Majnu Ka Tila, now known as New Aruna Nagar.

Every refugee in Delhi has his or her own story, own experiences: while most Afghans talk of feeling at home in India, the Somalis feel marginalised and are mistaken for Nigerians.

But there are a few common threads -- lack of access to education, jobs and healthcare because of their not-so-clear legal status in India, which is not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention. There is no national refugee law, which means decisions on them are mostly administrative, and different groups of refugees are often treated differently.

The legal status of refugees in India is governed by the Foreigners Act 1946 and the Citizenship Act 1955. These Acts do not differentiate between refugees fleeing persecution and violence, and other foreigners. It is a criminal offence, under these Acts, to be without valid travel or residence documents.

India has a long tradition of welcoming refugees. Although overall positive, refugee protection is delivered in an ad hoc manner through complementary legal and administrative structures in the absence of a clear domestic refugee law and policy framework, says an UNHCR official. We work with our partners to provide protection and assistance to refugees and asylum seekers in diverse areas such as health, education, legal aid, psychosocial counselling, vocational skills and livelihoods.

The life of refugees in Delhi goes beyond stereotypical Afghan bakeries and other cultural symbolism. It is a life of daily struggle, a life where thousands of men, women (many of them singles) and refugee children are trying to adjust in a city where they are mostly misunderstood, have no legal rights -- and their only identity is a UNHCR refuge card or a registration certificate issued by the government.

There is hardly any local integration, and most of them establish social contacts either within their own and other refugee communities at Refugee Assistant Centres run by UNHCRs partner organisations. About 550 refugees visit the Malviya Nagar centre alone every day to attend educational classes, Hindi and English lessons, and to seek help to access healthcare, counselling, etc.

Read: Delhis once-popular book hub Nai Sarak struggling for survival these days

A lot of them suffer from post-traumatic stress and depression. These problems are less in Afghans as they are quite familiar with Indian culture. Normal therapy does not work with refugees because fundamentally their situation does not change and they are not sure of their future. Many of them are single without any support system, says Preeti Chauhan , a clinical psychologist who counsels refugees.

The only document most carry is a UNHCR card. The only jobs they get are in the informal sector: casual workers, waiters, beauticians and security guards. Mohammad Usman, 34, a Rohingya refugee from Myanmar who works as a casual labourer, says, We are living in poor conditions; our own Chin brothers here seem to be better off than us. But we are happy, at least we feel safe, says Usman.

Then there are those like Tenzin Tsering, 25, who lives in new Aruna Nagar. For her, India is the only home she knows. My family fled Tibet but I was born in India, I want to live here and die here. Would she like to settle in Tibet if it became independent? I would certainly like to visit it, but I am not sure if I would like to settle there, she says.

HOPE AND DESPAIR IN CAPITALS LITTLE MYANMAR

Lian Khawen, 77, from Myanmar at his rented house in Bodella, west Delhi. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

Neija, 24, has not been able to contact her parents ever since she fled to India in 2009 with a group of Burmese students. I do not know how my parents are, where they are. Ours is one of the remotest villages in Myanmar, says Neija, her eyes almost welling up. I do not think I can ever meet them, she says.

Neija, who belongs to the Chin community, lives in Bodella in West Delhi, home to about 4,000 Chin refugees. She has a BA in rural development and like many other educated refugees, works with an NGO as an interpreter.

Life in Delhi, she says, is tough and, given the opportunity, Neija would want to shift to the US. I want to pursue higher education; my cousins live there, so I will have some support, she says. Here, I do not feel safe even in my room. Once a man tried to snatch my bag, says Neija

What makes life difficult in Delhi is the fact that locals do not understand who refugees are. We face discrimination on a daily basis. We are charged higher rents, shopkeepers inflate prices of everything, says Neija.

Most Chin refugees have a story of daily struggle. Joseph Khar, 32, who lives with his wife in a cramped room in a narrow lane in Bodella, suffers from Hepatitis-C. He is immobile and the family survives on a subsistence allowance of Rs 3,800 from UNHCR. The doctor prescribed a few medicines, but I do not have money. I hardly have money to pay for food and house rent, says Khar, who came to Delhi in 2011.

As Khar talks, his wife, Ngaideilum, sitting next to him on the floor, listens, her eyes filled with hopelessness. I wish I could have a job, she says, stroking the hair of her five-year-old daughter.

Not far away lives Lian Khawen, 77, who came to India in 2010. He says he fled Burma after facing persecution at the hands of military junta. He lives in a tiny first-floor room with his wife, daughter and son. His 21-year-old son works at the house keeping department of a hotel. He has been suffering from pneumonia but does not get any leave. My wife has kidney problems but all we can afford are these placebos, says Khawen, showing us some herbal medicines.

We have lost everything there. But I would be happy if my son and daughter could find a better future in India, he says.

AFGHANS: YOUNG, AT HOME IN DELHI

A group of Afghan youngsters at the Refugee Assistance Centre in Vikaspuri . (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

Abdul Wali Ahadi, 22, who lives in Khirki Extension, had to repeat school after coming to India. He says he had already completed school in Afghanistan when his family came to India five years ago with his mother, two brothers and a sister. No university was willing to give me admission because I did not have documents. Now I am doing BA first year through open university when I should have actually finished graduation, says Ahadi.

Ahadi, who is pretty articulate and has a deep interest in international relations, says one of the biggest problems of young refugees is lack of education and job opportunities.

Everyone demands a long term visa. We applied in January 2016 but are yet to get it, says Ahadi. We are in a peculiar situation in India, we are foreigners and yet we are not. Our only identity is the UNHCR refugee card, says Ahadi.

There are many youngsters in the Afghan community who want to settle down in India, many aspire for jobs, others want to do business.

We came to India one-and-a-half years back because of the bad security situation in our country. My family depends on the meagre income of my brother who works as a photo editor. I want to settle down and do business in India, says Ahmad Seyar Bakhshi, 18, who lives in Tilak Nagar with his family.

Elias Sidiqi, 20, who also lives in Tilak Nagar with his father, mother, two sisters and three brothers, is doing his 12th through open school. His family, he says, survives on money sent by relatives. Sidiqi says his neighbours in Delhi are always ready to help. Like Ahadi, he too believes the Indian government could help by easing norms of long-term visas. It will give us some sense of stability. I would be happy spending the rest of my life in Delhi, he says.

Talking of social contacts, he says, he has friends only in the Afghan community. Language and culture is a bit of a barrier, but I wish to make some Indian friends too, says Sidiqi.

A CRISIS OF IDENTITY: SOMALIS, BUT SEEN AS NIGERIANS

Shukri Aden , 47, a refugee from Somalia lives in Wazirabad, Delhi, with her two children. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Sadio Sheikh, 28, came to India in 2007 when she was 18. She was in Hyderabad and came to Delhi two years back. Sheikh, who completed her post graduation in medical laboratory technology through distant education in Hyderabad, thought the capital would be a better place for her, especially in terms of livelihood opportunities. She applied for jobs at various hospitals, appeared for many interviews, but never got through. One of the biggest problems we face here is that we are mistaken as Nigerians.

Sheikh, who lives in India alone, says she has been able to survive in India thanks to her aunt in Kenya, who supported her financially all these years.

As a single refugee woman, I face a lot of hardships. I would be happy to return to my country once the situation is normal. What I am desperately looking for us right now is financial security and stability, says Sheikh.

But Shukri Aden, 47, another refugee woman from Somalia, has a positive experience. She came to India two years back after her husband and daughter were killed in the conflict there. She lives in Wazirbad, where most of the citys 600-odd Somali refugees live. Her children go to a government school. They are quite popular with their teachers and are doing well in studies, says Aden, who gets Rs 2,000 a month for each child from UNHCR. She earns by doing odd jobs - cleaning homes, washing dishes for Somalis who visit Delhi for medical treatment.

Aden who heads the communitys women group has learnt to speak quite a bit of Hindi too. If possible I want to live in India forever. I feel loved and safe in this country, she says, talking to us through an interpreter. One of my children wants to be a doctor and the other a businessman. I hope both of them are able to realize their dreams in India.

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Two battalions of Indo-Tibetan Border Police and additional police force have been deployed at the Delhi-Gurgaon border at Sirhaul on Sunday as a prohibitory measure in view of the Jat protest that was planned in the national capital on Monday. (HIGHLIGHTS)

Jat leaders on Sunday had called off the march to Delhi after talks with government representatives at the Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi. However, the district administration said the security measures would remain in force till the situation normalises.

We have not got any official communique about the outcome of the talks. Our safety measures will remain intact till the situation is back to normal, Hardeep Singh, Gurgaon district magistrate, said.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 that deems illegal any assembly of more than four persons in the district, especially along railway tracks and highways, will remain effective till Wednesday.

Among various other measures, the administration has ordered that tractors should not be supplied more than 10 litres of fuel and details of the vehicle and driver are to be noted down at fuel stations.

The administration also ordered all tractors moving to Delhi be stopped and parked along barricades set up for the purpose. A total of 15 barricades have been installed at locations from where Jats are likely to enter Gurgaon to proceed to Delhi.

Tractors carrying food and cooking material, lathis, sharp-edged weapons, and arms are barred from travelling on the National Highway 8.

The administration has deputed 32 duty magistrates along with police officials to keep a tab on the law and order situation. Officials of the district administration and police department discussed strategies to handle the situation in case the agitation is revived.

The forces barricaded the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway at Sirhaul border and let vehicles, especially those carrying large number of people, to Delhi only after thorough checking.

We have provided additional force and all vehicles are being watched. Police are extra cautious at 15 entry and exit points, ACP Manish Sehgal, spokesperson, Gurgaon police, said.

The administration has also ordered security arrangements at the district court, residences and offices of judicial officers, MPs, MLAs, government officials, and government rest houses.

Forest department to clear roads

In one of the orders issued,the district magistrate ordered the forest department to keep a watch as protestors could cut trees and block roads, causing inconvenience to the masses. He directed the forest department to keep a tab on such activities. The officials could take help from police for the task.

Check on providing bamboos, tent material

The prohibitory order had barred bamboo shop owners from providing bamboos to agitators or anyone else without prior approval and permission of the concerned sub-divisional magistrate or district magistrate. Owners of shops that sell tent material have also been directed to not provide material to agitators or anyone else without permission from the district authorities. The administration fears that the agitators may erect tents and block public roads.

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The CBSE has asked students appearing for board exams in Delhi to reach their centres well ahead of time to avoid any delays that may be caused on the way due to the Jat protests scheduled in the national capital on Monday

The Jat community, under the aegis of the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti (AIJASS), is expected to resume their stir in Delhi by marching to the capital to gherao the Parliament seeking quota in government jobs and educational institutions. The agitating community also planned to hold multiple dharnas on the day.

The proposed stir coincided with the Class 12 and Class 10 board examinations.

Class 12 graders have a core subject such as Mathematics and other elective papers such as First Aid and Emergency Medical Care, Clinical Bio-chemistry and Microbiology-II, Microbiology (MLT), Health Centre Management, Ophthalmic Techniques-II, Radiography-II (Special Investigation Imaging Radiography) lined up for the day. Students of class 10 will write language papers such as Spanish and Russian, and other elective subjects such as painting.

...the students and parents are hereby informed and advised to take necessary measures to reach the examination centres well before the scheduled time to avoid any inconvenience in-anticipation to the gherao, reads an official advisory released by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

Principals of various CBSE affiliated schools in Delhi have also advised their students along the same lines. We have also asked parents to take the responsibility to ensure that the students reach on time, said Anuradha Joshi, the principal of Sardar Patel School.

Others, like Ameeta Mulla Wattal, of Springdales School on Pusa road said she will be at the centre to help any student who may get delayed by the agitations. She said the agitation added to the anxiety of students and parents.

As it is, exams can be quite stressful, especially board exams. So, anxiety has already been running high. Students and parents have approached me, worried about what will happen tomorrow (Monday). Unfortunately, we cannot do much except for asking them to start from home early and try and get to the centres on time, she said.

Mathematics is a common subject across the streams. It is common for commerce, science and even humanities. So a sizeable number of students will be appearing for the exams, added Joshi.

However, Yashpal Malik, prominent Jat leader and president of the AIJASS, assured that it will be a peaceful programme and will not cause inconvenience to people, especially in the first half of the day. We are coming to Delhi on Monday on being invited by the Central government to discuss our demands. So we will be meeting officials in the morning. So there will be no stir programme until our talks are over. We will get to know the outcome of the talks only by 3-4pm. If our demands are not fulfilled, we will enter Delhi with more than 50,000 tractors, he said.

But schools are not taking any chance. We have advised students those who are not appearing for the board exams to refrain from coming to school. We have cancelled our planned excursions, trips and special classes. Teaching and non teaching staff, however will be on duty, said Wattal.

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The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which manages security at Delhi Metro stations, is bracing for a chaotic Monday.

The Delhi Metro has announced the closure of 12 stations in Delhi and 22 in NCR from Sunday night in the wake of the proposed Jat protests.

The CISF and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation also said they will deploy additional staff to manage the chaos.

Delhi Police has asked all concerned SHOs to monitor and manage law and order in their areas. Police chiefs of Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad have also been asked to coordinate and maintain security at Metro stations.

According to DMRC, Metro trains running in Delhi will not stop at the 12 closed stations. At Rajiv Chowk and Central Secretariat stations, the Metro will halt only to allow passengers interchange facility.

The DMRC has also chalked out a detailed plan to tackle the chaos that is likely to arise from the closure of the stations.

The customer care centres will be operational but will not sell tokens at stations that are closed in Delhi-NCR. Token vending machines too will be operational and we will put pamphlets and stickers on them asking passengers not to use them, said a DMRC official.

The CISF has been asked to deploy Quick Reaction Teams at Arjangarh, Anand Vihar, New Ashok Nagar and Badarpur stations.

Additional guards will be deployed at the platforms of these stations to help passengers. There will be central announcements both inside the train and in stations about disruptions in services. The Metro staff will also make announcements outside stations, the official added.

At two stations  New Ashok Nagar (last station till which trains will ply on Noida line) and Arjangarh (last station till which trains will ply on Gurgaon line)  train reversal facility is not available. Trains, therefore, will be vacated at these stations.

This is a technical issue. The trains will go till the end but passengers will be deboarded at these stations, an official said.

Delhi stations to be closed

1.Rajiv Chowk

2.Patel Chowk

3.Central Secretariat

4.Udyog Bhawan

5.Lok Kalyan Marg

6.Janpath

7.Mandi House

8.Barakhamba Marg

9.RK Ashram Marg

10.Pragati Maidan

11.Khan Market

12.Shivaji Stadium

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The All India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti (AIJASS), the association of Jats seeking reservation for the community, has been denied permission to carry out a march to Parliament.

The AIJASS have threatened to block all highways leading to the capital over their demand for the reservation and withdrawal of cases against all Jats during last years protests in neighbouring Haryana.

The top brass of Delhi police held a meeting on Sunday morning and asked all district DCPs and station house officers to be on alert.

A dharna or protest will not be allowed under any circumstance. Massive security measures have been put in place tomorrow. No heavy vehicles will be allowed to enter through the borders and thorough checks of other vehicles are being carried out at the borders, special commissioner of police, Dependra Pathak said.

By afternoon, the number of security personnel along the borders in the eastern part of the city was multiplied after police received information of protesters entering the city.

Security personnel on stand-by at the Delhi-Haryana border on Sunday afternoon. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Many commercial vehicles, such as trucks which were to enter Delhi from Ghazipur, were sent back. Only restricted entry is being allowed.

Restrictions have been imposed on many roads in the capital and traffic snarls were reported from several places in east Delhi.

Police have deployed a three-tier security with 110 companies of forces, including the paramilitary, RAF and riot control force, to avoid any untoward situation.

Delhi police officers also held a meeting with their counterparts in Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad.

Metro Services Curbed

Delhi Metro will not run in NCR region from 11:30 pm. Twelve metro stations in Central and New Delhi will be shut from 8 pm.

The affected stations will be Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan, Lok Kalyan Marg, Janpath, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, R K Ashram Marg, Pragati Maidan, Khan Market and Shivaji Stadium.

Services will not be available at Yellow line stations in Gurgaon, Blue Line stations in Noida and Violet Line stations in Faridabad.

Police said they would make regular announcement through their social media accounts.

Also read | CBSE asks students to reach exam centres early ahead of Jat protest on Monday

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The Jats have called off a protest that threatened to cripple Delhi on Monday after reaching a truce with the Haryana government.

Sit-ins will, however, continue in Haryana till March 26 when the decision would be reviewed by the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS), which is spearheading the stir for a quota in government jobs and education.

Ab Jat Dilli na aa rahe (Jats are not coming to Delhi). We have called off our agitation after chief minister ML Khattar assured us today that our demands would be met, AIJASS chairperson Yashpal Malik said here on Sunday at a joint press conference with the CM.

The farming communitys plan to march towards Delhi, a move aimed at putting pressure to the Centre, had the Capital on the edge.

Police deployment was stepped up along state borders and Metro asked to shut down stations outside the city.

The Delhi Police reviewed the restrictions in the evening and said Metro and buses would move as usual.

The decision to cancel the march came after a four-hour meeting Khattar and two Union ministers, Birender Singh and PP Chaudhary, had with Malik.

After discussions with the Jat leaders, we have arrived at a decision that their demands will be met in a time-bound manner, Khattar said.

Khattar said the government had accepted Jats demands, including initiation of the process of reservation for the Jats in central government jobs, reconsideration of cases lodged against agitators since 2010 and permanent jobs for the next of kin of those killed and those maimed during the 2016 February agitation in Haryana.

The stir was re-launched on January 29.

The central government will appoint chairman and members of the backward classes commission very soon to take the matter forward, Malik said.

The government would also give monetary compensation to the injured and institute probe against officers accused of high-handedness during the stir.

The Centre and state will soon begin the process of giving reservation following the high court order, Khattar said. The Punjab and Harayan high court had in May 2016 stayed his governments decision to grant reservation to Jats and five other communities under the newly created Backward Class C category.

The court has reserved its decision.

Once the decision comes, the CM said the government would begin the process to put the quota law in the ninth schedule of the Constitution, which is immune from judicial scrutiny.

As a Jat quota would breach the 50% reservation ceiling set by the Supreme Court, ninth schedule is seen as a way out but the top court has said such laws, too, are open to review.

The AIJASS had threatened to lay siege to the national capital, which shares borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, which, too, has a sizable Jat population.

The stir turned violent last year and left 30 people dead and property worth millions of rupees was damaged.

In view of the planned march, prohibitory orders were clamped in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to stop the Jat protesters from entering the Capital.

(With agency inputs)
If talks with the Central government on Monday fail, over 50,000 tractors carrying Jat protesters will enter Delhi, community leader and president of the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti (AIJASS) Yashpal Malik warned on Sunday.

Malik said the tractors are waiting at Delhi borders.

Malik told HT that the leaders spearheading the stir were invited to meet representatives of the Central government on Monday. He said the protesters will not cause any inconvenience to the common people so long as the government agrees to their demands.

Read: No Delhi Metro trains in NCR from Sunday night because of Jat protests

We are coming to Delhi on Monday on the invitation of the Central government, to discuss our demands. We will meet the officials in the morning. It will be peaceful until after our talks. We will know by 3 or 4 pm if they are willing to accept our demands or not. If they do not, then we have more than 50,000 tractors waiting to enter Delhi, he said.

Jats have been demanding quota in government jobs and education.

As many as 30 people were killed and property worth crores of rupees were damaged at many places in Haryana during last years Jat stir which had turned violent. Rohtak and some of its neighbouring districts, including Sonipat and Jhajjar, were the worst hit by the violence last year.

This time, Jats are also demanding jobs for the next of kin of those killed in violence last year, compensation to those injured, withdrawal of cases and action against officers who ordered use of force against the protesters.

The Delhi Police have made elaborate arrangements to ensure there is no loss of life or property. Over 35,000 policemen and personnel drawn from the para military forces will keep vigil in the city. All permissions for protests have been cancelled and prohibitory orders under CrPC 144 have been issued.

Read: Police release traffic advisory ahead of Jat protests, Lutyens Delhi restricted

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced that all its train services to and from outside Delhi stations will remain suspended from 11:30 pm on Sunday.

The Delhi police have also fortified its presence in the national capital. The citys main roads and borders have been barricaded. Trucks entering the city from the eastern borders have been stopped. Senior officials of the Delhi Police held a meeting on Sunday, and have asked all DCPs and station house officers to be on alert.

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Entry of people to Lutyens Delhi will be restricted from Sunday as Delhi Police has decided to impose prohibitory orders to prevent Jat community members from going ahead with their march to Parliament on Monday.

Delhi Police has decided to impose prohibitory orders under CrPC Section 144 across the national capital from Sunday and put a strict vigil in Lutyens Delhi on Monday to prevent protesters.

The All India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti (AIJASS), which is spearheading the agitation demanding reservations in education and government jobs, has given a call for a march to the national capital to gherao Parliament and to hold protests on the Delhi border blocking all highways to press for its demands.

Read | No Delhi Metro trains in NCR from Sunday night because of Jat protests

Delhi Police advised students and those appearing in various entrance examinations to start before time so that they do not get stuck owing to heavy checking and blockades.

Under no circumstances, any kind of dharna, violent protest will be allowed in Delhi. We have put adequate security and safety measures in place and tractor-trolleys will not be allowed to enter Delhi from border areas, said Dependra Pathak, chief spokesperson of Delhi Police and Special Commissioner of Police (Operations).

A three-tier security cover will be in place with 110 companies of external force assisting Delhi Police in maintaining vigil.

All the checking will be in place and there might be inconvenience for children and entrance exam aspirants. It is advised that those who are appearing for CBSE exams or for other entrance exams should keep a track of time, he said.

From 11pm on Sunday, entry to Lutyens Delhi will be restricted and persons fulfilling certain criterion will only be allowed entry after proper verification and checking.

Bona fide residents, employees working in offices situated in Lutyens Delhi, emergency vehicles, entrance exam candidates, ambulance, hearse van, fire brigade, school buses and those who have come to the area for some work will only be allowed entry after furnishing proof, said another officer.

New Delhi will not be used as transit point for people going from north to south Delhi or vice-versa. Commuters wishing to travel from south Delhi to central Delhi are advised to use Ring Road, said Delhi Traffic Police in an advisory.

Roads such as Kamal Ataturk Marg, Safdarjung Road, Kautilya Marg, Kautilaya T Point Near Bihar Bhawan, route from Teen Murti to Gole Methi roundabout and Zakir Hussain Road for the commuters coming from Nizamuddin to India Gate will be closed from 8pm on Sunday.

Other routes between Ring Road and San Martin Marg, Amrita Shergill from Lodhi Road, Max Mueller Mag from Lodhi Road, Arch Bishop Macarious from Lodhi Road and all lanes leading to Panchkuia road except Mandir Marg, RK Ashram Marg and Hospital Road will be closed from tomorrow 11pm onwards.
The Indian government can breathe more easily about one of its macro-economic concerns: Rising global oil prices. Despite a successful effort to reduce oil production by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, oil prices recently fell to below $ 50 a barrel, a three-month low. The primary reason: A countervailing surge in shale oil production by the United States. The US ability to quickly ratchet up oil production in response to higher prices has put a ceiling on global crude prices. There is an additional benefit in a parallel compression of natural gas prices. This is excellent news for India, among the worlds largest importers of oil and gas.

The Narendra Modi government has benefited hugely from the slump in oil prices that began in 2014. By some estimates the drop in world oil and gas prices provided a windfall of over $10 billion to New Delhi in the 2015-16 financial year. The benefits were two-fold. The central government has had to pay less in fuel subsidies. It has also, by passing on as little as a fifth of the drop in oil prices to Indian customers, given the Indian exchequer a multi-billion dollar revenue windfall. One of the main reasons the Modi government has largely been able to meet its fiscal deficit targets has been its ability to impose higher taxes on imported oil without affecting prices for Indian users.

When OPEC, led by Saudi Arabia, announced plans to reduce crude production there were fears oil would rise to a new plateau in the $70-80 range. This would have taken a substantial bite out of Indias economy on a number of fronts, though Indian officials said they were comfortable with a price of up to $65. Oil prices did indeed rise, but so did US shale production. Continuously improving production technology and a recent refinancing of the entire shale sector has meant US shale rigs, for both oil and gas, are commercially viable at increasingly lower prices. That this is all happening even when a number of major oil exporters like Venezuela are producing at below par, spells a rosy market scenario for importers like India. The world may be looking at a new norm of crude prices between $50-60.

The Indian leadership has long dreamt of being self-sufficient in oil and gas. Given the fuel demands inherent in its present economic trajectory and the seeming inability of any Indian government to produce a market-friendly regime for hydrocarbon prospecting, New Delhi would be better off assuming a future of enormous oil and gas imports.

The real sources of energy security would then be in influencing global price hubs, reducing the chances of supply disruption and developing transparent futures markets. Energy security is, ultimately, about being able to create a stable global environment not just digging more holes at home.
Sage wisdom. Thats what Saturdays annual convocation of the Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli (IIM-T) for postgraduate diploma in management (PGDM) and the post graduate diploma in business management (PGDBM) was all about.

Yes, the placement results had been good, Dr Prafulla Agnihotri, director, said. What students had to remember once out in the world was to take care of their parents, who had been instrumental in their successes.

Medal Winners with the gests of onour, chairman of the convocation and director of IIM Tiruchirappalli. (From left ) Naveen I, winner, Kotak Securities gold medal for best all-round performance in PGPM; Jiby M Isaac, winner, Punjab National Bank gold medal for best all-round performance in PGPBM; P Santhanam, winner, directors gold medal for 2nd Rank in PGPBM; Palash Nayak Gaunekar, winner, chairperson gold medal for receiving first rank in PGPM & ICSI Signature Award for first rank in PGPM; Dr Prafulla Agnihotri, director, IIM Tiruchirappalli; DShivakumar; Shivendu Nadkarni, vice president, Asia Pacific/Africa Snacks, Kellogs; Dr R Karunamurthi, chairman of the convocation and member Board of Governers, IIMT; Rubal Bagde; Doppani Sravya, winner, Punjab National Bank gold medal for first rank among women students; Aritra Banerjee, winner, Canara Bank gold medal, 3rd Rank in PGPM;S Venkataramanan, winner, HDFC gold medal for academic proficiency in marketing among PGPM Students (Handout)

Guests of honour, Shivendu Nadkarni, vice president, Asia/Africa Snacks, Kelloggs; and D Shivakumar, chairman and CEO, Pepsico India Private Holdings Limited, too, had words of advice. For Nadkarni, success was a journey, not a destination. He shared four lessons (4 Hs) from his personal and work experience with the graduands. The first lesson being Heart greater than head, he urged the students to make sure they used their hearts with their heads. They were also urged to Make trust your second nature, there will be a magical payback. Hunger had to be fuelled - one needed to have a constant hunger to win, succeed and make a difference. And the two engines to fuel ones hunger? Passion and hard work. The third lesson that he shared was Patrol your health, invest in wellness. He stressed that one should focus on work and personal life balance. The final lesson was Embrace humility since one could not underestimate the importance of listening to understand rather than to respond. He ended his address by entreating the students to enjoy the roller coaster ride of life.

Naveen I of the PGP Batch of 2017 receiving the Kotak Securities gold medal for best all-round Performance in PGPM from DShivakumar. (Handout)

D Shivakumar, in his address, reflected upon a world going faster and faster, requiring one to have multiple capabilities to get through a career. The graduates were advised to do five things - focus on learning, invest in the community, keep being curious, listen more than speak, and not to lose passion in life. He ended his address by highlighting three sets of people: teachers, classmates, and parents, and urged the graduates to keep giving them reasons to brag about them.

Presenting his directors report, Agnihotri advised the students to set their own standards and be ethical, honest and responsible managers.

Terming the preplacement season as exceptional, the IIMT directior said his institute had witnessed a 56% increase in the highest stipend offered for the summer placements and a 39% increase in highest CTC offered for the final placements. He said that these achievements had been possible because of the quality of the students and the hard work of the faculty. Students Upendran Vasu and Anirudh Jain were on the occasion lauded for securing the second place in the GSCMI intercollege case study competition held by Purdue University in the US.

From left : Mukundhan K V, chairperson, PGPBM; Manikandan K S, chairperson, PGPM; Dr Prafulla Agnihotri; D Shivakumar; Shivendu Nadkarni; Dr R Karunamurthi; V Gopal, dean, accounts and administration, IIMT; G Sethu, chairperson, FPR, IIMT. (Handout)

Dr R Karunamurthi, chairman of the convocation, and member of the board of governors, IIMT, awarded diplomas to 108 PGP graduates and 33 PGPBM graduates.

Following are the students who were honoured for their meritorious achievements and all-round performance:

1. IIM Tiruchirappalli chairpersons gold medal for securing first rank in post graduate programme in anagement (PGPM): Palash Nayak Gaunekar

2. IIM Tiruchirappalli directors gold medal for securing second rank in PGPM: Nitin Chandra

3. Canara Bank Gold Medal for securing third rank in PGPM: Aritra Banerjee

4. Punjab National Bank Gold Medal for securing first rank among women students in PGPM: Doppani Sravya

5. ICSI Signature award gold medal for securing first rank in PGPM: Palash Nayak Gaunekar

6. HDFC Bank gold medal for academic proficiency in finance and accounting in PGPM: Nitin Chandra

7. HDFC Bank gold medal for academic proficiency in marketing in PGPM: Venkataramanan S

8. Leela Chandrasekhara Menon award for the outstanding lady student of the ear in PGPM: Rubal Bagde

9. Kotak Securities gold medal for best all round performance in PGPM: Naveen I

10. IIM Tiruchirappalli directors gold medal for securing second rank in PGPBM: P. Santhanam

11. Punjab National Bank gold edal for best all round performance in PGPBM: Jiby M Isaac
A four-year-old boy was crushed by a pick-up van while he was defecating in open at Narsinghpur village in the Kherki Duala area on Saturday morning. The boy was relieving himself near the boundary wall of a vacant plot when the driver reversed the vehicle without noticing him.

The victim was identified as Aditya Mandal, son of Gabbar Mandal, a factory worker. The incident came just three days after he was admitted to school. Gabbar, who is from Munger in Bihar, lives in a rented accommodation at Narsinghpur and works for a private company. Aditya was the eldest of his two sons. He also has a daughter.

In his complaint to the police, Gabbar said his son had been relieving himself near the wall of a vacant plot when Roshan Singh, who drives a pick-up van owned by his landlord, turned on the ignition and reversed the vehicle. Gabbar said he shouted at the driver and tried to alert him that his son was right behind the vehicle, but he didnt pay heed and rammed it into the wall. The boy was crushed under the wheels.

The boy sustained fatal injuries to his face and legs and died on the spot. Hearing his fathers screams, some residents rushed to the spot and caught hold of the driver. They handed him over to the police. Roshan is a native of Samastipur in Bihar.

In his complaint, Gabbar blamed Roshans negligent driving for the incident. An FIR under IPC sections 279 (rash driving or driving on public way) and 304-A (causing death by negligence) was filed at the Khwerki Daula police station and the driver was arrested.

Sub-inspector Naresh, the investigating officer in the case, confirmed the drivers arrest. He said though the incident appears to be an accident, the police are probing all angles including personal rivalry and murder.

Gabbar said he would head to his village in Bihar after his sons funeral. He said though there is a toilet at his residence, his children usually relieve themselves in an open drain near his house.
Manipurs longest economic blockade, which started on November 1 last year, will come to an end on Sunday midnight, four days after the states first BJP-led government assumed office.

The United Naga Council (UNC), the apex body of Nagas in the state, decided to call off the 139-day-long blockade of the states two national highways, after talks with representatives from the state and Centre earlier in the day.

The blockade will be lifted from Sunday midnight following an understanding reached during the talks, UNC general secretary S Milan told HT over phone from district headquarters of Senapati, 60 km north of Imphal.

As per the agreement, the state government will unconditionally release UNC President Gaidon Kamei and its publicity secretary Stephen Lamkang, who were arrested for their alleged roles in violence during the blockade, and also close all cases against Naga leaders.

Manipur has been reeling under indefinite economic blockade of the NH 2 and 37 by the UNC in protest against the creation of Sadar Hills and Jiribam into full fledged districts by the states erstwhile Congress government.

While the UNC maintained the new districts affect the interest of the Nagas, the Congress government said it was done for administrative convenience.

The blockade was a major issue during this months election with the BJP promising to end it soon after assuming power.

The states first BJP chief minister N. Biren Singh also stated after assuming office on Wednesday that his governments first priority would be to hold talks with the UNC and end the blockade.

The Manipur government acknowledged that creation of the new districts were against past deals with us and assured there will be further dialogues to address our concerns, Milan said.

In the initial months of the blockade, the state witnessed crippling scarcity of supplies especially petroleum products and essential medicines. It eased a bit when convoys of trucks started reaching Imphal under heavy security.

During the blockade of the states lifelines, three security personnel were killed and over a dozen injured in attacks allegedly by cadres of the extremist National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah).

Additional chief secretary Suresh Babu and commissioner (Home) Radha Kumar represented Manipur government while joint secretary (in-charge of Northeast) in the home ministry Satyender Garg represented the Centre in the tripartite talks.

The next round of parleys is expected to be held within a month.
PATNA The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna, will soon issue advertisement for recruitment for around 240 positions in its medical faculty. This will be the second round of recruitment, after the first round which concluded in July 2013.

The AIIMS-Patna, which commenced its first academic session in 2012, currently has 54 faculty members.against the sanctioned faculty strength of 305.

The recruitment will cover all disciplines, including pre-clinical, para-clinical and clinical departments. The only exception, however, may be the faculty recruitment for trauma and emergency departments because the authorities apparently lack clarity on how to go about it.

Sources said around 52 posts of professors, 48 of additional professors, 85 of associate professors and 109 posts of assistant professors, would be advertised across all departments.

A bulk of the recruitments would be for clinical departments, wherein 45 posts of professors, 41 of additional professors, 75 of associate professors and 90 of assistant professors, were likely to be advertised, the sources added.

Clinical departments in which recruitment of faculty is on the anvil, include general medicine, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedics, otorhinolaryngology (ENT), paediatrics, pulmonary medicine and tuberculosis.

Four posts of professors, six of additional professors, four of associate professors and 10 of assistant professors are likely to be filled in the para-clinical departments, including pathology, microbiology, pharmacology, community medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation and forensic medicine and toxicology.

Three posts of professors, one of additional professor, six of associate professors and nine of assistant professors are up for grabs in pre-clinical departments like anatomy, physiology and biochemistry.

We will advertise in the coming week for almost all the remaining faculty positions. However, we may not fill up all the posts we advertise if we do not get the right candidates. For, having good faculty members is important for the growth of an institute, AIIMS-Patna director Dr PK Singh told HT over phone from Lucknow.

Dr Singh also clarified that those having the requisite degree and experience might merit an interview call, but their selection would depend on whether or not they satisfied the academic and research criteria laid down by the interview panel.

The selection committee will be headed by the director of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi, Dr SK Sarin, also a former chairman of the board of governors of the Medical Council of India. It will include experts and the director AIIMS-Patna will be its member-secretary.

Interestingly, faculty recruitment at AIIMS-Patna was mired in controversy earlier, in 2015, over raising the upper age ceiling, without the approval of the institute body  the highest body of AIIMS.

At that time, the February 2015 advertisement for recruitment was reopened in December that year. When this happened, the authorities had removed the age bar for existing faculty members, prompting the previous deputy director (administration), Anil Kishore Yadav, to raise a red flag.

Dr Sarin had then scrapped the entire recruitment process.

Besides, at least 16 of the initially recruited 66 faculty members, recruited in the first round, between August 2012 and July 2013, allegedly have suspect credentials. There are allegations that some did not have even the basic qualification and experience, while one was overage, but had still made the cut.

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RAJGIR President Pranab Mukherjee said here on Sunday that the preachings of Buddha were more relevant today than ever before in a world ravaged by violence, mindless killing and wanton destruction of human values and heritage.

He was speaking as the chief guest at the valedictory session of the three-day International Buddhist conference, organised by the ministry of culture, government of India, and Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, deemed university, at the International Convention Centre, at the south central resort town of Rajgir.

The conference was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama on March 17.

Universities are places for open minds, free discussions, raising questions and finding answers to satisfy curiosity. Education means development of mind, which requires constant interaction with teachers, fellow students and others. The atmosphere must be free from prejudice, intolerance and violence and be conducive to free flow of ideas to make the world a better place, he added.

Citing the destruction of monumental Buddha statues of the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan by the Taliban, Mukherjee said violence was not confined to injuries to fellow citizens. It was wanton destruction of values, heritage and assets built over centuries.

No part of the world today is free from the scourge of violence. The world is becoming more and more complex, with murders and attacks on clubs, restaurants and musical concerts and some individuals or organisations madly claiming responsibility for bloodshed. The big question today is how to combat this mindset, he said.

Mukherjee said terrorism was not just action of a few individuals or groups. Rather, it was a mental aberration and a reflection of a perverted mindset.

It is a tendency not to see anything positive and focus on negatives only. Time has come for the international community to think together to check this menace. While violence reflects pollution of mind, the world also grapples with other forms of pollution, viz. pollution in rivers, mountains and urban conglomerations. But the worst is the pollution of human mind, he added.

Underlining the growing relevance of Buddhas teachings, the President said even emperor Ashoka had a brilliant twist in his life, which converted him from a conqueror to a missionary. And today, history remembers Ashoka not as a warrior but as a missionary, he said.

It was precisely the quest of real knowledge, triggering change of heart, that drew scholars and students from across the world to Nalanda and institutions like Vikramshila, Takshila and others in the ancient times.

Referring to Rabindra Nath Tagore, who questioned the silence of intellectuals when famed scientist Albert Einstein was driven out of Germany just because he was a Jew, Mukherjee said that one of the replies he got was that the course of human civilisation is never decided by any emperor or conqueror.

And we have seen that. After Hitler, Mussolini and others, in came Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The challenge today is to find the correct path and that path is the one shown by Buddha. Gandhiji himself admitted that he was a practicing Buddhist, he said, appreciating Nav Nalanda Mahavihar for coming up with reprint of the all 41 volumes of Pali Tripitaka in in Devanagri script.

Conflict resolution centre

Chief minister Nitish Kumar said that peace was the biggest casualty across the world due to growing intolerance, distrust and hatred.

Buddhism can show the way to the world, as it talks of the middle path, not extremes. It was precisely the reason why I had suggested opening of a conflict resolution centre in Nalanda University so that it could offer a platform and solutions to worlds pressing problems through peaceful dialogue and debate, he added.

Kumar said Rajgir was a confluence point of many religions and could be an ideal place for conflict resolution, as Bihar remains free from all kinds of conflict and intolerance and sets an example of brotherhood and. harmony.

I have also allocated separate land for the conflict resolution centre in Rajgir, and I hope people from all parts of the world will come here to resolve issues in a peaceful manner, he added.

Referring to the two big religious events hosted in the state recently - Guru Gobind Singhs 350th Prakash Parv at Patna Sahib and the Dalai Lama-led Kal Chakra Puja at Bodh Gaya - the chief minister said the occasions had showcased Bihars true culture of brotherhood and showed why there was bahar in Bihar.

Kumar also urged President Pranab Mukherjee to accept the Bihar governments invitation for the launch of centenary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhis Champaran Satyagrah. After Prakash Parv and Kal Chakra Puja, the international Buddhist conclave has brought scholars and thinkers from so many countries to Bihar.

Next is Champaran Satyagrah.celebration. Such events help build the right kind of environment to spread the message of love, peace and brotherhood. I think if even 10% of the new generation is able to imbibe these values, the world will be a much better place, he added.

Governor Ram Nath Kovind, who happens to be president of the Nav Nalanda Mahavihar society, said the initiative of the deemed University to organise the conference was most relevant in the context of modern day challenges and crises.

Buddhism has the ability to resolve conflicts. It is a way of life for self discipline and self discovery, he added.

Earlier, the vice chancellor of Nav Nalanda Mahavihar, ML Srivastava presented the Nalanda declaration, an outcome of the conference attended by representatives and monks from 30 countries. The VC of Xentral University of Tibetan Studies proposed a vote of thanks.

BLURB

Kumar also urged President Pranab Mukherjee to accept the Bihar governments invitation for the launch of centenary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhis Champaran Satyagrah.

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A team of CBI officers on Sunday recorded the statements of several persons, including Naradanews.com CEO Mathew Samuel and those who had moved Calcutta high court seeking a CBI investigation into the Narada sting episode. The agency is supposed to submit them before the high court on Tuesday.

While the statement of Congress leader Amitabha Chakraborty, who along with two other had filed the case in the high court, was recorded at the CBI office, Samuel was sent a set of 12 questions via email, to which he promptly replied.

From Samuels residence in Delhi, CBI officers took in their possession the tools used for editing the footage.

On the other hand, the Trinamool leaders accused in the case and the state government officials were busy finalising lawyers to appeal in the Supreme Court against the high court verdict. The three persons who had filed public interest litigation in the high court seeking CBI probe has already filed a caveat in the apex court to avoid the states appeal to be heard without the presence of the petitioners lawyers.

We have already filed a caveat in the Supreme Court and our lawyers are prepared to counter the state government and accused Trinamool leaders in the apex court. We hope the CBI investigation will be neutral, as the high court itself will monitor it, Chakraborty told the media after the CBI recorded his statement.

Sources in the state government claimed a senior Congress leader-cum-lawyer has agreed to represent the government in the apex court.On Friday, the Calcutta high court division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Tapabrata Chakraborty gave the CBI three days to examine the footage, documents, devices and all other relevant material and file a report to the court and start an FIR if it is warranted.

Acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre wrote in the order, I direct the CBI to conduct a preliminary inquiry without any delay and in execution thereof, to take custody of the devices and the CFSL reports, which are maintained by the special committee in a bank locker, within 24 hours.

Depending on the result of the inquiry, the CBI shall forthwith register an FIR, in respect of the alleged crimes and proceed to investigate the same, in accordance with law, justice Mhatre wrote.

Following the order, a team of eight CBI officers, led by superintendent Nagendra Prasad, swung into action and on Saturday collected storage devices from bank lockers to examine the Narada footage, the laptop of Naradanews.coms Mathew Samuel and the recording device.

The stock of more than 400 minutes of raw footage was kept in a bank locker under the courts instruction. The Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Chandigarh had certified the footage as genuine.

The Narada sting operation has posed the biggest trouble for chief minister Mamata Banerjee so far, as the faces seen in the video are some if the most prominent and powerful leaders in the party  Saugata Roy, Suvendu Adhikari, Sultan Ahmed, Aparupa Poddar, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Prasun Banerjee (Lok Sabha MP), Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad (Bobby) Hakim, Madan Mitra (ministers), Iqbal Ahmed (MLA), Sovan Chatterjee (MLA and Kolkata mayor) S M H Mirza (IPS officer who claimed to be taking the money on behalf of party MP Mukul Roy).
A private school in the city locked up 19 students, some as young as five, for over an hour in a room over a delay in payment of fees and even tried to stop them from writing exams, police said on Sunday.

A case of illegal confinement and violation of child rights has been registered against the management of Saritha Vidya Nikethan in Hayathnagar.

It was only after the parents cleared the dues, the principal allowed the students to write the examination, inspector J Narender Goud, who got the children released, said.

Principal P Rajini Prabha on Saturday separated the 19 from others as they came in to appear in their annual examination, police said.

She put them in a room and locked it. But, one of the students managed to contact her family with the help of another parent who had come to pay the fee.

As the word spread, parents rushed to the school.

The parents alerted police and also AP Child Rights Association. Inspector Goud rushed to the school and got the students freed.

If there is any issue of payment of school fee, the principal should inform us and not confine them to a room, one of the parents, Janga Reddy, said.

The confinement of students was a gross violation of their rights and was illegal, child rights body president P Achyuta Rao said.

Even though the school is collecting fee as high as Rs 75,000 from each student in the name of tuition, annual day celebrations, transportation and books, the education department is not taking any action, Rao alleged.

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A 10-member Indian delegation left for Pakistan on Sunday to take part in the meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) beginning on Monday in Islamabad.

The delegation includes Indias Indus water commissioner P K Saxena, MEA officials and technical experts.

Speaking to PTI, a government source said India is always open to discuss and resolve concerns Pakistan have over its projects under Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) bilaterally.

The source, however, reiterated that there will be no compromise on India exploiting its due rights under the 57-year-old pact.

However, the agenda for the meeting, taking place nearly six months after India decided to suspend talks on the pact in the wake of the Uri terror attack by Pakistan-based outfits, is yet to be finalised.

Asked whether the delay in reaching consensus over the agenda for the meeting will leave little time to resolve issues, the source replied in negative.

We always go into such meetings with optimistic mindset.. In the past too, there had been delays in finalising agenda for the meeting, yet solutions were achieved, the source said, recalling how Pakistans concern over Indias Uri-II and Chutak hydroelectric projects were resolved seven years ago through discussions.

Pakistan had raised objections over designs of 240 MW Uri-II and 44 MW Chutak projects, built in Baramulla and Kargil districts of Jammu and Kashmir respectively, saying these will deprive it of its water share under the pact.

However, at a meeting held here in May 2010, the neighbouring country withdrew objections after Indian side provided details of these.

Similarly, Pakistan has been flagging concern over designs of Indias five other hydroelectricity projects -- Pakal Dul (1000 MW), Ratle (850 MW), Kishanganga (330 MW), Miyar (120 MW) and Lower Kalnai (48 MW) -- being built/planned in the Indus river basin, contending these violate the treaty.

It had approached the World Bank, the mediator between the two countries of the 57-year-old water distribution treaty, in August last year raising issues over Kishanganga and Ratle projects in Jammu and Kashmir.

While there is no clarity yet whether issues relating to these two projects will figure during the meet as they are before the Bank, the source said Pakal Dul, Miyar and Lower Kalnai may be discussed.
The differences over five hydroelectric projects will likely be the key areas of discussion when Indus water commissioners of India and Pakistan meet in Islamabad next week.

Prodded by World Bank, which brokered the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) of 1960, the two sides seem to be again leaving it to their experts to discuss the technical issues related to water-sharing which often get tangled in hostility.

The commissioners will meet on March 21 and March 22. For the Indian side, the main issue is resolving differences the over Kishenganga and Ratle hydro power projects.

The two projects are being constructed on the Jhelum and Chenab rivers respectively. Pakistan while objecting to the design of the 330-MW Kishenganga project maintains it would result in a 40% reduction of water flowing into the country, which is the neighbour says is against the provisions of IWT, a charge denied by India.

For the 850 MW Ratle power plant, Pakistan wants the planned storage capacity of the project to be reduced from 24 million cubic metres to eight million cubic metres. Pakistan also wants the height of the dams to be further reduced.

But India maintains it never reduced the water flow to Pakistan.

Pakistan is set to raise issues related to three dams  1000 MW Pakuldul on Chenab, 120 MW Miyar, located across Miyar Nalla which is a right bank main tributary of River Chenab and the 43 MW Lower Kalnai hydro project on Lower Kalnai Nalla, a tributary of river Chenab. Pakistan has listed these three projects in their agenda for discussion, said a source.

Differences

Pakistan maintains the design of the 330MW Kishenganga project would result in 40% reduction in water flow into the country which is against the provisions of IWT, a charge denied by India.

For the 850 MW Ratle power plant, Pakistan wants the planned storage capacity to be reduced from 24 million cubic metres to eight million cubic metres.

However, India maintains it never reduced the water flow to Pakistan and the project is run of the river.
Metro services will largely remain unaffected on Monday as the planned Jat protests were called off on Sunday evening following talks with the Manohar Khattar-led Haryana government.

Our agitation and march towards Delhi has been called off, said Yashpal Malik, the chairperson of the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS), PTI reported.

Maliks announcement came as Khattar held a press conference saying the Centre and state would soon begin the process of giving Jats reservation, the key demand of the community.

Those protesting had planned to march to Delhi, which lead to tight security measures being put in place. The national capital was fortified on Sunday itself, with metro connectivity scheduled to be cut off beyond Delhi borders.

Following the decision to call off the agitation, police announced that all metro stations in Delhi-NCR will remain open. However, exits from Patel Chowk,Central Secretariat,Udyog Bhawan and Lok Kalyan Marg station will remain closed on Monday.

The AIJASS was denied permission to carry out a march to Parliament. Instead, they threatened to block all highways leading to the capital over their demand for the reservation and withdrawal of cases against all Jats during last years protests in neighbouring Haryana.

The preemptive restrictions lead to several clashes in Haryanas Fatehabad district, where protestors allegedly pelted state police with stones and set two police buses ablaze.

A superintendent of police and a deputy superintendent of police were among nine policemen injured in clashes with protestors who were prevented from marching toward Delhi.

The call to march to Delhi had left the city on tenterhooks as protesters threatened to block entry points and various agencies involved in providing essential services to the national capital.

(With inputs from agencies)
The Jat community, who is set to launch an agitation across Delhi-NCR demanding reservation in government jobs, schools and colleges, has confirmed they would meet Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday.

The development comes hours after Khattar urged protestors to meet him and other ministers ahead of the agitation.

Jat leader Yashpal Malik has confirmed the scheduled meeting with the chief minister at 12 pm today.

Earlier on Sunday, Khattar said the government was serious about the issues faced by the Jat community and assured them of resolving the issue soon.

On March 16, a meeting took place between the (jat) agitators and the government officials, during that some confusion emerged. The government is serious about the agitators concern. It is our foremost duty to uphold peace and fraternity in the state. We are committed to resolve this issue, Khattar said.

Hence, I, along with other ministers, urge the agitating people to come to the Haryana Bhawan at 12 pm today and talk to us. I and (minister of state for law and justice) PP Choudhary along with other ministers will be waiting. We all believe in Haryana eik and Haryanvi eik and uphold the welfare of the state, he added.

Meanwhile, a total of 124 paramilitary companies have been deployed for the agitation in Haryana tomorrow.

The Delhi Police has issued a traffic advisory to the people in view of the agitation. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will also suspend its train services to and from all stations outside Delhi from 11.30 pm on Sunday.

On Wednesday, Jat protesters announced that they will begin their stir in Delhi on March 20.

They gave a call for the march to besiege Parliament and to hold dharnas on the Delhi border, blocking all highways, to press for their demands for reservation.

Apart from reservation, the Jats have also been demanding jobs to the next of kin of those killed in violence in the agitation last year, compensation to those injured, withdrawal of cases against them and action against officers who ordered action against the Jats.
Brazilian President Michel Temer eats barbecue in a steak house in Brasilia after meeting with ambassadors from countries that import Brazilian meat, on March 19, 2017 (AFP Photo/EVARISTO SA)

Brasilia (AFP) - Brazil tried to reassure the world Sunday that its huge meat industry poses no threat -- with President Michel Temer even inviting ambassadors to a steak dinner -- despite allegations that corrupt exporters sold tainted products.

Temer smiled as he invited diplomats to a traditional Brazilian meat restaurant called a churrascaria, saying "if you accept the invitation we will be very happy." Nineteen of the 33 envoys who met with him accepted the offer.

But Temer had the serious mission of calming a scandal threatening the reputation of the world's biggest beef and poultry exporting nation.

The scare started Friday when police said a two-year probe had found major meat producers bribed health inspectors to certify tainted food as fit for consumption.

At least 30 people have been arrested, with police raiding more than a dozen processing plants and issuing 27 arrest warrants. A poultry-processing plant run by the multinational BRF group and two meat-processing plants operated by the local Peccin company were shut down, the Agriculture Ministry said.

Brazilian meat is exported to more than 150 countries, with principal markets as far apart as Saudi Arabia, China, Singapore, Japan, Russia, the Netherlands and Italy. Sales in 2016 reached $5.9 billion in poultry and $4.3 billion in beef, according to Brazilian government data.

- High stakes -

In his address to the ambassadors, Temer acknowledged that the scandal had generated "major concern."

But he insisted that the bad meat and faked certificates occurred in only "a very few businesses" and did not represent a wider problem.

Calling Brazil's inspection system "one of the most respected" in the world, Temer said: "I want to reiterate our confidence in the quality of our products."

In 2016, 853,000 consignments of animal products were exported, Temer said, yet "just 184 of them were deemed by importers to be in violation."

Story continues

Earlier, Luis Eduardo Pacifici Rangel, secretary of agricultural protection, told reporters that there was "no risk for population, neither for exports."

Meat processor BRF also went on the counter-offensive, taking aim at allegations that cardboard was mixed into chicken products.

"There is no cardboard of any kind in BRF products. There's been a big misunderstanding in the (audio) recordings of the police," the company said in a statement.

There have been no reports of people made sick as a result of the alleged practices.

However, Brazil is worried the scandal will hurt attempts to negotiate a trade deal between South America's Mercosur group with the European Union.

The EU ambassador to Brazil, Joao Cravinho, tweeted on Sunday that he wanted "complete, urgent clarifications from the agriculture ministry."

"It really complicates negotiations," admitted Brazilian under secretary general for economic and financial affairs at the foreign ministry, Carlos Marcio Cozendey.

He urged that any response to the crisis be "proportionate."

"I hope that this is not used to unjustifiably close markets," he said.

- PR campaign -

The authorities have not yet detailed where tainted products were found, but say that in some cases carcinogenic substances were used to mask the smell of bad meat.

In addition to the giant BRF firm, which owns the Sadia and Perdigao brands, companies under investigation include JBS, a world leader in meat sales and owner of the Big Frango, Seara Alimentos and Swift brands.

JBS took out a full-page ad in the newspaper O Globo to say that the federal office conducting the investigation had made no mention of health problems stemming from JBS products. The BRF group is running similar ads, saying its products pose no health risk "whatsoever."

An ad in which actor Robert De Niro testifies to the quality of JBS's Seara ham -- with its "authentic Italian flavor" -- has gotten heavy play on Brazilian television.
Congress leader VM Sudheeran on Sunday asked Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to resign for allegedly acting at the behest of a few bar hotel owners in Kerala.

In December, the Supreme Court banned the sale of liquor within 500 meters of national and state highways across the country.

But Rohatgi advised the Kerala government that retail outlets for sale of liquor alone need to be removed and that bar hotels and beer-wine parlours along the national and state highways can remain.

There is every reason to believe that the said advice was given at the behest of a few bar hotel owners in the state, Sudheeran said in a letter to Rohatgi.

As your good self is well aware, even while holding the esteemed office of the Attorney General of India, your good self has appeared for a bar hotel owner in a case challenging the erstwhile Kerala governments liquor policy to reduce the availability of liquor in the state, he said.

You have again advised the state government with respect to a judgment, with an instruction which has the effect of flouting the very purpose of the judgment.

There is every reason to believe that you have given such advice ... only to help a few bar hotel owners in the state, Sudheeran said.

The Congress leader urged the Attorney General to give up the constitutional seat you now occupy.
The Jat protests that were planned in Delhi on Monday have been called off, the organising body said on Sunday evening after talks with the Manohar Khattar-led Haryana government.

Our agitation and march towards Delhi has been called off, said Yashpal Malik, the chairperson of the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS).

The decision followed several rounds of meetings between the government and prominent Jat leaders, details of which are still awaited.

Demands that have been accepted by the Haryana government Cases registered against agitators from 2010 onwards in Haryana will be reviewed. Those who were killed or handicapped during violence in Haryana in 2016 will be given permanent government jobs. The injured persons of the 2016 violence will be given the announced compensation. Action will be taken against those officials who were found guilty of duty. Members and chairpersons of the National Backward Committee will be appointed soon and process will be initiated to include Jats in Centres OBC list. A matter related to Jat reservation is pending in Punjab and Haryana high court. Once a decision is arrived by the court, process will be initiated to include Jats in the 9th Schedule of Constitution.

Here are the highlights of the day:

10pm: All restrictions on Delhi Metro lifted, entry and exit gates at stations to be open as usual on Monday

8:38pm:

Heavy traffic seen at UP border on NH-58 due to ongoing security checks. (Ravi Choudhary/HT Photo)

8pm: The protestors said that they will continue their dharnas in different parts of Haryana for now.

7.45pm: Students who are appearing for boards tomorrow should not worry: Delhi police.

7.40pm: All metros, buses and trains will ply as usual. No roads will be closed on Monday, say Delhi police.

7.30pm: The security will remain tight in Delhi. Police to keep a close watch on borders, new and central Delhi.

"Police ready to handle any untoward incident. Three tier security on borders to remain," Special CP, Dependra Pathak @htdelhi @htTweets  Ananya Bhardwaj (@BhardwajAnanya) March 19, 2017

6.30pm: As advised by Police authorities,All Metro stations in Delhi-NCR will remain open today and thereafter, says DMRC.

6.20pm: Metro services will largely remain unaffected on Monday as the planned Jat protests were called off on Sunday evening.

"NO EXIT will be allowed from Patel Chowk,Central Sect,Udyog Bhawan & Lok Kalyan Marg station on Monday. @htTweets @htdelhi #JatAgitation  Faizan Haidar (@FaiHaider) March 19, 2017

6.10pm: Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said, After discussions with the Jat leaders, we have arrived at a decision that their demands will be met in a time bound manner.

Khattar also made an appeal to the people to maintain peace and harmony.

6pm: Jat leaders on Sunday called off their Delhi Gherao agitation after the Haryana government agreed to their demands in a bid to end the communitys 50-day long quota stir.

5.50pm: Sundays Delhi Kooch programme has been suspended. Jats will not come to Delhi: Jat leader Yashpal Malik tells ANI.
Seeking answers to uncomfortable questions, it appears, can invite threats, even for a legislator in India.

Mmhuonlumo Kikon, a member of Nagalands 60-member legislative assembly, has complained that he was threatened for raising certain questions regarding home department appointments.

The questions were submitted to the commissioner and secretary of Nagaland legislative assembly to be answered during the Houses budget session from March 21.

In a Facebook post page last week, 39-year-old Kikon, who represents Bhandari in Wokha district, said he received veiled and open threats to withdraw his starred and unstarred questions.

Officials in the department denied issuing threats, directly or indirectly.

Kikon said there were also threats to visit the houses of his family members with consequences beyond the political.

The MLA had won the Bhandari assembly seat on a Nationalist Congress Party ticket but later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party

On Saturday, he told reporters in Nagaland from Delhi that the threats and pressure to withdraw his questions were from home department intermediaries. He also that said he received text messages implying his career in politics could be in peril.

This is not a family, clan or tribe issue. This is a question of accountability. I have my constitutional rights to pose questions and seek answers to these questions as representative of the people, Kikon told The Morung Express.

Withdrawing the questions was out of the question, Kikon said, adding that he has also sought answers from other ministries such as health and family welfare, and food and civil supplies.

It is the legitimate right of any legislator to pose questions in the assembly concerning the welfare of the people and especially about good governance in the state as it is of utmost importance, his post read.

Whereas the winter session in 2016 saw a glimpse of debate on issues pertinent to the accountability of the government, I have ventured answers to the manner on which Nagaland Government appoints its employees. A normal democratic constitutional exercise for any other state, I did not expect the hullabaloo it generated it said.

In the questions meant for state home minister Y Patton, Kikon sought answers on the number of people appointed for various posts in the police department such as constables, havildars and sub-inspectors from 2013 to 2017, besides third grade clerical posts from 2014 to 2017.

He also sought to know about the recruitment process, besides asking the home minister to furnish newspaper advertisements issued before the exams and interviews were conducted for the posts.

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National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will leave for a four-day tour to Washington this week to discuss the stability of the Afghanistan-Pakistan region in the backdrop of a Taliban resurgence and rise of the Islamic State in Nangarhar province as well as to share notes on developments in China and West Asia.

Doval will be away from Tuesday to Sunday, with Thursday and Friday scheduled for official engagements. South Block officials said Doval will meet his US counterpart HR McMaster for the first time as well as defence secretary James Mattis, with a possibility of President Donald Trump dropping by during official meetings at the White House. The NSAs visit and meeting with his US counterpart were fixed when foreign secretary S Jaishankar visited Washington earlier this month.

After Doval, minister for defence and finance Arun Jaitley is expected to attend the IMF-World Bank spring meetings in Washington from April 21 to 23. US secretary of state Rex Tilerson will be in India for a bilateral strategic and commercial dialogue along with other ministers from the Trump administration.

Dates are being discussed for Prime Minister Narendra Modis meeting with President Trump in Washington. Modi will meet Trump at a G20 meeting in Hamburg on July 7-8, after which he will embark on his maiden two-day visit to Israel.

South Block sources said Doval will call for the US to enhance its military presence in Afghanistan, with China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran foreseeing a larger role for the Taliban to take on the rise of the Islamic State. Last month, Afghanistan and India were at odds with the China-led group as both felt the Taliban was detrimental to the stability of the regime in Kabul.

New Delhi feels the Islamic State of Wilayat Khorasan is being propped up by Pakistan and Irans agencies to accord credibility to the Taliban. Other West Asian nations are worried about Irans role in the region and in Afghanistan, a fact conveyed to Doval by his counterparts during a visit to Kuwait last week.

With both Mattis and McMaster having battlefield experience in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, Doval will discuss the recent spate of terrorist attacks in the region, with Pakistans Punjab emerging as the new theatre of terror. India is worried about Islamabad, with terror groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan taking on the Pakistani Army and hitting at soft targets in Punjab and Sindh.

The role of China in pushing for an economic corridor to the Gwadar port as well as its ever-expanding interests in South Asia, particularly Sri Lanka and Maldives, will also be in sharp focus during the meetings.

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A newly-formed organisation in Britain comprising individuals with origins in the Kashmir Valley on Sunday said Gilgit Baltistan is an integral part of the historical area of Jammu and Kashmir, and Pakistans recent move to integrate it as its fifth province amounted to a U-turn.

Kashmir Voice International (KVI), which was formed in January to highlight the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir to the West, expressed serious concern at Islamabads move and called it "derogatory to the spirit of freedom movement.

M A Raina, KVI chairman, said after its meeting that the development signalled a U-turn in Pakistans stand on Kashmir. Pakistan on the one hand talked about UN resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, and on the other had moved to integrate a part of the state with itself, he added.

Raina said the future political status of the whole state of Jammu and Kashmir was yet to be determined, and added that the state was not only the part held by India but it included Pakistan-held Kashmir, including Gilgit Baltistan.

According to KVI secretary Javid Kakroo, people of the state from both sides of the line of control would resist and fight against any move that separates Gilgit Baltistan from the rest of the state.

Formed in January, KVI seeks to mainly highlight human rights and political issues: Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches. Kashmir is not a commodity to be played with by two countries, India and Pakistan. The Kashmiri diaspora is concerned that the real picture on the ground is not being projected, Kakroo said.

Objectives of the forum, Raina said, included enlisting the support of minorities: Jammu and Kashmir does not belong only to Muslims; there are minorities too. The forum will also project violations of human rights and push for resolution of the conflict by delinking the Kashmir issue from India-Pakistan relations.

According to Kakroo, the Kashmiri diaspora in Britain with links to the Valley number nearly 10,000. Another section of the Kashmiri diaspora in the country hails from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

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Despite the extinction threat looming over them, dolphins, especially the Ganga River Dolphins, are not likely to be saved soon as plans for the national dolphin research centre in Patna University (PU) seem to have been blocked.

Research into the habitat of dolphins, declared Indias national aquatic animal in 2009, is not likely to make much headway as the status of the centre in Patna, Bihar, has not been made clear. Land for it has also not been identified as yet. Till now, despite the National Dolphin Action Plan in 2010 to save the highly endangered freshwater mammal, no new survey has been commissioned. The last one, done in 2012, was conducted on a 525-km stretch of Ganga between Chausa (Buxar) and Sahebganj and nearly 1,500 dolphins were counted.

The initial proposal was made five years ago and the State Wildlife Board, headed by the chief minister, had approved the project and sanctioned Rs 20 crore to the Infrastructure Development Authority to develop the requisite infrastructure for the centre, which was intended to bring together research scholars from all over the country and abroad.

The idea was to set up the national dolphin research centre as an autonomous body spread over two acres of Patna university land , near Patna law college ghat on the Ganga river.

The proposal is stuck over issues of autonomy. While Patna university wants the centre to function under it, the government wants it to be autonomous , said US Jha, chief wildlife warden.

Initially, the university agreed to provide two acres of land for the centre near Law College Ghat. But its syndicate, at a meeting, rejected the proposal, despite the state already releasing funds for infrastructure, said dolphin expert RK Sinha of PU. Sinha believes the huge delay has adversely impacted the project.

There has been no survey of dolphin population in Bihar since 2012. We have not been able to even monitor their habitat, he said. Had the centre come up, the government would have allocated a budget for the survey and habitat monitoring work, Sinha added.

The chief wildlife warden said efforts were underway to persuade the PU authorities to release the land for the centre. We will resume our pursuit in all earnestness, he told HT.

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Universities and academic institutions must have free atmosphere devoid of prejudice, violence or any doctrine for unhindered intellectual pursuit, President Pranab Mukherjee said on Sunday.

Speaking at the valedictory session of the International Buddhists Conference in Nalanda, Mukherjee said the ancient learning centres in Nalanda, Taxila and Vikramshila attracted great minds in forms of students and teachers from all over the world.

These were not merely places of learning, but were a confluence of four civilizations Indian, Persian, Greek and Chinese, he said at Rajgirs International Convention Centre in Nalanda district.

The essence of these universities was open mind, free discussions. The acharyas and upadhyays encouraged students to pose questions, before a proposition was to be accepted and followed by them.

If there cannot be free atmosphere in a university, in an academic institution then what type of lessons we can give to our students. Education means development of mind, constant interaction with teachers and fellow students. An atmosphere must be free from prejudice, anger, violence, doctrines.It must be conducive to free flow intellectual persuasions, Mukherjee said.

Speaking about terrorism, the President said it is not just an action, but also a mental aberration and an expression of a twisted and a perverted mindset and nations must think together on how to deal with this menace.

The crisis (of terrorism) is all pervasive. It is not confined to causing injuries to fellow citizens (but), it is the wanton destruction of values, of the heritage, of the assets which have been built over centuries through generation, he said, referring to destruction of Buddhist sites by Taliban in Afghanistan.
His grandfather had lovingly given him his name, hoping that one day he would grow up into a positive human being. Some 25 years later, the marine engineer from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand is despondent on being forced to bear the burden of his name.

Two years after passing out as a marine engineer from Tamil Nadus Noorul Islam University, Saddam Hussain says he has failed to find a job because of his namesake: the former Iraqi ruler executed in 2006. Saddam Hussein was a dictator blamed for atrocities on his subjects until toppled by the US in 2003.

People are scared to hire me, laments Jamshedpurs Saddam. His job application has been rejected each of the 40-odd times he has appeared for interviews with multinational shipping companies. His batchmates around the world have secured employment, but Saddam remains unemployed despite ranking second in his batch of 2014.

For the initial six months, Saddam was unable to decipher why he was being rejected. I then inquired with the HR departments of the companies and some of them told me my name was the problem, he recounts. He was told that having a crew member with a name that arouses instant suspicion could be an operational nightmare.

A top executive of Delhi-based TeamLease Services, a leading recruitment consultant, agrees. If the issue involves crossing the borders, then nothing can be done as border patrol and airport authorities are very process-driven and if there is a red flag, they will check out. If the persons job involves frequent travel abroad, he might just keep getting stuck or the company has to pull him out of the sticky situation, making the hire cumbersome, he points out.

Even Shah Rukh Khan gets detained at US airports. What is this Saddam in comparision? he asks.

Getting rid of the name is proving to be a bigger nightmare.

Once it hit him that his name was the impediment, Saddam legally got his name changed into Sajid and procured all relevant documents, including passport, voter ID and driving licence, under the name.

But his woes did not end there.

Prospective employers ask for his educational certificates, but his university has refused to change the name until he got his Class 10 and 12 exam certificates changed first. He approached the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for a name change, but the authorities have not acted yet.

Driven to desperation, Saddam, now Sajid, moved the Jharkhand high court with a plea to direct the CBSE to change his name. But since unscrupulous people often abuse the system by frequently changing names, the court acted with caution. Last week, it set the date for a considered hearing on May 5.

Saddam remains fond of his grandfather, though he feels he is paying for his folly. As one by one his batchmates set sail after securing jobs, Saddam is left to spend sleepless nights. I am an innocent victim of somebody elses crimes, he says.

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Jat protesters in Fatehabad district pelted stones on Haryana police personnel on Sunday after the latter stopped a tractor-trolley on way to Dhani-Gopal in Fatehabad where Jats are holding protests under the banner of All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS).

The protesters fled from the spot after setting two police buses ablaze. Heavy police deployment has been made on the Dhani-Gopal and Kheri road and the route from Fatehabad to Bhuna.

About two dozen police and paramilitary personnel received injuries in the incident. The injured included superintendent of police (SP) OP Narwal and a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Gudayal Singh. Injured were rushed to Bhuna health centre for treatment from where Singh was shifted to Agroha Medical College.

Talking to the media, SP Fatehabad OP Narwal said, The Fatehabad police only stopped the tractor-trolley which was heading towards Dhani-Gopal at Kheri police naka. Some youths who were carrying sticks and sharp-edged weapons attacked police teams forcing police to take action.

Police used mild force to maintain law and order but some of the youths who were under the influence of alcohol burnt two police buses and started pelting stones which they were carrying in the tractor. Our DSP received injuries and about 12 police personnel are injured and under treatment. Police will book the culprits behind the incident, Narwal added.
The All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) has called off a protest that threatened to cripple national capital Delhi on Monday after reaching a truce with the Haryana government. Dharnas will, however, continue in Haryana till March 26, when the AIJASS will review its decision.

The Jats are demanding quota in government jobs and education.

Here is the timeline of the Jat stir this year :

January 29: All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) begins dharnas in 19 Haryana districts.

February 7: Haryana government constitutes five-member panel headed by chief secretary DS Dhesi to hold talks with Jat leaders.

February 11: Jats hold dialogue with government panel in Panipat. No breakthrough but Jats agree for another round of talks.

February 19: Jats observe Balidan Divas, call for Parliament gherao, non-cooperation movement (non-payment of power, water bills, loans).

February 20: Jats hold second round of talks with government panel in Panipat. The talks remain inconclusive, but government agrees to form panel to see legality of case withdrawal.

February 24: No breakthrough by legal panel, Jats once again refuse to hold talks with government panel, calling it powerless. Demand new panel.

February 26: Jats observe Black Day, ask community to stop buying goods from shops that are not supporting their agitation in written. Momentum for Parliament gherao builds up.

March 2: Jats take protest to Jantar Mantar in Delhi, say will choke Delhi and gherao Parliament on March 20.

March 16: Haryana government forms new panel under education minister Ram Bilas Sharma. Talks positive, Sharma says agitation to end. Jats say will meet CM Khattar on March 17 and take a final call.

March 17: CM Khattar does not show up for meeting. Angry Jats say protest to go on.

March 19: 50-day-long peaceful protests turn violent in Faridabad. Security forces injured in clash.

March 19: CM calls Jats for meeting in Delhi. Agreement reached on six demands. Delhi protest plan called off. Jats to decide on lifting dharnas on March 26.
RIO DE JANEIRO, March 19 (Reuters) - Camargo Correa SA, the Brazilian family-owned conglomerate that exited several businesses over the past year, has put a cement unit up for sale, a column in newspaper O Globo said on Sunday.

According to Globo columnist Lauro Jardim, Camargo Correa values the unit known as InterCement SA at around 20 billion reais ($6.47 billion).

The conglomerate has received offers from Mexico's Cemex SAB and another, unnamed Latin America-based cement producer, the column said.

Jardim's column did not specify if the bids for InterCement were non-binding or how advanced the process may be.

A Camargo spokesman declined to confirm the report and said in an emailed statement that "the group is not pursuing any asset divestitures."

The spokesman said that its sale last June of a controlling stake in power holding company CPFL Energia SA was "the end of a process of repositioning the group's asset portfolio."

Cemex's press office could not be immediately reached.

In order to reduce debt, the billionaire family that controls Camargo Correa has been quickly disposing of business lines it no longer wants.

As part of those efforts, the Camargos in recent years have discussed fully or partially selling InterCement. The CPFL sale and a December 2015 sale of fashion brand Alpargatas SA raised about $2.8 billion for the group.

Reuters reported on Dec. 8 that Camargo Correa was considering disposing of a partial stake in Loma Negra Cia Industrial SA, Argentina's No. 1 cement producer and part of InterCement.

InterCement is Brazil's No. 2 cement producer and a leading producer in Portugal, Mozambique and Cape Verde.

Two people familiar with Camargo Correa's strategy told Reuters in August that the conglomerate tried to sell a minority stake in InterCement a couple of years ago and also considered a listing of the company outside Brazil.

Camargo Correa, whose engineering unit was one of several big Brazilian builders ensnared in a massive corruption probe related to business with state companies, has been recovering rapidly from the adverse effects of the scandal, in which it sought a plea deal.

(Reporting by Guillermo Parra-Bernal; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
Hours after taking oath, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday promised to work for all sections of the society without any discrimination, with focus on development and job creation.

In a brief media interaction, he said his government will pursue the agenda of sabka saath, sabka vikas and fulfil all the promises made by the party during the polls.

...Our government will work for all sections of the society without any discrimination. We will ensure balanced development of UP.

We will follow sabka saath, sabka vikas agenda and will serve the state...Our government will work for all sections of the society without any discrimination. We will ensure balanced development of UP, Adityanath said.

His comments assume significance as he is considered to be a hardline Hindutva mascot.

I want to assure people that BJP, which got votes for development and security, will show positive results soon, the chief minister said.

Effective measures will be taken by our government for welfare of common man and it will be devoted to welfare of people. The administration will be made sensible and answerable and emphasis will be on law and order, he said.

Accusing the previous governments of being responsible for the sorry state of affairs in the state, Adityanath said work will be done to make development agriculture-based as it is main source of income.

Women empowerment, their security and honour will also be on top of the BJP government agenda, he said.

We will focus on skill development of youths so that they can get job opportunity while government appointments will be made corruption free and transparent. Investment will be promoted for industrial development and it will be done for economic development, Adityanath added.
The city police were faced with a tense situation on Saturday night as a violent mob gathered outside the Trombay police station, pelted it with stones and threw fireballs at the officers.

The mob was angered by a social media post depicting a morphed image of a place of worship. The image was posted at 6 pm by a 20-year-old who said he deleted it within a few hours after several people objected to it. However, the mob demanded that strict action be taken against him.

The police arrested All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) corporator Shahnawaz Shaikh and 16 others for attempt to murder, rioting and damage to public property. They added that it was allegedly Shaikh who instigated the mob.

The young man who uploaded the image apologised to Shaikh. The corporator should have calmed the mob down. Instead, he instigated the people, said an officer from Trombay police station.

The accused were produced before a holiday court on Sunday. They have been remanded in police custody till Friday.

A fireball thrown by a member of the mob charred a police vehicle. Other vehicles were also damaged. A few police personnel sustained minor injuries. All the window panes of the police station, which is located in the sensitive Cheetah camp area, were damaged.

For the first time in the citys history, the police used plastic bullets to disperse the mob. Two people sustained injuries after they were fired at.

The man who posted the objectionable picture was arrested under section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Information Technology Act. He has been remanded in police custody till Thursday.

We had registered an FIR and arrested the young man. But, the mob were dissatisfied and demanded that he be handed over to them, said Shahji Umap, deputy commissioner of police, zone 6. The police have acquired CCTV camera footage of the incident.

AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan alleged that Shaikh was falsely implicated.

Shaikh was picked up from his residence. His political rivals falsely implicated him in the case. The mob burnt police vehicles. This is deplorable. The culprits must be arrested, said Pathan.

He demanded a high level inquiry into the matter and added that he would talk about the polices high-handedness in the assembly. Had the police acted swiftly, the incident could have been averted, he added.

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Extradited underworld don Chhota Rajan alleged that the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) has arrested innocent people in connection with the Ajay Gosalia firing case.

Gosalia alias Ganda, a bookie-turned-builder, was shot at by three people on August 28, 2013, when he was exiting Infiniti Mall in Malad (West).

In a plea filed last week, Rajan alleged that the conspiracy to attack Gosalia was hatched by approver Amit Sinha and his friends, who are listed as witnesses.

Rajan questioned Sinhas version of the sequence of events. The gangster pleaded that Sinhas friends  Ashok Gharat, Dinesh Thakur, Suresh Shinde and Nadeem Qureshi alias Nitin Gaikwad  be listed as accused in the case.

It seems that the offence was committed by Sinha and his friends for their own benefit. After Sinha was caught, he gave the bureau false names so the court would pardon him, said Rajan.

According to the prosecution, Sinha had played the role of a coordinator. He served as a link between the conspirators and the executors of the plot to kill Gosalia. He collected money and arranged for weapons and shooters.

Rajan also alleged that a developer identified as Gharat knew about the conspiracy. He added that the accused stayed at Gharats farmhouse for three days prior to the shooting.

Sinha had confessed that the accused had practiced firing at Gharats farmhouse as it was a secluded area. Sinha had said Gharat knew that they were slated to attack someone, but did not know who their target was.

Sinha had also confessed that Thakur and he had been friends since 2009. Sinha said Thakur accompanied him while he was collecting money in Mumbai to buy a weapon in Indore.

Rajan alleged that Shinde was Sinhas friend and had arranged for the vehicle used in the crime. Rajan said Sinha had told Shinde he needed a vehicle to execute the murder.

The defence alleged that Sinha confessed that Qureshi was a close friend of his and knew about the conspiracy. Citing Sinhas evidence recorded in court, Rajan alleged that Sinha would regularly discuss details of the plot with Qureshi. The prosecution has been asked to file a stay on the application.

Who is Ajay Gosalia?

Ajay Gosalia alias Ganda, a bookie-turned-builder, was shot at by three people on August 28, 2013, when he was exiting Infiniti Mall in Malad (West). The CBI alleged that the firing was ordered by extradited gangster Rajendra Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan. It added that Rajan had ordered one of the accused, Satish Kalia, to carry out the firing. The agency said accused Amit Sinha planned the conspiracy, along with Kalia. Approver Amit Sinha said he hatched the plot to impress Rajan.

Read

Meetings were held in JJ Hospital to plan 2013 Gosalia firing, says witness

CBI files two more cases against Chhota Rajan

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The Manori-Gorai-Uttan area in the northwest of Mumbai, one of the last stretches of open land in the city, occasionally erupts in protests when the governments planning agencies thrust a project on the area.

When a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) centering on tourism was proposed in the area a decade ago, residents of the dozen-odd villages protested and the project was put on a back burner. Reports of a new bridge that would link Marve, in the western suburbs, with Manori led to protests by East Indians  descendants of fishing, farming, salt-making castes that converted to Roman Catholicism in the fifteenth and sixteenths centuries - in January 2016. The local residents fear that these projects will urbanise the area and destroy their centuries-old culture and way of life.

So, when recent news reports said that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Area Development Authority (MMRDA)  the planning agency for the urban agglomeration spread over 4,300 square kms  will no longer be the special planning authority for the area, residents are hoping that unbridled urbanisation will be kept at bay, at least for now.

MMRDA was made the planning agency for the beach-fringed area when it was declared as a tourism development zone. This meant that villagers had several agencies, including the MMRDA, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation  which controls the northern villages - to deal with when they sought permission for selling land or repairing buildings. Dharavi Beth is the name local residents use to describe the Manori-Gorai-Uttan region.

When MMRDA was there, we did not know when some project was being planned for the area, said a member of the East Indian community. With the municipal corporations solely responsible for development permissions, it will be easier for us.

It is a partial victory, said Godfrey Pimenta, a lawyer and a member of the East Indian community. The SEZ has been scrapped, the plans for the bridge seem to be on hold, but we are now worried that the coastal road (which, when connected to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, will run along the citys west coast) will pass through these villages. The idea is to open it for future development.

Property developers have been eyeing this area, which is one of the last open spaces in the city, apart from Aarey Milk Colony and the salt pans. What has kept Mumbais suburbia from encroaching the area is the absence of roads that could link it to the suburbs - the only road to the villages starts from Bhayander.

Despite the villages resistance to development, the area has seen a lot of changes. Amusement parks, a government training academy and other developments have come to the area. The area has vast stretches of mangrove forests and the place is one of the places selected nationally for mangrove conservation, said Pimenta. But there is a constant threat of development that hangs over the region.

Gleason Baretto of the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat, an organisation representing East Indians, agreed that even without planning agencies dictating what should be done, it would be difficult to preserve the areas uniqueness. It is a challenge to preserve the architecture. We have seen how it is being wiped out in places like Pali (a former East Indian village). We can maintain the heritage by giving incentives like TDR (where owners of heritage-listed properties can get permissions to construct more space in another plot as compensation). There are plans to promote the idea of homestays in the area.

Other plans include conservation of the areas unique architecture which is a blend of Portuguese and Konkan building styles. We have planned a Goathan (village) restoration project. Earlier, it was called a beautification project but now the stress is on restoration, said Baretto. We are not against outsiders coming in. What we want is a respect for local culture.

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While even a celebrity cannot escape trolls on social media for an off-hand comment, police say platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have also become a happy hunting ground and hiding place for bullies, who feel empowered by the audience.

According to the Mumbai police, in many cyberbullying cases, some that involved prominent personalities, the victims chose not to register an FIR. The low detection and conviction rate has only made anyone with a social media account vulnerable to messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.

The Mumbai police do not maintain a separate record for cases of cyberbullying, an official said, thus making it difficult to gauge the extent of it at present.

A senior police official said such cases are on the rise. Cyberbullying cases are currently maintained under the head other cybercrimes. According to the police, of the 904 cybercrimes registered in 2016, 326 cases were registered under other cybercrimes. This year, 80 cases were under this head, of the 216 cybercrimes registered till March 12, 2017.

According to an official, the scary part is that barely anyone is convicted. Even more worrying is that, of the 326 cases last year, only 90 were solved, while of the 80 cases this year, only 9 were solved.

Vijay Mukhi, cybercrime expert, said, Such cases are increasing every day. You cant have a case worse than that of Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur. They said all kinds of bad things to her and the problem is that none of the bullies were arrested and we dont even know who some of them are. It is very difficult to track these people. We dont even know if they posted from a fake account.

Kaur shot to limelight post her criticism of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for the violence in Delhi University last month.

After Kaur, daughter of a soldier killed by militants in Kashmir, criticised the brutal attack on innocent students by ABVP, she was labelled by many as an anti-national who should be ashamed considering her fathers martyrdom.

Others, including a minister and an actor, were patronising towards the young woman in their comments, implying she cant think for herself.

Cyber expert Ritesh Bhatia said, Such incidents have increased massively. After the removal of 66 A of IT Act (Punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service, etc.), there is a very thin line between freedom of expression and cyber harassment. Also, everyone has access to social media with cheap smartphones and easily-available Internet connections.

Mukhi added, These people who troll, abuse and post obscene comments know that the owners of Facebook, Twitter and Google do not give the IP address to the police easily. For cases of online harassment, they do not co-operate with police. So you see very few people get arrested. So such culprits know they are protected or are hard to track. Also it is very easy to make fake accounts.

A senior officer said people must be more empathic before hitting the like button or commenting. Bullies get empowered by an audience, the officer said.

Report incidents without fear, police tell citizens

Along with taking the necessary precautions, it is also important for people to report cybercrimes, say Mumbai police.

The certainty of punishment is very important to curb cybercrimes, said KMM Prasanna, additional commissioner of police, crime, at a recent discussion on womens access to police, organized by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). It is important to report such cases. If a police officer is not registering your complaint, you must approach the senior police inspector, ACP or DCP to ensure an FIR is registered. You can also approach us at the cyber police station in BKC or write to us on the Mumbai police website. We are also on Twitter.

Akhileshkumar Singh, deputy commissioner of police, cybercrime, said, Victims of online harassment and bullying should report such matters.

Former IPS turned lawyer and activist YP Singh told HT, Section 67 of the Information Technology Act makes cybercrime a cognizable offence, for which an FIR can be registered. Under section 149 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, it is the duty of the police department to prevent commission of a cognizable offence, keep an eye on crimes. They need to either file a complaint of the victim or take suo motu cognizance of serious crimes.

People need to be emotionally strong to deal with cyberbullying

According to psychologists in the city, there have been several instances where victims of cyberbullying went into depression and had to be put on medication.

Nirali Bhatia, a psychologist told HT, People need to be emotionally strong to deal with cyberbullying and harassment on social media. The recent incident of Gurmehar Kaurs trolling and abusing was the worst she has seen in recent times, she added.

She did the right thing by withdrawing from social media. Withdrawing does not mean you are being weak, Bhatia said.

According to her, one-on-one bullying is limited till the time you are in contact with the person, but in the cyber world the bullying is magnified as it is round-the-clock and anonymity gives a lot of power to bullies.

Bhatia said one needs to gauge how much harassment, bullying and trolling he or she can tolerate and should withdraw before it starts affecting you. The impact of such bullying is dreadful. In the past five years, I have handled many cases of cyberbullying where the victims have faced social anxiety and depression. They come to us so we can empower them to learn to be indifferent as on the outside, the situation is never in our control. We first start by asking them to withdraw from social media, so that it can be a statement of indifference to her bullies. What I found is that not everyone is emotionally strong to deal with online harassment and bullying.

According to Bhatia, women are more vulnerable than men on social media, but women are more outspoken as well. Bhatia spoke about a case involving a 20-year-old student. The boy was a favourite of his teachers as he was a bright student. However, some students started bullying him on Facebook and WhatsApp.  He slipped into depression and dropped out of college. We had to put him on anti-depressants for a year, said Bhatia.

Read

Punjabi by nature: Gurmehar Kaurageous
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will on Monday send show cause notices to seven more contractors named in the road scam. The civic body has also blacklisted them.

An inquiry team submitted its trial report on the second phase of the roads scam investigation to civic chief Ajoy Mehta on Friday. In the second phase of the probe, the BMC inspected 200 roads on which Rs1,000 crore had been spent.

Rs1,000 crore is the quantum of the loss suffered, as all the roads inspected were found to be substandard, said a senior civic official.

The report stated that road work undertaken by seven of 10 contractors was below par. The remaining contractors work was tolerable. Sources said civic officials have been advised to take criminal action against the contractors.

After a show cause notice is issued, contractors usually get 15 to 20 days to explain the irregularities revealed in the report. Blacklisting the contractors bars them from bidding on projects until the case is resolved.

Similar to the initial report, the detailed probe report has alleged irregularities. For instance, the bottom layer, which is needed for roads to last longer, is missing in all 200 roads that were inspected.Uniform action is likely to be taken against all the contractors involved in the scam.

Owing to irregularities in the crust layers, which were not constructed according to design and tender conditions, the shelf life of the roads is reduced, said a senior civic official, who did not wish to be identified.Each road will have to be relaid, he added.

The initial probe found that work on 34 roads was of substandard quality. Six contractors and two third-party contractors were blacklisted and are currently facing police action. Last year, the civic body had also decided to withhold payments to Rs908 crore 16 contractors. As a precautionary measure, Rs572 crore of the total amount was not paid owing to malpractices and irregularities in laying the roads.

Read

Foundation of 200 roads in Mumbai weak: Report

Maha govt cant be mute spectator to BMC imprudence in road scam: HC

Mumbai road scam: charge sheet says contractors pocketed Rs8.52 cr in western suburbs alone

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept away competitors in all five assembly segments of Ghaziabad, however, it failed to get votes in Muslim dominated areas, as per the polling data.

The polling booth data reveals that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made heavy inroads into the vote bank of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress to gain a majority in the state.

All five constituencies  Loni, Murad Nagar, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad and Modi Nagar  went to BJP. However, the major vote share from Muslim dominated areas of Pasonda and Shaheed Nagar in Sahibabad went to the Congress-SP alliance and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

As per the provisional data of polling booths, Congress-SP received nearly 19,000 votes but the BJP candidate secured only 1,200 votes in Muslim dominated Kaila Bhatta, Gulzar Colony, Hindon Vihar and Islam Nagar in Ghaziabad segment. The BJP swept garnered more than 25,000 votes from localities such as Vijay Nagar, Mawai and Mirzapur.

Majority of the Muslim votes went to SP and Congress as they had an alliance and were preferred due to their schemes for minorities. People here preferred the Congress candidate due to the alliance and the SP had not fielded any candidate. Areas of Vijay Nagar have a dominant Hindu population, which favoured the BJP, said Mohsin Alvi, a resident of Kaila Bhatta.

In Loni, the BSP candidate and sitting MLA gained the majority votes from Rashid Ali Gate, Jamalpura, Mustafabad, Toli Mohalla and Apar Kot, all Muslim dominated areas. The BSP candidate secured more than 12,500 votes while the BJP candidate got only 850 votes.

In Murad Nagar, the BJP secured the majority of its votes in Kavi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Nehru Nagar, Govindpuram, Harsaon police lines, Sanjay Nagar and Yadav dominated Bamheta and Lal Kuan. In these polling booths, the BJP garnered over 60,000 votes while the Congress-SP and BSP received around 14,000 and 11,000 votes, respectively.

In Modi Nagar, the BJP candidate got 14,000 votes; a majority of it from areas of Govindpuri, Harmukhpuri and Devendrapuri, which have a dominant Hindu population, whereas the BSP remained short of the 2,000-vote mark.

Denying polarisation, the BJP attributed the resounding success to Prime Minister Modi. They also attributed booth-level campaigns by BJP cadres for the success.

For every contestant, we assigned a team of 20 workers for each booth in their assembly segment. There was good coordination between the organisation and the candidates. The booth-level workers were heavily involved in publicity and contacting voters during the campaigning, Ajay Sharma, city president of BJP, said.

The vote share of Congress went down from 13.26% in 2012 to 6.2%, SPs fell from 29.29% in 2012 to 21.8% and the BSPs, from 25.95% in 2012 to 22.2%. BJP captured most of these votes, increasing its vote share from 15.21% in 2012 to 39.7%.

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Chandigarh The agenda for the first cabinet meeting of the Congress government in Punjab was set by Manpreet Singh Badal, the states new finance minister. The estranged nephew of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who was once the FM in the SAD-BJP regime, told HT in an interview at his residence in Chandigarh on Saturday that he did not enjoy confidence of Badal, but Amarinder has full faith in his integrity.

How is it different being a Congress finance minister?

It is a much better situation to be in. Captain Amarinder Singh is a better administrator than Parkash Singh Badal. He has clear-cut policies. As an Akali minister, I did not enjoy the confidence of the CM. But Amarinder has full faith in my integrity and I enjoy his trust and backing. Hum mafia ko kaat ke rakh denge; bada se bada gunda bhi sarkar ke samne nahi tik sakta (We will finish off the mafia. No goon is big enough for the government.)

But the Congress manifesto you drafted was the same as that of Peoples Party of Punjab (which was merged into Congress before the assembly polls)?

To a large extent, the agenda was the same, such as ending VIP culture. But, in Congress, we undertook a comprehensive exercise to know peoples aspirations. The manifesto committee met everybody, from youth, traders, industry, to farmers. The final screening was done at the level of former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

Also read | Punjab govt okays 33% quota for women in jobs, dumps VIP culture

But the manifesto was populist. Didnt you part ways with your family and SAD on subsidies?

I left the post of finance minister in the Parkash Singh Badal government not owing to subsidies but the cabinets not agreeing to the Rs 35,000-crore bailout package being offered to the state by then Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee. It had some conditions and those were fair. But the Akali Dal created propaganda that I was opposed to subsidies. They repeated it so many times that it became part of public memory.

Will you credit your partys victory to populism?

You need to give incentives to industry, farmers and traders to kickstart the economy. Even smartphones to youth is not a populist promise. They would serve as an educational tool for them and help them explore opportunities on internet.

You never took a government car. Will other ministers follow? Your father has one from the government.

I can afford to have my own car, so I never took one from the government. But I cannot ask other ministers to do so. As for my fathers car, it was given to him by his brother (former CM Badal).

How much can the state save by ending VIP culture and removing red beacons on cars?

It is all about the symbolism. It is not that Mahatma Gandhi could not afford kurtas. His not wearing them was merely symbolic. Why should some people carry red beacons atop their cars? It is used as status symbol; and that has to end.

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Barely two weeks after instances of fake PGI appointment letters being circulated online came to light, a similar scam is operating in the region, this time in the name of the international airport and the Amritsar airport.

Countless victims have lost at least Rs 1,500 each to fraudsters over the past few days.

Modus operandi

The modus operandi is clever and simple. Just a few days ago an advertisement appeared in a popular vernacular daily inviting applications from unfettered, graduate boys and girls for jobs at airports.

Two ads appear after a difference of just one AD and lists numbers. On contacting these numbers, one is told that the jobs involve no interviews.

After a very perfunctionary conversation that involves no requisition of CVs and just basic questions on ones job capabilities, the caller (usually a woman) asks the applicant to deposit Rs 1,500 as application processing fee of in account number 0627006900013770 in the name of Pooja Rawat; her sign are also on the appointment letter. The account is of Punjab National Bank in Naraina Vihar, New Delhi.

A day or so after this is done, the applicant receives an appointment letter on the purported letter head of the Airports Authority of India, demanding Rs 15,000 as security agreement fee.

Meenu, an Ambala native, who fell into the trap and deposited Rs 1,500 just a few days ago, says, I am harassed and duped. I did not know that we will be asked to deposit another Rs 15,000. I have asked the agency to return my money as I want my money back. She was offered the job of a ticket checker.

No vacancy, will take legal action: Airport director

However; there is no vacancy in the airport as HT confirmed from Airport director Sunil Dutt.

This is a fraud. The Airports Authority of India has no vacancy of any kind. We have nothing to do with any such supposed jobs. People are advised to be careful in responding to such advertisements, said Sunil Dutt, chief executive officer, Chandigarh International Airport Limited, the body that manages the airport.

We will take legal action. A similar fraud was reported around five months ago and we lodged a police complaint, Dutt added.

HOW TO DETECT SUCH JOB FRAUDS

1. Where and how is the advertisement given? Most government organisations have a specific format for giving ads and remember that they DO NOT use the Classifieds section

2. How detailed is the ad? Does it give proper address and reservation details. All government jobs have reservation for various categories.

3. Does the advertisement give a last date to apply?

4. Is at all, money is to be transferred, (this is only for exceptional cases), please make sure it is in the name of a bona-fide institution and not in the name of any individual

5. Lastly, it is desperation that drives people to be tricked; use common sense before undertaking any monetary transaction; consult your relatives and friends

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A 22-year-old youth who thought he had not cleared the examination of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), now at 60, is the director of the institute.

Meet Dr Jagat Ram, who shares his journey from working in the fields of Pabyana village, in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh, to the director of PGMIER.

Thinking that he has not cleared the entrance examination of PGIMER, he slept under the tree until he was woken up by a senior doctor who said, We are calling your name for counselling for a long time. Dont you want to take admission?

My father was a small farmer in Pabyana and our earning was not much. So I used to help him in the fields to earn a living and fund studies, said Dr Jagat Ram, who used to walk seven to eight kilometers to his high school in Rajgarh.

After scoring good marks in matric class, I went to a teacher with report card and asked which subject I should take. He said, since you have scored well, you can take medical. So, this is how I ended up in the medical field, said Dr Jagat Ram.

Also Read | Dr Jagat Ram is new director of PGIMER, Chandigarh: Know him and his priorities

He completed his MBBS form Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, in 1978.

I was experienced by the time I passed out from the medical college and I decided to give it a try in PGIMER, instead of doing a government job in Himachal Pradesh, said Dr Ram with a smile.

But I was so naive that I mistook the list of rejected candidates with the ones who have cleared the exam, he said.

I thought that I have not been selected and slept under the eucalyptus tree outside the directors office, he recalls.

He said that Dr MR Dogra, ophthalmologist, came running to him saying you are sleeping here, while we are calling your name inside.

The doctor, who is recognised internationally for his contributions in the field of cataract and refractive surgery, chose the field just because he thought it was a cleaner option than gynaecology and surgery.

But it was not easy for him to fund the education. I used to get around 200 from PGIMER and rest my father used to arrange.

Dr IS Jain and Dr Amod Gupta are the new directors inspirations.

In 1993, I got a chance to visit USA for World Health Organisation (WHO) fellowship. That was the turning point in my career. It was an eye-opening experience, which motivated me to work harder and set higher goals.

In a career spanning 37 years, he has received 24 national and international awards.

My father still does not know how much I have studied or what all are my achievements. He just knows that I am a doctor, thats it, said Dr Jagat Ram.

When I had joined PGIMER in 1980, I had never thought that I will become the director, Dr Jagat said.

I am thankful to those who believed in me and will ensure that I will give my best, he added.

PATIENT RUSH, PLAGIARISM, ON NEW DIRECTORS TO-DO LIST

Dr Jagat Ram talks about the challenges ahead and measures taken by him to solve the long standing problems like patient rush.

Mincing no words, Dr Jagat Ram said he will be a tough task master as and when needed. If I come across as a humble person, it does not mean that strict actions will not be taken. To take the people along will remain my priority, but action will be taken against those guilty. They will not be spared.

Managing patient rush

At present nearly 10,000 patients visit New OPD every day. The first challenge is how to reduce the waiting line. Now, the focus will be on increasing the online registrations, which at the moment is only 10%. Secondly, the manpower will be mobilised to more crowded areas.

Less referrals from other states

We will coordinate with adjoining states and ask them to refer only those who need tertiary care.

Focus on research

A good ranking in research is very important for the image of a research institute like PGIMER.

Swift action on erring officials

Swift action will be taken in the event of any wrongdoing by any official or others, irrespective of their status. Decision making will be quick. We will take steps to discourage plagiarism and strict rules will be in place.

Academic expansion

We will write to different head of departments to assess the need of increase the number of seats in the post graduate courses. Earlier there were plans to start MBBS in Sangrur, but the situation is not the same anymore.

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The Punjab cabinet on Saturday decided to provide 33% reservation for women in all government jobs, including contractual appointments of the state government as chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh attempted to strike a balance between populism and reforms.

Womens reservation was part of the Congress election manifesto in Punjab.

Ending VIP culture

The meeting which lasted over three hours, also decided to ban the use of beacons on government vehicles, foreign travel of ministers for two years (except where it is so mandated or provided under a bilateral agreement or arrangement) and hosting banquets at state expense in a bid to end VIP culture in the state, an official spokesperson said.

All these were also part of the election manifesto.

The tone and agenda of the new cabinet was set by the partys poll manifesto and the man who drafted it, new finance minister Manpreet Badal.

Also read | Punjab Vidhan Sabha session from March 24

STF to counter drug problem

To eradicate the drug menace, the cabinet decided to set up a special task force (STF) in the CMs office to prepare and implement a comprehensive programme to counter the problem. ADGP Harpreet Singh Sidhu, a 1992-batch IPS officer and a veteran of anti-Naxal operations, will head the STF.

Transport sector revamp

The cabinet also decided to open up the transport sector and ensure free-and-fair grant of licenses for buses, mini-buses and other commercial vehicles in a transparent way, freeing the sector from the SADs stranglehold, the spokesman said.

It also decided to abolish the posts of district transport officers and halqa in-charges that played a key role in establishing the business and political clout of Akali Dal which had made the territorial jurisdiction of police stations co-terminus with that of partys halqa chiefs.

The state will return to the old system within three months. The department of transport will review and reformulate its existing policy and submit the next policy for consideration in the next meeting.

Group Of Experts To Assess Farm Debts

The cabinet also decided to set up a group of experts to assess the quantum of farm loans and propose ways and means to waive it in a time-bound manner. The Karza Kurki Maaf campaign of the party before elections  under which 600-odd ticket hopefuls enlisted families of farmers for debt waiver  was a turning point in the partys campaign that spooked both the AAP and the Akali Dal. The group would submit its report within 60 days to a cabinet sub-committee.

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The Northern Railways may lose the already attached Swarna Shatabdi Express that runs between Amritsar and New Delhi for not compensating a farmer against his land acquired in 2007 for constructing the Ludhiana-Chandigarh rail line. The train was attached by a local court here a couple of days back.

In the resumed hearing on Saturday, the court additional district and sessions judge Jaspal Verma gave three weeks to the railways to pay the compensation (Rs1.03 crore) to the farmer. Till then the train will remain courts property. The next hearing is on April 7.

Advocate Rakesh Gandhi, who is representing farmer Sampuran Singh, moved an application in the court seeking auction of the Swarna Shatabdi for the recovery of the money that the railways failed to pay to his client. The court kept the decision on auction of the train pending till the next hearing.

On the other hand, the railways moved an application seeking three weeks time for paying the farmer and requested the court to stay the operation of the attachment of the train for three weeks. Heated arguments were exchanged in the court when the railway officials sought more time to pay Rs 1.03 crore to the farmer.

On Wednesday, the court had ordered attachement of the Swarna Shatabdi Express as the railways failed to comply with the courts order issued in 2015 to clear the dues. It also ordered attachment of the office of the station master.

Section engineer Pradeep Kumar had then got the train released on superdari from the court official at the railway station.

The case goes back to acquisition of land for the Ludhiana-Chandigarh railway line in 2007. The compensation was enhanced by court from Rs 25 lakh an acre to Rs 50 lakh; and Sampuran was entitled to be paid Rs 1.47 crore. But the railways paid only Rs 42 lakh to him. While the original claim petition was filed in 2012, the court ordered the railways to pay the remaining amount to him in January 2015.
Actor Nora Fatehi says Pink actor Angad Bedi is her best friend, contrary to rumours that the two are dating each other.

Angad is my best friend and we understand each other well, Nora told IANS on the sidelines of fourth day of the Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn-Winter 2017 where she was walked the ramp for designer Pawan Sachdev along with Angad.

When asked about his link-up with Nora, Angad quickly reacted: I dont want to comment on that.

Sachdev showcased a line titled Treg, which emphasised on simple aesthetics.

Angad Bedi played a negative character in Pink.

Angad and Nora seemed very excited before making their ramp appearance.

The feeling is beautiful. I am working for such a good man and the kind of outfit he made for me is a fusion with colours that are black and white. Its great to be back here in Delhi and the city holds important place in my heart, Angad said.

Nora of Bigg Boss fame, was quick to add: I am very excited. I never had the modeling experience but I a happy that I reached a point when I can be called a showstopper. Its an achievement. I have a long way to go but whatever I have done now has been appreciated and I love coming to Delhi.
BBC Asia has apologised after it posted the question what is the right punishment for blasphemy? on its Asian Network Twitter account .

The tweet was intended to promote a debate about blasphemy on social media in Pakistan with presenter Shazia Awan.

In an apology, the network said it never intended to imply that blasphemy should be punished and said the tweet was poorly worded.

Apologies for poorly worded question from #AsianNetwork yday. Q was in context of Pak asking FB to help we shd have made that clear 1/2  BBC Asian Network (@bbcasiannetwork) March 18, 2017

We never intend to imply Blasphemy should be punished. Provocative question that got it wrong 2/2  BBC Asian Network (@bbcasiannetwork) March 18, 2017

It emerged this week that Pakistan has asked Facebook and Twitter to help identify Pakistanis suspected of blasphemy so it can prosecute them or pursue their extradition.

Under the countrys blasphemy laws , anyone found to have insulted Islam or the prophet Muhammad can be sentenced to death.

Read | Facebook to send team to Pakistan to address blasphemy concerns

The interior minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, said an official in Pakistans Washington embassy had approached the two social media companies in an effort to identify Pakistanis, either within the country or abroad, who recently shared material deemed offensive to Islam .

He said Pakistani authorities had identified 11 people for questioning over alleged blasphemy and would seek the extradition of anyone living abroad.

The BBCs tweet prompted anger and disbelief on social media. Human rights campaigner Maryam Namazie said the tweet was disgraceful.

Disgraceful that @bbcasiannetwork @ShaziaAwan would ask what 'punishment' should be for blasphemy. You know people get killed for it.  Maryam Namazie (@MaryamNamazie) March 17, 2017

@BBCNews We could inform the BBC's Asian Network there should be NO punishment for blasphemy. We're not living in the Middle Ages  Malcolm Wood (@Askrigglad) March 18, 2017

@bbcasiannetwork The fact that it appears that BBC Asian network has not roundly condemned punishment for blasphemy. One has to conclude you support it!!  Clive Norman (@Clive752) March 18, 2017

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Goa is one of the most common subjects for lyrical travel pieces in the British news media, but last weeks murder of Irish-British dual national Danielle McLaughlin has brought the popular tourist resort in the headlines for less than gushing reasons.

The February 2008 murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling continues to make news: her mother, Fiona MacKeown, launched a fund-raising campaign earlier this month to raise 20,000 to offer as reward for information or evidence that leads to her killers conviction.

Now a campaign to raise 10,000 to bring the body of McLaughlin, 28, to Ireland quickly reached over 37,800. She was found dead last Tuesday near the Palolem beach. Her body is expected to reach Ireland early this week.

Hailing from County Donegal in Ireland, she was a student in Liverpool. The Irish embassy and the British high commission in India are reportedly assisting in dealing with issues related to the murder.

The Goa police have arrested a suspect, but several reports here question whether the killer or killers will be brought to justice, given the fate of the Keeling case, in which two accused were acquitted in 2016. The British news media have been closely covering the McLaughlin case.

McLaughlins murder is also the subject of animated discussion among people of Goa origin based in Britain and elsewhere. Tourism is a major industry in Goa, but many expressed dismay on social media sites that murder incidents gave the state a bad name.

It is so sad. You cant trust the police and politicians in Goa. It is not only the British who are questioning polices role; even we Goans dont have much trust in them. Every Goan family here I know is talking about it, London-based Jaime Barreto of Goa origin told HT.

Goa is one of the most popular destinations of British tourists; most visits are incident-free. But the Foreign Office has a separate section on its India travel advice on Goa, where many Britons have died of alcohol and drug abuse, or drown due to strong currents in the sea.

The advisory on Goa says: If youre staying in a hotel on the smaller roads in the Candolim-Calangute belt, take particular care when walking to or from the main road. There have been reports of bag-snatchings on these roads. The thieves are usually on motorbikes, with headlights on full-beam to blind their victims.

There have been reports of drinks being spiked and travellers, including British nationals, subsequently being robbed, sexually assaulted or killed. There have also been reports of locals posing as police officers or government officials in order to extort money, so be alert if approached. Avoid beaches after dark. Travellers should observe and respect local dress and customs.

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The United States is looking forward to the first meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday, on the final day of a swing through Asia dominated by concerns over North Koreas nuclear and missile programs.

In talks with Xi in Beijing, Tillerson said Trump places a very high value on communications with the Chinese president.

Trump looks forward to the opportunity of a visit in the future, Tillerson said, in an apparent reference to unconfirmed reports of plans for the two leaders to meet in Florida next month.

While few details of his talks have been released, Tillerson appeared to strike a cordial tone during his meetings in Beijing, in a contrast to Trumps tough talk on Chinese economic competition during his presidential campaign.

Xi told Tillerson that China considered his meetings on Saturday with Foreign Ministry Wang Yi and top diplomat Yang Jiechi to have been productive and constructive.

Both (Trump) and I believe that we need to make joint efforts to advance China-U.S. cooperation and we believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era, Xi said.

Tillersons Beijing visit followed his remarks in South Korea on Friday that pre-emptive military action against North Korea might be necessary if the threat from its weapons program reaches a level that we believe requires action.

China, the Norths biggest source of diplomatic support and economic assistance, hasnt responded directly to those comments, although Beijing has called repeatedly for all sides to take steps to reduce tensions.

China has agreed reluctantly to UN Security Council resolutions sanctioning North Korea, but is adamantly opposed to measures that might bring about a collapse of North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns regime. Beijing fears Kims fall would send waves of refugees into northeastern China and see South Korean and American forces taking up positions along its border.

Beijings patience with Pyongyang appears to be growing thin, however. Last month, China potentially deprived Kims regime of a crucial source of foreign currency by banning imports of North Korean coal for the rest of the year.
US President Donald Trump unleashed a diatribe against Germany on Saturday, saying Berlin owes NATO vast sums of money and must pay the United States more for security.

His latest tweetstorm comes a day after he met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington, where the two leaders showed little common ground over a host of thorny issues, including NATO and defence spending.

Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany! Trump tweeted on Saturday.

He prefaced his statement by lashing out at the news media. Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, he tweeted, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

That appeared to be far from the case on Friday, when the veteran German leader arrived hoping to reverse a chill in relations after Trump criticised her during his campaign last year, saying her decision to allow refugees into Germany was a catastrophic mistake and suggesting she was ruining Germany.

During a joint news conference, Trump accused Germany of unfair trade practices and ripped into Washingtons NATO allies, demanding they pay back vast sums of money from past years.

Merkel said Germany had committed to increasing its military spending to 2% of GDP, a target NATO member states formally agreed in 2014 to reach within 10 years.

Trump had made European defence spending an issue during his campaign, saying the United States -- which spends just over 3% of its GDP on defence -- carries too much of the financial burden for supporting NATO.

However, at least one critic on Saturday pointed out that NATO members dont pay the US for security, but contribute by spending on their own militaries.

Sorry, Mr President, thats not how NATO works, tweeted Ivo Daalder, a former US ambassador to NATO. This is not a financial transaction, where NATO countries pay the US to defend them. It is part of our treaty commitment.

Trump has also worried US allies by criticising the military alliance as obsolete and failing to meet the challenge posed by Islamic terror groups.

His attacks have come as other NATO members are concerned about Russias aggressive posture on the continent. Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and has backed separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.

US defence spending -- $679 billion in 2016 -- accounts for nearly 70% of the total defence budgets of NATOs 28 members.

Besides the United States (at 3.36% of GDP), only Britain (2.17%), Poland (2.01%), Estonia (2.18%) and Greece (2.36%) currently reach the goal, according to NATO estimates for 2016.

Germany, whose militaristic past has led it traditionally to be reticent on defence matters, currently spends 1.2% of GDP. But the countrys defence minister has called for changes to the way NATO members commitments to budget targets are assessed.

Speaking on Friday ahead of Merkels trip to Washington, Ursula von der Leyen told AFP the 2% target paints an incomplete picture of actual contributions, saying member states that take part in NATO operations and exercises or contribute personnel and hardware should get credit toward the two percent goal.

For me, the question is who is really providing added value to the alliance, she said.

Von der Leyen proposed using an activity index that would take participation in foreign missions into account when assessing budget earmarks for defence.
Indian Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat is visiting Nepal on March 28-31, close on the heels of a planned visit by Chinese defence minister Chang Wanquan.

Rawat was invited by Nepal government soon after he assumed office in December.

The main purpose of the visit is to confer the honorary title of Nepal Army to General Rawat, said Nepal Army spokesperson Gen Tara Bahadur Kari.

President Bidhya Devi Bhandrai will confer the title to Rawat on March 29 at a special function for his commendable military prowess and immeasurable contribution to fostering Indias long-standing and friendly ties with Nepal and given the special military ties between Nepalese and Indian armies.

It has been a custom between the armies of the two friendly neighbours to confer the title to each others army chiefs since 1950 to signify the close military-to-military ties.

Gen Rawat will hold meeting with President Bidhya Devi Bhandrai, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and defence minister Bal Krishna Khad.

He will also visit Pokhara and Muktinath, where Nepal Army runs a high-altitude military warfare training centre.

Issues related to purchase of military hardware and software for Nepal Army will come up for discussion. Nepal Army makes almost all military and defence purchase from India including helicopters.

The proposed three-day visit of Chinese defence minister to Nepal from March 23 and upcoming China-Nepal joint military drill have made New Delhi nervous as Chang is also going to push Nepal to become the member of Chinas ambitious, One Belt One Belt initiative, a flagship foreign policy initiative by President Xi Jinping.

The visit of Chinese defence minister, whose programme is yet to be made public, is closely followed in New Delhi due to Chinas push for joint military exercise and possible defence and military cooperation between Kathmandu and Beijing where Kathmandu is looking for logistic support for its UN Peacekeepers.

After completing Nepal visit, the Chinese defence minister will leave for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Pushpa Kamal Dahals government cannot afford to say no to Beijing for the visit of Chinese defence minister and the joint military drill at a time when he himself is visiting China from March 24 to participate in Boao Asia Forum in Hainan Province.

During his official trip to Beijing, Prachanda will be meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior Chinese leaders.
Israeli defence minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday threatened to destroy Syrian air defence systems after they fired ground-to-air missiles at Israeli warplanes carrying out strikes.

The next time the Syrians use their air defence systems against our planes we will destroy them without the slightest hesitation, Lieberman said on Israeli public radio.

Israeli warplanes hit several targets in Syria on Friday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the strikes targeted weapons bound for Lebanons Shiia Hezbollah movement.

Syrias military said it had downed one of the Israeli planes and hit another as they were carrying out the pre-dawn strikes near the famed desert city of Palmyra that it recaptured from jihadists this month.

The Israeli military denied that any planes had been hit. The Syrian government has made similar claims in the past.

An Israeli army statement said several anti-aircraft missiles were fired following the raid but that none hit their targets.

One missile was intercepted by Israels Arrow air defence system, Israeli media reported.

It was the most serious incident between the two countries since the Syrian civil war began six years ago.

In April 2016, Netanyahu admitted for the first time that Israel had attacked dozens of convoys transporting weapons in Syria destined for Hezbollah, which fought a 2006 war with Israel and is now battling alongside the Damascus regime.

Israel does not usually confirm or deny individual raids, but it may have been led to do so this time by the circumstances of the incident.

Israel seized most of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, in a move never recognised by the international community.

Israel and Syria are still technically at war, though the border had remained largely quiet for decades until 2011 when the Syrian conflict began.
Belgium this week marks the first anniversary of deadly Islamic State-claimed attacks on the Brussels metro and at the airport which left 32 people dead.

Following is a summary of what is known of the young men who carried out the March 22, 2016, attacks and the investigation.

3 suicide bombers

Najim Laachraoui and Ibrahim El Bakraoui blew themselves up in the crowded departure hall of the airport early on March 22 last year.

Shortly afterwards, Ibrahims brother Khalid attacked Maalbeek metro station in the European Union quarter.

Laachraoui, 24, a one-time electrical engineering student who had fought in Syria, is believed to have been the bomb-maker for the November 2015 Paris attacks which left 130 people dead.

Ibrahim El Bakraoui, 29, was well known to Belgian police and had tried to go to Syria in 2015 only to be stopped on the Turkish border.

His brother Khalid, 27, is also suspected of having help Laachraoui find safe houses for other jihadists, many from Brussels like themselves, who carried out the Paris killings.

2 failed bombers

Mohamed Abrini, widely known as the Man in the Hat from video footage of the airport attack, failed to detonate his suicide bomb and was filmed fleeing on foot back to central Brussels where he disappeared.

Osama Krayem, 24, seen with Khalid El Bakraoui at a metro station carrying huge backpacks before going their separate ways, also failed to go through with his suicide attack.

Krayem, born in Sweden to Syrian parents, apparently hid himself among fleeing refugees to return to Europe from Syria in 2015.

Both Abrini and Krayem were arrested in Brussels in early April.

Abrini, 32, was a childhood friend of Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the Paris jihadist team and who grew up in the gritty Molenbeek district of Brussels.

Abrini and Abdeslam were filmed at a service station en route to Paris just before the 2015 attacks there.

Suspects held

In the immediate aftermath of the Brussels attacks, the authorities carried out extensive raids in the Belgian capital and beyond and these continue, although at a much reduced pace.

Those detained as a result are mostly suspected of having helped prepare the metro and airport attacks.

Smail Farisi, 32, and Bilal El Makhoukhi, 28, still detained, are believed to be the most important figures.

Farisi is said to have set up a safe house for the metro attack while Makhoukhi, known by his nom de guerre from Syria of Abu Imran, has been linked to Ibrahim El Bakraoui.

Missing mastermind?

Who actually gave the order for the Brussels attacks remains unknown.

Federal Prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw says be believes the order came from very high up in the Islamic State (IS) hierarchy.

Investigators have reportedly identified Osama Atar, a Belgian-Moroccan veteran extremist in his 30s who served time in US prisons in Iraq, as the main suspect.

A laptop computer found near the safehouse used for the airport attack apparently shows that the Brussels jihadists had been in close contact with Atar.

Attack switched to Belgium?

The laptop computer also appears to show that the team initially intended to carry out another attack in France but panicked as the police closed in.

The key moment was Abdeslams arrest on March 18, just days before the attacks in central Brussels not far from the family home.

Taken by surprise by the speed of the investigation (the jihadists) decided to hit Brussels, the federal prosecutors office said.

The laptop also contained what some refer to as Ibrahim El Bakraouis last testament in which he expressed fear at being tracked down before they could act.
To the probable delight of revelers attending this year's annual South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, craft distilleries are becoming a growing feature of urban culture.

As of August 2016, there were 1,315 active craft distillers in the U.S., according to a joint study released last year by the American Craft Spirits Association and the International Wine and Spirits Research. According to the report, those distillers account for approximately 12 percent of cases of spirits sold each year.

As it happens, more than 70 of those establishments are located in Texas  and several are concentrated in and around the rapidly growing Austin area. The craft liquor boom is partially an exponent of Texas' strong reputation for cultivating small business and entrepreneurship.

Austin, a university town with offbeat appeal and an entrepreneurial spirit, provides spirit makers with a ready-made customer base of young customers and hipsters  many of whom are known to gorge on artisanal foods, coffee and liquor.

The city's motto, "Keep Austin Weird," is reflected in its burgeoning craft distillery industry. Recently, CNBC took a look at some of the more noteworthy establishments that have sprung up around Austin, and regardless of one's preference  be it whiskey, gin, tequila, moonshine, or even mead  there's something for practically everyone.







Revolution Spirits Distilling Co.



During a trip to Kentucky in 2007, Revolution Spirits co-founder Mark Shilling had an epiphany while sampling some high-quality, homemade moonshine. In 2014, Shilling and his partner Aaron Day opened Revolution, a craft liquor business that offers a dizzying array of specially blended gin, whiskey and liqueurs that are popular with Austin's faithful.



"Being small and independent gives us the freedom to be experimental," Shilling told CNBC  and that spirit of experimentation is apparent in Revolution brands like its Single Barrel Series gins and "Farmhouse Series" of fruit liqueurs.

Story continues







Deep Eddy Vodka Distillery



Nestled on Highway 290 between Austin and Dripping Springs, Deep Eddy's spacious glass and timber distillery and tasting room is a well-trafficked tourist attraction. Named after the historic, man-made Deep Eddy swimming pool (the oldest public pool in Texas), the distillery was founded in 2010 by Chad Auler and Clayton Christopher, two Texans who wanted to develop and market premium, high-quality vodkas made with all-natural ingredients.

Deep Eddy's first release was a Sweet Tea Vodka, which was a hit with locals and led to more flavors like lemon, peach, cranberry and the store's current top seller, Ruby Red Grapefruit.

Although Deep Eddy Vodkas are now distributed in all 50 states and Canada, the company remains ingrained in Austin's unique culture.





Treaty Oak



The Treaty Oak owns an important place in the history and folklore of Texas, with its namesake partly derived from a landmark treaty in the 1830s between local Native Americans and Texas' first colonists.



Located just outside of Austin, the spacious property includes a tasting room, a gift shop, a bar and a restaurant in addition to the distillery. The brand's primary products include a range of vodkas, rums and gins that include Graham's Texas Tea, a sweet tea vodka; Starlite Vodka; Red-Handed Bourbon; and Waterloo Gin. In addition, Treaty Oak markets an experimental brand of spirits produced in limited quantities and only available in Austin.





Meridian Hive Meadery



Made from a fermented mixture of water and honey, Mead is considered the world's oldest alcoholic beverage. Although often associated with Vikings and Norse gods like Thor as opposed to cowboys, one of largest, top-selling "meaderies" in the U.S. is located deep in the heart of Texas.



Meridian Hive Meadery was founded in 2012 by Eric Lowe and Mike Simmons, both engineers by trade, who saw tremendous marketing potential for high-quality mead within the growing craft beer scene, where an estimated 80 percent of craft bars also serve mead.

Meridian Hive currently offers three carbonated draft meads (Discovery, Rhapsody and Haven), as well as several traditional uncarbonated versions and limited- run special batches. Meridian is available throughout Texas, and can be ordered online.





Argus Cidery





Texas's first Cidery, which opened its doors in 2010, is named after the Founder's Father, Argus Delbert Mickel. Argus's son Wes Mickel (also named Argus; Wesley is his middle name) and his older brother Jeff now serve as co-Owners of the business, which has been influenced by Wes' culinary training.





Available nationwide, Argus Cidery produces artisanal ciders and fruit wines that are 100 percent natural, with no sugar or additional added ingredients. Unique offerings abound, like "Vinho Pearde" (fermented, lagered pear juice) and "Tepache" (made with pineapple juice). Argus also offers a host of apple-based ciders, including the dry and tart Ciderkins and Ginger Perry.

"It's fruit as it ferments, all natural and no tricks," Jeff Mickel told CNBC.





Dulce Vida



Tequila is not officially tequila unless it's produced and bottled in Mexico  primarily in the state of Jalisco. Austin's Dulce Vida assortment of handcrafted versions of the potent liquor is definitely made in Mexico, but features a distinctly Austin twist.







Established in 2009, Dulce Vida offers an assortment of handcrafted, organic tequilas, including 70-proof Dulce Vida Lime Tequila and grapefruit tequilas, and the small-batch, 80-proof Blanco Tequila.

Dulce Vida tequilas are currently available in Texas, California, Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Tennessee, Georgia and Colorado, with plans to expand to 25 total states in 2017.







More From CNBC


European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is not worried about other EU countries leaving the bloc after Britain because Brexit will make them see it is not a good option, he said in a newspaper interview.

Asked by Bild am Sonntag newspaper if other member states would follow Britains example in quitting, Juncker said: No. Britains example will make everyone realise that its not worth leaving.

He added: On the contrary, the remaining member states will fall in love with each other again and renew their vows with the European Union.

The EUs 27 leaders plan to declare Europe is our common future during a meeting in Rome next week to mark 60 years of the bloc.

Juncker said Britain would need to get used to being treated as a non-member.

Half memberships and cherry-picking arent possible. In Europe you eat whats on the table or you dont sit at the table, he added.

Juncker said more countries would join the EU in future, although not during his time in office, which runs until 2019, because none of the candidates fulfils the conditions yet.
Chuck Berry, who duck-walked his way into the pantheon of rock n roll pioneers as one of its most influential guitarists and lyricists, creating raucous anthems that defined the genres sound and heartbeat, died on Saturday at his Missouri home. He was 90.

Here are six facts about Berry:

1) Before music, Berry worked as a carpenter, a freelance photographer, auto plant janitor and hairdresser.

Rock and roll legend Chuck Berry performing at a concert held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on March 28, 2008. (AFP File)

2) Despite writing several rock n roll classics, Berrys only No. 1 song was 1972s My Ding-a-Ling, a live recording of a novelty song he had written years earlier. Many radio stations refused to play it because of its bawdy nature.

3) Berrys trouble with the law started early. A teenage Berry ended up in reform school for armed robbery.

Bruce Springsteen and Chuck Berry perform "Johnny B. Good" to open The Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on September 2, 1995 at Cleveland Stadium. (REUTERS FILE)

He went to prison in 1962 for violating the Mann Act (transporting a minor across state lines for immoral purposes) after a teenage girl, who he met in Texas and hired to work in his St. Louis nightclub, was arrested for prostitution.

In the 1970s, he went back to prison for tax evasion. Several women filed suits in 1990 claiming Berry had secretly videotaped them in bathrooms of his restaurants.

Chuck Berry performs during a concert celebration for his 60th birthday at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis on October 17, 1986 (AP File)

4) In 1972, Berry told Rolling Stone that his anthemic Johnnie B. Goode originally had a line saying that little colored boy could play but he changed it to country boy in order to get it on the radio. The song was partly autobiographical.

Chuck Berry performs his "duck walk" as he plays his guitar on stage on April 4, 1980. (AP File)

5) Berrys 60th birthday concert, featured in the documentary Hail! Hail! Rock n Roll, was filmed in 1986 at the Fox Theatre. The same St. Louis theatre had turned away Berry for racist reasons in his childhood when his father took him there to see the movie A Tale of Two Cities.

6) An 8-foot bronze statue of Berry was unveiled near St. Louis in 2011, despite protests that it was inappropriate because of Berrys criminal record.
Donald Trumps spokesman has denied that the US president refused to shake hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they say side-by-side in the White House last week.

I dont think he heard the question posed by Merkel when she suggested they shake hands, in full view of press cameras, spokesman Sean Spicer told German weekly Der Spiegel published on Sunday.

The quote was translated into English from Der Spiegels online German website.

The veteran German chancellor had arrived for her first meeting with Trump at a snowy White House hoping to reverse a chill in relations after Trumps incendiary election rhetoric, in which he called Merkels acceptance of refugees a catastrophic mistake and suggested she was ruining Germany.

The visit on Friday began cordially, with the pair shaking hands at the entrance of the White House. But later, sitting side-by-side in the Oval Office, Merkels suggestion of another handshake went unheard or ignored by Trump -- an awkward moment in what are usually highly scripted occasions.

German media pointed to the incident as another marker of the meetings general icy mood between the cautious German chancellor and impulsive US president.

In a frequently awkward joint press conference in the East Room, Trump and Merkel showed little common ground as they addressed a host of thorny issues including NATO, defence spending and free trade deals.

For most of the 30 minutes, Merkel was stony-faced as Trump ripped into Washingtons NATO allies for not paying for their fair share for transatlantic defence and demanded fair and reciprocal trade deals.

On Sunday, Germanys biggest-selling daily Bild said that throughout the White House meeting, not once did Trump look her in the eye.
Some 30,000 pro-Kurdish demonstrators rallied in the German city of Frankfurt on Saturday calling for democracy in Turkey and urging a no vote in an upcoming referendum on expanding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans powers.

Turkey angrily denounced the demonstration as unacceptable. Many demonstrators carried symbols of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has battled the Turkish state for over three decades in a continuing insurgency.

Tensions are already running high between Berlin and Ankara after German authorities refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign in the country for a yes vote in the April 16 referendum that would hand Erdogan an executive presidency.

Significantly more people turned up than organisers had been expecting for the rally, which took place ahead of the annual Newroz festival when Kurds mark the traditional New Year.

Saturdays protest march in Frankfurt went off peacefully, a police spokesman said.

Some of the participants carried flags and banners of the outlawed PKK, as well as portraits of the groups jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is serving a life sentence in Turkey, calling for his release.

Police said no banners or flags were confiscated so as to not provoke the crowd, but added that photos had been taken which could lead to future prosecutions.

Erdogans spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said in a statement that the presidency condemned in the strongest terms the fact that the rally had been allowed to go ahead.

It is unacceptable to see PKK symbols and slogans... when Turkish ministers and lawmakers are being prevented from meeting their own citizens, he said.

He said the scandal of the Frankfurt demonstration showed that some EU countries were actively working in favour of a no vote in the critical referendum.

We once again remind European countries: on April 16 the decision is to be made by the (Turkish nation), not Europe.

More than 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK launched its insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984.

The group is listed as a terror organisation not just by Turkey but also the European Union and the United States.

The Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement that Germanys toleration of a rally with symbols of a group that it itself regards as a terror outfit was the worst example of double standards.

Erdogan on Monday accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of supporting terrorists, in a spiralling diplomatic row.

Turkey has long accused Germany of providing refuge to Kurdish and other militants.

A Merkel spokesman described Erdogans jibe as clearly absurd.

Erdogan has also accused Germany of Nazi practices for blocking his ministers from speaking to Turkish voters resident in Germany.

Germany is home to the largest Turkish diaspora in the world, many of whom are of Kurdish origin.
Half Moon Bay, CA (94019)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to occasional showers during the afternoon. Thunder possible. High 56F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Thunder possible. Low 47F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch.
Drake has become the very first artist to earn 10 billion streams on Spotify. Much of that figure can be attributed to the Toronto rappers 4th studio album VIEWS, which has achieved over 2 billion streams on its own, according to Forbes. One Dance, which became Drizzys very first Hot 100 no. 1 last year, has over 1 billion plays to its name.



The Forbes article predicts that another artist will hit the 10 billion milestone in a matter of time, though Drake is expected to be in the 15 or even 20 billion-stream range by then.



This news comes shortly before Drake will release his new project (which he has billed as a playlist) More Life. The project is expected to be released on all major streaming services simultaneously, rather than exclusively on Apple Music, as the rapper has done in the past. In other words, Drizzy should be putting some big numbers up on Spotify as early as this evening.



Drake revealed a new tattoo inspired by More Life early Saturday. OVO Sound Radio will begin at 6 PM EST Sunday night. More Life is expected to be premiered on the show.

Drake
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As many as a half-million Texans could become uninsured under the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, wiping out at least half the gains the state has made in reducing the number of uninsured residents in recent years, according to health care analysts.

Texas still has the nation's highest percentage of people without health insurance, but that uninsured rate has dropped significantly, falling to about 19 percent from 26 percent over the past four years. About 1 million more Texans gained coverage under the health care overhaul known as Obamacare, which became law in 2010.

Under the Republican plan to repeal and replace the health care law, 500,000 could lose coverage by 2020, either through changes in federal assistance to purchase coverage and Medicaid, the government health care program for the poor, or the end of individual mandates that require people to have insurance, said Ken Janda, president and CEO of Community Health Choice whose company offers insurance plans on the federal exchanges.

Analysts such as Vivian Ho, health economist at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, advocates like Elena Marks, CEO of Houston's Episcopal Health Foundation, and insurers, such as Molina Healthcare, confirmed Janda's estimates.

"Certainly, Texas is going to have more uninsured people again," Janda said. "I don't see much positive coming out of Congress."

House Republicans unveiled their long anticipated replacement plan, The American Health Care Act, on March 6 satisfying seven years of promises to do away with Obamacare. But the replacement plan met with swift and sharp criticism. Some, including insurers and health care advocates, worry it would leave too many Americans without coverage. Others, mostly conservatives, say it doesn't go far enough in removing government from insurance markets and individual decisions.

Early last week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released its analysis of the Republican proposal, estimating that it would slice $337 billion from the federal deficit by 2026, but increase the number of uninsured Americans by 24 million during the period. An estimated 14 million would lose coverage by next year alone.

The Trump administration slammed the CBO findings as unreliable, but some Republicans found things to like about the estimates. Rep. Kevin Brady, The Woodlands Republican and one of the chief architects of the plan, said in a statement shortly after the CBO released its report that it "confirmed our legislation protects taxpayers, decreasing ballooning deficits by more than $300 billion and curbing growing health care costs."

But when asked Friday if he also agreed with the CBO's prediction of a spike in the uninsured rate, Brady said there were too many unknown factors to make such conclusions. "These are incredibly difficult estimates," he said in a meeting with the Houston Chronicle's editorial board.

'Fall off the edge'

In addition to having the nation's highest uninsured rate, Texas also has the least accessible and affordable health care system, according to a study released last week by the Commonwealth Fund, a foundation that researches health care issues.

The Obamacare replacement proposed by House Republicans would benefit some Texans, but hit others hard, especially the poor and those nearing retirement - typically a time when people need health care more often.

One of the major provisions is swapping the current income-based subsidies for a tax credit based on age in the individual market, excluding those making more than $75,000 and couples earning more than $150,000.

People under 30 get a tax credit of $2,000, while those in their 30s would receive $2,500. The tax credit would rise to $3,000 at 40, $3,500 at 50 and $4,000 at 60.

Some people would clearly benefit. For example, a 27-year-old in Harris County making $40,000 a year gets no subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, but would get a $2,000 credit under the Republican plan, according to calculations by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

But many others don't come out as well.

For instance, a 60-year-old in Harris County making $30,000 per year would get roughly $6,180 in assistance in 2020 under the Affordable Care Act, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Under the Republican plan that same person would get a flat tax credit of $4,000, the analysis showed.

In addition, the Republican health bill allows insurers to charge five times more for older people that it does for younger ones. Under the Affordable Care Act, insurers can charge no more than three times the premiums of younger people. "It's a double hit for the lower income, older folks," said Janda.

Other age groups are worried, too.

Meredith Ryan is 46. She makes about $21,000 a year as a paralegal. She also has Type I Diabetes.

For many years the Kingwood woman was uninsured, scraping together money to treat her disease out of pocket. She became insured under the ACA in 2013.

Currently she has a silver plan offered by Community Health Choice and pays $103.42 per month. She gets a $281 per month subsidy to lower the cost. The total price of her plan is $3,372 per year.

Under the Republican plan she would receive a $3,000 tax credit, nearly enough to cover her insurance costs, but she worries about increased deductibles or other out-of-pocket costs in a future plan. She is especially wary that the Republican proposal might allow insurers to impose steep rate increases on people, like her, with pre-existing or chronic conditions.

"I can barely afford rent," she said, "If it is too expensive I fall off the edge and who knows where I'll land."

Food ... or medicine?

Another key provision in the Republican plan  one that critics of the ACA have clamored for  is the elimination of the individual and employer mandates that make insurance for most Americans mandatory or face a fine.

Proponents of the plan said that by eliminating the mandate they are giving people more freedom, including the freedom to not have insurance. The law replaces the mandate with a 30 percent surcharge to restart coverage if a policy lapses.

One of the problems is that young, healthy people are the most likely to forgo insurance, leaving a pool of older, sicker people who use health services more frequently and leading to higher costs for those who buy insurance and higher risks for companies that issue it.

Dr. Mario Molina, CEO of the California-based Molina Healthcare, a Fortune 500 company, said in an interview he cannot yet commit that his company will be in the Texas market next year on the exchange because of the uncertainty that currently exists surrounding the promise to repeal and replace the ACA. Currently his company is one of only three insurers who offer ACA coverage in Houston.

"I am very nervous," he said. "There is little that Congress has done so far that indicates the insurance market will be stable."

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, which offers plans on the exchange in every Texas county, including Harris, also expressed concerns about the uncertainty of federal health care policy.

"It's imperative that we have market stability and regulatory certainty," the company said in an emailed statement. "We will make decisions about our product offerings for 2018 once we have more information about any legislative or regulatory changes that will be made impacting the individual health insurance markets.

Health care providers, meanwhile, worry what will happen if hundreds of thousands of Texas residents lose insurance. Katy Caldwell, executive director of Houston's Legacy Community Health, which serves many low-income patients, said fewer insured patients will mean longer wait times as clinic staff become overwhelmed. But a jump in the uninsured rate would create more than inconvenience, she said.

"The thing that really concerns me is people foregoing their medication. I hear it all the time now: 'I have to choose between food and my medicine' or 'I cut my pill in half because I can make a 30-day supply last 60 days,'" Caldwell said. "This has every potential to get worse."
When a panel of experts on Houston development were asked to identify the region's biggest infrastructure needs, a majority pinpointed drainage.

The panelists gathered Monday at an Omni Hotel for "A Celebration of West Houston" and a roundtable on development in the region hosted by David Wolff, president of Houston-based Wolff Cos.

Three of the five men on stage picked drainage as a prime challenge, still freshly recalling the back-to-back deluges of 2015 and 2016 that dealt millions of dollars in damage to Houston real estate.

"Houston is just flat, so water doesn't move very fast. That's a big issue," said Larry Johnson, president of Johnson Development Corp.

He highlighted a need for "off-site detention," large ponds that serve as shared drainage facilities for regional development. They differ from on-site detention - smaller ponds installed by developers for each specific project.

Local flood authorities have also identified a need for large regional detention ponds, but say they are held back by the prohibitive cost of buying out already-developed land.

The Energy Corridor District

"It's a countywide issue," former Harris County judge and former state senator Jon Lindsay said. "The Flood Control District does not have enough funding to do what they need to do."

Wolff, the moderator, pointed out that the district uses much of its funding to maintain existing infrastructure, leaving little for new projects. The tax-funded district spends about $60 million per year on capital improvements, but has estimated that a full upgrade of the county drainage system would cost about $25 billion.

The question arises: How to pay?

"Developers can't pay for it," Johnson said.

Panelist William Burge, president of the Ayshire Corp. and chairman of the Grand Parkway Association, said developers will have to chip in for drainage projects or build their own and prorate the costs into their projects.

"I think that's the natural thing to do," he said.

Two other panelists, Trammel Crow CEO Matt Khourie and Sewell Automotive chairman Carl Sewell, named public schools as a top challenge for Houston growth.

"Wherever you have great school districts," Sewell said, "you have great development."
Houston has the highest office vacancy rate in the nation, pushing the metro area lower in a ranking of 46 major markets based on forward-looking economic factors, a new report showed.

Houston's office vacancy, projected to reach 21.5 percent in 2017, contributed to a drop of eight spots to No. 31 in Marcus & Millichap's 2017 National Office Property Index. In 2014, local office vacancy stood at 16.3 percent.

Nationally, the vacancy rate is forecast to be 14.3 percent in 2017.

The index ranks the markets based on 2017 projections on employment growth, vacancy levels, construction deliveries and rents.

The top five office markets are San Jose Calif., Seattle-Tacoma, San Francisco, Portland, Ore., and Boston.

Other Texas cities also moved down in the ranking, although only slightly for Austin and San Antonio.

Austin, with a tight vacancy rate of 11.3 percent and an increase in office completions in recent years, ranked No. 7, down from No. 6 last year.

Dallas/Fort Worth, one of the nation's strongest markets, with projected demand of 6.2 million square feet in 2017, moved to No. 22 from No. 17 last year as supply increased. Developers finished 5.2 million square feet of office space in 2016, and are projected to add another 7.8 million this year. Dallas has the second highest vacancy rate of 18.6 percent.

San Antonio fell one position to No. 25.

Houston ranked fourth for the amount of office completions projected in 2017, behind San Jose, Dallas and Seattle.

Other Houston highlights:

Employment is projected to grow by 19,500, or 0.6 percent, in 2017.

Developers are projected to add 3.7 million square feet in 2017, down from 5.1 million in 2016, and 9.8 million in 2015.

Average asking rent will increase 1 percent to $29.17 per square foot per year.

Net absorption is projected to total negative 290,000 square feet in 2017, an improvement from the negative 3.3 million square feet in 2016. Its recent peak hit 7.4 million square feet in 2014.
Building 8 workers

The all-star roster of tech veterans that Facebook began assembling one year ago is quietly making progress, steadily expanding the size of its ranks and the hardware prototypes under development.

The group, known as Building 8, currently has four simultaneous projects underway, spanning everything from cameras and augmented reality to science fiction-like brain scanning technology, Business Insider has learned.

And Facebook is already thinking about the coming-out party for its impending family of gadgets, laying the groundwork to drum up interest and sell the products when the time is right. Building 8 has yet to unveil any of its products, but people familiar with the matter said the hardware group is expected to play a key role in Facebooks developer conference next month, where CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave his 10-year vision for the company last year.



To be part of this next wave, theyve got to get real and hurry

The move to hardware is an ambitious and risky adventure for Facebook, which reigns as an internet superpower thanks to its nearly 2 billion users. With virtually no experience in the world of hardware, Facebook is taking on deep-pocketed competitors like Apple, Google and upstarts such as Snap, in a cut-throat business defined by thin profit margins and complex logistics.

And Facebook doesn't appear to be treating Building 8 like a hobby.

An analysis of Building 8s recent hires and job listings by Business Insider, as well as conversations with people close to the company, shows an ambitious effort to create and sell millions of consumer hardware units, from a supply chain outpost in Hong Kong to a planned retail push and customer call center operation.

Facebook declined to comment for this story.

Cardiologists and prosthetics

Regina Dugan

One of the current Building 8 projects involves cameras and augmented reality, according to people familiar with the matter, and recent hires point to the development of a drone.

Story continues

Another project involves brain-scanning technology and is lead by a former John Hopkins neuroscientist who helped develop a mind-controlled prosthetic arm. Yet another project could have medical applications, as its led by an interventional cardiologist from Stanford with expertise in early-stage medical device development. The group is also planning to jumpstart a fifth unspecified project, and is currently looking for the right person to lead it.

Overseeing everything is Regina Dugan, the former DARPA executive who Facebook CEO Zuckerberg poached from Googles advanced projects division last April.

Building 8 is structured similarly to Google's Advanced Technology and Projects Group, or ATAP, and is also similar to X, the moonshot lab where Google's self-driving cars were born.

At Building 8, technical project leads are treated like mini-CEOs and given two-year deadlines to prove a concept that will either be shipped and sold or spun out into a different part of Facebook, which also owns Oculus VR, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

"He's going to help us make things fly"

Frank Dellaert Building 8

The first such deadline is about a year away, coming up in the summer of 2018. Frank Dellaert, a robotics and computer vision expert, is leading that project.

His involvement could suggest that Facebook is looking at making a consumer drone, something which Snapchat maker Snap Inc. has also looked into.

Before he joined Facebook last summer, Dellaert was the chief scientist at Skydio, a small startup that is working on an unreleased drone that can autonomously track a person while navigating through physical space. Dellaert also served as a professor at Georgia Tech and has shown specific interest in quadcopters, according to a person familiar with his work.

Additionally, Skydios former head of hardware, Stephen McClure, joined Facebook to be Building 8s head of hardware in January, according to his LinkedIn profile. A handful of former GoPro employees have also joined Building 8 in recent months, including a founding member of the drone makers industrial design team.

In a separate Facebook post announcing his hire, Building 8 chief Regina Dugan hinted at Dellaerts aerial ambitions. Hes going to help us make things fly when hes not guarding the door, she wrote.

facebook aquila

Workers from other parts of Facebook have also been pulled in to staff Building 8. One engineer who joined last year named Alex Granieri previously worked on Aquila, Facebooks high-altitude drone designed to beam internet connectivity to the developing world.

In an August 2016 post announcing his decision to join Building 8, Frank Dellaert signaled that his Building 8 project would be over by the summer of 2018, when he planned to return and teach at Georgia Tech.

I cant yet discuss the details of what Ill be working on at Building 8, so stay tuned, he wrote. Suffice it to say, I accepted this position because of the potential impact. I'm eager to apply DARPA-style development to building hardware products at Facebook  audacious science and product development in one place? Lets do it.

Disruptive shopping experiences

12983910_10102777875412201_1824114153464567549_o

While Building 8 is only less than a year old, the group is already ramping up plans to release its products into the wild, with multiple open go-to-market, retail, supply chain, and customer experience job positions listed on its website.

An open retail manager position says the job will have the responsibility of creating disruptive ground up shopping experiences of Facebook consumer hardware, and another open partnerships lead position says the person will build an engaging and successful 3 year partnership strategy for Building 8 retail.

The listings also indicate that Facebook plans to leverage outside partnerships to sell its products. One responsibility for the partnerships lead position is to identify unique and inspiring collaborations that will drive innovation, impact social good, and inspire consumer loyalty and trust.

Shipping and selling consumer hardware to millions of people represents a new challenge for Facebook, which to date has only tried smaller-scale retail pushes for its expensive Oculus VR headset.

Facebooks early efforts with Building 8 are an indication that the company wants to be a serious player in augmented reality, which is considered to be the next frontier of technology, according to Loup Ventures partner Gene Munster.

They realize to be part of this next wave, theyve got to get real and hurry, said Munster, who was previously known for his coverage of Apple as a Piper Jaffray analyst.

Munster, whose firm closely follows augmented and virtual reality companies, foresees Facebook wanting to ship at least 20 million units per year to be considered a successful consumer hardware company. Even then, he predicts that competition from the likes of larger companies like Apple and smaller incumbents like Snap Inc. will be strong.

google glass

Its a sign that they want to be more impactful and have a seat at the table, he said of Facebooks hardware efforts with Building 8. I think its the right thing to do, but Im hesitant to say it will be a success.

Still, Building 8 is continuing to make hires from well-known hardware companies. The majority of Building 8s senior leadership previously worked with Dugan at Googles advanced technologies division, including the leadership team responsible for the shuttered Project Ara modular smartphone.

Interestingly, Dugan has made a couple of Facebook posts in recent weeks that hint at what shes focusing on within Building 8.

In a post from February, she cited a statistic that 93% of face-to-face time between parents and their children is done by the time kids graduate high school.

Most people experience this fact like a kick in the gut, she wrote. Because it is a profound reminder of the power of connections. And that we can do more to increase our sense of presence beyond the remaining 7%. Im optimistic that technology can help... it will require new advances. Including hardware advances. That are social first.

In a March post, Dugan wrote, Smartphones have the power to connect us to people far away from us. Too often, at the expense of the people sitting right next to us. We shouldnt have to choose.

Do you know more about what's going on in Building 8? Contact the author securely (and discreetly) via aheath@businessinsider, Twitter direct message, or "alexeheath" on Telegram.

NOW WATCH: Airbus just revealed a wild concept car that can be airlifted by a drone





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Dominic Clay was prepared to be on the defensive when the exhibition "i found god in myself" opened at the Houston Museum of African American Culture.

Timed to coincide with Women's History Month, the show features artworks based on choreopoems (monologues performed with dance and music) from Ntozake Shange's "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf." A once-radical anthem for black sisterhood, Shange's 1970's performance piece-turned-Broadway hit contains the stories of seven women who navigate sexism, racism and mental and physical abuse.

It still reads as culturally aggressive, with a raw anger directed as much at black men as at whites.

Clay, the museum's assistant curator, is 31, heterosexual and black, and the show made his male-bashing alarm go off.

He previously knew Shange's writing mostly through Tyler Perry's 2010 flashy film adaptation, "For Colored Girls." The exhibition gave him a different perspective.

"I think it's a complete reflection of today," Clay said. "It's about experiences  and trying to understand other peoples' identity."

The show debuted at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 2014, then traveled to the African American Museum in Philadelphia. HMAAC is presenting a condensed version.

The curator, Souleo, is a New York LGBTQ activist who grew up in a strict, religious household where homosexuality was taboo. He experienced a revelation through Shange's work - thus the show's title, which is taken from a line of the play.

More Information "i found god in myself: a celebration of Dr. Ntozake Shange's for colored girls" When: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursdays, through April 15. Staged reading of "for colored girls" 7 p.m. Thursday; Urban Souls Dance Company performs 7 p.m. March 31 Where: Houston Museum of African American Culture, 4807 Caroline Info: Free; 713-526-1015, hmaac.org See More Collapse

The same lines also inspired Amber Robles-Gordon's vividly realized "My Rainbow Is Enuf." Consuming much of a wall with fringed layers of fabric on chicken wire, it neatly expresses the emotional states and personalities of Shange's characters - whose names are color-based (lady in red, lady in brown, and so on) - within a single body, as it were.

Beau McCall's jaunty "darkmuskoilegyptiancrystals&floridawater/redpotionno.1" commands the center of the room. He has covered a vintage claw-footed bathtub in shiny buttons that are mostly red, except for lighter colored buttons that create the shape of a skinny, reclining woman who represents lady in red.

Kimberly Mayhorn, the Houston-born artist among this nationally known group, draws on Shange's lady in brown. Her minimalist installation "Half-notes Scattered" elegantly evokes black lines on a musical score with thin strips of wood, small framed objects and a silky black gown.

You can't escape the voices emanating from the three small video screens of Dianne Smith's "STUFF," based on the lady in green choreopoem "somebody almost walked off wid alla my stuff." Smith twists brown craft paper into ropelike forms to create a dense field around the screens. The material resembles braided hair, with two strips of colorful printed textiles that dangle like ribbons in the center.

The poem is about a breakup, but in a larger sense, it's also about "what causes someone to take your stuff in a relationship," Clay suggested. "That's really all divorce is about, right? You're trying to keep your belongings and keepsakes that mean something to you. She's talking about emotional abuse, verbal abuse, physical abuse - just all the things that revolve around it getting to a point where someone is taking your stuff."

In Smith's signature material, Clay also sees a reference to self-inflicted racism. The practice of "brown bagging" was once common at some black social clubs, where only those whose skin was no darker than brown bags could gain entry, he said.

Clay's favorite piece, however, is Michael Paul Britto's "A Night With Beau Willie Brown," because it contains a dramatic narrative. The piece contains several rows of used liquor bottles on two shelves. Dye-cut vinyl characters appear on each bottle, like a storyboard for one of Shange's most devastating choreopoems. The character Beau Willie, a war veteran with mental health issues who turns alcoholic and abusive, drops his two children out of a fifth-floor window as his victimized wife watches.

It could have happened yesterday. Or might be happening today.

All the excellent works of "i found god in myself" remind viewers that we need Shange now, as much as ever.

Clay knows his generation still has a lot to learn from other black thinkers of the late 20th century, too - including figures such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Lorraine Hansberry, Amiri Baraka, Gwendolyn Brooks and Nikki Giovanni. Some of them are just discovering James Baldwin, thanks to the recent film "I am Not Your Negro."

"On this quest to try to find our identity and our place in the world, we run into these ambiguous figures behind the cloak," he said. "I love seeing peoples' faces light up when they realize it's about more than civil rights or slavery, when it goes deeper and gets more dense intellectuality."
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"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to your club, El Paradise," says the announcer at the beginning of the latest album by Los Amigos Invisibles, a legendary Venezuelan alternative band.

What follows on the album El Paradise are 11 danceable new tracks, disco sparked with Latin orchestrations a la Fania All-Starts, with a little funk here and there. It's splendid party music.

The band introduced some of the new tracks at the Casa Ruido Official SXSW Showcase in Austin this week and will come to Houston later this year, at a date yet to be announced.

In its 25 years, Los Amigos Invisibles have won a Latin Grammy and several American Grammy nominations.

El Paradise is their first original album in four years and the first since two of the group's six founders departed in 2014.

"We think this album is more solid" than previous ones, says bass player and songwriter Jose Rafael Torres, best known as "Catire" (Blond).

Torres explains that the 11 songs in the album were the best from 28 demos produced by the current four members and remaining founders. They are, beside him, Julio Briceno (vocalist), Mauricio Arcas (percussionist) and Juan Manuel Roura (drums).

"This time 100 percent of the pieces are songs," says Torres. "We didn't include jamming."

The high-concept album attempts to make listeners feel as if they are actually partying in a nightclub. Between some tracks, a master of ceremonies speaks.

The band is promoting the single "Aqui nadie esta sano" ("Nobody is sane here") played with the Argentinean band Los Autenticos Decadentes. It's an elegant fusion of disco and ska.

"Many people are going to identify with this track," says Torres.

"The moral of the story is that everybody needs an escape mechanism, says Torres. Nobody escapes from addiction, say the lyrics: "Ni el presidente, ni la policia, ni tu tia... o El Paradise." ("Not the president, not the police, not your aunt...")

Venezuelan salsa master Oscar de Leon makes a suprising guest appearance, joining the band to play not salsa but bossa nova. Other guests include the Mexican alternative group Kinky and the Miami-based Elastic Bond.

Olivia.Tallet@chron.com

Twitter: @oliviaptallet
AUSTIN - Gov. Greg Abbott, who challenged lawmakers earlier this year to "do it right or don't do it at all" in funding his signature pre-K program, is finding they are choosing the latter.

In revising their budgets, both the Senate and House eliminated proposed funding for Abbott's initiative - the Senate doing so on Wednesday night as it worked to finalize its version of the state's two-year budget.

That prompted an irritated Abbott to make an impromptu face-to-face plea with the Senate's chief budget writer, Jane Nelson, leading to an abrupt shift by her committee the following morning to restore less than half the funding.

The state is currently spending $118 million for the governor's high-quality pre-K program in the 2016-17 school year, an amount that Abbott wants doubled for the two-year budget that starts Sept. 1. After initially including $150 million in the proposed biennial budget, senators cut funding for the program Wednesday night. After the chairwoman's visit from the governor, the panel reversed course and budgeted $65 million for the program, leaving no money for additional forms of pre-K spending.

Several senators confirmed the meeting and said Abbott was incensed that the Senate had cut funding for his pet pre-K program, the state's business-development Enterprise Fund, a university research initiative and the film incentives fund.

In all, senators said they were directed to restore about $190 million in funding for those programs at the urging of Abbott.

Abbott rarely involved

While it is not uncommon for governors to visit with lawmakers during a legislative session, those meetings most often take place in the governor's office on the second floor of the Capitol - and not after hours in a lawmaker's office. In addition, the Wednesday night visit was the talk of the Texas Capitol on Thursday because of its surprise nature - and because Abbott so far in the session has been noted more for his absence on legislative issues than for his involvement.

He has withheld taking sides on several major issues, the most noticeable being the controversial "bathroom bill" that has made national headlines and pitted Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has tagged the measure a top priority, against House Speaker Joe Straus, who has played down its importance.

Abbott aides have explained his lack of involvement by saying he prefers to let lawmakers work through issues, and that he will decide where he stands after he gets a final version of the bill that he can either veto or sign into law. In a December meeting with reporters, the governor questioned whether existing laws already address any bathroom issues.

While senators on Friday confirmed the restoration of funding to several Abbott initiatives after his meeting with Nelson, Abbott press secretary John Wittman would not discuss details of the meeting.

But he said, "It's incomprehensible that the Senate is jeopardizing the future of Texas students by depriving them of high quality pre-K, instead forcing them into an unaccountable program."

A clear message

A champion of what he calls "high quality pre-K," Abbott wanted lawmakers to pump $236 million into a grant program he devised in the 2015 legislative session. That year, lawmakers cut funding in half, leaving the program with $118 million for the 2016-17 school year alone.

Abbott's program requires school districts and charter schools to apply for additional pre-K money, which this school year totaled $734 for each of about 190,000 children, or 86 percent of the state's preschoolers.

In return, districts accepting the money agreed to elevate pre-K standards, such as higher teacher qualifications, reporting student progress back to the state, a family engagement plan and other conditions.

Abbott still wants it fully funded, but neither the House nor the Senate is following suit.

The House originally budgeted $118 million for the 2017-18 school year, but later decided to cut funding altogether and move the money to a supplemental fund that would allow the Texas Education Agency to spread the money throughout the state without strings attached.

As for the Senate, Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said there's an appetite to shift away from a dedicated high-quality pre-K program and instead require all such programs to adhere to high-quality standards.

"I think we're to the point where we can basically go forward with taking the standards from what was the high quality and basically putting that into the entire pre-K system in the state. People should be able to meet those standards, otherwise, why do it?" asked Bettencourt.

Abbott made it clear at his State of the State address in January that lawmakers' approach to pre-K should be, "do it right or don't do it at all."

"I'm just dumbfounded and proud that pre-K has become part of the grand bargain. We have arrived," said Jason Sabo, a longtime education and social issues lobbyist who pointed out that early education had been a touchy subject for years until Abbott made it a priority.

Tuition, reform next up

Advocates for the governor's pre-K initiative contend the program is the best way to divvy up money to ensure the funds are spent on high-quality programs, but say the spending is only worth it if the state can spend more money per student.

"After making a commitment to improving pre-K quality during the last legislative sessions, we're concerned that legislators are now turning their backs on that commitment," said Stephanie Rubin, CEO of Texans Care for Children, a proponent for early education. "There is still time for legislators to make changes, although the clock is definitely ticking. Children who need an effective pre-K program to help them start kindergarten on grade level are counting on legislators to get this right."

With the legislative session roughly halfway over, the two chambers and the governor's office appear to have differing priorities on several issues that appear to be generating friction.

In January, Abbott identified four "emergency" issues on which he requested swift legislative action: A ban on sanctuary cities, ethics reform, an overhaul of Child Protective Services programs and Texas' support for a Convention of States to consider revisions to the U.S. Constitution.

By the end of the first 60 days, the Senate had approved all four. The House has only approved the CPS reforms, with the other three now languishing in House committees awaiting major revisions.

Next week, a Senate committee is expected to debate a bill giving public-school students tuition to attend private schools. Last week, senators passed and sent to the House the "bathroom bill" that bans transgender people from using the bathroom that corresponds to their chosen gender.

In the House, the focus appears to be on debating school-finance reform - but not school choice - in a committee next week. Abbott has said he supports school choice, putting him at odds with the House.
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These days, Kylie Mugleston spends a lot of time on street corners, piquing drivers' curiosity with a sign that says "Talk to Your Future Politician."

The 19-year-old is heading a political campaign in her hometown of Vidor, northeast of Beaumont. A young independent in a mostly conservative area, the freshman at Lamar University has surprised the small city's residents with her plans to run for mayor in 2019.

"I've always wanted to be in office," she said, touting her nonpartisan approach as a political strength. "I like to solve things problem-by-problem."

Mugleston was one of more than 100 millennials who gathered at Rice University on Saturday for an introductory course on how to run for office at an especially divisive time in politics. It offered those with little or no political experience a guide to organizing campaigns and chairing a county precinct for both major parties.

Houston Millennials, a nonpartisan nonprofit, organized the event, which was held for the first time. Ivan Sanchez, the group's president, said he received overwhelming response to the idea and plans to offer similar courses in the future.

"I had no idea what I was creating," he said.

National politics influenced much of Saturday's conversation. Several speakers alluded to some of the Trump administration's most controversial positions. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat, encouraged young voters and office-seekers to remain vigilant in demanding accountability and transparency.

"You are thinkers, you are diverse and you are powerful," she said.

Several millennials with experience campaigning took a broader approach, emphasizing the importance of expanding political representation by young people in all levels of government. They urged the crowd to push back against prejudices related to age or gender that many of them had experienced on the trail.

Angie Hayes, president of Houston's Clinic Access Support Network, expressed her dismay that women make up about half of the U.S. population but account for less than a fifth of the Texas Legislature. She used the event to announce for the first time her candidacy for District 134, which is currently held by Houston's Sarah Davis.

"We have to stand up and run," Hayes said.

Mike Floyd, an 18-year-old high school senior, noted that today's elected officials have the power to shape the lives of young people for decades to come. He is the youngest candidate running for a seat on the Pearland ISD board in the May 6 election.

"We should have a seat at the table because the decisions being made today are going to affect us more," he said.

Germaine Tanner, a local attorney and co-chair of the Houston Leadership Steering Committee, walked the crowd through some of the drier aspects of campaigning, such as mustering the guts to solicit donations, learning the particulars of a political district and determining what it would take to win voters. Annie's List, an organization that supports equality for women in Texas politics, supplied most of the material.

"Get comfortable calling everyone you know to give their time and money," Tanner said.

Mugleston's youth and inexperience have already provoked criticism from Vidor's incumbent mayor and stirred controversy among residents, but she said her skin has gotten thicker since she first considered campaigning. Floyd shook her hand in solidarity, and she left the event encouraged that other millennials were just as interested in challenging the status quo.

"It's great to know there are people trying to close the gap that the older generation is trying to push on us," she said. "We are proving them wrong."
WASHINGTON - Last July, a year after the shooting death of California resident Kate Steinle intensified the national debate over illegal immigration, Houston Republican John Culberson declared a single-handed victory against sanctuary cities like San Francisco.

Employing a stealth budget maneuver as chairman of a House panel that controls Justice Department spending, Culberson announced that jurisdictions like San Francisco - nay the entire state of California - would be denied millions of dollars in law enforcement grants unless they complied with federal law on sanctuary cities.

"Today this law is being fully enforced for the first time," Culberson said at the time. "State and local governments must now choose between receiving federal law enforcement grant money or protecting dangerous criminal aliens. They can no longer do both."

Except that state and federal records tell a much different story.

Officials in California, Connecticut and other jurisdictions in Culberson's cross-hairs say nothing has changed. Though Culberson claims to be "judge and jury" in the matter, government briefs filed in recent lawsuits challenging President Donald Trump's threatened funding cuts for sanctuary cities also show that officials have yet to take action - and likely face lengthy litigation if they do.

The 10 cities and states targeted by Culberson - including New York City, Chicago and the state of Connecticut - continued to get law enforcement grants worth a total of $96 million in late 2016, even though Culberson says the Justice Department had "certified" them as sanctuary city violators last July.

No Texas cities are on the list, although Culberson has said that Travis County is a sanctuary.

Officials from two of the largest jurisdictions that were implicated - California and Connecticut - say they wholly comply with all federal laws and fully expect to receive their 2017 allocations.

"San Francisco is eligible to receive federal grants, and we will continue to apply for them," said San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera.

Connecticut officials say the Justice Department asked them to outline their policies, but they received no indication they are cut off or ineligible for grants.

"Nobody's had any grants withheld," said Mike Lawlor, the state's undersecretary for criminal justice policy and planning.

Culberson insists they're wrong and that starting this year, they're "in for a very unpleasant surprise."

"I've already had them certified as violators," Culberson said in an interview last week in which he claimed a "quasi-judicial role as chairman of a subcommittee  using the power of the purse to enforce the law."

Culberson, in his ninth term in Congress, says he has opened a new front in the GOP battle against jurisdictions that don't fully cooperate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, a gambit that he says is now being copied on a wider scale by Trump, who also has threatened to block funding to localities with so-called sanctuary city policies.

"What I've done here is totally novel," Culberson said. "I'm blazing a new trail."

Over the past five years, local and state governments across the nation have received over $3.4 billion in federal law enforcement grants. California got more than $68 million last year. Connecticut got some $2.7 million.

Officials in the targeted states, however, say they foresee no cutoff in government aid from Culberson's move. They note that Trump's January order mandating a review of funding for sanctuary cities specifically exempts grants "deemed necessary for law enforcement purposes."

Privately, some of Culberson's critics see him working to protect his right flank against potential primary rivals looking for a quick victory in a messy standoff over immigration. Various efforts to crack down on deportees and sanctuary cities have been stymied in Congress, including "Kate's Law," which was named after Kate Steinle.

"I've been working on this for years," Culberson said. "But Kate Steinle's murder just pushed me over the edge."

While Republicans have focused on the threat to public safety posed by criminals coming over the border illegally, Democrats see it as counterproductive to turn local police into immigration agents. Immigrants who witness or suffer crimes, they argue, are less likely to call the cops if it might lead to a visit from ICE.

But for Culberson, as for most Texas Republicans, his most pressing political threat does not come from the left. One of his GOP primary opponents last year was Maria Espinoza, co-founder of The Remembrance Project, a nonprofit group that advocates for the families of people killed by immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

She was on hand in Washington when Trump signed his executive order on immigration. She also has been critical of Culberson, accusing him of supporting former President Barack Obama's "executive amnesty" by voting for a 2016 government spending bill that did not cut off funds to sanctuary cities.

'Like the CFO' of Justice'

Culberson's maneuver was rolled out in July with little fanfare, receiving scant attention outside of the conservative press, including Breitbart.com, the alt-right platform of Trump strategist Steve Bannon.

But Culberson recently has started to remind voters that the blueprint for action is his.

"I personally made sure that money is cut off to these sanctuary cities," he told constituents in a March 1 tele-town hall. "I didn't get a lot of publicity about it, because I was concerned that once President Obama heard about it or (U.S. Rep. Nancy) Pelosi of the Democrats, that they'd go down to the floor and start waving their arms and raising Cain."

"I'm like the CFO of the Department of Justice," he continued. "I was able to cut off money to sanctuary cities beginning last summer. So it's done, and now the Trump administration has expanded that policy nationwide."

The disconnect stems in part from different readings of a 1996 law intended to ensure local cooperation with federal immigration agents.

To Culberson, the law bars state and local officials from interfering "in any way" with requests for personal immigration information by federal authorities.

Lawyers for California and Connecticut read the law more narrowly. They say it bars local officials only from restricting "information concerning an individual's citizenship or immigration status."

That's different from enforcing ICE requests to hold immigrants who are subject to deportation, or to notify federal agents about prisoners' release dates - something most sanctuary cities won't do without criminal warrants.

That is the reason San Francisco jailers released Steinle's alleged killer, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, a felon on probation in Texas who had been deported to Mexico five times.

There is no legal definition of "sanctuary city." The Trump administration says it is still working on one as part of its executive order. But localities are typically deemed to be sanctuary jurisdictions when they decline to hold or share information about their prisoners for ICE

That's the standard the Texas Legislature is using this year as it debates legislation pushed by Gov. Greg Abbott to punish sanctuary cities.

Some state officials say that requiring local jailers to hold immigrants beyond their legal release dates not only violates Fourth Amendment search and seizure protections but also the 10th Amendment rights of states against being "commandeered" by federal authorities.

ICE 'should get warrant'

"Here's what's really going on," said Michael Wishnie, who teaches in Yale Law School's Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic. "ICE should stop cutting corners and trying to trick local jails and police into joining in illegal immigration round-ups. If ICE wants local police to arrest someone, the agency should get a judicial warrant, just like the FBI, DEA and any other professional law enforcement agency does."

Wishnie says sanctuary city detention policies don't violate the law. Culberson maintains that his interpretation of the Justice Department policy on sanctuary cities is beyond dispute.

"They're welcome to their opinion, but I'm in charge of the federal treasury," he said. "It's my responsibility to be judge and jury of when and where federal dollars are allocated."

It was in Culberson's role as chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Commerce, Science and Justice that he was able to press then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch last year toassess whether all Justice Department grant recipients complied with the 1996 law - the same law Trump cited in his executive order.

In a behind-the-scenes exchange that Culberson likens to a "chess game," his cudgel was the Justice Department's annual funding requests, which go through his committee.

As part of the review, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz zeroed in on 10 major grant recipients, a group Culberson calls "the Top 10 jurisdictions on the Hit Parade."

The study, first made public in July, found that the 1996 law "does not specifically address restrictions by state and local entities on cooperation with ICE regarding detainers." Horowitz also noted that the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, had determined that civil immigration detainers are "voluntary' - and therefore unenforceable.

Nevertheless, Horowitz concluded that most, if not all, of the 10 jurisdictions in question limited cooperation with ICE in some way. While not necessarily in violation of the 1996 law, Horowitz wrote, "we believe these policies and others like them may be causing local officials to believe and apply the policies in a manner that prohibits or restricts cooperation with ICE in all respects. That, of course, would be inconsistent with and prohibited by" the 1996 law.

For Culberson, the key word was "inconsistent."

Despite the careful language in Horowitz's report, Culberson said the inspector general "made it official" that the 10 jurisdictions violated Justice Department sanctuary city policies, declaring them ineligible for further grants.

"That's enough. Trust me," said Culberson, adding that he received a verbal reassurance from Horowitz. "They were reluctant to use stronger language, so I worked it out with the inspector general," he said.

A spokesman for Horowitz declined comment.

Culberson also relied on a July 7 Justice Department "guidance" clarifying that the 1996 law applies to law enforcement grants. But there was a catch: The memo did not say whether the law specifically required compliance with ICE detainer requests. To the contrary, it noted that the 1996 law imposed no "affirmative obligation" on states and localities to collect information about people's immigration status, nor to "take specific actions upon obtaining such information."

The same day, Culberson was notified about the guidance in a letter from then-Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik. The letter noted, however, that the Office of Justice Programs "already" required prospective grant applicants to certify that they complied with "all applicable" federal laws, which means they were getting money even if they didn't honor ICE detainer requests.

To Culberson, it meant only this: "They weren't enforcing it. They are now."

But a flurry of lawsuits over Trump's immigration order suggests that the matter is far from settled.

No 'concrete' harm

California officials point to the Justice Department's response this month to a preemptive challenge by Santa Clara County, one of several jurisdictions around the nation - including San Francisco - that are contesting Trump's threat to yank their federal funds.

One of the Trump administration's arguments has been that Santa Clara's action is premature because it has not suffered any "concrete" harm, in part because there has been no finding as to who is a sanctuary city and who is not.

That interpretation was reinforced in a Justice Department letter to several members of Congress on March 7 stating that the administration is still "in the process of identifying  what actions, if any, can lawfully be taken in order to encourage state and local jurisdictions to comply with federal law."

Culberson says he's untroubled by the lawsuits.

"Who cares?" he said. "They're going to lose. I'm the one who's going to make the final decisions, along with the president. No judge can compel me to release the money."

"If you want federal money, follow federal law," he added. "Particularly if you're dealing with John Culberson and Donald Trump, who will not give you the money unless you follow federal law. You can take that to the bank."
A friend called while I was feverishly pecking away at this column. Before he let me go, he asked what I was writing about. I told him: Irish American Heritage Month. It set him off.

He described showing up at the office Friday to find an assemblage of coworkers decked in 40 shades of green. As an American with Irish roots, he felt torn. He appreciated the St. Paddy's Day pride, but wondered about celebrating one wave of formerly despised immigrants while some in this country are vilifying and discriminating against those trying to get here now.

"You know, a century ago, there was another group of immigrants that was getting blamed for every damn thing, and that was us," he told me. "Back then, we were the devil. But we were actually the heart and soul."

"I may quote you on that," I told him, realizing he'd just given me my windup.

Let me explain. Despite the red hair, my roots are German. To be honest, I've never felt much of a connection to St. Patrick's Day, and I didn't realize we had an Irish American Heritage Month until this one came around.

This year is different.

There's profound hypocrisy in the Trump administration celebrating the contributions of Irish immigrants as the president pursues a travel ban that keeps out doctors, scientists, students and others because they hail from predominately Muslim countries he views with suspicion. He praises Americans whose ancestors were once considered wretched as he instructs immigration officials to deport otherwise law-abiding husbands and wives, separating them from U.S.-born children, because they lack paperwork our German and Irish ancestors didn't require.

"Yesterday's pariah is today's patriot," as Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole wrote in an op-ed published last week in The New York Times.

The words of visiting Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny last week rose above platitudes and rivers of green beer. In a speech, he noted that St. Patrick, born in Britain, was an immigrant. He asked President Trump to help undocumented Irish living in the United States, reminding us that white immigrants also are here illegally.

And in describing the unimaginable hunger and desperation that drove many Irish here during the Great Hunger in the mid-19th century, he reminded us that even the penniless have promise, if given a chance.

Who's the outsider?

That promise, that chance, are what set this country apart. That's why my ancestors came, and probably yours, too, if they didn't arrive on slave ships. And if a day donning green or a whole month of celebrating all things Irish help us to remember, then sure, I'll drink a pint of Guinness to that.

But here's the problem: some people don't want to remember. Some people don't want to admit how much their ancestors had in common with today's immigrants. Because if we're all foreigners, or descended from foreigners, then who's the outsider? Who's the enemy?

That distinction is vital to those who see the world in black and white.

It makes no real sense in America - a country founded by people from someplace else.

I understand the tendency to think that today's immigrants are somehow different, that they're slower to assimilate, poorer, less loyal, a greater threat to American culture, crime rates and the economy.

But all those claims, and more, were made against the Irish. Some people in the 1840s saw the mass migration of Irish as an elaborate plot by the pope to infiltrate America. They were blamed for spreading disease and for taking jobs of the native-born.

About the only thing the Irish didn't have in common with many of today's immigrants was skin color. And the fact that they were never called "illegal." As a 2014 Boston Globe piece pointed out, that's because the notion didn't exist.

"People are shocked when I say before World War I, there were no green cards, no visas, no quotas, no passports, even. Really, you just showed up. And if you could walk without a limp, and you had $30 in your pocket, you walked right in," Mae Ngai, a legal and political historian at Columbia University, told the Globe.

19th-century sarcasm

As today, a nativist movement took root back then. The secretive, anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic Know-Nothing party got a foothold in some parts, but one northerner, Abraham Lincoln, famously explained in a 1855 letter how their values didn't mesh with America's.

"How can any one who abhors the oppression of Negroes be in favor of degrading classes of white people?" Lincoln wrote. "As a nation we began by declaring 'all men are created equal.' We now practically read it, 'all men are created equal, except Negroes.' When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read 'all men are created equal, except Negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.' "

When it came to that, Lincoln continued, he might prefer to emigrate to a country that made no pretense of loving liberty: "to Russia, for example, where despotism can be taken pure and without the base alloy of hypocrisy."

Gotta love that 19th-century sarcasm.

So, yes, Trump is right to recognize the vast contributions of the Irish in a country where tens of millions have roots. The president is right to note that they were "tilling the farms of Appalachia, working the looms of New England textile mills and building transcontinental railroads."

But he's wrong not to connect the Irish experience with those working comparable jobs today. He's wrong not to emphasize the strength that comes from our diversity.

'Every one of them'

Don't take it from me. Take it from a member of his own administration. His Secretary of Homeland Security, John Kelly, who just last month told an NPR host that "of course" America can still afford to be a multicultural, pluralistic society.

"The strength has been the melting pot," he said. "So I like to think everyone in this country should consider themselves Irish on St. Patrick's Day. Everyone in this country should consider themselves Jewish at Hanukkah. Everyone in this country should consider themselves ..."

"Muslim on Eid?" the host interjected.

"On Eid. Every one of them," Kelly agreed.

Kelly sounded sincere. But it's hard to mesh his words with his duty to carry out Trump's travel ban, among other policies. Acting on an actual security threat is one thing. In the absence of that, a ban on legal residents and visitors, and raids on undocumented immigrants with no criminal records smell of pure discrimination.

The same discrimination we honor the Irish for overcoming. While we're sharing in the pride of that struggle, let's share in the lessons. The lies told about the Irish weren't true, and neither are the ones told about Mexicans or Muslims today.

Someday, we'll realize this. A future president will surely issue a press release recognizing the contributions of Muslim-Americans or perhaps declaring South Asian Heritage Month.

That day will come. But it shouldn't take a century.
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration wants to build a 30-foot-high border wall that is "aesthetically pleasing" from the north side and is difficult to climb or cut through, according to a pair of contract notices posted to a government website further detailing President Donald Trump's promise to build a "big, beautiful wall" at the Mexican border.

Trump's plans to spend billions of dollars on the wall to run the 1,933-mile border with Mexico already has sparked a warning from Senate Democrats about a potential government shutdown, but the administration isn't waiting around for Congress to act.

The notices were made public late Friday by Customs and Border Protection, the Homeland Security Department agency that will oversee the project and eventually patrol the wall.

Initial concepts are due to the government by March 29, and contractors will first be asked to build 10-foot-by-10-foot mockups of their prototypes in San Diego within two weeks of getting a notice to proceed. That's a sign of just how quickly the Trump administration wants to act on one of the Republican's signature campaign promises. A 30-foot prototype is expected within a month.

One of the CBP contract requests calls for a solid concrete wall, while the other asks for proposals for a see-through structure. Both require 25- and 50-foot automated gates for pedestrians and vehicles.

The designs must be able to prevent people from climbing the wall unassisted, include features to prevent scaling via grappling hooks and other climbing aides, and prevent tunneling within 6 feet of the surface.

The proposed wall also must be built in a such a way that it would take at least an hour to cut through it with a "sledgehammer, car jack, pick axe, chisel, battery operated impact tools, battery operated cutting tools, Oxy/acetylene torch or other similar hand-held tools."

And in a Trumpian twist - the New York property magnate did pledge a "big, beautiful wall" - the north-facing side must be "aesthetically pleasing in color, anti-climb texture, etc., to be consistent with general surrounding environment."

This is the latest step in the Trump administration plan to build a border wall. Last month CBP put out a call for "concept papers" to design and build prototypes by March 10.

Trump has bragged in recent days that the wall is ahead of schedule, though it's unclear from the contract notices if any firms have submitted proposals or if any such submissions have been rejected.

Construction estimates have ranged from $12 billion to $21.6 billion.

Trump has long promised that Mexico would pay for the wall, which he has said is necessary to stop the flow of immigrants crossing the border illegally and drug smugglers.

This week the president sent a budget proposal to Congress that included a $2.6 billion down payment for the wall.

"Does that build the whole wall? No. It doesn't. But it gives us a start on the program, and you see some of the wall being built this year," Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney said at the White House press briefing Thursday. "Obviously we increase funding in 2018. But the wall will take longer than two years to build."

This report contains material from Bloomberg.
Every day, we ask 330,000 Texas teachers to be responsible for preparing a diverse group of students and providing the pupils with an academic foundation that will allow them to be successful, productive adults.

During my more than three decades in public education, we often discussed how to best prepare teachers with the skills and knowledge to be successful.

Sadly, our current patchwork system of preparing teachers is not working well enough for aspiring teachers or school districts. Ultimately, our Texas students are paying the price.

Today, anyone who wants to teach in Texas has more than 200 choices of programs to become a certified teacher. Every fall, more than 27,000 new teachers enter Texas classrooms from these different teacher-preparation programs - 46 percent prepared by universities in colleges of education or post-baccalaureate programs and the other 54 percent by one of many alternative-certification programs.

As a state we get an "A" for access and lead the nation in the number of options to become a teacher. But when it comes to quality and transparency, it is a different story.

We hear from principals and school leaders that newly minted teachers often aren't prepared and haven't spent enough time in classrooms training face-to-face with students. Some teachers never get an opportunity to student-teach, and their first encounter with students happens after they've been hired and placed in a school.

Adding to this dilemma is that new teachers are often assigned to the most academically challenging situations and receive minimal mentorship throughout their teaching.

Recent surveys show that new teachers crave better training so they can enter classrooms confident and better equipped to lead, teach and inspire. And happier, more successful teachers are more likely to stay in the classroom longer, thus reducing our significant retention issues.

What can we do about these challenges?

In early 2016, Educate Texas, a nonprofit public-private partnership of the Communities Foundation of Texas, convened the Texas Teacher Preparation Collaborative that focused on improving the preparation, training and support of new teachers in Texas. This diverse and dedicated group included veteran educators of all stripes, including current Texas teachers and principals, deans of colleges of education, and heads of alternative-certification programs.

Over the past year, our group spent hundreds of hours examining national and local best practices for school districts and teacher-preparation programs as well as the policies of our state agencies and the Texas Legislature. We recently issued a report - one of the most comprehensive studies conducted in Texas on teacher preparation - with recommendations on how we can do better. It includes ideas like stronger partnerships between school districts and teacher-preparation programs; better mentoring and mandatory, tiered clinical experiences (like beginning doctors have); improved curriculum for training teachers; and better, more transparent data systems for educators and the public so we know how well or poorly new teachers are being trained.

The State Board for Educator Certification recently strengthened rules related to preparation, a move we applaud.

We also believe all preparation entities should maintain ongoing face-to-face interaction with new teachers during their first years of practice and that data should be more readily available so that programs can make improvements. That is not too much to ask given the important work of teachers. Our future as a state and nation is literally in their hands. Improving teaching excellence is critical.

The recommendations of the Collaborative report are timely, given the growing needs of school districts, the statewide policy debate occurring during the 85th legislative session and the proposed regulatory changes at the Texas Education Agency and the State Board of Education.

We know, that as the legislative session continues, some might oppose higher standards for new teachers and teacher-preparation programs.

But we must ask ourselves: Are we actually preparing teachers to teach the students they will meet in their classrooms? Or, are we just hoping it will be enough?

The dialogue about improving teacher training is not a new one, nor is it one that we should ever stop having because education is ever evolving and needs constant evaluation. The recommendations outlined in the Collaborative's report provide a pathway toward significant improvement. We urge you to reach out to your legislators and talk to your school district leadership in support of these recommendations. Texas children cannot wait.

Nelson is the chair of the Texas Teacher Preparation Collaborative. He is a former Texas commissioner of education, former chair of the Texas Association of School Boards and former superintendent of Richardson Independent School District. Contact him at jnelson@thompsonhorton.com and view the reports at edtx.org
WASHINGTON (AP)  Devin Nunes once said all he wanted to do was work on a dairy farm.

Now the Republican from the rural Central Valley of California is running one of the most scrutinized, complex and politically fraught congressional investigations in recent memory.

As chairman of the House intelligence committee, which holds its first public hearing on Monday, Nunes is at the helm of a probe of Moscow's meddling in the 2016 campaign and the murky web of contacts between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia. It's a potentially sprawling enterprise that spans continents, plumbs spycraft and dominates international headlines.

He's a long way from raising cattle.

"I'm not asking for any profile," Nunes told The Associated Press, when asked about his new place in the spotlight.

Until recently, the soft-spoken 43-year-old  dubbed a "normal dad" by friends  was hardly a fixture on the national news circuit. Now he is holding weekly press briefings and being asked to weigh in on daily twists and unexpected developments. At Monday's hearing he will call FBI Director James Comey as a witness, an event that amounts to must-see television in Washington.

Nunes was not an early Trump backer, but was named to the transition team as an adviser on appointments.

The burden of leading a bipartisan, credible investigation into the integrity of the U.S. campaigns, not to mention the possible role of the new president's campaign associates, is a heavy one not only for him but for many veteran lawmakers.

On the other side of the aisle, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, of Virginia, has said the Senate intelligence committee investigation, which he is co-leading, is probably the most important thing he will do in his public life. Nunes says he does not feel the same way.

"Everything we do around here is really important," Nunes said. "I wouldn't put one in front of the other."

Story continues

It's an understatement his friends recognize.

Nunes is a third-generation Portuguese-American, and he grew up working on his family's dairy farm. As a teenager, he raised cattle and saved money to buy farmland with his brother, according to his congressional biography. He has degrees in agriculture and keeps his hand in farming through an investment in two California wineries run by a friend he met through his alumni network.

Rep. David Valadao, a Republican congressman from a district next to Nunes' and fellow dairyman, said Nunes takes his job as congressman seriously. But, he said, aside from his work, "he's a normal dad" to three young daughters.

"All I wanted to be was a dairy farmer," Nunes told a group of high school students as he campaigned for his seat in Congress in 2002, according to an article in the Fresno Bee.

His education and childhood aspiration suited his political ambitions. Like many politicians from California's interior farm belt, Nunes was well versed in agriculture and the water supply that supports it.

Nunes' first entree into politics was as a member of the board of a local community college. He ran for Congress in 1998 and lost in the primary. In 2001, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to a California post at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

He was only 28 when he won a hotly contested congressional seat, beating his Republican competitors in the 2002 primary by appealing to the concerns of ranchers and dairymen in his solidly conservative district.

Tom Barcellos, a Tulare County dairy producer who has known Nunes since he was a child, said Nunes was focused early on politics, without being showy.

"He knew what he wanted and he did his research, and he didn't blow a lot of smoke," Barcellos said.

Nunes consistently has supported bills that would roll back environmental protections and boost federal water supplies to the fertile farmlands of the San Joaquin Valley, the lower stretch of California's vast Central Valley. His ongoing fight against what he describes as jobs-killing regulations promoted by "radical environmentalists" is a priority shared by a local group of wealthy farmers who belong to the giant Westlands Water District, which hired Nunes' friend and former chief of staff as its deputy general manager two years ago.

"Devin, from day one, has made water his top priority," said Tom Holyoke, a political scientist at California State University, Fresno.

Nunes served on the Agriculture Committee during his first term, but quickly landed a spot on the House Ways and Means Committee, one of Congress' most influential panels.

He was spotted by Republican leaders as a party loyalist and he was named to a leadership position during his first term.

He vied for the chairmanship of the intelligence committee in 2014. While competing against more senior members, he proved a better fundraiser, bringing in far more money for his party than his competitors for the chairmanship. While many congressional committee leadership positions are based on seniority, the House intelligence committee leadership was chosen by then-House Speaker John Boehner.

Nunes has suggested he pursued the intelligence committee post because it would be good for his constituents. Intelligence can play a key role in trade negotiations, he said, although it is only a sliver of the intelligence agencies' missions.

"The intelligence committee  that's a committee that I call the tip of the spear, because without national security it's tough to keep those trade routes open," Nunes said in a 2014 interview with the Tulare Advance-Register.

Until now, much of Nunes' work on the committee has been focused on investigations into NSA leaker Edward Snowden, the intelligence behind the Iran nuclear deal, Hillary Clinton's emails and the placement of a Defense Department intelligence center.

The congressman made a push to have the center built on the Azores islands, 800 miles off the coast of Portugal, a proposal that was popular among the valley's many dairy producers of Portuguese descent. The department ultimately chose a site in the U.K.

Monday's hearing will be the latest spotlight on the tension between Nunes' loyalty to Trump and his commitment to a thorough, bipartisan investigation.

The congressman's independence has already been questioned. Last month, the White House enlisted him to push back on a news article it didn't like about Trump associates' ties to Russia. The congressman has said he did nothing improper when he reached out to a reporter.

Nunes has not appeared to relish the role of Trump defender. He's described Trump as a "political neophyte." Asked about Trump's tweeted claims that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his phones, Nunes' response did little to help quiet the controversy.

"Are you going to take the tweets literally?" Nunes said. "If so, clearly the president was wrong."

___

Burke reported from San Francisco. Researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON - From Ronald Reagan's "welfare queen" to Donald Trump's "Detroit single mom," the unmarried mother remains a constant fascination to Republicans wielding budget-cutting scalpels.

Whereas Reagan was propagating a stereotype of the fraudulent abuser of public largesse when he popularized the term in 1976, framing welfare policy thereafter, Trump's budget blueprint purportedly is aimed at helping single mothers (in Detroit, for some reason) by building a better military.

If you're having trouble connecting the dots, welcome to the fracas.

The budget, which includes massive cuts to spending in the arts, sciences (including medical research) and diplomacy - mostly in the interest of increasing military spending by $54 billion and subsidizing that blasted wall - was designed by asking: Can we ask the single mother in Detroit to pay for this?

This is how White House budget director Mick Mulvaney explained the administration's calculations on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." Apparently cognizant of diversity's fealty to both sexes (not to be confused with genders), Mulvaney also mentioned coal miners (with apologies to Barbara Burns, noted groundbreaking female miner).

"One of the questions we asked was, can we really continue to ask a coal miner in West Virginia or a single mom in Detroit to pay for these programs?" Mulvaney queried. "The answer was no. We can ask them to pay for defense, and we will, but we can't ask them to continue to pay for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting."

Are there really no single mothers in Detroit listening to NPR's "Fresh Air"? Or, whose kids watch "Sesame Street"? Although the CPB receives $450 million annually in federal funds, much of that money is distributed to local television and radio stations and producers. NPR, long an object of GOP contempt, probably will be fine thanks to donor support, but not so the local shows, which often are educational and/or public safety-oriented.

The end objective, Mulvaney said, is to keep Trump's campaign promises while not increasing the budget deficit. Among those promises: Build the wall (delete: I will make Mexico pay for that wall); and beef up national security.

And, of course, the ultimate goal in whittling away programs that serve the poor or protect the environment is to Make America "Great" Again. As Inigo Montoya said in "The Princess Bride," You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Before we parse the meaning of the word "great," a few facts: The proposed budget, which is really just a collection of bad ideas or suggestions, doesn't stand a chance of congressional approval as is. To pass the Senate, over which Republicans hold a relatively slim majority (52-48), it would require Democratic support. The blueprint's strong emphasis on defense and security, notwithstanding cuts in airport policing, at the expense of domestic programs is a no-go.

Although many Republicans also oppose some of the more draconian cuts, others want yet more defense spending. Both Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, and John McCain, R-Ariz., chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, respectively, want $640 billion rather than the measly $603 billion proposed.

Given Trump's commitment to a military buildup - and the formerly silent Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's recent remarks that military action may be necessary to end North Korea's nuclear games - investing in defense might not be a bad gamble.

But hope for a cancer cure might be. The National Institutes of Health - the nation's premier research institution - is threatened with losing about 20 percent of its budget. And bets on climate-related concerns would be long shots. Among many related cuts, the budget would eliminate four NASA missions, including the Deep Space Climate Observatory, which monitors climate change from its position a million miles from Earth. Collect information that might suggest the need for environmental regulations? LOL.

By tragic coincidence, we learned the day before Trump's budget was released that vast portions of Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef, one of Earth's largest organisms, are dead from overheated seawater caused by greenhouse gases emitted via the burning of fossil fuels.

But never mind. Greatness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder - and Trump's idea of both tends toward reactionary excessiveness unburdened by history's future judgment. Besides, what do NASA missions have to do with coal miners or single moms?

Not one thing, other than a future for all those fatherless children in Detroit - and the coal miner's daughter, who probably needs essential social services more than she does that blasted wall.

Kathleen Parker's email address is kathleenparker@washpost.com.
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Barack Obama Bill Clinton

Former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton paid tribute to musician Chuck Berry, who died Saturday at his home in Missouri at the age of 90.

"Chuck Berry rolled over everyone who came before him  and turned up everyone who came after," Obama tweeted from his personal Twitter account. "We'll miss you, Chuck. Be good."

The 44th president got in a few references to some of Berry's biggest tunes  "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Johnny B. Goode."

"Hillary and I loved Chuck Berry for as long as we can remember. The man was inseparable from his music  both were utterly original and distinctly American," said a statement released by Bill Clinton through the Clinton Foundation. "And along the way he changed our country and the history of popular music."

It continued: "Chuck played at both my inaugurations and at the White House for my 25th Georgetown reunion, and he never slowed down, which is why his legend grew every time he stepped on stage. His life was a treasure and a triumph, and hell never be forgotten. Our hearts go out to his family and his countless friends and fans."

Here is Berry with Clinton receiving a Kennedy Center Award in 2000:

Bill Clinton Chuck Berry

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Visual artist Judy Anderson has found a way to honour her son Cruz's graffiti by embracing his art in her own beadwork.

Judy says Cruz wasn't interested in art until a graffiti artist visited his Grade 5 class. That's when he started crafting letter structures and practicing his writing over and over again.

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When Cruz was in high school, Judy, who is Cree from Saskatchewan's Gordon First Nation, went to fast as part of a ceremony for her youngest child, who was seriously ill at the time.

But, during the fast, she realized that it was Cruz that she actually needed to focus on, or "honour."

"And that's when I said, 'OK, the way I know how to honour him is through my artwork,'" Anderson told The Huffington Post Canada.

"I thought, 'You know, here is this kid that is making art in this way' ... OK, well let's work together."

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At the time, Judy affectionately says Cruz was a "toy"  a term in the graffiti community an unskilled artist who is just beginning to practice his writing. She made a handmade parfleche bag for Cruz  a rawhide pouch  and recreated his "toy" name on it.

Cruz kept working on his lettering. And Judy began to bead it.

Since then, Judy has recreated Cruz's first burner (an elaborate piece of graffiti that takes longer to write) on a massive canvas. The piece took six months to complete.

One of the inspirations behind her idea was a traditional garment called an "exploit robe."

"They would paint images of warring, hunting, love [on the exploit robes]; and it would tell the story in these great deeds, these amazing things that the men would do, and this is how I was seeing his burners. This was like saying where he's at in his life and how important he is as a human being," she explains.

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She says beading Cruz's art not only pushed her own artistic practice forward, but allowed her to tell his story.

"Sometimes people will see graffiti and they think of it as  and it is  vandalism," she says.

"But it was definitely a catalyst, and it really worked its way into pushing his art and then pushing mine as well."

The pair are working on a four-part series that documents Cruz's growth as an artist, and recently gave a workshop at the Yukon School of Visual Arts. Both have their own separate artistic practices  Cruz, 22, is a painter, while Judy teaches at the University of Calgary and has an upcoming artist's residency in Melbourne.

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She says people often ask her how traditional indigenous people feel about the mix of graffiti and beadwork, but she says graffiti isn't as modern as people think.

"If you think about graffiti and its roots, it comes from I believe the word "graffito" where you scratch and etch into things. And indigenous people have been marking the land and scratching and painting on to the land since time immemorial. So if you think about rock art and petroglyph and pictograph, it's been going on forever."

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As Somalia inches closer to a calamitous famine, the prospect of utter devastation and colossal loss of human life is once again becoming an imminent reality. The humanitarian situation in Somalia is deteriorating by the day with up to 6.2million people in need of urgent aid. People across Somalia have been forced to walk hundreds of miles in search of food, water and shelter- with women and children disproportionately affected. Over 300,000 children under the age of five are severely malnourished, with over 200,000 more children at risk of acute malnutrition. Somalia is now facing its third famine in 25 years, with the last one striking only six years ago.

In 2011, Somalia suffered a famine which claimed over a quarter of one million lives, half of them children. A report by the UN and Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET), found that the 2011 Somali famine could have been preventable had the international community responded sooner. Yet, here we are again. Despite repeated warnings issued by humanitarian agencies, the international community is failing to respond. The International Organization for Migration warns "if action is not taken immediately, early warning signals point towards a growing humanitarian crisis in Somalia of potentially catastrophic proportions."

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The sense of urgency is not lost on everyone. People are taking to social media to draw attention to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Somalia. On the evening of March 15, the hashtag #TurkishAirlinesHelpSomalia started trending on social media. A campaign launched by Jerome Jarre's calling on Turkish Airlines to assist in sending aid to Somalia. Within a couple of hours, it was shared by thousands with celebrities such as Ben Stiller and Colin Kaepernick supporting Jerome's call in videos posted online. Less than 24 hours later, Turkish Airlines responded to the call. A few hours later providing a 62-ton cargo plane to fly to Somalia.

Young Somalis are also taking to social media to draw attention to the deteriorating situation and raise funds to help the most vulnerable. Instagram accounts like Somali Faces are cataloging the stories of Somalis forced to leave their homes in search of food and water. Somalis in the country and abroad are aware of the slow response to the looming famine, with one woman forced to flee saying, "We haven't received any support. We are in need of urgent support, or we might as well die here together."

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Young British Somalis are also doing their part in raising awareness and financial support for the victims, from climbing mountains to organising fundraisers and making videos online. As a someone with Somali relatives, I am constantly hearing of the unimaginable and torturous journeys men, woman and children are having to undertake just to seek aid. Somalis all over are looking for ways to send aid back home, turning to traditional tribal networks to seek out those most in need. With images of starving children with sunken cheeks and hollow eyes circulating the Somali diaspora community, the pressure to act now is critical.
I am 37 years old. During my lifetime, I have been seriously sexually assaulted, sexually harassed, groped and told I have 'beautiful blowjob lips'. I have been bartered over, whilst present in the room. "Suck my dick, and I'll pay for your dinner," "I bet you're a right dirty bitch," "You look like someone who can handle a cock," are just a tiny example of things that have been said to me.

I am 37 years old. During my lifetime, I believed many of these things being said to me were compliments. I believed all the uninvited assaults and harassments were my fault. I believed that objecting to these assumptions about my character made me boring and unlikeable. The times I did speak up, I was silenced with five innocuous words. "Can't you take a joke?"

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I am 37 years old. I have finally realised the power of these words. I want my daughter to understand these words. I want my daughter to understand where the blame really lies when she inevitably hears these words. I want my daughter to not be afraid of these words like I always was.

Many won't understand that what they are saying is belittling, hurtful and archaic. They may believe that their words are a joke (or 'banter', whatever the fuck that means). They may accuse you of being over sensitive and/or lacking a sense of humour. These people lack the intelligence to even begin to understand. They are fucking idiots. However, their idiocy doesn't provide them with a free pass to go through their lives causing hurt and anguish to other people.

There will also be those who know they are in the wrong. They will use words to see how easy it is to knock you off balance, to make you believe it is your fault for taking it the wrong way. They will know that a line has been crossed. They should feel ashamed but whether they do, I don't know. All I do know is, they will try to pass the shame onto you. They are fucking cowards.

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I am 37 years old. For the rest of my lifetime, I will not be afraid of those five words. I will defend my body, my self-respect and my right to object. I will push back against misogyny and sexism with the fierce female determination I inherently possess. I will not carry the burden of shame gifted to me by fucking idiots and cowards and neither will my daughter. I have a voice. It will no longer be silenced by ignorance.

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
Former astronaut encourages Hutchinson students to consider space exploration

Former astronaut describes his path to space flight and experiences on the International Space Station, while offering advice on how to get there
(Corrects to remove reference to Erdogan quote "Thank God" that was not related to arrest, paragraph 13)

* Turkey accuses Germany of supporting Gulen network

* President Erdogan hits out at jailed Die Welt journalist

* Ties already strained between Turkey and Germany

By Ece Toksabay

ANKARA, March 19 (Reuters) - Turkey on Sunday accused Germany of supporting the network of a U.S.-based Muslim cleric it blames for last year's attempted coup, comments likely to aggravate a diplomatic feud between the two countries.

Germany and Turkey have been locked in a deepening row after Berlin banned some Turkish ministers from speaking to rallies of expatriate Turks ahead of a referendum next month, citing public safety concerns.

On Saturday, German news magazine Der Spiegel published an interview with the head of Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency, who said Ankara had failed to convince it that the cleric Fethullah Gulen was responsible for the coup attempt.

"Turkey has tried to convince us of that at every level but so far it has not succeeded," Bruno Kahl was quoted as saying.

President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman said Kahl's comments were proof Germany was supporting Gulen's network, which Ankara refers to as the "Gulenist Terrorist Organisation" or "FETO".

"It's an effort to invalidate all the information we have given them on FETO. It's a sign of their support for FETO," Ibrahim Kalin told broadcaster CNN Turk.

"Why are they protecting them? Because these are useful instruments for Germany to use against Turkey."

There was no response from Germany to the comments.

Ankara blames Gulen's network of followers in the military for the abortive putsch in July, when a group of rogue soldiers seized tanks, helicopters and war planes to attack parliament and attempt to overthrow the government. More than 240 people were killed in the coup attempt.

Gulen, a former Erdogan ally who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, has denied the charges and condemned the coup.

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JAILED JOURNALIST

Kalin said there was a possibility Erdogan could plan a rally to address Turks in Germany before the April 16 referendum on changing the constitution, a move that would further heighten tensions with Berlin.

The constitutional change would give Erdogan sweeping new powers. Critics say it would give him too much power.

At a speech on Sunday in Istanbul, Erdogan lashed out against a Turkish-German journalist now in jail in Turkey, calling him a terrorist agent.

Erdogan, who was speaking at a meeting of an Islamic foundation, said the reporter, Deniz Yucel of Germany's Die Welt newspaper, would be tried by Turkey's independent judiciary.

Authorities arrested Yucel, a dual Turkish and German national, last month on charges of propaganda in support of a terrorist organisation and inciting the public to violence.

He was initially detained after he reported on emails that a leftist hacker collective had purportedly obtained from the private account of Berat Albayrak, Turkey's energy minister and Erdogan's son-in-law.

(Additional reporting by Michelle Martin in Berlin; writing by David Dolan; editing by Jason Neely and Keith Weir)
Imperial Valley News Center

Remarks With Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a Press Availability

Beijing, China - Remarks With Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a Press Availability:

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Nihao. Good afternoon. Im pleased to be here this afternoon in Beijing to discuss the way forward in forging a constructive and results-oriented relationship between the United States and China. This is an important opportunity to follow up on the telephone conversation between President Trump and President Xi and to pave the way for continued productive high-level engagement. Since the historic opening of relations between our two countries more than 40 years ago, the U.S.-China relationship has been guided by an understanding of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation. It is important that the leaders of our two countries engage in further dialogue to develop a common understanding that will guide our relationship for the next half-century. The United States and China are the worlds two largest economies, and we must both promote stability and growth. Our two countries should have a positive trading relationship that is fair and pays dividends both ways, and we will be working on that going forth.

Foreign Minister Wang and I also spoke about the importance of safeguarding stability and security in Northeast Asia and the Asia Pacific region. We noted that efforts made over the last 20 years have so far not succeeded in curbing the threat posed by North Koreas illegal weapons programs. Because Chinas stated policy is denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, we renewed our determination to work together to convince the North Korean Government to choose a better path and a different future for its people. I discussed the importance of upholding a rules-based order in dealing with maritime disputes and freedom of navigation and overflight. And I made clear that the United States will continue to advocate for universal values such as human rights and religious freedom.

I look forward on this visit to additional meetings today with State Counselor Yang and tomorrow with President Xi, and to continue to work together with my Chinese host to address shared challenges and opportunities.

MODERATOR: Question goes to Bob Woodruff, ABC News.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, thank you very much for talking today. (Inaudible) in terms of all these terms  in terms of all these issues, North Korea is certainly at the top, and youve spoken this week, couple days ago, there is this possibility of a preemptive strike and that its on the table, quote/unquote. Exactly wheres the red line on this? What would cause this to happen, do you think? You probably dont have to detail it, but what does North Korea have to do in order to have that possibility? And also, did you talk to China about that today, and has that given some pressure, to use some influence on them to give you anything new in terms of sanctions, et cetera, or any changes in laws to enforce some rules about trading with North Korea?

Secondly, it also was tweeted by the President, President Trump, yesterday, where he said very clearly that North Koreas bad and China has done very, very little. Did you know about that tweet when that went out? Did you have a chance to talk to him, and what was his reaction to you? Has he made your job a lot harder?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: As I indicated in my prepared statement, Foreign Minister Wang and I had a very extensive exchange on North Korea, and Foreign Minister Wang affirmed again Chinas longstanding policy of a denuclearized Korean peninsula. We also exchanged views and I think we share a common view and a sense that tensions on the peninsula are quite high (inaudible) and that things have reached a rather dangerous level. And weve committed ourselves to do everything we can to prevent any type of conflict from breaking out, and we view there are a number of steps that we can take that are in front of us. And Foreign Minister Wang has agreed that we will work together to see if we cannot bring the government in Pyongyang to a place where they want to make a different course  make a course correction and move away from their development of their nuclear weapons. But it is with a certain sense of urgency that we both feel because of the current situation that we have on the peninsula. So I appreciated Foreign Minister Wangs sincere expressions about how China sees the situation, and we had a very good exchange on that and we will continue to be talking with one another on what we can both do, along with working with others, to bring North Korea to a different place where we are hopeful we can then begin a dialogue.

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter, in progress) -- goes to the Chinese journalist from CCTV to Foreign Minister Wang.

QUESTION: (Via interpreter, in progress) -- CCTV, and my question goes to Foreign Minister Wang. Recently, the situation on Korean peninsula is highly complex, and it is in a constant state of tension. And we have also noticed that some people are of the view that despite China has the biggest influence on Pyongyang, it has not done enough to address the issue of the peninsula. So how does China look at the cooperation between China and the United States on international and regional issues, especially the question of the Korean peninsula?

FOREIGN MINISTER WANG: (Via interpreter) Indeed, the Korean peninsula nuclear issue is of interest to everyone. And on this issue, I would like to say that China stays committed to the goal of denuclearization and upholds the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime. We are for the settlement of this issue through dialogue and negotiations and the maintenance of peace and stability on the peninsula and the overall region.

The Korean peninsula nuclear issue in nature is an issue between the United States and the D.P.R.K. China, as a close neighbor of the peninsula and a responsible major country, has over the years devoted a lot of energy and efforts to seek a settlement to this issue. Upon the request of the U.S. side, China has worked to facilitate and secure the establishment of the Three-Party Talks, which was expanded to become the Six-Party Talks later on. In fact, all these efforts were geared to create the conditions and provide support to the engagement and the discussions between the D.P.R.K. and the United States. The tremendous, important efforts China has thus made is visible to all. And after the Six-Party Talks ground to a halt, China again worked together with the United States and the other members of the UN Security Council to pass a series of D.P.R.K.-related resolutions and played an important role in containing D.P.R.K.s nuclear and missile programs and controlling tension on the peninsula.

Hereby, I would like to bring to your special notice here is the fact that while all Security Council resolutions related to D.P.R.K. have mapped out a series of increasingly tougher sanctions against Pyongyang, they have also at the same time included clear provisions calling for efforts to resume the talks, to de-escalate the tension, and to safeguard stability of the peninsula. Therefore, it is obliged upon all parties to implement the sanctions and restart the talks at the same time.

The entire course of trying to seek a solution to the Korean peninsula nuclear issue up to date has both had successes and failures and both successful experience and hard lessons. The most important progress made is the September the 19th joint statement we reached in 2005, when we drafted a comprehensive roadmap for the D.P.R.K. to give up its nuclear and missile programs and realize denuclearization on the peninsula. And the most important experience we have learned is that only when the legitimate concerns of all parties are addressed in a synchronized and reciprocal fashion could we secure genuine progress in the talks. And the most important principle we have identified is that no matter what happens, we have to stay committed to diplomatic means as a way to seek peaceful settlement.

The situation we face today is precisely caused by the very fact that the Six-Party Talks has ground to a halt and there was no means for diplomatic and political dialogues. Right now, the situation on the peninsula has arrived at a new crossroads. We could either let the situation continue to escalate and aggravate, which will finally lead to confronting conflicts, or we could continue to strictly implement the Security Council resolutions, and while we do so, try to seek a breakthrough point to restart the dialogues and come back to the right track of a negotiated settlement.

And we hope all parties, including our friends from the United States, could size up the situation in a cool-headed and comprehensive fashion and arrive at a wise decision. The Chinese side has in this respect come up with our proposals. We hope the parties will study the Chinese suggestions carefully. And meanwhile, we welcome all parties to come up with their own proposals, and we stand ready to continue to maintain close communication and the necessary coordination with the U.S. side on this issue.

I spent a lot of time with Secretary Tillerson just now during our meeting on the Korean peninsula nuclear issue. Of course, one or two exchange of views like this will not arrive us at complete agreement, but the good thing is we have reached a fundamental consensus governing some of the overall general directions. As Mr. Tillerson has just said now  has said just now, both of us are firmly committed to the goal of a denuclearized Korean peninsula, and we are both ready to comprehensively and strictly implement the Security Council resolutions. And we both hope to find ways to restart the talks, and neither of us are ready to give up the hope for peace. And such discussions between China and the United States will keep going, and this is and will be an important aspect of China-U.S. cooperation. Thank you.




eric trump

President Donald Trump's son, Eric, vehemently dismissed claims that his father had business ties to Russian government officials in an interview Sunday.

In an interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, the president's son dubbed stories outlining ties between Russia and the Trump Organization "ridiculous," saying the claims were "a little bit maddening."

"It actually infuriates me," said Eric Trump, who stepped into the role of executive vice president of the Trump Organization earlier this year.

"We have no projects in Russia," he added. "If we had projects in Russia, you'd have our name on those projects. We're not exactly bashful about hiding our name. We like having our name on our buildings, including Trump Tower."

Eric Trump also blasted Democrats who have suggested potential business ties between Trump companies and Russia. Apparently referring to Russian hacks of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta's email, Eric said party leaders should take greater precautions with cybersecurity to avoid hacks.

"Their party lost an election and they needed to try and put someone else down. And there's zero truth behind it," he said. "I'd like to see that party take an inward look at themselves. Maybe the leaders of that party shouldn't be making the password to their computers 'password,' maybe start there. It's maddening."

Eric Trump's comments came as congressional and intelligence-community inquiries continue into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.

Trump's business ties to Russia have faced heightened scrutiny amid revelations of top Trump campaign figures' cozy relationships with Russian officials, which some have been reluctant to disclose.

Despite numerous attempts to build hotels in Russia, the Trumps indeed do not own any real-estate properties in the country. The majority of Trump's known ties include work with Russian financiers and developers on various projects in the US, as well as some of his top campaign aides' consultations with Kremlin allies.

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Remarks With President Xi Jinping Before Their Meeting

Beijing, China - Remarks With President Xi Jinping Before Their Meeting:

SECRETARY TILLERSON: President Xi, thank you so much for that very warm welcome, and for receiving me in Beijing on this, my first visit to China as Secretary of State.

President Trump places a very high value on the communications that have already occurred between yourself and President Trump, most particularly the very lengthy telephone conversation, where there were very good exchanges to improve the understanding of China's view of the relationship with the United States, and President Trump's view, as well. And he looks forward to enhancing that understanding, and the opportunity for a visit in the future.

We know that, through further dialogue, we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthened -- strengthening of the ties between China and the United States, and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation.
Buy American and Hire American for the United States Automobile Industry

Washington, DC - President Donald J. Trump announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are reinstating the Midterm Evaluation of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) standards for the automotive industry.

The NHTSA will work with the EPA to use a data-driven process to conduct the Midterm Evaluation of the CAFE-GHG standards according to its original timetable. The Obama Administration broke its promise to automakers and rushed the Midterm Evaluation to a premature conclusion earlier this year.

Reinstating the Midterm Evaluation ensures that regulators will rely on the best available data and information, which the previous administration ignored.

By reinstating the Midterm Evaluation, the Trump Administration will examine, and if necessary, revise, the regulations on auto manufacturers and the attendant costs passed on to consumers. Last year, the EPA estimated it would cost $200 billion to comply with CAFE-GHG standards from 2012-2025.



PARTNERING WITH CAR COMPANIES: Under President Trump, automakers are bringing jobs back to America.

Ford announced it was canceling a plant in Mexico, while adding 700 jobs in Michigan.

General Motors announced it plans to invest $1 billion in the United States, creating over 1,000 new jobs.

Fiat Chrysler announced it was investing $1 billion to modernize two plants in the United States, creating 2,000 jobs.

CUTTING RED TAPE: President Trump is building on his past success rolling back excessive regulations that burden businesses, workers, and families.

President Trump directed each agency to establish a Regulatory Reform Task Force to identify costly and unnecessary regulations in need of modification or repeal.

President Trump has required that for every new Federal regulation, two existing regulations be eliminated.

President Trump directed the Department of Commerce to streamline Federal permitting processes for domestic manufacturing and to reduce regulatory burdens on domestic manufacturers.

President Trump signed legislation, House Joint Resolution 38, to prevent the burdensome Stream Protection Rule from causing further harm to the coal industry.

President Trump ordered the review of the Clean Water Rule: Definition of Waters of the United States, known as the WOTUS rule, to evaluate whether it is stifling economic growth or job creation.

FOLLOWING THROUGH: President Trump is following through on his promise to the American auto workers.
President Trump's Meeting with Taoiseach Enda Kenny of Ireland

Washington, DC - President Donald J. Trump met yesterday with Taoiseach Enda Kenny of Ireland to discuss United States-Ireland economic and cultural ties as part of the White House St. Patrick's Day celebration.

President Trump and the Taoiseach agreed on the importance of expanding the already powerful United States-Ireland trade relationship and of identifying new opportunities to collaborate on global issues. The leaders also discussed the consequences facing, and the opportunities available to, Ireland in the wake of the United Kingdom's decision to the leave the European Union. Finally, they agreed on the importance of Northern Ireland's political parties finding a way forward on a shared regional government in order to sustain the peace process launched by the Good Friday Agreement.
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Brunching out...

It might not look like much from the exterior, but the old saying never judge a book by its cover is well placed here. Stepping away from the centre of Edinburgh, walk down to the historic quarter and harbour side of Leith to find Nobles.

Inside is full of dark polished panelling, wooden furniture and tiled flooring in the style of an old and elegant Victorian cafe, with high vaulted ceilings, large green plants and a long bar that dominates.

The harbour side location is also responsible for the rather quaint tall ship theme which provide most of the colour in many stained-glass windows dotted around the top half of the interior.

Recommended How to prepare a butternut squash

The staff are sweet and the menu is full of local Scottish ingredients, making it a great introduction for first-timers  and the inclusion of locals means its not all for show.

The full Scottish is made up of Stornoway black pudding, local butcher Findlays haggis, two rashers of bacon, cherry vine tomatoes and confit mushrooms, all for 10.50. You can add extras such as eggs or a tattie, but its certainly not a small portion in the first place.

The confit mushroom and goats cheese dish is a great meat-free option

Theres eggs a number of ways, from Florentine to Benedict, with their signature Nobles edition that uses black pudding too, ranging from 6.85 to 7.55.

But where it goes a little off-piste is with cullen skink (7)  the traditional Scottish soup made with smoked haddock, potato and cream; the Shetland mussels (12) that are steamed with a sauce du jour and served with bread and a veggie haggis and the beetroot burger (11), making their menu a welcome change to just artisan and overpriced bacon and eggs.

Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday between 10am and 4pm. Take a paper from the bar and begin with a coffee and move on to something more exciting, whether its a craft beer or a brunch cocktail.

Its a great place to be introduced to some classic Scottish dishes  in an unpretentious and full of locally sourced fare way  then walk it off wandering around the pretty harbour, where hopefully the sun is shining.

Nobles, 44a Constitution St, Leith, EH6 6RS; 0131 629 7215; info@noblesbarleith.co.uk; new.noblesbarleith.co.uk

Brunching in...

Smoked salmon croquettes with hollandaise

These creamy, smoky parcels of crunch and pillowy softness are great for a gathering at brunch, or as canapes to start your evening off. Breakfast like a king, they say...

Makes 18 croquettes

For the croquettes:

500 ml whole milk

2 bay leaves

10 black peppercorns

 onion, peeled

85g butter

1 tbsp olive oil

120g smoked salmon, neatly chopped

70g plain (all-purpose) flour, plus 4 tbsp for frying

pinch of sea salt

1 litre sun flower oil for frying

2 eggs, beaten

250g panko (breadcrumbs)

For the hollandaise sauce:

2 egg yolks

1 tsp white wine vinegar

pinch of salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

110g (33/4 oz) cold butter, cubed

For the croquettes, put the milk, bay leaves, peppercorns and onion into a saucepan and slowly bring it to the boil. Set aside for 1 hour to allow the flavours to infuse and the milk to cool. Strain the milk into a jug.

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a saucepan and then add the salmon. Cook for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and stir in 70g (21/2 oz) of the flour and the salt. Beat for 5 minutes or until smooth. Slowly add the infused milk, 2-3 tablespoons at a time. Stir between each addition, continuing until the milk is fully incorporated. Cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth.

Pour the sauce into a cold baking tray or dish, and set aside for about 30-45 minutes to cool and set. Use a dessertspoon to scoop up some set sauce and use a second dessertspoon to shape the sauce into a quenelle  an egg shape with tapered ends. Put the quenelle on to a lined tray and repeat with the rest of the sauce. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

For the hollandaise, fill a saucepan with just enough boiling water so that when you place a heatproof bowl on the pan, the water doesnt touch the bottom of the bowl. Place the saucepan over a high heat to keep the water simmering. Add the egg yolks, vinegar, salt and cayenne pepper to the bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly whisk in the butter, a cube at a time, until you have a lovely thick pale sauce. You can keep the sauce warm in the bowl over a low simmer until youre ready to serve up your croquettes.

To fry the croquettes, heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat until a piece of bread dropped into the oil goes golden brown in 30 seconds. Meanwhile, pour the whisked eggs into a shallow bowl. Put the 4 tablespoons of flour on to a plate and the panko breadcrumbs on to a separate plate. Roll each croquette in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs, and set aside on some baking parchment.

Once you have breadcrumbed all the croquettes, carefully add them to the hot oil. Fry for about 4 minutes or until golden brown, then remove and drain on some pieces of kitchen towel. Serve with the hollandaise.

Breakfast: Morning, Noon, and Night by Fern Green (Hardie Grant, 18.99) Photography  Danielle Wood
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A school teacher working in an indigenous community in the remote Canadian Arctic has been awarded a US$1m (803,000) global teaching prize for her work helping to reduce teenage suicide rates.

Maggie MacDonnell, who teaches at the Ikusik School in Salluit, a remote Inuit village, was commended for her achievements within the local community, where harsh conditions are a significant barrier to education.

A town of less than 1,000 inhabitants, Salluit is an area of high deprivation, isolation and limited resources, where rates of teenage drug abuse and self-harm are high.

Temperatures in the region reach minus 25C, and the school is only accessible by aeroplane.

Accepting the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, which was announced via the International Space Station, Ms MacDonnell said: I have witnessed 10 suicides in just over two years.

When I leave the church with the body and go with it to the graveyard, the memory that starts to haunt is you see these Canadian teenagers  the very own classmates of the deceased  digging the hole and burying the body in the tundra.

As a teacher, you come to school the next day and theres an empty desk in that classroom. Theres a stillness and a silence thats coming from that desk.

Now in its third year, the $1m award is the largest prize of its kind, and was set up to recognise exceptional teachers who have made an outstanding contribution to the profession, as well as shine a spotlight on the role teachers play in society.

In a special congratulatory video message broadcast into the ceremony hall, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said: Maggie MacDonnell  on behalf of all Canadians  from one teacher to another  congratulations on winning the Global Teacher Prize 2017.

Id like to say thank you to every teacher out there. Teachers owe responsibilities to many people  to students, to parents, to the community, the school board. But in the end, as all great teachers know  they are ultimately responsible to something far greater.

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. 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Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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Prince Harry and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni also paid tributes.

Speaking to The Independent before the announcement, Ms MacDonnell, originally from Nova Scotia, spoke of the extreme levels of deprivation seen in the remote Inuit community.

There is so much intergenerational trauma, she said. Decades of political issues means families are troubled and take to drink and drugs and violence and therefore young people are born into that situation.

Often these kids cant go home at night because its not safe.

Last year, the Canadian government held an emergency meeting to address sky-high suicide rates within indigenous communities in the northern territories.

In 2015 alone there were six suicides recorded within the Salluit community, all affecting young males between the ages of 18 and 25.

But the death rate is far more extreme, said Ms MacDonnell.

Before moving to Salluit, I had been to two funerals, she said. Some of these kids have been to 40, 50 or more funerals in their lifetime.

She added: As long as the federal government continues to under-fund indigenous communities its going to be rough for them.

 Trade deal agreement signed between EU and Canada

Since moving to the community six years ago, Ms MacDonnell has created a life skills programme specifically for girls which has seen a 500 per cent improvement in girls school registration.

She has also dramatically improved school attendance by getting her students involved in running a community kitchen, attending suicide prevention training and hiking through national parks to understand environmental stewardship.

The award winner has also set up a fitness centre and become a temporary foster parent to some of her own students.

She told The Independent: Many of the students come in with harsh reputations  they may come from families that are stigmatised, that are part of the informal economy of drug dealing. They might have criminal records for vandalism, they might be just young girls who have experienced the foster care system and been subject to violence.

Gender roles within the community mean young girls are often given caring responsibilities at home and are most likely to drop out of school before graduating.

Some 50 per cent of girls in the town are said to have experienced some form of domestic violence, and teenage pregnancy rates are of the highest in Canada.

What I try to do is create a community service approach within my classroom so I create ways and means for them to get involved in the community in a positive way, said Ms MacDonnell.

I know for certain that a lot of my female students are going to be having babies very young  most are having them by 18 or 19.

With all that in mind I also provide classes on things like brushing their teeth, being active, how to make a healthy breakfast  things they can learn right away so they will be good parents.

Multiple families typically share houses in Salluit due to an extreme lack of housing. Just three houses in the town are privately owned and individuals can wait for up to ten years for social housing.

Starting a family is one way to get up the social housing list, she added.

Attending the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai with Ms MacDonnell, one of her students, Larry, told The Independent he grew up in a four bedroom house shared by 18 people, and often couldnt go home for fear of being exposed to drugs and violence within it.

It was really rough, he said. There was never enough food. They were always fights starting in the morning and I had to run away to my sisters house.

Larry, 19, now works in a fitness centre set up by Ms MacDonnell and has submitted a college application to attend university in Montreal.

My role is to show them that the opportunities are there to be created and they can achieve their ambitions, said Ms MacDonnell. I feel so proud of my students.
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The defacing of a Belfast war memorial to a soldier who led the "Jewish Legion" has been condemned as a cowardly attack" on an Irish hero.

The words scum and Nazis were daubed on a mural honouring Lieutenant Colonel John Henry Patterson who commanded the volunteer battalions of the 'Jewish Legion' as they fought against the Ottoman Empire during World War One.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it was treating the incident as a hate crime.

Stephen Silverman, the director of investigations and enforcement at the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism (CAA), told The Independent: Lt Col John Henry Patterson commanded the so-called Jewish Legion during the First World War.

Whilst his men fought with distinction, Lt Col Patterson had to defend them from the anti-Semitism of his superiors, even threatening to resign his commission.

This cowardly attack on a memorial to one of Northern Irelands heroes must be punished with the full force of the law.

Lt Col Patterson, a Christian born in what is now the Republic of Ireland, commanded five battalions of the British Army which were nicknamed the Jewish Legion. They served at Gallipoli and in what was then called Palestine.

The grave of Lt Col John Henry Patterson and his wife Frances Helena are re interred in Israel in 2014 (AFP/Getty Images)

Despite being Protestant he later became a passionate advocate of the establishment of the state of Israel, a cause known as Zionism, due to the bravery of the Jewish soldiers under his command.

His body was laid to rest along with his wife in Israel near the bodies of those he served with in 2014 in accordance with his final wish.

The incident comes as there are increasing concerns about a rise in anti-Semitic incidents.

In January the head of the European Jewish Congress, Dr Moshe Kantor, told the European Parliament that Jewish people were at risk from a dangerous rise in political extremism.

He told MEPs of his deep concern at the rise of intolerant populism and isolationism running through the democracies of the West.

He said: It is truly disturbing that in living memory of the Holocaust, today in Europe we have a situation where the far right is gaining popularity in every major country on the continent.

It is once more becoming acceptable in polite circles to openly make anti-Semitic, xenophobic and bigoted remarks, all under the cloak of national patriotism.

Earlier this month, The Independent revealed that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) admitted it was wrong not to prosecute far-right activist Jeremy Bedford-Turner who claimed the West were slaves to the Zionist agenda.

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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

It agreed to consult the CAA in future when making decision on similar anti-Semitism cases after the charity applied for a judicial review of the decision not to prosecute Mr Bedford-Turner on the grounds it would violate his right to free speech.

PSNI Inspector James Murray said: "Sometime between the evening of Thursday 16 March and early hours of Friday 17 March a memorial was defaced at the junction of Beverley Street and Northumberland Street.

The incident is being treated as a hate crime and police would like to hear from anyone with information or anyone who was in the area and noticed anything or anyone suspicious.

People with information are being asked to call the PSNI on 101 quoting reference 299 17/03/17 or speak to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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A teenager who was found dead with her throat slit months after reporting her ex-boyfriend to police was issued with a fine for wasting police time, a murder trial has heard.

The body of Shana Grice, 19, was discovered in her bedroom in Portslade, East Sussex, following an attack last August. An attempt had been made to start a fire in two separate areas of her flat.

Her former boyfriend, Michael Lane, 27, is standing trial for her murder, which he denies.

Jurors were told that Lane became obsessed with the teenager after she got back together with her previous partner, Ashley Cooke.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

She told police Lane was stalking her in February 2016, after he allegedly hid outside her house, left unwanted flowers and a note that read Shona will always cheat on you on Mr Cookes car.

One month later, Ms Grice reported that Lane had assaulted her, but he denied the allegation and provided texts that suggested she wanted to be in a relationship with him.

The court heard that Ms Grice was then charged with having caused wasteful employment of police by making a false report because she failed to disclose that Lane was her on-off boyfriend, and was issued with a fixed-penalty notice.

In July last year, the court heard Lane stole Ms Grices keys and broke into her home to watch her sleep.

Michael Lane arrives by van at Lewes Crown Court, where he is accused of the murder of Shana Grice, whose body was discovered at her house in Chrisdory Road, Brighton (PA wire)

He was cautioned for this offence and told to stay away from her, but Ms Grices complaints that he was following her and making heavy breathing calls were apparently labelled as low risk by police.

The jury was played a recording of a phone conversation between Ms Grice and Lane where she confronted him about his weird behaviour, and he was heard saying: Im just not right in the head."

She suggested he might need to get psychological help, to which he replied: Obviously somethings not right, but I dont know what it is. I need to find out, or be locked up or something.

The court also heard Lane put a tracking device on her car and told a friend that she had to "pay for what shes done after hearing she had reconciled with Mr Cooke. He then sent her a letter demanding money for dinners and perfume he had bought her.

Giving evidence in his defence, tyre fitter Lane said his actions were motivated by a desire to know why she had abruptly ended their relationship.

He told the court he had sex with Ms Grice two nights before her death and claimed he was shocked when he discovered her body after her front door was left open.

He said: I saw her slumped against the bed. She wasnt moving. I saw blood on the bed and blood on the floor.

She was in her dressing gown. I thought she was dead. I didnt know what to do.

Lane told the court he panicked and fled the scene without calling 999, checking Ms Grices vital signs, or telling his family about the discovery.

He admitted he hid his trainers, which had blood on them, after he heard police sirens, and that he had lied to police in interviews.

Judge Mr Justice Green told the jury it was accepted by the defence that Ms Grice was murdered, but Lane denies it was by his hand.

The police handling of Ms Grices complaint has been referred to watchdog, the independent police complaints commission (IPCC), and the inquiry is ongoing.

Lane denies murder and the trial continues.
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Police are urgently searching for a man in connection with the murder of a one-year-old boy and an attack on a girl believed to be his twin sister in north London.

The man sought following a reported hammer attack is Bidhya Sagar Das, aged 33, who lived at the address in Wilberforce Road, Finsbury Park, where the toddlers were injured in what police are describing as a suspected domestic incident.

The boy was pronounced dead shortly before 1am after both children were taken to an east London hospital.

Horrified neighbours reported that a woman, believed to be the childrens mother, rushed out of her home screaming, My children, my children! shortly after 11pm on Saturday.

Witnesses told reporters they believe the children were attacked with a hammer, although police are yet to confirm this.

Neighbours called for emergency services and a police helicopter was dispatched to try and find the suspected attacker.

Police have appealed for the publics help in finding the suspect.

A statement said: Detectives are urgently trying to trace a man who was at the flat shortly before the injured children were found, but left before emergency services were called. The man has not been seen since this time.

He is Bidhya Sagar Das, 33, (31.12.83) of the address in Wilberforce Road where the injured children were found.

If any members of the public see this man or know his whereabouts, they are urged to contact police via 999 immediately.

The statement continued: The incident is believed to be domestic. There has been no arrest at this stage and enquiries continue.

Eyewitness Mihai Manea told reporters at the scene: We heard the noise and went to the room  the boy was already dead. (We are) just shocked, you wouldnt expect something like this when I saw the police, I said, Its just Saturday night, its like, somebody got drunk or in a fight but I wouldnt imagine like a murder.

Police said next of kin are aware and a post-mortem will be carried out on the little boy in due course.

The little girl remains in a critical condition in hospital.
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The deputy director-general of MI5 will reportedly become the new chief of GCHQ.

Former GCHQ director Robert Hannigan announced he was stepping down from the spy agency in January, citing pressures on his personal life.

Jeremy Fleming will be named head of the intelligence and security organisation, The Sunday Times reports.

He has worked at MI5 for at least 20 years and had a role managing security at London 2012.

 Trump: 'Wiretapping' covers a whole range of things

His appointment comes as the agency publicly denied it helped former President Barack Obama spy on Donald Trump, calling the evidence-free allegations utterly ridiculous.

Fox News commentator Andrew Napolitano alleged during a Fox & Friends broadcast Mr Obama had bypassed the US intelligence community and used the UKs spy centre to monitor Mr Trump's communications.

The claim was repeated by White House press secretary Sean Spicer as he defended Mr Trump's claim Mr Obama "had my wires tapped".

A spokesperson for GCHQ said: "Recent allegations made by media commentator Judge Andrew Napolitano about GCHQ being asked to conduct 'wire tapping' against the then-President elect are nonsense.

They are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Flemings major challenge will be to maintain GCHQs relationship with US intelligence agencies, a source told The Sunday Times.

Jeremy will be expected to make a trip to the US very early on to seek reassurances from our partners.

I dont think the rubbish being uttered by the Trump camp will affect the day-to-day operational co-operation between the UK and US intelligence agencies, but itll be important to remind our partners there that more consideration and respect need to be afforded to the intelligence communities by the Trump administration.
By Gernot Heller BERLIN (Reuters) - Finance leaders of the world's top economies have agreed to review banking rules, but this does not automatically mean hard-fought financial market regulation will be rolled back, Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann told Reuters on Sunday. The new U.S. administration has argued that excessive bank regulation is holding back lending and economic growth, raising the prospect that rules could be loosened, putting efforts to finalise a new global banking accord, known as Basel III, at risk. Answering questions after a two-day meeting of the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in the German town of Baden-Baden, Weidmann said in written comments: "At our meeting we agreed to look more closely at the actual impact of the reforms after the comprehensive regulatory efforts in the financial sector." The G20 members would review whether intended goals had been achieved and whether there were any unintended side effects of the jointly agreed banking rules, Weidmann said. "But this is something quite different from rolling back the regulation," Weidmann said. The head of the German central bank said he had doubts that hopes would materialise that economic growth could be stimulated on a broad basis by rolling back financial market regulation. "The financial crisis has shown us painfully what great overall economic damage can be inflicted through insufficiently regulated financial markets," Weidmann said. Asked if the G20 gathering in Baden-Baden revealed more conflicts than at previous meetings, Weidmann said: "Especially when differences of opinion exist, a forum such as the G20 proves to be particularly valuable. In this respect I would speak less of conflicts than of an open, helpful exchange of opinions and an intense struggle for a common position." Weidmann said it was clear that the G20 members still had a lot of discussions about trade and its role for prosperity ahead of them. But he called it a success of the German G20 presidency that the financial leaders in Baden-Baden adopted a non-binding list of principles to boost the resilience of their economies against future shocks. [nL2N1GV0FI] Acquiescing to an increasingly protectionist United States, the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors dropped a pledge in the main communique to resist protectionism and keep global trade open. The failure of the world's financial leaders to keep established language supporting free trade marks a setback for the G20 process and poses a risk for growth of export-driven economies such as host Germany. [nL5N1GW03T] [nL2N1GV096] (Reporting by Gernot Heller; Writing by Michael Nienaber. Editing by Jane Merriman)
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The Government will maintain financial support to asylum seekers at a rate of five pounds a day, despite evidence from charities that asylum destitution is on the rise.

Asylum seekers are barred from working or claiming benefits including job seekers' allowance while the Home Office processes their claim. Instead, they are supported under Section 95 of the immigration Act, receiving 36.95 per adult or child per week.

The level of support is reviewed annually, and on Thursday the Home Office published new guidance which concluded that the cash allowance should remain the same.

Despite the annual review process, payments to asylum seekers have been largely static in recent years.

In 2011, a single adult received 36.62 a week. Support payments have increased by 33 pence over the last 6 years

A number of migrants rights organisations have expressed concern that support for asylum seekers is inadequate to cover the most basic necessities.

The Refugee Council has said: Most asylum seekers are living in poverty and experience poor health and hunger. Many families are not able to pay for the basics such as clothing, powdered milk and nappies.

In 2016, British Red Cross said it had provided basic necessities such as food parcels or clothing to 6,856 aslyum seekers on Section 95 support - an increase of 10% on 2015. Asylum seekers awaiting a decision on their application made up nearly half of those applying to the Red Cross for this kind of support.

Mike Adamson, chief executive of the British Red Cross, said: These figures point to a steady increase in the number of people who flee war and violence only to risk being left destitute and reliant on charities for basic necessities, including the ability to feed and clothe their children.

Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Show all 7 1 /7 Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The Solidarity With Refugees group said Saturdays protest aimed to show our Government and the world that Britain is ready to welcome more refugees. Rex Features Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis People march through central London as they take part in a protest rally organised by Solidarity with Refugees in a bid to urge the Government to take more action on the migrant crisis Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The protest comes days before world leaders meet to discuss crisis at UN General Assembly Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Demonstrators made their way from Park Lane to Parliament Square in London on Saturday afternoon Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Marchers chanted refugees are welcome here and waved banners reading no-one is illegal and lets help people Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The march was supported by charities and groups including the Red Cross, Asylum Aid, Save the Children, Hope Not Hate, Oxfam and the UN Refugee Agency Rex Features Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis In the wake of Alans death, David Cameron pledged to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees in the UK over the coming five years but there have been additional calls to re-home those who have already reached Europe, as well as asylum seekers coming from other conflict zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan Rex Features

The Home Office calculates the support payments based on data from the Office of National Statistics about expenditure by the UKs poorest 10%.

Using ONS figures, the Home Office judged that 1 a week was adequate for purchasing toiletries, and that 54 pence a week was sufficient for medicines and prescriptions.

3 a week is provided for travel, which the Home Office does not consider an essential. The document says travel may be necessary in limited circumstances, including those related to maintaining interpersonal relationships.

A spokesperson for North East London Migrant Action said: 'Asylum seekers are among the most vulnerable people in our society, yet the Home Office persists in dumping the majority in outsourced, substandard accommodation without enough money to meet their basic needs.

"All asylum seekers should have the right to work and access mainstream benefits before their claims are determined, but Theresa May and Amber Rudd seem determined to leave refugees in poverty.

"And unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Government's treatment of destitute migrants.

"Some migrant families with children who are supported by local authorities under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 exist on as little as 15 per person per week subsistence.'

 Tory MP Pauline Latham says people should 'stop being so sentimental' about child refugees

Nazek Ramadan, director of Migrant Voice, said: "Refusing to allow people to work and contribute, while keeping them below subsistence levels, is the kind of Catch-22 that reflects our broken migration policy at its worst.



"People who have come here fleeing desperate circumstances should not immediately be placed in a new struggle to survive. Granting parity of welfare support and/or the right to work would go a long way towards showing that the Government is committed to treating all people with equal concern and respect."

A Home Office spokesperson said: The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection.

Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are supported. The separate cash allowance is reviewed every year, using an evidence-based methodology which has been found to be lawful by the High Court, and we are satisfied we provide enough to meet essential needs.
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Hard-left supporters of Jeremy Corbyn are reportedly plotting to seize long-lasting control of the Labour Party, a secretly recorded tape has revealed.

Momentum founder Jon Lansman is planning to consolidate the grassroots organisations power within the Labour Party by formally joining forces with union Unite.

The plan was revealed in a recording of Mr Lansman addressing supporters at a meeting of a new branch of the organisation in Richmond, London, on 1 March.

The revelations from the tape, obtained by the Observer, were described by Labours deputy leader Tom Watson as a covert strategy to take over the party.

The recording reveals Mr Lansman called on Momentum supporters to work their way to all levels of the Labour Party in order to ensure they control Jeremy Corbyns succession.

Ensuring that when Jeremy does cease to be leader, and he will at some point cease to be leader, I hope by his own choice, we have a fair election in which candidates that have enormous support among the membership can get on the ballot paper and we will be able to vote for them, he is heard saying.

He added it was absolutely crucial pressure was exerted to change party rules in order to make it easier for a Momentum member to run in a leadership contest.

Currently, in the event of a vacuum, candidates need to secure backing from at least 15 per cent of MPs and MEPs, a threshold likely to be too high for any hard-left candidates.

Mr Lansman urged supporters to get as many delegates as you can send from constituency parties to the Labour conference to force a debate on lowering the 15 per cent threshold.

The tape also reveals Mr Lansman is confident Unite will become affiliated to Momentum if Len McCluskey secures re-election as Unite general secretary.

He says: Assuming the fact that Len McCluskey wins the general secretaryship, which I think he will, Unite will affiliate with Momentum and will fully participate in Momentum as will the Communication Workers Union.

Mr McCluskey is an ally of Mr Lansman and he previously threatened to cut his ties with Labour and launch a rival party if Ed Miliband lost the 2015 General Election.

Under Mr McCluskeys leadership, Unite, which is Labours biggest donor, provided crucial support to Jeremy Corbyn.

Unite's affiliation to Momentum could see a significant shift of financial resources and political influence to the pro-Corbyn left, a move which will no doubt upset the partys moderates.

Despite Mr Lansman telling his audience it was never the intention to purge people, the plan is likely to lead Mr Corbyn's critics to fear they may be pushed out before the next election.

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

A spokesperson for Momentum told the Observer: Jon Lansman was speaking in an aspirational manner about the possibility of Unite and the CWU affiliating to Momentum and stating that if they did choose to do so they would, like other affiliated unions, be able to take part in Momentums affairs by having a seat on its national co-ordinating group. Momentums constitution allows for up to six places for trade union affiliates, which have been taken up by some unions already.

Momentum sources said Unite had not given the organisation any funds up to now and that there were no current plans for Unite to affiliate to Momentum.

A Unite spokesman said affiliation decisions could not be made by the general secretary alone: Affiliation to Momentum is a matter for our executive council alone and no discussion on the matter is scheduled.
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The Scottish National Party has backed changes to prostitution laws to criminalise those paying for sex, but not those who sell it.

Delegates at the partys conference in Aberdeen voted in favour of a motion proposing a Scottish model to handle prostitution, similar to the "Nordic model" used in Scandinavian countries.

The resolution, proposed by MSP Ash Denham, stated that commercial sexual exploitation, including prostitution and human trafficking, is a form of violence against women.

Currently, selling sex in Scotland is not illegal, but a number of related activities such as brothel keeping and controlling prostitution for gain are.

For example, while indoor sex work is legal in Scotland, more than one person working together is considered an illegal brothel.

The SNPs decision drew criticism from some sex worker organisations, who said that full decriminalisation was the only way to the ensure the safety of sex workers.

The motion backing changes to prostitution laws, proposed by Ash Denham MSP (Common Space)

The Nordic model is seen by its advocates as a progressive way to deal with trafficking and violence against women.

The motion noted the policy had been successfully adopted in Norway, Finland Iceland, Canada, Northern Ireland and France.

However, organisations which are led by sex workers consistently argue that this system actually makes prostitutes' working conditions become considerably more dangerous, because they are often prevented from working in groups or cohabiting for safety.

Ms Denham said the SNP was "recognised throughout the world for its progressive leadership on LGBTI rights, womens rights, and fighting against child exploitation and domestic abuse".

"The SNP furthered that progressive leadership by approving my resolution which charters a Scottish model on prostitution that protects victims of prostitution and punishes those that would exploit them," she added.

"We have now taken a big step in tackling gender-based violence. Countless victims of prostitution state that violence is an inevitable part of the industry. This is backed up by studies here in the UK, as well as fully decriminalised systems like New Zealand, where prostituted women have said full decriminalisation will do little to address violence. Whether it is above ground or underground the culture of prostitution is the same: abusive and degrading. I applaud SNP delegates for recognising this.

Furthermore, many other studies show a clear link between prostitution and human trafficking. The two systems fuel one another."

She argued that the adoption of the Nordic model by neighbouring countries "risks seeing a displacement effect of traffickers setting up shop in Scotland".

"By approving a Scottish model on prostitution, SNP delegates have said no to increased flows of trafficking in Scotland. The Scottish model also goes further than the Nordic model by committing to legislation that includes assistance and support for those wishing to exit prostitution," Ms Denham added.

Fiona Broadfoot, a former sex worker standing to be an SNP councillor, spoke in favour of the motion, recounting how, as a 17-year-old girl, she was brutally raped by a client, but returned to work on a street corner within the hour".

International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Show all 11 1 /11 International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures People carrying red umbrellas march through downtown Skopje, Macedonia, marking the International Day to End Violence Over Sex Workers. The banner reads: The Stigma Kills. AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Women participate in a march through a street in Skopje. AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures People shout slogans and hold a banner during a march to support sex workers rights. AFP / Robert ATANASOVSKIROBERT ATANASOVSKI/AFP/Getty Images International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Sex workers demonstrate to call for the end of the violence perpetrated against them and punishment for culprits in Skopje. AFP / Robert ATANASOVSKIROBERT ATANASOVSKI/AFP/Getty Images International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures A woman with 'sex worker' written on her thighs takes part in the march. AFP / Robert ATANASOVSKIROBERT ATANASOVSKI/AFP/Getty Images International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Activists of the Kenyan Sex Workers Alliance chant slogans during a demonstration in Nairobi on December. AFP / JOHN MUCHUCHAJOHN MUCHUCHA/AFP/Getty Images International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Kenyan male and female sex workers walk with their supporters and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community to mark the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. EPA/DAI KUROKAWA International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Hundreds of sex workers gathered to demand decriminalisation of sex workers in the country and to give them more rights and protection. EPA/DAI KUROKAWA International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Female sex workers blow up condoms as they walk with supporters and members of the LGBT community. EPA/DAI KUROKAWA International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures A Kenyan sex worker plays with inflated condoms during the march. EPA/DAI KUROKAWA International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Protesters hold red umbrellas symbolising the protection of sex workers. AP Photo/Sayyid Azim

Christina Cannon, who is standing to be an SNP councillor in Glasgow, argued against the adoption of the Nordic model.

Sex workers are some of the most marginalised people in society today. Shouldnt we help them instead of further marginalising them?

The motion, she argued, did not protect their rights, but would push sex work into the shadows.

Nadine Stott, chair of Scot-Pep, an organisation which advocates for sex workers rights, strongly condemned the adoption of the policy.

The criminalisation of clients has been shown time and time again to make sex workers more vulnerable to violence, as interactions with clients have to become more rushed and clandestine  a gift to people with violent intentions.

"Indeed, we already have evidence of this happening in Scotland  in 2008, the prostitution in public places act criminalised the clients of street-based sex workers, and SCOT-PEP saw a 50 per cent increase in violence against street-based sex workers within just the first six months of the law.

"In particular, street-based sex workers need to not be fearing arrest for themselves or their clients, as that pushes these workers into isolated, hidden places on the edges of cities as they avoid the police.

 Nicola Sturgeon calls for second independence referendum in 2018

Ms Stott said many sex workers in Scot-Peps network were SNP voters, and were upset and wondering why a party that they've supported in the past would abandon them in this way".

She said she hoped they would keep engaging with the SNP in the future, and that many in the party were supportive of decriminalisation.

Scot-Pep hosted an alternative debate on sex work at an SNP fringe event.

Robert Sommyne, who attended the event, said a sex worker was rounded on during the discussion by Nordic model activists, and that it wasnt possible to have agency as a sex worker, because the choice is based on pressures".

Ms Stott told The Independent Scot-Pep volunteers were really shaken by the aggression and hostility they were subject to".

The English Collective of Prostitutes and the Sex Worker Open University, both organisations which advocate for sex workers' rights and back full decriminalisation, have also condemned the SNP's support of Ms Denham's motion.

John Mason, who was a signatory of the motion, has previously argued for a shorter time limit for abortions in Scotland, and tabled a motion in support stating that no person or organisation should be forced approve of same-sex marriage".
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Skin creams containing paraffin are causing people to set themselves on fire, sometimes with lethal consequences, it has been reported.

Paraffin creams are used for skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis but can also soak clothes or bedding, which can make the fabric flammable.

Warnings have been made for the past 10 years but an investigation by BBC Radio 5 live found there have been 37 deaths linked to the creams in England since 2010.

The medicine and healthcare products regulatory agency updated its guidance on the use of creams containing paraffin and said that all products should carry a warning.

Following the death of 63-year-old Christopher Holyoake in Leicester in 2015, an inquest heard that his bedding had been covered with residue from E45 cream, which contains paraffin.

Mr Holyoake, who was bed-bound, caught fire when smoking a cigarette. The E45 residue is believed to have acted as an accelerant, increasing the intensity and speed of the fire and leaving the patient very little chance of surviving.

The coroner concluded that there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken.

The fact E45 had no fire warning on its packaging was a cause of concern to the coroner, who said a highly inflammable label should be added.

E45 has since agreed to include a flammability warning on some of its products, which will be available in shops from next month, the BBC reports.

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

Only six fire brigades in England provided information for the report, which detailed 37 fatal incidents  28 of which were reported by the London fire brigade, the BBC investigation found.

Borough commander for Londons Wandsworth Fire Station, Darren Munro, who has been campaigning to raise awareness, said: In four out of the last six fatalities that Ive personally attended, I would say the emollient cream has had a direct result in the flame spread and the speed at which the fire took hold.

The creams themselves arent dangerous, it only becomes dangerous when you mix it in with other factors.

It is suspected the scale of the issue could be much bigger, with some people not reporting a fire they have been able to put out.

John Smith, the chief executive of Proprietary Association of Great Britain, the trade association which represents the manufacturers of branded over-the-counter medicines, said he was "deeply saddened" to hear about the cases.

He said that current guidance, based on fire rick tests conducted by the Health & Safety Executive "seeks to ensure healthcare workers exercise caution in the specific situation where they are applying significant volumes of emollients to patients that are permitted to smoke or who may be near to a naked flame."

He added: "Other risks are seen to be far higher, such as ensuring bedding and clothing is washed regularly to remove any build-up of residue."
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The Liberal Democrats have backed a motion calling on the Government to allow British nationals the right to apply for so-called associate citizenship of the European Union after Brexit.

The radical plan would allow UK nationals who applied for EU citizenship to work anywhere inside the union as well as giving them a vote in the European Parliament elections  while retaining their passport.

In late 2016, The Independent revealed that a plan for associate citizenship, proposed by MEP Charles Goerens, was being considered at the European Parliament. It then received the backing of Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliaments chief Brexit negotiator, who said he would ensure it is included in the parliaments negotiating mandate.

Reacting to the motion being passed to back the policy at the partys spring conference in York, Mr Verhofstadt posted on Twitter: Great to see Liberal Democrats backing idea that UK citizens who want to can keep ties with EU.

According to the partys foreign affairs spokesperson, MP Tom Brake, the associate citizenship plan will offer a glimmer of hope for all those who were devastated by the EU referendum result.

He added: The fact this idea is even being discussed shows there remains a huge amount of goodwill towards Britain amongst our European partners, despite the actions of the Conservative Brexit Government.

This is something we should be welcoming and looking at how best to take forward. It is vital the Government address the concerns of many UK citizens, in particular young people, who are worried about losing the right to live and work abroad in Europe.

But, according to some reports, the concept, which would have to win the unanimous backing of the EUs 27 other member states, has been met with cynicism by some on the continent.

Jane De Ruyt, a former ambassador to the EU from Belgium, told the Guardian last year there was no chance of the proposals being taken seriously. It is very vague and for the distant future, he said. It is not something which is made for Brexit. Maybe it can be discussed 10 years from now if member states want to change the treaty."

When asked about the proposal earlier this month at a journalists briefing, Downing Street said it was not something that we have ever proposed or said that we are looking at.

We will go into negotiations and discuss the ideas put forward by the EU and its various institutions, they added.
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The former leader of the British National Party has said he wants to emigrate to Hungary.

Nick Griffin said he intends to move to the eastern European country within the next six months, despite his previous attacks on immigration.

Mr Griffin told told Hungarian website 444 he would continue with his political activism even after he moved.

There's already a sort of nationalist emigre community building up here, he said. There's French, there's Italians and Swedes, and Brits as well, so it's only a trickle at present.

I have no doubt at all that when the trouble really begins with al-Qaeda and Isis in western Europe, that trickle is going to become a flood.

He added: And I hope that Hungary, the Hungarian government, the Hungarian people, will welcome people who are genuine refugees from western Europe but keep out the liberals who have brought western Europe to this state in the first place.

Mr Griffin also praised Hungary for saying that the sovereign countries of Europe have a right not just to their freedom but also to long-term survival.

Hungary is actually doing something about it, he said. There's the broad spectrum from building the wall to state help for young Hungarian families to have large families and addressing the Soros problem.

[It] indicates a government which doesn't want to commit national suicide. That's very refreshing from someone coming from the west.

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. 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

When he was asked where he would move to, Mr Griffin said: That depends. I love Budapest, I think it's a fantastic city. But I'm a country boy really, so I'll probably live somewhere out in the sticks, as we would say in England.
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Nicola Sturgeon has said an independent Scotland would seek full membership of the European Union and dismissed suggestions the country would have to join the back of the queue.

Scotlands First Minister also said she was willing to have reasonable discussions with Theresa May over the timing of a new plebiscite but warned it would not be determined by what is convenient for Downing Street.

Speaking on Sky News Sophy Ridge on Sunday, the SNP leader insisted she would apply for full membership and join with the other 27 member states after Brexit. But she rejected assertions that Scotland would have the join the back of the queue to do so.

She added: There is no queue to join the European Union and we have several voices over recent time saying that if Scotland wanted to be in the EU then there would be a very open, warm reception for that.

It comes after Alfonso Dastis, the Spanish foreign minister, said: Spain supports the integrity of the United Kingdom and does not encourage secessions or divisions in any of the member states. We prefer things as they are.

Mr Dastis added that Scotland would have to queue, meet the requirements for entry, hold negotiations and the result would be that these negotiations would take place.

Speaking on ITVs Peston on Sunday, Ms Sturgeon also added there may be room for discussions about a date slightly later in 2019.

However, asked whether a date in 2021 would be reasonable, she replied: I dont think that is reasonable because by that point Scotland has been taken out of the EU, two years have elapsed, presumably there is divergence opening up between the rules of the European Union, the single market and where the UK is going. I think it gets much harder for Scotland to take a different course.

But if shes talking in the spring of 2019, a bit later perhaps than I was suggesting, then there may be some room for discussions around that.

The Scottish First Minister added that she was up for a discussion within reason but said convenience for the Prime Minister should not be a factor. It should be determined by what is right for the Scottish people and I think when the terms of Brexit are clear, but before it is too late for us to chose a different path, is what would be best for the Scottish people.

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

It comes after a poll by ComRes for The Independent found that Scottish people are split over whether the Prime Minister is right to block a second independence referendum while Britain negotiates its exit deal with the EU.

The survey found that 44 per cent of Scottish respondents agreed with the statement: Theresa May should insist that any second Scottish referendum on independence takes place only once Britain has concluded the process of leaving the EU. But 48 per cent disagreed and 8 per cent didnt know.

Respondents in England and Wales supported the Prime Minister  60 per cent said she was right to refuse a second referendum while negotiations with the 27 other EU states are under way; 21 per cent said she was wrong.

Speaking on Sunday Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, also told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show that calls for a second referendum would be against the majority wishes.

She added that Ms Sturgeon was "hell-bent" on destroying the United Kingdom and described Brexit as "this week's excuse" for another independence referendum.

Ms Davidson said: "The SNP is not Scotland and they are acting against the majority wishes of the people of Scotland in putting forward their proposition on Monday.

"I've read far too many headlines saying, 'Scotland reacts X, Scotland reacts Y'. No, it doesn't.

"There are people right across Scotland, many, many thousands of them, that are so thankful for the Prime Minister to say 'let's take a pause on this'."
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Theresa May is expected to visit Wales this week as she commences a tour of the devolved nations ahead of triggering Article 50 within the next fortnight.

As part of a series of visits around the UK  including to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland  the Prime Minister, according to Downing Street, will be engaging and listening to people from right across the nation as we prepare to leave the EU as one United Kingdom.

It comes as Nicola Sturgeon, Scotlands First Minister, used her speech at the SNP spring conference to renew her assault on Ms May amid a constitutional standoff between the SNP and Downing Street over a second independence referendum.

Recommended Sturgeon says Scotland will pursue EU membership after independence

She added: The Prime Ministers attitude should worry all of us hoping that negotiations with Europe will not be a disaster because  and let me put it bluntly  if she shows the same condescension and inflexibility, the same tin ear, to other EU countries as she has to Scotland then Brexit process will hit the rocks.

However, Downing Street sources rejected the series of visits are a reaction to any recent events but they will inevitably be seen as an eleventh-hour dash across the nation to calm tensions ahead of invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty  the untested mechanism for a member state to exit the EU.

The Prime Minister is expected to trigger Article 50 within the next fortnight  before her self-imposed deadline of the end of March.

 Nicola Sturgeon: Scotland will pursue EU membership after independence

Speaking ahead of the visit, Ms May said: From my first day on the steps of Downing Street, I made clear my determination to strengthen and sustain the precious union. I have also been clear that as we leave the European Union I will work to deliver a deal that works for the whole of the UK.

I want every part of the United Kingdom to be able to make the most of the opportunities ahead and for Welsh businesses to benefit from the freest possible trade as part of a global trading nation.

 Labour should be prepared to offer chance of staying in the EU, says Tony Blair

She will be accompanied on her trip to Wales with David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, and Alan Cairns, the Welsh Secretary. It will also coincide with the signing of a 1.3bn Swansea City deal between the UK Government, local authorities and the Welsh Government, which aims to create more than 9,000 jobs in the region.
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There were reportedly no African delegates at a summit about sustainable development in Africa after they were all denied visas to enter the US.

The African global economic and development summit, which takes place every year at the University of Southern California was particularly quiet this year after about 100 attendees were barred from entering the country to participate in the event.

The summit aims to encourage businesses to invest in Africa and particularly to support initiative to provide clean energy, tackle the impacts of climate change and reduce poverty.

The event is opened to entrepreneurs, corporations and political and civic leader in the US and delegations from all over Africa come to showcase projects in need of technical help or investment.

Speaking to Voice of America, Mary Flowers, who chairs the summit said: Usually we get 40 per cent that get rejected but the others come. This year it was 100 per cent. Every delegation. And it was sad to see, because these people were so disheartened.

I have to say that most of us feel its a discrimination issue with the African nations. We experience it over and over and over, and the people being rejected are legitimate business people with ties to the continent.

Among the people, who were not allowed to attend the event were speakers and government officials from Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa.

Ms Flowers said those who were denied visas were called for embassy interviews days before they were supposed to travel, despite having applied weeks or months in advance. It is unclear why visas were denied to them.

The US State Department has been approached for comment.

But visas are repeatedly refused by US embassies.

Data by the US State Department compiled by The New York Times for the year 2015/16, shows Somalia, Ghana, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania all had a visa denial rate of more than 60 per cent.
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The apparent source for Donald Trumps claims that the UK and Barack Obama illegally wiretapped Trump Tower before the election told CNN that people should not take [his] word for it.

Larry C Johnson, the former CIA official turned conspiracy theorist, was discovered to be the person who told Fox analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano that the US President had been subject to illegal surveillance techniques.

He said he had been told the information in January by two people within the intelligence community, not directly, but from people who were in a position to know.

Recommended Man behind Michelle Obama and John Kerry hoaxes at centre of GCHQ row

Ive got out of the business of giving other people like him [Mr Napolitano] advice; they dont listen to me anyway, he said. I think the Judge is an honourable man and I think his heart is in the right place.

He added: Trump shouldnt have used the word 'wiretap'. But clearly, I have seen, there is an information, what I call an information operation, thats been directed, I believe, directed against President Trump and people like [former Director of the CIA] John Brennan and [former US Director of National Intelligence] Jim Clapper.

Mr Johnson was pressed on the fact that he had not been given this information directly.

New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Show all 27 1 /27 New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Ethnic Yemenis and supporters protest against President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Men pray during a protest by ethnic Yemenis and supporters over President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Ethnic Yemenis and supporters protest against President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Men pray during a protest by ethnic Yemenis and supporters over President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People gather for evening prayer at a rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner places a sign on the gate of his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner places a sign on the gate of his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 02: Yemeni business owner Musa closes the gate to his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner closes the gate to his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty

Dont take my word for it, Mr Johnson responded, adding that people should look to the evidence throughout the campaign, and that it had not come out of nowhere.

The President tweeted on 4 March that former President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower last year, adding Mr Obama was either a sick or a bad guy.

Mr Trump added later that he had done nothing except quote a clearly talented legal mind, referring to Judge Napolitano.

But Mr Johnson told CNN that the judge had not got it right either and that the President should not have tweeted the word wiretap.

He also misnamed the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) several times, referring to the intelligence agency as the GHCQ.

The substance of what hes saying, again, he [Mr Napolitano] didnt get it right, accurate either.

 House Committee says 'no evidence' to support Obama wiretap claim

Im not saying that the British, GHCQ, was wiretapping Trumps Tower, he said.

But lets just make a simple point. In the New York Times two days ago, they noted that the very first agency to notify that the DNC [Democratic National Committee] had been hacked was GHCQ, the British version of the NSA.

 Trump: 'Wiretapping' covers a whole range of things

Despite a lack of evidence of such surveillance, the White House pressured Congress into investigating the claims.

The Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, David Nunes, told CNN that there never has been any evidence behind the theory.

The day after Mr Trump tweeted the allegations in early March, Mr Johnson was interviewed on Russia Today, where he threw further fuel on the fire about operations to undermine the President.

He was asked this week on CNN why a former US official would agree to talk about the subject on a Kremlin propaganda network.

Its not a Kremlin propaganda network, he responded.

Mr Johnson was found to previously peddle falsehoods, including that former First Lady Michelle Obama had given a racist speech against white people and that former Secretary of State John Kerry had committed sexual assault.

Several lawmakers including Democrat Adam Schiff have said they expect FBI Director James Comey to officially throw cold water on the wiretapping claims next week.
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A Republican Representative said on national television that Donald Trump should apologise to the UK and former President Barack Obama amid growing tensions due to his unsubstantiated claims that he was illegally wiretapped.

Texas Representative Will Hurd said he learnt to apologise from his grandfather, and he was then questioned as to whether he thought the President should take the same advice.

I think so, he told ABCs This Week.

We live in a very dangerous world and we cant do it alone, and when we have a major ally  and its not just sorry to the President [Obama] but also to the UK, for the claims, or the intimation, that the UK was involved in this as well, he added.

It doesnt hurt and it takes away from the rest of his agenda.

Senator Tom Cotton, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was asked on CNN whether he had seen any evidence of Mr Trumps wiretap claims.

Not that Ive seen and not that Im aware of, he replied, adding that the committee would take the claims seriously nonetheless, reviewing documents and taking testimony from witnesses to see if there was any such evidence.

Mr Hurds and Mr Cottons remarks follow the Department of Justice announcing it had complied with a White House Intelligence Committee request to turn over any relevant material related to the claims from Mr Trump earlier this month that he was put under surveillance without his knowledge before the election.

The Committees Chairman and Republican Representative David Nunes said they had "fully complied" with the White House request but did not say what evidence they had turned over.

He later told CNN, when asked if there were physical wiretaps of Trump Tower, "No, there never was."

 Trump: 'Wiretapping' covers a whole range of things

House Speaker Paul Ryan was also asked about the unsubstantiated claims on the Sunday morning networks.

He said he had not seen any evidence to back up the allegations, but would investigate each and every one of these things.

I want to get on with passing our agenda, he told Fox News, before reverting to the question of repealing Obamacare.

Mr Obama and the GCHQ in the UK have denied any involvement in such activity, despite Fox News analyst Judge Andrew Napolitanos comments to the contrary. President Trump said he had simply quoted the Judges view, a certain very talented legal mind.

It was later revealed that a former CIA official, Larry C Johnson, who had been responsible for pedalling other falsehoods about Michelle Obama and John Kerry, had told the Judge about the claims, who then repeated them on Fox News.

Last week Arizona senator John McCain, who was blasted during the election campaign by Mr Trump for being captured by the enemy during the Vietnam War, called on Mr Trump to either provide evidence of his claims or retract them.

"The president has one of two choices, either retract or provide the information that the American people deserve," he said.

Mr Trump has remained adamant that his claims need to be investigated, and Congress agreed to do so.

"How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process," he wrote on Twitter on 4 March. "This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!"
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Since the White House released its latest budget proposal to defund various social programs, Meals on Wheels has received a massive increase in online donations and volunteer signups.

The non-profit organization that serves 2.4 million Americans received more than $100,000 in donations over a two-day period, officials announced on Saturday. The organization typically receives nearly $1,000 in daily online donations.

The White House announced on Thursday its plan to eliminate the Community Development Block Grant program that funds 3 percent of Meals on Wheels operations nationwide. Still, spokeswoman Jenny Bertolette warned on CNN that the groups 5,000 local branches rely heavily on the money to bring food to people who need it the most.

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

She explained that one branch just outside of Detroit relies on the block grants for 30 percent of their budget. And in San Jose, another branch had received nearly $2.5 million in funding in block grants to address the homeless and cover other costs.

"We can't spend money on programs just because they sound good and great," Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director, told reporters on Thursday. "Meals on Wheels sounds great. Again that's a state decision to fund that particular portion to it. To take the federal money and give it to the states and say, 'Look, we want to give you money for programs that don't work.' I can't defend that anymore."

If the budget were to pass, the Department of Health and Human Services would see a 16.2 percent cut in funding. Officials with Meals on Wheels are still wondering how the budget will affect funding from the Older Americans Act, the organizations primary source of funding. Bertolette said that Meals on Wheels would take a significant hit if that funding were cut.

"This is gonna take a huge effort on the Hill in the next weeks and months to really advocate for our program," she told CNN. "This budget would add insult to injury."
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A terminally ill woman, whose best friend promised to adopt her four children when she passed away, has died.

Sara Hankins, a mother of four, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and died aged 36.

Her best friend, Missy Armstrong, 42, promised to adopt her children Alexis, 18, Cayden, 11, Micah, 9, and Amara, 8.

Ms Hankins and Ms Armstrong met when they were at college in Illinois in 1999 and have worked together at a casino, petrol station and shopping centre, according to the Sun.

The thought of where they would go was killing her more than the ALS was, Ms Armstrong told People.

It consumed her everyday thoughts, because none of her family members were able to take in all four kids together.

So I decided to step in. I knew in my heart this was the right thing to do, that this was how it was meant to be.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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Ms Armstrong is now in the process of adopting the children and has said 18-year-old Alexis, who is too old to be legally adopted, is welcome to stay with her.
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The White House has come up with a new theory as to why Donald Trump apparently ignored Angela Merkels request for a handshake.

I dont think he heard the question, Press Secretary Sean Spicer told German publication Der Spiegel.

The rest of the world did hear the German Chancellor asking the US President at their first meeting as to whether he wanted to shake hands, however, and they watched as he did not respond and instead stared back at the cameras, looking resolute.

It was only when the reporters were ordered to file out of the Oval Office that Mr Trump was seen to turn towards her, say something and put a hand on her arm.

The visit between the two leaders began in a friendlier fashion in Washington DC on Friday morning as they shook hands at the entrance to the White House.

But later, as the pair sat on two chairs side by side in the Oval Office, his apparent rebuff of the Chancellor was an awkward moment and was highly blasted by the German media.

The gaffe was seen as another thorn in the side from Mr Trump following his negative comments about the countrys stance on immigration and trade deals throughout the election campaign.

In a joint press conference after the photo opp last week, the two leaders shared little common ground.

Mr Trump re-iterated that other countries needed to spend their fair share on Nato while Ms Merkel remained stony faced.

Germanys largest-selling daily, Bild, reported that Mr Trump did not once look Ms Merkel in the eye once.

The press focus on the lack of a handshake dominated reports of the meeting, in stark contrast to Mr Trump's other meetings with world leaders.

When Mr Trump met UK Prime Minister Theresa May, he was seen to grasp her hand as they walked towards the press conference together. With Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau there were plenty of smiles and eye contact despite little common ground. When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to the capital, Mr Trump insisted the US would stand up for its ally and friend.

Mr Trump insisted that negative news reports about his meeting with Ms Merkel were inaccurate.

"Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel," he wrote on Twitter.

"Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!"
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A German reporter has won plaudits from fellow journalists after finding a way to ask Donald Trump the kind of challenging questions he normally manages to avoid.

Kristina Dunz from the German Press Agency (DPA) was widely praised for asking Mr Trump why he was so scared of the media during Chancellor Angela Merkels trip to the White House.

She said: Why are you so scared of diversity in the news, and in the media, that you speak so often of fake news?

And that things after all, in the end, cannot be proven, for example, the fact that you have been wiretapped by [Barack] Obama?

Mr Trump largely ignored this question and instead answer another question she asked about foreign trade  insisting he was not an isolationist.

Ms Dunz, and a second German reporter who asked about Mr Trumps claim GCHQ was behind the wiretap, were widely praised for their questioning.

Clare Jeffery, the editor-in-chief of Mother Jones, said they were getting far better reviews than the US press corps and Jeremy Diamond, CNNs White House reporter tweeted "Good on our German colleagues for asking POTUS about wiretapping claims after 2 reporters Trump called on did not".

But Ms Dunz has shrugged off the praise, telling Stern magazine she was simply asking the questions US journalists were unable to.

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

She said: He leaves no room for critical journalists, and this is something that naturally attracts attention, [to ask questions].

CNN, the Washington Post, the New York Times and co are no longer given the opportunity to ask questions.

Mr Trump is safe and chooses journalists, which he knows will not be too critical.

In the end, we knew as German journalists that our US colleagues in this press conference would hope for us to ask those questions for us.

Recommended Trump and Merkel to hold first meeting at White House

She said Mr Trump selects the journalists he wants to speak to and decides who comes to press briefings but in Germany Ms Merkel has no influence over the media.

Journalists do not ask questions just to provoke but because they want to know something, she added.

She said she had been advised by a US colleague to pose her questions in German because Mr Trump would have to wait for the full translation before responding and therefore could not interrupt.

A US reporter told Ms Dunz to pose her question in German so Mr Trump could not interrupt Picture: (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

She thanked people for their praise but added: I would like everyone to know that there are very many, very, very good journalists in the US, who are now very hard on Mr Trump.

Those who want to suppress critical journalism have not understood the role of the media in a democracy.

Mr Trump has had a difficult relationship with the press since his election and has repeatedly branded critical organisations such as CNN and the New York Times fake news.

Last month, his press secretary Sean Spicer was heavily criticised for excluding several organisations from a gaggle  an informal briefing  but allowing in several organisations supportive of Mr Trumps agenda such as Breitbart.
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A review of Justice Department documents indicates there is no evidence behind Donald Trump's claim Trump Tower was wiretapped, the House intelligence committee chairman has said.

The President has defiantly refused to back down from his explosive claim that Barack Obama wiretapped his phones.

He also sidestepped any blame for the White House decision to highlight an unverified report that Britain helped carry out the alleged surveillance.

Mr Trumps unproven allegations against his predecessor have left him increasingly isolated, with fellow Republican as well as Democratic lawmakers saying theyve seen nothing from intelligence agencies to support his claim.

But Mr Trump, who rarely admits hes wrong, has been unmoved, leaving his advisers in the untenable position of defending the President without any credible evidence.

 Trump: 'Wiretapping' covers a whole range of things

"I don't know the basis for President Trump's assertion," US Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said on NBC's Meet the Press programme. "I do believe he owes us that explanation."

Ms Collins said she supported Mr Trump as President, but she wouldn't side with him if he "misstated what the facts are."

FBI Director James Comey is expected to be asked about Mr Trump's claims when he testifies at a rare public hearing on Monday about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Russia has denied the assertion it was involved in hacked emails and other attempts to influence the race.

Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee holding the hearing, called Mr Trump's claims "patently false" and said he expected Comey to say as much on Monday.

Republican Representative Devin Nunes, who leads the House intelligence panel, said after receiving the Justice Department documents, he saw no evidence of wiretapping.

Last week, White House spokesman Sean Spicer turned to a Fox News analyst's contention GCHQ had helped Mr Obama wiretap Trump Tower.

Fox News anchor Shepard Smith said the network could not independently verify the reports from Andrew Napolitano, a former judge and commentator who has met with Mr Trump.

GCHQ vigorously denied the charges in a rare public statement, saying the report was utterly ridiculous and should be ignored.

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

Mr Nunes said a leak involving Mr Trumps former aide Michael Flynn was the one crime we know of in his investigation into accusations of Russian interference in the US election.

The one crime we know thats been committed is that one: the leaking of someones name ...Mr Nunes told Fox News.

He said the panel was investigating whether other names were leaked.

The Press Association contributed to this report
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A waiter was fired after a group of friends alleged that he asked them to show proof of residency before serving them drinks.

Diana Carrillo wrote on Facebook that she and her friends were at a bar in Huntingdon Beach, California, when the unnamed waiter asked them to prove they lived in the area.

My friend in disbelief repeated what he said and his response was yeah, I need to make sure youre from here before I serve you.

The 24-year-old added: After fully digesting what he said, we all got up and left to speak to the manager.

The waiter, who has not been named, has been fired since they visited the Saint Marc Pub-Cafe on 11 March.

Ms Carrillo, whose parents are immigrants, said the incident was "completely unacceptable".

Kent Berden, the senior director of operations at the restaurant, told the Orange County Register that the waiter claimed he was joking but had been dismissed as he had not followed corporate policy "by any stretch of the imagination".

The pub said that it would donate 10 per cent of the pubs weekend profits to a charity of their choice - Ms Carrillo and her friends chose the Orange County Immigrant Youth United organisation.

The group was also offered to be VIP guests at the venue but they declined.

Ms Carrillo told the local publication that she was worried this sort of incident would become more common in a political environment of anti-immigrant rhetoric.

I feel thats the direction were headed in, given whos the President.

Thats one of the reasons I posted it on social media rather than just dealing with the restaurant.

Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Show all 15 1 /15 Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: People participate in an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message "Go Trump". Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: People participate in an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message "Go Trump". Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: People participate in an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message "Go Trump". Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: People participate in an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message "Go Trump". Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: Children play on playground equipment that was defaced with swastikas during an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message AGo Trump.A Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz speaks at a anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message AGo Trump.A Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: A piece of playground equipment that was defaced with swastikas stands during an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message AGo Trump.A Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn A woamn takes a photo of messages and flowers left at a playground before a protest against racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists protest racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists protest racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists protest racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn New York State Senator Daniel Squadron speaks as activists protest racism and hate after swastikas found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. The two remaining members of the Beastie Boys called for an anti-hate rally at the park in memory of band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Flowers left by activists at the entrance to Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016 after swastikas were found in the park. The two remaining members of the Beastie Boys called for an anti-hate rally at the park in memory of band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Messages and flowers left by activists at a playground protesting racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. The two remaining members of the Beastie Boys called for an anti-hate rally at the park in memory of band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists protest Racism and Hate after swastikas found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. The two remaining members of the Beastie Boys called for an anti-hate rally at the park in memory of band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images

Her sister, Brenda Carrillo, also gave her response on social media. She wrote that regardless of race or ethnicity, she did not believe anyone should be treated as they were at the pub.

I really feel for the people who this has occurred to and were too afraid to speak out due to immigration status etc. If we don't speak out now, people will continue to believe that they are entitled to treat us, minorities, as less.

We all deserve a seat at the table.

The California cafe has been bombarded with negative reviews since the posts from the Carrillo sisters have racked up more than a thousand shares, likes and comments online.

I will never visit this place after the racist complaints towards customers, read one user.

Great food, joked another. Just make sure to bring your driver's licence or passport to prove you're in this country legally.
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A US diplomat has been forced to leave New Zealand after he was allegedly involved in a serious criminal incident.

The man, who has diplomatic immunity, apparently suffered a broken nose and a black eye.

New Zealand police were called to Lower Hutt, just outside Wellington, where the US embassy is based, after reports of an incident.

The diplomat left the scene before the officers arrived and no arrests were made, The Guardian reported.

New Zealand police have apparently asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) to waive the mans diplomatic immunity so they can investigate.

MFAT asked the US embassy to do so and after they refused, the ministry requested the diplomat leave New Zealand.

Foreign diplomats in New Zealand have immunity from criminal processes but must abide by the law and wave their immunity if they are requested to do so.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

In a statement, the US embassy said it could not comment on the incident.

We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of US government personnel, the statement said.
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An archbishop in Sicily has banned mafia gangsters from claiming the title of "godfather" at baptisms.

Michele Pennisi said he wanted to reclaim the term and to challenge the notion crime bosses had a paternal side to them.

The Archbishop, whose diocese is near Palermo and includes the famous village of Corleone, featured in Mario Puzo's The Godfather, told AFP: "The mafia has always taken the term godfather from the Church to give its bosses an air of religious respectability.

"Whereas in fact, the two worlds are completely incompatible."

He said he could only enforce the ban if someone had been convicted of mafia activity. But Christian forgiveness was open to all, including mobsters, he added.

In 2014 Pope Francis excommunicated the mafia for the "adoration of evil and contempt of the common good".

The pope said the church would use its full force to combat organised crime.

"Our children are asking for it, our young people are asking for it," he said.
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A former US ambassador to Nato has ridiculed Donald Trumps claim that Germany owes America money for its defence.

After meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington, Mr Trump tweeted that it had gone well but nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to Nato and the United States for the powerful, and very expensive, defence it provides to Germany.

But Ivo Daalder, who served as ambassador between 2009 and 2013, said Mr Trump did not seem to understand how Natos funding system worked as all countries decide for themselves how much they pay in.

In a Twitter thread he pointed out the US decides how much it contributes to the overall Nato budget, as do the other 27 countries signed up to the treaty, and it is not a case of it funding other countries defence.

All Nato countries have committed to spending two per cent of GDP on defence by 2024 but only five  the UK, Greece, Poland, US and Estonia  currently do so.

Those that dont are currently increasing their budgets in the hope of reaching that goal  Germanys currently stands at 1.23 per cent  which Dr Daalder said was a good thing.

But he explained: No funds will be paid to the US. They are meant to increase Natos overall defense capabilities, given the growing Russian threat.

Europe must spend more on defence, but not as favour (or payment) to the US. But because their security requires it.

US does provide large military commitment to Nato. But this is not a favor to Europe. It is vital for our own security.

Nato, which stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, was founded in 1949 as part of a plan  spearheaded by the US  for Western countries to unite under a system of collective defence against the threat poised by the Soviet Union.

During the late 1940s and earlier 1950s, Joseph Stalin strengthened his control of Soviet satellite states in central and eastern Europe to create a buffer between Russia and the West as the Cold War began.

The Warsaw Pact was signed in 1955 as a direct response to the formation of Nato.

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

When the pact was dissolved following the breakup of the USSR in the early 1990s several former Warsaw members, such as Poland, and newly independent countries, such as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, joined Nato.

Following increased tensions with Russia, Nato has announced it will be deploying more troops to countries which share a border with it  this does not include Germany.

On Friday, the first of 800 UK troops arrived arrived in Estonia as part of one of the biggest deployments to Eastern Europe since the Cold War.

It followed the arrival of German and Belgian forces in Lithuania and US troops in Poland as part of Natos Enhanced Forward Presence battalion.

Mr Trump was repeatedly critical of Nato calling it obsolete during the election campaign and suggesting that the US would reduce its spending on it but has since attempted to reassure European leaders that he understands its strategic importance.

During a Nato summit in February, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said the US would moderate its commitment unless other members increased their spending.

He said: No longer can the American taxpayer carry a disproportionate share of the defence of Western values. Americans cannot care more for your childrens security than you do.

Disregard for military readiness demonstrates a lack of respect for ourselves, for the alliance and for the freedoms we inherited, which are now clearly threatened.
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A radical far-left candidate is hoping to make an impact on the chaotic French election with manifesto pledges to slash the retirement age and working hours.

As Conservative Francois Fillon is mired in a corruption scandal while centrist Emmanuel Macron fights it out with Front National leader Marine Le Pen, Jean-Luc Melenchon has risen steadily through the polls.

The 65-year-old is a former Socialist party member and served as a minister in the Education department between 2000 and 2002 but he left the party in 2008.

Backed by the Communist Party, the founder of the movement La France insoumise has rallied those who have long been disappointed by Francois Hollande's presidency and the divisions of the Socialist Party.

Closely trailing behind left-wing candidate Benoit Hamon in the polls at 11 to 12 per cent of votes, Mr Melenchon could create a surprise result in the first round of the election.

Flirting with Trotskyite ideas, his campaign pledges focus on redistribution of wealth, increasing the minimum wage and taxes for high incomes, as well as lowering the age of retirement to 60-years-old, reducing working hours to 32 hours a week and leaving Nato.

He also wants to create a constitutional assembly as the basis for an entirely new French republic, labelling the current version a presidential monarchy.

The constitutional shake-up would see social and environmental rights become core pillars.

A "green rule would prevent taking from nature what it cannot recreate, while air quality, water, food, health, energy and currency would be also protected as common goods.

The right to work, to a home, to abortion and euthanasia would also be made part of the constitution.

Mr Melecnhon wants to leave European treaties, abandon nuclear energy on which France is dependent, legalise cannabis, eradicate homelessness by the end of his term, set-up a universal income for French nationals and recruit 10,000 civil servants including local police forces.

The ideas are not new and the far-left candidate ran with a very similar programme in 2012, when he received 11 per cent of votes.

Tens of thousands of people are reported to have gathered at a rally in Paris this weekend to show their support for the candidates deep reform.

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

His book Lavenir en Commun (The future in Common), in which he sets out his manifesto, has already sold 200,000 copies according to French newspaper Les Echos.

And despite his political seniority, he is finding new ways to appeal and engage with voters. In the last few months, his YouTube channel has grown from 40,000 subscribers in October to 236,000 and counting.

But Mr Melenchons candidacy and the division of the French left has also enabled the emergence of frontrunner Emmanuel Macron, who has now overtaken Ms Le Pen in a poll by Odoxa.

A total of 11 candidates will be running in the two-round election, which is being seen as another test for traditional parties and support for institutions like the European Union.

The deadline has now passed for the Conservative to present an alternative candidate to Mr Fillon, after the right-wing candidate admitted he was being officially investigated over allegations he paid his wife and children for parliamentary work they allegedly never carried out.

The scandal saw him slip to third in the polls, at least six points behind Ms Le Pen and Mr Macron.
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President Trump has egged on a new arms race. Russia violated weapons treaties to upgrade its nuclear arsenal. North Korea is developing long-range missiles and practising for nuclear war  and the US military is considering preemptive attacks on the isolated nation's military facilities.

Meanwhile, nuclear terrorism and dirty bombs remain a sobering threat.

Though these events are unlikely to trigger the last-ditch option of nuclear war, let alone a blast in your neighbourhood, they are very concerning.

 Old footage of 'Mother of All Bombs' test is thought to be same bomb as US' attack on Afghanistan

So you might be wondering, "If I survive a nuclear-bomb attack, what should I do?"

Michael Dillon, a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researcher, crunched the numbers and helped figure out just that in a 2014 study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

Likewise, government agencies and other organisations have also explored the harrowing question and came up with detailed recommendations and response plans.

The scenario

You are in a large city that has just been subjected to a single, low-yield nuclear detonation, between 0.1 and 10 kilotons.

This is much less powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima  about 15 kilotons. However, it's not unlikely when looking at weapons like the new B61-12 gravity bomb, which is built by the US, maxes out at 50 kilotons, and can be dialed down to 0.3 kilotons. (Russia and Pakistan are working on similar so-called "tactical" nuclear weapons.)

Studies have shown that you and up to 100,000 of your fellow citizens can be saved  that is, if you keep your wits about and radiation exposure low enough.

One of your biggest and most immediate goals is to avoid nuclear fallout.

How to avoid fallout radiation

Fallout is a mess of bomb material, soil, and debris that is vaporised, made radioactive, and sprinkled as dust and ash across the landscape by prevailing winds. (In New York City, for example, a fallout zone would spread eastward.)

The best thing to do is to find a good place to hide  the more dense material between you and the outside world, the better  then wait until the rescuers can make their way to help you.

The US government recommends hiding in a nearby building, but not all of them provide much shelter from nuclear fallout.

Poor shelters, which include about 20% of houses, are constructed of lightweight materials and lack basements. The best shelters are thick brick or concrete and lack windows. Like a bomb shelter.

Hiding in the sub-basement of a brick five-story apartment building, for example, should expose you to just 1/200 of the amount of fallout radiation outside.

Meanwhile, hanging out in the living room of your one-story, wood-frame house will only cut down the radiation by half, which  if you are next to a nuclear explosion  will not do much to help you.

So, what do you do if there isn't a good shelter right near you? Should you stay in a "poor" shelter, or risk exposure to find a better one? And how long should you wait?

Should you stay or should you go?

In his 2014 study, Dillon developed models to determine your best options. While the answer depends on how far away you are from the blast, since that will determine when the fallout arrives, there are some general rules to follow.

If you are immediately next to or in a solid shelter when the bomb goes off, stay there until the rescuers come to evacuate you to less radioactive vistas.

If you aren't already in a bomb shelter, but know a good shelter is about five minutes away  maybe a large apartment building with a basement that you can see a few blocks away  his calculations suggest hoofing it over there quickly and staying in place.

But if the nice, thick-walled building would take about 15 minutes travel time, it's better to hole up in the flimsy shelter for awhile  but you should probably leave for a better shelter after roughly an hour (and maybe pick up some beers and sodas on the way: A study in the '50s found they taste fine after a blast).

This is because some of the most intense fallout radiation has subsided by then, though you still want to reduce your exposure.

Other fallout advice

One of the big advantages of the approach that this paper uses is that, to decide on a strategy, evacuation officials need to consider only the radiation levels near shelters and along evacuation routes  the overall pattern of the radioactive death-cloud does not factor into the models. This means decisions can be made quickly and without much communication or central organisation (which may be spare in the minutes and hours after a blast).

Other researchers have analysed other similar scenarios in papers, whose findings are summarised in the chart below:

(M.B. Dillon/Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical and Physical Sciences (M.B. Dillon/Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical and Physical Sciences)

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Israel's defence minister has threatened to destroy Syria's air defence systems if they are used to target Israeli fighter jets again.

The Israeli military said it shot down one of several anti-aircraft rockets fired at its warplanes by Syria last week in the most serious military exchange between the two hostile neighbours in recent years.

Air force officials said four Israeli jets on a mission to destroy a weapons convoy destined for the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah were attacked by three Syrian surface-to-air missiles, one of which was intercepted by the Israeli Aerial Defence System known as "Arrow."

"The next time the Syrians use their air defence systems against our planes we will destroy them without the slightest hesitation," Avigdor Lieberman said in remarks broadcast on Israeli public radio.

 Syria conflict: Six years of war in numbers

Damascus claimed one of the jets was shot down in Israeli-controlled territory and another was hit  a claim the Israeli military denied, saying none of the jets had been hit.

Israel had carried out strikes near Palmyra to help Isis terrorist gangs and in a desperate attempt to raise their deteriorating morale and divert attention away from the victories which the Syrian Arab Army is making in the face of the terrorist organisations, a Syrian army statement said.

Most Israeli air strikes in Syrian territory over the last few years have been aimed at preventing weapons from being smuggled to Hezbollah, which fights alongside the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime against rebel forces.

While the Israel Defence Force (IDF) does not comment on the nature of its operations, Hezbollah, like Iran, is committed to the destruction of the Jewish state.

In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Show all 30 1 /30 In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian family arrives at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian woman, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, reacts as she stands with her children in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past resident fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood , after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past residents fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-regime fighter speaks with a child, as residents flee violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood. Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops AFP/Getty Images In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Smoke rises as seen from a governement-held area of Aleppo, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers targeting rebels-held areas in the eastern neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syria. According to media reports, the army is now holding on 99 percent of Aleppois eastern neighborhoods EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-government forces patrol Aleppo's eastern al-Salihin neighbourhood after troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers rest following the battle at al-Sheik Saeed neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-government fighter walking past closed shops in the Bab al-Nasr district of Aleppo's Old City. Once renowned for its bustling souks, grand citadel and historic gates, Aleppo's Old City has been rendered virtually unrecognisable by some of the worst violence of Syria's war Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The crucial battle for Aleppo entered its 'final phase' after Syrian rebels retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The retreat leaves opposition fighters confined to just a handful of neighbourhoods in southeast Aleppo, the largest of them Sukkari and Mashhad Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilans arrive at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods. Syria's government has retaken at least 85 percent of east Aleppo, which fell to rebels in 2012, since beginning its operation Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilians flee the Sukkari neighbourhood towards safer rebel-held areas in southeastern Aleppo Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The fall of Aleppo would be the worst rebel defeat since Syria's conflict began in 2011, and leave the government in control of the country's five major cities Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee Aliya inside the tent where she lives with her husband and ten children in a camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee women and children outside the entrance to their tents in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee woman outside the entrance to the tent where her family live, in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A vehicle drives past a mosque at night in Idlib, Syria. Picture taken with a long exposure Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The night sky is seen through damaged windows in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria Reuters

In highly unusual comments confirming the operation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "Our policy is very consistent. When we identify attempts to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah, and we have the intelligence and the operational capability, we act to prevent that. That is what was and that is what will be."

Israel has been largely unaffected by the Syrian civil war raging next door, suffering only sporadic incidents of spillover fire that it has generally dismissed as tactical errors by Assad's forces.

It has responded to the errant fire with limited reprisals on Syrian positions.

The skies over Syria are now crowded, with Russian and Syrian aircraft backing the regime's forces and a US-led coalition striking Isis and al-Qaeda targets.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Saturday that he will reinstate capital punishment without hesitation, ahead of the referendum on 16 April that could lead to a radical extension of his powers.

Speaking at a televised rally in Canakkale, the leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) promised that he would sign a bill on the death penalty, stating: "I believe, God willing, that after the 16 April vote, parliament will do the necessary concerning your demands for capital punishment".

His controversial comments come over a decade after Turkey completely abolished the death penalty in its efforts to join the European Union.

This isnt the first time the premier has introduced talks about reinstating capital punishment. He raised the idea after last years failed coup of 15 July, suggesting it would bring justice to the families of the victims.

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

As the referendum approaches, Erdogan has been leading an inflammatory, anti-western campaign that saw him pushing a political narrative that depicts Turkey as a great nation that is being undermined by an imperialist Europe.

He attacked German chancellor Angela Merkel again on Sunday, accusing her of using Nazi measures, according to Agence France-Presse. In a televised speech, he said: You are right now employing Nazi measures, using the informal you in Turkish in what has become an intense diplomatic dispute. He previously launched a scathing attack on Germany for stopping rallies in advance of the constitutional referendum, in which he repeatedly referred to Germans as Nazis.

He erroneously labelled the Dutch as Nazi remnants in a desperate bid to appeal to voters in the Turkish diaspora. The Netherlands is home to approximately 397,471 people of Turkish origin, who make up 2.4 per cent of the total population. Most of them hold dual nationality and are therefore eligible to vote in the Turkish referendum.

A yes in the referendum would rewrite the constitution and transform Turkey from a parliamentary system to an executive presidency, giving Erdogan unprecedented control to appoint ministers, pick senior judges, and dismiss parliament.

Erdogans campaign has understandably been met with criticism, with Turkeys main opposition leader, Kemal Klcdaroglu, urging Turks to vote no in the referendum, saying its approval would undermine democracy.

European institutions have also expressed concerns over the campaign. A Council of Europe inquiry noted there is an excessive concentration of powers in one office.

According to the Associated Press, figures opposing the referendum in Turkey have faced threats, violence, arbitrary detentions, a lack of TV airtime and even sabotage in the campaign.

The AKP leaders shift towards an autocratic government has led to accusations of being dictatorial by critics.

Erdogan came under fire in January after using Hitlers government as an example of an effective presidential system. He defended his argument that putting all political power in the hands of the presidency would be a success, by saying there are already examples in the world [...] you can see it when you look at Hitlers Germany. There are later examples in various other countries.

The rocky campaign and talks of introducing a death penalty will undoubtedly cause long-term damage for ties between Turkey and European countries, and could end Ankaras efforts to join the EU.
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Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, who has an estimated net worth of over $17 billion (13.8 billion), is not one for subtlety.

He's currently on a lavish tour of Asia, and has arrived in every country on his itinerary  most recently China  on a golden escalator from his personal plane.

He also isn't travelling alone  when he landed in Indonesia, he was joined by an entourage of 620 staff and a further 800 delegates.

The pomp and pageantry on display during the tour has caught the world media's attention  and not for the first time.

In 2015, he and his 1,000-person entourage caused the closure of a French Riviera beach for three days. Salman's group poured concrete on the beach to install an elevator directly on the sand.

The King's most recent trip has lived up to his reputation.

Scroll down to see the various extravagant things he's spent his money on while on his Asian adventure.

500 limousines

King Salman flew two Mercedes-Benz S600 limousines with him on his trip. You may be thinking: "But what limousines will his entourage travel in?" Don't worry, the Saudi King had 500 limousines ordered into Tokyo to ferry him and his crew around the capital.

1,200 hotel rooms

Bad news for luxury travellers in Tokyo at the time of King Salman's visit  they may have struggled to find a spare room. The King booked a reported 1,200 hotel rooms at Tokyo's top hotels to accommodate his staff and delegates.

Two golden escalators

Because one is never enough.

A Lockheed C-130 Hercules

How do you transport a pair of golden escalators? You take your military transport aircraft, of course. The Hercules is designed to haul tanks, artillery, and paratroopers over long distances  it can even fly with one engine. In the Saudi King's arsenal, though, it is reportedly used to carry his nearly 500 tonnes of luggage  limousines and escalators included.

100 bodyguards

King Salman's 1,500-strong squad includes 25 princes, 10 ministers, and over 100 security personnel. The retinue have a combined net worth in the multi-billions.

Six Boeing passenger jets

In order to transport the King's entourage of 1,500 people, six Boeing passenger jets were chartered for the trip  including his personal 747, painted in gold.

459 tonnes of luggage

The airfreight firm charged with the colossal task of handling the King's luggage said that 63 tonnes of his cargo were unloaded at Jakarta, and the rest were taken with him to his holiday destination in Bali.

It's unclear what luxury items are included in King Salman's luggage  besides the escalators and limousines but there's only so many Faberge eggs you can fit in a suitcase.

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Walid Jumblatt looked a worried man yesterday. He seemed a trifle frail. He was, after all, commemorating the brutal murder 40 years ago of his Druze father Kamal, an earnest and secular socialist who might have been compared to the pre-First World War MP Keir Hardie, although Hardie spent 11 years in the mines and did not live in a palace. Kamals butchering  he was shot to death in his car, along with his driver and bodyguard, not long after the start of the Lebanese civil war  was followed by a massacre of hundreds of Christians by their Druze neighbours in surrounding villages.

Walid has ever since tried to make amends for this terrible act  not least because he believes Kamal was killed on the orders of the Syrian president Hafez al-Assad, Bashar al-Assads father. So his short speech outside his palace at Mukhtara, like much of his recent political work, was about reconciliation between Christians and Druze. He has never failed to mention the murder of the Christian villagers and that this crime should never happen again. The official figure of dead  if "official" figures exist in war  was 219. Most had their throats cut.

Surrounded by his political supporters in a palace drawing room, many of them Maronite Christians, he told me that his father had tried hard to end Lebanons sectarian system of government. He was trying to get rid of it because the Muslims and Druze were not equal partners in the system., he said. My father tried to do this peacefully. The elite of the Christians were with him. But the dream of a non-sectarian Lebanon was killed with him on the same day he died.

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 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news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images

The Druze, whose leadership Walid Jumblatt inherited on the day of his fathers murder, are counted as one of the five Muslim sects in Lebanon even though there are supposed to be only half a million of them. The popular conception is that they are five per cent of the population; it may, in fact, be six per cent. But the Druze play a vital role in de-sectarianising the Lebanese political system, an institution so opaque and preposterous that even local politicians have often reacted with horror at its complexity.

The Druze community has members in Syria and, indeed, in Israel, and has often been ascribed as having neo-platonic as well as Islamic roots. This may be a bit romantic. But it comes complete with sheiks who wear stunning red and white turbans and a magical multicoloured flag. The Jumblatt family were originally from what is now Turkish Kurdistan. Perhaps the faith also has Hindu origins. Kamal was fascinated by Hinduism and travelled to India to study it. His old Indian teacher flew all the way to Lebanon for yesterdays commemoration.

But among Lebanons current and serious problems is Walids own political future as an MP since a remark attributed to Gebran Bassil, the foreign minister (who just happens to be the son-in-law of President Michel Aoun), suggested that Jumblatt should not be in electoral alliance with Christians  a suggestion profoundly opposed to Kamals ideas and to the Christian politicians gathered at the Mukhtara for the 40th anniversary of his murder.

In his speech, which was listened to by tens of thousands of his Druze supporters, Walid Jumblatt reminded them how his father supported the Palestinian cause, and he gave his son Taimur, who stood beside him, a traditional Palestinian kuffiyah scarf. Taimur, he told him publicly, should carry the heritage of your wonderful grandfather and raise high the banner of occupied Arab Palestine. He claimed that Druze and Christians achieved Lebanons reconciliation after the civil war, a statement which has grave historical roots.

 Marine Le Pen walks out of meeting with Lebanon's Grand Mufti after refusing to wear headscarf

For in the 19th century, massacres far more terrible than that of the Chouf mountain villagers were perpetrated against Lebanons (and Syrias) Christians. It was this which prompted the landing of the French army in Beirut in 1860, who offered the Christians protection. The British put in at Sidon and offered Druze children the dubious privilege of an English public school education.

If Lebanons present problems are merely the greatest crisis since Lebanons last greatest crisis, they are serious enough. There are constant rumours that Hezbollah and the Israelis will return to war  on the grounds that the Israelis will try to hit Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, rather than bomb Iran itself. Which was one covert reason for the 2006 war which devastated the country. After that carnage, Hezbollah claimed it had won a great victory  which didnt feel like much of a victory to the Lebanese  and Israel was defeated but said it had won.

Perhaps the darkness which one feels here is that everyone knows that Lebanon contains a lot of retired murderers, among them  unless they have been killed  the ones who ambushed Kamal Jumblatt. Theres a worthy campaign just now by a man called Nasser Bakkar, who was born in southern Lebanon and who wants to erect a memorial wall containing the names of all those who died in the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war. It would necessitate, he says, putting all our differences aside. It sure would  and would encounter a multitude of problems, not least because some who had lost loved ones would discover that the murderers of their sons or husbands would also turn up on the wall. And you can be sure that sectarian problems would arise. Would you inscribe the names alphabetically? By nationality? By  and here we go  religion? And it would certainly have to be a very long wall.

Bakkar says that there were 200,000 dead in Lebanon. When the war ended, I clocked it up as 150,000. So what happened to the missing 50,000 souls? Like the figures for the dead of Syria, calculating the victims can be a statistically dodgy business. Especially with all those retired murderers living on into old age.
It is definite "game on" when it comes to picking up financial services jobs after Brexit - but Ireland may not be off to as solid a start as we might have hoped.

AIG chose Luxembourg for its new post-Brexit European headquarters instead of Dublin, then we had speculation Lloyd's of London may be set to deliver more disappointing news by opting for Luxembourg or Berlin.

Dublin is definitely in line to pick up a few bonus investments but there is a background narrative about the regulatory regime running throughout. One lawyer at London firm Slaughter and May was quoted in the Financial Times this week as saying our Central Bank has gone from "a light-touch regulator to being more serious".

Minister of State for financial services Eoghan Murphy has complained that some jurisdictions are using "regulatory arbitrage" to win investment. He raised concerns with the EU financial services commissioner that there should be consistency in the way regulatory standards are applied.

It seems we want to have EU-wide consistency in the application of regulation/supervision but not corporate taxation. The Luxembourg Minister for Finance dismissed Murphy's concerns by saying: "I didn't expect the Irish to be sore losers." Ouch! There is of course that minor matter of a 13bn European Commission tax ruling on Apple's Irish operations. It is hard for Ireland to hang on to the moral high ground on inward investment with that ruling out there.

The real problem seems to be that core regulatory and supervisory principles in financial services that are run across the EU are not yet fully embedded in the system. So, one jurisdiction can attract a project by allowing a financial services company to operate there without perhaps having to locate the same level of supporting capital as somewhere else. It appears there is little scope for complaints like Murphy's to be dealt with through tougher regulation.

The Central Bank is going about its job with the zeal of a convert. The old dichotomy between promoting an industry and regulating an industry remains but the Central Bank no longer has to worry about promoting jobs in Ireland.

If they come, they come. Meanwhile, the Government can throw its toys out of the pram (and they may even have a point) but it doesn't mean Europe will give us a sympathetic ear.

No one unscathed in Nama Project Eagle probe

The PAC probe into Nama's sale of its Northern Ireland portfolio finally came to an end with the publication of its findings.

As expected, it backed up the Comptroller and Auditor General's view that the agency could have got a better price for the loans, which were sold to Cerberus at a sizeable discount in 2014.

Nama's response was somewhat battle-weary. Senior executives from the agency have been before the committee multiple times and they beg to differ with the C&AG and the PAC on the question of the sale. Aside from the dispute over price, there are a number of clear truths about this whole sorry saga.

Nama could have handled the sale process better. It is not certain it could have got a significantly better price as the C&AG has suggested. Nama is still very firmly of the view that it did the right thing.

Cerberus might have done very well out of this portfolio if Brexit had not come along.

The commercial property market in the North was recovering until the middle of last year, when confidence took a big hit.

The Brexit vote saw a 40pc hit to commercial property activity in 2016 -and the worst is still to come.

If Nama had decided not to sell the loans in one big lump, it might have decided to work through them over a longer period of time. This would have been highly contentious, as a State agency in the Republic went to battle with most of the North's property players.

It would have been the financial equivalent of hand-to-hand combat every time Nama moved to liquidate a borrower.

In theory they could have delayed the sale, but for how long? If they waited until 2016, Brexit would have seriously dented the value of the portfolio.

Nama executives are no doubt very comfortable in their view that they did the right thing and "got out of Dodge" when they did with a sizeable cheque.

The agency's statement this week could not have been clearer: "It was the Board's commercial and considered judgement, in full knowledge of the financial implications, that the sale of the Project Eagle loan portfolio provided a better financial outcome than any alternative monetisation strategy."

Unfortunately, the sorry saga has shown up corporate governance deficiencies within the organisation, particularly when it came to the Northern Ireland Advisory Board and the role of Frank Cushnahan.

Nobody comes out of it particularly unscathed.

Brexit heralds a new Dawn for meat sector

Dawn Meats is one of the biggest and most successful meat processors in Britain and Ireland. So it is hardly surprising that it may be close to making an offer to buy Dungannon-based Dunbia. Dawn, owned by the Queally and Browne families from Waterford, is one of those processors which can service the UK market from plants on both sides of the Irish Sea.

The big unknown in the sector is what happens after Brexit? If the UK introduces tariffs on Irish meat imports, large processors might find it easier to service large British customers from UK plants.

Dawn Meats has 3,300 staff through operations at 24 sites across Ireland, Britain and the Continent. Of those, 10 are in the UK. Group turnover is over 1bn but its profit and group margins are not known because the company is unlimited and doesn't have to file group accounts.

Dunbia has 4,000 staff at nine locations. Its biggest is in Dungannon, where it employs close to 1,000 staff. It has two plants in Wales, two in Scotland, two in England and two here. If Dawn were to buy the entire group, it would give it operations at seven more locations in the UK and a group that had a turnover of 787m last year.

Profit margins are notoriously thin in the sector and Dunbia had an operating profit margin of just 1.17pc. Profit before tax last year was 7.1m and net assets 63m.

One in five of all McDonalds burgers sold in Ireland, the UK and Europe comes from Dawn's Co Waterford plant, which is churning out 400m burgers a year.

If the Dunbia deal were to be done, it would give Dawn a consolidation opportunity and increased capacity in the UK where it has very large contracts.

Every Irish meat company with sizeable contracts in the UK has to be concerned about Brexit uncertainty. At this stage the future may still be bright for large processors who can serve the British market from Britain - but it isn't clear what happens to the beef industry back home.
The Irish SME sector is to gain access to 100m in fresh capital from non-bank lender Capitalflow.

The Dublin-based specialist finance provider has secured the sum via a credit facility from three banks. It did not disclose their identities, describing them as "two major UK banks and a leading US bank".

Capitalflow was set up in April of last year and has so far loaned more than 50m to Irish businesses.

It said the deal "supports Capitalflow's ambition and commitment to the Irish market".

The company provides finance to SMEs via products including invoice discounting, hire purchase and asset-based lending. It's been operating here for about a year and has provided more than 50m of lending across more than 450 customers. Last year it said it planned to lend 300m to the sector.

"We are facing an uncertain future in terms of Brexit and political change in the US," said Capitalflow managing director Ronan Horgan, pictured.

"Banks have experienced a turbulent time as a result of the recession and so too have Irish SMEs. We are seeing a real pick-up in the economy despite the uncertainty, with domestic demand driving growth. In this period of growth, SMEs require open lines of finance from their financial partners to fund their businesses."

Capitalflow is owned by London private equity firm Pollen Street Capital. Originally part of RBS, Pollen Street was spun out into a separate business in 2014.

It has been in the news recently for an attempt at a take-private for Shawbrook Bank, a business-focused lender it set up and floated on the stock market two years ago. Currently it owns about 40pc of the bank and had its takeover bid - launched in tandem with another private equity group BC Partners - rejected.

Capitalflow was established by Horgan, the former managing director in Ireland of Bibby Financial Services, and former Close Brothers managing director Harry Parkinson. It employs 30 and also has an office in Belfast.

"In the same way, as has occurred in the States and the UK, we have seen a marked increase in independent finance providers in the Irish market. Business owners are building relationships with these providers, rather than becoming too reliant again on the pillar banks. Our announcement today is further proof of the demand for our products in the market," Horgan said.

The Capitalflow deal is the latest in a series of funding boosts for the non-bank SME finance sector.

H2 Equity Partners recently launched a 235m fund targeting investments in Irish SMEs, while GRID Finance recently raised 30m to pump into the sector. The Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) - an SME-focused lender - recently raised 450m in an effort to meet growing demand for its loans.

Investors such as the Carlyle Cardinal Ireland fund, MML Growth Capital Partners and Renatus Capital have been active in recent times, as has Finance Ireland, the alternative finance provider run by former Irish Permanent executive Billy Kane.
The head of Ireland's competition watchdog has asked for greater enforcement powers, saying the current system is "not appropriate" for detecting or deterring some types of anti-competitive behaviour.

Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) chairwoman Isolde Goggin told an event in Brussels that the most the CCPC can achieve when it takes civil cases is a court order directing companies to stop certain conduct.

"We have been vigorous in using the powers that we have - for instance, taking court proceedings against trade associations for fixing prices, or by seeking injunctions to prevent collective boycotts. However, there are undoubtedly cases where we would have sought fines if that option were available," Goggin said.

"The lack of any kind of financial penalty in civil court actions means there is little deterrent effect in such cases: industry knows that it may as well try to engage in such conduct, because even if we intervene to stop it, they are not at a loss," she said.

"Any opportunity to broaden our enforcement tools is a very positive one."

The CCPC - set up in 2014 on foot of the merger of the Competition Authority and the National Consumer Agency - is currently overhauling its website. Its consumer website consumerhelp.ie will be merged with its corporate website ccpc.ie to "provide a single home for information for consumers, businesses, the media and general public".

Goggin said a key priority for 2017 was tackling anti-competitive information sharing. The CCPC is currently investigating alleged "price signalling" by motor insurers.
Businessmen Ulick and Des McEvaddy have secured financial backing from a Dubai-based investment group to build a proposed 2bn terminal scheme at Dublin Airport.

Omega Air boss Ulick McEvaddy and his brother Des have been attempting for the past 20 years to develop a third independent terminal on 130 acres of land they own adjacent to Dublin Airport.

Now the McEvaddys have secured financial backing from Dubai-based Tricap Investments, a major investment fund with a diversified investment portfolio that spans real estate, energy and aerospace in the Middle East, the US, Asia and Africa, the Sunday Independent has learned.

Tricap Investments' managing director is Salem bin Dasmal, a former CEO of the $55bn Dubailand project, a gigantic leisure and theme park development in the city.

Documents released under Freedom of Information reveal that the McEvaddys and Tricap Investments have met with government ministers and officials to outline their plans. The talks, which have included department consultations with the Attorney General, are believed to have focused on the possibility of securing access to taxiways and runways at Dublin Airport - a major sticking point for any planned independent terminal as the Dublin Airport Authority has said it is not in favour of a competing terminal access.

The proposed 2bn T3 project, which would initially cater for an estimated 10 million passengers a year, would create thousands of jobs during the construction phase and when it is fully operational.

A report sent to Fingal County Council planners on behalf of Omega Air last year said a local area plan for the Western Campus site near Dublin Airport would enable the "development of a range of aviation related and complimentary land uses, including aprons and taxiways, freight terminals and aircraft maintenance facilities".

The report claimed development on the McEvaddys' 50 hectare 'Western Lands' is "the only viable option in terms of available land".

The possibility of a third terminal is currently under review and such a development would go out to tender.

The McEvaddys unveiled their T3 masterplan to Transport Minister Shane Ross at a meeting on July 26 last. Patrick O'Donovan, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, and Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor were also lobbied.
Outgoing chief executive Justin Keatinge said last year that the company was aiming to hit 1bn in revenue over the next decade. Photo: Stock Image

IT services company Version 1 has been in talks with British and Irish private equity houses about raising money, the Sunday Independent understands.

The firm, which employs 900 people worldwide, has been engaged in the discussions with a view towards potentially acquiring another company by year end. It expects revenues for its 2017 financial year to come in at 100m. A spokesman for Version 1 declined to comment.

The ambitious company participated in the Irish Stock Exchange's 'IPO Ready' programme for 2015-2016. Outgoing chief executive Justin Keatinge said last year that the company was aiming to hit 1bn in revenue over the next decade.

Keatinge, who co-founded the company alongside John Mullen, is due to step down shortly as chief executive to be replaced by Version 1's chief operating officer, Tom O'Connor. In a recent LinkedIn post Keatinge said O'Connor was "an extremely impressive individual, who could very well grow Version 1 from 900 to 9,000 people in a short space of time".

"It's time to step outside my comfort zone and quit while I'm ahead... I'll retain a board seat and remain a major shareholder," he added.
Marek Pokorny, founder of Shamrock Escargots: I took a risk with snail farming as I was stepping into the unknown.

Marek Pokorny remembers the birth of his youngest daughter for an unusual reason. Pokorny, who runs his own snail farm in Co Kildare, imported his first 10,000 breeding snails from France in December 2015. He put these snails into hibernation for a couple of months - until February 2016 when he placed them into the breeding unit on his snail farm.

"Our first snail to lay eggs did so on February 18, 2016," says Pokorny. "I remember this as our third child, Isabelle, arrived on February 17. I am afraid to say both occasions were momentous for me - though I think my wife Marcella may only recall the baby!"

When Pokorny moved to Ireland in 2005, little did he know that he would eventually set up his own snail farm. Pokorny, from Tabor in the Czech Republic, initially worked as a plumber here.

He later qualified in civil and environmental engineering after pursuing studies. Although he worked as an environmental engineer after graduating, his contract finished in September 2015. A few months later, Pokorny swapped his career in engineering for one in snail farming.

"I had had snail farming in my head for some time," says Pokorny. "I had seen someone snail farming in the Czech Republic and had thought that it would be a great adventure to try it. In December 2015, I was still unemployed and relying on my wife's income. So I decided to take the risk and imported my first 10,000 breeding snails."

Pokorny turned the field in front of his family home in Ballycowan into a snail farm.

He built the snail farm himself, using his skills as a civil and environmental engineer. He also built the farm's 50-foot polytunnel (the snail breeding unit), the snails' hibernation unit, and a kitchen where he processes the snails himself - rather than export them live.

Building the breeding unit was a huge challenge, according to Pokorny. "I had to call on my neighbour and friend to help with holding the polythene sheets to cover it," he says.

The Czech man has since harvested 250,000 snails from the 10,000 originally imported. His company, Shamrock Escargots, is one of only four companies in Europe making marinated snail liver, according to Pokorny.

He also makes marinated snail fillets and snail caviar. He sells his snail caviar in 70g jars - at 85 a jar. "The caviar is expensive because you have to put a huge amount of work into it," says Pokorny. "You need to make sure the snail eggs are clean and perfectly preserved. You have to go through the eggs with a magnifying glass and check that each egg is perfectly clear."

The work pays off, however. Pokorny feels he can "definitely" make a living out of snail farming. "I can produce 50 jars a week on my own," says Pokorny. "If we start to export to the US, then we can do much more."

Being about a year old, it's early days for Shamrock Escargots and the company is largely selling most of its products online.

Those orders are coming from Irish people - and according to Pokorny, most of the Irish people ordering his products are those who have tried snails while holidaying abroad. "People have also come to our farm to buy live snails," says Pokorny.

Pokorny is hoping to sell his snails in Irish stores, supermarkets and restaurants. "We are trying very hard now to find retailers and restaurants to sell our products to," says Pokorny.

"I think retailers here are nervous as they aren't sure if the Irish are ready for snail products."

Pokorny believes the Irish have an appetite for snails after he saw a lot of interest in his products at the Bite Food Festival in the RDS last November. Shamrock Escargots was one of the companies displaying its products at this festival.

"There were so many young and old Irish people at that festival who have eaten snails before on holidays - and who were delighted to be able to try them again," says Pokorny.

"People often have a vision of a slimy creature in their heads when they think of snails. However, if you take our marinated snail fillets for example, these are cooked by me for up to five hours, so they're nice and tender by the time they're ready to eat. Snail meat is full of protein and it's a very low-fat meat."

Pokorny is hoping that his snails will be served in restaurants in Ireland and Europe. "Snail caviar is perfect for starters," says Pokorny. "It's mostly served on crackers and with sour cream and cranberry sauce."

He has big export ambitions. "Obviously the market we are mostly looking at is abroad - where snails are a usual food and used as appetisers or as part of the main meal," says Pokorny. "There's huge potential for export. There is interest in the US for our snail caviar and we are trying to find a way into that market.

"Snail meat is a traditional meat in France, Italy and Spain and there is a huge shortage of snails in these countries. France has to import over 80pc of its snails even though they have over 191 farms. Italy imports 65pc of its snail meat while Spain imports 55pc."

The export market was one of the many things which Pokorny researched before setting up Shamrock Escargots.

"Not only did I research the type of snail farm I needed to build, I had to research the type of soil which is suitable for the snails, and the buildings I needed for the farm."

Ireland is a good country for a snail farm, according to Pokorny. "The Irish weather is perfect for snails," says Pokorny.

"We've very wet conditions here. Some hot countries are not very healthy for snails as snails need a lot of water. Here in Ireland, there's plenty of natural water through the rain. Everywhere is green and there's very little extreme weather conditions."

He describes snails as "wise animals".

"Every time I go out to feed them, they are sitting up on the wooden pallets on my farm, waiting for their extra food," says Pokorny.

"By day, they are always under the pallets or hidden in the plants. When they are all sitting up on the pallets it's some sight to see them all together." As snails are small creatures, they need "intense minding and nurturing" from the outset, says Pokorny.

"The temperature they are kept in for hibernation is crucial, so that they don't wake up or die. When we imported our first snails in December 2015 and put them into hibernation, it was a tense time. Would they stay in hibernation?

"We had one of the warmest winters that year and unfortunately as our garage is well insulated, they started to wake. That wasn't good! We quickly bought some fans and had the fans running 24 hours a day to keep the garage cool enough."

Another challenge is field security. "You need to keep pests out such as rats, mice and so on," says Pokorny.

"Netting is crucial to stop birds getting in and eating your snails. As this is your living, you don't want to lose the snails so you must have galvanised steel around the field outside. However you always have a few 'runners' - a snail can travel about 15 metres a night."

Pokorny lives in Ballycowan with his Irish wife Marcella and their three children, Charlotte, Marcus and Isabelle.

"I couldn't say half a word in the English language when I first met Marcella," says Pokorny. "You can imagine what our first date was like!"

Their eldest child, Charlotte, is six; Marcus is three; and the youngest child, Isabelle, is one.

"We always have Charlotte's birthday party in our house, so last June all her class wanted a tour of the snail farm which was great fun," says Pokorny. "Charlotte also brought a few snails into her school for her nature table. There was great excitement in the class."

Although Pokorny loves working outside and is happy that he has bred his own snails, he describes the job as a huge challenge: he's the only worker but hopes to hire someone this year.

"I can't do everything myself," says Pokorny.

"I took a risk with snail farming as I was stepping into the unknown. Setting up your own business is expensive and there is a lot of investment in the start - with no guarantee you are going to be a success.

"I also work long hours and it has been a seven-days-a-week job. I love spending time with my family when I am not busy on the farm though - which hasn't been easy in the last year as I have been so busy setting the farm up. We try and always make the time we have together count."

www.shamrockescargots.com
SXSW has attracted names from across the entertainment and technology industries including global hip-hop icon, Snoop Dogg. Photo: Getty Images

Arguably the world's most iconic event for launching new talent and game-changing technology and ideas - a Woodstock meets the Web Summit to the power of ten - South by Southwest (SXWS) has an incredible ability to capture the zeitgeist at the intersection between technology, music, film and digital media.

Everyone from Johnny Cash to Lady Gaga has gigged here. Scores of films have premiered; many have won distribution deals. SXSW Interactive is the event's emerging technology stream. Its past roll call of keynote speakers includes Mark Zuckerberg, Jimmy Wales, Craigslist's Craig Newmark, SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk and Barack Obama. It's where Twitter gained much of its initial traction a decade ago and where entrepreneurs from all over the world gather for discovery, networking and inspiration.

In an incredible achievement, Ireland's first gene foundry Helixworks, which plans on storing all the data on Google in a test-tube, was named this year's most innovative company at SXSW.

Other Irish tech startups with Enterprise Ireland at SXWS share this pioneering spirit. Illustrative of the 'sharing-economy' mega-trend, Parkpnp's platform enables users to generate revenue from their unused car parking spaces, while Sanctifly helps business travellers to access leisure facilities in airport hotels, while waiting for a connecting flight. Tapping into another disruptive wave, Cogni Financial and Transfermate provide alternatives to traditional banking solutions.

Other Irish innovators at SXWS included greener energy-use enabler Systemlink; e-learning specialist Intuition; and business workflow and productivity leader DataKraft, along with several companies in the content space, including Newswhip, Vistatec and Digisoft.tv.

Also flying the green flag, Enterprise Ireland client companies GirlCrew, a global network for women to make new friends, was one of 10 companies to represent the EU. StitcherAds celebrated its expanding business partnership with Pinterest, and Overhaul continues to disrupt the market for moving premium cargo in North America.

Irish companies that have established roots here often describe Austin as being distinct in feel from much of Texas, with a more laid-back attitude and a strong student population. Celebrating its diversity and individuality, one of the city's mantras is 'Keep Austin Weird'.

The cowboy may be an iconic figure of Texas - one in seven Texans is employed in agriculture, and agricultural output has a $100bn impact on the state's economy. But, these days, the silicon chip is just as emblematic.

Nicknamed Silicon Hills since the 1990s, Austin has increasingly been giving San Francisco's Bay Area a run for its money. Fortune 500 companies with HQ or regional offices there include AMD, Apple, Cisco, Dell, eBay, Facebook, Google, IBM, Intel, 3M, Oracle and Texas Instruments.

With a three-hour drive, you can hit Dallas or Houston, and Irish companies SkyTek and Combilift, travelled with us to connect with clients NASA and FloworksPVF, underlining the diversity of potential buyers Texas offers.

During the past decade, the Lone Star State has become the second largest economy in the US, pushing New York off the number two slot.

It's now the fifteenth largest economy in the world, buoyed by an abundance of natural resources and a strong position in petrochemicals, energy, aerospace, machinery manufacturing, biomedical science and computers and electronics. Enterprise Ireland's office in Austin can help you understand where the best potential lies and define your approach to doing business here.

Among the global players, there's a culture that embraces early-stage technology, entrepreneurialism and innovation, no doubt supported by the success of SXSW.

This year SXSW Film and SXSW Interactive attracted over 50,000 registrants. Not bad for an event first organised 30 years ago by a couple of staffers with The Austin Chronicle, who expected a turnout of about 150. Austin, you're a gem. Keep it Weird!

Paul Burfield is Enterprise Ireland's SVP for West and Southern USA Enterprise Ireland
I am due to retire at the end of next month. I am in a defined contribution (DC) scheme and wish to purchase an approved retirement fund (ARF) when I retire. I wish to get an independent evaluation and advice on the types of ARFs that are on offer, all the costs and risks associated with these funds, which ones may suit me, and so on.

How do I go about getting a truly independent bona fide qualified adviser?

Tony, Ashbourne, Co Meath

You can get financial advice from many sources including banks, insurance companies, stock brokers and insurance brokers. Financial advisers must be authorised by the Central Bank to carry out this service and you can find a list of authorised advisers on the Central Bank's register (http://registers.centralbank.ie).

Individuals giving advice must have a minimum level of competency (as a qualified financial adviser) but this does not necessarily mean that the advice they give is independent. Typically, where an adviser is representing a financial services firm such as a bank or insurance company, he will be recommending that company's products.

Talk to a few advisers over the phone or in person before choosing one. Ask them how many financial services or ARF providers they deal with and ask how they get paid. Find out if the adviser is paid by fees or commissions? Ask how much experience he or she has in providing pensions advice? If the answers you get are all "jargon" rather than open, you need to talk to more advisers - pensions can be a complex area and you need an adviser who will be open with you and who you can easily understand.

As you are retiring from a defined contribution scheme, your employer may have a preferred adviser who fills the above criteria and could therefore assist you when you are about to retire. This is a service my organisation provides to our clients and perhaps similar arrangements exist for you.

I'm self-employed and thinking of opening a Personal Retirement Savings Account (PRSA). Is this a good idea and how can I protect the money I save into a PRSA?

Fiona, Donnybrook, Dublin 4

Opening a PRSA to save for retirement is a very good idea. Contributions to a PRSA attract tax relief and the funds where contributions are invested are exempt from tax. You can choose the degree of risk you wish to take on when investing your contributions.

As a general rule of thumb, the younger you are, the more risk or the more adventurous you can be with your investment decisions. The nearer you get to retirement, capital protection with modest growth is likely to be your goal. Your contributions should be invested in a well diversified fund. This could be in a single fund that invests in a global index of company shares. Or it could be a fund that provides diversification by investing in different asset classes or across a number of different funds and fund managers

During the period you are seeking to grow the value of your PRSA, it is very likely that you will experience some volatility. It is possible, especially in the early years of your PRSA, that the value of your PRSA could be less than you put in. Over a long period of time, market volatility smooths out and with an appropriate investment strategy, you should see growth in your fund value..

There are two types of PRSA, a Standard PRSA and a non-Standard PRSA. Standard PRSAs must operate within defined charges and investment options and this is most likely the type of PRSA to suit you. Non-standard PRSAs may have higher charges and they typically provide access to a wider range of investments including direct investment in shares and property. Borrowing may be a feature of these types of investments and can result in heavy losses where markets are negative. Such investment can equally have excellent up-side in positive markets. These types of investments are for the more experienced, hands-on type of investor.

The PRSA environment is well regulated. The Pensions Authority and Revenue Commissioners are jointly responsible for approving PRSA products. The Pensions Authority supervises the activities of PRSA providers in relation to their approved products and it also monitors compliance with PRSA legislation. The Central Bank of Ireland is responsible for the prudential supervision of PRSA providers and the supervision of the sales process of approved PRSA products. The Pensions Authority maintains a register of PRSA providers and their products. There are currently 14 PRSA Providers on the register; however one of the companies listed on the register is in liquidation.

You should seek advice from an independent financial adviser who can assist you in choosing an appropriate PRSA provider and directing you to an investment strategy that suits your risk appetite.

I am a member of a defined benefit (DB) pension scheme through work but I am concerned about the financial viability of the scheme. There is a lot of talk about it running out of money. Is there anything I can do to boost my pension and safeguard against the potential demise of my DB scheme?

John, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin

If someone is a member of a DB Scheme, they have little or no control over the management or funding of the scheme. This at the discretion of the employer.

The scheme's trustees are tasked with ensuring that minimum funding levels are achieved. Reducing benefits, closing the scheme to future accrual, or winding up the scheme are all concerns that face DB scheme members today.

The stability of a DB scheme basically comes down to the financial strength of the sponsoring employer and how committed the employer is to keeping the scheme.

A well-funded DB scheme with an employer who is committed to the continued existence of the scheme is the optimal pension vehicle to be a member of.

If you are a member of a DB scheme that is poorly funded and the employer is reluctant or unable to continue to fund deficits, then there is a strong possibility that the scheme could either reduce benefits or indeed be wound up.

In a wind-up situation, the trustees are required to ask the sponsoring employer to fund the deficit - however, the employer is not legally obliged to do so. The employer may have voluntarily entered into a covenant to fund the deficit and if so, the trustees have a better chance of maximising the benefits of the scheme members.

Quite a number of DB schemes have reduced future benefits rather than wind up the scheme.

In such cases, members should look to make up any shortfall in benefits by making Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) - an arrangement whereby you top up your pension.

Similarly, if a DB scheme has ceased to accrue future benefits, then members will typically be given the option to join the company DC Scheme. They should do this and make AVCs to maximise the funds available at retirement.

Email your questions to lmcbride@independent.ie or write to 'Your Questions, The Sunday Independent Business Section, 27-32 Talbot Street, Dublin 1'.

While we will endeavour to place your questions with the most appropriate expert to answer your query, this column is a reader service and is not intended to replace professional advice.

Director, Allied Pension Trustees www.alliedpensions.com
Moonlight and La La Land may have won most of this year's Oscars, but it's the small screen that increasingly attracts some of Hollywood's biggest stars, and so we have Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley and Laura Dern in the new Sky Atlantic drama series, Big Little Lies.

Based on an Australian novel by Liane Moriarty and relocated from New South Wales to the Californian seaside community of Monterey, this started off like a cross between The Stepford Wives and Desperate Housewives as we were invited to marvel at the lifestyles of a group of perfect moms: ocean decks to die for, kitchens to kill for and smiles as sunny as the Californian skies.

Chirpiest of all was Madeline (Reese Witherspoon), relentlessly upbeat as she told newcomer Jane (Shailene Woodley), "You're an intrinsically nice person" and introduced her to all and sundry as "my new friend Jane".

But soon it became clear that things were not quite as they seemed. Madeline resented her ex's new young wife, Bonnie, while also feeling adrift as her teenage daughter grew away from her. Nor was Celeste (Nicole Kidman) as serenely happy with hubby Perry (Alexander Skarsgard) as their passionate gropings suggested, while Jane was having flashbacks to a troubled past not yet defined.

Matters came to a head in this first episode with a school-gate accusation that Jane's young son had physically hurt the daughter of wealthy career woman Renata (Laura Dern), but from the outset we'd also witnessed the aftermath of a brutal murder, though of whom and by whom it's not yet clear.

Already, though, the series has me hooked, with an intriguingly enigmatic turn from Kidman as a woman who may be privately enduring her husband's rages, while Witherspoon brought a wrenching poignancy to scenes in which she let her public guard down and revealed her private loneliness.

Meanwhile back in Dublin, a woman was feeling desperate, too. "Holy Jesus!" Celina exclaimed as her dad drove her to the IKEA store for her nuptials. "This can't be happening!" Celina had originally dreamed of getting married in the Unitarian church on St Stephen's Green and having her wedding reception in the Shelbourne hotel, subsequently opting instead for Powerscourt House as her preferred venue. But no, this was Don't Tell the Bride (RTE2), so partner Ben got to choose where the c ceremonies took place.

So why IKEA? Don't ask me, but then don't ask me anything about this ludicrously contrived series, in which the groom is tasked with decisions about venues and wedding dresses that would never happen in real life. "This is one bride who knows what she wants," the deeply annoying voiceover intoned as the viewer wondered why she'd been given no say in the matter. But then, of course, there would have been no programme, which would have been fine by me.

Autism and Me (RTE1) was an affecting film about young people who suffer from this debilitating condition, and the testimonies of 11-year-old Hughie, 16-year-old Fiacre and 19-year-old Niamh were both distressing and moving. But as usual, RTE lessened its impact through overkill, the subject having already been addressed in the previous Friday's Late Late Show and then discussed again in the Claire Byrne Live show that immediately followed the documentary. Just as moving, indeed sometimes unbearably so, was War Child (Channel 4), in which children were filmed as they attempted to flee to Germany from their war-torn countries.

"The Taliban started killing children as they walked to school," said 11-year-old Emran from Afghanistan, "so my father sent me to Europe." En route, he played a "refugee game" with 12-year-old Hussein which involved one of them as a border guard chasing, catching and expelling the other.

Twelve-year-old Rawan from Aleppo was on her way through Greece and Macedonia with her family. "In Syria, I was young," she recalled and you could see in her brave but haunted face that she wasn't young anymore.

From the wrenching to the ridiculous, Geri's 1990s: My Drive to Freedom (BBC2) purported to offer the former Spice Girl's thoughts on the decade that made her famous, but was really all about herself. Yes, she had views on grunge ("too depressing"), on Oasis ("a little bit too aggressive") and on being "one of Thatcher's children", but mostly it was just about her lifelong desire to be "rich and famous".

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Her Spanish mother was on hand to recall that her daughter "always liked to show off: look at me, look at me, look at me" and to note her ability to "get on people's nerves". That was possibly meant fondly, but I'm with mum.

Belfast-born Gareth Reid won Portrait Artist of the Year (Sky Arts), which is quite the best of all such painting shows, amiably hosted by Joan Bakewell and Frank Skinner and engrossing in its depiction of how portraits get created.

Reid now lives, teaches and paints in Glasgow but his winning 10,000 assignment, commissioned by the National Gallery of Ireland, was to paint Graham Norton. This was filmed in a follow-up show set mainly in Bantry, where both painter and sitter discovered that they were third cousins. "Hilarious," Graham declared, adding that only in Ireland...

Storyville: Murder in Italy (BBC4) concerned the 2010 killing of 13-year-old Yara Gambirasio near her Lombardy village and the way in which DNA evidence led dogged police investigator Letizia Ruggeri to her murderer, who's now serving a life sentence. The story was absorbingly told.
Remember the episode of Father Ted where Dougal gets stuck on the milk float? Ted has to devise a plan to save him from certain doom. His first idea is to say a Mass, but when it doesn't work, a bigger concept is called for. Ted's intrepid group brainstorm and at the end of the session their best solution? "Is there anything to be said for saying another Mass, Ted?"

Ireland is one of the most energy-dependent countries in Europe, importing 85pc of our energy at a cost of 6bn a year. This leaves us exposed to turbulent geopolitics. Developing our own renewable energy is a good thing. It reduces the fuel we need to import and also contributes to employment and reduces harmful emissions, but when it comes to addressing the problem, we suffer from the same cyclical thinking as Ted and his group.

Ireland's development of renewable energy is painstakingly slow. Renewable energy comes in many forms but conversations in Ireland generally revolve around wind energy. Ireland is a world leader in wind energy. Last year, one quarter of our annual electricity was generated by wind; this is good and more should be encouraged. However, electricity is only one fifth of the total energy we use (the rest is mainly oil for transport and heat). Ireland's reliance on fossil fuels cannot be solved by wind energy alone; yet when it comes to discussing other ideas, we resort to the Father Ted approach and wonder: "Is there anything to be said for building more wind?"

Ireland has many resources and options that can be used with wind energy to reduce our fossil fuel reliance. Using less energy makes it easier to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. Ireland has one of the largest dependencies for oil in home heating in Europe. Improving our homes so they use less energy is a good way to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The poor quality of our housing stock and the difficulties in keeping homes warm adds to the hardship of fuel poverty. Making homes cosier and draught resistant reduces emissions, creates local employment and will also bring health benefits.

Ireland's ecosystem offers unique opportunities for businesses or cooperatives producing indigenous energy fuels such as renewable gas from waste or grass and wood from forestry. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland suggests that future domestic bioenergy production, if used sensibly, would be equivalent to 30pc of today's energy needs.

Transport represents 40pc of the energy we use. While electric vehicles will play a big role, we also need to reduce our consumption of fossil fuel in transport through car-pooling, improved public transport and more efficient driving. Trucks, vans and planes can't be electrified and last week saw the announcement that a gas filling station for trucks will open in Dublin Port. Gas that can be produced from renewable sources in the future.

None of these ideas on their own will solve Ireland's reliance on fossil fuels.

The search for a silver bullet to our reliance on fossil fuels is futile and underestimates the challenge. Focusing on a single solution is about as helpful as saying another Mass, Ted.

Paul Deane is a research fellow at MaREI, Environmental Research Institute in UCC
Gardai reported a "generally quiet" St Patrick's night, although three young men were under arrest and being questioned yesterday about a stabbing in Longford town.

It was the second stabbing in 24 hours. Yesterday morning, a man in his 40s appeared at Dublin District Court charged in connection with the fatal stabbing of father-of-three Mark Richardson (46) who died from injuries in an altercation at a house in the Harmonstown area on Thursday evening.

The Longford stabbing was reported to have taken place following a dispute in New Street at around 8.30pm on Friday.

The male victim was taken to hospital initially in a critical condition but yesterday he was reported as being stable in the Midlands Regional Hospital.

Gardai arrested three men and are expected to prepare a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Gardai said yesterday that it was a generally quiet St Patrick's night as many people had opted to stay off the streets as a westerly gale brought cold and rain across the country.

Mr Richardson is understood to have died from a single stab wound which occurred during what is believed to have been a dispute among a group who had been drinking and watching the Cheltenham Festival at around 7.40pm on Thursday. He was taken to Beaumont Hospital where he was declared dead.

Mr Richardson was the father of an eight-year-old girl and two boys aged two and five, and, according to local people, the family had been homeless for several months, living in emergency accommodation in Dublin city centre and only recently finding more permanent rented accommodation in the Artane area.

The man charged in connection with Mr Richardson's death was remanded in custody yesterday and will appear again on Wednesday.

Despite Mr Richardson's death, gardai said they had dealt with much worse violence and drunken disorder on and around previous St Patrick's Days. Dublin city centre was described as being "busy but nothing out of the ordinary for a Friday night".

Extra officers were on duty throughout the day but they had little to contend with during the daytime celebrations.

Six years ago, after a succession of incidents involving drunken violence, gardai and city centre traders came to an agreement to restrict the sale of alcohol during St Patrick's Day.

According to people in the Harmonstown Drive area where Mr Richardson died, he had been socialising with a number of men who had spent the day drinking and watching the horse racing.

A loud row is said to have broken out in Harmonstown Avenue shortly before the stabbing was reported to gardai.

Mr Richardson was said to be lying outside a house and a man was arrested at the scene.
A shopkeeper who was attacked at his North Dublin shop on Saturday morning remains in hospital this afternoon.

Kevin Tansey (44) was struck in the head with a hammer at his newsagent's on Fitzmaurice Road, Glasnevin yesterday.

The victim was rushed to Beaumont Hospital with a suspected skull fracture and sources said he remains in a serious but stable condition this afternoon.

Members of his family told Independent.ie he will make a recovery.

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A friend of the family posted a message on Facebook: "Hi neighbours and friends, I never normally do this but I feel I have to AGAIN, just an update on Kevin Tansey, he is doing well so keep the prayers and the fairy today he's going to make a full recovery as of this morning. Please refrain from getting involved in negative rumours."

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Two men, with their faces covered, entered the popular store at approximately 8.15am on Saturday.

Once inside the pair are believed to have threatened Mr Tansey before one of the men struck the shopkeeper with the hammer.

The pair fled in a white saloon type car in the direction of Glasilawn Road. Nothing was stolen in the incident.

Local TD Noel Rock said: "My thoughts are with Kevin and his family and I hope he has a full and fast recovery. From speaking with people in the community, there is a huge amount of shock at just how savage this attack was.

"Everybody wants to see the thugs who carried this out caught and off our streets as soon as possible, so I would urge anybody with any information to come forward to Gardai."

Gardai are appealing for anyone who was in the area between 8am and 8.20am, or has any information, to contact them at the incident room in Finglas on 01-6667500, or the Garda confidential Line 1800-666-111 or any Garda station.
Businesswoman Gillian Bowler, who died last December aged 64, was the only chief of a major financial institution to survive the banking crisis. Photo: David Conachy

Colourful Dublin travel agent Gillian Bowler left almost 4m in her will, according to documents lodged in the Probate Office in Dublin.

The founder of Budget Travel died in the Blackrock Clinic in Dublin on December 14 at the age of 64 after a long battle with illness. She was survived by her husband, Harry Sydner, who was executor of her will, and her step-daughter, Rachel.

'Gill', as she was known, grew up on the Isle of Wight. She suffered from a kidney ailment as a child and it was an illness that would plague her for the rest of her life.

But this didn't stop her leaving home at the age of 16 and going into the travel business. As a young woman, she arrived in Dublin in 1975 to set up Budget Travel, specialising in package holidays to the Greek Islands. She was one of the first to realise the value of marketing and her January campaign to launch that year's brochure was legendary for its saucy style and lavish receptions.

A striking-looking woman, she was always stylishly dressed with expensive sunglasses on her head. Over a number of years, she built the business from a basement office in Baggot Street into a nationwide chain.

She was believed to have made 9.5m when the business was sold to the British conglomerate Granada in the late 1980s.

She was dubbed 'Charlie's Angel' because she was one of the first non-civil servant/academic females to be appointed to State boards by the then Taoiseach, who not only liked to be surrounded by bright and beautiful women, but was also conscious of the need to shake up the dusty semi-state sector.

She was a director of the Irish Goods Council, the VHI, the Tourism Task Force and Failte Ireland in her time. She was also appointed chairperson of Irish Life & Permanent in 2004 and presided over the former building society when, like other financial institutions, it went into nosedive during the financial crisis of 2009. Ms Bowler was the only chairman or chief executive of a major financial institution to survive the banking crisis. She stepped down in December 2010. She was physically assaulted on the street by a pensioner in 2009 at the height of the public odium aimed at "the banks".

Harry and Rachel were content to avoid the limelight and the family lived quietly and spent weekends at their Wexford retreat where close friends were entertained.

The retired company director of Morehampton Road left estate, including property, valued at 3,920,451 in total.
Leo Varadkar has said Taoiseach Enda Kenny's "successful" trip to the United States shouldn't be "marred" by talk of the upcoming Fine Gael leadership contest.

Enda Kenny caused concern and anger in some quarters of Fine Gael with his remarks suggesting his "immediate priorities" are Northern Ireland and Brexit, not setting out a date for his departure as leader.

He has promised the party he would address his future "conclusively" on his return from St Patrick's Day celebrations in the US.

Now Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar - one of the main contenders to succeed Enda Kenny - has signalled that the Taoiseach should be allowed some breathing space.

And a supporter of Minister of Housing Simon Coveney - Varadkar's main rival - also indicated that the Taoiseach should have time to clarify his intentions.

Leo Varadkar told the Sunday Independent: "The Taoiseach's visit to the US was very successful.

"He cemented the American-Irish friendship but also spoke truth to Trump on immigration and how migrants make America great," he said.

Varadkar added: "I think his diplomatic success should be recognised and not marred by talk of the leadership contest."

Kenny has been widely praised for his subtle defence of immigrants in a speech delivered in the presence of US president Donald Trump, who has pledged a hard-line crackdown on immigration into the United States. The source in the Coveney camp said they weren't surprised that Enda Kenny appears to be trying to set out "a little bit of space" to address the leadership issue.

They said that it's expected that the majority of the party will allow Kenny time to address his future, adding: "It was never going to be Monday morning that he'd arrive in to make his announcement."

Nevertheless, Kenny's remarks in the US have raised the hackles of Fine Gael backbenchers. There is an expectation by some in Fine Gael that he should address the issue of future leader as early as this week's parliamentary party meeting.

Doubts about Kenny's intentions first arose early in the week when a draft version of a speech he was due to deliver said it would be his last St Patrick's Day as Taoiseach. This was withdrawn and the section was removed with Mr Kenny saying, ''it shouldn't have been in there".

Then last Thursday Enda Kenny refused to say whether or not it would be his last time he would visit the White House for St Patrick's Day during an RTE interview.

Last Friday in New York he responded to questions about his leadership, saying the need to form an Executive in Northern Ireland after the recent elections and the upcoming Brexit negotiations are his priority.

He reiterated that he has told his party he would deal with the issue "effectively and conclusively".

"That's my intention. But I think these [Northern Ireland and Brexit] are priorities that take precedence over anything else." One Fine Gael source expressed irritation at Kenny's remarks, saying: "His departure could be delayed forever if he's to pick random new subjects continually in the future."

Another said "nobody wants a motion of no confidence" but said it remains a prospect if Kenny doesn't clarify his intentions soon.
It's the photographs of Danielle McLaughlin, the Buncrana woman murdered last week while on a backpacking holiday in the Indian state of Goa, that really bring home the enormity of the tragedy.

If you just heard on the news that a young person had died alone on the other side of the world, far from home, it would be sad, of course it would; you'd feel wretched for the victim and their family.

But it wouldn't get to you in the same way it does when seeing so many pictures of the same person in full colour, unwitting and innocent, happy, with no hint of what is about to happen. How can they not know? That's the futile question which always torments the spectator afterwards. It's this haunting quality to photography which has fascinated philosophers.

The French literary theorist Roland Barthes described it: "In front of the photograph of my mother as a child, I tell myself: She is going to die: I shudder over a catastrophe which has already occurred." He felt that quality pervaded every photograph.

Susan Sontag agreed. "All photographs are memento mori," the New Yorker wrote in her famous book on the subject. "To take a photograph is to participate in another person's mortality, vulnerability, mutability." Everyone in a photograph is already a ghost.

Now that everyone under a certain age has their own Facebook profile, linked to those of all their friends, each person's pictorial memorial is so extensive that those following the story of a dreadful death can quickly come to feel as if they know the victim; and that familiarity is made all the sadder because the pictures are invariably of happy occasions, when the subject is at their most contented.

The ubiquity of CCTV only adds further poignancy. Police in Goa released what are believed to be the last pictures of Danielle (28), taken some hours before she died as a result of cerebral damage and constriction of the neck, as she walked along the beach front slightly ahead of the man who is now expected to be charged with her sexual assault and murder after reportedly confessing.

He told police other men were present when he killed Danielle but three others have been released without charge.

The Crimewatch presenter Jill Dando, who was shot on her doorstep in 2000 in still baffling circumstances, was also captured on CCTV, buying a printer cartridge in an electrical store, just minutes before going home. Her cousin said that seeing this footage was the worst part of dealing with the trauma, because it made him want to stop the film, cry out a warning, intervene. Danielle's loved ones will inevitably feel the same way.

The pitifulness comes from the juxtaposition of the mundanity of ordinary life with the knowledge of the enormity of what is to come.

It's customary to say that this is every parent's worst nightmare. There is nothing worse than losing a child, especially in such horrific circumstances, with police revealing that the suspect, a 24-year-old small time local criminal by the name of Vikat Bhagat, took Danielle's clothes and damaged her face with a broken beer bottle to thwart identification. But of course the greater nightmare was Danielle's, and it's only natural to wish in retrospect that it could have been different.

If only she hadn't left home at all. If only she'd gone somewhere different. That's the random contingency of fate.

News of young backpackers losing their lives needlessly in one part of the world provokes the longing that they hadn't been there, that they'd gone somewhere else instead.

Then tragedy strikes in one of those other places too, and it's replaced by the same fruitless wish in reverse.

This is how the brain tricks you with pointless thoughts to avoid accepting reality.

This is the cost of independence. "Off on an adventure," said one of Danielle's final Facebook posts, and you want your children to have those adventures. At the same time, you're terrified of the price they might have to pay for them. And mercifully most young people come home from those travels safely, the better for the experience, rich with memories, and many who stay behind can easily die on an Irish road.

You can't always keep your children safe. I remember as a teenager hitchhiking far and wide in lorries, sometimes with a friend, sometimes entirely alone. It was just something that we did with no thought for the consequences.

I'd be terrified if my own daughters did that, but it does give you a reserve of strength to deal with often dodgy situations. You find out that you can cope. Now when my children are away from home, I'm constantly aware of what awful things might befall them; but Danielle was surely right when she said she was "the luckiest person I know".

It's tempting to interpret those words in light of what subsequently happened, but that she felt this way, and was able to express it so that those around her knew her gratitude for the role they'd played in shaping the fearless, independent woman she was, is incalculably important.

School principal Rosaleen Grant, head of the Irish language Scoil Mhuire in Buncrana where Danielle did her Leaving Cert before going to university in Liverpool, said last week: "We always encouraged our students to travel before settling down."

Long may that continue. As they get older, people regret the things they didn't do far more than they regret those they did do, even if they were sometimes foolish, sometimes risky. Most bad decisions can be laughed over with hindsight. Regret is poisonous.

At the same time, it would be irresponsible to deny that some places are more dangerous than others. In South Africa, half a million women a year are raped; in Mexico the sexual assault and murder of females is so extensive that it has been categorised as "femicide" by the UN.

Culturally, India projects an idealised, exotic image that seduces the imagination and senses, but it can be a treacherous place to be a woman, and the rape of women travelling alone, both foreign and native, is commonplace.

In 2012, outrage over the abuse of women came to a head when a 23-year-old physiotherapy student, returning home from watching Life Of Pi at the cinema, was attacked on a bus and gang raped. She died two weeks later.

"A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy," said the driver subsequently, while a defence lawyer for one of the accused said he would burn his own daughter alive if she "disgraced herself" by going out alone at night.

A documentary on the case was banned in India for bringing shame on the country.

The freedom that young women now enjoy to travel the world should be celebrated, but doing so with the wariness that comes from knowing what's wrong with some of the countries they pass through, as well as what is magnificent about them, is essential.

There's no amount of knowledge sufficient to avert every danger; Danielle McLaughlin was an experienced traveller, who'd been to India before and had recently returned from a trip to Australia. It's about finding the right balance between fear and fearlessness.

That's the tightrope which young people have to negotiate as they head out into the world. Sometimes they fall off it. It's just another of those piteous ironies that Danielle's death ended up bearing out the truth of the tattoo that she had on her wrist, and which helped police identify her after her body was found by a local farmer: "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery."
By Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Sunday softened her stance on the potential timing of a second independence referendum after Prime Minister Theresa May rejected her call to hold a vote before Britain leaves the European Union. Sturgeon had called for a referendum to be held between autumn 2018 and spring 2019 but after May said "now is not the time", the Scottish leader said she could be prepared to hold a vote later as long as it was not too long after Brexit. "It is for (May) then to say what timescale she thinks would be appropriate and then yes I am happy to have that discussion within reason," Sturgeon said during an interview with ITV. Asked if a vote in 2021 would be reasonable, Sturgeon said it would not because too much time would have lapsed after Britain's EU exit, due in late March 2019, and there could have been too much divergence in areas such as regulations. "Then gets much harder for Scotland to seek a different course. But if she is talking in the spring of 2019, a bit later perhaps than I was suggesting then there may be some room for discussion around that," she said. Sturgeon's comments came as a Panelbase poll for the Sunday Times, carried out since her announcement that she would seek a fresh referendum, put support for independence at 44 percent, while 56 percent backed staying in the United Kingdom. It also found 51 percent of Scots did not want a vote on independence within the next few years. Ruth Davidson, the leader of May's Conservative Party in Scotland, said any vote could not take place until "after the Brexit process has played out" so that the Scottish people know what choice they face. "I dont think you can have an independence referendum again if you dont have public consent for it and the people of Scotland dont want this," she told the BBC TV. "The SNP is not Scotland and they are acting against the majority wishes of the people of Scotland." Scots rejected independence by 55-45 percent in a referendum in September 2014. But majority of Scots voted in favour of Britain staying in the EU in June. In a separate interview with Sky News, Sturgeon said her party was currently looking into the currency options for an independent Scotland but "the starting point of our consideration" would be that it continues to use sterling. Earlier this week her predecessor, Alex Salmond, told the Financial Times that Scotland could abandon a currency union with the rest of the United Kingdom. "We will set out a very clear proposition but I think it is right ... that we do very serious work before we come to putting that proposition forward," Sturgeon said. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Clelia Oziel)
There is a large gap between the public interest in medical marijuana and the scientific evidence. In recent weeks, we have learnt that the Government will make it available for three specific medical conditions and that - under close medical supervision - its impact will be monitored.

The term medical marijuana refers to using the whole unprocessed marijuana plant or its basic extracts to treat a disease or symptom. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not recognised or approved the marijuana plant as medicine. The chemicals in marijuana, called cannabinoids, have been studied and this has led to two FDA-approved medications that contain these chemicals being produced in tablet form. The plant contains more than 60 pharmacologically active cannabinoids.

One of these is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), marijuana's main mind-altering ingredient. Another, cannabidiol (CBD) is of particular interest in treating certain conditions such as childhood epilepsy. THC and CBD are the two main cannabinoids that are of medical interest.

THC increases appetite and reduces nausea. The FDA-approved THC-based medications are used for these purposes. THC may also decrease pain, inflammation (swelling and redness), and muscle control problems.

CBD is a cannabinoid that does not affect the mind or behaviour. It may be useful in reducing pain and inflammation, controlling epileptic seizures, and possibly even treating mental illness and addictions.

Two FDA-approved drugs, dronabinol and nabilone, contain THC. They treat nausea caused by chemotherapy and increase appetite in patients with extreme weight loss caused by AIDS and have been approved in the US since 1985.

In Ireland, a register of the use of marijuana will be established as part of this process of monitoring it. The three medical conditions in which it will be allowed are for chemotherapy associated nausea and vomiting that does not respond to other medications, for the spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis and for severe epilepsy.

This comes on foot of public demand, and also from a government-appointed review group headed by Prof Tony O'Brien, a Cork-based oncologist. "Access to medicinal cannabis is ultimately a societal and policy decision which has to balance the lack of scientific evidence against patient-led demand," the report by the group said. This is the nub of the issue - the evidence is limited, and according to the report from the group "at times conflicting".

The barrier to quality studies is gradually being eroded but there are still few controlled studies, and belief in its benefits is often based on surveys of people obtaining illicit cannabis to treat their condition or on animal studies. So what is the evidence?

Intractable childhood epilepsy has been one of the most publicly-supported conditions that campaigners have used in calling for its availability. In the UK, epidiolex, a CBD-based drug to treat certain forms of childhood epilepsy, has been synthesised and has been tested in an open label study in the US. It showed a 36.5pc reduction in seizure frequency.

The effectiveness of medicinal cannabis in treating the symptoms of pain, nausea, vomiting and appetite in cancer patients is recognised by the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia, but more research is still needed in these areas. There is currently insufficient clinical evidence to support the use of medicinal cannabis in preventing or treating cancer pain according to that organisation, although there is some evidence of benefit from one randomised controlled trial when used in combination with other agents.

The evidence supporting medicinal cannabis as a treatment for muscle spasticity and associated pain in multiple sclerosis is probably the strongest. Based on the available evidence, an oral extract consisting of a mixture of THC and CBD or dronabinol on its own has been recommended by the American Academy of Neurology.

A synthesis of all the published papers in this area was published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2015. It examined 79 trials involving 6,462 participants. Most trials showed improvement in symptoms associated with cannabinoids but these associations did not reach statistical significance in all trials. There was moderate-quality evidence to support the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of chronic pain and spasticity. There was low-quality evidence suggesting that cannabinoids were associated with improvements in nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, weight gain in HIV infection, sleep disorders or Tourette syndrome.

The calls for legalisation of medicinal cannabis have been shrill and perhaps based on misunderstanding. This is most certainly not about decriminalisation of cannabis, as perhaps some campaigners had hoped. It is more about applying the limited evidence that is available to very specific grave, clinical situations that can be closely monitored. For now the evidence is very limited and the studies do not yet meet the criteria normally required by authorities charged with licensing new medications, ie randomised, controlled, double-blind trials in large numbers of individuals. The judicious approach of our Government is the correct one.

Patricia Casey is Professor of Psychiatry at University College Dublin
'She's a disgrace," my mother pronounced softly and shockingly, even as she conceded evenhandedly that Annie Murphy truly was a clever and very handsome woman. But what was she ever thinking, spending time like that with a priest, and she all dressed up? It was always going to end in tears.

The year was 1993. The sofa was gold velour and the coffee table was mahogany. On the telly: Gay Byrne's offensive against Annie Murphy, the divorcee hell bent on ruining bishop Eamonn Casey with her talk of sex and illegitimate offspring.

Gaybo is pressing his advantage.

All across Ireland, thousands of chins nod in approval. That Yank in her lipstick, people mutter. And Eamonn Casey practically a saint! What right had she, truly, to drag it all up again. Wasn't her son a grand big lad already? What more help did he need?

On the couches too, a younger and less deferential generation bristles. Who cares if he's a priest, we countered. He should recognise his son. He was older than her, we said. He made his choice. Voices are raised. Our "sentimentality" is given short shrift. We don't understand, we are told. This is about a bishop.

Not to us. This is about three people, two of whom are suffering because of a giant lie.

And so fast forward 24 years and here she is again, an oddly familiar blend of dignity and defiance: Annie Murphy.

Now a 68-year old living in a trailer home near LA, she spoke only reluctantly last week about the death of Eamonn Casey and who could blame her?

Today, she is speaking to an Ireland that has largely changed utterly in terms of attitudes to clergy and sexual morality. But there's every chance she does not fully appreciate that. She had, after all, to check with the interviewer that "birth control" was now available in Ireland.

Annie Murphy had been made all too aware of how negatively her disclosures about Eamonn Casey were received in her day. As tetchy as her Late Late Show appearance was, a subsequent US chat show interview with Phil Donahue saw her come under even fiercer attack.

And yet even now, "the Yank" is still tempted to pitch in.

"Keep me out of it," she said initially last week. "It's just a blemish and many people would consider it terrible if I said anything. I do think they would. I think I should stay out of it. I really do."

Pressed however, she talked fondly about her son Peter, now a sales manager in Boston with whom she talks "all the time".

Peter Murphy and Eamonn Casey eventually built up a satisfying father-son relationship, according to Murphy. "That was a hole in his life and it brought it forward and I think it made Peter a more well-rounded person."

The aftermath of her sudden rise to fame took its personal toll on Murphy's family. Murphy's relationship with her partner Arthur Pennell ended in 1994. While Peter studied political science at the University of Connecticut between 1992 and 1994, he didn't complete his degree. A freak accident a few years ago took the sight in one of his eyes.

Peter's reaction to his father's death was given in the form of a family statement that came from him, Eamonn Casey's brother and sister and the broader family.

"Notwithstanding the demands on his time," the statement said, "Bishop Eamonn was a great source of love and support, making himself available to celebrate and to empathise with us."

Murphy had been determined to facilitate at least some kind of loving relationship between her son and his father - and she did it.

She said last week of her feelings back in the 1970s: "When I left him [Casey], it was many years ago and I was about 25. And I told him 'If you don't acknowledge him I will fight. That's the only reason I will go at you. I won't stop. I knew what I would do."

But that was a lifetime ago. The money Murphy made from her book about Casey is long spent. In recent years she has been living quietly and modestly with her partner, artist Thaddeus Heinchon, in a town east of Los Angeles in California. She has suffered poor health, including a possible mild stroke. Her partner has also been unwell.

In an extensive interview published in 2012, Murphy said she regretted her decision to expose her child's father, largely because of the devastating impact her action had on the bishop's career. "I took justice into my own hands and I regret that because two wrongs don't make a right."

She also talked about her surprisingly measured response to her Late Late Show interview with Gay Byrne, who acerbically remarked to her: "If Peter is half the man his father is, he'll be doing well."

Her response was to say: 'Well, Mr Byrne, I'm not half bad myself'. And then she went backstage. She wanted the last word and she got it.

After the show, according to Murphy, Byrne apologised for being hard on her but she said she wasn't angry about it.

"I told him I had nothing more to say to him - there was no problem, we had both won."

It's hard not to admire her resilience. We must hope for her sake that her triumph in reconciling Peter with his father was victory enough.
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Dan O'Brien Opinion While we catastrophise about Covid, we ignore risk of running out of cash

We Irish view the world in an increasingly strange and unhealthy way. We catastrophise about Covid in a way other European countries do not. We focus on how bad the effects of the virus could get, on how many more restrictions might be imposed by Government and how helpless we are in the face of the virus.
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Ian ODoherty Opinion Toxic Tory leadership debate reminds us they couldnt give a damn about Ireland

And then there were... How many is it again? Oh, yes, and then there were three. After an initial 11 hopeful (and, some might say if they were feeling less than charitable, hopeless) Tory leadership candidates, its now down to the final three as we reach a sort of X-Factor-style finale.
The British government secured House of Commons support for its Article 50 notification bill, subsequently approved by the Lords and given the royal assent, on Monday last. On the same day, the Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, called for a fresh referendum on independence from the United Kingdom.

It looks like a second referendum will have to be conceded (the first failed on a 55/45 vote in September 2014) since the UK government's plans for a hard Brexit change the calculus for Scotland. Whenever the vote is taken, the separatists will argue that the decisions to leave both single market and customs union, not on the ballot paper when 62pc of Scots voted to stay in the European Union last June, have increased the costs for Scotland of staying in the United Kingdom. There is already a row about the timing, with Theresa May seeking to delay the vote until British exit has been accomplished, while Nicola Sturgeon wants an earlier poll.

Irish sympathy for Scottish independence is another case of 'be careful what you wish for'. An independent Scotland readmitted to the EU would be a direct competitor for inward investment, while the UK government will be less willing to battle for an open border in Ireland since it would set a precedent, enhancing separatist arguments in Scotland.

But the most alarming feature of last week was the continuing avalanche of utterly misplaced optimism from prominent Tories about Britain's prospects outside the EU. Last Monday was Commonwealth Day, marked with a service at Westminster Abbey and dangerously rosy professions of faith that lost trade in Europe can be replaced through better deals with Britain's former colonies. This is pie in the sky. The Commonwealth ceased to be a functioning trade bloc for Britain 70 years ago and nowadays absorbs less than 10pc of Britain's exports. The Commonwealth as an alternative to Europe was rejected by Treasury analysts in the 1960s during Britain's initial attempts to join the Common Market.

Hugo Young, in his 1998 history (This Blessed Plot) of Britain's early relations with the post-war European project, dismissed what he called the 'blinding emptiness' of the Commonwealth argument. He wrote: "Insofar as the Commonwealth was seen, in any scenario, as an alternative basis for Britain's economic future, this vision was pitifully false. The trade figures indicated it then, the subsequent history proved it afterwards. One may accord a degree of sympathy to the errors of politicians at any given time, but less so when the source of the error is a reluctance, through sentiment or pain or misbegotten pressure or sheer intellectual feebleness, to acknowledge the harshness of facts that palpably will not change: facts, moreover, that were well documented by Whitehall departments which had shed their own illusions before 1961." It is disheartening to have to listen, 20 years after Young's verdict, to nostalgic waffle about Commonwealth trade opportunities.

The BBC2 documentary Brexit: Britain's Biggest Deal contained some further examples of intellectual feebleness. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson expressed his customary sunny optimism, unsupported by practical arguments of any kind, about British trade prospects post-Brexit. But the scariest contribution came from Iain Duncan Smith, a former Conservative Party leader and cabinet minister until last year, now a voluble backbench Brexiteer. He believes that the EU will be motivated to offer Britain a good free trade deal, despite the decision to quit the single market. There are, he asserted, one million car workers in Bavaria alone dependent on exports to the UK whose jobs are on the line. Accordingly the German government will, in its own interest, offer generous trade terms to Britain the better to defend this enormous number of jobs.

There is indeed a sizeable car industry in Bavaria, according to the websites of the Bavarian government and the industry association. The automotive sector employs 197,000 Bavarians in total. The German volume producers (Volkswagen and Opel) have their biggest operations elsewhere but BMW and MAN, the commercial vehicle builder, are Munich-based. About one in eight of the vehicles built in Germany are sold in the UK, so roughly 25,000 Bavarian jobs would be on the line if trade in vehicles between Britain and Germany ceased altogether. There would be job losses in Britain too, since Britain also has a sizeable export trade. This was not mentioned by Duncan Smith. Of course, trade would not cease entirely and the default tariff of 9.8pc would not deter all BMW enthusiasts. Bavarian companies would also try to divert production to markets other than Britain. So there could well be some Bavarian job losses, perhaps 10,000 or 15,000. But not a round million, five times the current employment level.

My point is not that Iain Duncan Smith is a fool. The point is that he is happy to offer sweeping reassurances about the consequences of a hard Brexit without the slightest genuflection to the readily available facts. Nor is he being deliberately deceitful, knowing full well that his statements are hugely at variance with reality. It would appear he neither knows nor cares: reality does not impinge, and he does not know because he does not care.

In 1986, the Princeton philosopher, Harry Frankfurt, published a much-cited essay entitled On Bullshit. Lamenting vaporous waffle in modern political discourse, Frankfurt sought to define terms. His key point is that bullshit is an identifiable phenomenon to be distinguished from truth or deliberate falsehood. To the bullshitter, the truth or falsity of a statement does not need to be checked, since it is immaterial. What matters is the impression created in the minds of the audience, who may be poorly equipped with factual information or in search of empathy or confirmation of hunches. In this nomenclature, Iain Duncan Smith is a bullshitter rather than a liar.

There has been conscious lying too in the Brexit debate, but the journalistic obsession with fact-checking is not enough. Some of the participants are operating in the Trumpian post-fact dimension and it is the duty of the BBC and the serious media to identify the bullshitters, or simply to make an editorial decision to deny them voice on the grounds of implausibility. The sports programmes would not retain a contributor who insisted that Andorra are a serious fancy for the next World Cup. If Iain Duncan Smith cannot be bothered to check readily available information, what kind of editorial policy inflicts this nonsense on the public?

There are some grown-ups in the Conservative party. Another former party leader, William Hague, was happy to acknowledge on the same BBC programme that the Brexit negotiations will be a nightmare, long, complex and contentious. Hague has retired to the Lords while the Brexiteer ministers continue to wing it, exuding breezy nonchalance.

EU politicians, conscious that the post-war European settlement is under threat, must be feeling mounting irritation with the lack of seriousness in London.
The making of the two films caused too much of a clash for the ex-Harry Potter star.

Emma Watson turned down a role in Oscar-winning musical La La Land for Beauty And The Beast because she did not want to half-arse her work on the Disney film.

The actress, 26, stars in the new live-action version of the 1991 animated film as Belle, opposite ex-Downton Abbey actor Dan Stevens as the Beast.

She said it was a big commitment, one that would need her devotion and left her having to choose between the two films.

When asked on ITVs Lorraine about turning down the La La Land role, Emma said: With a movie like Beauty And The Beast its like three months prep, its like three or four months shooting, its in the UK.

I had to be there to do that and, as I was saying before, its like you cant half-arse a project like this, you know, youre in or youre out.

And I was like, Ive got to be all-in and so this was really where my heart was and I knew I had to fully commit and make sure that I did this.

Emma Stone played the female lead opposite Ryan Gosling in La La Land.

The film won six Oscars, including best actress for Stone and best director for Damien Chazelle.

Emma also said she previously turned down the chance to star in Disneys live-action remake of Cinderella in 2015 because the character wasnt right for me.

Video of the Day

The former Harry Potter actress said she wanted to take on the character of Belle because shes so fierce, shes so smart.

But there was still plenty to learn to portray Belle, including taking time-consuming horse-riding and singing lessons.

She said: Ive never ridden a horse before (making this film) and so I was like, okay. This is what I mean about the prep. I mean I really went into, like essentially, a Belle boot camp.

I was riding three or four times a week, singing four times a week, dancing three or four times a week.

I was manic. I was so hectic but I loved it.
He joined a host of stars at an event at the United Nations headquarters in New York for his new movie Smurfs: The Lost Village.

Homeland star Mandy Patinkin has said advocating for refugees is now far more important to him than his acting career.

The actor, who plays CIA agent Saul Berenson in the hit drama, is still best known for his role as Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride.

However, he said his trips to refugee camps in Lesbos in Greece, Serbia and Germany have made it clear that speaking up about injustice is his biggest priority.

Arriving at an event at the United Nations headquarters in New York for his new movie Smurfs: The Lost Village, he told the Press Association: Working for human rights, working for the most vulnerable among us who dont have human rights, who dont have freedom, justice and dignity, who dont have homes and safety, that is the most meaningful thing in my life right now.

My day job is to be an actor in various things, which I love doing, but I think the most important job I have on this planet right now is to take the privilege of the position Im in because Im an actor and be the voice for those who have no voice, not in an animated cartoon but in the real world.

Its an interesting thing that Im the voice for an animated character, which I love doing, but I love even more being the voice for real human beings who need a voice.

Mandy lends his voice to Papa Smurf in the animated film and was joined by his co-stars Demi Lovato and Joe Manganiello to celebrate the International Day of Happiness at the event.

It was in support of the UNs sustainable development goals, which include efforts to address inequality, poverty and climate change.

He added: Im going to get Sony to give me a copy of the Smurf movie and I want it to go to every refugee camp in the world so that all these kids can see it right away for free. If youre a refugee, I hope you see it before anyone else, if I have my way.

Video of the Day

Demi, who voices Smurfette in the film, said: Whats been great about the collaboration between the movie and the UN is its inspiring to a lot of people and is bringing attention to a younger people to make a difference on our planet.

The film follows Smurfettes journey to find her own identity, and Demi added: Im all about girl power so being able to be part of a film where somebody finds their purpose through other strong women is really incredible and I was proud to be a part of it.

Magic Mike star Joe, who voices Hefty Smurf, said he hopes children will take away valuable lessons from both the film and the UN campaign.

He said: Its important to get the word out and teach the younger generation to grow up with these principles engrained in them.

We are looking at a tricky situation in the years to come as far as the environment and having a clean and sustainable planet is concerned, so teaching kids at a young age to step up and do something about it is very important.

Smurfs: The Lost Village is released in UK cinemas on March 31.
A woman enjoys the festivities at the Mayor of London's St Patrick's Day Parade and Festival in central London.

Why cant every day be St Patricks Day?

Now, were not saying were particularly keen to experience the St Patricks Day hangover again. But thousands of people have been taking to the streets for the Mayor of Londons St Patricks Day Parade and festival.

We now wish every weekend could involve St Patricks Day.

There are so many reasons why we want to celebrate all over again.

Its a great excuse to wear snazzy glasses.

You can get all dolled up in the most incredible fancy-dress outfits.

Everyone just gets so into the celebrations

Obvs the tunes are great.

It looks like there are loads of events happening on the stage in Trafalgar Square

Mayor Sadiq Khan is there joining in the fun too.
There were some unnerving sights on the River Thames today.

A counter-terrorism training exercise held on the Thames shows how armed police would respond to a terrorist incident on a river cruiser.

This was the first time the Metropolitan Police, along with other emergency services, have acted out a terrorism scenario on the Thames.

In what the force call a live-play exercise, code named Exercise Anchor, more than 200 police officers and staff practised what they would do in the event of armed terrorists hijacking a passenger boat, taking hostages and sailing from the relatively quiet Isle of Dogs up to central London.

The terrorism threat against the UK and London is at severe, an attack is highly likely said Metropolitan Police Commander, BJ Harrington.

Today you saw a number of agencies coming together who are responsible and have the task of working on the river to tackle this kind of threat.

The exercise covered every step of a potential incident, from handling the initial 999 call, all the way to getting hostages off the boat once it had been secured.

Marine-trained sniffer dogs also boarded the suspect vessel and search and rescue teams were tested when a dummy body fell overboard.

I hope that the demonstration today for the people of London shows that public agencies are prepared, said Harrington.
French policemen secure the area at the Paris Orly airport yesterday following the shooting of a man by French security forces. Photo: Benoit Tessier/Reuters

A "radicalised Muslim" known to security services has been shot dead after attempting to steal a soldier's gun at Paris Orly Airport. The 39-year-old French citizen, identified as Ziyed Ben Belgacem, shot at police officers manning a checkpoint in northern Paris with an "air pistol" before launching the airport attack, the French interior minister said.

During a visit to the airport, Bruno Le Roux said one officer was shot during the routine check and was undergoing hospital treatment for injuries to his face. "We can link the [airport attacker's] identity with a check carried out at Garges-les-Gonesse by a patrol in Stains this morning," he added. "The individual's identity is known to the police and intelligence services."

Belgacem's father and brother, as well as a cousin, have been detained for questioning. According to French broadcaster BFMTV, he had sent his relatives a text reading: "I screwed up, I shot the police."

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins told a news conference on Saturday evening that at the airport, Belgacem yelled he wanted to die in the name of Allah and said "whatever happens, there will be deaths". Mr Molins said the attacker held an air pistol to a soldier's head and used her as a shield. He apparently wanted to use her weapon to shoot people in the busy airport.

Contrary to earlier reports by French officials, Mr Molins said the attacker did wrench away her powerful military-grade assault rifle. The soldier's colleagues fired three bursts - eight rounds in all - when they killed him.

Belgacem had a lengthy criminal history of violence, robbery and drug offences but was not on the 'fiche S' list of terror threats, despite being investigated by the DGSI as a potential jihadi after indications of Islamist radicalisation emerged in 2015. Mr Molins said three people were being held in police custody, and that Belgacem's choice of target and evidence that he had been radicalised justified launching a terrorism investigation.

Research has shown that more than half of European Isil fighters have a criminal past, with recruiters deliberately targeting violent criminals and gang members looking for redemption and a licence to kill in the name of jihad. Like many other Islamists, Belgacem is believed to have been radicalised in prison and was put under surveillance after being freed, although it was unclear when monitoring stopped.

Prosecutors said no evidence of extremism was uncovered in a search of his home, which was among scores raided in the immediate aftermath of the Paris attacks. Belgacem's first attack came at 6.50am on Saturday morning, when he was stopped for speeding by a police patrol in the northern Paris suburb of Garges-les-Gonesse.

The national police information office said he was showing officers identification papers when he pulled put a pellet gun and opened fire, hitting one police officer in the face. They fired back but Belgacem managed to flee in a Renault Clio, which he dumped to hijack a woman's Citroen Picasso after making threats in a bar in Vitry.

The stolen vehicle was later found at Paris Orly Airport - but not until Belgacem had been shot dead in the attempted attack. Belgacem attempted to steal a Famas assault rifle from a female soldier on a counter-terror patrol before being killed, Mr Le Roux said.

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French defence minister, said the air force member was thrown to the ground during the assault, adding: "The two other airmen in the patrol opened fire to protect their comrade and protect nearby members of the public. "They reacted with great professionalism and remarkable composure."

Francois Hollande, the French President, hailed the courage and efficiency of police confronted with "assaults committed by a particularly dangerous" individual. Terrorism prosecutors have opened an investigation into the attack, which comes after a series of Isil-inspired atrocities across France.

No one else was injured in the airport attack at 8.30am local time, which triggered a red alert sent locally via the French government's Saip terror warning system.

"We were waiting in line to check in for a flight to Tel Aviv when we heard three or four gunshots nearby," 54-year-old Franck Lecam told AFP. "There were police, emergency services, soldiers running in all directions."

Another witness said Belgacem held the soldier by her neck while struggling with his other arm to get hold of her gun. A photograph showed him lying dead on the floor outside a bakery chain, wearing black trousers and a white shirt.

The airport was evacuated as security operations continued, with France's national police urging people not to cross the security perimeter. Bomb squads and armed police were sent into the building to sweep for explosives but none were found.

A notice was posted on the Paris airports authority website urging passengers not to travel to Orly, with diversions and delays expected. Air traffic was suspended at Orly airport's south and west terminals as operations continued, but restrictions were lifted on Saturday afternoon.

The attacked soldier was part of Operation Sentinel - a security initiative seeing troops deployed in combat uniforms around high profile sites including the Eiffel Tower since the Charlie Hebdo massacre. It was the fourth time that troops in the 7,500-strong force have been attacked.

In February, a man wielding a machete attacked four soldiers patrolling at Le Louvre, a year after three petrol members were wounded by a man armed with a knife outside a Jewish community centre in Nice. In January 2016, a man rammed his car into four soldiers guarding a mosque in the southeastern city of Valence.

France remains on high alert following a string of terror attacks directed and inspired by Isis, which has directed its followers to carry out opportunistic attacks on security forces and civilians in Europe. A parcel bomb believed to have been sent by Greek anarchists exploded at the International Monetary Fund's offices in Paris on Thursday, on the same day a student opened fire at a school in Grasse.

Ministers said the latest attack showed the importance of France's ongoing state of emergency, which has been extended several times despite human rights concerns raised by the UN.

Reuters
Security guards stand near a burnt-down reception block at the Maruti Suzuki factory in Manesar (Saurabh Das/AP)

Thirteen factory workers have been sentenced to life imprisonment for taking part in violence at India's largest car factory that led to the death of a manager nearly five years ago.

Four other workers were sentenced to five years in prison for the rioting that broke out at the Maruti Suzuki manufacturing unit in Manesar in Haryana state in July 2012.

The rioting followed a dispute between workers and management at the factory.

The court on Saturday also fined 14 other workers accused of rioting and vandalism at the factory.

Defence lawyers said they would appeal against the verdict.

The subsidiary of Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp operates two factories in India.

AP
A military court in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Sunday sentenced two drug dealers to death, the first such punishment handed down by the Palestinian judiciary in a narcotics case, officials said.

Marijuana and prescription painkillers have been flooding into the Gaza Strip, prompting officials from Hamas, an Islamist group, to seek tougher penalties for smuggling drugs.

Both convicted dealers were caught smuggling marijuana, opium and tramadol through tunnels under the border with Egypt, according to a list of their charges.

"Such actions represented a threat to Palestinian national security, with its economic and political dimensions," the court said.

One of the dealers was sentenced to death by firing squad and the other by hanging.
Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed the Syria crisis by phone, the Kremlin said yesterday, after peace talks in Kazakhstan closed without any substantive negotiations.

The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin and Nazarbayev exchanged views over the third round of talks on Syria in the Kazakh capital of Astana last week, but gave no further details.

The Astana talks ended last Wednesday without progress after rebels boycotted the meeting. The talks are run by Russia, Turkey and Iran, backers of the warring sides, and have little UN involvement. The three countries agreed to hold the next meeting in Astana on May 3.

In a separate statement yesterday, Russia's foreign ministry said foreign minister Sergey Lavrov also discussed Syria on the phone with his French counterpart.

Lavrov said that the refusal by rebels to join the Kazakh talks show "some countries" are trying to harm the peace process. Lavrov did not name the countries.

The rebels, who attended previous rounds in the Kazakh capital, refused to join the latest talks, accusing Russia of failing to uphold December's shaky ceasefire.

The foreign ministry statement added that both Russia and France have agreed to work together preparing another round of parallel Syria peace talks, led by the UN and set for March 23 in Geneva.

UN mediator Staffan de Mistura had earlier proposed to the negotiators in Geneva that the issue of fighting terrorism and the ceasefire should be handled in parallel talks in Astana.

He wanted the focus in Geneva to be a new constitution, UN-supervised elections and accountable governance, based on Security Council Resolution 2254.

Many parties involved, including Russia, have said that Astana talks do not substitute negotiations in Geneva.

Rebels and their families began leaving their last bastion in the Syrian city of Homs yesterday, under a Russian-backed deal with the government expected to be among the largest evacuations of its kind.

Reuters
"I hope everyone wears their green on Thursday and Friday," a grinning Sean Spicer told the White House press corps last Monday, as one might a primary school class. "You got a double shot at it this year because of the visit."

It was Spicer, the White House press secretary, who got to announce that Trump had named March "Irish American History Month". In broaching the subject of festive apparel, he was merrily alluding to a personal tradition involving shamrock-patterned trousers. Spicer's siblings are named Shannon and Ryan, and he is reportedly fond of a pint of Smithwick's. During an exchange with a couple of journalists, he once tweeted: "I'm Irish, I drink and I like people."

Last year, Paul Ryan, speaker of the US House of Representatives declared similarly: "I express myself. I'm an Irish guy, that's what we do".

Last Wednesday night in Washington DC, Vice President Mike Pence said the following to about 700 black-tie dinner guests: "All that I am, all that I will ever be, and all the service that I will ever give, is owed to my Irish heritage."

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From counsellor (Kellyanne Conway), to national security advisor (Michael Flynn), to head of the Small Business Administration (Linda McMahon), and house majority leader (Kevin McCarthy), the people of Irish extraction who are advising, assisting, and advocating for Trump are conspicuous in their number and their status.

Per a Boston Globe report last year, the father of White House chief strategist Steve Bannon canvassed for John F Kennedy in 1960. "There's a seed of Boston planted in every Irish Catholic kid," Chris Bannon said, answering questions about his brother's path to Harvard University. "We were Kennedy freaks. My dad knocked on doors for Kennedy. Every Irish kid thinks he wants to be Jack Kennedy, right? At least back then."

At least back then. But the motivation of the "Irish kid" in the United States is no longer so easily discerned, and certainly no longer an ambition uniform to each. The Irishness of the new administration and of many of those adjacent to it serves as a tidy reminder of years-old political heterogeneity of the Irish in the US.

In the wake of eight years of a Democratic presidency, though, the transition seems stark. Surely it is stark for Irish-American publisher and Democratic champion, Niall O'Dowd, who, in a break from convention, did not receive an invitation to the White House last week.

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O'Dowd, a longtime Clintonite, called the snub "a badge of honour". On Trump and Irish-America, however, he was not so droll. "Suburban America was hugely significant in Trump's victory, and it follows that classic Irish Catholic families were hugely significant in his victory," he said.

"The anti-Democratic establishment watches Fox News," O'Dowd continued. "And for the duration of the election, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, and Megyn Kelly were the three big anchors on Fox. To me, that's an interesting phenomenon. Hannity is practically his [Trump's] puppet at this stage."

From time to time, the involvement of Irish Americans in conservative politics crosses from curiosity into grievance for O'Dowd. He was "really bothered" by the position taken by General John Kelly, Trump's Secretary of Homeland Security, on immigration. "You think of a guyBoston Irish, probably immigrant Irish, suddenly talking tough on immigration. Betraying his own heritage," he said. It is worth remembering, O'Dowd said, that Trump is very comfortable around Irish-Americans, having met and done extensive due diligence and then business with many people while developing property in Manhattan.

Pence will be the centre of Irish power in the White House, much like his predecessor Joe Biden was, said O'Dowd.

"The hardest thing for a person in Ireland to understand is that an American definition of Irish is, by its nature, very, very different," he said, not involving consensus, and not matching to social or political mores in Ireland at a given time.

Jeffrey Cleary, acting chairman of national representative group Irish-American Republicans ("The GOP's Delta Force", the website proclaims), said that much of his organisation's activity was suspended last year because of disagreement as to the fitness of the then-Republican candidate. In recent months, the outcome of the election concrete, members have set aside differences and returned to work at state and local level, he said.

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George W Bush, Cleary said, was "spectacular in Ireland". He had kind words for John McCain, and for Ronald Reagan, years before him, but was considerably more chilly on the subject of pride of Moneygall, Barack Obama, deeming his presidency "a failure".

Today, Irish-American Republicans is "monitoring President Trump" with its members in mind, Cleary said. From his perspective, so far, so good. "Trump has put together an amazing team," he said.

Irish-American Republicans was founded in 1996 (initially known as the National Assembly of Irish-American Republicans, the name simplified after two years), and was charged in 2000 with the organisation of then-president Bush's first St Patrick's Day at the White House. Cleary, himself "seven-eighths Irish" - one great-grandfather was Dutch - said that one person's expression of his Irishness brought about a feeling of affinity in another. He gave Sean Spicer as an example. "He is very much in touch with his roots," Cleary said. "People are drawn to that.

"Irish-Americans are drawn to public service, too," Cleary adds, playing down the present Irish representation. "If you go through any administration, you'll find it's loaded with Irish-Americans. Reagan had quite a few. Clinton had a large amount. When I worked with George Pataki [former governor of New York], it felt as though every name on every door was an Irish name."

Nationalism, protectionism, and what O'Dowd called "an insular view", exhibited by a desire to deport immigrants and construct walls, are ideas and feelings that roundly appeal to pockets of the Irish-American community, according to Andrew O'Hehir, executive editor of online arts and culture magazine, Salon. In 2014, O'Hehir wrote an animated and somewhat prescient opinion piece on the subject, headlined "How did my fellow Irish-Americans get so disgusting?".

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In it, he calls out Fox stalwarts Hannity and O'Reilly, but also conservative commentator Pat Buchanan, and Republican congressman Peter King. The men, O'Hehir said, consistently represented "the most stereotypical grade of racist, xenophobic, small-minded, right-wing Irish-American intolerance. When you think of the face of white rage in America, it belongs to a red-faced Irish dude on Fox News."

Speaking last week, O'Hehir said he believed there was "no denying that something has happened in the Irish American community, if that's even a useful term anymore. Conservative, nationalistic politics informed by bigotry is anathema in Ireland, to a large degree. Irish nationalism is so different, and so complicated."

He said he found Irish-American support of Trump puzzling. Trump's "America first" mentality fits to some degree with the nationalism of Irish-Americans for whom a united Ireland remains an utmost hope or an exotic cause, O'Hehir acknowledged, which is something central to a sense of identify, for many.

"At one time, the Irish were probably as villainised as the Muslims are now. Some sort of psychological adjustment or reversal has happened to the historical Irish experience. I'm not sure other expat Irish communicates - in the UK, Australia, Canada - have any of the same tendencies. "

A recent poll, of 3,100 readers of Irish Central, saw voters reach back several decades to place the legendary former White House resident John F Kennedy (below) firmly at the top of the pile.

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Next came Joe Biden, Barack Obama's former vice president. After him came New York's popular archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Maureen O'Hara, Dublin-born star of The Quiet Man, took fourth place, and in fifth came Ronald Reagan, who visited Ireland during his presidency. And last came film star Liam Neeson.

Sean Spicer was not mentioned.

Steve Bannon, White House chief strategist

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Born in Virginia, in his own words, to a "blue-collar, Irish-Catholic family" - Bannon's third wife was from Limerick

Sean Hannity, Fox presenter

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Hannity's grandparents came to the US from Cork and Down, respectively. He is said to keep a sign in his office that reads: "Irish Catholics need not apply"

Mike Pence, Vice President

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Pence's grandfather, Richard Cawley, emigrated from Sligo to Chicago in the 1920s. His grandmother's people were from Doonbeg, Co Clare

Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president

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Born Kellyanne Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, her father, who owned a small trucking company, was an Irish-American

Sean Spicer, White House press secretary

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A Smithwick's fan, he says his great-grandfather William emigrated from Kinsale

Bill O'Reilly, Fox presenter

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O'Reilly's great-grandfather emigrated to New York City from Cavan. He threatened to flee to Ireland if Bernie Sanders was elected president

Michael Flynn, national security director

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"Hails from a large Irish Catholic family in Rhode Island", according to Politico. In fact, his grandfather was from Tyrone

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Ryan's great-grandfather left Kilkenny for Wisconsin in 1851. He keeps a hurley in his office
A woman is pulled to safety in a zip line harness in Lima, after intense rains and mudslides wrought havoc (Martin Mejia/AP)

The intense rains, overflowing rivers, mudslides and flooding being experienced in Peru are the worst seen in two decades, the authorities have said.

They have affected more than half the nation and the death toll since the beginning of the year has hit 72.

The highly unusual rains follow a series of storms that have struck hard along Peru's northern coast, with waters inundating hospitals and leaving some small villages isolated.

The storms are being caused by a warming of the surface waters in the Pacific Ocean and are expected to continue for another two weeks.

Peru's government said that 374 people were killed in 1998 during a similar period of massive rains and flooding caused by rains blamed on the El Nino climate pattern.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Fernando Zavala updated the number of dead from the latest flooding to 72.

The rains have overwhelmed the drainage system in the cities along Peru's Pacific coast and the health ministry has started fumigating around the pools of water that have formed in the streets to kill mosquitoes that carry diseases like dengue.

Lima has been without water service since the beginning of the week. The government has deployed the armed forces to help police control public order in the 811 cities that have declared an emergency.

"The prices for lemons have gone up, as well as for potatoes and cooking oil," said Sara Arevalo, a mother of five who was shopping at a market in northern Lima.

The government has acknowledged that prices have shot up some 5% because of the flooding.

In the Lambayeque region, 22 inmates at a juvenile detention centre took advantage of the rains to escape.

And in the city of Trujillo, rains flooded a cemetery with the waters carrying bones through the streets.

In Peru's capital Lima, where a desert climate seldom leads to rain, police on Friday had to help hundreds of residents in one neighbourhood cross a flooded road by sending them one-by-one along a rope through choppy waters.

The muddy current channelled down the street after a major river overflowed. Some residents left their homes with just a single plastic bag carrying their belongings.

The presidents of Chile, Bolivia and Venezuela have offered to send help to Peru.

AP
If rumours are to be believed, ex-lovers, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif are rekindling their love in Austria where they have flown down to shoot for their upcoming film 'Tiger Zinda Hai'.

There are hushed whispers about Salman and Katrina's bonding on the sets.

On the other hand, Bhaijaan's "special friend" Ilulia Vantur is busy with her music commitments and people are speculating that she too will be flying down to Austria to be by Salman's side after stories of his proximity with Kat started making rounds.
By Jeremy Gaunt

LONDON (Reuters) - Americans angry with their lot elected the anti-establishment Donald Trump despite a U.S. economy running at an annual rate of around 3.5 percent and unemployment at a meager 4.6 percent.

Britons believing they were being left hanging voted to leave the wealthy European Union trading bloc regardless of an economy gaining a relatively solid 2.2 percent year-on-year and joblessness steadily falling to 4.9 percent at the time.

In the Netherlands this past week, economic growth rising to 2.3 percent year-on-year and unemployment at just 5.3 percent helped the center-right win, although it did not stop the anti-establishment, anti-European Union Geert Wilders from coming second - albeit faring less well than some had expected.

So what of France, the next big test of populist ire with its presidential first round coming on April 23 and the run-off on May 7? It is not in nearly as good shape.

"The recent (French) data shows improvement. Investment intentions have picked up. The labor market has improved," said Wiliam De Vijlder, group chief economist for BNP Paribas.

But, he added: "Do people look at the overall unemployment rate or do people look in certain cities look at factories that were once full, but no longer are?"

The gist here is that voters are more likely to cast their ballots on how they feel rather than on what the numbers say the economic case is.

Hence, the shock to Britain's elite in the Brexit referendum that great swathes of northern England felt left behind, or to America's chattering class that rust-belt voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan were not happy.

In France, which will drop some key data in the coming week, the numbers have been looking better, but not exactly robust.

GDP turned up on a quarterly basis in last year's third quarter but was only running at around 1 percent year-on-year. Unemployment dipped in December - but to 10 percent.

Story continues

By contrast, consumer confidence has recovered somewhat from the years of euro zone financial crisis.

But the subsection on how consumers see their future financial situation - a strong indicator, according to De Vijlder - remain negative, if off its previous deep lows.

TEST TO COME

So to some extent the French election is being played out against a completely different economic background to the three countries where anti-establishment sentiment has triumphed or at least risen.

Whether this helps far-right National Front candidate Marine Le Pen or a centrist reformer like Emmanuel Macron remains to be seen. It certainly does not look to be helping the current Socialist administration.

But it does mean that the economic data in March and April may have at least a tangential impact on the result.

The coming week brings flash purchasing manager indexes for France, Germany and the euro zone as a whole.

French business activity jumped in February. Another climb could add to the idea that the economy is at least improving. It will be a week later before consumers give their latest soundings.

In the meantime, last month's euro zone and German PMIs were pretty strong. Another set along the same lines will suggest the recovery is showing signs of sustaining itself.

The coming week will also provide some more evidence of whether Britons really are shrugging off the potential impact of Brexit or beginning to sense things may not run as smoothly as before.

Tuesday sees the Confederation of British Industry's latest trends report and Thursday the release of British retail sales data for February.

(Editing by Tom Heneghan)
Rex Tillerson

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson opened up his first official trip to Asia announcing that the US would consider "all options" to deal with the growing nuclear threat from North Korea.

He even refused to rule out having Japan and South Korea develop their own nuclear weapons in an interview with Fox News.

In March 2016, before North Korea's nuclear testing had quite reached the fever pitch it's at today, Trump proposed allowing South Korea and Japan to develop their own nukes to protect themselves.

The proposal was widely panned by nuclear-proliferation experts.

But Tillerson now stresses that all options are on the table for dealing with North Korea, and that could include more countries building nuclear weapons.

Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, told Business Insider the idea that North Korea's nuclear posturing could be answered with further nuclearization of the region was "foolish, simplistic, and naive," and "deeply, deeply troubling."

"If all options are on the table, that should mean that diplomacy and talks with North Korea are on the table," said Kimball, who acknowledged that "Tillerson is right that, up to now, US administrations have not succeded in denuclearizing North Korea."

But the US has refused talks with North Korea and also refused to cancel its military drills with South Korea, which China said Pyongyang would be willing to stop their nuclear program over.

kim jong-un

"But it's a pure fantasy for Rex Tillerson to demand that North Korea denuclearize before allowing or agreeing to talks" with Pyongyang, Kimball added, also providing a thorough timeline of diplomatic attempts to curb the rogue nation's nuclear program.

Story continues

Tillerson, who traveled to Asia without the customary press corps, has raised many questions over the US's intentions in South Korea but provided few answers.

"Tillerson says something new is required. We're at day 57 and this is the most urgent foreign-policy issue we have," Kimball said. "What is the new policy?"

NOW WATCH: Top foreign policy expert: Here's why China isn't more outspoken about North Korea's nuclear ambitions





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Delhi will get unprecedented security cover from Sunday night to prevent the entry of Jat agitators into the capital. Delhi Police has sought the deployment of more than 130 companies of paramilitary forces in the city and in border areas.

The surveillance being considered in view of threats by the protestors on disruption of essential services in Delhi can be gauged from the fact that even for Republic Day, the security is handled by around 100 companies.

BCCL

A slew of pre-emptive measures was announced on Saturday. Unlawful assembly of people have been banned across the city under Section 144 of the CrPC. This will be stringent in the borders of the city, where the cops have created temporary detention centres to house unrelenting demonstrators. Police have been instructed to be extra vigilant against criminals reaching the city in the guise of protesters because intelligence inputs suggest attempts will be made to disrupt peace during the protest.

Security personnel have been ordered to ensure that the Jat protesters do not curtail the movement of essential supplies and milk, water and food products to Delhi from the neighbouring states. Police asked civic bodies to halt construction work along the border roads and keep construction materials away from the reach of potential troublemakers. They also requested PWD to remove boulders and concrete pipes from roadsides to prevent their use as roadblocks.

BCCL

Police officers in the bordering districts have been directed to meet Delhi-based Jat leaders and solicit their help in preventing protesters from coming to Delhi. In any case, vehicles carrying more than five people will not be allowed into Delhi until Tuesday, when the security situation will be reviewed.

BCCL

Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik will personally monitor the situation and has conferred with special commissioners, joint commissioners and deputy commissioners on the steps to be taken to ensure peace. "We appeal to the protesters to maintain peace, else strict action will be taken," said Patnaik. Battalions of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police will man the borders of Delhi with Haryana and UP from Sunday. Section 144 CrPC will be invoked in Gurgaon too, and sale of liquor suspended in the district for the next few days. Refill stations will not be allowed to sell petrol and diesel in bulk to tractors.

BCCL

Gurgaon deputy commissioner Hardeep Singh said, "We have divided the district into 32 areas and assigned a duty magistrate in each. The focus will be on railway stations, metro rail stations, Delhi-Gurgaon expressway and GT Road."
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, the famous billionaire investor, has bought a 12-flat sea-facing building for Rs. 371 crore. The purpose? To raze it to the ground so that he can build a palatial bungalow for himself.

reuters

Four years after buying 6 flats in the Ridgeway Apartments building for Rs. 176 crore, Jhunjhunwala bought the remaining 6 flats for Rs. 195 crore in January, measuring a massive 17,000-odd sq ft, from HSBC Bank.

According to Mumbai Mirror, the billionaire's wife Rekha had signed an agreement with the bank to buy the remaining 6 flats. The Jhunjhunwala family began work on the plot after their purchase of the apartment building and appointed architects to redevelop it.

commonfloor

The Jhunjhunwalas have a net worth of Rs. 10,000 crore. Hence, it comes as no surprise that they want to demolish the old building that once housed senior members of Standard Chartered and HSBC banks.

Jhunjhunwala wants to construct a building which will be sprawled across 45,000 sq ft approximately. He has submitted a proposal with BMC which is under review.
The Gorakhnath Math in Gorakhpur traces its origin to 11th-century monk, Guru Gorakshnath, a yogi of the Nath Sampradaya - a Shaivite tradition within Hinduism. The Naths, in turn, attribute their origin to Dattatreya, the little known single embodiment of the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh.

PTI

Interestingly, Dattatreya and his followers were believed to inhabit the Girnar forest in modern-day Gujarat. Among Dattatreya's disciples was Matsayendranath, the preceptor of Gorakshnath - the latter's revolutionary contribution to his times was simplifying the Upanishadic teachings in argot. He gave the Shabar Mantra - a pledge to Lord Shiva -- to the common people, making no distinction of their caste or communal identity. In mythological terms, Gorakshnath's following was akin to Lord Shiva's baraat that included every living being.

ALSO READ: Yogi Adityanaths Declares That Public Order Should Not Be Disturbed In The Name Of Celebrations

In time, the Gorakshnath (lit. protector of the cow) Shaktipeeth emerged as an egalitarian construct where, until this day, the festival of Makar Sankranti is observed with the distribution of khichdi to people of all castes, religions and faiths. It's a centuries-old great tradition.

PTI

Among the followers of Gorakshnath were the Gorkhas of Nepal, known for their military valour. Indeed, Gorakshnath was himself a martial ascetic, although he or his group wasn't part of Adi Shankaracharya's Akharas - or armed monasteries for religious renunciates. In more recent times, Gorakshnath's followers have become part of the Juna (ancient) Akhara.

As with most Sanatan saints, there are both historical and hagiographical accounts of Gorakshnath's existence. While the historical accounts locate him as a reformer who gave the masses access to Vedic and Upanishadic teachings, the celebratory accounts hold Gorakshnath as a 'siddha'. The Upanishads describe siddhas as beings that have progressed from a jivanmukta state to paramukta state - supremely free.

With full power over death, when siddhas who have become paramukta, attain physical form for a special purpose, they are known as an avatar. In the popular belief, Guru Gorakshnath was an avatar of Lord Shiva.

ALSO READ: Yogi Adityanath 'Openly Asked For 2 Deputy Chief Ministers,' Reveals Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu

PTI

Today's Gorakhnath Math in Gorakhpur is a religious and political institution that runs two temples, one in Nepal in Gorkha district, and the other south of Gorakhpur that's said to contain the Samadhi - a yogi's final resting place -- of Guru Gorakshnath.

These two temples are thronged by devotees in tens of thousands on Makar Sankranti; not so long back, the Nepalese royals were known to occasionally visit one of these temples during the end-winter festival.

Because the monastic order, according to the principles of Gorakshnath, does not follow caste rules as other Hindu religious denominations do, non-Brahmins have served as its temple priests. The current Mahant or chief priest Yogi Aditya Nath is a Thakur.

The Gorakhnath Math has been a busy hub of political activities for decades. Mahant Digvijay Nath was a member of the Congress in 1921. He was arrested for "actively participating" in the Chauri Chaura incident in which protesters clashed with the police. The subsequent violence led to the deaths of three civilians and 23 policemen, a turn of events that forced Mahatma Gandhi to call off his non-cooperation movement.

ALSO READ: Here's How Ajay Singh Bisht Became Gorakhpur's Yogi Adityanath And UP's New Chief Minister!

PTI

After independence, Digvijay Nath was arrested for his incendiary speeches against Gandhi before his assassination and was jailed for nine months. He later led the Ram Janmabhoomi movement of 1949, organising a nine-day recitation of Ramcharit Manas, at the end of which idols of Ram and Sita were placed inside the Babri Masjid.

The Mahants of Gorakhnath Math are known as kanphata yogis - they conduct 'cheera' or cut open the earlobes as a reminder to listen - not to the outside world, but only to their inner voice, or the voice of conscience. The still small voice that stops one from doing anything that leads to the accrual of bad karma.
Two low-intensity explosions occurred in Agra Cantt railway station's vicinity this morning, just hours after Andaman Express crashed into a huge boulder on the tracks near another station 20 km away and police recovered a note at the site threatening of terror attacks.

TOI

No one was injured in the two incidents, police said. Police has cordoned off the Agra Cantt railway station and senior police officials have inspected the area.

"Two explosions were heard early today. The UP police has taken over and now forensic investigations are being done to determine the cause," Divisional Railway Manager Prabhash Kumar told PTI.

BCCL

Police sources said the two explosions were heard as garbage was being dumped into a tractor trolly near the railway station. Investigations were on and locals were being questioned.

Last evening, a note threatening terror attacks was found near Bhandai railway station, 20 km away, by police after a major mishap was averted when the alert train driver of Andaman Express from Chennai to Jammu saw a huge boulder on the tracks.

"Luckily, the engine driver had seen it in time and applied emergency brakes. A note threatening terrorist attacks was found at the spot," police said.

BCCL

The train crashed into the boulder but since the speed was low, it did not cause any major damage, it said.

Security has also been enhanced at the Taj Mahal in the wake of a media report of a threat to the 17th-century monument from terror outfit ISIS.
Indias first private moon mission in December will see the participation of seven teams, out of which three are Indian, revealed space technology start-up TeamIndus on Wednesday.

"Teams Callisto, Ears and Kalpana from India, Space4Life from Italy, Lunadome from Britain, Killa Lab from Peru and Regolith Revolution from the US have qualified to fly their experiments to the lunar surface in our spacecraft," said a TeamIndus statement.

Image posted by TeamIndus on Facebook

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will fly TeamIndus spacecraft (robot) on its PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) or rocket from its Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh, about 80 km northeast of Chennai.

Bengaluru-based TeamIndus is competing in the 30-million dollar Google Lunar Xprize, a global contest to develop low-cost methods of robotic space exploration.

"Space4Life from Naples in Italy will send an experiment to the lunar surface under the Lab2Moon Challenge to test the effectiveness of using a colony of cyanobacteria as a shield against harmful radiation in space," the statement added.

Cyanobacteria are micro-organisms capable of photosynthesis to produce oxygen using sunlight. They represent the earliest known form of life on earth.

Image posted by TeamIndus on Facebook

The India-based team, which proposed an experiment to explore photosynthesis on the moon, will fly along with Space4Life to the lunar surface.

"Team Space4Life will work with TeamIndus engineers to make the experiment space worthy for the journey of a lifetime," said the statement.

An international jury comprising former ISRO Chairman K. Kasturirangan, former European Space Agency Chairman Alain Bensoussan and Yale University's Astronomy Professor Priyamvada Natarajan examined the prototypes of the experiments in granular detail over the last three days here.

"Congratulations to Space4Life. The data from its experiment have the potential to dramatically impact mankind," said Kasturirangan in the statement.

Launched in mid-2016, Lab2Moon, a global challenge for youth, inspired about 3,000 teams to send in ideas for experiments.

Image posted by TeamIndus on Facebook

The Lunar Xprize requires privately funded teams to land their rovers on the surface of the moon, travel 500 metres and broadcast high-definition video, images and data back to earth.

In a launch window starting on December 28, the PSLV will inject the spacecraft into an orbit 880km x 70,000km around the earth. The spacecraft will then undertake a 21-day journey to soft land in Mare Imbrium, a region in the North-Western hemisphere of the Moon.

After landing, the spacecraft will deploy its payload, including the TeamIndus rover that will traverse 500 metres on the moon's surface to accomplish its objectives.

TeamIndus' rover has been designed and developed in Bengaluru by a 100-person engineering team, including 20 retired Indian space scientists.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke to one of the two clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who were later traced after going missing in Pakistan.

BCCL

I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow. #Nizamuddin  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 19, 2017

Pakistan had on Saturday conveyed to India that the two missing clerics had been "traced" and that they had reached Karachi.

Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, and his nephew Nazim Nizami -- had gone to Pakistan on March 8 and were to return to India on March 20.

The main purpose of the visit of 80-year-old Asif to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi. Yesterday, Swaraj had spoken to Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, regarding the case.

ANI

According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network" and thus could not tell their relatives about their whereabouts.

Earlier, Pakistani sources had said the two clerics were in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence agency over their alleged links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

The clerics were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the sources claimed.
One police vehicle was set ablaze and two were damaged by a mob outside Trombay police station in the eastern suburbs early Sunday.

ANI

The attack was triggered by a morphed picture of a religious structure posted on the social media late Saturday.

Police arrested the suspect, 20-year-old local resident who had posted the morphed picture. Soon after, a group of 20 people from another community, torched a police vehicle. They also pelted stones at two other police vehicles and the police station causing damage to the window panes. Police had deployed around 100 armed personnel in and around Trombay. The police station is around 300 metres away from BARC headquarters.

Joint commissioner of police (law and order) Deven Bharati told media that the police will act tough on the miscreants, "We will not allow anyone to create trouble," he said
The company logo for Unilever is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., February 17, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

LONDON (Reuters) - Unilever (ULVR.L) (UNc.AS) is preparing a 6 billion pound ($7.44 billion) sale of some of its food brands, British newspapers reported on Saturday.

The Anglo-Dutch company is planning to sell Flora margarine and Stork butter brands, the Sunday Times said.

The Sunday Telegraph, which also cited a 6 billion pounds figure, cited sources as saying private equity firms Bain Capital, CVC and Clayton Dubilier and Rice have started working on offers for the "spreads" business, citing sources.

Unilever did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The maker of Knorr soups, Dove soap and Ben & Jerry's ice cream rebuffed a surprise $143 billion takeover offer from Kraft Heinz (KHC.O) last month.

The company has launched a business review to consider returning cash to shareholders, making medium-sized acquisitions and more aggressive cost cuts, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Andy Bruce; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Satire



Putin Prepares For Invasion of Europe With Massive Cuts to Military Spending

Russia announces "deepest defense budget cuts since 1990s". Putin must be stopped before it's too late

By Riley Waggama

March 19, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the world has enjoyed an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity.

Long gone are the days of wasteful military expenditures and no-bid contracts to build airplanes and aircraft carriers that neither fly nor float.

The permanent wartime economy that was never dismantled after World War II is ancient history. There is simply no longer any justification for spending many gazillions of dollars each year on Raytheon space lasers. In the United States, jet fighter factories now manufacture lawn mowers and Segways.

We are living in good times. Sensible times.

But all that we've accomplished over the last 25-odd years is now being threatened by one man.

From Baltimore to Baghdad, people cry out: "who will stop Vladimir Putin from conquering the world?"

Yes, Russia's czar has imperial ambitions  global ambitions. He wants war. He needs war.

And from the looks of it, that's exactly what he's preparing for :

Figures released by the Russian Federal Treasury have confirmed that Russia's defence budget has been cut by 25.5% for 2017, falling from RUB3.8 trillion (USD65.4 billion) to RUB2.8 trillion. The reduction represents the largest cut to military expenditure in the country since the early 1990s.

As we type these words, the Russians are greasing their tank treads with the blood of Al Nusra and other moderate, LGBTQ-friendly knitting clubs in Syria.

The rape of Aleppo did not fulfill Putin's bloodlust. He's coming for Europe. And then the world.
No One Needs Another Korean War

By Eric Margolis

March 19, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Panmunjom, the peace village on the incredibly tense demilitarized zone (aka DMZ) between North and South Korea, is one of the weirdest places Ive ever visited. Tough North Korean soldiers lurk about, watched by equally tough South Korean troops in one-way sunglasses and an aggressive judo warrior stance.

When I was filming at Panmunjom, we were warned to beware of North Koreans who could at any moment rush into the main conference room and drag us into North Korea.

It was into this crazy house that the new, jet-lagged US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was transported from turbulent Washington. After a quick look at the DMZ, Tillerson announced `no more Mr. Nice Guy. The US had run out of `strategic patience with North Korea and will go to war to end North Koreas threat to the US, he warned.

Tillerson, formerly CEO of EXXON, is well-versed in world affairs but the Korean peninsulas complexities could be too much for him to quickly absorb. Immediately threatening war is no way to begin a diplomatic mission. But Tillerson was obviously reading from a script written by his boss, Donald Trump, whose knowledge of North Asian affairs makes Tillerson look like a Confucian scholar.

Welcome to Trumps credo: tweet loudly and walk with a big stick.

What would war between the US and North Korea mean? A very grim scenario if it occurs.

The US has nearly 80,000 military personnel in South Korea and Japan, as well as more war-fighting units in Guam, which the US conquered from Spain in 1898. The US 7th Fleet patrols the region, armed with tactical nuclear weapons. US nukes are also based in South Korea and Guam. As we recently saw, US heavy B-1 and B-52 bombers can fly from North America to Korea.

South Korea has a formidable, 600,000-man army equipped with state of the art weapons. Ive been up on the DMZ with the 2nd ROK division. As an old soldier, I was very impressed by their skill and warlike spirit.

North Koreas one million-man armed force is large, but obsolescent. Its great strength in heavy artillery partly compensates for its totally obsolete, 1960s vintage air force. Key combat elements of the DPRK army are dug deep into the rocky hills just north of the DMZ, with thousands of heavy North Korean guns facing south. In the event of war, the North claims it will destroy South Koreas capitol, Seoul, that is only 30km away and has 20 million residents.

US estimates of war in Korea, made a decade ago, suggest America would incur 250,000 casualties in a war that would cost one million Korean deaths. Thats why the US has shied away from direct attack on North Korea. Unlike Iraqis, Syrians, Libyans and Somalis, North Koreans know how to fight back and are amply armed for a defensive war.

The US would certainly be tempted to use tactical nuclear weapons against North Korean troops and guns deeply dug into the mountainous terrain. Without them, air power, Americas usual trump card, would lose much of its destructive potential. No doubt, all North Korea would be ravaged by US air power, as it was during the 1950s Korean War. South Korea plans massive air, missile and commando attacks on North Korean military HQ and against leader Kim Jung-uns hideaway.

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US war plans call for amphibious landings along North Koreas long, vulnerable coastline. This threat forces the North to deploy large numbers of regular army and militia troops on both coasts.

North Koreas air force and little navy would be vaporized on the first day of hostilities. But it is likely that the DPRK would be able to fire a score or more of medium-ranged missiles at Japan. If the war goes nuclear, Japan looks almost certain to suffer nuclear attack, along with Guam. Tokyo and Osaka are prime targets.

North Korean forces might be able to push south to Seoul, but likely no further in the face of fierce attacks by US and South Korean air power operating from bases further south. The Norths powerful commando force of some 100,000 troops would attack key South Korean targets, including its vital air bases shared with the US. Such raids would be highly disruptive but not decisive unless the DPRK used chemical and/or biological weapons to shut down South Koreas air bases and its ports at Busan and Inchon.

The US and South Korea could certainly win such a war but it would be very bloody and expensive. There would be the threat of Chinese military intervention if it appeared the US was about to occupy North Korea. Russia is right next door.

Secretary Tillerson, please leave war threats to the generals and start practicing some active diplomacy with the North. If ever a war was not needed, its here.

Eric S. Margolis is an award-winning, internationally syndicated columnist. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune the Los Angeles Times, Times of London, the Gulf Times, the Khaleej Times, Nation  Pakistan, Hurriyet,  Turkey, Sun Times Malaysia and other news sites in Asia. https://ericmargolis.com

Copyright Eric Margolis 2017
Securities have arrested a 48 year old man at the JFK Airport trying to smuggle cocaine into the United States by taping it to his legs.

Mayobanex Ruiz Gomez who is from Queens had just arrived JFK Airport from his native Dominican Republic when he was found by customs officers with plastered around his legs.

The agents noticed he was acting nervous while they were examining his suitcase so he was searched thoroughly and the drugs worth more than $83,000 on the street was found on him. He now faces federal narcotics smuggling charges and will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office in the U.S. Eastern District Court of New York.

This is the second time this month a man will be caught at the same airport trying to smuggle cocaine by taping it to his legs. Just on March 4th, Juan Carlos Galan Luperon, a 28-year-old from

Manhattan, had been caught with 10 pounds of cocaine strapped to his legs. He had been returning to the United States from Santo Domingo. Authorities do not think the two incidents are connected.

( Linda Ikeji )
Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) in Abuja on Saturday commiserated with the Benue State Government over the recent clashes between herdsmen and Tiv farmers in some communities in Buruku Local Government Area of the state.

In a statement, the Secretary-General of the association, Mr Baba Othman-Ngelzarma, said MACBAN was saddened by the latest incident which led to deaths and destruction of property.

`

Regrettably, this ugly incident is coming at a time the two feuding groups had been enjoying some respite from previous skirmishes which had been achieved through consistent engagement and strategy by stakeholders.

We consider this crisis as a serious setback to our collective desire for peace in Benue State and the nation in general, Othman-Ngelzarma said.

He said MACBAN, as an umbrella body of pastoralists in Nigeria, condemned the return of hostilities between pastoralists and farmers.

The secretary said the association was highly concerned about the way people took the law into their hands.

We, therefore, wish to use this medium to commiserate with the affected communities, to condole the people of Buruku Local Government, in particular, and the Government of Benue State in general.

We assure you of our support and cooperation in adopting all measures to determine the root causes of the unfortunate happening, the secretary said.

He, however, added that the incident should not be allowed to derail the success recorded in the area of building peace through mutual understanding and respect.

The secretary stressed that MACBAN will not accept any act of violence by whosoever under any pretext.

Our members, are therefore, warned strongly against taking laws into their hands as the leadership is poised to follow established due process in addressing those vexing issues affecting them.

We also appreciate the efforts of His Excellency, Gov. Samuel Ortom, the leadership of Buruku Local Government Council and the security agencies in sanitising the area of hostilities.

At the same time we are wary of the statement allegedly credited to the governor requesting herdsmen to relocate out of the state.

Othman-Ngelzarma described the statement by the governor as unconstitutional and pointed out that herdsmen could not be exempted from enjoying similar rights of free movement as being enjoyed by other Nigerians.

`We demand that the laws of the land must be allowed to function without let or hindrance, he said.

Ortom had given Fulani herdsmen in Tombo-Mbalagh, Buruku Local Government Area of Benue two days to leave the area following a weekend attack in which eight people died.

He gave the order during an assessment visit to the area and said armed herdsmen were not welcome in the state.

The governor said that as the chief security officer of the state he had a responsibility to protect the people.

Source: NAN
The Lagos State Director of Fire Services, Mr Rasaq Fadipe, says no life is lost in the Saturday fire incident at the NAFDAC office in Oshodi, Lagos.

Fadipe also told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that nobody was injured in the incident which happened at about 3.30p.m.

He said that five water trucks were deployed to the scene immediately his men were alerted to put out the fire.

According to him, it is not NAFDAC warehouse that was burnt.

The fire occurred in a container loaded with some tyres, drugs and other items.

I dont know if they were seized items, but my men were able to prevent the fire from spreading to the warehouse and other buildings, Fadipe said.

In his account, Mr Adesina Tiamiyu, the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), said that full investigation into the cause of the fire would be carried out by the appropriate authorities.

Tiamiyu said that on the spot investigation showed that the incident started at about 3.15 p.m.

According to him, the inferno started from the power house.

He said that other buildings including administrative building which house the central laboratory complex of the agency were salvaged by the combined team of LASEMA and Lagos State Fire Services.

He said that officials of NAFDAC also rendered necessary support for the intervention.

The fire has been put under control as damping exercise was presently on going, LASEMA general manager said.

Source: NAN
A Police man has allegedly killed a young man who is identified as Chinedu Peter, on his way from an eatery with his girlfriend. The police officer identified as Ibe Uchenna, shot Chinedu in front of Christ the King Cathedral (C.K.C) Asa road, Aba after their vehicle was stopped. According to the Facebook user who shared the story on his wall, after he was shot, he asked the police officers to take him to the hospital, the Police Officers took Chinedu away from the scene but rather than take him to the hospital, they dumped him by a roadside where they thought his body wont be found. Read the story by Pedro Unekwe after the horrific incident occurred 



His names was Chinedu Peters, a resident of Aba and he was the bread winner of his family.

On 11th of March 2017, he was coming back from eatry joint with his girlfriend name withheld. The police on duty in front of Christ the King Cathedra(C.K.C) Asa road, Aba stopped the vehicle he was inside and ordered all of them to come out, they obeyed and all came out, they were asked to lay down on the floor which they also did. Few minutes later the police men told the only Hausa man in their midst to stand up and live with reason best known to them, Mr Chinedu out of anger stood up to ask questions why they ve to released the Hausa man and not all of for the fact they didnt get anything incriminating in them. One police man among them by name IBE UCHENNA ordered him to lie down or he will shoot him, he refused that he will only obey when the Hausa man is brought back, that was how he was shoot by someone that was suppose to protect him. He was lying down helpless crying for them to take him to hospital, instead they took him in their van and dumped him in a location they think people will not find out, took their car for a wash to cover their crime without knowing that the girlfriend was with him.

The girlfriend returned home and explained how this young and vibrant man was shot, in the next morning guys from his area and his brother went to CPS to lodge a complain but was told by the police that they dont know about such incident. The girlfriend insist on the case and the police commander called the troops that was deployed at the area and the girl was able to recognize their faces and the guy that shot him. The police later changed the story that Chinedu was taken to a hospital and that he is responding to treatment but refused to show the family which hospital. His family and friend set for a search party, and his dead body was found this morning 18th March 2017. They want back to the police for the police to tell them that the police Man that shot him IBE UCHENNA is now in detention in Umuahia.
COMMISSIONER of Police in Delta State, Mr. Zanna Ibrahim has said that over 270 officers have been deployed as a search party for the kidnapped Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of C Division, Asaba, SP Valentine Mbalu.

Speculations were rife at the weekend that SP Mbalu who was abducted on March 5 might have allegedly be killed by his hostage takers, as a decomposing corpse purportedly found in Umunede bush was allegedly said to be his.

But Ibrahim denied that the corpse of the DPO was found in Umunede bush, adding however that from the confessional statement made by two suspects arrested in connection with the kidnap, the officer may be presumed dead.

He said though the command was yet to lay hands on the corpse, at present, the search was on by over 270 officers, adding that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has approved the deployment of three sniffer dogs to help locate where the officer is or buried.

Zanna said March 15 while acting on available intelligence, operatives of SAKCCS arrested one Suleiman Ibrahim a.k.a Carlos m, aged 29 years, a native of Adamawa State, at Aduwawa area of Benin City, Edo State and Yusuf Hamisu m of Eyan Benin City.

The suspects confessed being members of a five-man kidnap gang that kidnapped the DPO and further disclosed that the victim died in their custody on 6/3/2017 as a result of his health challenges.

The suspects have also unveiled the identities of the gang leader and other members of the kidnap gang who operate between Edo, Kogi, Delta, Enugu and Anambra States.

On further interrogation, suspects also confessed to the kidnap of two civil servants attached to Delta State Government House, the murder of one police officer and one woman, along Benin/Lagos by-pass in the month of February, he added.

He said one of the suspects, Suleiman Ibrahim allegedly confessed to the crime and narrated how the officer was abducted, adding that their gang was linked to the kidnap and murder of the mother-in-law of one of the aides to the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa about two months ago.

The suspect said the he was sent to buy food for the officer but was later called by other gang members not to bother, saying the officer has past on; hence he felt the officer may have died, Zanna explained.
Benue State has been thrown into mourning following the killing of a final year Geography student from the State University in Mukurdi.

Hundreds of protesting students took to the streets demanding the arrest and prosecution of those behind the killing. Hundreds of protesting students took to the streets demanding the arrest and prosecution of those behind the killing.

The students are also demanding the intervention of the State House of Assembly in providing legislation to curb such killings in future.

The protest caused heavy gridlock along the Lafia- Makurdi-Otukpo and the Makurdi-Gboko federal highways for over three hours.

Meanwhile, efforts by security agencies to clear the road were rebuffed by the students, demanding all herdsmen leave the state for good.

Reacting to the continuous herdsmen attacks on Benue farmers, a youth activist while providing statistics of those killed between 2013 and 2015, called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the international community to halt the wanton killing once and for all.

The protest is the second just within the week as Tiv youths gathered in Abuja, to demand action from the seat of power at the Federal level, however more needs to be seen if the protest caught the attention of the President to warrant immediate solution.

The governor Samuel Ortom, had called on the Federal Government to do more to stop the attacks by herdsmen across the country.

The governor, who led the State Security Council to the killing fields in Logo and Buruku local council, lamented over the renewed attacks witnessed in the region.

There must be a solution, the Federal Government must come and collaborate with the state to solve this problem.

But the Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama, on the other hand, ordered his men to deal with anyone bearing arms illegally.

Anybody that is seen with arms should be brought down. You cannot bear what is illegal to use it against anybody.

Whoever is carrying any weapon, I have said should actually be arrested and prosecuted for that, he told Channels tv.
The Value of Naira is set to rise later in the week as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) plans to infuse more Foreign Exchange (Forex) into the market to meet the requests of genuine customers.

The was made known by the spokesman of the CBN, Mr Isaac Okorafor, gave the assurance in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.

The apex bank had so far kept to its promise of continuing to supply enough forex to guarantee liquidity in the market.

The statement said the bank was committed to ensuring that authorised dealers got sufficient supply to meet the demands of authentic customers of banks.

It disclosed that the bank had since February offered over one billion dollars to the interbank market.

The bank expressed optimism that stability had been restored to the forex market.

According to the statement, individuals can easily access forex to address personal and business allowances.

A summary of the CBN intervention in the interbank market over the past two months, shows the highest bid rate was N360 per dollars, while the lowest was N315 per dollar.

Source: ( PM News )
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I have a confession. I have read Mein Kampf and Das Kapital. If one were to utilize similar logic to the sponsor of the bill before the Arkansas state legislature to ban A Peoples History of the United States written by Howard Zinn, I could be defined as a fascist-communist.

Rep. Kim Hendren has authored a bill to ban to not only A Peoples History; it would actually ban all writings by Zinn. A Peoples History happens also to be another text that I managed to get my subversive mind around. And the only thing that might drive me to the streets in support of anarchy, at this point, would be the prohibition of single malt scotch and cigar sales.

The proposed legislation reflects government-sponsored anti-intellectualism, the systematic creation of human automatons, under the guise of family values.

The proposed legislation does raise, tangentially, an important question: How much say should parents have over their childrens education? And should one decide parents should have complete control, would that include parents from one legislative district dictating what students read statewide?

According a story reported on NPR, a number of constituents complained to Hendren about the use of A Peoples History in their public schools, which prompted the proposed legislation. Each member of the Arkansas state legislature, according to the 2010 census, represents roughly 78,000 residents. Should Hendrens constituency decide what should be read in public schools for a state of nearly 3 million residents? And thats assuming all 78,000 in Hendrens district wanted to ban A Peoples History.

The most infamous display of prohibiting certain texts in recent memory would be the Nazi book burnings around 1933. But book banning is as old as recorded human history. In 325 CE, the Roman emperor Constantine ordered the burning of books that did not correspond with mainstream Christian doctrine at the time.

Whether its Constantine, the Nazi regime, or the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty  who in 210 BCE ordered the burning of certain texts and the burial alive of Confusion scholars  these acts represents the unsettling thought of government trying to control what the people think.

Whats wrong with reading texts that do not subscribe to the prevailing thought? A Peoples History does not offer a but to the dominant narrative. Rather, it is a forceful and. It is not a Hobsons Choice. It is adding to the never-ending saga known as the American experiment.

How can one authentically love the country with only an incomplete narrative at his or her disposal?

Would Cornwalliss account of the War for Independence correspond with the version offered by, say, John Adams? Would Frederick Douglasss understanding of the ratification of the 15th Amendment, which granted Negro men the right to vote, align with Susan B. Anthony, who at the time was still fighting for women to have the same right?

Each possesses an important portion of the narrative, but none own the story in totality.

When it comes to history, everyone writes with a certain bias. Not in the sense that one is trying to make history do something that it doesnt, but that there are other factors, such as ones social location, that might place emphasis on one aspect of the historical event more so than another.

My constitutional interpretation is based on what I view as its elasticity. But I also realize there must be limitations to this perspective. Therefore, those who offer a strict constructionist perspective become allies in my thinking. Without the contrarian thought one is apt to arrogantly cling exclusively to the false perfection of their thinking.

Ironically, any attempt to ban the reading of certain materials is the reflexive admission that thought cannot be controlled. Should we only read the material that corresponds with our existing thoughts? Dont we want our students to be intoxicated with curiosity?

Was it not curiosity about the Enlightenment that led a group of men to pledge their lives, fortunes and sacred honor in pursuit of that more perfect union? It was a curiosity so strong that it allowed a president to stand on the battlefield at Gettysburg and give meaning to a brutal war, recall why the nation was originally conceived, while placing equality or par with liberty, after an 89-year hiatus, in a mere 272 words.

Liberty and equality represent the utopian pillars that the nation uncomfortably rests. Any attempt to ban books is ultimately an assault on liberty and equality.
My son has a developmental disability and his own lawn-care business, with his name embroidered on the pocket to prove the point. He works harder than anyone I know, mowing 10 yards a day during our deathly Southern summers. While literally being the boss of his dad can make for odd family dynamics, we nevertheless structured our family finances to encourage self-sufficiency, so he is not eligible for public benefit programs.

Prior to the Affordable Care Act, Samuel paid over $4,000 per quarter  and no, I did not add too many zeroes  for lousy health insurance. He had a $5,000 deductible and a 50 percent co-pay for the first additional $10,000 in costs.

He was locked into that policy as otherwise uninsurable because of a rare chromosomal anomaly. We were forced to triage and sometimes forego essential care. The medical center where he had received care since birth threatened to turn him out for collection, though he had never missed a monthly payment.

Prior to the Affordable Care Act, it was estimated that one-third of bankruptcies in this country involved medical debt.

I must concede that the healthcare.gov website has been a screwed-up, head-exploding mess, though greatly improved since its launch. But the principles that undergird the site are solid, fine and true: Everyone should have access to the quality health care they need, simple or complex, without impoverishing themselves.

Currently, my sons annual insurance premium is less than his previous monthly cost. Please read that again.

The dangers of repealing the ACA and assaulting Medicaid are not theoretical for my son, as a person with a disability, nor for my mother. She was supported through a Medicaid program for people who are elderly or have disabilities, allowing her to stay at home, surrounded by family, friends and her kitties, until she passed away at 96. One in five Americans rely on Medicaid.

Maybe right now, you are not connected by blood or affiliation to anyone with a disability. The likelihood of someone in your life experiencing disability increases greatly as the so-called silver tsunami  the vast wave of baby-boomers  hits our 60s and 70s, with accompanying changes in body and brain.

Please understand how high the stakes are in this battle for affordable home- and community-based health care. The fight is not theoretical, hyperbolic or faceless. Its about my son. Its about my mother. Its about more of my darling friends and their families than I can count. Its about the nearly million and a half North Carolinians who could lose or no longer afford coverage. Likely, if not now, at some point in the future, it will be about someone you love.

Dont let us down. Oppose cuts/caps/block grants to Medicaid and this unparalleled attack on access to health care.
A bipartisan effort to bring Afghans who supported the U.S. mission in Afghanistan to America is the right step to take. Good for Republican U.S. Sen Thom Tillis of North Carolina for his role in this effort.

On Wednesday, Tillis and three other senators  Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John McCain (R-AZ), and Jack Reed (D-RI)  introduced a bill to provide 2,500 more visas for the program that allows Afghans who supported the U.S. mission in Afghanistan and face threats as a result of their service to apply for refuge in the United States. This includes interpreters, guides and many support personnel.

The program is called Afghan Special Immigrant Visa, or SIV.

The bill was introduced after the U.S. Embassy in Kabul officially stopped scheduling interviews for applicants seeking a visa through the Afghan SIV program.

Many brave Afghans have risked their lives in order to support American troops and their efforts to defeat terrorists, Tillis said in a press release. In return, America has a moral obligation to provide these Afghans with safety from the Taliban who seek to harm them and their families for assisting Americas mission in Afghanistan. Falling short of this obligation would signal to the world that America is willing to turn its back on friends who stood with our nation, a grave mistake we cannot afford to make. Im proud to join Senators McCain, Shaheen, and Reed in this bipartisan effort.

Indeed.

Its imperative that Congress act quickly to approve more visas, Sen. Shaheen said in the press release. This is a matter of life and death for interpreters and other support staff. As we speak, many of them are being hunted down by the Taliban and other terrorists. We have a moral obligation to protect the thousands of Afghans who put themselves, and their families, at risk to help our soldiers and diplomats. To abandon them now would be a stain on our nations honor.

Sen. Reed said in the press release: Afghanistan is, and must remain, a key pillar of our long-term global counterterrorism strategy, and to that end it is critical that we continue to foster strong ties with our allies on the ground.

Despite all those long, hard years of war, billions of dollars spent and more than 2,000 American lives lost, Afghanistan remains largely unstable. And our struggle there has fallen off the radar for much of the American public  except for those with loved ones in that dangerous, faraway place.

We know that immigration is a hot topic right now. But there should be no question when it comes to those who assisted American forces during the war on terror. Theyve rightly earned our loyalty and our protection, and so have members of their families. This is the practical thing to do as well to ensure that other foreign friends will continue to join us in the war on terror.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte [CNN profile] said Sunday he would not be intimidated by a potential criminal trial at the hands of the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website], vowing that the countrys war on drugs would continue. Speaking [text] to reporters before he departed for Myanmar, the President was adamant in his defense of the countrys stance on drugs. The president said I will not be intimidated and I shall not be stopped just by what? International Criminal Court? Impeachment? If that is part of my destiny, it is my destiny to go. Duterte has not backed down from the numerous international organizations condemning the extrajudicial killing of drug dealers and users. Duterte has also condemned such actions saying hed never condone the killing of a criminal person arrested with outstretched arms, begging for his life, or what is popularly known as extrajudicial killings. This comes as a former member of an alleged death squad is expected to file a case against Duterte with the ICC.

Over 8,000 people have been killed in the past year since Duterte took office related to the crackdown against drugs in the country. Numerous rights groups have been critical of the killings and have spoken out against the current administration. Early in March the Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] released a report that accused the police of falsifying evidence [JURIST report] in relation to the alleged police killings of citizens. This policy of sanctioned killings has been part of Dutertes rhetoric since is time serving as mayor of Davao. In December a UN Human rights chief called for a murder investigation [JURIST report] after Duterte admitted to killing people in his role as mayor. Duterte has seemed skeptical of the ICC before, in November he suggested that the Philippines might leave [JURIST report] the international body.
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King County Superior Court [official website] Judge Beth Andrus upheld a Seattle city ordinance on Friday allowing app-based and ride-hailing drivers to vote to unionize. Specifically, the ordinance [text, PDF] allows individuals making at least 52 trips in a three-month periodcalled driver representativesto vote on whether or not they should be able to unionize. Uber [corporate website] has previously challenged this ordinance claiming that the 52-trip requirement impinges on the rights of new and part-time drivers to vote on unionization. Uber also reached out to its drivers to persuade them not to vote for unionization. This decision, to the detriment of companies like Uber and Lyft [corporate website], would enable drivers to argue for higher wages and labor costs [Bloomberg report]. Uber stated that [t]he citys collective bargaining ordinance rules deny thousands of Seattle drivers a voice and a vote on their future and that the city failed to give the public a meaningful opportunity to comment on the proposed rule.

With the rapid growth of companies like Lyft and Uber, ride-sharing services have been among the most controversial business models [JURIST backgrounder] in recent history. On Thursday a judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California [official website] approved a $27 million settlement [JURIST report] in a class action lawsuit between Lyft and its drivers. The suit challenged Lyfts characterization of the drivers as independent contractors. In December the European wing of Uber was indicted [JURIST report] in Denmark on charges of assisting drivers in their violation of taxi laws, although Copenhagen prosecutor Vibeke Thorkil-Jensen stated that this is just a test case seeking judicial assessment of Ubers involvement in the illegal acts of two of its drivers. Last April Uber settled a lawsuit [JURIST report] brought by 385,000 drivers in California and Massachusetts regarding their status as independent contractors. In several states, ride-sharing companies have met significant legal opposition, frequently led by competitors such as the taxi industry. Other unresolved questions [JURIST backgrounder] surrounding this new business model continue to prompt debate among lawmakers.
Sopa de Albondigas | Mexican Meatball Soup

Ingredients For the soup: 2 tablespoons oil

1 small white onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup tomato puree

1 cup diced tomatoes

2 quarts beef stock

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 recipe albondigas plus one cup of the cooking liquid from the meatballs

Diced red bell peppers and parsley or cilantro For the meatballs: 2 slices white bread

Milk

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 pound ground veal or beef

1/2 pound ground lamb

l large onion, minced

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cups meat stock

2 cups tomato juice

1 can chipotles in adobo, chopped Instructions To make the soup: Heat the oil in a Dutch oven and saute the onion until tender but not browned. Add the garlic, tomato puree, diced tomatoes, and beef stock to the pan and simmer, uncovered, for for 30 minutes. Add the meatballs and one cup of the meatball cooking liquid and simmer for five to ten minutes, until the meatballs are fully heated. Garnish with red bell peppers and parsley or cilantro To make the meatballs: Soak the bread in milk, and squeeze dry just before using. Mix the meats, onion, bread, eggs, and salt and pepper thoroughly, and form the mixture into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls. Combine the stock and tomato juice, add the chopped chiles, and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs, a few at a time, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 40 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the liquid with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl with one cup of the cooking liquid. You can refrigerate them for later, or make the soup immediately. The leftover cooking liquid can be saved and frozen for soups and sauces. Yield: 6 servings









This Sopa de Albondigas, or Mexican Meatball Soup, is pretty simple, but completely flavorful. Mr. Kitchen declared that this soup is "amazing." He normally is pretty tentative about the spicy food I make, but he adored this soup.In my collection of cookbooks, I have a little shelf of old cookbooks from when I was a young bride (the first time). This shelf includes a 1960s version ofby Mildred O. Knopf from my mother, a few cookbook compilations by women's clubs that my mother belonged to, and the book, The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking by Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz , published in 1965. From what I understand, there are several iterations of this book with updates on the market, but mine is a first edition.This book was given to me by my future mother-in-law. Not Mr. Kitchen's mother, who was Irish, but the mother of husband 1.0, whom I met in college. His mother was born and raised in northern Mexico, and she was very traditional. She gave me this book so that I would be able to make traditional Mexican food for her son.While the marriage was very short-lived (at 22, I clearly lacked the necessary maturity), I still hung onto and treasured the cookbook. It was written by a British food writer who began her discovery of Mexican food when her husband, a Mexican UN Secretariat official, took a position in Mexico City with the United Nations Information Center.How interesting that my Mexican mother-in-law would give this American girl a Mexican cookbook written by a British food writer so that her son would get served the Mexican food he knew and loved. Pretty ironic, right?The author of the book reports that, at the time, most Mexican senoras she met did not actually cook themselves, but relied on household help to do the cooking. In 1965 there was not a lot of available literature on the art of Mexican cooking, so, because she wanted to explore and cook the food of Mexico, she relied on street vendors to give her cooking lessons.One of my favorite quotes: "The fact that I cooked at all was frowned on, until my cook--maid reported to my mother-in-law that I was, after all, a respectable(Spanish elegant for housewife). She said I couldn't really cook; I only pretended to be able to; that I looked everything up in a book, and what real cook would do that?"There are 340 recipes in the book, as well as explanations of basic Mexican ingredients and cooking methods. She reports that the recipes in her book are authentic, and not adapted to American tastes or ingredients. The book is divided into 14 chapters covering ingredients, the corn kitchen, soup, rice and pastas, sauces, eggs, fish, poultry, meat, vegetables, salads, desserts, and drinks. She also lists sources for finding ingredients and equipment for preparing these dishes.Another favorite passage of mine is how she begins her section on soups. She writes, "Mexican men take soup seriously. They tend to feel deprived if a soupless meal is served at midday." I also love the quote from James Beard on the jacket, "A book of delicious variations on what is really a little-known theme." Times have definitely changed.I'm sure that the food in Mexico, like food throughout the world, has evolved and changed over time, but it was wonderful to dip back into this 50-year-old cookbook.This month, the Soup Saturday group, created by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm , is presenting soups with a Mexican theme. I had originally planned to make posole for this event, but when I stumbled across this cookbook while organizing my bookshelves, I had to make this soup.After the recipe, be sure to check out the rest of the Mexican themed soups recipes.
ELM CREEK  Extreme contrasts between ancient and new China were obvious to Hub Territory members of the Nebraska LEAD 35 class during their international study-travel seminar.

A day after being surrounded by skyscrapers in Shanghais financial district, they hiked up a mountain in rural south-central China, west of Guilin, and stayed overnight at a 26-room hotel overlooking the village of Longi and rice field terraces.

After visiting tiny subsistence farms tended by hand in the region, they traveled up to 154 mph on a bullet train from Guilin to Guangzhou. Josh Frizzell of Kearney, a merchandiser for KAAPA Grains at Elm Creek, said the train was the smoothest mode of transportation we had during the groups Jan. 6-20 travels.

As the modern train ran through farm country, Oconto farmer Curtis Stallbaumer said he counted just three tractors out the window and all were utility size.

It wasnt just the farms size and production methods that made an impression on the Nebraskans.

Nate Lehmann of Gibbon, a yield research associate with AgReliant Genetics, said all of Chinas farmers must go to government warehouses for seeds and seedlings. If you read behind the lines, thats the governments way to control things, Stallbaumer added.

Lloyd Johnson, who lives south of Berwyn and is a farm manager and real estate salesman with Farmers National Co. in Broken Bow, said the only corn they saw was planted as feed for swine, poultry and, in one case, water buffalo at a dairy.

All four men saw opportunities for U.S. ag producers in Chinas food-production system for its 1.4 billion people.

Stallbaumer said a U.S. Department of Agricultures Foreign Agricultural Service speaker at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said Chinas leaders seem more open to importing more U.S. beef, but there was no timeline for increased purchases.

Beef imports have been limited since 2003, when the first U.S. case of BSE, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, was confirmed.

Johnson said most U.S. beef is fed with GMO crops, so it still could take years to get through the red tape on that issue. However, a plus for enhancing U.S. ag exports is that only 12 percent of Chinas land is arable, and its getting lower and lower all the time.

Frizzell said LEAD members felt they were limited in what they were shown as ag producers. Maybe that was to keep us guessing, so they can control the market, he said.

Big, big cities

Stallbaumer described Chinas huge cities as just a lot of concrete.

Lehmann said apartment complexes with buildings arranged in squares, rectangles or circles, went on for miles. Each complex was entirely finished before anyone was allowed to move in, he said.

Stallbaumer said all those buildings, some up to 25 stories tall, were surrounded by very little green space. We take our open spaces and green grass for granted, he added,

Johnson said that during their days in Beijing and more modern Shanghai, pollution levels were low by China standards. They were told the levels were about 10 times worse a few days before they arrived, with visibility of less than two blocks.

The LEAD group also learned by observation about Chinas culture.

Theres no religion. You didnt see any churches, Lehmann said.

The family structure impressed me, Johnson said. Grandparents, parents and children all are under one roof. He explained that the older generation must retire in their 50s so they can handle child care while the middle generation goes to work.

Laos

The men said it was a relief to leave China and fly to Laos capital, Vientiane.

It seemed like everything is on a set schedule, Lehmann said about China. In Laos, it was more laid back.

Its an extremely poor country, Johnson said, noting that the average income is approximately $5,200, which means some people are doing well and some are very poor.

Lehmann said many Laotians cross the Mekong River daily to work in Thailand.

They are subsistence farmers. They produce crops to feed themselves, Stallbaumer said about Laos rural population.

And maybe to barter for other things, Johnson added.

Schools for farmers are just now introducing practices such as flood irrigation and use of plastic weed barriers. The LEAD group visited a farm project supported by Thai and Laos governments to teach farmers to grow their own food and then contribute seeds, fish and poultry as seedstock for others.

Laos farms were perhaps 3 to 4 acres and almost all work was done by hand.

Johnson said that while rural people in Laos have nothing, the Communist Party-led government is developing the countrys natural resources. Gold is the top economic driver, followed by hydroelectric production and a growing tourism industry.

Lehmann said Laos continues to build dams in the Mekong Basin and sells most of the hydropower to China. The battery of Asia is what Laos is called, Frizzell added.

News reports about Laos moving ahead with construction of a third large dam on the rivers main stem say the plan has been criticized by some of its neighbors, particularly Vietnam.

The big picture

The LEAD groups third stop in Bangkok was mostly for sightseeing.

Frizzell said the city of 10 million people felt morally empty. Lehmann noted the obvious sex trade on the city streets and said, Daytime was not too bad, but at nighttime, I just felt dirty.

History played a role in how they were treated in the other two countries.

In China, people were a little more friendly, depending on the age group, Johnson said, explaining that the oldest generation thanks Americans for coming because they remember the threat to China from the World War II occupation by Japan.

People in Laos treated the Nebraskans well, but there also was a lingering coolness related to U.S. participation in the Indochina War. The group visited a project that supports people injured by encounters with unexploded ordnance left from that war.

I feel like in China, especially, the possibilities there are endless with that population for big trade into a big market, Frizzell said. We also have to pay attention (as producers) to what they do down the road.

They could hamper big time our grain markets, our prices, Johnson said, if Chinas government develops infrastructure to store large amounts of grain.

Frizzell said two-thirds of all the worlds soybeans are purchased by China as a human protein food or to feed livestock.

Water and carbon emissions also are big issues. He said that in the last 10 years, two-thirds of the concrete poured on Earth has been in China.

Johnson said they learned about efforts to move away from a carbon-based electricity-generation system to plants fueled by organic waste that dont adversely affect the environment.

Because China is so big, the LEAD 35 members know they saw only a tiny part of it, yet one thing seemed obvious.

Its a lot better to work with them, not against them, Stallbaumer said.
Justin Kuijer is shown in a Niagara Regional Police Service handout photo. Police are expected to provide more details today on the end of a four-day manhunt for a stepfather accused of killing his seven-year-old stepson. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Niagara Regional Police Service MANDATORY CREDIT
Canadian school teacher Maggie MacDonnell holds the Global Teacher Prize at a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 19, 2017. MacDonnell whose teaching philosophy underscores hope and acts of kindness in an isolated corner of Quebec won a $1 million prize in what has become one of the most-coveted and high-profile awards for teaching excellence. MacDonnell beat out thousands of applicants from around the world. (AP Photo/Martin Dokoupil)
In this March 13, 2017 photo, Scott Heiferman, CEO of Meetup, talks during an interview in New York. The networking site is partnering with a left-leaning labor group and a former Hillary Clinton aide to roll out a platform for organizing people who oppose President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
FILE - In this July 19, 2012, file photo, security guards stand near a burnt down reception block of Maruti Suzuki factory in Manesar, near New Delhi, India. A court in north India has sentenced 13 factory workers to life imprisonment for taking part in violence at the country's largest automobile factory that led to the death of a manager nearly five years ago. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das, File)
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Taipei, March 19 (CNA) Tormented by the hundreds of thousands of presidential and vice presidential records and artifacts -- including over 12,000 gift items -- that are packing its warehouse, the national archive has proposed a revision of the relevant regulations so that some can be cleared to create more storage space.
Childbirth in the U.S. and India: How it falls short and why

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After eight years of practicing obstetrics and researching childbirth in the United States, I know as well as anyone that the American maternal health system could be better. Our way of childbirth is the costliest in the world. Our health outcomes, from mortality rates to birth weights, are far, far from the best.

The reasons we fall short are not obvious. In medicine, providing more care is often mistaken for providing better care. In childbirth the relationship between more and better is complicated. Texan obstetricians, when compared to their counterparts in neighboring New Mexico, are 50% more likely to intervene on the babys behalf by performing a cesarean section. Nonetheless, Texas babies still have a lower survival rate than New Mexican babies.

I long assumed that our most puzzling American health care failures were idiosyncrasiesunique consequences of American culture, geography, and politics. But a trip to India for the 2017 Human Rights in Childbirth meeting led me to a humbling realization: when it comes to childbirth, both countries fall short in surprisingly similar ways.

Human rights in childbirth

I take care of patients in at a well-funded teaching hospital in Boston, where pregnant women seem well-respected and have clear, inviolable rights.

Ive read about the gender-based violence, the profoundly disturbing cases of disrespect and abuse that too many women in India and around the world experience. But these are not things I have deep experience with.

I initially hesitated when I received an invitation to speak at a human rights meeting. Still, the opportunity to scrutinize my profession alongside international experts from a broad range of disciplines was compelling. Over 200 activists and scientists, midwives and physicians, journalists and attorneys planned to discuss strategies to advance justice, dignity, and respect for pregnant women. So I got on the long flight from Boston to Mumbai.

The meeting began with Indian women describing their experiences of care gone wrong. Many were heartbreaking stories of women receiving too little care too late  failures to provide antibiotics, blood and other forms of resuscitation in a timely way. Others were equally heartbreaking examples of women receiving too much care too soon  unnecessary inductions of labor, episiotomies and C-sections. Beyond instances of clinically measurable harm, the stories illustrated routine misappropriations of care that these women felt deprived them of basic dignity.

Throughout, I was conscious of the fact that Indian clinicians have different training and face different constraints than I do. Indian women often have less agency to advocate for themselves compared to American women. Nearly half of Indian women are married before the age of 18 and have limited capacity to make independent decisions regarding reproduction. Indian women also have less access to basic social services than American women, though they are far more likely to require them. Higher rates of chronic and infectious diseases, higher rates of illiteracy, higher rates of abject poverty are all factors contributing to avoidable suffering in childbirth.

But as I sat there, listening to case after case, aware of the differences between the American and Indian context, much of what I was hearing also sounded uncomfortably familiar. Fundamentally, providing too little care too late or too much care too soon are challenges that all maternal health systems are confronting, including the American system. And in America, India, and many other countries, the standard approach to address these challenges is similarly limited.

The principal way my profession aims to improve care is by issuing guidelines that spell out the things we should be doing more of. But simply advocating that we start to do more things may be inadequate. In many cases doing more can actually be harmful.

The balance between too much care and too little

In a recent Lancet commission on maternal health, 77 researchers from around the world, including me, concluded that our primary struggle in maternal health care is to find the appropriate balance  to provide the right patient with the right care at the right time.

The testimonies during the conference revealed a startling set of facts. In India, as in the United States, the biggest risk factor for getting an avoidable and potentially harmful c-section appears to be which facility a woman goes to for care, not her personal preferences or medical risks.

In India, as in the United States, those facilities that are better at achieving the right balance of interventions rarely share best practices with others. And in India, as in the United States, efforts to elicit and attend to the legitimate preferences women may have during childbirth are the exception rather than the rule.

These parallels have their limits. On average, health outcomes in the United States are significantly better than those in India. But this mode of comparison misses a critical point. Dignity is a consequence of appropriate care, and appropriateness cannot be easily determined by population statistics. In our intense focus on mortality rates, we often overlook the obvious fact that childbearing women have goals other than emerging from birth alive and unscathed.

Childbirth is a moment of identify formation as a mother. It is a moment of profound self-agency (or lack thereof). It is a moment that nearly all my patients tell me has long-lasting and nuanced effects on their lives, though we do not have good ways of measuring such things.

Appropriate care is about more than safety

The stories of care gone wrong in India gave me an uncomfortable feeling that even the routine, seemingly respectful and safe care I provide in Boston may occur in a system that may not be designed to prioritize the dignity of my patients.

A large part of the challenge is that many women may not know what they deserve when it comes to the experience of having a baby.

An impoverished Indian woman who treks to civil hospital, only to give birth through an avoidable episiotomy, with minimal labor support, on a dirty metal cot, in a room crowded with other patients, may see that as normal. She may even expect it.

Of course, an American woman who labors in a clean, private room, within a state of the art hospital, only to receive an avoidable c-section will often see that as normal as well. In both cases, as long as the baby is healthy, women are almost always grateful.

Those of us in the birth community could do better in helping women understand what they deserve, and in developing systems of care that deliver on this promise. But first we have to be willing to link the ideas of appropriateness and justice, of patient experience and dignity. In other words we have to be willing to see childbirth through the lens of human rights.

As an obstetrician, I understand the hesitation. Theres a part of me that still bristles at this framing. In practice, knowing when to intervene in the course of an otherwise healthy womans labor can be incredibly difficult. Perfect accuracy may actually be impossible.

Yet there are certainly broad ways that the American maternal health system can do better. About 50 percent of U.S. counties lack any qualified childbirth provider, limiting access to necessary care. Paradoxically, when we do provide access to care, we tend to provide too much. In the case of unnecessary c-sections, the error margin is again about 50 percent.

While perfection may not be a reasonable goal, delivering appropriate care with the same success rate as a coin flip is not reasonable either. In fact, it is unjust.

Neel Shah is an obstetrician-gynecologist. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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Having recently returned from a medical mission to the Syrian refugee camps in Jordan, I have become consumed with advocating for the rights of the children outside of our borders. All the while the children I have spent the last five years caring for have been fighting for themselves in this changing political climate. As a pediatrician for an underserved immigrant population, I have seen first hand how a simple signature of an executive order can erase an entire childhood.

When the patient histories changed from ear pain and fever to suicide attempts and PTSD I knew I could no longer stay silent. How can I sleep when I see a child comfort his mother the way a husband would when she recounts the story of her spouse being picked up in a raid and risking deportation? Or when a teenager with the calloused hands of a construction worker tells me he doesnt fear what will become of him because what he escaped is far worse? How can I forget the faces of the teenagers with cut marks on their arms who try to escape the pain by harming themselves rather than accepting that the new world they live in wont recognize their transgender identities? Every time I leave work exhausted and depressed; I remember these are not just stories, but peoples lives. These are the stories of our children.

In the attempt to protect our borders and keep this country safe, we have robbed so many of their childhood. Countless studies have shown the devastating effects of rushing one into a premature adulthood. Not to mention the toxic effects stress can have on the developing brain. Bullying, trauma from family separation, PTSD, depression, and worsening food insecurity has become daily concerns. Many of the children I see come from families who have already been exposed to unspeakable traumas. Now they live in fear that they could be returned to same violence they tried to escape. And so they end up in my clinic; the only place they feel safe, their eyes searching my own reminding me of the promise I made to protect them from harm and advocate for their well-being.

Haunted by these stories has made me realize that being their physician is not enough. I must fight for their ability to dream, for their safety, for their right to a childhood. I must replace their tears with laughter, their fear with hope. I must speak for the ones who cannot speak for themselves, before I am left responsible for their silence.

Henna Qureshi is a pediatrician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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Long ago, before our hospital changed over to a nearly complete hospitalist model, the faculty at our internal medicine practice served as the attending of record for all of our own patients, as well as the patients of the residents we supervised, when those patients were admitted to the inpatient services across the street.

When we would arrive in the morning, we would look at the admission list, note that one or two of our patients had been admitted, and maybe one or two of some of our residents patients, and knew that our day would have the addition of rounding on those patients as well as our full schedule of outpatient responsibilities.

As the hospital transitioned over to a near-complete hospitalist model, they requested that we relinquish this responsibility, give up the care of our inpatients to hospitalists. It was less of a request and more of an FYI. One of the main issues was that on any given housestaff inpatient team, the residents would often have up to a dozen attendings they had to discuss their different patients with during morning rounds and through the day. A pure hospitalist model certainly improves this.

Feeling a bit rusty

As those of us in the outpatient world gave up on the majority of our inpatient responsibilities (except the occasional social visit to our patients who are admitted), the perishable skills of inpatient care drifted away from most of the faculty who focus their lives in the outpatient setting. We are outpatientists, not hospitalists.

The one thing that has persisted has been our coverage of weekends on the service. A few of our colleagues continue to staff the medicine service inpatient service, and we as a practice have done service to the hospital by covering the weekends. Weve divided them up, so that most attendings cover just 2 weekends a year.

Not very much of a burden, 2 weekends out of the year is not much at all, made more manageable because we have such a large practice.

But over the past few years, as weve moved farther and farther away from being inpatient doctors, more and more of our faculty have expressed dissatisfaction with this part of their responsibilities.

When you only do it 2 weekends out of the year, that means there are often many months between the times you actually even log onto the inpatient electronic health record (different from our outpatient EHR)  let alone take care of septic patients with metastatic cancer awaiting brain biopsies on Monday morning.

We are highly skilled at managing outpatients, but when we are asked to cover the quite ill patients who are lying on the inpatient service, many of my faculty have been open and honest in expressing their lack of confidence in their skills and ability to really safely take the best care of these patients.

As the voices requesting to be removed from this task grew more numerous and louder, we finally realized we had reached a breaking point, and more and more of our faculty told me they were just not comfortable taking care of this population of patients anymore.

Arriving at a solution

So we have a proposal in place, to relinquish this responsibility, and take up a new one, something that Im sure were good at, and now the challenge is trying to figure out how to build this new model to provide the best service to our patients, to our practice, and to our hospital.

Weekends!

Weve developed a business plan to offer up our services to make available access for patients on the weekends, a time when access to primary care has historically been quite limited.

Right now, our practice closes at 5 pm on Fridays, our phones roll over to the answering service, and an on-call resident and attending handle phone calls and requests from patients calling up over the weekend.

Many of these are routine, simple clinical situations, easily handled with some medical advice or a prescription sent to the pharmacy. But often times these are things that require a visit to the doctor, the laying on of hands, the palpating and auscultating and probing that we do. And even more intensive interventions.

Right now, the options for patients from the on-call providers are to go to the emergency room, or to a local urgent care center.

Long waits. Providers that do not know them. Different EHRs. Overtesting. Overtreating.

Doing what works  and what we love

Wouldnt it be better if we could send these patients, these types of clinical cases, to an outpatient setting that is more appropriate, the continuity-of-care location that our patients know and love, and where we are comfortable practicing?

The emergency room is inundated with what we call primary care-responsive encounters. Upper respiratory tract infections, minor injuries, UTIs, rashes, the bread-and-butter spectrum of conditions that present to our office Mondays through Fridays.

Many patients who arrive in the emergency department with nonurgent/nonemergent conditions are currently being routed to their telehealth program, where a provider goes over their issue via a video link. How much better would it be if they were able to just turn those patients around and send them across the street to our office, where a primary care provider would be sitting waiting for them, ready to handle these needs?

Also, we may now be able offer rapid discharge visits the next day to patients ready to be discharged from the hospital on Friday. Right now, patients are often held in the hospital over the weekend when no one can get them into an appointment with their doctor for close follow-up in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Wouldnt it be nice if instead of holding those patients lying there in a hospital bed all weekend, preventing another patient from coming up from the overcrowded emergency room, that we could send them home from the hospital on Friday afternoon, and have our provider see them in the office the next day if necessary?

My faculty is excited by this new concept, this new model of care, and we hope our patients will be as well. Rather than being sent into the emergency room to figure out if theyve got strep throat, I can see them in the office the same or next day over the weekend.

And some patients may even like to schedule an annual physical or a routine follow-up visit on a day when they dont have to take off work to see their doctor.

Im not suggesting that we all begin to work 6- and 7-day work weeks, but we are certainly happy to exchange the inpatient weekend service coverage that we do now (and mostly dislike), with something that we are good at, with something that our patients really need.

True, there will be hiccups, problems with setting this up and getting it figured out right. Days with no patients, days with way too many. Trauma and drama, wrong patients in the right place, right patients in the wrong place. Finding the right coverage system, the right resources to take care of these patients, the right mix of patients, and even just spreading the word that this is available, will all be challenges.

I know of several specialist and subspecialist colleagues who do some weekend hours, and getting buy-in from them that we can send an urgent ophthalmologic patient across to ophthalmology clinic instead of to the emergency room might continue to enhance care and get our patients what they need without the long, long wait in the emergency department to be seen by a specialist.

We are working with the hospital to ensure that we have access to radiology services and laboratory services, and even reaching out to our insurers to make sure we can get authorization for same-day CT scans over the weekends.

Im confident this is going to be a great new model of care, and my faculty is certainly excited about offering this service to our patients and to our hospital, and they are all more than pleased at the opportunity to give up covering a job they dont like doing, trading it in for something they love.

Fred N. Pelzman is an associate professor of medicine, New York Presbyterian Hospital and associate director, Weill Cornell Internal Medicine Associates, New York City, NY. He blogs at MedPage Todays Building the Patient-Centered Medical Home.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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 ...
By Lawrence Delevingne NEW YORK, March 19 (Reuters) - Calling water "one of the most appealing long-term investments," Barron's recommended five bets on related securities in an article published Sunday. The business and investment publication recommended three water-related stocks: Tetra Tech , Xylem and Itron . It also noted two exchange-traded funds offering diversified exposure to similar equities: PowerShares Water Resources and Guggenheim S&P Global Water . "As demand for fresh water grows worldwide, appetite for shares of companies that distribute, purify, pump, filter it, and monitor its use will grow as well," Barron's wrote.

(Reporting by Lawrence Delevingne; Editing by Sandra Maler)

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.
By Devidutta Tripathy

MUMBAI, March 19 (Reuters) - India's Adani Enterprises said it would finalise an investment decision by June for its Carmichael coal project in Australia, which has been delayed due to protests from environmental groups.

Adani, a business group with interests in power and ports, has battled opposition from environmentalists for more than five years in its quest to develop a mine in the northern state of Queensland that would mainly export coal to India.

The company's chairman, Gautam Adani, expressed optimism that the project would proceed and said the board would take a final decision on investments in May or June, including structure and planned funding.

"Definitely," Adani said during an interaction with a group of reporters, when asked if he was confident the project would go ahead. "Our internal planning is 2020 ...(for) first coal to come out," Adani added, noting construction could begin within three months of the board's decision.

(Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by Rafael Nam and Himani Sarkar)
Stuff reports:

New Zealand bars are joining in a boycott of Coopers beer, after it featured in an Australian Bible Society video about marriage equality.

The family behind the brand has been donors to the Bible Society for many years and the brewery put out a commemorative beer marking its 200th anniversary.

The society said it had teamed up with Coopers Premium Light for a new campaign to help reach even more Australians with Gods word.

Accompanying this was a video of a conversation between Australian MPs Tim Wilson and Andrew Hastie in which they outlined their positions on marriage equality. WIlson is for it while Hastie is not.

That sparked a social media backlash.

Several bars in Australia announced a boycott of the beer brand.

In New Zealand, Aucklands The Wine Cellar said it would no longer stock its products.

It was reported on thewireless.co.nz that five bars in Wellington  Bad Grannies, Vinyl, Eva Beva, The Fat Angel and Ivy  had also decided to stop selling Coopers beer and would donate 50c from every sale of the remaining stock to No Pride in Prisons.
Met officers hold mock terrorism exercise on River Thames

By Nick BeakeHome Affairs Correspondent, BBC News19th March 2017More than 200 Met Police officers have taken part in a simulated terrorist attack on the River Thames in London.Half a dozen "terrorists" hijacked a pleasure craft heading towards London from Kent taking dozens of people hostage in the Met's first big training operation on water.The boat was intercepted by firearms officers near the Isle of Dogs.The Met said the exercise was not in response to any specific threat to the river or the capital.Just after 11:00 GMT, elite police marksmen in two small boats drew alongside the "highjacked" vessel, opened fire, boarded the craft and "neutralised" the threat.Cdr BJ Harrington, the officer in charge of the operation, said the aim was to test the capability of many parts of the Met and other emergency services while operating in a "dangerous working environment" on the Thames."We want to make sure we're all working together so that London's got a really good response should this terrible incident happen," he said.A report last year found security measures on the River Thames needed to be strengthened.The report's author Lord Harris called for "a comprehensive review of safety and security on the River, commissioned by the Mayor, to report by May 2017."The exercise started just after 09:00 GMT and was expected to last a couple of hours.Officers taking part had not been told what the nature of the simulated attack would be.The Metropolitan Police tweeted a training exercise was under way and that people should not be alarmed.Teams from the Met's specialist firearms unit SCO19, the Marine Policing Unit and the Dog Support Unit were all involved.Other agencies including the Port of London Authority, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, RNLI, London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance also took part.In June 2015, more than a thousand police officers and soldiers took part in Operation Strong Tower, which simulated a terrorist firearms attack in central London.The threat level in the UK has been rated "severe" - meaning an attack is highly likely - since August 2014.On the 10th anniversary of the 2005 London bombings, the country's top counterterrorism officer told the BBC about 50 plots had been thwarted since the 7/7 attacks.
Bleubeard and I welcome you

Art, including the journey, background techniques, sewing on both paper and fabric, new experiments, photos, failures, and successes will be shared on this site. I have removed my e-mail address until such time as I can get it to work again. Thank you for understanding. You can always leave a note on my blog and I will visit you.



Please check out my Previous Collaborations link above to see what projects I have been involved in over the past 12 years. Current and ongoing projects only are shown below.



Occasionally, Silent Sunday will showcase photos of my home, neighborhood, or community. A picture is often worth a thousand words.



Feel free to drop by every second Thursday of the month for my Second Thursday Tutorials. They are interspersed with my other Tutorials found at the link page above.


The casts of upcoming film "Ghost in the Shell," from left, actors Pilou Asbaek, Scarlett Johansson, Juliette Binoche and filmmaker Rupert Sanders pose during the press conference at Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas, Samsung, southern Seoul, Friday. / Yonhap



By Kim Jae-heun

Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson said she carried out a more reckless and tactical fighter role of "the Major" in the upcoming blockbuster "Ghost in the Shell" than any of the action heroines she portrayed in her previous films.

The Major is a cyborg counter-cyberterrorist field commander thwarting cyber criminals and hackers to protect Hanka Robotics' artificial intelligence technology with her task force Section 9.

Johansson has appeared in several movies as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"First of all, the way I fight is different," said Scarlett Johansson during a press conference at Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas in Samseong-dong, Seoul, Friday. "The Major is different from Black Widow, who was a ballerina in the past and also a gymnast. Black Widow is comparatively smaller in size, so she uses her body to fight, mostly in a defensive manner. The Major, on the other hand, attacks enemies aggressively and tactically, so I had to get a lot of training with weapons and learn to fight in a group.

"I also worked with police officers in LA and people from the New York Police Department. I naturally learned to handle the weapons skillfully and combat comfortably in the frames and shoot most of the action scenes myself," Johansson said.

"Ghost in the Shell," directed by Rupert Sanders, is based on the Japanese comic of the same name.

Although the main story of the screen does not deviate much from the original work, Sanders made significant changes in visual concepts and character settings. The British filmmaker shot the movie in Tokyo to respect the original setting of the comic version of "Ghost in the Shell," but highlighted more futuristic scenes in the frames.

He also cast actress Juliette Binoche as Dr. Ouelet in the film. Dr. Ouelet is originally a male character in the source material.

Sanders said having a female scientist in his movie was of utmost importance.

"I think we should have more female leaders in the world. It was important to set Dr. Ouelet as a female scientist because it is a mother who creates things. It is a shame we don't see much female scientists. I thought it was important to make a movie starring two female actresses leading the story and it would make the film even better if Binoche takes the role of Johansson's mother," said Sanders.

"I thought it had to be a woman who creates the Major and I still believe in it," the filmmaker said.

Asked what she would do if she could become invisible like she does in the movie, Johansson said she wants to go into Cheong Wa Dae and find out what people here would like to know.

Johansson mentioned she is well aware of the impeachment of former Korean President Park Geun-hye, but she prefers not to get involved in Korean politics as she already has much to say about her own president.

Johansson has been protesting against President Donald Trump, raising the importance of women's rights issues as a celebrity activist.
New president urged to assert national interest



By Kim Jae-kyoung



South Korea needs a strong, outspoken leader to overcome ongoing challenges and lift the country to the next level, analysts said.



The country is now being pushed around by global powers surrounding the Korean Peninsula, and domestically, it is suffering a deep division among people following the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.



The challenge comes amid a new order in Asia in the making, with a rivalry among the major countries intensifying as a result of footloose protectionism and nationalism.



A new president, who will be elected in a May 9 snap election, should not only bring unity to the country but also assert the national interest against four large powers  the United States, China, Japan and Russia.



Coincidentally, the big four are all led by powerful leaders with unique leadership skills  U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin.



Although they have different styles, there is one thing in common. They all embrace nationalism over globalism to pursue their own goals.



In this regard, the most important quality for a new president should be strong leadership with solid communication skills.



"I think South Korea needs a leader with the stature to meet with those neighboring leaders and assert Korea's national interest," Mauro Guillen, director at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, told The Korea Times.



"It is important to have a legitimate and outspoken leader."



Since his inauguration in January, Trump has stuck to his "America first" policy by pushing for trade and security policies lopsidedly in favor of the U.S. He has vowed trade wars against close allies, including Korea, to fix the U.S. trade deficit.



Xi is spearheading China's nationalist approach. China is taking retaliatory measures against Korea through a tourism ban and boycott of Korean products over the deployment of the U.S. missile defense system. It is also endeavoring to strengthen its foothold in the disputed South China Sea.



Putin has been under fire for his alleged deployment of a land-based cruise missile that violates a Cold War-era nuclear arms control treaty. Russia is trying to increase its clout in Europe and Asia by rebuilding its military power.



Abe is no exception. Known as the most conservative leader in Japan's postwar history, he is portrayed as a hard-line nationalist encouraging a spirit of nationalism and is bent on asserting dominance in the region.







Changing rules of game



A series of developments led by these leaders indicate nationalism is taking center stage and every country will prioritize the protection of their own interests. In other words, the world will see a war between nationalism and globalism for decades to come.



Experts said in this time of uncertainty, it is important for Korea to elect an active, decisive president with strong leadership skills and forward-looking insights.



Simply speaking, Korea needs a president who can say "no" when pushed against its national interest and can fight to follow its own agenda.



"What Korea needs badly is a strong leader who can rally the Koreans to tackle thorny political and economic issues," said Sohn Sung-won, professor of economics at California State University.



He pointed out that the new president should not bend to the U.S. and China on security and trade issues.



"Hopefully, the new leader will point the way for the Korean economy to reduce its dependence on China and diversify its export destinations," he said.



"Externally, the leader should negotiate forcefully with the U.S. on trade issues and convince China that Korea can't be pushed around."



Internally, the new president will also face equally daunting tasks. First, the new leader should be dedicated to rebuilding unity among people by ensuring effective communication and sharing vision.



Also, they should change the rules of game by overhauling the country's political system as well as reforming economic models.



Under the new government, collusive ties between politics and business should be severed, while economic reforms that favor competition and innovation should be carried out.



What is important is that these tasks could be only possible when a strong leadership accompanies unwavering efforts to communicate with the people.



"I think everyone agrees that what Korea wants is a president who communicates, in which 50 percent of the communication is listening," said Anthony Mitchell, managing director of Euro-Asian Business Consultancy.



"Equally important isbuilding a competent team with an agreed vision which is communicated and widely shared through open minded debates," he added.




By Kim Jae-kyoung

Jim Rogers

SINGAPORE  Legendary investor Jim Rogers has gained attention from Koreans after he made a series of investments in Korean startups over the past year.

Since the beginning of 2016, Rogers made a total of three investments in small Korean firms in the hope that the two Koreas will be unified in the near future.

Early this year, he invested in Standard Graphene, Korea's first graphene manufacturer based in Ulsan, a southeastern industrial city, the third of its kind in just around one year. He is also serving as an adviser there.

"Scientists say graphene is going to bring bigger changes to the world than the internet and transistors. It did not exist 15 years ago," Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings, told The Korea Times. "It is a miracle material."

Known as the one-atom-thick material made of carbon atoms, graphene in his words is like a piece of paper but it's stronger than steel and more flexible than rubber.

"I have an interest in the company because they seem to be a leader in production of graphene," he said, refusing to reveal the amount of his investments

In March 2016, Rogers invested in Wealth & Liberty, a promising venture startup with specialty in financial advisory services using "fount," a robot adviser.

In January of the same year, he made his first startup investment in Illimus, a Korean cosmetics and skincare goods manufacturing firm established in 2013.

What's interesting is that he had never invested in startups before. His investments usually focus on stocks, bonds and commodities.

According to him, he has received a lot of investment requests from all around the world but he has never made startup investments anywhere except for Korea.

"This is extremely unusual for me. I don't have this kind of investment anywhere," the Singapore-based investor said.

"It's amazing. Cosmetics company, financial company and graphene company. Now I have three, all in Korea."

When asked why he chose Korea, he cited two factors  story and unification.

The multimillionaire investor said he may have a subconscious belief that there is going to be unification in the near future.

"I'm not sure but I guess I pay more attention to Korea because of the view of unification," he said. "Also, all of them have a good story."

He added that owners of the three startups are another important factor for his investments.

"They are smart and ambitious people. All three of them contacted me directly," he said. "I am investing in people, not in companies. I was impressed by the people and what they are doing."

Rogers, who moved to Singapore several years ago, is one of the world's three most famous investors together with George Soros and Warren Buffet.
U.S. President Donald Trump looks forward to enhancing relations with China, the top U.S. diplomat told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday, media reported.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made the remark during his visit to China, the last leg of his three-nation trip to Asia following stops in Japan and South Korea.

"We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthening of the ties between China and the United States and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation," Tillerson was cited as saying by Reuters and AFP.

"We both believe that China-U.S. cooperation henceforth is the direction we are both striving for," Xi said, according to Reuters. "We are both expecting a new era for constructive development."

The two, however, did not directly exchange ideas on North Korea, Reuters said, amid rising military provocations from Pyongyang.

During his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday, Tillerson said Washington and Beijing would work together to make Pyongyang change its course.












Shin Hyun-young

By Shin Hyun-young

There are several injections that were indirectly promoted by Choi Soon-sil during the ongoing scandal involving her.

Nutrition injections delivered to the Blue House included the extracts of placenta and garlic; and the esoterically named cinderella, lily-white and licorice injections.

These injections are classified as functional medicine for the purposes of promoting health factors such as anti-aging and anti-fatigue.

Frequently they are prescribed at local clinics, while being marketed as former President Park Geun-hye's injections.

Several media reporters have interviewed doctors about the Choi Soon-sil scandal with questions such as, "Are these injections effective?" "What is the cost?" and "What is the medical background behind these injections?"

My answer was, "It is difficult to conclude whether or not the injections are effective at all. Although medical evidence is relatively low, there are a limited number of cases in which they have had ad proven positive medical effects."

Evidence-based medicine is an approach to medical practice intended to optimize decision-making through the use of scientific evidence.

There are steps in obtaining medical evidence such as meta-analyses, systematic review and randomized, controlled clinical trials which provide higher levels of medical evidence.

It provides a relatively low level of medical evidence in the order of cohort study, case-control study, case report, animal experiment, and laboratory research depending on the study design and subject.

Therefore, doctors and scientists determine medical recommendations after assessing the quality of evidence.

These nutritional injections do not have sufficient medical evidence because of a lack of clinical human trials.

There are a limited number of case reports and clinical experiences, but no clinical trials such as meta-analyses or randomized, controlled clinical trials have been conducted.

Therefore, it is difficult for doctors to strongly recommend these injections to patients based on evidence-based medicine.

However, medicine is constantly developing, and there are new medical technologies for which their effectiveness in some disease areas with no definitive treatment, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, has yet to be proven.

For the purpose of promoting health, medical treatments with limited medical evidence can be applied to patients, although they are not covered by national medical insurance.

The government started to verify the level of medical evidence supporting the effectiveness of the injections and establish the medical guidelines for the use of nutritional injections, with the help of medical doctors, after widespread social issues.

Doctors and scientists need to reclaim the role of functional medicine, the border between disease treatment and health promotion, while uncovering new medical evidence to give a strong recommendation.

The writer is a professor of family medicine in Myongji Hospital.
Lee Wang-jun / Courtesy of the Korean Doctors' Weekly

English language media for in-depth biomedical coverage launched

By Lee Kyung-min

Launching English language media that covers in-depth biomedical, healthcare issues in Korea was the only way to help competitive local businesses in the sector expand globally, according to Lee Wang-jun, the publisher of the Korea Biomedical Review (KBR), Friday.

KBR was launched last month, as a sister paper to its Korean version, the Korean Doctors' Weekly, a newspaper established in 1992 by a group of 360 young doctors and medical students.

"I know it was a bold move, but I could not delay it anymore," said Lee 52, the chairman of Myongji Hospital in Gyeonggi Province, during an interview at the newspaper's office in Sangsu-dong, Mapo, Seoul.

"My job requires a lot of overseas travelling, and every time I visit hospitals and biomedical firms, high-end or otherwise, I see an ample opportunity for success of Korean firms there, or at least successful cooperation between Korean businesses and their overseas counterparts," he said.

Most overseas businesses are open to partnering with competitive Korean firms, but they do not have enough information to verify the firms' supposed reputation due to a lack of news coverage.

"Let's say a global firm, a potential buyer or investor, has a meeting with a small- or medium-sized start-up here. The first thing the firm's representatives would do is to google the name of the startup. And guess what, unless covered by the English newspapers in Korea, there are no stories, none, about the firm, critical or otherwise.

"Then they become incredulous about the startup's enthusiastic argument about the excellent, unmatched quality of its products. Rightly so, as there is no evidence, so to speak," Lee said.

Such a seemingly purely business-oriented approach is included in but not limited to why he thought KBR was needed.

The Korean healthcare system, he said, is known for its cost-effectiveness, with many foreigners expressing interest in adopting universal coverage in such a short period of time.

Both developed and developing countries want to learn from Korea _ the former for the know-how over the cost-effectiveness and the latter for the stable management of a state-run healthcare service as an institution.

"For example, public officials and scholars want to know how Korea manages to keep the cost of medical surgery and outpatient treatment low. They wonder who came up with the idea to set up a place for a funeral home inside a hospital, which also houses a morgue.

"They also wonder how such a small numbers of nurses are able to help manage many patients and how a doctor manages to treat or diagnose after seeing a patient for only three minutes or less."

However, learning it all at once quickly is impossible without understanding the historical context of how the country achieved modernization so fast, he added.

Another reason for launching KBR is to meet the growing demand from foreign patients that are interested in undergoing medical treatment in Korea, after learning of its reputation that the cost is fairly moderate for its advanced technology.

"Currently, almost no information is available about Korea's specific medical costs, the reputation of hospitals and clinics, or the extent of insurance coverage eligible,

"While the Korea Health Industry Development Institute has an English website, it fails to tend to the need of those possible customers. Rather it misleads them due to incorrect information," Lee said.

The KBR will not spare any Korean firms involved in alleged irregularities or criminal activity, Lee added.

"Dong-A Pharmaceutical, DongWha Pharmaceutical and Huons are being investigated over suspicion that they offered kickbacks to doctors in return for promoting their products.

"Dong-A Pharmaceutical and Dong Wha Pharmaceutical were punished after being found guilty. While this was major news in Korea, overseas buyers have no idea what these firms were alleged to have done. Why? Because it was not reported in English," Lee said.

Medical malpractice will also decrease, Lee expected.

"Korea is not one of those countries that impose severe punishment on doctors for medical malpractice. If more news is published about such instances, this would change as well."

All these concerns will be dispelled once the KBR publishes a lot of up-to-date stories with strenuous journalistic standards, he stressed.

"English should no longer be a deterrent to competitive local healthcare and biomedical businesses that seek to expand their global presence against multinational companies," Lee said.

"I will make sure the KBR is there to achieve that goal."
China's President Xi Jinping, left, meets U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Sunday. Tillerson met Xi just after a North Korean rocket engine test added new pressure on the big powers to address the threat from Pyongyang. / AFP-Yonhap





Washington plays hardball, Beijing seeks dialogue

By Yi Whan-woo

The United States and China failed to narrow their differences on how to deal with North Korea's growing nuclear and ballistic missile threats during foreign ministerial talks in Beijing, Saturday.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed on the need to make "a course correction" with Pyongyang. But the top Chinese diplomat stressed dialogue with Pyongyang.

This was in stark contrast to Tillerson's remarks made against North Korea during his trip to Seoul, Friday. He warned that talks with the North can only be possible if it gives up its weapons of mass destruction.

He also said all options are on the table, including a preemptive strike on Pyongyang, and that Washington's policy of "strategic patience" toward Pyongyang is over.

For its part, North Korea is showing signs of preparing to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of targeting the U.S. mainland. Pyongyang's state media reported a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine, Sunday, which was observed by its leader Kim Jong-un.

Analysts say tensions on the Korean Peninsula may escalate for the time being.












By Rachel Lee



Korean and Danish experts in sound and neuroscience gathered in Seoul on March 14 to celebrate a new sound therapy solution that reduces depression, sleep disturbance and other stress-related symptoms.



At a ceremony at the Danish Embassy's Innovation Center in Seoul, Deputy Head of Mission Jesper Vibe-Hansen, Audiowise CEO Jonniy Sarde and GEOMC CEO Lim Young-hyun announced the start of the clinical testing at Seoul National University.



"Denmark has a long history and competency in sound technology while Korea is one of the forerunners in innovative technology," Vibe-Hansen said.



"It is a great pleasure that the embassy can facilitate a partnership between these two specialists. This partnership is not only an interesting collaboration but one that has big worldwide potential."



The technology targets growing markets tailored to the needs of modern consumers struggling with stress, depression, and sleep deprivation.



GEOMC, well known to Korean consumers for its "MC Square" and other neuroscience-based products, has collaborated with Danish sound specialist Audiowise for the technology, which effectively combines their respective strongpoints.



"We will strive to develop products that can increase the quality of life for the modern man; products that can provide a more natural way of relief and therapy that does not carry the risk of drug misuse or overdose in users," Lim said.



Sarde said: "Following positive results in non-clinical testing, we are now looking to clinically certify this new technology so that our products will not be categorized as alternative treatment. I am certain it will result in a strong, interesting product that will surprise the world."



The embassy said the companies' non-clinical tests showed remarkable results in reducing the physical effects of anger, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, pain, and sleep disturbance while improving sleep quality.



"It is expected that if the clinical tests are successful, the resulting products could be a turning point in modern-day stress, sleep, and pain management that allow patients a more natural option to medicinal treatment," an embassy spokesperson said.




By Yi Whan-woo

The South Korean military has dismissed China's claims that the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system being set up here this year is aimed at monitoring the Chinese military.

"The allies would have to have public consent first for the THAAD battery to be used against China," the military said in a statement Sunday. "But this will never happen because it is purely defensive against only North Korea."

The statement said China was repeating false arguments that THAAD's long-range radar can be used to spy on military activities when the missile defense system was fully deployed here.

Pointing out that THAAD was exclusively aimed at deterring North Korea's ballistic missile attacks, the officials said any attempt to alter the direction of THAAD components, such as the radar and launch pad, toward China would face "military and technical limitations."

To sort out such limitations and make alterations, U.S. military forces stationed in South Korea would need to consult the Seoul government.












A Seoul court will hold the first hearing on the chief of the country's retail giant Lotte Group and his family members this week over a string of corporate crime allegations, legal sources said Sunday.

The first hearing on Chairman Shin Dong-bin, his older brother Shin Dong-joo, and their father and group founder Shin Kyuk-ho will be held at the Seoul Central District Court on Monday at 2 p.m.

After a four-month investigation into the country's fifth-largest conglomerate, prosecutors indicted the three in October on multiple charges, including embezzlement and breach of trust, for allegedly misappropriating some tens of billions of won of corporate assets.

The group founder's daughter Shin Young-ja and his third wife, Seo Mi-kyung, were indicted earlier on charges of tax evasion.

Shin Young-ja was sentenced to three years in prison by the same court in January for embezzlement and breach of trust, in the first ruling against members of the family running the business group.

It is unclear whether Seo will appear in court. She was put on trial without going through a face-to-face interrogation with prosecutors as she rejected multiple summons.

The court earlier said that it will issue an arrest warrant if the common-law wife of Shin does not appear at the hearing. It is mandatory for all defendants to attend their hearings.

Along with the family, a number of former and current executives of the group will stand trial for their alleged involvement in the irregularities. (Yonhap)


National Forensic Service researchers investigate the cause of a fire that destroyed the Sorae Fish Market in southern Incheon, Sunday. /Yonhap



By Lee Kyung-min

Authorities continued efforts on Sunday to find what caused a fire at a fish market in Incheon, Saturday, causing about 650 million won ($574,000) damage.

Officials at the Incheon Namdong Police Station and the National Forensic Service (NFS) inspected the traditional fish market near Sorae Port in southern Incheon.

Authorities examined a transformer in the Ga building of the market, after video footage showed the fire started there.

The market's four areas are designated by Korean syllables such as Ga, Na, Da and Ra, with Ga being home to more than 30 percent of the 332 street stalls.

Police suspect an electrical surge might have caused the fire, as the footage shows no one was in the vicinity when the fire started.

NFS officials collected melted electrical cords for analysis. Many electric mats and fish tanks are used in the area. Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) officials also helped to determine the cause.

Three witnesses have since come forward _ two store owners and a watchman.

One store owner, whose identity is not disclosed, was the first to call 119 to report the emergency when he saw the fire. His seafood restaurant is on the fourth floor in a building behind the Ga area.

"I was inside my restaurant cleaning, when I heard a loud noise," the man said. "I rushed to where that sound came from and I saw a small fire had broken out inside a plastic tent in the Ga area.

"The fire was small at the time, but it spread so fast and became uncontrollable."

The watchman, who was on an afternoon shift, said he had patrolled the area shortly before the fire, but did not see anything that indicated possible danger.

More than 220 street stalls and 20 stores were burned down after the fire broke out Saturday early morning at 1:36 a.m., and continued for more than two and a half hours. Nearly 200 police and fire department forces fought the blaze. There were no injuries or fatalities.

The fish market is a tourist destination and is famous for crab. Merchants at the market said the fire had happened just before the crab season.

"Spring crab season is just about to start," said a store owner, who asked not to be named. "I won't have any business this season. My water tank and a fridge also burned down, and that costs 5 million won to 6 million won." He said he earned 10 million won to 20 million won on average during the crab season.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Public Safety and Security said it would provide 1 billion won in emergency funds to the affected merchants.
By Jung Min-ho





SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won

Prosecutors have questioned SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on bribery allegations as part of the investigation of the corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye.

Chey left the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Sunday at around 3:30 a.m. after 13 hours of questioning over 11.1 billion won ($9.8 million) SK gave to the Mir and K-Sports foundations controlled by Park's close friend Choi Soon-sil.

Prosecutors suspect that SK, the third-largest donor to the foundations after Samsung and Hyundai Motor, gave the money in return for a presidential pardon for the imprisoned Chey and winning a license to operate a duty free store.

Chey, who had been sentenced to four years in jail for embezzlement and other financial crimes, was released on Aug. 15, 2015, after two years and seven months in prison. He was the only high-profile businessman among 6,527 granted pardons that day.

During questioning, Chey denied the allegations.

But prosecutors are suspicious about the timing of the donation. Kim Chang-geun, who led SK while Chey was in prison, approved the donation shortly after a private meeting with Park on July 24, 2015.

Also, in a mobile message to former presidential secretary An Chong-bum on Aug. 13 that year, Kim said, "We will never forget your great kindness for granting a pardon to Chairman Chey. I offer you my heartfelt thanks on behalf of all SK family members."

An, a key figure in the scandal, has already been indicted on charges of receiving bribes and mishandling of state secrets.

According to the special investigation team led by independent counsel Park Young-soo, SK Vice Chairman Kim Young-tae also visited Chey a few days before the pardon and told him things that implied a "backdoor deal" between Park and the company.

In addition, SK is suspected of receiving favors from the government in winning a license to operate a duty free store. Last year, the government eased requirements for companies seeking the licenses and allocated four new ones, sparking suspicions the measure favored certain companies.

Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin may also soon be summoned for questioning over similar allegations. The company gave 4.5 billion won to the shady foundations.

The prosecution's next target is expected to be CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun, who was granted a special pardon on Aug. 15, 2016. CJ gave 1.3 billion won to the foundations.

The company also reportedly donated facilities worth 5.2 billion won for a government project in December 2015.

By investigating the companies, prosecutors are trying to build a stronger case against Park, who is scheduled to be summoned for questioning on Tuesday.

Prosecutors have accused of Park and Choi of conspiring to collect money from the nation's biggest companies  either through "deals" or pressure. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong has already been indicted on bribery and other charges and was imprisoned last month.
By Kim Se-jeong

The rally of ousted President Park Geun-hye's supporters on Saturday was smaller and more peaceful than predicted.

The National Police Agency said only 15,000 supporters filled the lawn and roads near City Hall, half as many as were there on the first weekend of March.

In preparation for violence, police stationed 11,000 at the protest site. A protest also took place outside Park's private residence in southern Seoul.

The anti-Park protest, which has been holding candlelit vigils since October, did not take place Saturday. These vigils ended two Saturdays ago, but other protests are scheduled for next Saturday.

In a historical decision, the Constitutional Court removed Park from office on March 10, ruling that her abuse of power in the interest of her confidant Choi Soon-sil and Choi's family members was unconstitutional.

The Park supporters started with a memorial service for three fellow supporters who died on impeachment day. One was killed by a falling speaker, while others two died from heart problems. The participants marked their deaths by marching toward Auguk Intersection near the Constitutional Court, with a black sedan symbolizing a funeral.

"I show my respect to those men who have set an example to save Korea from becoming a communist state," an anonymous supporter said. "We know their faith and their patriotism"












By Choi Ha-young





Hong Seok-hyun

Hong Seok-hyun, an uncle of Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong, has resigned as JoongAng Media Network chairman, triggering rumors he may join the presidential race.

He said in an email to staff on Saturday he would soon form a think tank to deal with issues regarding inter-Korean relations, job creation, social unity, education and culture.

"The envisioned institution will be run in the form of a foundation or a forum encompassing renowned experts in the fields," Hong said. "I've decided to do something meaningful for the future of the Republic of Korea."

Hong had headed the media group for 23 years. The group includes JoongAng Ilbo, the country's second-largest newspaper, and JTBC, a cable network.

Hong served as Korea's ambassador to the U.S. under the Roh Moo-hyun administration and once hoped to become U.N. secretary-general.
By Choi Ha-young





Ahn Cheol-soo Sohn Hak-kyu

Two leading members of the People's Party  Ahn Cheol-soo and Sohn Hak-kyu  officially announced their presidential bids, Sunday.

Ahn, an entrepreneur-turned-politician, announced his bid in Seoul at startup co-working space Mic Impact Square. Under the slogan "Irreplaceable Future," he proposed five values: justice, freedom, responsibility, peace and future.

"Five years ago, citizens summoned me to change politics, not to learn it. Keeping my original intention, I will do so in earnest," Ahn said at the same place renowned scholar Jeremy Rifkin gave a lecture in 2012.

In line with his pledge on school system reform in the wave of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the liberal candidate emphasized his background as an innovator. Ahn received a Ph.D in medical science from Seoul National University (SNU) and later became an IT expert dealing with computer viruses. Before entering politics, he was popular as a youth mentor.

"We need a leader who can understand and pioneer the technological revolution," he said. "I will make Korea a well-prepared model country for the new era."

Experts from various walks of life and his wife Kim Mi-kyung, a medical professor at Seoul National University, made appearances in support of him.

In 2012, he dropped out of the race giving way to Moon Jae-in from the Minjoo Party of Korea, predecessor of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). Later, he broke away from it after a factional dispute and founded the People's Party along with anti-Moon lawmakers and those based in the Jeolla region.

According to Gallup Korea's latest poll, Ahn was ranked third place standing at 10 percent, behind two leading candidates from the DPK  Moon and South Chungcheong Gov. An Hee-jung.

Vowing to finish the presidential race this time, Ahn has opposed joining forces with the minor conservative Bareun Party, while Sohn has sought alliances with Kim Chong-in and Chung Un-chan by means of constitutional revision.

For Sohn, another anti-Moon figure, this is his third challenge after his bids in 2007 and 2012. The 69-year-old bigwig announced his presidency in front of the King Sejong statue in Gwanghwamun Square, where he declared his bid in 2012. Recently, he has shown around 1 percent in popularity polls.

"Privilege and factional power is a source of deep-rooted evil of this society," he said, criticizing both ex-President Park's legacy and Moon's dominance in the DPK. "It is deceiving to say new system without constitutional revision," he added.

On the day, the former pro-democracy fighter paid respects at the May 18th National Cemetery in the southern city of Gwangju, the nation's symbolic place for democracy and the party's stronghold. One day before, he visited Gangjin County, South Jeolla Province, where he was secluded for 25 months before his comeback last October.

The People's Party will elect its nominee on April 4 for the May 9 presidential election.
The sad part of the impeachment of President Park is that she was not able to suspend, if not end, her pre-election personal life, when she was elected as President. Now, life has to go on.I have been looking for an article that best summarizes why China is so opposed to the deployment of THAAD in South Korea. I finally found one in "Explaining Thaad, and Why It So Bothers China" by David Tweed in the March 7 version of www.bloomberg.com.

Before I introduce the good summary by Tweed, I have to clarify my view on the issue. I have long advocated in this column self-defenseof South Korea without relying on external forces or politics. South Korea has been rich enough and is blessed enough with quality human resources to do exactly that. We all know that South Korea never even tried to develop forces to defend itself against threats from mad Kim Jong-un. To me, at least, South Korean politicians appear to work only to destroy their internal political opponents, but never to outsmart external enemies.We now have Plan B, which is to try to destroy North Korean missiles with nuclear bombs before they land somewhere in South Korea. THAAD is a weapon of Plan B. Again, South Korean politicians appear opposed to the deployment of THAAD, not because they are not needed, but because they are supported by their political opponents.Let us now turn to explanation by Mr. Tweed.The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) is developed by Lockheed Martin Corp. of the U.S. "to destroy short-and-medium-ranged ballistic missiles at high altitudes in their terminal' phase, as they descend."THAAD missiles are different from conventional defense missiles in that the latter are designed to get close to a target and self-detonate to damage or deflect the threat. THAAD missiles rely on "infra-red seeker technology to locate and hit the target head on."Some question whether THAAD will work in mountainous Korean landscape. My guess is that military personnel would not deploy them if they believe that THAAD missiles would not work.It is important to note that THAAD missiles do not carry warheads, meaning that they are purely defensive weapons.Besides, THAAD in South Korea cannot even shoot down Chinese missiles that are flying to the U.S. mainland, because THAAD missiles are designed to hit descending missiles, not ascending missiles. If they cannot threaten China or Chinese missiles targeting the U.S. mainland, why are Chinese leaders so worried about them? Chinese leaders are incredibly small-minded and short-sighted.Consider that China could easily have assisted South Korea in its efforts to unify the two Koreas. This would have made the unified Korea one of most friendly nations to China, and Chinese leaders did not have to worry about the U.S.-Japan-Korea alliance. They did not do it. What do they expect South Korea to do? Just surrender to North Korea so that China can exploit all the resources South Korea hasas it does those of North Korea now?There is another reason why I say that Chinese leaders have brains just as small as those of Korean politicians.They are banning imports from South Korea, cancelling trips to South Korea, and shut down Lotte shops in China. Do they not know that Korean businesses have nothing to do with the national security decision of deploying THAAD in South Korea? Further, the negative impact of trade restrictions will run both ways. I am not even sure which between China and South Korea will lose more from trade ban by China.If Chinese leaders believe that Chinese women will happily and easily give up world-famous Korean cosmetics, they are mistaken. They are really mistaken if Chinese people will happily give up world-class Samsung electronic products. One way or another, they will buy them. I never expected such small brains from leaders of such large and culturally-rich country as China.What about leaders of Korean politics? I do not believe they are any better than Chinese leaders.As I stated earlier in this article, deploying THAAD is not my Plan A of Korea's national defense. We already lost the opportunity for Plan A. THAAD deployment is my Plan B. I am yet to hear convincing arguments from opponents of THAAD as to how South Korea will fight back escalating threats from the North withall their nuclear weapons? What will you do to counter the threat from the North?What about people in South Korea? I have one advise. The harder Chinese leaders try to punish South Korea economically over THAAD issue, the harder people in South Korea should try to be nice to Chinese people. Welcome them if they come and sell them whatever they want. Remember that all the bad decisions are made, not by Chinese people, but by Chinese leaders. Being extra nice to Chinese people at times like this will pay off handsomely in the near future.Chang Se-moon is the director of the Gulf Coast Center for Impact Studies. Write to him at: changsemoon@yahoo.com.
At least 10 Taliban militants have been killed and two others injured in an air strike in the eastern province of Paktia, Afghan officials said on March 19.

The air strike took place in the village of Narai Kandaw in Dandpatan district, where a group of Taliban militants gathered in a house in the afternoon on March 18, provincial Governor Zalmai Wesa said.

Wesa said there were no civilian casualties in the attack.

The air strike comes amid Afghanistans spring fighting season, when warmer weather brings increased operations by both militants and government forces.

Paktia, located near the Pakistani border, is a volatile area where the Taliban has a strong presence.

With reporting by tolonews.com
Nigeria is in a mess; it is fair to say that the country that is Africa's largest economy, with a population, Africa's largest, of an estimated 190 million, is always in trouble, but the problems this time are considerably greater than normal in recent years.



The chaos caused in the northeast by the Islamist Boko Haram movement, it of the Chibok girls fame, is more under control than it has sometimes been in the past.



At the same time, this state of affairs has been brought about by sometimes brutal Nigerian military action, including the burning of villages. The disruption caused by Boko Haram and the Nigerian military together has led to widespread famine in the region through unplanted crops. That's No. 1.



The second problem is continued unrest in Nigeria's oil-producing region in the southeast, in the Niger River delta, making the country's overall economic situation acute given its dependence on oil for legal and illegal revenue. This is not a new problem.



Oil production has consistently created environmental problems for that region's fishermen and farmers, who resent the pollution and the fact that they continue to receive what they consider to be a disproportionately small portion of the oil money.



No. 3 is local, in a sense, but also national. Nigeria built a new capital in the 1980s at Abuja in the center of the country, succeeding Lagos, a port, whose population has exploded to an estimated 21 million.



It built an airport at Abuja but severely neglected maintenance at it to the point that its runways are now unusable. The nearest, small airport is at Kaduna, a hundred miles away, and Abuja airport is expected to be closed for years of repairs.



The fourth problem is the health of President Muhammadu Buhari. He has just returned from two months of treatment in London, where he was basically incommunicado. He still looks frail. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is Christian, from the south, and if Buhari, a Muslim from the north, were to step down or pass away, it would risk confounding Nigeria's rough rotation of the presidency between its Christians and Muslims, south and north. In the meantime, it appears that Buhari will not be in much of a position to lead the country in addressing its other problems.



Why should Americans care? Nigeria's size, the importance of its role in Africa _ including as a sometime peacekeeper in West African scraps _ and its relatively important trading relationship with the United States make it a useful American partner in a frequently troubled Africa. The United States sells Nigeria 9.3 percent of its imports and buys oil from it. Nigeria shouldn't need American aid, but the United States should stay close to it as it makes its way through its problems.





This editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




By Joseph S. Nye, Jr.



CAMBRIDGEA series of episodes in recent years  including Russia's cyber interventions to skew the United States' 2016 presidential election toward Donald Trump, the anonymous cyber-attacks that disrupted Ukraine's electricity system in 2015, and the "Stuxnet" virus that destroyed a thousand Iranian centrifuges  has fueled growing concern about conflict in cyberspace. At last month's Munich Security Conference, Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders announced the formation of a new non-governmental Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace to supplement the UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE).



The GGE's reports in 2010, 2013, and 2015 helped to set the negotiating agenda for cybersecurity, and the most recent identified a set of norms that have been endorsed by the UN General Assembly. But, despite this initial success, the GGE has limitations. The participants are technically advisers to the UN Secretary-General rather than fully empowered national negotiators. Although the number of participants has increased from the original 15 to 25, most countries do not have a voice.



But there is a larger question lurking behind the GGE: Can norms really limit state behavior?



Most experts agree that a global cyberspace treaty currently would be politically impossible (though Russia and China have made such proposals at the UN). But, beyond formal treaties, normative constraints on states also include codes of conduct, conventional state practices, and widely shared expectations of proper behavior among a group (which create a common law). In scope, these constraints can vary from global, to plurilateral, to bilateral. So what can history tell us about the effectiveness of normative policy instruments?



In the decade after Hiroshima, tactical nuclear weapons were widely regarded as "normal" weapons, and the US military incorporated nuclear artillery, atomic land mines, and nuclear anti-aircraft weapons into its deployed forces. In 1954 and 1955, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told President Dwight Eisenhower that the defense of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam and of offshore islands near Taiwan would require the use of nuclear weapons (Eisenhower rejected the advice).



Over time, the development of an informal norm of non-use of nuclear weapons changed this. The Nobel laureate economist Thomas Schelling argued that the development of the norm of non-use of nuclear weapons was one of the most important aspects of arms control over the past 70 years, and it has had an inhibiting effect on decision-makers. But for new nuclear states like North Korea, one cannot be sure that the costs of violating the taboo would be perceived as outweighing the benefits.



Similarly, a taboo against using poisonous gases in warfare developed after World War I, and the 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibited the use of chemical and biological weapons. Two treaties in the 1970s prohibited the production and stockpiling of such weapons, creating a cost not only for their use, but also for their very possession.



Verification provisions for the Biological Weapons Convention are weak (merely reporting to the UN Security Council), and such taboos did not prevent the Soviet Union from continuing to possess and develop biological weapons in the 1970s. Similarly, the Chemical Weapons Convention did not stop either Saddam Hussein or Bashar al-Assad from using chemical weapons against their own citizens.



Nonetheless, both treaties have shaped how others perceive such actions. Such perceptions contributed to the justification of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 to the international dismantling of most Syrian weapons in 2014. With 173 countries having ratified the Biological Warfare Convention, states that wish to develop such weapons must do so secretly, and face widespread international condemnation if evidence of their activities becomes known.



Normative taboos may also become relevant in the cyber realm, though here the difference between a weapon and a non-weapon depends on intent, and it would be difficult to forbid  and impossible to prohibit reliably  the design, possession, or even implantation for espionage of particular computer programs. In that sense, efforts to prevent cyber conflict cannot be like the nuclear arms control that developed during the Cold War, which involved elaborate treaties and detailed verification protocols.



A more fruitful approach to normative controls on cyberwarfare may be to establish a taboo not against weapons but against targets. The US has promoted the view that the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), which prohibit deliberate attacks on civilians, applies in cyberspace. Accordingly, the US has proposed that, rather than pledging "no first use" of cyber weapons, countries should pledge not to use cyber weapons against civilian facilities in peacetime.



This approach to norms has been adopted by the GGE. The taboo would be reinforced by confidence-building measures such as promises of forensic assistance and non-interference with the workings of Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs).



The GGE report of July 2015 focused on restraining attacks on certain civilian targets, rather than proscribing particular code. At the September 2015 summit between US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the two leaders agreed to establish an expert commission to study the GGE proposal. Subsequently, the GGE report was endorsed by the leaders of the G20 and referred to the UN General Assembly.



The attack on the Ukrainian power system occurred in December 2015, shortly after the submission of the GGE report, and in 2016, Russia did not treat the US election process as protected civilian infrastructure. The development of normative controls on cyber weapons remains a slow  and, at this point, incomplete  process.





Joseph S. Nye, Jr. is a professor at Harvard and a member of the new Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate.




By Andrei Lankov





Let's introduce Ms. Yi (not her real name), one of many North Korean entrepreneurs and one of the pioneers of the country's private economy.



Ms. Yi and her husband began their operations in the late 1980s, soon after their marriage. Private enterprises began to pop up at the time despite the anti-capitalist founding father of North Korea, Kim Il-sung, still at the helm. This was especially true for two sectorsretail and fishingin particular where the North Korean market economy was born.



Upon marriage Ms. Yi moved to her husband's hometown, a small fishing village on the Yellow Sea coast. The newlyweds soon discovered that fish, clams and sea cucumber were a virtual gold mine. In 1988 they used their savings to purchase (or rather, order) a fishing boat, the first privately built vessel in their town. The order was unofficial: the couple visited a small local shipyard, explained what they needed, and paid money.



Ms. Yi's boat was essentially a floating base for divers who were harvesting sea cucumber. It was largely she who dealt with the business, since her husband's health soon deteriorated and, in spite of playing an important role in the early stages of their operation, he spent most of the time at home, often bed-ridden.



The patriarchal nature of North Korean society, however, forced Mr. Kim (let's refer to Ms. Yi's husband that way) to handle some formalities. On paper, he was an employee of a fishing company established by the North Korean Navy. Accordingly, the company owned all boats in the area and enjoyed exclusive access to large parts of the fertile sea bed. This was largely a fiction, however, since from the early 1990s nearly all seagoing fishing vessels were privately owned and operated. Owners of these boats gave the company a fixed amount of money as a reward for legal protection, and rights to protected waters.



Initially Mr. Kim was the skipper of his boat, but when his health deteriorated, his wife took over day-to-day operations. Harvested sea cucumbers were processed and then sold wholesale to merchants who came to town. The merchants paid foreign currency, mostly US dollars, and resold the goods in China.



Business was good. By the early 1990s Ms. Yi had expanded her fleet to a couple of larger boats and established more direct links with markets on the Chinese border. To ensure that police would not harass her, she made regular payments to the local precinct and provided the wives of the police officers with generous gifts.



By 1996, mass starvation and death had impacted the whole of North Korean society. Ms. Yi and her family weathered the storm, but it became impossible to obtain enough fuel for her boats. She stopped fishing for a while and took up other activities, money-lending in particular. Connections with local political elites were vital, and she seldom dealt with the problems of unpaid loans and debteverybody understood that this woman was not to be messed with.



Towards the end of the famine in the late 1990s, the fuel situation improved and Ms. Yi restarted her fishing operations. By that time, she not only managed a small fleet of three to four boats, but also began to buy the catches of other fishermen at sea and delivered the seafood to the coast where wholesalers were waiting. Ms. Yi's family was one of the richest in her townperhaps more affluent than even families of top local government officials. However, she grew increasingly pessimistic about the future. Her sons excelled academically, but had dim career prospects in such a decrepit economyMs. Yi certainly did not want her boys to spend their lives in the risky and unstable world of the North Korean private sector.



After her husband's death, Ms. Yi decided to move South. With her money and connections, defection was a breeze; she crossed the border in relative comfort and soon arrived in Seoul, where she resides today. She makes much less than she did in the North, but her children have graduated from one of the best Korean universities and have started promising careers. She has no regrets about leaving her business behind.





Andrei Lankov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and teaches at Kookmin University in Seoul. Reach him at anlankov@yahoo.com.
By Lee Hyo-sik



Presidential hopeful Moon Jae-in and other politicians are pressuring the Korea Development Bank (KDB) and other creditors not to sell Kumho Tire to a Chinese company.



They are capitalizing on growing public concerns about possible job losses if Double Star Tires takes control of Korea's second-largest tiremaker, which employs more than 3,800 workers here.



With Kumho Tire operating two of its three plants in the southwestern city of Gwangju and surrounding South Jeolla Province, the politicians want creditors to give a chance to Kumho Asiana Group Chairman Park Sam-koo rather than sell a 40.2 percent stake in Kumho Tire to the mid-tier Chinese tiremaker.



Gwangju and the Jeolla provinces are strongholds of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and other opposition parties.



They are also taking advantage of the increasing anti-China sentiment here because Beijing has been retaliating against Lotte and other Korean companies operating on the mainland over Korea's decision to deploy a U.S. missile defense system.



The political meddling will likely intensify in the coming weeks as presidential contenders try to woo Jeolla voters, ahead of the May 9 presidential election.



On Saturday, DPK presidential contender Moon posted a Facebook message urging KDB to place top priority on job security for 3,800 Kumho Tire workers.



"It is not pleasing for Jeolla residents to witness what's been going on with Kumho Tire," Moon wrote. "The company employs 3,800 workers at three domestic plants. We cannot afford to let the tire maker suffer the same fate as Ssangyong Motor. The top priority is to ensure job security for all Kumho employees. Whoever acquires the company, it must not close local plants or dismiss workers."



After Shanghai Automotive Industry took over Ssangyong Motor in 2004, it fired hundreds of workers to cut costs. The Chinese carmaker was also criticized for allegedly stealing Ssangyong's core technologies while not investing enough to strengthen the Korean carmaker's competitiveness.



Ssangyong was sold again to Indian carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra in 2011.



Gwangju Mayor Yoon Jang-hyun also expressed concern about the ongoing Kumho Tire sale, calling on KDB and other creditors to conduct business in a fairer, more subjective manner.



"Concerns are growing over the Chinese firm's takeover of Kumho Tire among local residents and businesses that could be affected by the issue," Yoon said Saturday. "The creditors should come up with a range of follow-up measures to address increasing uneasiness."



Last Friday, People's Party Rep. Chang Byung-wan and other party lawmakers urged KDB and other creditors not to discriminate against Kumho Asiana Group.



"It is absurd for KDB not to allow Kumho Chairman Park to form a consortium with other corporate entities, while Double Star can do so," said Chang, who heads the National Assembly's trade, industry and energy subcommittee. "KDB should make public a sales contract it signed with Double Star and conduct sales procedures in a fair and transparent manner."



On March 13, KDB signed an agreement with Double Star, which offered to buy the Kumho Tire stake for 955 billion won ($840 million).



Park will have to inform creditors by April 13 whether he will pay a higher price or give up his right to buy the company back.



Park has been asking KDB to let him set up a consortium so he can more easily raise the 955 billion won.



But creditors have refused to do so, saying he is only permitted to set up a private company and borrow money from financial investors if he wants to buy the Kumho Tire stake.



The chairman has threatened to sue KDB to suspend the sales process, while demanding the bank release details of the deal with Double Star and other sales-related documents.



KDB and other banks acquired their stake in a debt-for-equity swap in 2010 when Kumho Asiana suffered a severe liquidity shortage.



They then signed an agreement to negotiate first with Park when unloading their stake.



As well as four plants in China, Kumho Tire operates three plants in Korea and one each in Vietnam and the U.S.



In 2016, the company had 2.95 trillion won in sales and posted a 120 billion won operating profit.




POSCO CEO Kwon Oh-joon

By Lee Hyo-sik

POSCO has virtually ended its project to build a steel mill in eastern India as it seeks to return the plant site it borrowed from the Indian government.

According to POSCO India officials Sunday, the world's fourth-largest steelmaker is willing to give back the site to the Odisha state government as the costs of keeping it have been snowballing while the scheme has remained at a virtual standstill for more than a decade.

POSCO's India unit recently sent a letter to the state government, expressing its intent to return the land after it was asked to pay taxes and other expenses amounting to more than $10 million, according to a company official.

On Saturday, Industries Minister Debi Prasad Mishra of the Odisha government confirmed receiving the letter from the Korean steelmaker. The minister told local media outlets POSCO India is not interested in keeping the plant site because doing so incurs costs. The state government has not yet responded to POSCO's inquiry.

Giving up the land essential for building a steel mill means POSCO has finally decided to abandon the Odisha project, which has been delayed for 12 years.

However, POSCO officials still argue the company has not entirely deserted the Odisha project.

"The site has not been used for a long time so we figured it would be better used for other purposes until we resume the project," a company official said. "This doesn't mean we have completely given up. When the conditions are right, we will definitely restart the project."

In 2005, POSCO signed a contract with the Odisha state government to spend $12 billion to construct a 4-million-ton capacity steel mill there. At the time, Odisha was known as Orissa, changing names in 2011.

Under the agreement, POSCO secured rights to develop iron ore mines near the site in which it planned to build the plant. But it hasn't been able to even break ground due to opposition from environmentalist groups and residents. India's bureaucratic red tape is also said to have stalled the Odisha project.

Against this backdrop, POSCO has decided to put the plan on hold. Instead of creating a large steel mill, the steelmaker has been building more processing facilities to produce automotive steel plates and other high value-added steel products.

POSCO CEO Kwon Oh-joon has said it has taken too much time and money to build a large-scale steel mill with furnaces in eastern India, adding that the company will set up more lucrative steel processing plants in the South Asian nation.

POSCO currently operates three processing plants in western India, producing automotive and electrical steel sheets.

In 2015, POSCO opened its third plant in Maharashtra Province, about 120 kilometers from Mumbai. The facility is capable of producing 1.8 million tons of automotive steel plates annually for General Motors and other global carmakers operating factories nearby.

In 2012, the company opened its first Indian plant capable of producing 450,000 tons of galvanized steel plates annually, and a second with an annual capacity of 300,000 tons of electrical steel sheets in 2013. Both plants are located in Maharashtra Province.

The steelmaker brings hot-rolled steel sheets from its Korean and Indonesian plants to its processing factories in India, which churn out what carmakers and other manufacturers need.
South Korea and Jordan signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expand cooperation in water management in the Middle Eastern country that is made up of 90 percent arid desert, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Sunday.



"We expect the MOU will serve as the occasion for South Korean companies to make inroads into Jordan to help solve the water shortage and other projects there," a ministry official said. "Jordan has plans for investment of up to US$30 billion in the development of electricity, water resources, transportation and other infrastructure by 2025."



The MOU was signed between the ministry and Jordan's Ministry of Water and Irrigation on the sidelines of the Arab Water Week 2017 at a resort along the Dead Sea in Jordan. The main theme at the gathering this week is the "Managing Water Systems within Fragile Environments in the Arab Region."



South Korea plans to cooperate with Jordan in the establishment of a smart water grid, including the building of desalination plants.



The smart water grid is about building and systemizing dams and desalination plants for the effective management of both underground water and sea water.



The ministry has already filed applications with Jordan's six provincial governments for the export of the smart water grid.



South Korean firms are also considering joining the $1 billion project for the desalination of water in the Dead Sea and funneling the desalinated water either into factories and households or back into the Dead Sea. (Yonhap)




Financial responsibility is one of those skills that is best learned from an early age and while your kids might not want to hear about IRAs or a 401k, they are sure to listen when you hand them the keys to their own virtual spending account. Or we all hope they will. Kids can be  Continue reading Mazoola is Allowance for the Digital Age
Question: A month ago, I signed a one-year lease when I met with the onsite manager at the communitys rental office. I paid the deposit and first months rent. The manager took the lease agreement with him, saying he would have the owner sign it and return a copy to me.

I have called him and texted him to ask for a copy, but he is not answering me. Do I have to continue to pay rent?

Answer: Yes. The vast majority of rental agreements are in writing for a simple reason  the terms are clear to everyone.

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California Civil Code section 1962(4) specifically states that the agent must provide a copy of the written rental agreement or lease to the tenant within 15 days of its execution by the tenant.

Even though you contacted the manager several times, you should send a formal letter and copy your managers supervisor or the owner. Make sure to keep a copy of your letter for your files.

Also, once each calendar year after that, upon request by the tenant, the owner or owners agent is required to provide an additional copy to the tenant within 15 days of the request. Your property managers failure to comply with this requirement does not relieve you of your obligation to pay rent, but that failure may be a defense in an eviction action filed by the landlord based on a claim that you have breached a term of the lease.

If the owner or owners agent claims that the rental agreement is missing from their file, they must furnish you with a written statement indicating that fact and including the following: name, address and telephone number of the person to whom rent is to be paid and the form in which rent payments are to be made to that person. The onsite manager, as well as the owner, is responsible for providing you with a copy of the signed rental agreement under California Civil Code section 1962(d).

Keep asking in writing for a copy and keep paying your rent. If the landlord ultimately files an eviction action because he wants to replace you with a new tenant, you will have some proof that you believe there is a lease and that you have been asking for a copy of it.

However, if you dont pay your rent on time, the landlord can evict you from the property .

Current is fair housing director for Project Sentinel, a Bay Area nonprofit. For more information, contact Project Sentinel at 1-888-324-7468, info@housing.org, visit www.housing.org or contact your attorney or local housing agency.
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan on Sunday said he felt very good about the chances that the House would pass the Republicans healthcare bill, even as changes were being made to lure votes, such as providing more assistance for older Americans.

Were still having conversations with our members, Ryan (R-Wis.) said on Fox News Sunday. Were making fine-tuning improvements to the bill to reflect peoples concerns, to reflect peoples improvements.

He said the House was likely to bring the Republicans Obamacare replacement to floor vote on Thursday. Asked about the likelihood of passage, Ryan said, I feel very good about it, actually.

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Part of the confidence stems from President Trumps involvement in helping us close this bill, Ryan said.

We have a president who is rolling up his sleeves. Hes helping us make sure that we bridge differences with members who are bringing constructive ideas and solutions for how to make this bill better, Ryan said.

Among the changes being considered are allowing states to impose a work requirement for able-bodied Medicaid recipients and increasing tax credits for lower income and older Americans, he said.

The analysis released last week by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said that the House Republican plan would provide less assistance to older, low-income Americans than Obamacare while allowing insurers to charge older customers up to five times more than younger consumers.

Under Obamacare, insurers can charge only three times more.

We believe we should have even more assistance, and thats one of the things were looking at, for that person in the 50s and 60s because they experience higher healthcare costs, Ryan said.

He emphasized that until the bill is on the floor for a vote, we are always making improvements.

Tom Price, secretary of Health and Human Services, said the Trump administration was open to changes to address the effects on older Americans and other concerns.

If it needs more beefing up for folks who are low-income, between 50 and 64 years of age, thats something weve talked about, thats something weve entertained, Price told ABCs This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

Weve talked to so many folks in the House of Representatives to try to see what their discomfort level is, if they have any, with this piece of legislation, he said.

But Price acknowledged that changes to the House bill could potentially cost Republican votes in the Senate.

Its a fine needle that needs to be threaded, Price said.

But theres enough Republican opposition in the Senate to put the House plan in trouble there unless significant changes are made.

The current House bill, as drafted, I do not believe it would pass the Senate, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told CBS Face the Nation.

Cruz said he cant vote for a bill that allows health insurance premiums to continue to rise. He noted that the CBO projected that the bill would cause premiums to rise as much as 20% during the first two years before they start going down.

If Republicans hold a big press conference and pat ourselves on the back that weve repealed Obamacare and everyones premiums keep going up, people will be ready to tar and feather us on the streets, and quite rightly, Cruz said.

Trump says businesses cant borrow because of Dodd-Frank. The numbers tell another story 

Obama saw low-wage workers as struggling moms. Trump may see them as suburban teens 

jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com

Follow @JimPuzzanghera on Twitter
Once again, were in one of those global periods of nationalism. The anxiety of identity, as emigrants from one part of the world enter another, as individuals empower themselves by practicing identity politics, is a great issue of our day.

Music can help, as even a seemingly innocuous and poorly attended concert by the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall showed Friday night. The conductor, Stephane Deneve, and the soloist, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, were French, yet as personalities as different as they are alike.

The concert contained two French pieces, Faures Suite from Pelleas et Melisande, a work so pleasantly genial and well known that it no longer signifies a national style. The other, Debussys La Mer, however, was crucial in defining French music for the 20th century.

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The news of this St. Patricks Day night happened to be the West Coast premiere of a recent piano concerto of an avid Scottish separatist, James MacMillan. The concert began with the Passacaglia from Benjamin Brittens Peter Grimes, a landmark in liberating the identity of British opera.

What kind of welcome mat would we today give someone like Britten, a pacifist who fled London to avoid fighting in World War II? It happened to be at a used bookstore in Los Angeles in 1941 that Britten found a copy of the book that became the source for Grimes, which he composed after returning to Britain and which had its triumphant premiere four years later.

Britten was back in L.A. in 1949 to conduct the L.A. Phil in his music, including the Four Sea Interludes From Peter Grimes.  On that occasion, The Times described him as the worlds greatest living composer (Schoenberg and Stravinsky both lived in L.A. then) and reported that Britten had told the orchestra in rehearsal that his music had never been better played.

The Passacaglia, adapted from the opera (and never better recorded than by former L.A. Phil Music Director Andre Previn) sounded startlingly unsettled Friday, with the theme eerily plucked out in the lower strings and principal violist Carrie Dennis solos adding exceptional emotional weight. Deneve condensed a remarkable amount of the psychic energy of the opera into seven minutes.

A great deal of MacMillans music is informed by his not unconnected passions for Roman Catholicism and Scottish nationalism. His Piano Concerto No. 3, which was written for Thibaudet and premiered by the Minnesota Orchestra in 2011, is titled The Mysteries of Light and takes its inspiration from a set of reflections on the Rosary introduced by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

Each of the five interconnected movements is a meditation on the luminous, on light as found in the life of Christ. The concerto begins with the sweet otherness of chant, which frequents the concerto. The piano plays filigrees, occupying another musical realm. This is the first mystery, the Baptism. In the process of working through miracles and proclamations and transformations, the orchestra becomes ever more rapturous, enticing the piano in. As one for the Eucharist in the end, orchestra and soloist enter into the spirit of unequivocal joy with something resembling a Scottish jig for celestial deities.

For a concerto representing a subculture of a subculture  Scottish Roman Catholics  The Mysteries of Light unveils far more than sectarian mysteries. First of all, there is the sheer welcoming power of MacMillans music, and the idea that national spirit can and maybe must be illuminated by spirituality not as dogma but as something more universally unifying. MacMillans brilliance here is to do that by making the music sound, well, French.

In brief comments to the audience before the performance, Deneve and Thibaudet noted that MacMillan was inspired by hearing the pianist play the solo in Olivier Messiaens Turangalila Symphony, an ecstatic, erotic display of Catholicism. In addition, the odd fellowship of the soloist and conductor offered further reflection on the intricacies of comprehending a national style.

The dapper Thibaudet, in a red brocade jacket, is for all his virtuosic flash a pianist of glittery elegance. The tall Deneve, with his mad scientist hair and his emphasis on a robust orchestral sound, has an inner elegance that keeps him too at, but never over, the edge of overindulgence. Together, they make an exceptional pair.

There is, nonetheless, French, and there is French. It would be hard to find a greater variety of approaches to La Mer than from the great French conductors. Pierre Boulezs clarity and rigor used Debussy as a model of Modernism. Pierre Monteuxs quiet sensuality placed Debussy squarely as Impressionist. Charles Munchs grandeur brought out all that might be Romantic in the composer.

Deneve comes closest to Munch, but with 21st century touches. The orchestra was very large and the performance grand and glorious. A conductor as connoisseur of fine lines, Deneve tempered enthusiastic wildness with a sense of poetry, might with a feeling for the distinct personality of orchestral sections and, indeed, discrete instruments. The L.A. Phil was at its best being treated as both a body of individuals and a collective, which is to say an enlightened citizenry.

mark.swed@latimes.com

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Hello! Im Mark Olsen, and welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

Though many reports on the South by Southwest Film Festival tend to focus on food and parties, Jen Yamato and I were very busy during our time in Austin, Texas. Honest. (Though there may have been a late-night karaoke duet of Rihannas Stay.) There was an unexpected public appearance by the enigmatic filmmaker Terrence Malick, and rollicking premieres of Baby Driver, Atomic Blonde and The Disaster Artist. And Joe Biden was there too.

Despite the marquee names, the festival remains a vital point of discovery. Aaron Katzs moody Los Angeles-set Gemini garnered a lot of talk around town and was picked up for distribution out of the festival by the new distribution outfit Neon. And there was the quietly radical politics of celebrating stories of women, immigrants, people of color and marginalized communities with the award winners, with Ana Asensios Most Beautiful Island winning the top prize for narrative film, while Jairus McLeary and Gethin Aldous The Work taking the documentary award.

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And the Times Trevell Anderson put together this comprehensive oral history of the film celebrating the 20th anniversary of Theodore Witchers groundbreaking Love Jones.

Back in Los Angeles, we have two more exciting screenings coming up, with Marc Webbs Gifted on March 30 and James Grays The Lost City of Z on April 3. These will both be very exciting events. Keep on the lookout for updates at events.latimes.com.

T2 Trainspotting

Speaking of anniversaries, the sequel T2 Trainspotting has been a long time coming. Reuniting director Danny Boyle with the main cast of the original, the new film doesnt shrink away from directly addressing issues of aging and the passing of time, becoming unexpectedly moving in the process.

Reviewing the film for The Times, Kenneth Turan wrote, Looked at logically, T2 Trainspotting should not work as well as it does. In fact, it shouldnt work at all. But up there on the screen, where it matters, the dark magic remains intact and logic be damned  theyve made an age-appropriate story that joins a taste of the originals vitality with a meditation on masculinity, aging and the inevitable passage of time.

The Times Steven Zeitchik sat down with director Danny Boyle and cast members Ewen McGregor, Johnny Lee Miller and Ewen Bremner to talk old times and new.

Audiences will see this film and think about us as characters and actors, noted Bremner. These people arent kids, theyll say. And then theyll realize theyre not kids. For some that will be cathartic, and for others it will make them threatened; theyll see the reality of age and want to step back from it. It all depends on how you want to look at it.

Ewan McGregor, from left, director Danny Boyle, Jonny Lee Miller and Ewen Bremner of Trainspotting reunite for a sequel 20 years later. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

At Time, Stephanie Zacharek wrote T2 squeaks by on the charm of its actors, all of whom still look pretty damn good  especially McGregor, who remains a charismatic wag. Yet its Bremners Spud, whos struggling to stay clean, that youre likely to feel the most for. Its not always so easy to choose life, and watching Spud figure it out is one of T2s greatest pleasures.

Amy Nicholson at MTV also spoke to Boyle, who told her, In the first film, we benefited so much from their recklessness and carelessness, the fact that they didnt even acknowledge time. And then you make a story about them now and you realize that they are beginning to realize that time doesnt care about them.

Song to Song

After a long absence, Terrence Malick has now become unexpectedly prolific, discovering a language of filmmaking all his own that has now made him less a revered enigma and more a point of contention among critics. Some cant get enough, others are long since done.

Malicks new Song to Song is set amidst the music scene of Austin, including the, yes, the South by Southwest festival. In the film, Rooney Mara, Ryan Gosling and Michael Fassbender are a romantic triangle, with other shapes formed by the like of Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Holly Hunter, Val Kilmer, Lykke Li, Patti Smith and Iggy Pop. For those who enter the films specific grammar and Malicks vision of love, betrayal, faith and the world, it is delirious and overwhelming.

In his review for The Times, Justin Chang wrote, In Malicks eternally recurring vision of paradise lost, familiar patterns of human behavior  intoxication and disillusionment, seduction and betrayal  will reproduce themselves in any milieu . This ruptured, convulsive style of image-making may test your patience and frustrate your desire for conventional dramaturgy, but it also gives exquisite visual form to human relationships and states of being that are fundamentally broken and incomplete. Stick with Song to Song, and Malicks elusiveness becomes surprisingly direct.

In the New York Times, Manohla Dargis wrote, Mr. Malick began embracing narrative fragmentation years ago and it has increasingly characterized his films . Mr. Malick frames them his own way. They move the narrative forward, but inside these sections time can seem to stutter, like a song on repeat. Many scenes are so short that they dont seem to be overtly driving the story forward, but instead pile up and nearly swirl, like leaves caught in a gust.

In the New Yorker, Richard Brody wrote, Terrence Malick is a romantic idealist. His films revel in the unity of the virtues, of beauty, truth, and justice fused in an ultimate realm that leaves its glimmers on Earth and finds its ordinary place amid humanity in the form of love. Even more than his flowing, fragmentary, allusive methods, its his transcendental world view that renders him grandly untimely, that makes critics who are smitten with televisions cynical darkness repudiate the cathedral-like sublimity of his vision.

At Vox, Alissa Wilkinson grappled with the religious themes running through Malicks recent work, noting But though Song to Song can get repetitive and directionless, its also dynamic and satisfying by its conclusion. Even when it feels like a pastiche of Malicks other films, it shouldnt be dismissed  and the filmmaker shouldnt be dismissed, either. He is chasing hard after something metaphysical, and his camera still works in service of the great beauty and pain of that pursuit.

Contemporary Color

Directed by Bill and Turner Ross, the documentary Contemporary Color captures a series of performances spearheaded by David Byrne in which musical artists  including Byrne, St. Vincent, Zola Jesus, Devonte Hynes, Money Mark and Ad-Rock and others  collaborated with high school color guards for a series of performances that are equal parts dazzling and charming.

Reviewing the movie for The Times, Robert Abele wrote that the film is about what Byrne considers an underappreciated folk art: those flag-waving, plastic-rifle-twirling school dance squads known as color guards . [with a] sustained ecstasy of vitality, synchronicity and emotion. If you arent bingeing color guard videos on YouTube afterward, you might not have a heart.

In Rolling Stone, David Fear wrote, Theres a tendency for a certain type of filmgoer to sneer at the whole idea of color guards or treat it as an mega-ironic goof. Byrne set out to show the artistic bona fides behind such heartland pageantry, and the filmmakers up the ante by making kids who arent exactly prom kings and queens seem leagues cooler than the Williamsburg-approved artists scoring their interpretive boogies . Contemporary Color turns them into next-gen Bowies. Even the rock stars bow down.

For the Village Voice, Eric Hynes wrote about the films production. As Bill Ross said, Youre trying to represent what it was like to be there, to be the people that were trying to capture.

Email me if you have questions, comments or suggestions, and follow me on Twitter@IndieFocus.
Onstage accepting the Human Rights Campaigns Ally for Equality Award, America Ferrera shared a personal story about searching for representation as a young Latina in America. I didnt grow up seeing a lot of examples of short, brown, chubby, poor daughters of immigrant parents [who] grow up to be successful actresses and loud activists, Ferrera said. I had to use my imagination most of the time.

Thankfully for Ferrera, she found friends and mentors who encouraged her to use her talent and find her own voice. One of those teachers is in the room with us tonight, the actress revealed, flashing a huge smile at the audience. My high school drama teacher, Sue Freitag.

In my senior year of high school, when I struggled with feelings of depression and isolation, [Freitag] created a safe space for me, Ferrera said. I will never forget the first time she invited me to eat my cold pad thai with her in the drama theater room. It was the first time that entire year I felt like I was gonna make it through high school. "

HRC, the nations largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, hosted its annual gala at the J.W. Marriott hotel in downtown Los Angeles to honor Ferrera and musician Katy Perry for their work as allies and equality advocates both on camera and off. Ferrera, a child of Honduran immigrants, received three standing ovations during her speech, which touched on representation, social activism and inclusion.

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Highlighting the work of her mentor, Ferrera continued, As a member of the LGBTQ community, Ms. Freitag has extended that safe space to countless students and faculty members. She has opened up a dialogue about equality. And she has transformed her campus into a safe one for all of her students and colleagues. Im proud to know her and I am grateful for the role she played in helping me find my voice.

Ferrera, a child of Honduran immigrants, received three standing ovations during her speech, which touched on representation, social activism and inclusion.

I must confess that anything Ive ever done on behalf of the LGBTQ community, I did in service to myself, Ferrera said. Anything I ever did for the rights of this community, I did because I believe with every fiber of my being that my liberation is bound up in the liberation of my LGBTQ brothers and sisters, she said to wild applause. And in the liberation of my black brothers and sisters. And in the liberation of immigrants. And refugees. And Muslims. And Sikhs. And women all over the world. And the incarcerated, and the criminalized, and the uneducated, and the poor, and the hungry, and, and, and, and. Ferreras speech trailed off to another standing ovation.

Tim Kaine, Hillary Clintons vice presidential running mate and a senator from Virginia, kicked off the gala with a keynote speech about heroism and the Constitution. Throughout his speech Kaine alluded heavily to President Trump but never mentioned him by name.

We are living in a stress test of our constitutional democracy, he said. We have taken this thing in for the 230-year checkup to see whether the institutions that were put in place in 1787 still exist. And if Congress does, and the courts do, and the press does, and the citizens do the roles that we were intended to do, this chapter will have an end. And the end of the chapter will be that our system was vindicated over any temporary occupant of any of the positions in the Constitution.

HRC president Chad Griffin also mentioned the current administration, though far less subtly.

We are going to hold Donald Trumps tiny little hands to the fire every day, he said. We wont stand by as he waves a rainbow flag while undermining equality behind closed doors. We wont stand by while he denies asylum to LGBTQ refugees fleeing persecution, violence or even death. Or while he deports thousands of undocumented LGBTQ immigrants living in America today.

Honoree Katy Perry accepts the HRC National Equality Award onstage at the Human Rights Campaign 2017 Los Angeles Gala. (Christopher Polk / Getty Images)

At the end of the night, Perry was honored with the prestigious National Equality Award, the organizations highest honor. Longtime friend and Westworld star Shannon Woodward, presented Perry with the award, and also threw Ferrera her vote for future president.

In her acceptance speech Perry spoke about her religious upbringing and slow journey toward activism. My first words were mama and dada, God and Satan, she said. When I was growing up, homosexuality was synonymous with the word abomination. And hell, a place of gnashing of teeth, continuous burning of skin and probably Mike Pences ultimate guest list for a barbecue.

No way, no way! I wanted the pearly gates and the unlimited fro-yo toppings. So most of my unconscious adolescence, I prayed the gay away at my Jesus camps. But then in the middle of it all, in a twist of events, I found my gift. And my gift introduced me to people outside my bubble. And my bubble started to burst. These people were nothing like I had been taught to fear, they were the most free, strong, kind and inclusive people I have ever met. These people are actually magic, and they are magic because they are living their truth. Oh my goddess, what a revelation! And not the last chapter of the Bible.

Choking back tears, Perry dedicated the award to one of my greatest champions of my life, longtime manager Bradford Cobb.

These days, I get an incomparable high from finally knowing myself and it feels more real than any story I was ever told on a felt board, she said. And truth be told, I think a lot of that has to do with the magic that has rubbed off on me from all of you. Thank you so much.

sonaiya.kelley@latimes.com

follow me on twitter @sonaiyak
They swept away an old guard to lead the two of the largest sheriffs departments in the nation, promising reforms  treating drug offenders in jail, reaching out to long-neglected minority communities, training officers in a gentler approach with the homeless and mentally ill.

They both left in disgrace.

Former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona finished his four-year federal prison term in 2015.

This week, 18 years after they both took office, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca was convicted of obstructing a federal inquiry into abuses in county jails and lying to investigators. He faces up to 20 years in a federal penitentiary.

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The final chapter was victory for corruption prosecutors, who retried Baca after an earlier jury voted 11 to 1 to acquit him.

This time, with several new witnesses, jurors agreed that Baca willfully took part in a conspiracy to interfere with an FBI investigation into police brutality against inmates in county jails. Bacas undersheriff and more than a dozen officers in his chain of command have been sentenced to federal prison for the scheme.

Jurors convicted Baca on three felony counts: obstruction of justice, conspiracy and making false statements to federal investigators.

The conviction and the inmate abuse that occurred under his command deeply tarnished his legacy and overshadowed the improvements he brought to the largest sheriffs department in the United States.

I think Lee intended to do good things, said R. Samuel Paz, a longtime civil rights attorney who attended high school with Baca in Highland Park and went on to file dozens of lawsuits against him and his department.

Paz initially supported Baca, raising money for his campaign. Baca promised to create an independent board to investigate officer-involved shootings and potential misconduct, which he did. And he said he would take measures to stop the violence, overcrowding and inmate abuse in the jail system.

I started brutality cases in the jail in 1992, Paz said. We had people in four-point restraints losing limbs to gangrene because nurses wouldnt see them. Suicides were rampant.

I believe the culture is such that you have to back your fellow officers. The only way to get along is to go along. Instead of supervising, he became compliant and is now facing these charges.

[Bacas] albatross was and always will be the jails.  Laurie Levenson, criminal justice professor, Loyola Law School

Baca and Carona rose to power in the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and both, in different ways, sought to bring new ideas and a new shine to their sprawling law enforcement agencies. Both replaced longtime sheriffs who had been controversial  in Bacas case, Sherman Block, and in Caronas, Brad Gates.

Carona, with his fireplug build and ramrod gait, rose briefly to wider fame when he emotionally vowed at news conferences to run down and arrest the killer of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion. Larry King dubbed him Americas Sheriff. There was talk of Carona rising to higher office  state attorney general, even governor.

Baca was different. Thin as a reed from his daily seven-mile runs, he rarely wore a gun and showed a quirky curiosity and down-to-earth demeanor. His mother had migrated illegally from Mexico, and he was raised by his grandparents along with a mentally disabled uncle, who could not read, write or speak in sentences. As a boy, Baca was deeply affected by how people treated his uncle on bus rides with his grandmother.

People would sneer at my uncle, laugh at him, make fun of him, and I believe thats wrong, Baca told The Times in 2011. Were not bothering anyone. So how about just leaving us alone?

Laurie Levenson, criminal justice professor at Loyola Law School, said the mens downfalls were different.

Carona was accused of a broad conspiracy to get a steady stream of cash and gifts for him and his mistress in return for favors only he, as the countys top lawman, could give. The criminal activities, the feds charged, started before he was even elected, with illegal fundraising on his first campaign.

Though the jury convicted him on only one count of witness tampering, jurors in interviews said they believed he accepted the cash and gifts but that the statute of limitations had passed on many of those alleged acts.

Even if Baca is found guilty, his crime is not the same ilk as Caronas, which was more significant and more clear-cut, Levenson said in an interview before the retrial.

She said Baca, in the end, was simply not a strong leader.

His albatross was and always will be the jails.

Baca was a retired division chief with 32 years in the department when he shocked the political establishment by running against incumbent Sheriff Sherman Block, who had run the department since 1982. Baca won 61% of the vote after Block died three days before the election.

Carona, the Orange County marshal, had been in that office since starting as a deputy in 1976. He had promised to bring a corporate-like professionalism to the force, measuring performance, cutting budgets, filling administrative posts with civilians.

He and Baca became allies of sorts, with similar agendas. Both wanted to have treatment facilities in the jail system and create advisory committees to reach out to minority communities.

When residents of South Los Angeles accused deputies at the Century Station of abuse and misconduct, Baca replaced the captain and transferred 25 women and African Americans to the station.

After the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he met with local Muslim leaders and promised them protection. He read the Koran and memorized parts of it. When he heard that Pakistani store owners were being harassed, Baca ordered deputies to go by the 7-Elevens and offer support.

But since the beginning of his tenure, Baca failed to address mounting evidence in the jails of beatings by deputies and otherwise abysmal conditions. When he learned that the FBI was investigating corruption and had bribed a deputy to smuggle a cellphone to an informant in 2011, prosecutors said he was furious.

They said Baca orchestrated a conspiracy to hide the inmate and subvert the FBI investigation.

Now 74 and in the early stages of Alzheimers disease, he awaits sentencing by U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson, who rejected an earlier deal in which Baca would plead guilty and serve up to six months in prison. Anderson said such a short sentence would diminish the seriousness of the crime.

To read the article in Spanish, click here

joe.mozingo@latimes.com

@joemozingo

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The Justice Department said Friday that it will temporarily transfer immigration judges to six detention centers mostly near the U.S. border with Mexico in an effort to put President Trumps immigration directives into effect.

The departments Executive Office for Immigration Review said the transfers to four locations in Texas and one each in Louisiana and New Mexico will occur Monday. Judges were previously moved to two immigration detention centers in San Diego and Adelanto in California.

Trumps executive order on border and immigration enforcement in January says judges should immediately be assigned to immigration detention centers. Many courts are for immigrants who are freed before their cases are heard.

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The clogged immigration courts have gotten less attention than other aspects of Trumps orders, such as construction of a wall on the 2,000-mile border with Mexico and the addition of 5,000 Border Patrol agents and 10,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents. There was a backlog of 542,646 cases at the end of January, including 20,856 people who were being held in custody.

NEWSLETTER: Get essential California headlines delivered daily 

The presidents budget proposal for the 2018 fiscal year released Thursday calls for a 19% increase in immigration judges to 449 positions.

There are currently about 300 judges, even though the office is funded for 374 slots. Kathryn Mattingly, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office for Immigration Review, said 50 applicants are in various stages of the hiring process, which can take up to a year.

Dana Marks, president of the National Assn. of Immigration Judges, said hiring is exceedingly slow and cumbersome.

Marks, also a judge in San Francisco, said the temporary assignments are expensive and will cause delays elsewhere. Theres always going to be some dockets that are going to suffer when a judge is taken from one location, she said.

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Brenda Carrillo wasnt sure shed heard the waiter right.

She and a friend had just been seated and were waiting for two others on the outdoor patio of Saint Marc, an upscale eatery in Huntington Beach, when he posed the question.

Can I see your proof of residency? the waiter asked.

Her friend repeated the question in disbelief, Carrillo recalled, and the waiter replied, I need to make sure youre from here before I serve you.

The two women sat in stunned silence. It was kind of hard to process because weve never experienced this, said Carrillo, 23, who lives in Santa Ana and works for an organization that provides social services to families and youth.

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Moments later, Carrillos sister, Diana, and another friend joined them and were asked the same question. The four women spoke to the manager, who apologized and offered to re-seat them, but they declined and left.

At first the friends thought the waiter might be joking. But he didnt have a smile, said Diana Carrillo, 24, who works for a mortgage broker company. There was no indication that he was trying to make a joke or even possibly flirt with us.

Diana Carrillo said the encounter left all of them shaken. Ive never felt so judged in my life. It sends a chill through your entire body.

Hours later, still seething, Diana decided to post about their encounter on Facebook and Yelp. Within hours, more than a dozen people had responded to her post on Facebook and left negative reviews on Yelp.

After Dianas posts, restaurant management reached out to her to apologize. Statements on Facebook and Instagram, which have since been deleted, said the waiter had been fired and that this type of behavior will not be tolerated.

In a separate statement sent to The Times, restaurant management said the waiters actions were in no wayrepresentative of the restaurants employees or management. We have always celebrated being part of the diverse Huntington Beach community, which means valuing all guests and treating every individual with respect, the statement read.

Kent Bearden, senior director of operations for Saint Marc, said the restaurant had never encountered similar problems with the waiter, who he said was not a new hire.

When Diana Carrillo told her mother about the incident, she said, My mom lost it.

I was angry. I was sad, Guillermina Carrillo said by phone Saturday. Its unacceptable. Its something that shouldnt have happened, not anywhere, not to nobody.

Carrillo, 52, came to the United States from Mexico more than 30 years ago. Shes been a citizen for nearly two decades, juggling two jobs while raising her four daughters alone.

She works as a security guard at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, where shes been employed for more than 20 years, and has a second job pressing clothing at a manufacturer for an upscale womens clothing brand. She says she works more than 12 hours a day, six days a week.

I raised my kids and taught them how to work, how to be a good person. Ive been working hard all these years, the elder Carrillo said, before choking up and excusing herself.

Brenda describes herself and her sister as light-skinned Latinas and knows they dont encounter as much racism as others in their community. For it to happen to us, it was kind of an eye-opener, she said. It just makes me think, when I go to the store, do people think less of me?

She says she isnt so worried about herself or her sister, who were born and raised in California.

Im more afraid for others in my community, people who are immigrants. If this were to happen to them, Im sure they would be too afraid to speak out for themselves, Brenda said.

Meanwhile, Bearden, of Saint Marc, said the restaurant offered to host Brenda Carrillo and her friends as VIP guests this weekend and to donate 10% of the weekends sales to a nonprofit of their choice.

Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter 

The friends declined, but asked that the restaurant donate the share of proceeds to the Orange County Immigrant Youth United, a Santa Ana-based organization that advocates for immigrants living in the country illegally.

Bearden says the restaurant will honor the womens request, and added that the apology posts were deleted because the circumstances have moved on and been resolved internally.

But Brenda and Diana Carrillo say theyre disappointed that the restaurant scrubbed the apologies from their social media accounts.

To us, that makes us feel like they werent really sorry, Brenda said.

christine.mai-duc@latimes.com

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Irvin Tabor, an African American from Louisiana, was the chauffeur and confidant of developer Abbot Kinney, an eccentric cigar magnate who founded the community of Venice.

For years, Tabor and his family lived in a cluster of Craftsman-style bungalows he built in the 600 block of Westminster Avenue in the Oakwood section of town.

On Saturday, about 40 people, including a handful of Tabors descendants, gathered outside the fenced compound to voice concerns that gentrification was destroying the history and character of the ethnically diverse beach community.

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They asserted that the property should be granted landmark status and questioned whether past and present owners had acquired the proper permits from the city and California Coastal Commission to conduct remodels of the bungalows.

Id like to see the property made into a historic monument so the next generations can know the history, said Jataun Valentine of Venice, whose great-great-uncle was Irvin Tabor.

Valentine was surrounded by relatives and other people carrying signs that said, Our history is not for sale, Save our bungalows, Save Tabors first residence and Public trust betrayed.

Tabor bought the property in 1916 with the help of Kinney. Using salvaged materials from the Venice pier boathouse and amusement park, Tabor built the bungalows for his extended family  members of which also went to work for Kinney.

The eight cottages eventually changed hands and were remodeled. With an asking price of $5.8 million, they were sold again recently and are now undergoing extensive renovations of their interiors, roofs, windows and framing.

Robin Rudisill, a community activist and former candidate for Los Angeles City Council, questioned whether the owners of the property had obtained the proper approvals for the remodeling project. She said there were more than 30 permits issued for small jobs, involving foundations, electrical systems, framing and plumbing.

Rudisill contended that the current and previous owners were piecemealing the work instead of securing a construction permit for the entire property, which would have required a public hearing and evaluations of the project by the city.

When the neighbors call to ask the city what is going on, they say that everything is being done correctly, Rudisill said. They know that is wrong.

Coastal Commission officials said Saturday they investigated the situation, and the city agreed that the owner should apply for a local coastal development permit that would be issued by Los Angeles. If approved, the project can be appealed to the commission.

Sue Kaplan, one of the event organizers, said she and others have requested that the city grant historic-cultural monument status to the Tabor property. The designation would provide incentives for preservation, signify the propertys historic importance, reduce taxes, prevent demolition and protect against environmental impacts.

We would like to stop construction and get some answers about what is being done to the property, Kaplan said. The neighborhood has a rich and long history. The city should honor that.

Saturdays gathering at the Tabor property reflects the ongoing concerns of Venice residents that gentrification is threatening the eclectic character of the community by replacing vintage cottages and apartments with larger condo projects and three-story homes.

Rising rents and home prices have resulted, often making it unaffordable for lower-income people to continue to live in the area.

Its been an ongoing battle for some of the residents. They are really concerned about this, said Noaki Schwartz, a Coastal Commission spokeswoman. Weve seen a lot of development in Venice get appealed to the commission because Los Angeles does not have a local coastal program yet.

Local coastal programs are detailed land use plans that city and county governments along the coast must prepare in compliance with the California Coastal Act, which sets the requirements for development, environmental protection, land uses and public access to beaches.

dan.weikel@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @LADeadline16

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For Vivian Flowers, the two men were never on the same historical playing field.

One fought as a general in the Confederate Army. The other, a century later, sought to undo the ramifications of slavery and Jim Crow laws  inequality, poverty, lack of education, to name a few.

So she puzzled over a question when, as a child, she traveled with her family from their Torrance home to visit family in Arkansas for summer and winter vacations: Why did the state honor both Robert E. Lee and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.?

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In a joint holiday. On the same day.

It was just wrong, and as I got older  learned more about history  it was even more wrong to me, says Flowers, now 47 and a Democratic state representative and chairwoman of Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus. This was totally wrong and not right.

Now, the state is set to sever this awkward link.

This month, state lawmakers passed a measure removing Lee from the January state holiday honoring King, the civil rights leader assassinated in 1968.

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who took the unusual step of testifying on the laws behalf before the Legislature, says hell sign it.

Like many Southern states marred by the legacy of slavery and racial segregation, Arkansas has had to balance preserving history with not offending its residents.

In 1947, after similar efforts in other Southern states, Arkansas passed a law creating a January holiday honoring Lees birthday. The vote was, in part, an effort to push back against talk of desegregation and ending Jim Crow laws.

Decades later, in 1983, Congress passed a measure creating a federal holiday for King, also born in January. (Jesse Helms, the archconservative Republican senator from North Carolina, vigorously opposed the holiday and charged that King had collaborated with communists.)

At the time, Arkansas required state employees to choose which of the two days they wanted to take off as a holiday: Kings birthday on Jan. 15 or Lees birthday on Jan. 19.

Then in 1985, Arkansas lawmakers combined the holidays, to be observed on the third Monday in January. Alabama and Mississippi still celebrate both men on the same day.

State Sen. Dave Wallace, a Republican whose district is nearly 75% white and spans portions of Jonesboro, sponsored the legislation to end the dual holiday.

My ancestors fought and died with the Confederacy, he said Saturday. And I believe, truly, its never been right.... You can see and hear it in the pain and voices of the black community.

Wallace says that in recent weeks he has received hate mail from a few people labeling him a traitor. Two years ago, lawmakers tried to pass similar legislation, but it died in a committee.

All we did was something that should have been done years ago, he said. Four or five years from now a small minority of people will still be talking about it.

Indeed, some see the bill as an abandonment of the states past. Before the vote on the House floor, where the bill passed with a 66-11 vote Friday, a handful of lawmakers voiced their discontent.

We are taking Robert E. Lee and we are putting him in the basement and were acting like were embarrassed that he ever existed  Jana Della Rosa, Arkansas state representative

We are not separating Robert E. Lee and Martin Luther King, Republican state Rep. Jana Della Rosa, who opposed the measure, told lawmakers. We are taking Robert E. Lee and we are putting him in the basement and were acting like were embarrassed that he ever existed.

Debate over how states and cities acknowledge their Confederate past has come to the forefront in recent years.

In 2015, following the mass shooting by an avowed white supremacist who killed nine black members of a Charleston, S.C., church, debate renewed over the state flying the Confederate battle flag at the Capitol. Lawmakers voted to remove the flag from the grounds.

In New Orleans that year, after calls from, among others, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and native son and jazz great Wynton Marsalis, the city opted to remove a public statute honoring Lee. The decision had been held up in federal court until this month when the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously cleared the way to remove the monument  along with other Civil War relics.

This win  will allow us to begin to turn a page on our divisive past and chart the course for a more inclusive future, Landrieu said in a statement earlier this month.

For some, the passage of the Arkansas legislation is a step in the right direction, but it did not go far enough.

While it ended the dual holiday, the bill sets aside the second Saturday in October to honor Lee with a memorial day, not a state holiday, marked by a gubernatorial proclamation. (The measure also mandates additional curriculum in Arkansas public schools be dedicated to the civil rights movement and the Civil War.)

Even the bills House sponsor, state Rep. Grant Hodges, a Republican from the northwest corner of the state, agrees its not perfect.

This may not be the perfect solution  [but] it is a solution, he said.

Flowers, who said Saturday that the bills passage was progress for the state, understands why some want to see the holiday remain in place.

I get that there is a Confederate history here, she said. But King and Lee, she added, should not be celebrated together.

kurtis.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @kurtisalee
Leaks to reporters. Supposed wiretaps of Donald Trump during the presidential campaign. Federal court rulings against the ban on travel and refugee resettlement.

For allies of Trump  aides, politicians and right-wing news sites  these are evidence of the existence of a deep state, a secretive, coordinated network inside the government dedicated to undermining the administration.

Asked by reporters recently whether the deep state exists, Sean Spicer, the presidents press secretary, offered this observation: I dont think it should come as any surprise that there are people burrowed into government during eight years of the last administration and may have believed in that agenda and want to continue to seek it.

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But whether it goes beyond that is a topic of debate. Heres some background on the deep state:

For starters, what does the term mean?

The Oxford dictionary defines a deep state like this: A body of people, typically influential members of government agencies or the military, believed to be involved in the secret manipulation or control of government policy.

Where are the origins of the deep state?

After the Ottoman Empire fell and Kemal Ataturk became the first leader of modern Turkey, he installed loyalists to uphold his ideal of secular nationalism.

They became known as derin devlet  deep state.

The idea has persisted to this day, with the Turkish military playing a key role in protecting Ataturks founding principles and intervening when governments try to challenge them.

In Turkey, its an alleged coalition of military officers, intelligence operatives, organized crime figures, journalists, academics and business people, said Steven A. Cook, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and an expert on Turkish politics. The deep state is taken as a fact in Turkey, though no one has ever provided hard evidence of its existence.

But to many Turks, it is plain to see. Since 1960, the military has seized power in Turkey four times to guard the values of the Turkish republic, experts say.

To the current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom critics accuse of eroding the countrys secular traditions, last years failed coup was the work of the deep state.

Does this notion exist in other countries?

Yes.

In Pakistan, citizens often accuse the powerful Inter-Service Intelligence agency of controlling the countrys deep state.

And in Egypt, many blame a deep state dominated by the military for the 2013 coup against Mohamed Morsi. Morsi was elected after the 2011 ousting of Hosni Mubarak, who had held office for 30 years and was known for having ties to the deep state.

What have Trumps allies said about a deep state?

Quite a lot, actually.

Breitbart News, which Trump senior advisor Stephen K. Bannon once oversaw, has published several pieces in recent weeks alleging that a deep state exists in America.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Trump supporter throughout last years presidential campaign, told the Associated Press recently that a deep state definitely exists.

Theres a permanent state of massive bureaucracies that do whatever they want and set up deliberate leaks to attack the president, he said. This is what the deep state does: They create a lie, spread a lie, fail to check the lie and then deny they were behind the lie.

Fox News host Sean Hannity, a friend of Trump, opened a show recently by claiming there are deep-state Obama holdovers embedded like barnacles in the federal bureaucracy  hell-bent on destroying President Trump.

So, is there actually a deep state in America?

Probably not.

What the current administration believes to be the American deep state seems to be little more than the time-honored practice of leaking information to journalists in Washington, Cook said.

There may be more leaks now because there are a lot of civil servants who apparently disagree with this administration, he said. There is no evidence of a cabal intent on overthrowing the administration.

Trumps recent setbacks are not an orchestrated attempt to overthrow him, but a natural part of governments checks and balances, experts say.

In other cases, Trump himself appears to have created the evidence used to propagate the idea of a deep state.

He alleged that President Obama had tapped his phones inside Trump Tower, a claim rejected by a bipartisan Senate intelligence panel and a variety of other officials.

Nathan J. Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, says the pushback against Trump from within the government does not seem like a coordinated effort.

Yes, there is some institutional resistance to the Trump presidency, Brown said. But applying the concept of a deep state seems to be based more on paranoia than on political reality.

And yet conservatives arent the only ones alleging theres a deep state.

In early January, when a dossier emerged suggesting that Russian officials had compromising information about Trump, investigative reporter Glenn Greenwald tied it to the deep state.

The document was produced by Trump opponents, and nearly all of its contents remain unsubstantiated.

The Deep State unleashed its tawdriest and most aggressive assault yet on Trump: vesting credibility in and then causing the public disclosure of a completely unvetted and unverified document, Greenwald wrote.

Democrats had openly embraced and celebrated what was, so plainly, an attempt by the Deep State to sabotage an elected official who had defied it: ironically, its own form of blackmail, he wrote.

Have past administrations talked about a deep state?

Not in the same way as the Trump administration, but some have offered hints.

In his farewell address in 1961, President Eisenhower famously warned about the unwarranted influence of the military-industrial complex, a term that he never clearly defined but that conspiracy theorists latched onto.

Deep-state conspiracies emerged about the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy, but they have been largely debunked.

And some allies to President Nixon  who resigned in August 1974 because of the Watergate scandal  alluded to the deep state as the root of his downfall. Nixon, like Trump, had a fractious relationship with the press, calling it the enemy.

kurtis.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @kurtisalee

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Not long after Bill Gaines began working to rebuild the population of grizzly bears in the North Cascade mountains, he and others decided to investigate how many there once were and why so few remained.

What they learned, in the archives of the Hudsons Bay Company, which trapped and traded grizzly and other furs in the Northwest for decades, was startling: Over the course of about 15 years in the middle of the 19th century, more than 4,000 grizzly pelts were processed at four trappers forts in the North Cascades, which extend from east of Seattle to the Canadian border.

Later, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency now charged with protecting the bears, paid trappers to remove grizzlies and other carnivores. And hunting grizzlies for sport was legal until 1967, eight years before they were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

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What weve been dealing with since then is just a small relic population that probably has been slowly declining over the years, Gaines said recently.

With fewer than 10 believed to remain in the North Cascades, Gaines, who spent 27 years as a wildlife biologist with the National Forest Service in the region, eventually set out to try to find them.

Early this decade, he and others began building what eventually became more than 600 hair snares in some of the most remote but grizzly-friendly regions of the North Cascades.

The idea was to capture grizzly fur at barbed wire corrals set up around an irresistible goo of salmon and congealed roadkill. It was rugged and exhausting work. Smelly too. It also confirmed how great the challenge of restoring grizzlies could be.

We got about 700 samples of black bear hair, Gaines said. We didnt get a single grizzly bear hair.

Now, three decades after he began, Gaines is still trying to help grizzlies recover. And although he left the Forest Service a few years ago, the effort to which he and a few other state and federal employees have devoted themselves since the 1980s is expected to finally reach a firm decision as soon as next year on what, precisely, should be done to help save grizzlies in the North Cascades.

The possibilities, outlined in a draft environmental impact statement that is open for public review, range widely.

Wildlife officials could decide to transfer bears to the region from other places at a relatively rapid rate, with the goal of reaching a population of 200 in as few as 25 years. Or they could move much more slowly, reaching 200 bears 60 to 100 years after beginning a transfer program.

Or they could do nothing at all, simply leaving in place current efforts to protect habitat with the hope that grizzlies will essentially recover on their own  a notion Gaines and others say is unlikely.

The plodding process has long stirred division. Environmental groups advocate transferring bears. Ranchers and other residents of rural areas often oppose that idea out of concern for livestock and human safety.

Though tension is standard in debates over predator preservation, the long-simmering grizzly issue faces an extra wrinkle: the unexpected presidency of Donald Trump and the array of questions it has raised about the management of public lands in the West. Almost all of the designated grizzly recovery area in the North Cascades is federal land.

President Trump appointed Ryan Zinke, a former Montana congressman who calls himself a Teddy Roosevelt conservationist, as Interior secretary. As president, Roosevelt liked to hunt grizzly bears, but he also set aside millions of acres as public land to help protect them, and he wrote that fears of grizzlies were exaggerated.

Trump has yet to appoint a director for the Fish and Wildlife Service or National Park Service, the two agencies that would lead the grizzly effort.

Meanwhile, the period in which the public can comment on the various proposals, scheduled to end last week, has been extended until April 28. The extension was announced Monday, shortly after an unusual development.

Matthew Inman, a cartoonist who runs the popular website theoatmeal.com and a supporter of grizzly restoration, posted a message on the site and on Twitter, where he has more than half a million followers, asking for 50,000 people to comment on the proposals on the National Park Service website. Inman, who lives in Seattle, said on his site that he has donated at least $25,000 to groups supporting grizzly restoration.

His social media campaign has had an impact. By Friday, the number of public comments on grizzly restoration had soared to 116,000. A week earlier, it had been 7,000.

Jack Oelfke, the chief of natural and cultural resources for North Cascades National Park, said the surge was striking and can give a sense of some of the public sentiment. But he and others emphasized that public comments on delicate environmental decisions are not a vote. The idea, he said, is to get substantive comments that offer fresh insight or concerns.

Grizzly bears have been successfully relocated into some areas, and their dramatically increased population in and around Yellowstone National Park  about 700 bears  has prompted the government to propose removing them from protection under the Endangered Species Act there.

But Oelfke said the effort in the North Cascades had lacked momentum and money for several years until it became a priority of two appointees of President Obama  Jonathan Jarvis, the director of the National Park Service, and Dan Ashe, the director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, both of whom left their jobs in January.

They were supportive of getting this going, Oelfke said.

He and Gaines both declined to speculate on how the change in administration might affect the effort now.

Gaines noted that the effort to protect grizzlies has survived administrations of varying political stripes. He suggesting worrying less about politics than the big picture. Grizzlies, he said, once ranged far beyond the relatively small pockets where they still exist.

A lot of the isolation we see now is that bears are still hanging out in places people didnt quite get to, he said. Weve developed all around them, and it sort of leaves this island situation.

Now, he said, theres this idea of taking an ecosystem and putting the pieces back together. There are many places in the Lower 48 where thats not an option, where we dont have enough land in public ownership thats wild enough to even consider doing that.

Outside of the Rocky Mountains, we really dont have that option anywhere but the North Cascades. So the question is, do we have the desire to have this species in a variety of places throughout their historic range?

william.yardley@latimes.com

@yardleyLAT

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The 9th Circuit  the largest and most important of the 13 federal court circuits in the country, encompassing 11 Western states and territories and covering nearly 20% of the U.S. population  is under siege. Four Republican congressmen have introduced bills to break up the circuit in various ways. All four bills have a chance of passing. None of them makes any sense.

The arguments for splitting the U.S. Courts for the 9th Circuit are perennial: Its too big, too slow and, most of all, too liberal. But none of these complaints is sound. Moreover, breaking up the court would add considerable costs while potentially lowering the quality of judging.

Most of the justifications offered for splitting the 9th Circuit have to do with its size, and it does indeed hear a lot of cases  more than 55,000 civil and criminal cases in its district courts in 2015 alone, along with 12,000 appeals in its appellate court.

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Big doesnt always mean bad, however. The 9th Circuit may do a lot, but its pretty efficient. The circuit has pioneered mediation units and screening panels to help solve cases early, and it disposes of nearly half its appeals that way. It methodically allocates resources, assigning extra judges to areas faced with a shortage. The appellate court broadcasts arguments on the Web, allowing citizens to watch proceedings without traveling to a courthouse. The 9th Circuit doesnt handle cases any more slowly than other circuits if you account for the number of cases assigned to each judge.

If Congress really wants to speed up the 9th Circuit and influence the way it decides precedent-setting cases, it should create more judgeships.

Another common rationale for carving up the circuit is its supposedly high reversal rate in the Supreme Court, which last year hit 79%. That sounds high until you realize the Supreme Court on average reverses lower-court decisions 70% of the time. (The 6th Circuit, comprising just four Midwestern states, had a reversal rate of 81%.) The 9th Circuit also encompasses some of the most experimental states in the country, including Arizona, which frequently passes innovative immigration laws; Oregon, with its expansive individual-rights laws on assisted suicide and marijuana; and, of course, California. If anything, its surprising the Supreme Court doesnt reverse decisions from the 9th Circuit more often.

The real cause behind the efforts to split the circuit is that its appellate court is perceived as too liberal. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in San Francisco, has been a conservative bugaboo since the 1970s, when President Carter and a Democratic supermajority in Congress doubled the number of judges on the court and appointed some of the most liberal jurists in American history. Right-wing radio hosts and politicians love beating up on the nutty 9th.

But in reality, the courts liberalism has declined dramatically. Judges appointed to the court by Presidents Clinton and Obama have been steadily more centrist, while Republican appointees have remained conservative.

Meanwhile, the real-world costs of splitting the 9th Circuit are extremely high. So high that every prior effort to split the circuit  there have been seven or eight attempts since the early 1990s  has failed. Division would double the bureaucracy and infrastructure to the tune of some $200 million up front and $35 million a year for taxpayers. Businesses could face twice the litigation and compliance costs depending on where they operate, and they might have to wrangle with different interpretations of federal law throughout the West. This is one reason why Congress has modified circuit borders only twice, in the 1920s and the 1980s, in response to requests from judges. By contrast, the 9th Circuits judges have historically voted to remain cohesive.

If lightening the caseload is the reason to break up the circuit, there is simply no good way to achieve that goal. California cases make up nearly two-thirds of the circuits work, and drawing a line in the middle of a state with different federal law on either side would wreak havoc. Each of the pending congressional proposals to split the circuit would siphon only 20% to 30% of its current cases, a figure so small that one of the new circuits would be back up to the 9th Circuits current numbers within a decade or so. Not to mention that putting California in its own circuit, or with just a few other states, would probably create one that is even more liberal.

Additionally, the quality of appellate judging might suffer from a smaller circuit. When the same judges sit together over and over, they become very familiar, which can foster discord or, worse, an over-willingness to defer to one another. Indeed, Congress would do well to consider merging some of the smaller circuits, rather than breaking up a bigger one.

On the 9th Circuit, the Court of Appeals assigns its three-judge appellate panels randomly from its scores of active, senior and visiting judges. The circuits geographic spread means a case arising out of California might be heard by judges from Idaho, Hawaii or Washington, allowing for a great variety of perspectives to inform the courts judgment. The judges sit in different frequencies and in different months. Their relationships are professional rather than personal, in part because of their number and distance.

Shifting the circuits borders around wont change the overall number of cases per judge or the way its judges decide legal questions, either. There are liberal judges from Montana and Arizona, and there are conservative judges from California and Oregon. If Congress really wants to speed up the 9th Circuit and influence the way it decides precedent-setting cases, it should create more judgeships. Compared with the other circuits, the 9th is understaffed; it should have at least five more appellate judgeships and 21 more district judgeships.

Adding judges might be particularly alluring to Republicans because it would allow them to make use of the gift former Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid now regrets giving them  the ability to appoint federal judges without the risk of a filibuster.

The last time a party controlled the White House and had filibuster-proof power to appoint federal judges was in the 1970s, when Carter gave the 9th Circuit its hyper-liberal reputation. If congressional Republicans took this route, they could shift the courts political leanings without creating problems for litigants and businesses along the West Coast.

There is one final advantage to keeping the 9th Circuit intact: Republicans would retain their favorite culprit. After all, what would they do without the nutty 9th to blame?

Ben Feuer is the chairman of the California Appellate Law Group.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
When President Trump said millions voted illegally in November, he joined an old American battle. The fight over who can vote in the United States goes back more than two centuries, with one group after another demanding to participate in our democracy, and the Supreme Court often playing referee. This history puts voting rights at the center of this weeks confirmation hearings for Neil M. Gorsuch, Trumps nominee to fill the ninth seat on the high court. The next justices pen, not the presidents tweets, could redefine your right to vote.

Nonetheless, Trump has raised the stakes over voting rights. He insists not just that he won the popular vote (he didnt) but that 3 million people voted illegally in California, Virginia and New Hampshire. That assertion is nonsense. Democratic and Republican election officials confirm that voter fraud is almost nonexistent, and Trumps own lawyers agree the 2016 election was fair. But even cartoonish claims may have big consequences. Vice President Mike Pence has been tapped to investigate Trumps charges. National legislation to curb voting rights  in the guise of protecting the franchise  could follow.

In the earliest days of the republic, expanding the right to vote was all about who owned what. At first, only white men with property could cast a ballot. Amid the idealism of the American Revolution, that rule came under pressure. Benjamin Franklin led the fight in Pennsylvania in 1776. Said Franklin: Today a man owns a jackass worth fifty dollars and he is entitled to vote; but before the next election the jackass dies. Thus the man cannot vote. Now gentlemen, pray inform me, in whom is the right of suffrage? In the man or in the jackass?

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At every step, nativists and reactionaries fought to keep others from voting.

Up in Boston, John Adams was aghast at Franklins push to repeal the property requirement. Soon, he wrote, women, 18-year-olds and every man, who has not a farthing, will demand an equal voice with any other in all acts of state.

There will be no end of it, Adams warned.

But Franklins view eventually prevailed. The property requirement was eliminated during the era of Andrew Jackson. (Its interesting to note, given todays politics, that it was angry white working-class men who won the first voting-rights victory.)

Next black men won the vote, in part due to their military service in the Civil War. On April 11, 1865, speaking from a second-floor window at the White House, Abraham Lincoln announced that he had decided to back voting rights for some African Americans. John Wilkes Booth was in the audience. That will be the last speech he will ever make, Booth told a companion. He shot Lincoln three days later. Once the 15th Amendment guaranteed the right to vote regardless of race, hundreds of black men served in leadership roles as governors, senators, in Congress and in legislatures. But the Jim Crow backlash revoked the right.

Then women prevailed in a drive as contentious as any in our history. A key moment came with a massive womens march in Washington  this time, the day before a presidential inaugural, in 1913. (No pink pussy hats were in evidence.) When thousands of drunk men attacked the marchers, a national scandal ensued, and public opinion swung toward suffrage. The 19th Amendment came seven years later after nonstop protest.

The greatest breakthrough of all came in the wake of the turbulent 1960s, when the civil rights movement first won passage of the Voting Rights Act, and states enacted constitutional amendments to end poll taxes and to lower the voting age to 18.

At every step, nativists and reactionaries fought to keep others from voting. That was a main goal of the anti-immigrant Know Nothing Party in the 1850s and the segregationists a century ago. In 1920, as cities grew in population, Congress simply refused to reapportion seats, hoping to dilute the scary new urban vote. Yes, its been ugly.

At times the Supreme Court stepped in. For example, the famous one person, one vote decisions in the 1960s required the redrawing of legislative lines all over the country. But mostly, it was citizens in the streets, not lawyers in the courts, who expanded voting rights.

Now were in the middle of the latest drive to suppress the vote. The electorate is narrowly divided. The upheaval of demographic change  with rising minority populations and voting rates  adds to the pressure. Conservative partisans realize they can eke out an advantage by changing voting rules. Since 2011, dozens of new state laws have been passed by legislatures trying to make it harder to vote. The laws range from curbing early voting to limiting registration drives to implementing strict voter ID rules. Studies show that such changes create obstacles for younger voters, poorer voters and voters of color.

This time, though, courts have stepped in. Judges across the country  Republican and Democratic, federal and state  have protected a more expansive right to vote. Federal judges blocked a Texas photo ID law that research showed would have disenfranchised 608,000 registered voters. In North Carolina, a unanimous appeals court panel ruled the states 2013 voting restrictions had been written to target African Americans with almost surgical precision. The renowned conservative jurist Richard Posner, who once wrote a foundational ruling upholding a restrictive ID law, now decries such measures as voter suppression. With striking consensus, the lower courts have come to agree.

Next it will be the Supreme Courts turn to speak. Theres reason to worry. In 2013, in its Shelby County vs. Holder ruling, the justices gutted the Voting Rights Act by no longer requiring states with a history of discrimination to preclear their voting rules with the Justice Department or federal judges. This year, they will decide whether Wisconsins electoral map is an impermissible gerrymander designed to benefit the Republican Party. In other cases, the justices may rule on whats left of the Voting Rights Act and other statutes. Decisions could ultimately spell out out how strong the constitutional standards are that protect the right to vote. If Trumps tirades and Pences probe lead to federal voting restrictions, those too may end up before the high court.

Gorsuch has not ruled on voting issues. That only makes it more important that his confirmation hearings test his willingness to stand up for this most basic of American rights. With the White House, Congress and state governments largely in the hands of one party, courts must do more to provide checks and balances against partisan abuse.

John Adams was right: There is no end of it. When it comes to voting rights, instead of quiet, we should expect storms. And we should require that presidents  and the justices they nominate  stand strong for democracy.

Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, is the author of The Fight to Vote. @BrennanCenter

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook

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Confirming President Trumps nominee for the Supreme Court was expected to be one of the biggest battles of the year, but something happened on the way to the committee hearing room to make it a relatively muted one  at least so far.

Ad campaigns have been minimal. Protesters are at bay. And then there is Judge Neil Gorsuch himself, the silver-haired 10th Circuit appellate justice whose professional courtesy and grounded Western roots have made him a tough target for opponents to attack.

Expect that to change on Monday when the Senate Judiciary Committee launches four days of hearings to determine whether Gorsuch will win the votes needed for confirmation.

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Democrats have been waiting for this moment to unleash their skepticism of Gorsuch as a proxy battle against Trump, whose administration they say makes an independent judiciary more important than ever.

Trumps criticisms of the judicial branch, his ethnicity-based attack on a Latino judge and his willingness to push legal bounds with two travel bans now blocked by courts raise the stakes for a high court seat that will help serve as a final check on the administrations policies, they say.

Judge Gorsuch has a special responsibility to reassure the American people that he will be an open-minded and independent jurist, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a former U.S. attorney.

Democrats have spent the past month engaging Trump on other fronts  over his plans to repeal Obamacare and his associates ties with Russia.

How the Senates once-revered traditions are falling victim to partisan divide 

But as the hearings begin, so will the battle. Outside groups are planning to flood the phone lines at Senate offices, much as they did during the confirmation votes for Trumps cabinet nominees. Others are scrutinizing Gorsuchs record, particularly on abortion rights, gay marriage and Obamas immigration orders that that have been pivotal for the court.

Opponents will be making the case that Gorsuch often has sided with big moneyed interests over ordinary Americans, and they will be highlighting his longtime association with Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz.

Judge Gorsuch may act like a neutral, calm judge, but his record and his career clearly show that he harbors a right-wing, pro-corporate special-interest agenda, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said at a news conference. He expresses a lot of empathy and sympathy for the less powerful, but when it comes time to rule, when the chips are down, far too often he sides with the powerful few over everyday Americans trying to just get a fair shake. Weve seen that play out time and time again.

Confirmation fights often diverge from routine partisan skirmishes because traditionally many senators are inclined to support a presidents nominee, regardless of party, as long as the choice is competent and qualified.

But this Supreme Court battle took on an unusually partisan edge after the seat became vacant last February with Justice Antonin Scalias death.

In a stunning move, Senate Republicans refused to consider Obamas choice for the court, Merrick Garland, blocking his hearings and confirmation vote so the next president could fill the seat. That left the court operating with a vacancy for most of 2016, as it has since.

Democrats vowed to retaliate with their own hardball tactics after Trump won the White House.

So far, though, things have been running largely in favor of Gorsuch as outside groups, including the conservative Judicial Crisis Network, poured $4 million into ads supporting the presidents pick.

Gorsuchs conservative views have been compared to those of Scalia, but he presents himself as a more mild-mannered, amiable contemporary.

With Republicans holding 52 seats in the Senate, Gorsuch will need to scoop up eight Democratic votes to reach the traditional 60-vote threshold for confirmation.

Anyone seriously reviewing the judges record finds that he is a fair and independent judge, Carrie Severino, chief counsel at Judicial Crisis Network, said in a statement. Judge Gorsuchs mainstream approach to the law has earned him widespread bipartisan support from conservatives and liberals, as well as from his colleagues and former Obama administration officials.

It remains to be seen how far Democrats will go in opposing Gorsuch. They have been concerned that if they block him with a filibuster, Republicans might invoke the so-called nuclear option to change Senate rules and lower the threshold to allow confirmation with a simple 51-vote majority.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised that Trumps nominee will be confirmed, all but acknowledging his willingness to go nuclear, if needed. Democrats worry about the precedent that would set for future court vacancies.

Liberal groups, though, have pressured Democrats to focus their attention on the Gorsuch battle, not future ones, and some Senate Democrats appear more willing to do so.

lisa.mascaro@latimes.com

@LisaMascaro

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For all of the unprecedented elements of President Trumps federal budget plans, theres an item buried in the list of detailed spending cuts that has a familiar, contentious political legacy in California.

Trump has proposed canceling federal government subsidies to states that house prisoners and inmates who are in the U.S. illegally. Hes not the first president to try it, and undoubtedly will get an earful from states like California.

For sheer bravado, the award for defending that subsidy probably goes to former Gov. Pete Wilson. In a letter sent to federal officials in 1995, two days after Christmas, Wilson threatened to drop off one of the states undocumented prisoners  in shackles, no less  on the doorstep of a federal jail. (He never actually did it.)

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The intent of federal law is unequivocal, Wilson wrote about the subsidy program. The federal government must either reimburse the state at a fair rate for the incarceration of any undocumented inmate which it identifies or take the burden of incarceration off the states hands.

Wilson had won a second term the year before, with a blistering campaign attacking illegal immigration. His time in office was also marked by persistent state budget problems, and the money mattered. The state never got as much as it wanted, though, and years of squabbles followed over the fate of the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, established as part of the sweeping immigration reforms of 1986.

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger did his fair share of complaining about skimpy SCAAP funding. In 2005, he and a bipartisan group of western U.S. governors demanded a boost in the program to a total of $850 million. That didnt happen.

The past two presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, offered their own proposals to cancel the program. Trumps budget scores the possible savings at $210 million. His budget blueprint lampoons SCAAP as poorly targeted, and describes it as a program in which two-thirds of the funding primarily reimburses four states for housing felons who lack legal immigration status.

Want to take a guess which state gets the most? OK, thats an easy one.

Californias state government received $44.1 million in the 2015 federal budget year, according to Justice Department data. Add to that another $12.8 million that was paid directly to California counties, with the largest local subsidy being the $3 million paid to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

More than one-third of the entire program went to California. No other states share was even close. A win on this issue for the president would be particularly bitter for the state, where political animosity toward Trump is widespread.

Political Road Map: Theres a $368 billion reason that California depends on Washington 

In Gov. Jerry Browns budget unveiled last month, he assumed $50.6 million in federal help for prison costs related to felons in the U.S. illegally. A budget spokesman for Brown said the governor will ask for help from the states congressional delegation in saving the program. Still, its safe to say the estimate is now in doubt.

Roll back the clock, though, and take a look at how this political debate has changed. Wilsons legacy on illegal immigration cast a long shadow as candidate Trump promised to go after bad hombres who are illegally in the country. The presidents official plan, by most estimates, would go even further.

When President Obama tried to nix the subsidy, conservatives warned it would endanger public safety. So far, few are making the same case now that its coming from Trump  a curious development, given Californias most famous illegal immigration critic once insisted the program was essential.

john.myers@latimes.com

Follow @johnmyers on Twitter, sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter and listen to the weekly California Politics Podcast

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Construction on a new Metrolink station just north of the Hollywood Burbank Airport is set to start on Tuesday, giving passengers from the Antelope Valley rail access to the local airfield.

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials broke ground on the site, located at San Fernando Road and Hollywood Way, in June 2013, and the station was expected to be completed in 2015. However, lack of funding at the time delayed the project until funds could be secured, said Scott Johnson, a Metrolink spokesman.

The $15-million project will be the newest Metrolink station on its Antelope Valley Line and is expected to be completed by spring 2018, according to a statement from Metro.

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There is currently a Metrolink station south of Hollywood Burbank Airport on Empire Avenue, which serves the agencys Ventura County Line.

Metro is contributing $12.3 million to the project, while the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, which owns the airfield, is providing the remaining $2.7 million.

Former L.A. County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich had lined up funding to move forward with construction of the new station in 2012. However, Metro could not obtain the needed money to build the facility until recently, Johnson said.

The new station will complement the 30 weekday trains Metrolink offers on the Antelope Valley Line and the 12 trains it has on weekends, Johnson said.

--

Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio
TRAVEL

Presentation

Kai Lawson will discuss how to use travel as a tool for healing grief.

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Monday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena.

Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220.

YOSEMITE

Workshop

REI experts will talk about routes, gear and training needed to hike Half Dome.

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When, where: 7 p.m. Tuesday at the REI store in Woodland Hills, 6220 Topanga Canyon Blvd.

Admission, info: Free. (818) 703-5300

JOSHUA TREE

Day hike

Learn about Joshua Trees gold-mining history on a moderate 4-mile round-trip hike to Lost Horse Mine.

When, where: 8 a.m. Saturday, Joshua Tree Visitor Center.

Admission, info: $45. (760) 367-5535

GALAPAGOS, ECUADOR AND COLOMBIA

Presentation

Diana Trombley will discuss the Galapagos Islands, a rainforest resort in Ecuador, the Colombian cities of Bogota and Cartagena, and the Rosario Islands off the coast.

When, where: Noon, March 26 at El Floridita Restaurant, 1253 N. Vine St., No. 3, Hollywood.

Admission, info: $22.50 for lunch and program. Hosted by the Network for Travel Club. RSVP to Odette Ricasa at (323) 578-3601.

Please email announcements at least three weeks before the event to travel@latimes.com.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson capped his Asia trip Sunday on a note of collaboration as leaders tried to reset the tense, uncertain relationship between China and the new Trump administration.

President Xi Jinping called talks with Tillerson productive and said he believes ties can move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era.

Tillerson met Xi at the conclusion of his six-day Asia tour, where he sought to pressure China on North Koreas nuclear ambitions and defuse one of the biggest security threats facing the Trump administration.

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He told Xi, during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square, that President Trump places a very high value on the communications that have already occurred between the two leaders and looks forward to enhanced understanding with a potential future visit.

But in a sign of the challenges that remain, hours before the discussion, North Korea defiantly announced it had tested a rocket engine that its state media said had historic significance.

The test came a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pushed back against a stronger U.S. line on North Korea and reiterated the countrys desire for talks.

A Chinese paramilitary police officer stands guard in front of the plane U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson boarded at the airport in Beijing on Sunday. (Thomas Peter / Associated Press)

Xi emphasized to Tillerson the need for more coordination on regional hotspots, according to a statement from Chinas Foreign Ministry.

On Thursday in Tokyo, Tillerson called for a new approach to dealing with North Korea. The next day in Seoul, he declared all options on the table, including a military strike.

By Saturday in Beijing, he softened his tone and spoke of working with countries to bring North Korea to a place we can begin a dialogue.

China, as North Koreas largest trading partner and only major ally, holds the greatest leverage over its reclusive neighbor. But Beijing has refused to cripple the countrys economy out of fears of a refugee flood across the border and the loss of a buffer zone between South Korea and U.S. troops stationed there.

It has been a very positive relationship built on nonconfrontation, no conflict, mutual respect and always searching for win-win solutions.  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

Tillersons visit  the first on Chinese soil by a high-level official under Trump  gave little indication of the new administrations policies toward a country the president attacked throughout his campaign.

It has been a very positive relationship built on nonconfrontation, no conflict, mutual respect and always searching for win-win solutions, Tillerson said Saturday, echoing Xis comments at a 2014 meeting with President Obama.

But expectations for the visit were relatively low.

The willingness to deliver on both sides is quite limited, said Shi Yinhong, director of the Center for American Studies at Renmin University in Beijing. Words are cheap.

A State Department spokesman suggested the half-hour meeting between Xi and Tillerson touched on disagreements. Both President Xi and Secretary Tillerson agreed there are opportunities for greater cooperation between China and the United States, the spokesman, Mark Toner, said, but acknowledged there are, and will be in the future, differences between the two countries.

The meetings were almost more telling in what wasnt discussed  at least not publicly.

Trump, during his campaign, branded China a currency manipulator, accused it of raping the U.S., and pledged steep tariffs. Now that nation, in the face of an increasingly protectionist America, has arisen as a leading proponent of global trade.

A day before the arrival of Tillerson, the former chief executive of Exxon Mobil, the Saudi Arabian king and his thousand-person entourage signed $65 billion worth of economic and trade deals with China.

And in the same compound on Saturday as Tillersons meetings with Chinese officials, Apple CEO Tim Cook gave a resounding endorsement of globalization.

Tillerson also made no mention of climate change, a priority in the partnership between China and the previous administration. Obama and Xi last year committed the worlds two largest economies to a Paris climate deal intended to reduce greenhouse gases. Trump has threatened to pull out of it. His budget proposal lacks funding for domestic and international global warming efforts.

Just months ago, China and the United States were unified as leaders of the pack combating global climate change, Annie Leonard, executive director of Greenpeace USA, said in a statement. China has since far surpassed its previous climate ally, leaving the United States woefully behind the rest of the world.

Tillerson did bring up human rights, surprising some analysts, who didnt view the issue as a priority for the administration despite Xis widespread crackdown on human rights activists and lawyers.

This month, Tillerson abandoned precedent and skipped the launch of an annual human rights report that detailed Chinese abuses. And hes threatened to pull the U.S. out of the United Nations Human Rights Council unless it undergoes reform.

Tillerson broke with decades of tradition by allowing only one reporter from a conservative outlet to accompany him on his trip, a move that triggered concerns about the message it sends to China about press freedoms. The State Department said the decision was prompted by a desire to save money, although news organizations pay their own way on such trips.

Tillerson laid the foundation for a Florida summit between Xi and Trump in early April, where the two will probably iron out policies in greater detail.

Officials also discussed the recent deployment of a U.S. antiballistic missile system in South Korea; Chinas controversial claims to the South China Sea; and Taiwan, which Beijing views as its territory.

Trump initially suggested using Taiwan as a bargaining chip in the relationship with China. But he has since backed down and affirmed long-standing U.S. policy that the democratic island is part of a united China  a major victory for the Communist nation, which considers the issue unassailable.

Tillerson needed to undo the damage that was done during the campaign and the first days of the administration, said Susan Shirk, chair of the 21st Century China Center at UC San Diego and a former deputy assistant secretary of State under the Clinton administration. The great uncertainties are what the U.S. position actually is.

Meyers is a special correspondent. Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson in Washington contributed to this report.

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UPDATES:

12:55 p.m.: This article has been updated with comment from the State Department.

This article was originally posted at 8 a.m.
One of Frances main airports was evacuated and flights disrupted for hours Saturday after a man wrestled a soldier to the ground and snatched her automatic rifle, telling her colleagues there will be deaths.

The 39-year-old assailant, identified by authorities as Ziyed Ben Belgacem, was known to Frances intelligence services as a possible Islamist extremist.

Hours before the airport attack, he wounded a police officer with a 9-millimeter lead-shot pistol during a traffic stop and later opened fire in a bar without hitting anyone, Francois Molins, the Paris prosecutor, said at an evening news conference.

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Belgacem arrived at Orly Airport, south of Paris, at 8:06 a.m. and walked to Hall A on the first floor of the southern terminal, Molins said.

At 8.22 a.m., Molins said, Belgacem grabbed a female soldier who was patrolling the terminal from behind and put his gun to her head. He dragged her backward and ordered her two male colleagues to drop their weapons and raise their hands, telling them, I am here to die for Allah. In any case, there will be deaths.

As the woman, a reservist, fought back, Belgacem dragged her to the ground and tried to wrestle her assault rifle from her. The weapon passed back and forth between them. As he finally wrested the gun from the soldier, she dropped down, allowing her colleagues to shoot him dead.

Police evacuated the airport to search for explosives, and air traffic was paralyzed for several hours.

A total of 178 departures and arrivals were canceled out of 476 scheduled flights, and 34 flights were rerouted to other airports, according to airport authorities. The incident disrupted the travel plans of 5,000 to 6,000 passengers.

Authorities said air traffic would not return to normal before Sunday morning.

Molins told reporters that a container filled with petrol was found in the dead mans backpack, along with a Koran, some cigarettes and a lighter.

Belgacems father, brother and a cousin were taken in for questioning, Molins said.

Belgacem had nine criminal convictions for drug dealing, armed robbery, theft and handling stolen goods. He had been in prison a total of four times, including several months last year, and was subject to a control judiciare, meaning he was barred from leaving the country.

He was flagged to the intelligence services as a possible Islamist extremist after he was radicalized in prison from 2011 to 2012, Molins said.

Before the airport attack, the prosecutor said, Belgacem was stopped for speeding in a northern suburb of Paris. Ordered to produce his identity papers, he pulled out his lead-shot pistol and fired at the officers, wounding one in the face.

He then fled in his car and called an unidentified member of his family to say, Ive done something stupid, the prosecutor said.

Belgacem later showed up at the bar and hijacked another car at gunpoint before showing up at the airport, Molins said.

France remains under a state of emergency after a series of deadly attacks over the last two years.

French President Francois Hollande said investigators will determine whether Saturdays attacker had a terrorist plot behind him. He hailed the professionalism and courage of the soldiers at the airport.

Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said it was the fourth time that soldiers from Operation Sentinelle, the security operation set up after three assailants killed 17 people over three days in Greater Paris in January 2015, had come under direct attack.

Willsher is a special correspondent.

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UPDATES:

5:30 p.m.: Updated with staff reporting.

1:20 p.m.: Updated with comments from Paris prosecutor Francois Molins.

9:05 a.m.: Updated with comments from the French defense minister and accounts from witnesses.

6:37 a.m.: Updated with details about suspect.

4:50 a.m.: Updated with the attackers father and brother in custody.

4 a.m.: Updates with officials linking the airport attack and the earlier carjacking.

3:30 a.m.: Updated with details on a shooting earlier Saturday.

2:55 a.m.: Updated with quotes from witnesses.

2:35 a.m.: Updated with the entire airport being evacuated and flights being diverted.

2:15 a.m.: Updated with details on the scene.

This article was first published at 1:45 a.m.
All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced.  19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc.
An enormous young planet that is approximately 300 light-years from Earth has given astrophysicists a rare glimpse into planetary evolution. Scientists hope that the newly discovered HD 106906b planet will reveal insights into how planets evolve.

According to Astrobiology Magazine, the new planet, known as HD 106906b was discovered in 2014 by the scientists from U.S, the Netherlands, and Italy. It is 11 times the mass of Jupiter and is extremely young by celestial standards. The celestial body of the planet is not more than 13 million years old, compared with our solar system's 4.6 billion years.

Astronomers have stated that they have a snapshot of a baby star that just formed the planetary system. The study was conducted by UCLA assistant professor of physics and astronomy, and a co-author of the study.

Scientists believe that outside of our solar system the vast majority of planets exist inside a vast dusty risk that is relatively close to the center of the solar system. But HD 106906b is far beyond of solar system's disk. The planet is currently at least 650 times as far from its star as the Earth is from our sun.

The research was continued and published online in the Astrophysical journals Letters. The report suggests that the planet outside the disk, as opposed to having been formed inside the debris disk and then having being trust far beyond it, reported by NASA.

The debris risks are composed of gas, dust, and ice and that play a key role in the formation of the planets. Scientists reported that the planes form after a gas cloud collapse due to its own gravity. The dust and debris around the young star, forming the structure of our solar systems.

However, in the solar system, billions of year's evolution existed. The scientists hope the researcher's conclusions do not require any exotic physics or hidden planets to explain them.


Fresh from a busy week of Novena and following on from a global invite from Pope Francis, Portlaoise Parish is holding a event that will see parishioners involved in round the clock prayer.

The Portlaoise Parish '24 Hours to the Lord take place in SS Peter & Paul's Parish Church under the guidance of Msgr John Byrne PP and his colleagues.

The parish said the '24 Hours for the Lord' initiative was begun by Pope Francis in 2014. The Pople invited Parishes to open up their Churches for 24 hours of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and quiet prayer with the availability of the Sacrament of Confession. The Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin is taking part.

"This year Portlaoise Parish will host the 24 hours of prayer and reflection beginning with an Opening Mass at 10am on Friday, March 24 led by Bishop Denis Nulty and concluding with 10am Mass on Saturday, March 25.

"You are invited to drop into the church for a visit anytime during that 24 hour period. Priests will be available for the Sacrament of Confession all day," says the Parish.

Portlaoise Parish has just held a busy nine day Novena which was attended by thousands of people. During the event some 272 children were confirmed with the Sacrament of Confirmation.

It's been busy year so far for the Parish. SS Peter & Paul's was chosen to launch catholic schools week earlier this year. Bishop Nulty celebrated the mass which was broadcast live on RTE television.
iFianna Fail is targeting a second seat in Laois on the back of its big vote in 2016 when it topped the polled with just one candidate.

That was the message delivered by Micheal Martin when he addressed the Laois Fianna Fail dinner dance in the Castle Arms Durrow.

The Fianna Fail leader noted Sean Fleming's "extraordinary vote" in the 2016 general election which was 35 per cent of the vote.

"That creates the platform for us to go after the second seat in the next election," he stated.

"The target now is that."

"I have asked all members of our parliamentary to look in their own constituencies and see how they can add seats, so that we have a critical mass of seats and can take government next time around.

"We need to go to into government with sufficient strength and capacity to be decisive in government, something the current government is not.

"It is drifting and lacking direction in some key policy areas, such as health, housing and Brexit.

"Fine Gael is beset by internal angst, because of their leadership and other issues. They were annoyed after the general election, and annoyed with the idea we were facilitating a minority led government.

"They have not settled down and that is having an impact."

Deputy Martin paid tribute to the party organisation and councillors.

The 2014 local elections were the first major springboard in the party's comeback, he noted.

"We emerged as the largest party in local government in the country. But we did not get everything right in those local elections.

We got things wrong, such as some of our selection choices. We could have done better if we were wiser. Hindsight is a great virtue and we will learn from it," he added.

Deputy Martin also spoke of the challenge of Brexit.

The British government had no plan of what to do afterwards. There is no clear coherent message coming from them. The implications are now very severe, he stated.

This is the single greatest challenge to face this county in years. It is a generational issue that completely changes the economic model we have experienced for the last 50 years since we joined the EU.

The UK government are completely chaotic. It is very worrying if we end up with tariffs and they are outside the customs union.

It has severe implications for our agricultural industry, food and our Irish owned companies in the regions and rural Ireland.

All analysis is negative in terms of effects.

In the regions outside Dublin the impact will be most acute. The agri food industry needs particular attention. The situation is extremely fraught and this is the calm before the storm, he warned.
Parents from Stradbally and surrounding areas were encouraged to attend a meeting this week on Laois' newest secondary school.

Students from Stradbally parish have traditionally attended secondary school in Portlaoise. However, with the growth of the town's population, spaces can no longer be guaranteed in the town's existing three schools for non-Portlaoise resident pupils.

For instance, in the past year it has emerged that parents in Vicarstown were told that they would not be in line for a place in Portlaoise school and were advised by the Department of Education that the nearest next school was Athy.

However, this year the Department of Education gave the green light for a fourth Portlaoise secondary school which will be known as Dunamase College. The lead patron is the the Laois Offaly Education and Training Board and the Irish language schools patron An Foras Patrunachta is also involved.

An information session for interested parents will take place on Wednesday, March 22 in the Arthouse, Stradbally at 7.30pm.

The new school's Principal, Ms Aoife Elster, will be in attendance to answer questions, outline subjects on offer, and to explain specific arrangements for incoming first years in September 2017.

For more about the new school click here & here
Leitrim is poised to create significant new employment in the food sector with the launch of the brand new Food Strategy 2017- 2021 for the county which took place on Tuesday, March 7 at the Landmark Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon as part of Local Enterprise Week 2017.

Food producers, food tourism attractions, growers and chefs from all over the county gathered to celebrate the launch of this significant document and created a wonderful showcase of the special food offering in the county.

The Leitrim Food Strategy, commissioned by Leitrim County Council and the Local Enterprise Office Leitrim, has set ambitious targets in the creation of 250 new jobs in the sector.

There are currently at least 534 full time equivalent employees in the food sector, excluding agriculture. Leitrim is somewhat unique in that, there has been no one large Food employer in the county since the closure of Bo Peep jam factory in Drumshanbo with the loss of 100 jobs in the 1990s.

Rather, employment is diversified across smaller food businesses; hard working businesses connected to their communities.

Launching the strategy, Leitrim County Council, Chief Executive Frank Curran said that the development of this strategy is a very positive one for the food community in County Leitrim, the 8 priorities identified are hugely important to build upon.

Leitrim has a fantastic reputation and the capability to do great things when it comes to food, we have a natural and un-spoilt environment.

"The added value of the Food Hub which is doing phenomenal work in terms of social enterprise, the Organic Centre as a centre of excellence in terms of organic food and training and our food tourism trails which span the county are an excellent platform to build on.

There is a strong interest in the formation of a Taste Leitrim trade network to share experiences, create new connections and build collective strength. Some of the actions addressed in the strategy include the creation of a Directory & Sourcing Guide, Network Development and an Ambassador Programme.

Growing exports, support innovation and putting farmers and growers to the fore are some of the 8 themes. There is a strong focus on food tourism with the target of an annual spend of 28 million on food and drink by 2021.

Orla Casey of Leitrim based Momentum Consulting was commissioned to write the Strategy and highlighted that their research shows that there is positivity in the sector.

80% of Leitrim food producers and places to eat reported a slight increase in turnover in the last year and 1 in 3 Leitrim food businesses have plans to expand.

"Leitrim has and is playing a leadership position in the areas of food incubation infrastructure, organics, social farming and Slow Food. Best practice is part of our psyche.

Joe Lowe, Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office expressed that this is the start of an exciting era for our amazing food community. Good things happen when we share our experiences, success, talent, and ingenuity. The strength within the food sector in County Leitrim lies within working together and supporting each other to create a bigger united impact.
A Leitrim humanitarian helping families suffering from famine in South Sudan said aid workers have to wade through marshland to reach malnourished women and children who are forced to hide in swamps.

As conflict rages in the worlds newest country in East Africa, Anita McCabe (53), a former resident of Kinlough, whose mother hails from Carrigallen, is helping co-ordinate the response by aid agency Concern Worldwide.

Anita is Concerns Desk Officer for South Sudan, acting as the eyes and ears of the 300 staff currently helping some of the 4.9 million people - 40 per cent of the population  who are urgently in need of aid in a country were civil war has been raging for over four years.

The experienced relief worker, who has been with Concern for 17 years and helped the worlds poorest in countries like Haiti, Niger, Malawi, DR Congo and Sudan, said: We have very dedicated staff working long hours in difficult conditions who do an incredible job.

Im keeping our team in South Sudan supported with funds, staff and all of their needs.

One of the major problems in South Sudan is reaching those most in need, getting access to them.

Many of those affected by the famine declared in Leer County, South Sudan have taken refuge from the conflict on hidden-away islands amongst its many swamps where Concern staff have been trying to reach and help as many as possible.

Anita said: We are helping them with our partner Nile Hope as they seek refuge away from the fighting, which involves staff travelling for hours through the marshlands.

They will be even more difficult to reach in May when the long rainy season starts  which is very worrying because these people have no food as it is and, in many cases, are forced to forage for whatever they can find, so they are relying on assistance for survival.

I was there in 2015 when the needs were also very high and I saw many women with sick and malnourished children, who had travelled for many miles to reach nutrition centres for help.

Concern has been helping the people of South Sudan providing shelter, drinking water, health and nutrition services and other very crucial supports  but the numbers who need our help keep growing.

The suffering and insecurity is very real and you have to admire the resilience of the people who live there.

South Sudan is among the countries in East Africa where Concern said more than 20 million people are in critical need of food, water and shelter.

The other countries are Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia and the aid agency has launched an urgent appeal to raise funds to assist people suffering from the effects of famine, war, homelessness and extreme poverty.

Conflict and drought have exacerbated the problems in the region with Concern staff helping as many vulnerable families as possible.

Anyone who would like to support their efforts is urged to donate at this link https://www.concern.net/east- africa-crisis-appeal or by calling 1850 211 844.
Speaking in response to the news that authorities in Brazil have closed three meat processing plants and put another 21 under scrutiny, Sinn Fein's spokesman on agriculture, food and the marine, Martin Kenny TD, says this highlights the shoddy standards and produce against which Irish farmers must compete.

Deputy Kenny said, Brazil is one of Ireland's biggest competitors for the EU beef market, but we see today that the authorities there have exposed a huge scandal in the sector

"Reports from the BBC and New York Times are about bribery of officials, dangerous additives being used to bulk up poultry meat and salmonella-contaminated meat being exported to Europe.

"More than 30 companies are under investigation in Operation Weak Flesh, including JBS, Brazil's largest beef exporter.

The Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed must immediately look for a halt to Brazilian beef imports to Europe. The quality of Irish beef produced from grass-fed, free-roaming cattle, bred on family farms, to the highest standards should not be forced to compete with produce from countries where standards are non-existent in comparison.

"Even before this scandal the scales were weighed against Irish farmers, but now the situation is intolerable. The government must act.

"The whole situation serves to warn against international trade agreements such as CETA, which sets poor quality cheaper produce against the unique excellence of Irish beef.
This week, the Scottish Parliament will vote on whether to seek a Section 30 order, the device in the UK Parliaments power that would give it the right to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence. The SNP Government is expected to win with the support of the Greens. However, Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton has made it clear that the Greens do not have a mandate to call for a referendum given that the three conditions in their manifesto have not been met. He has challenged Greens leader Patrick Harvie  who could easily merit being called Pushover Patrick for voting with the SNP on these critical issues, to explain his actions.

Alex has asked Mr Harvie why the party has turned its attention away from public service reform, back-tracked on its requirement that opinion polls should indicate support for a new referendum, and scrapped its requirement that a million-strong petition should be the trigger.

Alex said:

The Scottish Greens had three criteria to allow a referendum from their manifesto. None has been met. The Greens have no mandate for a referendum. They should respect that and decline to vote for a referendum at Holyrood next Wednesday. Scottish Liberal Democrats had a manifesto commitment against a referendum and we will stick to that. With education performance slipping, the mental health strategy abandoned and the economy sluggish, Scotland needs its Parliament working on these issues instead of a referendum.

Alex has written to Patrick Harvie saying:
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LIMERICK Civic Trust has supported proposals to mark influential anti-slavery talks, held by the worlds most renowned abolitionists, at Bedford Row during the mid-1800s.

In November 1845, one of the worlds most prominent black civil rights activists Frederick Douglass delivered two captivating lectures at the Independent Chapel  now The Buttery cafe  on Bedford Row.

Douglass, who stayed with the Fisher family at their Lifford House residence in Ballinacurra, was feted at a lavish soiree on Upper Glentworth Street, by Mayor Francis P Russell, for his informative lectures on American chattel slavery, according to independent research by local historian Liam Hogan.

The former black slaves visit followed a similar visit by another influential anti-slavery spokesperson Charles Lenox Redmond in 1841.

Abolitionist Samuel Ringgold Ward also delivered a series of lectures at the Independent Chapel in 1855.

Sinn Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan, supporting the proposal, has called on Limerick City and County Council to erect a plaque at Bedford Row, to mark the three visits.

Rubberbandits star, Blindboy Boatclub said that it is of massive importance to remember Frederick Douglass visit.

Its essential at this moment, with the Trump administration, for the Irish to analyse our historic relationship with oppression and colonialism.

 It's crucial for us to look back at our history on this island, because it shows us that we have a unique opportunity for genuine empathy with all immigrants or oppressed people, he told the Leader.

Civic Trust CEO, David OBrien supporting the proposal, said: It certainly seems appropriate that a plaque is dedicated to Frederick Douglass.

We want to give tourists a memorable experience and let them see pride in place so its important that we acknowledge and draw attention to the unique character and fabric of our city, he added.

The Buttery manager, Hazel Murphy said that the lectures should be commemorated and remembered with pride.
LIMERICK remains in the running for a high-profile investment from AIG, despite the insurance firms decision to open its European headquarters in Luxembourg.

Top brass from the New York based insurer are known to have visited Limerick on a number of occasions over the last year with a view to opening a facility here, in a move which could create hundreds of new jobs.

There were fears last week when AIG relocated its European headquarters from London to Luxembourg, with Dublin believed to have been in the running for the investment.

The Limerick Leader understands, however, that this move will not negatively impact any expansion plans the company  whose Irish operation is based in North Wall Quay, Dublin  has in Ireland.

From my knowledge of the project that AIG are bringing to Luxembourg, its not something that was ever on the radar for the Mid-West region, an industry source said, As much as wed love Limerick to be a city of scale in the same context as Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Dublin and Paris, were not there yet.

It is understood the company has targetted the City East plaza to locate a back office operation in Limerick.

The presence of Northern Trust in this facility at the Ballysimon Road is a major attractor to the company.

I feel theyve set up in Luxembourg due to tax efficiencies there. Theyd be lower-end financial service processing jobs coming to Limerick. Theyre not high worth. But jobs are jobs, a second source added.

Niall OCallaghan, the IDAs Mid-West regional manager said the agency does not disclose any individual deals with prospective clients.

We had over 50 state visits in Limerick last year by companies in various sectors. There is an ongoing process of site visits by potential client companies when theyre in their due diligence process. We constantly have a stream of companies coming into North Tipperary, Limerick and Clare. But we don't disclose their names unless theres a formal announcement. And that will always be the case, he said.

From AIGs point of view, the Leader understands it sees Ireland as being a core market, despite its deciding on the Grand Duchy for its European base.

AIG employs 400 staff in Ireland across a range of activities including property casualty, IT, treasury and asset management. It also owns health insurer Laya, where 450 staff are on the books. The firm was not available for comment.
A MAJOR push is on to ensure that TLC3 - the clean-up endeavour which focuses on changing attitudes to littering - is bigger and better than ever before.

Over 12,000 volunteers have already registered for TLC3 and businesses from across Limerick are also being urged to get involved in the initiative.

Its a social day - three hours on Good Friday during which people can meet and have a chat after it over a cup of tea or a hot cross bun, commented TLC3 sponsor JP McManus of the clean-up which takes place on April 14.

This year is going to be the biggest clean up to date! We can't wait #TLC3 https://t.co/T9y7atdON1  TLC (@TLC_Limerick) March 9, 2017

Representatives from biopharmaceutical company, Regeneron joined Mr McManus at a photocall to encourage other Limerick based companies to sign-up to take part in the hugely popular event.

Team Limerick Clean-up partners, The Limerick Leader, Mr Binman, Live 95FM, and Limerick City and County Council also attended the photocall at Regenerons facility at Raheen Business Park.

Mr McManus is urging people from across Limerick, including students, teachers, parents, grandparents, and businesses to add their name to the list as soon as possible.

The youth have done marvellous, Mr McManus noted. Young people are the pillar of this and I think they bring home the good habits to their parents and others at home.

From small beginnings, its doing well. Fair play to all the teachers and schools and businesses throughout the county - they have all embraced it.

Last year, over 40 companies participated in TLC2 and the aim is to double that figure this year if possible. We are hoping businesses across the city and county will register before our closing date on March 31, said Mr McManus.

This is the third year for Regeneron to be involved with the Team Limerick Clean-up initiative.

Regeneron were encouraged to get involved in the initiative after learning about it from community activist Helen ODonnell.

The very second I heard about it I said this is something we can do - its a big part of our culture, keeping the place spotless. I think it shows a bit of pride in where you work, said Niall OLeary, VP  site head from Regeneron.

Regeneron colleagues at Rensselaer in New York will also be taking part in TLC3.

To register for TLC3 log onto www.teamlimerickcleanup.ie
Apr 29, 2021, 8 PM

Politician and orator William Jennings Bryan was honored on a $2 definitive stamp issued on his March 19 birthday in 1986.

By Michael Baadke

On March 19, 1986, the United States Postal Service issued a $2 Great Americans definitive series stamp in Salem, Ill., to mark the 126th birth anniversary of politician and noted orator William Jennings Bryan (Scott 2195).

Bryan was born in Salem, Ill., on March 19, 1860.

In a speech welcoming the new stamp in 1986, United States Postal Service consumer advocate Ann McK. Robinson said Bryan developed an enduring reputation as an honest politician, distinguished newspaper editor, prominent attorney, and one of the nations greatest orators.

Bryan graduated from Illinois College in 1881 and studied law in Chicago before moving to Lincoln, Neb. He married Mary Elizabeth Baird in 1884, and together they had three children.

Bryan was elected to the House of Representatives in 1890 and won re-election two years later. His defense of farmers and working men struggling against more powerful business interests earned him a populist following and the Democratic nomination for president in 1896. He lost the election to William McKinley, and served his country instead as a colonel during the Spanish American War, leading the Third Nebraska Volunteer Regiment.

He was nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate two more times, in 1900 and 1908, but despite never winning the nation's highest office, he remained a popular public figure. He was named Secretary of State in 1913 by President Woodrow Wilson, but resigned after two years in a disagreement with Wilson on foreign policy.

In 1925, Bryan was an important figure in the famed Scopes monkey trial considering whether teaching evolution in a public school was illegal. Bryan, devoutly religious throughout his life, promoted the anti-evolution stance that won the trial, but the conviction was quickly overturned in a higher court.

Bryan died less than a week after the trial ended, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
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In New York, state Senate Republicans have maintained a majority for all but a few of the past 50 years, despite registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans 2-1.

One advantage has been the frequent cross-endorsement of Republicans by the Independence Party  a minor political party whose ballot line is seen as more likely to make conservative-leaning Democrats comfortable voting for GOP candidates. Those votes can often tilt close state Senate races, as Republicans seek to maintain their razor-thin majority.

A review of Senate payroll records, however, shows the frequent cross-endorsement by the Independence Party of Senate Republican candidates has provided other less visible benefits. Though there are not that many active Independence Party officials across the state  only about half of the state's 62 counties have a local chair  a number of those who are working in swing Senate districts have landed state government jobs with the chamber's Republican majority.

A number of these are part-time jobs. Working as little as 17.5 hours a week, state employees can get access to government-subsidized health care while they still retain more lucrative private sector jobs.

More for you Flood of taxpayer-funded mail drowns incumbents' challengers

In 2015, the Senate and Assembly's 213 elected members employed 2,865 staffers, according to a survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures. That legislative workforce is the largest in the nation  750 more than California, which has twice the population of New York.

It not only gives incumbents an advantage, but has given the longtime majority parties in Albany  Republicans in the Senate and Democrats in the Assembly  an edge over the much more modestly staffed minority conferences. The majority parties control both their staff budgets and those of the minority parties.

More Information The Incumbents' Edge Second in a three-part series about the ways public resources give an advantage in the re-election of sitting state lawmakers. See More Collapse

And the Senate Republicans have used that hiring power to give jobs to their Independence Party allies. While Democratic senators have hired Democratic party officials, and Republicans have hired local Republican officials, the Independence Party  which touts a reform-minded agenda  is a ballot line up for grabs, though its endorsements in recent years have largely gone to Republicans in battleground districts.

"It's no secret that Senate Republicans have a very strong working relationship with the Independence Party," said Senate Republican spokesman Scott Reif. "There is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary going on here other than our shared commitment to making New York a better and more prosperous state. Anyone who says anything to the contrary is looking to create a story where none exists."

Campaign finance records also show that the Independence Party's chairman, Frank MacKay, has drawn a substantial salary from his party, which in turn gets heavy funding from Senate Republicans. And a catering company where MacKay and other Independence officials work has frequently been paid by campaign funds.

These are among the Senate Republican staffers who are current or recent Independence Party officials:

Tom Connolly, the vice-chairman of the Independence Party, who has significant influence over its operations, is a full-time $83,000-a-year Albany-based "director of operations" for Long Island Republican state Sen. Phil Boyle. At the same time he was employed by the state, during the last half of 2015, Connolly received regular $5,000 payments each month from the Independence Party's housekeeping account, campaign finance records show, and the fund also paid for expenses such as pricey meals. During the first half of 2016, he regularly racked up a monthly cellphone bill of more than $600 that was paid for by the Independence Party's campaign fund. Democrats have also courted Connolly, who previously held a lucrative government job working for Democratic ex-state Sen. Carl Kruger.

Giulio "Doc" Cavallo is the powerful chairman of the Westchester Independence Party, earning $61,000 a year working for the Senate GOP. His title is "special health adviser." He has held a number of government jobs  including in recent years simultaneously holding another job where he was paid up to about $70,000 working for Nassau County. Following his 2009 election, Republican Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino accused Cavallo of trying to get a patronage job after the Independence Party had endorsed Astorino  a charge Cavallo denied.

Dhyalma Vazquez, who has been a top Independence Party official in Westchester, is paid $53,000 a year as a "vendor responsibility examiner" for the Senate GOP.

Pasquale Lagana, who has been an Independence Party official in Westchester, is a $20,000-a-year "special assistant" for the Senate Republicans.

Ashley Sherman is the $77,000 director of administration for Republican Sen. Fred Akshar and a state committeewoman for the Independence Party in Broome County.

Kara Stimson is the $28,000 secretary for Republican Sen. Catharine Young and an Independence Party state committee member in Cattaraugus County.

Daniel Pagano was until 2013 the chairman of the Cortlandt/Peekskill Independence Party in Westchester. He is now a private attorney, the Cortlandt GOP chair, and a $15,000 a year "counsel" in the office of Republican state Sen. Terrence Murphy. He receives the state-subsidized health care package for the part-time job, according to a Murphy spokesman, who said Pagano "is a valuable member of the staff who does an excellent job representing Senator Murphy in the community."

Richard Bellando, chairman of the Nassau County Independence Party, is a $31,000 a year "legislative aide" in the Senate's majority operations office. Bellando's day job has been as the chief operating officer of Oheka Castle, an opulent hotel on the Gold Coast of Long Island in Huntington, where parts of "Citizen Kane" were shot and where Independence officials have frequently thrown lunches and parties.

MacKay, Connolly, and spokesmen for Boyle and Young did not return requests for comment.

The Independence Party campaign housekeeping account, which is meant to fund party operations, has been heavily funded by the Senate Republicans' campaign spending.

Between 2012 and 2015, according to a review of campaign finance records, $483,000 of $894,000  or 54 percent  of the money that flowed to the Independence Party's housekeeping account has come from Senate Republicans' individual campaign committees, or the Senate Republicans' official campaign arm.

While MacKay is not on any government payroll, between 2012 and 2015, the Independence Party chairman reported making between $290,000 and $450,000 in salary from Independence Party accounts, according to his financial disclosure forms.

At the same time, a main MacKay income source has been doing "public relations" for Oheka Castle, where MacKay earned between $50,000 and $75,000 in 2015 working for its catering company, according to a financial disclosure form. MacKay  who is chairman of the Suffolk Independence Party in addition to being the statewide chair  has worked there with the Nassau chairman, Bellando.

Campaign committees have also spent $300,000 either giving to Oheka Castle, or an affiliated nonprofit. That included $8,750 in 2013 from the campaign committee of then-Senate Republican Lee Zeldin for catering. The Nassau County Independence Party  run by Bellando  has also spent tens of thousands of dollars of its own campaign funds on the catering business he has run, on top of regularly paying Bellando thousands for "consulting."

As of last year, the Independence Party has entered into a relationship with the Independent Democratic Conference, the eight-member group of breakaway Democrats that has aligned with Senate Republicans. The Independence Party is allowing the IDC to use its status as a statewide political party to give it access to a campaign account that can take six-figure donations and spend unlimited sums for its members, something the IDC could not otherwise do under election law.

IDC spokeswoman Candice Giove said no Independence Party officials were on the IDC's government payroll. Asked about the rationale for the IDC's relationship with the Independence Party, Giove said, "It's the right of the Independent Democratic Conference, like the Democratic or Republican conferences, to have a campaign committee to support and defend its members."

Jay Jacobs, chairman of the Nassau Democratic Party and a former state Democratic chairman, led a charge in 2014 for Gov. Andrew Cuomo not to take the Independence ballot line, which likely would have doomed the party because it would have led to it not getting the 50,000 votes needed to give it its statewide ballot status.

Cuomo, however, decided to take the endorsement.

Jacobs, whose local Democratic candidates often lose out on state Senate endorsements from the Independence Party, said he is prepping to again try to take down the party in 2018.

"They raise money by squeezing candidates, and then they pay themselves," Jacobs said. "I don't play that game."
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A lot can happen in a century, and Montgomery County is no exception.

Now the quickly expanding county is established, balancing economic growth and historic preservation, but over 100 years ago the area was vying to make a name for itself.

According to "Montgomery County, Texas: Picture of a Dream Coming True" produced by the Heritage Museum of Montgomery County, farming was a primary livelihood for the early settlers. They had come for the land and many had been farmers before arriving in Texas.

According to the passage, these early settlers planted cotton for cash, corn for feed, peas, sweet potatoes, melons, sugar cane and peanuts for their own sustenance. Also in the passage, it noted that the typical farm house was built of wood with a long porch across the front and fireplaces on either end and rarely painted.

At the time of its founding in 1881, Conroe - like much of Montgomery County - had the potential to be a prime location for farming and agriculture because of its dense forestry. Houston lumberman Isaac Conroe introduced the first sawmill to the new community, Conroe's Switch.

The sawmill began on the banks of Stewart Creek, but soon after relocated to be closer to the International-Great Northern railroad. Essentially, Conroe's Switch was made of only its timber resources and the IGN railroad at the time. But with Conroe's Switch serving as a convergence point of two roads, it was able to gain enough momentum to be named the county seat in approximately 1890.

According to the Texas State Historical Association, the community became a shipping center for cotton, lumber, livestock and bricks by the early 1890s and dropped "switch" from the name. The city had five steam-powered saw and planning mills, a cotton gin, several brickyards, a gristmill and over 500 people in population.

"Men spent their days tending to the crops or taking care of the livestock and each season brought is own set of chores," according to "Montgomery County, Texas: Picture of a Dream Coming True. "When the first freeze came, it was time to butcher a hog for the winter. It was a big operation with neighbors often coming to help."

Inside the home, the women were just as busy with washing clothing, cooking, gathering eggs and homemaking the family's clothing.

According to the passage, because of this energy, vision and determination the farms grew and flourished.

In 1900, Conroe's population doubled, reaching 1,009 citizens - making it the largest town in Montgomery County.

That's not to say Conroe did not face challenges, it was ravaged with fires in 1901 and 1911 that destroyed much of the business district of the budding town.

On the other end, livestock and agriculture were booming in 1914, with the Texas Almanac for that year stating that in Montgomery County, "cotton is the chief crop, but the growing of corn, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, peanuts and fruits produces annually a large revenue  many carloads of cabbage and tomatoes are shipped to early market. Peaches, pears and plums are grown extensively."

By 1920, the county population was estimated around 20,000 with 80,605 acres under cultivation. One estimate calculated that there were around 1,029 farms in the county at the time.

More people and businesses migrated to the area, bringing banks, grocery and hardware stores, drugstores, churches and schools. Cotton was a cash crop, but was still recovering from heavy rains in 1920, and corn was the main crop for livestock feed.

When the Great Depression hit Montgomery County around 1930, population was estimated at 2,457 people.

The early settlers were drawn in by the dream of farm land, but they soon found the thick forests as well, according to the "Montgomery County, Texas: Picture of a Dream Coming True" passage.

The next economic boosts came later from plentiful lumber and in 1931 when George Strake struck oil in Montgomery County.
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"A great man has returned to the bosom of his Maker," read the front page of The Courier on April 21, 1933.

The passage in The Courier reported the death at age 70 of well-known pioneer merchant and civic leader John Wahrenberger. He died at his home, a beautiful two-story on Phillips Street, just down the street from his store.

The article attributed his death to heart trouble, which had plagued him for sometime. His family included wife Mittie Wahrenberger, daughter Mary Agnes and son J.C. Wahrenberger.

Wahreberger owned Wahrenberger mercantile store in downtown Conroe for more than 40 years. He was also president of First National Bank and an active member of the Rotary Club of Conroe and supported a number of philanthropic and educational causes.

Wahrenberger was born on Sept. 21, 1862, in Travis County near Austin.

In 1889, he moved to Conroe from Montgomery.

A previous Courier article states Wahrenberger was also a part of the effort to move the county seat from Montgomery to Conroe, which took place in 1889.

Wahrenberger, a district clerk and deputy sheriff at the time, arranged for the transfer of county record books from Montgomery to Conroe.

According to the article, in the early 1890s, he became engaged in the mercantile business in Conroe and continued that business until his death.

At the time, the original store was said to be one of the largest mercantile stores in Texas.

Following the devastating fire in downtown Conroe on Feb. 21, 1911, the original store was torn down to build a new store that would comply with the city's new fire ordinance.

Estimated total loss from the fire in 1911 costs was $150,000. Losses included 65 buildings, mercantile inventories, and personal belongings to families living above or adjacent to their businesses, according to a narrative chronicling the history of the fire.

A new two-story brick building was constructed in the same location at Davis and Main streets in downtown Conroe, in line with a March 1911 ordinance, required all downtown buildings henceforward to be constructed of cement, brink, cinder or a noncombustible material.

The brick building remains today, having been purchased by the Cochran family in 1977.

"He (Wahrenberger) expanded it to 7,800-square-feet so he would have more retail space to handle more general merchandise," said Bill Cochran Jr., whose father purchased the building in 1977.

"He also relocated the building closer to the street so it was more accessible."

The total tab for construction of the new building was $3,100, according to Cochran, in a previous Courier article.

"Mr. Wahrenberger was of German descent and he was very specific about wanting a plain building with very little ornamentation," said Cochran. "But it's very well built and sturdy - the walls are two or three feet thick and made of solid brick."

Now the same building houses Cochran's insurance business and the Griffin and Cain Law Firm in downtown Conroe. Also notice the cement blocks in front of the building. A fun fact is they were placed there for ladies to step down from their buggies.

Wahrenberger also built a 6,600-square foot Victorian home on Phillips Street just down from his business, featuring 11 bedrooms, each with private bath. The structure has been restored and now is Heather's Glen Bed & Breakfast, a popular private facility for weddings and special events.

In 1938, the two-story Wahrenberger Funeral Home opened as well on West Phillips Street in Conroe. The building is still in use today, serving as law offices.

"The passing of John Wahrenberger creates a niche in the scheme of life in this section of Texas that cannot by readily filled. Every citizen of this community from the humblest laborer to the leaders of our community mourn the loss of a friend," The Courier article from 1933 stated.

"John Wahrenberger was a leader, not a follower, whose exemplary life and kindly nature made him the beloved friend of all and his Christian charity and Godly mode of living as reflected in his every day activities was an inspiration to those with home he came in contact."

The article goes on to state "from the establishment of his Wahrenberger store, he was a power in his community. John Wahrenberger is gone in body, but his passing does not remove his influence for he had made an impression destined to make this community a better place in which to live that time cannot erase.
A woman who delivered 10 bundles of methamphetamine to undercover agents in July 2014 has been sentenced in federal court to serve nine years in prison, according to court records.

On Sept. 28, a grand jury indicted Mayra Alicia Hernandez-Garcia on a charge of possession with intent to distribute approximately 4,859 grams of methamphetamine.

U.S. District Court Judge Diana Saldana sentenced Hernandez-Garcia to serve nine years in prison with five years supervision upon release from prison for the charge.

Hernandez-Garcia entered a guilty plea in January before her case proceeded to trial.

The case began prior to July 2014, when agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration had been engaging in several undercover telephonic conversations with a narcotic source of supply located in Mexico, according to court records.

These conversations were for the purpose of coordinating the receipt and transportation of narcotics from Mexico to a place in central Texas, records filed as part of the plea agreement in Hernandez-Garcias case state.

On July 1, 2014, the narcotics source advised the undercover agent that a lady, later identified as Hernandez-Garcia, was ready to deliver the narcotic-laden vehicle to the agent.

Two agents drove to a parking lot in the 5300 block of San Dario Avenue to meet with Hernandez-Garcia, who delivered a Nissan Sentra bearing Tamaulipas license plates.

Hernandez-Garcia told the undercover agents that she knew where the drugs were, that it would take approximately one hour to extra the narcotics from the after-market compartment, and that it was 10 packages total, records state.

After delivering the vehicle to the Laredo district office, agents and task force officers accessed the hidden compartment and seized the narcotics before returning the Nissan back to Hernandez-Garcia.

Agents determined the substance was cocaine methamphetamine hydrochloride, weighing 4969 grams.
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Without creating an itinerary, four Greenwood High School students piled into a pickup and drove six hours to the Texas Panhandle. The group embarked on the unconventional spring break trip with a purpose: to help people rebuild after wildfires swept through the region.

Samuel Shaw, 18, heard about the damage and wanted to make a difference. His mom suggested he and his twin, Patrick, donate their time.

You can see on TV how bad it is, Samuel Shaw said. If you were in that situation, you would want someone helping you.

The brothers recruited friends Jayden Kitchens, 15, and Colton Moore, 18. The group drove the next day to Wheeler, a city about 100 miles northeast of Amarillo.

A local volunteer coordinator connected them with Sue and Mack Bentley, who lost about 50 acres of pasture and a half-mile of fencing.

They were really happy to see us, Samuel Shaw said. Most of their cows probably would have gotten out because most of their posts burned down.

The teenagers spent a day and a half helping Mack Bentley build a fence. Sue Bentley said her husband wouldnt have been able to do the work on his own.

Im so grateful and amazed at how wonderful people are, she said.

The experience also made a difference for the teenagers, according to Moore.

It was humbling to see people from all over Texas delivering hay and supplies, Moore said. The guy we were helping got all choked up. He said it was the first time in his 74 years he ever asked for help.

The friends had built fences in the past, but they said the volunteer project was more rewarding than previous ones. Patrick Shaw said going to the Panhandle made him realize the need for their volunteer efforts.

Ive grown up in the rodeo life and ranch life, he said. I know what to do. The farmers out there lost 100 head of cow or more with smoke inhalation. Theyre losing money because theyre in the cattle business.

Gov. Greg Abbott declared states of disaster for Wheeler and five other counties after the wildfires earlier this month.

Patrick Shaw said Texans joined together to assess damages and rebuild.

My biggest takeaway is when a community needs help, people come together and make it work, he said. They need more. What we did with fencing didnt help that much. If I didnt have to come back, I would have stayed there the whole spring break.

The twins arent the only members of the Shaw family who have pitched in. Shorty Shaw, their father and owner of Shortys Rental and Feed, donated fencing supplies to affected people. The business is also accepting contributions to cover the cost of sending additional materials from Midland to the Panhandle.

So many people here are willing to drive up there, Shorty Shaw said. We just need donations to keep coming.

The business owner also plans to volunteer in the Panhandle. Hes pleased his sons and their friends chose to assist others during the school break.

Im really proud, Shaw said. Not a lot of kids would do that. They wanted to do that.
1 Peru floods: The intense rains, overflowing rivers, mudslides and flooding being experienced in the country are the worst seen in in two decades, Peruvian authorities said Saturday, affecting more than half the nation as the death toll since the beginning of the year rose to 72. The rains have overwhelmed the drainage system in the cities along Perus Pacific coast and the health ministry has started fumigating around the pools of water that have formed in the streets to kill mosquitoes that carry diseases like dengue. Lima has been without water service since the beginning of the week. The government has deployed the armed forces to help police control public order in the 811 cities that have declared an emergency.

2 U.N. workers kidnapped: Nearly a week after Congos government announced the kidnapping of two United Nations experts along with their translator and drivers, no trace of them has been found. Their abduction has raised alarm as political tensions spread over an election crisis. Michael Sharp of the United States and Zaida Catalan of Sweden were abducted with three Congolese colleagues while traveling by motorcycle through Central Kasai province. It was not clear when exactly the kidnapping occurred. It is the first recorded abduction of international workers in the province, a region far from the usual turmoil in eastern Congo where multiple armed groups roam. Sharp and Catalan had been looking into recent large-scale violence and alleged human rights violations by the Congolese army and local militia groups.
Local authority chiefs have described as "unacceptable" suggestions by Irish Water to turn down supply pressures in Ballymahon as part of attempts to stem rising water bursts in the south Longford town.



Director of Services John Brannigan said the Council was not satisfied with the offer following a recent meeting with the public utility over concerns to ongoing water stoppages.

Mr Brannigan said it was imperative supplies were enhanced to their full potential ahead of the anticipated arrival of Center Parcs in 2019.

"This (relieving water supply pressure) is not acceptable," he told councillors at a meeting on Wednesday.

"Investment has to be put in place. We have met with Irish Water on a number of occasions and we will keep it on the agenda."

The head of Longford's Housing, Infrastructure, Environment and Emergency Services Division said while the Council were very much receptive to Irish Water's recent 5.5m investment in Longford, long standing issues still remain.

"We welcome it but this (Ballymahon water mains upgrade) is a significant piece of infrastructure that needs to be done," he said.

They were sentiments Longford County Council Chief Executive Paddy Mahon gave additional weight to.

In opting to reference the imminent start of building work at the proposed Center Parcs site at Newcastle Wood, Mr Mahon said it was imperative all stakeholders, including Irish Water, kept up their end of the bargain.

"In a few short months, one of this country's biggest tourism infrastructural projects will commence and we need to be ready for that, and that includes Irish Water," he plainly put it.

Those comments were ones which came on foot of a strongly worded appeal by Cllr Paul Ross.

The Fine Gael politician called on Irish Water chiefs to step in and replace the town's troublesome water mains, claiming interruptions were now so frequent many people were not even bothering to contact the State utility firm.

"People are that used to it (stoppages) that they are not even reporting that the water is off," he said.

Cllr Ross also said the incessant nature of the breakdowns in supplies was causing difficulties for other groups headed by the local Tidy Towns association who routinely carry out clean ups of areas where bursts have damaged the town's streetscape.

His Ballymahon Municipal District colleague, Cllr Pat O'Toole appeared equally aggrieved at the way local businesses and traders have been impacted by the saga in recent months.

"There is a considerable sum of something like 100,000 set aside to do (resurface) the entire street in Ballymahon," he said.

"But nothing angers the public more than seeing a good job done only for a utility to come along and rip it up again."

In an effort to allay those fears, Cllr O'Toole petitioned Irish Water senior engineers to open dialogue with Council engineering staff over the coming weeks.
Macra na Feirme recently met with Agriculture Minister Michael Creed to present a submission for an amendment to the Rural Development Programme (RDP).

The amendment includes grazing infrastructure under Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes (TAMS).

Macra na Feirme National President Sean Finan said Young farmers recognised the potential that grass had to drive profitability at farm level.

Improvements in soil fertility are required but equally investment is required in the infrastructure such as roadways and water infrastructure which drive the utilisation of grass, he added.

Our submission fits into the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2017 year of Sustainable Grassland initiative.

A scheme which incentivises investment in grazing infrastructure is required.

He went on to say that implementation of this proposal would result in investment at farm level which would aid the strategic development of the industry.

Not only would there be an economic return on investment but also an environmental and sustainability return, he continued.

The need for a scheme of this nature has been verified by a recent Macra na Feirme survey of young farmers where 89% of respondents want a grazing infrastructure scheme included under TAMS.

The submission proposes that all young farmers under 40 years of age would be eligible for a 60% grant aid with a maximum investment ceiling of 80,000 and that farmers in partnership arrangements would be eligible for the scheme.

It also suggests that planning permission would not be required for the road and water infrastructure and the cost of establishing the water source i.e. well drilling, would not be included in the scheme.

Also included is that water infrastructure would include the pipe and trough infrastructure from the source to the grazing platform and a farm plan that would outline the new farm road network, water pipe and troughs network to be installed, completed and submitted with the application for the grant.

Macra na Feirme continues to provide training opportunities on grass measuring/utilisation to young farmers through our Macra na Feirme Young Farmer Skillnet programme, said Mr Finan.

Our grazing infrastructure submission warrants serious consideration as an investment in Irelands climate change mitigation strategy and agricultural output.

Macra na Feirme look forward to discussing the proposal further with all stakeholders.
An Afghan soldier opened fire on US troops as they were training Afghan forces on a base in Helmand province. Three US soldiers were wounded in the first reported insider attack this year, where Afghan security personnel opened fire on their coalition counterparts.

Resolute Support, NATOs mission in Afghanistan, acknowledged the incident in a statement released on Twitter.

3 US soldiers wounded when shot by Afghan soldier on a base in Helmand Province. US soldiers receiving medical care. Updates as appropriate.  Resolute Support (@ResoluteSupport) March 19, 2017

The aassault was carried out by an Afghan National Army officer from the 215 Maiwand Army Corps during a military training exercise, TOLONews reported. US troops reportedly killed the Afghan soldier. The 215 Maiwand Army Corps is based in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, which is heavily contested by the Taliban.

The Taliban has not claimed credit for todays shooting, but did acknowledge it. Zabihullah Mujahid, an official Taliban spokesman described the Afghan solider as an Afghan with a sense of patriotism.

In the past, the Taliban has infiltrated Afghan security forces to carry out such strikes or convinced soldiers or policemen to turn their weapons on Coalition personnel. In 2012, Mullah Omar, the founder and first emir of the Taliban, announced that he created the Call and Guidance, Luring and Integration department, with branches  now operational all over the country, to encourage defections and strikes on coalition forces.

Todays insider, or green-on-blue assault, is the first recorded by FDDs Long War Journal since Oct. 2016, when a gunman dressed in an Afghan army uniform killed a US soldier and a US contractor, and wounded another US soldier and two more contractors, in Kabul.

In the other recorded insider attack in 2016, afghan soldiers turned their guns on Romanian troops during a training exercise on a base in Kandahar in May. Two Romanian troops were killed and another was wounded.

These incidents have decreased from 44 in 2012 to just two in 2016. This is due to a dramatic decrease in coalition forces as well as improved security measures. However, many insider attacks remain unreported. [For in-depth information, see Green-on-blue attacks in Afghanistan: the data.]

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
The leader of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), al Qaedas joint venture in Syria, has released a seven-plus minute message to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Syrian uprising. The video was uploaded online late on Mar. 17 and then disseminated via social media channels the following day.

Abu Jaber (also known as Hashem al Sheikh), the former head of Ahrar al Sham, was selected as the overall leader of HTS (Assembly for the Liberation of Syria, or the Levant) in January. He has long advocated for a strategy of popular jihad. [For more information on Abu Jaber and his population-centric approach to jihad, see FDDs Long War Journal report: Hayat Tahrir al Sham leader calls for unity in Syrian insurgency.]

And Abu Jaber continues with that theme in his new message, as he seeks to portray HTS as the defender of the Syrian people in the face of Bashar al Assads murderous regime. Abu Jaber also tries to rally other rebel factions to his cause, arguing that HTS has a plan for the future that could succeed.

We will escalate our operations in the coming days, Abu Jaber promises, according to a translation obtained by FDDs Long War Journal. Our troops will reach the very heart of their fortifications. Let them not forget the recent operations in Homs and Damascus.

In late February, an elite HTS team infiltrated the Assad regimes defenses in the city of Homs and killed one of Assads most senior military intelligence officials. Earlier this month, HTS launched twin suicide bombings in Damascus, killing a number of civilians at Shiite shrines. (HTS denied responsibility for another recent suicide attack in the Syrian capital, but its denial may be a self-serving fiction.)

Along with its allies, HTS launched a new offensive in the Jobar district of Damascus just hours after Abu Jabers speech was released. Earlier today, the group quickly claimed credit for two martyrdom operations in the area. This is undoubtedly part of what Abu Jaber meant when he said they would escalate their operations.

Abu Jaber uses the war crimes of Bashar al Assads government as part of his appeal for popular support. He refers to Assads criminal machine and the trail of devastation it has left behind. Abu Jaber specifically mentions the homeless, widows, orphans and prisoners in Syria, saying many nations have turned a blind eye to their plight.

The Syrian revolution has now entered its seventh year, Abu Jaber notes, despite encountering many problems along the way. He underscores the fact that the Syrian people face overwhelming odds, especially in the face of the Assad regime, Russia and Iran. He uses the extensive Iranian presence in Syria as part of his appeal for more Sunni support for the jihadists cause.

HTS was announced in January, after much squabbling between jihadist, Islamist and other rebel factions delayed its formal establishment for many months. Abu Jaber appeals to the Syrian people by saying that theyve had to suffer through the plight of numerous factions fighting and competing against one another. This circumstance worsened after Aleppo fell to the regime late last year, Abu Jaber says, because the war became a military stalemate and the factions were rendered politically incapable of serving the peoples interests.

Abu Jaber portrays HTS as a response to the peoples demand for an alignment of the ranks and an end of titles, especially in the wake of the insurgents failures in Aleppo. He claims that HTS constituents have dissolved into this new body, which is the nucleus for true unity.

Al Qaeda has consistently called for unity in Syria. It is a theme that Ayman al Zawahiri, his deputy Abu al Khayr al Masri (killed in a drone strike in Syria last month), Abu Jaber and others have repeatedly emphasized. In fact, Abu Jaber says in the new video that HTS unity is due to our abdication, which is likely a reference to the rebranding of al Qaedas guerrilla army in Syria last year.

Abu Jaber calls for even more rebel unity, saying the blood of our martyrs demands a single leadership for all of the factions. He urges every group to join HTS caravan of unity and claims that this would thwart the designs of the enemies of our revolution, who seek to divide and conquer the insurgents.

The HTS chief wants to reassure people that the revolution will continue, in spite of the problems of the past. Abu Jaber says that HTS has control over its ranks, meaning his group seeks to avoid infighting. And HTS believes in partnership between its constituents, having built a robust organization and administration for the future. Therefore, Abu Jaber argues, HTS is well-prepared to relaunch the battle for liberation and revive the spirit of revolution and jihad. He calls on rebels who have abandoned the cause to return to Syria, so that they can start a new page in our revolution and history of jihad to protect and build our country, according to a translation obtained by FDDs Long War Journal.

Abu Jaber praises humanitarian workers, such as the White Helmets.

And he calls on Sunni elites and scholars to view HTS as their vanguard, which is fighting the Persian [Iranian] tide that is invading Syria. The Iranians have sent thousands to fight us, Abu Jaber says, so Sunni nations should do the same in order stymie the Iranians designs.

In a direct appeal to journalists, Abu Jaber says the international media should visit the liberated areas, so they can see the truth of Assads crimes for themselves.

Abu Jabers talk echoes the language contained in a statement issued by HTS in response to US Special Envoy Michael Ratney earlier this month. The two-page original was posted in Arabic and translated into English. Ratney wrote that HTS is just another front for al Qaeda. In its response, HTS said it does not represent any foreign body or organization (al Qaeda itself isnt a foreign entity) and argued that its establishment symbolizes a new phase of the Syrian revolution.

In late 2016  that is, after the fall of Aleppo  the Syrian people marched in massive protests demanding a merger of all revolutionary forces and a complete unity, HTS claimed. The decision to form HTS was a direct response to these demands and came after careful consideration of the sensitive phase that we are going through in this great revolution. HTS said that it was a new body and the collaborative nucleus of a unified project that would act as a shield for the revolution.

Abu Jaber uses very similar language in his new message and he even repeats some of the same key phrases.

Al Qaeda will continue to portray itself as the vanguard of the Syrian revolution in the months to come. That has been the organizations plan all along.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > China-India Strategic Dialogue: Is there a Future?

by Bhartendu Kumar Singh

Every time China and India hold any dialogue, the outcome is often marginal compared to the expectations. After all, the two countries have been involved in a series of protracted dialogues for more than 30 years without any visible solution to the outstanding border dispute and some other issues between them. The just concluded revamped strategic dialogue between China and India at Beijing should not be, therefore, judged from a pessimistic prism but from the futuristic trajectory of bilateral relations.

Given the divergence between the two countries on a series of issues affecting bilateral and regional security, it was naive to expect absolute gains from the strategic dialogue like membership for India in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) or listing of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. They make take time. It is important, rather, to build on relative and incremental gains which is what Sino-Indian relations are all about since the rapprochement exercises began in the 1980s. Witness, for example, the Afghanistan issueon which there was broad understanding as to how China and India can cooperate in capacity building exercises in the war-torn country. If the two countries bridge their differences even on one issue, as the Beijing round reflected, it augurs well for a broader Sino-Indian strategic understanding.

The China-India strategic dialogue would further engender optimism if analysed within the environmental context of broader international relations and regional security situation in the Asia-Pacific. Cheung M. Lee, in a recent book (Faultlines in a Rising Asia, 2016), seems upset that a rising Asia has also become the departmental store of the worlds most pronounced security problems and regrets the absence of discourse on how Asia is going to manage, alleviate, or resolve the outstanding great power rivalries, simmering historical legacies and growing energy and resource competition.

Chinas rise stands out as the biggest economic, military and political challenge. The US and other great powers in the region have engaged China in strategic dialogues so as to avoid strategic miscalculations. India is no exception! While Indian strategists see China both as a threat and an opportunity, they are unable to decode the alphabets of Chinese grand strategy. One example would suffice. Chinas recent defence white paper on Asia-Pacific security is quite minimalist and vague about India. It would seem that neither India figures as a threat in Chinese strategic calculus nor does it get any priority as a rising great power. Both assumptions are quite wrong! One only has to see Chinas actual security practice wherein it has been consolidating its military outreach in Tibet near the Line of Actual Control (LAC). It is also heavily investing in Indias other neighbours, apart from enhancing the profile of Pakistan vis-a-vis India, most notably through the ongoing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The informal agenda is to keep India boxed in the South Asian sub-regional politics and thwart its rightful place in international relations.

India, therefore, needs to invest in the key institutional platform of strategic dialogue, supported by other dialogues, for several reasons.

First, the challenges from China notwithstanding, India has to avoid this Thucydides trap and manage its rise by avoiding collision with established great powers like China. Graham Allison, who coined this term, also cautions about the contemporary rise of nationalism in Chinese foreign policy in his recent paper in the Journal of International Security that reflects a very aggressive trend in Chinese strategic culture.

Second, India is also at a crucial developmental stage where it cannot afford any war-like distraction. The economy is doing very good and any hard-power games at this stage with China would be self-defeating.

Third, China has been constantly pricking India on a range of issues in economic, military and political realms. Many times, these could be the result of misperceptions due to sufficient knowledge gap between the two sides. While the two sides have proliferated the network of relations to a great extent, the dialogue provides an ideational platform to convey the concerns about such irritants.

Fourth, past dialogues have allowed India to raise the Pakistan factor with China and get it diluted, if not de-linked from the Chinese approach to Indias security concerns. For example, there has been a perceptible change in Chinas stand on Kashmir, all due to Indias persistent diplomacy. The trend must be continued since India needs to convince China on other issues like its own permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

Last, despite ongoing military modernisation, India suffers an asymmetrical power gap with China. While wars have become exception in international relations due to increased economic interdependence and political communication, there is uncertainty with China that is still dissatisfied with its status of a partial superpower and faces many constraints in its foreign policy-making, most notably the undue influence of the Chinese Peoples Liberations Army (PLA). The unresolved border can provoke Chinese aggression leading to a war!

The security dialogue offers the best bet for long term management of China-India relations since alternate strategies may not work. Indian diplomacy has achieved quite a many milestones on the China front in the recent past. There is no reason to believe that the strategic dialogue will not deliver in future. We need to have faith in the dialogue and rather increase its frequency towards constant engagement (congagement) for the peaceful rise of China and India.

The author is in the Indian Defence Accounts Service. The views expressed in the article are strictly personal.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Young Indian Engineer Shot in Kansas City

by S. Sudhakar Reddy

Trumpism is at its height spewing racist venom! Already a newly married young Indian engineer had fallen victim while his colleague, also a personal friend, was hospitalised after having been gravely injured. The entire worldincluding Americans and his US colleagues who knew the victimwas shocked at the sudden turn of events and extended full support to the victims family. However, the White House, the seat of US power and headquarters of Trumpism, is yet to react and condemn the racist killing.

The racist murder at Kansas City of the United States of America, killing instantaneously a bright young engineer, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, and injuring his friend, Alok Madasani, has shocked all Indians. Killing of innocent children in schools, killing of people in hotels and at functions are a routine mad affair in the US. But this is something different and worse. The US military veteran, White racist Adam Purinton, shouted at the victims: Get out of my country! That shocked Indians more.

The murderer and victim are not known to each other. They never met earlier. But why then did he kill him? It is the direct result of US President Donald Trumps racist propaganda and his attempts to ban immigration from seven Muslim countries and employees from Asia including India on the slogan America first.

This may look as an isolated incident for now. But the families of millions of NRIs in India are in fear and worried about their kith and kin working in the United States. Lakhs of Indians, who are there for decades and have their children born, educated and employed there are also worrying.

White racist madness is not new in the US. Some groups, most notoriously known as Ku Klux Klan, etc., were attacking Blacks and non-Whites, killing them indiscriminately. There is a fear that non-Whites will become a majority or a formidable force in the US.

The United States itself is a country of immigrants mainly from Europe in the last few centuries. The vast virgin lands attracted people from impoverished Europe. As time passed, industrialisation took place, the United States prospered with the hard work of the immigrants from all over the world. It became the richest and strongest country.

The original immigrants killed millions of real Americans who were known as Red Indians. Now their number is small and negligible. Later in the beginning of the 20th century the Chinese were banned from immigration with a law adopted in the US Congress. The United States is a big country which needs many more people, skilled and unskilled, for its development. It can accommodate many times more than its 26 crore present population.

They need cheap labour; hence they allowed millions of Mexicans and people from Latin America. Even Donald Trump engaged a large number of Mexicans in his enterprises. Now he wants to build a wall on the 3000-plus km US-Mexico border and asks Mexico to share its expenses; Mexico has refused.

Brain Drain

US companies engaged many scientists, doctors, engineers from developing countries. They study in their respective countries, with their parents and government money, become qualified but cannot find proper employment, go to the US and work for lesser pay than the US citizens. The USA benefited from them, without investing on educating them. The immigrants send back some money to their families. Hence it is beneficial to their kith and kin and their parent country.

Donald Trump represents the most conservative, semi-racist sections of the US citizens. All those who voted for him cannot be blamed as racists. There are a large number of White young people who are unemployed and voted for him in the hope that they will get employment with Donald Trumps America first. This is like the sons-of-the-soil slogan to get job preference than outsiders, in some States of India. The Shiv Sena has become popular with that slogan.

We cannot demand that the US citizens should be deprived of their justified job opportunities, to help Indians or Asians. There can be laws which prefer locals before foreigners are allowed to take up such jobs. But the profit-oriented corporate and business houses will search for workers who will accept less pay so that they can get bigger margin of profit. It is the law of capitalism.

Instead of finding more civilised and better arrangements for more employment of natives, Donald Trump resorted to racist slogans and actions, which is easier to catch the imagination of disgruntled people. He was supported by the Hindutva groups in the USA and the BJP/RSS were also in that company, for the sole reason that he is anti-Muslim. They are forgetting that he is anti-Black, anti-Jew, anti-Asian also. He will be anti-Jew but supports Israel. He is anti-Muslim but supports Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Kingdoms because it suits their business deals.

As one gentlemen pointed out, if this type of murder takes place in India or Pakistan it will be termed as a terrorist act, but if it happens in the US it will be described as an isolated act of an insane man.

The White House was quick to dismiss as absurd any link between the killing of the Indian in Kansas and the rhetoric on undocumented immigrants. But till today Donald Trump has refused to condemn the gruesome racist murder which is expected from a President.

Now the Hindutva groups are seeking their best to cover up. The US Hindutva groups leader tried to cover up the murder saying that the killer mistook him as Arabic and hence killed him. So, all Hindus should wear tilak on their forehead to assert their religious identity.

The murderer Purinton never said that he mistook him as an Arab, or as a Muslim. But the RSS gangs want us to believe that only Muslims are the target of US racism, without condemning racism. It is not only foolish but dangerous.

Racists killed Black people who are Christians, people who belong to their own religion. They attacked Mexicans, Puerto Ricans who are from the American continent. They killed native Americans to occupy their lands. Racism should be seen as racism.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu is appealing to the US Government and its President to take action against such incidents but very cleverly avoids mentioning the basic point of racism directly injected into the peoples minds by Donald Trump. It appears that the Hindutva groups are hell-bent upon supporting Donald Trump for his anti-Muslim hatred, even though his policies will throw out three lakh Indians thereby risking lakhs of Indian families in the United States.

Donald Trump and his Republican Party are against any control on arms supply to citizens of the USA as the arms manufacturers are in league with them. Barack Obamas attempt to ban free supply of arms to people was resisted by the American Congress controlled by the Republican Party.

The demand of the widow of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, Sunayana Dumala, that Trump owes an explanation on the murder of her husband and the President should speak out are justified. If the President speaks out, condemns the killing it will be not only a solace to the family of the victim but give hope to millions of immigrants about their security.

All US citizens are not racist. Not even the majority of White Americans. This racism can be fought by the White Americans, Blacks, immigrant Americans from all continents and all those who are for human brotherhood. Let the martyrdom of Srinivas Kuchibhotla be a call of awakening for all secular and democratic Indians. Let us fight Trump in the US and his shadow in India.

The author is the General Secretary, CPI.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Developing Linkage between the Muslim Mind and National Polity

TRIBUTE

Syed Shahabuddin (1935-2017), who breathed his last on March 4, 2017 at 6.22 am, was a former member of the Indian Foreign Service and one of the most articulate Muslim politicians of independent India. He bore a lot of responsibility for the Hindu backlash (which, in turn, has fanned Muslim fundamentalism, leading to militant postures in certain quarters) as a response to the Shah Bano case and Babri Masjid movement. Syed Shahabuddin, whose organisation of these two movements met with an unprecedented response from Muslims, found himself isolated at the time of his death on March 4, 2017. This certainly merits a serious study of contemporary Indian Muslim politics. Syed Shahabuddin was till recently the President of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, which split into two factions sometime back. Till his death, he had exercised control over the AIMMM, which he claimed to be the umbrella organisation of all Muslim political parties and active groups. Despite this claim of support and popularity, he had failed to make it to Parliament for a good 20 years now. This situation is also a reflection and a sad commentary on contemporary Muslim politics.

Earlier, Syed Shahabuddin had a 20-year-long stint in Parliament, getting elected from Kishanganj in Bihar, which is a Muslim-majority constituency, but remains extremely backward, pointing to the lack of nurture by him. So, the backwardness of Muslims had been used by Shahabuddin only to reinforce his atavistic politics. After the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 and his failure at the hustings, Syed Shahabuddin, and politicians of his ilk, raised innumerable controversies.

It is high time to analyse his legacy. The text of his following interview to Ather Farouqui was signed by him on April 12, 2016.

Q. Generally, Muslim bureaucrats opt for a pro-establishment political life and that too only after retirement. You chose anti-establishment politics (though you had joined the ruling Janata Party in 1978 at the inception of your political career) after resigning from the Indian Foreign Service. Has there been any other instance of a Muslim civil servant in post-partition India resigning from the civil services to join politics? You were and remain to this day a difficult and rather unpredictable person. The latter perhaps because the Indian political establishment never seriously accepted Indian Muslim politicians or ever tried to understand them. The Congress party until 1977 always took Muslim politicians, particularly of north India, for granted and treated them as subservient. It is a well-known fact that in order to win you over Ms Indira Gandhi offered you a Minstership, the Chairmanship of the National Commission for Minorities and the Vice- Chancellorship of the Aligarh Muslim University after your resignation from the Foreign Service to join politics. What made you decline the offer?

Ans. After the rule for premature retirement came into force in 1978, I was the first officer from the ranks of the IAS, IFS and IPS to take advantage of it; so I am not only the first Muslim but also the first officer from those cadres to do so.

As far as the offer of the AMU Vice-Chancellorship is concerned, Ms Indira Gandhi never spoke to me directly but she sent a very senior MP and two Bihari Ministers and it was suggested to me that I accept the Vice-Chancellorship. I declined. At that time Mr Saiyid Hamids name was doing the rounds and I recall having met him on one occasion and telling him that I was not interested and wanted to stay in public life. My main reason was, as you have said, that I guessed Ms Gandhi was anxious to see the last of me in Delhi.

Q. Not only your political life but also your tenure as a member of the elite Indian Foreign Service was controversial. You were a Left-winger in your student days. I dont know whether it is true or not that you were a member of the CPI but it is a fact that initially you were not allowed to join the IFS because of your association with the Left. An adverse police report alarmed the government. Eventually, you joined the cadre. People say that Jawaharlal Nehru intervened by making a recording on your file (and on the file of the late J.N. Dixit). He (Dixit) himself told me that Nehru had written on his file that the inclusion of a Left-winger in civil services is the best way to appropriate him. Will you now please tell what was the real story or the part of story that you know?

Ans. It is true that there was a police report against me and that is why my letter of appointment to the IFS was delayed. I have no idea whether J.N. Dixit faced a similar difficulty.

There were ten vacant spots in the Foreign Service in 1958; nine were filled. Muchkund Dubey, who was my contemporary in the University, was a year senior to me in the Service since he became eligible for taking the exam a year before me; he wrote to me, while I was teaching at Patna University, to tell me that nine probationers of the 1958 batch had joined the training school and that, according to his information, one spot was being kept vacant for me. He asked me to find out what had gone wrong.

The top man in the Bihar Police intelligence at that time was Mr S.P. Verma whom I knew because of my involvement in the Patna Firing Disturbance in 1955. So I requested him for an urgent meeting. I asked him what he had written against me. He laughed and said he couldnt disclose that. But he assured me that the police report wouldnt finally go against me. In India, there are many ways of finding out what a police report says and I managed to get hold of its text. What it said was that Shahabuddin had led the student agitation (in 1955), which was true, but then added a blatant lie that I was a member of the Communist Party, which I was not. I was known to be a Leftist in my views and still am a socialist by conviction. Also I used to be a good debater in English, Urdu and Hindi, politically active in the campus, but I was not a member of any political party. But then the intelligence report went on to say that for the past one year I had been teaching in the university and had not come to any adverse notice. I suppose that was the saving grace which Mr Verma had hinted at.

I had seen Jawaharlal Nehru during the disturbances; so I immediately wrote to him that I was a socialist by conviction but I had never been a member of any political party. I dont know what action Nehru took or if he took any action at all but within a week or so I happened to meet General Shahnawaz Khan in the house of Justice Naqui Imam who was very fond of me, as he used to visit the university very often to preside over debates and distribute prizes. The General was then the Deputy Railway Minister. He immediately offered to take me to Delhi in his special saloon. I declined and said I would reach there in a few days. When I reached Delhi and went to General sahebs residence, I was told that he had gone to Chelmsford Club to play squash. I found him there and he gave me a lovely breakfast. He advised me to go and see Mr Humayun Kabir later in the day. Humayun Kabir asked me to state my case in black and white. I said that all I wanted was an opportunity to see Mr Nehru because he would recognise me.

I got a call a day later saying that the file had already reached Nehrus table and I should see Mr Chakravarty, then a Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, later the Governor of Haryana. So the next day I went to see him. The Prime Minister has ordered your appointment, he said, but he has asked me to give you a talk on the responsibilities of the Civil Service. He then asked me a few questions about what had happened in 1955 and what I had told the Justice Das Commission of Inquiry.

I told him that in protest against police firing on the students, I had organised a procession of 20,000 students from the university area to the airport to greet Jawaharlal Nehru with black flags. It was raining. So along with a few others, we saw Pandit Nehru at the Raj Bhavan. I still recall his words, Goli chalana buri bat hai par jab goli chalti hai to kisi na kisi ko lag jati hai. He was referring to the killing of Panday, a student. Later that evening, some banners in Gandhi Maidan, planted by a Congress leader, obstructed Nehru. He lost his temper and threatened the students with punishment if they were found to be in the wrong.

A few days after I saw Mr Chakravarty and got my letter of appointment. I joined the IAS Training School at the Metcalf House in the Civil Lines of Delhi in May 1958, about a month later than my batchmates. So while it is true that there was a police report against me, which delayed my appointment, its also correct that Nehru overruled it.

I learnt from Natwar Singh, who was then an Under Secretary in charge of the IFS (personnel), that Nehru had written a few lines in his own hand on my file. Natwar Singh had copied and distributed it to a few friends. He also shared it with me: I have known Shahabu-ddin during the Patna disturbances. His participation in the disturbances was not politically motivated. It was an expression of his youthful exuberance. So Nehru had given me a clean chit.

Subsequently, nine months later, when I was about to embark on my first posting abroad, as a probationer back in Delhi after my district training, I was deputed to serve as a Liaison Officer for the UN Secretary-General, Mr Dag Hammarskjoeld, on his visit. I accompanied him everywhere including the official dinner at the PMs House at Teen Murti, which is now the Nehru Museum and Library. After the dinner when the guests were sipping coffee on the open terrace, I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to face Nehru who said affectionately, So you are that naughty boy from Bihar.

I had no formal connection with any political party, but I was certainly a Leftist in my views. This explains why in my 15 years in Parliament, except on issues connected with Muslim Personal Law and the Babri Masjid, almost never I took a line different from the Left parties on the floor of the House. The same is true of my entire public life.

Q. As an IFS officer, it is said that you won the confidence of the government, and were considered very close to Indira Gandhi. All kinds of stories were in circulation about you. One of them was that when the Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah, offered a grant (through the Government of India) for the educational uplift of Indian Muslims, you strongly opposed the idea. What were the reasons for your opposition, if the story is true?

Ans. I had already served in Saudi Arabia for three years (1963-66) before the question of financial assistance by the Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah, to Muslim organisations in India came up. Wherever I have served, I have always tried to develop at my own personal level good rapport with the people at the top who matter or who are concerned about India and interested in Indian foreign policy. In Saudi Arabia, one of them was Dr Ahmad Mohamad Ali, the President of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). I suggested to him that if the IDB wished to do something for Indian Muslims, the best approach would be to fund their education not just in India but also higher studies abroad on condition that they went back to India.

When I returned to India, I spoke of this to some like-minded people. They approached Ms Gandhi informally. Her response was that if the IDB offered financial assistance to provide education to Muslims, she wouldnt stand in the way. Whether the Indian Government lived up fully to that commitment is another matter, as getting the FCRA (Foreign Contribution and Registration Act) clearance, which is basically an Intelligence Bureau clearance, is a Herculean task for Muslim organisations and institutions. Later, at an international conference in Mecca on Muslim education, the assurance of Ms Indira Gandhi was conveyed to the officials of the IDB. The IDB for its own reasons wanted to route the assistance through organisations of its choice but with clearance from the Government of India. Apparently, there was and still is no problem between Government of India and the IDB. As the IDB also wanted to play safe, the people associated with the IDB programme were close to the Indian establishment.

Since then I have met Dr Ahmad Mohamad Ali and his officers several times on my visits to Jeddah and have asked them to increase the funds. I was told that they had set aside $ 50 million for India but had not been able to exhaust it. Most of the Muslim institutions do not know how to access the grant or how to obtain FCRA clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

It is false to say that the IDB file was sent to me formally by the Government of India and that I was formally consulted before the decision was taken and opposed it.

Q. You were certainly part of the programme of the Government of India (which was then synonymous with Ms Indira Gandhi) for the establishment of Bangladesh. Incidentally, you were in the Congress when during the campaign for UP Assembly elections in 2007, Rahul Gandhi openly stated in one of his public meetings that the Nehru family had very proudly bifurcated Pakistan. (You disassociated yourself from the Congress three years after the Assembly elections, not on this issue because the Congress found no use for you.) Anyway, when the subcontinent was repartitioned in 1971, you, as a career diplomat, campaigned for Government of India in Muslim countries (certainly using your Muslim name), which people felt was not in consonance with your official brief.

Ans. As far as Bangladesh is concerned, I certainly worked for its formation because I had long ago visualised like Azad that the magic of Pakistan would wear off in course of time. Among the key reasons for the failure of the idea of Pakistan was its step-motherly treatment meted to the people of East Pakistan, still being dealt out to the people who migrated from Bangladesh and are living in miserable conditions in camps.

Later in my writings I have called 1971 a watershed for Muslim politics in India. After the establishment of Pakistan, for the first time after 1971, Indian Muslims realised that Pakistan offered them no hope, no future and itself had no future. Muslims of India were and are convinced that the fulfilment of their aspirations depends entirely upon their standing in their own country, India. That realisation not only put Indian Muslims on the right track but also gave them the courage and determination to face their situation squarely, to stand up and assert themselves.

To my mind, therefore, the establishment of Bangladesh was an extremely important event for Indian Muslims, quite apart from the humanist consideration that people under a repressive government struggling for liberation deserve universal support. I believe that the creation of Bangladesh has given a boost to the emergence of Indian Muslims as a factor in Indian politics. Prior to 1971, Indian Muslims hardly spoke their mind; it was only after 1971 that they began to give voice to their grievances. So, to my way of political thinking, the revolution in Bangladesh had a major impact on the entire subcontinent and particularly on the mind of the Muslim community in India.

Thus during the struggle for the formation of Bangladesh, that is, the liberation of East Pakistan, I did whatever I possibly could, much beyond the call of duty. I was then serving in Venezuela as the Charge d Affairs. My work was appreciated and I got a letter from the Ministry of External Affairs saying that the four long-established embassies in Latin America had not done as much for the cause of liberation of Bangladesh as I had. I was alone but I worked day and night; I had learnt to speak Spanish fluently and had contacts with all sections of Venezuelan society. So much so that every time I happened to see Dr Rafrel Caldera, the President of the Republic, he would embrace me and address me as Ambassador, not as Charge d affaires. At the Conference of the International Parliamentary Union in Caracas, the President of the Republic gave a big reception. The Speaker of Parliament, Mr G.S. Dhillon, led the Indian delegation. I took him to the Presidents House and he noticed how friendly I was with the President and everybody who mattered. When I was leaving I thanked the President and he responded in Spanish, This is your house. This is a customary Spanish tradition, inherited from the Arabs. When I translated this for Mr Dhillon, he was amazed.

Let me give you the background of the Bangladesh story.

Ms Gandhi had gone to Venezuela in 1967, the first Indian Prime Minister to do so and promised to establish an Indian Embassy there. Prior to that there were only four Indian embassies in all of Latin America, Central and South America combined: in Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. Ms Gandhi had visited Peru as well and promised an embassy there. That is how the Embassy in Venezuela was established in 1969 and I was the first Indian diplomatic representative. I was not senior enough to be designated Ambassador. So I became Charge d affaires and a colleague, Margaret Alvas brother Alan Nazareth, who was two years junior to me, was given charge of Peru.

In 1971 I had a good time in Venezuela. Thrice I got resolutions in support of the formation of Bangladesh passed by the Venezuelan Parlia-ment, the National Congress. I got the Catholic Church to support the cause; I got labour organisations to support it. In 1972, when I was leaving Venezuela, the only English newspaper there, The Daily Journal, wrote an editorial, terming me a one man General Staff for Bangladesh; and honorary Ambassador for Bangladesh. During the crisis, the Government of India sent Shri Raj Bahadur, a Cabinet Minister, to visit various countries of South America to seek their support before India intervened. I was deputed to accompany him. So I visited several countries along with him. He wrote me a long letter of appreciation.

I maintained good relations with Arab Ambassadors and kept track of developments in the Arab and Muslim world but I had nothing to do with the cause of Indian Muslims at that point of time. Your question whether I lobbied in Muslim countries against Pakistan needs to be rephrased. I did not visit any Muslim country. I did the best I could to promote our national interest as an Indian Foreign Service officer and to satisfy my conscience as an Indian Muslim.

Q. There are rumours that work for the Government of India during your IFS days was cloaked in secrecy. And during one such mission you received bullet injuries. What was the reality of those bullet injuries?

Ans. After the end of my term in Algeria (1972-75), which was my last foreign assignment in the Service and my only one as full ambassador, I came to India and joined the Ministry of External Affairs. This incident occurred in June 1975 when I had received my transfer order and was about to leave Algeria. I was out with my family for a picnic. I was driving my personal car. We were looking for a picnic spot. I passed a hillock with a gate. The gate was open. I entered and started to drive up. As I approached the top, I saw a house. I reversed my car but, before I could drive away, the security guards fired at my car and nearly hit my youngest daughter severely. My wife and I were also hit; my elder daughters in the back were also injured.

Let me clarify that I was not on a secret mission. Nor do I think it was a politically motivated attack. But the incident gave me an insight into the mind of a dictatorship and how it functioned. I was told that the Algerian authorities were keeping the former leader, Ben Bella, under house arrest and that he was being shifted from one safe house to another and on that day he was in that particular house and the security guards had orders to shoot anyone who approached the house. When I was being treated for my injuries at the Military Hospital, the General in charge of the region, a Member of the Revolutionary Council, came to see me, apologised profusely for the incident and went on to say that the imperialists were very mischievous and clever and often sent their commandos to wrest Ben Bella away. I told him that perhaps they also instructed their commandos to take their families with them when they went on such missions!

What surprised me more was that when I asked if it was a security area, then why it had not been closed to traffic with a sign put up to prohibit entry, I was told that a sign would have only served to tell the whole world that it was a security area.

I had strayed into this area by mistake without any political purpose and the shooting created a furore in diplomatic circles and all Ambassadors felt that the Government of India should have lodged a strong protest, but my superiors in Delhi advised me to lie low. Because of this attitude of the Government of India, all sorts of rumours to the effect that I had deliberately gone into a security area began doing the rounds. I was indeed amazed and disappointed that the Government of India did not even lodge a protest.

Anyway, I had already completed my tenure of three years and I was on my way out, and soon left the country. Yes the Algerians had my car repaired and treated us at the military hospital where the then Foreign Minister Abdul Aziz Bruteflisca, now the President, sent me a bouquet of flowers to wish me speedy recovery.

One more thing about my tenure in Algeria needs to be put on record. Jayaprakash Narayan had addressed a meeting at Ramlila ground here in Delhi, on June 25, 1975, before he was arrested. The Ministry sent out a circular to all diplomatic missions abroad directing them how to present this event to the countries of their accreditation. They were asked to tell them that JP had been put behind bars because at a public meeting he had tried to incite the Army and police to rise against the government. This was the public line taken by the Indira Gandhi Government. I make one claim: I must have been the only Indian ambassador in the world to question the government line. I refused to brief the Algerian Government and I asked the government for more details and the exact words JP used. I never got a reply.

Q. Your political life was a big surprise to everyone and you remained one of the most controversial Muslim leaders. You forced everybody (including religious organisations and political outfits) to follow you whenever you needed them in the same fashion as Mohammad Ali Jinnah did. You were not considered friendly with the establishment in your political life and you worked in Parliament for a good 20 years on your own terms. This is a difficult and damning thing to say but the fact is that nothing positive emerged publicly for the Muslim fraternity out of your politics. Perhaps this may be left for future historians to analyse. You led the Shah Bano and Babri mosque movements and articulated the Muslim position to suit your own agenda. I feel this was the main cause of the Hindu backlash and led to a decisive rise in support for the majoritarian Hindu view. Could you please spell out what the agenda of your political career was and how successful it was in your own assessment.

Ans. My political mission was to bridge the gap between the Muslim community and national politics and bring them closer to each other. That is why one thing I can say with confidence: not only when I was in Parliament but even today, there is not a single issue of any consequence or concern to the nation and Muslim community that in one way or the other does not reach me and about which I dont do something that I can. This I consider to be a great privilege. My purpose has always been that the legitimate grievances, aspirations and interests of the Muslim community be projected before the nation, articulated effectively, not in an excessive or extremist manner but within the framework of the Constitution. That has been my basic line. Of course, in addition, Parliament gave me an opportunity to present my views fearlessly on any matter, without seeking reward or apprehending criticism. I had reached Parlia-ment within eight months of my leaving the service and was soon accepted as a spokesman of the community. This was enough. I had no ambition beyond that.

Once the political bug enters your system, it can never be flushed out. After University lectureship, I had joined the Indian Foreign Service and stayed in it for 20 years. Though I was always thinking of calling it a day, I made up my mind to formally enter public life only after the Emergency was imposed. On returning to Delhi and joining the Ministry as the the Joint Secretary, I rang up Mr R.K. Trivedi, who had been the Deputy Director of the IAS Training School in 1958 in my time and Special Secretary in the Home Ministry in 1975. I told him that I had decided to resign. Since he treated me like a son, he scolded me and told me not to be a fool and asked me what I hoped to achieve by it; already thousands were in prison and I would only add one more to the figure. How would it change the system? My family would be on the streets and who would support them? Then he revealed to me that he was working on a proposal for premature voluntary retire-ment on full pension once an officer had completed 20 years of service. Since I had already done more than 18 years, he asked me to be a little patient and carry on a little longer. At that time neither he nor I knew that the Emergency would end very soon. Subsequently, Ms Indira Gandhi rejected the proposal on the ground that many good officers would run away because of discontent in the Civil Services.

During the Emergency, in the Ministry of External Affairs, there were three of us, Muchkund Dubey (who retired as Foreign Secretary), S.V. Purushottam and I, all from Bihar, all from Patna University, and all known to be anti-Emergency. But as permanent civil servants with good records, we could not be touched. Soon thereafter general elections were announced and Indira Gandhi lost. I then approached Mr Trivedi again to seek his guidance. He told me that since the original author of the proposal was Morarji Desai as Chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission and he was now the PM, he was going to resubmit the proposal. And he did. But it was some time before it was okayed, and it was okayed with a typical cut. The original idea was that on premature retirement after 20 years of unblemished service, an officer would get full pension. Morarji Desai modified it to five-year weightage for the years in service. So I didnt even get the full pension, which in those days was only Rs 1000 per month! Mine was the first case. So my file did the rounds. The first case always takes time. My colleague from the IAS who was handling this file in the Finance Ministry rang me up and asked me not be in such a hurry and to continue for a few more months at lenst, as the government was considering an increase in the maximum pension from Rs 1000 to Rs 1500. I told him that the Government had the authority to retain my services for two months longer after receiving my request for retirement and that I had requested them to reduce this period and release me on November 14, 1978, Nehrus birthday, and now I couldnt go back to ask them to keep me for another three months, pension or no pension!

In this context, I must add one thing more. It is generally said that Atal Behari Vajpayee encouraged me to resign with a view to bring me into politics and that he became my sponsor in politics. This is a complete fabrication. As the Foreign Minister, Vajpayeeji was very kind to me and I had easy access to him because, for one thing, I was known for my anti-Emergency stance. In fact, he called me three times to persuade me to withdraw my papers, first in office, then at the AIIMS where he was undergoing some treatment, and the third time at his house. When he called me for the third time, I took a ghazal of Parveen Shakir with me, which I had happened to read in some Urdu newspaper. This ghazal faithfully depicted my state of mind. I told Mr Vajpayee something that I hope he has not forgotten. Once again he very graciously asked me what he had done that I was leaving him. I told him that I was only following the plan of my life. I also told him that I already knew that he would never send me to the US or the USSR because I was too junior and then I added that he would not send me to Pakistan which would be a challenge for me for reasons that both of us knew: I meant my being a Muslim. He laughed at that. And I told him that to answer all his questions I had brought him some lines from a ghazal. He asked me to recite them. I did. He asked me to have the lines typed in Devanagari and send it to him. I still have a copy

I sent a letter to my IFS colleagues on my premature retirement saying I did not know where the stream of life would take me. I planned to go back to Patna and practice Law. The day that my resignation was formally accepted, I left Delhi, because I knew that people would ask all sorts of questions and I would have to answer them. I planned to make my way up in politics through legal practice and some day enter Parliament. For me, entering Parliament within eight months of my resig-nation was itself a great achievement. It gave me access and opportunity, which I utilised fully and effectively in that whenever I felt strongly about an issue, I said so, without mincing words and without caring for what anyone felt about my stand or how it would affect my political career.

Anyway, Ms Indira Gandhi realised that I could become troublesome and offered me several posts including Vice-Chancellorship of the AMU to send me out in the political wilderness. Later, I was offered Chairmanship of the Minorities Commission after Mr Justice R.A. Ansaris death. I accepted neither. Once Nitish Kumar, now the Chief Minister of Bihar, who used to sit beside me in Parliament, said: There is no issue before the nation on which you do not have a considered view. I may or may not agree with you but you have at least applied your mind to all issues.

But to me the most important thing was the Muslim question, of developing a linkage between the Muslim mind and national polity to secure them a national hearing and, reach mutual understanding and commitment on a due share for the community in governance and in the fruits of development. That is slowly happening now. No one spoke of reservation for Muslims till I had in 1989, again in 1994 and 1998, in 2002, 2009 and 2010. This has become a movement and will bear fruit some day. This I consider to be my positive contribution. Some day we shall speak about what I did in Parlia-ment. I had three terms as a Member of the Indian Parliament and was one of the busiest and most articulate parliamentarians. Not only on Muslim issues but on all national questions.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Is the Judiciary in Peril?

Delhi University teacher G.N. Saibaba has been sentenced to life imprisonment for his links with Maoists. With due respect to the Court, I beg to differ with the punishment. Maoists are ultra-Left and most people in India do not like their philosophy. Some who follow them can be criticised, but cannot be imprisoned for their views and that too for life.

It appears that the courts are also getting influenced by the party in power. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) believes in a Hindu Rashtra. Conceded that it is not doing anything in the form of a bill or any order to impose Hindutva, the very fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi supports the cause does carry weight.

The Maoists should be fought on the ideological ground. The BJP should present its case that the Hindu philosophy would bring more prosperity than that of the Leftists who promise an egalitarian society. In fact, the Left itself has to sell what it believes in and how the people, by adhering to their thesis, would benefit.

India is not alone in facing the challenge. All over the world, especially after the election of Donald Trump in America, people feel insecure in pursuing their right to espouse views. As his rival Hillary Clinton said, they would adhere to what the Constitution of America says on individual rights. The US President should know that the popular movement against the Soviet system which brooked no other voice was brought down by the people themselves.

Even Soviet leader Stalin had to go because the peoples voice became louder and louder. Although he had suppressed every dissent, not just that of a particular community but also of others, the popular sentiment was that expression of views should be free and without fear. Germany also proved this point. It had the best Constitution which guaranteed free speech in every way, but a person like Adolf Hitler used the same Constitution to found the worst of rules. It took a full-fledged war to oust him and his philosophy.

Even now Germany takes different stringent steps to see that the ghost of Nazism does not surface. The Nazis swastika has been found scribbled on the walls of Berlin. It seems that some Germans are still dreaming about ruling entire Europe. Economically, the country does dominate but politically it has not yet learnt to take its turn.

It is surprising that Maoism has very little following although it is the same kind of philosophy which does not entertain another point of view. Nationalism in Germany is so deep that it does not allow any other thinking which may be embracing other parts of Europe. The country has allowed some immigrants who have become a great burden on Greece. Berlin is now vigilant. It is not now possible to migrate to Germany even on human grounds.



NEW DELHI is unnecessarily worried. The idea of India counts so much with the people that there is no room for any other thought to germinate. It is probably this Indian-ness which binds people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. The Maoists cannot penetrate.

Democracy is more than a faith with the people. It was seen how the popular leader, Mrs Indira Gandhi, was swept off her feet soon after the lifting of the Emergency in 1977. She too was defeated at the polls. The voters did not like the authoritarian rule and revolted against it when they got the opportunity.

The ruling BJP, which was then the Jan Sangh, also suffered and its followers were put behind bars. Even then Delhi Mayor Hansraj Gupta was not spared. Members of the Jana Sangh and the Gandhites shared the same cell. The Janata Party was born in the jail itself. The credit, however, goes to Raj Narain, a socialist, who challenged Mrs Gandhi for her poll malpractices. The Allahabad High Court debarred her from occupying any elected post for six years. She, however, imposed the Emergency but that is a different story.

The DU teacher and four others who were sentenced for life did not commit any heinous crime to deserve the punishment for having mere links with the Maoists. Even otherwise, I believe that the Maoists should have a say and express their viewpoint as citizens of this country. It should be left to them to choose or reject their philosophy but the criterion should be that they would not incite violence.

The experience has been that once you make leeway in one case, the demand would be that the same attitude should be exhibited in other cases. The precedent will be quoted and the court would have to decide whether the case was similar or any different. Fortunately, the victims would most likely appeal in higher courts and it all will depend on what the verdict of the higher judiciary is going to be.

Ultimately, it would come to what Maoism means. In a country where the Constitution guarantees free speech and expression, the views of a particular philosophy cannot be banned. But there should no exhortation to violence. The manner in which the killings have taken place in Bastar indicates that the Maoists have no respect for life and would use any method to ensure that their idea is not opposed.

The Court should not be influenced by what the Maoists preach or not because I find that verdicts are becoming dependent on the philosophy that the ruling party espouses. It is healthy to see that appointment of judges is now by the collegium of senior Supreme Court judges. Yet my experience says that the Chief Justice come to be influenced by those in power. This was not the case till recently. The judges were appointed by the government and they delivered some of the best of verdicts. It is no use recalling those but taking necessary steps to ensure that the same atmosphere of independence, which prevailed earlier, returns to the court.

The author is a veteran journalist renowned not only in this country but also in our neighbouring states of Pakistan and Bangladesh where his columns are widely read. His website is www.kuldipnayar.com
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Appeal to Democrats and Citizens

In a bizarre, highly deplorable judgment delivered on Tuesday, March 7, Suryakant Shinde, Sessions Judge at the Gadchiroli District Court in Maharashtra, convicted Prof G.N. Saibaba (Delhi University), Prashant Rahi (journalist from Uttarakhand), Hem Mishra (cultural activist, student, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi), Mahesh Tirke, Pandu Narote and Vijay Tirke (tribals from Gadchiroli) and sentenced to life imprisonment the first five and the last to ten years imprisonment under Sections 13, 18, 20, 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code.

The judgment is illegal, irrational, atrocious and highly motivated, to say the least. None of the charges framed against the accused stand a real test of judicial inquiry as all of them are fabricated and the evidences are concocted or drawn out of context. Even in case law, there are several instances where the other courts, including the Supreme Court, struck down this kind of irrational charges and acquitted all the accused. However, the judge in his wisdom chose to believe whatever the prosecution cooked up and sentenced them to the highest possible punishment. The 827-page voluminous judgment ridiculously cites so many irrelevant and unconnected issues the prosecution has dished as evidence, including some request notes and leave letters written by Saibaba to the authorities of a Delhi college where his daughter was studying and routine letters written by his wife to her bank regarding double entries.

The major charge of the prosecution is that the accused in this case were waging war against the country and supporting the ideology of a banned organisation, CPI (Maoist). Anybody can easily understand that to wage a war somebody needs weapons and none of the six accused were shown as possessing any weapon on them when arrested or the police did not find any in searching their houses. Supporting an ideology, even if the same ideology is adhered to by a banned organisation, cannot be a crime. In fact, the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court, categorically said in a famous verdict that even the membership in a banned organi-sation cannot be a cause for conviction, until and unless the accused is proven beyond doubt to be associated with a crime.

The developments leading to the foisting of the case have to be recalled here. There was a raid in 2013 on Saibabas official quarters on Delhi University campus (at that time he was living in Gwyer Hall, the Chief Wardens residence allotted to Saibaba by the DU autho-rities since he was 90 per cent disabled) and his computer and some books and papers were stolen by the Maharashtra Police. There were no witnesses, nothing was sealed before him and almost one year later he was arrested on a fictitious charge. Much later the prosecution, in its chargesheet, cooked up many incrimi-nating documents and claimed that they were collected from his hard disk. Saibaba is a wheel-chair bound physically disable person and in medical terminology he is known as a person with 90 per cent physical disability. He needs assistance in all his daily activities. But when he was in detention, he was dragged, pulled, pushed, bundled into unhygienic police vans that travelled hundreds of kilometers on rough roadsall that resulting in the deterioration of his health, not to mention the mental stress it caused. Because of this harassment his ligaments were severed, nerves bruised, his heart problem aggravated and his left arm and hand were completely paralysed. Similar were the sufferings of Prashant Rahi and Hem Mishra. Then all of them, along with the three tribal youth from Gadchiroli district, were implicated in the false and fabricated case. Their bail applications were consistently rejected against medical advice and after a huge national and international protest.

All this physical and mental torture, including the false case and bail rejection, was to silence the voice of protest against Operation Green Hunt, a war on people launched by the Union Government and the State governments in and around Dandakaranya against all those who oppose the selling out of rich mineral resources in Central India to the MNCs and their compradors. Prof Saibaba was very active in the peoples movement against Operation Green Hunt and brought out the atrocities being committed by the state forces, before the people at large. Thus the state had developed a grouse against him and his associates and the then Home Minister, Chidambaram, named him openly and began the targeted repression. The NDA Government continued the same.

Thus the present judgment is a culmination of that vicious campaign against him and all those who opposed the outright sell-out of Indian mineral resources to the MNCs and their compradors. The repression is because of their steadfast support to the Adivasis of Central India, who are waging a valiant fight to protect their resources.

The judgment is a part of the grand design and machination of the state which is hell-bent to conduct an allout onslaught, including air raids and carpet bombing, on the fighting Adivasis and harassment through raids, arrests, cases and deplorable sentences against those who speak in favour of the Adivasis. The state wants to grab the peoples resources and silence those who question it.

We are sure, the judgment will not stand the scrutiny of any right-thinking person and we hope it will be struck down by the higher courts as we are going to challenge it. But, in the meanwhile, we appeal to all democrats and citizens who respect the rule of law and fair trial to oppose this judgment, as it is against the rule of law and the most disturbing instance of an unfair trial. We appeal to the people at large to register their protest in all forms so that the public pressure will lead to striking down the impugned judgment.

Prof. G. Haragopal (Chairman, Defence Committee for the Release of Prof G.N. Saiababa); Prof. P.L. Viswesvara Rao (Convenor, Telangana Democratic Forum); N. Narayana Rao (General Secretary, CLC, Telangana; Convernor, TDF); Varavara Rao (Founder Member,VIRASAM; President, RDF); Nalamasa Krishna (President, Telangana Praja Front); Menchu Ramesh (General Secretary, Telangana Praja Front); Koti (Secretary, Prajakala Mandali, Telangana and AP); Raju (President, Patriotic Democratic Movement, Telangana and AP); Mahesh (State President, Telangana Vidyarthi Vedika); Arunank (Democratic Students Union)
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Pollsters Calculations Go Haywire

by Shahira Naim

The following report appeared in The Tribune (Chandigarh) on March 12, 2017. It is being reproduced with due acknowledgement.

Lucknow, March 11: Ending a 14 year vanvaas in Uttar Pradesh the BJP juggernaut has stormed the heartland on the parivartan plank winning 325 seats with alliance partners virtually fulfilling the prophesy of a Samajwadi-BSP-Congress-mukt Uttar Pradeshas together these parties mustered barely 74 seats.

The BJP on its own won 312 seats and alliance partner Apna Dal won nine and Suhel Dev Bharatiya Samaj Party another four taking the BJP tally to 325way beyond the prediction of all exit polls. None saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi hitting a triple century and more and cornering 39.7 per cent of the vote-share.

In UP it is virtually a repeat of the 2014 tsunami when the BJP, along with ally Apna Dal, had won 72 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats.

The Narendra Modi-Amit Shah team has not only worked once again but their aggressive style of campaigning had put the entire Opposition on the back foot.

Be it Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav or Mayawatiall were virtually reacting to counter the volleys of the Modi-Shah teambe it their repackaging of the demonetisation issue as a rich-versus poor discourse, or the soft Hindutva subtext of qabristan-shamshaan.

Samjhane se nahi, behkaney se vote mile (votes were won not by convincing people but by misrepresenting facts), said Samajwadi Party National President Akhilesh Yadav in his first interaction with the media after conceding defeat.

The Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance wrapping up at 55 (48+7) gives a message that UP perhaps was not so enthusiastic about by their saath.

While Yadav defended the alliance as the coming together of two young leaders and assured that it will continue in the future, whispers within the party about the Congress puncturing the cycle are already doing the rounds.

The BSP, believed to be the X factor in this election with supposedly silent voters, appears to have been hugely overrated even by the exit polls. The BSP has reached the end of the road by winning merely 19 seats. However, its vote-share of 22.2 per cent remains slightly better than the SPs vote-share of 21.8 per cent which is on account of it having contested all the 403 seats.

Another calculation of pollsters going haywire was the ostensible return of the Jats to Ajit Singhs Rashtriya Lok Dals fold. The RLD won only one seat of Chhaprauli in Baghpat where Sahender Singh Ramala defeated the BJP candidate Satinder Singh by 3842 votes.

It is still too early to identify the ingredients that went into conjuring up the BJPs pot of success. Assuming that Shahs meticulous social engineering of giving representation to non-Jatav Dalits and non-Yadav OBCs alone was responsible would appear to be simplistic.

It was a combination of factors like the expectation of money collected after demoneti-sation being deposited in the Jan Dhan accounts, the Ujjwala yojya of free LPG connections and successfully holding the BSP-SP rule responsible for all the ills of UP apparently paid off.

On the other hand, the SP remained too embroiled in the family feud to get sufficient time to get a hold of the partys organisational structure crucial to convert goodwill into votes. The Congress obviously had none of its own.

The carry home for Mayawatis BSP is surely her disconnect with the young aspirational generation of Dalits. Her cast-in-stone style of campaigning through rallies where she reads out a text doesnt stand a chance before Modis engaging interactive style.

Meanwhile, the landslide BJP victory saw celebrations of the promised kesariya Holi beginning a day earlier at the BJP headquarters as well as on the streets across the State.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Making Sense of the Poll Results

POLITICAL NOTEBOOK

The outcome of the elections to the five State Assemblies has confounded everyonethe victor and the vanquished alike. Exit polls indicated the BJP was ahead of others in UP, but the actual resultthe BJP and its allies winning 324 out of 403 seatstook everyone by surprise. BJP President Amit Shah himself said the magnitude of the BJP victory in UP was unexpected. In Uttarakhand also the BJP won hands down. But the Congress victory in Punjab was comprehensive and decisive. The Aam Admi Party came a poor second. Even in the Malwa region of the State, where it was expected to fare well, it lost to the Congress.

But in Goa and Manipur, the Congress won more seats than the BJP but the BJP quickly roped in legislators of the smaller parties and independents to forestall any move by the Congress for government formation. The Congress was outwitted. In both the States, pro-BJP Governors chose to invite the BJP for Ministry-making before the Congress could stake its claim. In Manipur in particular, it was mostly the Congress defectors who won on BJP ticket. Even the new Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh, was, till the other day, a Congressman close to the outgoing Chief Minister, Okram Ibobi Singh.

The poll results in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab have been questioned by BSP supremo Mayawati, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and some others. They have alleged tampering of the electronic voting machines, an allegation which merits a probe to dispel doubts on this score. In UP, the SP-Congress alliance with 54 seats came a distant second to the BJP while the BSP, with just 19 seats, was all but washed out. The UP result, indeed, defies all rational explanation. Those who have questioned the result have reasons to do so. Apparently, issues like demonetisation and blatantly communal propaganda carried on by the BJP had no negative effect on the electorate. Even the Muslims, for reasons yet to be explained, are supposed to have voted for the BJP.

The UP result has come as a tremendous shot in the arm for the BJP. The tendency to ride roughshod over the Opposition parties will be more pronounced as the BJP will now outnumber the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. The Hindutva brigade, with its divisive and communal agenda, will be immensely strengthened. Those fighting the increasing onslaughts on democracy and secularism will become their prime targets.

The Opposition parties will now have to close ranks and draw up a common agenda for action. As the Bulgarian Communist leader, Georgi Dimitrov, said in the 1930s when fascists had captured power in Germany, If you dont hang together, then you hang separately. The Congress, in particular, needs to undertake a critical introspection: why is it being steadily marginalised in national politics? If it has to survive and regain its past position, its immediate task will be to groom a group of relatively young and competent leaders to take the place of the tired old leaders, most of them in their seventies.

Also, the Congress High Command has to make itself more readily accessible to party workers. In Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, for example, dissidence against the State party leadership was growing for a long time. A common complaint of the dissidents in both the States was that they were not being able to meet the High Command and put across their views. If their complaints had been timely attended to and redressed, dissidence might have been easily contained. In the event, the dissidents crossed over to the BJP which embraced them with open arms.

If the Congress has to unite and lead the democratic and secular forces against the rising tide of authoritarianism and communalism, it must first of all put its own house in order. The elders will be there to guide and advise, but the responsibility of organisation-building at the grassroots level must now be shouldered by the younger generation. It should be kept in mind that the Hindutva forces have become so strong today because their mother organisation, the RSS, has been assiduously building up one organisation after another for the past ninety years. Without organisation, the Hindutva forces cannot be faced.

March 17 B.D.G.
Kochi: The Vigilance Court in Muvattupuzha has asked the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to register case and conduct probe into the disproportionate asset complaint against IG Manoj Abraham. The petition was filed by PP Chandrasekharan Nair of Pathanamthitta. The Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge P Madhavan ordered to assign an officer above the rank of a superintendent of police to conduct the investigation on the said complaint.

As per the petition Mr. Abraham misused his position to stop illegal quarrying in Pathanamthitta and conducted numerous foreign trips. He also constructed a mansion in the capital city and amassed properties in Kerala and Karnataka which were sponsored by businessmen. The VACB director has been directed to register the case under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
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"It's so unlike anything I've ever experienced. I owe the world a thank-you note," said Sister Jane F. Morrissey.

Morrissey is the 66th Grand Marshal who will lead this year's annual Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade. The Grand Marshal is the highest local honor given to a person who has distinguished themselves as a loyal person to their career, their family, and to their Irish ancestry.

"With education being so important to our 2017 Parade President Mike Moriarty and to our grand marshal, I must also celebrate my own education in Holyoke where I was taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph. I am proud to have our next grand marshal follow me in a year that brought me much happiness and pride, and pretty good weather," said Patti Devine, last year's grand marshal and chair of this year's Selection Committee.

And, speaking of the weather, it's the grand marshal's duty to "put in the order" for good weather on parade day, which this year falls on Sunday.

"They've already given me a rosary to pray with," said Morrissey about her charge for sunny skies.

Another inside for this year's parade day weather - the parade falls on the same day as the feast of St. Joseph.

The former president of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, Sister Morrissey is an educator, social justice activist, and humanitarian who has worked among the poor all over the world - from Colombia, Peru and Guatemala to Springfield and Holyoke.

It is not Morrissey's - whose mother's parents came from County Galway - first time marching in the parade.

"I vaguely remember going to watch the parade as a young child. Later I marched in the parade a couple of times as a member of our high school band at St. Mary's Parish in Westfield, playing the bass drum once and the cymbals another time," said Morrissey.

In the early 1980s, she and her fellow sisters opened Gray House in Springfield's North End, turning an abandoned home into a neighborhood center that provides services to meet the civic, social and educational needs of their neighbors. Today, Gray House continues to help struggling people and families in Springfield by operating several services including a Food Pantry, Adult Education Program and a Kid's Club.

But it wasn't until once again finding herself marching in the Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade thatMorrissey's attention turned to helping those in need in the "paper city."

"I had my eyes opened when marching in the parade back in 2000 in celebration of the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Sisters of St. Joseph. After the parade, Sister Joan Ryziewicz pointed out to me that when walking the parade route, those in the middle class neighborhoods knew us and called out to us by name. But, when we turned the corner into a poor Latino neighborhood, people asked who we were. Sister Joan said to me, 'We speak Spanish and have been educators a big part of our lives and are committed to the poor......there is something for us to do in Holyoke," Morrissey said.

Recognizing the critical need for advanced education for children living in poor neighborhoods of Holyoke, Morrissey and Sr. Maureen Broughan started the Homework House in Holyoke's "Flats" neighborhood in 2006. Modeled after a successful after-school program in California, volunteers at the Homework House offer free and individualized tutoring and mentoring to at-risk elementary school children. Homework House started out small with only 20 children and 15 volunteer tutors working with them two days a week. Today it has expanded to a second location in Holyoke's "Churchill" section and now serves almost 100 children each day with the help of over 250 volunteers.

Morrissey won't be walking alone in the parade.

"I am one of seven children in my family and have some 71 nieces and nephews. I told the committee when you get me, you get all of them and my 200 Sisters of St. Joseph when you honor me," Morrissey said, noting that not every single one of them will be walking.

"I'm hoping that some from Homework House will want to walk with me, too. I feel as if they are my family as well, and certainly one of the reasons I am being honored," she added.
The St. Patrick's Day Parade sparked celebration in the heart of Boston's historically Irish neighborhood on Sunday, despite freezing temperatures and a shortened parade route.

The annual event drew thousands of spectators from all corners of the world. Scally caps, fake beards and green-attired enthusiasts holding Irish flags flooded Broadway on the cold afternoon. The parade kicked off at Broadway Station around 1 p.m. and weaved through the street until its early end stop at Farragut Road. Officials shortened the parade route last week due to an unwelcoming forecast. Sunday's weather offered only spurts of flurries but plenty of cold.

Mayor Marty Walsh and Governor Charlie Baker led the stream of trucks, floats and marchers, waving to the thousands of on-lookers leaning over the police barricades that lined Broadway.

Gay veterans group OUTVETS marched early in the procession. The group marched with their rainbow logo and flag, a symbol which originally had them banned from marching this year. The parade's organizers, the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, originally voted 9-4 to ban OUTVETS from participating because their logo was too sexually explicit. The vote was overturned after Mayor Walsh, Gov. Baker and business sponsors threatened to not join the parade.

Several Massachusetts marching bands filled the streets with music, including bagpiping band the Boston Police Gaelic Column of Pipes and Drums. Local unions like the Sheet Metal Workers, Iron Workers and the Painters and Allied Trades rode trucks and passed out candy to spectators.
A 50-year-old Cambridge man is accused of striking a Revere police cruiser and then crashing into a building with a U-Haul truck while fleeing the scene of a break-in.

Saugus Police were called to Santoro's Sub-Villa on Essex Street around 3 a.m. Sunday for a report of an alarm. Authorities say Robert Silvia, 50, of Cambridge, broke into the business.

An officer saw a 2017 Ford U-Haul truck parked outside the business. Police discovered the glass front doors to the shop were smashed, police said in a news release.

Police saw the U-Haul and tried to pulled it over, but Silvia drove off when the officers got out of their cruisers, police said.

Silvia, according to police, drove into Lynn then back into Saugus as police followed. As Silvia entered Revere on Route 107, he struck a Revere police cruiser, authorities said.

"At the time that Silvia struck the Revere police cruiser, the officer was outside the vehicle and was able to move out of the way," police said.

Silvia then crashed into Gulino's Auto Body in Revere. He ran from the U-Haul and into the building, but was caught and arrested.

The U-Haul caught fire after the crash. Firefighters put out the fire.

Silvia is facing several motor vehicle violations along with breaking and entering and attempting to commit a crime charges.

Authorities are investigating another break-in that occurred Sunday morning in another building near the Saugus shop.
SPRINGFIELD - Police have charged a Maryland man with five counts of arson in connection with a spate of intentional blazes earlier this month that left several families homeless, according to investigators.

Mardell Davis

Five apartment buildings or multi-family homes at 282, 286 and 292 Union St., plus 125 Andrews St. and 185 Hancock Street were set on fire after midnight on March 12. Nearby homes also were damaged by flames during a bone-chillingly cold night when firefighters battled for hours at a time, officials said.

Fire units from surrounding communities rushed to the scenes to assist Springfield firefighters.

Mardell Davis, 30, was arrested late Friday and charged with five counts of arson.

A police report drafted by Officer Mark Bacon indicates Davis was initially connected to a restraining order filed by a resident of 292 Union St. According to police, he said he carried cups of an accelerant to Union Street, where he set multiple fires.

Video surveillance shows a suspect wearing dark pants and a hoodie walking first to 292 Union St., then to 282 Union St., reports state.

"The video shows flickering of lights and suddenly there is a large burst of flame and the suspect can be seen walking out away from the fire heading east on Union Street on foot," according to reports.

The same scenario played out at 286 Union St. when a surveillance camera captures Davis allegedly entering the stairwell there, and a burst of flame erupts once again. Police say Davis confessed to all five local arsons.

Back in Maryland, Davis is wanted on a slew of charges including rape and attempted murder. Details surrounding the alleged incidents leading to the charges in Maryland weren't immediately available Saturday night.

His motive for setting the fires in Springfield was vague, according to police.

"He was mad and high, according to him," said police Capt. Trent Duda, who led the investigation but also credited the narcotics and street crimes unit, plus Officers Louis Adamas, Greg McCain and Gifford Jenkins.

Duda said the investigation was complicated by Davis offering an alias (David Lewis) to police, and by a girlfriend in this area who believed he had outstanding warrants out of Albany, New York, as opposed to Maryland.

Davis claimed he has family and friends in Springfield but was angry at a woman he left behind in Maryland, Duda said.

Police department spokesman Sgt. John Delaney also said in a statement that investigators quickly sized up the fires as targeted, not random.

"The morning after the fires the police department patrolled the immediate vicinity of the fires all week to calm the neighborhood," Delaney said. "This arrest should let all the residents on Union Street rest easy. Investigators believe the motive could be domestic."

Davis' accounts of setting the fires included specific details that could not easily be manufactured and were confirmed by surveillance cameras, reports state. He also fled from police over a barbed wire fence when they attempted to stop him, reports state.

He recounted sitting in a chair and setting the fire at Hancock Street and setting another blaze on the front porch of Andrew Street, police said.

Police recovered lighter fluid, paint thinner and Styrofoam cups from the suspect, reports state.

Davis is scheduled for an arraignment hearing at Springfield District Court on Monday.
CHESTER, Conn. - Police arrested two men, one who was allegedly found with 240 bags of heroin, after he tried to flee a one-car accident Saturday.

Hector Burgos, 24, of 37 Glendale Avenue, Hartford, was charged with illegal possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, interfering with an officer, and threatening in the second degree, Connecticut State Police said.

Eddie Crespo, 26, of 25 Clover Drive, West Hartford, was charged with interfering with a police officer, evading responsibility, failure to carry minimum insurance requirements,

operating a motor vehicle under suspension, improper use of marker and failure to maintain proper lane, police said.

Burgos is being held on $75,000 cash bail and Crespo is being held on $50,000 bail. Both were transported to the Hartford Correctional Center and are scheduled to appear in Middlesex Superior Court on March 20, police said.

Police initially responded to a one-car accident shortly before 5:30 a.m. on Route 9 southbound, just before Exit 6. When they arrived they found a 2008 Lexus crashed into the guardrail. The car had a license plate that belonged on another vehicle, police said.

The occupants of the car had left. The driver and the passenger, later identified as Crespo and Burgos, were found on Route 148 and neither man was injured. Police said they searched Burgos and found the heroin as well as $645 in cash.
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Firefighters were able to save part of this business complex in Georgetown

(Submitted photo)

GEORGETOWN - Two doctors' offices and a third office were badly damaged by fire and several other businesses sustained water damage in an early morning fire in a commercial building.

The fire was reported at about 8 a.m. in a strip mall at 65 Central St. which houses a variety of businesses including a CVS pharmacy, a law firm, a yoga studio and a number of other officers, Fire Chief Fred Mitchell said.

Firefighters, which are located in the Georgetown Public Safety complex next door, responded immediately to the activated fire alarm. When they arrived they saw smoke showing but could not immediately locate the source of the fire, he said.

Fire commanders called for more manpower and were able to isolate and contain the fire to one portion of the building. The fire was extinguished within 30 minutes, he said.

The medical offices and a third office were badly damaged and a number of offices on the left side of the building also received heavy smoke and water damage. The CVS and other offices on the right side of the building were undamaged and the CVS is expected to be able to open later Sunday, he said.

"This was a tremendous and professional effort by our fire crews and neighbors providing mutual aid," Mitchell said. "Thanks to the hard work of the responding firefighters, no one was injured, and the building was saved this morning."

Georgetown firefighters were assisted by the Haverhill, Newbury, Groveland, West Newbury, Boxford, Rowley, and Topsfield fire departments. Atlantic Ambulance Service, the Georgetown Electric Department, and National Grid Massachusetts Gas also responded to the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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Historian Allyson Hobbs will speak at UMass Tuesday.

(Submitted)

AMHERST -- Award-winning historian Allyson Hobbs will visit the University of Massachusetts Amherst history department next week as the UMass/Five College History Graduate Program's 11th annual writer-in-residence.

Hobbs will deliver a free public lecture titled "Far From Sanctuary: African-American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights" on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the UMass Campus Center Room 174-176.

Her talk explores African-American travel during the early to mid-20th century and the role of the car in African-American culture.

Part of a forthcoming book of the same title, Hobbs' lecture will explore the emotional lives of black drivers -- including the sense of pride, the seduction and the exhilaration that owning a car offered -- as well as the broader fears, violence and exclusions that African-Americans experienced when they got behind the wheel, according to a press release.

Her talk argues that the national fraternity of American motorists excluded African-Americans during the early to mid-20th century despite the ostensibly democratic nature of the "open road."

"Professor Allyson Hobbs is a leading scholar and public intellectual whose work illuminates the complexity of African-American life and the persistence of racism in the American experience," Barbara Krauthamer, associate professor of history and associate dean of the UMass Graduate School, said in a statement.

Hobbs is an associate professor in the department of history and director of African and African-American studies at Stanford University.

She is a contributing staff writer for newyorker.com, a lecturer for the Organization of American Historians and has appeared on C-SPAN, MSNBC and National Public Radio. Her work has been featured on cnn.com, slate.com and in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education and The Christian Science Monitor, according to the news release.
Daniel LaPlante, the Massachusetts man serving life in prison for killing a nursery school teacher and her two young children in Townsend roughly 30 years ago, is asking for a judge to reduce his sentence.

The Lowell Sun reports that LaPlante will appear in Middlesex Superior Court on Wednesday for a re-sentencing hearing.

The newspaper reports the hearing is a result of ruling made by the state's highest court stating juveniles cannot be sentenced to serve life in prison without parole.

LaPlante was 17-years-old during the Dec. 1, 1987 killings of nursery school teacher Priscilla Gustafson and her two children, 7-year-old Abigail and 5-year-old William. LaPlante is now 46.

Court records show the Andrew Gustafson found the body of his 33-year-old wife on the bed inside the master bedroom of the family's Townsend home.

She had been shot at close range twice. A pillow had been placed over her head. The bodies of Gustafson's two children were discovered after police were called to the scene.

William was found dead in an upstairs bathroom tub. Abigail was found dead in a downstairs bathroom tub, court records show.

Both children died of drowning. Abigail also had blunt trauma to her head, records show.

The Lowell Sun reports that Andrew Gustafson died in 2014. LaPlante, the newspaper reports, is being held at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater.

LaPlante was convicted of first-degree murder and rape in the killings. The hearing could result in LaPlante's release.
SPRINGFIELD -- Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni hosted his second -annual St. Patrick's Day party at the John Boyle O'Reilly Club in Springfield this week.

The event attracted several hundred visitors who enjoyed Irish music, drinks and plenty of food including the traditional corned-beef sandwiches.

At the age of 33, Gulluni was the county's youngest district attorney in over 50 years when he was sworn into the post in January 2015.

Prior to that, the lifelong Springfield resident was an assistant prosecutor in the office he now runs.
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(REPUBLICAN FILE)

SUFFIELD - Police are warning residents here in nearby Southwick that there have been recent reports of rabid raccoons biting dogs this week.

The police took two reports of dogs being bitten by a raccoon. The encounters have been in the area of Copper Hill Road, Pike Road and Lake View Drive, all of which are close to the Congamond Lakes in Southwick, Police Capt. Christopher McKee said.

One deceased raccoon has tested positive for the rabies virus by the Connecticut state lab, he said.

"We'd like to remind residents to never approach wild animals, especially those that look to be sick or injured," he said.

Residents who notice an animal exhibiting odd behavior they should call the Suffield Police Department at 860-668-3870.

People should check to ensure pets are up to date on vaccines and dogs should be kept on a leash, he said.
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MANCHESTER - The body of a man believed to have been ejected from his truck during a collision was found in the woods by a Department of Transportation worker Sunday morning.

The employee was checking highway ramps for ice at about 7:25 a.m. when he discovered the body of a man in the woods off the ramp from Route 128 northbound near Exit 16, Massachusetts State Police officials said.

The man was non-responsive and suffered from serious injuries. The Manchester Police and Fire Departments responded and assisted at the scene. The victim was transported by a Manchester EMS ambulance to Beverly Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

He was later identified as a 51-year-old Salem resident. The man's name has not been released until family members can be contacted, police said.

A State Police investigation determined the man had been driving a 2005 Ford pickup, which rolled over at some time. The truck was found further in the woods.

A preliminary investigation by state Troopers from the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section and Crime Scene Service Section determined the vehicle crashed through the guardrail. Troopers continue to examine the accident and are trying to determine how the driver lost control of the truck, police said.
JAMAICA, VT - Vermont State Police are searching for a missing teenage girl who is believed to have run away from her Jamaica home this week.

Teresa Bratton.

17-year-old Teresa Bratton was last seen in Brattleboro on Thursday night, according to Trooper Jeff Hudon, of the Vermont State Police.

Police have asked anyone who believes they may have information on Bratton's whereabouts to contact the State Police Westminster Barracks 802-722-4600.
A Boylston man is facing a child pornography distribution charge in federal court after authorities said he sent an email to an undercover investigator including images of child pornography.

Randy Alan Chaplis, 32, was charged in a criminal complaint with distributing child pornography and was arrested Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of Massachusetts.

He was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Boston and detained after appearing in court. Chaplis will return to court on Monday for a detention hearing.

Authorities claim in federal records that Chaplis sent an email to an undercover investigator that included child pornography images on Feb. 9.

"During other email communications with this undercover officer, Chaplis stated that he likes 3-to-10 year olds and that he has 'fun' with his girlfriend's five-year-old daughter when her mother is not home," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Chaplis, according to authorities, emailed graphic descriptions of sexual acts he had "purportedly performed with this child" and asked the undercover officer if he intended to have sex with an infant daughter once she turned three or four.

"The complaint also alleges that Chaplis bragged to another Internet user about having sexual intercourse with a four-year-old-girl," authorities said.

Investigators executed a search warrant at Chaplis' home on March 15 and found an external hard drive and a desktop computer that included multiple images of child pornography.

The charges against Chaplis were filed in U.S. District Court in Worcester. Authorities said Chaplis admitted to being the user of the email account that sent the pictures and acknowledged he sent the email.
Boston Police with Devin Suau

(Boston Police Department )

Devin Suau, the 6-year-old Framingham boy who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, kicked off the Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade with his uncle, Boston Police Officer Justin Cremmins, and members of the department.

Suau has always wanted to b a police officer and has already received the honor of being Police Chief for a day in his hometown of Framingham.

The young boy was snowboarding in January when he fell off his board and received a concussion. Doctors were examining Suau when they discovered the rare type of brain cancer diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.

Doctors gave Suau a life expectancy of 8 months to 2 years. His family started the #WhyNotDevin hastag on social media to inform people about the rare pediatric brain cancer.

The family is hoping to raise $250,000 to help with medical costs.
Alabama Secretary of Early Childhood Education visits Montana to tout benefits of publicly funded preschool

"We know this is a strong investment in our states future," said Governor Bullock. "Now is the time Montana finally makes investments into the success of our kids through publicly funded early childhood education."

The "Rally for Montanas Future Superheroes" featured Governor Bullocks proposal for $12 million in grants to allow school districts, Head Start programs, and high-quality preschool providers to offer preschool for four-year-old kids at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Representative Kathy Kelker who is sponsoring the legislation, House Bill 563, also spoke at the rally.

"Preschool prepares our students for success in school and in life," said Rep. Kelker. "Despite the overwhelming evidence to support investments in early childhood education, Montana has lagged behind most other states in providing high quality preschool."

Full Story: http://governor.mt.gov/Newsroom/teachers-parents-kids-and-legislators-rally-in-support-of-governor-bullocks-early-childhood-education-proposal
Advice abounds on the best ways to manage your startup board, but its becoming clearer and clearer that who you choose to be on your board is just as important as how you leverage them.

Selecting and including an independent director or two, even when youre still small, can boost your startups success and help guide your company to greatness. Weve collected five recommendations to help CEOs/founders as they build their startup board.

by Jeska Dzwigalski Kittenbrink

Full Story: http://labs.openviewpartners.com/how-to-build-a-strong-board/?utm_campaign=General%20Newsletter&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=44371087&_hsenc=p2ANqtzIFAr3m5B5fVgbZq3wkp5HjiIIeU4PPjJHvDFsjXdsmrYJ_SQ2Hp8aGWGYDvW3PeazaTkomvdWHarR4ZQaa_wBCLy2HQ&_hsmi=44371087#.WM7Oeme1vIV
Ever since we welcomed the year 2017, Indias success and glory has skyrocketed to an enviable position, leaving us with the emotions of pride and happiness. Our hearts have swelled up over the fact that Indians all over the world are leaving a deep impression with their hard work. From launching 104 satellites in space in one go to becoming the 25th best country, we are gradually taking over the world and showing them who the true boss is. Talking about the reports glorifying Indians, an annual ranking was released recently of the richest Asians in Britain, UK in 2017. NRI businessmen Hindujas retained their first position with an estimated wealth of 19 f**king billion pounds.

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As compared to last year, the Hinduja brothers  Srichand and Gopi  saw an increase of 2.5 billion pounds. According to the Eastern Eye Asian Rich List, Britains 101 Wealthiest Asians 2017  Steel magnate, Lakshmi N Mittal was at the second position with a wealth of 12.6 billion pounds. Reportedly, the list also states that the Hinduja brothers in London, Prakash in Geneva and Ashok in Mumbai have incurred increased profits in Ashok Leyland, IndusInd Bank, Gulf Oil, energy and real estate. The first copy of the Rich List was presented to GP Hinduja, Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who was the chief guest at the 20th Annual Asian Business Awards.

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In his keynote speech, Khan said London is home to one of the largest, and most diverse South-Asian communities in the world, which contributes a huge amount to the citys success  sociallu, culturally and economically. The third and fourth positions were bagged by Prakash Lohia, Chairman of the Indorama Corporation and Anil Agarwal, along with Arora borthers who own a retail stores chian. Agarwal is the executive chairman of Vedanta Resources, one of the fastest growing mining and metals group in the world. Lord Swraj Paul, prominent NRI industrialist, was at the 14th position in the list with an estimated fortune of 800 million pounds.

 Reuters

Some other honorary mentions include Asian Business of the Year Award, won by Surinder Arora, founder and Chairman of one of the UKs largest privately owned and operated hotels; Arora Group.

This award show was organized by the Asian Media and Marketing Group.

Source: The Times of India
Two years ago, when Cynthia Heaton  a nurse in Iowa City  took a different job, she had no idea the nightmare her new health insurance company would soon put her family through.

Her son, Michael, has multiple chronic illnesses, Aspergers syndrome  a form of autism  asthma, ADHD and Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Hes on numerous medications and the family spent years finding the right combination of drugs that interacted with one another properly and also managed his symptoms.

The family tried generics and different versions of them at her original insurance companys request, only to find they did not work before moving to newer, name brand medications.

But the time already spent trying those medications that did not work was not considered under the new insurance plan.

We had to do the process all over again, she said.

Its a practice called step therapy  patients must start with the most cost-effective or safest drug, moving to more costly or risky therapy only after those treatments fail. Its a way for insurers to control costs and minimize risks.

And the vast majority of the time, it makes sense for an insurer to ask doctors and patients to go through the process. But there are instances when exemptions are needed, advocates say.

For example, after Michael Heaton was forced to go back to drugs the family knew wouldnt work, two of them interacted poorly with one another and caused him to have coughing spells. Because Michael has asthma, doctors first thought he needed a stronger inhaler or a dose of steroids.

But he kept coughing. After several months, they put Michael under to get a better look at his lungs. Thats when they found that the coughing had nothing to do with his asthma. The drug mixture had caused multiple stomach ulcers to form, which were producing acid reflux and causing him to cough.

I was so angry, Heaton said. We decided that wed pay out of pocket before we changed prescriptions again.

That experience is what brought her to Des Moines this past Wednesday along with about a dozen other Iowans to talk with legislators and urge them to vote in favor for a pair of bills  Senate File 436 and House File 233  that soon will come to the floors for debate.

The legislation would allow exceptions from step-therapy protocols when inappropriate. It would give the patient immediate coverage of the prescribed drug if there is proper documentation.

Its supported by the Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa, National Alliance of Mental Illness, Iowa Pharmacy Association and the Iowa Medical Society, among other provider and advocacy groups. Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and Amerigroup Iowa are against the bill.

Although this legislation is well-intended, almost everything being proposed is already covered by existing federal and state laws or regulations. Additional legislation could create a confusing overlap of these regulations, Wellmark said in a statement. As examples, the Affordable Care Act already regulates the processes for developing step therapy protocols and the state laws in Iowa provide members with rights to challenge denials of coverage for prescription drugs.

In addition, Wellmark already administers its step therapy protocols to ensure that members are not forced to try and fail on drugs simply because they switched health plans.

The insurer added it has been involved in discussions with the bills advocates to address concerns while ensuring that health plans can continue to administer appropriate, scientifically based step therapy programs.

In terms of step therapy, these protocols are understandable to have set for the usual patient, said Dr. Michael Brooks, a rheumatologist at the Physicians Clinic of Iowa who also went to Des Moines this past week. But there is enough in the way of unusual patients or patients with conditions that make it difficult to follow a set pattern, that we are unable to provide the best care.

Brooks has one patient whom he has been working with for more than a year to find medications to properly mitigate arthritis symptoms. But then the patient switched insurance companies and the insurer had a different set of preferred medications, so the patient wasnt allowed to stay on the drugs.

Brooks has the medical records and the often yearslong history with patients. Its important that insurers allow for exemptions so that health care professionals can properly care for their patients, he said  especially when being taken off a working medication could harm a patient or stop progress, such as in the case of patients who suffer from seizures or a mental illness.

Brooks said physicians understand drug costs are high and insurers are trying to contain them. But the system needs to be altered, he said.

We need the ability to, in an expedited way, get answers within a reasonable amount of time, he said.
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LAKE MILLS | Elaine C. Ingebritson, age 93, of Lake Mills died on Thursday, March 16, 2017, at Mayo Clinic Health Systems in Albert Lea, MN.

Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 23, 2017, at Mittelstadt Funeral Home, 902 East Main St. in Lake Mills. Private family burial will take place at Salem Lutheran Cemetery.

A Celebration of Life memorial service will be 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29, 2017, at Salem Lutheran Church, 401 S. Lake St. in Lake Mills, with Pastor Joel L. Guttormson officiating.

You can contact the family with online condolences at: www.mittelstadtfuneralhome.com. 641-592-0221.
MASON CITY | LaDonna G. Knutson, 90, of Mason City, passed away Friday, March 17, 2017, at the Muse Norris Hospice-Inpatient Unit, Mason City.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, March 23, 2017, 10:30 a.m. at Hogan-Bremer-Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 Third St N.E., Mason City, with the Rev. Steve Hansen officiating. Inurnment will be at Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery.

A visitation will be held Wednesday, March 22, 2017, 4 to 6 p.m. at Hogan-Bremer-Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 Third St. N.E., Mason City.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be directed to Humane Society of North Iowa.
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...
23 couples married off at MWF ceremony

A mass marriage ceremony was held today at the central secretariat under the banner of Minhaj Welfare Foundation. President of MQI Dr Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri presided over the event.

In todays mass marriage ceremony, 23 couples entered into matrimonial alliance. Dower to the tune of 175,000 was given to each bride besides arrangement of feast for 700 guests. The brides and grooms were welcomed traditionally. The religious scholars of Minhaj-ul-Quran Ulama Council solemnized the Nikkah whereas the religious leaders of Christianity fulfilled the marriage rites of the Christian couples.

Delivering his keynote address, Dr Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri said that public service is a worship. He said that the Saints are alive in the hearts of the people because of their selfless service to humanity. He said that convents of the Sufis were the community centres in essence where all would come without any discrimination to have their needs met. He said that Minhaj Welfare Foundation has funded the marriages of more 1200 couples belonging to the poor households to date under the supervision of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri. He said that the PAT Chairmans struggle for revolution and politics is an important means of service.

Speaking on the occasion, AML President Sheikh Rasheed said that whether it is of law or N, funeral of the either should happen now, warning that otherwise there is a fear of bloodshed in the country erupting either today or tomorrow. He said that consensus has been forged between the thieves, robbers and looters. He said that US President Obamas daughter joined a restaurant for a job whereas our daughter is an owner of flats of worth Rs. 8 corers. He said if the looters remained imposed on the nation, then the children of the poor will continue to face humiliation. He said that Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri is serving the suffering humanity by arranging mass marriage ceremonies of the poor daughters.

Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, MWM leader, Ghulam Mohiydin Dewarn, Dr Aamir Baloch, Dr Zarqa, Firdous Jamal, Haji Muhammad Amin Qadri, Shafique Qadri, Dr Abid Aziz, Mufti Abdul Qayyum Khan Hazarvi, Fayyaz Warraich, Sarwat Rubina, and Shahid Latif also addressed the ceremony. Syed Amjad Ali Shah, Director of Minhaj Welfare Foundation, presented the welcome note, whereas Sajid Mahmood Bhatti, Shahid Iqbal Yousafi and Khurram Shahzad conducted the proceedings of the whole event as stage secretaries.

Senior MQI and PAT leaders including Sahibzada Faiz-ur-Rehman Durrani, GM Malik, Brig (r ) Iqbal, Mrs. Dr Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri, Umme Habiba, Zainab Arsahd, Iqbal Dogar, Noorullah Saddiqi, Jawad Hamid, Priest Samuel Nawab, Shahid Malik, Arshad Mahar, Allama Pir Asif Akbar and others were also present on the occasion.

MWM leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said that marriage brings about fundamental change in ones life. He said that it is a journey from being a single to being a couple. He said that getting worried for the poor is a worthy act in the eyes of Allah Almighty. He said that he is pleased to find out that the MQI has made service to the people the means of worship. He said that venue where dozens of couples and their families have got together today is the same place where perpetrators of Model Town tragedy killed innocent people. He congratulated the Minhaj Welfare Foundation on holding the mass marriage ceremony in a splendid manner.

Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Dewan, member of Azad Kashmir Assembly, said that Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri is rendering a great service to the people without any discrimination. He said that whenever he visits MQI, he gets a sense of satisfaction and peace. He said that Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri is only political leader who is not only educating people through his educational institutions but also arranging mass marriage ceremonies to marry off the daughters of the poor families. He said that a great deal of oppression and excesses are being committed in Pakistan and there is no one to do so except the powerful people from the ruling elite. He said that the jails are filled to its capacity with the poor but the high and the mighty are at large despite committing horrendous crimes.
BAY CITY, MI -- St. Patrick's Day is celebrated each year on March 17.

But in Bay City, Michigan, it's a weekend-long holiday that, for the past 63 years, culminates on Parade Sunday.

Just as they have over the past six decades, tens of thousands of people, many donning their Irish greens and oranges, lined up along Historic Center Avenue on Sunday, March 19, for the annual Bay City St. Patrick's Day Parade.

"It's Bay City's best day of the year," said Tom Newsham, president of the parade association.

When it came to Sunday's weather, Bay City had the luck of the Irish. Temperatures were in the low 40s, but a healthy dose of sunshine made it comfortable to wear a few layers and a pair of sunglasses.

The day started with the 44th annual Bay City St. Patrick's Day Race, which saw thousands compete in the 5K and 8K road races. Gannon Foley, a Bay City native who now lives in Portage, where he's a senior at Portage Central High School, won the men's 5K with a time of 16:03.

"This is kind of a big deal for me," Foley told The Bay City Times/MLive. "I not only have family and friends here, but I've seen my elementary school teachers, kids I used to go to school with and people I haven't seen on a long time. To be able to run in front of them and do so well is a blessing."

At 2 p.m., the parade took off, heading west on Center Avenue. There were more than 140 entries in this year's parade, a slight uptick from a year ago, Newsham said.

Leading the way were volunteers from the safe Harbor Soup Kitchen. For the past few years, they've collected food for the Banks District soup kitchen.

Special to this year's parade is Miss Michigan Arianna Quan, who rode in a horse-drawn carriage alongside her close friend, Kendra Lodewyk, a Bay County native who is the 2016 Miss Michigan Outstanding Teen.

Sunday's festivities marked the final parade for Bay City Manager Rick Finn, whose contract expires June 30. His first official act as city manager when he was hired in March 2014, was walking in the annual parade.

The gallery above will be updated with more photos throughout the day. Feel free to share your photos in the comments below.
Church steeple

The steeple of St. John's Lutheran Church in Zilwaukee pokes up through the fall color in this MLive.com file photo.

(JEFF SCHRIER)

LAPEER TWP, MI - A Lapeer Township church has filed a federal lawsuit claiming the community's zoning ordinances bar the congregation from worshipping and violate the church's constitutional rights.

Irish Oaks Community Church is leasing property at 2841 Wilder Road in an area that is zoned as agricultural estate, according to the lawsuit filed in Flint U.S. District Court on Feb. 21.

The 7-acre property has a main building that holds 140 people and an accessory barn. It was previously used by a production company to practice and host performances to prepare for shows on cruise ships, the lawsuit said.

But after attempting to get four zoning variances in order to use the property for worship, Irish Oaks was denied by the township.

Irish Oaks then filed a lawsuit alleging Lapeer Township officials have violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Act and hampered the church's constitutional protection under the free exercise and free speech clauses of the First Amendment.

Lapeer Township has 13 different zoning districts, but churches and temples are not a permitted use in any of those, according to the lawsuit.

"It basically zones new churches out of Lapeer Township," said Daniel Dalton, attorney for Irish Oaks Community Church. "I don't know if it's to protect the current ones, but clearly the way the zoning ordinance is laid out is to preclude new churches from coming in."

MLive-The Flint Journal could not reach Lapeer Township attorney Mike Gildner for comment on Friday, March 17.

Lapeer Township also forces churches and temples to comply with four additional requirements to get approval from the zoning commission, the lawsuit alleges. Those additional charges cover things such as access to roads for traffic at the church, how close buildings can be to property lines, landscaping and road and parking lot access that prevents undue glare and noise to nearby residents.

Other secular buildings such as the Lapeer Township municipal office and Hunters Creek Club are operating under the same agricultural estate zoning designation that Irish Oaks Community Church wants to operate in.

"There is really no reason why this particular area should be precluding a church," Dalton said.

Dalton argues that Lapeer Township allows several secular assembly uses in its multiple different zoning designations that are subject to site plan review.

By contrast, the lawsuit says, churches and temples require special land use approval to operate in those same designations.

Lapeer's zoning violates the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Act's equal terms provision because "it permits nonreligious assemblies but either outright bans religious assemblies or requires religious assemblies to apply for and obtain special dispensation from the Lapeer Township Planning Commission," the lawsuit said.

Dalton contends the site where Irish Oaks wants to worship was used in the same capacity for which the church wants to use it.

"That use has already existed right there," he said. "It's just gone from a secular use to a religious use."

Irish Oaks' lawsuit seeks to recover damages, equitable relief, costs and attorney fees. No specific amount is listed.

Church members are currently meeting in homes for worship.

"Most communities welcome new churches because it brings value to the community, but apparently Lapeer Township doesn't," Dalton said. "The hope again is to allow the church to open and we're hoping the court agrees with us."
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A screenshot taken of a GoFundMe dedicated to raising money for Caoline Kanis. The group was able to raise enough funds to hire a professional flash mob to perform for the Kanis family in Grand Rapids last year.

HOLLAND, MI -- Young Caroline "Peachy" Kanis, a fourth-grade student at Rose Park Christian School, died this weekend.

In a letter to the community from the district's Facebook page, Holland Christian Schools Superintendent Dan Meester asked the community to support the Kanis family after Caroline's death early Saturday morning. She was battling highly aggressive brain tumors at the base of her brain for more than a year, according to a Facebook page dedicated to spreading awareness of diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas.

Caroline Kanis passed away today after fighting DIPG for over a year. Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers. :(  Posted by DIPG Support and Awareness on Saturday, March 18, 2017

"I encourage you all to remember that in order to lend your support for the Kanis family, you don't have to have perfect words," Meester said in the post. "You don't have to avoid the hurt or the tears. You don't have to worry that your gesture won't be grand enough. Walking with people through pain is often just about being present, and I know I can count on all of you to do your part."

Meester said that he will share more information with the community as it becomes available, but in the meantime encourages parents to talk with their children.

The Helen DeVos Children's Hospital will provide resources for families seeking age-appropriate discussion guidance, Meester said, and Holland Christian staff and counselors will be available for students in the days ahead.

Parents Tina and Michael Kanis were unable to respond for comment Sunday morning. In 2014, the Holland Sentinel reports that Michael organized a fundraiser to purchase bullet proof vests for the Holland Department of Public Safety.

A closed Facebook group "Prayers For Caroline 'Peachy' Kanis" accumulated more than 3,600 members, while a GoFundMe campaign raised $1,400 in funds and planned events for the family.

After Caroline was diagnosed in March 2016, the group hired Flash Mob America to choreograph, video, and bring dancers to perform three songs at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

The superintendent said he is confident that the school community will rally together in support of the grieving family.

"We serve a God who loves us and who knows what our pain is like," Meester said. "He experienced it Himself, and He walks with us today--just as He has always done for His people when they need Him."

Dear Holland Christian Schools friends and family, As many of you have by now heard, we are once again walking through... Posted by Holland Christian Schools on Saturday, March 18, 2017
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The JCPenney store at Shops at Westshore in Holland Township will close in June.

(Shandra Martinez | MLive)

HOLLAND, MI -- As the final phase of the $25 million makeover of Westshore Mall is finishing up, there is now a new project on the horizon: Figuring out what to do with an empty anchor store.

JCPenney, one of the Holland area shopping center's largest tenants, will shutter in June.

The closure announced Friday, March 17 is among seven locations in Michigan, and 138 nationwide that will displace 5,000 workers. The mass closings will save the struggling department store chain $200 million per year, the company said.

Liquidation sales are slated to begin in April.

Westshore is the near the end of its transformation from traditional mall to a power center where retailers can be accessed directly from the parking lot. The result is a 25 percent smaller and reconfigured footprint with 331,493 square feet of leasable space.

The demalling process wrapped up in 2016. Construction is now focused on the build outs of individual stores. The 40-acre property sits along U.S. 31, between James and Felch streets.

It's too soon to say if the 50,921-square-foot Penney space will be leased by one retailer or carved up for many, said Jean Ramirez, Westshore's general manager.

There has been interest by retailers wanting a larger footprint than was available, she said.

"While we hate to lose any tenant, we are always researching the industry for potential new tenants and now have the opportunity to continue some discussions with those tenants that needed a larger space," Ramirez said.

News of the Holland store's closing wasn't unexpected for two Penney shoppers on Friday.

"I understand what is going on. It's the Amazon effect," said Matt Searl, as he was exiting the store Friday evening, carrying a bag of long johns he bought on sale.

The Holland resident says he shops Amazon and other online retailers. The last time he was at the Penney store was a year ago to make the same purchase.

Linda Yonker visits the store more frequently. She comes monthly to pick up items she ordered from the Penny's website to avoid a shipping cost. After the store closes in June, the West Olive resident figures she'll switch the pickup location to Penny's Muskegon store.

In place of the longtime retailer, Yonker says she would really like to see an Ikea store -- although the ready-to-assemble furniture chain would need more space for one of its stores.

If that isn't possible, maybe a really good shoe store, Yonker said.
HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, MI -- A man is in critical condition from injuries sustained in a crash that threw his car into a Walgreens drive-thru.

Dustin Darrow, a 32-year-old Holland Township man, was driving north on U.S. 31 at a high rate of speed early Sunday morning. At around 1 a.m., the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office said Darrow lost control of his Ford Focus for unknown reasons, swerving to the right before striking a ditch which sent him rolling several times.

Deputies said the vehicle entered the drive-thru of a Walgreens at the corner of U.S. 31 and Riley Street and glanced off of the side of the building. Darrow's vehicle came to rest on its passenger side and did not cause significant damage to the Walgreens.

Darrow was treated at the scene and then transported to Holland Community Hospital. He was transported to Spectrum Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, where he remains in critical condition, according to the sheriff's office.
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U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, has a proposal to make state law adhere to some of the same ethical standards as federal law. There are areas where Michigan law is looser.

(Jake May | MLive.com)

When Michiganders vote for their congressman and state representative on the same ballot, they're sending them to two offices with completely different ethical standards -- a gap people like U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, are looking to narrow.

He's introduced federal legislation that would hold state lawmakers accountable to some of the same ethical standards that federal elected officials follow.

He says, as it is, the system is pretty opaque. And Michiganders may not know they're electing state lawmakers to serve under a completely different set of rules than their federal representatives.

"Unfortunately they find out the hard way. They find out when legislation that should move forward doesn't because somebody has an interest, or there's dark money that's pouring in that goes unreported. That state legislators have, potentially, blind, private, secret funds that lobbyists can pour money into that they never know anything about," Kildee said.

Specifically, to keep administering federal programs his legislation would require lawmakers to disclose their financial interests; prohibit lawmakers from requiring their staff to make political donations; and ban state contractors from making campaign contributions.

That last one is also a concern for Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, who talked about his concern about potential conflicts of interest with contracts earlier this year.

What follows are some of the rules that federal, but not state, lawmakers follow.

No secretive expense accounts

A 2016 investigation by MLive and the Michigan Campaign Finance Network found more than a third of sitting state lawmakers maintained a 527 or nonprofit last session. In some cases those accounts helped defray expenses related to holding office, like attending district events.

That's not allowed at the federal level, where the Members' Congressional Handbook stipulates that "A Member may not maintain, or have maintained for his use, an unofficial office account for the purpose of defraying or reimbursing ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in support of a Member's official and representational duties."

No gifts from lobbyists

Members of Michigan's congressional delegation may not accept gifts from lobbyists.

In the state legislature, meanwhile, lawmakers can accept gifts from lobbyists with a value of $59 or less per month.

Disclose your personal finances

Michigan's federal lawmakers are required to disclose outside income, liabilities and investments annually. In Michigan, however, lawmakers are permitted to have outside income and financial transactions they never disclose.

Michigan Democrats last week announced legislation to require financial disclosures and prevent conflicts of interest from state legislators.

Observe a cooling-off period U.S. Representatives must observe a one-year cooling-off period before becoming lobbyists. Senators must observe a two-year cooling-off period. In Michigan, no such restriction exists. Lawmakers can go directly from making laws to seeking to influence the lawmaking process.
We understand the essential need for repair of local streets and bridges, but at the same time we sympathize with private businesses negatively impacted by such projects.

When an infrastructure project unavoidably affects private businesses, we believe the city is obligated to communicate with owners of those businesses and at least consider reasonable steps aimed at minimizing the damage to bottom lines. In other words, it shouldn't ignore private concerns.

In our view, this obligation should apply to planned repair work on the Military Road bridge across the Big Sioux River and reconstruction of Military Road.

On Monday, private business owners and employees from both sides of the bridge  in Sioux City and North Sioux City, S.D.  told city officials and a city consultant closing the bridge for five months (one option under consideration) would be devastating to them.

"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," said Perry Antonopoulos, owner of Harvey's, a restaurant at 5307 Military Road.

No solution to the dilemma posed by the need for this bridge and road work is perfect because businesses will be affected one way or another, but a 10-month option on the table in which one side of the bridge would remain open while the other side would undergo work strikes us as a potential compromise acceptable to both sides.

We do not wish to see either Sioux City businesses or North Sioux City businesses connected to Sioux City by Military Road close as a result of this work. Even though affected North Sioux City businesses are located in another city and state, consideration within Sioux City government of their concerns speaks to the spirit of tri-state cooperation that is a hallmark of this metro region.

Even though the 10-month option for this project would increase cost of construction from $2.6 million for the five-month plan to $3.1 million, we believe it's at least worth strong consideration by the City Council.

This editorial appeared in the March 9 edition of the Sioux City Journal, another Lee Enterprises publication.
SPRING ARBOR, MI -- Noted international economist Yuri Maltsev, will host a public lecture in the Ralph Carey Forum on Spring Arbor University's main campus at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 23.

The lecture titled, "A Global Assault on Liberty: Collectivism vs. Individualism" will provide a forum for attendee discussion. According to a press release, the discussion will address economic polar opposites and their meaning to individual wealth and freedom.

Maltsev currently is a faculty member at Carthage College, a private liberal arts college in Kenosha, Wisc.

He is known for his work in a senior Soviet economics team that worked on President Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms package of perestroika prior to his defection to the U.S.

Maltsev also was a senior fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., a federal research agency where he briefed officials at the executive branch on national security issues and foreign economic assessment. He defected to the U.S. in 1989.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- The recent Hollywood movie "Hidden Figures" highlights the history of how a team of brilliant African-American women helped NASA launch the program's first successful space missions through their knowledge in science, math and technology in the early 1960s. Today, Hidden Figures is an inspiring story for girls who want to be successful in science.

When it comes to aspirations in technology, young women at the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center are showing again that women can be among the nation's brightest in computer programming.

Shannon Houtrouw, the computer science instructor at KAMSC, said the female programmers keep gaining recognition from not only the regional computer science competitions but for the last five years KAMSC women have been selected as National Center for Women & Information Technology national finalists for their Aspirations in Computing Award.

This year's NCWIT winner is Portage Central High School senior Veronica Buss, who is KAMSC's sixth national award winner in five years. On Dec. 27, NCWIT announced its 50 national winners of the Aspirations in Computing Award, along with 350 honorable mention recipients. More than 3,500 students applied nationwide.

"These young ladies have been going above and beyond their classroom responsibilities. Several have banded together to bring the ever-growing "Hour of Code" middle schools program to the Kalamazoo area. Some have started computer clubs at their district schools. All have participated in a number of programming competitions throughout the state of Michigan and even at the national level, and have done so with great success," Houtrouw said.

Buss said she wants to study computer science in college. "Having a degree in CS opens a lot of doors, especially as a woman," she said.

KAMSC's first National Center for Women & Information Technology National Aspirations in Computing Award winner, Reinie Thomas

KAMSC's first National Center for Women & Information Technology national finalist, Reinie Thomas (class of 2013), knows first-hand the value of studying computer science. This year, Thomas will be finishing a full ride at Hope College, where she is majoring in computer science. The scholarship Thomas received to attend Hope is also paying her full ride to University of Michigan Medical School.

"Most female students in high school are simply unaware of the possibilities that lie within STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. I would have never considered computer science if I hadn't been exposed to it at KAMSC," Thomas said.

"As I've gone through college, I have found that science and technology are becoming more intertwined than ever. Having the ability to program in addition to being able to understand the biology side of medicine has opened numerous doors," Thomas said.

"I am a big fan of the women in Hidden Figures," the Portage Central High School graduate said. "They were the pioneers that sparked a change not only for minorities in STEM fields, but for minorities across the board."

"As a minority, there are various challenges that many people are unaware of that we encounter on a daily basis," said Thomas, who is African-American. "Keeping in mind the long-term goals is what keeps me going on a daily basis. Every little program I write, test I take or hour spent volunteering at a hospital has a greater purpose. It is helping to develop me into a successful woman."

KAMSC serves public and non-public students in the Kalamazoo area enrolls about 300 students in grades 9-12. If offers a half-day accelerated high school pull-out program in mathematics, science, and technology available to students residing in and attending a high school located within the nine public school districts within the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency service area.

Bank of America, which has partnered with NCWIT to sponsor the national award competition, will fly Buss and a parent to the award ceremony in Charlotte, N.C. this month. The award also came with a $500 check, a laptop, and a trophy. Buss was the only national award winner from the state of Michigan this year.

Fifteen students from Michigan were among the 350 national honorable mention recipients for finishing among the top 10 percent of all who applied. Of those, 10 attend KAMSC. They are:

Sophia Christiansen, Gull Lake High School sophomore; Autumn Guffey, Gull Lake High School junior; Isabel Hernandez, Portage Northern High School junior; Julia Kemple-Johnson, Kalamazoo Central High School junior; Lily Kitagawa, Portage Central High School senior; Alexis Nesbitt, Parchment High School sophomore; Alexandria Seybold, Portage Northern High School junior; Sierra Staunton, Portage Northern High School sophomore; Deborah Torres, Portage Northern High School junior; and Ava Wood, Loy Norris High School senior.

On Jan. 28, the Michigan NCWIT Regional Affiliate announced its Aspirations in Computing Awards state finalist and honorable mention selection. Students receiving the award are being recognized for computing related aspirations; demonstrated, outstanding aptitude and interest in information technology/computing; leadership ability; academic history; and plans for post-secondary education.

Of 39 young women honored across Michigan as finalists, 10 are KAMSC students. They are: Samantha Cobado, Portage Northern High School sophomore; Autumn Guffey, Gull Lake High School junior; Abigail Guimond, Loy Norrix High School junior; Isabel Hernandez, Portage Northern High School junior; Madeline Hinkley, Gull Lake High School junior; Josephine Hosner, Vicksburg High School senior; Liya Jin, Portage Central High School junior; Julia Kemple-Johnson, Kalamazoo Central High School junior; Alexandria Seybold, Portage Northern High School junior; and Ava Wood, Loy Norrix High School senior.

Six female KAMSC students were recognized by the NCWIT Michigan Affiliate with honorable mention awards. They are: Sanjna Chalasani, Portage Central High School junior; Isabel Holton, Gull Lake High School junior; Shelby Martell, Gull Lake High Sschool junior; Julia Naranjo, Kalamazoo Central High School junior; Deborah Torres, Portage Northern High School junior; and Syeda Tooba, Parchment High School junior.

Additionally, 13 KAMSC students were awarded certificates of distinction awards by the NCWIT national organization: Allie Al-Faraj, Tiana Boyd, Ashley Bynum, Hannah Glass-Chapman, Sarah Grimes, Danielle Janowicz, Marion Kerviche, Rachel Kramer, Emily Parker, Audrey Rabick, Julia Rudlaff, Arya Shembekar, and Elizabeth Wang.

"The future of the economy is in STEM," said James Brown, executive director of the STEM Education Coalition in Washington, D.C. "That's where the jobs of tomorrow will be," Brown said on the STEM Education Coalition website.

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics support that assertion. Employment in occupations related to STEM -- science, technology, engineering, and mathematics -- is projected to grow to more than 9 million between 2012 and 2022.

Former astronaut Mae Jemison will speak at Western Michigan University's Miller Auditorium at 7 p.m. March 23. Jemison will speak about her dreams of becoming an astronaut while growing up on the south side of Chicago and the need for increased participation from women and minorities in science and technology. Those interested in attending can register at kalfound.org.
PAW PAW, MI -- Two men who were fishing in a Van Buren County lake drowned when their boat capsized Saturday evening.

At 7:24 p.m. on March 18, Van Buren County Central Dispatch sent troopers to the scene of an active drowning on Keeler Lake in Keeler Township. Upon arrival, troopers were flagged down by the caller, who said two of his friends were fishing on the lake and yelled to him for help.

The caller directed troopers to the southwest corner of the lake where a capsized boat was observed approximately 75 yards from shore. Michigan State Police troopers used watercraft along the shoreline to bring a 45-year-old Decatur man and a 64-year-old man from Evergreen Park, Ill. to shore.

The victims were given treatment by emergency medical personnel then transported to hospitals. One went to Borgess-Lee Memorial in Dowagiac and the other to Lakeland Hospital in Watervliet, but lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful and both were pronounced dead at the hospitals.

Names of the two men are being withheld pending notification of their families.

Troopers were assisted on scene by deputies from the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office, Sister Lakes Fire Dept. & Dive Team, Hartford Fire & Rescue, Pride Care EMS, and Victim's Services from Van Buren and Cass Counties.
MUSKEGON, MI - Students from the Culinary Institute of Michigan in Muskegon were named the best at making "The Secret Life of Pets"-themed desserts in a competition at Michigan State University.

The competition took place recently at the annual MSU Museum's Chocolate Party Benefit that generates thousands of dollars for the care and preservation of the museum's science and culture collections.

CIM won medals in the Masterpiece and Student Masterpiece categories, medals in the remaining two categories and received the Best in Theme award.

All entries were judged on visual appearance, decoration, overall presentation, taste, flavor, aroma and texture, plate presentation, difficulty of technique and originality.

"Our students and instructors look forward to this extremely popular annual event where they can demonstrate their skills and network with other students and industry professionals," said Lee Coggin, Baker College of Muskegon president.

Students Katie Irrer and Ashley Hines earned silver in the Masterpiece category, competing against professionals, and gold in the Student Masterpiece category for their entry "Pet's Imagination."

The chocolate sculpture weighed approximately 45 pounds and took two and a half weeks of tempering, molding and sculpting to create. It also included a strawberry lemonade cake and Key lime bonbons.

Another student entry titled "Puppy Love" featured a chocolate sculpture, peanut butter crunch bonbons, palet d'or entremet chocolate cake and garnishes of gold dust, chocolate curls and compressed strawberry. "Puppy Love" won Best in Theme and took third place in the Student Masterpiece category.

In the Cakes and Tortes category, CIM teams swept the awards with:

* Tanya Duzey and Selina Davis, earning gold for Team D & D for Triple C Entremet de Chocolat.

* Kenat placing second for Snowball's Cake.

* Gabriel Jordan and Alexia Frey receiving third place for Chocolate Covered Citrus Berry Entremet.

In the Other Edibles category, CIM students also swept the competition with:

* Lauren Spray earning the gold medal for Founders Rubaeus Bonbons.

* Quinn Sullivan taking second place for Caramel and Dark Chocolate Ganache Bonbons.

* Karen Bell placing third for Mocha Kahlua Bonbons.
BLUE BELL  Eleven months ago, Ryan Oakes was an executive officer and second-in-command to a United States Marine Corps Rifle Company of over 200 Marines. He spent his days at sea, sailing around the world to places like Japan, Jordan, and Djibouti, Africa. Before that, he was repairing fighter jets. This Veterans Day, though, []
Ex-choir director in Bucks County pleads no contest to molesting two students, secretly filming another
The state has fewer people enforcing environmental standards and is seeking fewer fines against polluters.

Twenty-two hospitals across Wisconsin haven't offered emergency contraception to rape victims, as required by law.

Administrators were slow to disclose a hazardous liquid oxygen spill at the King Veterans Home near Waupaca and lied about providing a report on the incident to a concerned citizen.

The State Journal reported that news and so much more over the last year by filing open records requests with various units of government.

It's a reminder of how vital transparency rules are to keeping elected officials and bureaucracy open, honest and accountable for their actions and spending.

Today is the start of Sunshine Week, when journalists across the country celebrate the public's right to know what government is doing. We'll be highlighting the importance of Wisconsin's open records and meetings law, as well as the federal government's Freedom of Information Act.

President Donald Trump is calling the free press an enemy of the American people. He's outraged by the leaks and disclosures of information that he had praised when someone else was in the White House.

Being president isn't a perk for the privileged. It's a huge responsibility that demands integrity, dignity and discipline. Open government laws aren't optional. Along with a free press, they are absolutely essential to democracy.

And you don't have to be a journalist to find out what's going on. Anyone can file a request for documents or attend a public meeting. A sample open records request can be viewed at go.madison.com/recordsrequest.

The good news is that state agencies in Wisconsin are responding more quickly to public requests since Gov. Scott Walker ordered improvements a year ago, according to today's front-page article by State Journal reporter Matthew DeFour.

That trend must continue, with governments at all levels  including the president  being forthright about the people's business.

This editorial appeared in the March 12 edition of the Wisconsin State Journal, another Lee Enterprises publication.
FAIRFAX, Va., March 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UV light isn't the only form of light that is dangerous to the eye; blue-violet light is another form that can harm vision. This is the type of light that typically comes from computer screens and mobile devices. It is also a large part of the visible aspect of sunlight. Over time, such light causes eye strain, disrupted sleep cycles, and may even damage the retina. Fairfax optometry, Dr. Howard Budner & Associates Optometrists, offers clear blue light blocking lenses for patient eye safety.



"Most people are aware of the dangers associated with UV light exposure; however they forget that visible light can also be harmful. Meanwhile, they expose themselves to more and more of this light by using computers and mobile devices, compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs, LED bulbs, and spending more of their time indoors. This increases the danger of blue light damage since hardly most people dont wear glasses meant to block this part of the spectrum," said Dr. Howard Budner O.D.

Fortunately, it is easy to protect the eyes from this sort of light. Most of the harmful part of the blue-violet spectrum is still invisible, so it can be done with lenses that are nearly clear. Unlike sunglasses, this sort of protective lens is typically meant to allow most of the beneficial spectrum of light to pass through. This helps ensure proper regulation of circadian rhythms, which frequently get thrown off by blue-violet light.

"Even though we often use the term 'blue light' to refer to this part of the spectrum, it's actually a combination of blue and violet light. The light toward the violet end of the scale is invisible, while the blue aspect can be seen. However, it is important to note that the violet part of the light is not the same as ultraviolet, which is even further toward the violet side. This is why regular anti-UV lenses don't offer the needed protection. They're not meant for the same wavelengths." Dr. Budner explained.

Dr. Howard Budner & Associates Optometrists is offering DuraVision blue light protection lenses by Zeiss to combat the dangers of blue-violet light. These can be used in standard eyeglass frames. They are typically used by people who work on computers or mobile devices for extended periods and those who live or work under new lighting technologies like LED or CFL bulbs.

About Dr. Howard Budner & Associates Optometrists

This group has two locations, one in Fairfax, VA and one in Rockville, MD. Their optometrists are Dr. Howard Budner, O.D. and Dr. Kevin Chan, O.D. Additional information on their eye care services, locations, and hours can be found online at http://drbudner.com/.


Spring break is almost over, and while many families used the time to vacation outside the Tall City, the exodus isnt great enough for small business to shut their doors for a week. Some stores didnt even see a decrease in business.

We didnt know if (spring break) would be a flop or if it would stay busy, but weve actually stayed busy, said Ashley Roland, owner of boutique The Pink Pug, 4300 N. Midland Drive. Roland said she didnt run any spring break sales or specials; instead, she posted a lot on Facebook to let potential patrons know that spring arrivals are coming. That brought a lot of people in.

Plus, people stop by to see Pixie, Rolands 4-year-old black (not pink) pug, who can often be found near the counter sleeping in a small princess bed that was a gift from a customer. With spring comes more sunshine, and Pixie has taken full advantage of the situation, Roland said. Shes been getting up a lot more to sun herself in the windows.

Overall, Roland said business last week was wonderful, a sentiment shared by Ben Nunez at Guitar Star Music Store, 2811 N. Big Spring St., but for a different reason.

(Spring break) lets us clean house a little bit, he said. It gives us a chance to catch our breath and plan for the second half of the school year.

A big part of Guitar Stars business is music instruction, and most of the stores clients are kids. With so many on spring break, the teachers also took a break. Nunez, a father of two, said he understands why kids dont want to take lessons during spring break. Young people want to get out of their routine, and families usually go out of town. My kids just want to get off their regular schedule; they want to catch their breath  which I totally get.

Nunez estimated foot traffic in the store for instruments and accessories was down about a quarter, but fewer people in the shop means more time to catch up on a backlog of instrument repairs. Plus, it helps him and his wife, Julie, prepare for band season rentals, which is important for his business.

Overall, in my view, (spring break) is not a negative thing for us. Its a positive thing, Nunez said.

Spring break also let Luv Bugs Bow Wow Boutique, 3302 N. Midkiff Road, owner Tina Elliott get ready for her first-ever participation at The Peddler Show, which runs April 7-9 at the Horseshoe. Elliott said foot traffic last week was slower, but not too bad. The slowdown has given her more time to sew. She makes and sells a lot of handmade goods in-store, such as harnesses and doggy dresses, which she said are her most popular items.

Elliott said shes selling her wares at The Peddler Show to let Midlanders know the Tall City has a pet boutique and there are more options available for furry loved ones than at big box retailers. I have everything you can imagine for pets, she said.

Elliott also said she ramped up posting on Facebook, using videos made by companies whose products she sells.

At So Fly Boutique, 301 W. Ohio Ave., employee Pamela Caudill said business had been really slow but that she had seen an uptick in parents bringing kids into the home decor store. Still, there was a lot of downtime. You can only clean the place so much, she said.

Like Trevor on Facebook and follow him on Twitter at @HowdyHawes.
Brett Coomer

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. plans to hike capital spending by more than a third this year, with the bulk of its $4.5 billion budget headed for U.S. oil fields.

The Woodlands-based driller expects to bolster oil sales by a quarter this year as it sends more rigs to the Delaware Basin in West Texas and the DJ Basin in Colorado. The company plans to spend a combined $1.7 billion on its upstream businesses in those regions.
As land in West Texas prolific Permian Basin gets more expensive and harder to secure, oil companies are looking at the potential of other fields, from the Gulf of Mexico to Argentina.

There are sweet spots that havent really been tackled yet, said Frank Patterson, executive vice president of Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy Corp.

The big, easy oil fields have been found, he said, but that doesnt mean other big finds arent lurking. You just have to get good at what you do, Patterson said at the CERAWeek energy conference in downtown Houston.

Royal Dutch Shell is finding success in the Montney formation in northern Alberta, the Utica in Pennsylvania, and in the Vaca Muerta shale field in Argentina, said Chandler Wilhelm, vice president of emerging basins for Royal Dutch Shell. The layers of oil and gas in the Vaca Muerta remind Wilhelm of the Permian.

And Houston Energy thinks its future is in streamlining offshore drilling, said founder Ron Neal. I see the future of the Gulf of Mexico  the economics of the Gulf of Mexico  improving if you standardize, Neal said. You do not have to have a unique well head, a unique pipe for every situation.

Neal said break-even costs have dropped into the high $20s per barrel.

Still, the Permian will be hard to match. Shells North American capital is still largely spent there, Wilhelm said.

Finding another Permian, he added, will not be easy.
SEPM to discuss AI use upstream

Members of the Permian Basin section, SEPM will meet March 21 in the Carrasco Room at Midland College, 3600 N. Garfield, beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Dr. Susan Nash from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists will give a presentation on Recent Developments in the Use of Big Data, Deep Learning and AI in Upstream E&P.

Cost is $20 in advance, $30 at the door, including lunch. Reservations may be made by calling279-1360 or by email at info@pbs-sepm.org. Online registration is also available at www.pbs-sepm.org and clicking on the Talks tab.

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Finding water topic for SPEs ESG

The Environmental Study Group of the Society of Petroleum Engineers will meet March 23 at Midland Colleges Petroleum Professional Development Center, 105 W. Illinois Ave., beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Kevin Rigsby, Manager of Geology and Geophysics with Hydro Resources will speak on Finding the Water: Utilizing Hydrogeophysics to Locate New Groundwater Sources.

Cost is $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Reservations should be made by noon March 21 and can be made by email at christa@etechenv.com. Prepayment is available online at https://mkt.com/spe-esg-permian-basin/spe-esg-guest-speaker-luncheon.

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Local Right Of Way Association chapter plans networking event

The West Texas chapter, Chapter 35, of the International Right of Way Association, will host a networking happy hour March 23 from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at Carinos, 4711 Loop 250 in Midland. New members and interested guests are welcome.

For more information, call Budd Rodgers at 432-234-9052 or Sharon Clark at 214-673-5910. More information is also available online at https://www.irwaonline.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Webcode=ch35

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Enterprise buys up bankrupt Azure Midstream assets

By Jordan Blum

Houston Chronicle

Houstons Enterprise Products Partners said it won an auction to buy the natural gas pipeline assets of the bankrupt Azure Midstream with a bid of $189 million.

The auction win gives Enterprise an expanded presence in East Texas and northern Louisiana with 960 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines, three processing facilities, and two natural gas liquids pipelines that can each ship 10,000 barrels daily.

Dallas-based Azure filed in January in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas with Houstons M5 Midstream set up as a stalking horse with a minimum bid of $151.5 million. M5 is an affiliate of Houstons M3 Midstream and Indigo Resources.

After upping the offer with the winning bid, Enterprise Executive Vice President William Ordemann said the assets fit nicely with the existing footprints in East Texas and the Haynseville Shale.

With the bankruptcy court signing off on the sale, Enterprise said the deal could be finalized as soon as April.
Fans and supporters of the Midland Odessa Symphony and Chorale would normally be looking forward to the annual Vintage Harmony this time of year. But MOSC executive director Jeanette Kolokoff opted to try a different route this year. As it turns out, the decision is already paying off.

We determined that (Vintage Harmony) had maxed out its potential for growth and we need to still grow our fundraisers, Kolokoff said. So this year, we are having the concert, and already it has exceeded our net revenue.

Headlining the concert is the popular vocal country group Home Free.

The quintet formed in 2000 but gained a bigger audience by winning NBCs The Sing-Off in 2013. Since then, the group has released four albums with a new album expected to be released this year.

IF YOU GO: Home Free fundraiser concert for Midland Odessa Symphony and Chorale. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday March 21 at Wagner Noel, 1310 N. FM 1788. $50-$70. MOSC.org. See More Collapse

With the addition of Lubbocks Tim Foust in 2012, the band went a decidedly more country music route. That sound is what appealed to Kolokoff.

We were looking for a country sound, but we also wanted an act who hadnt performed in the Wagner Noel or the Permian Basin before, she said.

Part of MOSCs strategy was to host a fundraiser concert with a band that offered mass appeal for all ages. At the same time, Home Free does venture into other sounds, such as rock and gospel.

And to clarify, the symphony will not be performing.

Right, its just the five guys on stage, she said.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward rising costs -- primarily regarding musicians. With some 70 musicians in MOSC, Kolokoff wants to be sure they are taken care of.

We have to support our musicians; we need to. The majority of them had not had a raise in four years, she said.

As Kolokoff and her staff work to fund the symphony, the proposed budget cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts quickly becomes a topic of conversation.

The MOSC does not receive funding from the NEA, but as an arts organization, she worries about the potential cuts under the current administration.

This is a philosophical issue for our country. The arts are so important to the culture of the United States, she said. Those cuts would be detrimental to the arts industry.

But closer to home, Kolokoff is optimistic about this years change in event. She said that with Vintage Harmony, all hands were on deck when it came to organizing the wine tasting or curating the auctions. For the staff, its a win-win.

This is really no different than any concert we would do. So in that way, it eases up the work for our staff and volunteers, she said.

At the show, the MOSC will unveil the 2017-18 season of performances. The concert will also kick off Home Frees new tour. This has gotten the attention of many fans, according to Kolokoff.

Its an interesting thing. When the fan club announced it, we found were getting visitors from as far as North Carolina and Chicago, she said. Vintage Harmony may come back, but this year, were glad to be doing something really unique. And for first-timers, we hope to introduce them to the MOSC so they might become future audience members for our concerts.






English Icelandic

NOT FOR PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, THE UNITED KINGDOM, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO DISTRIBUTE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

Arion Banki hf. (Arion Bank) and Kaupthing ehf. (Kaupthing) announce today the results of a private placement of shares in Arion Bank owned via Kaupthings wholly-owned subsidiary, Kaupskil ehf., (the Private Placement) in which Kaupskil ehf. has agreed to sell 582,922,113 shares of Arion Bank for an amount in aggregate of greater than ISK 48.8 billion. As a result of the Private Placement, Kaupthings interest in Arion Bank has reduced to 57.9% of the issued share capital of Arion Bank.

In addition, the Private Placement agreements grant the investors options in respect of 437,191,585 shares of Arion Bank (representing 21.9% of the issued share capital), which are exercisable at a premium to the price paid in the Private Placement and expire prior to any potential offering of Arions shares to the public.

The proceeds from the transaction will be used to prepay the ISK 84 billion secured note held by the Icelandic Treasury, as part of Kaupthings stability contribution agreed upon its composition.

The table below presents the shareholders of Arion Bank following the Private Placement.

Shareholder:

Kaupskil ehf. 57.9%

Icelandic State Financial Investments 13%

Attestor Capital LLP through Trinity Investment Designated Activity Company 9.99%

Taconic Capital Advisors UK LLP through TCA New Sidecar III s.a.r.l. 9.99%

Sculptor Investments s.a.r.l., an affiliated entity of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group 6.6%

Goldman Sachs International through ELQ Investors II Ltd. 2.6%

Paul Copley, CEO of Kaupthing:

We are delighted that this milestone of the sale of nearly 30% of Arion Bank has been achieved, which reduces Kaupthings interest in the bank to 57.9%, thereby significantly advancing our continuing efforts to realise our remaining asset portfolio and return capital to stakeholders.

In completing this deal, which is the largest equity portfolio investment by foreign parties in Icelandic history and immediately after the lifting of capital controls, we have secured international investors with a medium to long term view of their investment in Arion. All of them are existing investors in Kaupthing and have chosen to re-invest in Iceland rather than move their money offshore, which is the strongest possible signal of their confidence in both Iceland generally and Arion specifically.

Taconic Capital and Och-Ziff are Kaupthings two largest investors and have been deeply committed to Iceland for a number of years across a range of investments. Likewise, Attestor Capital is a substantial shareholder of ours, and has in the past invested in a number of other European financial institutions, including a controlling stake in an Austrian credit institution. The involvement of an iconic firm such as Goldman Sachs speaks for itself.

I look forward to working with all four institutions as we continue preparations to realise the remainder of our stake in Arion, likely via an IPO, where we hope to offer domestic individuals and institutions the opportunity to invest in the bank.

Hoskuldur H. Olafsson, CEO of Arion Bank:

We have long been of the opinion that it would be a positive move for the Bank to bring on board international shareholders. We have met numerous international investors over the last few years and have detected a keen interest in Iceland and the Bank. We can sense this interest in other fields in Iceland too, for example in tourism and retail, where renowned international brands are giving the country unprecedented attention. We are not particularly surprised that these investors, who have been involved with the Bank indirectly for several years, have now elected to invest directly by becoming shareholders. They know the Bank well, have monitored our progress and the positive developments which have taken place in the Icelandic economy and they are now underlining their belief that the future is bright for Arion Bank.

Attracting new shareholders, international investors, marks the beginning of a new era. We will continue to examine the possibility of listing the Bank on the stock market, which will further diversify the shareholder base.

About the investors

Taconic Capital

Taconic Capital is a global institutional investment firm founded in 1999 with $6bn of assets under management. Its headquarters are in New York and offices in London and Hong Kong. Taconic Capital is the investment manager of certain investment vehicles with liquidity structures that align with the potential underlying investment in Arion bank. Taconics investors are predominantly institutional investors, pension and endowment funds, high net worth individuals and family offices.

Attestor Capital

Attestor Capital is a UK-based Investment Manager, which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Attestor Capital is the investment manager for Trinity Investments Designated Activity Company. Investors are predominantly endowment funds and family offices. Attestor Capital is a long-term oriented investment manager that invests in companies and assets across sectors and geographies. Notable prior transactions include acquiring significant ownership positions in European regulated financial institutions, including for example a controlling stake in an Austrian credit institution (after undergoing full ownership control procedure by the European Central Bank), and an investment in an Irish mortgage lender.

Och-Ziff

Och-Ziff Capital Management Group is one of the largest institutional alternative assets managers in the world with approximately $34bn of assets under management. The headquarters of the company are in New York, and it also has offices in London, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Beijing, Shanghai and Houston. Investors include pension funds, fund-of-funds, foundations and endowments, corporations and other institutions, private banks and family offices.

Goldman Sachs International

Goldman Sachs provides a wide range of financial services to clients located worldwide. Founded in 1869 the company has 34 thousand employees in more than 80 locations around the world. Goldman Sachs is making an investment into Arion Bank through a wholly owned subsidiary ELQ Investors II Ltd.

The before mentioned investors have confirmed to Kaupthing that the beneficial owners of the funds investing into Arion Bank are all non-domestic parties as defined in the act on foreign exchange no. 87/1992, with amendments.

Advisers

Kaupthing was advised by Morgan Stanley, White & Case and LOGOS. The investors were advised by Linklaters LLP and Fjeldsted & Blondal.

For further information:

Haraldur Guni Eisson, head of corporate communications, Arion Bank, s: 444 7108, haraldur.eidsson@arionbanki.is.

Davi Stefansson, Kaupings ehf., head of treasury, Kaupthing, s: 856 7112, david.stefansson@kaupthing.com.

This announcement is not being made in and copies of it may not be distributed or sent, directly or indirectly, into the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Japan or any other state or jurisdiction in which release, publication or distribution would be unlawful.

This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities referred to herein may not be sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Arion Bank does not intend to register any of the securities in the United States or to conduct a public offering of the securities in the United States.

This communication does not constitute an offer of the securities to the public in the United Kingdom. No prospectus has been or will be approved in the United Kingdom in respect of the securities. This communication is being distributed to and is directed only at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) persons who are investment professionals within the meaning of Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the Order) and (iii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as Relevant Persons). Any investment activity to which this communication relates will only be available to and will only be engaged with, Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.
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Estimados amigos,

Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.

Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.

Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.

There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.

You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.

No soy alguien que sabe, sino alguien que busca.

Only Gold is money. Everything else is debt.

Las grandes almas tienen voluntades; las debiles tan solo deseos.

Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
Most entrances to Volusia County beaches have a sign showing alcohol is not allowed on any of the countys beaches.

Officers enforcing alcohol ban on Volusia beaches

Spring breaks given choice: pour out liquor or get a citation

Signs put up on beaches warning of alcohol ordinance

Spring breakers are learning Beach Safety and Ocean rescue officers are enforcing that law.

Captain Andrew Ethridge said lifeguards have been cracking down on spring breakers drinking on the beach by giving students a choice, pour the liquor out, or get a citation.

It does seem that having them pour it out hurts them worse than a ticket. I dont think they understand the ramifications of later in life. said Captain Ethridge, adding there are pockets of the beach where spring breaks congregate.

Lifeguards or officers frequent those areas to keep an eye on the spring breakers and let them know about the ordinance.

Derek Mendoli, 22, and fellow spring breakers, received one of those visits.

They were asked to pour out the liquor they purchased.

Mendoli admitted to taking liquor to the beach, but was unaware about a sign directly behind him showing liquor is banned from Volusia beaches.

Thats upsetting, said Mendoli. Were allowed to have fun.

Captain Ethridge said officers have been dealing with this almost every day since spring breakers started arriving two weeks ago.

He said students have already been arrested for not complying with the law.

Other Florida counties passed similar ordinances banning alcohol from beaches to try to keep spring breakers from getting out of control.

Captain Ethridge said officers are not trying to stop students from having fun, just trying keep them safe.

Ethridge said a citation for taking alcohol to the beach is a $50.

Its an additional $50 if the alcohol is in a glass container.

And underage students are slapped with a $288 fine.
Courtesy of FANUC

As President Donald Trump prevents manufacturers from leaving the U.S., expect them to use robots to keep labor costs down. While this trend is likely to be greeted with alarm by union leaders, the case can be made that using robots actually helps keep whole industries from exiting American shores.

Among U.S. car makers, which have been enthusiastic robot buyers in recent years, domestic employment has been not only steady, but rising. A far greater threat to U.S. workers than mechanized colleagues turning up at hometown plants is the warm welcome robots are receiving in China.

Already the worlds largest buyer of robots, China plans to close the gap with developed nations on robot density, or the number of robots in service per human worker. The idea isnt just to drive down production costs. Its to improve quality and one day compete more effectively in high-value goods like cars. Its also to offset the million workers per year that China is expected to lose as its population ages. In the U.S., the demographic challenge is less dire, but present. The working population is growing slowly, at about 0.5% a year.

For long-term investors, robots could be one key to securing healthy corporate profit growth, and stock returns, even as wages rise. There are specific opportunities, too. Japans Fanuc (ticker: 6954.Japan) is far and away the U.S. market leader in industrial robots, and its quickly ramping up production. Its shares have been outperforming, and they could offer 20% more upside over the next year. Germanys Kuka .XE in Your Value Your Change Short position (KU2.Germany), which sold a majority stake last year to Chinas appliance giant, Midea Group (000333.China), has similar return potential. Other stocks with high exposure to industrial robotics and factory automation include Rockwell Automation (ROK), Switzerlands ABB (ABB), and Yaskawa Electric 6506.TO in Your Value Your Change Short position (6506.Japan). And for one-stop shoppers, theres the Robo Global Robotics & Automation Index exchange-traded fund (ROBO), which tracks 85 stocks, charges annual expenses of 0.95%, and has returned 37% over the past year.

FACTORY ROBOTS LOOK nothing like Rosie from The Jetsons, the nameless B9 model from Lost in Space, or the one on the cover of this magazine. Many are hulking arms with rotating joints and interchangeable tools that can weld, stack, paint, assemble, and more. Among the robot definitions offered by Merriam Webster is a mechanism guided by automatic controls. The word itself is a play on a Czech word for forced labor, introduced in the 1921 play R.U.R., which stands for Rossumovi univerzalni roboti (Rossums universal robots). Science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov introduced the term robotics and proposed a set of laws for them in his 1942 short story Runaround.

The first law, in brief, is that a robot may not injure a human being. This is more fiction than science. If there is a defining characteristic of robots that can lift cars or pack foods at blurring speeds, its that theyre quite capable of injuring humans. Until recently, factory robots have been isolated in cages. That is changing with the introduction of collaborative robots, which dont lift as much, or move as fast, but can work side-by-side with people.

A Kuka robotic arm on a Mercedes-Benz assembly line Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images

Roughly three-quarters of all robots are sold in five countries: China, South Korea, Japan, the U.S., and Germany, according to the International Federation of Robotics, a trade group. The auto industry has the most robots in use, but electronics and metals companieswhich are in second and third place, respectivelyhave faster growth. Unit sales of industrial robots are expected to rise 13% a year through 2019, pushing the number of robots in operation to 2.6 million, up from 1.8 million currently.

Orders in China will gallop higher by 20% a year, predicts the IFR, compared with 5% to 10% in North America. The U.S. operates 176 robots per 10,000 workers, ranking eighth, between Denmark and Belgium. Japan, Germany, and Singapore are over 300, and Korea, over 500. China employs 49 robots per 10,000 workers but aspires to reach the top 10 by 2020, which would require fourfold growth.

ONE THING THAT COULD accelerate U.S. robot deployments is a corporate tax cut, which would reduce the overall cost of manufacturing in the U.S., but not the labor cost. Another is a border adjustment tax, which would reward exporters while penalizing importers. Accelerated depreciation on capital investments would give companies an immediate tax break on money spent to automate factories.

If the carrots dont work, theres always the stick. President Donald Trump used botha Twitter TWTR in Your Value Your Change Short position shakedown and a state tax perkto lure United Technologies UTX in Your Value Your Change Short position (UTX) to keep a Carrier air-conditioning factory in Indiana, rather than moving it to Mexico. The Mexico move would have been cheaper, United CEO Greg Hayes told a television interviewer, so he will invest in automation to close the gap. You Are Paying to Replace American Workers With Robots, read a subsequent headline at OurFuture.org, one of many responses from left-leaning Websites. The robot makers, naturally, disagree.

A family of Fanuc robots Courtesy of FANUC

Robots save jobs, says John Roemisch, vice president of Fanuc America. You cant do it the old way just because that employs the most people. If you dont adapt, youre not going to survive. In Roemischs view, robots replace unpleasant or dangerous jobs, but also spawn new ones. Instead of a worker picking up a screwdriver, the robot does that and the worker operates the robot, he says.

His skill level has to be a little bit higher, but its not like you need engineers on the shop floor.

Indeed, newer robots come with features like intuitive touchscreen controls that decrease the amount of training workers need to use them.

Thats one thing driving down the cost of installing robots. Another is the spreading use of camera systems and pressure sensitivitysight and touch sensesthat allow robots to learn how to handle various objects on the go. Chips from companies with videogame expertise, like Nvidia (NVDA), make quick work of the heavy thinking. Networks allow groups of robots to learn from one another.

Collaborative robots, which require less investment in safety systems, promise to expand robotics to smaller factories and more varied applications.

Fanuc uses a simple color system to help customers tell its models apart at a glance. Yellow robots, the best sellers by far, are the ones that arent safe for human workers to be around. Green ones, the newest line, have soft outer shells, stop gently on contact, and can be pushed out of the wayyet some can still lift 70-pound objects with ease. White robots are for health-care and pharmaceutical use. Aluminum robots, used for painting, dont get a coat of their own.

The cost savings for a well-placed robot can be substantial. According to an example cited by the Robotic Industries Association, a trade group, a typical $250,000 installation, including training and parts, can pay for itself in two years in reduced payroll costs and increased productivity. Seven or eight years in, the cumulative cash flow gained can reach $1.5 million. Once the upfront costs are paid, medium-size robots can cost just 50 cents an hour to operate, and large robots, $1.

IN A NOVEMBER newspaper interview, Trump was asked whether he was worried about losing jobs to robots. His answer was that America should make the robots. Thats a worthy long-term goal, and the U.S. is a leader in robot research and a player in the tiny market for service robots that vacuum floors, clean gutters, and the like, as well as surgical robots. For factory robots, however, the reality is that the U.S. long ago ceded the business to overseas competitors, which have mostly consolidated in Asia. If the U.S. is to keep up with China in factory automation, it will have to use outside suppliers for now. And it should.

Historically, the reason China hasnt been able to export its cars is that the cars are crap, and thats because theyve been made using humans, rather than robots, says Frank Tobe, editor of the Robot Report, an industry newsletter. Now, China has a strategic long-term plan to deploy more robots, and the U.S. is only giving lip service.

The automotive market is one where the U.S. has regained competitiveness in the face of fierce overseas competition. Its also one where the U.S. ranks near the top in robot density: over 1,200 robots per 10,000 workers. Policy makers should think in terms of how to support duplicating that success across other manufacturing industries. More robots means more market share and, ultimately, more and better jobs.

FOR INVESTORS, ROBOT STOCKS have rarely traded cheaply relative to measures of fundamental value, such as earnings. Barrons looked for bargains in the space four years ago and highlighted three (Cheaper Robots, Pricier Stocks, Jan. 19, 2013). Since then, Kuka has soared in value almost 250% to 97 euros ($103) a share, and Milwaukee-based Rockwell Automation has climbed 74%, to $153. ABB, a conglomerate with lower exposure to robotics than the others, has gained only a smidgen. We would have been better off with Fanuc, which is up 50%, to more than 22,000 Japanese yen ($193) per share. On average, our trio is up 110%, versus 60% for the Standard & Poors 500 index. The robotics ETF, which launched in October 2013, is up 27% since then.

For best bets now, favor companies with meaningful U.S. market share. Chinas rapid growth is well understood, but an acceleration in U.S. robot demand might not yet be baked into earnings estimates.

That list includes Fanuc, with a 55% share, and Yaskawa, ABB, and Kuka, with about 10% apiece.

Rockwell, a partner to companies like Fanuc and Kuka, is the only sizable pure play on factory automation, which makes it a frequent subject of takeover speculation.

Click graphic for larger version

Fanucs high U.S. market share dates back to the launch of a joint venture with General Motors (GM) GM in Your Value Your Change Short position in 1982. It has a 10% share in China, too. In both countries, market share is constrained by Fanucs ability to produce robots, according to UBS analyst Hikaru Mizuno. The company is working to expand manufacturing capacity by about 60% through 2018and yes, it leans heavily on its own robots to make new robots. Shares trade at a lofty 38 times projected earnings for the current fiscal year, which runs through this month. But profits are well below peak levels, due to currency effects, soft demand for machines used to make smartphones in China, and high costs to add capacity for robots that are selling well.

Mizuno sees Fanucs earnings per share rebounding 55% over the next two years, to JPY924. The shares trade at 24 times that figure.

Kuka, like Fanuc, is a key supplier of automotive robots. Its 2014 acquisition of Swisslog, which now accounts for 20% of revenue, added exposure to automation in warehouses and distribution centers, as well as hospitals. Kuka shares sell for 30 times last years estimated earnings. (Fourth-quarter numbers are slated for release later this month.) But Kuka, too, is giving up some margin in the near term to invest in longer-term growth. Management aims to boost annual revenue to 4 billion to 4.5 billion by 2020, up from an estimated 3 billion last year, and to drive operating margin above 7.5% from under 6%. That looks achievable; bulls see operating margin topping 9% by 2020. If theyre right, EPS by then could approach 6, double recent levels.

ABB IS LESS EXPENSIVE than the other names on this list, at 19 times last years earnings, versus 20 times for the S&P 500 index and 18 times for the Stoxx Europe 600. The trade-off is that, in addition to its automation divisions, source of about 45% of last years revenue, ABB has a big power-grid business, which competes with the likes of General Electric (GE) and Siemens SIE.XE in Your Value Your Change Short position (SIE.Germany), and an electrification unit that goes up against Schneider Electric SU.FR in Your Value Your Change Short position (SU.France) and Eaton (ETN).

Overall EPS is below 2013 levels, but ABB has been divesting underperforming business lines like cables and making small acquisitions in automation and robotics. Some investors have called for a sale of the power-grid unit. For now, ABB is instead working toward cutting corporate bloat to save $1.3 billion a year. Morgan Stanley analyst Ben Uglow predicts a return to growth this year that will take EPS 57% higher by 2019. ABB is adding hundreds of jobs at a Michigan plant as part of a plan to begin making robots in the U.S., a first among major competitors. The companys American depositary receipts recently sold for $22 and change.

Yaskawa collects two-thirds of its sales from Asian markets, especially Japan and China. China is working to foster robot development at home, which could one day pose a threat to Yaskawa. For now, analysts say, the companys expertise in software applications and reliability set it apart from Chinese upstarts in manufacturing key goods like cars and semiconductors. Yaskawa, too, is reportedly considering making robots in the U.S., although it hasnt announced any plans. At JPY2137, its shares trade at 28 times projected earnings for the fiscal year ending this month. Like Fanuc, it has been in a profit slump, but Wall Street predicts a return to growth, with earnings rising a cumulative 40% in the two years ahead.

Rockwell Automation trades at 24 times projected earnings for its fiscal year through September, well above its five-year average of 18. Put differently, it fetches a 33% premium to the S&P 500, up from an average of 9%. Growth potential is healthy, but unremarkable, projected at close to 10% a year, compounded, over the next three years. Thats reason for caution. But Rockwell, which says that 70% of its sales now include software, could one day make a strategic asset for a larger player. Rumors swirled last fall about a Schneider takeover, but were eventually dismissed. As a stand-alone, Rockwells returns from here could depend on its ability to beat earnings expectations. Last quarter, it did so by more than 20%. The earnings consensus for fiscal 2018 is up 4% since the end of December.
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A nationwide search is continuing for a missing 15-year-old Tennessee girl last seen with one of her former teachers last week and is the subject of a national Amber Alert.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says they've received 250 tips from 24 states, including Texas, about the possible whereabouts of high school freshman Elizabeth Thomas.

Thomas was last seen Monday, March 13, in Maury County, Tenn., with 50-year-old Tad Cummins, a former teacher at her school. The school district fired Cummins on Tuesday amid an ongoing investigation into alleged inappropriate contact he had with Thomas at the school earlier this year.

UNSOLVED MYSTERY: Police investigating why body in back room wasn't reported for 3 days

The initial investigation placed the pair in Decatur, Ala., on March 14, but investigators said there's been no credible sightings of either one or Cummins vehicle.

TBI investigators say Cummins may be keeping Thomas out of view based on the low number of tips and his limited resources. Investigators aren't sure where Cummins may have taken Thomas after a week on the run.

Thomas is 15-years-old, with hazel eyes, stands 55 and weighs 120 pounds. She was last seen wearing a flannel shirt and black leggings.

BUSTED THRIFTILY: Fugitive caught in Florida after using discount card at CVS

Thomas is believed to with Tad Cummins, who stands 60, weighs approximately 200 pounds, and has brown hair and eyes.

He may be armed with two handguns and driving a silver Nissan Rogue with Tennessee tag 976-ZPT. A warrant has been issued for Cummins for Sexual Contact with a Minor and Aggravated Kidnapping.

Anyone with information may call 1-800-TBI-FIND. If you spot the vehicle and can verify the license plate to be TN 976-ZPT, call 911 immediately.

>>>Scroll through the gallery to see details of missing persons cases in Texas
New York

Chuck Berry, rock 'n' roll's founding guitar hero and storyteller who defined the music's joy and rebellion in such classics as "Johnny B. Goode," "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Roll Over Beethoven," died Saturday at his home in an unincorporated area west of St. Louis. He was 90.

Emergency responders summoned to Berry's residence by his caretaker about 12:40 p.m. found him unresponsive, police in Missouri's St. Charles County said in a statement. Attempts to revive Berry failed, and he was pronounced dead shortly before 1:30 p.m., police said.

A police spokeswoman, Val Joyner, told The Associated Press she had no additional details about the death of Berry, calling him "really a legend."

Berry's core repertoire was some three dozen songs, his influence incalculable, from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to virtually any group from garage band to arena act that called itself rock 'n' roll. While Elvis Presley gave rock its libidinous, hip-shaking image, Berry was the auteur, setting the template for a new sound and way of life. Well before the rise of Bob Dylan, Berry wedded social commentary to the beat and rush of popular music.

"He was singing good lyrics, and intelligent lyrics, in the '50s when people were singing, "Oh, baby, I love you so,' " John Lennon once observed.

Berry, in his late 20s before his first major hit, crafted lyrics that spoke to the teenagers of the day and remained fresh decades later. "Sweet Little Sixteen" captured rock 'n' roll fandom, an early and innocent ode to the young girls later known as "groupies." "School Day" told of the sing-song trials of the classroom ("American history and practical math; you're studying hard, hoping to pass...") and the liberation of rock 'n' roll once the day's final bell rang.

"Roll Over Beethoven" was an anthem to rock's history-making power, while "Rock and Roll Music" was a guidebook for all bands that followed ("It's got a back beat, you can't lose it"). "Back in the U.S.A." was a black man's straight-faced tribute to his country at a time there was no guarantee Berry would be served at the drive-ins and corner cafes he was celebrating.

"Johnny B. Goode," the tale of a guitar-playing country boy whose mother tells him he'll be a star, was Berry's signature song, the archetypal narrative for would-be rockers and among the most ecstatic recordings in the music's history. Berry can hardly contain himself as the words hurry out ("Deep down Louisiana close to New Orleans/Way back up in the woods among the evergreens") and the downpour of guitar, drums and keyboards amplifies every call of "Go, Johnny Go!"

The song was inspired in part by Johnnie Johnson, the boogie-woogie piano master who collaborated on many Berry hits, but the story could have easily been Berry's, Presley's or countless others'. Commercial calculation made the song universal: Berry had meant to call Johnny a "colored boy," but changed "colored" to "country," enabling not only radio play, but musicians of any color to imagine themselves as stars.
Stone Brewing in San Diego is making beer with water that "comes from the toilet."

The nation's ninth-largest brewer debuted the new beer on Thursday at its Liberty Station outpost, according to a local ABC affiliate. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer was one of the first to taste the Full Circle Pale Ale, and deemed it "delicious."
The new head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, says carbon dioxide is not a primary cause of climate change  despite a clear scientific consensus that it is.

Sen. James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, goes even further: He says climate change isnt happening at all, and he once held up a snowball in Congress to prove that global warming isnt real.

But a recent survey showed that most Americans, and most Connecticut residents, accept climate change as a fact. Seventy percent of Americans over 25, and 72 percent of Connecticut residents, agreed with the proposition that global warming is happening.

And if climate change is controversial among todays adults, its likely to be much less controversial among tomorrows: Climate change  and similarly controversial topics like evolution  are taught as the accepted scientific consensus in Connecticut biology and environmental classes.

And while not every student accepts  or should accept  the scientific consensus without question, educators say theres seldom much contention in class.

John LaRosa, chair of the science department at Danbury High School, said he hasnt had a student challenge evolution or the reality of climate change since he started at the high school 12 years ago.

Even if they dont believe it, they want to see what science has to offer on the subject, he said.

LaRosa compared studying climate change in science classes to taking a religion course that includes learning about religions different from your own; merely studying one doesnt mean youre required to believe in it, he said.

The state is in the midst of converting school science curriculum to the Next Generation Science Standards, an inquiry-based program created by several states, the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Under the standards, teachers will increase the number of lessons on climate change and related environmental topics.

Evolution, meanwhile, is typically covered in biology classes.

Evolution is not taught as a controversial topic, because its not considered controversial in that discipline, said Newtown Assistant Superintendent Jean Evans Davila.

The Advanced Placement biology curriculum, in use at many schools, is designed according to the standards of the College Board. Its course outline lists four Big Ideas, the first of which is that evolution explains the diversity and unity of life.

Evolution is one of the cornerstones of biology, said Scott Werkhoven, the science department chair at Shepaug Valley School. Its one of the central themes that explains how life arose to what we have today and how things are related.

Ive seen that students are receptive to being presented with evidence they were not aware of, he added. Its up to the student, though, to come up with their beliefs.

But if the existence of climate change is widely accepted, its cause is more controversial.

A nationwide study recently published by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication showed that while 70 percent of adults 25 and older accept it as fact, just 59 percent believe its caused mostly by human activity.

Kim Gallo, principal of Shepaug Valley School in Region 12, said students are encouraged to review scientific literature from multiple viewpoints and to examine data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Students use that information to arrive at their own conclusions but are expected to defend those conclusions with facts.

Students also discuss alternative fuel sources and weigh benefits against costs to see which remedies for climate change make sense to pursue, Gallo added.

In Newtown, teachers discuss the carbon cycle, the natural and human influences on climate change and use the Paris Climate agreement as a way to illustrate how countries can come together to create solutions for global problems. They also focus on how to interpret data, such as correlation and causation.

Theyre thinking as scientists when they approach it, Evans Devila said.

Last year, she said, students did a case study on climate change, researching the issue from scientific, sociological and economic standpoints.

Evas Devila said teachers also have to adhere to state or national standards, which can put boundaries on classroom discussions for certain topics.

This is standards-based age of education, she said.

Like many school districts in the area, Easton, Redding and Region 9 focus on the scientific method more than the political or religious aspects of the issues, said Superintendent Thomas McMorran.

McMorran said educators have to be careful about giving time for expression of viewpoints that conflict with scientific consensus. Students are free to believe what they want, he said, but school programs need to be based in science and religious belief ultimately has no place in the discussion.

The duty of any science program is to teach kids the scientific method of inquiry, he said. When we erode our respect for that process, we are denying the students the benefit of being able to employ critical thinking and make science-based decisions.

kkoerting@newstimes.com; 203-731-3345
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DANBURY - Shamrocks, bagpipes and Irish spirit took over downtown Sunday afternoon as hundreds celebrated St. Patricks Day.

The 25th annual St. Patricks Day Parade kicked off at St. Peters Church, with marchers heading down Main Street to West Street and ending at the Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center (GDICC) on Lake Avenue.

The GDICC organized the parade.

Its a chance to show that Irish pride is alive and well here in Danbury, said parade co-chair Kevin Hearty.

The parade has grown tremendously since it began 25 years ago with about 20 marchers, he said. This year organizers expected 350 marchers and hundreds from across the region to line the streets.

Among the participants were the Danbury High School Marching band, the Celtic Cross and Pipes of Danbury, the Young Colonials Fyfe & Drum Corps from New York and Irish-step dancing schools from Danbury, Newtown and Bethel. Non-Irish groups, including the the Portuguese American Club band, also marched.

Its become much more of a community event, rather than just an Irish event, co-chair Clare Smith said.

But for Smith, her pride in her Irish heritage is strong.

Its the way I was brought up, she said. Three of my four grandparents were from Ireland, so we were always part of an Irish club in some way.

New Milford resident Sharon Lynas attended the parade with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. She said her grandparents and other family members were from Ireland.

We like to celebrate our heritage every year, she said. Its just fun. Its a nice day to get out and get some really nice fresh air.

The parade began with pipers and drummers in brown kilts from the Celtic Cross and Pipes of Danbury, followed by the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Connecticut Rebels of 76 Fife & Drum Corps, playing flutes and wearing St. Patricks Day hats. Girl Scouts carrying a green banner tossed candy to kids and tow trucks were decked out in Irish flags and shamrock symbols.

But many said the Irish step dancers, some of whom shook pompons as they marched, and the pipers were their favorites.

I love parades and on St. Patricks Day the bagpipers are just wonderful, said Bethel resident Carol Smith. Between the bagpipers and the Irish dancers, its great.

Carol Smith, whose husband is Irish, attended the parade with her family.

Her daughter Meghan Smith said it gave the family a chance to celebrate their Irish heritage.

Its so nice they have a parade for St. Patricks Day, she said. Its not a holiday that is celebrated everywhere.

After the parade, marchers continued the festivities at the GDICCs club with traditional Irish food, dancing, singing and beer.

Its a second St. Patricks Day, Clare Smith said.

Hearty said the GDICC holds the parade after St. Patricks Day because there is so much already scheduled on the holiday.

We want everyone to take a breath from St. Patricks Day and focus on the cultural aspects of our Irish heritage and celebrate that, he said.
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Congressman Paul Tonko on Sunday condemned the American Health Care Act, calling it a disaster and thoughtless.

Speaking at his Albany office, Tonko said House Republicans are rushing the bill through so that a vote can be held on Thursday, the seven-year anniversary of President Obama signing the Affordable Care Act, the bill it would replace. The quick move, Tonko asserts, is to divert attention away from the recent Congressional Budget Office review that stated that by 2026, 24 million people will be stripped of health insurance.

"They have come forth with a plan that could have been sketched on the back of a napkin," said Tonko. "It does not accomplish what ought to be our goals as a country, that is to provide affordability and accessibility to health services. ... The bill says no to everyone being covered, says no to more affordability and no to better health care."

Instead, he said, the AHCA, according to the Congressional Budget Office, will provide tax breaks to the 400 wealthiest families and insurance executives.

"The bill calls for higher premiums, higher deductibles and higher out of pocket costs," said Tonko. "It shifts the costs to the middle class and working families. It hits seniors tremendously hard."

Tonko argues that President Donald Trump and Congress focus attention on improving the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare.

But repealing and replacing Obamacare is a promise Republicans have made since it was signed into legislation in 2010. On the campaign trail, Trump said he would repeal it on Day One, repeatedly calling Obamacare a failure.

Speaker Paul Ryan said that the House's plan would drive down costs and encourage competition. CBO said it would reduce the federal deficit by $337 billion by 2026.

But Tonko believes those deficit savings are a loss for the American people.

"This is not expanding health care, it's denying health care," said Tonko. "This will bring us back prior to the days of the ACA. This is not about helping working families. It's a tax cut for the rich."

wliberatore@timesunion.com  518-454-5445  @wendyliberatore
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This story ran on July 4, 1962. The headlines and words are reprinted.

Thousands of Texans roared a Texas welcome to the space age here Wednesday to start this city's most moving Fourth of July celebration.

A parade through the downtown canyons was Houston's official welcome to America's seven astronauts and personnel of NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center at Clear Lake.

This team expects to put an American in the moon by 1970.

The 36-car motorcade rolled out from Sam Houston Coliseum at 10 a.m.

As the parade formed, 250 cooks and bus boys were busy were busy in the Coliseum preparing an old-fashioned Texas barbecue for the astronauts, their families and about 7000 NASA employees and special guests.

The meal: 3000 pounds of beef, 3000 pounds of pork ribs, 1500 fryers, 150 gallons of frijoles (beans, Yankee), 500 pounds of onions and the usual beverages.

The barbecue was planned so all the employees of the center could be welcomed by city, county and are officials. The spacecraft center employees had never before assembled as a group.

Harris County Sheriff C.V. Buster Kern designated each astronaut an honorary deputy - with gold badges.

The Chamber of Commerce, sponsor of the welcome, ordered large, gray ranch-style Stetson hats for the astronauts. And Mayor Lewis Cutrer had a key to the city for each of them.

Banker J.W. McLean was parade marshal, with Sen. John Tower and reps. Albert Thomas and Bob Casey in the next cars.

After them come Robert R. Gilruth, director of the Manned Spacecraft Center, and Col. John (Shorty) Powers, public affairs director of NASA.

Names on Cars

The astronauts were interspersed in the parade lineup with other NASA personnel. The Astronauts' convertibles were marked with their names.

A reviewing stand was set up at Main and McKinney for the mayors of all the towns in Harris and Galveston counties and the two county judges.

A flight-tested model of the Mercury space capsule, similar to that used by the astronauts, was on display.

March Music

Patriotic oratory and rousing march music at Hermann Park tonight is expected to draw a crowd of several thousand. Sen. John Tower will speak. The band concert will start at 6 p.m. After tower's speech, a fireworks display will start at 8:30 p.m.

Don Yarborough, recent candidate for governor, and Criss Cole, Democratic nominee for the state Senate, were speakers for a liberal Democrats barbecue beginning at noon at Deussen Park in Lake Houston.

A band concert and free picnic were scheduled at 4 p.m. at 5301 Richmond Rd., where Southwestern Savings Assn. will christen its new Bellaire office.

The Houston Colts will wind up Houston's biggest Fourth with two games against Pittsburgh, starting at 5:30 p.m.

The day's coverage also included a collection of comments from politicians reprinted below.

Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson called Wednesday's welcome to the Manned Space Center personnel a "proud day for Houston, Texas, and the nation."

His congratulations to Houston and to its new residents of the spacecraft center were contained in a special message timed to coincide with the parade and barbecue honoring the astronauts and employees of the MSC.

Similar messages were from Senators Ralph Yarborough (D-Tex.) and John Tower (R-Tex.) and from Houston's two congressmen, Albert Thomas of the 8th District on the North Side and Bob Casey of the 22nd District on the South Side.

Johnson and Yarborough were unable to come for the Independence Day welcoming parade and barbecue. Tower, Casey and Thomas arrived Tuesday night to participate in the celebration.

Said the vice-president: "On this great national holiday, I am happy to add my greetings to the warm welcome Houston is extending to our astronauts and the personnel of the manned spacecraft center. It is a proud day for Houston, for Texas and the nation and we look forward to many proud days ahead as these men and their colleagues reach for the stars."

Rep. Albert Thomas, who as Houston's senior congressman was influential in having the spacecraft center located here, said: "All the people of Harris County welcome the astronauts and spacecraft personnel and their families as neighbors and friends. Our civic facilities, schools, churches, our good wishes and our helping hands are extended."

Rep. Bob Casey, who as a member of the Houston committee on space worked for location of the center in Houston: "I join with the people of Harris County in extending warm and hearty welcome to our newest Texans All of (them) have earned our admiration and respect for brilliance of achievement. We offer our friendship and hospitality.

"Houston and the Gulf Coast will be enriched by (their) presence."

Said Sen. Yarborough: "The astronauts and the fine manned spacecraft center personnel bring honor and credit to Texas by their presence, and will bring glory top the nation by their achievements. It is fitting that on this Independence Day as we look back in tribute to our common American heritage, that we also look forward in tribute to this vanguard of mankind's quest for knowledge. Just as men of vision like the late Jesse H. Jones (publisher of The Chronicle, statesman and financier) brought the Gulf Coast inland by creating a Ship Channel and the fabulous Port of Houston, so shall the bold and practical visionaries of the space age bring the moon and the planets within our reach."

Sen. Tower, who will speak at 7:45 tonight at the Junior Chamber of Commerce Independence Day rally in Hermann Park: "My congratulations to the astronaut team and members of their families of their good fortune in having their headquarters newly assigned to the NASA center in Houston. My congratulations to Houston on its new community responsibility and opportunity to welcome this history making group of resourceful and most capable conquerors of space.

"I am looking forward to the years ahead and expect the scientific and technical accomplishments resulting from this fortunate combination of city and team to bring increased prestige and influence to the United States as free world leader."
Phil must have known that he was delving into murky waters when he mused that a more serious breach of the non-political stance of the service occurred when the District Commissioner of Bougainville, Des Ashton, used the local station, Radio Bougainville, to attack individuals in the community opposed to mining and land alienation.

I TRY to avoid responding to Phil Fitzpatricks cunningly baited lures but the hook buried in his November 2016 post,  Musty, dusty books & the goldmines that lie within  is too important to ignore.

Keith Jackson writes: I arrived in Kieta as manager of Radio Bougainville in November 1970 with the simple instruction from my Department of Information headquarters in Port Moresby to fix the station, which I had been told was aligned too closely with the Department of District Administration (DDA) and the copper company (CRA). This, I was advised, was destroying the stations relationship with large swathes of its Bougainvillean audience. I spent more than two years in Bougainville repositioning the station and in 1975, in pursuit of an honours degree in political science, wrote about the whole issue of government broadcasting in a monograph entitled Maus Bilong Gavman. In the following article, Bill Brown reflects on that paper in the light of his own contemporaneous experience as DDAs senior administrator on the island. If you're interested, you can read my original 1975 paper here .

Neither the service nor the Administration radio stations had a non-political stance, or even a non-political policy, in the 1960s.

Keith Jackson, despatched to Radio Bougainville in 1970 to address problems the station was encountering with its listeners, knew that and touched upon it, in Maus Bilong Gavman  Political Aspects of Administration Broadcasting 19611971, a treatise he wrote many years ago.

Keiths paper covered a much broader subject than Administration broadcasting, but his evaluation of its early history was pithy and precise.

In February 1962, the Broadcasting Advisory Committed appointed by Administrator Sir Donald Cleland presented a report saying

The underlying principle remained constant. The Administration would use its own broadcasting stations to propagate its own objectives and beliefs to the exclusion, if necessary, of all others. (Jackson, p10)

Minister for Territories Paul Hasluck had set the tone in 1959 when he suggested that broadcasting be used to help explain government policies and to contribute to an acceptance of them (ibid p3) and George Warwick Smith, Secretary for External Territories, had reaffirmed the policy in August 1968, stating that:

A main objective in establishing Administration broadcasting stations was to provide a direct link of communication between the Administration and the people which the Administration could use as persuasively as possible (without necessarily giving opposing views) so as to obtain understanding and acceptance of the Governments view. (Jackson pp25-26)

Keiths description of his introduction to Radio Bougainville was succinct:

I arrived in Kieta as the new manager of Radio Bougainville on 5 November 1970. Surprisingly for such a politically-sensitive station, there had been no manager for more than half a year, Sam Piniau having departed early in May after a brief tenure of only tenure three months. The time of my appearance on the scene is a convenient cut-off point for, during 1971, the tide began to turn the stations way. DIES was developing a new even-handed approach to broadcasting; Bougainville was politically more stable and, to be honest, my own more liberal views, however ill-conceived, all led to a new stance. New policies led to all program material being assessed according to the same criteria, whether it emanated from the District Commissioner or the Napidakoe Navitu. Links with the District Commissioner were loosened and the station attempts to forge new ones with the people. (Jackson, pp42-43)

Perhaps with some bias of my own, I think that there are problems with the brevity and the simplicity of that synopsis, in that it allows incorrect inferences to be drawn about the environment at the time, and about the links with the District Commissioner.

There were, in fact, two District Commissioners in Bougainville in November 1970, each responsible for a different geographical area. The central section of Bougainville had been deliberately excised from Ashtons control when I was appointed District Commissioner (Special Duties) on 6 November 1969 (Government Gazette 62).

In that newly-created role, I became responsible for all those areas of Bougainville that were affected by or going to be affected by CRA activities: the exploration, prospecting and mine construction areas, and the future port, towns, roads, power lines, tailings etc.

Ashton retained the town of Kieta, and the majority of Bougainville. I co-existed with him in the Kieta District Office for two months until, when Arawa became available, I was able move into temporary facilities there on 8 January 1970.

Ashton and I both took our orders and instructions from Port Moresby, but we knew that Canberra was deeply involved, and that many of the directives emanated from there.

That had become clear to me in January 1967, when I was directed by headquarters to telegraph a weekly summary of summary of events to Moresby each Thursday afternoon to allow the Administrator to comply with Canberras demand for a report on the Bougainville situation, by telex, at the end of each week (National Archives of Australia A452, 1967/1347).

It became clearer still in May 1967, when I was peremptorily summoned to Canberra to be grilled by a team of Department of Territories officials, and clearer again in June the same year when I was invited to attend a Port Moresby meeting of the Administrators Public Relations Advisory Committee (A452 1967/3861).

The Department of Territories consultants, Brigadier Campbell and fellow psychologist Dr Sinclair, had been equally sure about Canberras dominant role when they visited Kieta in 1967 and 1968.

Campbell, former head of the Australian Army Psychology Corps, was said to run the powerful Social Change Advisory Committee which advised the Department and the Minister on significant issues, including Bougainville.

I apologise for the information overload in the brief chronology that follows, but it may contribute to the understanding of that complex time. References with the identifier (A452 19xx/xxxx) are held by the National Archives of Australia. For simplicity, I have used name Department of Territories throughout, ignoring the February 1968 name change to Department of External Territories.

Chronology

I had been in Bougainville for 18 months when Des (DN) Ashton was promoted to District Commissioner and transferred there in November 1967. Ashtons predecessor, John (JW) Wakeford, promoted at the same time, had been transferred out of Bougainville - possibly at CRAs behest.

The Administrator would have approved Ashtons appointment and Ashton would have been briefed and given detailed riding instructions before he moved. When he arrived in Bougainville and took up residence in Sohano (Buka Passage) in January 1968, Radio Bougainville was on the horizon but some months away.

A year earlier, in January 1967, Administrator David Hay had told a press conference that the Administration intended to put its views by radio to the Bougainville people on proposed copper-mining on their island  setting up a broadcast station at Kieta to beam in a special program (Canberra Times, 20 January 1967).

In March 1968, Ashton and I concluded the negotiations for the purchase of a portion of land from the Marist Mission. St Michaels, as it was known, was only five-minutes drive from Kieta, between the sea and the swamp on the Aropa side of the Marist mission at Tubiana.

Renamed Toniva, the new suburb was where the new Administration houses would be built and it was where radio technician Peter Bates would erect the transmission antennas for Radio Bougainville, while technicians Ron Nelson and Wayne Wilson were installing the transmitter and a temporary studio in one of the newly erected IMQs. (IMQ being the euphemistic acronym for Indigenous Married Quarter, a tiny sub-standard house with only basic amenities and no flywire.)

The new station manager Geoffrey Heard and his Radio Bougainville crew made the first broadcast from that IMQ while the permanent studio was being completed in downtown Kieta. The town studio, also established in a modified residence (an AR20 diverted from somewhere else in the works program), was completed just in time for the official opening on 20 April 1968.

By 26 May, five weeks after the official opening, District Commissioner Ashton was on the air telling listeners about mining company CRAs planned activities (A452 1967/3861). Assistant District Officer Chris Warrillow assisted with the translation of the complex explanation from the written English script to Tok Pisin (Warrillows Field Officers Journal).

Ashton commenced the controversial weekly program, Toktok Bilong Nambawan Kiap (The District Commissioner Talks) on 30 June 1968 and by 11 July he had "made several ... programs in which he has spoken bluntly about several matters" and on 12 August he "recorded a very strong talk" (Jackson, p33).

When Ashton departed on leave at the end of November 1968 and I took over as acting District Commissioner, I declined to be involved with the program and it lapsed. Five months of Toktok Bilong Nambawan Kiap was more than enough. The people did not like it, and neither did I.

I expected to be criticised, because only a month earlier, Brigadier Campbell had reported that:

The most powerful instrument the Administration has is the BOUGAINVILLE radio. This it should use to mount a propaganda campaign. While overtly this campaign MUST take the guise of WHITE propaganda, covertly it must be a no-holds-barred communication battle, which should begin NOW. Radio Bougainville should make full and regular use of the program The DC Speaks (A452 1968/5430, capitalisation in original).

I did not know, at the time, that the Secretary for Territories had written to the Administrator on 3 December 1968 saying, The Minister is particularly interested in this [Campbells report] and has enquired what steps are being taken to give effect to the suggestions made (ibid).

I received my first slap on the wrist at a meeting of the Public Relations Advisory Committee in Port Moresby on 8 December 1968 when Lyle Newby (Director of the Department of Information and Extension Servives which ran the radio stations) and his Controller of Broadcasting HH (Jim) Leigh expressed the view that possibly the maximum use was not being made of Radio Bougainville (A452 1968/5563 Pt 1).

I had been attended that meeting as Acting District Commissioner Bougainville, and was accompanied by Kieta DDC Rick (RF) Hearne, Buin ADC Mal (M) Lang and Buka ADC Ken (KJP) Hanrahan, who had also been summoned to attend.

We all thought that my response, that a saturation campaign was not desirable, could be counter-productive and antagonise the people, that a continual trickle of information was the best approach, and that letters pro and con secession were being broadcast, with a leaning to those opposing secession might have ended the matter, but it did not.

In February 1969, Terry White, Executive Officer of the Public Relations Advisory Committee, in his report of a 24 day tour of Bougainville carried out at the direction of the Administrator, concluded that:

Radio Bougainville should engage in [an] active, intensified and varied political education program. A trickle of propaganda would most likely be ineffective. Any endeavour to cover up the secessionist views would soon earn the radio station a bad reputation. Much of the material for the program. would need to be prepared at the. headquarters level although although close and continuous co-ordination needed to be maintained between the OIC Radio Bougainville and the District Commissioner (A452 1968/5563 Pt 1  emphasis added).

Some of Whites other conclusions were more contentious. Commenting on a suggestion that many Bougainvillean local officers should be transferred out of Bougainville to other districts and replaced by officers from elsewhere in the Territory, he said:

There would be advantages in such a move if it were gradual and not too obvious. Bougainvilleans in certain positions, eg telegraph and radio operators and possibly in Radio Bougainville, should be replaced by non-Bougainvilleans local officers without delay. If there is any question of local Bougainvilleans employed at Radio Bougainville engaging in secessionist activities or of sabotaging or endangering the propaganda program they should be transferred to other Districts (A452 1968/5563 Pt 1).

The Administrator forwarded Whites report to Canberra on 7 March 1969 with the comment: The report is comprehensive one, and I am in agreement with the conclusions in it (A452 1968/5563 Pt 1).

The Social Change Advisory Committee had also taken up the matter in a three-day meeting in February 1969, the minutes recording:

Radio Bougainville is a powerful instrument which MUST effectively be used. The present a/DC should be encouraged to make more personal use of the radio. We consider that a bold and vigorous policy of grasping the nettle when contentious issues arise is better than will be a laissez faire approach (A452 1969/2443).

The Assistant Administrator, LW (Les Johnston), had chaired the first days meeting on 10 February; the Department of Territories Assistant Secretary, MA (Tim) Besley, chaired the next two days and Brigadier Campbell was there throughout.

I heard about those minutes again in May 1969, when I was in Canberra with a Territory team for a series of meetings with officials from Territories and CRA. In one of them, a letter that had been drafted to the Administrator for the Secretarys signature was discussed. The draft requested the Administrator to address what the Department perceived as the failings of DIES and Radio Bougainville in the Unity Campaign. Assistant Secretary Mentzs inter-office memo dated 6 May 1969, written after the discussion, records:

I have today been in the meetings on the situation in Bougainville situation the acting DC Brown [DDC] was quite firm that Radio Kieta [Radio Bougainville] was now proving an excellent medium for broadcasting propaganda in support of the Governments case. I was quite impressed with Brown and I do not think we should take this matter further. I do not, therefore, propose to send the memorandum (A452 1968/5709).

It was in that same series of meetings that CRA applied significant pressure on the Territory Administration, stating:

Work at three areas - Moroni, the East Coast Road Camp, and the Rorovana Construction Camp  is at present held up by the Administration for political reasons. The Company cant afford to have continuing interruptions and would like to find a way of avoiding them even if this involves a greater risk of violence (A452 1969/2448).

Three months later that forceful CRA attitude and its haste to commence construction on Rorovana land would prove to be a major stumbling block for Ashton. He had been directed by the Administrator to control the police operations and given detailed written instructions prepared in draft by the Administrator and revised by Territories officials in Canberra with input from Brigadier Campbell.

Ashton scrupulously followed those instructions but, even so, was removed from further responsibilities in the CRA operating areas.

Barry Middlemiss (aka Namel Lus), secretary of the Central Bougainville-based Napiakoe Navitu Association, had been verbally attacking Ashton since the government had announced that the new town would be built on Arawa Plantation, where Middlemiss was employed.

Ashton had not been privy to that decision and had naught to do with it. He had been on leave in Australia for four months when the decision was taken in Canberra in February 1969.

The decision to reject CRAs proposal to build the town on swathes of village land, and utilise Arawa Plantation instead, may have been influenced by the Public Relations Advisory Committees 1967 identification of the plantation as a resettlement place for people displaced by the mine - an event unknown to Ashton and us other lesser mortals (A452 1967/1623).

That was a serious strike against Ashton, as Bele had some clout (he was elected to the PNG House of Assembly at the subsequent 1972 election). He and national parliamentarian Paul Lapun had met with Territories Minister Charles (Ceb) Barnes in Canberra on 19 August 1969 and the pair had a private meeting with prime minister John Gorton and Barnes the following day. (The prime minister had been receiving daily reports on the situation in Bougainville since a request of 9 August 1969 (A552 1969/4123.)

Ashton was due to go on leave in January 1971 and was well aware that he would not be returning to Bougainville. He was allowed to defer his leave his leave until after the Duke of Edinburghs visit. I suspect he was not unhappy when he left Bougainville and its troubles for the last time on 20 March 1971.

But the Gods, or department secretary Tom Ellis, were kind. Ashton would spend his last term in another island paradise, Manus.

On reflection, I think that the late Kim E Beasley, Kim C Beasleys father, probably got it right in his tribute to Gorton delivered in the Australian parliament in 1969:

The Prime Minister has discovered a formula for settling crises in New Guinea. He finds out what the Department of External Territories has been doing and does the opposite (The Memoirs of Kim E Beasley, Father of the House, p 136).

Photos:

1 - Bill Brown in Canberra for talks with the Department of Territories, 1967

2  District Commissioner Des Ashton congratulating the captain of the Police team, winner of the Bougainville Soccer Association Shield (Bougainville News 5, November 1970)

3 - Bill Brown with his driver and fishing mate William Poto of Lontes village, Buka, on the day they drove the Duke of Edinburgh to Panguna, 18 March 1971

4 - Signing the Arawa land lease documents: (left to right) Tava of Arawa; Bill (WG) Conroy, Director of Agriculture; Bill Brown; Narug of Arawa seated at table (Tiny Wendt, CRA)
What Liberal World Order?

.

LONDON  After the annus horribilis that was 2016, most political observers believe that the liberal world order is in serious trouble. But that is where the agreement ends. At the recent Munich Security Conference, debate on the subject among leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, US Vice President Mike Pence, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov demonstrated a lack of consensus even on what the liberal order is. That makes it hard to say what will happen to it.

When the West, and especially the United States, dominated the world, the liberal order was pretty much whatever they said it was. Other countries complained and expounded alternate approaches, but basically went along with the Western-defined rules.

But as global power has shifted from the West to the rest, the liberal world order has become an increasingly contested idea, with rising powers like Russia, China, and India increasingly challenging Western perspectives. And, indeed, Merkels criticism in Munich of Russia for invading Crimea and supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was met with Lavrovs assertions that the West ignored the sovereignty norm in international law by invading Iraq and recognizing Kosovos independence.

This is not to say that the liberal world order is an entirely obscure concept. The original iteration  call it Liberal Order 1.0  arose from the ashes of World War II to uphold peace and support global prosperity. It was underpinned by institutions like the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which later became the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, as well as regional security arrangements, such as NATO. It emphasized multilateralism, including through the United Nations, and promoted free trade.

But Liberal Order 1.0 had its limits  namely, sovereign borders. Given the ongoing geopolitical struggle between the US and the Soviet Union, it could not even quite be called a world order.

What countries did at home was basically their business, as long as it didnt affect the superpower rivalry.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, however, a triumphant West expanded the concept of the liberal world order substantially. The result  Liberal Order 2.0  penetrated countries borders to consider the rights of those who lived there.

Rather than upholding national sovereignty at all costs, the expanded order sought to pool sovereignty and to establish shared rules to which national governments must adhere. In many ways, Liberal Order 2.0  underpinned by institutions like the World Trade Organization and the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as new norms like the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)  sought to shape the world in the Wests image.

But, before too long, sovereignty-obsessed powers like Russia and China halted its implementation.

Calamitous mistakes for which Western policymakers were responsible  namely, the protracted war in Iraq and the global economic crisis  cemented the reversal of Liberal Order 2.0.

But now the West itself is rejecting the order that it created, often using the very same logic of sovereignty that the rising powers used. And it is not just more recent additions like the ICC and R2P that are at risk. With the United Kingdom having rejected the European Union and US President Donald Trump condemning free-trade deals and the Paris climate agreement, the more fundamental Liberal Order 1.0 seems to be under threat.

Some claim that the West overreached in creating Liberal Order 2.0. But even Trumps America still needs Liberal Order 1.0  and the multilateralism that underpins it. Otherwise, it may face a new kind of globalization that combines the technologies of the future with the enmities of the past.

In such a scenario, military interventions will continue, but not in the postmodern form aimed at upholding order (exemplified by Western powers opposition to genocide in Kosovo and Sierra Leone). Instead, modern and pre-modern forms will prevail: support for government repression, like Russia has provided in Syria, or ethno-religious proxy wars, like those that Saudi Arabia and Iran have waged across the Middle East.

The Internet, migration, trade, and the enforcement of international law will be turned into weapons in new conflicts, rather than governed effectively by global rules. International conflict will be driven primarily by a domestic politics increasingly defined by status anxiety, distrust of institutions, and narrow-minded nationalism.

European countries are unsure how to respond to this new global disorder. Three potential coping strategies have emerged.

The first would require a country like Germany, which considers itself a responsible stakeholder and has some international heft, to take over as a main custodian of the liberal world order. In this scenario, Germany would work to uphold Liberal Order 1.0 globally and to preserve Liberal Order 2.0 within Europe.

A second strategy, exemplified today by Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, could be called profit maximization. Turkey isnt trying to overturn the existing order, but it doesnt feel responsible for its upkeep, either. Instead, Turkey seeks to extract as much as possible from Western-led institutions like the EU and NATO, while fostering mutually beneficial relationships with countries, such as Russia, Iran, and China, that often seek to undermine those institutions.

The third strategy is simple hypocrisy: Europe would talk like a responsible stakeholder, but act like a profit maximizer. This is the path British Prime Minister Theresa May took when she met with Trump in Washington, DC. She said all the right things about NATO, the EU, and free trade, but pleaded for a special deal with the US outside of those frameworks.

In the months ahead, many leaders will need to make a bet on whether the liberal order will survive  and on whether they should invest resources in bringing about that outcome. The West collectively has the power to uphold Liberal Order 1.0. But if the Western powers cant agree on what they want from that order, or what their responsibilities are to maintain it, they are unlikely even to try.
Don't you just love it when you go to the movie and before you see your movie they show all the trailers for movies coming up? You get to plan your next "date night" with your sweetie! Well, we are not making a movie this year, but we are going to publish a new book. Our last book was in 2012, and we have come across so many new products that I want to add to our book. The next book will have an index, more pictures, questions from readers with pictures, and anything else I can think of to make this book as helpful as I can. For example, if you fight with hard water deposits on your glass shower door there is a new product for us called Invisible Shield. Invisible Shield is a polymer finish product that goes on a glass shower door that will repel hard water deposits for up to a YEAR. Imagine the hours you will save from cleaning off the hazing of lime deposits. If you are like me, your time is important, and why clean something over and over again if you can do it once a year. Invisible Shield has a process of three products to clean, protect and maintain your shower door. When I did my shower, I did my whole shower from the ceramic tile walls and floors, the shower head and faucets and then, of course, the glass shower doors with Protective Glass Coating. When I start to see any spots on the doors, I spray on the product from Invisible Shield called Glass and Surface Cleaner. It reinforces the polymer finish of the coating, and the more I use it the easier the shower is to clean. When I saw Invisible Shield at the National Hardware Show last May, it stopped me in my tracks because I had just cleaned my door before I went to the show and the thought of not cleaning for a year nearly made me giddy. And it's things like that I want to share with you so you can save time on monotonous cleaning and have time for the people and things you love to do. So what do I mean by "A Free Preview?" It's a free preview of the book. Just send a self-addressed stamped envelope (at the address below - and say Sample) and I will send you a sample of what will be in the new book, "The Best of Johnnie Chuoke, Vol 11."

Johnnie Chuoke's Home and Hardware
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Education is one of the planks in the mission of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce. At the monthly luncheon, the chamber recognized some entrepreneurs who had just finished a class offered by the business organization.

"We started a new business venture class that included marketing, business plans and we had an excellent speaker in Carolann Peters," said Dayton Chamber Executive Director Paula Moorhaj.

Peters is a much sought after speaker and educator having 30 years of entrepreneurial experience and currently serving as CEO of the Bay Area Council on Drugs and Alcohol.

Her business development roots are grown deep as a former business advisor for the Galveston County Small Business Development Center and now a training facilitator for the University of Houston's SBDC network for six of the last nine years.

"We know that the city of Dayton is in a growth pattern and we want to grow with them," Moorhaj said "and so we invite you to join us for these classes."

Rick Renteria, a resident of Tarkington but has done business in Dayton for the last five years, was presented a certificate for his completing the class.

"The class was very good and I learned a lot that I didn't already know," he said.

Renteria has been in the fire sprinkler business for the last 20 years, 10 of those in his own business.

"I even hired a new employee today because of this class," he said.

He was taught to "work on your business, not in it" and that philosophy, he said, will help him cut back on the ridiculous hours he's been working.

"It was the best six Saturdays I've ever invested," said Mike Masnek, who has been in business for 30 years. "It was an awesome class and I learned so much."

Moorhaj said the chamber would host another class in the near future.

Peters, who taught the class, also spoke to the chamber sharing her personal experience and giving some tidbits for business leaders.

Forbes Magazine released some startling statistics in one of their editions on startup businesses.

About 500,000-580,000 new businesses start up each year. Of those, in the first two years 30 percent are gone, five years later, a whopping 50 percent are gone, and a decade later and 66 percent have failed. By year 15, only 25 percent of the business startups are left standing, the magazine reported.

"There are a lot of reasons for that, but we as entrepreneurs don't know why we're in business or who our customers are," Peters said. "Most of you know what you do and how to do it, but you also need to know your belief and why you're in business."

An entrepreneur's uniqueness comes in the why you're in business and how you do your business, she described to chamber members.

"We need to learn the difference in dialog and monologue," she said. "We're quick to tell people all about what we do, but we need to listen to our customers in what they want and what motivates them to buy from you."

Peters said the entrepreneur must evolve just as much as their business evolves and avoid being stale.

She related a story of a great entrepreneur who had a great family, husband and fantastic business. She built a business, franchised it nationwide, had 13 franchises open in seven states and all of a sudden, she hit a point in her life that she didn't know who she was. She was having internal, emotional turmoil and didn't know where to go and what to do.

"One day she was sitting on a bench in a park and she put her head in her hands and said 'God? What is wrong with me?'"

She heard a voice booming inside her that said, "It's the alcohol. That woman was me 29 years ago. I had to learn who Carolann was, go in deep and clean house and clear the obstacles that stood in my way of my bigger success."

She told members she was smiling on the outside and dying on the inside.

With that, Peters discussed some barriers to success.

"Hypersensitivity. We're all familiar with that one! We get our feelings hurt so easy because we're taking things so personal," she said.

She said a society that continues to do that, losing its tolerance, flexibility, and sense of humor is destined to fail and so will the business.

Chronic dependency, she added, requires us to allow others to be responsible for our emotional well-being.

"Nobody can make you feel anything. We all want to be approved of and liked, but it's none of your business what others think of you. Let it go!" she smiled.

Earn your own trophies and remember it's lonely at the top, she told members.

"Let go of our resentment and guilt," she said and know the difference between guilt and shame.

She also described fear as being masked by our anger.

"All of these you can overcome by having direction and a plan," she said. She also advised chamber members to find mentors and surround themselves with a successful environment.

Peters closed saying, "You can live your life by default, or by design. Dare to dream and dream big."
The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, part of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, is on a campaign to broaden its collections in order to more fully document the history of the Southeast Texas region. The Center serves as the official regional historical resource depository for the historic Atascosito District, a 10-county area including Chambers, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto and Tyler counties.

The Center preserves and provides access to historically significant records and artifacts from throughout the region. The facility is undergoing a major renovation of its museum space and adding interactive learning exhibits, which will be unveiled in late fall of this year.

The story that will be told through the exhibit is a chronicle of the people and events shaping Southeast Texas The Center's collections document many of the region's historical leaders and significant events. However, in order to create a fresh and multilayered understanding of Southeast Texas history, the Center is calling on area residents to donate historical records and artifacts that supplement existing collections and provide an understanding of the daily life of area settlers and residents.

In particular, the Center's staff is seeking records and artifacts that document the following areas:

-- African-American history

-- Hispanic history

-- Materials related to the creation of the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation and Native American participation in the Civil War Dutch and Japanese immigration, particularly for rice farming and related activities in Orange and Jefferson counties

-- Pre-1900 rice production German prisoner of war camps during World War II; and Women's suffrage

"One of the most important ways an individual can honor his or her history while supporting the education of people throughout the state is to donate items of historical relevance to archival repositories that can preserve and make available those treasures to countless generations," said State Archivist Jelain Chubb.

Individuals interested in donating historical records or artifacts to the Center should contact the Center's staff, who then review any potential donations. Staff must verify that materials fall within the scope of the Center's policies for acquisitions before accepting them. All items must be originals, and donors must have authority to transfer ownership to the Center.

"For nearly 40 years, the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center has offered the people of the historic Atascosito District a place to share the rich history of their region through a renowned repository and learning center," said Center manager Alana Inman. "We are excited to continue that tradition through a newly renovated, state-of-the-art museum."

The Center is asking community members to consider donating historical materials by the end of March. Museum designers Pony Allen and Erin McClelland of Austin, in partnership with Exhibit Concepts, will identify materials to be placed on exhibit in the new museum and begin design of custom displays for the items in April.

"The opening of our new museum space is really a wonderful and unique opportunity for Southeast Texans to share their local history with the state and see their story become part of the fabric of Texas history," Inman said.

Residents of the counties the Center serves are invited to bring personal items and consult with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission's conservator on their preservation. Anyone interested in making a donation of historical materials or learning more about the Center may contact the Center's manager, Alana Inman, at 936-336-8821 or ainman@tsl.texas.gov for additional information.
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The San Jacinto County Democratic Party is taking steps to become more involved in the community after joining the Coldspring/San Jacinto County Chamber of Commerce on March 16 for a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Members of the Coldspring Chamber and the Democratic Party gathered at the Chamber office in Coldspring to have the ribbon cutting ceremony, which was performed by San Jacinto County Democratic Party Vice President Cora Tullar.

Tullar says the Democratic Party decided to join the Chamber to be part of the growing community and to show that there is an active Democratic Party within San Jacinto County.

"We participate in county activities such as the recent garage sale on the square," she said. "We attend the rodeo in the fall."

The San Jacinto County Democratic Party not only participate in local community events. They also help voters register for elections including local high school students. The Democratic Party also supports local organizations and non-profit entities such as the libraries and the school boards.

Tullar says the party also wants to encourage people to participate in elections so that their voices are heard in both local and federal races.

"We're trying to make sure that people know that there is an opportunity to support a Democratic candidate," she said.

The Democratic Party strives stand together and accommodate all of the citizens in the county through unity.

"We continue to be a visible and viable force in our county," said Tullar. "Being united for all people is important."
A Sugar Land woman is the prime suspect in a hit-and-run on South Padre Island early Friday that sent several pedestrians to the hospital, police there confirmed.

The woman, an unidentified 20 year old, is suspected of driving a Honda CR-V that struck at least five people about 12:45 a.m. Friday along the 4200 block of Gulf Blvd. on the island, police there confirmed later Friday.
A Houston woman was killed Sunday morning after she lost control of her vehicle in western Harris County.

Just after 5 a.m., Gabriela Torga was headed eastbound in the 18000 block of Clay when she swerved out of her lane and into the raised center median.
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The Satanic Temple in North Texas opposes paddling in public schools.

In case anyone missed that policy point, the group put up a billboard in Springtown to make sure the public is aware of the position.

The billboard says Never be hit in school again. Exercise your religious rights.

Also included on the sign is The Satanic Temples Protect Children Project website, which campaigns against corporal punishment in schools.

POLITICAL STATEMENT: Artist takes on Donald Trump with provocative billboard

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that corporal punishment became an issue in Springtown five years ago when a male assistant principal spanked two female students at the high school. Since then, the school district opted to allow opposite-sex spankings only with parental permission.

The Satanic Temple, in a news release, said Springtown is a barbaric backwater town and the billboard should be disturbing to Springtown, as it is there because Springtown has proven to be a disgrace.

The Satanic Temple, based in Massachusetts, says its followers do not worship Satan, according to its website. Instead, they view Satan as symbolic of the Eternal Rebel in opposition to arbitrary authority, opposing supernatural beliefs and superstitions.

>>>Scroll through the gallery to see which school districts allowed corporal punishment in recent years
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U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke told Midlanders hes considering challenging U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. After his bipartisan road trip brought him national attention, the El Paso Democrat, speaking at an event Saturday evening, also stressed the need for cross-party communication.

Spending time with someone from the other side of the aisle, I learned from his perspective and he learned from my perspective, said ORourke, who recently drove from San Antonio to Washington, D.C., with U.S. Rep. Will Hurd. We can work together in the future. As a Democrat in a Republican-controlled House, I will have to do that.

ORourke said his colleagues of all political affiliations agree on the need for immigration reform. He said El Paso, where about one-quarter of the population is foreign-born, is one of the safest cities in the country.

I want people to understand we have much more to celebrate than to fear with our relationships with immigrant communities.

ORourke shared his message with about 100 people at Grub Burger Bar.

The congressman, who serves on the House committees for Armed Services and Veterans Affairs, met with veterans in Odessa on Saturday. He also plans to visit the VA hospital in Big Spring today.

ORourke said veterans expressed concerns about access to benefits, and he hopes to share those ideas with committee members. He wanted to visit the Permian Basin because he noticed similarities with El Paso.

This is an important area, ORourke said. Too often, its overlooked in terms of resources it gets and attention it receives.

ORourke said he has traveled to communities all over the state to hear from Texans. If he runs for the Senate, he said he wouldnt accept money from PACs. Instead, he would generate donations from the people he intends to serve.

David Rosen, chairman of the Midland County Democratic Party, said hes pleased to know ORourke is considering a U.S. Senate bid. He appreciated the congressmans message to Midlanders.

He reminded us to work with our Republican friends and support our military service people, Rosen said. Im happy he was able to hear from us. Hes our nearest Democratic congressman.

Kerry Manzo, party chair for precinct 402A, lived in El Paso and is familiar with ORourkes work as a city council member there. Manzo thinks some of his ideas could have benefits locally.

He did so much and had a vision for the city, Manzo said. Thats something we can do in Midland and Odessa.
It was a day of green beer, green beards and green plastic bowlers. Bagpipers and curled-toe leprechaun shoes. Even a mock Blarney Stone to be kissed was available at the St. Patricks Day celebration Saturday at La Villita.

Co-sponsored by Harp & Shamrock Society and Paseo del Rio Association, the worlds only St. Patricks Day parade held on a river featured 13 decorated barges filled with more bagpipers, cloggers, musicians playing Irish songs and more.
A 19-year-old man was killed Saturday afternoon after he fell from a vehicle at McFaddin Beach, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced in a news release.

The incident happened around 5 p.m., said Sgt. Stephanie Davis.
Margaret Viera was only 12 when she left Mexico and crossed the border into the United States with her aunt and mother.

They were fleeing an abusive situation in Mexico, son Louis Herrera Jr. said.

A strong woman, she went on to share her faith in God and passion for education with her children.

Viera died March 13. She was 81.

After crossing the border, San Antonio became home. Vieras mother, working as a seamstress, supported the family while she and her aunt completed school, he said.

Viera went on to graduate from Lanier High School and continued her education at San Antonio College, where she met her first husband, Louis Herrera Sr.

Children came quickly, and Viera took a break from school to raise them.

She made a lot of sacrifices for her family, daughter Christine Castillo said.

Viera made sure all five children went to private Catholic schools. But going to after-school programs was stressful for Viera who disliked getting behind the wheel.

Driving at night was like, no way, Louis Herrera Jr. said remembering his boyhood days. But she did it to get me to Cub Scouts at St. Leos.

Once all her children were in school, Viera enrolled at Our Lady of the Lake University to graduate in the late 1970s with a bachelors degree in education.

More Information Margaret Moreno Viera Born: October 18, 1935, Monterrey, Mexico Died: March 13, 2017, San Antonio Preceded by: Husband Domingo Z. Viera; mother Cecilia Moreno; father Antonio Romero Survived by: Sons Louis Herrera, Jr. and daughter-in-law Deborah Herrera, Vincent Herrera and daughter-in-law Elena Herrera; daughters Helen Cheever and son-in-law Larry Joe Cheever, Lydia H. Garcia and son-in-law Rodrigo Garcia, Christine H. Castillo and son-in-law Frank Castillo; sister Lucina Zamora and brother-in-law Frank Zamora; 18 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and numerous friends and family. Services: Memorial service held Wednesday March 15. See More Collapse

She was a substitute teacher during the day and went to night school for six years to get her degree, Castillo said.

A few years after graduating Viera and her husband divorced.

Influenced by her mother, who taught school in a one-room school house in Mexico, Viera found work teaching for the Harlandale School District, daughter Helen Cheever said.

While teaching reading to bilingual children at St. Leo the Great Catholic School, Vieras life changed. She fell in love with Domingo Viera, who was also working for the school.

She went from a tough time to meeting someone who treated her like a queen, son Vincent Herrera said.

The two married July 27, 1981.

They loved to travel, going to Las Vegas 19 times and visiting Reno and the coast, Louis Herrera Jr. said.

Widowed in 2003, Viera continued to share her passion for education. All of her children graduated from college.

We are what we are today ... we endured everything by the strength of my mothers love, Castillo said.

iwilgen@express-news.net
Thank goodness St. Patrick's Day is upon us. Our country is in need of some Irish humor about now.

With all the vitriol in our politics these days, we could use more brotherly love - which reminds me of the joke about McAlister.

One Saturday night, he ordered three pints at the pub. When the bartender asked him why he wanted three, McAlister explained: "I've got two brothers, one in America and one in Australia. Every Saturday night we go to our respective pubs, order three pints and drink with each other. Right now, me brothers are sipping three pints, too."

McAlister continued his tradition for several months. But one Saturday he ordered only two pints.

"Sweet goodness," said the bartender, "did one of your brothers die?"

"The brothers are fine," said McAlister. "It's just that I quit drinking."

Reports of alleged wiretapping and spying are all over the news of late. That reminds me of the one about a German spy who was sent to Ireland during World War II.

The German was instructed to meet an Irish spy named Murphy and confirm Murphy's identity by saying, "The weather could change by Tuesday."

After he parachuted into Ireland, he set off for town. Along the way, he asked a farmer where he might find a man named Murphy.

"Well, sir, it depends on which Murphy," said the farmer. "We have Murphy the doctor, Murphy the postal carrier, Murphy the stonemason and Murphy the teacher. I, too, am a Murphy, Murphy the farmer."

The German got an idea.

"The weather could change by Tuesday," he said.

"Aye," said the farmer, "you'll be wanting Murphy the spy."

The resistance of millions to our overreaching government continues to remake our political landscape. It reminds me of the time a policeman caught Seamus with a bucket of fish in a no-fishing zone.

"You've got it wrong," Seamus said to the policeman. "These are my pet fish. I bring them to the reservoir every day for exercise. After they swim for 10 minutes, they come back to the bucket and I take them home."

"Prove it," said the cop.

Seamus dumped his fish into the reservoir and off they swam. An hour later, they still hadn't returned.

"Ha, you lying rogue," said the officer. "Where are your pet fish?"

"Fish?" said Seamus. "What fish?"

The economy is exploding suddenly - nearly 300,000 private-sector jobs were created in February, according to ADP and Moody's Analytics, exceeding estimates by a staggering 100,000. That gives hope to millions who had dropped out of the workforce entirely.

That reminds me of the one about St. Patrick visiting an Irish pub. Donovan, McNally and Finnegan saw

St. Patrick enter the pub and each bought him a beer.

When St. Patrick shook Donovan's hand, Donovan said, "My arthritis! St. Patrick, your touch has cured it!"

St. Patrick shook McNally's hand, and McNally said, "My blind right eye! St. Patrick, you've cured it!"

St. Patrick went to shake Finnegan's hand. Finnegan shouted, "Get away from me, St. Patrick. I'm on disability!"

These days, with all the conflict and disagreement going on, our public discourse could profit from a better sense of humor.

Which reminds of the time Paddy died.

Paddy's wife went to the newspaper to place his obituary. The newsman said the cost was $1 a word.

"I only have $2," said Mrs. Paddy. "Just print 'Paddy died.'"

The newsman decided that old Paddy deserved more. He gave her three extra words at no charge.

"A kind man you are," said Mrs. Paddy. "Print me husband's obituary this way: 'Paddy died. Boat for sale.'"

Tom Purcell, author of "Misadventures of a 1970's Childhood" and "Wicked Is the Whiskey," a Sean McClanahan mystery novel, both available at Amazon.com, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Send comments to Tom at Tom@TomPurcell.com.
Recent news reports have indicated that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is considering causing children psychological harm as a strategy to curb illegal immigration from Central America. It is contemplating separating mothers and children who cross the border without authorization.

Regardless of whether this practice becomes official policy, it is already happening in Texas, and it is not deterring women from escaping violence in their home countries.

Texas immigration advocates have recently noted cases of mothers who have had their children sent to detention facilities 300 miles away from them. Even though family detention centers have had capacity for more families, children are being taken from their mothers at the border and bused to different locations. Mothers have no means of contacting their children or knowing if theyre are safe. It has been a common practice to not house adolescent males in family detention once they reach 16. However, much younger children are being separated from their mothers.

Since 2011, the United States has seen a dramatic increase in arrivals of Central American immigrant women and their children. During the past two years, our government apprehended more than 100,000 immigrant families, primarily Central American women traveling with their children.

Central American womens motivations to migrate are often tied to poverty, violence and persecution in their home countries. Crossing the border is often a decision of last resort. The journey and potential detention in America may be a safer option even if there is potential for detention and separation from a child. As one woman told us, I die here or I take my chances and maybe die on the way.

As social workers, we have worked with women in these situations. We have heard consistent themes in their stories of rape, domestic violence, threats from gangs, human trafficking and lack of police protection.

As parents ourselves, we acknowledge that separation and psychological harm to our children is something we would avoid at all costs. Thus, we appreciate the urgency with which many immigrant parents seek the safety and protection of their children when faced with violence and persecution.

As researchers, we also understand that the criminalization of immigrant mothers comes with a price  a price that will largely be paid by children. Separating children from their mothers erodes mental health and disrupts attachment, dynamics that may persist even after families are reunified. Even when families are not separated, the fear of such an event carries damaging consequences.

Regardless of the lens one might use to consider immigration policy, separating mothers from their children is inhumane and has not, and will not, deter unauthorized entry into our country. Women from Central America have more to fear in their own countries than they do here. When choices are so constrained that mothers must choose between certain death or separation from children for a temporary period, mothers often choose separation.

We must resist the notion that a humane response is not feasible. We have both the know-how and the responsibility to keep families together and offer a comprehensive, trauma-informed response to those seeking asylum in the United States.

Women and their children should be released to the community together, where they can proceed with applying for asylum, but taxpayers will not have to foot the bill for detaining them and children will not experience harm.

Monica Faulkner is a research associate professor and director of the Texas Institute for Family and Child Wellbeing in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. Laurie Cook Heffron is an assistant professor of social work at St. Edwards University.
Imagine this common, tragic scenario. Your previously healthy son, daughter or spouse has gradually developed increasing difficulty managing her finances, job or relationships. A doctor sees your loved one and diagnoses depression or another mental illness. The doctor learns that she is at risk of hurting herself or others. Or maybe she committed a minor crime such as trespassing, and the police arrested her. At the police station she is diagnosed as having a mental illness and needing to go to a hospital.

In both cases, your loved one may spend weeks or even months in jail before being sent to a state mental health hospital that is poorly designed for healing. At those hospitals, whole wards may be closed because of mold. Your loved one may share a small room with up to five other patients. The building where shes sleeping was possibly built almost 100 years ago and is run down and out of date. The campus, which housed about 3,000 people when new now houses 300, but those unused wards were never torn down. Instead they just rot and gradually fall down.

If shes at Rusk State Hospital, the ceiling in her room may have accessible pipes or other code violations, which means the state is mandated to employ staff to sit in the room, 24 hours a day, to prevent patients from harming themselves.

Because of the poor healing environment, your loved one stays in the hospital longer than needed. Taxpayer money is wasted because of the poor design of the facility and the length of stays, and staff and patients are more likely to be physically injured because of the crowded conditions.

Hundreds of times a day, across Texas, people go into crisis and are placed in a state mental health hospital system that is itself in crisis. A 2015 report by the Department of State Health Services found that five of the 11 hospitals in the system were in such bad shape that repair wasnt realistic. They have to be replaced.

Thats the bad news. The good news is that the Texas Legislature has the opportunity to transform this system. In the recent budget put forth by Senate Finance Chair Jane Nelson is a proposed $1 billion for the state mental health hospital system. That amount would be transformative for the state and the mental health of our people.

The governors budget recognizes this fact, as does the interim report of the House Select Committee on Mental Health. Both highlight the reform of state hospitals as priorities.

To start replacing these hospitals would make an immense difference in the lives of the people  our brothers and sisters, daughters and sons, husbands and wives  who end up there.

It would also position Texas to be a national leader in mental health reform and innovation. Key stakeholders in Texas have been working for years to envision a system that wouldnt simply update the state hospitals but transform them into a model for the nation in providing humane and effective care.

At the center of this vision is collaboration between the state hospitals, state and local agencies, and academic health centers. In some regions this state-academic collaboration may involve building entirely new hospitals on the grounds of an academic campus. In others it may involve moving some civil beds to academic hospitals so that more forensic beds are available at the hospitals. Expanded psychiatric residency programs at the academic health centers could place physicians-in-training directly in the hospitals or with local mental health authorities. Psychiatrists from universities could provide telehealth support to the hospitals. Existing collaborations could be scaled up.

Successful collaboration will require a thoughtful and deliberate approach, sensitive to local conditions and needs.

It will also require funding. In the context of the tight budget for the next biennium, $1 billion is a significant amount. It will be up to the Legislature and the governor to determine whether reforming the state hospitals is sufficiently important to merit that chunk of the budget or to devise another means of financing. What we can say, from our end, is that the need is great, the opportunity is historic, and the key players and stakeholders are ready to go to work.

David Lakey, M.D., is chief medical officer and associate vice chancellor for population health for the University of Texas System. Andy Keller is president and CEO of Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute.
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The number of reported cases of improper relationships between teachers and students is growing at an alarming rate and needs to be addressed by the Legislature.

In the past five years, there have been 893 investigations into inappropriate relations between educators and students in Texas, the Austin American-Statesman reports.

Last school year alone, 207 cases were reported to the Texas Education Agency, several from Bexar County. Just this month, an East Central High School English teacher became the latest local educator to resign following allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student.

Legislation making its way through the Legislature this session would ensure teachers who are involved in such relationships cannot quietly resign and find work in another district.

The 1,000-plus school districts across the state each have their own policies for dealing with the problem. In many districts, teachers who engage in improper relationship with students are allowed to keep their teaching certificates, and fewer than half face criminal charges.

In an effort to avoid lengthy and expensive lawsuits, school districts often allow teachers accused of sexual misconduct to resign, and then districts provide a neutral reference to unsuspecting future employers.

An Austin American-Statesman investigation into the cases reported to TEA found that between January 2010 and December 2016, 686 teachers in Texas lost their teaching licenses following allegations of an impropriety with a student. Only 308 of those teachers were charged with a crime.

The Austin American-Statesmans database shows 63 San Antonio-area educators lost their teaching certificates during that period. Only 24 were charged with a criminal offense.

This month, the Texas Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 7 by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, which addresses the festering student-teacher relationship problem on multiple levels.

It allows a teacher to be charged over an improper relationship even if the student attends another school district. The legislation also expands the responsibility for reporting beyond the superintendents to include school principals.

If approved, the bill would make failure to report an incident a Class A misdemeanor. That charge could be enhanced to a felony if it is determined during the trial that a superintendent or principal tried to conceal the incident.

Importantly, it does not allow passing the problem from one school district to another. Under Senate Bill 7, administrators could have their educator certificate revoked if they assisted someone who had engaged in sexual misconduct in gaining employment at another school.

The widespread use of social media platforms that allow students and teachers to easily communicate outside the classroom is seen as a major factor in the rise of inappropriate teacher-student relationships.

The proposed legislative changes would require that school districts adopt, implement and enforce local policies on electronic communications between teachers and students.

Stricter regulations and enhanced penalties alone are not going to eliminate the problem. They will, however, go a long way toward ensuring violators dont continue to game the system by resigning and going to work in another school district.
Its not too late to protest nuke waste facility

I appreciate Editor Stewart Doreens concerns about the high-level nuclear waste storage in Andrews.

I agree with him that a more vehement protest here in Midland should have happened 10 years ago. I sincerely regret that I was not involved on a deeper level then.

However, it is my personal belief that efforts to promote saving lives from deadly nuclear waste are never in vain. Plus, there is a big difference in low-level and high-level radioactive waste. The low-level nuclear waste that is currently stored in Andrews is a health hazard, but it is not immediately lethal to persons directly exposed. High-level radiation is another story. An unshielded person exposed to high-level radioactive waste would be immediately incapacitated and could die within a week, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Plus, the deadly poison from high-level radiation lasts for thousands, in some cases, millions of years.

It shocked me when I learned that Rep. Mike Conaway, along with Rep. Darrell Issa of California proposed a bill called The Interim Consolidated Storage Act. The bill sets up the necessary funding for dumping noxious radioactive waste in West Texas. Thus, the way is being paved for Texas to become the garbage heap for the high-level radioactive waste from neighboring and far-flung states.

Why does Texas need to take on the burden of high-level radioactive waste generated in these other states? I love my state and feel we deserve better.

Another major concern for me is transporting up to 40,000 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste in thousands of railway trips over the next 20 years. Trains are not immune from accidents. Why risk the lives of those who live in the cities along the transportation routes?

So, while I do understand Mr. Doreens frustration with lack of citizen concern on this issue in the past, I do not believe that now is the time for resignation to this dark fate for West Texas. I am not ready to despair.

Bridget Houston Hyde

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Midlanders show love for the children

I am not a native Midlander, but this is a community that I will call home. I knew there were some great people in Midland, but I never knew just how many until our school suffered the tragic loss of one of our students. It was through this death that we have seen the love and generosity of the people in our community.

So many groups and individuals reached out to help us and his family during this time. I wanted to say thank you from his family at San Jacinto for all of the prayers, words of encouragement, giving and love that this city has shown. Some of the thanks goes to: MISD crisis team; American Heritage Funeral home; SJ PTA, students and staff; the first responders; Flowerland; Texas Roadhouse, Dickeys BBQ, Abuelos, On the Border, Grub Burger, Bubbas 33, First Baptist Church, Stonegate, St. Annes, and for the many folks who gave to his GoFundMe account.

I know there are so many more who have helped. Thank you Midland! Never have I been in a community that truly shows the love of Christ and the love for their children in their actions and their words. I am proud to call this city home.

Deborah Kendrick, principal of San Jacinto Junior High School

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Texans need to voice opinion on school funding

In my observation, Midland ISD school board has committed to improving public schools for their students. Teachers and staff continue to work for student success.

But they need your help.

In my opinion, now is the time for students parents and the citizens of Midland to assist in that process. Many are already involved by volunteering and supporting the programs and activities of MISD. Many generous businesses, organizations and community members continue to support this district with time and money.

If you follow the national and state Legislature, you probably have noticed that some of our elected officials are working to take more money from our schools and give it those who are not accountable for how those funds are spent.

You probably have heard it called school choice, Educational Savings accounts, vouchers or tax credits. Whatever the name of the day, it is a method to take money out of our public schools and give it to those without oversight, transparency or accountability. Private organizations may even be allowed to keep about 10 percent of our education tax money for their profit.

Those private school vouchers will not cover the entire cost of a private school, and those private schools do not have to accept everyone who asks to attend. They may not provide special education services nor service our at-risk population of students.

There are wonderful programs and successes happening in our public schools, but those get very little recognition. It is up to all of us to investigate what is happening in our Legislature. We need to communicate with our representatives and ask about their position on education issues. We need to voice our opinions and positions. Please contact your representatives who are currently considering the following bills:

SB 3 would send our public tax dollars to private entities. (This will hurt public schools.)

HB 21 gives additional money back to public schools. (This will help.)

I am not an expert on our complicated Texas school funding process, but I do know that redirecting our tax dollars will not make our public schools more successful.

Karen Ellis Sullivan

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Radioactive material mustnt be feared

The fearmongers are at it again.

I found Midland League of Women Voters President Karmen Bryants comments regarding the storage of radioactive material in Andrews County to be misleading.

I wonder if anyone in the LWV has a scientific background, let alone have any knowledge or experience with radioactive material. I do. I worked with moderate levels of radioactive material on a daily basis for seven years. I know hundreds of others who did as well. The funny thing is, Ive never met a person who has worked with radiation whoss afraid of it.

Radioactive material must be respected and handled properly, not feared -- just like electricity. You cant smell it, you cant hear it. In fact, you wouldnt even know it was there unless you had a Geiger counter to sense it. Radioactivity is natural. Its everywhere. You cant escape it.

The material to be stored in Andrews County wont explode -- it wont do anything at all, just sit there. It will be in multiple layers of containment, where it will be monitored continuously. There is an infinitesimal chance that a leak could occur. So what? It will be monitored, detected and remediated before it can escape the facility.

Seriously, these are the same people who invoke pseudo-science to scare us into believing their climate change agenda. Its time for them to study real science and stop trying to scare the public.

Let Andrews County get on with construction of the storage facility.

Steve Price
News, analysis, and archives on the grassroots in Haiti. Nouvel, analiz, ak achiv sou baz yo an AYITI. Noticias, analisis y archivos sobre el pueblo de Haiti.
Mastercard President and chief executive, Ajay Banga, has pledged his companys support for Zimbabwes drive to create a new wave of digital payments and inclusive growth.

Banga yesterday met with Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Professor Mthuli Ncube, Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), Dr John Mangudya, Government and private sector stakeholders to formalise Mastercards support for payments innovation in Zimbabwe.

The Mastercard chief outlined how his company will collaborate with local private and public sector partners to drive greater financial inclusion through the implementation of innovative payment technologies.

He also disclosed MasterCards plans to establish an office in Harare to coordinate its efforts to address financial inclusion  a pressing challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa where only 42.6 percent of the adult population has access to an account.

Speaking to senior leaders from Zimbabwes top financial institutions, mobile network operators and retailers at the companys CEO Conversations event in Harare, Banga said the new office will allow Mastercard to provide more effective support to its customers in neighbouring Southern African countries.

Too many people and businesses are still excluded from the financial mainstream. This leaves them without the things we take for granted  a way to save money for a rainy day, get loans, or insure themselves or their crops, said Banga.

Harnessing our global technologies and expertise, our Zimbabwean team will closely collaborate with all stakeholders to solve local challenges and enable more inclusion in the formal financial system.

Mastercards expertise and products will be relevant across Southern Africa and in Zimbabwe, as the country implements the National Financial Inclusion Strategy, which aims to increase access to formal financial services from 69 percent in 2014 to at least 90 percent by 2020.

Dr Mangudya said: We see Mastercards investment as a positive development that will help us achieve our long-standing vision and our strategic plan to accelerate the shift towards cashless payments, modernise payments systems and infrastructure, and build an inclusive financial sector that supports the socio-economic development of the country.

To increase financial inclusion in Zimbabwe, Mastercard recently partnered with EcoCash to launch EcoCash Scan & Pay, offering a simple, secure and instant QR code-based mobile payments solution to merchants and consumers. Since it leverages low-cost QR code technology rather than physical point of sale devices, Masterpass QR makes it simple and affordable for small and informal traders to accept digital payments.

We applaud the remarkable steps Zimbabwe has taken towards modernising its electronic payments sector and the significant strides it is taking towards a more inclusive society, said Mark Elliott, Division President for Mastercard, Southern Africa.

We are excited about the opportunity to partner more closely with Zimbabwes financial institutions, businesses and public sector to bring greater interoperability and payments innovation to the benefit of consumers and merchants.

 Chronicle

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Sunday, March 19, 2017 by: JD Heyes Tags: carcinogen , EPA , glyphosate , Monsanto , Roundup This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) A now-deceased career scientist for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wrote a letter to a colleague that the chemical compound glyphosate, the principle ingredient in Montantos Roundup herbicide, is far more dangerous than even her own former agency is willing to admit.

The scientist, Dr. Marion Copley, D.M.V., who died from cancer, worked for the EPA for three decades until her illness made it impossible for her to continue. In a letter to EPA colleague and Monsanto mole Jess Rowland in 2013, two years before a public debate over the carcinogenic effects of glyphosate began, Copley  a senior toxicologist at the EPAs Health Effects Division  voiced major concerns about how Rowland and the EPA were dealing with the compound.

Since I left the Agency with cancer, I have studied the tumor process extensively and I have some mechanism comments which may be very valuable to CARC based on my decades of pathology experience. Ill pick one chemical to demonstrate my points, she wrote. (RELATED: Heartbreaking letter from dying EPA scientist begs Monsanto moles inside the agency to stop lying about dangers of RoundUp (glyphosate.)

Glyphosate was originally designed as a chelating agent and I strongly believe that is the identical process involved in its tumor formation, which is highly supported by the literature.

Copley goes on to note:

 Chelators prevent the process of apoptosis, which is a necessary bodily function to kill off tumor cells;

 Chelators act as endocrine disruptors, which in turn plays a role in the growth of tumors;

 Chelators serve to bind zinc, which is a necessary mineral for proper immune system function;

 Chelators also bind calcium and magnesium, as well as other minerals, thereby making foods deficient for these essential nutrients;

 Glyphosate has been found to be a genotoxic substance, which is key in cancer formation;

 Chelators can often cause damage to the kidneys or pancreas, which glyphosate does, serving as another cancer formation mechanism;

 Glyphosate is responsible for destroying good gut bacteria and in the gastrointestinal system at large is 80 percent of the bodys immune system;

 Chelators tamping down of the bodys immune system also leads to cancer formation.

She noted further that, in the past, CARC found that glyphosate was a possible human carcinogen, and that kidney pathology in separate studies in animals led to the formation of tumors with other mechanisms. She also said that any one of these mechanisms alone listed can cause tumors, but glyphosate causes all of them simultaneously.

Jess, you and I have argued many times on CARC. You often argued about topics outside of your knowledge, which is unethical, she wrote. Your trivial MS degree from 1971 Nebraska is far outdated, thus CARC science is 10 years behind the literature in mechanisms. For once in your life, listen to me and dont play your political conniving games with the science to favor the registrants. For once do the right thing and dont make decisions based on how it affects your bonus.

Copley, who passed away in January 2014, also identified another EPA colleague, Anna Lowit, accusing both of them of intimidating staff on CARC and changing various reports to make the industry look better.

A February filing in U.S. District Court for Northern California seeks to compel testimony from Rowland. The document says that Rowland, now a private citizen, left EPA mysteriously a day after an inadvertent leak and later retraction of a draft EPA report on the safety of glyphosate that bore Rowlands signature. (RELATED: EPA Corruption, Monsanto And RoundUp Litigation: Full Text Of Motion To Compel Deposition Of Jess Rowland.)

[T]he Plaintiffs have a pressing need for Mr. Rowlands testimony to confirm his relationship with Monsanto and EPAs substantial role in protecting the Defendants business, efforts subsequently embodied in government reports consistently cited by Monsanto in this Court and elsewhere, the court filing said. As stated in the original Motion, the circumstances underlying the relationship between Mr. Rowland and Monsanto are highly suspicious.

Keep up with this story as it develops at Glyphosate.news.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

Glyphosate.news

NaturalNews.com

USRTK.org

EPAWatch.org
(Natural News) Four of the worlds largest pesticide corporations  Syngenta, Bayer, Dow, and Dupont  would like to educate your kids about the benefits of all the chemical and genetic experiments that are being engineered on natural foods. Thats why they collectively sponsor the Agriculture in the Classroom program, which is nothing more than an advertising outlet to promote their pesticide-ridden, GMO products to the next generation.

These four companies own 54 percent of the global pesticide market and have taken over 36 percent of the global seed market. All that stands in their way is a generation of informed people who might reject this monopoly on seeds and chemical assault on natural foods. Thats why the industry is now striving to indoctrinate schoolchildren on the benefits of GMOs, why GMOs must feed the world, and why pesticides are so safe.

The programs lesson plans teach how important it is to make informed decisions which are based on fact. Of course the industrys propaganda is to be accepted blindly as fact.

The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network is speaking out against this insidious corporate product promotion which is now taking place in Canadian schools. This webinar is blatant corporate product promotion for the GM apple. Its certainly not a neutral presentation of genetic modification to students, said Lucy Sharratt of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network.

The programs webinar, presented on March 7, 2017, blatantly promoted a newly developed strain of genetically modified apple that doesnt brown. The natural enzymes that cause the apple to brown have been altered. This creates a new kind of apple property that corporations can claim intellectual property rights to. The new product is called the Arctic Apple. Even so, it wont be labeled as genetically modified, and will be promoted as natural. Even though the natural enzymes have been changed (which could change how its digested), this apple will be promoted as superior to apples that brown and degrade. These kinds of genetic modifications allow corporations to sell genetically-manipulated designer foods that can better appeal to uninformed, supermarket shoppers.

This is an industry attempting to manufacture a need for its product by implanting the idea in school children that browning apples are not fit to eat, said Sharon Labchuk of Earth Action PEI. The Arctic Apple seems destined for the sliced and bagged fresh apple market. Eating whole apples is better for the environment and our health, but fresh sliced apples dipped in Vitamin C to prevent browning are already available in grocery stores.

This kind of propaganda has already been used in U.S. schools, especially at the university level. Not everyone is taking it submissively. Canadian farmers are rejecting the GM apple in droves. Former high-school administrator and now Vice-Chair of the Council of Canadians, Leo Broderick, spoke out, This corporate intrusion into our schools is unacceptable. We cant let corporations teach our students and we are calling on all provincial Ministers of Education to put a halt to this webinar and protect students from this corporate propaganda.

Hes right: the worlds largest pesticide corporations have no business indoctrinating students. The industry has already taken over much of the natural world. All they need now are young minds.

Sources include:

NaturalBlaze.com

NaturalBlaze.com
(Natural News) In 2008, Barack Obama said at a town hall event in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, that he didnt want his daughters to ever be punished with an unexpected child. Ive got two daughters, nine years old and six years old, Obama explained. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I dont want them punished with a baby.

Punished with a baby? Why is the miracle of childbirth and the continuation of human life considered a punishment?

Cathleen Decker is a columnist and political analyst for the Los Angeles Times. She covered her 10th presidential campaign in 2016, and has also covered seven races for governor and a host of U.S. Senate and local elections, according to her bio. But as Decker demonstrated in a tweet last week, years of experience as a columnist dont prevent you from saying foolish things.

On March 13, Decker wrote, GOPcares ban on Planned Parenthood would result in loss of healthcare to many in rural/low income areas; thousands of births would result. In other words, it seems that Ms. Decker believes fewer abortions and more childbirths is a bad thing, rather than something that should be celebrated.

Of course, this is not how the majority of Americans think. Even the most radical feminist might look at such a tweet and conclude that it does more harm to the pro-abortion argument than good. Indeed, several users on Twitter let Decker know that they werent happy with what she had said.

Note the negative connotation to  thousands of births would result, wrote one user. Another said, Your apparent horror at the thought of babies being born in low-income areas is telling, and not in a good way. Yet another Twitter user sarcastically wrote, The horror! Thousands of births! Of human beings! Who were conceived!

Whether they choose to admit it or not, the liberals have a very different view of the sanctity of life than do conservatives. (RELATED: Read about how Donald Trump has banned federal funding of abortions). Through their support of abortion as a means to prevent inconvenient pregnancies, liberals demonstrate a lack of appreciation for the most innocent form of life. This lack of appreciation usually stems from the false notion that life inside the womb is nothing more than a clump of cells, and therefore the disposal of it is neither immoral nor unethical.

One day, decades from now, our country will hopefully look back on the practice of abortion and be ashamed that there once was a time where innocent life had virtually no value.

Sources:

Twitchy.com

LATimes.com

AllGreatQuotes.com
The government is asking a federal judge to clarify his order blocking President Donald Trump's revised travel ban, arguing it shouldn't apply to a global freeze on refugees entering the United States.

A Justice Department motion filed Friday asks U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson to clarify that the temporary restraining order only applies to the president's temporary ban on travel from six mostly Muslim countries.

Watson issued a 43-page ruling on Wednesday after Hawaii requested he block enforcement of Trump's executive order, which the government calls a national security measure and critics call an unconstitutional and bigoted attempt to bar Muslims from entering the country.

Watson's ruling concluded there was "significant and unrebutted evidence of religious animus" behind the travel ban, including the president's own campaign comments regarding Muslims.

He said Hawaii would suffer financially if the executive order constricted the flow of students and tourists to the state.

In seeking clarification, the Justice Department argued that the lawsuit "failed to meaningfully challenge" another section of Trump's order that bars refugees from traveling to the United States for 120 days and caps the number that will be allowed into the U.S. this fiscal year at 50,000  a drop of nearly half.

The cap "draws no distinction whatsoever on the basis of religion," government lawyers argued in a filing.

Opponents have argued that if that aspect of the ban takes effect, 60,000 people would be stranded in war-torn countries with nowhere else to go.

The Justice Department also argued that the Hawaii ruling shouldn't block Trump's order that security officials review whether other countries are providing enough information to ensure would-be immigrants aren't a security threat.

Hawaii believes that the court's order applies to the sections of the executive order mentioned by the government lawyers, said Joshua Wisch, special assistant to Hawaii's attorney general. "We do not believe the motion is necessary because the court's order was clear. We are drafting a memorandum in opposition that we expect to file soon," Wisch said in an email.

Trump has called the Hawaii ruling an example of "unprecedented judicial overreach" and has indicated it will be appealed.

Similar cases are being heard in federal courts in Washington state and Maryland. In all, more than half a dozen states are trying to block the travel ban.
Two teenagers are in custody after shots were fired behind a bank in Quincy, Massachusetts on Friday afternoon.

Quincy police said they received a call around 1:51 p.m. for a report of shots fired behind the Santander Bank at 1150 Hancock St. Police said the incident didn't appear to involve the bank, but one of the shots pierced the bank's window.

A witness provided a description of two individuals who fled the scene on foot, and they were located a short time later in a nearby parking garage

Students and staff at Quincy High School were ordered to shelter in place as the search continued.

Police arrested one suspect, 18-year-old Cory Kisakye of Randolph, immediately and located a firearm. The second suspect, a juvenile, fled in a black Mercury and was arrested a short time later.

No injuries were reported.
A man rear-ended a taxi Saturday morning, killing a 39-year-old man from Warwick, Rhode Island, according to Massachusetts State Police.

The accident occurred around 1 a.m. on Route 95 in Attleboro when a speeding 2014 Kia Cadenza slammed the Toyota Camry taxi before Exit 2.

The man, identified as Kailash Bolar, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The taxi driver, a 50-year-old Brockton man, was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with minor injuries.

The driver of the speeding car has been identified as 41-year-old Michael Spinale from Roslindale. Spinale faces multiple charges including Motor Vehicle Homicide and OUI Liquor and Negligent Operation. He was held at Foxboro Barracks pending $10,000 bail. Spinale will be arraigned Monday in Attleboro District Court.

The name of the cab company has not been released.

A GoFundMe account has been set up for Bolar.
Police in Massachusetts have arrested a man suspected of five arsons in Springfield and a murder in Maryland.

The Springfield Police Department has been investigating numerous reports of fires in the city. Fire officials revealed these reports were the result of arson. After gathering video evidence and speaking with witnesses, authorities identified 30-year-old Mardell Davis as the suspect.

On Friday, March 17 around 6:00 p.m. narcotics detectives received reports that Davis was in the area of School and Union Street. They also learned Davis was wanted in Maryland for a homicide and rape.

When police tried to arrest Davis, he fled. In an attempt to evade officers, Davis climbed a barbed wire fence. Police eventually took him into custody and emergency crews responded to the treat the injuries he had on his hands from climbing.

After Davis was arrested for his outstanding warrant, detectives questioned him about the arson. He confessed to setting all of the fires. He is currently being held at a police lock up until his arraignment in Springfield on Monday.

In addition to the charges of rape, sexual assault, and homicide from Maryland, Davis now faces five counts of arson.
A judge ordered the man charged in connection with the violent kidnapping and sexual assault of a woman in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood earlier this month to be held without bond.

Jarqueese O'Brian Henigan, 31, faces charges of aggravated criminal sexual assault with a weapon, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated vehicular hijacking with a firearm, possession of a controlled substance, robbery armed with a firearm and armed habitual criminal - all felonies, Chicago police said Saturday in a release. [[416549223, C]]

He was also charged with one misdemeanor count of resisting a police officer, and was found to be wanted on an out-of-state warrant. Prosecutors said Sunday that Henigan, a convicted felon who was released on parole in October, was wanted for rape and robbery charges out of Kansas.

Henigan, of the 10300 block of S. Halsted St. in the Washington Heights neighborhood, was taken into custody Friday in that same block after being positively identified as the suspect who allegedly attacked a woman just steps from Wrigley Field on March 9.

Around 8:30 p.m., a 24-year-old woman was exiting a garage behind her apartment building in the 3700 block of N. Fremont St. when Henigan approached her and pulled out a gun, according to police. [[415892923, C]]

Authorities said he then allegedly forced her into the trunk of her blue 2012 Mazda and sexually assaulted her, before taking off on a joyride that spanned more than 20 miles, all while the victim was locked inside the trunk of the vehicle.

"He then began demanding the code for her cell phone as he drove," Assistant State's Attorney Amari Dawson said Sunday. "He also asked her for directions to the expressway."

The victim told police they stopped several times, and Henigan attempted to take money out of her bank account. Prosecutors said Sunday that he was captured on surveillance footage attempting to use her credit cards at two locations near his home.

Henigan drove to several locations on Chicago's South Side, police said, before crashing the car into a tree in the 11500 block of S. Throop St. after a high speed chase with officers. That's when the woman said she used the emergency trunk release to escape. [[415893043, C]]

She was hospitalized with several injuries, including bleeding on her brain, authorities said. Prosecutors said Sunday that Henigan confessed to everything except the sexual assault, and was expected to appear in court again on Monday.

Henigan's arrest provided some relief to concerned residents of the neighborhood where the assault took place.

"That someone has the audacity to do something like that, it's good to know that they're gone," said Steve Sheehan, who lives in the area.

The March 9 attack was one of at least three sexual assaults reported on the city's North Side in less than two weeks, leaving neighbors on edge.

The most recent incident occurred in the Lincoln Park neighborhood on March 12, when police said a man armed with a knife robbed and sexually assaulted a woman as she was attempting to enter a home in the 1900 block of N. Orchard St.

Another attack occurred on Feb. 28 in the 1200 block of W. Barry Ave. in the city's Lake View neighborhood. In that incident, officials said a 25-year-old woman was walking to her car when a man armed with a gun approached and demanded all her money. She complied, according to police, at which point he then forced her into her vehicle and sexually assaulted her before fleeing on foot.

No one is in custody in connection with either of those incidents and the investigations remain ongoing.

Authorities previously said they believed the assaults that took place on Barry Ave. and Fremont St. may have been committed by the same offender, though Henigan has only been charged in connection with the March 9 incident.
One of Philadelphias most prominent Latin American events, El Carnaval de Puebla, has been canceled this year because of what one organizer called the severe conditions affecting the immigrant community.

The annual parade through South Philadelphia has taken place in late April or early May for the last decade and is the citys largest Cinco de Mayo celebration. Organizer Edgar Ramirez said as many as 15,000 gather from as far as New England and Chicago.

The decision to cancel El Carnaval, Ramirez said in an interview Friday, was sad but responsible in light of the immigration crackdown by federal authorities.

He said the entire Mexican-American community, both those here legally and those undocumented, are disheartened by reports of large-scale arrests and detainments by officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

This week, ICE announced that 248 people in Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia are now in federal custody awaiting deportation after a two-week sweep.

The group of six organizers decided to cancel unanimously, Ramirez said. Everyone is offended by the actions of ICE. They did not feel comfortable holding the event.

The fear of federal immigration officers targeting the well-known celebration would have cast a dark cloud over what is among the most colorful and joyful on Philadelphias Latin American calendar, he said. Carnaval celebrates the May 5, 1862, Battle of Puebla, at which Mexican forces defeated French invaders.

Some 450 carnavaleros, or marchers, take part in the parade. Some of the carnavaleros made history on New Years Day 2016 when they marched in the citys well-known Mummers Parade. Carnaval itself has often taken place on Ninth Street between Wolf Street and Washington Avenue, though it spills onto many of the side streets.

We have people who travel all the way from Chicago, Connecticut and New York. We dont want anything to happen to them, he said.

ICE Officer Khaalid Walls of the agency's Philadelphia office said in an email that "ICEs enforcement actions are targeted and lead driven. ICE does not conduct sweeps or raids that target aliens indiscriminately."

A spokesman with the Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia said they are aware of Carnavals cancellation and that consular officials are not surprised about the current demeanor of citizens and undocumented immigrants alike.

I would understand why people are scared or worried, Carlos Torres, a consular spokesman said. But our message is that we are with them. People should try to continue to live their lives as regular as possible, but in a well-informed matter.

Torres said the consulate has established a Center for Legal Defense that anyone can use for immigration advice. The center also holds seminars throughout the year.

As for a return of Carnaval, organizers will decide sometime in the future if the parade once again dances its way through the heavily Latino Pennsport neighborhood, Ramirez said.

Let's see how things are next year," he said.

NBC10.com's Roy Aguilar contributed to this report.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Saturday pushed for closer China-U.S. cooperation on dealing with North Korea's nuclear program in his first face-to-face talks with top Chinese diplomats.

Tillerson's visit to Beijing followed his remarks in South Korea on Friday in which he warned that pre-emptive military action against North Korea might be necessary if the threat from its weapons program reaches a level "that we believe requires action."

China, the North's biggest source of diplomatic support and economic assistance, hasn't responded directly to his remarks, although Beijing has called repeatedly for all sides to take steps to reduce tensions.

Tillerson stressed the need for a "results oriented" relationship with China in comments following his meeting Saturday with Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

"We renewed our determination to work together to convince North Korea to choose a better path and a different future for its people," Tillerson said.

He said Wang agreed on the need for a "course correction" with Pyongyang. Bringing North Korea "to a different place" is a matter to be approached with "a sense of urgency," Tillerson said.

Wang restated Beijing's calls for dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea and called Tillerson's visit an important step toward a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, expected next month.

Tillerson met later with Yang Jiechi, Xi's top foreign policy adviser. He is scheduled to meet with Xi on Sunday morning before returning to the U.S.

As North Korea's most important source of diplomatic support and economic assistance, China has grown increasingly concerned about the possibility of conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

Wang warned last week that North Korea on one side, and the U.S. and South Korea on the other, were like "two accelerating trains" headed at each other, with neither side willing to give way.

He floated a proposal that North Korea could suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for a halt in joint U.S.-South Korea military drills. That was swiftly shot down by the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, who said Washington has to see "some sort of positive action" from North Korea before it can take leader Kim Jong Un seriously.

While China has agreed reluctantly to U.N. Security Council resolutions sanctioning North Korea, it is adamantly opposed to measures that might bring about a collapse of the North Korean regime and send waves of refugees into northeastern China while South Korean and American forces take up positions on its border.

That's left Beijing with few options other than to call for renewed dialogue under the Beijing-sponsored six-nation format that broke down in 2009.

In a further sign of its frustration with Pyongyang, China last month banned imports of North Korean coal for the rest of the year, potentially depriving Kim's regime of a key source of foreign currency.

On Friday, Tillerson signaled a tougher strategy toward North Korea that leaves open the possibility of pre-emptive military action.

"Let me be very clear: The policy of strategic patience has ended," he said after visiting the heavily militarized border between the rival Koreas. "We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures. All options are on the table."

Past U.S. administrations have considered military force because of North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to deliver them, but rarely has that option been expressed so explicitly as by Tillerson.

North Korea has accelerated its weapons development, violating multiple Security Council resolutions without being deterred by sanctions. The North conducted two nuclear test explosions and 24 ballistic missile tests last year. Experts say it could have a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the U.S. within a few years.

China has stridently opposed the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system to South Korea, saying its X-band radar can peer deep into China to monitor flights and rocket launches. The U.S. says it's a system focused purely on North Korea and poses no threat to the security of other nations.

Tillerson's visit to Beijing is the final stop on his three-nation swing through Northeast Asia, which began in Japan. State Department officials have described it as a "listening tour" as the administration seeks to coordinate with its Asian partners on a coherent North Korea policy.

Though it didn't come up in his public remarks, Tillerson was expected to discuss with China its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, including its building of islands atop coral reefs, complete with airstrips and military installations.

During his confirmation hearings in January, Tillerson compared China's island-building and deployment of military assets to Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, and suggested that China's access to its newly built islands should be blocked.

While Trump pledged during his campaign to slap 45 percent tariffs on imports from China and label the country a currency manipulator, there has been little indication of his doing either. His pick for U.S. trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, has said he would use a "multifaceted approach" to cracking down on Chinese trade abuses.

Tillerson's trip also highlights the Trump administration's apparent lack of concern with human rights abuses in countries overseas, formerly a key element of U.S. policy toward China  and a major irritant in bilateral relations.

In a departure from past practice, Tillerson skipped the launch of an annual report on human rights last week that cited numerous abuses by China. He has also said the U.S. would not continue participating in the U.N. Human Rights Council unless it undergoes "considerable reform."
A volunteer firefighter and a 17-year-old are accused of breaking into a Newtown home and attacking one of its occupants.

Brian Anthony Carriero, 18, of Monroe, has been charged with first-degree burglary, disorderly conduct and third-degree assault. A 17-year-old suspect also accused in the crime faces the same charges.

Carriero and the 17-year-old are accused of breaking into a home on Elizabeth Street shortly before 3:30 a.m. Saturday. When confronted by the occupants, the pair attacked one and punched the victim in the face, then fled, according to police.

Police said that the victims knew Carriero and his companion.

Police said Carriero is a volunteer firefighter in Monroe and was found and arrested at a firefighter training course in Trumbull.

Fire officials at the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department said Carriero is not a member of their department but said to their knowledge he is a member of the Stevenson Volunteer Fire Company. NBC Connecticut reached out to the Stevenson Volunteer Fire Company, but they chose not to comment.

Carriero was held on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court Monday.
An 84-year-old woman was killed in a house fire in North Haven Saturday night, according to fire officials.

Police said that Lucille Brunelli was alone in her home at the corner of Ridge Road and Cooper Road when fire broke out.

Fire officials responded when neighbors who spotted the blaze called 911. By the time crews arrived, there was heavy smoke in the rear of the house. The immediately began to search for occupants inside.

Firefighters found Brunelli inside the home. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Fire officials said that she died of smoke inhalation.

Stephen Accetura, who identified himself as a friend of hers, said Brunelli lived alone in the home after her husband died.

She always was nice to me. She always needed something so she made sure I came back here, and I was happy I did, Accetura said.

Officials said the fire appears to have started in the kitchen. Neighbors said it appeared to have been burning for a long time.

The back of the house was fully engulfed. There was actually a really great Good Samaritan who called the fire in, who was driving by and saw - a young couple, said Rick Johnson, who lives in the area.

There were people who tried opening the door but they couldnt get in because the smoke just rushed right out, said neighbor Cameron Owens.

The Connecticut State Police and North Haven Police are assisting in the investigation. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Two groups of opposing protesters at a North Texas mosque ended up banding together and even sharing a meal after a third group began insulting some of the demonstrators.

The Bureau of American Islamic Relations had previously announced plans to stage a "Trump is Your President" protest outside the Islamic Association of North Texas on Abrams Road in Richardson.

Members and supporters of the mosque then planned a counter protest.

But on Saturday, before the two opposing sides could voice their opinions with signs and words, a third group of protesters showed up and hijacked the event.

The group of about 20 people called themselves the "Dallas Workers Front." They were dressed in all black, wore masks and many were armed with guns or pipes.

They blocked members of BAIR from protesting, hurled insults and chanted, "No safe space for fascists."

The comments prompted members of the mosque to step in and ask "Dallas Workers Front" members to back off and allow BAIR the freedom to exercise their right to free speech.

"I believe they have the full right to protest," said Omair Siddiqi, a community activist and member of the mosque.

When that didn't work, the two opposing sides unexpectedly left the rowdy group behind and decided to share lunch together.

The two sides talked to one another at Halal Guys Restaurant.

"I want what's best for this society," said one member of the mosque. "I don't want terrorists coming in here."

Another told members of BAIR that a number of Islamic scholars across the country condemn ISIS and don't believe they're following the principles of Islam.

"When these terrorists see this they hate it," said a Muslim man. "They despise that we get to sit together and we can have a conversation."

Two hours later, the two sides found common ground and a common enemy.

"I've wanted to speak with them for two years now," David Wright of BAIR said. "It's just stuff I already knew, but now we're talking and there's a dialog."

Siddiqi said what he wanted people to take away from the lunch is that "love will win and hate doesn't belong anywhere in any community."

Both groups told NBC 5 they will now plan a march to protest together against ISIS.

This is not the first time BAIR has demonstrated outside of the mosque.

A member told NBC 5 another demonstration was already in the works, but members will meet and discuss whether to move forward or cancel the protest.
The cost of federal flood insurance is expected to rise for thousands of Houston-area homeowners as Congress looks to overhaul a program that's billions of dollars in debt.

The National Flood Insurance Program provides coverage to more than 300,000 homes in Harris and Galveston counties. But it's $24.6 billion in debt and Congress has a September deadline to change and renew it, the Houston Chronicle reports.

The program was created because private insurers alone couldn't bear the risk of catastrophic losses.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office notes in a recent report, however, that the federal initiative "offers rates that do not fully reflect the risk of flooding."

Ed Schreiber, Houston region president for Bancorp South GEM Insurance Services, which sells federal flood policies, said changes need to be adopted quickly.

"We have a product whose pricing hasn't been able to support the losses," he said.

Ruth Escamilla, a sales executive for Bancorp South GEM, said homeowners outside a flood plain can pay about $450 for full coverage, getting $250,000 for structural damage and $100,000 for contents.

A Harris County homeowner living inside a 100-year flood plain without some protective measures -- such as a raised foundation -- can pay about $3,200 a year for flood insurance. A person living near the coast in Galveston can pay up to $8,000.

"The rates are only going to get worse as time goes on," Escamilla said. "They're taking away more of the subsidies, so that we're going to be more and more responsible for the floods."

One priority for reforming flood insurance is to deal with properties that flood repeatedly.

Harris County has 9,700 "repetitive loss" properties, or homes for which two or more flood insurance claims of more than $1,000 have been filed within 10 years.

There are an additional 1,965 "severe repetitive loss" properties -- ones that have claimed more than $5,000 of flood insurance on at least four separate occasions, or has filed at least two claims that amount to more than the structure's worth.

"A small percentage of structures are responsible for a large percentage of claims (statewide)," Texas Floodplain Management Association executive director Roy Sedwick said.
Hippopotamus love and Southern California? It's a pairing that stretches back decades.

Consider that Hyacinth Hippo, the tutu-sporting dancer of Walt Disney's 1940 classic "Fantasia," first danced into being at the company's Burbank studio.

Speaking of Disney, there's the beloved flower-laden hippo inside It's a Small World at Disneyland Resort (those long eyelashes, sigh) and the hippos of The Jungle Cruise. And not related to Disney, but still a charmer? The Pygmy Hippo Shoppe, just off Beverly Boulevard.

And the actual, right-in-front-of-you, IRL hippos of the Los Angeles Zoo have many fans, too. And even more new fans were won when Rosie the hippo was born to Mara and Adhama in 2014. The surprise baby that made headlines near and far, and people made special trips to the Griffith Park destination to see her.

Now her dad, Adhama, is making a big conservation-minded move, to the Dallas Zoo, "...on the recommendation from the Species Survival Plan" program, which "...oversees the population management of select species within Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) member institutions."

That means that, with care, consideration, and perhaps luck, there could be a new baby hippo at the Texas-based animal park in the months or years ahead.

The LA Zoo wasn't Adhama's only California home. He first lived at the San Diego Zoo, but then made the trip up to Los Angeles in June 2013.

If you want to admire the 3,730-pound fellow one more time, and maybe watch him munch some tasty lettuce or enjoy the sunshine, you've got one more weekend to do so: Saturday, March 18 and Sunday, March 19.

Adhama, a "community favorite" at the zoo, has left a legacy in Los Angeles, both, of course, through sweet Rosie, and the wider conservation efforts in which he plays an important role.

And the fact that he has enchanted so many hippo-infatuated Southern Californians, and encouraged people to support efforts that support hippos around the planet.

Get to Griffith Park soon, though, before Adhama flicks his tail, a final goodbye wave to LA.
New details were revealed Saturday in the crash that sent a Florida Highway Patrol trooper to the hospital in critical condition.

The crash report reveals that 26-year-old Hugo Olivares was driving westbound on the Dolphin Expressway when he lost control of his car which spun out and struck trooper Carlos Rosario and two parked patrol cars.

"He's got major injuries... a lot of his face, spine and lower extremities," said Dr. Carl Schulman.

Florida Highway Patrols said the driver stayed on scene after the accident and is cooperating with investigators.

The crash report confirms that alcohol was not a factor in the crash.

"What he have to determine is why this person lost control of his car to spin sideways and run into the patrol car and the trooper," said FHP Sgt. Mark Wysocky.

Trooper Rosario was standing behind his cruiser working a speed enforcement detail when the crash took place, according to FHP.

Rosario is a father of two and a 12-year veteran of the Florida Highway Patrol.

In 2012, NBC 6 participated in a ride along with the law enforcement veteran.

This weekend, dozens of troopers have paid their respects to Rosario who is being treated at Jackson Memorial's Trauma Center.

Even Florida Governor Rick Scott was seen visiting the trooper on Friday.

The community has also come together in support of Rosario creating this GoFundMe page which has more than doubled in donations within the past 24 hours.
A 30-year-old woman is accused of killing her aunt with a meat cleaver in the home they shared in Queens.

Elizabeth Sanchez, 30, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon, police said Saturday. If convicted, she faces up to 25 years to life in prison.

Her aunt, 50-year-old Maria Palaguachi, was found stabbed to death Thursday in her home in Jamaica, police said. Sanchez is accused of striking Palaguachi several times on the head, neck and shoulder, prosecutors said.

The meat cleaver was found at the home, prosecutors said.

The women lived at the same address on 174th Street, police said.

The home is a two-story white and stone house with an attached garage and front porch, Google Street View shows.

It's not clear whether Sanchez has an attorney.
A man is charged with a hate crime in the beating of two transgender women in Jackson Heights on St. Patrick's Day, police said Saturday.

The women were approached by a man who called them gay slurs, threw one of them to the ground and punched her repeatedly, according to a criminal complaint. He left and came back with a cane, struck the other woman with the cane and punched her in the face, police said.

The women suffered cuts and one suffered a broken ankle, according to a criminal complaint. Both were taken to hospitals.

Patrick O'Meara, 38, of Oakdale, New York, was arrested hours later and charged with assault and a hate crime. He has eight prior arrests, police said.

O'Meara was arraigned Saturday and bond was set at $5,000 or $2,500 cash bail. His next court appearance is March 31.

It was not clear whether O'Meara has an attorney.

Bianey Garcia, LGBTQ Justice organizer at Make the Road New York, said: "We are horrified that transgender individuals in our community have suffered yet another hate attack."

Garcia continued, "We will continue to organize in our communities and send the message that Jackson Heights and New York City must welcome and embrace all of us, and that hate has no place in our neighborhood and our City."
A Maryland man was arrested on a cyberstalking charge after sending a strobe image to a person whom he knew suffered from epilepsy, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

John Rayne Rivello, 29, of Salisbury was arrested Friday in Maryland after sending a message via Twitter to Dallas reporter Kurt Eichenwald on Dec. 15, 2016, officials said. The tweet contained an animated strobe image embedded with the statement, You deserve a seizure for your post.

Upon viewing the flashing strobe image, Eichenwald immediately suffered a seizure, according to a criminal complaint.

According to the affidavit, evidence showed Rivellos Twitter account contained direct messages from Rivellos account to other Twitter users concerning the victim. Among those direct messages included statements by Rivello, including I hope this sends him into a seizure, Spammed this at [victim] lets see if he dies and I know he has epilepsy.

Authorities said Rivellos iCloud account contained a screenshot of a Wikipedia page for the victim, which had been altered to show a fake obituary with the date of death listed as Dec. 16, 2016.

The account also contained screen shots from epilepsy.com with a list of commonly reported epilepsy seizure triggers and from dallasobserver.com discussing the victims report to the Dallas Police Department and his attempt to identify the Twitter user.

The image was apparently sent in response to Eichenwalds outspoken criticism of then-President-elect Donald Trump. Eichenwald thanked federal and Dallas law enforcement for the break in the case.

Attorney information for Rivello was not immediately available.
John (Jack) Philip Mockel, age 87, of Townsend, MT, died on March 15, 2017 at Renaissance Care Center in Helena, MT following a long battle with failing health.

Jack was born in Helena on November 22, 1929 to parents, Esther Williams Mockel and Albert Mockel of Toston, MT. As a young child, Jack spent treasured time with his cousins near Radersburg and recalled many family gatherings at the home of his Grandpa Williams. He attended grade schools in Crow Creek Valley, Toston, and Townsend and graduated from Broadwater County High School in 1947. After high school, Jack attended Montana State University in Bozeman.

On April 12, 1949, Jack married Mary Ann Weiferich in Townsend, MT and together they had four children. They later divorced in 1978.

Jack joined the Air Force December 5, 1951, serving his country in locations in Texas, Illinois and Arizona. Upon his military discharge November 30, 1953, he moved his family back to Montana where he built a home in East Helena, combing sections acquired from a government project on the Columbia River. The construction gave him a sense of pride and proved to be a comfortable home for him and his family. He enjoyed time spent with his family at their cabin on Canyon Ferry Lake and loved the waters recreation opportunities.

Jacks early employment included the State Highway Department, State Department of Agriculture and he worked on the construction of the Toston overpass, South of Helena. He labored hard to provide for his family throughout the years as he worked in farming/ranching on the Longhorn Ranch near Townsend. He and his son, Greg, built two mobile courts in East Helena, and Jack owned several rental properties. He was owner of City Vac and Sew and Concrete Septic Tank Co. He also joined Bernie Warren and Lawrence (Larry) Broadwater as partner/vice president of Warren Sales and Service. In addition, Jack later ventured in a real estate and land development company.

Jack was a member of The Masons, The Kiwanis Club of East Helena, The Helena Toastmasters Club, The American Legion and, of course, his East Helena Poker Club. Besides his community involvement, Jack had his hobbies of Montana stream fishing, hunting, traveling, reading, dancing and collecting stuff. His many beloved tales included stories of hunting camps, fishing with his buddies in isolated and soggy conditions near Terrace, British Columbia, listening to the music of Jim Reeves, cutting a rug to the sounds of the Big Band Era and Lawrence Welk Show and discovering that new broken find to occupy space in his already cluttered garage.

Jack married Betty Smith Clark January 16, 1993. They lived on Saddle Mountain, near Helena, and spent winters at their home in San Jacinto, CA. After the sale of their home in California, they traveled every late fall by RV, south to Parker, AZ. While snow-birding, they made many friends and went on many wonderful excursions. Much to Bettys fright, he enjoyed the terrifying rides at Disney World and Disneyland; while exiting a roller coaster, Jack would taunt, just one more ride, Betty? The couple also traveled to some far-away places that yielded many good memories. Jack particularly enjoyed their cruise through the Panama Canal, prior to 1999, when the Panama government gained sole control of the canal. Another of his favorite trips was their twenty-one day bus adventure to Alaska.

In 2003, Jack and Betty moved from Saddle Mountain and returned to Broadwater co., where they resided just south of Townsend. Their home presented a full view of beautiful Mount Baldy and Jack loved being back in the area of his youth. In 1995 Jack sold Concrete Septic Tank Co. to his son and solidified his retirement. He remained content in their home, filling his time with reading, puttering around the house and yard, tinkering with old/broken things, watching movies and playing computer games.

Jack was preceded in death by his parents, his maternal and paternal grandparents, many aunts and uncles, cousins, two brothers-in-law  Larry Hillyer and Larry Broadwater, and step-son Philip Clark.

Jack is survived by his loving wife, Betty Clark Mockel of Townsend, children  Gregory Thomas (Cathy) Mockel of Helena, Lynn Marie Mockel of Helena, Laura Lee Mockel of Spokane, WA, and Sherri Ann (Randy) OHs-Mosley of Helena, sisters  Marian Hillyer of CA, Monte Jean Broadwater of Helena, half-brother Randy Mockel of Helena, step-daughters Debra Johnson and Pam Clark, both of Helena, and Rebecca Brockway of Spokane, WA. Also surviving are many cousins, nieces, nephews, 13 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild.

The family wishes to express gratitude to The Renaissance Care Centers administration and staff and to Compassus Hospice for their end-of-life care for Jack. Special appreciation goes to Jacks cousin, Sharley Williams Ragen for sharing her wonderful family memories with Jack on her many visits with him and also to Jacks son, Greg, for his support and devotion to his father.

A viewing will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 212 Broadway St.,Townsend. The family will receive friends from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, Townsend. A Funeral Service will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 at Townsend United Methodist Church, 200 N. Cedar St., Townsend. Burial will immediately follow the funeral service at Deep Creek Cemetery in Townsend. A reception will follow the burial back at the Townsend United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Johns name are suggested to Broadwater County Rural Volunteer Fire Department, 130 S. Cedar St. Townsend, MT 59644 or to the Deep Creek Cemetery, P.O. Box 12, Townsend, MT 59644. Please visit www.stevensonwilke.com to offer the family a condolence or to share a memory of Jack.
A Wilmington man who attempted to kidnap a woman last year in Delaware by holding a wet rag over her face has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The Delaware Department of Justice announced the sentence for 35-year-old Joseph Rudge in a statement Friday.

The Delaware Department of Justice said that in July 2016, Rudge grabbed a woman by the neck and held wet rag over her face in the entrance of her apartment building in the 300 block of East Main Street in Newark. The woman was able to free herself and scream for help and Rudge fled.

Rudge was a previously convicted sex offender and was sentenced as a habitual offender on charges of attempted kidnapping, burglary and failure to re-register as a sex offender.
An elderly man who went missing Friday afternoon was found safe on Sunday.

Dallas Albert Angstadt, 84, left his home on the 100 block of Smoketown Road in Rockland Township, Berks County Friday at 12:45 p.m. to run errands in Kutztown, according to his wife. He was reported missing after he never returned home.

Sunday afternoon police announced Angstadt was located. They did not release any additional details regarding where he was found.
The Delaware State Police says it's investigating after two law enforcement officers shot at a suspect during a vehicle chase.

The Delaware State Police said in a statement Sunday that the suspect-- a 31-year-old from Hurlock, Maryland-- was hospitalized in serious condition.

The Delaware State Police says the incident began Saturday when an Ocean View Police Department officer was assisting the Worcester County Sheriff's Office in a vehicle pursuit. The Delaware State Police says the officer and deputies were pursuing an Infinity SUV when the SUV's driver drove backward into the Ocean View officer's patrol vehicle and then drove toward a sheriff deputy who was standing outside his vehicle.

The Delaware State Police says both officers yelled commands to stop and then fired multiple rounds at the vehicle.
An inflammatory graffiti display threatening President Donald Trump was found on a wall on the shoulder of eastbound Interstate 8 in between Los Coches Road and Lake Jennings Park Road in San Diego, California.

The graffiti reads Murder Trump ASAP."

NBC 7 was made aware of the graffiti on Saturday and confirmed its existence at around 7:50 p.m. PST. It is unknown how long the graffiti has been up.

Criminal defense lawyer Vik Monder told NBC 7 that the person behind the graffiti can be prosecuted under California State Law Penal Code 422, California's criminal threat law, only "if it was intended to entice a hate crime or criminal act."

Monder said if it was meant to entice violence, then the culprit's First Amendment protection is voided. A federal charge would be brought under Title 18 section 871, or Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000.

As of 10 p.m., no complaints had been filed with the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, which has acknowledged that the location of the graffiti is within its jurisdiction.

Nearby resident Rex McNeil recognizes freedom of speech, but feels the graffiti may have gone overboard.

I'm disappointed," McNeil said. "Not even being a citizen, I'm extremely disappointed that we would have that. We have freedom of speech but you cant just say and do anything you'd like to do. There are still limits as far as that's concerned and this is definitely over the line."

Other residents of the area were fearful of the graffiti's potential impact on their children.

"I'm shocked," Jeremy Axelson said. "I dont want my kids to see something like that on their way going to school, why do we want to, why do we want to murder the president?"
A man was arrested in Revere, Massachusetts early Sunday morning after a police chase and fiery crash.

Robert Silvia, 50, of Cambridge has been charged by Saugus police with breaking and entering, failure to stop for police, and driving with a revoked license, among other violations.

At 3:02 a.m., Saugus police received a burglary alarm alert from Santoro's Sub-Villa. Surveillance footage from the restaurant shows the Silvia in a hooded sweatshirt breaking through the glass front door then heading into the office to search the drawers.

Restaurant manager Grady OBrien says the incident happened within minutes and Silvia did not take anything. A witness reportedly saw a U-Haul parked in front of the store at the time of the burglary.

When the officers arrived Silvia was gone, but they noticed the U-Haul truck exiting Route 1 in Saugus; Silvia was behind the wheel. Police attempted to stop the U-Haul but Silvia failed to cooperate and a chase began. The pursuit went from Saugus to Lynn, back to Saugus, and then into Revere. It was later discovered that the U-Haul was stolen out of Somerville.

In Revere, the U-Haul struck a police cruiser and then crashed into Gulino's Auto Body, according to police.

At this point, police said Silvia fled the U-Haul and entered the building, where he was arrested.

No injuries were reported as a result of this incident but Revere police and firefighters responded to the crash scene to combat the ensuing fire.

Silvia was transported back to Saugus, where he is being held pending his arraignment on Monday at Lynn District Court.

It's not clear if he has an attorney.
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: Data generated domestically should be retained within the country rather than let it go out, according to Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani. Speaking at an event in Mumbai on Saturday, he urged the government to start a Keep in India initiative for this.

Keeping our data onshore will ensure that talent, technology, know-how and investments will flow into the country rather than flow out, and will create more jobs for us. Like the Digital India and Make in India campaigns, we need a Keep in India initiative to keep our data within our shores, Ambani said.

Apart from obvious national security and sovereignty conditions, pragmatic economic considerations also call for such safeguards, he added.

Ambani, whose latest venture includes `1.30 lakh crore investment to create one of the biggest telcos with a focus on faster broadband access, said data and information are the power tools in the digital age and it can also travel across the world at a fraction of a second and at negligible cost.

The remarks come within a month of Ambani describing data as the new oil and amid a growing unease in various circles about using data for furthering commercial interests by corporates.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, we are fortunate to have a leader who understands technology, and termed technology as best way to tackle red tapes.

The Keep in India initiative can ensure that we develop the necessary human capital and maintain our leadership position in the field of technology for the generations to come, said Ambani.

He said his telecom service Jio is aiming to cover 99 per cent of the population by end of the year and announced an initiative to connect educational institutions over the next two years.

Terming job creation as a challenge, Ambani said Jio will be connecting 58,000 colleges and 1.9 million schools, which will seek to empower 200 million students with broadband access in the next two years.

He said the addition of 100 million subscribers in 170 days by Jio has already made the country the largest data consumer in the world, ahead of the US and China.

The swift on-boarding of subscribers was the fastest by a company the world has ever seen, Ambani said and claimed that it was faster than customer accretion by even Facebook and Skype.

MUMBAI: Data generated domestically should be retained within the country rather than let it go out, according to Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani. Speaking at an event in Mumbai on Saturday, he urged the government to start a Keep in India initiative for this. Keeping our data onshore will ensure that talent, technology, know-how and investments will flow into the country rather than flow out, and will create more jobs for us. Like the Digital India and Make in India campaigns, we need a Keep in India initiative to keep our data within our shores, Ambani said. Apart from obvious national security and sovereignty conditions, pragmatic economic considerations also call for such safeguards, he added. Ambani, whose latest venture includes `1.30 lakh crore investment to create one of the biggest telcos with a focus on faster broadband access, said data and information are the power tools in the digital age and it can also travel across the world at a fraction of a second and at negligible cost. The remarks come within a month of Ambani describing data as the new oil and amid a growing unease in various circles about using data for furthering commercial interests by corporates. Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, we are fortunate to have a leader who understands technology, and termed technology as best way to tackle red tapes. The Keep in India initiative can ensure that we develop the necessary human capital and maintain our leadership position in the field of technology for the generations to come, said Ambani. He said his telecom service Jio is aiming to cover 99 per cent of the population by end of the year and announced an initiative to connect educational institutions over the next two years. Terming job creation as a challenge, Ambani said Jio will be connecting 58,000 colleges and 1.9 million schools, which will seek to empower 200 million students with broadband access in the next two years. He said the addition of 100 million subscribers in 170 days by Jio has already made the country the largest data consumer in the world, ahead of the US and China. The swift on-boarding of subscribers was the fastest by a company the world has ever seen, Ambani said and claimed that it was faster than customer accretion by even Facebook and Skype.
Ramu Patil By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: TO ensure quick deployment of its personnel in emergency situations, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will soon station one of its Rapid Action Force (CRPF) battalions in Bengaluru.

Currently, RAF teams from Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh are called in to help the state police in controlling riots or other law and order related situations. After the state government makes a requisition, it takes around eight hours for the team to reach the city and and be deployed. Most of the damage is done by that time.

Once the RAF battalion is located in the city, the response time will be reduced substantially. One team will always be ready and they will start as soon as we get a requisition. Within few minutes, they will be in action and help local police in handling the situation, said a senior CRPF officer. Each battalion of RAF will have 1,500 personnel.

The RAF battalion has already been raised and it will be deployed in Bengaluru as soon as we get the land and infrastructure is ready, Additional Director General (ADG), South Zone, CRPF Shailendra Kumar told Express on Saturday.

A team of senior officers from CRPF including, Kumar and P Nagarajan, DIG, CRPF Bengaluru met the Chief Secretary and state police chief on Friday and requested them to provide land for the battalion. As per the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the state government has to provide land free of cost for the battalion and the process has been initiated.

Kumar said the state government is keen to provide land and it had initially identified a place in Mangaluru. Since the RAF has to be stationed in a strategic location so that it can reach Bengaluru or any other place as quickly as possible, the CRPF felt that the batallion should be stationed in the state capital. Now the government is considering two locations - one near Devanahalli and another at Kunigal in Tumakuru district. One of them will be finalised soon.

The CRPF now has two campuses in city - in Yelahana on Doddaballapur Main Road and in Taralu on Kanakapura Road. In Taralu, the CRPF has a Dog Breeding and Training School (DBTS). Dogs trained at the school are deployed with the forces involved in counter-insurgency operations.

The school has trained and deployed ober 250 dogs. They have helped the force to recover close to 2,500 kg of explosives and helped save many lives, said Deputy Inspector General of Police J Rajendran, principal of the school. On Thursday, the 16th batch of dogs and handlers passed out of the school.

BENGALURU: TO ensure quick deployment of its personnel in emergency situations, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will soon station one of its Rapid Action Force (CRPF) battalions in Bengaluru. Currently, RAF teams from Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh are called in to help the state police in controlling riots or other law and order related situations. After the state government makes a requisition, it takes around eight hours for the team to reach the city and and be deployed. Most of the damage is done by that time. Once the RAF battalion is located in the city, the response time will be reduced substantially. One team will always be ready and they will start as soon as we get a requisition. Within few minutes, they will be in action and help local police in handling the situation, said a senior CRPF officer. Each battalion of RAF will have 1,500 personnel. The RAF battalion has already been raised and it will be deployed in Bengaluru as soon as we get the land and infrastructure is ready, Additional Director General (ADG), South Zone, CRPF Shailendra Kumar told Express on Saturday. A team of senior officers from CRPF including, Kumar and P Nagarajan, DIG, CRPF Bengaluru met the Chief Secretary and state police chief on Friday and requested them to provide land for the battalion. As per the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the state government has to provide land free of cost for the battalion and the process has been initiated. Kumar said the state government is keen to provide land and it had initially identified a place in Mangaluru. Since the RAF has to be stationed in a strategic location so that it can reach Bengaluru or any other place as quickly as possible, the CRPF felt that the batallion should be stationed in the state capital. Now the government is considering two locations - one near Devanahalli and another at Kunigal in Tumakuru district. One of them will be finalised soon. The CRPF now has two campuses in city - in Yelahana on Doddaballapur Main Road and in Taralu on Kanakapura Road. In Taralu, the CRPF has a Dog Breeding and Training School (DBTS). Dogs trained at the school are deployed with the forces involved in counter-insurgency operations. The school has trained and deployed ober 250 dogs. They have helped the force to recover close to 2,500 kg of explosives and helped save many lives, said Deputy Inspector General of Police J Rajendran, principal of the school. On Thursday, the 16th batch of dogs and handlers passed out of the school.
HYDERABAD: A private school here allegedly confined 19 students, some as young as five, in a room on its premises for over one hour after their parents failed to pay school fees on time, police said today.

The incident took place yesterday. The school management also tried to prevent the students from appearing for their annual exam, Hayathnagar Police Station Inspector J Narender Goud said.

Those confined include students from Class I, said the police official.

"They (school management) confined the students and were not allowing them to write the exams stating that their parents had delayed fee payment. After police intervened, the students were released and allowed to appear for exams," the Inspector said.

A parent of one of the student lodged a complaint with police against the school management after which a case under IPC section 342 (wrongful confinement) and relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act was registered, the police officer said.

HYDERABAD: A private school here allegedly confined 19 students, some as young as five, in a room on its premises for over one hour after their parents failed to pay school fees on time, police said today. The incident took place yesterday. The school management also tried to prevent the students from appearing for their annual exam, Hayathnagar Police Station Inspector J Narender Goud said. Those confined include students from Class I, said the police official. "They (school management) confined the students and were not allowing them to write the exams stating that their parents had delayed fee payment. After police intervened, the students were released and allowed to appear for exams," the Inspector said. A parent of one of the student lodged a complaint with police against the school management after which a case under IPC section 342 (wrongful confinement) and relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act was registered, the police officer said.
Rajesh Abraham By

Express News Service

KOCHI: The state tourism sector employing 10 lakh directly and another 15 lakh indirectly was the prime casualty of the liquor policy of the previous UDF government.

With the LDF ministry reportedly fine-tuning the new liquor policy, to be announced after the Malappuram by-election, the severely hit tourism industry hopes the flaws will be rectified.

Kerala as a tourist destination has lost out in the last 2-3 years after it was announced only five-star hotels will serve liquor, said CGH Earth Group CEO Jose Dominic. The Kerala model of tourism went for a toss.

The new policy has affected the likes of CGH Earth, which was attracting tourists by marketing the states unique tourism model. At one-stroke, Kerala became a 5-star hotel based tourism destination, which the state never was, and never will be, said Dominic.

He said Sri Lanka, Rajasthan and Goa have benefitted from the states liquor policy, which drove away foreign tourists. MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) and wedding-based tourism also suffered big time.

The Association of Approved and Classified Hotels of Kerala has submitted a wish list to the government. It includes:

Allow liquor licence to all classified and approved hotels paying a luxury tax of minimum Rs 6 lakh per annum. Permit liquor to be served in licensed premises from 11 am to midnight instead of 6 am to 10 pm.

Allow liquor to be served in multiple restaurants, banquet halls, poolside and rooftop of hotels, resorts and bars without additional fees. Reduce the one-day licence fee to Rs 10,000 and introduce online licences.

Grant beer/wine licence to classified and approved restaurants at a lesser fee.

The most significant suggestion by the industry is to promote a Kerala brand liquor (manufactured by the government) made from toddy, fruit and sugarcane similar to beverages made in Sri Lanka and China. This will definitely help in creating employment and revenue to the state, said association president G Gopinath.

Earlier this year, the Association of British Travel Agents in its Travel Trends Report 2017 placed Kerala in the eighth position in the top 12 destinations to visit this year ahead of South Africa, Vietnam and the US. But things are not rosy on the ground. Unless a tourism-friendly liquor policy is announced, we are doomed, said an industry veteran.

KOCHI: The state tourism sector employing 10 lakh directly and another 15 lakh indirectly was the prime casualty of the liquor policy of the previous UDF government. With the LDF ministry reportedly fine-tuning the new liquor policy, to be announced after the Malappuram by-election, the severely hit tourism industry hopes the flaws will be rectified. Kerala as a tourist destination has lost out in the last 2-3 years after it was announced only five-star hotels will serve liquor, said CGH Earth Group CEO Jose Dominic. The Kerala model of tourism went for a toss. The new policy has affected the likes of CGH Earth, which was attracting tourists by marketing the states unique tourism model. At one-stroke, Kerala became a 5-star hotel based tourism destination, which the state never was, and never will be, said Dominic. He said Sri Lanka, Rajasthan and Goa have benefitted from the states liquor policy, which drove away foreign tourists. MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) and wedding-based tourism also suffered big time. The Association of Approved and Classified Hotels of Kerala has submitted a wish list to the government. It includes: Allow liquor licence to all classified and approved hotels paying a luxury tax of minimum Rs 6 lakh per annum. Permit liquor to be served in licensed premises from 11 am to midnight instead of 6 am to 10 pm. Allow liquor to be served in multiple restaurants, banquet halls, poolside and rooftop of hotels, resorts and bars without additional fees. Reduce the one-day licence fee to Rs 10,000 and introduce online licences. Grant beer/wine licence to classified and approved restaurants at a lesser fee. The most significant suggestion by the industry is to promote a Kerala brand liquor (manufactured by the government) made from toddy, fruit and sugarcane similar to beverages made in Sri Lanka and China. This will definitely help in creating employment and revenue to the state, said association president G Gopinath. Earlier this year, the Association of British Travel Agents in its Travel Trends Report 2017 placed Kerala in the eighth position in the top 12 destinations to visit this year ahead of South Africa, Vietnam and the US. But things are not rosy on the ground. Unless a tourism-friendly liquor policy is announced, we are doomed, said an industry veteran.
Despite the obvious changes that come with the passing of time and the evolution of technology, the connection between buffalo, buffalo hunting and native peoples remains a vital part of tribal identity in Montana. The relationship between tribal people and buffalo is one that is both spiritual and distinct. The buffalo provided for the daily needs of our people for millennia. In return, tribes honor the buffalo in their commitment to sustainability and celebration of this incredible resource.

Thats why the native peoples of Montana have always watched the buffalo hunt near Yellowstone National Park so closely. And that is why we, as members of the Montana Indian Caucus, feel the need to express our deep concern about the recent hunting behavior exhibited by various tribal members from out-of-state tribal treaty hunters.

In this season alone, reports indicate multiple cases of waste, safety violations, ethically questionable activities and other actions by out-of-state tribal hunters that show a disregard for both buffalo and people who make their home in the Gardiner community. We recognize that mistakes do happen as some have been made in the past. However, we recognize that treaty hunt tribes have stepped up and properly corrected those actions.

The Montana Indian Caucus does not question the treaty rights of those tribes that exercise the right to hunt in the Yellowstone area. However, as servants of the people of Montana and representatives of Montanas seven reservations, we do not accept the lack of accountability for these hunters actions, and we urge the tribes to take a hard look at the shadow these negative portrayals of buffalo hunting cast over all tribal hunters in Montana.

Unfortunately, the reports have added confusion and misinformation to the complex relationship between tribes and the state regarding buffalo. This narrative of disturbing behavior, which often does not distinguish between individual tribes, risks painting all of us with ugly brush strokes. That cannot stand. We ask the tribes involved in the recent incidents to properly discipline, if deemed necessary, those tribal members involved to maintain the respect for both people and buffalo of Montana and the greater Yellowstone area.

Many tribes in Montana are working to save the buffalo and rejuvenate herds on tribal lands, where they can be responsibly managed -- culling as needed, hunting in accordance with tradition, and feeding our people. We hunt at the appropriate, culturally sanctioned times and in the appropriate manner, taking only what is needed and leaving no waste.

We do so because our culture and our lives are intertwined with the buffalo. We have a biological and spiritual connection with the buffalo and have learned to coexist with them. When buffalo fare well, we also prosper.

The Montana Indian Caucus agrees that recent negative reports are disturbing. They only serve to highlight the need to find solutions. This is what we believe is best for all of us -- the state, the park, private landowners, the tribes and the buffalo.

The Montana Indian Caucus: Rep. Sharon Stewart Peregoy, Rep. Susan Webber, Rep. Bridget Smith, Rep. George Kipp, Rep. Rae Peppers, Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, Rep. Shane Morigeau, Sen. Jason Small, Sen. Frank Smith and Sen. Lea Whitford
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: Krishnaraj Rai, father of actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, passed away here on Saturday after a prolonged illness.

Aishwaryas spokesperson, who confirmed the news, said Aishwaryas father passed away at Lilavati hospital at around 4pm on Saturday.

Rai, who was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in suburban Bandra a few weeks ago was shifted to the intensive care unit of the hospital recently. He suffered from malignant lymphoma and was critical for the past few days. He was hospitalised earlier in January as well, because of which Aishwarya and Abhishek cut short their New Years holiday and rushed back to Mumbai, hospital sources said.

Krishnaraj Rai is survived by his wife Vrinda, daughter Aishwarya and son Aditya. The actress was very close to her father and he was very fond of his granddaughter Aaradhya, with whom he was spotted several times.

The Rais are originally from Mangalore and later moved to Mumbai.

MUMBAI: Krishnaraj Rai, father of actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, passed away here on Saturday after a prolonged illness. Aishwaryas spokesperson, who confirmed the news, said Aishwaryas father passed away at Lilavati hospital at around 4pm on Saturday. Rai, who was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in suburban Bandra a few weeks ago was shifted to the intensive care unit of the hospital recently. He suffered from malignant lymphoma and was critical for the past few days. He was hospitalised earlier in January as well, because of which Aishwarya and Abhishek cut short their New Years holiday and rushed back to Mumbai, hospital sources said. Krishnaraj Rai is survived by his wife Vrinda, daughter Aishwarya and son Aditya. The actress was very close to her father and he was very fond of his granddaughter Aaradhya, with whom he was spotted several times. The Rais are originally from Mangalore and later moved to Mumbai.
G Parthasarathy By

Among the first foreign dignitaries whom Narendra Modi received after assuming the Prime Minister Office was Chinas President Xi Jinping. Both the leaders share much in common. Both are strong-willed and nationalistic. Both seek a place of importance in the international stage. Both are passionately committed to accelerating economic growth in a difficult economic environment. President Xi recognises the need for substantive structural change in his countrys economic policies after three decades of unparalleled economic growth. PM Modi, in turn, recognises that for India to attain its due place in the comity of nations, a sustained growth of around 8 per cent or more is needed, for which the manufacturing sector has to be revived and modernised, and an environment created to enhance investments.

The Xi Jinping visit set the tone for increasing economic and diplomatic cooperation. But the visit was marred by a deliberate intrusion across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by Chinas Peoples Liberation Army. The differences were addressed and measures agreed upon to deal with their prevention and management of border security. These arrangements have led to an absence of serious incidents of concern along the LAC. But, on the negative side, one has seen a massive buildup of military potential and logistics just across our borders with Tibet.

The real issues of concern that India now faces are a Chinese military buildup across our sea lanes, with what is evidently an effort to effectively surround India, with massive economic and military assistance to its South Asian neighbours, with a singularly conspicuous effort to strengthen both the conventional and nuclear strength of Pakistan. The so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is brazenly routed through PoK, ignoring our sensitivities on the subject. China is giving new dimensions to its military cooperation with Pakistan, which has now been given maritime multi-warhead, sea-based, nuclear-capable missiles. More importantly, China is providing Pakistan with eight submarines and an equal number of frigates. The Port of Gwadar in Pakistan has been taken over by China. This is along with China getting a new equity stake and virtually taking over the Port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka. China is now clearly positioning itself to take control of the sea lanes of the western Indian Ocean, potentially threatening our maritime and energy corridors.

Modi has confronted these challenges with considerable skill. His policy has been one to stand firm, sans being provocative. Unlike in the past, we have not allowed the Chinese to browbeat or intimidate us on territorial issues like their absurd claims to Arunachal Pradesh. Present Chinese claims to Arunachal Pradesh were never raised through the first three decades of the Sino-Indian negotiations. For over six decades, we never made our serious concerns known to Chinese leaders about their assistance to Pakistan with regards to nuclear weapons and missile programmes. We are now clear about our readiness to balance Chinese power by our interactions with partners like the US, Japan and Vietnam. All this has been combined with a readiness to work together with China, wherever possible, while developing the means to prevent tensions arising on the borders, by enhanced military to military ties. In an ultimate analysis, Chinese are supreme realists who recognise the crucial importance of economic and military power. Modi, likewise, knows and recognises this reality. The launch and impending operationalisation of Agni V missile clearly shook Chinas customary nonchalance. China will take us more seriously when we accelerate and sustain rapid economic growth and enhance strategic partnerships, while simultaneously strengthening our military muscle.

G Parthasarathy

Former diplomat

dadpartha@gmail.com

Among the first foreign dignitaries whom Narendra Modi received after assuming the Prime Minister Office was Chinas President Xi Jinping. Both the leaders share much in common. Both are strong-willed and nationalistic. Both seek a place of importance in the international stage. Both are passionately committed to accelerating economic growth in a difficult economic environment. President Xi recognises the need for substantive structural change in his countrys economic policies after three decades of unparalleled economic growth. PM Modi, in turn, recognises that for India to attain its due place in the comity of nations, a sustained growth of around 8 per cent or more is needed, for which the manufacturing sector has to be revived and modernised, and an environment created to enhance investments. The Xi Jinping visit set the tone for increasing economic and diplomatic cooperation. But the visit was marred by a deliberate intrusion across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by Chinas Peoples Liberation Army. The differences were addressed and measures agreed upon to deal with their prevention and management of border security. These arrangements have led to an absence of serious incidents of concern along the LAC. But, on the negative side, one has seen a massive buildup of military potential and logistics just across our borders with Tibet. The real issues of concern that India now faces are a Chinese military buildup across our sea lanes, with what is evidently an effort to effectively surround India, with massive economic and military assistance to its South Asian neighbours, with a singularly conspicuous effort to strengthen both the conventional and nuclear strength of Pakistan. The so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is brazenly routed through PoK, ignoring our sensitivities on the subject. China is giving new dimensions to its military cooperation with Pakistan, which has now been given maritime multi-warhead, sea-based, nuclear-capable missiles. More importantly, China is providing Pakistan with eight submarines and an equal number of frigates. The Port of Gwadar in Pakistan has been taken over by China. This is along with China getting a new equity stake and virtually taking over the Port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka. China is now clearly positioning itself to take control of the sea lanes of the western Indian Ocean, potentially threatening our maritime and energy corridors. Modi has confronted these challenges with considerable skill. His policy has been one to stand firm, sans being provocative. Unlike in the past, we have not allowed the Chinese to browbeat or intimidate us on territorial issues like their absurd claims to Arunachal Pradesh. Present Chinese claims to Arunachal Pradesh were never raised through the first three decades of the Sino-Indian negotiations. For over six decades, we never made our serious concerns known to Chinese leaders about their assistance to Pakistan with regards to nuclear weapons and missile programmes. We are now clear about our readiness to balance Chinese power by our interactions with partners like the US, Japan and Vietnam. All this has been combined with a readiness to work together with China, wherever possible, while developing the means to prevent tensions arising on the borders, by enhanced military to military ties. In an ultimate analysis, Chinese are supreme realists who recognise the crucial importance of economic and military power. Modi, likewise, knows and recognises this reality. The launch and impending operationalisation of Agni V missile clearly shook Chinas customary nonchalance. China will take us more seriously when we accelerate and sustain rapid economic growth and enhance strategic partnerships, while simultaneously strengthening our military muscle. G Parthasarathy Former diplomat dadpartha@gmail.com
By Express News Service

KOLKATA:Observing that the conduct of public figures must be beyond reproach, the Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered the CBI to conduct a preliminary probe into the Narada sting operation, in which some Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders were allegedly seen taking money. The court also directed the CBI to register an FIR, if required, and initiate formal investigations thereafter.

Reacting to the order, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the TMC and her government would challenge it before the Supreme Court. The TMC will fight the order both politically and legally. She termed the court order to stop the Kolkata Police investigation into the matter unfortunate. Meanwhile, the Opposition parties in West Bengal seized upon the judgement and demanded immediate removal of tainted ministers from the State Cabinet.

A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice T Chakraborti directed the CBI to take possession of all material and devices related to the sting operation within 24 hours and conclude the preliminary enquiry within 72 hours. It said that since allegations have been made against ministers, MPs and other senior leaders from the State, it would be just to direct the CBI, and not a State agency, to conduct a preliminary enquiry. The court also observed that the CBI was the most suitable agency to conduct an independent probe.

The Narada tapes, which were released before the 2016 Assembly elections in West Bengal, showed leaders allegedly taking money. The bench noted that a report by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Chandigarh, had stated that the tapes were not tampered with.

KOLKATA:Observing that the conduct of public figures must be beyond reproach, the Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered the CBI to conduct a preliminary probe into the Narada sting operation, in which some Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders were allegedly seen taking money. The court also directed the CBI to register an FIR, if required, and initiate formal investigations thereafter. Reacting to the order, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the TMC and her government would challenge it before the Supreme Court. The TMC will fight the order both politically and legally. She termed the court order to stop the Kolkata Police investigation into the matter unfortunate. Meanwhile, the Opposition parties in West Bengal seized upon the judgement and demanded immediate removal of tainted ministers from the State Cabinet. A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice T Chakraborti directed the CBI to take possession of all material and devices related to the sting operation within 24 hours and conclude the preliminary enquiry within 72 hours. It said that since allegations have been made against ministers, MPs and other senior leaders from the State, it would be just to direct the CBI, and not a State agency, to conduct a preliminary enquiry. The court also observed that the CBI was the most suitable agency to conduct an independent probe. The Narada tapes, which were released before the 2016 Assembly elections in West Bengal, showed leaders allegedly taking money. The bench noted that a report by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Chandigarh, had stated that the tapes were not tampered with.
Rakesh K Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: After a gap of three decades, Doberman Pinschers are back policing the Sino-Indian border along with Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel. The paramilitary force has reintroduced the German breed into its K-9 squad with a view to increasing the variety of dogs under its command.

The accent on variety is meant as insurance against outbreak of disease amongst the canines. The Union Home Ministry recently greenlighted a proposal for limited breeding of Dobermans in order to manage the genetic variety of its canine troops.

File picture of trained Doberman dogs

being used for security purposes

The Doberman breed was replaced in the ITBP K-9 unit in 1991 owing to degradation in quality due to inbreeding by private breeders.

But the force is now welcoming the breed back. ITBP deputy inspector-general (veterinary) Sudhakar Natarajan said, The Doberman is excellent for roles like attack, patrol, explosive detection and tracking and can acclimatise well for deployment in high altitude as well as hot and humid conditions.

ITBP veterinarians have identified three pairs of pure-bred Dobermans and bred 15 pups.

They have been trained for six months at the National Training Centre for Dogs at Panchkula in Haryana and deployed in different locations. Some of the ITBP canines that kept order during the recent Manipur elections were from this batch of pups.

Natarajan said that from hereon the vigour of the breed will be maintained through proper in-house breeding.

The ITBP has a K-9 unit of 300 dogs including German Shepherds, Malinois and Labradors. The K-9 squad is deployed for securing installations during visits by foreign dignitaries and during national festivals like Republic Day.

The ITBP also trains the canines of the Special Protection Group (SPG) which provides security to Prime Ministers and their immediate family members. Additionally, ITBP canines are deployed in high-altitude locations along the China border and in naxalite-affected areas.

NEW DELHI: After a gap of three decades, Doberman Pinschers are back policing the Sino-Indian border along with Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel. The paramilitary force has reintroduced the German breed into its K-9 squad with a view to increasing the variety of dogs under its command. The accent on variety is meant as insurance against outbreak of disease amongst the canines. The Union Home Ministry recently greenlighted a proposal for limited breeding of Dobermans in order to manage the genetic variety of its canine troops. File picture of trained Doberman dogs being used for security purposes The Doberman breed was replaced in the ITBP K-9 unit in 1991 owing to degradation in quality due to inbreeding by private breeders. But the force is now welcoming the breed back. ITBP deputy inspector-general (veterinary) Sudhakar Natarajan said, The Doberman is excellent for roles like attack, patrol, explosive detection and tracking and can acclimatise well for deployment in high altitude as well as hot and humid conditions. ITBP veterinarians have identified three pairs of pure-bred Dobermans and bred 15 pups. They have been trained for six months at the National Training Centre for Dogs at Panchkula in Haryana and deployed in different locations. Some of the ITBP canines that kept order during the recent Manipur elections were from this batch of pups. Natarajan said that from hereon the vigour of the breed will be maintained through proper in-house breeding. The ITBP has a K-9 unit of 300 dogs including German Shepherds, Malinois and Labradors. The K-9 squad is deployed for securing installations during visits by foreign dignitaries and during national festivals like Republic Day. The ITBP also trains the canines of the Special Protection Group (SPG) which provides security to Prime Ministers and their immediate family members. Additionally, ITBP canines are deployed in high-altitude locations along the China border and in naxalite-affected areas.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: As the Jat-agitation entered the 50th day on Sunday, a clash erupted between the protesters and the state police near Fatehabad in Haryana with the agitators trying to march toward Delhi on the call given by the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) to gherao the Parliament.

The clash started when the jats, moving in their tractor-trolleys, were stopped by DSP Gurdayal Singh. When the agitators were told to leave their weapons behind, a young protester threw a wooden log at Singh, thereby injuring him.

The police resorted to lathi-charge and used tear gas while the protesters pelted stones leaving around 25 people injured in the incident.

In a matter of minutes, close to twenty tractor-trolleys full of protesters reached the spot and the situation spiralled out of control with the agitators setting fire to police buses. Security has been heightened in Jhajjhar following the clashes.

The state government had imposed a ban on the movement of tractor-trolleys in districts bordering Delhi. Director General of Police of Haryana, KP Singh said state police and security forces were on high alert in all the districts of the state bordering Delhi and a tab is being kept on the movement of Jat protesters. On Monday, there will be complete ban on the movement of tractor-trolleys.

The state government had already imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC in 15 districts (Rohtak, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Panipat, Hisar, Kaithal, Charkhi Dadri, Fatehabad, Jind and Sirsa) of the state.

The government had also issued instructions to petrol pump owners in the state asking them not to fill more than ten litres of fuel in tractor-trolleys. They have also been asked to note down the driver's name, registration number and the number of people travelling in the vehicle. Ban has also been imposed on open sale of petrol, diesel and other inflammable materials.

Mobile internet services and bulk SMS services have been banned in all these districts and liquor shops have been closed till March 21. Besides, all hotels, dharamsalas and restaurants have been directed to maintain records of guests.

Pitching of tents along the state and national highways has also been prohibited.

The Jats have been holding peaceful demonstrations in several parts of the state since the end of January demanding reservation, jobs to the next of kin of those killed in last years Jat-agitation, compensation to the injured, withdrawal of cases besides other demands.

A meeting is currently underway between leaders of the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) lead by Yashpal Malik and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at the Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi to resolve the stand-off.

Khattar, who was to go to Lucknow to attend the swearing-in of Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has called-off his visit.

CHANDIGARH: As the Jat-agitation entered the 50th day on Sunday, a clash erupted between the protesters and the state police near Fatehabad in Haryana with the agitators trying to march toward Delhi on the call given by the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) to gherao the Parliament. The clash started when the jats, moving in their tractor-trolleys, were stopped by DSP Gurdayal Singh. When the agitators were told to leave their weapons behind, a young protester threw a wooden log at Singh, thereby injuring him. The police resorted to lathi-charge and used tear gas while the protesters pelted stones leaving around 25 people injured in the incident. In a matter of minutes, close to twenty tractor-trolleys full of protesters reached the spot and the situation spiralled out of control with the agitators setting fire to police buses. Security has been heightened in Jhajjhar following the clashes. The state government had imposed a ban on the movement of tractor-trolleys in districts bordering Delhi. Director General of Police of Haryana, KP Singh said state police and security forces were on high alert in all the districts of the state bordering Delhi and a tab is being kept on the movement of Jat protesters. On Monday, there will be complete ban on the movement of tractor-trolleys. The state government had already imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC in 15 districts (Rohtak, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Panipat, Hisar, Kaithal, Charkhi Dadri, Fatehabad, Jind and Sirsa) of the state. The government had also issued instructions to petrol pump owners in the state asking them not to fill more than ten litres of fuel in tractor-trolleys. They have also been asked to note down the driver's name, registration number and the number of people travelling in the vehicle. Ban has also been imposed on open sale of petrol, diesel and other inflammable materials. Mobile internet services and bulk SMS services have been banned in all these districts and liquor shops have been closed till March 21. Besides, all hotels, dharamsalas and restaurants have been directed to maintain records of guests. Pitching of tents along the state and national highways has also been prohibited. The Jats have been holding peaceful demonstrations in several parts of the state since the end of January demanding reservation, jobs to the next of kin of those killed in last years Jat-agitation, compensation to the injured, withdrawal of cases besides other demands. A meeting is currently underway between leaders of the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) lead by Yashpal Malik and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at the Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi to resolve the stand-off. Khattar, who was to go to Lucknow to attend the swearing-in of Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has called-off his visit.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today held talks with the agitating Jat leaders from the state on the quota issue ahead of their planned march to Parliament in the national capital, where massive security arrangements have been made by authorities.

Before meeting Khattar here, All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) Chaiperson Yashpal Malik said that their protest will be peaceful and they will decide their next course of action after the talks.

"The protests will be peaceful. For 50 days our protests were peaceful. We have made seven demands and we are here to meet the CM and others with a positive frame of mind.

"We believe that talks will provide solution to the issues... but we will decide our future course of action based on the outcome of the meeting," Malik told reporters here.

"If we reach agreement on all issues, I will inform you," he said on whether they will suspend the agitation.

Malik was accompanied by a group of 60-70 representatives of various khaps (sub-sects) of the Jat community. Besides Khattar, Union Cabinet Minister Birender Singh was among those present in the meeting.

In view of the planned march tomorrow, prohibitory orders have been clamped in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to stop Jat protesters from entering Delhi and about 24,700 paramilitary personnel have been mobilies to maintain peace. Metro and road transport has been curtailed and several schools have been closed in the national capital.

The AIJASS, which is spearheading the agitation demanding reservations in education and government jobs, has given a call for a march to the national capital to gherao Parliament and to hold dharnas on the Delhi border blocking all highways to press for its demands.

Metro trains will not travel beyond the city's borders from 11.30 PM while 12 stations in Central Delhi will be shut from 8 PM till further orders.

As directed by Delhi Police, services will not be available at Yellow line stations at Gurgaon, Blue Line stations at Noida and Violet Line stations at Faridabad.

Roads like Kamal Ataturk Marg, Safdarjung Road, Kautilya Marg, Kautilaya T Point Near Bihar Bhawan, route from Teen Murti to Gole Methi roundabout and Zakir Hussain Road for commuters coming from Nizamuddin to India Gate will be closed from 8 PM onwards today.



In an advisory, the Union Home Ministry has said that protesters should be arrested or detained much before they enter Delhi. It also called for disallowing movement of buses carrying the protesters on highways and banning tractor trolley movement.

Internet services have been suspended in many 'sensitive' districts of Haryana including in Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonepat.

Haryana DGP K P Singh has said that all highways and other roads passing through the state are open and all security measures have been taken.

Earlier speaking to reporters, Khattar had said that the state government is committed to resolve the issue.

Besides quota, the Jats have been demanding release of people jailed during last year's agitation, withdrawal of cases slapped during the protest and government jobs for the kin of those killed and injured while taking part in the stir.

The Jats have been sitting on dharna in various parts of Haryana since January 29.

A Haryana ministerial panel led by senior Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had held talks with the Jats in Panipat on March 16, after which the Minister had said that an agreement had been reached with the Jat community and the deadlock could end soon.

Around 30 people were killed and more than 300 people injured when a similar agitation by the Jats had resulted in large-scale violence in Haryana in February last year.

NEW DELHI: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today held talks with the agitating Jat leaders from the state on the quota issue ahead of their planned march to Parliament in the national capital, where massive security arrangements have been made by authorities. Before meeting Khattar here, All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) Chaiperson Yashpal Malik said that their protest will be peaceful and they will decide their next course of action after the talks. "The protests will be peaceful. For 50 days our protests were peaceful. We have made seven demands and we are here to meet the CM and others with a positive frame of mind. "We believe that talks will provide solution to the issues... but we will decide our future course of action based on the outcome of the meeting," Malik told reporters here. "If we reach agreement on all issues, I will inform you," he said on whether they will suspend the agitation. Malik was accompanied by a group of 60-70 representatives of various khaps (sub-sects) of the Jat community. Besides Khattar, Union Cabinet Minister Birender Singh was among those present in the meeting. In view of the planned march tomorrow, prohibitory orders have been clamped in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to stop Jat protesters from entering Delhi and about 24,700 paramilitary personnel have been mobilies to maintain peace. Metro and road transport has been curtailed and several schools have been closed in the national capital. The AIJASS, which is spearheading the agitation demanding reservations in education and government jobs, has given a call for a march to the national capital to gherao Parliament and to hold dharnas on the Delhi border blocking all highways to press for its demands. Metro trains will not travel beyond the city's borders from 11.30 PM while 12 stations in Central Delhi will be shut from 8 PM till further orders. As directed by Delhi Police, services will not be available at Yellow line stations at Gurgaon, Blue Line stations at Noida and Violet Line stations at Faridabad. Roads like Kamal Ataturk Marg, Safdarjung Road, Kautilya Marg, Kautilaya T Point Near Bihar Bhawan, route from Teen Murti to Gole Methi roundabout and Zakir Hussain Road for commuters coming from Nizamuddin to India Gate will be closed from 8 PM onwards today. In an advisory, the Union Home Ministry has said that protesters should be arrested or detained much before they enter Delhi. It also called for disallowing movement of buses carrying the protesters on highways and banning tractor trolley movement. Internet services have been suspended in many 'sensitive' districts of Haryana including in Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonepat. Haryana DGP K P Singh has said that all highways and other roads passing through the state are open and all security measures have been taken. Earlier speaking to reporters, Khattar had said that the state government is committed to resolve the issue. Besides quota, the Jats have been demanding release of people jailed during last year's agitation, withdrawal of cases slapped during the protest and government jobs for the kin of those killed and injured while taking part in the stir. The Jats have been sitting on dharna in various parts of Haryana since January 29. A Haryana ministerial panel led by senior Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had held talks with the Jats in Panipat on March 16, after which the Minister had said that an agreement had been reached with the Jat community and the deadlock could end soon. Around 30 people were killed and more than 300 people injured when a similar agitation by the Jats had resulted in large-scale violence in Haryana in February last year.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today spoke to one of the two clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who were later traced after going missing in Pakistan.

"I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow," she said in a tweet.

Pakistan had yesterday conveyed to India that the two missing clerics had been "traced" and that they had reached Karachi.

Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, and his nephew Nazim Nizami -- had gone to Pakistan on March 8 and were to return to India on March 20.

The main purpose of the visit of 80-year-old Asif to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi.

Yesterday, Swaraj had spoken to Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, regarding the case.

According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network" and thus could not tell their relatives about their whereabouts.

Earlier, Pakistani sources had said the two clerics were in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence agency over their alleged links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

The clerics were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the sources claimed.

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today spoke to one of the two clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who were later traced after going missing in Pakistan. "I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow," she said in a tweet. Pakistan had yesterday conveyed to India that the two missing clerics had been "traced" and that they had reached Karachi. Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, and his nephew Nazim Nizami -- had gone to Pakistan on March 8 and were to return to India on March 20. The main purpose of the visit of 80-year-old Asif to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi. Yesterday, Swaraj had spoken to Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, regarding the case. According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network" and thus could not tell their relatives about their whereabouts. Earlier, Pakistani sources had said the two clerics were in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence agency over their alleged links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). The clerics were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the sources claimed.
By IANS

JAMMU: The Pakistan Army on Sunday resorted to unprovoked shelling and firing on Indian positions on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri and Poonch districts, authorities said.



Defence ministry spokesman, Lt Col Manish Mehta told IANS that the Pakistanis used 2 inch mortars and automatics at Rajouri's Bhimber Ghali sector and Balakot in Poonch.



"The shelling and firing started in Bhimber Ghali at 4 a.m. and continued till 6 a.m., while in Balakot, it began at 6 a.m. and ended at 6.45 a.m.," he said, adding "Our troops responded befittingly".



The official said no casualty or damage was reported on the Indian side.



JAMMU: The Pakistan Army on Sunday resorted to unprovoked shelling and firing on Indian positions on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri and Poonch districts, authorities said. Defence ministry spokesman, Lt Col Manish Mehta told IANS that the Pakistanis used 2 inch mortars and automatics at Rajouri's Bhimber Ghali sector and Balakot in Poonch. "The shelling and firing started in Bhimber Ghali at 4 a.m. and continued till 6 a.m., while in Balakot, it began at 6 a.m. and ended at 6.45 a.m.," he said, adding "Our troops responded befittingly". The official said no casualty or damage was reported on the Indian side.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Concerned over the frauds under PM Narendra Modis flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, a parliamentary panel has asked the government to initiate investigations into such cases of fraud.

Ministry should immediately swing into action and get such complaints thoroughly investigated in all states and UTs as one of their prime scheme, named PMAY (U) is being misused for illegal money-making by some corrupt-minded anti-social elements, the panel, headed by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Pinaki Misra, said.

In its report the panel has said, The Committee is perturbed to note cases of fraud and cheating are taking place in many cities including NCR of Delhi for allocation of houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) with fake propaganda that a house could be booked by just paying Rs 150 by unscrupulous elements and fraud NGOs etc," it said.

A senior official of the ministry of housing said that the ministry has received such complaints in which many builders in Delhi and NCR areas have been found misusing the name of governments scheme to sell their flats. The ministry has taken note of this and advisories will be issued soon, added the official.

The Committee, in its reports 'Demands for Grants (2017-18)' for HUPA Ministry, has found that some builders are apparently registering and enlisting a lot of consumers for allotment of economic weaker section/ lower income group house in the name of affordable housing scheme.

The panel has also warned that needy people will feel cheated if the practice will continue. It has also said to hold awareness programmes through visual and print media to educate and inform common people to beware of fraudulent persons and NGOs.

NEW DELHI: Concerned over the frauds under PM Narendra Modis flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, a parliamentary panel has asked the government to initiate investigations into such cases of fraud. Ministry should immediately swing into action and get such complaints thoroughly investigated in all states and UTs as one of their prime scheme, named PMAY (U) is being misused for illegal money-making by some corrupt-minded anti-social elements, the panel, headed by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Pinaki Misra, said. In its report the panel has said, The Committee is perturbed to note cases of fraud and cheating are taking place in many cities including NCR of Delhi for allocation of houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) with fake propaganda that a house could be booked by just paying Rs 150 by unscrupulous elements and fraud NGOs etc," it said. A senior official of the ministry of housing said that the ministry has received such complaints in which many builders in Delhi and NCR areas have been found misusing the name of governments scheme to sell their flats. The ministry has taken note of this and advisories will be issued soon, added the official. The Committee, in its reports 'Demands for Grants (2017-18)' for HUPA Ministry, has found that some builders are apparently registering and enlisting a lot of consumers for allotment of economic weaker section/ lower income group house in the name of affordable housing scheme. The panel has also warned that needy people will feel cheated if the practice will continue. It has also said to hold awareness programmes through visual and print media to educate and inform common people to beware of fraudulent persons and NGOs.
By ANI

LUCKNOW: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yogi Adityanath will be sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh today, as governor Ram Naik will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Adityanath and his Cabinet at a function in Lucknow's Kanshiram memorial ground in the afternoon.

State BJP President Keshav Prasad Maurya and the party's National Vice-President Dinesh Sharma will be the Deputy Chief Ministers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Party President Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled States will attend the ceremony.

Yogi Aditya Nath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, was unanimously elected BJP Legislature Party leader at a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs in Lucknow last evening. He, later, met the Governor and staked claim to form the government in the state.

Talking to reporters at Raj Bhavan, he said, he would follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan 'Sab ka saath, Sab ka vikas' and ensure all round development of the state.

Senior party leader and Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who was the central observer at the Legislature Party meeting, said it was a watershed moment for the BJP and it has become a common man's party. He said, the mandate is for development, and against corruption and black money.

In the recently held polls in the state, BJP had bagged 312 seats, and its allies 13, taking the alliance's tally to 325 in the 403-member Assembly.

Meanwhile, Adityanath has called on his followers and admirers to maintain law and order during their celebrations, while giving full freedom to the state police to take action on those who create ruckus.

There should be no chaos in the name of celebrations. Police must deal swiftly and firmly with miscreants, he said.

Following the Chief Minister designates orders, all the District Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) have been called to ensure law and order is maintained.

LUCKNOW: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yogi Adityanath will be sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh today, as governor Ram Naik will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Adityanath and his Cabinet at a function in Lucknow's Kanshiram memorial ground in the afternoon. State BJP President Keshav Prasad Maurya and the party's National Vice-President Dinesh Sharma will be the Deputy Chief Ministers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Party President Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled States will attend the ceremony. Yogi Aditya Nath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, was unanimously elected BJP Legislature Party leader at a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs in Lucknow last evening. He, later, met the Governor and staked claim to form the government in the state. Talking to reporters at Raj Bhavan, he said, he would follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan 'Sab ka saath, Sab ka vikas' and ensure all round development of the state. Senior party leader and Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who was the central observer at the Legislature Party meeting, said it was a watershed moment for the BJP and it has become a common man's party. He said, the mandate is for development, and against corruption and black money. In the recently held polls in the state, BJP had bagged 312 seats, and its allies 13, taking the alliance's tally to 325 in the 403-member Assembly. Meanwhile, Adityanath has called on his followers and admirers to maintain law and order during their celebrations, while giving full freedom to the state police to take action on those who create ruckus. There should be no chaos in the name of celebrations. Police must deal swiftly and firmly with miscreants, he said. Following the Chief Minister designates orders, all the District Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) have been called to ensure law and order is maintained.
POWELL, Wyo. (AP)  With a heavy heart, Henrietta "Henry" McGary walked into Ballard Funeral Home after her mother's death on Feb. 10.

Her mother, Grace Purvis McGary, had lived a long life, and her release from it was a blessing; Henry McGary knew that. Still, she wasn't looking forward to the process of planning the funeral.

But, as she entered the door of the funeral home, she got a surprise: A little ball of fur ran up to her and danced around her feet, then jumped, wriggled and snuggled into her lap as she sat down.

The fur-ball was Dash, a tiny, 1-year-old therapy dog who meets, greets and comforts people who come into the funeral home during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

"It's such a sad time in our lives when we lose our loved one. Then you walk into Ballard's Funeral Home, and there's Dash," said McGary, of Cody. "Dash just kind of takes your mind off of stuff and makes it a lot easier, because you can pay attention to something more than what's going on. He's all ready to play with you and hug you and rolls over with you  it's such a comfort."

That wasn't necessarily the plan when Dash, a Morkie  part Maltese and part Yorkshire terrier  came to live with Cody Gortmaker and his family about 10 months ago, destined, they thought, to be only their family's pet.

Gortmaker, funeral director and manager at Ballard's, said he just happened to take the 2-month-old puppy to work with him that first day.

"We had a few families that came that day, and every family that came that day just glommed onto him, and I thought, 'Maybe there's something to this.'"

That prompted Gortmaker to look up information about therapy dogs. He found out that therapy dogs are used in therapeutic settings, such as hospitals, nursing homes and funeral homes, to bring comfort.

"I said, 'That kind of fits the description of Dash,'" Gortmaker said. "We just kind of turned him into our mascot at that point.

"Even now, Dash is sitting at the front door. He will be the first person to greet you. What he's doing is invaluable, something we can't do as humans  break the ice, bring a little comfort to the situation."

It is helpful that Dash doesn't shed, and his breed is hypoallergenic, Gortmaker added.

Kim Berett, of Cody and Estes Park, Colorado, was one of the first people to meet Dash after he came to the funeral home.

"We were planning my mom's funeral," Berett said. "He was just so much fun. I wanted to play with him. I knew I needed to get serious about the funeral too, but it really broke the tension. It helps people feel not so stressed out. You always read about how pets are the best therapy in the world, and they are. It just brings the blood pressure down; it's really calming."

Berett said the arrangement seems to work well for Dash, too.

"It's such a good environment for him," she said. "He's so friendly and well-behaved."

Dash puts people at ease, and he's especially helpful with children, Gortmaker said.

"When kids come to a funeral, oftentimes they don't know what to do, or parents don't know what to do with the kids while they are doing their thing," he said. "Dash is happy to play with kids, and the kids actually have a little bit of fun in the funeral home while their parents discuss arrangements with me."

Beyond Dash, Gortmaker advocates for including people's own dogs in their funerals.

"They're welcome to bring them to be part of the funeral service," Gortmaker said. "It seems like dogs also experience loss when their master has passed away. It takes them a while to recover."

When a dog is included in the service, "it helps the dog to kind of put it all together and know what's going on," Gortmaker said. "I'm no animal psychologist, but families are pretty convinced that it helps the dog and gives the whole family the opportunity to grieve and get closer."

Gortmaker said he follows up with families a couple of weeks later and "the dogs are no longer looking around the house, sniffing and trying to figure out where so-and-so was."

Rick Moser of Cody said he lives near the funeral home and had seen Dash outside frequently as he walked his own dogs.

"They always stop to say hi to Dash when he's outside," Moser said.

So it wasn't a big surprise when Dash ran up to Moser, his wife and his sister as they walked in to plan his mother's funeral.

"He met us at the door and wiggled his tail off," Moser said. "He's a great little dog. (He) brightens up your day."

Moster thinks a therapy dog "would be a great idea for any funeral home"  though he adds that a big Mastiff probably wouldn't have the same effect.
By ANI

NEW DELHI: Criticising Yogi Adityanaths selection by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, the Congress on Sunday dubbed the decision as a 'cruel joke' and said the development has ensured that the state will no longer remain secular.

Speaking to ANI here, Congress leader Rizwan Arshad said, "It is a cruel joke played on the people of UP. Yogi Adityanath is a divisive man, he divides society. He shamelessly propagate divisive agenda, which he carries forward from RSS."

Arshad further asserted that Uttar Pradesh will no remain secular, adding that the state will unfortunately fall back into chaos.

"BJP's decision that the saffron-robed Gorakhpur MP will hold the reins of the state is very unfortunate for the constitution and for the development of the state also. Now, Uttar Pradesh will go back into chaos, masjid-mandir days and old polarisation-communal days," he added.

Resonating similar views, Congress spokesperson Meem Afzal asserted that BJP's decision to make Yogi the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh is a part of their political agenda.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi who sought votes from UP people for his policies and development agenda, now will work on his political agenda, as he named Hindutva Hardliner Yogi Adityanath as UP chief minister," said Afzal.

The BJP named Yogi Adityanath as the next Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma have been appointed as the deputy chief ministers of the state on Saturday.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the oath taking ceremony would take place at 2:15 p.m. today in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

Adityanath had flown to New Delhi on Saturday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Adityanath, a five-time MP from the Gorakhpur constituency, was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at the age of 26.

Currently, Adityanath serves as the Mahant of Guru Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur, following the death of Mahanth Aavaidyanath on September 12, 2014.

The other contenders in the race were Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, Union Minister Manoj Sinha, BJP leader Shrikant Sharma and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Yogi Aditya Nath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, was unanimously elected BJP Legislature Party leader at a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs in Lucknow last evening.

NEW DELHI: Criticising Yogi Adityanaths selection by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, the Congress on Sunday dubbed the decision as a 'cruel joke' and said the development has ensured that the state will no longer remain secular. Speaking to ANI here, Congress leader Rizwan Arshad said, "It is a cruel joke played on the people of UP. Yogi Adityanath is a divisive man, he divides society. He shamelessly propagate divisive agenda, which he carries forward from RSS." Arshad further asserted that Uttar Pradesh will no remain secular, adding that the state will unfortunately fall back into chaos. "BJP's decision that the saffron-robed Gorakhpur MP will hold the reins of the state is very unfortunate for the constitution and for the development of the state also. Now, Uttar Pradesh will go back into chaos, masjid-mandir days and old polarisation-communal days," he added. Resonating similar views, Congress spokesperson Meem Afzal asserted that BJP's decision to make Yogi the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh is a part of their political agenda. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi who sought votes from UP people for his policies and development agenda, now will work on his political agenda, as he named Hindutva Hardliner Yogi Adityanath as UP chief minister," said Afzal. The BJP named Yogi Adityanath as the next Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma have been appointed as the deputy chief ministers of the state on Saturday. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the oath taking ceremony would take place at 2:15 p.m. today in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. Adityanath had flown to New Delhi on Saturday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Adityanath, a five-time MP from the Gorakhpur constituency, was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at the age of 26. Currently, Adityanath serves as the Mahant of Guru Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur, following the death of Mahanth Aavaidyanath on September 12, 2014. The other contenders in the race were Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, Union Minister Manoj Sinha, BJP leader Shrikant Sharma and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Yogi Aditya Nath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, was unanimously elected BJP Legislature Party leader at a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs in Lucknow last evening.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Two Indian clerics, who went missing in Pakistan, are safe and will be back in Delhi on Monday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.

The foreign minister spoke to one of the clerics of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia dargah. I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow (Monday), Swaraj tweeted.

Head priest of Hazrat Nizammuddin Aulia dargah, Syed Asif Ali Nizami, aged 80, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami had gone to Pakistan on March 8. Both went missing after landing in Karachi.

The trip was part of a traditional two-way exchange of clerics between the two countries as the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi is associated with Gharib Nawaz, who is venerated in Data Darbar Lahore.

Swaraj had taken up the matter with Pakistan Prime Ministers foreign adviser, Sartaj Aziz. The Indian high commissioner in Islamabad had lodged a strong complaint with the foreign ministry in Islamabad on the matter.

Asif Nizamis son, who spoke to his father, thanked the Prime Minister and external affairs minister for their efforts to ensure his fathers safe return.

Pakistan had on Saturday informed India that both clerics were traced and will reach India on Monday. Pakistani media reports said both were in interior Sindh and with poor connectivity.

Earlier, there were reports that the two had been picked up by intelligence agencies on account of their suspicious movements.

In a separate development, Indian and Pakistani officials will meet in Islamabad on Monday to discuss issues related to the Indus Water Treaty as part of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) meeting.

NEW DELHI: Two Indian clerics, who went missing in Pakistan, are safe and will be back in Delhi on Monday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday. The foreign minister spoke to one of the clerics of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia dargah. I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow (Monday), Swaraj tweeted. Head priest of Hazrat Nizammuddin Aulia dargah, Syed Asif Ali Nizami, aged 80, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami had gone to Pakistan on March 8. Both went missing after landing in Karachi. The trip was part of a traditional two-way exchange of clerics between the two countries as the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi is associated with Gharib Nawaz, who is venerated in Data Darbar Lahore. Swaraj had taken up the matter with Pakistan Prime Ministers foreign adviser, Sartaj Aziz. The Indian high commissioner in Islamabad had lodged a strong complaint with the foreign ministry in Islamabad on the matter. Asif Nizamis son, who spoke to his father, thanked the Prime Minister and external affairs minister for their efforts to ensure his fathers safe return. Pakistan had on Saturday informed India that both clerics were traced and will reach India on Monday. Pakistani media reports said both were in interior Sindh and with poor connectivity. Earlier, there were reports that the two had been picked up by intelligence agencies on account of their suspicious movements. In a separate development, Indian and Pakistani officials will meet in Islamabad on Monday to discuss issues related to the Indus Water Treaty as part of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) meeting.
Prabhu Chawla By

Akshay Kumar is Bollywoods Khiladi No 1. Saina Nehwal is a national khiladi in the audacious arena of sports. Last week, the two celebrities made a gesture that revealed their humble humanity, dipping into their pockets to honor men in uniform who laid down their lives for the nation. Akshay donated `9 lakh each to the families of the 12 CRPF jawans killed by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh. Nehwal gave `50,000 each. It wasnt the monetary amount, which defined this thankful tribute.

Their gesture was in stark contrast to the indifference of the rich and famous club, which was too tightfisted to spare money and moments for those who die in battle so that we can live in peace. In todays megapixel world, the agony of the disillusioned is a passing storm. Videos of jawans complaining of official apathy and paltry salaries have gone viral over the past months. But the complaints are either covered up or buried in mountains of penal paperdom. The unquantifiable service of Indias over two million strong Central uniformed forces comprising the Army, BSF and CRPF has been peerless in the face of bombs and bullets from the burgeoning number of terrorists, including Naxalites, whose fatal obsession is to socially and economically destabilize India.

Terrorism is the scourge of the modern world. India is no different. Religious and economic terrorism are its deadliest foes, which have to be fought collectively by all stakeholders including the government and corporates. As the probability of soldiers dying while defending the country rises by the day, their morale is macerated. According to a web portal which tracks terror related data, around 23,000 terrorists were killed during 1988-2017. In the process, 6,300-plus officers and men in uniform lost their livesa ratio of four terrorists to one soldieran ominously high operational rate anywhere in the world. Over 3,000 CRPF jawans and officers were slain fighting Maoists during the same period.

Tragically, martyrs have a short shelf life in public memory. Their deaths are but a ceremony of official hypocrisy. Awards are ritually declared in their name. Sops like cheques and jobs are announced for their families. Their mortal remains, draped with the tricolour, are flown to their native places and taken out in the streets accompanied by much fanfare. Top politicians and officials of the Army, police and civil service attend their last rites for photo ops.

Until the next massacre takes place and its more of the same.

The truth behind the triteness is that the families hardly receive in full the benefits and rewards advertised by the government. Relatives are forced to knock

on the doors of various government offices for legitimate dues. There are umpteen Central and state welfare schemes in the name of martyrs. But these lack enough money and machinery

to provide sustenance to their family members.

The result is dismal. Indias uniformed forces suffer both in life and death. While the bureaucratic elite from the IAS, IFS and IPS enjoy a secure and comfortable life after retirement, the men and women in khaki, green, black or blue uniforms are treated like second class

desh bhakhts. The OROP war reflects this discriminatory attitude. Uniformed personnel are denied even basic facilities like health and accommodation on difficult assignments. For example, the 869 weather related casualties in Siachen in 2015which included 33 senior officers and 54 JCOswere not from enemy fire but because of the Indian governments failure to provide modern life saving equipment to soldiers In many instances, the absence of medical help leads to the deaths of officers and men in terrorist encounters.

Perhaps, this degrading environment prevents the best and the brightest from joining the uniformed ranks. Only those who perceive the police department as a gravy train on steroids are willing to board it. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been introducing innovative models of governance and schemes for every sector and section of Indian society, the time has come to review the working conditions of those who stand guard while the country sleeps. The protection and promotion of the samman and swabhiman of a shaheed ( Self respect and honour of a martyr) should be adopted as a

National Mission. It can be done if:

 Both the Centre and the State Government establish Martyrs Memorial Fund (MMF)s to provide support to the families of those killed by terrorists and Maoists with proper monitoring. The lives of the survivors must also be made financially secure.

 The funds corpus should be at least `500 crore at the Central level and `100 crore in every state.

 The family of a soldier killed in an anti-terror or anti Naxal operation should be given ten times their salary for the remaining period of service. The cheque should be delivered soon after the last rites are completed.

 The daughter of the slain person should be given a suitable job within two weeks of the death.

 At least two of their children should be given free education with hostel facilities up to the graduate level.

 It should be made mandatory for all corporates to deposit at least 10 per cent of their Corporate Social Responsibility budget to MMF every year.

 MMF tax of 1 per cent should be imposed on every transaction on stock markets.

To bring solace to the souls of martyrs, the collective mindset of the nation, hitherto minded by its ultra-liberal shepherds, should be stood on its head.

The frighteningly facile Facebook format of They are soldiers, they are paid to die, should invite savage social ostracism. Its a secularist vocation to question and damn the conduct of officers who have killed terrorists and their confederates in encounters. This coercive cacophony has prevented governments from acknowledging the brutal deaths of our men in uniform as their sacred sacrifice. The country is undergoing a massive transformation in which various established notions and myths are being demolished. India First is the New Norm and Normal. Akshay and Saina, with their magnanimous message, have turned the martyrdom of the soldiers into a celebration of the triumph of nationalism, which is doomed to die if its prophets and believers have no defenders.

Prabhu Chawla

prabhuchawla@ newindianexpress.com

Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla

Akshay Kumar is Bollywoods Khiladi No 1. Saina Nehwal is a national khiladi in the audacious arena of sports. Last week, the two celebrities made a gesture that revealed their humble humanity, dipping into their pockets to honor men in uniform who laid down their lives for the nation. Akshay donated `9 lakh each to the families of the 12 CRPF jawans killed by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh. Nehwal gave `50,000 each. It wasnt the monetary amount, which defined this thankful tribute. Their gesture was in stark contrast to the indifference of the rich and famous club, which was too tightfisted to spare money and moments for those who die in battle so that we can live in peace. In todays megapixel world, the agony of the disillusioned is a passing storm. Videos of jawans complaining of official apathy and paltry salaries have gone viral over the past months. But the complaints are either covered up or buried in mountains of penal paperdom. The unquantifiable service of Indias over two million strong Central uniformed forces comprising the Army, BSF and CRPF has been peerless in the face of bombs and bullets from the burgeoning number of terrorists, including Naxalites, whose fatal obsession is to socially and economically destabilize India. Terrorism is the scourge of the modern world. India is no different. Religious and economic terrorism are its deadliest foes, which have to be fought collectively by all stakeholders including the government and corporates. As the probability of soldiers dying while defending the country rises by the day, their morale is macerated. According to a web portal which tracks terror related data, around 23,000 terrorists were killed during 1988-2017. In the process, 6,300-plus officers and men in uniform lost their livesa ratio of four terrorists to one soldieran ominously high operational rate anywhere in the world. Over 3,000 CRPF jawans and officers were slain fighting Maoists during the same period. Tragically, martyrs have a short shelf life in public memory. Their deaths are but a ceremony of official hypocrisy. Awards are ritually declared in their name. Sops like cheques and jobs are announced for their families. Their mortal remains, draped with the tricolour, are flown to their native places and taken out in the streets accompanied by much fanfare. Top politicians and officials of the Army, police and civil service attend their last rites for photo ops. Until the next massacre takes place and its more of the same. The truth behind the triteness is that the families hardly receive in full the benefits and rewards advertised by the government. Relatives are forced to knock on the doors of various government offices for legitimate dues. There are umpteen Central and state welfare schemes in the name of martyrs. But these lack enough money and machinery to provide sustenance to their family members. The result is dismal. Indias uniformed forces suffer both in life and death. While the bureaucratic elite from the IAS, IFS and IPS enjoy a secure and comfortable life after retirement, the men and women in khaki, green, black or blue uniforms are treated like second class desh bhakhts. The OROP war reflects this discriminatory attitude. Uniformed personnel are denied even basic facilities like health and accommodation on difficult assignments. For example, the 869 weather related casualties in Siachen in 2015which included 33 senior officers and 54 JCOswere not from enemy fire but because of the Indian governments failure to provide modern life saving equipment to soldiers In many instances, the absence of medical help leads to the deaths of officers and men in terrorist encounters. Perhaps, this degrading environment prevents the best and the brightest from joining the uniformed ranks. Only those who perceive the police department as a gravy train on steroids are willing to board it. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been introducing innovative models of governance and schemes for every sector and section of Indian society, the time has come to review the working conditions of those who stand guard while the country sleeps. The protection and promotion of the samman and swabhiman of a shaheed ( Self respect and honour of a martyr) should be adopted as a National Mission. It can be done if:  Both the Centre and the State Government establish Martyrs Memorial Fund (MMF)s to provide support to the families of those killed by terrorists and Maoists with proper monitoring. The lives of the survivors must also be made financially secure.  The funds corpus should be at least `500 crore at the Central level and `100 crore in every state.  The family of a soldier killed in an anti-terror or anti Naxal operation should be given ten times their salary for the remaining period of service. The cheque should be delivered soon after the last rites are completed.  The daughter of the slain person should be given a suitable job within two weeks of the death.  At least two of their children should be given free education with hostel facilities up to the graduate level.  It should be made mandatory for all corporates to deposit at least 10 per cent of their Corporate Social Responsibility budget to MMF every year.  MMF tax of 1 per cent should be imposed on every transaction on stock markets. To bring solace to the souls of martyrs, the collective mindset of the nation, hitherto minded by its ultra-liberal shepherds, should be stood on its head. The frighteningly facile Facebook format of They are soldiers, they are paid to die, should invite savage social ostracism. Its a secularist vocation to question and damn the conduct of officers who have killed terrorists and their confederates in encounters. This coercive cacophony has prevented governments from acknowledging the brutal deaths of our men in uniform as their sacred sacrifice. The country is undergoing a massive transformation in which various established notions and myths are being demolished. India First is the New Norm and Normal. Akshay and Saina, with their magnanimous message, have turned the martyrdom of the soldiers into a celebration of the triumph of nationalism, which is doomed to die if its prophets and believers have no defenders. Prabhu Chawla prabhuchawla@ newindianexpress.com Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vattappara police have arrested a 42-year-old man for allegedly attempting to molest a 65-year-old woman at her residence at Vattappara. The police identified the accused as Suresh Kumar, a resident of Vettupara near Vattappara.

According to the police, the incident took place on Thursday night when the woman was alone at her residence. The accused barged into the residence and tried to overpower her. He was under the influence of alcohol. He also made obscene gestures at her.

When the woman screamed for help, he ran away from the spot. He was nabbed after the woman filed a police complaint.

The accused was booked under Section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and remanded in judicial custody.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vattappara police have arrested a 42-year-old man for allegedly attempting to molest a 65-year-old woman at her residence at Vattappara. The police identified the accused as Suresh Kumar, a resident of Vettupara near Vattappara. According to the police, the incident took place on Thursday night when the woman was alone at her residence. The accused barged into the residence and tried to overpower her. He was under the influence of alcohol. He also made obscene gestures at her. When the woman screamed for help, he ran away from the spot. He was nabbed after the woman filed a police complaint. The accused was booked under Section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and remanded in judicial custody.
By Express News Service

BERHAMPUR: A local BJD leader of Rohigaon village under Sadar police limits in Ganjam district, Ashok Jena, was killed in an attack by a group of armed persons on Friday night.



Ashok and his three friends were returning home from a temple in the village when a group of 20 persons attacked them with swords near New Street.

The truck which was gutted by

miscreants | Express

Ashok and one of his friends, Srinivas, sustained grievous injuries while the two others managed to escape from the spot with minor injuries and informed other villagers in the area.

When villagers rushed to the spot, the miscreants fled leaving Ashok and Srinivas in a pool of blood. Villagers admitted them to MKCG MCH and informed police. While Ashok succumbed to his injuries, Srinivas is undergoing treatment.



Sadar police detained five youths of the village in this connection. Although the reason behind the attack has not been ascertained yet, police suspect it to be fallout of past political rivalry.

In 1998, a Congress supporter in the village was killed and the attack was to avenge the murder, they said. In the recent panchayat poll, most of the elected representatives of Rohigaon belong to Congress. Apprehending further clash, armed police have been deployed in the village.

BERHAMPUR: A local BJD leader of Rohigaon village under Sadar police limits in Ganjam district, Ashok Jena, was killed in an attack by a group of armed persons on Friday night. Ashok and his three friends were returning home from a temple in the village when a group of 20 persons attacked them with swords near New Street. The truck which was gutted by miscreants | ExpressAshok and one of his friends, Srinivas, sustained grievous injuries while the two others managed to escape from the spot with minor injuries and informed other villagers in the area. When villagers rushed to the spot, the miscreants fled leaving Ashok and Srinivas in a pool of blood. Villagers admitted them to MKCG MCH and informed police. While Ashok succumbed to his injuries, Srinivas is undergoing treatment. Sadar police detained five youths of the village in this connection. Although the reason behind the attack has not been ascertained yet, police suspect it to be fallout of past political rivalry. In 1998, a Congress supporter in the village was killed and the attack was to avenge the murder, they said. In the recent panchayat poll, most of the elected representatives of Rohigaon belong to Congress. Apprehending further clash, armed police have been deployed in the village.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Expressing concern over hate crime attacks against Indians in the United States, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to take up the matter with US authorities.

As you are kindly aware there have been some unfortunate incidents in the USA in the recent past. The killings of Srinivas Kuchibhotla of Hyderabad in Kansas State and Vamshi Chander Reddy Mamidala of Warangal in California State have shaken the confidence of kith and kin of youth from India, who are working in the US, the Chief Minister told the Prime Minister.

It has also been noticed that hate crime against Indians have increased. As we all know, the Indian Diaspora in the US are contributing immensely to the development of US and India as well, I request you to take up the matter with the US authorities at appropriate level, Chandrasekhar Rao further urged the PM in his letter.

HYDERABAD: Expressing concern over hate crime attacks against Indians in the United States, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to take up the matter with US authorities. As you are kindly aware there have been some unfortunate incidents in the USA in the recent past. The killings of Srinivas Kuchibhotla of Hyderabad in Kansas State and Vamshi Chander Reddy Mamidala of Warangal in California State have shaken the confidence of kith and kin of youth from India, who are working in the US, the Chief Minister told the Prime Minister. It has also been noticed that hate crime against Indians have increased. As we all know, the Indian Diaspora in the US are contributing immensely to the development of US and India as well, I request you to take up the matter with the US authorities at appropriate level, Chandrasekhar Rao further urged the PM in his letter.
Pradip R Sagar By

NEW DELHI: On the morning of March 11, when the nation was glued to television sets watching the poll results in five states, nearly 120 men of the Central Reserve Police Forces 219th battalion were ambushed by over 80 Naxals in the Sukma jungles of Chhattisgarh. Twelve of them fell to IED blasts, enemy bullets, country-made mortars and Rambo-style explosive-headed-arrows.

A bigger tragedy was there were no helicopters to ferry the injured to hospital, leading to more casualties in the biggest ever Naxal attack on security forces in two years. The only mode of evacuation in thick forest areas is by helicopter. They are also force-multipliers providing logistical support to troops.

Official apathy was responsible for the chopper gap. An internal CRPF note to the Ministry of Home Affairs last week pointed out that eight of the 10 copters allocated for CRPFs anti-Naxal operations were grounded, leaving just two available for operations.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has no helicopters of its own. It uses 10 helicoptersfour Mi-17 V-5 from the Indian Air Force, three Advanced Light Dhruvs from the BSF, two private and one from the Chhattisgarh policefor anti-Naxal operations in state.

According to a report by the IG (Ops), CRPF, two of the Mi17s parked at Raipur and Jagdalpur bases could not take off, since they had already flown their stipulated 95 hours.

The ALH Dhruvs in Raipur were under maintenance for the last three months. The contract for two private helicopters had expired in February.

A senior CRPF official claimed that the MHA had been briefed about the non-availability of choppers, accompanied by a request to renew the contract of the private choppers.

Only one Mi-17 helicopter from Raipur was pressed into service and later, another from the Nagpur station after the ambush. Immediate availability of helicopters certainly could have saved precious lives of our personnel, said a CRPF official.

Incidentally, the non-availability of copters in such critical situations raises questions, when a record number of choppers were hired by political parties for electioneering in the recently-concluded five state polls.

NEW DELHI: On the morning of March 11, when the nation was glued to television sets watching the poll results in five states, nearly 120 men of the Central Reserve Police Forces 219th battalion were ambushed by over 80 Naxals in the Sukma jungles of Chhattisgarh. Twelve of them fell to IED blasts, enemy bullets, country-made mortars and Rambo-style explosive-headed-arrows. A bigger tragedy was there were no helicopters to ferry the injured to hospital, leading to more casualties in the biggest ever Naxal attack on security forces in two years. The only mode of evacuation in thick forest areas is by helicopter. They are also force-multipliers providing logistical support to troops. Official apathy was responsible for the chopper gap. An internal CRPF note to the Ministry of Home Affairs last week pointed out that eight of the 10 copters allocated for CRPFs anti-Naxal operations were grounded, leaving just two available for operations. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has no helicopters of its own. It uses 10 helicoptersfour Mi-17 V-5 from the Indian Air Force, three Advanced Light Dhruvs from the BSF, two private and one from the Chhattisgarh policefor anti-Naxal operations in state. According to a report by the IG (Ops), CRPF, two of the Mi17s parked at Raipur and Jagdalpur bases could not take off, since they had already flown their stipulated 95 hours. The ALH Dhruvs in Raipur were under maintenance for the last three months. The contract for two private helicopters had expired in February. A senior CRPF official claimed that the MHA had been briefed about the non-availability of choppers, accompanied by a request to renew the contract of the private choppers. Only one Mi-17 helicopter from Raipur was pressed into service and later, another from the Nagpur station after the ambush. Immediate availability of helicopters certainly could have saved precious lives of our personnel, said a CRPF official. Incidentally, the non-availability of copters in such critical situations raises questions, when a record number of choppers were hired by political parties for electioneering in the recently-concluded five state polls.
Gayathri Mani By

NEW DELHI: More than a year after a lawyer filed a petition seeking ban on Santa-Banta jokes on Sikhs, now its the South Indians students who are claiming to be hurt by the content of a weekly tabloid published by Delhi University students.

Three students of DU law facultyShashi Chaurasia, Vikas Bhaskar and Mohit Kumar Guptahave objected to the column titled, Sex Amma, published in DU Beat, a weekly tabloid and website run by a group of students of the university-affiliated colleges.

Claiming that the phrases used in the column have hurt the sentiments of the south Indian community, they have filed a complaint against the publication at the Maurice Nagar police station. They have also objected to the way motherly figure Amma has been projected wearing saree revealing her undergarments in a caricature.

Calling someone Idli, Dosa is a racial attack on a community, said Aishwarya, a DU student, who is a Tamilian.

Students also filed a complaint with Delhi Commission for Women that has issued notices to DU, DCP west and DCP cyber crime, seeking probe. A member of DU Beat told The Sunday Standard, We dont mean harm to any community. Its just a way to present things in a humorous way.

NEW DELHI: More than a year after a lawyer filed a petition seeking ban on Santa-Banta jokes on Sikhs, now its the South Indians students who are claiming to be hurt by the content of a weekly tabloid published by Delhi University students. Three students of DU law facultyShashi Chaurasia, Vikas Bhaskar and Mohit Kumar Guptahave objected to the column titled, Sex Amma, published in DU Beat, a weekly tabloid and website run by a group of students of the university-affiliated colleges. Claiming that the phrases used in the column have hurt the sentiments of the south Indian community, they have filed a complaint against the publication at the Maurice Nagar police station. They have also objected to the way motherly figure Amma has been projected wearing saree revealing her undergarments in a caricature. Calling someone Idli, Dosa is a racial attack on a community, said Aishwarya, a DU student, who is a Tamilian. Students also filed a complaint with Delhi Commission for Women that has issued notices to DU, DCP west and DCP cyber crime, seeking probe. A member of DU Beat told The Sunday Standard, We dont mean harm to any community. Its just a way to present things in a humorous way.
Ankur Sharma By

NEW DELHI: Terrorists are planning Peshawar-type attacks in Delhi, targeting students. They have asked their local contacts to find out hideouts near schools and colleges, say inputs by central intelligence agencies.

According to the information shared with top officials of various agencies in the last 48 hours, LeT and JeM have tasked their contacts to reccee locations and arrange operational support for the attacks.

An official communication says that trained operatives, probably Pakistani nationals, have been sent to India via Afghanistan on fake travel documents. They have been asked to arrange hideouts near colleges and schools. According to an official, Security near colleges and schools have been beefed up. Police have been asked to gather local intelligence.

Documents accessed by The Sunday Standard claimed that terrorists enter India through Afghanistan instead of Bangladesh or Nepal. On December 16, 2014, seven gunmen of the Tehrik-i-Taliban attacked the Army Public School in the Pakistani city of Peshawar in which 150 kids were killed.

According to sources, the reason for taking Afghanistan route is that terrorists can easily enter India with fake visa and passport; even if they get arrested by the local police it will help them in residing in India for longer period.

There have been many cases where Indians were caught at IGI airport for travelling to Middle East countries on fake documents provided by agents in these countries. They are jailed for couple of days and then released. Terrorists have plans to use the same route, sources said.

NEW DELHI: Terrorists are planning Peshawar-type attacks in Delhi, targeting students. They have asked their local contacts to find out hideouts near schools and colleges, say inputs by central intelligence agencies. According to the information shared with top officials of various agencies in the last 48 hours, LeT and JeM have tasked their contacts to reccee locations and arrange operational support for the attacks. An official communication says that trained operatives, probably Pakistani nationals, have been sent to India via Afghanistan on fake travel documents. They have been asked to arrange hideouts near colleges and schools. According to an official, Security near colleges and schools have been beefed up. Police have been asked to gather local intelligence. Documents accessed by The Sunday Standard claimed that terrorists enter India through Afghanistan instead of Bangladesh or Nepal. On December 16, 2014, seven gunmen of the Tehrik-i-Taliban attacked the Army Public School in the Pakistani city of Peshawar in which 150 kids were killed. According to sources, the reason for taking Afghanistan route is that terrorists can easily enter India with fake visa and passport; even if they get arrested by the local police it will help them in residing in India for longer period. There have been many cases where Indians were caught at IGI airport for travelling to Middle East countries on fake documents provided by agents in these countries. They are jailed for couple of days and then released. Terrorists have plans to use the same route, sources said.
Express News Service By

LUCKNOW: With the anointment of Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, a new power game comes into play in the state. In the Assembly polls this time, the post-demo Modi magic had sidelined developmental issues. Little progress has been made on schemes such as roads, agriculture and railways.

With Adityanath at the helm in 2019 in the state, the BJP hopes the Hindutva factor will help it retain most of its 71 MPs, or even better the figure. UP is the next laboratory for the RSS, which approved of Adityanath wholeheartedly.

In the changed demographic of Western UP, where the Muslim population has burgeoned, Yogis clout in the east along with the Hindutva counter-effect in neighbouring states such as Bihar will give the party a leg-up. As far as Yogi is concerned, being chief minister will enable him to put his fiefdom of Purvanchal on the development road map, by working closely with Delhi.

The Modi-Adityanath combination as a single powerful image to capture Uttar Pradesh in 2019 will benefit both parties.

Yogis Hindutva agenda will obscure any development concerns and push forward the BJPs poll chariot from Gorakhpur through Ayodhya to Delhi. For Adityanath, its a chance to consolidate his grip on the backward Purvanchal region as more than just its spiritual mentor, becoming its development messiah, too.

Eastern Uttar Pradesh has been languishing on the growth index, though the mahants charisma remains unaffected. When Modi visited the Yogi at his mutt late last year, he had cleared the setting up of a new AIIMS for Gorakhpur, a fertiliser project and many road projects. Numerous sugar factories of Eastern UP have been lying idle for many years because of the focus on Western UP by Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav.

If he revives the sugar belt, it will add to his lustre. Because Purvanchal is close to Nepal, there is no infrastructure to stop flooding. This is a challenge Adityanath will have to meet.

In 2019, the Opposition is envisaging a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) against the BJP in the North, including UP. Adityanath is seen as the BJPs best bet to prevent the fragmentation of the Hindu vote in the manner Modi magic had in Uttar Pradesh this time.

Besides, of 311 MLAs from BJP, 165 are either Brahmins or Thakurs. Yogi power has the mojo to keep all castes, including OBCs, in check. For this, he will have the help of OBC leader BP Maurya and Brahmin leader Dinesh Sharmaboth Deputy Chief Ministers.

LUCKNOW: With the anointment of Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, a new power game comes into play in the state. In the Assembly polls this time, the post-demo Modi magic had sidelined developmental issues. Little progress has been made on schemes such as roads, agriculture and railways. With Adityanath at the helm in 2019 in the state, the BJP hopes the Hindutva factor will help it retain most of its 71 MPs, or even better the figure. UP is the next laboratory for the RSS, which approved of Adityanath wholeheartedly. In the changed demographic of Western UP, where the Muslim population has burgeoned, Yogis clout in the east along with the Hindutva counter-effect in neighbouring states such as Bihar will give the party a leg-up. As far as Yogi is concerned, being chief minister will enable him to put his fiefdom of Purvanchal on the development road map, by working closely with Delhi. The Modi-Adityanath combination as a single powerful image to capture Uttar Pradesh in 2019 will benefit both parties. Yogis Hindutva agenda will obscure any development concerns and push forward the BJPs poll chariot from Gorakhpur through Ayodhya to Delhi. For Adityanath, its a chance to consolidate his grip on the backward Purvanchal region as more than just its spiritual mentor, becoming its development messiah, too. Eastern Uttar Pradesh has been languishing on the growth index, though the mahants charisma remains unaffected. When Modi visited the Yogi at his mutt late last year, he had cleared the setting up of a new AIIMS for Gorakhpur, a fertiliser project and many road projects. Numerous sugar factories of Eastern UP have been lying idle for many years because of the focus on Western UP by Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav. If he revives the sugar belt, it will add to his lustre. Because Purvanchal is close to Nepal, there is no infrastructure to stop flooding. This is a challenge Adityanath will have to meet. In 2019, the Opposition is envisaging a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) against the BJP in the North, including UP. Adityanath is seen as the BJPs best bet to prevent the fragmentation of the Hindu vote in the manner Modi magic had in Uttar Pradesh this time. Besides, of 311 MLAs from BJP, 165 are either Brahmins or Thakurs. Yogi power has the mojo to keep all castes, including OBCs, in check. For this, he will have the help of OBC leader BP Maurya and Brahmin leader Dinesh Sharmaboth Deputy Chief Ministers.
A man in his 30s from Harrison, Idaho, was struck and killed by a passing semi-truck early Saturday as he pushed his out-of-gas Subaru off the interstate near the Rocker exit, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.

The man and a female passenger were pushing the 1998 Subaru Legacy to the right side of the roadway about 1 a.m. when the semi-truck struck them from behind, killing the male. The female, also in her 30s, was thrown into the ditch and escaped with minor injuries.

Both vehicles were heading toward Butte on Interstate 15-90, near mile marker 122 and between the Dillon and Rocker interchanges, when the accident occurred.

The driver took most of the blunt force from the vehicle (Subaru) being hit because he was on the left side, said trooper James Beck. The semi was trying to steer to the left to avoid them, but he hit the drivers side of the Subaru.

The semi driver did try to stop, he added. There were skid marks for over 100 yards.

Darkness and traffic may have played a role, Beck said, although the accident is still under investigation. He emphasized that alcohol, drugs or speed were not factors.

The Subaru driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman got bounced off the vehicle and into the borrow pit, said Beck. She only has minor lacerations and a broken finger.

The semi-truck driver, from Pocatello, Idaho, was hauling three trailers with Indiana license plates, said Beck.

Emergency flashers on the Subaru were deployed.

It was a freak accident, he added. There are no lights until you get to the off-ramp. Im not 100 percent sure why the driver couldnt see them 100 yards in advance. And there was lots of traffic. Its a really sad situation.

The patrol cannot release the name of the victim due to notification of next-of-kin.
By Associated Press

DUBAI: A Canadian school teacher whose teaching philosophy underscores hope and acts of kindness in an isolated corner of Quebec won a $1 million prize Sunday in what has become one of the most-coveted and high-profile awards for teaching excellence.

Maggie MacDonnell was awarded the annual Global Teacher Prize during a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, beating out thousands of applicants from around the world.

The prize was established three years ago to recognize one exceptional teacher a year who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession, employs innovative classroom practices and encourages others to join the teaching profession.

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was on hand to present the prize to MacDonnell. Her name was announced by French astronaut Thomas Pasquet in a video message from the International Space Station.

MacDonnell was among 10 finalists flown to Dubai to attend the ceremony. The nine others hail from Pakistan, the UK, Jamaica, Spain, Germany, China, Kenya, Australia and Brazil.

MacDonnell has been teaching for six years in a remote Arctic village called Salluit. According to her biography, Salluit is home to the second northernmost Inuit indigenous community in Quebec, with a population of just over 1,300, and can only be reached by air.

Her perseverance to continue teaching in the remote area, where many teachers leave their post midway through the year, made her a standout for the award. MacDonnell created a number of programs for boys and girls, including job mentorship and funds to assist with healthy meals.

She also established a fitness center for youth and adults in the local community, where drug use and alcoholism rates are high due to the region's harsh winters and isolation. The tiny village witnessed six suicides in 2015, all affecting young males between the ages of 18 and 25.

Her approach focuses on emphasizing "acts of kindness" such as running a community kitchen and attending suicide prevention training.

"The memory that continues to haunt me is when I see these Canadian teenagers, their very own classmates of the deceased, literally digging the grave," she said. "I didn't know until I came to Salluit that that was a Canadian reality."

Last year, Palestinian teacher Hanan al-Hroub won for her efforts in encouraging students to renounce violence and embrace dialogue. The inaugural prize went to Nancie Atwell, an English teacher from Maine.

The award is presented by the Varkey Foundation. Its founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company, which has more than 250 schools around the world.

The foundation's CEO, Vikas Pota, said in a statement that the award aims to shine a spotlight on great teachers and share their stories with the world.

Also Sunday, 15 countries, including Chile, Iraq, Japan, Pakistan, Portugal, Somalia, Ukraine and Yemen, announced they would launch national teaching prizes with the support of the Varkey Foundation.

DUBAI: A Canadian school teacher whose teaching philosophy underscores hope and acts of kindness in an isolated corner of Quebec won a $1 million prize Sunday in what has become one of the most-coveted and high-profile awards for teaching excellence. Maggie MacDonnell was awarded the annual Global Teacher Prize during a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, beating out thousands of applicants from around the world. The prize was established three years ago to recognize one exceptional teacher a year who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession, employs innovative classroom practices and encourages others to join the teaching profession. Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was on hand to present the prize to MacDonnell. Her name was announced by French astronaut Thomas Pasquet in a video message from the International Space Station. MacDonnell was among 10 finalists flown to Dubai to attend the ceremony. The nine others hail from Pakistan, the UK, Jamaica, Spain, Germany, China, Kenya, Australia and Brazil. MacDonnell has been teaching for six years in a remote Arctic village called Salluit. According to her biography, Salluit is home to the second northernmost Inuit indigenous community in Quebec, with a population of just over 1,300, and can only be reached by air. Her perseverance to continue teaching in the remote area, where many teachers leave their post midway through the year, made her a standout for the award. MacDonnell created a number of programs for boys and girls, including job mentorship and funds to assist with healthy meals. She also established a fitness center for youth and adults in the local community, where drug use and alcoholism rates are high due to the region's harsh winters and isolation. The tiny village witnessed six suicides in 2015, all affecting young males between the ages of 18 and 25. Her approach focuses on emphasizing "acts of kindness" such as running a community kitchen and attending suicide prevention training. "The memory that continues to haunt me is when I see these Canadian teenagers, their very own classmates of the deceased, literally digging the grave," she said. "I didn't know until I came to Salluit that that was a Canadian reality." Last year, Palestinian teacher Hanan al-Hroub won for her efforts in encouraging students to renounce violence and embrace dialogue. The inaugural prize went to Nancie Atwell, an English teacher from Maine. The award is presented by the Varkey Foundation. Its founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company, which has more than 250 schools around the world. The foundation's CEO, Vikas Pota, said in a statement that the award aims to shine a spotlight on great teachers and share their stories with the world. Also Sunday, 15 countries, including Chile, Iraq, Japan, Pakistan, Portugal, Somalia, Ukraine and Yemen, announced they would launch national teaching prizes with the support of the Varkey Foundation.
By AFP

The father of the man shot dead at Orly airport in Paris after attacking a soldier insisted Sunday that his son was "not a terrorist" and that his actions were caused by drink and drugs.

Investigators were still trying to understand what motivated the assault by 39-year-old Ziyed Ben Belgacem, which led to a major security scare and the temporary closure of the capital's second-busiest airport.

By Sunday afternoon air traffic had returned to normal, a spokeswoman for the Paris airports authority said.

Saturday's drama began when Ben Belgacem, who was born in France to Tunisian parents, grabbed a soldier, put a gun to her head and seized her rifle, saying he wanted to "die for Allah".

He was shot dead by two other soldiers after a scuffle.

Ben Belgacem's father insisted his son -- who had spent time in prison for armed robbery and drug trafficking -- was not a extremist.

"My son was not a terrorist. He never prayed and he drank," the father, who was in shock and whose first name was not given, told Europe 1 radio, blaming "drink and cannabis" for his son's actions.

An autopsy was to to be carried out on Ben Belgacem's body Sunday to determine if alcohol or drugs were indeed a factor.

The attack at Orly comes with France still on high alert following an unprecedented wave of jihadist attacks that have claimed more than 230 lives in two years.

The violence has made security a key issue in France's two-round presidential election on April 23 and May 7.

Not on terror watchlist

Investigators were continuing to quiz Ben Belgacem's brother and cousin on Sunday for clues as to whether the gunman had planned a terror attack or decided to die as a self-described martyr after a bizarre shooting spree.

He was investigated in 2015 over links to Islamist radicals forged in prison but his name did not feature on the list of those thought to pose a high risk.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Ben Belgacem appeared to have become caught up in a "sort of headlong flight that became more and more destructive".

The shooting took place on the second day of a visit to Paris by Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate, which was unaffected.

'I've screwed up'

Ben Belgacem's standoff with the security forces began at around 6:30 am (0530 GMT) in the gritty northern Paris suburb of Garges-les-Gonesse, where he lived.

After spending the night in a bar with his cousin, he was pulled over by police for speeding. Ben Belgacem drew a gun and fired at the police, slightly injuring one officer.

His father told Europe 1 his son phoned him shortly afterwards "in a state of extreme agitation".

"He said to me: 'Daddy, please forgive me. I've screwed up with a police officer'."

Ben Belgacem later appeared at the bar where he had been the previous night, firing more shots and stealing another car before continuing on to the airport.

On the departures floor he grabbed a soldier patrolling with two colleagues under the Sentinelle anti-terror operation, wrestling her to the floor.

Molins said Ben Belgacem threatened the three, saying: "I'm here to die for Allah. In any case, people are going to die."

He tried to use the soldier as a human shield but her colleagues managed to shoot him.

Ben Belgacem was carrying a petrol can in his backpack, as well as 750 euros ($805) in cash, a copy of the Koran, a packet of cigarettes and a lighter.

A small amount of cocaine and a machete were found during a search of his home on Saturday.

Soldiers guarding key sites have been targeted in four attacks in the past two years but escaped with only minor injuries.

In mid-February, a machete-wielding Egyptian man attacked a soldier outside Paris's Louvre museum, injuring him slightly, before being shot and wounded.

President Francois Hollande said Saturday his government was "determined to fight relentlessly against terrorism, defend the security of our compatriots and ensure the protection of our country".

The father of the man shot dead at Orly airport in Paris after attacking a soldier insisted Sunday that his son was "not a terrorist" and that his actions were caused by drink and drugs. Investigators were still trying to understand what motivated the assault by 39-year-old Ziyed Ben Belgacem, which led to a major security scare and the temporary closure of the capital's second-busiest airport. By Sunday afternoon air traffic had returned to normal, a spokeswoman for the Paris airports authority said. Saturday's drama began when Ben Belgacem, who was born in France to Tunisian parents, grabbed a soldier, put a gun to her head and seized her rifle, saying he wanted to "die for Allah". He was shot dead by two other soldiers after a scuffle. Ben Belgacem's father insisted his son -- who had spent time in prison for armed robbery and drug trafficking -- was not a extremist. "My son was not a terrorist. He never prayed and he drank," the father, who was in shock and whose first name was not given, told Europe 1 radio, blaming "drink and cannabis" for his son's actions. An autopsy was to to be carried out on Ben Belgacem's body Sunday to determine if alcohol or drugs were indeed a factor. The attack at Orly comes with France still on high alert following an unprecedented wave of jihadist attacks that have claimed more than 230 lives in two years. The violence has made security a key issue in France's two-round presidential election on April 23 and May 7. Not on terror watchlist Investigators were continuing to quiz Ben Belgacem's brother and cousin on Sunday for clues as to whether the gunman had planned a terror attack or decided to die as a self-described martyr after a bizarre shooting spree. He was investigated in 2015 over links to Islamist radicals forged in prison but his name did not feature on the list of those thought to pose a high risk. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Ben Belgacem appeared to have become caught up in a "sort of headlong flight that became more and more destructive". The shooting took place on the second day of a visit to Paris by Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate, which was unaffected. 'I've screwed up' Ben Belgacem's standoff with the security forces began at around 6:30 am (0530 GMT) in the gritty northern Paris suburb of Garges-les-Gonesse, where he lived. After spending the night in a bar with his cousin, he was pulled over by police for speeding. Ben Belgacem drew a gun and fired at the police, slightly injuring one officer. His father told Europe 1 his son phoned him shortly afterwards "in a state of extreme agitation". "He said to me: 'Daddy, please forgive me. I've screwed up with a police officer'." Ben Belgacem later appeared at the bar where he had been the previous night, firing more shots and stealing another car before continuing on to the airport. On the departures floor he grabbed a soldier patrolling with two colleagues under the Sentinelle anti-terror operation, wrestling her to the floor. Molins said Ben Belgacem threatened the three, saying: "I'm here to die for Allah. In any case, people are going to die." He tried to use the soldier as a human shield but her colleagues managed to shoot him. Ben Belgacem was carrying a petrol can in his backpack, as well as 750 euros ($805) in cash, a copy of the Koran, a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. A small amount of cocaine and a machete were found during a search of his home on Saturday. Soldiers guarding key sites have been targeted in four attacks in the past two years but escaped with only minor injuries. In mid-February, a machete-wielding Egyptian man attacked a soldier outside Paris's Louvre museum, injuring him slightly, before being shot and wounded. President Francois Hollande said Saturday his government was "determined to fight relentlessly against terrorism, defend the security of our compatriots and ensure the protection of our country".
By ANI

NEW YORK: Celebrated author J K Rowling has never been one to mince words, especially when it comes to Donald Trump, and the Harry Potter creator once again trained her witty guns on the President over his infamous 'awkward' photo-op with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Rowling took to Twitter to post a picture of the meeting, where Trump can be seen staring at the floor with his lands locked between his knees, while Merkel looks at him with an undecipherable expression.

Rowling has previously defended her right to criticise the Trump regime, despite not being an American citizen, arguing, "When a man this ignorant & easy to manipulate gets within sniffing distance of the nuclear codes, it's everyone's business."

In a photo op after their Oval Office meeting yesterday, the two leaders sat next to each other in separate chairs. Merkel could be seen leaning towards Trump, who sat with his hands firmly locked between his knees, a very 'un-Trump' like gesture.

Merkel then appeared to ask the President if he wanted to shake hands, which is customary in photo ops, but Trump simply did not respond. He barely even looked at his German counterpart while quickly answering a few questions from the press.

Trump's tensed up body-language during the photo-op and his refusal to shake hands with Merkel has not gone down well across the globe, as he was chastised for the incidents and many branded his behaviors as rude and "un-President" like.

"Send a good picture back to Germany, make sure," Trump jokingly told photographers, adding that his meeting with the Chancellor was "very good" and said the pair talked about "many things."

However, when asked to shake hands by reporters and photographers, Trump and Merkel remained stationary. It wasn't clear if the two heard the request, and the two had shaken hands when Merkel arrived at the White House and they shook hands again after a White House news conference.

By contrast, the President did shake hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when they recently visited him in the Oval Office, which incidentally did provide great fodder to memesters.

NEW YORK: Celebrated author J K Rowling has never been one to mince words, especially when it comes to Donald Trump, and the Harry Potter creator once again trained her witty guns on the President over his infamous 'awkward' photo-op with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Rowling took to Twitter to post a picture of the meeting, where Trump can be seen staring at the floor with his lands locked between his knees, while Merkel looks at him with an undecipherable expression. Rowling has previously defended her right to criticise the Trump regime, despite not being an American citizen, arguing, "When a man this ignorant & easy to manipulate gets within sniffing distance of the nuclear codes, it's everyone's business." In a photo op after their Oval Office meeting yesterday, the two leaders sat next to each other in separate chairs. Merkel could be seen leaning towards Trump, who sat with his hands firmly locked between his knees, a very 'un-Trump' like gesture. Merkel then appeared to ask the President if he wanted to shake hands, which is customary in photo ops, but Trump simply did not respond. He barely even looked at his German counterpart while quickly answering a few questions from the press. Trump's tensed up body-language during the photo-op and his refusal to shake hands with Merkel has not gone down well across the globe, as he was chastised for the incidents and many branded his behaviors as rude and "un-President" like. "Send a good picture back to Germany, make sure," Trump jokingly told photographers, adding that his meeting with the Chancellor was "very good" and said the pair talked about "many things." However, when asked to shake hands by reporters and photographers, Trump and Merkel remained stationary. It wasn't clear if the two heard the request, and the two had shaken hands when Merkel arrived at the White House and they shook hands again after a White House news conference. By contrast, the President did shake hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when they recently visited him in the Oval Office, which incidentally did provide great fodder to memesters.
By AFP

Germany angrily warned Turkey on Sunday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had gone too far after he accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of using "Nazi measures" in an escalating diplomatic feud.

Turkey and the European Union are locked in an explosive crisis that threatens to jeopardise Ankara's bid to join the bloc, as tensions rise ahead of an April 16 referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers.

The row erupted after authorities in Germany and other EU states refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign for a 'yes' vote on their soil, provoking a volcanic response from the Turkish strongman who said the spirit of Nazi Germany was rampant in Europe.

"When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said in a televised speech on Sunday.

"But you are right now employing Nazi measures," Erdogan said referring to Merkel, pointedly using the informal "you" in Turkish.

"Against who? My Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers" who planned to hold campaign rallies for a 'yes' vote in the referendum, he said.

Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded Erdogan's comments "shocking".

"We are tolerant but we're not stupid," he told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper. "That's why I have let my Turkish counterpart know very clearly that a boundary has been crossed here."

Julia Kloeckner, the vice-president of Merkel's CDU party, also reacted angrily to the comments.

"Has Mr. Erdogan lost his mind?" she said, telling journalists she was urging the EU to freeze "financial aid amounting to billions of euros" to Turkey.

- 'Germany behind coup?' -

Home to 1.4 million Turkish voters, Germany hosts the world's largest Turkish diaspora but the partnership between NATO allies Ankara and Berlin has been ripped to shreds by the current crisis.

Turkey reacted furiously to a Frankfurt rally on Saturday urging a 'no' vote where protesters brandished insignia of outlawed Kurdish rebels, accusing Germany of double standards.

"Yesterday (Saturday), Germany put its name under another scandal," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told CNN-Turk. He said the German ambassador had been summoned although this was not confirmed by Berlin.

The Turkish foreign ministry accused the German authorities "of the worst example of double standards" for allowing the pro-Kurdish protest while preventing Turkish ministers from campaigning there.

Many protesters carried symbols of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terror organisation not just by Turkey but also the EU and the United States.

Ankara also reacted with indignation after Germany's intelligence chief said he was unconvinced by Turkish assertions that US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen was behind the failed July coup aimed at overthrowing Erdogan.

Kalin said Europe was seeking to "whitewash" Gulen's group, while Defence Minister Fikri Isik said the comments raised questions about whether Berlin itself was involved in the putsch.

"The fact that the head of German intelligence made such a statement will increase doubts about Germany and give rise to the question 'was German intelligence behind the coup?'," he said.

In an interview with Der Spiegel published Saturday, German foreign intelligence chief Bruno Kahl said Ankara had repeatedly tried to persuade Berlin that Gulen was behind the coup "but they have not succeeded".

- 'Further than ever' -

The dispute has left Turkey's ambition to join the EU -- a cornerstone of its policy for half a century -- hanging in the balance ahead of the referendum.

Erdogan threw further oil on the fire Saturday by saying he believed parliament would, after the referendum, agree a bill to restore capital punishment which he would then sign.

It was Erdogan's clearest warning yet that he could reverse the 2004 abolition of capital punishment, a pre-condition for joining the EU.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned Sunday that any return of the death penalty in Turkey would be a "red line".

And Gabriel told Der Spiegel: "We are further away than ever from Turkey's accession to the EU."

The crisis is hitting Turkey's relations with key EU members and Turkish-Dutch ties hit an all-time low in the run-up to the March 15 election in the Netherlands.

Erdogan last week even called on Turks living in Europe to have more children to tilt the demographic balance.

Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen on Sunday said he was summoning the Turkish ambassador for an explanation after a report that dual nationals critical of Erdogan had been threatened.

Germany angrily warned Turkey on Sunday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had gone too far after he accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of using "Nazi measures" in an escalating diplomatic feud. Turkey and the European Union are locked in an explosive crisis that threatens to jeopardise Ankara's bid to join the bloc, as tensions rise ahead of an April 16 referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers. The row erupted after authorities in Germany and other EU states refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign for a 'yes' vote on their soil, provoking a volcanic response from the Turkish strongman who said the spirit of Nazi Germany was rampant in Europe. "When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said in a televised speech on Sunday. "But you are right now employing Nazi measures," Erdogan said referring to Merkel, pointedly using the informal "you" in Turkish. "Against who? My Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers" who planned to hold campaign rallies for a 'yes' vote in the referendum, he said. Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded Erdogan's comments "shocking". "We are tolerant but we're not stupid," he told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper. "That's why I have let my Turkish counterpart know very clearly that a boundary has been crossed here." Julia Kloeckner, the vice-president of Merkel's CDU party, also reacted angrily to the comments. "Has Mr. Erdogan lost his mind?" she said, telling journalists she was urging the EU to freeze "financial aid amounting to billions of euros" to Turkey. - 'Germany behind coup?' - Home to 1.4 million Turkish voters, Germany hosts the world's largest Turkish diaspora but the partnership between NATO allies Ankara and Berlin has been ripped to shreds by the current crisis. Turkey reacted furiously to a Frankfurt rally on Saturday urging a 'no' vote where protesters brandished insignia of outlawed Kurdish rebels, accusing Germany of double standards. "Yesterday (Saturday), Germany put its name under another scandal," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told CNN-Turk. He said the German ambassador had been summoned although this was not confirmed by Berlin. The Turkish foreign ministry accused the German authorities "of the worst example of double standards" for allowing the pro-Kurdish protest while preventing Turkish ministers from campaigning there. Many protesters carried symbols of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terror organisation not just by Turkey but also the EU and the United States. Ankara also reacted with indignation after Germany's intelligence chief said he was unconvinced by Turkish assertions that US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen was behind the failed July coup aimed at overthrowing Erdogan. Kalin said Europe was seeking to "whitewash" Gulen's group, while Defence Minister Fikri Isik said the comments raised questions about whether Berlin itself was involved in the putsch. "The fact that the head of German intelligence made such a statement will increase doubts about Germany and give rise to the question 'was German intelligence behind the coup?'," he said. In an interview with Der Spiegel published Saturday, German foreign intelligence chief Bruno Kahl said Ankara had repeatedly tried to persuade Berlin that Gulen was behind the coup "but they have not succeeded". - 'Further than ever' - The dispute has left Turkey's ambition to join the EU -- a cornerstone of its policy for half a century -- hanging in the balance ahead of the referendum. Erdogan threw further oil on the fire Saturday by saying he believed parliament would, after the referendum, agree a bill to restore capital punishment which he would then sign. It was Erdogan's clearest warning yet that he could reverse the 2004 abolition of capital punishment, a pre-condition for joining the EU. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned Sunday that any return of the death penalty in Turkey would be a "red line". And Gabriel told Der Spiegel: "We are further away than ever from Turkey's accession to the EU." The crisis is hitting Turkey's relations with key EU members and Turkish-Dutch ties hit an all-time low in the run-up to the March 15 election in the Netherlands. Erdogan last week even called on Turks living in Europe to have more children to tilt the demographic balance. Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen on Sunday said he was summoning the Turkish ambassador for an explanation after a report that dual nationals critical of Erdogan had been threatened.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: A congressional intelligence panel so far has found "no evidence" that Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election, its chairman said Sunday, ahead of testimony by the head of the FBI on the US president's potential Russia ties.

Based on "everything I have up to this morning -- no evidence of collusion," by Trump's team and Moscow, Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News.

Nunes made his remarks one day before Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey is to face lawmakers on the panel, amid speculation that Trump aides and associates -- and perhaps even the businessman-turned-politician himself -- may have had uncomfortably close ties with Moscow.

Monday's hearing was also expected to address a second explosive issue: Trump's unsubstantiated accusations of wiretapping by Barack Obama -- charges that have roiled political waters in Washington for the past two weeks.

Trump on March 4 tweeted that Obama had "tapped" his phone -- a charge that has consumed political debate in the US capital.

The US intelligence community has publicly blamed Russia for hacks of the Democratic National Committee last year, and suggested the cyber attacks were aimed at steering the election to a Trump victory.

Russia has denied involvement in the hacks, and Trump has denounced the tumult over the Russia connections as a "total witch hunt."

Washington obsesses over baseless wiretap claim

But the question of whether Trump Tower was bugged -- an accusation first lodged by the president on Twitter -- nevertheless has risen to the top of Washington's political agenda, becoming something of a national obsession even as a growing number of lawmakers and top US officials assert there is no evidence of any such claim.

The wiretapping issue mushroomed last month, when Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign after it was revealed he had misled top officials over his contacts with Russia.

Around the same time, The New York Times reported that US intelligence agents had intercepted calls showing that members of Trump's campaign had repeated contacts with top Russian intelligence officials in the year preceding the November 8 election.

Nunes has said that the intelligence committee probe focuses in part on who revealed the fact that Flynn had unreported private contacts with the Russians over the issue of international sanctions against Moscow -- a disclosure which led to his forced resignation as Trump's national security adviser.

Adding to the intrigue, Trump's attorney general Jeff Sessions had to recuse himself from any Russia-related inquiries after it was learned that he had met twice with the Russian ambassador in the months before Trump took office, and had failed to disclose this during his confirmation hearing.

Trump's credibility takes a hit

Domestically, the headline-grabbing controversy over the wiretapping claim has pulled attention away from Trump's effort to push through other key items on his agenda, including the planned repeal of Obama's healthcare law, tax reform and his controversial travel ban.

Critics say it has also debased the already-coarse tone of political debate in Washington and eroded the president's credibility at home and abroad.

Some of the fallout has been international in scope: The White House was forced to retract a charge repeated last week by its spokesman Sean Spicer suggesting that Britain's intelligence services aided the Obama administration in the alleged wiretap. That claim has strained relations with America's closest ally.

Still, as recently as Friday, Trump repeated the baseless claim in an aside during a White House press conference with Angela Merkel.

"As far as wiretapping, I guess, by this past administration, at least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump told the German chancellor, referring to a WikiLeaks report in 2015 that the US had monitored calls involving Merkel and her top aides for years.

Republican Senator Ted Cruz -- Trump's vanquished rival last year for the Republican presidential nomination -- said the wiretapping charges are not entirely "outlandish" and should be investigated.

'Not necessarily outlandish'

"I think it would be quite good for the administration to put forward what evidence there is," Cruz told CBS television.

"You know, I will point out this is not necessarily as outlandish as everyone in the press suggests. We do know that the Obama administration targeted their political enemies... so the notion is not necessarily outlandish, but it's serious," he said.

With the national debate consumed by talk over Trump's wiretapping claim, one US lawmaker said the president might be well advised to follow the sage parental counsel he received years ago.

"To quote my 85-year-old father... 'It never hurts to say you're sorry,'" Representative Will Hurd, a Republican from Texas, told ABC television.

"And it's not just sorry to (Obama) but sorry to the (United Kingdom) for the claims -- or the intimation -- that the U.K. was involved in this as well," said Hurd, himself a former intelligence agent.

WASHINGTON: A congressional intelligence panel so far has found "no evidence" that Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election, its chairman said Sunday, ahead of testimony by the head of the FBI on the US president's potential Russia ties. Based on "everything I have up to this morning -- no evidence of collusion," by Trump's team and Moscow, Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News. Nunes made his remarks one day before Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey is to face lawmakers on the panel, amid speculation that Trump aides and associates -- and perhaps even the businessman-turned-politician himself -- may have had uncomfortably close ties with Moscow. Monday's hearing was also expected to address a second explosive issue: Trump's unsubstantiated accusations of wiretapping by Barack Obama -- charges that have roiled political waters in Washington for the past two weeks. Trump on March 4 tweeted that Obama had "tapped" his phone -- a charge that has consumed political debate in the US capital. The US intelligence community has publicly blamed Russia for hacks of the Democratic National Committee last year, and suggested the cyber attacks were aimed at steering the election to a Trump victory. Russia has denied involvement in the hacks, and Trump has denounced the tumult over the Russia connections as a "total witch hunt." Washington obsesses over baseless wiretap claim But the question of whether Trump Tower was bugged -- an accusation first lodged by the president on Twitter -- nevertheless has risen to the top of Washington's political agenda, becoming something of a national obsession even as a growing number of lawmakers and top US officials assert there is no evidence of any such claim. The wiretapping issue mushroomed last month, when Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign after it was revealed he had misled top officials over his contacts with Russia. Around the same time, The New York Times reported that US intelligence agents had intercepted calls showing that members of Trump's campaign had repeated contacts with top Russian intelligence officials in the year preceding the November 8 election. Nunes has said that the intelligence committee probe focuses in part on who revealed the fact that Flynn had unreported private contacts with the Russians over the issue of international sanctions against Moscow -- a disclosure which led to his forced resignation as Trump's national security adviser. Adding to the intrigue, Trump's attorney general Jeff Sessions had to recuse himself from any Russia-related inquiries after it was learned that he had met twice with the Russian ambassador in the months before Trump took office, and had failed to disclose this during his confirmation hearing. Trump's credibility takes a hit Domestically, the headline-grabbing controversy over the wiretapping claim has pulled attention away from Trump's effort to push through other key items on his agenda, including the planned repeal of Obama's healthcare law, tax reform and his controversial travel ban. Critics say it has also debased the already-coarse tone of political debate in Washington and eroded the president's credibility at home and abroad. Some of the fallout has been international in scope: The White House was forced to retract a charge repeated last week by its spokesman Sean Spicer suggesting that Britain's intelligence services aided the Obama administration in the alleged wiretap. That claim has strained relations with America's closest ally. Still, as recently as Friday, Trump repeated the baseless claim in an aside during a White House press conference with Angela Merkel. "As far as wiretapping, I guess, by this past administration, at least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump told the German chancellor, referring to a WikiLeaks report in 2015 that the US had monitored calls involving Merkel and her top aides for years. Republican Senator Ted Cruz -- Trump's vanquished rival last year for the Republican presidential nomination -- said the wiretapping charges are not entirely "outlandish" and should be investigated. 'Not necessarily outlandish' "I think it would be quite good for the administration to put forward what evidence there is," Cruz told CBS television. "You know, I will point out this is not necessarily as outlandish as everyone in the press suggests. We do know that the Obama administration targeted their political enemies... so the notion is not necessarily outlandish, but it's serious," he said. With the national debate consumed by talk over Trump's wiretapping claim, one US lawmaker said the president might be well advised to follow the sage parental counsel he received years ago. "To quote my 85-year-old father... 'It never hurts to say you're sorry,'" Representative Will Hurd, a Republican from Texas, told ABC television. "And it's not just sorry to (Obama) but sorry to the (United Kingdom) for the claims -- or the intimation -- that the U.K. was involved in this as well," said Hurd, himself a former intelligence agent.
By IANS

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi summoned on Sunday the Swiss Ambassador "to discuss" the report of the Swiss representative in the human rights council in the UN, about the human rights situation in the Gulf state of Bahrain.



Abdul Rahim Al-Awadhi, UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation for Legal Affairs, has summoned Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to the UAE, in attendance of Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum Al-Maktoum, Director of the European Affairs Department at the Ministry.



Al-Awadhi expressed to the Swiss ambassador UAE's "denunciation" over the Swiss statement from last Tuesday against Bahrain at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).



He added that "it was better if such issues were resolved through established bilateral channels between Bahrain and Switzerland".



The statement was also perceived as not representative of the truth, as Bahrain has made numerous steps to improve its human rights record. The UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain are members of the six countries unions Gulf cooperation council (GCC) and close political allies.



Al-Awadhi informed Ambassador Tissafi that the security and stability of Bahrain is integral to security and stability of the UAE, "and such statements give a pretext for committing destructive and terrorist acts", the UAE Assistant Minister said.



He added that the UAE is looking forward to Switzerland's reviewing of their position on this issue.



On Saturday, the GCC Secretary-General Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the statement which was made last Tuesday by the Swiss representative before the UNHRC, slamming the "accusations and distortions" regarding the situation of human rights in Bahrain.



DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi summoned on Sunday the Swiss Ambassador "to discuss" the report of the Swiss representative in the human rights council in the UN, about the human rights situation in the Gulf state of Bahrain. Abdul Rahim Al-Awadhi, UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation for Legal Affairs, has summoned Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to the UAE, in attendance of Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum Al-Maktoum, Director of the European Affairs Department at the Ministry. Al-Awadhi expressed to the Swiss ambassador UAE's "denunciation" over the Swiss statement from last Tuesday against Bahrain at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). He added that "it was better if such issues were resolved through established bilateral channels between Bahrain and Switzerland". The statement was also perceived as not representative of the truth, as Bahrain has made numerous steps to improve its human rights record. The UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain are members of the six countries unions Gulf cooperation council (GCC) and close political allies. Al-Awadhi informed Ambassador Tissafi that the security and stability of Bahrain is integral to security and stability of the UAE, "and such statements give a pretext for committing destructive and terrorist acts", the UAE Assistant Minister said. He added that the UAE is looking forward to Switzerland's reviewing of their position on this issue. On Saturday, the GCC Secretary-General Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the statement which was made last Tuesday by the Swiss representative before the UNHRC, slamming the "accusations and distortions" regarding the situation of human rights in Bahrain.
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo will travel to Ireland this year to tout the economic ties between New York and the European nation.

Cuomo's office announced the trade mission Friday  shortly after the governor and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny marched in New York City's St. Patrick's Day parade.

According to the governor's office, the trade mission will allow state officials to connect with Irish business leaders and help promote the state's tourist destinations.

More information about the trade mission wasn't disclosed. Cuomo's office said details would be released in the coming weeks.

"New York has already opened doors and created opportunities for businesses to expand into new global markets  and by bringing industry leaders and representatives from across the state together on a first-ever trade mission to Ireland, we will take our economy and diverse business community to heights never reached before," Cuomo said in a statement.

Ireland and New York already enjoy a trade relationship. Last year, New York exported $200 million worth of goods to Ireland. Irish imports to New York totaled nearly $1 billion.

Most recently, Cuomo announced that Stewart Airport in Orange County would provide service to Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Dublin and Shannon in Ireland.

The trip will be Cuomo's latest international trade mission. He recently visited Israel to highlight the state's economic ties with the Middle Eastern nation.

In 2015, Cuomo traveled to Cuba shortly after the U.S. normalized relations with the communist country.
MISSOULA  Another glowing airport press release arrived at the newspaper a couple of weeks ago. This one came from Glacier Park International north of Kalispell.

Citing record-breaking passenger counts in 2016, airport director Robert Ratkowski announced United Airlines would be adding daily flights to San Francisco for a couple of months starting in July. United, the Chicago-based giant, is also sending larger airplanes to handle passenger loads on direct summer flights to Chicago and Denver.

Its one verse to a familiar song in the air travel industry.

Across Montana and the nation, airports are hustling to keep up with record traffic flows, and theyre spending or planning to spend billions of dollars on upgrades and expansions to do it. Major and medium-size airlines are putting their best wings forward to cultivate the demand, in some cases consolidating to get the biggest bang for their bucks.

"It's a changed game," Kevin Ploehn, director of aviation and transit in Billings said. "Now air service is so important to communities, all communities, the airlines have more options than they know what to do with, than they have planes and pilots to fly."

The sunny outlook clouded over somewhat Thursday when President Donald Trump released his federal budget proposal. It calls for eliminating the Essential Air Service program, which could have a devastating effect on seven rural Montana airports and an impact on Billings, which is the hub for five of them.

Nearly 3.9 million people stepped on or off commercial airplanes in Montana last year. That was 330,000 more than ever before, according to the Aeronautics Division of the Montana Department of Transportation.

Four of the states six busiest airports  Bozeman, Missoula, Kalispell and Helena  set passenger records in 2016. Only No. 5 Great Falls International saw a decrease, while Billings Logan International went up slightly.

Bolstered by two key revenue guarantees, not to mention the attractions of Yellowstone National Park and Big Sky Resort, Bozeman Yellowstone International topped the 1.1-million passenger mark in 2016 and has grown by 52 percent since 2010.

Billings lost its decades-long hold on Montanas top spot to Bozeman in 2013. It remains a strong No. 2 and cultivates consistent annual growth numbers  an average 1 percent to 2 percent going back 20 years, according Ploehn.

Missoula International established record passenger marks in 2014 and 2015, then soared over the 700,000 mark for the first time last year. Its final count of 758,331 was almost twice that of 20 years ago, when 383,000 people flew in and out of what most locals still called Johnson-Bell Field.

Missoula led all Montana airports in 2016 with a 9 percent increase in passengers, even as it homed in on a terminal expansion projected to cost $50 million to $70 million. Construction is targeted for the fall of 2018.

Assistant director Brian Ellestad attributes the Missoula airports rapid growth to a combination of a rebounded economy and a very strong inbound market for Montana as a tourism destination.

Also, the business community has really taken off, Ellestad said.

In Flathead country, passenger counts were at all-time highs for the fifth consecutive year at Glacier Park International.

Weve been discovered, director Rob Ratkowski said. Obviously the park up here is really driving our numbers. Glacier had a record year again, and we had a record year again. But were also seeing an increase in our shoulder seasons.

Next year the Kalispell airport will begin a planning process for a new terminal as well. Its too soon to pin down a cost, though Ratkowski said its not going be anything as drastic as Missoula does.

* * *

To be sure, the spike in air travel isnt confined to Montana. From coast to coast, airports reported all-time high numbers of passengers.

At hub airports out west, Sea-Tac in western Washington set passenger traffic records in each of the past six years. Salt Lake City celebrated a 12-month record of 23 million enplanements in November in the midst of a $2.9 billion reconstruction project to replace terminals and concourses. Denvers record-setting incline reached 58.3 million passengers in 2016. Minneapolis-St. Paul added 20 routes and fell just short of its record 37.6 million set in 2005, just before the economy swooned.

The CEO of Dallas-Fort Worth said last week his airport needs $10 billion, with a 'b,' for upgrades. Los Angeles International broke ground on a $1.6 billion terminal a couple of weeks ago. San Francisco International is on a seven-year streak of passenger load records.

Jonathon Nield has watched the industry balloon in the years since the recession.

Three big things are happening, said Nield, senior consultant for Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting in Seattle. One is that we have an environment where fuel is very, very cheap for airlines right now. Airlines typically like to grow quickly when fuel is cheap and theres a lower risk in doing so.

On top of this, we have the good kind of perfect storm. Im not sure if thats the right phrase for it, but its a situation where fuel is cheap when the economy is actually very strong and healthy. That doesnt usually happen together, but it is.

The final factor, Nield said, is the impact from a wave of airline consolidation.

Delta and Northwest in 2008, United and Continental in 2010, and American and U.S. Airways in 2014 were major mergers affecting Montana markets, among many others. Most recently, Alaska Air, going head-to-head with Delta on its home turf of Seattle, acquired smaller rival Virgin America of California. Alaska announced last week it would add 13 new markets out of San Francisco, the largest expansion in the airlines history.

What youre seeing with all this is the airlines starting to execute their plans to become more dominant in the markets they serve, Nield said.

They're finally getting the hang of it, said Ploehn, of Billings.

The airlines have been deregulated since 1979, but it took them until a few years ago to figure out how to make money on a consistent basis, he noted. When they can make money as easy as theyre making it now, it gives them the wherewithal to potentially make their systems more efficient.

* * *

Montana communities have become aggressive in recent years in attracting new routes and airlines.

Coalitions headed by chambers of commerce and the likes of Big Sky Resort in Bozeman, the Missoula Economic Partnership, and Glacier AERO in the Flathead Valley are cobbling together revenue guarantees meant to alleviate the financial risk to airlines.

In 2011 Bozeman solicited United Airlines for direct service to the New York City by promising an incentive package of $1.7 million. A key element to the success of the application was the $725,000 pledged by a public-private partnership of state tourism councils and local resorts. Last year another revenue guarantee package went far in securing for Bozeman the first American Air service to Montana, nonstop seasonal flights to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Those flights were so successful that the guarantee didnt have to be tapped and airport director Brian Sprenger predicts they'll morph into year-round service. American announced recently it'll add flights from Texas to Billings, lured to the Magic City by a revenue guarantee through the Billings Chamber of Commerce and Big Sky Economic Development. That leveraged a $750,000 grant via the U.S. Department of Transportation Small Community Air Service Development Program.

Missoula received $600,000 from the same program, then tried and failed for a second time to attract flights from Texas to this side of the state.

We still have the $600,000 in our back pocket to use for either Dallas or Houston (flights), Ellestad said, adding the Missoula Economic Partnership has pledged a guarantee with either American or United for the service.

Frontier Air of Denver will resume flights to and from Missoula on April 28, a couple of weeks earlier than last year. Otherwise, therell be no more seats available in what officials said will be a flat year.

That's not unusual, director Cris Jensen said. Well see the pendulum swing where we get a big surge in capacity and it takes a year or two to absorb that capacity. Were kind of in that mode now, where the airlines are not throwing a lot of seats our way. But in talking wtih the airlines were already hearing that next year could potentially be a big increase.

I think its important to understand that we have gained more service to more communities without guarantees than we have with guarantees, said Sprenger.

The success of Bozeman's United connection to Newark, New Jersey, starting in 2012 led Delta to add its own flights, with no revenue guarantee, from Bozeman to LaGuardia Airport in New York. When United added Bozeman flights to Houston they announced it without us even talking to them, Sprenger said.

Bozemans ability to fill flights to Texas was instrumental in the airlines expansion to Billings, Montanas largest city, which sold American on its business travel potential.

We and Bozeman are completely different animals, Ploehn pointed out. What we have in Billings is a real solid business market. We dont have the tourists like Bozeman and Missoula have. One of the problems I had when I took over and Bozeman was going gangbusters was convincing people not to compare apples and oranges.

* * *

What if the boom goes bust?

As airlines jostle for even better position and airports shell out millions on bigger terminals and more runways, the question must be asked.

People will always want to travel by air and theres nothing like the face-to-face service (airports) offer, said Ellestad. Our terminal is out of date, so even if air traffic were to remain stable, just the amount of money well save in heating and cooling this place will be worth it.

There's room at the Billings airport for just five planes on the concourse. Expansion plans are in the works, a project that Ploehn said could cost in the $40 million neighborhood. He's convinced the benefits outweigh the risks.

Fuel prices are the big animal, Ploehn said. All it takes is somebody starting a war in the Middle East for things to change. But theres plenty of capacity out there, it just all depends on what the market does to it. I dont see anything coming any time soon like we had when the economy tanked.

In my opinion and in the opinion of many, there is definitely a need for investment in airport and aviation infrastructure, said Nield, the Seattle consultant. Sometimes you do see airport investments that are a little bit over the top, but I think as a general rule of thumb theyre necessary.

Even if the returns on capital expenditures arent realized as soon as expected, he concluded, longer term everyone is confident that aviation and air travel is going to grow even bigger.
Assam govt to release first six months arrears of 7th Pay commission to state employees before Rongali Bihu

Guwahati, Mar 17 : The Assam government has decided to release first six months arrears of revision pay scale recommended by the 7th Assam Pay and Productivity Pay Commission to the state employees before the Rongali Bihu.





(Posted on 18 March 2017, 1667840120 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 18 March 2017, 1667840120 173O212O198O32)

The state government cabinet on Friday approved to release the first six months arrears of revision pay scale to the state government employees before April 14 next.Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the recommendations of 7th Assam Pay Productivity Pay Commission will be implemented from April 1, 2016 and the state cabinet had approved it.The Assam minister said that, the state government will have to bear additional burden of Rs 1600 crore to implement the new pay commission.For this around 5 lakh state government employees will be benefited, Sarma said.Earlier, the state finance minister had declared about implementation of new pay scale from April 1, 2016 in his budget speech for the financial year 2017-18.On the other hand, the state government cabinet also approved to establish a separate directorate of Science and Technology.(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
'Imaginary' plans cannot let anyone become PM: BJP on Nitish-for-PM

Patna (Bihar) Mar. 18 : Mocking the suggestions made by the Janata Dal (United) to make Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar the prime ministerial face, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday said every political party should remember that by just making 'imaginary plans', one cannot be elected as the Prime Minister.





(Posted on 18 March 2017, 1667840122 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 18 March 2017, 1667840122 173O212O198O32)

"Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) wants to see Arvind Kejriwal as a prime minister, Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee are also there in the race. Every regional party projects their leader suitable to the post of a prime minister, but just by imagining things, one cannot be elected as the prime minister," BJP leader Sushil Modi told ANI.RJD is also angry over the recent meeting of two senior JDU leaders Shyam Rajak and Sanjay Singh with Union Minister Ram Kripal Yadav on the day of Holi which both leaders called an informal meeting.However, in order to douse the fire over the grand alliance, RJD leader and deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav and his MLC mother Rabri Devi have asked Raghuvansh Prasad Singh to refrain from making comments which are adverse to health of grand alliance.In the wake of Prime Minister Modi-led BJP adding one state after another in its kitty, the JD (U) urged all opposition parties to come together and create an alternative against the former.JD (U) leader Sanjay Singh, while speaking to ANI, said that Nitish will be the best alternative to fight Prime Minister Modi."Opposition should come together in order to create alternative against Prime Minister Modi. And, that alternative will be Nitish Kumar," Singh told ANI.After the BJP's stupendous performance in the recently-held assembly elections, the central leadership has asked leaders and legislators to gear up for the 2019 general election.BJP president Amit Shah has reportedly asked party leaders to be ready for the Lok Sabha elections while asserting that the party's recent victories was an outcome of the people's vote against casteism, family rule and corruption, and in favour of Prime Minister Modi's leadership.A massive shift is being witnessed in Bihar politics after the Uttar Pradesh verdict where the BJP registered a landslide victory.It may be noted that ever since BJP recorded a thumping majority in Uttar Pradesh, senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has alleged that Nitish Kumar's party JDU by deciding not to fight polls in UP covertly helped the BJP to win elections.Nitish Kumar too, reacting to the UP poll results had slammed the Samajwadi-Congress alliance asserting that their opposition to de-monetization ruined their chances in elections.He said that opposition de-monetization was a wrong move by parties like Congress, Samajwadi Party and BSP.
UP BJP to select CM today

Lucknow, Mar 18 : : Newly-elected BJP MLAs in Uttar Pradesh will meet in Lucknow on Saturday to elect the leader of the state legislature party, who will be the state's Chief Minister, reports said.





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The meeting coincides the swearing-in of the new Chief Minister and his cabinet in neighbouring Uttarakhand.Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav will attend the meeting to elect the Legislature Party Leader.As speculations run high over the Chief Ministerial candidates, the names of Union Minister Manoj Sinha, Home Minister and former state chief minister Rajnath Singh, Maurya and eight-time MLA from Shahjahanpur Suresh Khanna are doing rounds.In the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the BJP recorded a landslide victory by winning 312 of the states 403 seats.
Satya Paul launches 'Club SP' with capsule line from Nida Mahmood at AIFW AW 2017

New Delhi , Mar. 17 : Satya Paul announced the launch of its first ever pret' label 'Club SP' at an event hosted at Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2017.





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The new pret' line of the brand also includes a capsule from the designer Nida Mahmood. This collection is immediately available to buy exclusively on Amazon Fashion signifying a major shift towards online shopping through See now, Buy now concept.The new brand from Satya Paul, Club SP caters to the modern Indian woman looking to follow trends without compromising on her comfort and sensibilities. Using some of iconic Satya Paul prints and colors, the label offers leisure, work and evening wear selections. The ready-to-wear line offers choice of wearing the styles in multiple ways in colors that are lush and soft mixed with bright hues. The collection offers 100 distinct styles with 20 ensembles from the designer Nida Mahmood.The launch soiree witnessed a camaraderie of like-minded guests who appreciate finesse in fashion such as Poonam Bhagat, Azmina Rahimtoola, Sabina Chopra, Narendra Kumar, Masaba Gupta, Rakesh Thakore, Rohit Gandhi, Rahul Arora, Suneet Varma,Designer Pawan Sachdeva, Nitin Bal Chauhan, Anupama Dayal, Charu Parashar, Rashi and Gautam Bhimani, Tarina Patel, amongst others.Commenting on the launch of Club SP, Sanjay Kapoor, Managing Director - Genesis Group said, "This is the start of an exciting new chapter for us at Genesis Colors with the launch of our new brand Club SP and we are very certain that this capsule collection designed by Nida will help us reach the right audience with some iconic designs in the making. We are glad to be associated with Amazon Fashion which offers the right synergy online for the brand, and also gives the collection an immediate nation-wide reach giving customers an easy access".Known for her distinct designs and eclectic usage of colors, the designer Nida Mahmood puts her design aesthetic in her capsule collection for Club SP that includes 20 distinct styles from her."I would like to speak about the sensibilities of both the brands and how both of them marry perfectly. I believe the creative prowess of the design world combined with the business acumen of the corporate fashion houses can create really impactful partnerships. And I am really positive and excited to start this journey together,"said Nida Mahmood on the collaboration.Arun Sirdeshmukh, Head, Amazon Fashion, added on the exclusive launch, "We are excited to be the preferred choice of partner for Genesis Colors and Satya Paul to simultaneously launch Club SP label on Amazon Fashion exclusively. There's an increasing shift towards consumers wanting to buy latest fashion instantly and that too from the comfort of their home. This is where Amazon Fashion plays a significant role and we are glad to have plugged this gap for our customers by offering 'Fresh New Looks' every time they visit our store. We will continue to work hard to offer the widest possible selection of top fashion brands and designers to offer a superior customer shopping experience for fashion".
Uttar Pradesh govt will work for development of the state: Venkaiah Naidu

Lucknow, Mar 18 : Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu while announcing the name of Yogi Adityanath as UP Chief Minister, said that the new BJP led government will work for development of the state.





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We will stand by our words (promise of BJP before election), he said.Five times Minister of Parliament for BJP from Gorakhpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath was formally announced as the new Chief Minister of the state by Naidu at a brief press conference.Naidu said that Adityanath has been chosen as the leader of the BJP state legislature, unanimously.The senior leader even announced the name of BJP state unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya and former Mayor of Lucknow Dinesh Sharma as Deputy CM of UP.While speaking about the mandate of UP assembly election that favoured BJP in 2017, Naidu said: UP gave a message for development. Its mandate was against corruption, black money, caste and vote-bank politics.The swearing-in ceremony will take place on Sunday at 5 PM.Along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah, various Chief Ministers of BJP ruled states are invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony.
Yogi Adityanath will herald 'chaos, communalism' back into UP: Congress

New Delhi , Mar.19 : Criticising Yogi Adityanath's selection by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, the Congress on Sunday dubbed the decision as a 'cruel joke' and said the development has ensured that the state will no longer remain secular.





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Speaking to ANI here, Congress leader Rizwan Arshad said, "It is a cruel joke played on the people of UP. Yogi Adityanath is a divisive man, he divides society. He shamelessly propagate divisive agenda, which he carries forward from RSS."Arshad further asserted that Uttar Pradesh will no remain secular, adding that the state will unfortunately fall back into chaos."BJP's decision that the saffron-robed Gorakhpur MP will hold the reins of the state is very unfortunate for the constitution and for the development of the state also. Now, Uttar Pradesh will go back into chaos, masjid-mandir days and old polarisation-communal days," he added.Resonating similar views, Congress spokesperson Meem Afzal asserted that BJP's decision to make Yogi the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh is a part of their political agenda."Prime Minister Narendra Modi who sought votes from UP people for his policies and development agenda, now will work on his political agenda, as he named Hindutva Hardliner Yogi Adityanath as UP chief minister," said Afzal.The BJP named Yogi Adityanath as the next Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma have been appointed as the deputy chief ministers of the state on Saturday.Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the oath taking ceremony would take place at 2:15 p.m. today in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.Adityanath had flown to New Delhi on Saturday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Adityanath, a five-time MP from the Gorakhpur constituency, was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at the age of 26.Currently, Adityanath serves as the Mahant of Guru Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur, following the death of Mahanth Aavaidyanath on September 12, 2014.The other contenders in the race were Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, Union Minister Manoj Sinha, BJP leader Shrikant Sharma and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.Yogi Aditya Nath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, was unanimously elected BJP Legislature Party leader at a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs in Lucknow last evening.
AIFW AW'17, Day 4: Celebs share experience of walking at 'NEXA Lifestyle'

New Delhi , Mar. 19 : 'NEXA Lifestyle,' on the final day of the Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn-Winter 2017, turned into an event that celebrated the presence of a cluster of stars- from Richa Chadda to Sangram Singh.





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The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) presented NEXA Lifestyle Collection onday four of the Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn-Winter 2017, in association with Maybelline New York.The NEXA show, themed on monochrome featured DhruvVaish, Kommal & Ratul Sood, Nought One by Abhishek, Pawan Sachdeva, Rohit Kamra and Sahil Aneja, who showcased their collections at the event held in the national capital on March 18.Sangram Singh turned showstopper for Dhruv Vaish and described walking on the ramp as a great experience."It was a fun experience for me as I have also done a lot wrestling here at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Dhruv has made a fantastic suit for someone like me, who mostly wears wrestling costume or normal clothes," Sangram told ANI.He also joked that the designer will next be making a 'langot' for his wrestling.Dino Morea, who dazzled the ramp for Sahil Aneja, said at the event, "I have worked with Sahil for a couple of years now and he has made outstanding formal and casual wear for me. This collection, specially, was quirky and stylish and it's something that I would definitely wear."Pawan Sachdeva had the very handsome Angad Bedi and gorgeous Nora Fatehi gracing the ramp in his clothing.While Angad was happy to be back on the ramp for Amazon fashion week, Nora was delighted to have received a positive response for her 'over-dramatic' entrance on ramp."Walking for Pawan Sachdeva has been a wonderful experience. It's quite a fusion line and is all about the mix; black and white are the colours. It's pretty quirky and that's my style," the 'PINK' star told ANI.Nora, who felt 'honoured' to have showcased the men's collection, said, "I think girls look really cool in men's clothing and Pawan's designs are really sophisticated and elegant but mysterious at the same time."Prateik Babbar made the audience go gaga over his innocent smile as he strolled down the runway for Kommal and Ratul Sood and later revealed he loves walking on ramp.In an exclusive interview with ANI, Prateik said, "Even though I am nervous every single time, I love walking on the ramp. What I'm wearing is a bit of mix and match and so comfortable. I feel very royal today and I hope I had a car to match with it. Thanks to the designer duo I look like an absolute dream."Abhishek Paatni and Rohit Kamra celebrated the girl power on the ramp with Anushka Manchanda and Richa Chadha respectively.The 'Fukrey' star told ANI, "It was really empowering for me because Rohit is a men's wear designer and he chose me to be a show stopper, so it's a really empowering statement to make this kind of endrogenous which I really enjoy."The NEXA Lifestyle series is an attempt to include the burgeoning menswear market into the repertoire of mainstream fashion.As a part of the same, each designer interpreted the NEXA theme in his own unique way, incorporating the NEXA colours - black, white and chrome.Dhruv's collection 'Noire' explored the hue black in different forms, patterns, layers and textures along with the highlights of white and chrome. Style gurus Kommal & Ratul Sood identified the architectural skyline, of an urban city in their collection, 'Skylight'.While Abhishek's 'Mayday' was inspired by the tactical uniform of the army's black-ops team which carry out missions under extreme conditions. Interestingly, Rohit Kamra conceptualized the 'yin and yang', creating a fusion of black and white with his signature silhouettes.Pawan developed fabrics especially for the show, which captured the NEXA moodboard with his collection 'TREG'- classic clothing with a fresh feel. To give the show a classic end, Sahil's artistic ensembles titled 'Restricted', theorized for a man who is ready to step out his comfort zone into a edgier space, took the center stage.On this note, Sunil Sethi, president at FDCI said, "As menswear now dominates the apparel industry and is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.5 percent over the next five years to reach Rs 131,000 crores by 2017, according to a study, this is time appropriate. Therefore, the NEXA show is quite relevant and looked at design through the lens of both functionality and inventive thinking."
New UP Govt. should ensure adequate power supply: ASSOCHAM

New Delhi , Mar. 19 : After the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) astounding victory in the recently-concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2017, apex industry body ASSOCHAM has said that the need of the hour in the state is ensuring adequate electricity supply in the coming summer, giving urgent relief to Bundelkhand and finding





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lasting solutions for arrears of sugarcane farmers.The top priority of the new government should be to drastically improve the quality and quantity of power supply in the ensuing summer. Like several parts of the country, the challenge is not as much generation and availability of power but the financial health of the power utilities, mostly in the state ownership.Uttar Pradesh has a sizeable annual budget of about Rs. 3.5 lakh crore with a deficit of about Rs 50,000 crore. Though there is a scope for bettering the state balance sheet, its fiscal situation is not as bad as some states', the chamber said.The new government should immediately take recourse to the Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme of the Centre and bring the state utility to robust health so that the users in both rural and urban areas are given better power supply. As is provided in the new scheme of things, fresh investment should be made in separate supply channels to the farmers who, for welfare reasons, have to be given the electricity supply at the concessional rates and the financial load can be taken by the state government, rather than the individual power utility."Being an agricultural state, Uttar Pradesh has a huge potential in diverse agro activities like live stock, milk production and processing, food processing. For instance, abundant supply of potatoes in districts like Kannauj and mango in areas like Maliabad, need a modern processing facilities which should be encouraged in the private sector by way of fiscal and other support. Likewise, lot more agro hubs and mandis should be built in the state," said D. S. Rawat, Secretary General, ASSOCHAM.The state currently produces about 360-400 lakh tonnes per annum and is the leading producer of milk in the country.While initiatives like metro rail have been taken, they must be enlarged and lot more investment be made in city infrastructure including sanitation, drinking water, urban waste management.Since the BJP is now in power in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, a better coordination should be achieved between the two states to give a better deal to the Bundelkhand areas, which have faced water scarcity and general backwardness, the chamber asserted.
Ahead of International Day, UN and Smurfs team up to promote happiness and sustainable development

New York, Mar 19 : Every person - no matter how big, small or blue - can make the world more peaceful, equitable and healthy, the United Nations on Saturday told young people at a special ceremony for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that included the Smurfs and a handover of the key to Smurfdom.





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Voice actors from the upcoming animated movie Smurfs: The Lost Village joined 1,500 students from the international Model UN conference to celebrate the upcoming International Day of Happiness, which focuses on personal well-being, and the SDGs, which include decent work for all, education and health services.In a special blue carpet presentation, the United States stars of the movie Demi Lovato, who voices Smurfette, Joe Manganiello who is Hefty and Mandy Patinkin or Papa Smurf honoured three young students promoting the SDGs in their communities with a symbolic key to the Smurfs Village in recognition of their work.On behalf of all Smurfdom, thank you for your work in awakening everything, in your community, through you social media, all over the world, in the ways that you have chosen to encourage people everywhere to make this world a better place for those who are so vulnerable in every way imaginable, Patinkin told Karen Jerath, Sarina Divan and Noor Samee.Jerath, who is 20 years old, invented a containment device that could prevent offshore oil spills and ensure the protection of marine life. She was joined by Divan, 17, who expanded a UN Foundation girl empowerment initiative at her high school and beyond, and Samee, also 17, a UNICEF blogger and advocate on social justice issues.Given a giant key with the SDG multi-coloured logo by UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Cristina Gallach, the students were told the world needs you to continue.Never be afraid to speak up and to make this world a wonderful, beautiful, hopeful, optimistic place full of freedom, joy, justice and dignity, good food, good water, good opportunities for people everywhere, forever, said Patinkin.The Small Smurfs Big Goals campaign was created to encourage people to visit SmallSmurfsBigGoals.com to find out how to contribute to achieving the SDGs, and to share information, ideas and images on social media.As part of on Saturdays festivities, the UN Postal Administration unveiled a special edition stamp sheet featuring the Small Smurfs Big Goals campaign.The stamps, which feature images of the Smurfs and the SDG logos, were presented by UN Assistant Secretary-General for Management, Stephen Cutts, and the Belgian Ambassador to the United Nations, Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve.The event, held at the UN General Assembly in New York, was organized by the UN, UNICEF and UN Foundation, ahead of the International Day of Happiness marked annually on 20 March.In 2015, the UN launched 17 SDGs that seek to end poverty, reduce inequality, and protect our planet three key aspects that lead to well-being and happiness.Along with New York, celebrations were held around the world to mark the campaign and the SDGs.On Monday, the film cast along with the UN, UNICEF and UN Foundation will be at the Empire State Building to turn the iconic tower blue in honour of the International Day of Happiness and the Small Smurfs Big Goals campaign.UN Photo/Evan Schneider (file photo)Source: www.justearthnews.com
Title track from 'One' sung by Vishal Dadlani released

Mumbai, Mar 19 : The title track of much talked about first Bengali song sung by Vishal Dadlani and Raftaar, 'One', has been released.





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The full video of the song can be viewed here- bit.ly/OneTitleTrackOne - the song is an adrenaline driven, fast paced track with high energy beats.The action-packed song video features Prosenjit Chatterjee and Yash Dasgupta grooving to the beats.The songs catchy lyrics have been penned by Prasen.The song reinforces the tough competition between the science genius and the intelligent cop as they both aim to be the One.One has been directed by Birsa Dasgupta.
Happy that Yogi Adityanath has been chosen as UP CM: Venkaiah Naidu

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) , Mar.19 : Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday expressed happiness over Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) firebrand leader Yogi Adityanath being elected as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.





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"We are very happy that Yogi Adityanath has been elected as UP CM. He has sacrificed his life to fight against poverty and uplift the poor and we all expect him to continue his service and strengthen the state," Naidu told ANI.Earlier also, Naidu had asserted that it was a watershed moment for the BJP and it had become a common man's party.Yogi Adityanath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, was unanimously elected BJP Legislature Party leader at a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs last evening here. He, later, met the Governor and staked claim to form the government in the state.
India's Jan Shakti is powering the rise of a new and transformed India, says PM Modi

New Delhi, Mar 19 : Hailing the people of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that India's population is helping the nation transform.





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Our unwavering efforts to create a Bhavya Divya Bharat continue. Indias Jan Shakti is powering the rise of a new transformed India, the PMs tweet read.He also congratulated Yogi Adityanath, the newly appointed Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.Congratulations to Yogi Adityanath Ji, Keshav Prasad Maurya Ji, Dinesh Sharma Ji all those who took oath today. Best wishes for serving UP, PM Modi said.I have immense confidence that this new team will leave no stone unturned in making UP Uttam Pradesh. There will be record development, a subsequent tweet read.The Prime Minister also said that the sole aim of his team is development.Highlighting Uttar Pradeshs role in Indias development, the Prime Minister said, Our sole mission motive is development. When UP develops, India develops. We want to serve UPs youth create opportunities for them.With the blessings of people hardwork of our Karyakartas the BJP has formed governments in 4 out of the 5 states that went to the polls, he added.
Mayawati should keep her thinking with herself: BJP

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) , Mar. 19 : Ignoring Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati's criticism over the newly formed Uttar Pradesh Government, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said their main focus is to bring development and good governance in the state.





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"Mayawati has been making such negative statements since the elections rally and she is doing the same today. We want to work for development and good governance and we have less time. She should keep her thinking with herself. Despite being a senior leader she is making such statements," BJP spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh told ANI.Earlier in the day, Mayawati cornered the BJP saying that the saffron party has betrayed the backward and Brahmins by appointing Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister."With an intention to fulfil their RSS agenda, the BJP has named Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister who belongs to 'Khastriya Samaj' and by doing so the party has also insulted the 'Brahmin Samaj'. The anti-backward class face of BJP has been exposed. The BJP has betrayed and misled the other backward and Brahmin class," Mayawati told ANI.The BSP chief further said the BJP has insulted the other backward class by naming Kehasv Prasad Maurya as deputy chief minister which is a post lower than that of chief minister."The BJP has betrayed Maurya by not appointing him the Chief Minister. He can't even raise his voice because if he does then the BJP will throw him out of the party. He could not take the shock and that is why he got admitted in the hospital," she added.The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister further said that the BJP lured and gathered votes of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) by advancing Keshav Prasad Maurya in the party and assuring him the Chief Minister post in rallies.Mayawati said the decision to appoint Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister is wrong and it is one of the strategies of BJP to end reservation."This is a conspiracy against reservation system. BJP appointed a person as UP Chief Minister who is a follower of the RSS," Mayawati added.
On March 18, 2017, Princess Charlene of Monaco arrived at the opening ceremony of the 'Special Olympics World Winter Games 2017' in Schladming, Austria. The Special Olympics World Games are an international sporting competition for athletes with intellectual disabilities, organized by Special Olympics. The goal is to showcase the skills and accomplishments of people with intellectual disabilities on a global stage.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 58F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 38F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.
When I first discovered I would be interning for the John Phillips campaign, I was very excited. I would be getting an in-depth look into how a local campaign runs and operates. As a senior political science major at Millikin University, this is what I was preparing for.

While I love learning about politics from a classroom setting, there is something about working on a real campaign that allows you to fully understand the complexities and diligence that are necessary for campaign growth and promotion. My role in Johns campaign is a student intern, which means I work directly with my fellow students to encourage voter turnout and share the issues of Decatur that John is passionate about.

One of them, for example, is job growth through industry. John hopes to keep jobs within Decatur by building a new industrial complex that will be hiring locally. The fact that he is very focused on young people and their abilities, I believe, speaks volumes on the mayoral qualities he holds  reaching out to all of Decatur to promote its vibrant future.

Having only been a Decatur resident for the past four years, I am confident that this town will continue to thrive. With its energy, charisma and spirit, Decatur is a unique landmark in Central Illinois that needs its citizens to ensure its longevity. Make sure to get out and vote on April 4  John Phillips for Mayor.

Paisley Spence, Decatur
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today issued a clinical practice guideline on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for the prevention of cervical cancer. This is the first guideline on primary prevention of cervical cancer that is tailored to multiple regions of the world with different levels of socio-economic and structural resource settings, offering evidence-based guidance to health care providers worldwide.

The guideline includes specific recommendations according to four levels of resource settings: basic, limited, enhanced and maximal. The levels pertain to financial resources of a country or region, as well as the development of its health system -- including personnel, infrastructure and access to services. The guideline complements ASCO's two other global, resource-stratified guidelines on cervical cancer, also stratified to these four levels of resources.

Key guideline recommendations:

In all environments and independent of the resource settings, two doses of human papillomavirus vaccine are recommended for girls ages 9 to 14 years, with an interval of at least 6 months and up to 12 to 15 months between doses.

Girls who are HIV positive should receive three doses.

For maximal and enhanced resource settings:

- If girls are 15 years or older and have received their first dose before age 15, they may complete the two-dose series;

- If they have not received the first dose before age 15, they should receive three doses;

- In both scenarios vaccination may be given through age 26 years.

For limited and basic resource settings: if sufficient resources remain after vaccinating girls 9 to 14 years, girls who received one dose may receive additional doses between ages 15 and 26 years.

Vaccination of boys: in all settings, boys may be vaccinated, if there is at least a 50% coverage in priority female target population, sufficient resources, and such vaccination is cost effective.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide, with less developed regions suffering a disproportionate burden from the disease. In fact, 85% of cervical cancer diagnoses and 87% of cervical cancer deaths occur in less developed regions, including parts of Africa and Latin America.

"Because resource availability varies widely, both among and within countries, we need to adjust strategies to improve access to HPV vaccination everywhere," said Silvia de Sanjose, MD, PhD, co-chair of the Expert Panel that developed the guideline and head of the Cancer Epidemiology Research Program at Institut Catala d'Oncologia in Barcelona, Spain. "This guideline is unique in offering cervical cancer vaccination recommendations that can be adapted to different resource levels and we expect it to have a major impact on the global health community."

HPV infection causes virtually all cervical cancers in the world. Although it may also lead to genital warts and certain other cancers, cervical cancer is by far the most common severe condition related to HPV infection. Unlike other existing HPV vaccination guidelines, ASCO's guideline focuses on the use of HPV vaccination specifically for the prevention of cervical cancer.

"Although HPV vaccine has been around for more than a decade, the uptake of the vaccine has been less than ideal in many places, including in high-resource countries such as the United States," said Silvina Arrossi, PhD, co-chair of the Expert Panel that developed the guideline and an official and researcher at the Instituto Nacional del Cancer in Buenos Aires, Argentina. "As an organization of cancer doctors, ASCO continues to endorse HPV vaccination programs and efforts to help spare more women around the world from this very difficult cancer."

Guideline Methodology

The guideline recommendations were developed by a multinational and multidisciplinary panel of oncology, obstetrics/gynecology, public health, cancer control, epidemiology/biostatistics, health economics, behavioral/implementation science, and patient advocacy experts, including some of the world's foremost research leaders on HPV and HPV vaccines.

The Expert Panel reviewed relevant literature published from 1966 to 2015, including systematic reviews, existing guidelines, and cost-effective analyses. This guideline reinforces selected recommendations offered in the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, National Advisory Committee on Immunization guideline (Canadian), German guidelines, and Immunise Australia guideline.
Tata Tigor from the back. (Photo: Manav Sinha/News18.com)

Tata Tigor has a sporty side profile. (Photo: Manav Sinha/News18.com)

Tata Tigor Interiors. (Photo: Manav Sinha/News18.com)

Tata Tigor comes with a rear parking camera. (Photo: Manav Sinha/News18.com)

The diesel variant of the Tata Tigor misses out on the diamond cut alloy wheels as seen on the right. (Photo: Manav Sinha/News18.com)

Tata Tigor has exposed sheet metal at the back. (Photo: Manav Sinha/News18.com)

Tata Motors received their fair share of success with their hatchback Tiago and the recently launched Hexa SUV and it has been largely due to the new design language adopted by the company called Impact. The latest car to sport this design is the Tigor, which will be launched in India on March 29, 2017.Tigor is Tata Motors entry into the highly competitive sub-4 metre compact sedan segment and promises to establish the Indian automaker as a strong contendor in its price segment. That's a lot to live up to, so is it as good as it should be?The looks of a car play a vital role no matter which segment it competes in and by the looks of it, the company has pulled out all the stops on this one.Right away, the biggest attraction point for the Tigor is its roofline, which merges seamlessly into the boot. This gives the Tigor a coupe-like appearance, or as Tata calls it  a Styleback.The front of the car remains similar to the Tiago but now comes with projector headlamps which have been given a smoked treatment. The front grille gets the same design layout but is now more detailed.When it comes to the rear, the Tigor gets split LED tail lamps and the large chrome strip, dual-tone bumper and blacked-out spoiler give the car a bold stance. The party piece of the Tigor, though, is the high mounted LED stop light which runs across the length of the car and looks attractive. It will make all the heads turn wherever it goes.The side profile of the car looks sporty thanks to the chrome strip along the door line. Theres also the new 15-inch diamond cut alloy wheels which are a treat to look at.The interiors of the Tigor are almost identical to the Tiago. The quality of materials used and the fit and finish of the cabin will give you the feeling of being seated inside a car that belongs to a higher segment. In short, being inside the car is a good place to be in.The changes inside the cabin include the climate control unit which has been given a new layout with a piano black finish and there is a new seat pattern design. There are several shades used inside the cabin  chrome, piano black, a two-tone dashboard and silver accents  but they are all used in the right places and in the right amount.The Tigor gets several compartment spaces too, 24 to be exact, and all four doors can hold a 1-litre bottle. The driver seat and the steering are height adjustable and the boot space is a generous 419 litres.The Tigor comes with Tata Motors ConnectNext infotainment system which has been developed with Harman. It comes connected to an 8-speaker setup inside the car and offers one of the best audio experience in its segment. It gets the usual AUX, USB, SD Card and Bluetooth connectivity support along with voice command system which can be operated through the steering mounted controls. The 5-inch touchscreen has a good feedback and touch response and it will also give turn-by-turn navigation via the NaviMaps app on your smartphone.Under the hood, The Tigor comes with two engine options  a 1.2-litre Revotron petrol engine and a 1.05-litre Revotorq diesel engine. The petrol unit delivers 85 PS of power and 114 Nm of torque whereas the diesel engine delivers 70 PS of power and 140 Nm of torque. Both these engines come connected with a 5-speed manual transmission setup.There are two driving modes as well  City for optimum performance and response and Eco which reduces the engine and accelerator response for better efficiency.The car offers good stability at high speeds and doesnt feel stressed at triple digit speeds. It is also easy to manoeuvre at low speeds thanks to the light and responsive steering.It is loaded with features as well as it gets dual airbags at the front along with Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) and Cornering Stability Control (CSC).The clever engineering of the Tigor shines through when you open the boot and notice that the company has fitted the hinges in such a way that they do not intrude into the boot. This may be a small change visually but will make a huge difference in terms of practicality.The car also comes with a rear parking camera which has been smartly integrated into the chrome strip itself. So much so, it makes you wonder why havent all other cars done the same.The Tigor uses the same engines as the Tiago but it is almost 50 kilos heavier and the power and torque output remains identical to the hatchback. This means that the same engine must pull a heavier weight than before and hence, feels a bit more worked.The Revotron petrol engine is smooth and refined. It offers a decent pick-up even low down the RPM range and feels at its best when driven around in the city. At highway speeds, though, you would be left wanting a bit more.The Revotorq diesel engine, on the other hand, manages to feel peppy, responsive and is more fun to drive. This makes for an engaging and confidence-inspiring driving experience but the catch is that the engine gets audible inside the cabin at higher RPM. This gives the feeling of the engine being strained even when it really isnt.The 15-inch diamond cut alloy wheels are one of the prettiest offerings in the segment but they are not available, even as an option, on the diesel-powered variants. As per Tata Motors, it was done in order to keep the weight of the car in check.When you are seated at the back, you can see through the door cladding and the sheet metal of the door is visible. The gap is big enough to slide your fingers in and touch the sheet metal on the other side. It comes as a surprise because Tata Motors have offered great fit and finish otherwise inside the cabin.Upon its launch, the Tata Tigor will be competing against the likes of the Hyundai XCent, Honda Amaze, Volkswagen Ameo and the Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire.This is not the first time that Tata Motors have tried their hand in the sub-4 metre compact sedan segment but is their best offering yet. After all, the car comes from the stable of the automaker that was the first one to come out with a sub-4 metre sedan, almost eight years ago, with the Indigo CS and eventually gave way to a segment that has grown leaps and bounds ever since.And with the Tigor, they did not take any shortcuts either and the design of the car makes it evident. The company could have simply slapped a small boot at the back and called it a day but they went the extra mile and to give it neat touches like  the smoked projector headlamps, the great detailing on the LED tail lamps, the 'Styleback' shape of the car, the diamond cut alloy wheels and the likes of it. The fact is, that Tata Motors could have easily skipped doing the extra effort but they didnt and that is commendable.And even if you put all of that aside, the Tigor is actually a pretty good car. It looks good, offers practicality and gets all the bases covered. What remains to be seen is the pricing because if Tata Motors manages to get that right as well, then they have a winner on their hands.
Jammu: With Parliamentary by-polls only three weeks away, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is back at raising emotive issues, suggesting to New Delhi to avail the benefits of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).



Describing Jammu and Kashmir as the gateway to Central Asia, she said it could become a corridor of economic activity in the region, and the country could take huge benefit of the economic activities going on across LoC.



Why cant we be partners in economic growth and share the benefits of projects like CPEC. Let us move beyond skirmishes," she told a gathering in Delhi.



She strongly advocated for opening of more routes across LoC and initiation of political process to address the challenges confronting the state.



She said fostering cooperation across LoC would not only bring political stability across the region but also improve the lot of the local people.



It would make the region a hub of emerging economic opportunities leading to cooperation in trade, commerce, tourism, adventure across the region," she added.



Mufti sought the opening of historic routes in the state including Jammu-Sialkot route.



Mufti urged the Centre to initiate confidence building measures including dialogue with all shades of opinion to ensure peace in the state.



Invoking former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his inclusive vision, she said during his tenure Vajpayee worked on both the internal and external dimensions of the challenges confronting J&K and conducted an honourable outreach, resulting in an environment of peace and relaxation among the people.



"And when the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed raised the demand of opening of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road in 2003, it was positively reciprocated and consequently the graph of violence in the state fell down and focus shifted on good governance," she added.



She expressed optimism that Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who is credited with taking very bold decisions, would further carry forward this vision to usher the state and the region in an era of peace, stability and prosperity.



We should not shy away from taking bold steps like AFSPA revocation from certain areas to begin with," she said, adding that experiences have shown that governance alone cannot win over people and it has to be backed by a substantive political process on the ground.



She said the Indus Water Treaty is discriminatory to the state, the return of power projects should also be thought to compensate the state for its losses.
New Delhi: In the view of Jat groups threatening to intensify their agitation, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced on Saturday that the metro services outside Delhi will be suspended from 11:30 pm till further notice.



Twelve metro stations in central Delhi will also be shut from 8 p.m. onwards, however interchange facility will be available at all interchange stations, a DMRC official said.



In an advisory, the DMRC said that metro services will not be available at all metro stations outside Delhi -- Guru Dronacharya to Huda City Centre, Kaushambi to Vaishali, Noida Sector-15 to Noida City Centre and Sarai to Escorts Mujeswar -- from 11.30 p.m. on Sunday (March 19) till further instructions from the Delhi Police.







Metro Stations Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhavan, Lok Kalyan Marg, Janpath, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, R.K. Ashram Marg, Pragati Maidan, Khan Market and Shivaji Stadium will be shut for the public from 8 p.m. onwards on Sunday.



Meanwhile, Several routes in the national capital, including Zakir Hussain Road, will be closed in view of the Jat agitation on March 20, 2017.



The routes will be closed from March 19, 8.00 p.m onwards, to prevent the march of Jat community members to Parliament announced for Monday.





According to an advisory issued by the Delhi Police, the roads which will remain closed include Kemal Ataturk Marg from Race Course Metro Station to Panchseel Marg and Safdarjung Road to Aurobindo Chowk, among others.



Kautilya Marg from Samrat Hotel to Niti Marg, Kautilya T-Point near Bihar Bhawan, Teen Murti to Gole Methi roundabout will remain closed for the commuters. Zakir Hussain road for the commuters coming from Nizamuddin to India Gate will also remain closed, the advisory tweeted by the Delhi Traffic Police said.



The advisory further said that five entry points will be closed from 11 a.m March 19 onwards.



These entry points are Ring Road to San Martin Marg, Amrita Shergill to Lodhi Road, Max Muller Road to Lodhi Road, Archbishop Makarios Marg from Lodhi Road and all lanes leading to Panchkuiyan Road except Mandir Marg, R.K. Ashram and Hospital Road.



The Delhi Police has also advised the commuters wishing to travel from south Delhi to central Delhi to use Ring Road.



It has also issued a list of categories of people, who will be allowed to enter Delhi districts from March 19, 11 p.m onwards.



The list includes bona fide residents, people working in various offices situated in New Delhi area, emergency services, people coming to attend interviews, examination in New Delhi area, ambulances, fore brigades, buses of school children and any other people coming for some urgent work.



Jat groups have announced to hold a massive protest outside Parliament House on March 20.



The Jat groups are demanding reservation for the community in government jobs and educational institutions, jobs to the next of kin of those killed during 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 Jat agitation in February 2016 had left 30 people dead and over 200 injured. Besides, government and private property worth crores of rupees was damaged.



Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Kal Khattar is scheduled to meet the Jat leaders at 12 pm in Haryana Bhawan on Monday. Yashpal Malik will also be present there. He will be spearheading Monday's protest as well.



Khattar earlier said: "The government had a meeting with the protesters on March 16. The government is seriously addressing the demands of the protesters. I appeal to the protesters that they should come to Haryana Bhawan and discuss the matter.





(with input from IANS)
New Delhi: Jat agitation that was threatening to bring Delhi to a standstill has been postponed for now.



The protests were called off after jat leaders met with Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar.



"Centre and Haryana will soon begin the process of giving Jats reservation," said Khattar.



Jats were demanding reservation in government jobs and colleges. The plan was to come to Delhi with tractors and gherao the Parliament.



"Tomorrow's Jat agitation is suspended and Jats will not come to Delhi to protest," said Yashpal Malik, the leader of All India Jat Aarakshan Samiti (AIJASS).



The AIJASS had earlier announced that the community would intensify its agitation by taking their protest to Delhi on March 20.



The AIJASS has been agitating to press for its demands in Haryana since January 29.



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 CBI against some Jat leaders over violence during the agitation last year.







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.
New Delhi: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday held talks with the agitating Jat leaders ahead of their planned march to Parliament.



The march which is scheduled to take place on Monday is part of agitation by Jat groups from the state to push their case for reservations.



Massive security arrangements have been put in place by authorities in the national capital to deal with the march.



Before meeting Khattar here, All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) Chaiperson Yashpal Malik said that their protest will be peaceful and they will decide their next course of action after the talks.



"The protests will be peaceful. For 50 days our protests were peaceful .We have made seven demands and we are here to meet the CM and others with a positive frame of mind, Malik said.



"We believe that talks will provide solution to the issues... but we will decide our future course of action based on the outcome of the meeting," he added.



Malik was accompanied by a group of 60-70 representatives of various khaps (sub-sects) of the Jat community. Besides Khattar, Union Cabinet Minister Birender Singh was among those present in the meeting.



Meanwhile, four police officials, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police, were injured on Sunday in Fatehabad district in Haryana when Delhi-bound Jat community protesters clashed with them. The police force was trying to stop them from moving towards Delhi. The clash took place on the Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi highway when the protesters, who were on tractor-trolleys, were stopped.



In view of the planned march prohibitory orders have been clamped in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to stop Jat protesters from entering Delhi and about 24,700 paramilitary personnel have been mobilizes to maintain peace. Metro and road transport has been curtailed and several schools have been closed in the national capital.



Metro trains will not travel beyond the city's borders from 11.30 PM while 12 stations in Central Delhi will be shut from 8 PM till further orders.



The AIJASS, which is spearheading the agitation demanding reservations in education and government jobs, has given a call for a march to the national capital to gherao Parliament and to hold dharnas on the Delhi border blocking all highways to press for its demands.



(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: The Army has rescued 127 tourists stranded at the Sela Pass near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, official sources said on Sunday.



"Troops of Blazing Sword Division rescued 127 tourists from near Tawang, about 280 km from Tezpur," Defence Spokesperson (Kolkata) Wing Commander S.S. Birdi said.



The rescue operation started on Saturday night and continued till the early hours of Sunday. Those rescued included five foreign nationals from Japan, New Zealand and Bulgaria.



The tourists were trapped after a massive snow blizzard struck around 2.45 p.m. on Saturday between Ahirgarh, Sela and Nuranang on the Tezpur-Tawang road in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, Birdi said.



The body of a Bulgarian national, who fell into a gorge, was recovered around midnight.



The rescued persons were accommodated at the Army transit camps and provided with medical assistance.



The road, with about 2-3 feet of snow, was opened by the Border Roads Organisation for traffic on Sunday and all vehicles of the stranded tourists were recovered.



Most of the rescued persons have since left for their respective destinations, Birdi added.
Bhopal: A lot of problems, mainly violence and starvation, exist due to negligence and a "huge gap" between the rich and the poor, the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said on Sunday.



During his address on the "art of happiness", the monk said that harmony among different faiths exists in India, which is unique in world.



"All religions peacefully live together (in India). Occasionally, there are some problems mainly due to politicians...So that also is understandable. (There are) some mischievous persons in human beings (sic)," the Dalai Lama said in a lighter vein, evoking peals of laughter.



Acknowledging existence of strife, he said, "(In) today's world, (there are) lot of problems...From the major disasters (which are) beyond control. But many problems, mainly violence, killing and starvation, are due to negligence and (due to) a huge gap between the rich and the poor."



The Dalai Lama hailed the peaceful co-existence of various faiths in India.



"Bharat, this country..I think (since) over 2000 years, besides homegrown religions, Christianity, Islam from outside have coexisted peacefully and remained...I think that is unique. This does not exist in any other country," he said.



The Tibetan spiritual head appealed to Indians to show to outside world that different traditions can thrive together.



He advocated religious harmony in the midst of strife over beliefs in world.



"All religions preach love and compassion. No religion says that God is full of anger. The God is full of love. We are children of such a compassionate father (God). Basis of all religions is harmony.. Mutual respect," he added.



Observing that violence, killing and starvation are man-made, the Dalai Lama said, "We human being ourselves have created all this. So either we just ignore or make some effort. But any sensible human being cannot ignore. Therefore, ignoring is perfectly wrong...Remaining indifferent (to the problems) is wrong," he said.



Stating that religions act like medicines that destroy diseases, the Dalai Lama said, "I never say that Buddhism is the best religion."



He underlined the need of such education system that will be based on secularism, inner values, love and compassion, and not on any religion.



"Existing education system is materialistic which is not adequate..My first Guru to teach love was my mother. My mother was very kind. I never saw her angry, unlike my father who was short-tempered," he recalled.



At times, I use to pull his moustache and he used to beat me up, the Dalai Lama said in a lighter vein.



He said love and affection start from bosom of mother.



"Mother cuddles her newborn child and the infant starts reciprocating love. People who don't get this love get angry and (they) grow up with mistrust, according to studies," the Dalai Lama said, adding that happiness cannot be bought in any supermarket.



He lauded Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for creating a department of Happiness last year.



Observing that "varna dharma" is outdated," he said that the caste-based system was based on a feudal mindset and was aimed at exploiting farmers.



He recalled instances of ill treatment meted out to members of so-called lower castes in India in past.



"...Now time has come for different spiritual leaders to create a voice that all are equal...Dr B R Ambedkar had made great contribution..Wonderful," he said.
NORMAL  Stacey Shrewsbury recently took her love of flight and exploration to new heights  43,000 feet, to be exact.

Shrewsbury, lead flight director at the Challenger Learning Center at Heartland Community College, flew aboard the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy last week as part of a program to give educators a first-hand opportunity to see scientific researchers at work.

During the two flights she made while in California, in discussions on the ground and a course she took as part of the project, Shrewsbury learned a lot about infrared astronomy and the electromagnetic spectrum.

She also learned about teamwork.

Individual teams need to come together for the mission to be a success. That's what we do here, said Shrewsbury, with her feet back on the ground on the Heartland campus.

The flying observatory  called SOFIA  carried a Field Imaging Far-Infrared Line Spectrometer on Shrewsbury's two flights. The equipment included a telescope with a 100-inch-diameter mirror pointed out the open door of the modified 747SP aircraft. The plane is based at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, Calif.

During missions at the Challenger Learning Center, participants are assigned to teams and told each team is important and if one team fails, the mission fails, explained Shrewsbury.

I saw that with SOFIA time and time again, she said.

The flight crew, telescope operators, scientists, technicians, mechanics and others on the ground and in the air all worked together, engaging in problem-solving and team building on the fly, said Shrewsbury.

What I really appreciated and took away from this is the passion that each individual carried with him or her through the mission and the SOFIA program, she said.

The project is a partnership between NASA and the German Aerospace Center. The primary focus of the scientists on Shrewsbury's flights was mapping the M51 galaxy, also known as the Whirlpool Galaxy that is about 30 million light-years away.

Adjusting to the time change and different sleeping schedules was a challenge. The flights took place at night. The second one lasted from 8:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m.

A pilot herself  although of much smaller planes  Shrewsbury followed their flights on her own tablet and was on the flight deck for the takeoff of the first flight and landings of both flights.

A typical 747SP can seat about 230 passengers. But Shrewsbury said their SOFIA flights, equipped with various science stations and equipment, had 23 people on board.

Shrewsbury was partnered with Jennifer Hubbell-Thomas, a science teacher at Williamsville (Ill.) Junior High School. They worked together as earth ambassadors, providing educational programs, before being selected to fly aboard SOFIA as airborne astronomy ambassadors.

The purpose of the program is to more effectively engage learners of all ages on NASA science education programs and activities, according to the SETI Institute, which manages the ambassador program.

Shrewsbury will talk about her experiences at various events, including the Parent-Child Astronomy Exploration program on Saturday, April 1, at the Challenger center.

One of the mission directors told Shrewsbury that his interest in astronomy was triggered by a junior high school teacher who brought an inflatable planetarium to the classroom.

Her hope is that students participating in missions at the Challenger center will find a similar spark that inspires them.

What I want people to walk away with is to find that interest, find that passion and ride that passion, she said. Use it to push you forward and propel you to the next thing.
Tarun Tahiliani, best known for his innate ability to infuse Indian craftsmanship with textile heritage, believes that political statements on Indian red carpets wouldn't be discerned with the same spirit as they're taken in abroad."I dont think a Meryl Streep or a Glenn Close that goes lashing out at President Trump wouldve been tolerated in the same spirit in India", he said in an exclusive interaction with News18.com.When asked if Bollywood's red carpets are on the same lines as that of Hollywood, he disagreed saying, "In India, red carpets still look like a place for either emulation of the West or a lot of fake glamour besides a few actresses who always have their own style."The designer admits that most people on the red carpet feel there's too much at stake to stick their neck up politically and credits veterans like Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar for being vocal about issues that they support."By and large, the red carpet remains a petty emulation of what is going on from the Oscars, in my opinion," he added.He also highlighted that most other celebrities have lost their individualistic style amidst the stylist-rule fashion race. "Its very driven by the stylists and unfortunately because of a lot of press bashing people have learnt more restraint than the ability to speak their mind," he said on the sidelines of Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn Winter'17.The couturier feels that even though we've remained a democracy advocating freedom of speech, the "vandalism and gunda-ism, if not the direct leader in question, are often tactics employed with mobs of unemployed younger youth to ransack, intimidate, scare."He also cited a personal experience when his friend and designer Malini Ramani received threats during the Jessica Lal murder case. "I saw this myself first hand when the Jessica Lal murder happened, with my friend Malini Ramani, who was threatened and repeatedly asked to settle for a compromise."The designer showcased the magnum opus grand finale of the recently concluded AIFW 2017 in tandem with Amit Aggarwal. The two brought to ramp their own intricate designs against a stunning backdrop and a soul soothing live music.
Obit: Chuck Berry, one of the creators of rock 'n' roll who helped shape modern youth culture with his dance-ready rhythms but who struggled to overcome institutional racism, died Saturday. He was 90.



Police in the St. Louis area, where Berry was born and lived most of his life, said that first responders found the guitar legend unresponsive when they answered an emergency call at his home.



"The St. Charles County Police Department sadly confirms the death of Charles Edward Anderson Berry Sr., better known as legendary musician Chuck Berry," it said on Facebook.



Berry became a sensation in the years after World War II as the baby boom generation came of age in an increasingly prosperous America.



The middle-class son of a carpenter and a high school principal, Berry grew up under segregation but instinctively sensed how to bridge the racial divide.



Berry had played blues guitar but found that his white audience was more interested in country. He merged the styles with an electric energy and consummate stage showmanship, although he hesitated to say that he created rock 'n' roll.



"It used to be called boogie-woogie, it used to be called blues, used to be called rhythm and blues," he later said. "It's called rock now."



Whatever the music was named, Bruce Springsteen, one of many artists heavily influenced by Berry, said the man was indispensable.



"Chuck Berry was rock's greatest practitioner, guitarist and the greatest pure rock 'n' roll writer who ever lived," Springsteen wrote on Twitter.



His 1958 hit "Johnny B. Goode" was so influential and recognizable that the US space program chose it to represent rock music for potential extraterrestrial listeners on the Voyager spacecraft.



Struggles with racism



"Roll Over Beethoven" from 1956 was almost a manifesto of rock 'n' roll as the charismatic Berry urged the DJ to switch off the classical records and turn to the new genre of the youth.



Other hits included "Maybellene," one of the pioneering rock songs that gave a guitar edge to a popular fiddle tune, and "Sweet Little Sixteen," in which Berry hailed rock 'n' roll's sweep across the United States.



Berry was one of the first African Americans to find a widespread white audience, with his gentle demeanor and the usually innocuous subject matter of his songs initially insulating him in a country where many black people lived under Jim Crow institutionalised racism.



But that changed as his fame grew. After a packed performance in 1959 in Meridian Mississippi, a white crowd set upon Berry and forced him to leave through a side entrance after accusing him of kissing a white girl among his fans.



"One of the girls threw her arms around me and hung a soul-searching kiss that I let hang a second too long," Berry later explained. He was arrested for disturbing the peace and left the city after paying a fine.



His career soon was interrupted when he was arrested in 1959 under an obscure law for taking a 14-year-old girl across state lines for "immoral purposes."



Berry defended himself against allegations that he had slept with the young waitress. But he was convicted by an all-white jury and served a year and a half in prison. In a bitter irony, he was incarcerated just as the United States was swept by white rockers influenced by him, including the British invasion led by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.



Mick Jagger hailed Berry on Saturday as an inspiration, saying: "He lit up our teenage years, and blew life into our dreams of being musicians and performers."



Final album due



After his prison time, friends described the laid-back and fun-loving Berry as a changed man, and the conviction has long been viewed in the African American community as a warning sign for artists on the rise.



Berry mostly avoided the media limelight as he resurrected his career. In a rare 1987 interview with NBC television, Berry declined to describe himself as the father of rock 'n' roll, listing others including his contemporary Elvis Presley as well as Fats Domino and Little Richard.



"We're all I think just a cog in the wheel. We all got the ball rolling," he said.



Berry initially found success after record executive Leonard Chess sensed his crossover potential and signed him after an introduction from Muddy Waters. Berry late in his life stayed low-profile in St. Louis where he played two decades worth of shows at the Blueberry Club, with his son Charles Berry Jr. in his backup band.



In a surprise, Berry last year celebrated his 90th birthday by announcing that he had recorded his first album in 38 years.



Entitled simply "Chuck," the album is slated to be released sometime this year.



In a statement, as he announced the album, Berry dedicated it to his wife of 68 years, Themetta Berry.



"My darlin', I'm growing old! I've worked on this record for a long time. Now I can hang up my shoes!"
Lucknow: First, a mandate beyond expectation for the party surprised many BJP leaders. Now, the choice of Gorakhpur MP Mahant Yogi Adityanath as chief minister has left many within the party confused. 



If Adityanath was the chosen one, the name of consensus within the party and the Sangh, then why was this delay of a week in declaring the name, they ask.



Second, what was the need for a strong Hindutva projection when the party had already got a massive mandate? Further, Yogi is known to be an entity by himself. He can't be expected to be a rubber stamp chief minister.



Hence, the question now silently doing the rounds within the BJP is whether the choice of the 44-year-old five-time MP shows a 'lack of choice' or a political masterstroke by Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi.



If it is a masterstroke, keeping 2019 Lok Sabha elections in mind, then many fail to understand the logic.



As a senior BJP leader, on condition of anonymity, said, Hindu consolidation had already been achieved in this election. Upper castes, backwards and a section of Dalits strongly voted for the party. When the said purpose has already being achieved then why project a hardline Hindutva face?



Another point which baffles a section of party leaders is that, even if hard Hindutva is the party's game plan for 2019, it was not necessary to bring in someone as CM who is known for his divisive comments, and politics of communal polarisation. Someone who had refused to mellow down and was seen making communal statements even in the recently concluded UP Assembly polls.



Talking to CNN-News18 during the campaign in February this year, Adityanath had said his party wanted to "end the situation where electricity is provided to a Dewa Sharif (a Sufi Shrine) but power supply is disrupted to Mahadev (a Hindu temple)." Electoral rally after rally, Adityanath had attempted a subtle polarisation, mixing religion with development.



He later clarified, A BJP government, if it comes to power will ensure development for all, Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and it will be done by ending the communal and casteist bias in implementation of the schemes.



The question which arises now is why someone known for such divisive politics, went on to become the CM choice. Was he purely the first choice of Modi-Shah and the RSS, or was there something else behind his name being endorsed for the top job?



Finding an answer to that is not easy, for not many leaders within the party are ready to talk even off the record.



But from whatever could be picked from sources, some interesting observations have emerged. A senior leader, who is a key figure in party organisation, told CNN-News18 that post March 11, initially, Rajnath Singh was the most probable CM choice.



This despite the fact that he was not acceptable to party president Amit Shah. But the tide turned against him, and as days passed by, choices for the high profile post became limited.



The name that was seriously considered next was that of Union Minister Manoj Sinha. He was the choice of both Shah and Modi, but then a senior RSS functionary from UP had serious reservations about it. This jeopardised Sinha's possibilities.



With no names emerging and with powerful leaders from the state openly flaunting their ambition as time ticked by, the party had to go for a quick decision.



With indecisiveness prevailing even as late as the morning of March 18, the day the BJP legislature party meeting was to be held, the state headquarters witnessed an open show of strength by both state president Keshav Maurya and Adityanath. Their supporters stormed the party office in support of their leaders. The live footage of which was streamed across news channels.



A senior party leader points out, "As the choices got narrowed down, neither Maurya nor Adityanath were ready to relent. Contacts were even made with elected MLAs.



It was ultimately this 'lack of option' which led to the formula of a shared leadership in the government. A CM with two deputies theory was rolled out with two intentions. One, to satisfy the caste equilibrium and second, to keep a check on Yogi. An effort, though unsuccessful, to dilute the strong Hindutva line perception.



Now that Adityanath has been made the CM, the challenge for the party will be to fight the perception that the government is pro hardline Hindutva. Though Lucknow Mayor Dinesh Sharma, one of the deputy CMs, is seen as a more acceptable and tolerant face, the perception about Adityanath and CM Maurya are different.



Professor Harsh Kumar of Gorakhpur University is someone who had seen and studied Adityanath for long. He says, Since late '90s, Adityanath has been the posterboy of hardline Hindutva. His statements, his very persona, echoes that.



How he is going come out of this 'Brand Yogi' image will be interesting to watch. But his elevation has surprised many, even those who had voted for the BJP in this elections. Because they had voted in name of development and not hardcore Hindutva, he adds.






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New Delhi: Swaraj India's national President Yogendra Yadav on Sunday launched the party's first road show as part of the party's campaign for the upcoming MCD polls.



The Party's candidate from Bijwasan, Satyendra Rana, along with hundreds of supporters, welcomed Yadav. Alongside the road show, the party supporters also took out a bike rally in the area.



Manju Yadav, the party's candidate from Kapashera, took the road show ahead from her ward.



"From Palam ward, Swaraj India's candidate Upasana took the road show ahead and made an appeal for votes. Party's Saadnagar candidate Rekha Yadav led the road show in her ward, with party supporters colouring the ambience in Basanti colours," party's National Chief Spokesperson Anupam told IANS.



Thousands of people, including auto-rickshaw drivers, expressed their support for Swaraj India and raised the slogan of "Teen Sarkar, Teeno Bekaar".



Yogendra Yadav also raised the slogan of "Jumla, Drama, Ghotaala.. #bas_aur_nahin".



With the term "Jumla", Yadav attacked the BJP and the Prime Minister; with "Drama" he targeted the Aam Aadmi Party, and with "Ghotala", he attacked the Congress party.



"In the upcoming MCD elections, the party is beginning its electoral journey and is contesting all the 272 seats. Right from the process of selecting candidates to setting the agenda, the party is showing how it is different from the traditional political parties," Anupam said.



Swaraj India is the first party that has kept environment and cleanliness at the top of its election agenda, he said, adding that the party has also launched its vision document by the name of "Saaf Dil, Saaf Dilli", which outlines its action plan.


New Delhi: Yogi Adityanath's elevation as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is part of Narendra Modi's vision of a "new India", AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said on Sunday, taking a jibe at the decision.



Owasi, a firebrand Muslim leader, said he was the least surprised by the decision.



This is an assault on India's age-old "ganga jamuni tehzeeb" -- a fusion of Hindu and Muslim cultures, he said.



"This is Modiji and BJP's new India. But this is not at all surprising. The Samajwadi Party cheated the Muslims when it was in power. And now we will see a model of exclusivist development. This is the 'Vikas' they talk about," Owaisi said.



While Owaisi was vocal on the issue, another prominent Muslim leader, Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari took a guarded approach, hoping Adityanath would shed his controversial past.



"I welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi's post-election statement that a government has to be run by consensus, not majority. I hope the new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh will follow these words. Hope the controversies will remain a thing of the past," Bukhari said.



Earlier, Owaisi, a firebrand Muslim leader, tweeted, "Mr Modi is making a "NEW INDIA" in UP (sic)."



44-year-old Adityanath, a priest-turned-politician, is known for his provocative speeches and mass following across the state and never shies away from making controversial remarks, be it about Islam or Pakistan.



Right from comparing Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan to Hafiz Saeed during the intolerance debate in 2015 to asking people to leave India if they don't practise 'Surya Namaskar' in 2015, the Yogi has been at the centre of several controversies.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held his first press conference in Lucknow today and laid out the blueprint for the state.

The Chief Minister made it clear that development will be the prime focus of his government. He said that there will be a special board for Bundelkhand.

As it happened.

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
Paris: A man who said he was ready to die for Allah was shot dead on Saturday after attacking a soldier at Paris's Orly airport, triggering a major security alert that caused travel chaos.



Ziyed Ben Belgacem, a 39-year-old French national, grabbed a female soldier and put a gun to her head, seizing her assault rifle, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins told a press conference.



"Put your weapons down, hands on your heads. I'm here to die for Allah. In any case people are going to die," the attacker told the troops in Molins's account of the attack.



He tried to use the soldier as a human shield but she dropped to her knees, giving her two colleagues an opportunity to shoot him.



Ben Belgacem was carrying a petrol can in a backpack as well as a copy of the Koran, Molins said. Officials say he had a string of criminal convictions and was previously investigated for links to radical Islam.



The incident comes as France remains on high alert following a series of jihadist attacks that have claimed more than 230 lives since January 2015.



Molins said Ben Belgacem had also fired at police in the northern Paris suburb of Garges-les-Gonesse earlier on Saturday, slightly injuring one officer in the head.



Prosecutors said they opened an anti-terror investigation.



'Total panic'



The attacker's father, brother and 35-year-old cousin have all been detained for questioning, Molins said. All three had made contact with the police themselves.



Flights were halted at Orly for several hours following the shooting, which happened just before 8:30 am (0730 GMT). Around 3,000 people were evacuated from the building.



Incoming flights were diverted and thousands of passengers stranded at Paris's second-largest airport, but normal service resumed by mid-afternoon.



France goes to the polls on April 23 in the first round of a two-stage presidential election in which security is one of the main issues on voters' minds.



Witnesses described scenes of chaos as the shooting took place.



"There was total panic," Sofiane Slim, a check-in assistant at Royal Air Maroc, told AFP.



Elite police teams secured the airport and searched it for explosives but none were found.



French President Francois Hollande said his government was "determined to fight relentlessly against terrorism, defend the security of our compatriots and ensure the protection of our country".



'France still a target'



Ben Belgacem is believed to have stolen a car and driven to Orly after shooting at police north of the city, Molins said.



He had committed several armed robberies and was investigated for radicalisation in 2015, although he did not feature on the list of those thought to pose a high risk.



He lived in an apartment in Garges-les-Gonesse, which was searched by investigators after the shooting on Saturday.



The shooting took place on the second day of an official visit to Paris by Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate, which was unaffected.



France remains under a state of emergency after a series of terror attacks, including the November 2015 massacre in Paris and a truck attack in Nice last July.



In mid-February, a machete-wielding Egyptian man attacked a soldier outside Paris's Louvre museum before being shot and wounded.



The soldiers on patrol at Orly airport belong to Operation Sentinelle, a force of 7,000 troops deployed in the capital and other cities after the January 2015 attacks in Paris.



On Thursday, a letter bomb exploded at the Paris offices of the International Monetary Fund, injuring a secretary who suffered burns to her hands and face.



Investigators suspect a Greek far-left group was behind the attack, which Hollande said showed that France was "still targeted".
DECATUR  Jake Blackburn was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief Saturday and shake hands with Aastha Patel after correctly spelling hawser.

Jake, an eighth-grader at Garfield Montessori School, had won the Macon-Piatt Regional Spelling Bee at Eisenhower High School, earning an upcoming trip to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee from May 28 through June 3 in Washington, D.C. The pair of spellers had gone back and forth for 14 rounds, each with a chance to win, before the bee ended after lasting 21 rounds.

The remaining 21 competitors had been eliminated by the end of the sixth round, with eight going out in the first, four in the third, four in the fifth and five in the sixth.

We had to keep spelling, said Jake, who has competed in the regional bee the past five years, since he was in fourth grade. I knew it's never really over.

The eventual winner had to spell a word correctly in the next round after the other misspelled a word in the previous round, or the competition continued. In Round 20, Jake correctly spelled saffian before Aastha missed dromond.

He then spelled hawser, a word he now will never forget and which means a thick rope or cable for mooring or towing a ship.

Jake said he needed to regain his composure and remain positive as each round went by and neither was eliminated. He knew it was going to be tough while looking nervous on stage between rounds.

Aastha, a seventh-grader from Sullivan Middle School was feeling the pressure, too, competing in her first regional spelling bee.

I was sweating, Aastha said. I'm glad I made it this far. I knew some of them, but I guessed, too.

Jake was wearing his lucky Yadier Molina jersey. Molina is the catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Jake was hoping the jersey would bring him luck again as he had worn it at previous levels of competition.

He's not sure if he will wear the jersey during the national bee as he might need to be a little more dressed up for that.

While taking part in the spelling bees and coming close before, Jake has taken inspiration from his older brother, Charlie, 16, who attends St. Teresa High School. Both brothers have previously competed at spelling bees but it will be the first time either of them won it.

The national bee will be the first time Jake and his family will be taking a trip to the nation's capital city.

It's going to be exciting, said Jake's mom, Amy. There's going to be so much to see with all the activities and monuments.

Jake knows he will have more studying to do between now and May to be prepared for the national stage.

His parents seemed nearly as relieved as Jake was afterward, eagerly watching as each word was called. Despite the tension, Jake's dad, Brian Blackburn, made sure to remain calm enough to take a picture of the winning moment.

For winning, Jake took home a trophy along with a larger one to be kept at school.

Bee coordinator Linda Smith is looking forward to joining the family on the trip to Washington with other spellers from all over the country competing.

It's a great experience, Smith said. We get to see the kids excel every year.

Stu Ellis was the pronouncer for the event, with David Cooprider, Teena Zindel-McWilliams and Ollie Taylor serving as judges. Assistant Regional Superintendent of Schools Jill Reedy was the director.

Macon-Piatt County Regional Superintended of Schools Matt Snyder is looking to continue support for the bee, which featured students in fifth to eighth grade from throughout East Central Illinois.

We know the importance of this spelling bee, Snyder said. We want to do everything we can so they can continue their quest to get to Washington.
Though the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the conviction of former Gov. Bob McDonnell in the Giftgate scandal that consumed the final year of his administration in 2013, the initial guilty verdict in a federal corruption trial still resonates throughout the halls of power in Richmond.

Despite the fact loopholes in the current reporting and disclosure law that still make Virginias law one of the least restrictive in the nation, the most recent disclosures reveal more than a few surprises, both good and not-so good.

According to data released by the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council and analyzed by the Virginia Public Access Project, in 2016 legislators reported the lowest value of gifts accepted in decades and showed marked declines over just four years ago.

In 2013, according to the ethics council, legislators disclosed gifts valued at more than $370,000. When the numbers for 2016 were tallied, that figure was down to about $170,000. According to VPAP, the value of the average reported gift in 2016 was $131, as opposed to $195 two years ago. In the wake of the McDonnell Giftgate scandal, the General Assembly passed legislation requiring any gift worth more than $50 be disclosed; many legislators now refuse to accept anything that reaches that reporting threshold.

Long ago, Sen. Steve Newman, the president pro tempore of the state Senate and chairman of the Education Committee, set a strict policy of No Gifts At All, even displaying a sign by the door to his office suite informing lobbyists of the fact. As it has for many years, his disclosure form showed $0 in gifts, not even coffee mugs or refrigerator magnets. His Southside and Central Virginia colleagues  Frank Ruff and Bill Stanley  were equally hard-nosed about accepting any trinkets, each reporting $0 in gifts.

Over in the House of Delegates, Del. Matt Fariss of Campbell was the exception for the region, reporting gifts valued at $875.45. His Southside and Central Virginia colleagues  Dels. Kathy Byron, Terry Austin, Scott Garrett, Ben Cline, Les Adams and Danny Marshall  reported no gifts at all.

There are loopholes and exceptions written into the law that could be problematic in the future. Though the Assembly set an annual cap of $100 on gifts legislators can take from lobbyists, theres a specific exemption for whats called a widely attended event, the definition of which is pretty much left up to a legislator when completing his annual disclosure. According to VPAP, in 2016, 75 percent of all gifts legislators took fell into this category, which exempted their value from the annual $100 cap.

But analysis of the reporting data reveals something interesting about the politics of gift-taking few people might have expected, and which surprised us, too.

Just over 40 percent of legislators reported taking at least one gift worth more than $50. For Republicans, that party that controls the 100-member House of Delegates by a 2-1 margin and the 40-member Senate 21-19, that translates into about a fourth of Assembly Republicans taking gifts. Democrats, with only 34 members in the House and 19 in the Senate? Well, thats another story. The data shows that more 60 percent of them accepted lobbyists gifts of values that triggered the reporting rules.

One could argue, since it was a scandal involving a Republican governor, Republican legislators would be more attuned to the optics of accepting any gifts. Possibly. One could also try to make the argument that Democrats, who have been in the minority since the early 2000s, feel less encumbered since theyre as far from the levers of power as you can get in the Assembly. That argument is more than bit wobbly though, especially when you look at data from the Senate where Democrats are only two seats away from control of the chamber and locked in a perpetual battle with the GOP for control. Ponder this: In 2016, 13 of the 20 senators who reported any gifts were Democrats. It make one wonder if lobbyists arent, in fact, placing bets for a time when control of the chamber may flip.

For us, though, while we see this overall downward trend in gift-taking as encouraging, we still stand by our long-expressed argument of no gifts  period  and no loopholes  at all. Virginians must be able to rest assured their legislators cant be bought for any price.
Bishops Centenary girls speak out

The concert, titled Unplugged, was held at the Little Carib Theatre on March 14. It featured 14 teenaged girls who wrote and shared their personal stories and concerns related to social issues, including gender based violence, adoption, body shaming, bullying, teen suicide, the countrys crime rate, the economy, and racism.

Hannah Parris started off the evening with the self-aware spoken word piece, Who Am I? She highlighted her place in her family, the things she loved, her personality, but in the end recognised, I am no ordinary girl. I am Hannah. In When I Share A Poem, Karissa Ali discovered her voice.

She said she was no longer the girl sitting in a corner and keeping her thoughts to herself.

Instead, when she shared her poems, they were as a mirror into her soul and it made her feel free, refreshed, and renewed.

Tahirah Williams expressed her fears of being a young woman in society in her poem What is Fear? She told the audience that she could not walk the road and feel safe. Instead, she wonders if or when someone would snatch her, rape her, traffic her or murder her.

Shenelle Vincent made members of the audience think when she asked what they thought when they heard the word woman. She lamented that some men still believe that they can own a woman, that some men openly lust after a woman and then take the woman as their own. However, in the end, she said that woman was not just a word that stemmed from the word man, but that woman meant resilience, strength, courage, and all that is good. Tishauna Jones sang about the black woman  how she may be ridiculed because of the colour of her skin, but that same skin was a coat of amour with which she blessed her children. She encouraged darkskinned women to be proud.

One of the highlights for the evening was the song, Birth of a Nation by Aaliya Holder and Jaqueline Frauenfelder Haynes. The girls sang in harmony with piano accompaniment.

Were fighting this war for a nation where sticks and stones break no more, they sang to a resounding round of applause and shouts for an encore, which they reluctantly gave.

The two-hour event was thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining, with the girls encouraging audience participation as they performed, many of them for the first time.

The pieces were short and sweet, as well as insightful and moving. It was also obvious that a lot of critical thought and emotion went into writing the pieces, and it was both sad and encouraging that the girls were so aware of the challenges facing them in todays society.

Co-founder and executive director of Girl Be Heard, Jessica Greer Morris, explained that the organisation was an international New York-based organisation that hosts after-school, girl empowerment programmes.

It develops, amplifies, and celebrates the voices of young women through socially conscious theatre.

It creates safe spaces for young women to share personal stories and raise awareness about social justice issues affecting girls locally and abroad.

She said it was a job-creation programme aimed at helping to create more jobs for artists and activists.

Morris told Sunday Newsday Girl Be Heard was invited to Trinidad after Nicole Ms Brafit Joseph-Chin saw them do a show about sex trafficking in New York.

When we came here it was like a calling. Weve been to eight countries but unfortunately, although they want the programme, theres no funding. Steve Weekes of the US Embassy found us a grant and made it happen, she explained.

She added that Girl Be Heard was basically a listening programme that also taught the girls how to write, express themselves, and even a little theatre.

What we do, they say its so innovative and radical, and we won all these awards, but basically we sit in a room and listen to girls.

Whos listening to girls? Whos asking them what they care about, what they dream about, what they want the world to be. If you listen closely enough, young people, the next generation, could lead us to a better place. Unplugged was directed by Penelope Spencer and Deneka Thomas, and was held in collaboration with Jean Claude Counard, director of 2 Cents Movement, which is the licence holder of Girl Be Heard Trinidad and Tobago.

The student are also scheduled to perform at the Bocas Lit Fest at the National Library in Port-of-Spain on April 30; and at the Central Bank Auditorium, Independence Square on June 29.

Individuals and organisations are encouraged to sponsor a girl or a school so that the six-month programme could continue. Those interested are asked to contact Girl Be Heard TT programme manager, Takitah De Four at takiyah@girlbeheard.

org
Derek Walcott - the greatest poet

Morning, Paramin, his book-length collection of ekphrastic verse with the painter Peter Doig, bears all the hallmarks of Walcott the poet. Here was an artist who was rigorous, but who also tried out new forms, new modes. Though often sombre, he could also be playful. At all points, he was constantly seeking the sublime. Like the greatest poets, he always imagined a poetry that was just out of reach. If, like Icarus, he sometimes came too close to the sun, he also just as often achieved mesmeric flight.

Since his death on Friday, Walcott has been described by many as ambitious. Journalists from outside the Caribbean have said he took Western literature and used it as a tool to his own ends. They suggest his vantage point was that of an outsider. While his work certainly grapples with a feeling of being lost between two worlds, inside and outside the Caribbean, I think Walcotts achievement is more profound than this. He did not make an argument for inclusion of the so-called Third World, post-colonial Caribbean within the global literary canon. Rather, he set out to show how, all along, we have resided within it.

No one can question his technical achievements. You think of a Walcott poem and you think of his grasp for th the musicality of language; his talent for acute images; his sophisticated metaphors that have the impact of an undeniable truth; his chameleon-like ability to replicate any type of landscape; his ability to surprise.

Tiepolos Hound opens with these lines: They stroll on Sundays down Dronningens Street, passing the bank and the small island shops quiet as drawings, keeping from the heat through Danish arches until the street stops at the blue, gusting harbour, where like commas in a shop ledger gulls tick the lined waves.

In the poem Islands, from the collection In a Green Night, he wrote: I seek, As climate seeks its style, to write Verse crisp as sand, clear as sunlight, Cold as the curled wave, ordinary As a tumbler of island water.

Walcott worked hard. At one stage he described his calling in terms that brought to mind spiritual devotion. He said: I have never separated the writing of poetry from prayer. I have grown up believing it is a vocation, a religious vocation. What I described in Another Lifeabout being on the hill and feeling the sort of dissolution that happenedis a frequent experience in a younger writer. I felt this sweetness of melancholy, of a sense of mortality, or rather of immortality, a sense of gratitude both for what you feel is a gift and for the beauty of the earth, the beauty of life around us. If Walcott was a priest, many of us were his acolytes.

first encountered Walcotts poetry at secondary school. I will never forget that English Literature class, in 1999, when Mr Perkins asked us to read Walcotts poem about Carnival, Mass Man. It was a hot afternoon at St Marys College on Frederick Street, Port-of-Spain. I still remember the light of that day, streaming through the bay leaves of the trees that lined the front of the college, and the smell of old wooden desks. At the age of 16, I was not prepared for what was about to happen.I first encountered Walcotts poetry at secondary school. I will never forget that English Literature class, in 1999, when Mr Perkins asked us to read Walcotts poem about Carnival, Mass Man. It was a hot afternoon at St Marys College on Frederick Street, Port-of-Spain. I still remember the light of that day, streaming through the bay leaves of the trees that lined the front of the college, and the smell of old wooden desks. At the age of 16, I was not prepared for what was about to happen. e musicality of language; his talent for acute images; his sophisticated metaphors that have the impact of an undeniable truth; his chameleon-like ability to replicate any type of landscape; his ability to surprise.

Tiepolos Hound opens with these lines: They stroll on seeks its style, to write Verse crisp as sand, clear as sunlight, Cold as the curled wave, ordinary As a tumbler of island water.

Walcott worked hard. At one stage he described his calling in terms that brought to mind spiritual devotion. He said: I have never separated the writing of poetry from prayer. I have grown up believing it is a vocation, a religious vocation. What I described in Another Lifeabout being on the hill and feeling the sort of dissolution that happenedis a frequent experience in a younger writer. I felt this sweetness of melancholy, of a sense of mortality, or rather of immortality, a sense of gratitude both for what you feel is a gift and for the beauty of the earth, the beauty of life around us. If Walcott was a priest, many of us were his acolytes.

I first encountered Walcotts poetry at secondary school. I will never forget that English Literature class, in 1999, when Mr Perkins asked us to read Walcotts poem about Carnival, Mass Man. It was a hot afternoon at St Marys College on Frederick Street, Port-of-Spain. I still remember the light of that day, streaming through the bay leaves of the trees that lined the front of the college, and the smell of old wooden desks. At the age of 16, I was not prepared for what was about to happen.

I We students read and read and read and read. Walcotts lines were so simple, they flowed right past us, right over our heads: Hector Mannix, waterworks clerk, San Juan, has entered a lion, the poem began. There was a man with two golden mangoes bobbing for breastplates. What on earth was happening? The disorientation a first-time Carnival reveller might feel fell upon that all-boys Catholic school classroom. It was only when Mr Perkins began to break down the poem, to critique it, did something click. Until then, for many of us, poetry was a kind of ornamental art: inert, limited to sound and not necessarily sense. That a poem could contain a torrent of fraught truths about ourselves, right there on the cool page, was the revelation.

We came to Walcotts great lines: But I am dancing, look, from an old gibbet/my bull-whipped body swings, a metronone!/Like a fruit bat dropped in the silk-cottons shade,/ My mania, my mania is a terrible calm. At last, we saw our own complexity acting on Walcotts stage.

He had written a poem about Carnival and all its queerness, but it was really a ghost story; a gothic horror about slavery and abandoned children. From that moment, the possibility of poetry: what it could simultaneously hide and reveal, what it could say and do (and I insist that poetry can do) came. Poetry could be ours. I dont remember anything else Mr Perkins ever taught me. But I will never forget that lesson.

And so though I met Walcott only twice, Ive always felt his presence in my life through his work. Admittedly, sometimes his work became problematic.

I remember recently seeing a re-staging of his play, Ti-Jean and His Brothers and being stunned by the cavalier way in which the poet deployed puns that alienated me, a queer man. Sitting in the darkness of the Little Carib Theatre and hearing actors read out lines in which they repeatedly ask each other for fags, conscious of the derogatory meaning of the word, I questioned who this play was intended for? What was its moral heart? And was its audience supposed to include me? In Morning, Paramin I questioned one poem in particular, Man Dressed As Bat, feeling there was a violence in the poem that could not be accounted for on its surface. What was intended in this poem, which was literally about a batty man? I also became aware of the sexual harassment allegations that resurfaced when he was in line for a key post at Oxford.

I am disappointed that such low tactics have been used in this election, and I do not want to get into a race for a post where it causes embarrassment to those who have chosen to support me for the role or to myself, Walcott told The Evening Standard of London. He added, While I was happy to be put forward for the post, if it has degenerated into a low and degrading attempt at character assassination, I do not want to be part of it. While he also had a long feud with VS Naipaul, Walcott had a vision of the Caribbean that was conciliatory.

Break a vase, and the love that reassembles the fragments is stronger than that love which took its symmetry for granted when it was whole, he said in 1992 in his Nobel lecture. The glue that fits the pieces is the sealing of its original shape. It is such a love that reassembles our African and Asiatic fragments. That is a vision we would do well to remember today, as fragmented and divided as we stand.

Walcotts poetry never claims perfection, though it almost nearly is. Since no woman or man can be known entirely, since our responses to art and artists are distinct and complex, Ive never stopped being a devotee.

Andre Bagoos third book of poems Pitch Lake will be published next month. 1999, when Mr Perkins asked us to read Walcotts poem about Carnival, Mass Man. It was a hot afternoon at St Marys College on Frederick Street, Port-of-Spain. I still remember the light of that day, streaming through the bay leaves of the trees that lined the front of the college, and the smell of old wooden desks. At the age of 16, I was not prepared for what was about to happen.
CHARLESTON -- An attorney representing a group of business owners fighting Coles County's reassessment of commercial and industrial property says a "lack of uniformity" could make it subject to a legal challenge.

Imposing the changes in only Mattoon Township, so far, will mean business owners in the township will pay a "disproportional share" of taxes, attorney Erick Kaardal said.

He also contended that information on which the county relied, that said the method being used is allowed, doesn't change its legality.

"It's allowed procedurally, but it is illegal," Kaardal said.

He said a group of about 160 business owners hired him to possibly sue the county, a move that would come following county and state appeals of assessment changes.

Kaardal's office is in Minneapolis and he said much of his work addresses legal issues with governments. He said he plans to add a Coles County area attorney to the effort.

The county began reassessing commercial and business property for taxing purposes in 2015 because the property hadn't been reassessed since 2001.

The county opted to do the work in phases with Mattoon Township property reassessed first, leading to the complaints after township property owners received notices of their assessment changes late last year.

According to Kaardal, the lawsuit would address "was it right" for the county to apply the new assessments in Mattoon Township before they were used in the entire county.

"The question that needs to be answered is when they understood they had an issue of non-uniformity," he said.

It might mean Mattoon Township business owners could recover the additional taxes they will pay because the new property values weren't apply to all of the county at the same time.

State's Attorney Brian Bower, who serves as the county's legal counsel, said the method the county used is allowed by state law.

The Illinois Department of Revenue indicated doing the work in phases was allowed, and the county went through the proper procedures with the department to do it that way, he said.

"I believe the county followed the statutory scheme," Bower said.

He said he thinks the state legislature "passed a constitutional statute," but if Kaardal challenges it "that's for the courts to decide."

The Illinois Department of Revenue indicated it would be "unprecedented" to restart a reassessment project at the point Coles County has reached, county board Chairman Stan Metzger said.

With the restrictions of the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, often called PTELL, overall tax levies shouldn't change much, though individual business property owners could pay more, he said.

That means that taxes on residential property will likely decrease, he added.

"If we were to ignore that, those property owners don't get that benefit," Metzger said.

Coles County Clerk Sue Rennels, whose office calculates the county's tax levies, confirmed that PTELL does not limit the taxes or the assessment of individual pieces of property. It only limits the overall amount of taxes collected in the county, she said.

The reassessment project began shortly after current county Supervisor of Assessments Karen Biddle, a longtime employee of the office, was appointed to the position in 2014.

According to Biddle and other county officials, a commercial-industrial reassessment began when two previous supervisors were in office but it stopped when Chad Turner, Biddle's immediate predecessor, was in the position.

On a related matter, Bower said he's reviewing whether the county needs to do more to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request for information about the reassessment project.

John Kraft of the online Edgar County Watchdogs organization recently filed a court case claiming his requests have been improperly denied.

Kraft indicated he requested a copy of the "study" used by Bob Becker, the appraiser the county to do the reassessment project.
It May Not Be the Time

You Think It Is
It's a parent's worst nightmarea stranger breaks into the home and sexually assaults a young child. But in Colorado Springs in 1996, things actually got much worse from there for Brad Pitman, the father of a 4-year-old girl hurt so badly she required five surgeries, per the Gazette. Through a convoluted series of events, suspicion was cast on Pitman; though he was never arrested, he ended up being denied parental rights to his daughter and then-6-month-old son. But in 2014, a federal grant supplied the resources needed to add old physical fingerprint cards from around the country to a national databaseand Pitman's name was cleared as a result. A handprint found on a kitchen window after the girl's rape matched up with Joel Market, a man who lived less than a mile away at the time, reports KDVR.

"I might not have went to jail, but I've been in prison for 20 years," says Pitman, 44, whose family still wants nothing to do with him. The crime took place in June 1996, two weeks after Pitman and his wife had separated. The girl's screams woke her mother, who called Pitman; he rushed over. In an interview, the girl described the perpetrator as a stranger. But in February 1997, she said her dad "hurted me." Cops determined there was no way Pitman could have assaulted his daughter and driven to his apartment in time to answer his wife's call, but social workers insisted that he participate in a "sex offender evaluation" and "take responsibility for the ... abuse." He said he wouldn't, and the El Paso County Department of Human Services had his parental rights terminated. Market was sentenced to 24 years for the crime in January. (Read more sexual assault stories.)
The state has declined to file criminal charges against four corrections officers who allegedly boiled a schizophrenic inmate alive in a Florida prison shower five years ago, the Miami New Times reports. Darren Rainey was serving time in Dade Correctional Institute for cocaine possession when corrections officers allegedly trapped him in the shower for two hours under 180-degree water. Inmates said they could hear Rainey scream as the guards laughed and asked if the shower was "hot enough." A prison nurse later said there were burns on 90% of Rainey's body and his skin fell off when it was touched. According to the Miami Herald, at least six inmates say the shower was used to punish inmates, many of them mentally ill.

But a report released late Friday by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office found no evidence the guards had committed a crime. The report determined Rainey died of a combination of complications from schizophrenia, a heart condition, and being "confined in the shower." But it concluded the guards didn't "grossly disregard" his health. The report mostly relied on an autopsy that has never been made public. It dismissed testimony from inmates, as well as a report from a prison captain who measured the shower's temperature at 160 degrees following Rainey's death. State law caps prison showers at 120 degrees. And prison medical workers say they were pressured to keep quiet by the private contractor that runs the prison. A lawyer for Rainey's family says they are "appalled" by the report. (Read more inmate deaths stories.)
Another wrenching story chalked up to opioids: A husband and wife in their 30s were found dead in their bedroom by their four children, reports NBC News. Police in Centerville, Ohio, received a 911 call about Brian Halye, 36, and his wife, Courtney, 34, Thursday morning from one of the children when their parents failed to wake them for school. "I just woke up and my two parents are on the floor," says their 13-year-old son in the call, per WLWT. "My sister said they're not waking up. They're not breathing." Brian Halye had worked as a pilot for Spirit Airlines for about nine years, and he last flew on March 10. The airline said in a statement that all its pilots undergo random drug testing. While toxicology results won't be complete for weeks, the coroner's office in Montgomery County says the Halyes appear to have died from a heroin-fentanyl mixture.

"It is an unfortunate reality in the world we live in right now," says an official at the office, noting that the county has seen 165 accidental overdose deaths just since January. Police found paraphernalia at the scene consistent with use of the drugs. Meanwhile, a story in the Dayton Daily News suggests that Courtney Halye had battled drug addiction for years. A police report in January 2016 recounts that Brian Halye removed two guns from her hands; she was taken to the hospital for treatment, and both her husband and mother told police at the time that she had been an addict for years. In a tragic twist, the Daily News reports Courtney Halye's previous husband died of an OD in 2007. Two of the children were from that marriage; the other two were from Brian Halye's earlier marriage. The children, ages 9, 10, 11, and 13, are with relatives. (Earlier this month, another Ohio set of parents also overdosed, but in separate locations.)
Tennessee police are renewing their plea to the public to be on the lookout for a 50-year-old teacher accused of kidnapping a 15-year-old female student. Tad Cummins disappeared along with Elizabeth Thomas on Monday, and surveillance video from a gas station in Decatur, Alabama, appears to show Cummins there that day, reports the Tennessean. Since then, however, no sightings have been reported. Authorities think Cummins manipulated the girl into a sexual relatonship at Culleoka Unit School, where he taught and she was a student. He was formally fired on Tuesday. Cummins "may have been abusing his role as a teacher to groom this vulnerable young girl for some time in an effort to lure and potentially sexually exploit her," per an AMBER alert.

Cummins has now been added to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's 10 Most Wanted List, and a $1,000 reward is being offered. Among those making public pleas for the girl's safe return is Cummins' wife, Jill. "Tad, this is not you," she said, per ABC News. "This is not who you are. We can help you get through this." Cummins faces charges of aggravated kidnapping and sexual contact with a minor, but authorities say his penalty will be less severe if he turns himself in with the girl. Her family and friends had a candlelight vigil Saturday night in Columbia. "We are going to get her back," said her father, Anthony. See more photos, including one of Cummins' vehicle, here. (Read more Most Wanted stories.)
Brian Cook's March Madness-inspired trip to Buffalo to cheer on Princeton was, for him, a journey back to a simpler time, when hailing a ride meant standing on a corner and flagging down a taxi. "For a 19-year-old, that's unknown," said Cook. "I take Uber everywhere, always." Upstate New York, essentially everything outside of the metro New York City area, is Uber's final frontier: the largest area in the continental US where app-based ride-hailing companies are banned. Many in Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, and Syracuse are hoping to end that, but they will have to persuade the state's legislature. Previous efforts have repeatedly foundered, under pressure from the taxi industry and lawmakers who want stringent rules. "I can go to New York City, Philadelphia, DC, and I can utilize the app, but I can't utilize it in my own city," said Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, one of nine mayors to write state leaders.

Only Alaska and New York lack statewide ride-hailing regulationsthough service is unavailable in many rural areas, reports the AP. New York's decision could come within weeks. Supporters and upstate mayors back bills from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Republican-led Senate but have concerns about legislation in the Democrat-run Assembly. That bill would authorize communities to pass their own regulations, and impose higher taxes and insurance costs. Uber is betting March Madness might help tip the debate. Buffalo is hosting games and visitors who open their Uber appperhaps unaware it is bannedget a message urging them to tweet their frustrations at lawmakers. "This is a really exciting time in Buffalo," said state Sen. Chris Jacobs, who argues the service will decrease drunken driving and give the elderly and disabled options. "There's a reason why this is so successful elsewhere. It's really an embarrassment frankly that we haven't resolved this." (Read more Uber stories.)
A Canadian school teacher whose teaching philosophy underscores hope and acts of kindness in an isolated corner of Quebec won a $1 million prize Sunday in what has become one of the most-coveted and high-profile awards for teaching excellence. Maggie MacDonnell was awarded the annual Global Teacher Prize during a ceremony in Dubai, reports the AP, beating out thousands of applicants. The prize was established three years ago to recognize one exceptional teacher a year who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession, employs innovative classroom practices, and encourages others to join the teaching profession. Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was on hand to present the prize to MacDonnell. Her name was announced by French astronaut Thomas Pasquet in a video message from the International Space Station.

MacDonnell was among 10 finalists that hailed from Pakistan, the UK, Jamaica, Spain, Germany, China, Kenya, Australia, and Brazil. Last year, Palestinian teacher Hanan al-Hroub won for her efforts in encouraging students to renounce violence and embrace dialogue. The inaugural prize went to Nancie Atwell, an English teacher from Maine. The award is presented by the Varkey Foundation. Its founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company, which has more than 250 schools around the world. The foundation's CEO, Vikas Pota, said in a statement that the award aims to shine a spotlight on great teachers and share their stories with the world. Also Sunday, 15 countriesincluding Chile, Iraq, Japan, Pakistan, Portugal, Somalia, Ukraine, and Yemenannounced they would launch national teaching prizes with the support of the Varkey Foundation. (Read more Global Teacher Prize stories.)
A SpaceX capsule is back on Earth with a full load of space station science samples, reports the AP. The Dragon cargo ship parachuted into the Pacific on Sunday off the Southern California coast. Astronauts set it free from the International Space Station 5 hours earlier. The Dragon flew to the space station a month ago from the same Florida launch pad used for NASA's Apollo moon shots. It took up more than 5,000 pounds of supplies and Spaceflight Now reports that it brought back 3,600 pounds of cargo, including blood and urine samples and experiments on catastrophic bone injuries and osteoporosis. It's the capsule's 10th mission.

NASA's other supplier, Orbital ATK, plans to launch its own supply ship Friday, also from Cape Canaveral. That one, however, burns up on re-entry. The space station is home to one Frenchman, two Americans, and three Russians. (Read more SpaceX stories.)
Constellation will seek extensions for its operating license for the Clinton Power Station until 2047 and two reactors at the Dresden Generating Station in Morris until 2049 and 2051.
Arrests can't come any easier than this. French gendarmes called to a robbery found the suspected thief stuck in a hole he'd made with a hammer in a shop window, per AP. The national gendarmerie on Sunday published a photo appearing to show the man half-in and half-out of the hole. "Drunk, he robbed a shop but got stuck ... in the window before being arrested," the gendarmerie tweeted, with the hashtag "ThugLife." The 46-year-old man was arrested Thursday morning in the Pyrenees town of Mauleon-Licharre in southwest France. Firefighters were called to free the man, who was then taken into custody. (Read more weird crimes stories.)
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DECATUR  Janelle Pangilinan, coordinator of Millikin University's Office of Student Success, got everyone's attention when she said she flew to Denver and back for $80 and to Los Angeles roundtrip for $90.

All because she used a mobile app called Hopper to look for the best deals on flights.

Crazy, Valina Hoang, a senior marketing major from Chicago, exclaimed softly. I wanna go.

Pangilinan was a panelist and Hoang a member of the audience for a Life Hacks from New Professionals discussion. The event was the culmination of a brand-new series of Adulting 101 workshops presented this semester by the university's Office of Inclusion and Student Engagement, Career Center and the Alumni & Development Center.

Molly Berry, director of Inclusion and Student Engagement, said the idea came from the 'Backpacks to Briefcases' series offered to seniors at her college but was shaped also by the need to address the fear of graduating and becoming an adult.

Adulting became a tongue-in-cheek term on social media, a joke about people not wanting to have to do the grind of the 8 to 5, she said. College students have grabbed onto the term, so we decided to use it, too.

The first session Feb. 1 was led by Zach Uttich, a 2007 graduate who owns a custom men's clothier in Chicago called BLVDier, and focused on professional dress.

The rest happened the week of Feb. 13 and included a field trip to Tinley Park for the chance to network with more than 75 employers and 30 school districts. The day's agenda also had a meeting with a panel of Millikin alumni.

They included Rachel Breault, membership director of the Kankakee Area YMCA; Rickey Copley-Spivey, who works in business development for Lettuce Entertain You restaurants; Britteny Dunson, talent acquisition lead for the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago; Maja Fidanovski, who works in custodian relationships at HighTower, and Jake Hazelton, sales executive with C.H. Robinson.

We wanted students to have the option to buy clothing for Career Fest, Berry said. Professional dress went a lot longer than we anticipated because students were asking so many questions. We were there for two hours.

Rebecca Coutcher, a senior communication major from Manhattan, Ill., said she learned that if you're wearing a hem above the knee, you should wear flats, but if your skirt falls below, you should wear heels. I never knew that, she said.

Other on-campus events focused on how to look for housing and sign a lease and cooking after college.

Berry led the cooking lesson and provided a week's worth of chicken recipes and also vegetarian.

She advised students to shop for a whole week at a time, cut/wash/prep veggies all at once and divide into plastic bags for each day and eat leftovers for lunch to save money. She also recommended the Anylist app for organizing your grocery list.

The closing Life Hacks panel also mentioned several apps to make life easier and less expensive.

In addition to Hopper for cutting travel costs, Pangilinan suggested Skyscanner, Momondo and Fareness.com as well as following @SecretFlying on Twitter.

Admission counselor Jacob Shasteen recommended Credit Karma, a free credit and financial management platform. It will tell you your credit score and give you tips for raising it, he said.

Alyse Knust, interim senior director of alumni engagement, talked about Meetup as a way to meet people with similar interests when you move to a new area.

Nicki Rowlett, assistant director of Inclusion and Student Engagement, touted CamCard or Business Card Reader Pro to keep business cards in your phone, including your own.

She also said it's important to keep your Linkedin profile up to date and that she learned that lesson the hard way when she belatedly discovered that someone had tried to contact her using her old email address at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga.

My Linkedin account said I still worked there, Rowlett said. He was asking me to come to his campus and was going to fly me there, but I never got the email.

Coutcher said she downloaded about a dozen apps to her phone while the Life Hacks panelists were talking.

It was really cool how Millikin got all the young professionals together and sharing what they wished they would have known when they were my age, Coutcher said. It was great to see that being a young professional is achievable and you can be successful with a low budget.

They just gave me hope I can survive in the real world.
Youve heard volunteers referred to as the heart of an organization. Maybe youve read how they are the single most important resource that a community-based organization has. Its true. For our many local agencies could not provide the array of services they do, without the help of their dedicated volunteers. Hospice of the Finger Lakes is just one example.

For the past 29 years, Hospice has provided quality, end-of-life services in the community. Since its founding in 1988, the dedicated staff and volunteers have offered comfort care to more than 3,300 patients and families. Their service area includes Cayuga County and the townships of Skaneateles, Spafford and Elbridge in western Onondaga County. According to Theresa K. Kline, executive director, In 2016, Hospice served 169 patients. The majority, 96 percent, resided in Cayuga County while the other 4 percent resided in Onondaga County.

Hospice does this with just two full-time administrative staff and five full-time clinical staff people. The remainder of its staff are paid on per diem basis and their hours fluctuate depending on patient census. Terry notes that it is a very dedicated staff with more than 200 years of hospice care experience. Rounding out the paid staff are the volunteers.

Since our inception, volunteers have been the lifeblood of our agency, says Terry. In 2015, over 80 volunteers gave 4,733 hours of service to patient and bereavement care, office and administrative support, errands, building maintenance and the Hospice Thrift Shop & Boutique. Hospice estimates that this represents close to $70,000 in cost savings. Devoted volunteers also serve on the board of directors and committees such as finance and quality improvement performance improvement.

Volunteer opportunities include patient care. Carefully trained volunteers can be a source of comfort and strength to patients and their families coping with life limiting illness. Volunteers offer companionship, emotional support, run errands and provide respite for the family by sitting with the patient or visiting with the caregiver.

For 20 some years, Sharon Arliss has volunteered for Hospice. Sharon, who witnessed hospice services first-hand when her sister was in need of care, believes strongly in the Hospice mission. She has served on the board of directors and is serving on the Quality Improvement Committee. Once she retired, Sharon began volunteering in the office. Her husband David also volunteers by assisting with the building maintenance.

A favorite spot for volunteers is the Thrift Shop & Boutique. Located at Willard Chapel, and entirely staffed by volunteers, the store is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In 2016, roughly 50 volunteers donated over 3,000 hours of service. Volunteers sort and price donations, display merchandise as well as help with special weekend sales. Now in its seventh year, proceeds support patient care services.

Lorraine Pingrin is an office and Thrift Shop volunteer: Lorraine began volunteering after the death of her husband, Ron. Lorraine shared that her primary reason for volunteering is to give back for all Hospice did for her.

Volunteers take on special projects. One Hospice office volunteer has knit over 300 pocket prayer cloths to give to Hospice patients and their families and others in our community so that they might find comfort. Currently, Hospice is partnering with Unity House and the Pathways to Employment program. A young volunteer is helping to organize and catalog hundreds of books in the lending library.

Another important volunteer partnership is the Friends of Hospice group. These volunteers help raise needed funds, staff fundraising events, and are known to bake dozens of cookies for the many events held throughout the year.

The spring training program for Volunteer Family Care Givers launches later this month. This program is designed to help prepare volunteers in Cayuga County to work with patients and their families. Training is held in conjunction with Hospice of Central New York, and all sessions are offered at their offices in Liverpool. Training takes place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on eight consecutive Thursdays, beginning March 30 and concluding May 18.

Volunteers are always needed. Those interested in learning more about providing sensitive support at end-of-life to people and their families, and able to volunteer your time, you are encouraged to contact the Hospice of the Finger Lakes office at (315) 255-2733. Information, including a volunteer application can be found at their website www.hospiceofthefingerlakes.org.

The generosity of Hospice volunteers truly keeps the organization running smoothly and affords our community an exceptional quality of life.
Go back to last summer. It was July. It was hot. And the nation was embroiled in racial tension. Two high profile police-involved shootings had happened within days. One of those aired live on Facebook as a man died. Then, in Dallas, five police officers were killed, nine others shot at a protest rally.

Here in Decatur we came together as a community to pray. Six hours after that prayer vigil, we had our own officer-involved shooting, and what had all the potential for upheaval. But that didnt happen. It didnt happen because of months of effort by the leadership in this community, the NAACP and the Decatur Police Department.

It was an effort that started with City Manager Tim Gleason. Shortly after Gleasons arrival, he directed DPD to reach out to the African American leadership in the city. It was about building trust, establishing communication channels, and developing relationships that matter when tensions are high. That kind of leadership makes a huge difference, and its the kind of leadership our city manager exhibits on a daily basis.

Because of those efforts, our community got through that terrible event together, and were better for it. Citizens dont often get the chance to see the work that happens behind the scenes. Its the job of leadership to make sure the work gets done, and crisis is avoided.

Gleason has been blamed for many problems he inherited, but was charged to fix. As we recovered from the recession, the citys coffers were running really low. At the end of 2015, we were down to five days of operating cash reserves. It was his job to find new money -- not a popular challenge for any city manager, and he gave the council our options.

Brand new on the job, he reviewed the plan to sell the Decatur Public Library. There had been no study session, no discussion and the city was still paying off a $750,000 bond. As a sitting council person, I read about the deal in the Herald & Review. He was right to bring the issue to the city council. We decided not to move forward.

I have many examples of Tim Gleasons leadership skills and what he brings to our community. From negotiating a new contract with the firefighters union to establishing a health fair for city employees, Mr. Gleason is the right person to be managing the City of Decatur.
New Delhi:

After creating a buzz about his love life, comedian Kapil Sharma is back in the headlines, but this time for allegedly manhandling Sunil Grover.

The comedian-turned-actor has reportedly assaulted his co-star Sunil Grover who is seen playing Dr. Mashoor Gulati on 'The Kapil Sharma Show'.

According to the media reports, the incident took place on a flight when the team of TKSS was heading back to Mumbai from Australia.

Reportedly, Kapil was in a drunken state and started misbehaving with Sunil. While the later remained quite, Sharma ended up abusing and physical assaulting Grover, thus creating a chaos on the flight. He even allegedly called Sunil as his servant and trolled him over the failure of his show.

Also Read: Kapil Sharma reveals his wedding plans with girlfriend Ginni Chatrath

The media reports suggest that Kapil was uncontrollable at the moment and the entire team along with the cabin crew had to come to Sunil's rescue.

"Without any provocation, Kapil pounced on Sunil Grover. We saw Kapil loudly abusing Sunil. Sunil kept quiet, probably thinking that Kapil would calm down after the outburst. But Kapil got more aggressive. His loud abuses could be heard right across the flight cabin.He then physically assaulted Sunil. Thats when all hell broke loose. The flight attendants rushed to the spot.They wanted to handcuff Kapil in order to restrain him. To his credit Sunil stood by his unruly colleague and asked the cabin crew to overlook his drunken behaviour," an eyewitness reportedly told a web portal.

Indeed, the incident has raised a lot of eyebrows towards Kapil's irrational behaviour.

Interestingly, this is not the first time reports of a tiff between Sunil Grover and Kapil Sharma have surfaced on the internet.

Earlier, the two had parted ways post an argument after which Sunil Grover had come up with his own show.

However, the two comedians later resolved the issue and collaborated again.

The duo's chemistry on 'The Kapil Sharma Show' has been grabbing a lot of publicity from the audience.

So far while neither Kapil nor Sunil have commented on the incident, we wonder if this will affect their onscreen camaraderie.
New Delhi:

Army rescued 127 tourists stuck in snow blizzard at Sela Pass near Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh in an operation that continued till last Saturday night.

During the snow blizzard those rescued, include 5 foreign nationals from Japan, New Zealand and Bulgaria. Unfortunately, one Bulgarian national died as she fell down the steep gorge.

The snowstorm had struck around 2:45 PM on Saturday and the local unit of the army swung into action within an hour to rescue the tourists which included nationals from Japan, NewZealand and Bulgaria.

"With darkness setting in by 5 PM, the entire operation was almost conducted in the dark and continued till all 127tourists, including five foreign nationals, were rescued," a senior army official said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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New Delhi:

Senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily criticised Yogi Adityanath's selection by BJP as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, while claiming that it was a "big assault" on secularism. Moreover, he said that his party will act as a watchdog of people's interests.

"It is a big assault on secularism in the country. Maybe, the BJP or RSS would like to endorse their cause of Hinduism. India is not Hinduism. Hinduism is not India.

"India is built above castes and religions and 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one family) is the very foundation of our secular society. It is the biggest assault ever done on secularism," Moily said.

However, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on behalf of his party said "Congress Party will continue to act as a watchdog of people's interests and play a constructive role in progress of state of UP".

Also Read: Live updates | Yogi Adityanath to take oath as UP CM at 2:15 PM in Lucknow

He also said the prerogative to choose Chief Minister is always of the ruling party. "Excessive delay in arriving at a decision as also the compulsion to create two posts of Deputy CMs reflects a bitter conflict to share spoils of power despite overwhelming majority of over 300 MLAs."

Surjewala wished the new UP government well and said, "we sincerely hope that BJP government in UP will now rise above rival claims and counter claims for share of power and concentrate upon fulfilling the promises made to people including waiving loans of farmers, reducing electricity tariff, giving cost plus 50 pc of MSP to farmers, creating jobs for UP's youth, reviving UP's industries and undertaking 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas'."

Also Read: How Uttar Pradesh CM-designate Yogi Adityanath became mascot of BJP's Hindutva campaign

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, in a tribute to the new UP chief minister, put out a poem entitled "Tribute to new CM of UP".

"BJP troll brigade obviously demented IQ deficient. What a pity that party could not find intelligent advocates for lost cause," he also tweeted.

In another tweet, former Union Minister Khurshid said,"No more pretence! Yogi Adityanath to sit where Pantji, NDT, trolls to Bahugana et al once sat. Great test PM has trolls too. Explain this."

Another former Union Minister Rajiv Shukla said, "There is a question mark on whether Yogi Adityanath will fulfil the three issues of good governance, development and taking everybody along. This will also be a challenge for him and one wonders how he will be able to deliver on these fronts. He will have to find solution."

Another Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "Congratulations UP! Hello media the man you called 'fringe' is now mainstream!."

In another tweet, she said, "The New India Mr Modi spoke about, he is now putting into action with the choice of UP CM.Welcome to the new normal..." She also said, "Also the 'vikas ka mukhauta'. The mask is truly off.. bring on Shamshaan-Kabristaan, Diwali-Eid narrative".

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New Delhi:

A Deputy Superintendent of Police was among four policemen injured when Jat protesters clashed with police during their march towards Delhi in Fatehabad on Sunday, police said.

A Jat leader, however, claimed that police had lobbed tear gas shells and tried to disperse them when they were marching in a peaceful manner. He claimed a few protesters were also injured.

The clash took place in Dhani Gopal village on Sirsa-Hisar Delhi National Highway when police tried to stop tractor trolleys carrying protesters from heading towards the national capital, police said.

They said some stones were also pelted by the protesters as they clashed with the cops. Police said that DSP rank officer Gurdial Singh and three constables were injured.

Police also said that two of its buses were damaged while some equipment of the electronic media was snatched allegedly by the protesters while they were covering the event.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has invited Jat leaders for talks in Delhi on Sunday, in a bid to end the communitys 50-day long quota stir.

The talks come ahead of the Jat communitys plans to gherao Parliament on Monday in support of their demands.

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New Delhi:

In a shocking incident, a 22-year-old youth was badly injured when a lioness attacked him in Umredi village of Junagadh district, said forest officials on Sunday.

The injured, who has been identified as Ajay Jotva, was rushed to a nearby hospital, said Talala Range Forest Officer P T Kaneriya.

According to Kaneriya, he was attacked by the lioness on Saturday near the village.

Earlier in the last week of February, a three-year-old girl was mauled to death by an Asiatic lioness at Dudhala village in Maliya tehsil of Junagadh on Friday night, a forest official said. The deceased has been identified as Anjali Rathod, daughter of an agricultural labourer.

Junagadh is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city is the 7th largest in Gujarat, located at the foot of the Girnar hills, 355 km south-west of state capital Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad.



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New Delhi/Imphal:

Months-long crippling economic blockade in Manipur will finally be lifted on Sunday night as Senapati Tripartite talk yielded a positive result on Sunday. The United Naga Council has announced to lift the prolonged economic blockade from the National Highways of Manipur.



Talking to reporters after the talk, ANSAM President Seth Shatsang said that the UNC has decided to lift the economic blockade with immediate effect.



The Tripartite talk between the representatives of the government of India, Govt of Manipur and the representatives of the United Naga Council was held at DRDA hall, at Senapati district head quarter.

Read | Manipur CM Biren Singh initiates measures to lift economic blockade



The Manipur govt was represented by Additional Chief Secretary, Suresh Babu and Commissioner (Home) Radha Kumar while the government of India is represented by Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) North East incharge, Satyender Garg.



From the side of the United Naga Council (UNC) former presidents Paul Leo, Samson Remei, Lohrii Adani, General Secy. of UNC S. Milan, ANSAM President Seth Shatsang and NWU President LM Tabitha attended the triangular talk.

Read | Manipur High Court declares economic blockade called by United Naga Council 'illegal'



Earlier Joint Secy to MHA, NE incharge Satyender Garg had said that the result of the talk was positive. The UNC representatives did not immediately announced to lift the blockade but held meeting with other members of the UNC at its headquarter. After around 30 minutes the UNCs spokesperson announced that they had decided to lift the blockade with immediate effect.



Details of the condition put on could not be known at the moment.

Also Read:

Himanta Biswa Sarma: How ex-Congress leader 'gifted' 3 states to BJP and became saffron party's poster boy in North East

Decoded: Why voters of Manipur rejected their Iron Lady Irom Sharmila?

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Jat agitation in Delhi has been called-off by the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti after a meeting with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday.



AIJASS, who were demanding reservation for Jat community, had planned a massive protest at Parliament in the national capital, where massive security arrangements have been made by authorities.



No Jat agitation would mean that there will be no traffic restrictions in Delhi on Monday as ordered by Home Ministry earlier. Hence, there will be no traffic restrictions in Lutyen's Delhi, borders or in Delhi Metro.

"All Delhi Metro stations in Delhi-NCR will remain open today and thereafter," a DMRC notification said on Sunday, "No exit will be allowed from Patel Chowk,Central Secretariat,Udyog Bhawan & Lok Kalyan Marg stns tomorrow. However, entry will be allowed."

Before meeting Khattar in New Delhi, All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) Chairperson Yashpal Malik said that their protest will be peaceful and they will decide their next course of action after the talks.

Highlights of joint press conference by Haryana CM Khattar and Jat leader Yashpal Malik

#Whatever has happened is in the interest of Govt & Jat community: Union Min Chaudhary Birender Singh on suspension of Delhi Kooch

#Will take decision on coming protests in a state executive meeting on March 26: Yashpal Malik, Jat leader

#People injured during Jat protest will be given permanent job: Khattar, Haryana CM

#Injured will give appropriate compensation: Khattar, Haryana CM



#Today after50-dayy long protest CM has agreed to our demands: Yashpal Malik, Jat leader



#Monday's march has been suspended: Yashpal Malik, Jat leader



#OBC commission like body will be set up for reservation to Jat community: Khattar, Haryana CM



#Now, the work will undertake in this direction will be within the ambit of the law and will not cause any legal trouble with court: Khattar, Haryana CM

#Jat protesters postponed 'Delhi Gherao' after talks with Haryana Government



#Jat reservation process at centre will begin after appointment of chairman & members of National Commission for Backward Classes: ML Khattar



#We've assured Govt that tomorrow's Delhi Kooch programme has been suspended and now Jats would not come to Delhi: Yashpal Malik, Jat leader



#Appeal to the people that they should cooperate to maintain peace and harmony: Haryana CM

#Suspended Delhi Kooch after agreement with Haryana Govt on all issues: Yashpal Malik, Jat leader

Read | Jat agitation: Haryana CM Khattar holds talks with agitating protesters



The protests will be peaceful. For 50 days our protests were peaceful. We have made seven demands and we are here to meet the CM and others with a positive frame of mind.



We believe that talks will provide solution to the issues... but we will decide our future course of action based on the outcome of the meeting, Malik told reporters in New Dellhi.



If we reach agreement on all issues, I will inform you, he said on whether they will suspend the agitation.



Malik was accompanied by a group of 60-70 representatives of various khaps (sub-sects) of the Jat community.



Besides Khattar, Union Cabinet Minister Birender Singh was among those present in the meeting.

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Gurgaon:

Factory workers of six plants, including three belonging to car major Maruti Suzuki India, will go on a one-hour tool down strike on Saturday night in order to express resentment over the conviction of workers in the 2012 Manesar plant violence.

Besides, three Maruti Suzuki plants in Gurgaon and Manesar, workers of Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIPL) and two component joint venture companies Bell Sonica Auto and FMI Automotive Components will participate in the protest.

Maruti Suzuki Mazdoor Sangh, an umbrella organisation of workers in the plants, said the workers were convicted due to false witnesses produced by the government and administration.

We are very angry and we have decided to go on strike from 9 pm to 10 pm tonignt. Work in all the six plants will remain shut for one hour, Maruti Suzuki Mazdoor Sangh Secretary Kuldeep Jhanghu told PTI.

A Gurgaon court today awarded life sentence to 13 former employees of Maruti-Suzuki India, who it had found guilty of murder in connection with the violence at the automobile giants Manesar plant in 2012 in which a senior company official had died.

Additional district and session judge RP Goyal granted life sentence to the 13 men, who had been convicted for murder by it earlier.

Of the 18 other ex-workers, who had been convicted of various other offences like violence, rioting and attempt to murder, four have been given a sentence of five years.

Fourteen other convicts would be released after paying a fixed amount of Rs 2,500 as fine.

The court termed these 14 as undergone accused as they had already served a jail term of four-and-a-half years, which it felt was enough punishment.

Earlier, 31 workers had been convicted and 117 were acquitted by the court on March 10. Thirteen of the accused were held guilty of murder while the remaining 18 were convicted of violence, rioting and other offences.

Violence had erupted at the facility in August 2012 over disciplinary action against an employee during which agitated workers went on rampage, torching a part of the factory, setting senior human resource manager Awanish Kumar Dev on fire, and beating up and bludgeoning with rods 100 others.

Those wounded included some foreigners and policemen. The police had arrested 148 workers in connection with the murder.

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New Delhi:

With Jats calling off their agitation, Delhi Metro on Sunday announced that its services will be normal on Monday but for restrictions on exit at certain stations.



On Monday, metro stations in Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad will remain open as usual, but the commuters will not be allowed to exit at Yellow Lines four stationsCentral Secretariat, Patel Chowk, Udyog Bhavan and Lok Kalyan Marg.



However, entry will be allowed at these stations, an advisory by Delhi Metro stated.



On Saturday, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had announced that trains will not travel beyond the citys borders from 11.30 PM today, while 12 stations in Central Delhi were be shut from 8 PM till further orders.



Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today held talks with the agitating Jat leaders from the state on the quota issue.



Later, All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) chairperson Yashpal Malik said, Our agitation and march towards Delhi has been called off.



Jats are demanding reservations in government jobs and educational institutions, besides withdrawing of criminal cases registered against several youths of the community, release of those lodged in jail, and compensation and government jobs to the next of kin of those killed in last years agitation.

Read | Jat agitation called-off: No traffic restriction in Delhi, NCR on Monday; Metro operations to be normal

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Jammu :

Pakistani troops on Sunday violated the ceasefire twice by firing from automatic weapons along the LoC in Bhimbher Gali and Balakote sectors of Jammu and Kashmir, drawing retaliation from the Indian Army.

There was unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan Army in Bhimbher Gali and Balakote sectors from 0600 hours to 0645 hours using 2 inch mortars and automatic weapons, a Defence Spokesman said.

Army troops gave a befitting reply, the spokesman said.

This was the fifth ceasefire violation along the LoC in Poonch-Rajouri belt in the past 11 days.

On March 13, there was unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan Army in Poonch sector by using 82 mm mortars and automatic weapons.

On March 12, Pakistani troops had resorted to ceasefire violation by firing 82 mm mortars in Krishnagati sector along LoC in Pooch district.

On March 9, An Army jawan was killed on March 9 when Pakistani soldiers initiated indiscriminate and unprovoked firing on Indian Army posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector.

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Jammu:

A Pakistani national, awaiting deportation after completing jail term for illegally crossing the border, has been slapped with Public Safety Act and sent to Kotbalwal Jail in the district, police said on Sunday.

The Jammu and Kashmir Home Department had issued a warrant under the Public Safety Act (PSA) against the Pakistan national Khalid Parvez alais Junaid, and it was executed by Samba Police, a police official said.

The detenue has been lodged in the Central Jail Kot Balwalin Jammu, he said, adding that he was awaiting deportation toPakistan after completing his sentence in a case of illegal border crossing four years ago.

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Chandigarh:

Ridiculing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for seeing a Kejriwal effect in the decisions taken by the Amarinder Singh government, the Punjab Congress on Sunday said the opposition party should stop indulging in senseless behaviour to remain in limelight.



Reacting to comments by AAP leaders that key decisions are taken by the Punjab government, including the move to ban beacons, were a result of the new form of politics, a state Congress spokesperson asked where the so-called Kejriwal effect had disappeared on the voting day.



It is obvious, claimed the spokesperson, that having failed to have any effect on the electorate, AAP is now desperately looking for some face-saving by indulging in senseless gimmickry.



Rather than work as a constructive opposition, the party appeared to have adopted a policy of negation, he said.



Responding to a statement by AAP leader H S Phoolka that the cabinet decisions were prompted by the moral pressure mounted by Arvind Kejriwal during electioneering, the Congress spokesperson said the opposition party leader had not even bothered to check out the Congress manifesto.



The AAPs only interest seemed to be in remaining in the public glare in a frustrated effort to revive their partys fortunes, which had taken a massive hit after the poor show in Punjab and Goa polls, the spokesperson claimed.



By trying to take credit for some of the Cabinets key decisions, including removal of red beacons from vehicles, AAP has not only shown political naivety of the highest order but has exposed itself as a superficial party with no sense of commitment, he added.



on Saturday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also sought to take credit for the Punjab governments move to ban beacons on government vehicles and said the decision was taken due to AAPs new form of politics.

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Ahmedabad :

The Gujarat High Court has been moved for its direction to hold the next state assembly elections using either EVMs with voter-verified paper audit trail or simply the ballot papers instead of the plain EVMs.

The court has been moved by the quota agitation leader Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) convener Reshma Patel with a plea contending that there is no basis to believe that the EVMs cannot be tampered with.

In the upcoming 2017 Gujarat assembly election, the EVMs are required to be replaced with ballot papers as the EVMs, related systems, procedures and personnel are not fully reliable, fool-proof, tamper-proof or hacker-proof.

There is no basis to believe the respondent (Election Commission) that embedded/fused programme cannot be hacked or is fool-proof, she said in the petition which is likely to come up for hearing next week.

The Supreme Court had in 2013 directed the Election Commission to introduce the EVMs with VVPATVoter Verified Paper Audit Trailin gradual stages to ensure complete transparency.

In the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, if the respondent (EC) fails to provide VVPAT system in the EVMs, then the election be ordered to be held by use of the ballot papers, the petition said.

The Centre, the state government, the Chief Election Commissioner, the state Election Commission, Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India have been made respondents in the PIL.

According to technical experts, the EVMs can be used to manage the result of elections, and can be tampered by an election officer. Even the electronic software of EVMs can be changed... Even the BJP has raised the question... the EVMs have even been banned in many countries, she said in the petition.

Patel also said the names of thousands of members of a particular community (Patel) were missing from voters list in the 2015 municipal corporation elections and sought the courts direction to ensure that no voter is deprived of his valuable right to votes due to the fault on the part of the respondents.

Gujarat Assembly polls are scheduled to be held in later part of the year.

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New Delhi/Lucknow:

New chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath addressed his first press conference after assuming office hours ago at 2:15 PM.

Priest-turned politician and controversial mascot of hardline Hindutva, Adityanath was on Sunday sworn in as the 21st chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and the fourth from the saffron party, ending its 15-year hiatus.



BJP state unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya and partys national vice president Dinesh Sharma were sworn in as cabinet ministers by Governor Ram Naik at a grand ceremony at Kanshiram Smriti Upvan in Lucknow.



They will assist 44-year-old Adityanath as deputy chief ministers. Interestingly, none of the three is a legislator in UP.



Updates:

#6:55 PM: Yogi has directed his ministers to give details of their moveable and immovable assets, within 15 days: Srikant Sharma



#6:55 PM: CM has also directed ministers to stay away fro useless comments: Srikant Sharma



#6:55 PM: There will be a culture of working 18 hours a day just like in Modi cabinet at the Centre: Srikant Sharma



#7:10 PM: All elected MLAs will meet Governor Ram Naik tomorrow at 5PM, a committee will be constituted to train newly elected legislators in command of Suresh Khanna: Siddharth Nath Singh



#7:05 PM: Eastern UP and Bundelkhand will receive special attention: CM Yogi



#6:55 PM: First cabinet meeting of new UP Govt will be held in next week: UP CM ogi Adityanath

#6:55 PM: No stone will be left unturned for upliftment and empowerment of women in the state: CM Yogi

#6:55 PM: Investments will be encouraged: UP CM

#6:55 PM: Govt will make employment and recruitment process transparent: UP CM

#6:55 PM: Rural area will get development benefits: UP CM

#6:55 PM: Govt will work for all section of society without any partiality, for this administration will be made accountable and answerable: UP CM

#6:50 PM: Corruption, violence, law and order situation has caused a lot of trouble and loss to people of the state. Our government will work for the benefit of the people: CM Yogi

#6:50PM: Yogi Adityanath first press conference: BJP Govt to focus on 'sabka sath, sabka vikas'



#6:45 PM: Press conference begins

#YogiAdityanath takes charge as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/2HZZOEnJkr  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 19, 2017

The five-term MP from Gorakhpur, who lacks administrative experience, was on Saturday unanimously elected the BJP legislature party leader at a meeting of the newly elected MLAs, in a move that took many by surprise.

Read | Uttar Pradesh turns saffron: Yogi Adityanath takes charge as chief minister

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New Delhi :

Yogi Adityanaths elevation as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is part of Narendra Modis vision of a new India, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said on Saturday, taking a jibe at the decision.

Owasi, a firebrand Muslim leader, said he was the least surprised by the decision.

This is an assault on Indias age-old ganga jamuni tehzeeba fusion of Hindu and Muslim cultures, he said.

This is Modiji and BJPs new India. But this is not at all surprising. The Samajwadi Party cheated the Muslims when it was in power. And now we will see a model of exclusivist development. This is the vikas they talk about, Owaisi told.

Also read: How Uttar Pradesh CM-designate Yogi Adityanath became mascot of BJP's Hindutva campaign

While Owaisi was vocal on the issue, another prominent Muslim leader, Shahi Imam of Delhis Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari took a guarded approach, hoping Adityanath would shed his controversial past.

I welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modis post-election statement that a government has to be run through consensus, not majority. I hope the new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh will follow these words. Hope the controversies will remain a thing of the past, Bukhari said.

Earlier, Owaisi, a firebrand Muslim leader, tweeted, Mr Modi is making a NEW INDIA in UP (sic).

Also read: Congress, BJP spar over Yogi Adityanath's elevation as UP chief minister

44-year-old Adityanath, a priest-turned-politician, is known for his provocative speeches and mass following across the state and never shies away from making controversial remarks, be it about Islam or Pakistan.

Right from comparing Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan to Hafiz Saeed during the intolerance debate in 2015 to asking people to leave India if they dont practise Surya Namaskar in 2015, the Yogi has been at the centre of several controversies.

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Kabul:

Afghan officials told that at least 12 insurgents that also included two of their commanders have been killed in separate drone attacks in eastern Afghanistan.

Mohammad Rahman Ayaz, spokesman for the provincial governor in eastern Paktika province, said on Sunday that the two insurgent commanders were targeted by a drone while they were traveling in a vehicle on Saturday in the Barmal district.

Meanwhile 10 other insurgents were killed in separate airstrike in neighboring Paktia province, said Zelmai Wesaa, provincial governor for Paktia. Wessa added the attack took place in the Dand-e Patan district near the Pakistani border.

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Beijing:

Facial recognition technology has been taken in use in public toilets in capital of China, in order to stop toilet paper theft after it became rampant.

At the Temple of Heaven, one of the capitals busiest tourist sites and a former hotbed of toilet paper kleptomania, a user in need of tissue paper must stand in front of a wall-mounted machine with a high definition camera, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

The devices software remembers recent faces, and if the same person reappears within a certain period, it refuses to activate the automatic roller.

For years, many residents have been taking reams of paper from public toilets for use at home.

Recently, Chinese media outlets investigated the phenomenon and found most of the tissue bandits were senior citizens. Such behaviour has placed a considerable financial burden on public toilet management.

Sometimes a newly replenished roll can disappear within a minute, leaving other users an empty holder.

The Temple of Heaven management said they also provided old-school rollers because not all visitors were accepting the new technology.

The facial camera required a user to remove their hat and sunglasses.

It prompted concerns about infringement of privacy, and the face recognition processing time, which is only meant to be three seconds, sometimes takes more than a minute, which is an added frustration for someone who is in a hurry to use the loo.

The smart toilet paper machine has prompted quite a discussion on mainland social media. Most people agree that the behaviour should be stopped. But a few said the public shouldnt get too wound up over the issue.

The cheap paper in public toilet contains lots of toxic materials such as fluorescent agents. Excessive use will only damage their health, said a user on WeChat, the Post report said.

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Beijing:

China and the US should handle sensitive issues in their bilateral ties properly, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday told visiting Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as he called cooperation the only correct choice for providing a new start to their relations.

Xis assertion came amidst a number of contentious issues in Sino-US relations, including the South China Sea, the status of Taiwan, trade as well as the North Korean missile and nuclear threats.

We should properly handle and manage sensitive issues to promote the healthy and stable development of sino-US relationship from a new start, Xi told Tillerson in Beijing.

Cooperation is the only correct choice for both the countries, Xi said apparently referring to anti-China rhetoric by US President Donald Trump.

Trump had branded China a currency manipulator stealing American jobs and also threatened to impose 45 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods.

In his meeting with Tillerson on Sunday, Xi said the two sides should grasp the general direction for the development of China-US relations in an attitude responsible for history and future generations.

He suggested that the two countries increase strategic trust and mutual understanding, review bilateral ties from long-term and strategic perspectives and expand fields of cooperation for win-win outcomes, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The two countries should also enhance coordination on regional hotspot issues, respect each others core interests and major concerns and encourage friendly exchanges, Xi said as he invited Trump to China.

Responding to Xis invitation, Tillerson said Trump placed a very high value on the communications that have already occurred between the two presidents.

He looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future, Tillerson said.

We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthening of the ties between China and the US, and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation, he said.

Ahead of Tillersons visit to China, Trump also put out a tweet to criticise Beijings role in dealing with North Korea.

North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help, Trump tweeted.

However, Tillerson on Saturday held lengthy round of frank and candid talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

After talks, Tillerson said the US would work with China to deal with threats posed by North Korea, which is also a close ally of Beijing.

Tillerson visited South Korea on Friday and cautioned North Korea that all options are on the table to deal with Pyongyangs provocative nuclear and missile programmes.

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Washington:

The chairman of a US congressional committee on intelligence told on Sunday that he has seen no evidence that President Donald Trumps campaign colluded with Russia at the time of run up to the 2016 election.

Based on everything I have up to this morningno evidence of collusion, said US Representative Devin Nunes, head of the House Intelligence Committee, speaking to the Fox News Sunday television program.

He made his remarks one day before FBI director James Comey is due to appear before his panel, facing lawmakers seeking answers about Trumps potential Russia ties and the presidents extraordinary accusation of wiretapping by his predecessor.

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Ramallah:

Former UN official has been awarded peoples highest honor by the Palestinian president. The UN official was forced to resign last week after authoring a report that accused Israel of establishing an apartheid regime.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said on Sunday that President Mahmoud Abbas had spoken to Rima Khalaf by phone and given her Palestines Medal of the Highest Honor in recognition of her courage and support for the Palestinian people.

A statement said Abbas stressed to Dr Khalaf that our people appreciate her humanitarian and national position.

Khalaf, a UN undersecretary-general, resigned on Friday after refusing to withdraw her report for the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.

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United Nations:

A UNSC resolution has called on Afghanistan to tackle the "threats" posed by the Taliban, al-Qaeda, ISIS affiliates and other terrorist groups which threaten the security and stability of the war-torn country. The resolution adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council on Friday extended the mandate of UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan until March 17, 2018, and expressed serious concern at the presence and potential growth of ISIS affiliates in the country.

The 15-member council reiterated its support for the Afghan government, and in particular to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces, "in securing their country and in their fight against terrorism and violent extremism."

It called on the Afghan government, with international assistance, to continue tackling "threat posed by the Taliban as well as by al-Qaeda, ISIS affiliates and other terrorist groups."

Stressing the political mission's role in supporting an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process, it welcomed current efforts to strengthen regional connectivity and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbours, citing the example of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project and the Chabahar port project between Afghanistan, India and Iran.

The TAPI project, which has a preliminary cost estimateof USD 10 billion, aims to export up to 33 billion cubicmeters (bcm) of natural gas per year through a proposed approximately 1,800-kilometre (km) pipeline from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

The port of Chabahar is located in southeastern Iran in the Gulf of Oman. It is the only Iranian port with directaccess to the ocean. India, Iran and Afghanistan have signedthe trilateral contract for the establishment of a transportand transit corridor among the three countries.

It also urged further efforts to strengthen regional connectivity, trade and transit, including through regional development initiatives such as the Silk Road Economic Belt and Maritime Silk Road (the Belt and Road) Initiative.

The Silk Road Economic Belt is an overland route runningthrough Central Asia, while the 21st?Century Maritime SilkRoad will traverse the South China Sea and Indian Ocean.

The resolution also called for strengthening efforts suchas bilateral transit trade agreements, expanded consular visa cooperation and facilitation of business travel, to expand trade, increase foreign investments and develop infrastructure with a view to promoting sustainable economic growth and the creation of jobs in Afghanistan and the region.

On the human rights front, the UNSC requested continued support efforts to strengthen the protection of children affected by armed conflict, and reiterated the importance of accelerating the establishment of a fair and transparent justice system. In that vein, the council emphasised the importance of ensuring access for relevant organisations to all prisons and places of detention in Afghanistan.

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Based on trail counts carried out in 2015, the northern section of Derbys greenway trail recorded 30,730 trips past the heat-activated sensor over a monthlong period that spring. That translates to more than 300,000 trips a year on that section of the Naugatuck River Greenway, which is eventually planned to run from Derby north to Torrington.

Derby hasnt fully capitalized on it, yet its almost become a community center, said Jack Walsh, co-chair of the greenway committee. Walsh, who lives in Derby, said he sees people on the 2.2-mile greenway every time he goes by.

After the flood of 1955, that river became a nightmare for people, he said. All of a sudden, its a great positive for the community. Imagine if we could do the entire length of the river.

Still in the early stages  only about 10 percent of the planned 44-mile greenway has been built  the greenway is expected to see significant progress this year with work planned in both Seymour and Ansonia.

Seymour will begin construction on its first phase on April 1, with LaRosa Earth Group from Meriden chosen to take on the project, according to the state Department of Transportation. It is expected the $1.1 million trail section, funded by town and federal funding, could be completed by August.

It's very rewarding to see a project through from concept to design to funding and now construction, said Fred Messore, Seymours director of economic development. The town of Seymour has been working the concept, design and search for funding since completing the 2012 Downtown Strategic Plan.

The trails 800-foot path will run parallel Route 8, beginning at the corner of Bank Street and the Route 8 southbound on-ramp. It will end at the parking area serving the Tingue Dam Bypass Channel and Fishway Park.

In 2014, the town received the Connecticut Main Street Centers Award of Excellence for Renewed Commitment to Main Street for its master plan for the Seymour Greenway Trail and Linear Park.

Ansonias piece, meanwhile, is an extension of its existing river walk and will go across the river and out to Pershing Drive. We just went out to bid, said Sheila OMalley, the citys economic development director.

With the bids due next month, OMalley said construction on the 700-foot riverwalk extension could begin in the late spring or early summer. The projects budget is approximately $2 million.

OMalley also said the city recently received additional funding to extend the trail even further in the future, toward downtown and up toward the Seymour line.

Its one of those amenities people enjoy and it helps my job, OMalley said. Youre bringing people here. Youre bringing people outdoors. It helps generate foot traffic and it helps generate interest in your community. We want that influx of visitors and people looking to see our city.

An economic impact study on the trail, released last week, shows the trail could spur economic growth in the host towns.

Between now and 2031 when the trail is assumed to be fully operational, total cumulative economic benefits, in terms of user spending, consumer surplus and monetized health benefits are estimated at over $7.3 billion (mostly due to health benefits), amounting to over 95 times the cost to construct the trail, the study states.

Aaron Budris, a member of the greenway committee and planner at the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, said the study shows the trails will pay off in the long run. People dont necessarily think of recreational amenities as economic drivers, but they are, he said.

It starts with reclaiming the river, said Bill Purcell, president of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce. He said officials in the Valley hope to leverage the success of the greenway to advocate for the notion of creating a national heritage area locally.

Just about every place theyve built one of these things its been a success, Walsh said.

ktorres@hearstmediact.com; 203-330-6227
What do aspiring cooks in Florida and Rhode Island have in common? They both search for recipes for chili more than any other dish.

Google Trends data collected between Jan. 26, 2016, and Jan. 26 of this year show the most popular recipe searches for every state. And while Floridians and Rhode Islanders love their chili, much of the rest of the nation craves sweets and baking instructions.
TRUMBULL  Police have charged a Uber driver with larceny after he allegedly held onto to a passengers debit card and later used it to make purchases.

Antwon McCray, 33, convinced the woman that hed returned her debit card after she used it to pay for her transportation, Lt. Keith Golding said.
Coal is undergoing a renaissance in emerging and developed countries in Asia, buoyed by technical breakthroughs and looming questions about squaring development with energy security. Japan, India and China will try to blunt the air pollution effects from the use of coal which cause millions of premature deaths in India and China and tens of thousands in Japan. However the low emissions coal technology is still 30% worse than natural gas for CO2 emissions even though low emissions is improved over several decades old coal plants.

BTW- the economic and technological forces in the USA are causing an increase in natural gas power generation in the USA. Any political rhetoric or shutting down of the EPA may slow the decline of the US coal industry but coal power in the US will still decline. US coal mines will then ship more coal to Asia. For the full year of 2016 in the USA, coal made up 30.4% of total US power generation, which is the lowest annual total since EIA records started for the calculation in 1950. For comparison, coal made up 33.2% of US generation in 2015 and 49% of US generation in 2006. Gas plants produced 33.9% of US power in 2016, which was the highest total yet for the fuel, after contributing 32.7% of US power generation in 2015 and 20.1% in 2006.

US electricity generation was 4300 TWh in 2016. This is 40% less than China 5920TWh. India is at about 1400 TWh and Japan at 1000 TWh.

For Japan, coal has emerged as the best alternative to replacing its 54 nuclear reactors, which are deeply unpopular with the population and seen as symbols of devastation after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster six years ago. Mindful of the public mood, the government of Shinzo Abe has completely given up on the countrys dream of nuclear self-sufficiency, and pulled the plug in December on the $8.5 billion experimental reactor project at Monju. On February 1, the government pledged to decommission all reactors and replace them with 45 new coal-fired power plants equipped with the latest clean coal technology.

Japan is turning to coal power due to attempts to transition the country away from nuclear power. Officials promised to replace nuclear power with wind or solar, but this caused the price of electricity to rise by 20 percent. Japans government currently aims to restart at least 32 of the 54 reactors it shut down following the Fukushima disaster, and wants nuclear power to account for 20 percent of the nations total electricity generated by 2030.

Japan will use high energy, low emissions (HELE) technology that use high-quality black coal.

Japan plans to build ultra-super-critical plants in the 650 MW range. 45 new coal-fired power-generation units with total capacity of as much as 20,884 MW, would come online in the next decade or so. Japan had a total 90 coal-fired units at the end of March 2015, with total capacity of 40,695 MW. Coal power already made up 31 percent of Japans energy mix in 2015 but under the current plan, the fossil fuel will become the countrys primary power source by 2019.

Japan is the largest overseas market for Australian coal producers, taking more than a third of all exports.

In the wake of the Tsunami which caused the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, Japan started importing more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Australia. The move to more coal fired power was because coal was cheaper than LNG, and the energy security was priority for the government.

Indias current energy plan calls for reducing Indias carbon emissions by replacing aging thermal power plants with energy-efficient supercritical ones that will (much like their Japanese counterparts) maximize the energy produced from coal burned, while also curtailing CO2 emissions. This supercritical technology has already had tangible effects on the nations plan to cut pollution levels as the 51 units currently installed have saved 6 million tons of CO2  the equivalent of taking 1,267,000 cars off the road for one year. A few Indian companies and entrepreneurs have been even more ambitious, pioneering local carbon-capture solutions that could keep even more emissions out of the air.

India needs to grow power but is has paused in building new coal plants because of a massively inefficient economic and planning system.

India has power plants with capacity to generate 300 GW. These are operating at 64% capacity because of inability of state distribution utilities to purchase electricity and sluggish economic growth. About a tenth of the total capacity is stranded due to lack of power purchase agreements while another 50 GW is under various stages of construction.

One third of the Indian population has no power.

If India grows at 7 to 9% GDP each year then they will need 3.5-5% more energy each year. If solar power can scale 10 to 30 times beyond what we see today and at costs of about half what we see today then maybe India will not build so much coal power to meet their development needs. If it comes to choice between development or using coal, clearly India will choose to use coal.

China power

China recently announced the cancellation of over 100 coal plant projects. However, China still added 48GW of coal power plants in 2016 and will likely add a total of 150GW by 2020.

The cancellations were partially due to concerns about air pollution, but also mainly about Chinas planners finally admitting that they would not be able to increase GDP growth to justify the new coal power.

Chinas annual construction level is higher than Japans 15 year energy plan. China used just short of 6000 TWh of power in 2016. China had 5920 TWh of power generation in 2016.
By Oksana Musaelyan

A photo exhibition Beyond the borders  exploration amongst the forgotten refugees of the South Caucasus has openedat Yerevan State University.

The artist,Jan Zychlinski,is a lecturer in Social Urban Development at the Bern University of Applied Science, with additional focus on social photography.

From September 2014 to February 2015 Jan Zychlinski travelled throughout Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan to document the fate and living conditions of refugees of various conflicts, discovering that many still live in camps, collective residences, or partly in newly built settlements away from the rest of society.

The exhibition was attended by students and Ambassadors of Switzerland and Germany in Armenia

Before the exhibitions opening, Lukas Gasser, the Ambassador of Switzerland underlined, that the region has many things in common, yet is split because of the conflicts in Nagorno Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

I think all these countries have several social issues in common and despite many differences, many problems are still common, and refugee problem is one of themsaid the Ambassador. He especially mentioned that younger generations should be conscious that many issues persist after the start of these conflicts, and many social problems have not been solved.

Refugee situation in the region often described as a humanitarian crisis, given the fact of the lack of integration and social issues they face after more than 25 years in exile.

According to Ambassador Gasser, in all conflict situations where refugees exist, there are state and other interests that don't want the problem solved.

There is sometimes a will not to integrate them, to show that this community continue to exist as refugees, IDPs, this is a way of showing that the conflict has not been solved. But, I think this is not according to humanitarian principles, we dont want that, and whether the conflict has been solved or not, our first care should be the victims, the refugees, said the Ambassador Gasser. He added that the exhibition is a very good way to show that problems still exist, and to remind the societies, the countries, the governments and the communities, that it is in their common interest to solve them.

The artist agreed with the assertion that refugees are isolated in their new societies.

Speaking to Hetq, Jan Zychlinski pointed out that most of the people are very tight-lipped and did not want to talk because, even if they get humanitarian things, nobody takes the time to dig deeper to discover their situation.

The moment they recognize that I am really interested in them, they start to talk and they talk endlessly, said Zychlinski. He added that the first question they are always interested in is for which organization he works. I tell them I work for nobody, and I guess that was the key to open them up, said the artist.

Speaking about the most disturbing factors of being aliens for several decades, Zychlinski indicated: To loseones home and not to find home in a new place, not to be a part of the society at the new place. This is not the loss of a material thing. Its much more the relationships and inability to create new relations to surrounding society.

The artist also does not see much difference in the situation of refugees in Armenia, Azerbaijan or Georgia. He notes that there is just a legal reason for Armenia with most refugees being so called naturalized, former refugees, which differs from Azerbaijan and Georgia.

However, although they have received Armenian citizenship, and they are no longer refugees, lots of them feel like refugees even if they are citizens.

This is the only difference, and it has legal, not realistic reasoning. Because they grew up in different surroundingsand different cultural backgrounds, for instance, in Baku, and the countryside, they dont have a real chance to become a part of the society because of their different mentality and cultural background, Zychlinskisaid.

Speaking about the governments of the countries,that might play a more significant role in improving the situation and help to restore human dignity and carry out efficient settlement mechanisms, Zychlinski noted that, according to his observation, the decision-makers and international organizations most of the time care about humanitarian needs and the housing. Only a few initiatives concern social inclusion issue to make them a part of the society.

Reflecting on art as soft power in politics, and yet trying to put words behind the faces in the photos, the artist mentioned that in the book Beyond the borders exploration amongst the forgotten refugees of the South Caucasus, which resulted from his mission visit, he put some chapters and headlines, which illustrate the feelings and moods of refugees. And Forgottenis one of them. They feel forgotten, he said.

Besides, as he points out, lots of them are waitingWaiting for something, or somebody to change something, waiting for nothing, but waiting. Remembrance, many people live in their memories, and not too much in the present. Very often they live in their memories. This is about all the refugees in the region. For sure, every case is individual, but in general I can describe them like that. Then, on the other hand, there is huge hospitality. The moment you step in their house, if they are in their house, they are hosts, and they behave like hosts, and they do everything for you. But if they are outside, they are strangers, the artist said.

He underlined that it was a huge experience for him to recognize this border and the difference between in and outside images. Zychlinski also indicated that for only a few people is there some hope that things will change for better. Yet, for the majority, there is no hope, and, in his view, refugees dont know such a word as hope, because they have no idea what it means.
It's refreshing to know that most Americans who expect a tax refund plan on using it in a financially productive way, such as saving the money, paying off debt, or investing. However, fewer than one in six Americans expecting a tax refund plan to use their tax refund for retirement savings -- and here's why more people should.

What Americans plan to do with their tax refunds in 2017

A recent TD Ameritrade survey found that of the Americans who expect to get a tax refund, most plan to either save the money or use it to pay down debt of some kind. Here's the full breakdown of the responses. (Note: Percentages add to more than 100% since respondents could choose more than one.)

42.3% put into general savings

16.5% put toward retirement savings

16% spend on day-to-day expenses

15.4% spend on an experience (i.e., trip)

11.5% put into non-retirement investment account

9% buy something fun

8.2% pay off mortgage loan

7.9% pay off car loan debt

6.3% put toward children's college savings

5.1% donate to charity

4.1% pay off student loan debt

As you can see, the most common answers were generally financially responsible uses of the money. Over 80% of survey respondents said that a tax refund is either primarily for investing in the future or for paying down debt. Just over 19% said that a tax refund is "fun money."

What more people should do

To be clear, there's nothing wrong with using your tax refund to pay down high-interest debt, build an emergency fund, or donate money to charity. If you're expecting a tax refund and plan to do one of these things, I'm certainly not going to try to talk you out of it. I haven't gotten a tax refund in several years, but last time I did, I used it to pay off my credit cards.

However, to the 36% of Americans who say they plan to spend their refund on a trip, buy something fun, or invest the money in a non-retirement account, I'd like to suggest an alternative -- put the money in your IRA to save and invest for retirement. And if you don't have an IRA, start one. You can even have your refund directly deposited into your IRA to make the process more convenient.

Quite frankly, I was surprised that only 16.5% of survey respondents planned to use their refund specifically for retirement savings, considering the benefits of doing so -- more on that in a bit.

Investing in an IRA doesn't have to be complicated like many people think it is. There are only two main varieties of IRA -- traditional or Roth -- and you can read a discussion of the difference between the two here. For the majority of IRA investors, choosing a handful of low-cost index funds like these is an excellent way to go, especially at first.

Boost your tax refund for next year and get closer to financial freedom

I've written before that investing in an IRA is the smartest tax move you can make, and I believe this for two reasons.

First is for the tax benefits. If you're investing in a traditional IRA, your entire IRA contribution may be tax deductible, even if you don't itemize your deductions. For 2017, you can contribute up to $5,500 to your IRA ($6,500 if you're over 50), so this can be a pretty substantial tax deduction. So, by contributing to a traditional IRA, you can use the tax refund you get this year to increase the tax refund you'll get next year, and so on.

For a Roth IRA, you can't deduct your contributions, but any qualified withdrawals from the account will be tax-free, which can allow you to avoid income taxes after retirement. For taxpayers earning less than $62,000 in 2017, both types of IRA contributions can qualify for the Saver's Credit.

The second, and most important reason to contribute to an IRA is that doing so can make a big difference in your financial security later in life.

Let's say that you're expecting a $3,000 tax refund in 2017 -- about the national average, according to the IRS. If you were to deposit this into an IRA and invest in a low-cost S&P 500 mutual fund, your refund could be worth $29,000 in 25 years, based on the historical performance of the stock market. Better yet, if you were to do this every year for 25 years, your tax refunds could grow into a $247,000 nest egg just from investing your tax refunds. That's why investing your tax refund in an IRA is an option that's worth serious consideration.

The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook

If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Jehovah Witnesses have been labeled an extremist organization by Russia government. The countrys Justice Ministry filed a request with the nations supreme court against the group potentially endangering the 175,000 members in the country.Jehovahs Witnesses, with a history of over 140 years worldwide, first filed to be a recognized religion, a requirement in Russia, in 1991. They were granted renewal in 1999, according to the groups international website.Despite the official recognition, Jehovahs Witness groups have faced periodic harassment by law enforcement at the local level.The Justice filing was released Thursday but is not dated and has not been scheduled for legal action, USA Today reported. This was confirmed by RAPSI, the Russian Legal Information Agency.Russian officials raided the groups national headquarters in February and confiscated a reported 70,000 documents that were turned over to the Russian General Prosecutors office.Local prosecutors have likened the religion to a cult and have called it a danger to Russian families.It is not the first time Jehovahs Witnesses have faced legal hurdles. In 2009, a court ruled a Russian-language version of the groups publication The Watchtower an extremist publication and barred it. In 2015, a Russian court ruled the groups website was also an extremist publication.The international head of the Jehovahs Witnesses estimated there are about 175,000 practicing members in Russia in some 2,200 congregations.The press office for the Russian branch of the religion released a statement Thursday in response to the filing, saying it would represent dire consequences for religious freedom in Russia if approved.Extremism is deeply alien to the Bible-based beliefs and morality of Jehovahs Witnesses.Persecution of the faithful for peaceful anti-extremism legislation is built on frank fraud, incompetent individual experts and, as a result, a miscarriage of justice, the group said in a statement.Jehovah Witnesses emerged from the Bible Student movement, founded in the late 1870s by Charles Taze Russell with the formation of Zions Watch Tower Tract Society, with organizational and doctrinal changes under the leadership of Joseph Franklin Rutherford.The name Jehovah witness was adopted in 1931 to distinguish themselves from other Bible Student groups and symbolise a break with the legacy of Russells traditions.Jehovahs Witnesses are best known for their door-to-door preaching, distributing literature such as The Watchtower and Awake!, and refusing military service and blood transfusions.Adherents of the group, now over 8.5million worldwide, believe that Jehovah is the only true God, the creator of all things, and the Universal Sovereign.They believe that all worship should be directed toward him and that he is not part of a Trinity; consequently, the religion places more emphasis on God than on Christ. They believe that the holy spirit is Gods applied power or active force, rather than a person.
No fewer than 85 graduands emerged in the First Class category at the 28th convocation of Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), ...

No fewer than 85 graduands emerged in the First Class category at the 28th convocation of Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), on Saturday.The Vice Chancellor of FUTA, Adebiyi Daramola, a professor, said 4,790 graduands of various academic programmes graduated in the 2015/2016 academic session.Mr. Daramola said 1,044 graduands had second class upper division, 1,274 emerged in the second class lower division while 453 and 33 graduands had third class and pass degree respectively.The vice chancellor, who broke the figures into various academic programmes, said 68 graduands were for diploma programme, 2,889 for bachelors degree and 954 graduands and 767 graduands for post graduate programme and Masters of Technology respectively.According to him, 112 students had Ph.D degree.The vice chancellor enjoined the graduands to be good ambassadors of the school, saying they should impact positively their world.He also used the occasion to appeal to the institutions workers, who had been on strike, to return to work.Earlier, the Chancellor of FUTA and Emir of Bauchi, Rilwan Adamu, commended the graduands on their graduation.Mr. Adamu described FUTA as the best university of technology in Nigeria, adding that it had impacted on its graduates by promoting self development and community service.According to the emir, Nigeria is in serious need of people of goodwill with physical and intellectual agility to pull it out of its present economic doldrums.Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, who lauded the school for its achievements, urged the graduads to generate ideas that could make them entrepreneurs.Giving a valedictory speech on behalf of other graduands, Alli Semomhe, the overall best graduating student, said that hard work and prayer made him to achieve the feat.Mr. Semomhe, a graduate of Electrical Electronics, said he participated in some social activities although he gave education and religion priority.The 23-year-old graduand, who had 4.89 CGPA, said he faced challenges although he was focused on his priorities.
The Presidency on Sunday said that President Muhammadu Buhari had a full working week last week contrary to reports that he did not do mu...

The Presidency on Sunday said that President Muhammadu Buhari had a full working week last week contrary to reports that he did not do much.It was the first week Buhari was spending at work after about 50 days medical vacation in the United Kingdom.A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, said that the President was more concerned with working for the interest of the masses, who were praying for him while on vacation.He said: In the first week of his return, President Buhari walked his talk on his intense desire to pay back to Nigerians by way keeping their trust and serving their interests.His reply to the people for their support and trust is to work much harder for them.The President didnt have a day off or even a light week at all throughout his week of resumption.I read those analyses and I believe they were mostly wrong. What they dont understand is that the President doesnt follow official working hours because he is on duty all the time.He has another office by his living room so he works from home when most civil servants have closed, he saidHe said that contrary to some of the assumptions, President Buhari had an engaging week devoted mostly to policy issues and not ceremonial events.He started on Monday with the letters he sent to the two two arms of the parliament signifying his return to to work. He then went in for a handover briefing by the Vice President. They had a lot to discuss between themselves.Although he gave specific mandates to the Acting President, heneeded to be brought up to speed on the developments in the Supreme Court, the Niger Delta, the economy with particular reference to the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, ERPG which was launched in his absence and programs like the Small and medium Enterprises Clinic which have strong connections to the agricultural strategy of the administration, he added.Malam Garba further said that on Tuesday the President followed up his meeting with the Vice President, getting details from the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele on the liquidity situation of the country, the issue of reserves and the outlook for the rest of the year.He then met with the Presiding Officials of the parliament, SenatePresident, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara. Those two arms have dealt with the issue of his vacation with great sensitivity.On Wednesday, the President presided at the Federal Executive Council,he stated.According to Shehu, the President came well prepared for the meeting,appearing as if he had not been away for over a month.The noticeable thing about the last meeting was that it dwelled on policy. The meeting didnt discuss contracts.On Thursday, the President had a joint sitting with the Chief of Staff,Abba Kyari, the Ministers of Finance, Kemi Adeosun and that of Budget andPlanning, Udoma Udo-Udoma. They discussed the countrys economic situation,the progress on the 2017 budget and liquidity issues.On the same day, he held a state-of-nation meeting with Governors who hadassembled for the routine meeting of the National Economic Council underthe Vice President.Friday was used mostly for security briefing before the Jumaat prayers.The President has big ambitions for the country, driven by an intensedesire to leave his mark on national affairs. This is as he said on hisreturn last, he said
A former Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Sen. Florence Ita-Giwa, has cautioned the senate against making th...

A former Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Sen. Florence Ita-Giwa, has cautioned the senate against making the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, a superstar following the rejection of his confirmation.The Senate had for the second time failed to confirm the acting chairman of EFCC as a result of reports from the Department of State Service.She, however, said that President Muhammadu Buhari could present Magu up to four times to the Senate for confirmation.In an interview on Saturday, Ita-Giwa, who spoke on allegations of Magus integrity, cautioned the upper legislative chamber to be careful in order not to make the acting chairman of EFCC a superstar out of sympathy from the populace.Ita-Giwa noted that scenario at the moment was a no-win situation between the executive and legislative arms.We have to be careful because the world is watching us. At the moment, it is a no-win situation for both arms of government. If the senate finds Magus integrity questionable, they should be careful not to make someone a superstar out of sympathy. Magus situation should be handled with utmost care, she stated.She said that President Buhari could still re-present Magu to the Senate if he felt the acting chairman of the anti-graft agency is his best choice for the fight against corruption in the country.Ita-Giwa listed a former chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu and an ex-minister of aviation, Prof. Babalola Aborishade, as nominees that were screened up to four times by the Senate before they were eventually cleared during the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration.According to her, what is needed is for the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Ita Enang, to carry intensive lobby that will see Magu through.She added, We have to be careful to know that there is separation of powers. Magus case is a delicate one. However, if the president believes that he is the man that can help fight corruption, he has the power to keep re-presenting him. He can present him up to four times if he insists that he is the person that will help fight corruption.There is need for intensive lobbying now. Lobbying is allowed. Cordiality between the executive and legislative arms should be strengthened.
Nigeria's former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has contributed to the ongoing war between the senate and customs Boss Hameed Ali.

The arrogant,stubborn and ugly little monkey called Ali that refuses to wear his uniform before the Senate is insulting the Nigerian people  Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) March 19, 2017

The Senate should insist that he appears before them STARK NAKED. If he refuses they should arrest him and have him brought in chains.  Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) March 19, 2017

Nigeria's former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has contributed to the ongoing war between the senate and customs Boss Hameed Ali.The senate had directed the latter to appear before it garbed in the official customs uniform but he wouldn't budge.Reacting to the issue, Fani Kayode said Hameed Ali is disrespecting Nigerians.According to him, the Senate should insist that he appears before them STARK NAKED. "If he refuses they should arrest him and have him brought in chains."
The federal government has stated that the recent clash between Yorubas and Hausas in Ile-Ife which led to the loss of lives and propertie...

The federal government has stated that the recent clash between Yorubas and Hausas in Ile-Ife which led to the loss of lives and properties has nothing to do with ethnicity.Nigeria Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, said this after visiting the site of the incident during the weekend.We went straight to communities where this crisis occurred and we saw the extent of damage and we met the leaderships of the communities and discussed with them.It is very clear that this issue is not about crisis between Hausa community and Yoruba community in Ile-Ife.The Hausa community has been living in Ike-Ife for close to 200 years. I understand the first settlers arrived there in 1820. These are about fourth or fifth generation of the community and they have never experienced this kind of thing until now.So, it is not about ethnic issue. It is about a couple or bunch of people who constitute themselves a nuisance to carry out this dastardly act and quite a number of them escaped from the community.So we made them to understand that they should not look at it from the point of view of ethnicity and they all agreed.At the meeting, Dambazau said they also emphasised the need for the people to remain in peace.
President Mohammadu Buhari has received a written communication believed to be the report of the Senate on the rejection of Ibrahim Magu a...





President Mohammadu Buhari has received a written communication believed to be the report of the Senate on the rejection of Ibrahim Magu as nominee for the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.It was learnt that the communication was forwarded by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.The Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari, Senator Ita Enang confirmed the receipt to newsmen last night but declined to reveal the content as he was not privy to it.Yes, there has been a communication between the President of the Senate and the President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari. But the content thereof is privileged between them. I dont know, he said simply.It will be recalled that the Senate on Wednesday rejected the nomination of Magu and subsequently declined to confirm him as the substantive chairman of EFCC.The senate, amongst other reasons, relied on a security report by the Department of State Service, DSS that indicted Magu of corruption. Wednesday rejection would be the second time since Magus name was sent to the Senate for confirmation.The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina had last week on his twitter handle said that the Presidency would react to Magus rejection when the senate officially communicated to the President.The Presidency will respond to the non-clearance of Magu as EFCC boss, after it receives official communication in writing from the Senate, Adesina twitted.
Three suicide bombers killed four citizens of Maiduguri, Borno state on Saturday evening, according to a statement issued by Borno state P...

Three suicide bombers killed four citizens of Maiduguri, Borno state on Saturday evening, according to a statement issued by Borno state Police Spokesman Victor Isuku.At about 2100hrs of 18/3/2917, three suicide bombers, a male and two female, attempted to infiltrate Maiduguri town through Umarari village in Molai general area.They were sighted by Civilian JTF and challenged. They detonated the IEDs strapped to their bodies while running to different directions.Four people which include a Civilian JTF, a woman and her two children died while eight others sustained injuries, and have been taken to hospital.
Senator Dino Melaye has stated that it is against the law for President Muhammadu Buhari to renominate Ibrahim Magu as EFCC Chairman after...

Senator Dino Melaye has stated that it is against the law for President Muhammadu Buhari to renominate Ibrahim Magu as EFCC Chairman after he has been rejected by the senate for the second time.Citing Order 131 of the Senate Rules, Melaye said after the rejection of Magus nomination, his candidacy is considered lapsed.Order 131 of the Senate Rules states: Nominations neither confirmed nor rejected during the session or within 21 working days in the case of Ministerial nominees shall be returned by the Clerk to the National Assembly to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and shall not again be made to the Senate by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.Melaye said: Those suggesting to the President that after failing to scale the confirmation process twice, the President should leave Magu to be acting are only recommending violation of the law, disrespect for due process and perpetration of illegality. All these will only undermine democracy and constitutionalism in our country.He added, "Magu is not the last messiah. He cant be the only competent person for the job out of 170 million Nigerians. Should he voluntarily decline the appointment today, will EFCC fold up?
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has said the Senate will never confirm Ibrahim Magu as the substantive chairman of the Economic and Fina...

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has said the Senate will never confirm Ibrahim Magu as the substantive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), because some Senators have skeletons in their cupboards.On Wednesday, the Senate refused to confirm Magu for the second time in three months.In a statement released on Saturday, MURICs director Ishaq Akintola, said: Senate has shown that it is not fighting corruption. On the contrary, it is fighting for corruption by rejecting a firebrand anti-graft boss, it has exposed itself as an institution with skeletons in its cupboard.MURIC also said that Godswill Akpabio, a representative of Akwa Ibom North-West, had allegedly said: Magu wants us to confirm him so he can use some of us for peppersoup.He noted that, Akpabios alleged utterance confirms our worst fears. This senate will not confirm any EFCC boss who refuses to withdraw cases involving its members. This Senate will not confirm any anti-graft boss who is not ready to treat senators as sacred cows even if they are corrupt.Our suspicion has been confirmed by senator Akpabio. Now we know why senate rejected Magu. It is simply because our senators hands are not clean so they fear a no-nonsense anti-graft boss.MURIC further expressed their disappointment by the Senates decision to frustrate Magus confirmation, saying that the Senate has demonstrated its readiness to kill EFCC and any other anti-corruption agency that has the temerity to investigate its members.The issue is not even Magu this time around. We also entertain the fear that these senators will not allow any other EFCC boss to function effectively even if Magu is removed.Senate does not want any agency investigating fraud anywhere around the red chamber. Senate wants its members to be untouchable.The first rejection of Magu was meant to serve as a yellow card from the senators and the message was clear, Back off or we will never confirm you.The excuse used by Senate to deny Magu that confirmation is neither here nor there. Somebody somewhere is playing Jekyll and Hyde.
NEW YORK -- An Old Tappan man died after the snowmobile he was driving crashed into a bridge in New York, authorities said Saturday.

The snowmobiler, Michael Stanley, 44, was on a Ski-Doo south on trail C7B in Boonville when he missed a left curve, continued straight off the path and struck a concrete bridge around 10:40 p.m. Friday, according to Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol.

Stanley suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at an area hospital, the sheriff said in a statement. Local fire crews, sheriff's officers and state troopers responded to the wreck.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
SANDY HOOK -- For more than 40 years, the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium has been researching and teaching about the state's coastline.

The non-profit group funds studies of local sea life, aids area fishermen, helps Jersey Shore towns manage their dune systems and leads education programs for 20,000 school kids a year.

But, that could all be over soon.

Under President Donald Trump's budget proposal, New Jersey's Sea Grant program and programs like it in 32 other states would be killed.

Trump's spending plan calls for no funds for the $73 million Sea Grant program, which is overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one of the prime targets of the new president's proposed budget cuts.

The end of federal funding would likely mean the end of the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium and all of its programs, including research partnerships with 23 local colleges and institutions, said Claire Antonucci, the group's executive director.

"That, of course, would be devastating to us and it would, of course, be devastating to people we serve in New Jersey," Antonucci said.

The Trump administration has drawn criticism from scientists and environmentalists for its call to end the Sea Grant program and $250 million in additional funding for coastal research to study rising seas and storms. New Jersey's state climatologist at Rutgers would also be affected by the federal cuts.

Some have speculated the coastal programs were targeted because they are primarily in states that voted against Trump. Supporters of Sea Grant programs from Michigan to Maryland have called on the federal government to restore the funding.

In the "America First" budget blueprint released earlier this week, the Trump administration said the Sea Grant programs around the country were targeted for elimination because they "primarily benefit industry and state and local stakeholders."

The Sea Grant programs are a "lower priority" than the fishery management, charting and surveys of the coastline funded by the federal government, the budget plan said.

It remains to be seen whether Congress will support Trump's proposed cuts as it puts together the federal budget.

"It's a long process. I'm trying to remain optimistic," Antonucci said.

The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium has 11 employees and is housed in leased space in a former military barracks the group restored at Fort Hancock at Sandy Hook in Monmouth County.

The organization's budget is about $3 million a year, including $1.8 million from the federal government, Antonucci said. The rest of the money comes from matching state funding, grants, donations and other fees.

Without federal funding, many of the matching grants would disappear, making it unlikely the consortium could continue, Antonucci said.

Over the last few years, the consortium has helped fund research projects at Rutgers and other universities on oyster harvesting, dune building, clean water and communicating storm risks to the public.

The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium is working with elected officials to make its case in Congress to keep the program's funding, Antonucci said. Advocates will argue the program helps create American jobs, protects the coastline and contributes to many of the other things the Trump administration says are priorities.

Until it learns its fate, the New Jersey consortium will continue with its current programs, including spring sessions at Sandy Hook to teach thousands of schoolchildren about the shoreline and marine life.

The group's annual Ocean Fun days, which include exhibits, classes and nature tours, are scheduled for May 20 at Island Beach State Park and May 21 at Sandy Hook.

"It's business as usual here," Antonucci said.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook.
NEWARK - A 10-year-old boy who died inside a city home on Saturday was accidentally shot by another juvenile, authorities said.

The boy, who authorities have not yet identified, was apparently visiting the home on the 800 block of South 19

th

Street for a family party when he was shot around 1:20 a.m., relatives and a friend of the boy's family said.

"The shooting appears to be a tragic accidental discharge by another juvenile within the home," Chief Quovella Spruill of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said in an email. "At this point, there is no evidence that the shooting occurred outside the home into the apartment."

Authorities said no further information is available as of Sunday afternoon, and the investigation is ongoing.

A family friend, who did not want to be identified, told NJ Advance Media that the boy lived at the 19

th

Street home and then moved to Pennsylvania a few years ago. The boy would return to Newark at times, and was visiting his father in the city for a family party when the incident occurred, the family friend said.

A neighbor, Barbara Maybank, said the boy was visiting for his little sister's birthday party.

Officials have not said where the gun came from, or how the juvenile came in possession of the firearm.

Chief Assistant Essex County Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly said on Sunday morning that he could only say the boy was shot in the apartment and declined to elaborate beyond that.

"It's still a very active investigation," he said.

The shooting death marked the city's fourth this week.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
WALL TWP. - Investigators found that a medical facility that closed its doors earlier this month after at least 30 patients received infections was not handling injections properly, an official said.

The Osteo Relief Institute located on Route 34 in Wall Township voluntarily closed March 7 after patients contracted various bacterial infections from injections to their knees, Monmouth County Health Officer David A. Henry said on Sunday.

Henry said investigators with the State Department of Health and Monmouth County Regional Health Commission went into the clinic on Monday and found several breaches of injection control, including employees not washing their hands thoroughly and letting full needles sit "well before" they were used on patients.

The facility focuses on treating patients who suffer from knee pain, boasting on its website that it uses "modern technology" to treat severe osteoarthritis.

"To give our patients the most up to date technology we have invested in several of the most advanced equipment options to help pinpoint your pain and provide precise and accurate treatment for your knee osteoarthritis," the website says.

Henry said the Department of Health has confirmed at least 30 patients have received infections.

The Osteo Relief Institute voluntarily closed its doors after they received reports of the infections from area hospitals, Henry said.

One of the patients, Mary Adams, told News12 New Jersey that she had to have emergency surgery after her foot swelled up to the point where she couldn't walk.

"If I didn't go to the hospital I don't know where I would have been today," she told the news station.

Officials are urging patients who have contracted infections after receiving treatment from the facility dating back to September 2016 to call them at (609) 826-5964.

A call to the Osteo Relief Institute went unanswered on Sunday morning.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK--The rows of wood benches in Judge Annie S. Garcy's small courtroom are crowded, with barely enough room to sit.

The cases drone on in rapid-fire succession, giving it the feel of night traffic court. Many of those awaiting the judge do not speak English. Some have lawyers. Others do not. They get called, one after another, in a session that goes from early morning to well into the afternoon without a lunch break.

Just about all of those cases, however, will get carried forward for months--and sometimes literally years in the future. Garcy, 62, a transplant from Texas, seems apologetic as she sets a return date for one that won't be back before her until March 2018.

"You're going to be waiting a long time in this case," she says.

This is immigration court in Newark and the scene in Courtroom A on the 12th floor of the Peter W. Rodino Federal Building is not out of the ordinary. Courts handling immigration matters these days are overwhelmed across the country, with backlogs of pending cases now at an all-time high, say U.S. Department of Justice officials.

Through the end of January, there were 542,646 pending cases, according to the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review, or EOIR, and those numbers continue to climb. New York, the busiest court in the nation, currently has 72,344 cases on the docket. Newark was sixth among the nearly 60 courts, with 27,228 pending cases, not including the more than 740 cases involving those facing the possibility of more immediate deportation, which are held at the Elizabeth Detention Center.

"Our caseload is directly related to DHS enforcement activities," said an EOIR spokeswoman, referring to the Department of Homeland Security.

Despite the sudden explosion of hard-edged immigration enforcement under the Trump White House, though, the court backlog has been growing for quite some time.

Much of it dates back to the so-called "border surge" under President Obama, when tens of thousands of families and children fleeing deadly violence in Central America began pouring into this country. However, immigration advocates believe things will almost certainly get worse as the Trump administration expands its focus on undocumented residents, greatly increasing the number of those subject to immediate deportation, beyond violent criminals, or as the president is fond of saying, "bad hombres."

"It is a system that is already notoriously overburdened," said Lori Nessel, director of Seton Hall University School of Law's Center for Social Justice.

According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a Syracuse University-based research group that studies federal data, hearing delays on average have reached nearly two years among the nation's 58 immigration courts. Colorado has the longest delays in the country, at close to three years. In New Jersey, the delay averages 27.5 months.

Nessel, who teaches immigration law, said with the new administration's call for even tougher enforcement, widening the net for cases considered priorities for deportation, the system is likely to become unbearably backlogged, or force the spending for additional judges, new detention centers and hiring of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE agents, that she said "will come at incredible cost."

Lawrence LeRoy, a Newark immigration attorney and former immigration officer, the the court intervals between hearings are getting longer and longer, with judges carrying 4,000 or more cases.

"It's an untenable situation," he said. "They have to triple or or quadruple the number of judges, which is not going to happen."

While there are 374 immigration judge positions currently authorized, only 300 are filled, and a federal hiring freeze put the brakes on additional hiring.

The president's proposed new budget, meanwhile, calls for $314 million to be spent towards hiring 500 new Border Patrol agents in 2018 and another 1,000 personnel for Immigration and Customers Enforcement, or ICE. It also contains another $1.5 billion for expanded facilities to detain those facing detention, as well as funding their transportation and removal, according to budget documents.

A mistake changes everything

The nation's immigration court system, administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review, or EOIR, makes the decisions over whether foreign-born individuals charged by the Department of Homeland Security with violating immigration law should be ordered removed from the United States, or be permitted to remain on the basis of asylum claims or other relief.

In New Jersey, those cases include stories of spousal abuse. There are undocumented immigrants--some with U.S. born children--who have lived here for decades. Others with criminal charges resolved long ago suddenly are finding that past catching up to them, and there are individuals who are learning that one mistake can change everything.

One college student from Costa Rica who came to the United States as a 9-year-old was a so-called "Dreamer," with protected status under Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The program offers undocumented immigrants relief from deportation, as well as education and work rights. After his arrest on a DUI charge, ICE followed up and detained him for deportation.

LeRoy, who now represents him and did not want his client's name used, is trying to get him released.

"He made a mistake," the attorney acknowledged.

Now with even driving offenses being used to prioritize deportation cases, LeRoy said many undocumented immigrants not yet being targeted for removal are growing increasingly scared.

"I've been in this business since 1981 and I've never seen anything like this. The fear is just amazing," he remarked. "People are coming to me about the simplest things. They're terrified."

Joyce Phipps, an immigration lawyer from Bound Brook and head of Casa de Esperanza, a nonprofit group serving immigrants and refugees, said even legal residents have fears, with more thinking about applying for citizenship.

"They are frightened that Trump will take away their green cards," she said.

Despite those fears, immigration attorney Daniel Weiss of Freehold said most being targeted by ICE have criminal convictions or prior orders of removal.

"There's almost always a conviction," he said.

Nationally, though, there is no shortage of stories of people being detained over what often appear to be the most minor of infractions. Daniela Vargas, 22, a native of Argentina who was taken into custody in Jackson, Miss., after publicly criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, was only recently released from detention after her case made national headlines.

She had qualified for a temporary reprieve from deportation under the DACA program, but her status expired in November.

Here in New Jersey, Catalino Guerrero of Union City is fighting his deportation and won a well-publicized temporary reprieve earlier this month after clergy leaders across the state--including the Archbishop of Newark--rallied to support his cause.

Guerrero, a citizen of Mexico, has lived in the U.S. for more than 25 years. Advocates say the father of four filed for asylum in 1992, but his case was denied and he was ordered deported in 2009. Arrested by ICE in 2011, Guerrero was granted a stay of removal and an order of supervision due to his poor health, but became fearful after the Trump administration widened the net of who can be detained and deported.

A date in the distant future

In Judge Garcy's courtroom in Newark, cases range from those seeking asylum, to those who have been in the country for a decade or more and are challenging removal orders. Among them this day are men and women from El Salvador, Jamaica, Guatemala and Ecuador.

The windowless room is hot and uncomfortable, but a portable air conditioner in one corner is turned off because it makes too much noise. A Spanish language interpreter simultaneously translates the proceedings in a low voice for nearly everyone appearing before the court--often enough that she has to stop at one point to change the batteries in the wireless headset she uses.

A Department of Homeland Security attorney sits to the left, representing the government.

The proceedings, known as master calendar hearings, are held to assess or update cases and schedule future court dates on the removal of an immigrant from the United States.

The session is like an arraignment hearing, where the judge looks to find out that relief is being sought, such as asylum, withdrawal of a removal order, or voluntary departure.

Garcy chides one attorney for not prepared, with a warning that the lapse threatened the situation of the client. She wishes good luck to another man she acknowledged having been in her courtroom before, as part of a long quest to get his green card and become a permanent legal resident. "Closer and closer," she says. "Maybe you'll think about making this country your country."

Marking down a hearing date for 2019, she wonders aloud about the fact that she is scheduling so far in advance. "My calendar is out to the distant future because of a shortage of immigration judges," she explains.

To another young asylum seeker, she says, "I'll see you when you and I are much older."

Not all are unhappy with the delays.

"Sometimes it's helpful. Sometimes we hope there are cases that will never be rescheduled," explained LeRoy. But he said the delays can still be extremely frustrating.

Garcy, who declined requests through an EOIR spokeswoman for an interview, moves through each case quickly, repeating warnings by rote on being prepared for what may come next, and showing up for the next hearing.

"If you are not here, we will proceed without you. If I make a decision in your absence, you have no right to an appeal," she says, over and over again. "Do you understand everything I've said to you today?"

"Si," says a man from El Salvador, also seeking an asylum hearing.

"Yes," repeats the interpreter.

"Perfect," responds the judge.

And then it's on to the next case.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A Maryland-based real estate finance company has acquired a $144 million loan to invest in seven affordable housing buildings in New Jersey.

Bethany Towers in Hazlet is one of seven buildings purchased by a group looking to invest in affordable housing in New Jersey. (Courtesy of Walker & Dunlop)

The loan was acquired from Fannie Mae and is a joint venture between Hudson Valley Property Group, Red Stone Companies and Wheelock Street Capital.

The acquisition is for seven buildings with 1,000 affordable housing units intended for low-income senior residents, the company that organized the deal, Walker & Dunlop of Bethesda, Maryland, announced in a press release.

"The buyers acquired the portfolio with the intention of investing in properties and upgrading the stock of affordable housing in Northern New Jersey," the press release states.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the buildings are located in Paterson, Orange, East Orange, Metuchen, Old Bridge, Hazlet and East Windsor. The group purchased the buildings, which are currently housing tenants who receive Section 8 assistance from the federal government, from Kline Enterprises, the newspaper reported.

Earlier this year, the state Supreme Court ruled that New Jersey has to build thousands more units for low-income residents to make up for a 16-year gap where it didn't address those needs. Housing advocates said at the time the state could be on the hook for more than 200,000 low-income housing units.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
There is a small band of exceptional people in Middlesex County who rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Sandy for free, as part of their work with the Reformed Church of Highland Park.

There is no saintlier conduct than this. At a time when we seem to have lost our way - where distrust is the tenet of a creeping nationalism - these are the people who provide daily reminders of what it means to be good neighbors and good Americans.

Donald Trump classifies them as criminals.

They're unauthorized immigrants from places like Indonesia, Burkina Faso, Sri Lanka, and Kenya, many have been here for decades, and they're scared. New Jersey hasn't been targeted for deportation raids (yet) but with 500,000 such people - many under final deportation orders - it's doubtful they'll be overlooked much longer.

It's impossible to reconcile this. A full 76 percent of Republicans favor a path to citizenship. Four years ago, 68 members of the U.S. Senate voted to grant it. Yet Trump sends Immigration and Customs Enforcement into U.S. communities to round up people who have done nothing - because, as Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th) put it Friday, "The order basically says anyone who is undocumented can be deported."

Now the last line of defense are houses of worship, where raids typically are against DHS policy, but nobody believes old rules apply anymore. Once, we prioritized violent criminals and security risks for deportation. Now, anything goes.

The situation at Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale's church in Highland Park reflects what is happening statewide, and even this intrepid refugee advocate seems mortified by what's coming. So he is preparing his church - a sanctuary of hope and fear, of charity and anxiety - for the worst.

He remembers the 2006 raid in Avenel, which led to the deportation of 37 men. "None had a record," Kaper-Dale said, "but just like that, 70 kids became fatherless."

Those raids were part of a program targeting visa overstays, which was deemed a failure and suspended in 2011. By then, Kaper-Dale had made a deal with ICE that allowed 100 unauthorized Indonesian parishioners to stay while their cases were appealed. For reasons unknown, ICE let that deal expire.

A year later, with 9 parishioners facing deportation, Kaper-Dale converted his church's classrooms into bedrooms. They lived there for 11 months, until he convinced ICE to grant another stay of the order.

Now, in the age of Trump, "it feels like we are entering a dark chapter," Sen. Robert Menendez conceded Thursday. That's the case at Reformed: One Indonesian - Harry Pangemanan, who runs the church's disaster relief program - must check in with ICE soon. Four others report in May, and they have no place to go: All are Christians, a religious minority in Indonesia, where the government demolishes churches and Islamic mobs torch Buddhist temples.

As anxiety builds, they wonder how this happened. This is no way to run a country, or live a genuinely decent American life.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
Richard F. Keevey

We were dining with friends and conversation turned to defense spending. After President Donald Trump laid out plans to increase military spending by 10 percent, our friends argued it was about time the Pentagon receiving more money.

So, I asked: "how many aircraft carriers do you think Russia and China have?" They had no idea -- but were sure it was more than us.

I informed them each had one, and then I told them we just commissioned a new carrier and had eleven deployed -- and two more under construction. They were dumfounded. They tried again -- "they must have more submarines." The number of nuclear attack subs we have is more than twice the number of Russia and China combined-- silence.

As we continued our discussion I informed them we had 1.3 million active duty troops, including 640,000 in the Army and Marine Corps. They responded -- but it is less than we had 10 years ago. Yes, but only slightly, and because we were fighting two major wars. I reminded them we also had over 800,000 troops in the reserve and National Guard ready for deployment. Moreover, DOD has 700,000 civilian employees -- and a staggering number of consultants -- supporting the troops.

We did not discuss the wisdom of our previous two wars - but I did suggest that it is not possible that we would ever engage in a ground war with China - god forbid. More likely naval confrontations, if any. Furthermore, our troop and air level capability together with our NATO allies was far superior to Russia. Actually, we just need to be resolute and steadfast in following our containment policy in Europe established over 60 years ago. True, other issues, including the increasing nuclear capacity of North Korea - perhaps our biggest concern -- and the terrorism of ISIS, needs to be addressed, but not just by throwing money into the Pentagon pot.

Incidentally, the current national defense budget is over $600 billion and is more than 53 percent of the federal government's total discretionary budget. Those numbers do not include $210 billion for nuclear weapons, the Coast Guard and veteran services which are budgeted in other departments - a fact not generally acknowledged! Our defense spending is more than the next eight countries combined -- and nine times of the size of Russia and three times the size of China.

Does all this mean we can reduce the defense budget? In my opinion -- No. Those who argue otherwise do not understand the military complexities we face. Furthermore, some additional funding is necessary -- but carefully targeted. We need to craft a comprehensive strategy as how best to invest additional funds. Simply adding capacity is not the approach.

For example, let me cite just one major challenge we face regarding the capabilities of our potential adversaries. Previously the U.S. had the ability to intervene in any part of the world to pursue our economic and military interests and that of our allies with little opposition.

That capability is now limited because countries like China, Russia and even Iran, have achieved anti-access and area denial capabilities (A2/AD) - think, for example, sophisticated missiles and underwater munitions -- that can more easily deny our use of local airspace, bases and ports, near seas, space and cyberspace. This makes our capabilities - our carries, and aircraft -- more vulnerable than ever. Thus, we need to target our investments to overcome these A2/AD capabilities. This can only be achieved by investing in research, development, and innovation to develop new means of projecting power to deter adversaries.

A detailed exploration of many more technological and military improvements are necessary, including our nuclear deterrence and capacity, missile defense for troops, ships, and the homeland (think North Korea), robotics, and artificial intelligence are beyond the scope of this essay, as are many other factors that contribute to a properly funded military. Integrating and investing in all of these technologies is a complicated process - but necessary.

The international and military problems facing the United States are daunting. The approach, however, is not a matter of "dropping" money into the Pentagon and expanding troop strength. Instead, to paraphrase former defense secretary Gates: traditional military spending alone is not sufficient - rather we need dramatic increases in spending for diplomacy, foreign assistance and new technologies.

A strong defense posture requires a careful re-examination of both our diplomatic and military strategies and most important - thoughtful and deliberate leadership. Our nation and our military deserve those criteria.

Richard F. Keevey held a presidential appointment as the deputy undersecretary of defense for finance in the pentagon. He also served as an executive officer of a nuclear missile artillery unit in Germany. He is currently a senior policy fellow at the Bloustein School of Planning and Policy and a Lecturer at the Woodrow Wilson School Princeton University.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
Kim DePaola

"Real Housewives of New Jersey" celebrity Kim DePaola's car is in the middle of a double homicide out of Paterson, TMZ reported on Sunday.

(File photo)

PATERSON -- "Real Housewives of New Jersey" celebrity Kim DePaola's car is in the middle of a double homicide out of Paterson, TMZ reported on Sunday.

DePaola's son, Chris, usually drives the car, but his friend dropped him off at the airport in the vehicle last week, according to the report.

The friend was reportedly supposed to take the car back to the house. Family sources told TMZ that Chris has been unable to get in contact with his friend.

Officials have not identified the two bodies found in a car early Friday in Paterson but have said they are investigating the incident as a homicide.

Police are encouraging anyone with information to call the detective bureau at 973-321-1120.

Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.
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WASHINGTON -- Following an election in which the National Rifle Association spent $23 million to keep Republicans in control of Congress, the House GOP voted for a second time to make it possible for those deemed mentally incompetent by the federal government to purchase weapons.

The House voted, 240-175, largely among party lines, to pass the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act, which would require a judge to rule that veterans posed a danger to themselves or others before they could be denied the right to buy guns.

Just two House Republicans voted no. One of them was New Jersey's Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th Dist.)

In voting no, Lance said the bill "could put veterans' safety at risk," and noted that the right of veterans to appeal such a designation was added to legislation enacted last year to speed up federal approval of new drugs.

Congressional Republicans last month voted to overturn the requirement that the Social Security Administration report to the gun database the names of those with mental illnesses who need representatives to handle their disability and supplemental benefit checks. President Donald Trump, whose campaign was backed by $30 million in NRA expenditures, signed the measure.

The latest measure would prevent the Department of Veterans Affairs from reporting the veterans it deemed mentally incompetent to the database used for background checks of gun purchasers.

The NRA argued that veterans were prohibited from buying guns simply because they needed assistance to handle their finances.

"The constitutional rights of our veterans must be strongly protected," said Chris W. Cox, the NRA's chief lobbyist. "Needing help managing your money does not make you a danger to society,"

The other four New Jersey Republicans voted yes and six of the state's seven House Democrats voted no. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-10th Dist.) did not vote.

Lance also cited the opposition of the Veterans Coalition for Common Sense, which supports gun regulations and whose members include retired Gens. Wesley Clark, Michael V. Hayden and David Petraeus.

The group said the measure would remove the names of 174,000 veterans, some of whom suffer from dementia, schizophrenia and post traumatic stress disorder, from the background check database.

NRA spent $53 million on the 2016 elections, all of it to elect Republicans. Only five groups spent more, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group.

Separately, gun rights groups, including the NRA, contributed $5.9 million, with 98 percent of their money going to Republicans, according to the center.

Supporters of gun control donated $1.5 million, with 98 percent going to Democrats. A super political action committee funded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent $13.4 million to support candidates in both parties who support gun regulations, according to the center.

The other House Republican to vote no on the bill was Dan Donovan of New York.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
The Sicilian surge: When the French Quarter became 'Little Palermo'
Three alumni  two area businessmen and a community volunteer  were added to the Abraham Lincoln High School Hall of Fame Thursday night.

The Hall of Fame was initiated in 1985 by the A.L. chapter of the National Honor Society. The society inducted 25 new members during the social hour and banquet that coincided with the Hall of Fame event.

Joining the 123 current members of the Hall of Fame were:

 David Edwards, Class of 1973

 Gale Wickersham, Class of 1967

 Josephine Widtfeldt-Moore, Class of 1967

Widtfeldt-Moores award was made posthumously.

David Edwards

Edwards graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1973. He has a passion for his business, family and faith, according to the honor society.

After graduation, Edwards started working at Union Pacific Railroad. After about six months, he began selling cars at McIntyre Oldsmobiles and Cadillacs.

Edwards said he considers himself lucky to have been able to work alongside Bob McIntyre and Tim ONeal as they mentored him as a young salesman. As he worked his way up through the organization, he bought a percentage of the dealership that is now known as Edwards Nissan. Though the Oldsmobile brand is long gone, Edwards still owns the place where he first started working selling cars.

His family consists of his wife, Jodi Edwards, who he met as a junior at Abraham Lincoln and never let her go. They have five children, four of whom are married, and a total of 19 grandchildren. They are all living in Council Bluffs. Out of their five kids, two have bought into the dealership.

Edwards has served as chairman of the Iowa Independent Auto Dealers Association. He has also volunteered in Des Moines and Washington D.C., focusing on issues related to with improving the car industry.

One of his main focus areas is bringing improvement and pride to Council Bluffs as well, the society said. For years, he has served on the Council Bluffs nonprofit Industrial Foundation, founded in the 1950s.

The foundation buys and develops land to make it fit for industry, and in return, brings jobs to Council Bluffs and the surrounding community. Through the foundation, he was instrumental in helping bring Google to Council Bluffs.

Edwards also served as a bishop in his church for more than nine years, and was recently named a stake president.

Gale Wickersham

Wickersham attended Franklin and Myers Elementary Schools, Eastside Junior High School and Abraham Lincoln High School, graduating in 1967.

Wickersham worked several jobs in the community and on his family farm. While at Abraham Lincoln, Wickersham found that involvement in ROTC, Red Cross and the school newspaper helped him keep some interest in school.

After high school graduation, he worked various jobs while attending Sioux Falls College and later Kearney State College in Nebraska. While in Kearney, he began working night shifts driving for Yellow Freight Co. In 1971, he moved to Omaha and began working for American Transport Inc., dispatching trucks nationwide.

Wickersham met his wife, Judy, in 1973 while she was a student at the College of Saint Mary. In 1975, Judy and Wickersham eloped to Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Wickersham began his first company, a truck brokerage firm, in 1975. His next business venture involved obtaining the Dorsey Trailers dealership for the Nebraska territory. Wickershams office was an old popcorn stand that he bought from Technical High School and moved to the corner of a gravel lot on 72nd Street in Omaha. He rented the location from friend Lee Seaman Jr.

Wickersham attributed his early business and personal relationships with C.L. Werner and Duane Acklie as contributing to his growth and success in the trucking industry. He eventually purchased a gravel lot off Interstate 29 in Council Bluffs and later more property in Omaha. During this period, he expanded his business, adding leasing, service and parts to his lines of businesses.

In 1988, Wickersham began selling Wabash National trailers which led to significant growth in sales, including opening branches in Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. Wickershams company became one of the nations largest truck trailer dealers. Some of Mr. Wickershams businesses include: Wicks Trucks Omaha, Wicks Trucks Lincoln, Wicks Truck Trailers Omaha, Wicks Truck Trailers Springfield, Missouri, Wicks Truck Trailers Sioux City, Western Trailer Leasing and Western Land Company.

He and his wife have two children, Steve and Dawn, and three grandchildren.

Josephine Widtfeldt-Moore

Graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1967, Widtfeldt-Moore worked in a secretarial position before her career with the government began in 1970. She worked in the Operation Plans Department at Strategic Air Command with the Air Force on Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska.

Transitioning from the Air Force to the Army in 1984, Widtfeldt-Moore found herself at the main post in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Working for the garrison chaplain, she had multiple titles, from secretary, administrative assistant, religious support assistant to the director of Outreach Ministries. She utilized her resources to provide support to thousands of military families throughout Fort Huachuca over a span of her 31 years in service at this base.

On becoming the Outreach Ministries director in 1994, she helped establish the creation of the Chaplains Food Locker, a program providing 75 to 100 families a year with a weeks worth of groceries and ultimately aiding to more than 1,800 families.

Creating and coordinating the annual Christmas Giving Tree program in 1995, this program eventually gave more than 10,000 children presents and clothes throughout its 20- year period.

She often referred to these soldiers and their families as her children.

Other programs that Widtfeldt-Moore created and coordinated on Fort Huachuca include the Thanksgiving Dinner program in 1997, in which 4,500 families received a provided Thanksgiving dinner over a span of 18 years. Widtfeldt-Moore loved cooking, especially desserts and would often cook these dinners herself.

In addition to this, she established the Chapel Turnaround Point, a program where soldiers could drop off and pick up clothing and household goods for no cost over the span of 17 years. She provided the drive to individuals who carry similar aspirations to hers, overseeing the chaplains and creating a network of support between surrounding local businesses, military units and service organizations.

She married Robert Moore in 1999.

Widtfeldt-Moore has been awarded many honors, including the Armys Civilian Service Achievement Award for Excellence, of which she was a four-time recipient. Upon her retirement in 2015, she was recognized for her 47 years of service by receiving the Superior Civilian Service Award for the second time (she received it first in 1996), signed by General Robert Ashley. This is the third highest honor a civilian can receive.

Widtfeldt-Moore died in March of 2015 after a battle with stomach cancer.
The Council Bluffs school board will meet in a closed session on March 29 to begin reviewing possible candidates to replace Superintendent Martha Bruckner.

Bruckner announced on Nov. 28 she would retire at the end of the school year in June.

Diane Ostrowski, the districts chief communications officer, said the search firm Ray and Associates from Cedar Rapids received a total of 55 applications, including six applicants from Iowa.

We hope that it is because theyve heard about all the great things in Council Bluffs and want to be part of this community, Ostrowski said.

Based on a survey completed last month by more than 500 community members and district employees, the board determined which qualities were most important when looking to hire the new superintendent.

Deadline to apply for the position was Thursday. The process for selecting and announcing possible finalists has not been determined yet.

Weve been in contact with (the search firm) throughout the entire process and theyve been aggressive with finding quality candidates, school board president Troy Arthur said. Were happy with the number and we hope to come up with a good group of finalists to consider.

Based on the feedback given to the search firm, the Council Bluffs Community School District seeks a superintendent who:

 Inspires trust, has high levels of self-confidence and optimism, and models high standards of integrity and personal performance.

 Is a strong communicator; speaking, listening and writing.

 Is able to delegate authority appropriately while maintaining accountability.

 Has experience in the management of district resources and knowledge of sound fiscal procedures.

 Is strongly committed to a student first philosophy in all decisions.

 Is able to develop and communicate a vision of quality education for the future with successful experience in the selection and implementation of educational priorities consistent with the interests and needs of students, staff, board and community.

 Promotes positive student behavior conducive to a healthy learning environment.

 Is able to lead a large organization dedicated to goals of continuous improvement with the board, staff and community.

 Has the ability to develop and maintain a mutually beneficial relationship between the business community and the school district.
Iowa high school students and their families can now enter to win money for educational expenses thanks to area nonprofit Iowa Student Loan.

Students interested in winning the prizes can visit IowaStudentLoan.org/Forecaster and complete a free online tool, known as the College Funding Forecaster, which helps students estimate the total cost of a four-year undergraduate degree.

Families may be able to stretch budgets for the first year of college where they didnt receive quite enough aid to cover funding gaps, especially with scholarships and grants, Christine Hensley, chairwoman of the Iowa Student Loan board, said in a statement. But with increases in costs and the expiration of one-year awards, its harder to know the costs for additional years based solely on a financial aid award packet.

The College Funding Forecaster tool helps families understand the total cost of college so families can make educated decisions. The tool will be available through June 9.

Two names will be drawn each week to receive $250 awards for educational expenses. Two names will also be drawn to each receive $1,500 for the students college expenses in fall 2017. The grand prizes will be paid directly to the students colleges.
It appears history is becoming a more popular subject for Council Bluffs students.

At least that was the impression made at the finale of Saturdays National History Day at the Council Bluffs Public Library.

Its biggest crowd Ive ever seen, said Mayor Matt Walsh, as he saw a number of students sitting on the floor due to the packed house inside the librarys meeting room. About 200 students and parents attended.

Open to students in sixth through 12th grades, the annual event fosters research and inquiry-based learning and strategies, said Deb Masker, a teacher at Kirn Middle School.

Students deliver their historical presentation in a number of ways like performances, documentaries and websites, she said.

In addition to researching in books or newspapers, the students also seek out individuals or their descendants who participated in their chosen projects, Masker said.

We try to provide opportunities to interview people by phone or social media, she said.

This years theme was Taking a Stand and history provides many who did just that for civil rights, freedom of speech and other causes.

For her presentation, Mia Kawamitsu, a freshman at Abraham Lincoln High School, researched the efforts of former Iowa Gov. Robert Ray in bringing hundreds of Vietnamese refugees to the state following the fall of South Vietnam. Upon a request by President Gerald Ford, who sought nationwide help, Ray created a refugee resettlement agency.

It was the first and still the only one certified by the U.S. State Department, Kawamitsu said.

Rays action was not lost on her as she followed the recent political election.

I saw a split in the nation, Kawamitsu said of the election. Governor Ray brought people together and we can do that again.

Rachel Anderson and Kelli Christensen, students at Heartland Christian Academy, focused on the lunch counter sit-ins by African-Americans of the 1960s.

It was a subtle movement that started an uproar across the country, Christensen said.

While progress toward equality has been made since then, Anderson said, discrimination still exists in society.

Hopefully, someday well eliminate discrimination, she said.

Jude Ryan, an eighth-grader at Kirn, researched the Iowa farmers strike of 1932.

I enjoy agriculture research, he said. It did take a lot of time, but its worth it.

These students have some special people behind them, Walsh said.

We have great teachers that go up and beyond to make sure our children get a good education, he said.
Fridays announcement that hed decided to resign as president and CEO of the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce to assume a similar leadership role in Wisconsin was a bittersweet moment for Bob Mundt.

Mundt has led the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce since June 1992. Prior to that, he served as executive director of the Brookings, South Dakota, Chamber of Commerce.

Council Bluffs has come so far since 1992, he said. We  and here Im referring not just to the chamber but to the community as a whole  have accomplished so much in the past 25 years. I hope we can continue to work as a community to move Council Bluffs forward. This is a great city, and one that I will continue to be very fond of.

In about a month, Mundt will take the helm of the Fox Cities Regional Chamber of Commerce in Appleton, Wisconsin.

I think I have pretty much accomplished what I can do here, and its time to move on. Appleton is a bigger community with a bigger chamber, he said. The Fox Cities regional chamber has some issues I think I can help with.

Bruce Zak, chairman-elect of the Fox Cities chamber, said the organizations nationwide search resulted in a field of about 50 national and regional candidates. The search began last December when the former chamber president and CEO, Shannon Full, accepted a position with the Twin West Chamber in Minneapolis.

Bob is highly regarded in the chamber industry, he said. Hes very organized and has a collaborative style  a very good manager with great leadership skills. We feel very positive that Bob can move forward with the initiatives Shannon started.

Whats good for the Fox Cities community, however, will be felt in Council Bluffs.

This is a sad day for Council Bluffs, said James Watson, chairman of the Council Bluffs chambers board of directors. Bob was a fantastic man whos done a great job for Council Bluffs.

Watson said Mundt will remain with the chamber here until April 14. The chambers executive board will begin meeting on a regular basis to start the task of naming Mundts replacement to lead the 800-member organization.

Any decisions regarding the scope of the search for Mundts replacement will be made by the executive board, Watson said.

Finding someone to fill Bobs shoes will be difficult, Watson said. Thats a big set of shoes to fill. Well be looking for someone who can take the chamber to the next level. Finding a new director for a high-profile organization is always a challenge.

Bob will clearly be missed, Watson added. The progress made in Council Bluffs over the past 25 years  sometimes with the chamber in front and sometimes with the chamber working behind the scenes  has been phenomenal. Fortunately, Bob has set up a machine that will continue working when hes gone.

Asked what he considers some of his major accomplishments over a quarter century, Mundt led with the development of the Pottawattamie County Development Corp., now part of the 712 Initiative.

Among other accomplishments were bringing Google to Council Bluffs and the development of the Mid-America Center and the Bass Pro Shops complex, along with the successful effort to expand and improve the interstate system in and around Council Bluffs and the ongoing development of downtown Council Bluffs.

Im disappointed that we havent found a solution to getting the Mall of the Bluffs back on track, getting the current owners to be a willing seller, opening the door to a developer with a plan to breathe new life into the mall, Mundt said. I wish we could have gotten more done on the riverfront and on West Broadway, but those projects are moving forward.

Reaction from the community at the pending loss of a longtime leaders was quick in coming.

I always worked well with Bob, said John Nelson, chairman of the SilverStone Group. A lot of big projects have been completed during Bobs 25 years as the head of the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce. I certainly wish him well.

Nelson added: Appleton is a great town, a really great post for a chamber executive. Our loss is Appletons gain.

John Burns, president of the Southwest Iowa Foundation, said Mundt has led the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce on a path of improvement for many years.

Bobs decision to take a position with the Fox Cities Regional Chamber of Commerce is certainly a gain for Appleton but a loss for Council Bluffs, he said.

Other city officials and leaders praised Mundt as well, including Mitch Streit, store director of Hy-Vees Madison Avenue location and immediate past chairman of the chambers board of directors.

Bobs tenure as president and CEO of the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce can be summed up as 25 years of service to the community, Streit said. In addition to his years of service to the chamber, Bob has been a community leader in many areas beyond the chamber. He will be missed.

Council Bluffs current mayor acknowledged Mundts contribution to the community.

Bob came to town in the early 90s and was president and CEO of the chamber during a very transformative time in the history of Council Bluffs, Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh said. He was certainly instrumental in a lot of the significant changes in Council Bluffs over the past 25 years.

Tom Hanafan was first elected mayor of Council Bluffs in 1988, four years before Mundt was selected as chamber president and CEO.

Bob knew the state well when he came here, Hanafan said. Beyond his knowledge of the state, one of his really essential strengths was his ability to develop coalitions. He did a very good job of bringing economic development to our region.

Bob has been here a long time, which is somewhat unusual for a chamber executive. Now that its time for him to move on, I wish him the best.
The Council Bluffs Community School District will host an upcoming college and career fair from 5 to 7 p.m. March 27 at Thomas Jefferson High School, 2501 W. Broadway.

Open to all eighth through 12th grade students living in southwest Iowa, the third annual College Crossroads will feature more than 60 booths with representatives from area colleges, military representatives and career organizations.

This is our chance to get information out to students and families sooner, so they can start thinking about it a whole lot earlier than their senior year, said Carla Hartenhoff, counselor for Thomas Jefferson.

Some of the topics to be covered include information on scholarships, filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the importance of getting involved at school, playing collegiate sports, college entrance exams and college admission processes.

The evening will conclude around 7 p.m. with a question and answer session featuring Council Bluffs graduates and their families that have already gone on to college.

I think one of the biggest things were doing is trying to help students see themselves in a position of what they want to do after high school, Hartenhoff said. Starting the process earlier gets them imagining them in those roles and its our goal to get that information out early, so they can do what their passionate about.

The district is asking those interested in attending the fair to register online ahead of time at gotocollegefairs.com. However, registration isnt required.

Those that do choose to register will be given a barcode to print which will allow each participating college to scan.

Its so they dont have to fill out their information and can, instead, spend time to talking to the colleges, Hartenhoff said.

The night will also feature prize giveaways from area restaurants such as Taco Johns, Blimpie and Godfathers Pizza. Google has also donated one Chromebook to the district to give away to one lucky student, Hartenhoff said.

Students will be asked to complete an evaluation at the end of the evening, she said. The student must be present to win.
Preserve Council Bluffs will present its fourth annual Spring Soiree for Preservation: Fine Dining in Historic Homes on April 1.

Participants will have the opportunity to step into the past and experience an elegant evening at one of six historic homes in Council Bluffs.

The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with dinner assignments while enjoying appetizers and a wine reception to be held at the Historic Art Deco Great Western Bank Building, 509 W. Broadway, which is celebrating its 70th Anniversary.

Participants will then proceed to their assigned homes for dining at the following locations:

 Burke-Woodward House  510 Oakland Ave., was built in 1887 for attorney Finley Burke, senior partner in the firm of Burke & Casady, attorney for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad and a member of the board of trustees for the Council Bluffs Free Public Library at the time of his death at the age of 48 in 1903.

The house was sold to John G. Woodward, founder of John G. Woodward and Co., one of the largest candy businesses west of the Mississippi. Woodward and his wife, Hattie, had one son, Carlton.

The impressive Richardsonian Romanesque-style mansion was built in 1887 of Sioux Quartzite from Jasper, Minnesota. German carpenters finished the interior, and it still retains its original character and finish. Hosts are Ken Freudenburg and Kurt Arends.

 Day House  527 Bluff St. was the home of Frances and Jackson R. Day, president of J.R. Day & Company, realtors, mortgage bankers and insurance men  a company started by his father, F.J. Day, and J.P. Hess.

Jackson Day enlisted in World War I in 1917, was stationed at Camp Dodge and was commissioned a major in 1918. He died in 1927 at age 37, survived by his widow, Frances, and four children: Florence, 9; Frederick, 7; Donald, 3; and Jackson, 1.

The Tudor Revival house, built around 1921, features faux half-timbering on the second story, a porch supported by knee-brace brackets and original fixed pane and multi-pane over single pane windows. The house has been preserved with very good integrity, according to the nomination of the district to the National Register of Historic Places. Hosts are Dennis Fellhauer and Brian Wedemeijer.

 Everest House  125 S. Third St., was built in 1908 for Frank Everest, president of Greenshield-Everest real estate company, president of First National Bank and vice president of the Abstract Guaranty Company. His wife was Florence Folsom, daughter of Jeremiah Folsom, publisher of the Chronotype.

The Tudor Revival house is noteworthy as the boyhood home of two generals, the brothers George and Frank Everest. It was designed by noted local architect J. Chris Jensen. Hosts are James Kieffer, Jr. and Gary Lopez.

 Gleason House  445 Glen Ave., was the home of Fayette O. Gleason  a gift for his bride, Laura  around 1870. Gleason had several occupations. He was in the hardware business, co-owner of a grocery store, treasurer of the Council Bluffs Handle Factory, vice-president and later president of Citizens State Bank, which later became First National Bank, of which he was a director.

The two-story brick house exhibits the Gothic Revival style in the steep pitch of the roof gables, the elaborate decorative wood gable screens and the round-arched windows on he second floor. The original porch had been replaced by the early 20th century with a Colonial Revival/Craftsman style porch.

The posts had been in storage and were replaced by the homes second owners. A Craftsman-style porch hood dating from the 20th century remains over the front side entry. Other details of note include the double-hung windows and the gabled wall dormer with a single round-arched window on a side-gabled ell. Hosts are Carl Allen and Terri Dowell.

 Hazelton House  408 Oakland Ave., was the home of attorney Arthur Hazelton  city attorney, state senator and postmaster. His wife, Emma, was a member of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and served with the Womens Auxiliary, European War, 1914-18.

The Queen Anne house was built in 1890 for A.W. Askwith and purchased by Hazelton in 1901. The two-story house has a hipped roof with cross-gabled ells and dormers; narrow clapboard siding on the first floor; three types of decorative shingle siding on the second floor and gable ends and decorative woodwork details.

The pedimented portico porch over the front entry is supported by full-height round columns. The original porch wrapped around the front and south side of the house. There are rounded bay windows on the sides  some are original, including a cottage bay window with header. Hosts are Craig and Sue Griffis.

 Farnsworth/Tinley House  301 S. Eighth St., was first the home of Shepard Farnsworth, cashier at First National Bank. The Queen Anne house, built in 1886, is noted for its three chimneys, four porches and several gables  all highly decorated with spindles and sawn wood cutouts, and cast metal egg-and-dart design under the eaves.

The roof has the original ornamental iron fencing on top, and the house features outstanding stained, leaded and etched glass windows and doors. Inside, the house retains the original ornate staircase and woodwork.

The house was sold in 1920 to Judge John P. Tinley and his wife, and remained in the family until 1987, when it was sold at auction. It remains a single-family home. The host is Wayne Andersen.

The cost for the evening is $75 per person, or $95 for those requesting a specific home. Group seating is available as space allows. Checks are payable to Preserve Council Bluffs and may be sent by March 27 to Patricia Murphy, 333 Willow Ave., Council Bluffs, IA 51503.

For more information, contact Murphy at 402-850-0822 or Andersen at 712-323-2424. Proceeds will be used to promote historic preservation in Council Bluffs.
A man in his early 20's robbed a Southwest Side gas station after a man with a similar description attempted and failed to rob a gas station on the North Side, police said.

At around 8 p.m. Friday, a man wearing a mask and sunglasses demanded money from the clerk of the BP at 3510 Packers Avenue, Sgt. Eugene Woehrle. He said the man fell backward and fled after the clerk tried to close the counter window.

In the same incident report, Woehrle said a man "described very similarly to the Packers Avenue robbery" robbed the PDQ at 3153 Maple Grove Drive around midnight. Woehrle said the man reached over the counter and took money from the register.

Woehrle said no weapons were involved in either robbery and no one was injured.

In both robberies, Woehrle said the man was a white man with a skinny build wearing a Wisconsin Badgers knit cap, a gray hoodie and dark pants.
Andrea Kenmore describes herself as a career server. On a busy night working as a waitress and bartender at La Fonda Mexican Restaurant, she can take home about $40 an hour in tips.

Thats nearly six times the $7-per-hour pay tipped workers are now required to receive under the state minimum wage passed by Arizona voters in November. Flagstaffs Proposition 414 will go even further, eventually raising tipped workers like Kenmore to a $15-per-hour minimum wage, on par with the minimum for all other workers in the city.

Servers like Kenmore have already observed some changes as minimum wages start to step up, and as it stands, at least four said they still arent completely sold on the benefits.

With the $2 increase in wages, Kenmore said she has already seen her tips, and customers willingness to leave tips, take a hit as La Fonda increased its menu prices and experimented with charging customers for chips and salsa, which it has since stopped.

Ive gotten personal notes on the receipts that say tips arent happening because of the minimum wage, Kenmore said. One of the notes said her tip was the chips and salsa the customers had to purchase.

Kenmore acknowledged that it is the slow season for the restaurant business, but said she has already seen a decrease in her take home pay from tips.

Also problematic is that many customers who eat at the restaurant are tourists or people from the Navajo or Hopi reservations coming to eat and shop in Flagstaff and might not be familiar with the minimum wage situation, Kenmore said. When she hears customers get angry over higher prices or the short-lived attempt at charging for chips and salsa, she said she tries to immediately address it and has found that after some explaining people immediately calm down.

As the tipped wage gets closer to the minimum wage, Kenmore said she fears people might eliminate tipping altogether, taking a large portion of her earnings away.

That will hit me substantially, she said.

Without tips as motivation, Kenmore said experienced servers like herself, who can handle more tables at a time, also will not have the incentive to take on more tables during a shift.

I can handle three times the amount of tables that other servers can, she said. But without tips, it wouldnt help me at all to take the extra tables.

Some nights, like weekends, also tend to be more difficult than weeknights when business is slower, but servers making tips tend to make more money those nights.

However, if customers start to tip less, or not at all, because of a higher minimum wage, Kenmore said restaurants will have trouble finding servers who want to work the busiest nights because they would take on double or triple the workload of a weeknight shift, but receive no extra money.

Stephanie Goetz, a bartender at The State Bar, said her bartending wage went up to $7 in January, but she also earns a flat wage for managerial tasks during her shift.

Goetz said she has not noticed much of an effect on her take-home pay yet, and said because many of her customers are tourists, even if prices do increase at the bar they will still be accustomed to tipping their regular percentage.

Increasing the minimum wage in Flagstaff could be a good thing, Goetz said, however there might have been a better way to implement a minimum wage than Prop. 414.

Nicki Dowd, a server at The Crown Railroad Cafe, said she relies so much on tips that the $1.95-per-hour increase in her base pay wont matter much. What she is more concerned about is the 4 percent of her total sales that she is required to pull from her tips and put into a pool for non-servers. Higher menu prices that the restaurant has implemented to cover the wage increase means Dowd has had to contribute more. Her tips, however, havent kept pace. Dowds hourly pay increased by about 40 percent, and on a typical bill she said she has had to contribute 14 percent more toward the tip pool.

If John raises prices again Im out, she said, referring to the restaurants owner.

Shannon Dunning, another server at the Crown Railroad who supports three children on her pay, said she has seen a dramatic change in her tips.

I used to walk out with a little over $100. Now its $80, Dunning said. I was for the minimum wage increase and the cost of living here is outrageous, but in the industry we're in its an iffy situation.
If youre planning to rent a movie at Family Video in Madison, Middleton or Sun Prairie this week, youll need to decide more than whether itll be Fences or The Easter Bunny Adventure. Youll likely also be asked if you want to round up your purchase to help fight lymphoma.

Through Sunday, Illinois-based Highland Ventures, parent company of Family Video, will be running its annual Round It Up for Lymphoma campaign.

Patrons will be asked to voluntarily round up their purchase to the nearest whole dollar amount, with proceeds benefiting the Lymphoma Research Foundation and the Lymphoma Biobank at the University of Chicago Medicine.

While a few cents here and there may not sound like much, multiply that by hundreds or even thousands of small contributions and the result can be staggering.

Its amazing the power that comes from a united front, said Keith Hoogland, president of Highland Ventures, which has 785 locations, including 62 stores in Wisconsin. Since 2012, the companys round it up campaigns have raised nearly $6 million. Last years campaign raised $1.1 million, with $93,000 coming from Wisconsin.

Point-of-purchase fundraising, also known as cause marketing, has been around for years but its impact was first examined in 2013 by the Cause Marketing Forum. The forum reviewed 78 large fundraising programs in 2012 that raised more than a combined $389 million. In 2014, the group found 77 major campaigns had generated $390 million.

The largest point-of-purchase fundraiser in 2014 was online auction house giant eBay, which raised $62.2 million by allowing sellers to contribute a portion of their sales to charity and inviting buyers to make donations year-round.

Michael Johnson, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, was introduced to point-of-purchase fundraising in 2008 when he was earning his credentials to become a certified fundraising executive at the University of Indiana.

These kinds of campaigns give local nonprofits the opportunity to raise money in a different light and also it shows to a business customers that these corporations are socially conscious, Johnson said.

Johnson has worked with businesses around Dane County, including Oscar Mayer. A campaign with Oscar Mayers Lunchables, now in its second year of a four-year agreement, will generate $1 million over the life of the deal for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, with some of those dollars coming to the Dane County organization.

For the past five years, Middleton-based PDQ convenience stores has partnered with Johnsons organization typically during its Bike for Boys & Girls Club event, which this year is July 16. PDQ staff asks customers who come into the stores if theyd be interested in pledging $1 to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs. Donors then sign a small, decorative flyer, which is displayed inside the store.

The pledges collected on behalf of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County by PDQ last year raised about $20,000 over five weeks, Johnson said. Cause marketing fundraising represents about $100,000 of the revenues that support Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane Countys annual $4.5 million budget.

The amount doesnt seem like much, but when I look at it we have more than 100 tutors that we pay to support kids in the classroom, Johnson said. Those cause marketing funds help us pay for those tutors.

Patrons happy

to help out

When youre asking customers for a few cents, most are glad to help, said Eric Erwin of Lake Mills. He owns three Firehouse Subs restaurants, including one at 1403 Emil St. in Madison and oversees all franchisees and company expansion in Wisconsin.

Over 90 percent of our customers do voluntarily offer to round up their bills, Erwin said. Jacksonville, Florida-based Firehouse Subs, which presently has 1,054 locations in 44 states, including Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico, opened its first Wisconsin location in 2013.

There are now 12 Firehouse Subs locations in Wisconsin with five more opening this year.

Firehouse Subs was among hundreds of businesses that aided in relief efforts in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

Erwin said the company initially went to New Orleans to provide food to first responders and other relief workers. But when they arrived and saw the devastation, they offered food to anyone who asked.

That led the company to launch the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, Erwin said. The foundation receives funding from donations collected at Firehouse Subs restaurants from patrons who round up their purchases. The foundation awards grants to public safety agencies and first responders who apply.

The foundation works to ensure local dollars collected benefit organizations in the immediate community, Erwin said. The Wisconsin Firehouse Sub locations have collected $207,000 through point-of-purchase donations since 2013.

Erwin said the Firehouse Subs foundation helped the Sauk City Fire Department acquire an inflatable search-and-rescue boat and trailer, valued at $13,500. The boat will be used by the fire department to conduct rescue missions on local lakes and rivers where traditional boats cant go.

When the community sees a direct impact from donations, it often leads to more giving, Erwin said.

Its very rare that someone wont want to round up their bill when asked, he said. We always make sure to thank them when they do.

Self policing

According to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, if a business and a charity have an agreement for the business to collect donations on the charitys behalf, the business isnt required to identify the amount collected through these arrangements on their annual income taxes.

Businesses can claim charitable contributions on their taxes but there are many stipulations, and rules vary for corporations and companies with one owner.

When point-of-purchase donations are made at Firehouse Subs, its registers are equipped to separate the donation from the rest of the transaction and those funds go directly to the Firehouse Subs foundation.

Highland Ventures has a similar process and procedure. It also documents the collections and ensures all donations go its targeted charity.

Johnson said the rules to establish a fundraising partnership with a business are complex, but once the paperwork is done the rest is easy.

It really is just another avenue for nonprofits to raise money, he said. It has been effective for us, and I hope it continues to grow.
HAYS, Kan.  Students from the southwestern Nebraska area were recognized at a recent program in Holdrege for the scholarships they have been awarded from Fort Hays State University of Hays, Kansas, for the 2017-18 academic year.

The annual Holdrege SRP primarily serves students from Adams, Buffalo, Dawson, Franklin, Frontier, Furnas, Gosper, Hall, Harlan, Kearney, Lincoln, Phelps, Red Willow and Webster counties. Students from outside the primary area are also welcome.

Scholarships awarded at the SRPs include Fort Hays States four ACT-based scholarships: the $3,500 Presidential Award of Distinction, the $2,000 University Scholar Award, the $1,500 Hays City Scholar Award and the $1,000 Traditions Scholar Award. Academic Opportunity Grants of $2,000 or $4,000 are also funded by Fort Hays State.

All are awarded only to incoming freshmen enrolling in college for the first time, but each is renewable provided students maintain the minimum required academic standing.

The renewable $1,500 FHSU Transfer Student Scholarship is available for transfer students, as is a $1,000 non-renewable transfer scholarship. One-time $900 or $500 Academic Opportunity Awards are given to scholars by individual academic departments.

Each SRP event also features four scholarship drawings, two for $600 FHSU University Bookstore scholarships, one for a $400 FHSU Student Recognition Program Scholarship and another for an iPad.

Area students are arranged alphabetically by high school with their parents and intended majors.

Callaway High School

Seth Pearson of Oconto, a 2017 Callaway High School graduate, was awarded a $1,500 Hays City Scholar Award and a $900 Academic Opportunity Award in agriculture. Pearson, son of Wade and Michelle Pearson of Oconto, plans to major in agriculture.

Gothenburg High School

Kasey Wellmann of Gothenburg, a 2017 Gothenburg High School graduate, was awarded a $1,000 Traditions Scholar Award and a $900 Academic Opportunity Award in health and human performance. Wellmann, daughter of Brian and Ramona Wellmann of Gothenburg, plans to major in health and human performance.

Holdrege High School

Alyssa Miller of Holdrege, a 2017 Holdrege High School graduate, was awarded a $2,000 University Scholar Award and a $900 Academic Opportunity Award in education. Miller, daughter of Ryan and Candance Miller of Holdrege, plans to major in elementary education.

Lexington High School

Danielle Lindeman of Lexington, a 2017 Lexington High School graduate, was awarded a $1,500 Hays City Scholar Award and a $500 Academic Opportunity Award in nursing. Lindeman, daughter of Earl and Tracy Lindeman of Lexington, plans to major in nursing.

McCook High School

Brenna Erdman of McCook, a 2017 McCook High School graduate, was awarded a $3,500 Presidential Award of Distinction and a $900 Academic Opportunity Award in art. Erdman is the daughter of Troy and Rita Erdman of McCook.

Lexi Gross of McCook, a 2017 McCook High School graduate, was awarded a $500 Academic Opportunity Award in informatics. Gross, daughter of Jeff and Diana Gross of McCook, plans to major in informatics.

Taylor Stewart of McCook, a 2017 McCook High School graduate, was awarded a $1,500 Hays City Scholar Award and a $900 Academic Opportunity Award in biology. Stewart, daughter of Wayne and Jody Stewart of McCook, plans to major in biology.
Youth invited to apply to summer academic camp

Applications are now being accepted for the Central Honors Institute, an academic camp for Nebraska youth that will be on July 9-13 at Central Community College-Columbus.

The five-day residential camp is open to students beginning the seventh or eighth grade in fall 2017 and have demonstrated accomplishments in academics, leadership and maturity. Camp participants attend class during the day, enjoy social activities in the evening and stay overnight in the colleges residence hall.

Students are placed on one of five tracks based on their interest and aptitude. The tracks include CHI Creativity (language arts), CHI Stream Team (biology), CHI TechExplorers (computers), CSI at CHI (math) and FLY CHI (physics).

Applications and recommendation forms must be received by May 1. The cost is $395 through June 15 and $425 after that date.

For more information or to request an application, contact Betsy Rall at 402-562-1458, toll-free in Nebraska at 877-222-0780, ext. 1458, or by email at elizabethrall@cccneb.edu.

Detailed information and the required forms also can be found at cccneb.edu/CHI.

Students perform in wind ensemble spring concert

SEWARD  Concordia University, Nebraskas Wind Ensemble, chosen from the 85-member University Symphonic Band, wrapped up their spring tour on Friday at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward.

The following local students performed in Concordia University, Nebraskas annual spring Wind Ensemble concert: Britnee Fear of Hershey and Cassie Boeka of North Platte.

Area high school juniors, seniors can apply for $150 scholarship

Juniors and seniors who attend high school within Central Community Colleges 25-county service area can apply for up to $150 in scholarship assistance to take classes from CCC this summer.

April 15 is the deadline to apply for the program, but early planning is recommended. Students must include Accuplacer, ACT, COMPASS or ASSET scores to apply for the scholarship.

An application review process will be used to select scholarship recipients.

Applications for this award are available from high school counselors as well as the admissions offices at the Columbus, Grand Island and Hastings campuses, from all learning center locations and on the college website at cccneb.edu/Summer$.
MONONA  The issue of marijuana possession comes before the Monona City Council on Monday night, and council members will vote on whether to reduce the fine for possession to just $1 for those over 21.

Under the citys current ordinance, those who possess 25 grams or less of marijuana are fined $200.

I figured this would come up, Monona Ald. Mary OConnor said during a debate with her opponent for Monona Mayor, Phil De Villers, Sunday at the Monona Library.

The question about how shed vote surfaced during an audience Q&A at the end of the 90-minute forum.

OConnor, 65, said shes gone back and forth on the issue, wondering what message cutting the fine to $1 would have on young people. At the same time, she said the money spent enforcing marijuana laws could be better used on bigger issues such as heroin.

One day I think Id vote no and another day Id vote yes, she said, declining to answer the question.

De Villers, 48, who has a business background and no government or public service experience, said lowering the fine to $1 sends a message that people shouldnt be locked up over marijuana.

I would make it completely legal, if I could, he said, also noting that hes never done a drug in his life.

Monona will vote for its new mayor in the April 4 election because incumbent Bob Miller is not seeking another two-year term. OConnor, in asking for the votes of the 30 or so people who attended the forum Sunday, mentioned that early voting is currently underway.

OConnor, who has been a member of the city council since 2012, and has served on numerous committees and boards, touted her extensive public service experience in her opening and closing remarks. She has a masters degree in library and information studies from UW-Madison, and retired in 2013 from her job as a librarian for UW-Extension.

De Villers, who has a degree from UW-Madison in accounting, and has worked as the chief financial officer for a New York company, admitted hes new to public service. He moved to Monona 13 years ago and his only political experience, he said, has been on the board of his Monona Drive condominium.

They say all politics is local, of course. And you dont get any more local than a board at a condo development, he said.

What he emphasizes in business all the time is, block and tackle, and sticking to the basics, De Villers said. He repeated the block and tackle mantra a number of times throughout the debate.

He said he worries about the ever-increasing rates for internet services, and part of why he decided to run was to pursue a more local internet provider for Monona, he said.

De Villers described himself as a progressive or liberal, but as a CPA, he understands balance sheets and how to make businesses work, he said.

OConnor called herself a common-sense progressive, but fiscally conservative. I think I have a reputation for listening to people, having strong organizational skills and working hard.

She said shes very interested in local government and has the time to devote to the office.

De Villers criticized Gov. Scott Walkers signature Act 10 legislation curtailing collective bargaining limits, but twice called it Act 11.

He said the challenge is to keep Monona great despite the forces of Walker, (House Speaker Paul) Ryan and Trump.

Funding for local governments is going to be cut drastically and Mononas budget is going to face a lot of pressure, he said.

OConnor contradicted De Villers by pointing out that the city isnt impacted much by cuts at the federal level.

She added that besides some money for roads, Monona doesnt get much funding from the state, either.

She called attention to maintaining critical city services in a time of fiscal constraints, but also said the city needs a long-range plan to develop some of Mononas aging buildings and infrastructure.

OConnor is looking forward to getting the riverfront redevelopment project rolling, which will increase the citys tax base, she said.

Redevelopment of that Broadway corridor has been going on since the 1990s, while successful retail and commercial developments such as Pier 37 and River Place have created a gateway into the city from Monona Drive.

The Yahara riverfront project is seen by many as a potentially transformative development for the city.

OConnor said the city is currently in negotiations with the developer and they hope to make an announcement in the next couple of weeks.
The Rabbitohs have been hit hard by the NRL match review committee following their 24-18 win over the Knights on Saturday.

Three South Sydney players are facing extended time on the sidelines with George Burgess, Hymel Hunt and Braidon Burns all facing multiple week suspensions.

Burgess was slapped with a grade 2 striking charge  which he was sent to the sin-bin for  on Newcastle's Mitchell Barnett. The Rabbitohs prop will miss two matches with an early guilty plea, but could miss three matches if he fights the charge and loses at the judiciary.

Hunt is facing up to six weeks on the sidelines after he was charged with a Grade 2 reckless high tackle on Brendan Elliot. An early plea would see the Rabbitoh miss four matches, but he risks up to a six-match ban if he fights the charge and loses.

Burns was slapped with a grade 1 shoulder charge, but will only miss one match with an early plea.

Newcastle's Josh Starling and Manly's Apisai Koroisau could both avoid suspension with early pleas.

Starling was cited for a grade 1 dangerous contact on Kyle Turner, while Koroisau was hit with a dangerous throw on Kane Linett.
Before tens of thousands of people from the U.S. and beyond arrived on Lake Michigans South Shore to work in factories, Northwest Indiana residents relied on doctors who administered medicines and even performed operations in their homes.

Prominent residents in need of specialized care and had the time could make the long, difficult trip to Chicago.

However, the challenges faced by those without access to skilled care were summed up in a 1907 Lake County Times story announcing news that an order of Catholic sisters was evaluating the need for a hospital in Gary:

The nearest hospital St. Margarets in Hammond and the consequence has been that many persons who should have been cared for by skilled nurses and who would have received such care had a hospital been in Gary have been sadly neglected and some patients have even died as a result of lack of adequate care. When the steel mills get in operation there will be many more accidents than have occurred in the past and then a hospital will be absolutely indispensable.

Three sisters from St. Francis Seraph of Lafayette arrived by the Monon train line in 1898 to open St. Margarets hospital in a two-story home at 30 Clinton St. in Hammond, according to Times reports. The hospital was the first in Lake County.

The women soon were joined by six more sisters, who cooked, cleaned and cared for patients both in the hospital and at their homes.

Northwest Indianas health care workforce has grown since that time, changing with advances in medicine, patient needs, education programs and more. More than 46,000 people worked in the health and social care sector in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties in 2014, the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data available.

However, research published by the Bowen Center for Health Workforce and Research Policy at Indiana University School of Medicine shows shortages of primary care physicians, mental health care professionals and dental health professionals persist in some areas.

The early days

Northwest Indianas first hospital may have been opened in 1891 by Dr. D.J. Loring in a building with room for 12 patients on East Jefferson Street in Valparaiso, according to a Times story and historical information at the Porter County website.

By the late 1890s, Hammond leaders had agreed their city needed better health care. One year after St. Margaret's opened in 1898, ground was broken next door for a four-story building with space for 70 beds.

In LaPorte County, the Barker family contributed funds to build St. Anthony hospital in Michigan City, which opened in 1904. In 1906, the Loring hospital in Valparaiso was sold and renamed the Christian Hospital.

The Franciscan sisters of the Sacred Heart of America, whose mother house was in Burlington, Iowa, started Mercy hospital in Gary in the early 1900s. By 1910, the order was looking to build a new facility at Sixth Avenue and Tyler Street in Gary.

U.S. Steel also opened its own emergency hospital in 1910, staffed by a chief surgeon and three nurses, according to a Lake County Times story. An assistant to the surgeon and more nurses were expected to arrive soon after the hospitals formal opening.

A registered nurse from Chicago and 20 physicians, each of whom gave $100, founded the Gary General Hospital in 1910, according to historical documents at the Calumet Regional Archive. The facility, later known as Methodist Episcopal Hospital, opened at 801 Van Buren St. in 1911 and moved in 1914 to 429 Adams St.

Efforts to further expand Gary General Hospital began in 1917, but local banks initially refused to loan money for construction, because the hospital board had no connection to a permanent organization, such as a religious group or fraternal organization, documents said. Two years later, the group signed a contract with the Methodist Episcopal Hospital and Deaconess Home of Indiana, based in Indianapolis, and construction began on a hospital on Sixth Avenue between Grant and Hayes streets.

The new hospital was dedicated in 1923, and a School of Nursing began with an eight-member class, documents said. In 1924, its first full year of operation, more than 2,000 patients were admitted.

By 1926, the hospital board approved construction of a nurses home, which was dedicated in 1927. The first occupants of the nurses home on Grant Street included 10 women from Indianapolis Methodist Hospital, documents said. By 1930, more room was needed for nurses, and a 12-room home at 600 Hayes St. was purchased.

St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago was built in 1927.

A new era

As the Region grew, so did its health care workforce.

In Porter County, Dr. Loring supported the establishment of a publicly funded hospital, and Porter Memorial Hospital opened Dec. 9, 1939, in Valparaiso.

Garys Methodist Hospital gained its independence from its parent organization in Indianapolis in 1942 and again expanded living quarters for its nurses.

In 1967, Methodist phased out its School of Nursing partnered with the local regional campuses of Purdue University and Indiana University to prepare students for careers in nursing.

In November 1969, Methodists board announced plans to build a second hospital on a 105-acre cornfield off Broadway, just south of U.S. 30, in Merrillville. The hospital system employed about 3,000 people following construction of the Merrillville facility, documents said.

By 2014, a total of 15 hospitals operated in Lake County, followed by three in Porter County and two in LaPorte County.

During the nine-year span from 2005 to 2014, the number of health care and social assistance workers in Lake County increased to 32,660 from 29,525. Similar census data was not available for Porter and LaPorte counties.

Despite the increasing numbers, part of north Lake County and all of Newton County have been designated by the federal government as shortage areas for primary care health professionals. Designated shortage areas have access to various types of assistance aimed at increasing the number of providers.

Parts of north Lake County and all of Newton and Jasper counties have been designated as mental health professional shortage areas, and a small area in north Lake County has been designated a dental health professional shortage area.

The Bowen Center, which studies the state's health care workforce, also helps the Indiana State Department of Health in preparing applications for health professional shortage areas and medically undeserved areas or populations. LaPorte and Newton counties had the largest population-to-primary health care provider ratios in 2015.

An update to shortage area designations is anticipated this year, Vaughn said.
This State Journal editorial ran on March 18, 1867, as some Milwaukee politicians and a Milwaukee newspaper, The Wisconsin, called for moving the state capital to Milwaukee:

The Wisconsin (newspaper) threatens the removal of the capital from Madison to Milwaukee, substantially on the ground that the leading Madison politicians are adverse to the interests of Wisconsin. In other words, they are not sufficiently pliable for the purposes of the Milwaukee railroad lobby.

The Wisconsin also alleges that members of the Legislature are swindled by the Madison leeches, and that the Madison people are selfish. It leaves the inference to be drawn that there are no leeches in Milwaukee, and no selfish people in that pleasant city.

Furthermore, it says the people of Milwaukee would give members (of the Legislature) cheaper board. ...

But the chief reason urged by The Wisconsin for having the capital removed to Milwaukee. It is this: Milwaukee being a much larger place than Madison, if the capital were removed thither, politicians could go there and do their business without exciting any special attention, because the large commercial business which is done in this city absorbs a larger share of the public interest.

All who have business, in a political way, to transact, which will not bear public scrutiny, will see the force of this argument. Matters are too public here (in Madison) for such men. But there remains the question whether the people of the state are in favor of increasing the facilities of politicians and lobby schemers to keep their transactions covered up from the public scrutiny.
Local colleges and universities are expanding their offerings in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) as well as partnering with local employers to meet the needs of business and industry; the aim is to get more students through college and into higher-paying career fields.

Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers said the commission rewards institutions for graduating more students in these career fields and partners with K-through-12 school officials and higher education leaders to ensure more teachers are trained in STEM instruction.

"We must focus on better and earlier career exploration and work-based learning," Lubbers said.

"Students who have these experiences gain a greater understanding of the opportunities in STEM fields and the preparation needed to meet employer expectations."

In November, Indiana University Northwest in Gary announced it was among six universities partnering in a multicampus grant awarded by the National Science Foundation to significantly increase the number of African-Americans, Hispanics and other historically underrepresented minorities statewide receiving baccalaureate degrees in STEM fields.

Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis leads the $4.8 million initiative, called the Indiana STEM Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. Other alliance partners are IU Bloomington, Ball State University, IU South Bend and Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis.

Professor Bhaskara Kopparty, chairman of the Department of Computer Information Systems, leads the effort at IU Northwest. IUN's share of $470,000 will be administered over the next five years.

Kopparty said the objectives include attracting academically qualified students from underrepresented groups (women, African-Americans and Hispanics) in Northwest Indiana and the northeast corner of Illinois into Bachelor of Science degree programs.

A second objective is to provide need-based scholarships to academically qualified students entering these disciplines and help them advance and earn degrees.

Finally, Kopparty said, there will be a strong faculty and peer-mentorship program, and expanded student support services in recruitment, retention, internships and job placement.

Student scholars eager to break into tech fields

For the 2016-17 academic year, there were five recipients: Brittany Armstrong, Robert Brinkman, Donnai Casillas, Samantha Nowakowski and Jalon Thompson.

Both IU Northwest freshmen, Armstrong and Thompson, said they were excited to win the scholarship.

Armstrong, 26, of Merrillville, who is majoring in biology and plans to attend medical school, said she went to college after high school but wasn't successful.

"It took some life experience and an opportunity to see the real world to realize that you have to have a college degree," she said.

Thompson, 19, of Merrillville, is majoring in computer information systems. He works at a video production company and also operates his own photography/videography company while going to school full time.

"I'm interested in anything involving technology. You have to be proficient in technology to keep up in our society today," he said.

Purdue University Northwest, with campuses in Hammond and Westville, has expanded its STEM instruction to meet the needs of business and industry while helping prepare students and generate opportunities for them to enter those fields successfully.

George Nnanna, a professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Purdue Northwest Water Institute, is working closely with Enbridge Energy, which is providing students hands-on learning opportunities.

Chenn Zhou, professor of mechanical engineering and is director of Purdue Northwests Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation, has developed strong working relationships with various steel-producing plants.

Additionally, through CIVS activities, Zhous students are applying their education to work with CIVS clients to troubleshoot problems and enhance production.

Dale Downs, dean of Ivy Tech's university and transfer division, said the college is planning to offer new associate degrees in biology, chemistry, psychology and sociology this fall following approval by the Board of Trustees.
MUNSTER  The medical field dominates the state's ranking of the most in-demand jobs of the future, a trend driven by the Affordable Care Act, as well as national demographics and economic trends.

Registered nurse is the most in-demand job in Indiana, according to the Department of Workforce Development's Hoosier Hot 50 Jobs, and it's one of nine careers in the health science industry ranked as fastest-growing in the state.

The department's projected annual growth for registered nurse positions is 17.69 percent, with 2,197 positions added annually in the state.

The department projects there will be 69,748 registered nurse positions in Indiana by 2022, up from 59,265 in 2012.

Licensed practical nurse is sixth on the department's list, followed by medical services manager at 14th, pharmacist at 16th, family physician at 17th and dental hygienist at 21st. Physical therapist, dentist and nurse practitioner are ranked 23rd, 28th, and 36th, respectively.

The average salary for a registered nurse is $57,370.

"Healthcare has been one of the bright spots since the great recession," said Micah Pollak, assistant professor of economics at Indiana University Northwest. "Where total jobs fell off in 2009, 2010 and 2011, healthcare hasn't even slowed down."

Pollak said the growth is caused by three factors: a decades-long national shift toward a service-based economy, the medical needs of the aging baby boom generation and the Affordable Care Act.

Pollak said in 1990 about 70 percent of jobs in Northwest Indiana were in the service sector, but by 2015 it was closer to 80 percent.

Meanwhile, the Region's manufacturing employment share fell to 15 percent from 24 percent during that same period.

Pollak said the decline in manufacturing was attributable to technology, increased productivity and automation.

"Today we produce much more manufactured goods than we did in 1990, but we do it with far fewer workers," he said.

The baby boom generation, born between 1946 and 1964, also is entering the latter half of middle age, which means they are increasingly utilizing the healthcare system.

Pollak said that drives today's growth in the healthcare field, but in 25 years there may be a contraction.

Finally, Pollak said economists generally agree the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare," has lead to more employment in healthcare, due to an increase in the number of insured people.

"It's not so much people going to the hospital when they have emergencies  they did that regardless  but it's people utilizing preventative medicine," Pollak said.

Politics dominates healthcare direction

He said that if the Affordable Care Act were to be repealed without being replaced by a new program, the nonelderly uninsured rate would likely increase by about 8 percent to its pre-2010 level of 18.2 percent.

"I think what happens politically is going to play a huge role with what happens with the healthcare industry," he said.

The growth in the healthcare field has been of particular benefit to women, who continue to dominate the industry, according to Dr. Lisa Hopp, dean of the college of nursing at Purdue University Northwest.

Hopp said less than 10 percent of students in the college's nursing program were men, though the faculty recently created a mentoring program for male students to address the issue.

Since 2013, Hopp said the college has graduated 550 to 750 students per academic year from its online bachelor's of science in nursing program. But despite a nearly 100-percent post-graduation employment rate, there remains significant demand for more nurses, Hopp said.

Representatives for two local hospital systems confirmed they expected to hire more staff this year.

Gene Diamond, chief operating officer for in-patient services at Franciscan Alliance, said the hospital system is currently prepared to hire 300 registered nurses at facilities across the Region.

He said Franciscan Alliance hires on average 1,000 employees a year at its five hospital campuses and more than 50 outlying facilities.

Tony Ferracane, vice president of human resources for Community Healthcare System, said the hospital system hired 440 staff for medical professional and technical positions in 2014, about 500 in 2015 and nearly 550 in 2016.

He said Community Healthcare System anticipates more opportunities for nurses in the future.

"As healthcare continues to evolve, the hospital system continues to grow, too," Ferracane said.
Dr. Hussam Suradi keeps a lot of Northwest Indiana residents from having to travel to Chicago for health care.

The interventional cardiologist has been expanding the cardiovascular service line at Munster Community Hospital and St. Mary Medical Center, offering procedures that previously were available only at university hospitals in Chicago.

Suradi fixes things like heart valves that are too narrow, holes in the heart and atrial fibrillation with new technologies that allow the procedures to be done in a minimally invasive fashion.

"For all these treatments, patients used to have to go to tertiary university centers in Chicago to have them performed," he said. "Now we're able to bring all this technology to Northwest Indiana."

Suradi's recruitment to Community Healthcare System is part of a strategy by the hospital group, which mirrors its competitors in Northwest Indiana, to capture patients who traditionally have migrated to Chicago for care.

Roughly 3,000 Northwest Indiana residents get inpatient care in Illinois every year, to the tune of $112 million annually, according to a 2014 study looking at the feasibility of an academic medical center in Northwest Indiana. Another estimate has put the total out-migration from the Region as high as $1 billion a year.

Solutions being worked on

State Rep. Charlie Brown, a Gary Democrat, helped secure the funding for that feasibility study, believing that constructing an academic medical center with a Level I trauma center would be the best way to keep health care dollars in the Region. But the final report recommended against the idea, saying Northwest Indiana had too many empty hospital beds, already.

Instead, the study suggested local hospitals expand their trauma care and form a consortium to train medical residents in the Region.

Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary and Franciscan Health hospital in Crown Point have since been designated by the state as Level III trauma centers, allowing them to treat many traumatically injured patients who previously would have had to go to Illinois.

And Pat Bankston, associate dean of the Indiana University School of Medicine at IU Northwest in Gary, has brought together a coalition of local hospitals and federally qualified health centers to bring as many as 165 medical residents to Northwest Indiana.

Bankston and other advocates say such a program would enhance health care access and quality in the Region, helping to stem some of that out-migration.

Even so, there will remain procedures that Region residents still have to go to Chicago or Indianapolis for, organ transplants being a prime example.

Hospitals expand service lines

When Franciscan Health, which has hospitals in Crown Point, Dyer, Hammond, Michigan City and Munster, underwent a restructuring in 2015, it focused on beefing up five service areas, in part to keep patients in the Region: oncology, orthopedic/neurosciences, cardiovascular, women and children, and behavioral health.

The hospital system has identified, in order, oncology, orthopedics and cardiovascular as the areas where the most out-migration occurs, said Gene Diamond, senior vice president and chief operating officer of inpatient services for Franciscan Health.

So Franciscan Health is developing an orthopedic center for excellence, featuring fellowship-trained joint-replacement orthopedists and a complete rehabilitation program. It is building a new $46 million cancer center in Munster that will provide diagnostics and treatment for a variety of cancers all in one place. And it is expanding access to behavioral health care.

"It's hard to ignore the lure of the academic medical centers, when they loom over Northwest Indiana, are so close and in some cases are actually here in Northwest Indiana, exerting some gravitational pull on folks who live here," Diamond said.

"Our hope is to raise the bar and make health care much better and compete very effectively with the academic medical centers in Chicago or Indianapolis."

Diamond said that 25 percent to 30 percent of patients who get a diagnosis at Franciscan go elsewhere for treatment, a number he suspects is similar at other local hospital systems. But he asserts that the same quality of treatment can be found right here in the Region. And convenience is another factor.

"It's a long drive to the academic medical centers, even the closest one," he said. "It's physically demanding to do that kind of traveling and stay there, recover there initially and recuperate there in between treatments. We think there's a great deal to be saved in terms of convenience, time, fatigue."

Systems recruit specialists

Valparaiso-based Porter Healthcare System has been expanding its service offerings so residents can get health care locally as much as possible. That includes participating in a state pilot project to become a Level III neonatal intensive care unit; being the first hospital in Indiana to offer the Watchman device to treat atrial fibrillation; adding a high-risk pregnancy program; and opening a female cardiology unit.

"One of the longstanding great things about health care is people can get second opinions," said Steve Lunn, CEO of Porter Health Care System.

"But what I think they'll find is we have great health care here, and we have really top-notch physicians in Northwest Indiana and really great facilities."

Lunn said some local residents might perceive that certain Chicago medical centers provide better care because they're considered teaching hospitals. But, he said, once the Northwest Indiana medical residency program kicks off in coming years, the participating Region hospitals will technically become teaching institutions as well.

To keep more patients in the Region, Methodist Hospitals has in recent years added 3-D mammography, new radiation technology and a cardiac device that allows physicians to monitor heart patients remotely. The hospital system, with campuses in Gary and Merrillville, also has recruited interventional cardiologists, orthopedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons to its staff.

"Patients really want to be cared for in their community. They want to be close to home, where there is a sense of community," said Dr. Vincent Sevier, chief quality officer for Methodist Hospitals.

"They want to know they can come to their local hospital to get top-notch care and great service. And if they're going to be in the hospital, they want their loved ones around to support them in their time of need."

New surgeries arrive in Region

Community Healthcare System's hospitals in Hobart and Munster have lately been reconfiguring and expanding their surgical areas to do more minimally invasive procedures. Besides the addition of Suradi, Munster Community Hospital recently brought in Dr. Demetrius Lopes, a brain surgeon from Rush University Medical Center, to perform complex procedures to treat conditions such as strokes and aneurysms.

"Many patients don't want to go to Chicago," Suradi said. "They don't want to drive there. They don't want to deal with traffic. It's too cold. Many patients refuse to go there to get treatment. So there is a huge need to provide these services in Northwest Indiana."

If a patient has to go to Chicago for a procedure, she also has to go there for testing and follow-up appointments, so it all adds up to a lot of travel, away from family at that. And if the patient is on Indiana Medicaid, she has to get her care within the state, which means, for many procedures, Indianapolis.

For that reason, Suradi said the hospital system plans to continually offer new cardiovascular services in the future, such as a pediatric cardiology program.

"There's a huge need in this area," he said. "We've always been dependent on Chicago as, 'It's close by. Let's just send the patient there.' I think we're at the point where we need a center in Northwest Indiana that will take care of all these conditions, take care of all these patients."
For working Regionites, it's all in a day's work keeping Northwest Indiana moving ahead.

For Eric Evans, it could be spending time talking to senior citizens about the blues, or typing for hours at his computer writing grants for mental health promotion programs and prevention projects. Some days he is finding ways to attend multiple meetings at once or pouring through data and research for clues to a solution to a thorny problem.

"My responsibilities vary  sometimes every 15 minutes," Evans said.

Evans has worked at Geminus Corp. in Merrillville for nine years, and is currently director of prevention services. That means he oversees state, federal and local grants and the projects they fund, aimed at tackling issues like substance abuse and suicide prevention and mental health well-being.

With planning and community collaboration, these efforts translate into programs, training and events in Lake County. What it all boils down to is "keeping Northwest Indiana going in a good direction and working with the communities," Evans said.

Evans also oversees a department of seven who as a group nominated him to be featured in "Region That Works."

Amanda Morrison, program manager of Geminus Corp.'s prevention department, has worked with Evans for more than five years and nominated him because of his leadership in the department. Evans began as a coordinator of tobacco prevention at Geminus and since then has moved his way up.

"The work he does helps to bring needed services, training and evidence-based curriculum to many schools, churches and organizations that we partner with in the Region," Morrison said.

"Through his work in the prevention department, he has paved the way for substance abuse prevention and mental health promotion in our Region and throughout the community. ... He truly meets the definition of a team leader and team builder."

Morrison said he is always looking for ways to increase the department's capacity by building on partnerships, old and new, that can benefit both sides.

"He demonstrates the skills of a natural born leader and facilitator, not only to our department at Geminus, but (also) to all those that he works with," Morrison said.

"Eric is extremely knowledgeable in a vast array of topics throughout the prevention field. If he is unable to help, he always goes the extra mile to connect an individual or organization with someone that can."

In the past five years, Danny Lackey, director of diversity and student support services at Merrillville Community School Corp., has worked with Evans on a number of initiatives.

"As a result of our collaborative relationship, we have been able to secure significant resources that have directly benefited Merrillville students and staff," Lackey said.

"However, more importantly, those resources have helped to support a more holistic perspective of how to support kids. Not only are students receiving the opportunity to have a quality education, but (also) access to a support network that increases the likelihood of their academic success."

Two big statewide initiatives Evans has been working with are LEAD projects, or Leading and Educating Across Domains. Both are mental health awareness and substance abuse prevention initiatives aimed at youth and the elderly using peer-to-peer mentoring and training. He also works with initiatives that serve the LGBTQ communities.

"I enjoy research, I enjoy data," Evans said.

"I enjoy taking results from surveys and evaluation we are doing and looking at what the data is showing, and working with other partners in the community to say, 'We clearly have a problem here; collectively, what can be done to address it?' Nobody can singlehandedly do it."

Evans said Lake County is unique in that there's a lot of variation from area to area, in demographics and specific issues. He and his team work to decipher each community's needs and turn them into strengths.

"Diversity is such an asset to our community," Evans said. "We take that diversity into the work we are doing."
For a group of local doctors and lawyers, music is a wonderful diversion from their hectic, professional work lives.

Barry Rooth, Michael Gideon, Gus Galante, Jeremy Willett, Tom Levin and Michael Brody are blending their non-medical talents together in the band The unProfessionals.

"We didn't always have a full band. Tom (Levin), had a drum set in his basement and we used to get together every once in a blue moon and play. Different people would come and go," said vocalist Michael Gideon, during a recent interview at the Halls of St. George. The group was preparing for a recent show at the Schererville venue.

The band members said they started playing simply for fun. The unProfessionals has been together formally for about a year and have only had a few gigs during the past year. The band's Halls of St. George donated performance was for The Taste of the Region charity event.

Jeremy Willett, a medical attorney, said he got involved in the group about a year ago when Gus Galante was looking for someone else to help fill out the band. Willett plays bass, plays a little guitar and keyboards and does a bit of singing.

"I thought I'd give it a try," Willett said.

Galante, who is a plastic surgeon, said after just jamming in Levin's basement, the group members felt they wanted to do a little more with their musical project.

"The group got better and the chemistry was there," Galante said. Galante, who said he used to play the piano, violin and trumpet during his school days, is a guitarist for the group.

The band's first gig was for a yard party last year for family and friends. "We had a nice time, "Galante said, adding that encouraged them to continue.

About the Taste of the Region gig, Galante said "This is big for us and it's an important event." The Taste of the Region is an annual benefit for The Service League of NWI.

The band members said the group's name came about during a casual brainstorming session.

"We're all professionals in our daily work but we're not professionals in music," said Gideon, an endodontist.

According to Barry Rooth, a health care lawyer, participating in the musical pursuit is a great experience.

"I thought this could be a lot of fun...We have a good time," he said, adding the practice sessions and performances take them away from the seriousness of their professional careers.

Rooth said the band members are always willing to learn more about music and various instruments. The unProfessionals play a mix of classic rock, '80s, contemporary and country selections.

"We're always trying to play different instruments and push ourselves. We're always trying to push ourselves to improve," Rooth stressed.

Michael Brody, who's an anesthesiologist, said he's always been involved in music. "I played the oboe in high school and college," he said. Brody plays the keyboards for The unProfessionals. He also plays the guitar.

"We're very excited about playing this event," Brody said, adding he's attended The Taste of the Region before. His wife is involved in the organization.

Tom Levin, a cardiologist, provides the heartbeat of the band as the drummer of The unProfessionals.

"We're excited to do what we do," Levin said. Levin and the other band members said it's important for them to get involved in the community and to donate of their time whenever possible.

"This is such a diversion from our daily jobs," Levin said. "We all have very intense jobs."

Levin started playing drums while in high school.

"Then I took about a 25-year hiatus," he said, with a laugh, adding he didn't pick up the drums again until he moved to Northwest Indiana nearly two decades ago.

Levin mentioned they have a few upcoming benefit concerts including one on April 9 at 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park, Illinois.

To learn more about The unProfessional, visit playfunmusic.com or visit The unProfessionals on facebook.
Tucked away in a small lakeside town outside Madison, Wisconsin, is a museum dedicated to a common staple found in most kitchens.

To some, mustard is a must have for hot dogs and hamburgers, but to Barry and Patti Levenson, its much more. The husband and wife team, known as Mr. and Mrs. Mustard to locals, run the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, a three-hour drive from Northwest Indiana.

The museum is home to more than 5,900 mustards from all 50 states and more than 70 countries, as well as collections of mustard pots, antique tins and jars, and vintage advertisements.

How the museum came to be is somewhat of a divine intervention.

Barry Levenson began collecting jars of mustard as a hobby the morning after his beloved Boston Red Sox lost the 1986 World Series.

I was so depressed that I couldnt sleep, so I went to an all-night supermarket and roamed the aisles, he said. When I passed the mustards, I heard a voice, If you collect us, they will come.

At the time, he was an assistant attorney general for the state of Wisconsin, and a few months later when arguing a case at the U.S. Supreme Court, he received another sign.

I found a little jar of mustard on a discarded room service tray on the way to the court, he said. I took it with me and argued the case with that jar of mustard in my pocket. I won and Im sure the mustard made a difference.

In 1991, Levenson left his stable job as a government lawyer to open his mustard museum. Perhaps improbable in its concept, the museum has gone on to worldwide fame and is one of Wisconsins most popular attractions. The museum has even been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Jeopardy! and countless other national television and radio shows.

He even points to mustard as the beginning of his marriage.

I met Patti at a mustard-tasting event I did in Milwaukee, he said. Like a jar of mustard you see in the supermarket, it was love at first squeeze.

Despite being found on dozens of published lists of unusual and bizarre museums, Levenson says the National Mustard Museum has a serious mission of promoting the publics appreciation of a healthy and flavorful condiment that dates back centuries.

However, the museums methods are anything but, focusing on colorful, fun exhibits that entertain guests who visit the home to the worlds largest collection of mustards and mustard memorabilia.

Levensons favorite exhibit showcases a collection of antique tins, but he also enjoys the mustard paintings he has on display.

They are, of course, parodies of some of the worlds most famous paintings, he said.

The onsite gift shop also houses mustards that visitors can take with them when they leave, as well as salsas, hot sauces, preserves and other delicacies. For those who arent able to make the trip, the museum operates an online store where a variety of mustards are shipped straight to a shoppers home.

The museum hosts a National Mustard Day event the first Saturday in August, attracting about 7,000 visitors. The event includes live music, hot dogs with mustard, mustard games for children and other activities.

Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the National Mustard Museum is at 7477 Hubbard Ave., Middleton, about an hour from the Wisconsin Dells and 90 minutes from Milwaukee. The museum, however, is closed on some holidays, and on Tuesdays through April 1.

Admission is free. For more information, call 1-800-438-6878 or go to mustardmuseum.com.
The Northwest Indiana Symphony will perform Beethoven & Bernstein at 7:30 p.m. Friday.; Listen to Mozarts only "Oboe Concerto," Beethovens joyous 4th Symphony and Bernsteins Chichester Psalms at the Auditorium at Bethel Church. A pre-concert lecture will take place at 6:15 p.m. Tickets available at www.nisorchestra.org or by calling 219-836-0525.

Painting with Kids

On Saturday, White Rhino located in Dyer will host their Painting with Kids event. Admission is $25/per painter; families welcome. Reservations are required. Visit www.whiterhinoonline.com or call 219-864-9200 for more information or to reserve your space.

Elvis Tribute

Dont miss a special evening with Elvis at 8 p.m. April 28. Joseph Hall will be performing a number of Elvis classic hits at the Dynasty Banquet Hall in Hammond. Tickets are available for $25/person or for dinner and a show for $50/person. Learn more about Hall and the tribute at www.josephhallelvis.com or call 402-617-4477.

Wildflower Hike

Enjoy a two-hour wildflower hike with a ranger at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshores Heron Rookery. Hike begins at 1 p.m. today and admission is free. Hikers can meet at the east parking lot at 1336 N. County Road 600 East in Michigan City. Find additional National Lakeshore events online at www.nps.gov/indu.

'Odd Squad Live!'

Bring the kids to enjoy the "Odd Squad Live!" on Tuesday at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville. The action-packed, hilarious adventure begins at 6 p.m. Order tickets online at Ticketmaster or learn more at www.starplazatheatre.com.

March Madness: Roller Derby Doubleheader

The South Shore Roller Girls are back at the Jean Shepherd Community Center from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday with a doubleheader. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and tickets are available at the door for $10/adult and $5/children ages 6-10. Proceeds benefit Housing Opportunities of Valparaiso. The Jean Shepherd Center is at 3031 Mahoney Drive in Hammond.
My last River Bits column was about Frank Lings 1935 The Kankakee in the Old Days. This column is about William Bridges They Say the Kankakee is Coming Back. Both articles were in the same New York Zoological Bulletin issue.

William Bill Bridges was born on Jan. 27, 1901, to Harry and Mamie Vaught Bridges in Franklin, Indiana. In 1914, Bill began working in the print shop at the The Franklin Star newspaper. After graduating from Franklin College in 1923, he moved to Paris, France, working for the Chicago Tribune as a rewrite man. While in Paris he married Lynn Vandivier whom he had met while attending Franklin. Later he worked for the Paris Times, returning to the United States in 1928.

Bridges was hired in 1934 as curator of publications for the Bronx Zoo. His worldwide travels for the zoo resulted in many books written about wildlife he had researched.

In the summer of 1934, Bridges returned to his native state to visit the Kankakee. This was the first time he visited this corner of the state, but he was fully aware of what transpired with the draining of the marsh. What brought Bridges to the Kankakee was the talk of restoration of the marsh. He had his doubt.

But, after tramping and wading and driving through seventy-five miles of the old marsh country I am convinced that the Kankakee can come back and again be the greatest wildlife refuge in North America, he said.

Bridges explained the cause and effect of draining the Kankakee Marsh. In 1873 a ditch was dug to drain Beaver Lake; the largest lake in Indiana at that time. The water was not draining off fast enough, so a seven-mile straight channel was cut at the mouth draining the 8,000 acres of Beaver Lake.

Bridges wrote of the results: What happened was about what might be expected. More water flooded down from the head of the river and made flood conditions worse in the lowlands. The cost of draining the Kankakee Marsh has been placed at $1,250,000; but the real costs were just starting. Bridges wrote:When new, the drainage ditches were successful at flood control. But soon began silting up with the loose sandy soil. Maintenance costs began piling up and some of the lower reclaimed agricultural fields became marginal in production.

Bridges wrote: Today thousands of acres of the old Grand Marsh have been abandoned and I traveled for mile after mile over sandy trails in a wilderness of weeds and scrubby trees, occasionally crossing a choked-up ditch with its pool of stagnant water. Bridges concluded that a quarter of the reclaimed land was ripe for restoration.

Bridges made references to a 1934 report by the Department of Conservation that identified areas ideal for restoration. This report differed from past reports in that it took river restoration into consideration instead of agricultural interests.

The plan called for restoration of pockets of selected property that were marginal in nature, but ideal for return. Bridges also noted that the plan naturally does not affect the drainage of the Kankakee valley as a whole and makes certain the adequate protection of the drainage for bordering agricultural lands.

When I read Bridges' paper today, it appears that much of the 1934 plan has come to pass. LaSalle Fish and Wildlife Area is a prime example of the plans application.

William Bridges passed away in 1984 in Pleasantville, New York.
Its been nearly nine months since her son was brutally killed, and Marycruz Calo often finds herself awake at night.

Sometimes I wonder if he was killed in the middle of the night, she said. I dont look at life the same, anymore.

Isaiah Edwards, 19, was shot to death and burned. Police found his body June 30 in a grassy area in Garys Midtown section after receiving a call from a man walking his dog.

Edwards injuries were so severe, his casket had to remain closed for his funeral.

There is nothing Isaiah could have possibly done for them to kill him like that, said Calo, of DeMotte.

Edwards was among the 46 people killed in Gary last year. In all of Lake County, 71 people died in homicides in 2016, according to records from police departments, the Lake County coroners office and the Cook County medical examiners office.

Calo wants justice for her son, and she frequently checks in with Detective Jeff Minchuk, the lead detective on the case.

Police executed a search warrant at a home in the 2500 block of Jefferson Street in Gary, and found evidence indicating Edwards was killed there, Minchuk said.

During a recent court hearing in a separate case, Minchuk said police think Devonte D. Hodge, 22, of Gary, is tied to four homicides, including Edwards.

Two of the other victims were killed after talking to police, according to court records and testimony.

However, Minchuk testified on cross-examination there is not enough evidence to seek charges in Edwards homicide. Hodges attorney, Kerry Connor, said at the hearing Hodge was at the house where police suspect Edwards was killed months after the killing. Connor declined to comment for this story.

The court hearing centered on an attempted murder charge alleging Hodge wounded a woman in a Dec. 8 shooting in Gary.

Edwards case underscores some of the challenges detectives face when investigating fatal shootings, including reluctance by possible witnesses to come forward.

Homicide totals mostly down

For Calo and other families of those slain, it is no consolation that the number of homicides and shootings decreased last year in Gary and East Chicago.

Homicides and shootings increased slightly in Hammond, though the citys per capita rates  the number of homicides and shootings per 100,000 people  remained far lower compared to its urban neighbors.

Gary recorded 46 homicides, down from 50 in 2015, and a recent high of 55 in 2013. The number of homicides in Gary hit a low point in 2011, when just 30 were recorded.

The number of shootings in Gary in which at least one person was wounded also decreased last year, falling to 118 from 126 in 2015.

Hammond logged eight homicides in 2016, one more than the city saw in 2015 but fewer than the 10 recorded in 2014. Hammond also has seen a steady increase in shootings, which rose to 79 in 2016 from 55 in 2013.

East Chicago recorded six homicides last year, down from a recent high of 13 in 2011. The number of shootings also decreased, to 40 last year from 51 in 2015. East Chicago recorded 28 shootings in 2013.

The Gary Police Department and Lake County Sheriffs Department teamed up in mid-2015 to start the Gary/Lake County Metro Homicide Unit, a team of detectives whose focus is homicide cases. The goal, in part, was to solve more cases by bringing more resources to bear within the first 48 all-important hours after a homicide.

Eight detectives work on the unit, including four from Gary, two from Lake County, one from Hobart and a supervisor from Lake County, said Lake County sheriffs Cmdr. Matt Eaton, who oversees the unit and the sheriffs Criminal Investigations Division.

Hobart Police Chief Rick Zormier assigned a detective to the unit Jan. 6 for a one-year term. The assignment means Hobart police will be able to share information and gain deeper insights into crime trends in the Region, Lt. James Gonzales said.

Eyewitness statements vital

Homicide unit detectives have closed 13 of the 46 cases they opened in 2016, Eaton said, though that statistic remains a work in progress.

We want to get as close to 100 percent as possible, but that just doesnt happen anywhere in the country, he said.

The unit works closely with the Gary for Life program, and detectives participate in weekly meetings with Gary police and state and federal prosecutors, Eaton said. The detectives work around the clock, but their caseload is higher than what some experts recommend.

Patterned after a similar program started in New Orleans, the Gary for Life program relies on local, state and federal partnerships, focusing on high-crime areas and known criminals believed to be responsible for much of the citys more serious offenses.

The unit had hoped to investigate more cold cases, but hasnt been able to because of caseload, he said.

The holdup on filings is directly related to the lack of witness cooperation in the estimation of all the detectives Ive talked to, Eaton said.

Most of the units cases are shootings, which are typically not committed at close range, he said.

Unfortunately, in gun crimes, the most compelling evidence is typically eyewitnesses' statements, he said.

In shootings, physical evidence isnt as easy to gather as it might appear on crime scene investigation television shows, he said. If the shots were fired from a moving vehicle, the vehicle is often gone before police arrive, along with fingerprint and DNA evidence.

Investigators in recent years have worked to collect shell casings after shootings and homicides and submit them within 48 hours to a local Integrated Ballistics Identification System technician for comparison. The technician relays information about any possible link between firearms used in other cases, giving detectives more leads to follow up on sooner.

Detectives also work closely with the Indiana State Police lab to collect and analyze DNA evidence, he said.

Despite advances in technology, witness statements are critical in securing a conviction.

It seems that the public assumption from all these shows is that were going to have other means to solve these crimes and its best not to get involved, Eaton said. And the reality is many of these tools they see on TV do not exist.

Witness protection resources limited

Another challenge detectives face is a reluctance  either out of fear for their own lives, cultural norms that discourage cooperation with police or other factors  by potential witnesses to come forward.

Though federal officials may have more resources to put toward protecting witnesses, local budgets can't sustain such expenses, Eaton said.

Gary police have sometimes given witnesses rides out of town, Cmdr. Del Stout said in an interview last year. Eaton said the Sheriffs Department has offered armed, protective details in special cases.

But as a matter of course, there is just not the budget to do that, he said. It is very, very expensive and would exhaust the budget of any agency in a very, very short time.

One operation can cost $10,000 a week, he said. Over weeks and months, the expenses could add up to more than what an agency spends on a typical death penalty case.

If we could do it, we would every time, Eaton said.

In the meantime, parents like Calo continue to grieve.

She worried about her son, who had had some minor run-ins with the law, but hoped he would move past those troubles. Edwards was a loving brother and doting uncle who always had a big smile and cared deeply about his family, she said.

Shortly before his death, he texted that he loved her and told her she raised him to know right from wrong. She thinks he was naive about the people with whom he was spending time.

"About a month before he died, in my mind, I kept thinking, 'I should kidnap my son, tell him we're going on vacation and then go,' " she said.
HAMMOND  Angry, depressed and unable to talk about the sexual abuse she suffered as a young girl at the hands of an older cousin, Erin Merryn was told by a counselor to write a letter to her abuser.

What would you say to Brian? What would you tell him today? She said Bring it in next week. You can throw it away, burn it, whatever you want to do, Merryn said.

I wrote out five-page letter and I remember looking at this letter, going She doesnt need to hear this. He does. So I began searching online, found his college email address, and within an hour, I hit send.

After seven months of letter exchanges, he apologized, she said. Her next email, in which she forgave him, changed her life, allowing her to "reclaim her voice" and turn a negative into a positive.

Merryns comments came Saturday during the No More Secrets symposium at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond, a half-day event aimed to raise awareness about child sexual abuse in northwest Indiana.

Since those exchanges, Merryn has published three books, her first of which details diary entries from her childhood journal. She now travels across the country lobbying states to enact Erin's Law, which mandates sexual abuse prevention curriculum in schools.

Indianas version of the law  Senate Bill 355  passed the Senate 49-0 last month, but has yet to secure a hearing before the House Education Committee. Versions of Erin's Law has been adopted in 28 states.

Education is key, Merryn said.

We look the other way, pretend its not going on, when the reality is its going on in all of our own backyards, she said. Theres so much stigma attached. And so often, survivors dont come out until much later in life  because they were never taught as children to speak up, talk. You dont keep this a secret.

Saturdays event was part of the No More Secrets campaign, created by North Township Trustee Frank J. Mrvan in response to an August 2015 report.

The report found Indiana had the second highest reported rate of forced sexual intercourse among high school females in the nation, with one-in-six girls reporting to have been a victim of sexual assault by 18 years old.

The Times of Northwest Indiana is a partner in the trustee's campaign, along with local nonprofits, law enforcement and other media organizations.

The event ran from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. with opening remarks by Mrvan, Mary Beth Bonaventura, director of the Indiana Department of Child Services and retired judge, and Clifford Johnson, first assistant for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The event included three workshops  an introductory course on child sexual abuse, a course on online predators or the sexual abuse survivor's session about coping.

A version of Erin's Law passed in Indiana a few years ago, shortly after Merryn testified to the Legislature, but the bill did not make the education on personal body safety a mandate across all schools. Instead, it made teaching optional.

The bill's current sponsor, Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Merrillville, encouraged those in the audience to lobby members of the House Education Committee to get SB355 a hearing.

Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter, who spoke during closing remarks, said cases often go underreported, but events like the one held Saturday encourages conversation.

Things like this create an environment where people can come forward, Carter said.
One of the things former President Barack Obama did relatively well was protecting the Great Lakes from pollution and invasive species.

Thats probably because Obama lived in and represented Chicago  on the shores of Lake Michigan  before moving to the White House. He understood the positive impact this gigantic system of freshwater lakes has on the Midwests economy and quality of life.

President Donald Trump is from the top of a tower in New York City. He spent some time campaigning in the Midwest during his successful presidential campaign, winning the Great Lakes states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

But he clearly doesnt get the priorities of the region.

Trump just proposed eliminating $300 million a year in federal funding for ongoing restoration of the Great Lakes. His proposal is a short-sighted and alarming move that Wisconsins congressional delegation should adamantly oppose.

Gov. Scott Walker quickly opposed Trumps punishing cut, which is reassuring.

It makes sense for us to continue to make prudent investments in protecting and improving the Great Lakes, the governor said. Its one of those where its a combination of quality of life, certainly in terms of access to the greatest fresh water supply in the world, but also its an economic impact. Commercial fishing, tourism, so many of those things tie in to a healthy and vibrant Great Lakes system.

Hes right.

And the federal investment leverages far more money from local governments and Canada for lake protection. This cooperation has helped defend the Great Lakes against invasive species  including the giant and voracious Asian carp  that would decimate native fish and hurt tourism.

The federal dollars also help reduce algae blooms that foul shorelines and have created an oxygen-deprived dead zone in Green Bay. Other threats include toxic waste from industrial sites, city sewers and farms.

Trumps federal budget doesnt spend less money overall. Hes simply prioritizing a massive and unnecessary increase in military spending over dire needs here at home.

Trumps budget shows he doesnt care about the Great Lakes. Wisconsin must unite against his reckless budget plan to show him the Midwest most definitely does.
Violent crime totals inched up in many Northwest Indiana communities last year, though the numbers remained lower in many municipalities than they were 10 years ago.

Police agencies that saw an increase in violent crime from 2015 to 2016 included Crown Point, Dyer, Griffith, Hammond, Highland, Hobart, the Lake County Sheriff's Department, city of LaPorte, LaPorte County Sheriff's Office, Michigan City, Munster, Portage, Schererville and Valparaiso, according to data provided by communities surveyed by The Times.*

Of the communities that saw increases last year, violent crime totals in 2016 remained lower than 2006 levels in Crown Point, Dyer, Griffith, Hammond, Highland, Hobart, Portage and Valparaiso. Merrillville's violent crime totals were unchanged from 2015 to 2016, and last year's totals were lower compared with 2006 data.

East Chicago, Gary and the Porter County Sheriff's Department logged decreases from 2015 to 2016 and even larger declines between 2006 and 2016, data show. Whiting police also reported a decrease in violent crime from 2015 to 2016.

Departments that saw increases in violent crime over both a one-year and 10-year period included Lake County Sheriff's Department, city of LaPorte, LaPorte County Sheriff's Office, Michigan City, Munster and Schererville.

In communities with increases, officials said the changes were relatively small and not cause for concern.

Crime rates in many communities have hovered around 30-year lows during the past several years, and some said increases were inevitable. Others said the opioid epidemic and domestic violence have driven recent increases.

Technology, including license plate readers and surveillance cameras, are helping police solve more cases, they said.

Munster Police Chief Stephen Scheckel said the town's Calumet Avenue commercial district tends to draw criminals in from Illinois. Many crimes are driven by drug addiction, he said. The town has regular crime watch meetings, and security camera footage was key to solving a robbery case last year, he said.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. also recently tied increases in his city to an influx of criminals from Illinois. The city's per capita crime rate remains significantly lower than Chicago and even neighboring cities. Hammond plans to invest nearly $500,000 in license plate readers to monitor traffic coming in and out of the city, according to a news release.

In Hobart, the department uses an annual grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute to fund the positions of two officers who specialize in domestic violence cases, Lt. James Gonzales said.

Violent crime in East Chicago fell in 2016, following a slight increase in 2015. The city logged 189 violent crimes last year, the lowest number since the 128 recorded in 1988, records show. It was the first time the city has reported fewer than 200 violent crimes in that 28-year span.

Police Chief Frank Smith credited police presence, technology and assistance from the U.S. attorneys office in Hammond for the decreases last year.

Griffith Police Chief Greg Mance also credited former U.S. attorney David Capp, who resigned last week at the request of the Trump administration, with driving crime down throughout all communities through prosecution of gang members.

* Editor's note: This story has been updated from a previous version. Hammond police in April provided updated crime statistics for 2016 after discovering inaccurate numbers because of the department's switch last year to a new records system. Overall, the city reported 532 violent crimes  including homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault  in 2016. That's up from 521 violent crimes in 2015, but down from 580 violent crimes in 2006.
PORTER TOWNSHIP  Roundabouts continue to catch on in popularity in Northwest Indiana, with a new one in the works along Ind. 2 at the combined intersection of County Road 100 South and 300 West in Porter Township.

The proposal comes as the result of a three-year traffic study that showed an above-normal number of incidents at that intersection, according to Doug Moats, media relations director for the Northwest District of the Indiana Department of Transportation.

There were 24 crashes at the intersection over the past three years, 10 involving injuries, he said.

"The existing geometry of the intersection is a concern," Moats said. "The current intersection is on a vertical curve, and there are site issues that could attribute to the elevated crash numbers. This project would address (fix) that geography flaw."

The intersection is located just north of Boone Grove High School, where a public hearing on the project will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday.

"I'm all for improving safety," said Porter Township Schools Superintendent Stacey Schmidt.

The school parking lot has been used as a landing site for medical helicopters called in to help crash victims at the intersection of Ind. 2 and 100 South/300 West, she said.

Schmidt voiced confidence in INDOT after having worked with the agency on a plan to improve safety at the intersection in front of the high school at Ind. 2 and County Road 500 West. That project, which is a couple of years away, will involve regrading the area to reduce blind spots from both directions.

"It is long overdue to address safety concerns at both those intersections," she said.

Porter County Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, offered guarded support for the proposed roundabout.

"It's a horribly dangerous intersection, and I look forward to the improvement," she said. "I do have some concerns with the way 300 West feeds into it, and I'm hopeful those will be addressed at the hearing."

The project is estimated to cost $1.5 million, Moats said. The state secured federal safety funds to cover 80 percent of the cost and will pick up the balance of the bill.
INDIANAPOLIS  Lawmakers recently honored Habitat for Humanity of Indiana as charity of the year and demonstrated their commitment to the cause by helping construct the first house built on Statehouse grounds.

Habitat is one of the top 10 builders in the state of Indiana, said Dan Klein, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana, who worked alongside area legislators in Indianapolis on March 8.

Since 1984, we have built over 5,200 Hoosier homes that have generated over $5 million in property taxes annually, Klein said. This is a hand-up, not a hand-out for low-income Hoosier families.

Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers, in what is known as sweat equity and pay an affordable mortgage that includes property taxes, he said.

Klein said 62 Indiana legislators and a total of 250 staff members volunteered to begin building the house on the south lawn of the Statehouse. In January, the Indiana General Assembly announced both this partnership with Habitat for Humanity and plans to raise the walls on this home.

We were able to go down to talk with legislators directly about efforts that helps the economy and helps everyone, Klein said.

On March 8, Indiana House Speaker Brian C. Bosma, R-Indianapolis; House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City; Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne; and Senate Democratic Leader Tim Lanane D-Anderson, joined Habitat officials to announce the results of their fundraising and tool drive efforts.

Funds raised totaled $50,500 to pay for materials and costs of the homes wall panels. That surpassed the initial goal of $30,000. Donations also helped provide training and support for Habitats affiliates throughout Indiana. In addition, the legislators and staff donated about $3,500 in new and used tools.

We are honored to come together in a bipartisan way and support a hardworking family in need of a stable and secure place to call home  a privilege many of us often take for granted, Bosma said.

This project truly represents Hoosier compassion in action. From the overwhelming donations to the over 160 volunteers working together today, we are thankful for this opportunity to support Habitat for Humanity and offer a hand up to a deserving Hoosier family, he said.

Pelath said that what makes this particular project special is that Democrats and Republicans will work alongside one another to build not only a lasting structure, but, more importantly, a home for a family who needs affordable, decent and safe housing.

Among the other area legislators who helped construct the wall panels were State Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point; State Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville; and State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary.

The walls panels built by the legislators and staff were transported to a home site in Indianapolis located near Eli Lilly. The completed home will be about 1,200 square feet with three bedrooms and one full bath.
EAST CHICAGO  Individuals have until the end of the month to submit public comments to state and federal officials about the storing in a confined disposal facility contaminated sediment dredged from the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal.

Specifically, the the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking comments regarding work being done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The plan is to dredge the sediments and place them in a confined disposal facility at 3500 Indianapolis Blvd.

The Army Corps has overseen the removal of more than 1 million cubic yards of sediment as part of an Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal dredging project that started in 2012.

The intent of the project is to prevent sediment from flowing into Lake Michigan and to make commercial navigation more safe and efficient.

Prior to 2012, the waterway had not been dredged since 1972.

The dredged sediment collected has been placed in the confined disposal facility, but the Army Corps now needs special permission from IDEM and the EPA to dispose of an estimated maximum volume of 60,000 cubic yards of sediment in the canal that contains a PCB concentration greater than 50 parts per million.

Disposal of material that meets that threshold is regulated by the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Representatives from IDEM, the EPA and the Army Corps held a public meeting recently at the main branch of the East Chicago Public Library to explain the permit sought and hear questions and comments from a group of about 25 people.

Those who spoke shared a common concern regarding potential health hazards associated with the highly contaminated sediments.

One asked why the PCBs would not be chemically treated and rendered inert as opposed to being removed and disposed of and suggested cost as the deciding factor.

IDEM Project Manager George Ritchotte said there is no specific requirement that PCBs be destroyed instead of disposed.

"Disposal is an option in both the federal and the state regulations," Ritchotte said.

East Chicago City Planner Marino Solorio asked about the possibility of transporting the 60,000 cubic yards of material to a location already designated to hold it instead of having to maintain and monitor it in the confined disposal facility.

"The Corps of Engineers doesn't normally take its sediment to commercial landfills," said Jennifer Miller, an environmental engineer with the USACE. "Commercial landfills normally don't want our sediment. And our sediment is wet, and commercial landfills have prohibitions on taking wet material."

Miller said the particular sediment in this case presents problems for treatment because it contains not only PCBs but also oil, grease and metals.

EPA Project Manager Jean Greensley said PCBs are a concern because they are a possible, although not proven, carcinogen.

"And there are some teratogenic effects, meaning reproductive effects," Greensley said.

The public has until March 31 to submit comments to Ritchotte at gritchot@idem.IN.gov or to Greensley at greensley.jean@epa.gov.
Three Indiana University Northwest students are working on a final project and helping the community, in the process.

Melissa Rust, of Lake Station, Danette Seamon, of Crown Point, and Bella Strilich, of Valparaiso. are taking a Communication Behavior and Practice class and for their final project they are promoting 'Periods don't wait' campaign. They are collecting feminine products which will be distributed to three food banks in Northwest Indiana.

"We feel that a woman should not have to choose between food or feminine products," Rust said. "I am interning at Gabriel's Horn homeless shelter and we were all wondering what a woman who is homeless does when she can't afford both food and feminine products."

Rust said the three agreed they don't want a woman to have to choose between the two and they want to help out as much as possible.

"We are reaching out to Northwest Indiana and contacting businesses and friends," said Rust. "We are not looking for monetary donations. We are looking for people to donate the products."

To make a contribution to their efforts, call Rust at 219-8835; Seamon at 219-775-6268 or Strilich at 219-508-8075.
SCHERERVILLE  An ordinance requiring responsible bidding practices to cover municipal public works projects in excess of $300,000 will receive a second reading by the Schererville Town Council on April 12.

At a recent meeting, the Town Council voted 5-0 to consider the ordinance on first reading.

Town Manager Robert Volkmann said the ordinance has been in draft form for a number of months.

The ordinance would require contractors bidding on the public works construction projects to submit a statement of staffing capabilities, including labor sources; a statement that individuals who will perform work on behalf of the bidder will be properly classified as either an employee or an independent contractor; and a list of projects of similar size and scope of work that the bidder has performed in the state of Indiana within three years prior to the bid due date.

Randy Palmateer, business manager for the Northwestern Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council, said he supports the responsible bidding practices ordinances.

I wasnt able to attend the March meeting, but I plan to be there on April 12, Palmateer said. I congratulate the Schererville Town Council on this action.

In July, Dyer passed a responsible bidding practice ordinance but lowered the wage threshold for municipal public works construction job bids from $300,000 to $200,000.
CEDAR LAKE  It will require nearly $1 million to expand bandwidth and redo Hanovers technological infrastructure, the School Board has learned.

Middle School principal Tony Hiatt and Technology Director John Flanagin both discussed different aspects of Hanovers technology evolution during a recent meeting.

Hiatt described a study by an outside consultant which examined attitudes toward Hanovers current technology capabilities. The results were mixed, but overall both students and teachers see computer and tech access in a fairly positive light.

Flanagin discussed plans to train a selected group of teachers who would subsequently train others on staff. The plan, he said, would involve paying teachers $25 an hour during training which would be conducted on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

This significant technology update would also involve buying new devices, particularly for high school students. Beginning in freshman yearm high school students would be issued devices for which they would pay yearly rental fees. The devices would become their upon graduation.

Flanagin said rental frees and a General Obligation Bond would help pay for the costs of the changes proposed.

Loans from the Common School fund can also be used for technological purposes. Hanover School Corp. was approved for a $182,500 loan in 2017.
Police were out hunting for drunken drivers on St. Patrick's Day in Porter County, but didn't find any.

The Indiana State Police and the Northern Porter County Traffic Safety Partnership set up a sobriety checkpoint by U.S. 20 and Waverly in Porter on a night that's known for green beer, pints of Guinness and drunken revelry.

Police officers checked a total of 219 drivers who passed through the previously announced checkpoint between 10 p.m. and midnight Friday, according to a news release. They handed out a single traffic ticket and issued two warnings.

Officers gave one driver a portable breath test, but the driver passed. Police turned up no impaired drivers.

The checkpoint got federal funding through the Operation Pull Over Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over project. Indiana State Police say they will continue to conduct sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols throughout the year in order to discourage drunken driving.
The Business Case for Civility at Work is one of several workshops slated for World Civility Day in the Region on April 13.

Lew Bayer, of Civility Experts of Canada, will discuss how civility at work can increase production, retention and engagement. Bayer has written the book, The 30% Solution.

Its an issue that doesnt get much attention, but more than a quarter of workers nationally have quit a job because it was an uncivil workplace.

This and other workshops will take place at the Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond as the first part of World Civility Day events planned by Community Civility Counts.

The second part will be an awards dinner at Avalon Manor in Merrillville.

Community Civility Counts, which started with the Gary Chamber of Commerce and grew in a partnership with The Times Media Co., held its first World Civility Day last April and attracted a capacity crowd.

Last years dinner, however, did not include enough time to hear a lot about programs making a difference. So workshops have been added this year to expand the events.

The Business Case for Civility at Work session will offer participants the tools to assess, train and build civility competencies in their workplace.

This is a great opportunity for Region human resources professionals, trainers and business people to come away with ideas to use.

Other workshops include Civility in the Classroom, showcasing the work of teachers in two Gary charter schools and its impact; Civility in the Community, presented by the National Civility Center; and Where do we go from here  chaos or community?" presented by the Urban League of Northwest Indiana.

The full list of workshops and times is linked to this column online.

The workshops precede a dinner at Avalon Manor where well present the first Community Civility Counts awards, including one for top anti-bullying program in schools.

Well have featured speakers, including the return of Dr. Clyde Rivers, who carries Community Civility Counts message throughout the world. Dr. Rivers is World Peace Ambassador, special representative from Interfaith Peace-Building Initiative to the United Nations and ambassador at large from Burundi, Africa.

Community Civility Counts has gained recognition in journalism circles, winning awards in recent months. But the strength of this two-year-old awareness is in the community partnerships.

In addition to the Gary Chamber of Commerce and The Times Media Co., World Civility Day sponsors include Methodist Hospitals, AT&T Indiana, National Civility Center, Civility Experts, Propriety Publishing, Legacy Foundation, Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce, Greater Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors, Shared Ethics Advisory Commission and Lake Area United Way.

We invite you to both of these events on April 13. Call the Gary Chamber of Commerce at (219) 885-7407 to order tickets.

Keep up with Community Civility Counts by connecting with the Civility Counts Facebook page or visiting nwi.com/civilitycounts.

Thanks for reading us. Please contact me with any questions about The Times or our many publications.
Northwest Indiana business leaders recently gave us a whole lot more reason to tout the positive, rather than dwell on the negative, of our Region's economic health.

Those words of optimism came from the 19-member Times Board of Economists, made up of business professionals from a diverse cross-section of the economy.

In a recent gathering of the group, those leaders loudly echoed one another in beliefs that a strengthening economy will only get stronger given a push for a more business friendly climate in Washington.

The promise of less or reformed business regulation and lower taxes elicited optimism from the gathering.

On a scale from 1 to 10, the group ranked the expected performance of respective business sectors at an average of 7.1 during the next three months and 7.2 nationally. That's up from 6.6 locally and 6.7 nationally during September 2015.

In fact, the group's outlook for Region economic health is at a 10-year high.

Evidence of economic health can be seen in more than just the Board of Economists' opinions.

Home developers, banks, hotels, hospitals, churches and senior living communities are building new facilities throughout our communities.

"We've got cautious optimism," Region-based Hasse Construction President Bill Hasse told the gathering. "We're seeing a lot of residential and non-residential building  lodging, office, commercial, recreational and transportation. We're expecting more federal government work."

It's yet one more strong sign Northwest Indiana is headed in a more prosperous direction  and one more reason to cast aside past notions of Region inferiority or pessimism.

Our Region clearly has challenges to success, even in the face of these strong economic tidings.

We still struggle to provide the skilled labor for some local jobs, and our communities must continue pushing aside their own fiefdom boundaries for the sake of a stronger Northwest Indiana.

But strong economic optimism, rooted in real business success and prosperity, is an excellent foundation upon which a better Region can be built.

It's time to realize we have the right tools for growth but must continue pushing our own boundaries for what is possible.
CHICAGO  A Chicago police sergeant who helped give the department's battered public image a lift by raising money for three little girls found in a filthy, unheated abandoned building last year is now the subject of a department probe into the fundraising effort.

Police spokesman Frank Giancamilli said Friday that the department doesn't suspect Sgt. Charles Artz did anything "nefarious." The officers were not trying to hide what they were doing and confined their efforts to when they were off-duty, according to a second police spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi.

But Giancamilli said the fundraiser was linked to a bank account of one of the officers involved  though he would not say which one  and there is a rule of conduct that prohibits officers from seeking or soliciting contributions. "This is being done more for precautionary reasons," he said.

Some of Artz's fellow officers are angry and some in the community are confused by the probe at a time when the department is trying to regain public trust damaged by incidents such as the videotaped fatal shooting of black teen Laquan McDonald by a white officer.

"It really sends a mixed message to the officers," said Sgt. Jim Ade, the head of the sergeants' union, who likened what is happening to an officer rushing across a street into a burning building only to get a ticket for jaywalking. "They (department superiors) are telling them, 'We want you to be out there getting involved in the community but when you do we are going to nail you."

The grandmother of the 7-year-old, 2-year-old and 1-year old girls nicknamed by police the "Englewood Angels" said she can't believe anyone is even questioning an effort that kept her from being evicted so she could take the children in and keep them out of foster care.

"He did nothing wrong trying to help me, didn't ask for nothing," said Delores Anderson. "I was behind on my rent and would have lost my apartment and they wouldn't have let me have my granddaughters if I didn't have no way to stay in my apartment.

"He's a blessing to me."

The story of the girls began last November with news accounts of how they were found alone in an apartment that had no electricity, running water or food. The officers' efforts to donate things such as diapers, toys, clothing and milk and in their off-duty hours set up a GoFundMe page for the girls received widespread media attention. By the next month they had raised more than $125,000 in donations.

A call to Artz at the police station on the city's South Side where he works was not immediately returned.

Englewood is one of the highest-crime neighborhoods in a city that had 762 murders last year, the highest in nearly two decades.
Crossing the line separating Indiana and Illinois sometimes means dealing with different laws and customs. Readers are asked to share ideas for this weekly feature. This week: Family prosperity.

A new, broad measure of family prosperity, devised by the American Conservative Union Foundation, finds Illinois is significantly better for families than Indiana.

The Family Prosperity Index incorporates data on economics, demographics, family structure, family self-sufficiency, family culture and family health to rank the 50 states on how well they facilitate a conservative understanding of family prosperity.

Illinois came in 19th place, thanks to scores in all six categories that generally were at the national average.

In contrast, Indiana ranked 31st, largely due to the state's higher than average divorce rate, number of births to unwed mothers and comparatively low educational attainment.

Utah topped the Family Prosperity Index, followed by North Dakota, Idaho, Nebraska and South Dakota. West Virginia was 50th.
Members of the Fire Department and people in the community rallied around the family of Yadira Arroyo Saturday, two days after the 44-year-old emergency medical technician was killed on the job.

Arroyo was killed Thursday when a man stole her ambulance and ran her over.

She was the mother five boys  her sons showing everyone the strength she undoubtedly instilled in them.

"Me and my brothers, we are all going to stick together," said Jose Montes. "We're not going to let go of each other. We're going to be here for each other, support each other in every single way."

During a news conference inside Arroyo's workplace, Station 26, the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced it is donating $100,000 to set up a trust fund for the EMT's kids.

The organization, which began as a way to honor fallen 9/11 firefighters, is also asking for the public's help.

"The fact that she leaves behind five children makes it all the more necessary for us to accept responsibility and I mean all of us to accept responsibility to help care for these children, to ensure they're able to lead the lives that their mother so wanted for them," said Frank Siller, chairman and CEO of the foundation.

Those lives, NY1 has learned, includes a future in the FDNY for Arroyo's 19-year-old son Kenneth  who told us he's following in his mother's footsteps.

"First I'm going to start off as an EMT, hopefully work my way up as a paramedic, then after that try to join the firefighters," Kenneth said.

Inside the news conference, tears were not only shed by Arroyo's family members but also by those who were part of her work family.

Her partner, Monique Williams, was singled out for the duo's bravery the night Arroyo died.

"I've seen a lot of brave things in my time on this job and what you did that night was incredibly brave," said FDNY Chief of Department James E. Leonard. "What Yadi did and this is what the world is about. These are the heroes of the world."

A wake for Arroyo is scheduled over two days beginning Thursday. Her funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 25, at the St. Nicholas of Tolentine R.C. Church at 2345 University Avenue in the Bronx.

Members of the public can learn more about helping the family at the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation website.
Under different circumstances, Alabama civil rights lawyer Morris S. Dees and American Enterprise Institute scholar Charles Murray might have been colleagues, even pals. Instead, Murray found himself in a near-riot at Middlebury College after accepting a speaking invitation from Republican students at the Vermont school. Students and faculty galvanized by Dees political organization barred Murray from speaking. They shouted him down, chanted their own manifesto and pulled fire alarms to prevent him from being heard.

When Murray and Middlebury professor Allison Stanger tried to leave the building, they were followed by protesters who accosted them physically. The professor was grabbed by the hair and her neck twisted  she was fitted with a neck brace at a hospital  and their car rocked in a way that alarmed local authorities.

It was another victory for opponents of free speech, and if that seems like an incongruous scalp for a civil rights lawyer to wear, well, our politics are pretty odd these days.

Charles Murray is a political scientist with a doctorate degree from MIT. The American Enterprise Institute is a Washington-based think tank devoted to defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and safer world. Its scholars believe these goals can be attained by promoting democracy and strengthening the free enterprise system in the United States and around the globe.

Morris Dees is a born salesman who was a committed capitalist before he entered elementary school. When I was 5, I bought a pig for a dollar. I fattened it up and sold it for $12, he once told People magazine. I always had a feel for making money.

When his mother sent him a fruitcake his freshman year in Tuscaloosa, Morris and classmate Millard Fuller wrote other students parents offering to deliver freshly baked birthday cakes. Soon they were selling 350 cakes per month. By the time they left law school, they were making $50,000 a year  $400,000 in todays dollars.

After graduation, Dees and Fuller hung out a shingle and practiced law. But the real money came from their mail order business, peddling everything from cookbooks to tractor cushions. In 1969, Dees sold the direct-mail firm to the Times Mirror Co. for $6 million.

Dees also started a nonprofit, which he named the Southern Poverty Law Center. But he gave up neither the high life nor the direct-mail business. He lives in luxury with his fifth wife and still runs the SPLC, which has used the mail-order model to amass a fortune. Its product line is an unusual one: For the past 47 years, Morris Dees has been selling fear and hate.

The business model is simple, albeit cynical, and best illustrated by its most famous case. In 1987, a Dees-led legal team won a $7 million judgment against the Ku Klux Klan in a wrongful death suit on behalf of Beulah Mae Donald, the mother of a 19-year-old kid murdered by members of the racist group. But the defendants total assets amounted to a building worth $52,000. Thats how much Mrs. Donald, who died the following year, received. But Dees reaped $9 million for the SPLC from fundraising solicitations about the case, including one showing a grisly photo of Michael Donalds corpse.

Today, the center boasts a treasury of more than $300 million, the richest civil rights group in the country.

But with the Ku Klux Klan literally out of business, how was the SPLC able to frighten people into still donating? Thats where the AEIs Charles Murray re-enters our story, along with many other mainstream conservative groups. Scaring the bejesus out of people requires new bogeymen, and lots of them.

In recent years, you can find yourself on the SPLCs hate map if you havent gotten fully aboard on gay marriage  or the Democratic Partys immigration views. In other words, the Dees group classifies individuals and organizations as purveyors of hate for holding the same view on marriage espoused by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton until mid-2012.

Such labeling has consequences, which became clear in August 2012 when a gay rights activist named Floyd Lee Corkins entered the lobby of the Family Research Council armed with a 9mm handgun and 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches. The gun was for killing as many Christians as he could, although he only managed to wound a guard. The sandwiches? He was going to rub them in the faces of his murder victims. Corkins had heard a Chick-fil-A executive express opposition to gay marriage. Why the Family Research Council? He told police that the Southern Poverty Law Center had labeled it a hate group.

This episode prompted the FBI to drop the SPLC as a resource for hate crime cases. It prompted no such soul searching in academia. Before Charles Murrays abortive visit to Vermont, several hundred Middlebury alums signed a letter opposing his visit. They and the numerous professors and students who protested all cited the SPLC as their sole source for various slanders against Murray: Hes a racist; he favors eugenics; hes a white supremacist.

Murrays original sin is The Bell Curve, a book Murray co-authored more than two decades ago postulating a correlation between poverty and IQ. But it never advocated eugenics. Nor is he anti-gay: hes argued in favor of gay marriage to Republican groups. The white supremacist stuff is especially offensive: Murray, whose first wife was Asian, has two mixed-race children.

No matter. The professors who admitted to Professor Stanger that theyd never read a word Murray had written led their students in the chants that drowned out whatever he planned to say at Middlebury.

While the anti-intellectual nature of this juvenile stunt is appalling, whats worse is that college professors and students at an elite, expensive American college would outsource their thinking to an outfit like the SPLC. One of the professors talking points was that his Bell Curve research hadnt been peer reviewed. Thats comical when one considers the shoddy nature of the SPLCs dossiers. As liberal writer Ken Silverstein has noted, the Law Center is essentially a fraud.

The most scathing assessments of Dees and his group have always come from the left. Stephen B. Bright, a Yale law professor and president of the Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights, calls Dees a shyster and a con man. Brights primary complaint is that Dees does precious little litigation on behalf of poor people with the amount of money it pulls in. SPLCs alarmist fundraising scams, shoddy collection of information and long-standing practice of character assassination has been on the record for years  along with its F rating from the respected nonprofit watchdog group Charity Watch.

As long as it is reliably hyper-partisan  and the SPLC criticizes Republicans, not Democrats  the tenured twits in Americas faculty lounges can live with all that, I guess. Thats a disturbing enough thought. But whats the mainstream medias excuse? How can we continue to cite it as a source and then even pretend that we are nonpartisan?

The American Enterprise Institute today is led by Arthur Brooks, whose passion is attacking poverty. He has interesting ideas about how it can be done, and a willing cohort of idealistic millennials on college campuses who might want to sign on. But with Dees disciples shouting and pulling fire alarms and roughing up visiting speakers  and with college professors who brag that they dont expose themselves to another side of the argument  how will they even hear about it?

Carl M. Cannon is executive editor and Washington Bureau chief of RealClearPolitics.
BEIJING  Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson and President Xi Jinping of China cast aside their differences on Sunday with a public display of cooperation, sidestepping areas of disagreement even as North Korea made another defiant statement by showing off a new missile engine.

In the highest-level face-to-face meeting between the two countries since Donald Trump became president, the two sides made no mention of other contentious issues, including possible punitive trade measures against China and Washingtons unhappiness with Beijings assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Xi, greeting the new secretary of state in an ornate room in the Great Hall of the People, thanked Tillerson for a smooth transition to the Trump administration and expressed his appreciation for the sentiment that the China-U.S. relationship can only be defined by cooperation and friendship.

At least in public, Tillerson adopted a far different tone than that of his boss, who said in a Twitter post on Friday that China had done little to help on North Korea, instead saying that the United States looked forward to stronger ties with China.

China has been North Koreas biggest backer, but relations between the two countries have been strained as the North continues to pursue the development of nuclear weapons. Hours before the meeting between Tillerson and Xi, North Korea stuck its nose under the tent, announcing that it had tested a new high-thrust missile engine that analysts said could be used in an intercontinental missile.

The test, apparently timed for Tillersons visit to Beijing, was another sign that North Korea was expanding its missile capabilities, with state media reporting that the countrys leader, Kim Jong Un, had presided over an event of historic significance.

By testing the engine on Saturday, the North Korean leader appeared to be giving China an additional headache by goading Tillerson, who said in South Korea on Friday that if the North elevated its threat, a pre-emptive strike by the United States would be on the table.

The missile engine test created the perfect test of the red line drawn by Tillerson in Seoul, said Evans J.R. Revere, a former principal deputy assistant secretary of state, specializing in North Korea.

Kim said in January that North Korea was in the final stages of preparing for an ICBM test, a missile that could reach the United States. Based on what just happened at the test site, he doesnt seem to have been kidding, Revere said.

During his 24-hour stay in Beijing, Tillerson, who also visited Japan during his first trip to Asia as secretary of state, took the unusual step of repeating rosy Chinese language on the state of relations between the United States and China.

The relationship between China and the United States was guided by nonconflict, nonconfrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Tillerson said at a news conference with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Chinese state media quoted Tillersons echo of the Chinese phrasing, noting it approvingly.

But behind the scenes, diplomats and analysts said there was little doubt that Tillerson had pressed China to enforce sanctions against North Korea and had raised the possibility that the United States would bolster its missile defense in Asia if China did not rein in Kim.

China strongly objects to the installation in South Korea of a missile defense system there, and the polite public words from Tillerson were designed to give China face, said a diplomat in Beijing who spoke on the condition of anonymity per usual diplomatic custom.

Tillerson was almost certainly sterner in private, according to the diplomat. I believe Tillerson repeated in the meetings what he said publicly in South Korea and Japan, and backed up Trump in his tweet, the diplomat said.

That meant some public warmth was necessary, he said, because aside from talking about North Korea, Tillerson also had the task of setting a broad agenda for a summit meeting between Trump and Xi that is expected to take place in Florida in early April.

At the summit meeting, China is expected to seek a reaffirmation of the One China policy under which the United States recognizes a single government in Beijing and does not maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Trump committed to that policy in a telephone conversation with Xi in early February, but Chinese leaders, on edge about the presidents unpredictability, are eager to further secure it. Trumps trade team is expected to be in place by the time Xi reaches Florida, and the Chinese will be eager to deter plans for tariffs and moves toward more stringent scrutiny of Chinese investment in the United States.

Chinese analysts said the secretary probably encountered resistance to his arguments that the missile defense system, known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, was of little danger to China, which firmly believes the system erodes its nuclear deterrent.

Tillerson will repeat many times this is no threat to China, but Xi wont believe it, said Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University.
BERLIN  When visitors want to experience this citys much celebrated alternative culture, they often make their way to Heinrichplatz, a graffiti-covered square in the Kreuzberg neighborhood that for decades has been a hub for independent arts, underground night life and radical politics.

But on a recent Saturday afternoon, the usual clusters of selfie-snapping tourists and cafegoers were met by hundreds of demonstrators carrying signs that read, Were all staying or Say no to crowding out, and protesting rising rents, forced evictions and rampant real estate speculation.

Massive crowding is happening to the extent that a lot of people cant pay their rent, or they are having their leases canceled for the slightest triviality, said Sara Walther, one of the organizers, stubbing out a rolled cigarette. People are finally starting to defend themselves.

Over the past decade, people have poured into Berlin, attracted by its relative affordability, cultural wealth and anything-goes spirit. But now the city is trying to regulate what has elsewhere proved to be unstoppable: gentrification.

Under pressure from a growing grass-roots movement, city authorities have put into effect several measures, including rent caps, a partial ban on vacation rentals, development-free zones and increased social housing subsidies. The goal is to bridle the bullish housing market and conserve the diverse social and cultural makeup of the city center.

The problem of rising rents and lack of living space is one of the most important issues for Berlin, said Petra Rohland, a spokeswoman for the citys Department of Urban Development and Housing.

Not long ago, these problems would have been unthinkable. With the reunification of Germany in 1990, this city was littered with uninhabited buildings and large sections of valuable but disused land along the strip where the Berlin Wall once stood. To spur development, city officials sold off land and more than 110,000 government-owned apartments to foreign investors, while also funding urban renewal campaigns.

At the same time, a government program to subsidize some apartments was eliminated, meaning that as Berlin became a popular destination in the late 2000s, it was fertile ground for rampant rent hikes.

Last year, more than 60,000 people arrived in Berlin, a pace similar to much larger cities. Prices have soared in fashionable districts like Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, where rents rose in the past decade by more than 80 percent, according to data from the Empirica Institute, which tracks property prices. But incomes in Berlin remain relatively low, with more than half the population qualifying for public housing, meaning that many longtime residents and other low earners are being priced out.

People have lived and worked here for a long time, and even if they arent making much money, they are part of the city, said Malte Voss, a freelance videographer who is part of an embattled tenant collective at Lausitzer 10-11, a brick loft complex that houses artist studios, workshops and left-leaning nongovernmental organizations. They are the reason Kreuzberg is like it is.

Late last year, the tenant collective learned that its landlord, Taekker, a Danish development firm, intended to sell the building to private investors who planned a conversion to luxury loft apartments.

The tenants set up a publicity team and, with informal support from the city, began negotiations with Taekker.

More and more tenants are organizing themselves, Wibke Werner, deputy director of the Berlin Tenants Association, said. Not since the squatter movement of the 70s and 80s has there been so much momentum.

Today, the streets of Kreuzberg are peppered with stickers, fliers and graffiti expressing support for grass-roots coalitions. One group, Bizim Kiez, came together in 2015 in defense of a Turkish family-owned grocery store threatened by eviction. The eviction was eventually canceled under heavy public pressure, but last year its owner was forced to give up the store, Bizim Bakkal, because of health problems that he said had stemmed from the fight with the landlord.

The phrase Bizim bleibt, or Bizim stays became a rallying cry for the wider movement and gave birth to the Bizim Kiez organization, which is fighting to maintain diversity in the neighborhood.

After tenant outcry, the city also saved at least two apartment blocks in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg from being sold, using a legal tool known as the right of first refusal, which lets officials intervene if they can find funding for the purchase. In another case, the city recently stepped in and purchased a large disused freight station in the eastern district of Kopenick, which it plans to convert into affordable housing.

But like the right of first refusal rule, which depends on flush state funding, many of the anti-gentrification measures have limitations. The system of rent caps, which forbids landlords to charge more than 10 percent above the district average for a new rental contract, has many exceptions and loopholes. Often, landlords simply ignore it.

People are happy if they find an apartment in the city they can afford, said Werner of the tenants association. Its not the first thing they do to enter into a conflict with their landlord.

More effective are the milieuschutz laws, translated as social environment protection, meant to prevent landlords from imposing expensive renovations that would effectively price out the current tenants. Today, there are more than 30 milieuschutz zones in Berlin, with more expected, though the protections are not ironclad. These zones prevent landlords from converting rental apartments to condos  unless they promise to sell only to current tenants for a period of seven years.

But then its very probable the landlord will try to kick out the tenants and sell the condos for lots of money, Werner said. We think the transition from rental to condos should be forbidden totally.

Amid so much grass-roots resistance, there are concerns that all of this new regulation will create an undue burden on property owners and frighten away potential investors.

These measures lead to a significant restriction of property investment, said Carsten Bruckner, chairman of the German homeowners association Haus & Grund. Everyone has the right to live everywhere. That this possibility is also dependent on the economic performance of the individual should not surprise us.

The rent caps and milieuschutz laws, he added, combine to make modernization difficult, if not impossible, leading to deterioration of the property portfolio.

Yet there are also concerns that the booming property market is not sustainable. Recent figures released by the German Property Federation show that purchase prices on residential real estate in Berlin grew by 94 percent from 2010-16, while rents increased by only 40 percent. This gap seems to be widening, the report says, which generally raises concern for a real estate bubble.

Johannes Novy, a prominent German urbanist, said Berlins affordability, mixed social makeup and spirit of experimentation are what made it attractive to begin with. The recent regulation and grass-roots organizing are positive steps, he said, but many of these measures have come far too late, and at this point its very difficult to stem the tide.

What is at stake in the current debate, many say, is the very heart of the city.

In a typical capitalist city, gentrification and pricing out is normal, said David Schuster, one of the organizers of the Kreuzberg protest, which ended up drawing more than 1,000 people, far more than expected. But thats not what we want.

Manuel Kony, a 28-year-old sales manager watching the demonstration from the side of the street, said balance should be the goal. I think you have to find an equilibrium, where people can find reasonable rental prices, but the city is still allowed to develop further, he said.

Otherwise, you end up with a kind of banlieue situation, he added, referring to the crime-ridden exurban districts that have garnered so many headlines in France. Do we really want what happened in Paris?
SACRAMENTO  City governments, police departments and county boards of supervisors have an enduringly difficult time understanding the proper order of things. Its cliched, but true. We dont work for them. They work for us. Their inconvenience  in terms of providing records or allowing public comments  is no reason to abridge the rights of the people. If they dont like it, officials can find another line of work.

Thats the context in which to view a lengthy letter  backed by threat of lawsuit  that the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California sent Monday to the Orange County counsel and Board of Supervisors. The group contends the boards newer policy limiting the public to one three-minute comment at the beginning of each meeting is an infringement on speech.

The old policy allowed members of the public to speak three times for three minutes and allowed public comments before each agenda item. The board instituted the policy to rein in long meetings caused, in part, by gabby members of the public.

I feel their pain. Ive attended many governmental meetings in Orange County and elsewhere, and some speakers drone on like adults on those Peanuts cartoons: Wah, wah, wah. The chatter can be off-point and annoys the rest of us (especially when one is awaiting to discuss a specific agenda item!). Nevertheless, the ACLU is right about this one.

Instead of acknowledging its role as servants of the community  over the last several years, the board has treated the community as an impediment to conducting its own business and has systematically restricted members of the communitys ability to bring their concerns before the board, wrote ACLU attorney Brendan Hamme. The ACLU also criticized a requirement that people fill out a card before speaking, a prohibition on addressing individual board and staff members, a ban on signs and limits on access to security footage.

County Supervisor Shawn Nelson told the Register new rules were needed because of a small number of people. OK, but its almost always a bad idea to design general laws to deal with a handful of specific people. It is never good optics for politicians to shut down public discourse. Sorry, but arent supervisors paid to listen to constituents?

Of course, said Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who was the only no vote on the rules change. We signed up for the job. His only caveat is reasonable: Speakers need to talk about matters that county board members have authority to handle. If you show up at the board meeting and want to complain about President Trumps Supreme Court nominee or postulate about NASA and flying saucers, then the board needs to shut you down. But not if youre weighing in on county welfare policies.

Spitzer agrees with the ACLUs arguments, although he doesnt think they will prevail in court given other jurisdictions have similar limits. But lets be clear: this shouldnt head to court. The board should just revise its wrongheaded policies.

Lets say I want to address a specific agenda item that affects my property  maybe a road-development project. Under the rules, I may speak at the beginning of the meeting. Two hours or so later, when that specific item is up for debate, I must be silent. By then, its unlikely that my earlier words, mixed in with every manner of other public statement, will have any effect.

And for what? To assure a more-efficient meeting? Efficient meetings are a hallmark of totalitarian governments, but our democratic system demands a more deliberate approach to governance, said Jim Ewert, general counsel for the California Newspaper Publishers Association. Arguably, democracy is the most inefficient form of government that exists because public participation is a fundamental tenant of the democratic system.

The ACLU says the board is out of compliance with the specifics of Californias open-meetings law, the Ralph M. Brown Act. According to a case the letter cites, the act requires an opportunity for public comment on each specific agenda item as it is taken up by the body. The county also seems to be violating the spirit of the act, as detailed in its preamble: The people do not yield their sovereignty to the bodies that serve them. The people insist on remaining informed to retain control over the legislative bodies they have created.

Earlier this month, we saw another obnoxious example of local governments that dont understand the basic open-government principle. Fortunately, the California Supreme Court unanimously rebuked the city of San Jose, which had argued that public documents arent the publics business if officials sent or received them on their private email accounts. San Jose essentially argued it was too inconvenient for cities to retrieve documents from private accounts.

Im sure it is inconvenient, just as its annoying to endure speakers who ramble at board meetings. Tough luck. Officials work for us and thats just part of the job.

Steven Greenhut is Western region director for the R Street Institute. He was a Register editorial writer from 1998-2009. Write to him at sgreenhut@rstreet.org.
California schools serving a preponderance of low-income students have a math problem that even Common Core cant solve  and local families will pay the price for economic reform measures designed to increase the states minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Thanks to Proposition 49, for the past 10 years California has budgeted $550 million annually to provide After-School Education and Safety programs to more than 4,000 of the states neediest schools. However, these programs could be scrapped because the Legislature earmarked only $7.50 per student per day with no cost of living adjustment. From the onset in 2006, the $7.50 per student per day was slim compared to funding for similar programs. Today, its grossly insufficient for two thorny reasons.

First, the cost of living has risen 20 percent since 2006, but after-school funding has stayed flat. Second, wages are rising dramatically. Californias minimum wage is slated to rise 90 percent from $8 per hour in 2014 to $15 per hour in 2022  and many cities are increasing at an even faster rate. What is less well-known is that as minimum wage rises for hourly workers, it rises for full-time exempt workers too. Full-time exempt workers will see their minimum wages rise from $33,800 per year in 2014 to $61,200 by 2022. After-school program costs will skyrocket as a result of these state mandates, not to mention the new state mandate to provide sick pay for part-time staff.

The governor has indicated over the last few years that these costs are a local issue under the relatively new Local Control Funding Formula. The Department of Finance has stated that schools have more money and they should augment the revenue from the ASES grants if they want to sustain these programs that are so vital for the children of the working poor. In Orange County, 49 percent of our students qualify for free or reduced price meals despite the fact that our unemployment rate is 3.6 percent. These are the students and families that benefit from these programs.

While the math for these programs doesnt add up at the state level, it doesnt add up locally either. Under the Local Control Funding formula, schools get funding in three pots. First, when fully funded (which means all schools will receive what they received in 2007-2008) all schools will receive a base amount per student depending on their grade level. In addition, schools with students that are low-income, English learners, or foster youth, will receive an additional 20 percent supplemental grant per high need student. Further, for school districts with populations of high need students above 55 percent of the total district enrollment, the district receives a concentration grant equal to 50 percent of the base funding for each student above the 55 percent level. These funds are intended to provide additional services to these high need students.

But another huge cost pressure threatens to gobble up all of these funds  the unfunded pension liability for teachers and administrators and non-certificated school personnel. California school district pension obligations are set to double between now and 2022. Looking across the state, the amount of the local pension contribution increase mandated by the state is roughly equal to the supplemental and concentration funds supposedly earmarked for high-need students.

Given all of these state-mandated cost increases  together with state-mandated ASES program guidelines  the funding is insufficient. Many after-school programs are at risk of closing as a result. The accompanying loss of academic support and enrichment for high-need students, and the safe place for the children of working parents is a looming crisis in many of our communities. Orange County is home to 240 of these programs serving 26,400 students daily.

While generally we support the idea of local control, some issues require solutions at the state level. Given that the ASES grants are issued by the state, most of the cost increases in the programs are from state level mandates, and the state maintains the same program requirements regardless of whether there is a local financial augmentation or not, we think this is an issue that calls for a state-level solution.

In January, Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, introduced Senate Bill 78, a fiscally responsible course correction to avert the looming crisis in education. Sponsored by the California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance and supported by over a dozen organizations, SB78 seeks to increase funding for the ASES program by appropriating an additional $99 million to the California Department of Education, bringing total annual funding to $649,305,000. Beginning in the 2018-19 fiscal year, funding would increase annually with minimum wage increases to ensure that programs remain solvent.

If ASES programs are to continue delivering essential services to students and families, we need to work together to forge a path to sustain them through 2022 and beyond.

Randy Barth is the founder and CEO of THINK Together and executive chairman of Principals Exchange.
FREMONT  Authorities say a 16-year-old girl shot to death by police in Northern California was pregnant.

Elena Mondragon was killed on Tuesday in Hayward.

Police say authorities tried to stop a stolen car linked to a series of robberies in the San Francisco Bay Area and instead it rammed a patrol car, injuring two Fremont police detectives.

They opened fire and fatally wounded Mondragon, who was a passenger.

Hayward police tell the Los Angeles Times that Mondragon was in her first trimester of pregnancy.

Two other passengers were arrested. A fourth person fled but was arrested on suspicion of robbery Wednesday night in San Francisco.

The shooting is under investigation by Hayward police and the Alameda County District Attorneys Office.
LAGUNA BEACH  Kendra Leak leaned over Jyns kennel for one final close-up look at the now fat and healthy sea lion pup. It was a huge difference from the emaciated pup she first saw after Jyn was found stranded in Newport Beach in January.

Seconds later, on Sunday morning, Leak unlocked the door to the kennel and held her breath, waiting to see if Jyn would rush out to the surf or hesitate.

Animal care staff from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center opened cage doors for three other sea lion pups  Kinsey, Syrah and Whiskers  giving them a straight shot to the surf at Aliso Beach just feet away.

More than 100 people fell silent in anticipation, but the sea lions didnt dart out. Instead, they huddled together in front of Whiskers kennel. Whiskers was rehabilitated at PMMC after becoming entangled in fishing gear and rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard boat outside Newport Harbor on Jan. 14.

To the onlookers, it may have seemed like they were kissing  but really they were smelling each others breath.

Its kind of what dogs do when they greet each other, but sea lions are just more polite, said Wendy Leeds, animal care coordinator at the Laguna Beach-based marine mammal rescue center.

With some nudging from animal care staff, the pups got a good whiff of ocean and hurried toward the surf, diving through the waves together. A huge round of applause and cheers came from the group assembled in the morning fog.

It was a really good release, said John Cunningham, a former Laguna Beach High School teacher and former seasonal Laguna Beach lifeguard who, in 1971, co-founded the rescue center in an old red barn on Laguna Canyon Road. Its a reward for all the hard work done by the center staff and volunteers to see them go out in good condition.

The release of the four sea lions is the centers largest so far this year. It has rescued 18 sea lions since January  a figure that center officials call more normal than the mass strandings of recent years.

Kinsey was the first sea lion rescued this year. She was found in San Clemente on New Years Day. Then came Syrah, rescued Jan. 2 in Newport Beach.

The pups  all born on the Channel Islands in June and July  were well underweight at an average of 28 pounds, half of normal. After being tube fed, re-hydrated and taught to compete for fish, they were released at more than 80 pounds each.

In 2016, PMMC rescued more than 301 sea lions; at this time last year, it had rescued 177 sea lions. It also had rescued one harbor seal and five elephant seals. Since 2013, the center has rescued 1,433 sea lions, 97 elephant seals, 216 harbor seals and 10 fur seals.

A lack of food sources available to lactating mothers close to sea lion breeding grounds on the Channel Islands led to the mass strandings starting in 2013, according to federal officials.

Pups waited for their mothers to return after long hunting trips looking for squid and mackerel to create nutrient-rich milk for their pups. Mothers had to swim farther from the Channel Islands to find food, however. During that time, experts say, pups either starved on the islands or followed older sea lions off the islands to beaches along the Southern California coast where the weak, sick and dehydrated animals beached themselves.

For the first time in four years, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last fall projected improvements on the Channel Islands rookeries.

Sharon Melin, a wildlife biologist for NOAAs Alaska Fisheries Science Center Marine Mammal Laboratory, has studied sea lions at the rookeries for more than three decades. A visit last summer showed that the pups born in June and July were doing better than in recent years. Their weights were up. But Melin also found that many fewer pups were born in 2016 than in 2015.

With healthier pups, staff at rescue centers such as PMMC, Sea World and Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles in San Pedro are optimistic that strandings will decline this year. Sea lions typically strand from December to early June, peaking in March and April.

The numbers are more normal this year, said Keith Matassa, executive director at PMMC. But Thursday we rescued another sea lion pup and an elephant seal. Well see what happens in the next two months. Right now, were breathing a sigh of relief but its not over yet.

For Leak, 32, Sundays experience was extra special. She grew up and lives in Newport Beach and as a child spent many hours at Daveys Locker watching sea lions.

She and her boyfriend, Paul Grogan, sponsored Jyn with $500 after she was rescued in Newport Beach on Jan. 21. That meant they got regular updates on her progress. They also took trips to the center in Laguna Canyon to watch her get healthier.

I think the way they make it an individual connection with the animal makes you care and drives stewardship of our environment, said Leak. Its our responsibility to make sure these animals have a safe place to live.

It was a perfect moment as they all set out together, she added.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@scng.com or on Twitter:@lagunaini
The two rattlesnakes seemed oblivious to the cameras snapping away at their every move.

Both males, they were intertwined in a dominance dance on a popular dirt trail along the Bolsa Chica wetlands in Huntington Beach on Friday afternoon, prompting onlookers to stop in their tracks and watch in awe at the National Geographic-worthy moment.

It was pretty amazing. Ive seen a lot of rattlesnakes, but never doing their ritual there, said photographer Lance Lawson, who has been going to the wetlands for about 40 years.

Lawson was on the lookout for eagles and owls in the area, a popular spot for photographers looking to capture images of local wildlife near the northern end of the wetlands. He noticed two other photographers with their lenses focused on something interesting, so stopped to check it out.

And there they were, the snakes wrapping their slippery, slithering bodies around one another. Onlookers speculated the snakes were mating, but local expert Jason Magee, owner of OC Snake Removal in Laguna Niguel, said the photos show two males battling over dominance during breeding season.

Likely there was an ovulating female nearby and the males picked up the scent and went into battle mode to determine who was more the dominant snake, he said via e-mail. The more dominant snake will be the breeding male. Very neat to see in the wild!

Magee said the recent rains have made business busier than ever. During heavy downpours, he received a high volume of removal calls from rain pushing rattlesnakes out of their hibernation spots and into peoples homes, garages and yards.

The rain has made habitat bloom and snakes prey abundant and healthy, in turn bringing more snakes out, he wrote. This year is gonna be a doozy.

The two battling snakes continued for about 20 minutes, drawing the attention of about 20 other photographers who stopped to shoot.

They were still real passive, they were not aggressive at all, Lawson said.

At one point, another snake nonchalantly passed behind the intertwined duo. Magee said it was a San Diego Gopher Snake, based on the image.

Lawson said he stayed about 40 feet away to shoot the images. But when the snakes tired of the attention and ducked into nearby bushes, Lawson peeked down to see what they were up to. They continued to be engrossed in one anothers company.

It was very unique, Ive never seen anything like that, he said. It was kind of an eye-opener. Ive gone there a lot, Ive seen a couple snakes in the distance, but never on the trails.

Rattlesnakes have a hemotoxic venom and are fairly docile and wont strike without a reason. But they will aggressively defend themselves and can deliver a lethal bite if necessary. Most snake bites occur when snakes are undetected or being unprofessionally handled, according to Magee.

The California Poison Control System last year issued a reminder that rattlesnakes are more likely to be found along hiking trails with warm weather, and even baby rattlesnakes have dangerous venom. Most bites occur between April and October.

Contact the writer: lconnelly@scng.com
Californians pay the top marginal income tax rate in the nation, 13.3 percent. So as we prepare for Tax Day, it is worth considering where all that state tax money is supposed to go and whether or not it actually reaches the students it is intended for.

Californias single largest budget item is education funding. In fact, the states budget for K-12 schools and two-year community colleges has increased from $47 billion in 2011 to a projected $73 billion in the 2017-2018 school year.

Last November, voters extended the states income tax on high-income earners, which provides billions of dollars for K-12 education and funds the states Local Control Funding Formula. The LCFF was designed to give school districts flexibility, more local control and guarantee that the districts with substantial numbers of disadvantaged students receive more state money for those kids.

In 2020, when the Local Control Funding Formula is fully funded, school districts should receive a projected basic rate of about $9,115 for every student. The weighted formula for each student who is an English language learner, a foster care child, or from a low-income household would increase the funding to $10,978 for each disadvantaged student. In addition, a concentration grant would increase per-pupil funding to $14,128 for every disadvantaged student in school districts where more than 55 percent of students enrolled are low-income or English learners.

The statute creating this formula requires that targeted funding  supplemental and concentration money  be invested in ways that increase or improve education for these disadvantaged students. However, it does not require districts to explicitly detail how they spend this earmarked money on disadvantaged kids or mandate that the money follows low-income students to the classroom.

This lack of transparency has already been problematic and it appears that many school districts may be spending money intended for disadvantaged students on district-wide expenses. A new February 2017 report by the Center for Public Integrity notes that as the LCFF unfolds, complaints are surfacing about dubious expenditures  on school policing or across-the-board staff pay raises that state officials warn should be targeted to benefit disadvantaged kids.

In one notable recent example, the state ruled that Los Angeles Unified School District shortchanged its neediest students by $450 million by diverting state funds intended for high-need students to district-wide spending projects.

As California increases education spending, the question is whether school districts will properly funnel the money they should to disadvantaged students or if theyll shift that money to pay for normal operations. Sadly, despite the state Legislatures goal of improving outcomes for low-income students, Californians have no way to measure whether the extra tax money actually reaches disadvantaged kids.

Now is the perfect time for California to hold school districts accountable. A new federal law, the Every Student Succeeds Act, says states must include actual per-pupil spending by school on state, district and school report cards. Expenditures must be reported by funding source (federal, state and local), and must include actual personnel salaries, not district or state averages.

California could meet this federal requirement and prove its school districts are living up to the states Local Control Funding Formula at the same time by implementing a new financial accountability system that clearly reveals how districts attach weighted state funding to disadvantaged students and shows actual per-pupil spending at the school level.

The states neediest students should actually receive the tax dollars that voters and the Legislature intended to spend on them. And everyone, especially parents, deserves a better way to see exactly how school districts are spending taxpayer money.

Lisa Snell is director of education at Reason Foundation.
WEST PALM BEACH  President Donald Trump criticized Germany on Saturday for paying too little to both NATO and the United States for security support, a day after he held a chilly meeting at the White House with Chancellor Angela Merkel that showcased the two leaders disagreements.

Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump wrote in a post on Twitter as he began his weekend at Mar-a-Lago, his estate in Palm Beach.

Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany! he continued.

The message was misleading because no nation actually owes money to NATO; its direct funding is calculated through a formula and paid by each of the 28 nations that are members.

Trump may have been referring to the fact that Germany, like most NATO countries, falls short of the alliances guideline that each member should allocate 2 percent of its gross domestic product to military spending, but that money is not intended to be paid to NATO or to the United States.

The presidents Twitter messages came after an awkward White House meeting at which Trump appeared to refuse Merkels offer to shake hands in the Oval Office. The visit highlighted the gulf between the U.S. president, who has styled himself as a foe of globalism, and the German chancellor, a staunch defender of the liberal world order.

Trump expressed deep skepticism during his campaign about the utility of NATO, and while he has praised the organization since taking office, he has made it clear that he believes the member countries must contribute more to an alliance that guarantees a common defense for all who belong to it.

U.S. presidents have long pressed for their NATO partners to commit more financing and other resources, but Trump and Jim Mattis, the defense secretary, have gone a step further, suggesting that the United States might reduce its contribution if other countries do not increase theirs.

At the White House on Friday, Merkel said that Germany would meet its previously stated goal of increasing its military spending to 2 percent of its GDP by 2024.

Trump said on Friday that he had thanked Merkel for that commitment, but hinted that he was impatient over whether Germany and other countries would pay what they owe.

Many nations owe vast sums of money from past years, and it is very unfair to the United States, the president said.
NEW YORK (AP)  Chuck Berry, rock 'n' roll's founding guitar hero and storyteller who defined the music's joy and rebellion in such classics as "Johnny B. Goode," ''Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Roll Over Beethoven," died Saturday at his home west of St. Louis. He was 90.

Emergency responders summoned to Berry's residence by his caretaker about 12:40 p.m. found him unresponsive, police in Missouri's St. Charles County said in a statement. Attempts to revive Berry failed, and he was pronounced dead shortly before 1:30 p.m., police said.

Berry's core repertoire was some three dozen songs, his influence incalculable, from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to virtually any group from garage band to arena act that called itself rock 'n roll.

"Just let me hear some of that rock 'n' roll music any old way you use it I am playing I'm talking about you. God bless Chuck Berry Chuck," Beatles drummer Ringo Starr tweeted, quoting some lyrics from a Berry hit.

While Elvis Presley gave rock its libidinous, hip-shaking image, Berry was the auteur, setting the template for a new sound and way of life.

"Chuck Berry was a rock and roll original. A gifted guitar player, an amazing live performer, and a skilled songwriter whose music and lyrics captured the essence of 1950s teenage life," The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame said in a statement.

Well before the rise of Bob Dylan, Berry wedded social commentary to the beat and rush of popular music.

"He was singing good lyrics, and intelligent lyrics, in the '50s when people were singing, "Oh, baby, I love you so,'" John Lennon once observed.

Berry, in his late 20s before his first major hit, crafted lyrics that spoke to the teenagers of the day and remained fresh decades later. "Sweet Little Sixteen" captured rock 'n' roll fandom, an early and innocent ode to the young girls later known as "groupies." ''School Day" told of the sing-song trials of the classroom ("American history and practical math; you're studying hard, hoping to pass...") and the liberation of rock 'n' roll once the day's final bell rang.

"Roll Over Beethoven" was an anthem to rock's history-making power, while "Rock and Roll Music" was a guidebook for all bands that followed ("It's got a back beat, you can't lose it"). "Back in the U.S.A." was a black man's straight-faced tribute to his country at a time there was no guarantee Berry would be served at the drive-ins and corner cafes he was celebrating.

"Everything I wrote about wasn't about me, but about the people listening," he once said.

"Johnny B. Goode," the tale of a guitar-playing country boy whose mother tells him he'll be a star, was Berry's signature song, the archetypal narrative for would-be rockers and among the most ecstatic recordings in the music's history. Berry can hardly contain himself as the words hurry out ("Deep down Louisiana close to New Orleans/Way back up in the woods among the evergreens") and the downpour of guitar, drums and keyboards amplifies every call of "Go, Johnny Go!"

The song was inspired in part by Johnnie Johnson, the boogie-woogie piano master who collaborated on many Berry hits, but the story could have easily been Berry's, Presley's or countless others'. Commercial calculation made the song universal: Berry had meant to call Johnny a "colored boy," but changed "colored" to "country," enabling not only radio play, but musicians of any color to imagine themselves as stars.

"Chances are you have talent," Berry later wrote of the song. "But will the name and the light come to you? No! You have to go!"

Johnny B. Goode could have only been a guitarist. The guitar was rock 'n' roll's signature instrument and Berry's clarion sound, a melting pot of country flash and rhythm 'n blues drive, turned on at least a generation of musicians, among them the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, who once acknowledged he had "lifted every lick" from his hero; the Beatles' George Harrison; Bruce Springsteen; and the Who's Pete Townshend.

When NASA launched the unmanned Voyager I in 1977, an album was stored on the craft that would explain music on Earth to extraterrestrials. The one rock song included was "Johnny B. Goode."

Charles Edward Anderson Berry was born in St. Louis on Oct. 18, 1926. As a child he practiced a bent-leg stride that enabled him to slip under tables, a prelude to the duck walk of his adult years. His mother, like Johnny B. Goode's, told him he would make it, and make it big.

A fan of blues, swing and boogie woogie, Berry studied the very mechanics of music and how it was transmitted. As a teenager, he loved to take radios apart and put them back together. Using a Nick Manoloff guitar chord book, he learned how to play the hits of the time. He was fascinated by chord progressions and rhythms, discovering that many songs borrowed heavily from the Gershwins' "I Got Rhythm."

He began his musical career at age 15 when he went on stage at a high school review to do his own version of Jay McShann's "Confessin' the Blues." Berry would never forget the ovation he received.

"Long did the encouragement of that performance assist me in programming my songs and even their delivery while performing," he wrote in his autobiography. "I added and deleted according to the audiences' response to different gestures, and chose songs to build an act that would constantly stimulate my audience."

Meanwhile, his troubles with the law began, in 1944, when a joy riding trip to Kansas City turned into a crime spree involving armed robberies and car theft. Berry served three years of a 10-year sentence at a reformatory.

A year after his October 1947 release, Berry met and married Themetta Suggs, who stayed by his side despite some of his well-publicized indiscretions. Berry then started sitting in with local bands. By 1950, he had graduated to a six-string electric guitar and was making his own crude recordings on a reel to reel machine.

On New Year's Eve 1952 at The Cosmopolitan club in East St. Louis, Illinois, Johnson called Berry to fill in for an ailing saxophonist in his Sir John Trio.

"He gave me a break" and his first commercial gig, for $4, Berry later recalled. "I was excited. My best turned into a mess. I stole the group from Johnnie."

Influenced by bandleader Louis Jourdan, blues guitarist T-Bone Walker and jazz man Charlie Christian, but also hip to country music, novelty songs and the emerging teen audiences of the post-World War II era, Berry signed with Chicago's Chess Records in 1955. "Maybellene" reworked the country song "Ida Red" and rose into the top 10 of the national pop charts, a rare achievement for a black artist at that time. According to Berry, label owner Leonard Chess was taken by the novelty of a "hillbilly song sung by a black man," an inversion of Presley's covers of blues songs.

Several hits followed, including "Roll Over Beethoven," ''School Day" and "Sweet Little Sixteen." Among his other songs: "Too Much Monkey Business," ''Nadine," ''No Particular Place To Go," ''Almost Grown" and the racy novelty number "My Ding-A-Ling," which topped the charts in 1972.

Berry also appeared in a dozen movies, doing his distinctive bent-legged "duck-walk" in several teen exploitation flicks of the '50s. Richards organized the well-received 1987 documentary "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll," a concert at St. Louis' Fox Theatre to celebrate Berry's 60th birthday. It featured Eric Clapton, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, who recalled being told by his own mother that Berry, not he, was the true king of rock 'n' roll.

Country, pop and rock artists have recorded Berry songs, including the Beatles ("Roll Over Beethoven"), Emmylou Harris ("You Never Can Tell"), Buck Owens ("Johnny B. Goode") and AC/DC ("School Days"). The Rolling Stones' first single was a cover of Berry's "Come On" and they went on to perform and record "Around and Around," ''Let it Rock" and others. Berry riffs pop up in countless songs, from the Stones' ravenous "Brown Sugar" to the Eagles' mellow country-rock ballad "Peaceful Easy Feeling."

Some stars covered him too well. The Beach Boys borrowed the melody of "Sweet Little Sixteen" for their surf anthem "Surfin' U.S.A." without initially crediting Berry. The Beatles' "Come Together," written by John Lennon, was close enough to Berry's "You Can't Catch Me" to inspire a lawsuit by music publisher Morris Levy. In an out of court settlement, Lennon agreed to record "You Can't Catch Me" for his 1975 "Rock n' Roll" album.

On his 90th birthday last year, Berry disclosed that he would release his first new album in 38 years in 2017, titled simply: "Chuck." The announcement said it would be comprised primarily of new, original songs written, recorded and produced by him.

In 2000, Johnson sued Berry over royalties and credit he believed he was due for the songs they composed together over more than 20 years of collaboration. The lawsuit was dismissed two years later, but Richards was among those who believed Johnson had been cheated, writing in his memoir "Life" that Johnson set up the arrangements for Berry and was so essential to the music that many of Berry's songs were recorded in keys more suited for the piano.

Openly money-minded, Berry was an entrepreneur with a St. Louis nightclub and, in a small town west of there, property he dubbed Berry Park, which included a home, guitar-shaped swimming pool, restaurant, cottages and concert venue. He declined to have a regular band and instead used local musicians, willing to work cheap. Springsteen was among those who had an early gig backing Berry.

Burned by an industry that demanded a share of his songwriting credits, Berry was deeply suspicious of even his admirers, as anybody could tell from watching him give Richards the business in "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll." For the movie's concerts, he confounded Richards by playing songs in different keys and tempos than they had been in rehearsal. Richards would recall turning to his fellow musicians and shrugging, "Wing it, boys."

Berry's career nearly ended decades earlier, when he was indicted for violating the Mann Act, which barred transportation of a minor across state lines for "immoral purposes." An all-white jury found him guilty in 1960, but the charges were vacated after the judge made racist comments. A trial in 1961 led to his serving 1 1/2 years of a three-year term. Berry continued to record after getting out, and his legacy was duly honored by the Beatles and the Stones, but his hit-making days were essentially over.

"Down from stardom/then I fell/to this lowly prison cell," Berry wrote as his jail time began.

Tax charges came in 1979, and another three-year prison sentence, all but 120 days of which was suspended. Some former female employees later sued him for allegedly videotaping them in the bathroom of his restaurant. The cases were settled in 1994, after Berry paid $1.3 million.

"Every 15 years, in fact, it seems I make a big mistake," Berry acknowledged in his memoir.

Still, echoing the lyrics of "Back in the U.S.A.," he said: "There's no other place I would rather live, including Africa, than America. I believe in the system."

Copyright 2017 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Global consumer-goods makers reduced ingredients such as sugar and salt in about 20 percent of their products in 2016 as shoppers shift toward healthier brands.

A survey of 102 companies, including Nestle SA and Procter & Gamble Co., found that 180,000 products were reformulated in 2016, according to a report from the Consumer Goods Forum. That was about double the previous year.

The big consumer companies are responding to competitive pressures, Peter Freedman, managing director of the industry body, said by phone. The growth in the industry is coming from small startups with product portfolios that have a healthier angle.

The biggest producers are losing share to smaller, localized brands that are capitalizing on shoppers growing preference for healthier and more sustainable products. Organic growth for global consumer companies has fallen to less than 3 percent for the last three years, according to Credit Suisse analysts.

Adding to changing consumer tastes, governments are clamping down on unhealthy products. In March, the U.K. followed Mexico in imposing a tax on sugary drinks in an effort to cut obesity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year announced companies would be required to label products with more detailed information about their sugar content.

After failing to meet internal goals, Nestle says it has found a way to reduce sugar in chocolate by as much as 40 percent and will cut the amount of sugar in the chocolate and confectionery it sells in the U.K. and Ireland by 10 percent by next year. Mars said 99 percent of its products now contain less than 250 calories per serving.

The forces of the market are pushing things in the right direction, and there will be more to come, Freedman said. Products will have less salt, less sugar and fewer calories.
Americans are having fewer kids. The U.S. fertility rate is at an all-time low, with more single and coupled people choosing to delay or forego parenthood. However, remaining child-free still isn't socially accepted.

That conclusion was reconfirmed in a study detailing the stigmatization, social backlash and "moral outrage" toward child-free people.

In the study, Leslie Ashburn-Nardo, a psychology professor at Indiana University, asked 197 college undergraduates from a large Midwestern university to read a vignette about a married graduate from the school who was described as male or female, with either zero or two children.

Asked to assess their feelings toward the graduates on a scale of 1 to 5, Ashburn-Nardo wanted to discern whether her participants  who had an average age of 20  would view the child-free alums as more or less psychologically satisfied than their parent peers.

What she found was astonishing, Ashburn-Nardo wrote in an email. She discovered that the child-free alums were "perceived to be significantly less psychologically fulfilled" than those who were parents  and that participants experienced such reactions as disgust, disapproval, annoyance, outrage and anger when evaluating the child-free folks.

There was no gender gap in how the nonparents were viewed; participants believed both child-free men and women were less likely to lead happy lives. Ashburn-Nardo's findings indicate that at least some young people see parenthood as more of a moral obligation than a personal choice  and that people who don't have kids should prepare to be judged, even stigmatized.

"The (moral outrage) was the most surprising," Ashburn-Nardo wrote. "It's still shocking to me that people can report such feelings toward a person they've never met, and never could meet."

As a single 40-year-old woman who has long waffled about wanting kids, I found this research disheartening. I've always despised being the subject of others' pity, and this study confirmed that people like me are ripe for others' scorn. But being child-free is not a decision I've reached lightly. In fact, it was never a concrete decision at all.

As an adopted child, I've always longed for a more cohesive sense of family (a boyfriend once told me I wouldn't be able to "heal my childhood wounds" until I became a mother myself). And though I've never been especially maternal, for years I harbored a fantasy of finding the perfect partner  the kind of mate who would make having a child feel like an inevitability instead of a question mark. I believed that if I was "in love enough," I'd feel that primal push toward motherhood that seemed to grip so many of my friends.

That ideal partner hasn't come along yet, and neither has an unwavering desire to be a mom. But after some soul-searching, I realized that even as a child, when I imagined my grown-up future, I didn't necessarily picture motherhood. I saw a warm, passionate long-term relationship with a man I loved, plus good friends, glamorous travels, a cozy home and lots of animals. In addition to a few relatives, that might be all the family I need. Why that very personal  but also painful  realization would offend others makes me feel even further stigmatized.

Though Ashburn-Nardo, who typically studies racism and how to combat it, is married, she's all too familiar with feeling judged. She recalled how strangers at dinner parties have often assumed that she and her husband were parents and have even asked about their nonexistent kids. "I understand that ... most people our age have children," she acknowledged. But when she corrected them, strangers' reactions  "a look of disdain, like we'd done something wrong"  were what drove her toward this research.

That disdain is correlated with the umbrella term "moral outrage" used in Ashburn-Nardo's study. "People experience moral outrage when they perceive someone has violated a morally prescribed behavior, something we're 'supposed to do' because it's what we see as right," she explained. "In this case, there's a societal expectation that people should desire to have children."

What does this outrage on the part of the college-aged participants say to other young people who choose to forego child-rearing? And what does it say to child-free adults like me? According to Ashburn-Nardo, it sends the message that "parenthood is not only something we all should want, but that it is the (only) recipe for happiness and fulfillment." However, most scientific literature shows that's, well, not true. "Meta-analyses of hundreds of studies demonstrate that having children negatively affects relationship satisfaction," Ashburn-Nardo pointed out.

***

Laura Barcella is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer and the author of "Fight Like a Girl: 50 Feminists Who Changed the World."
YAMAZAKI, Japan (AP)  A dim storage room surrounded by bamboo groves and pastoral hills is filled wall-to-wall with 3,000 wooden barrels. Here sleeps, for years, sometimes decades, prized Japanese whisky.

The Suntory distillery in Yamazaki, near the ancient capital of Kyoto, is where the first drop of made-in-Japan malt whisky was distilled in 1924.

These days, Japanese whisky is winning accolades from around the world, often beating the products from Scotland its makers set out to emulate.

In 2003, the Yamazaki 12 Years single malt whisky became the first Japanese whisky to win the gold medal at the International Spirits Challenge, the most authoritative liquor competition in the world. Last year, Hibiki, another Suntory label, won the Worlds Best Blended Whisky prize at the World Whiskies Awards, for the fourth time. A bottle of Yamazaki Sherry Cask, aged 25 years, fetches thousands of dollars.

They have a lot more earthiness to them. They are much more a product of their environment, Wes Barbee, a 23-year-old consultant from Houston, gushed as he joined dozens of Japanese and foreign tourists visiting the Yamazaki distillery and lining up for a taste.

American and Canadian whisky has nothing on this, he said. Its mass production. This is very intimate. The flavors are carefully chosen.

***

Japan Inc. abounds with stories of manufacturers like automaker Toyota Motor Corp. and musical instrument manufacturer Yamaha Corp. that at first imitated Western pioneers in their industries but ended up matching, if not outdoing, them.

Suntory founder Shinjiro Torii was determined to introduce Scotch to Japan. Overcoming early failures, he eventually adapted his methods to distill a whisky palatable to Japanese.

Experts believe that aside from Japans clean and tasty ground water, its four distinct seasons help to deepen whisky flavors during years of aging.

Scotlands many distilleries make blending whisky flavors easy. Suntory had to develop its own array of flavors using various temperatures and combinations of yeasts for fermentation, as well as more complex methods of distilling whisky.

After fermentation, the beige liquid gets heated and distilled in pot stills, huge metallic containers of varying shapes that can quicken or delay the distilling process, yielding nuances of flavors.

The result is a colorless liquid that smells almost like antiseptic that is stored in barrels, or casks, in a cavernous warehouse designed for aging whiskies. No nails are used in the casks, whose strips of old wood are bound by tightened metal rings. Aging gives whisky its color and personality  what whisky lovers say distinguishes it from wine or beer.

The casks, used over and over again, include old wine and bourbon barrels. Some are from Europe and the U.S., while others are made of Japanese oak. Suntorys three distilleries in Japan house a million casks.

***

Its a mystery exactly how whisky ages, says Shinji Fukuyo, Suntorys chief blender.

Flavors of each cask are mixed  just right, like a jigsaw puzzle, he says  to create, and recreate, various kinds of whisky and develop new ones.

A serious-looking, slight man with graying hair, Fukuyo says he avoids garlic or greasy fish, especially for breakfast, to keep his taste buds pure for his job.

Whats important for whisky is that its deliciousness must deepen with aging, sitting in the casks for a long time, said Fukuyo, 55, demonstrating how he examines the whisky in a glass, swirling the crystalline amber spirit against the light.

He gently rolls a sip on his tongue, then spits it out: Fukuyo does 100 such tastings a day, sometimes more than 200. He switches positions of the glasses on the table to remember what he just tasted. There is no time for note-taking.

Its a clean and beautiful taste. Its hard to explain in words, he said of Japanese whisky.

Japanese whisky aged in a white oak cask has a hint of citrus or green apple. One aged in a sherry cask is fragrant, rich and sweet, evocative of dried fruit. Whisky aged in Japanese oak and smoky whisky have pungent, herbal flavors.

The growing popularity of Japans cuisine has helped win a following for its whisky, which was designed to be consumed with food, experts say.

Nikka Whisky, a unit of Asahi Breweries, froze its overseas expansion in 2014, finding it impossible to keep up with demand, says Emiko Kaji, who manages Nikkas international business.

Nikka Whisky From the Barrel, packaged in a sleek bottle, is doing especially well in Europe, she says.

***

Sukhinder Singh, owner of London-based retailer The Whisky Exchange, says he has had to ration his supplies of Japanese whisky to hotels and restaurants. He never seems to have enough.

At first, Japanese victories in blindfold whisky contests baffled connoisseurs. By now the Japanese blends have won over even the skeptics, he said.

When whisky expert Jim Murray voted the Yamazaki Sherry Cask the Best Whisky in the World for his 2015 Whisky Bible, its price shot up overnight. Prices of other Japanese whiskies have also been rising.

Everyone went: We want to buy Japanese, Singh said in a phone interview. The problem we have at the moment is not selling it. Its getting it.

We can sell every bottle we can get.

Zoetrope, a tiny bar in a dingy Tokyo backstreet building, is famed among lovers of Japanese whisky.

Japanese whisky has an unpredictability that makes it fun, and the highly skillful Japanese blenders have created a subtle taste with an impeccable balance, said Atsushi Horigami, Zoetropes owner and bartender, standing before counters and shelves crammed with colorful bottles.

Thousands of miles away at Festa, a bar in San Francisco, banker Crystal Roseberry was trying Suntorys Yamazaki 12, at $40 a drink, for the first time.

Soft, silky, not jarring, elegant, friendly. And it still has a structure of a good whisky, which I think is very important, she said in an interview over an online call. This whisky is intriguing,

Bar owner Masae Matsumoto was glad to have stocked up on Yamazaki.

Its gotten impossible to get over the last six months, she said. Japanese whisky tastes so good.
COLUMBUS, Neb.  Some of the peppers youll see this summer at farmers markets and grocery stores got their start last week with Felipe de Jesus Aldais Ruiz and his pair of tweezers.

Aldais Ruiz is part of a crew of foreign workers on a Platte County family farm who perform the intensive hands-on labor that makes it possible for the farm to raise vegetables for sale across Nebraska and beyond. Their employer, Daniels Produce, is one of many Midlands agriculture businesses worried that workers might become harder to find, as President Donald Trump looks to crack down on illegal immigration and suspend refugee resettlement programs.

Aldais Ruiz, a 27-year-old Mexican, and the men he works alongside are in the country legally through a visa program for seasonal agricultural workers called H2-A.

Daniels farm manager Kelly Jackson has criticized the H2-A program for what she says is its cost and inefficiencies  reasons other farmers avoid the program in favor of undocumented workers.

But she worries a crackdown on illegal immigration could create a flood of employers applying to use the visa program and make it less likely her application will be processed on time. (Employers using the H2-A visas file the initial applications on behalf of their seasonal workers.) Shes also concerned by Trumps recent comments about prioritizing visas for highly skilled workers, wondering if that might mean fewer farm laborers allowed into the country.

That wouldnt be a bad thing, in some economists and voters view: They say that if fewer foreign workers come to the U.S. to do the unskilled labor of agricultural work, wages will rise and opportunities will open for American workers. Thats also the Trump administrations view.

Still, Daniels and others in agriculture  from on-the-ground farms to industry lobby groups  said they still dont have a good sense of how Trumps immigration policy will shape up or how exactly it will affect them. Many say the policies could disrupt the supply of workers they cant run their businesses without.

At Daniels, for example, growing kitchen-table produce is more labor-intensive than the type of work most other farms in the county undertake: planting commodity-type corn and soybeans with huge machines.

One morning this month the H2-A workers formed a pepper-planting assembly line: One filled trays with soil, another ran a small machine that placed one seed in each section of the tray and Aldais Ruiz used his tweezers to remove any doubled-up seeds, before he covered the seeds with more soil and soaked each tray in a tank of water.

The 80 or so workers Daniels hires each year are paid a government-mandated $13.79 an hour, plus housing and transportation, for a job that Daniels says it is hard-pressed to find local workers for, mainly because the work is seasonal, but also because its physically demanding  not just painstaking planting, but operating and repairing equipment, hoeing weeds, and picking and packing vegetables.

The nearest town, Monroe, has fewer than 300 residents, and the unemployment rate across Platte County, which includes Columbus, has been under 4 percent for most of the past four years.

If the government is going to tighten up immigration rules, Jackson said, first you need to give us a pathway for workers.

Its a refrain heard throughout agribusiness, with industry leaders calling for expanded guest worker programs and a pathway to citizenship for unauthorized or temporary workers.

Theres support in farm country for Trumps stance on deporting unauthorized workers. Almost three-fourths of respondents to the 2006 Nebraska Rural Poll said undocumented immigrants should be deported. Only a third said guest worker programs should be created to allow foreigners to work here without becoming citizens. The poll of about 2,500 people in rural areas is conducted annually by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; it last asked about the subject in 2006.

Across Nebraska and Iowa, its not just produce farmers who worry.

Meatpackers, dairy farmers and others in the states huge agriculture and food-processing industries rely on the labor of foreigners, immigrants and refugees. These workers slaughter and process cattle and hogs, milk cows, operate food factory equipment and more. They also spend at least some of their paychecks at local businesses.

Employers say they strive to hire only those authorized to work in the country. But they cant always tell, they say: Federal law prohibits employers from rejecting documents that look reasonably authentic, or from asking immigrant workers for employment verification papers different from what they require of native-born workers.

Take Nebraskas dairy farms, employing as many as 600 people  about one for every 100 milk cows, said Rod Johnson, executive director of the Nebraska State Dairy Association. Immigrant workers are essential to the operations of these Nebraska farms, which sell $300 million worth of milk a year, he said.

We would like to think theyre all legal immigrants, but finding and keeping a full staff on hand is often a challenge, Johnson said.

He said dairy operators are conscientious and inspect the paperwork theyre given, in some cases using the federal E-Verify program, but sometimes cant be certain.

What we do find is most of the immigrant workers that show up are very eager to work, he said.

Its a problem for the dairy industry nationwide. The National Milk Producers Federation this month called for a year-round guest-worker program, and for an amnesty or path-to-citizenship program that would allow unauthorized workers to earn the right to work legally in the U.S. Right now, guest agricultural workers can come to the U.S. only seasonally; Daniels farm workers return to their home countries every winter, but dairy farms need year-round help.

As important as border security and interior law enforcement procedures are, such measures must be paired with a focus on current and future agricultural labor needs, milk federation CEO Jim Mulhern wrote in a column.

Such needs could be ignored if the Trump administration focuses on highly skilled foreign workers, slowing the pipeline of lower-skilled workers that provide farm and meatpacking labor. Supporters say focusing on higher-skilled immigrant workers will put more Americans to work in labor-intensive industries.

Don Stull, a University of Kansas anthropology professor who has studied the meatpacking industry for decades, called it folk mythology that native U.S. workers wouldnt take meatpacking jobs if the pay were raised. With todays plants largely located in rural areas, jobs that start around $12 or $13 an hour are already a whole lot better than what you can earn in other jobs in rural America, such as fast-food wages.

Still, Jackson and others in the ag industry say there are simply not enough Americans in rural areas to staff ag operations  and those who do apply tend to be less reliable.

The Pew Research Center estimates that about 30,000 unauthorized immigrants work in Nebraska, an estimated 3.2 percent of Nebraskas total labor force. They are heavily represented in a handful of industries, making up 18 percent of Nebraskas construction workers; 9 percent of production workers, a group that includes food processing; and 5 percent of farm laborers, Pew said.

Foreign-born workers make up about a third of the nations butchers and other meat-processing workers, according to Pew. About half of those foreign-born workers are authorized to work.

A spokesman for meat processor Greater Omaha Packing said he didnt know what the effect of Trumps policies might be on the meatpacker, with about $1.8 billion in annual sales. But one things for certain, he said: Foreign workers are essential.

Greater Omaha Packing believes that we have essentially reached full employment in our area and need to avail ourselves of non-U.S. workers who are willing to fill the jobs we have available that would otherwise remain unfilled, company attorney Mark Theisen said.

The beef processor has employees from at least 17 countries and said it uses E-Verify, a voluntary Department of Homeland Security program, to check documents.

Tyson Foods, with several plants in Nebraska and Iowa, said it does not expect Trumps tough stance on illegal immigration to affect its operations. Tyson also uses E-Verify and participates in other government programs that aim to ensure immigrants are eligible to work.

New policies restricting refugees, though, might have an impact. Nebraska has resettled more refugees per capita than any other state, and many refugees have found jobs in meatpacking. Amid tighter immigration regulations post-9/11, packers have favored hiring refugees because they are authorized to work, are seen as hard workers and sometimes help recruit friends and family, Stull said.

Lutheran Family Services, the main agency assisting refugees in Nebraska, typically places 300 to 350 refugees a year in jobs here. Agency officials said about half of new refugees hired each year in Nebraska, especially those with limited English, work in meatpacking and other agriculture-related jobs. Lutheran Family Services has connected refugees with jobs at Tyson Foods, Cargill and other processors. Even refugees who first arrive in other states sometimes join friends and relatives in meatpacking jobs in Nebraska cities.

In a state with one of the nations lowest unemployment rates, and with a labor force that hasnt seen much growth since the end of the Great Recession, employers are eager to hire refugees despite a language barrier, said Ryan Overfield, a Lutheran Family Services official.

Employers are always looking for pipelines of people, he said. While communication is important, what they need most is someone who is motivated and dependable.

Demand for meatpacking workers is only set to grow, with large new processing plants planned in the Midlands.

Lincoln Premium Poultry looks to hire 800 to 1,000 people for its planned Fremont plant, which will slaughter and package chicken for sale at Costco stores starting in 2018.

Pork producer Seaboard Triumph Foods will hire as many as 2,000 workers for two shifts at a new Sioux City, Iowa, pork processing plant; the first shift will start up this summer. Tyson is adding 350 jobs to its expanding Council Bluffs plant, where workers process cuts of beef and pork for retail sales.

Help-wanted ads describe the hard, physical labor. Tysons job postings mention repetitive movements, cold and damp air, long periods of standing, knife work, and the need to lift up to 50 or 75 pounds. Applicants have to be ready to work any shift and need a pair of steel-toed boots.

Why cant dairy farmers and meatpackers just raise wages to attract more native U.S. workers?

Some might, but both industries compete in a worldwide commodities market and have limited ability to profitably increase prices to cover raises. Operators say they already pay competitive wages.

More likely than raising wages might be replacing workers with technology. Costcos plant managers say they are cutting down on labor needs by investing in robotic de-boning equipment. Plainview, Nebraska, dairy Demerath Farms this month started using robotic milking systems, saying the shift let it expand its herd without hiring more people.

A third possibility is that producers will cut back on production, which might mean fewer jobs, said Eric Thompson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln economist.

A restricted flow of immigrants could hurt rural growth beyond agriculture, Thompson said. International migration is a major reason Nebraska has a growing population, especially in some rural counties that are home to meatpacking operations.

And it could stifle wage growth overall: The more people in an area, the higher the wages tend to be, he said.

The economy will create more opportunities if there are more workers and if our cities and towns are larger, he said.

The Center for Rural Affairs said some rural businesses, including construction companies, are wondering whats ahead this summer, if migrant workers dont show up as usual.

Some workers may be wary of even leaving their homes.

In our rural areas, its a lot of uncertainty right now, said Karina Perez, executive director at Centro Hispano, an immigration services agency in Columbus. The agency offers citizenship preparation classes and has seen increased interest among meatpacking workers in Schuyler and Madison. They may be authorized workers, she said, who now feel increased urgency to take the next step of becoming citizens.

At Daniels Produce, some H2-A workers are concerned about the political upheaval; others say they dont worry about it.

H2-A worker Claudio Meijia, 39, has worked for Daniels for seven years and said the job is a blessing that has provided a better life for his two sons in Guatemala, helping to keep the lights on and pay for essentials like shoes. He watches the news and is worried the proposed policy changes might limit his ability to work in the U.S.

For his family, he said, It would be like going backward.

Aldais Ruiz  the pepper planter  has worked at Daniels seasonally since 2009, supporting two daughters and a son in Mexico. He said he doesnt worry, but appreciates the ability to work legally, where his employer doesnt take money from his check to cover rent or other costs.

Jackson, the farm manager, is hoping that the Trump administration will bring the immigration overhaul shes been waiting for  something that will preserve the workers she has now and even allow more workers into the state. Her 500,000 pepper plants are depending on it.
A months-long search by the Omaha Public Schools board to find its next superintendent has come to an end without a hire after the two remaining finalists pulled out Saturday.

The surprise withdrawals came just two days before the board was scheduled to meet and select the districts next leader, and it puts into doubt whether OPS will have a permanent superintendent in place for the 2017-18 school year.

Paul Gausman, the superintendent of Sioux City Community Schools in Iowa, and Khalid Mumin, the superintendent of Reading School District in Pennsylvania, issued a joint statement Saturday night to announce their decision to withdraw from consideration.

It is evident that neither of us have engendered ... support with the Omaha Public Schools Board of Education, Gausman and Mumin wrote.

As experienced educators, we understand the need for a supportive relationship between any board and its chief executive, as that team must work together to move a district forward; students, staff, parents, and the greater community deserve no less, they wrote.

A third finalist, Jane Stavem, the associate superintendent for instruction at Lincoln Public Schools, dropped out a week ago, saying the job wasnt a good fit.

In an interview, Gausman said he and Mumin received a phone call Saturday morning from Thomas Jacobson, the consultant hired to lead the OPS search. Jacobson told Gausman that he wanted both of them to know, heading into Mondays school board meeting, that it was possible that neither candidate had the full backing of the board.

So we made the decision to let them continue their search so they could find a candidate that would have that ... support, Gausman said.

The news was unexpected, Gausman said, but he plans to remain in Sioux City, where hes served as superintendent since 2008.

Im excited and thrilled to have the support of the board here and I want to continue the great work we have going on in our community, he said. Ive been following the Omaha Public Schools and watching some of the great things that have happened there, and I certainly wish them well as they continue their search.

Mumin could not be reached for comment Saturday night.

Board members said Saturday that Gausman and Mumin were both strong candidates who had garnered significant community support. But board members remained split on who was the best choice for OPS, the states largest district with more than 50,000 students.

Neither finalist seemed to have the support of a majority of the nine-member board, board member Ben Perlman said.

If someone doesnt have five votes, we cant ignore that and bury our heads in the sand, we have to decide whats next, he said. We just didnt feel that either one was a perfect fit. And theyre both very talented, incredibly smart people, but it could just be a function of math.

I think board members saw positives from each one, and there may have been some things that held them back maybe on one or the other, board member Lou Ann Goding said.

The board launched its superintendent search after current Superintendent Mark Evans announced in October that he would retire at the end of the school year. Evans became superintendent in 2013.

Consultant McPherson & Jacobson was hired at a base rate of $28,900, plus expenses, which include advertisements and travel. They received half of that fee up front and are scheduled to receive the second half at the end of a successful search.

Jacobson, the CEO and founder of the firm, did not return a call seeking comment Saturday night.

The board received 33 applications from 19 states for the position. The three finalists were announced at the end of February.

Throughout the search, Lacey Merica and Marque Snow, the boards president and vice president, said it was crucial that board members unite around a single candidate and cast a unanimous vote to hire the districts next leader.

The board has battled against the perception that they are divided after a marathon meeting in January where board members cast more than 120 votes to elect a new board president.

I think weve said from the beginning and weve said to the search firm all along, we want a strong candidate that the entire board can unite around, that is the strongest candidate to serve as our next superintendent, Merica said Saturday. And so, well continue on our process to do that.

The board is still scheduled to hold a public meeting Monday at 6:30 p.m. for its first full meeting since the public interviews. A subcommittee thats been leading the search, which consists of board members Snow, Merica, Vinny Palermo and Matt Scanlan, is also scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss next steps.

Board members will have to hash out where to go from here, Merica said. Theyll have to decide whether to restart the search and whether an interim superintendent will be hired for the next school year.

We dont have a choice, we have to start a new search, Perlman said. Were going to have to decide what that looks like. We will have to take steps immediately, asking the search firm to start again or put out another request for proposal. Something has to happen right away.

OPS has gone down the interim route before, hiring Virginia Moon to serve as interim superintendent in 2012 in the aftermath of another broken superintendent search that ended in the resignation of Nancy Sebring. Sebring resigned shortly after being hired as OPS superintendent after sexually explicit emails sent to and from her work account became public.

We will probably have to reach out to an interim, Palermo said. I would assume that would be our next option. ... If Mr. Evans is leaving, we cant be a school district without a superintendent.

Both Palermo and Merica said there likely isnt time to redo the search and have a permanent superintendent in place before Evans steps down in June. Evans did not return a call for comment Saturday on whether this would change his retirement plans.

Its a little too late to do a full, valid, well-thought-out search to have someone in place for the fall, Merica said. The last thing we would want to do is hurry, to rush to have something done.

Before withdrawing, Gausman, 50, and Mumin, 45, both visited Omaha the week of March 6. They toured schools; hosted meet-and-greet sessions with parents, staff and community members; and answered questions on student discipline, their leadership styles and charter schools during hourlong public interviews with board members.

Attendees of the meet-and-greet sessions filled out feedback forms, listing the strengths of different candidates and any concerns they had.

Gausman earned praise for being high-energy, stressing the importance of teamwork and for his desire to work in OPS. Since being hired by Sioux City, he said the only other job hes applied for is the OPS superintendent position.

In the concerns category, some wondered how he would handle discipline problems in OPS and if he was ready to lead a larger, complex district. Sioux City enrolls nearly 15,000 students, compared with more than 50,000 in OPS.

Mumin was called a dynamic speaker who has experience working with diverse, low-income students and interesting ideas for boosting family engagement. Still, some voiced concerns about whether he would remain in Omaha for more than a few years and felt he didnt voice strong enough opposition to charter schools.

Reading is also a smaller district than OPS, with about 17,500 students.

Bridget Donovan, the president of the Omaha Education Association, said Friday, before Mumin and Gausman withdrew, that the teachers union wasnt backing a specific candidate. She wished teachers and administrators had a larger role in the selection process.

Some members are still unhappy that there were no internal candidates among the finalists, she said.

Goding said it was disappointing that the search hadnt ended in a hire.

Obviously, at the end of the day we all wanted it to be successful, she said. In this particular case, were clearly going to take a step backward to go forward.

World-Herald staff writers Dan Golden and Emerson Clarridge contributed to this report.

* * * * *

State to OPS families from board President Lacey Merica

OPS Families:

You may have already heard that yesterday evening, the two remaining finalists for Superintendent, Dr. Paul Gausman and Dr Khalid Mumin, both withdrew their candidacy. The Board of Education was notified late yesterday evening.

We have extended our thanks to all three finalists, including Dr. Jane Stavem, for being a part of our superintendent search process, and we respect their decisions to withdraw.

The Board remains committed to finding the strongest possible candidate to serve as our Superintendent. We will meet tomorrow evening at our regularly scheduled board meeting as planned, where we will discuss next steps.

Since we began this process, the Board has worked diligently to ensure an open, transparent process for our staff, families and the public. Our sharing this information with you is part of that commitment.

If you have questions, you are encouraged to send an email to: superintendentsearch@ops.org.

Thank you for you time. Please enjoy your Sunday.

Regards,

Lacey Merica, President

Omaha Public Schools Board of Education
Ethnic heritage is notably rich and varied in our part of the country. Consider the example of the Danes.

Danish immigrants founded Dana College in Blair in 1884 and by the early 20th century had Danish churches in Omaha as well as a Danish-language newspaper. Dairy farms operated by Danish immigrants ringed the city. Omaha was home to the Danish Brotherhood in America, a national insurance agency dating to the 1870s. In 1995 it merged with the Woodmen of the World. In recent years, Denmark has made significant business investments in our area, including the Novozymes biorefinery in Blair and the Plumrose USA packaged meat facility in Council Bluffs.

Now, the Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn, Iowa, an hours drive east of Omaha, has received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums. Only 3 percent of the nations 33,000 museums have that designation, including nine in Nebraska and five in western Iowa.

The Museum of Danish America has well-curated exhibits and houses 35,000 artifacts. It provides research internships for American and Danish graduate students and is a major center for Danish genealogical studies.

The museum has long set a high standard for itself and is well deserving of this national honor.
Moves to more aggressively enforce Nebraskas liquor laws could one day close the sad chapter of tiny Whiteclay and its beer stores that prey on peoples addictions.

If this new approach works, Nebraskans should thank Whiteclay activists, Attorney General Doug Peterson, Gov. Pete Ricketts, the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission and a bipartisan list of state senators.

Theyve cracked open the door to hope.

The Attorney Generals Office, after investigating Whiteclay liquor sales at the request of the liquor commission, has issued 22 citations, including allegations that the stores illegally sell beer to bootleggers.

And the Legislature voted 42-0 to advance Legislative Bill 407, co-sponsored by Democratic Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks and Republican Sen. Tom Brewer, to create a task force to study Whiteclays problems and determine what might help address them.

Four beer stores in the unincorporated village of about a dozen people sell the equivalent of 3.5 million cans of beer a year, largely to residents of the dry Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

The stores already faced an April 7 hearing before the liquor commission to determine whether Whiteclay, with no local police force, has adequate law enforcement to support the four liquor licensees. Rushville, the nearest town with regular law enforcement, is at least 20 minutes away.

Now the stores owners face a separate hearing on the states latest allegations. Both hearings have the potential to lead to the stores closures.

Even if that occurred, the underlying problems wouldnt disappear. The Whiteclay area has little or no infrastructure in place to address generational alcoholism  no detox facilities, scarce counselors and scant jobs and job training.

Thats why the Legislatures efforts matter. And they shouldnt stop at the state border.

Ricketts, working with state senators, should reach out to South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard to hold discussions that could produce meaningful results. Tribal council leaders and federal agencies ought to be a part of the process, too.

Stricter liquor law enforcement could be the start of something new  the culmination of meetings that started in October 2015 between the governor, attorney general, liquor control commissioners and Native American leaders.

Ricketts and Peterson said then that they wanted to give Whiteclay a fresh look. Peterson said he was looking to develop a sustainable law enforcement response.

I am very much encouraged, said Frank LaMere, a Winnebago Indian activist who has called for years for the beer stores closure.

Its a stark change from decades of lax enforcement and look-the-other-way local and state politics  a welcome shift for the people of Pine Ridge and Nebraskans ashamed of Whiteclay.
Stability.

That describes a desirable environment for the Omaha Public Schools, which serves 52,000 students throughout Omaha. Its the largest school district in the state and is one of Omahas largest employers with more than 7,300 employees.

The revelation Saturday that the two remaining finalists had withdrawn from the search process to replace Mark Evans as superintendent is alarming, disturbing and downright embarrassing. This for a school district that has achieved significant positive momentum under Evans leadership during the past four years.

The OPS school board should take a hint from this failed process, take a deep breath and make a statesmanlike decision that would benefit those 52,000 students: Extend Mark Evans agreement by one or two years and have him serve as interim superintendent while the board gets its house in order.

The applicant pool was just 33, contrasted with 89 applicants following the hiring of Nancy Sebring, who never took office after her inappropriate emails surfaced publicly. Consider the fact that the current boards very public dysfunction and divisiveness, punctuated by the 120-plus votes over two meetings to simply pick its board president, served as a larger deterrent than the failed 2012 search fraught with scandal.

Further, if the OPS board decides to conduct another search immediately, its hard to believe many qualified applicants would apply. The facts are daunting: a deeply divided board that just concluded a failed search. Hard to imagine who would apply to walk into that situation.

Consider the powerful comment from Jane Stavem of Lincoln Public Schools after withdrawing from the process: Some of the key stakeholder groups I thought would have been a part of that process were not, she said. That also plays into the decision-making when trying to determine if it was the right fit. Stavem said typically finalists meet with groups such as the districts executive team, teachers union and principals, to ask questions and learn more about the district. That wasnt part of this particular process, she said.

So the search process excluded senior managers, classroom teachers and school principals. Again, with that as a public backdrop, the likelihood of a strong applicant pool now seems extremely low.

One individual knows the situation, has dealt with the current board and has a track record of success in OPS: Mark Evans. Among his accomplishments:

 Refocusing on academics, graduation rates and state test scores. The Nebraska Department of Education now cites the districts work at struggling schools as a statewide model.

 Improving state test scores in reading and math and continuing to narrow achievement gaps rooted in poverty. High school graduation rates and ACT scores have trended up.

 Overseeing the states largest-ever bond issue, on time and on budget.

 Competing better for teachers by paying more, hiring sooner and better mentoring new hires.

 Hiring four former principals to supervise and mentor the districts 86 principals, ensuring that the strategic plans academic goals are carried out in every building.

 Starting a principals academy to prepare employees for future leadership roles and creating a leadership pipeline.

 Deploying technology faster to classrooms and training teachers better on ways to use technology and improve student learning.

 Evaluating building maintenance and replacement needs and budgeting more wisely for maintenance instead of putting off costly work.

 Revitalizing relationships with the business community and listening to business concerns about OPS graduates needing new skills.

The OPS board would do well to extend Mark Evans contract to serve as interim superintendent and allow some time to pass after the failed superintendent search.

It should use that time to work together as a board and with teachers, principals, managers and community stakeholders toward reaching the common ground that will benefit those 52,000 students, who are, after all, the future of our city.

Stability is the goal.

And statesmanship matters.
Can Narendra Modi tame firebrand Yogi Adityanath?

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Lucknow, March 19: Did the Bharatiya Janata Party desist from naming its Chief Ministerial candidate for UP before the assembly polls because it wanted to spring a nasty, or pleasant, surprise - depending on one's point of view - on an unsuspecting public?

For some, the earlier deafening silence on a possible Chief Minister might have been a deceitful ploy considering that as virtually the sole effective campaigner, Narendra Modi gave the impression that he remains focused on development notwithstanding a few sops to the Hindutva brigade as in the 'kabaristhan-shamshan ghat' controversy relating to the Samajwadi Party's alleged partiality towards the Muslims.

To critics such as these, the choice of Yogi Adityanath - perhaps the most trenchant of the saffron hardliners - as UP's Chief Minister is also a message to the BJP's core constituency of communal-minded Hindus that for all the talk about 'sabka saath' and 'sabka vikas' or development for all, Modi's heart remains in the right place.

The jury will be out till it becomes clear whether the BJP is playing a double game. However, to give it the benefit of doubt, it has to be admitted that so far the party's emphasis has remained on development with even the Yogi articulating the key word, vikas, in his first few comments after his selection was announced while the central observer, Venkaiah Naidu, repeated it thrice to remove all misgivings.

There is little doubt, however, that the choice of Yogi is one of the most audacious of gambles by Modi, far more than the demonetisation venture.

If the prime minister can make a person, whose anti-minority hate speeches figure prominently in Google searches, to change his saffron stripes, it will be an extraordinary achievement.

Perhaps Modi believes that if he himself can change from being a textbook fascist, as sociologist Ashis Nandy said, or a modern-day Nero, in the Supreme Court's view, or a person who "presided" over the killing of thousands, in Manmohan Singh's words, into an "avatar of modernism and progress", to quote Congress M.P. Shashi Tharoor, then so can the Yogi.

It is also undeniable that if anyone can bring about such a seminal transformation, it is Modi. It's not only that there is no one else in the BJP who is capable inducing a metamorphosis of this magnitude, there has also been a manifold increase in Modi's clout after UP's overwhelming verdict in the BJP's favour.

As the master of all he surveys at the moment, he can take the party and the country in almost any direction that he wants.

It has to be remembered that in the last few months, Modi succeeded in clipping the Yogi's wings in respect of the latter's ghar wapsi and love jehad programmes. One doesn't hear any more of these provocative campaigns to reconvert Muslims and stop Hindu-Muslim marriages. Modi also virtually called the gau rakshaks or the cow vigilantes anti-socials.

Considering that all these operations had the blessings of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the BJP's ostensible mentor, Modi's boldness in reining them in is obvious.

In this respect, he is way ahead of Atal Behari Vajpayee, the tallest leader in the BJP before him, who shied away from taking on the RSS in a frontal confrontation.

Even so, any effort to bring Yogi Adityanath in line will be Modi's biggest test. If he succeeds, it will be like inducing Hitler to embrace the Jews or Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of the ISIS expressing love for infidels.

If Modi fails, it will mean that the hopes of putting India on a fast track of growth will go for a toss since it will show that he is not serious about economic growth. Neither the domestic corporate sector nor the foreign investors will be amused by such backtracking.

On the other hand, the taming of Yogi Adityanath will ring the death knell for all the saffron hawks whose hopes of ushering in their cherished Hindu rashtra where the Muslims and Christians will be second class citizens will be dashed.

From this standpoint, such a fallout will ring the curtains down on a project of Hindu supremacy which the RSS has pursued since its inception in 1925.

Much depends, however, not only on whether the mahant of Gorakhnath math eschews his longstanding anti-minority outlook, but also on whether he can function as an efficient Chief Minister. The selection of two deputy Chief Ministers shows that the BJP is not too sure on this score obviously because the man of "religion" has no previous experience in governance except that of running his math (monastery).

For the BJP, sushashan or good governance in UP is indispensable because of Modi's promise of enhancing its growth rate since, as he said, India's growth is linked to that of its biggest state. Since UP is one of the BIMARU or sick states, the challenge is all the greater.

Modi, therefore, can be said to have embarked on his most daring mission.

IANS
In UP 166 criminals killed in encounters in past five years: Yogi

This Diwali, UP CM Yogi asks govt employees to celebrate festival with needy, deprived families

Modernisation of police force helped in controlling crime in UP: CM Yogi

Yogi govt orders demotion of DySP to inspector for taking bribes in rape case

Adityanath mockery of Modi's 'inclusive growth' call: CPI-M

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, March 19: Yogi Adityanath becoming the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is a mockery of Prime Minister Narendra Modis call for inclusive growth, the CPI-M said on Sunday.

"This choice by the RSS, executed by its political arm the BJP, is a deliberate move which bodes ill for the state," the Communist Party of India-Marxist said in a statement.

"The selection of Adityanath has once again exposed the oft-repeated claim of Modi that development will be its main agenda. It makes a mockery of his own slogan 'sabka saath, sabka vikas'," the CPI-M said.

"Adityanath is a known Hindutva fanatic who has a record of inciting communal violence, having a number of criminal cases pending against him. He also espouses extremely casteist views."

The CPI-M called on all democratic and secular forces in the state to unitedly work to safeguard communal amity.

IANS
Dalai Lama says India should focus on development of villages

India

pti-PTI

Dewas, March 19: India should focus on development of villages to ensure prosperity, the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said on Sunday. "India's prosperity depends on the development of villages instead of developing big cities. So, the journey of development should start from rural areas of the country," the Dalai Lama told a gathering at Turnal village of Dewas district in Madhya Pradesh.

He was here to participate in the ongoing 'Namami Devi Narmade-Sewa Yatra,' which is aimed at conserving Narmada river. "India is predominantly an agriculture-based economy and rural India must be transformed for the country's development. "The focus should be on developing basic facilities like health and education in rural areas. All the basic requirements of the people should be made available in the villages. India will transform only through the rural transformation," the Dalai Lama said.

The Tibetan spiritual leader also stressed the need for greater participation of women in different fields. "The women are more sensitive and full of compassion. Their enhanced participation will make the world a better place as they can ensure promoting deeper human values," he said. While lauding the river conservation campaign launched by MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who also participated in the programme, the Dalai Lama said the people should think holistically as far as global warming was concerned.

"The environment has been changing across the world. Our approach should be holistic. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been making efforts for conservation of river Narmada. People should actively participate in such campaigns to make them successful," he said. The Tibetan spiritual leader said, "Our ancestors were living here on the earth. Our future generation will live here. We need to save water, carry out plantations."

He said the people across the world have been facing problems due to racism and apartheid. "We need to be united against the discrimination and atrocities. The racism and apartheid are behind most of the social problems across the world. Every person in the world wants to live in peace and happiness," he added.

The Dalai Lama said the basic needs of all seven billion people of the world like water and food were same despite the technology revolution.

PTI
Google Doodle pays tribute to Finnish woman writer

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, March 19: Sunday's Google dedicated a doodle on Sunday to mark the 173rd birth anniversary of Finnish writer and social activist Minnah Canth.

Born in 1844 in Finland, Canth began writing while living as a widow and raising seven children. She began her career as a journalist and later went on to publish her own daily, Wapaita Aatteita.

One of the first female authors to write in Finnish than Swedish, Canth's first book which is a collection of short stories titled "Novelleja Ja Kertomuksia" was published in 1878.

Her most famous play remains "Tyomiehen vaimo" where she talks about urban labour and life. Some of her other famous works are "The Pastor's Family" and "Anna Liisa". Her literary works brought up contemporay social issues related to women and their rights and freedom of expression. She also actively supported in paving way for Finnish women to become the first country in Europe to win voting right.

To mark her birth anniversary, Finland celebrates this day every year as the Day of Equality. Canth is also the first woman to receive her own 'flag day'.

IANS
How Chotey Maharaj Yogi Adityanath became the CM of Uttar Pradesh

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

A Hindutva agenda, backing from the RSS and VHP and experience as a five time member of Parliament. These are the factors that worked for Yogi Adityanath who will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh at 2.15 pm on Sunday.

Manoj Sinha was the frontrunner for the post of CM till Saturday morning. He gave enough indictions that he would become the next CM and the union minister even visited two temples on Saturday morning. However at around 10 am on Saturday, the BJP's national president Amit Shah called Yogi to leave for Delhi immediately. Yogi was in Gorakhpur at that time.

By around 11 am, rumours had started doing the rounds. Everyone thought that Yogi was called to Delhi to discuss the appointment of ministers. However by around 12 noon, it has started becoming clear that Yogi would be the next CM. His supporters started distributing sweets and there were chants of Yogi Yogi on the streets of Lucknow.

For Yogi there were a lot of factors that worked in his favour. He is controversial, no doubt, but BJP leaders say that none should doubt his administrative skills. Moreover he has been a influential leader in UP. He holds fort in Eastern UP where the BJP has won the maximum seats in 2002, 2007 and 2012.

Even during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Yogi played a key role in organising several rallies that helped Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Even in the just concluded UP assembly elections 2017, Yogi played a major role for the BJP with his rallies and firebrand speeches. These were the factors that led him to becoming the chief minister of UP. In a nutshell, one of the most controversial leaders of the country could not be ignored by the BJP.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Sunday, March 19, 2017, 8:59 [IST]
Is the apprehension in UP justified?

India

oi-Ratan Mani Lal

Lucknow, March 19: The ascension of Adityanath as the new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh has caused an unprecedented and, hopefully, unwarranted apprehension among some sections of the people across the state. Not only those belonging to the minority community, but also those who have had a known anti-Bharatiya Janata Party stance in their lives so far, are a worried lot. The one common question they are asking each other is: what will happen in UP now?

Those watching political development in UP for decades, however, remember that while the question was expected, the fear is largely based on past experience. In June 1991, when Kalyan Singh had become the chief minister for the first time with a massive majority of 221 seats for the BJP, there was widespread apprehension among various sections of the people as to what Kalyan Singh would do in the Ayodhya Ram temple issue. That he went on to oversee the demolition of the shrine in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 and resigned the very same day, confirmed the worst fears of his detractors.

However, the apprehension on Mayawati taking up the top job for the first time in 1995 as the head of a coalition government or later as a sole leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party, was of a different kind -- that a particular group of communities might dominate the socio-political landscape. A similar apprehension of dominance of a particular caste group was very much visible when Mulayam Singh Yadav became the chief minister either as head of a collation government or on his own strength as a Samajwadi Party leader.

This time the fear is more palpable and is being expressed quite vocally on social media and elsewhere. Even young people who are working professionals or students, besides elders who are politically committed, have come out openly with the question about their future in the state.

Strangely, many eminent citizens of Lucknow, too, have expressed similar fears even though in the past they had never faced any discrimination from governments of different political parties. Organisers of cultural festivals, literary festivals, music programmes, protest candle marches etc appear to be especially uneasy.

A look at the history of communal conflicts in the state indicates that since the 1990s indicates that such conflicts are not confined to the regime of any one particular political party. In fact, the just-concluded tenure of the Samajwadi Party saw an alarming number of communal conflicts right from Muzaffarnagar to Bareilly, Saharanpur, Tanda, Pratapgarh and other places. The close connection that has existed between Hindu and Muslim communities in the state for centuries does not appear so weak as to wither in a regime headed by a hardliner.

A former bureaucrat, however, said that the new regime could go for a review of several social welfare schemes to bring about a correction of whatever biases that existed in them. Such correction, according to him, may not make a big difference in the overall implementation of the schemes, but could silence those who had been clamouring for a change in the so-called appeasement policy.

Another correction could take place in the deployments in police stations across the state from where complaints of caste discrimination had been coming in. "A large-scale reshuffle across all levels of the police could be among the first things to happen," he said.

"Uttar Pradesh is a large and sensitive state, and both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP would not like the situation to turn hostile in this state prior to the 2019 Lok Sabha election," he said.

On the other hand, spontaneous celebrations by sections of people, raising of provocative slogans, attempts to mock or taunt people of the minority community, objectionable comments or speeches etc are also not ruled out, at least for the first few days of the new team taking over. It will be a challenge to contain such occurrences and maintain peace for Adityanath and his deputies Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma.

In the middle of all kinds of reactions, there are some people who think that the big responsibility will lead to a change in the approach of the new chief minister. He enjoys a clean reputation and is known to be strict against corruption. He is also not confined to any particular caste group. Contrary to the hardliner image of the Yogi from Gorakhpur, Maurya and Sharma are known to be friendly and soft-spoken. It is likely that the decision to appoint two deputies is meant to bring about a moderation in the government's approach. A new system of collective decision-making could emerge from this experiment.

From terming the decision to 'a big assault of secularism' to 'systematic playing of communal card', opposition parties like the Congress, Left parties, SP and even Trinamool Congress, are already in a confrontationist mode even before Adityanath sits on the chief minister's chair. But, the reaction of Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agrawal appears to reflect what the people of UP are thinking, "We will wait and watch for six months. We hope he will change his thinking and desist from creating a divide between Hindus and Muslims."

OneIndia News
Jat stir: CBSE advises students to reach exam centres before time

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, March 19: In the wake of Jat community groups' call for an agitation in the national capital on Monday, the CBSE has advised students appearing for the Classes 10 and 12 Board exams to reach their exam centres well before the scheduled time.

Led by the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti (Aijass), groups of Jat community have announced a massive protest in the national capital, including a "siege" to the Parliament House complex, to press for their demand of reservation for the community in government jobs and educational institutions.

The Class 10 exams for painting, Spanish and Russian languages and Class 12 exams for Mathematics, First Aid and Emergency Medical Care, Clinical Bio-chemistry and Microbiology-II, Microbiology (MLT), Health Centre Management, Ophthalmic Techniques-II, Radiograhpy-II (Special Investigation Imaging Radiography) are scheduled for Monday.

"Keeping in view the Jat stir, the students and parents are hereby informed and advised to take necessary measures to reach the examination centres well before the scheduled time to avoid any inconvenience in-anticipation to the gherao," the Central Board of Secondary Education said in a statement.

IANS
Jat stir: SP, DSP among 9 policemen hurt in clash, 2 buses torched

India

pti-PTI

Fatehabad, March 19: A Superintendent of Police and a DSP were among nine policemen injured today when Jat protesters clashed with them on being prevented from marching toward Delhi. The protesters also set fire to two police buses during the clash that took place in Dhani Gopal village on Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi national highway.

The situation turned tense when Jat protesters from villages of Chamarkhera and Kheri of Hisar district tried to enter Fatehabad district to join dharna at Dhani Gopal. Tractor trolleys carrying Jat protesters tried to breach police barricades. DSP Gurdial Singh, who was deputed at the barrier, requested them to go on foot and join the dharna peacefully but the protesters did not relent, police said. Later, some miscreants pelted the police party with stones. Retaliating, policemen resorted to lathicharge.

Nine policemen were injured in the clash and the protesters torched two police buses. SP O P Narwal suffered injury on his hand. DSP Gurdial Singh, Inspector Kuldeep, ASIs Sadhu Ram, Sohan Lal, Major Singh, Daya Ram and Krishan were also hurt, police said. The DSP and the Inspector have been hospitalised, SP Narwal said.

More police force was called in to control the situation. Narwal told reporters that "the situation is under control. At the barrier, we did not allow tractor trolleys from Hisar to enter our district. Instead of accepting our request, they started hurling stones at police and the situation turned tense. Some protesters even wielded lathis."

The protesters also scuffled with media persons. They allegedly deleted videos and photos of the incident from their cameras and damaged their equipment. The news persons later filed a complaint with police, demanding action against Jat agitators.

PTI
Liquor trouble: Kerala Congress leader asks AG Mukul Rohatgi to resign

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Thiruvananthapuram, March 19: Senior Kerala Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran on Sunday slammed Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi for overriding an apex court ruling on liquor outlets along highways and asked him to resign. Sudheeran said Rohatgi has not done any justice to the constitutional office and failed to fulfil his role as envisaged by Article 72 of the Constitution.

The Congress leader's attack came as Rohatgi advised the Kerala government that bar hotels and beer-wine parlours across the national highways and state highways can be retained.

This was despite a December 2016 ruling by the Supreme Court that banned such sales within 500 metres of the highways across the country. The ruling had forced around 300 such outlets comprising beer and wine parlours, five star hotels and state-owned liquor retail outlets to look for new places in the state.

They were expected to move by the beginning of the new fiscal. "There is every reason to believe that the said advice (by Rohatgi) was given at the behest of a few bar hotel owners in the state," Sudheeran said. He also slammed the Attorney General for appearing for a bar hotel owner in a case challenging the erstwhile Kerala government's liquor policy "even while holding the esteemed office".

"Such appearance was neither fair nor ethical. I am pained to say that your above said conduct was not correct - legally, constitutionally, ethically or politically," added the former president of the Congress party who quit last week, owing to his poor health. "It is therefore my considered view that you have not done justice to the constitutional office that you hold and I can only make an earnest request to you to give up the constitutional seat," Sudheeran said.

IANS
Great news! PM Modi on release of 2 Cheetahs to larger enclosure

\"We have made this Gujarat\": PM Modi's new election slogan

PM Modi to unveil logo, theme and website of Indias G20 Presidency on Nov 8

PM Narendra Modi to participate in ceremony to commemorate Guru Nanak Dev's birth anniversary

Narendra Modi meets Mulayam, Akhilesh at oath taking of Adityanath

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Lucknow, March 19: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a brief chat with Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and outgoing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav here on Sunday.

While both Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh mingled with BJP leaders on the dais, when Modi arrived, he met a few BJP leaders and took a chair next to Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister designate Yogi Adityanath.

#WATCH PM Narendra Modi and Mulayam Singh Yadav interact post swearing-in ceremony of Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister pic.twitter.com/8NfGbtzfRO  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 19, 2017

After the ceremony in which 44 ministers were sworn in, Modi got up and waved to the thousands gathered to witness the return of the Bharatiya Janata Party to power in the state after a gap of 14 years.

As Modi was about to leave, Mulayam Singh rushed towards him and patted him on the back.

Modi immediately smiled and warmly shook Mulayam Singh's hands. The Yadav chieftain then took Modi to his son Akhilesh Yadav.

The Prime Minister patted the back of the former Chief Minister.

Mulayam Singh then whispered something into Modi's ear after which the Prime Minister broke into a hearty laugh. BJP President Amit Shah briefly joined them.

IANS
PHOENIX -- A federal judge has thrown out a bid to void federal laws that challengers claim is racist because it places the desires and rights of Native American tribes over the constitutionally protected best interests of children.

In an extensive ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Neil Wake said attorneys for the Goldwater Institute had not proven that any of the children they were claiming to represent had been harmed because of the requirements of the Indian Child Welfare Act. And Wake said that there is a child who may be in danger that claim can be handled by the state courts that are handling that adoption or foster care proceeding.

Attorney Timothy Sandefur called that "disturbing,'' saying it amounts to saying he has to wait until children are actually harmed.

"The whole point of federal civil rights law is that we can go to a federal judge and get an injunction that prevents racist discriminatory law from being applied to children,'' he said.

"We shouldn't have to suffer the imposition of racist laws,'' Sandefur continued. "We should be able to get a court to stop the government from imposing the separate and unequal standard on these children.''

The federal law at issue was adopted in 1978 amid concerns that state courts were severing parental rights and approving adoptions of Native-American children who did not live on reservations. The congressional record shows that Congress was concerned that these children were being increasingly adopted by non-Indian families.

That law requires state courts when placing Indian children who do not live on a reservation for adoption to give preference to a member of the child's extended family. That is followed by priority by other members of the child's tribe and, ultimately, other Indian families.

There also are provisions that Sandefur say require active efforts to reunite a Native American child with a family, something he said "requires these children to be sent back to the parents that have abused them.''

According to the Goldwater Institute, all that is racist because it overrules state laws which require courts to give prime consideration to the "best interests of the child,'' regardless of whether that means placement with a tribal member or someone else.

The lawsuit was filed in 2015 on behalf of two children with some Native American blood who currently are placed with non-Indian families where they have lived since they were infants.

It charges the Indian Child Welfare Act gives tribes pretty much unfettered authority to decide placement of children with some native blood, "even those who have never set foot on a reservation.''

The claim most immediately sought to protect these two children from being taken from their current homes. Other children were subsequently added to the claim.

But the lawsuit also asked Wake to certify the complaint as a class action on behalf of every Native American child not living on a reservation currently placed with a non-Indian family, barring application of the Indian Child Welfare Act in any of their cases. In Arizona alone, the lawsuit said there were more than 1,300 Native American children in out-of-home care in 2014.

It wasn't just the federal government and tribes seeking to throw out the case. Dawn Williams, an assistant state attorney general, argued to Wake he should not disturb the law.

"The federal law was enacted to remediate generations of forced assimilation,'' she wrote in her pleadings. Anyway, Williams argued, the lawsuit cites only "nebulous speculative harm'' to the children at issue in this case.

It was that argument that forms much of the basis for Wake's ruling.

He noted the complaint does not allege any facts showing that the foster care placement of any child was delayed or that any of the children were exposed to greater risk because of the provisions of the federal law.

Wake said what the lawsuit seeks is a ruling on the law in advance of any injury. And the judge said if there is a problem, there is a legal remedy short of him voiding the federal law.

"Any true injury to any child or interested adult can be addressed in the state court proceeding itself, based on actual facts before the court, not on hypothetical concerns,'' Wake wrote. "They do not have standing to have this court pre-adjudicate for state court judges how to rule on facts that may ariise and that may be governed by statutes or guidelines that this court may think invalid.''

Because Wake threw the case out on the grounds there was no basis for a lawsuit, at least not yet, he never addressed the question of whether the federal law amounts to illegal racism.

Attorneys for both the state and the Bureau of Indian Affairs never disputed that the law provides disparate treatment in state courts for children of Indian blood versus non-Indian children. But they argued that the preference in placing a child with a tribal family does not amount to illegal racial discrimination.

They said the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that classifications based on tribal membership -- like those in this law -- "are political, not racial classifications.'' And they said such distinctions, particularly for sovereign entities like Native American tribes, are permitted.

Sandefur disagreed, saying Wake needs to address the underlying legal questions.

"This law does impose a regime of separate and unequal (treatment) on these children,'' he said. And he said the decision ignores what is happening.

"The children we represent as well as the class of children that we sought to represent have suffered, are suffering, and are going to continue to suffer injuries,'' Sandefur said.
Noteban opens up new channels of corruption, says Economist

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Mar 19: Describing demonetisation as an attempt 'akin to striking a rock with an egg', eminent Austrian economist Heinz D Kurz has said it is 'much too weak and misdirected an instrument' to root out corruption. Actually, he said, the Indian government's move opened up new avenues of corruption.

"As far as I understand the situation, the policy of demonetisation has already been abandoned by the government, because it turned out to be an attempt akin to striking a rock with an egg. "I strongly doubt that the demonetisation exercise will root out corruption and engender more transparency. It is much too weak and misdirected an instrument to achieve these goals," Kurz told PTI in an interview.

"By introducing the Rs 2,000 banknote, a currency of twice or even four times the value of the banknotes that have been declared illegal, in the system... This can hardly be called demonetisation," he added. Kurz is a professor of economics at the University of Graz, Austria. Noting that while the goal of fighting corruption is laudable, he said: "I consider it to be singularly naive to think that this can be done by banning some banknotes.

"There appears also to be evidence that the policy of demonetisation opened new channels of corruption." Kurz pointed out that whoever was informed about the demonetisation policy ahead of its introduction (sort of insider trading) could have used the information and laundered money. Also, he further said Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes brought to banks were apparently counted, but not scrutinised as to whether it was 'counterfeit money'. Asked about impact of demonetisation on India's economic growth, Kurz said that "first, it is much too early to assess already the impact of demonetisation, which will show up only later. Secondly, the data published are rough estimates that do not, and could not possibly, take account of this impact". "It would therefore be wrong to infer that demonetisation had no effect on the economy," he noted.

The Indian economy is going pretty strong, Kurtz said, adding however that not well thought out policies such as the demonetisation project have the potential of affecting it badly. He said rising social tensions between different strata of society and different religious beliefs, environmental degradation and pollution, unequal access to information, knowledge and learning, and a highly uneven distribution of income and wealth are the main problems India is facing, which all affect economic performance of the country.

"Policies that improve the situation in these regards deem to me to be favourable for a more prosperous and just society," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8 scrapped high value notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, pulling out 86 per cent of the total currency in circulation.

PTI
Issues for UP CM: Power, sugarcane arrears, Bundelkhand

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, March 19 Listing immediate challenges for the incoming BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, industry body Assocham on Sunday said the new administration needs to ensure better electricity, give urgent relief to Bundelkhand and find a lasting solution to the issue of sugarcane arrears to farmers.

Faced with high expectations created by a massive mandate given to the BJP, the incoming Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh has to meet these immediate challenges, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India said in a release here.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has designated Yogi Adityanath, who is also the head of a major Hindu temple in the state, as the new Chief Minister.

"The top priority of the new government should be to drastically improve the quality and quantity of power supply in the ensuing summer," the release said.

"It should immediately take recourse to the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme of the Centre and bring the state utility to robust health so that the users in both rural and urban areas are given better power supply," the industry body said.

"Being an agricultural state, Uttar Pradesh has a huge potential in diverse agro activities that need modern processing facilities which should be encouraged in the private sector by way of fiscal and other support," Assocham Secretary General D.S. Rawat said.

"Likewise, lot more agro hubs and mandis (big markets) should be built in the state," Rawat added.

"While initiatives like metro rail have been taken, they must be enlarged and lot more investment be made in city infrastructure including sanitation, drinking water, urban waste management," the statement said.

"A drive down the state presents a bad picture of heaps of plastics not only in cities but also in villages, creating environment hazards," it added.

"Since the same BJP is now in power in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, a better coordination should be achieved between the two states to give a better deal to the Bundelkhand areas which has suffered for long due to water scarcity and general backwardness," it also said.

In fact, the backwardness of Bundelkhand, which was a state till 1956, has periodically fuelled a movement for establishing a separate state for promoting development of the region.

IANS
Eman Ahmed now able to raise her right hand but has a leaky heart

World's heaviest Egyptian woman loses 140 kg since arrival in India

India

pti-PTI

Mumbai, Mar 18: Eman Ahmed, the Egyptian national who is believed to be the world's heaviest woman, has lost over 140 kg since her arrival in India for weight reduction treatment, doctors said on Saturday. She is being treated by a team led by Dr Mufazzal Lakdawala at Saifee Hospital here where she underwent a weight loss surgery earlier this month.

"Eman's current weight is 358 kg," the hospital said in a statement. When she arrived in Mumbai on February 11 by a specially modified aircraft, she weighed 500 kg.

She is currently on "two hourly liquid feeding regime" where she is given low-sodium protein powder mixed with soy milk. Daily, she receives about 1,800 calories, the statement said.

"Her levels of uric acid remain a challenge," it added. Eman still receives her feed through a tube because of the difficulty in swallowing fluids due to a stroke she had suffered earlier, doctors said.

PTI
In UP 166 criminals killed in encounters in past five years: Yogi

Yogi Adityanath takes charge as UP CM

India

oi-Lisa

Lucknow, March 19: Yogi Adityanath on Sunday took charge of Uttar Pradesh as its 21st Chief Minister, heading a 47-member ministry that included known Hindutva faces and political turncoats.

After taking charge he told media that corruption and law and order has hurt the interests of Uttar Pradesh the most and that his government will work for the benefit of the people.

He also promised that this government will work for all sections of the society without any partiality and for this his administration will be made accountable and answerable.

He assured the people that his government will fulfil all the promises that they have made to the people of the state. BJP leader Shrikant Sharma also informed media that CM has requested his cabinet ministers to refrain from making unnecessary statements which can hurt someone's sentiments.

CM has also sought details from ministers about their income, movable and immovable property within 15 days and they have to submit the information to CM's secretary and to the party.

Along with Adityanath two deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma as well as 44 ministers were sworn in on Sunday in Lucknow.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, March 19, 2017, 20:14 [IST]
In J&K, over 130 youth choose Indian Army's 'Sahi Rasta' over radicalisation

Indian Army gets exclusive intellectual rights of new design & camouflage pattern uniform

1st Annual Day Function of The Indian Army Dagger Parivaar School built by Indrani Balan Foundation

Indian Army chief Bipin Rawat to visit Nepal

International

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Kathmandu, March 19: Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat is slated to visit Nepal at the invitation of the Himalayan nation's government.

During his visit from March 28 to 31, the Indian Army chief will be conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepal Army by Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, defence spokesman Major General Tara Bahadur Karki said here on Sunday.

President Bhandari will confer the honorary rank on Gen Rawat on March 29 for his "commendable military prowess and immeasurable contribution to fostering India's long-standing and friendly ties with Nepal", the spokesman said.

It is a custom and tradition between the Indian and Nepali armies to confer this honour on each other's chiefs to signify close and special military-to-military ties.

General Rawat will also discuss bilateral military ties and other aspects of cooperation during his meeting with Nepali Army chief General Rajendra Chhetri.

Rawat is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Defence Minister Bal Krishna Khand and will visit Pokhara, where India's biggest pension camp is located, and travel to Muktinath where Nepal Army runs a high-altitude military warfare training centre.

Other highlights of his visit will be issues related to purchasing military hardware and software for the Nepal Army.

Nepal makes almost all military and defence purchases from India, including helicopters.

Meanwhile, Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan will arrive in Kathmandu on March 23 for a three-day visit to inspect arrangements for the first-ever joint military drill between Beijing and Kathmandu.

IANS
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-82a8455ba97be432.jpg

(Oregonian file photo)

Marijuana legalization has done little to change Oregon's longstanding reputation as a leading black market exporter of premium cannabis, state police say in a new analysis obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

The report offers an unvarnished view of both legal and illegal marijuana production in Oregon at a time of uncertainty for marijuana policy nationally.

It found that Oregon has an "expansive geographic footprint" on the black market across the country. A half-dozen counties -- Jackson, Multnomah, Josephine, Lane, Deschutes and Washington -- "lead the way" in supplying much of what's shipped out of state, the analysis said.

The report's other key takeaways: Overall marijuana production in Oregon far outpaces demand, hash oil manufacturing has fueled a rise in explosions and serious injuries and the state doesn't comply with key federal marijuana enforcement priorities.

But the report - done by the agency's drug enforcement section with a January time stamp - zeroed in on Oregon's role in the lucrative black market and said the state must address the problem.

The Oregonian/OregonLive made multiple requests for the document, but the agency didn't release it. Capt. Bill Fugate, state police spokesman, said Saturday that this version is a draft that the agency planned to refine.

Though the 39-page report includes extensive footnotes and charts illustrating the findings, Fugate said in an email that "many sources and data are not sufficient for the product we wanted."

A representative from Gov. Kate Brown's office couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Analysts identified Portland, Eugene, Medford and Grants Pass as cities with the "greatest level of connection" to black market destinations, which include Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Idaho. None of those states have recreational marijuana laws.

"The illicit exportation of cannabis must be stemmed as it undermines the spirit of the law and the integrity of the legal market," the report states. "It steals economic power from the market, the government, and the citizens of Oregon, and furnishes it to criminals, thereby tarnishing state compliance efforts."

Black market trafficking is a significant concern for states with legal marijuana laws. The federal government has made it clear that cracking down on the illicit market should be a priority for state regulators.

Under President Barack Obama, the U.S. Department of Justice issued guidelines for states with legal cannabis. In general, the Cole memo as it is known said the government would tolerate recreational and medical marijuana policies provided states develop robust regulations targeting illegal activity.

The guidelines have served as a roadmap for states as they craft regulations for recreational marijuana, which in Oregon generates an estimated $3 million a week in sales.

The current U.S. attorney general, Jeff Sessions, this week said marijuana is "only slightly less awful" than heroin, but he also called the Cole memo "valid."

According to state police, Oregon falls short of complying with the memo. In addition to creating a legal market for cannabis production, legalization has "provided an effective means to launder cannabis products and proceeds, where in essence, actors can exploit legal mechanisms to obscure products' origin and conceal true profits, thereby blurring the boundaries of the legal market and complicating enforcement efforts," the report says.

State police, analyzing Oregon's recreational and medical production capacity, figure that the state could potentially produce a surplus of cannabis with an estimated street value between $4.7 billion and $9.4 billion.

Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick, co-chair of the joint legislative committee overseeing marijuana implementation, said medical marijuana growers are a chief source of black market cannabis leaving the state. She said she's confident that tight regulation of the recreational marijuana program is keeping it from leaking out of the system.

Burdick said she hopes the prospect of making money legally is enough to draw some of the thousands of medical growers in the state into the recreational system.

"As the market shakes out and as people gravitate toward the regulated recreational market, I think you will see some of these issues get better, but in southern Oregon there is a lot of marijuana grown and no law enforcement to speak of," Burdick said.

Oregon is hardly alone among legal marijuana states with black market woes. Yet state police analysts found that as of 2016, Oregon exported cannabis to the black market at a rate twice that of Washington, home to medical and recreational marijuana programs.

"This provides a strong indication that surplus cannabis is not discarded but is in fact trafficked out of state and sold for a huge profit margin," the report notes.

In 2014, Oregon legalized marijuana for recreational use and rolled out sales in phases starting in late 2015. The recreational marijuana program is regulated by the liquor control commission, which like Colorado and Washington, has a seed-to-sale tracking system intended to crack down on the black market.

The state police report relies on data collected before the state began implementing its marijuana tracking system last fall.

Oregon lawmakers have grappled with how to address the nearly 20-year-old medical marijuana program, with a long history of loose regulation that has made it ripe for exploitation.

During this year's legislative session, lawmakers considered folding key elements of the medical program into the recreational one, but Burdick said that idea is now on hold to allow more time to work out details. Such a merger, proponents argued, would give medical producers a legal outlet for products that might otherwise end up on the illegal market.

The state police report also raises alarms about the proliferation of butane hash oil manufacturing, calling hash oil production "the most immediate cannabis threat" facing Oregon.

Explosions at these facilities, which produce sought-after hash oil for the regulated and black markets, sent at least 30 people to the Oregon Burn Center between July 2015 and July 2016 alone.

Patients burned in hash oil explosions are typically young men who end up severely injured, requiring lengthy treatment and hospital stays.

State police, citing data from the burn center, report that Medicare and Medicaid covered the bulk of the medical costs. Combined, the government programs paid out $7.6 million for medical care for hash oil burn victims between 2013 and 2016.

It's not just the recreational and medical markets that drive demand for hash oil, but also the prospect of big profits from illegal sales on the East Coast, state police say.

"These substances are particularly suitable for out-of-state smuggling, since concentrates can be virtually odorless, unlike plant material, and are more easily concealed," the report notes.

The report's recommendations include ongoing monitoring and analysis of the state's marijuana regulation and enforcement efforts, as well as staff to collect and distribute information about how well the state meets federal marijuana priorities.

Though the report offers a sober look at the state of the black market in the era of legal cannabis, it makes clear that police aren't able to keep up.

"Law enforcement," it concludes, "is unable to keep pace with out-of-state cannabis diversion."

-- Noelle Crombie

503-276-7184; @noellecrombie
On Saturday night, Drake released a new album--he's calling it a playlist--called "More Life," his first collection since 2016's chart-demolishing "Views." Drake alone makes every project drop breaking news, but this time, the Toronto MC has set his sights across the continent, at our little corner of the Pacific Northwest.

Well, sort of: "Portland," one of 22 (!) new songs on the set, taps Travis Scott and Migos MC Quavo and covers the major keys of protecting one's success and having a reliable side-girl. But there's no mention of any Stumptown landmarks or musicians, nor does Drizzy reference that time he played at the Moda Center and jammed traffic on Interstate 5 when his gear truck crashed on the way there.

Maybe we're forgettable, but not to Travis Scott, who hops on to close out the track with a sexual rhyme about sleeping with a woman in Portland that we probably can't print in a family paper. It turns out Scott loves Portland: "I was once asked my fav place in America to find peace. Portland is the answer. Took a trip and found happynes," he tweeted on Friday.

And while Drake has no Portland dates on the horizon, Scott's Birds Eye View Tour is set to play Veterans Memorial Coliseum on April 19, along with beat-making mastermind Flying Lotus.

So we've got that going for us, but otherwise, the "More Life" cut is another case of outsider MCs offering weirdly distant takes on the city: in 2014, Young Thug and Bloody Jay's "Black Portland" mixtape used Trail Blazers imagery as an upside-down reference to their own Atlanta pride.

Drake does have a connection in Portland, if he ever comes through again: former label signee iLoveMakonnen, the "Tuesday" musician who now lives here. In the meantime? Portland's own MCs have their own takeover in motion.

-- David Greenwald

dgreenwald@oregonian.com

503-294-7625; @davidegreenwald

Instagram: Oregonianmusic


Sabin-Schellenberg Professional Technical Center

When businesses step up with good-paying jobs to offer, kids and their parents will respond, and so will their schools.

(Kristyna Wentz-Graff/Staff)

Tim Nesbitt

At this time of year, many of our high school seniors are waiting expectantly for letters from the colleges of their choice. But there are many more who could benefit from letters of a different kind - the kind that students in Albany and Corvallis are receiving from local employers with invitations to advance on debt-free pathways to rewarding careers.

I was struck by this "tale of two letters" when a high school senior in Salem showed me a letter she received from Western Oregon University (WOU), which contained an "early estimated award offer" that included $19,600 in annual borrowing from three different student loan programs. There was no mention of curriculum or careers. This was all about cost and a bottom line that looked deceptively affordable.

Tim Nesbitt

Just 25 miles south of Salem, high school students have been getting different messages in their mailboxes. Slick, multi-color postcards proclaim: "Great jobs. Great pay. Fast-track training. This is the Pipeline to a great start." And letters to their parents ask: "Did you know that your son or daughter can get a great job without four years of college - and without four years of college debt?" The letters feature local employers in manufacturing and health care who offer to put "your kids in the fast lane to success."

I don't mean to be hard on WOU, which does a great job with first-generation college students and has helped area high schoolers earn college credit in a program called the Willamette Promise. But the outreach to high school students organized by the Albany Chamber of Commerce is orienting students to careers and motivating them to learn in ways that we have often overlooked in our schools as we focus on college pathways and SAT scores.

To their credit, the Salem-Keizer school district has been pioneering successful partnerships with local employers through its new Career Technical Education Center. The Portland Workforce Alliance is doing the same in Multnomah County. There are numerous examples of such shifts to job-connected learning throughout the state. But what strikes me as most significant about the Albany Chamber's Pipeline project is that it flipped the usual "if we build it, they will come" approach to education initiatives. The chamber tackled the challenge with a different theory of change: If employers say they need it, and students and parents demand it, the education system will build it.

The Albany project began with a meeting of Linn County employers four years ago, at which they determined that they would need to fill 1,100 jobs by the end of this decade. Most of these jobs don't require a college degree but do require advanced training and specialized skills that can be acquired during and after high school, often through paid internships, on-the-job training and in short stints at a community college. So they decided to play to the demand side of the supply problem: Get students and their parents aware and interested in the pathways to good jobs in their businesses.

From the reports I heard around the table at the Albany Chamber last month, this strategy worked. Interest from students and parents is up. Schools are responding. Linn-Benton Community College has added a program in a field I didn't know existed: "Mechatronics," which the college describes as "a cross between an industrial electrician, millwright and computer programmer" and for jobs with local manufacturers like Selmet. Chamber President Janet Steele reports hundreds of jobs filled with recent high school grads. And the Ford Family Foundation has stepped in to help expand the program to smaller school districts in eastern Linn County.

The chamber's outreach program was spot on, challenging the costs and benefits of the increasingly expensive, four-year, residential campus model of post-secondary education. Too many parents today view that model as the minimum required to keep their kids from falling behind, while ignoring the less prestigious and more affordable pathways that can enable their kids to get ahead.

When businesses step up with good-paying jobs to offer, kids and their parents will respond, and so will their schools. If that puts more pressure on our universities to compete for students, all the better. We'll need a lot more career-focused, cost conscious, cheerleading letters to our high school students from employers, community colleges and universities alike if we want to do right by our kids and achieve out state's ambitious educational goals.

Tim Nesbitt served as an adviser to Governors Ted Kulongoski and John Kitzhaber and is past president of the Oregon AFL-CIO. He also served on the campaign for the successful Measure 98, which seeks to provide high schoolers with more career-technical courses, college credit courses and drop-out prevention. He can be reached at nesbitt.columns@gmail.com.
In the early 1990s, Dow Chemical moved me to Texas as vice president of their Texas Operations, the largest chemical complex in North America. At almost the same time, Ann Richards, an ultra liberal Democrat, was elected governor of Texas. Many business leaders told me that would be a disaster for the Texas economy. They expected continuous battles on legislation and conflicts with Texas government agencies.

When I had an opportunity to briefly talk to Gov. Richards, I took a much different approach. I told her, Texas can have both environmental excellence and strong economic growth. The biggest deterrent to achieving that goal is that business leaders, environmental leaders and government agencies spend most of their time fighting with each other to get everything they want. You need to establish a task force of those three groups and tell them that they are going to sit down together and develop the programs to achieve both environmental excellence and strong economic growth. Do not come back and say that you had the perfect solution but the others refused to listen. Do not come back with impressive sounding rhetoric saying that at sometime in the near future they will create miraculous programs to achieve the goals. They are to provide action plans that they all support, will be rapidly implemented, and will achieve your goals.

In two minutes, I had told Gov. Richards how she could do what no other politician in any state, and certainly not at the federal government level, had accomplished; what the deterrent was; and how to overcome that roadblock.

Amazingly, one week later, Ann Richards called me, said she was going to establish the task force, and wanted me to be one of the leaders. I ended up being the highest level business executive on the task force because leaders of other companies sent their lower level people and I suspect Ann Richards did not invite some corporations that had snubbed her. She told me one time, Most people dont realize that politics is a combat sport. That put a huge load on me, but it also allowed me to work out some compromises and establish close relations with many of the 10 environmental leaders on the task force. Ann Richards clearly stepped in on occasion to help me get support for some of the proposed solutions.

In less than a year, the task force initiated a series of actions that dramatically simplified getting environmental projects accomplished, helped companies get projects quickly approved and replaced litigation with cooperation. Everybody in the state of Texas benefitted. No one would have believed that a conservative Republican chemical executive and a fiery, ultraliberal Democratic governor could have worked together to make it happen. At the completion of the task force, an environmental leader told me, As you know, I have been in continuous litigation with an Asian company that is building a huge manufacturing site here on the Texas coast. I have probably delayed them half a year and will continue to force more delays. I recognize that this facility will create over 5,000 jobs, plus most of the products will be shipped back to Asia. But I cannot accept some of their environmental shortcomings. Would you be willing to sit down with me and their president and try to mediate a settlement? I did and we worked it all out in two days.

Ann Richards then added me to another task force working to protect important wildlife areas. One location was going to require litigation and a heavy purchase payment. When I went back to my office, I explained the problem to one of my general managers. He had lived in Texas all his life and he and his father were avid fishermen and hunters. Two days later, he came back with a very creative solution that eliminated all the litigation and we only had to purchase 10 percent of the property. The task force was absolutely thrilled by his solution and I replaced myself on the task force with him. Ive always had the philosophy that when you face a difficult, complex problem, find someone who knows more about it than you do.

Then three years later when I had been moved back to our Midland headquarters as vice president of manufacturing for Dow North America, and was serving on the corporate board of Destec Energy, we needed to add another member to its board of directors. I wanted to find a woman for the job and so I called up Ann Richards, who I knew had created Women of America to help women prepare and train for leadership roles in politics and the business world. The organization gave me resumes on 17 women, one of which was a perfect fit for our needs and so we added her to the board. Ann Richards called me to say that this was the first woman from Women of America to become a corporate board member. A year later, a group of our Dow women employees talked to me about their efforts to help women advance and their frustration that they were not making any meaningful progress. I brought in the woman who I had gotten on the board of Destec Energy to meet with them and discuss how Women of America approached developing women for leadership roles. The group revised their approach, used that woman as a speaker at some seminars; and their enthusiasm skyrocketed.

So I want to emphasize three points.

1. A few people who have entirely different backgrounds and goals but are determined to work together for the benefit of everyone rather than themselves, can make a huge positive difference.

2. Its amazing how many other seemingly unrelated good results can occur because of that cooperative teamwork and determination.

3. Never hesitate to ask someone who knows more than you do about a subject to help you out. Ann Richards and I succeeded because we trusted each other; we often disagreed but always listened to each other and searched for the right solution; and we took advantage of the unique capabilities that each of us brought to the challenge.

Robert W. Gallant is a resident of Midland.
The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics postulates that "atoms form a world of potentials and possibilities, rather than of things and facts". Following a parallel path Ajahn Sumedho , a teacher from the Thai Forest Buddhist tradition , has proposed that: We do not know the future. But we do not need to know. We can let the future be the mysterious unknown, the infinite potential - the possibility for pleasure, the possibility for pain, the possibility for peace. As we let go of the fear of the unknown, we find peace. My photo of a stormy sky over Colombo in Sri Lanka hints at that infinite potential. There are many ways to experience it, and music is one of them. For me two examples particularly relevant to this post are Claude Vivier's Siddhartha and Jonathan Harvey's Body Mandala . It is now time for me to defy my advancing years and travel into the mysterious unknown of the future. Which means On An Overgrown Path will fall silent, When, or indeed i
NORMAL  Lendy Hicks has some advice for parents of soon-to-be kindergartners on their first day of school.

Dont cry in front of your child, she said with a laugh. "As soon as they leave, then you can bawl your eyes out."

Hicks, of Bloomington, attended kindergarten registration at Pepper Ridge Elementary School last week with her son, Zachary, 5.

Kindergarten registration is underway for McLean County Unit 5 students and begins in April for District 87 schools.

For my first son, it didnt hit me until I saw him lining up and walking away, said Hicks. This time, I know everything will be fine.

While Hicks filled out registration paperwork in the Pepper Ridge cafeteria, a kindergarten teacher invited all future students to line up for a school tour.

I know how to make a line! exclaimed Zachary.

Carmen Bergmann, director of elementary education at Unit 5, said parents are usually more nervous about that first day of kindergarten than their kids.

You see a huge difference between first-time parents and second-time parents, but the experienced parents are always good at providing comfort to others, said Bergmann.

Bergmann said there are numerous ways parents can prepare themselves, and their students, for that milestone first day of school.

Stay positive

Parents should always talk about school in a positive way and show pride and excitement for their children, said Bergmann.

If a parent says, My baby is growing up and going to school and Im so sad, a kid will pick up on that. Its important for parents to keep up the encouragement, she said.

Hicks said she builds up excitement for Zacharys first day by asking him questions about school.

His older brother will tell him all about the school and get him excited for the first day, she said.

Summer preparation

To prepare students for academic structure, educators encourage parents to read books over the summer or enroll their children in an academic day care.

Expose them to a lot of different reading and encourage discussion about learning, said Bergmann.

Natasha Wattleworth of Bloomington said she enrolled her 5-year-old son Jacob in an early learning center to prepare him for kindergarten in August.

Its a good way to prepare him for learning and he can mingle with other students. It gets him ready for a school schedule, said Wattleworth.

Bergmann also said its important to encourage self-advocacy for youngsters.

Some students are not very good about going up to an adult and saying, I need to use the restroom or I need a drink. They're used to their parents knowing everything about them. Teach them how to speak up," she said.

Maggie Killian, kindergarten teacher at District 87's Washington Elementary, also said independence is important.

"Parents can work on things like teaching children how to put on their coat, tie their shoes and be independent in the bathroom, said Killian.

When dropping a child off on the first day of school, Bergmann says it helps to say goodbye in the car without walking into the building.

Its better when separation takes place in a private domain. We dont want them to associate separation with the school building. School should be a place to feel happy, not sad, said Bergmann.

A big no-no, added Bergmann, is telling the kindergartner, Im going to miss you.

Thats the No. 1 phrase that makes kindergartners upset, she said. Theyll internalize that and worry about how their parents are doing at home without them.

Working minds

Killian said conversations with children prepare them for learning.

"Talk about things and ask them questions while you go through the grocery store or play in the park. Anything like that is building background knowledge through experiences," she said.

Once school has started, Bergmann said parents often are surprised at the rate of learning achieved by kindergartners.

I remember my own son came into kindergarten not knowing many letters and by the end of September he knew the whole alphabet, she said. The rate of learning is steeper than expected, but students adjust pretty quickly.

Gain reassurance

If a parent has any concerns or questions about their students experience, Bergmann said they should feel comfortable calling the school.

When I was a principal, if a parent was worried about how their child was doing, I would tell them to give me a call and Id check in on them. Sometimes parents are worried about being overbearing, but it helps to put your mind at ease, she said.

Emily Miller of Bloomington is enrolling her second child, Sophie, in kindergarten at Pepper Ridge next semester. She also encouraged parents to ask questions.
BLOOMINGTON  A retired Bloomington lawyer sanctioned for criticizing three appellate judges is looking to the Illinois Supreme Court to dismiss a disciplinary recommendation that has overshadowed his career of almost five decades.

James G. Walker offers no apologies for his characterization of three Third District Appellate judges as corrupt for engaging in what he considered misconduct in a 2011 decision that effectively ended a lawsuit he filed on behalf of a Bloomington woman whose husband was killed by a Peoria truck driver.

"I'm not sorry. Everything I said about the court is absolutely true," said Walker, who has asked the state Supreme Court to dismiss a two-year suspension recommended last year by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC).

Walker filed a lawsuit in 2005 on behalf of Pat Moncelle, whose husband, Mike Moncelle, was killed in 2004 when his car was struck by a truck driven by Matthew Gross, the son of former Peoria County Associate Judge Arthur Gross.

Named in the lawsuit along with Gross were two firms that owned the commercial truck Gross was driving. Arthur Gross was disbarred in 1995 after his conviction on drug charges and his son, who never faced charges in the fatal crash, also served time for selling drugs. At the son's 2005 sentencing, an undercover Peoria officer testified that Matthew Gross admitted to being high at the time of the accident that killed the 53-year-old victim.

After a ruling by now-retired Peoria County Judge Kevin Galley that punitive damages could not be levied against the trucking firms, Walker dismissed the lawsuit, fully intending to refile it based upon his view that the lawsuit held viable claims. When his second lawsuit was dismissed because the judge considered the matter closed, Walker appealed to the Third District Court.

Walker's issues with appellate Justices Mary W. McDade, Vicki Wright and Mary K. O'Brien began after their opinion stating that Galley had issued "an order dismissing counts." Walker contends that no such order was issued and that the judges' interpretation is a false and "unsupportable decision."

Walker was persistent in his assertions that the appellate court had erred; the appellate court was equally consistent in denying Walker another chance to argue his case.

The closest he came was a vote by Justice O'Brien to support Walker's Certificate of Importance in which he said the judges "have been immunized from their admitted willful and wanton misconduct by means of an order that intentionally misrepresents the record and the law and contains no indication of the court's motivation to do so."

The Third District judges based in Ottawa did not reply to a request from The Pantagraph for comment on Walker's accusations that their ruling was "a monument of injustice" for his client.

The 72-year-old Walker, who is best known for his representation of clients who suffered the effects of exposure to asbestos, continued the legal battle in the Moncelle case, next filing another lawsuit in Peoria County that was dismissed. An appeal of that dismissal was transferred to the Second District Appellate Court because of the conflict posed by Walker's accusations against O'Brien, McDade and Wright.

After the Second District denied Walker's appeal in 2012, a six-count complaint was filed with the ARDC accusing Walker of attacking the integrity of the judges by making false accusations and violating the rules of conduct for lawyers.

The Supreme Court quashed Walker's subpoena of the three appellate justices to testify. Witnesses offering testimony in support of Walker at the disciplinary hearing included Fourth District Appellate Court Justice James Knecht, the late Eleventh Circuit Judge Charles Witte, and Bloomington lawyer Darrell Hartweg.

Hartweg said he supported his law school classmate at the hearing because "I think it took a lot of courage for Jim to do what he did."

Walker said he remains incredulous that the commission accepted as fact his longstanding claim that no portions of the wrongful death lawsuit were dismissed and that references to a dismissal were false.

"Even if the Appellate Court's decision contained a substantial inaccuracy, it did not give (Walker) license to make the unsubstantiated allegations he made in his pleadings. He clearly crossed the line " the hearing board noted.

Walker also challenges a 2016 ruling by the ARDC Review Board that confirmed the sanction. Two members of the panel  Claire Manning and Richard Zuckerman  had pending cases before Third District judges and should not have been chosen from a pool of lawyers to serve on the board, said Walker.

Since his 2015 retirement, Walker divides his time between Bloomington and Arizona.

He views his ongoing battle with the judicial process in the Moncelle case as more than an attempt to preserve his reputation.

"This is an effort to continue my contribution to make the system a little better. I also care because of the terrible response to my client's case and it's an opportunity to bring sunlight to this terrible judidical misconduct," said Walker.

Several outcomes are possible with Walker's latest appeal to the Supreme Court, including a denial to hear the case, or a decision to reverse or impose a sanction against Walker.

Meanwhile, Moncelle has retained a new lawyer who is working on her case.
BLOOMINGTON  A man police described as a sexually violent person has been located and arrested in Michigan and will be brought back to Illinois, officials said Sunday.

On Saturday, the Bloomington Police Department was informed that David Hermosillo was in Wakefield, Mich.

The U.S. Marshal Task Force along with the Iron County Sheriffs Department and Gogebic County Sheriffs Department arrested him, said Bloomington detective Tom Rena.

Police say Hermosillo, 50, was living on West MacArthur Avenue in Bloomington, but cut off his ankle tracking device. A warrant was issued for his arrest for escape.

As part of Hermosillo's conditional release he was required to register as a sexually violent person and wear a GPS monitor, but his whereabouts became unknown after the monitor was cut off, police said on March 9.

He is wanted on a McLean County warrant charging him with escape of a sexually violent person.

Hermosillo is now awaiting extradition back to McLean County.
BLOOMINGTON  Blueberry syrup was the first order of business for the Perring family on Saturday.

We bought blueberry syrup at the (Pennsylvania) Dutch Market to use on our pancakes at the breakfast, said Joe Perring of Bloomington.

The all-you-can-eat pancake and sausage breakfast was one of the biggest hits at the 59th annual Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale Saturday at the Interstate Center in Bloomington.

Organizers estimated thousands turned out to the sale Friday and Saturday.

Kailey Knetzer of Washington helped distribute food at the pancake breakfast and called the sale a "big family thing."

"We're from the Calvary Mennonite Church in Washington. This is a good time for everyone to get together as a family in the community," said Knetzer.

In the Pennsylvania Dutch market, a steady stream of people browsed the stacks of homemade cookies, pies, cheeses and noodles.

George and Bea Lowery of Lexington left with a handful of cheese wedges and packets of popcorn.

"Weve been coming to the sale for 20 years, said Bea Lowery. We like to support our friends who help with the sale. Its a great way to help people in the world.

We also leave with good memories from talking with friends, said George Lowery.

Other than good food, the event includes silent and grand auctions selling furniture, home decor, gift baskets and over 100 quilts and wall hangings.

Auctioneers chanted at the crowd as the intricate quilts, sewn and donated from local churches and individuals, were strung up from the rafters.

Sale proceeds benefit the Mennonite Central Committee of Akron, Pa., for international relief efforts. Proceeds also help local charities like Salvation Army of Peoria, Bloomington and Pekin; Bloomingtons Home Sweet Home Ministries and the Midwest Food Bank.

Ruthie Roth, executive secretary of the sale, has been involved in the event since its inception in 1959. She organized the sale with her husband Don, who died in 2014.

Its a recognition of how people in the community unite to help others, said Roth. God gave us the opportunity to work all these years. We have had 59 wonderful years of memories serving Christ.

While adults bid on flowing quilts and handmade bedroom sets, kids waved cards and made smaller offers on toys at the children's auction.

Jonathan Perring, 10, scored the highest bid for a Magic 8-Ball.

Ive never had one of these before. Im excited to try it out, he said. I like coming to this event every year because there are so many random things to do.

In another building, attendees browsed artisan work and plants at booths in the Ten Thousand Villages section.

Tish, Doug and Jacob Jiles visited with friends selling pottery and left the booth with a neatly wrapped bowl.

Its nice to visit with family and friends here, said Tish Jiles.

The relief sale stands apart from other Central Illinois events because its a religious gathering to raise money for relief funds, said Doug Jiles.
A couple from North Carolina exchanged wedding vows in a hospice room. This wasn't exactly an ideal ceremony for Christopher and Patricia Armstrong but they wanted to do this so that their son could be a witness.

The Armstrongs' son, Conner, was one-month-old and dying. He had a genetic disorder known as Edward's syndrome or Trisomy 18.

Over 1 in 2,500 pregnancies have a risk of Trisomy 18. Most of the infants either cannot complete the pregnancy term or die during the birth, per the Trisomy Foundation. If they do live, however, the babies are not expected to survive longer than a year old. There is no cure to Trisomy 18.

"Basically he has an extra eighteenth chromosome," Christopher said, per WFMY News. "It has more internal effects," the father added.

Babies with Edward's syndrome experience different conditions that affect major organs like the kidneys or the heart, as well as other birth defects. In Conner's case, his heart had three holes.

Knowing his time was short, the Armstrongs decided they would have their wedding at the hospice so they could be with their son. Three days following the wedding, however, Conner passed away. His parents, while devastated, do not regret having the infant for a brief period.

"We are just appreciating every minute we have with him," mom Patricia said, as per Daily Mail. "It's been scary. It's been emotional, but it's well worth it."

With their baby gone, the Armstrongs are determined to pick up the pieces and start life anew. They intend to find a new home and try to resume their lives back to normal.

Families and friends have set up a Go Fund Me page for the Armstrong family to cover for Conner' funeral expenses and his remaining medical bills. The couple also has two other children, Aubri and Graci.
Apple has been working with the medical community for some time now. Apple published an "iPhone in Business" profile back in 2012 covering Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital along with an overview video of how the iPhone was being used at the hospital. In 2014 Apple introduced HealthKit and then in 2015 they introduced ResearchKit to empower medical researchers.

Yesterday Fast Company posted an interesting report on Apple's focus on the Health Care Sector. The report notes that "For Apple, the $3 trillion health care sector offers a lot of potential for growth for its iPad. The company is likely to restate its commitment to the tablet device as early as next week, with the rumored announcement of the 9.7-Inch "iPad Pro 2."

From an enterprise sales perspectivea priority for the iPhone maker in the wake of recent partnerships with Cisco and IBMlarge hospitals and health systems that shift to iOS tend to buy devices in bulk. 'We now have hundreds of iPads for patients to use,' says L.A.'s Cedars Sinai's Shaun Miller, who uses a compliant iPhone app called Voalte to text with other providers. 'As we expand to more wards, it'll be thousands.'

Cedars Sinai has also come a long way with its use of HealthKit and other iOS offerings. As of this week, patients can log in to their medical chart, click a download button, access a copy of their medical record, and port it to their Apple health app on a smartphone. That way, they can show it to any doctor they opt to see, even if they leave Cedars Sinai. This application might seem simple enough, but in health care it's 'cutting-edge,' says Darren Dworkin, chief information officer at Cedars Sinai, since until recently patients were burdened with the task of requesting and physically transporting their data on a USB Drive or CD-Rom if they wanted to share data between health providers at different institutions. That's in large part because electronic medical systems historically were developed for billing, not data transfer.

'Leading hospitals and health systems are using Apple products to transform all aspects of health care inside the hospital and beyond,' says an Apple spokesperson, emphasizing the 'privacy and security of iOS'" as a key factor for its growing popularity among hospitals for remote patient monitoring and in-patient care.

The report further noted that "Developers like Lanier and Patient Safe Solutions' Si Luo made an early bet that iOS would take off in health care. For them, Apple's public announcement about its first steps in health care with HealthKit couldn't have come quickly enough. 'We had been trying to sell iOS into hospitals for seven years, only to see tremendous uptick in recent months,' says Luo.

One of the earliest customers to come on board was Pueblo, Colorado-based Parkview Medical Center, which uses the Patient Safe Solutions app to help nurses manage patients' medications at their bedside. To help minimize errors, nurses can scan a patient's wristband to pull up a system on an iPhone that determines if the staff is administering the right medication at the right dose at the right time. The hospital also uses the app to ensure patients get the right blood for their type, as well as for voice and texting communications between nurses, doctors, and the pharmacy.

Luo recalls being invited to a meeting last winter with folks from Apple's growing health unit, alongside several chief information officers at hospitals and fellow iOS health developers. At that meeting, he says, the group discussed how various apps like Tonic Health and Patient Safe Solutions could integrate together, as well as three major issues with iOS that were causing some concern among the largest hospitals. According to Lanier and Luo, who both attended, those issues were: order fulfillment in device life-cycle management (meaning reassuring these enterprise customers they wouldn't need to order new devices in less than three years), security, and wireless connectivity.

Since this conversation 18 months ago, Luo says sales have jumped from 30 hospitals using the technology to 85 hospitals. He attributes the success to Apple making available an enterprise solutions architect by phone to reassure IT buyers about security and privacy, and a growing awareness of existing features like encryption of health data. 'Apple now feels like the safest choice,' he says and security analysts tend to agree with this assessment. For a lot more on this story check out Fast Company's full report here.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.
Ive seen this charge (that Mormon women go in for cosmetic surgery at a stupendously high rate) a fair number of times. Its often intended to illustrate how dysfunctional and phony Mormon culture is.

Of course, its wrong  as such accusations often do  to conflate Utah culture with Mormon culture. First, a significant proportion of Utah residents, particularly in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, arent practicing Mormons or even Mormons at all. Second, the majority of Mormons dont live in Utah.

But does the charge hold true in the first place? Even in Utah?

Jana Riess takes a look at the claim:

Posted from Newport Beach, California
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
Secusmart, the BlackBerry subsidiary that secures the German Chancellor Angela Merkels smartphone, will roll out a version of its SecuSuite security software compatible with Samsung Electronics Knox platform later this year.

That means that organizations looking for smartphones offering government-grade security will be able to buy the Samsung Galaxy S7 or, soon, the S8 rather than the now-discontinued BlackBerry OS smartphones like the one Merkel uses.

In addition to encrypting communications and data stored on the device, the new SecuSuite also secures voice calls using the SNS standard set by Germanys Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). Organizational app traffic is passed through an IPsec VPN, while data from personal apps can go straight to the internet. Encrypted voice calls go through a different gateway, not the VPN.

When it goes on sale, likely around July, an S7 running SecuSuite for Samsung Knox will cost around 1900, said BlackBerry Secusmart managing director Christoph Erdmann. Thats the same price as the existing BlackBerry 10 version, and includes the phone, a microSD smartcard to secure the encryption keys, and the first year of service.

Secusmart is demonstrating the new system on its stand at the Cebit trade show in Hanover, Germany this week.

This is not Secusmarts first collaboration with Samsung: Two years ago at Cebit, in conjunction with IBM, the companies unveiled an ultrasecure (and ultra-expensive) version of the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 tablet, called the Secutablet. It cost $2,300.

Users of SecuSuite for Samsung Knox will see the icons of applications managed by their employer tagged with a small padlock. When these applications are launched, they will ask for a PIN to authorize use of the encryption keys in the microSD card. Without these, neither the app nor its associated data can be accessed.

Other applications, including popular messaging platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp, can be installed in accordance with the employers security policies: Some organizations, like the German government, will allow only limited whitelists, while others may allow full access to the Google Play Store.

The controls are imposed by the organizations MDM (mobile device management) and MAM (mobile applications management) servers, typically BES 12 and EASE respectively.

Even if a user inadvertently downloads and installs one of the malicious apps that occasionally sneaks into the Google Play Store, data in the work-related apps is still securely protected, said Erdmann.

Every good OS has to have a way to stop processes reading other processes memory, he said, adding that the Android OS is one of the ones that does.

On a non-manipulated OS, one app trying to read from the memory of another app would simply crash the OS. Its a segmentation violation, he said.

Ensuring that the OS in the phone has not been manipulated is the key. In the case of SecuSuite for Samsung Knox, certification authorities can examine the source code to ensure that Androids memory protections have not been bypassed, and rely on Samsungs secure boot system to be sure the signed OS image that is loaded is the same one they examined.

This is why secure boot is important, to ensure that the system has not been manipulated, Erdmann said.

So far, only a couple of Android manufacturers offer devices with secure boot systems: Samsung, and TCL, the company that now manufactures BlackBerry-brand Android phones under license.

That opens up the possibility, at least, that the German Chancellors BlackBerry replacement could also be a BlackBerry.

Theres great potential for running SecuSuite on non-Knox Android phones, Erdmann said, but it wont happen right away.

Getting these solutions to the security level that the BSI and top-secret government agencies require is very time-consuming, he said. When we started on the Samsung solution, there was no BlackBerry Android, but with the BlackBerry Androids getting up to speed its a natural evolution.
The man whose body was found Thursday morning near the Cajon Pass has been identified as a 57-year-old Mexico citizen, coroners officials said.

The body of Jorge Barajas Olivera was found about 7 a.m. just north of Highway 138 1 mile east of the 15 freeway, according to the a San Bernardino County coroners news release released Friday.

PREVIOUSLY: Homicide investigation into death in Cajon Pass

Examinations will be performed to attempt to determine the cause of his death, the news release continues

A commuter reported seeing his body about 50 feet off the roadway.

Detectives found no obvious signs of trauma to Oliveras body, according to the news release.

The Sheriffs Department asks anyone with relevant information to call 909-387-3589 or the anonymous WeTip hotline at 1-800-782-7463.


Jane Quandt, senior minister at First Congregational Church of Riverside, is aware of the challenges that arise when a church offers sanctuary to undocumented immigrants.

But shes willing to take that risk.

Her church would need to install showers. It would have to partner with community groups to provide food and other essentials. Discussions would need to be held with church members who may not agree with housing undocumented immigrants.

It also needs to pinpoint which immigrants are at risk.

Its difficult right now because the processes are all up in the air. Its not clear whos vulnerable to being deported. Seems like they all are, she added.

Churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship are increasingly interpreting providing sanctuary to mean they should potentially give shelter to people who might be here in violation of the law and therefore subject to arrest as part of President Donald Trumps push to step-up immigration enforcement.

In some cases, a house of worship can double as an immigrants home. In others, congregants might shield undocumented immigrants and their families in their homes. In still others, churches and others help would-be deportees pay for legal aid, or sponsor workshops offering information on immigrants rights and how to respond if one is arrested by immigration agents.

Its not clear if physical sanctuary  in a church  will continue to provide much protection. Immigration officers generally have avoided entering sensitive locations, such as churches, to make arrests. While thats been formal policy since 2011, theres no law that prevents an immigration arrest in a church.

What is clear is that sanctuary is a tricky thing for a church to offer. There are issues of practicality and adequate physical space to house immigrants. There are liability questions. And, for many churches, there is the possibility of angering or offending members of the congregation who dont see any push to step up immigrant deportations as something to be resisted.

It is complicated work, said Rabbi Jonathan Klein, executive director for Clergy and Laity United For Economic Justice (CLUE)-LA, to a group of more than 100 people connected to faith groups at a recent sanctuary training in downtown Los Angeles.

The point is to empower each and every one of you and ask the question: How are you going to do this work?

For some, the possibility of losing congregants is a real concern.

The Rev. Paul Elder said several members of Saint Aidans Episcopal Church in Malibu, where he serves as a deacon, have left the church at least partly because of the sanctuary issue.

The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, which includes nearly 150 congregations from Santa Maria to San Juan Capistrano, passed a resolution in December declaring itself a Sanctuary Diocese, saying it would resist efforts to target and deport undocumented immigrants. It is up to each congregation, however, to determine how such resistance should be enacted.

While Saint Aidans so far has not been active on the sanctuary issue, Elder believes the Dioceses declaration, along with his personal activism on the issue, was a final straw for some members.

Were somewhat worried about it, Elder said. Theyre long-term members of the congregation. Theyre contributors to our upkeep, and our regular income.

Some still in the church are concerned about opposing the law, though Elder said similar questions were raised when churches supported African Americans and others in civil rights demonstrations. Its the same thing here, he said.

The Rev. Bill Freeman of Menifee United Church of Christ said hes ready for any potential backlash that comes with supporting immigrants and refugees.

Hes faced it before.

In 2015, Freeman announced his congregation was interested in housing Syrian refugees.

Soon after, the church received threatening messages. A cardboard sign reading, This Church is a Blasphemous Cult, was taped on a sign on the front yard. Church staff members also received a voicemail that cast aspersion on Muslims.

Now, they are again discussing possibilities of offering sanctuary to immigrants and refugees.

If Jesus tells us to care for the sick, to love everyone, thats what I have to preach. Thats what I have to teach, and thats what I have to do, he said.

Some people are concerned about whether Im going to get arrested, whether the church is going to get raided, Freeman added. But, again, Jesus was crucified for what he did, and getting arrested for what Jesus says, thats a small price to pay.

Theres also a question of demand.

In early 2016, after President Barack Obama urged immigration officials to round up undocumented children who had fled Central America for the purpose of deportation, the North Hills United Methodist Church Hispanic Mission declared itself a sanctuary. The Rev. Fred Morris, the missions pastor, said the church offered to host any family with a deportation order until they could appeal it in court, or to anyone being pursued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

But weve had no takers, Morris said. No one has ever come.

Morris believes thats largely because such immigrants today often are well settled.

When the Sanctuary Movement rose in the 1980s, people fleeing war-torn nations such as El Salvador arrived in the United States with only the clothes on their backs. Conversely, many of the immigrants facing deportation under the Trump administration have lived here for decades, hold jobs and have children in local schools.

(Sanctuary) becomes very complicated, logistically, Morris said.

The church has found other ways to help. Two years ago, the United Methodist Church in Southern California opened a welcome center in North Hills for unaccompanied minors who crossed into the country illegally. They initially helped three children. Today, more than 100 children from gang-infested countries in Central America are registered at the center.

Morris said those children can get help in the form of legal assistance, medical care and interaction with other children in the same situation.

Unless they have an immigration attorney who understands immigration law, (those children) have a 90 percent chance of being deported to their home country, Morris said.

If that happens, he added, theres a very strong possibility they would be murdered by a gang.

Meanwhile  partly because its legal to arrest people in church  the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles is trying to help immigrants in other ways.

In lieu of physical sanctuary, Bishop David OConnell of the Archdioceses San Gabriel Pastoral Region works with a task force that helps parishes throughout Southern California organize know our rights workshops, for people who might be subject to deportation. Hes also visited the border and placed bottled water on trails where thirsty immigrants are known to cross.

If it comes down to, in the future, that the only option to help our people, to protect them, is to have sanctuary (in our churches), then we will consider that, OConnell said. But right now there are other things we should be doing that are much more practical.

Still, some parishioners are bewildered by the concept of sanctuary.

We have so many homeless in California, so many vets in need, so many children who cant read. Why are we spending our time and energy on people who are breaking our laws? asked John Goya, a practicing Catholic in Long Beach who is also on the board of Make California Great Again, a pro-Trump nonprofit group.

Goya said while hell always be a Catholic, the Archdioceses push to help undocumented immigrants could prompt him to rethink his attendance at his local church. Goya, who is of Cuban and Spanish descent, noted that he also has some Jewish roots.

Maybe Ill start going to temple.

Offering sanctuary also can be legally risky.?In the 1980s, several church leaders around the country were prosecuted under federal law for offering sanctuary to refugees from Central America. Of 11 Sanctuary-affiliated people tried in Tucson, Arizona in 1986, three were acquitted, six got five years probation, and two received three years probation. Others doing sanctuary work spent some months in prison or in a half-way house.

Joel Fetzer, a political science professor at Pepperdine University, said if someone has no legitimate claim to asylum in this country and takes refuge in a church, immigration officers could claim with some plausibility that the church is violating federal law, and theres a legal right to seize him and detain him.

Sanctuary also could be extended far beyond any one house of worship.

The Rev. Zachary Hoover, executive director of LA Voice, a member of PICO National Network, said that with some hustle they could find sanctuary housing for more than 150 people. Hoover noted that people kept in a private home might be better protected, legally, than they would be in a house of worship.

Pini Herman, a retired demographer in Los Angeles, said hes open to having immigrants stay at his home. He added that hes motivated by his familys own past. As a child, Herman and his family fled antisemitism in Hungary during the countrys uprising in 1956. He said his mother had survived the Holocaust more than a decade earlier because several Hungarian families were willing to risk their lives to hide her.

I dont think anybody is illegal, Herman said.

If theyre being pursued on that basis, I believe I should give them shelter, whatever the dangers may be.

Staff writer Deepa Bharath contributed to this report.
REDLANDS >> Casting for a second season of DIY Networks Restored is happening now.

Producers are looking for historic homes in need of TLC to participate.

Restored features Brett Waterman tackling various restoration projects that will not only provide homeowners with a livable space for modern times, but pay homage to its original architecture.

The shows pilot aired March 2016 and featured work on a home in the 400 block of Grant Street and in the citys historic neighborhood district. Producers wanted to focus filming in Redlands because of its charm, Waterman said last year, but found opportunities to film episodes in neighboring Riverside and Yucaipa.

I am so pleased Im being given another opportunity to restore architecture I love and the houses that need help, said Waterman. I am hoping to find more houses that need restoration and would love to expand the range of architecture to also include French Normandy and Tudor, amongst the Arts & Crafts and Victorians. I am looking for properties that have great bones and history, and owners that have an interesting story.

There are requirements to be considered. Homeowners must have a restoration budget and must feel comfortable leaving the home for a few weeks while work is being done. Producers will only consider homes built before the 1950s, said Camille Hardman, the shows executive producer.

Returning to the Inland Empire has Waterman excited, along with the shows crew, Hardman said.

We love it here and so this is where we want to stay, she said.

DIY began airing season one of Restored in January. Producers shot 12 episodes for the shows first season.

To learn more about Restored, visit www.diynetwork.com/shows/restored.

To be considered for the shows second season, send an email to Hardman at restoredtv@gmail.com or call 323-301-3559.
Rosalia Munoz can still hear the knock on her bedroom door.

She sees an energetic Anthony Corona, her autistic 18-year-old grandson, eager to take his medicine so he can do well at school.

She said he couldnt wait to get picked up at 6:30 a.m. for the two-hour bus ride from his San Bernardino home to Bright Futures Academy, a Riverside school that specializes in helping developmentally disabled students.

RELATED: Riverside student with autism dies after school bus altercation in San Bernardino

But Coronas knocks, his hugs and tender way of putting his head on his grandmas shoulder so she could rub his hair are now memories.

I cant believe hes gone, said Munoz, 78.

Corona, who loved opera, McDonalds and reading, died the evening of Dec. 9 after he became agitated and combative while on the bus ride home, school officials and police said.

Following a physical confrontation with another student and after school employees attempts to restrain Corona failed, the bus driver pushed the teens shoulders down, forcing his head between his legs, for 12 minutes until he stopped breathing, a San Bernardino police report stated. He died in the hospital a short time later, officials said.

Authorities concluded the death was a homicide, which means death at the hands of another, but not necessarily implying intent or culpability, states a coroners report provided by the familys attorney Dale Nowicki. His death resulted from positional asphyxia, meaning he was put in a position where he couldnt breathe for several minutes, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department Coroner Division and San Bernardino police Lt. Mike Madden. Coronas autism and mental retardation contributed to his death, a coroners report states.

RELATED: Why did autistic San Bernardino student die in school bus struggle?

Bright Futures officials declined comment on the autopsy results or details of the case. President Betti Colucci said in a statement that the school was saddened beyond measure at Coronas death and extended its deepest sympathies to his family. She added that the school has never had such an incident since opening in 2012.

Family members want more than an apology.

Someone needs to pay for what happened, said Virginia Orozco, Coronas 56-year-old aunt. Its not about money. People whose children are going to this school need to be aware of whats happening. They dont need to be worried about profits. They need to be worried about children theyre caring for.

San Bernardino police turned over the case last week to the San Bernardino County District Attorneys Office, which hasnt decided whether to file charges, spokesman Christopher Lee said.

I dont think anybody believes this was an intentional act, Madden said. To the extent it was preventable, that will be up to the district attorney,, and potentially a jury, to determine.

Colucci told police she didnt believe the right procedure was used to restrain Corona, who was strapped in his seat with a harness. She couldnt think of any situation to force a students head between his legs unless there was extreme danger of injury to staff or students, a San Bernardino Police report also provided by the attorney said. Colucci told police that in the past Corona had found a way to disconnect the harness and loosen the straps and was told he was wearing it lower than normal the day of his death, the report said.

Colucci said in a statement that the school has taken appropriate action regarding any acts that appear contrary to training, adding that personnel matters are confidential.

Bright Futures, which has campuses in Riverside, Apple Valley and Twentynine Palms, has faced safety questions before.

A 2015 lawsuit alleges that two years earlier, an employee left unattended a 13-year-old student with autism and a seizure disorder at its Victorville campus, which has since closed.

Willie Walker suffered a seizure and third-degree burns on his left leg when the employee left him to turn on an air conditioner, the suit says. In court documents, the schools attorneys deny wrongdoing.

The San Bernardino City Unified School District, which hires Bright Futures, has 14 students at the school. The district pays the school $30,000 to $60,000 annually per student. The cost is higher for who students who need one-to-one assistance, speech therapy and other services.

Although the coroners report is of concern, we feel the students are safe due to staffing changes and additional training, district spokeswoman Linda Bardere wrote in an email.

Bright Futures employees were properly trained before the incident involving Corona but were retrained afterward to be prepared if a restraint becomes necessary, Colucci said in a statement. The school will ensure employees are trained and follow correct protocols so this does not happen again, she said.

Nowicki, the attorney representing Coronas family, said he doesnt believe the teen posed a threat to anyone on the bus, which had 21 students at the time of his death.

They used an unapproved technique which cut off breathing and circulation, said Nowicki. It was wholly irresponsible and incorrect.

Corona, who was seated in the back, began acting up by banging on the window and throwing a half-empty water bottle at a school aide in the front of the bus, the police report stated.

The female aide left her seat and tried to calm Corona, who grabbed the employee by the hair and arm. When a male student on the bus tried to help, Corona pulled his chain around his neck and broke it, the police report said.

The other student got mad and punched Corona in the face, prompting a second aide to assist to separate the pair, the report stated.

The bus driver got off the 215 Freeway in San Bernardino and stopped at the intersection of H and Victoria streets, less than three miles from Coronas home, police said.

As the driver forced Coronas head down and an aide held him by the wrist, Corona said, I done, I done, coroners and police reports said. At one point, he appeared to calm down but began resisting again and employees put him in the same position before he went limp and stopped breathing, the coroners report said.

The bus driver and aides called 911 and performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Corona was taken to St. Bernardine Medical Center, where he died, police said.

The bus driver told police that he was unaware of Coronas medical issues or that there was a plan to control his behavior. The drivers supervisor said he told him he had used the same technique on Corona about two weeks earlier and it appeared to work, the police report said. Family members said they were not informed of the previous incident, which was not reported to the school, the report stated.

A former school employee expressed concerns to police that there were only two aides on the bus. Outside of students who have individualized education programs that require one-to-one aides, such as Corona, there are no requirements from accrediting agencies for a minimum aide-to-student ratio, Colucci said in an earlier statement. The school has at least at two and up to six aides and a driver on each bus, Colucci said.

Corona, who lived with his uncle and grandmother in San Bernardino, had a severe intellectual developmental disability and recurrent violent behavior, the coroners report said. He was diagnosed with seizures for which he was hospitalized two years ago, the report said.

An officer who interviewed the family said Corona was highly aggressive and had damaged and destroyed appliances in his home, a police report stated.

Nowicki said family members told him they hid objects in the home so that Corona would feel comfortable and wouldnt hurt himself.

He would get frustrated and break things, Nowicki said. He wasnt lashing out to hurt people.

Corona was always supervised, he said.

Corona, who was 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed 190 pounds, had the mind of a 3 or 4 year old and could only speak a few words, relatives said.

Family members said Coronas mother moved out some time before the incident but declined to explain why. His father was not part of his life, relatives said.

Two aunts and his grandmother said the pain lingers three months after his death.

Corona loved going to McDonalds and ordering Happy Meals from the drive-through window, his grandmother said.

He would sit down and eat and 15 minutes later, he wanted to go again, Munoz said. He was a very happy little boy.

Last Halloween, he dressed as comic-book hero Wolverine.

When his grandmother turned on the TV for him to watch cartoons, Corona changed the channel to watch opera because he enjoyed the singing, Munoz said. He relaxed by taking long baths with the water filled almost to the rim of the tub, Orozco said.

Gloria Munoz, another aunt, said she cries every time she sees a school bus or white van, which Corona previously rode in on his way to and from school.

Rosalia Munoz broke down in tears as she talked about her grandson.

Im so mad right now that I dont care what happens to them, she said. They deserve what they get. They took something from me. They left a big hole in my heart.
SAN BERNARDINO >> Shootings in a pair of economically distressed California cities were skyrocketing, leaving the impression of an epidemic, but analysis by California Partnerships for a Safe Community revealed relatively few people are behind many of those shootings.

Working with police and the community, the consultants found the people at risk of those shootings and developed relationships to encourage actions other than violence.

Then homicides dropped  30 percent in Oakland, 55 percent in Stockton.

RELATED: Why crime-reduction program Ceasefire caught San Bernardinos eye

And San Bernardino  just exiting bankruptcy and with a near-record 62 homicides in 2016  now has an agreement designed to mirror the latest chapter from those other cities.

The professional services agreement with California Partnerships that the City Council unanimously approved March 6 isnt the first step toward implementing the program, known as Ceasefire, in San Bernardino.

For more than two years, community groups  particularly Inland Congregations United for Change, known as ICUC  have pushed the city to implement Ceasefire. Police and city officials studied and then began preparing to implement the program, with the City Council directing City Manager Mark Scott in October to pursue the contract.

The vote wont be the last word either.

RELATED: Vow to add Ceasefire adds hope to peace march

Scott warned in October that visible change  a dramatic drop in homicide rates like the 55 percent seen in Stockton  would take perhaps two years.

The next step is filling the positions that will be charged with running the program.

A job description for the civilian head, who will likely work out of the city managers office, is being put together now, Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said Thursday.

Once that person is in place, theyll start working pretty intensively with us to go over the data, Burguan said. The intent of the data analysis is  and we think we have a pretty good idea of this already  to drill down on what the root causes of violence are, and try to get a snapshot of whos responsible for it or at risk of it.

The key to that analysis is its specificity.

RELATED: With 63 homicides, 2016 is San Bernardinos deadliest year in 2 decades

Typically, if were trying to figure out where do we need to prevent the next shooting, well focus in on groups and locations, Burguan said. They will try to actually identify people: John Smith, who lives at this particular location, is at risk because of that. And the outreach will specifically go to John Smith.

In addition to the analysis, California Partnership promises to develop local capacities  through shooting reviews, meeting coordination and performance measurement  and help with communication messaging, strategic enforcement and outreach.

This has also enabled the (Oakland Police) Department to reduce its reliance on tactics and strategies  such as gang injunctions, curfews and aggressive street-level drug enforcement  that tend to sweep African-American and Latino young men at low risk of violence into the criminal justice system with little or no public safety benefit, California Partnership wrote in its submission to the city.

These are all invaluable goals, said Tom Dolan, executive director of ICUC, which is why the group has been marching and holding community events advocating for Ceasefire since 2015.

I sure wish it could have happened more quickly, but I understand this is kind of a change in culture and the mentality of how we approach this issue. It does take time, Dolan said. Weve been marching and requesting this for quite some time. Were hoping that now that the decisions have been made that we can move forward quickly and with strong community representation.

The community representation is key, though, he said, and ICUC plans to stress that in a set of recommendations they intend to give the mayors office Monday.

Were communicating directly with the mayors office to show our support and enthusiasm, Dolan said. And also our recommendation that Ceasefire is, by definition, a partnership with the community. Were calling on the city to schedule regular community meetings where the community is involved.

Small meetings are key in Oakland, according to California Partnerships literature.

Community, clergy, street outreach and criminal justice leaders gather around dining or conference tables with 10 to 20 young men at high risk of violence, they write. The partners share their commitment to making neighborhoods safe and keeping the young men alive and free, while providing them with clear and accurate information about the risks of violence and incarceration. The tone is serious, but also respectful and compassionate.

ICUC also wants to ensure that the management position is open to the public, Dolan said.

The two full-time staff positions for the city are projected to cost about $400,000 per year, according to the city, plus program costs and eventually additional part-time community outreach providers.

The contract with California Partnership itself costs the city $175,000 per year  about $87,500 for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.

Funding will come from Measure Z, a sales tax measure San Bernardino voters approved in 2006.

Measure YY, an advisory measure also passed in 2006, stated that the proceeds of Measure Z be used only to fund more police officers and support personnel, and to fund anti-gang and anti-crime operations, including drug resistance education and supervised after-school youth activities.

Police continue to hire aggressively, and Ceasefire will be just added to the departments efforts, Burguan said.

The reality is this is another tool in our toolbox, Burguan said. This program, when done correctly, has proven time and time again to effectively reduce (shooting and homicide) numbers. However, it does not solve necessarily underlying problems, and it does not replace traditional policing. Were never going to stop doing traditional policing.
Grab your umbrellas and maybe an extra layer of clothing because the unseasonably warm and sunny conditions the Inland region enjoyed last week are on their way out.

The National Weather service is forecasting that rain will arrive by late Tuesday and will continue falling throughout the day on Wednesday.

National Weather Service meteorologist Brett Albright said its still too early to tell exactly how much rain will fall, but right now models arent leaning toward a flood-maker.

He said most of the Inland valleys can probably expect around .25 of an inch though some areas may see as much as .5 of an inch.

Southern Californias coastal foothills and mountain slopes will see about an inch to 1.5 inches, Albright said.

The rainfall amount might not be huge, but at least some of the stormy weather will be exciting.

Probably the best chance for interesting rain is Wednesday, Albright said. We may get a chance of a thunderstorm or two in the area but they will be pretty isolated.

It wont just be rainy, it will be noticeably colder.

It will be a change, a big change, from what weve seen for almost two weeks now, Albright said.

Temperatures have been unseasonably warm, though forecasters have said that they have not been quite warm enough to call a heatwave. They have been the result of a ridge of high pressure over the area.

But by midweek, things will have have changed a lot with the arrival of the storm. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will each bring temperatures in the 60s.

The cooler trend will continue through the weekend, Albright said, with a chance for some more rainfall over the next weekend.

Staff writer Doug Saunders contributed to this report.
Firefighters were summoned Saturday, March 18, to a hiking spot in the Temecula area to rescue an injured hiker there, according to officials.

The woman was reported injured shortly after noon in an area called the watering hole, which is west of Temecula Parkway and Old Town Front Street, according to a Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire news release.

A helicopter crew rescued her and flew her to an area hospital for treatment of serious injuries.
My Dear Friend, this is important for saving our families and future generations.

Some Ghanaian women (could be your sister, daughter or granddaughter) are being lured by men (majority foreigners, our West African neighbours) into relationships and so called marriages at the pretence of making a family.

They shower these girls with riches as a sign of their LOVE. Over time they fly these women abroad and mainly to SOUTH AFRICA with the pretence of a thorough medical checkup especially if these women have some illness. My good friend unknowing to these women, one of their kidneys are taken at the hospital. It is a big business globally controlled by cartels and earns these guys millions of dollars.

To compensate for their guilt if any, these guys buy cars for the girls. Our sisters in their naivety see it as LOVE. People, let's help save our sisters from these unscrupulous blood sucking greedy vampires who are only here in Ghana to mess up our future mothers and generations. You see them all over the country driving posh cars and living lavish lifestyles pretending to be big-time business men but this is what majority of them do in the "dark". Please let's help circulate this to our loved ones and everyone on your contact list. God Bless you for helping save a life









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 Accra Regional Police Command has finally arrested a 38-year-old suspected armed robber who led a syndicate to terrorize residents of Agbogbloshie and its environs in Accra.



The suspect Yakubu Alidu, aka Bullet was arrested together with a member of his gang called Mohammed Iddrisu, 20, at their hideout at Weija in Accra.



Bullet, who was armed, allegedly led a gang of 10 suspected robbers to vandalize property and attacked some of the victims with machetes.



Other victims were also shot by the suspect, who is feared in the area.



Briefing the media on Thursday, the Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Osabarima Oware Asare Pinkro III, said Alidu and his accomplice were arrested together with other suspected criminals during a swoop at about 4am on Thursday.



The suspect, who has been terrorizing residents of Agbogbloshie for the past three months, has been on the wanted list of the police for some time now.



A bench warrant was issued for his immediate arrest by an Accra Circuit Court.



On February 2, 2017, he said the police received a report from one of Alidus victims, who sustained multiple machete wounds on his body.



The victim, identified as Samiru Abdulai, a resident of Old Fadama, reported to the police that at about 9am on that morning, a group of men led by Alidu demanded money from him when he was putting up a structure at Kokomba market, near Agbogbloshie Market.



The victim said when he refused to give them money, they attacked him with a machete and bolted.



While the case was under investigation, the police also received another report on February 2, 2017 from two traders at the Konkomba Market named Philip Kofi Anderson and Sylvester Baffour that the suspect and his men had attacked and robbed other residents of their money and mobile phones.



Alidu and his gang, numbering about 10, again on March 3, 2017 attacked a drinking spot known as Konkonsah Drinking Bar and robbed the merry-makers of their properties.



Some of the victims, who declined to surrender their monies and phones, were brutalized.



The suspects, who were wielding cutlasses, guns and other offensive weapons, damaged a gambling machine at the drinking spot, stole an unspecified amount of money from the bar owner as well.



The suspects fled but there were empty bullet shells at the scene.



The suspects were immediately placed on the police wanted list, which led to his arrest.



He would be arraigned before court after investigations.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former President John Dramani Mahama will soon be dropping the names of some members of the Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the NDC who came to collect monies from him on several occasions on behalf of both party for campaign purposes on in the run-up to the December 2016 elections.



A source close to the Former President told this paper that he (Former President) has been compelled to tow this line of action after several reports that some members of the FEC have gone round telling people he failed to resource the party; hence the party's defeat at the polls.



These members of the FEC, according to sources, have also be telling some grassroots supporters of the party that President Mahama, instead, channeled funds directly to Parliamentary candidates and some voluntarily groups. But this, the source said, is far from the truth.



The Daily Post's own enquirers and investigations have revealed that some senior members of the FEC constantly came for various sums of monies from the President for campaign activities which he gave them without let or hindrance. While receiving funds from President Mahama, they also took delivery of hundreds of thousands of T-Shirts from his wife, Mrs. Lordina Mahama. The T-shirts and other party paraphernalia were her personal contribution to the campaign effort.



"The National Chairman, the General Secretary, the Deputy General Secretary, the National Youth Organizer, the National Organizer and the Women's Organizer received thousands of T-shirts from Mrs. Lordina Mahama on more than two occasions," the source said.



While the president released cash, donated to him by his financiers, to the two FEC executives at various stages of the campaign, they never informed him even once of the billions of cedis businesses donated to the party through them.



The sources told this paper that on one occasion, a financier of the party came to the Former President with cash for the party. The Former president directed him to the party headquarters. The businessman proceeded to the party headquarters to make the donation but did not tell the two key members who received the monies he had been to President John Mahama's house first. The very evening, the two sent for monies from the Former President for campaign activities.



And they received it.



Investigations by this paper revealed that the FEC officials and another senior members of the party in charge of elections brought a budget of over GH11.6 million (GH11.6billion) to the president to be paid to the party's polling agents. They received the money. Each polling agent was to receive GH200, but the agents never received this monies.



Indeed, some of the polling agents did not even turn up for the exercise!



President Mahama is reported to have been shocked and saddened by the lies that are being bandied around by some of the FEC executives that he did not resource the party.



It is this that has compelled him to decide to drop the names of those who received campaign monies from him and the amount therein.



He further finds the claims that the party was sidelined during the campaign when the General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia was National Organizer of the party, Kofi Adams, was the National Campaign Coordinator absurd.



More Anon

Source: Daily Post/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
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.
Australian actress Melissa George has been fighting a legal battle for custody of her two kids with French entrepreneur Jean-David Blanc for the last six months.

Now, shes opened up in an interview on Sunday Night about the violent assault that ended her relationship and left her bleeding and throwing up.

George says that Blanc came home late at night and woke her up with his movements around the house  watching TV, preparing food  despite George having just given birth and needing to rest.

They started to argue, and then things became physical.

It started with him on top of me, with my arms locked above my head, she said. He pushed me into the door and then struck my face, and I hit the wall and fell on the floor. He stood over me and said, Now youre a real actress.'

When George told Blanc that she was calling the police, she says he hit her in the mouth. Then:

He grabbed the back of my head and smashed it on the metal thing where you hang your coats and thats when I scratched him and I tried to fight for my life.

Eventually Blanc left her alone. She got her documents, left the house and called an Uber. The driver found a police car, which escorted them to a station, where a bloodied and dazed George threw up into a rubbish bin until an ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital. The photo above was taken eight days after the assault.

I had marks around my wrists when I was thrown into the door, I had bruising on my back, my bottom and my hip. When he struck my face I had swelling to the left side of my face. When he hit my mouth I had a broken inner lip and then when he cracked my head onto the metal valet I had a huge lump above my eye that swelled and swelled and swelled and then slowly over the weeks the worst part was my neck. My neck wasnt able to move, turn left, right, up or down.

Both George and Blanc were convicted of assault in the French court, with Blanc ordered to pay 1000 euro to George, and George required to pay just one euro to Blanc. They are both appealing the convictions.

Now George is trying to get the Australian government to intervene on her behalf so she can bring her kids with her. Blanc wont let them leave the country, which is crippling her ability to work abroad because she is still breastfeeding and refuses to be away from her children.

The full interview is pretty harrowing stuff. George says that Blanc was always controlling  he tried to get her to sign a contract before they had kids together that stated, among other things, that any boys they had would be circumcised, and that their children would be raised in France. She refused to sign it, even though he would take her passport away in order to pressure her.

She also says that while she recognised Blancs controlling nature, she stayed for the sake of her kids.

Heartbreakingly, at one point the interviewer asks if she knows that some people will say shes making it all up  a pretty damning indictment of the way the Australian public continues to treat survivors of domestic abuse.

George remains in France.

Source: 7NEWS.

Image: Sunday Night.
An Uber driver from Paris has described the night he picked up a bloodied and frightened Melissa George and took her to a police station after a violent altercation involving the Australian actress and her estranged husband.

This evening, Sevens Sunday Night program will air a heavily-promoted tell-all interview with George, who claims to be trapped in France thanks to an acrimonious custody dispute with husband Jean-David Blanc.

George and Blancs marriage ended last September after a row in their Paris apartment  both were convicted of assault after the incident, with a French court finding that each had attacked the other on the fateful night.

Uber driver Owais Atique picked George up at around 2.24am after she fled her home, and has told Sunday Night that he almost drove away on seeing her, assuming that she was a drunk until he saw bloodstains on her blouse.

Atique has alleged that he helped a tearful George into his Audi, with blood staining the window and door handle. The driver claims that she told him he hit me, adding:

She was crying  just crying  and saying I am scared, I am scared, please go  he will find me, Im scared. I have my two babies in the apartment. I say to her stay here, I will go. She said no, my boys are with my babysitters  I want to go to the police station.'

The driver said that George appeared to be in a lot of pain, and that the incident also left him in tears. He says he initially wanted to take George to the hospital, but she was adamant about going to the police station.

Atique was not familiar with George as an actress and said she was just a normal customer to him, but that she visited his fathers restaurant a some time later to thank him, and was a very nice person.

Blanc has denied attacking George on the night of the incident and is currently appealing his conviction, claiming that he was forced to defend himself against his wife.

TONIGHT 8:30: Assaulted, hospitalised, trapped Australian actress Melissa George is in the fight of her life. Shes breaking her silence. pic.twitter.com/o036IlPSHf  sunday night (@sundaynighton7) March 18, 2017

Source: News Corp.

Photo: Foc Kan / Getty.
SESSIONS CARTOON.jpg

By Susan Stamper Brown

Have you ever been around someone who has a bad case of gas, but always finds ways to blame the noxious fumes on those around them?

Susan Stamper Brown (Cagle Syndicate photo)

Democrats are masters of the "whoever smelt it, dealt it" game, which is really nothing more than psychological projection.



Psychologists define psychological projection as a protective defense mechanism whereby someone dishonestly attributes his or her bad behavior to someone else by inventing false accusations to divert attention away from themselves to avoid blame and punishment.



Undeniably, the Obama administration and Democrats are obsessed with Russia. Their Russia musings were amusing -- until it became almost a daily...weird...sociopathic, psychological projection...kind of thing. It's uncanny that it didn't let up until Trump made it known he suspected Obama might have listened to his private conversations.



Until then, Democrats' Russian ramblings were baseless, so the more they talked about Trump and Russia, the more curious their intentions became. After all, there are plenty of dots to connect to make the case for why Russia would've wanted Hillary to win in 2016.





Uranium One would be a good place to start. Uranium One is a Russian-owned uranium mining company that lobbied the Obama State Department through a firm co-founded by Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign chairman, John Podesta.



The Daily Caller reports "Uranium One is significant because it fell under the corporate control of Rosatom, Russia's atomic energy agency, through a series of transactions approved by Hillary Clinton's State Department."



The acquisition "effectively gave Russia control of 20 percent of the uranium in the U.S," the Daily Caller reported.



Furthermore, the same report says, "Uranium One paid The Podesta Group $40,000 to lobby the State Department, the Senate" and other groups.



And it didn't end there. The New York Times reports: "As the Russians gradually assumed control of Uranium One in three separate transactions...a flow of cash made its way to the Clinton Foundation...totaling $2.35 million" and "shortly after the Russians announced their intention to acquire a majority stake in Uranium One, Mr. Clinton received $500,000 for a Moscow speech from a Russian investment bank with links to the Kremlin that was promoting Uranium One stock."



Additionally, in 2009, then-President Obama altered U.S. missile defense policy, stopping plans for a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe, which Mitt Romney called "a gift to Russia."





In 2012, Obama was caught in a friendly open mic conversation to then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about missile defense promising: "This is my last election, after my election, I have more flexibility."



During the 2012 presidential race Obama mocked Mitt Romney for saying Russia was America's "number one geopolitical foe." "The 1980s are now calling," Obama wisecracked, "to ask for their foreign policy back because the Cold War's been over for 20 years."



Fast-forward to NBC's "Meet the Press" show with NBC's Chuck Todd, March 5, when former CIA director James Clapper claimed he didn't know of any evidence that points toward a Trump-Russia collusion. When questioned by Todd, Clapper responded, "Not to my knowledge."





Something is up with Democrats and Russia.



Trump administration officials should not rest until they have investigated any ties because all this Russia-bashing suggests they are hiding something. Additionally, believers should pray that Democrats' eyes would be opened to the truth that until they return to God and destroy the Progressivism which now controls their party, they'll remain delusional and in a state of perpetual chaos.



In the meantime, it stinks to be a Democrat.



Democrats are crying out for help, so would someone please call a shrink to help them deal with their post-election grief issues and psychological projection problem?



Susan Stamper Brown Susan is a regular contributor to Townhall, The Christian Post, Right Wing News and GOPUSA. Her work appears on Sundays on PennLive. readers may email her at writestamper@gmail.com.
An egg in the bald eagle nest near Hanover - the nest that is the focus of a webcam livestreaming through the Pennsylvania Game Commission website - began showing the first signs of hatching on Sunday afternoon.

A pip - the spot where the chick first pecks a small hole in its eggshell to begin the process of breaking out of the egg - seems to have been spotted by those who maintain a near constant watch on the livestream video from the nest.

Although some of those watchers had hoped for a St. Patrick's Day (March 17) hatching, the timing apparently was not right for that sequence of events.

The first of this year's eggs was laid at about 5:45 p.m. Feb. 10, according to the commission. The second egg was laid at about 5:15 p.m. Feb. 13.

Bald eagle eggs typically hatch after 35 days of incubation in the nest.

Last year, the female laid the first egg on Feb. 18 and the second on Feb. 21. One of the eggs hatched on March 28, but the chick died. The other egg never hatched.

In 2015, the first egg was laid on Feb. 14 and the second on Feb. 27. The first hatched on March 24. The second hatched on March 25. The two eaglets fledged on June 22.

The commission noted that the first record of an active bald eagle nest in the area of Codorus State Park at Hanover came in 2005.

Records indicate that eaglets have fledged eight times, most often two at a time.

There are no records indicating that any of the adult nesting eagles have been banded or otherwise marked.

These webcams, provided by HDOnTap, were installed in November 2015. The cameras are powered by a hard line running down the tree to an electrical panel several feet from the base of the tree. Comcast Business is providing the internet service.

Friends of Codorus State Park supplied the bucket lift and other items necessary for installation and the landowner is donating the electricity to power the camera. Codorus State Park has provided on the ground staff and facilitated the project.
Here, there, everywhere  why car washes seem to be on every corner
Screengrab of www.planyourlifespan.org, an online guide to help people plan for life after age 75. Read more

At least once a day, Dr. Lee Ann Lindquist gets an urgent phone call.

"Mom fell and is in the hospital," a concerned middle-aged son might report.

"Dad got lost with the car, and we need to stop him from driving," a distraught middle-aged daughter may explain.

"We don't know what to do."

Lindquist, chief of geriatrics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, wondered if people could become better prepared for such emergencies, and so she designed a research project to find out.

The result is a unique website, www.planyourlifespan.org, which helps older adults plan for predictable problems during what Lindquist calls the "last quarter of life"  roughly, from age 75 on.

"Many people plan for retirement," the energetic physician explained in her office close to Lake Michigan. "They complete a will, assign powers of attorney, pick out a funeral home, and they think they're done."

What doesn't get addressed is how older adults will continue living at home if health-related concerns compromise their independence.

"People don't want to think about the last 10 or 15 years of their life, and how they're going to manage," Lindquist said.

This isn't end-of-life planning; it's planning for the period before the end, when health problems become more common.

Lindquist and collaborators began their research by convening focus groups of 68 seniors  mostly women with an average age of 74. Nearly $2 million in funding came from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, created under the Affordable Care Act.

Investigators wanted to know which events might make it difficult for people to remain at home. Seniors named five: being hospitalized, falling, developing dementia, having a spouse fall ill or die, and not being able to keep up their homes.

Yet most participants hadn't planned for these kinds of events. Investigators asked why.

Among the reasons seniors offered: I don't know what to do, I'm uncomfortable asking for help, I'm not at immediate risk of something bad happening, my children will take care of whatever I need, and I'm worried I won't have enough money, according to a research report published last year.

Developing the website came next. Lindquist and her team decided to focus on three issues the focus groups had raised  hospitalizations, falling, and developing dementia  and to include sections on communicating with family members and managing finances.

A group of senior advisers rejected the first version: The typeface was too small; the design, too cluttered; and the content, too complex. They didn't want to be overwhelmed with information; they wanted the material on the site to be practical and concrete.

The final version "forces people to sit down and think about their future in a very helpful and nonthreatening way," said Phyllis Mitzen, 74, who worked on the project and is president of Skyline Village in downtown Chicago, a community organization with about 100 older adult members.

An individual going through the material is asked to consider a series of questions after examining explanatory information and watching short videos of seniors illustrating the issues being discussed. For instance, which rehabilitation facility would you like to go to if you need intensive therapy after a hospitalization?

Who will take care of your pets, mow your lawn, or shovel the snow from your sidewalk while you're away? Who can collect your mail, check on bills to be paid, and get medications for you when you return home?

If you begin having memory problems, who can help you manage your bills and finances? Are you willing to wear a medical alert bracelet if you start getting lost? Would you be willing to have a friend or relative check on your driving or have a formal driving evaluation?

If you require more assistance, are you open to having someone come in to help at home? Would you prefer to live with somebody  if so, whom? Would you be willing to move into a senior community?

The goal is to jump-start conversations about these issues, Lindquist said, just as seniors are encouraged to have conversations about end-of-life preferences.

Those looking for deep dives into topics highlighted on the site will have to look elsewhere. Resources listed are spare and some of the material presented  for instance, how Medicare might cover various services  is overly simplified, noted Carol Levine, director of the United Hospital Fund's Families and Health Care Project in New York City.

Her project has prepared a much more detailed, comprehensive set of guides for family caregivers about issues such as home care, doctors' visits, emergency- room care, rehabilitation, and what to expect during and after a hospitalization. Those materials are full of useful advice and can flesh out issues raised on the Northwestern website.

Those wanting to know more about falls can consult materials prepared by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

For dementia, the Alzheimer's Association and the NIH are good places to start.

As for next steps, Lindquist contemplates disseminating PlanYourLifespan more widely, translating it into Spanish if funding can be secured and possibly expanding it to include more topics.

The point is to "give seniors a voice," she said. Now, if an older woman breaks a hip and is rushed to surgery, "loved ones run around and usually make decisions without her input  she's usually too out of it to really weigh in. That doesn't have to happen, if only people would consider the reality of growing older and plan ahead."

Judith Graham writes the "Navigating Aging" column for Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent part of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Resources:

You can plan ahead at planyourlifespan.org.

Here are even more detailed tips on specific topics:

Comprehensive guides for family caregivers: nextstepincare.org

Falls: cdc.gov and nihseniorhealth.gov

Specifically for people with dementia: alz.org and nia.nih.gov
The following editorial appeared in The Charlotte Observer on Monday, March 13:

Your average slug is more popular than the media these days. The Trump administration has declared the press the opposition party and enemy of the people. Fake news and stories filled with inaccurate or incomplete facts are receiving unprecedented attention.

Given that environment, it will be tempting for many Americans to tune out as journalists wax poetic about the virtues of Sunshine Week, which began Sunday. The initiative is now in its 12th year and is being led by the American Society of Newspaper Editors and the Reporters for Committee for Freedom of the Press, along with the Gridiron Club and Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. But the public should not tune them out  not only because journalists deserve a fair hearing, but because the public deserves a government accessible enough that it can be held accountable by the everyday American as much as (sometimes more than) the professional journalist.

Sunshine Week is a nonpartisan effort held annually to remind Americans about the importance of Freedom of Information laws that date back half a century and have served as a bedrock of every level of our democracy.

Those are not just pretty words. The more the public knows, the more it can make informed decisions about who should lead us, which policies are broken, and which policies need to be improved, not scrapped. It helps the citizen concerned about spending by the local school board keep tabs on how administrative pay increases correlate with per-pupil funding and academic achievement. The more open the laws are, the harder it is for police departments everywhere to not be completely transparent about police shootings that threaten to tear communities apart.

Its what allowed the North Carolina Open Government Coalition to quiz nine local governments throughout the state and 19 state officials about their use and preservation of text messages, where policy is increasingly being molded and talking points crafted. Its the reason South Carolinian Dinedra Smith could gather enough information about the possible wrongful conviction of her brother in a home invasion to persuade law enforcement officials and local and national media to take a second look at the case.

And the laws serve as a bulwark against fake news because they allow individuals to put their hands on original documents and examine source material that can be used to rebut conspiracies or ferret out misleading claims by elected officials. That also makes it possible for the public to keep tabs on the media.

While media outlets may be leading the charge to celebrate such an invaluable democratic tool, the public should be its greatest defender, because without it, our most basic constitutional rights would be shells of themselves.
Cheapest JR Pass Online for Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan

Latest Update: Best JR Pass Prices and Rates in Malaysia

We have been blogging a lot on Japan travel tips recently as we just visited the country a few days ago. Another travel tips we wanted to share is the cheapest JR Pass you can purchase online in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. For those who didnt know, JR Pass is not for sale in Japan and it is only available for foreign tourists only. Thus, one of the cheapest ways to travel around Japan is via JR Pass as the JR Rail Network covers the whole Japan.

Six years ago, we blogged about where to purchase JR Pass in Malaysia which as at Amoda Building in Jalan Imbi, Malaysia. Today, we will share where you can buy the cheapest JR Pass online. There are a few websites are selling official JR Pass online without commission. Please take note that there is a small surcharge for those who are purchasing JR Pass tickets from JTB outlets in Malaysia or other countries.

So where to buy the Cheapest JR Pass Online for Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan?

The answer is from this Hong Kong website called Klook.com. We purchase the Universal Studio Osaka tickets from them and they are one of the few authorised agents for online sales. Thus, they are extremely popular in Hong Kong and Singapore for offering great discount tickets for places of attractions in Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand and more.

Klook is offering RM60 off on selected Japan Transport activities: 7,14,21 Day JR Rail passes & Airport Transfer. Promo valid till 31 July 2017.

The fares for all the JR Pass on Klook for Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan are discounted. For limited time only, take extra RM60 off on selected JR passes with <JPTP60> for Malaysia only. Promotion is until 31 July 2017. You can check out the promos here.

The popular JR Passes for travellers are the 7 Days Whole Japan Rail JR Pass (Ordinary) and also the 14 Days Whole Japan Rail JR Pass (Ordinary)

To buy click link -> 7 Days Whole Japan Rail JR Pass (Ordinary) and 14 Days Whole Japan Rail JR Pass (Ordinary)

Forget about driving to JTB outlets wasting your time, your petrol and the parking tickets. Get it online from Klook.com and they will mail the JR pass directly to you. Share this to your friends who will be visiting Japan.

Why bother going Matta Fair when you can get it cheaper online?

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
Why Google Map is Important while traveling in Japan

The first time we travelled to Japan was in 2012. It was five years ago and we still remember how we printed stack of information and places to visit. We used our friends phone international roaming instead of pocket wifi and Google Map back had lesser functions. We sort of survived our trip back then based on maps and guide books but on our recent trip to the land of rising sun, we found a better solution. It is the 2017 version of Google Map.

You can still take the map from the information counter but if you need to travel from one place to another, Google Map will be your saviour.

Just click your current location and ask for directions to your destination. You can choose driving, public transport or walking. When you choose public transport, you get options of either you want to take trains all the way or busses or both. The interesting part is it can tell you the different type of trains you can take and also how much you need to pay. Thus, it is so detail they can actually tell you the exact train to hop on for our destination.

How accurate is Google Map?

In our own experience, we thought of outsmarting the app by stopping a station later (which is nearer to the connection station). However, the train didnt stop at the station and divert to another line. Lesson learnt and we walk ten more minutes.

Google Map can give you the option to either choose which type of trains to choose, how far you want to walk and the cheapest option to travel. You can select that options in Google Map.

You can also check the Schedule Explorer for the more accurate train or bus timing and schedule.

To make your trip safer, always ask the train master before you enter the train station. They will let you know which platform to take the train. Since most train boards only show kanji (Chinese characters) or hiragana (Japanese characters), you can always ask around for directions.

The Google Maps function is to bring you from point A to point B with their direct information with the Japanese public mass system. With Google Map, we can pinpoint how much time we need to travel around and how much we are spending on each trip.

For the type of passes to purchase for the train rides, we will write another story for that. In short, it depends where you plan to go and where you stay and how long you plan to travel in the area and how convenient you want to be. There is no such thing as the best Japanese train pass but the best pass that suits your travel needs.

For those who is not renting pocket wifi, you can still use the Google Map. Download the Google Map of the location first to your phone or SD card with your sign in ID. The GPS in Google Map will work offline once you are in the location map you downloaded. We still recommend you to get a pocket wifi for your convenience.

We hope this will help you in planning your trip to Japan. We will write more travel tips like this more so remember to follow us on our Facebook at www.facebook.com/placesandfoodspage and Instagram at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods

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
Sgt. Shawn Thomas Anderson of the East Baton Rouge Parish (LA) Sheriff's Office was killed Saturday night investigating a rape. (Photo: East Baton Rouge Parish SO)

An East Baton Rouge Parish (LA) Sheriffs deputy was killed Saturday night while responding to a call about an alleged rape at a hair salon.

A Sheriffs Office statement posted on Facebook said two deputies responded to a call about a rape at Classic Cuts. Inside the business, they struggled with a suspect and shots were fired.

Sgt. Shawn Thomas Anderson, 43, was mortally wounded in the incident. The suspect was also wounded and transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Louisiana State Police will be conducting the investigation into the shooting incident.

Our hearts are broken as we grieve for one of our brothers, Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said. We ask for your continued prayers and support during this difficult time as we mourn the loss and honor the memory of Sgt. Shawn Anderson.

Sgt. Anderson began working at the East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office in May of 1999. He served in various divisions including Parish Prison, Narcotics, K-9, Emergency Services Unit, Maritime Response Team and SWAT. Sgt. Anderson also served in Uniform Patrol at Burbank, Scotlandville and most recently Kleinpeter substation.

Sgt. Anderson was presented the Life Saving Award in 2010 for saving the life of a woman on Old Mississippi River bridge. He was also recognized in 2014 for serving more than 60 high-risk warrants in 2013 as a part of the agencys SWAT unit with no injuries or shots fired. In March 2016 he was recognized for delivering a baby on the side of the road.
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Despite the reluctance of many establishment Republicans, such as Paul Ryan, to support Donald Trumps candidacy for President, for the most part Republicans, like Ryan, have now rallied behind Trump, largely because they see an opportunity to push through the legislation and policies for which they have long salivated but had been unable to approve during the Obama presidency.

The distaste for Trump largely seems to be a response to his political Tourettes syndrome: he gives voice in an uncensored language to the brutally racist, sexist, anti-poor, and anti-working-class values of the GOP.

Despite the fact that Trump claims to have the best words, Republicans tended to distance themselves from his rhetoric while quietly champing at the bit to have a puppet in the White House to smooth a path of no resistance for their objective of funneling taxpayer money away from serving the millions of average citizens who pay taxes to the wealthiest one percent who seem fiscally insatiable.

Most particularly, Republicans have long looked forward to repealing and, supposedly, replacing Obamacare, having voted some 62 times or more (estimates vary) in Congress to repeal it during the Obama administration.

So what is happening now that Republicans control both chambers of Congress and effectively own a White House enthusiastically poised to obliterate the Affordable Care Act, one of the most sweeping and transformative pieces of legislation in American history?

Democracy is happening, in both participatory and representational terms, making clear that the political hopes of the nations working-class majority, including those who voted for Trump, reside, as President Obama reminded us in his farewell speech, in the people  in us.

Recently, in the pages of PoliticusUSA, I wrote that Trumps Presidency has been in large part an assault on dissent itself and the process of deliberative democracy as imagined by our founders and which James Madison articulated most sharply and profoundly.

The recent uprisings at Republican town halls, however, are demonstrating the power of the people to withstand and turn back that assault and to encourage a more reasoned and deliberate approach to addressing the healthcare needs of the American majority.

Take Joni Ernst, for example, elected as part of the GOP 2014 Senatorial class. She ran on a vociferous pledge to repeal Obamacare immediately, as portrayed in a notorious political ad featuring her wielding a firearm and literally shooting down the act. But, as Burgess Everett has reported in Politico, she now is using the word deliberative when describing her state of mind about replacing Obamacare.

Ernst and others among her Republican colleagues are more than just getting cold feet about their weddedness to repealing the ACA; they are feeling the intense heat of the voting public, putting the proverbial feet of their elected representatives to the fire.

Veteran Senator Chuck Grassley, who infamously misrepresented the ACA in inflammatory terms, charging the act would result in death panels making decisions about your grandmas life, is just one example of someone feeling the pressures of democracy in action.

Jennifer Haberkorn reports in Politico, for example, about Grassleys recent appearance at a town hall. She tells the story of a 62-year-old pig farmer, Chris Petersen, who is worried about losing health coverage. As a message for Grassley about the power of the electorate in a representational democracy, he brought him a pack of Extra Strength Tums. According to Haberkorn, Petersen elaborated to Grassley on the meaning of his offering:

Youre going to need them in the next few years. People are disappointed. If it wasnt for Obamacare, we wouldnt be able to afford insurance. Over 20 million will lose coverage and with all due respect, sir, youre the man who talked about the death panels. Youre going to create one great big death panel in this country for people cant afford to get insurance.

Petersen demonstrates that voters have long memories, and he also demonstrates the power of participatory democracy to move our those who are supposed to represent the real needs and interests of their constituencies and not just push their own ideological agendas or the ideological agendas of the moneyed interests who sponsor their campaigns.

Republicans all over the nation are facing this kind of pressure in town halls and are now admitting that those showing up are not the professional protesters many Republicans have charged in efforts to dismiss dissent but in fact genuinely concerned constituents fulfilling their roles as citizens in the democratic process.

Some, though, like Illinois Republican Representative Peter Roskam, are refusing to hold town halls, effectively rejecting democracy in both representational and participatory terms. Can one really represent the constituents one refuses to hear?

The Republican Senator from Arkansas Tom Cotton has been clear about the realities of American democracy, warning Congress that it is moving too quickly and cautioning Republicans that they will be judged in future elections by the legislation they pass now.

People want healthcare, and they are clearly not just paying close attention but asserting their power as voters. Republicans this time will not be allowed to get away with false claims that their plan will lower costs and broaden coverage. They will actually have to produce legislation that does so. As of now, the Congressional Budget Office indicates millions will lose coverage and not be able to afford it.

When James Madison penned Federalist Paper No. 10, he underscored the importance of representatives who would act at some distance from the passions of the people and thus be capable of enacting a deliberative democracy. For Madison, the representatives should be able to withstand the temporary delusion to give time and opportunity for more cool and sedate reflection.

What we see today is that it is peoples participation that is forcing their representatives into a deliberative stance to control their temporary delusion that repealing the ACA will be good policy for the majority of Americans.

Let us be cognizant of what we are witnessing: Participatory democracy is our last and best hope. The chants at town halls of DO YOUR JOB! are in fact making Republican lawmakers afraid that they will lose theirs and hopefully encourage accountability to their constituents genuine needs and interests.
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By Jon Herskovitz

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters)  Bands with diaspora from the seven Muslim-majority countries on U.S. President Donald Trumps original travel ban took to the stage in Austin to build resistance against executive orders critics see as perpetuating bigotry.

For many musicians in the ContraBanned showcase that went from Friday night to early Saturday at the South by Southwest music festival, the show put a human face on the countries that have become a focal point of current U.S. politics.

I understand the travel ban was done with the impression for securing a place of safety for Americans. I feel it is short-sighted and perpetuates the xenophobia that exists in this country, said Bassel Almadani, frontman and vocalist for the soul and funk band of Bassel & The Supernaturals.

Almadani, raised in the U.S. Midwest from parents born in Syria, has relatives who have given up hope on leaving the country ripped apart by a civil war due to Trumps proposed bans.

He has been trying to use his act to raise awareness about the six-year civil war that has set new standards of savagery in its impact on civilians, leaving an estimated half a million people dead.

The Trump administration has said its executive orders are common sense approaches that will protect the American people.

Attention from the bans has opened the door for Almadani to play in places like churches in Kansas where congregants want to learn more.

For a good five years there, I thought I was pulling teeth to get that conversation moving, Almadani said in an interview.

It wasnt until the immigration ban went into place that people became more intent on the issue and more supportive of the cause.

Before the so-called travel ban bands took the stage in Texas, the U.S. government said it would appeal against a federal judges decision that struck down parts of the Trump travel ban on the day it was set to go into effect.

The acts included people Kayem, a Libyan-American from Chicago and the sister group Faarrow, born in Mogadishu, Somalia and relocated to Canada from a refugee camp.

London-based, Iranian born artist Ash Koosha would not attend after trouble securing a visa.

South Sudanese-Canadian artist Emmanuel Jal said the showcase dubbed music of the banned nations could change hearts and minds.

The people who voted for Trump voted out of fear. Let us fight with love because love will win, he said.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
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Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on Meet The Press that he believes that Donald Trump lies or tells half truths as his way of doing business. A president who has no credibility is a president who can easily find themselves facing impeachment.

Video:

Transcript via Meet The Press:

CHUCK TODD:

Will Director Comey say that definitively tomorrow, do you expect?

REP. ADAM SCHIFF:

I expect that he will. And I hope that we can put an end to this wild goose chase because what the president said was just patently false. And the wrecking ball it created now has banged into our British allies and our German allies, its continuing to grow in terms of damage, and he needs to put an end to this.

I suspect whats really at root here, Chuck, is this is just how the president does business. Now maybe this is the way he conducted his real estate business with half-truths and sometimes no-truths, and a lot of bluster. That, in my opinion, is no way to run a business. But its an even worse way to run a country.

Its dangerous to us, its already alienating allies, and as George Will so correctly pointed out, when there is a crisis over North Korea or Iran or whatnot, and every president has one in their term, we need to be able to believe our president and hes making it very, very difficult.

It wasnt what Bill Clinton did as president that opened the door for Republicans to pursue impeachment against him. It was the lie that gave Republicans the opportunity to pursue impeachment.

As a general rule, presidents who lie as a course of doing business will get themselves into a major scandal at some point.

The reason why the impeachment talk is real is that as president, Donald Trump is speaking and behaving in a manner that is courting disaster.

A top member of the House Intelligence Committee said that the President Of The United States tells non-truths. With any other president, at any other time, this would be front page news. However, it is taken as a given by both the press and the American people that Donald Trump is a liar.

When one of Trumps lies is proven to have harmed America, this administration is going to have a real problem.

Trump has no credibility, so if it is ever his word against a congressional investigation, this is a president who could be impeached.
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The following post, written by The Rev. Robert A. Franek, is a part of Politicus Policy Discussion, in which writers draw connections between real lives and public policy.

From silencing Sesame Street and starving seniors to cancelling climate change funding and abandoning the arts and humanities, the priorities proposed by Donald Trump and his administration touch the lives of every single American.

Since the numbers were released there has been no shortage of uproar against the immorality of this proposal that would end funding for programs like Meals on Wheels. This was only made worse when Trumps Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said it was the compassionate thing to do.

Under the guise of cold calculations and in the name of compassion Mulvaney poured gasoline on the fire of outrage already burning because these cuts make no sense to anyone who cares about this country and the well-being of their neighbor and the environment.

Since the announcement on Thursday of Donald Trumps America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again social media sites have been filled with various cost comparisons. One shows that it costs $35 million more to provide security for Trump Tower at $183 million per year than to fund the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, which is currently $148 million per year. Similar comparisons have been made with Meals on Wheels which also emphasize the savings in health care costs.

However, all the arguments around the cost of this program and that expense, whether funding for climate change and senior citizen meals or Trumps frequent weekends to Mar-a-Lago and the security for his wife and son at Trump Tower, miss the malicious malfeasance of Donald Trumps spending priorities. It is simply not about the money. Rather these malicious cuts project a dangerous ideology that national security comes solely though defense spending. More, the greed of Trumps lavish living as if there are endless taxpayer dollars to fund his frequent trips to his private club already exposes his malfeasance in using taxpayer dollars.

As Jason Easley pointed out on Thursday morning, Trumps plan hardly amounts to a budget and it is Congress that will have to come to a budget agreement working from Donald Trumps laundry list of priorities. Ultimately, members of Congress will have to explain to their constituents the compassion behind starving seniors while pouring money into the Pentagon. This is sure to be a losing argument as many Congressional Republicans are already under fire for lying about the benefits of their new health care bill.

Nevertheless, what cannot be missed is that Donald Trump and his administration simply do not care about the majority of the American people and the programs that provide immeasurable benefits to both individuals and society as a whole no matter how little the cost in the total budget.

Eliminating funding for programs like Meals on Wheels, public broadcasting, the arts and humanities, and climate change does little to ease the tax burden of the average taxpayer and results in a great loss of services and opportunities. Though, Mulvaney would say this is the compassionate part of the plan. Baloney!

The maliciousness of Donald Trumps cuts to some of the smallest areas of federal spending while further bloating one of the largest areas of discretionary spending: defense, shows that this administration is not interested in putting America first as the plan states nor does it care about the well-being of the people or the environment we all inhabit.

An administration that cared about the money would put a time-out on Trumps weekend travel to Mar-a-Lago and look for savings in the Pentagon. An administration that governed with compassion would not starve seniors or cut all funding for climate change, the greatest global and national security issue of our time. An administration that cared about taxpayer dollars would not maliciously cut from the smallest areas of discretionary spending and call it compassionate, while funding war machines our military doesnt need.

The cost savings in Trumps America First proposal simply do not add up, either economically or morally. Personal and religious charity cannot compensate for these devastating cuts. Yet, they are a pittance compared to the overall federal budget and will present a negotiating challenge to the members of Congress who must ultimately decide on the funding for every aspect of the federal budget.

The arguments against Trumps budget priorities must move beyond the numbers and focus on our deepest shared moral values. When the federal budget comes before Congress we must let our Representatives and Senators know that we will not stand for a morally bankrupt budget.
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White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer accused MSNBCs Rachel Maddow of committing a crime, as the Trump administration is smearing the MSNBC host for reporting on the presidents tax returns.

Video:

Spicer said. I think it showed a couple things. One, its illegal to publish those tax returnsTHeres an act that prohibits that on another citizen. The idea that they would hype the idea that they obtained an illegal document.

What Sean Spicer told Howard Kurtz on Fox Newss Media Buzz was not accurate. Donald Trump is not a private citizen, so the law about not publishing the tax returns of another doesnt apply to the President Of The United States as it relates to the First Amendment rights of journalists to inform the public.

The Supreme Court has ruled that journalists are free to publish truthful information on matters of public concern as long as they did nothing illegal to obtain the information.

Rachel Maddow did nothing illegal. She verified information that was given to her by contacting the White House, and then she reported on it. Maddow didnt commit an illegal act. She practiced journalism.

The reason why the White House is accusing her of a crime is that they are out to destroy her credibility. The Trump administration has taken notice of her soaring ratings, and they more concerned about what she may report on next than what she reported on last week.

Sean Spicer was trying to smear Rachel Maddow and her employer for a reason, which means the 2005 tax return was smoke, but the real fire that could burn down an administration is still out there waiting to be found.
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
At the northeastern tip of the Grand Strand lies a hidden sanctuary  an undeveloped maritime forest and beach in an area where nearly every acre of oceanfront land has been converted to condominiums, hotels and residential subdivisions. The soon-to-be designated state heritage preserve is c Read moreCommentary: Saving Waties Island is South Carolina conservation at its best
The oft-told story of a frog perishing in a pot as the water slowly warms and then cooks him is not actually based in fact; the metaphor persists because it describes something that is true: We are less aware of change that occurs gradually than when it happens all at once. Read moreEditorial: Referendums based on slow evolution: Berkeley, Dorchester aren't so rural anymore
Yesterday, in discussing the lack of evidence to support claims that the Trump presidential campaign colluded with Russia, I quoted from an article by Glenn Greenwald. In that article, Greenwald called out fellow leftists who have been promoting the unsubstantiated collusion claim. He wrote:

The principal problem for Democrats is that so many media figures and online charlatans are personally benefiting from feeding the base increasingly unhinged, fact-free conspiracies. . .that there are now millions of partisan soldiers absolutely convinced of a Trump/Russia conspiracy for which, at least as of now, there is no evidence.

(Emphasis added)

To whom was Greenwald referring? By following a link in Greenwalds piece, we learn that Rachel Maddow is the main media figure he sees as personally benefiting from feeding the base unhinged conspiracies about collusion with Russia. No surprise there.

Maddow is, indeed, doing her best to promote the collusion claim. Greenwald is right to call her out.

As for the online charlatans, Greenwalds link takes us to this article in BuzzFeed.

Greenwald also calls out the Center for American Progress, which released a report using the language of treason to announce the existence of a Fifth Column in the U.S. that serves Russia. . . . Here is the language I think Greenwald has in mind:

Putin is now trying to export his brand of leadership. He has formed an alliance with many European far-right political parties and their leaders, who have delivered consistent adherence to Russian interests even when it contradicts some of their past positions. This backing of Putin is hard to explain unless it is in exchange for Putins overt and covert support. These far-right parties are capitalizing on economic and security crises in Europe to build popular support and now operate as a fifth column that is undermining the Western liberal order from within. President Donald Trumps unwavering support for Putin and his pursuit of policies that advance Russias goals show disturbing similarities to the European far right that are equally difficult to rationalize.

The evidence the report cites of Trumps unwavering support for Putin consists of: (1) Trumps statement that Putin has very strong control over a country  hes been a leader, (2) Trumps statement after the election that the hacking of Democrats could have been the work of non-Russians, and (3) Trumps statement that he would like to have good relations with Russia.

The first statement is indisputable. The second statement hardly shows unwavering support for Putin, inasmuch as Trump has agreed that Russia interfered in the election.

The third statement isnt Fifth Column stuff either. Trump has not advocated making concessions to Russia in order to bring about good relations, and he has said his relations with Putin may or may not turn out to be good.

It is not beyond the realm of possibility that Fifth Column evidence will turn up one day. Until then, Greenwald is right to denounce the increasingly unhinged, fact-free conspiracy theories being spread online.

NOTE: This post has been modified from the original version.
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Olakunle Churchiil, the husband of controversial Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh, has addressed the domestic violence allegations levelled against him by his estranged wife in a new video on Sunday.

In the no-holds-bared video, the Abuja based entrepreneur said Tonto sometimes goes through an uncontrollable crisis as a result of her negative intake.

When probed further on what he meant by negative intake, he listed alcohol abuse, marijuana and more. According to him, during the Ghana incident, his wife was under the influence of certain substances.

Six men cant hold Tonto down, talk less of me beating Tonto.

He also said he was already rich before he met the actress and that her statements about helping him financially are untrue.

Some revelations made by Churchill in the video include:

 Churchill and Tonto met two and a half years ago at Escape Nightclub in Lagos during his brothers birthday party

 Tonto got pregnant 6 months after they met

 That triggered him to take the next step by going to her village to pay her bride price

 Churchill has been into real estate since he was 22 years old

 When he met Tonto, he had four companies, now he has six companies

 Tonto definitely did not make him successful

Regarding the Ghana incident when Tonto allegedly got arrested, Churchill said Tonto got angry because he wanted to go for a friends house warming. He alleged that she jumped his fence after tearing down the security system; she then went into the house and destroyed property. He said he was not home at the time and he called the police. He alleged that she was rude to the police chief at the station and even spat at police officers. He said he deleted photos from the incident to protect Tonto and that he wrote a withdrawal letter to the police in an attempt to prevent Tonto from being jailed. He also paid for her to be bailed.

The businessman said Tonto allegedly apologized and promised not to go back to drugs.

Three weeks after this incident, Tonto got pregnant, he said, and that Tonto was a perfect woman all through her pregnancy.

He said Tonto allegedly became erratic once again after she came back to Nigeria four months after the birth of King.

According to Churchill, Tonto has damaged N66 million worth of property till date. He said he has tried to revive her to the person she was while she was pregnant.

He said he has someone in Tontos inner circle who monitors Tonto and gives him updates including when Tonto attempts to blackmail him.

Churchill disputed his wifes claims that he hit their son King, and played an audio recording of a conversation between himself and Kings nanny. During the call, he lamented about being denied access to King. This happened a day before Kings birthday.

On Tontos domestic violence allegations, Churchill claimed he did not hit her. He said the only scar he is aware of is one on her leg. He explained that the incident which led to the scar occurred in his mums house when Tonto was destroying property.

He said her male best friend was crying and trying to hold her; and in the midst of the commotion, Tonto hurt her leg. He shared a video of the aftermath of the alleged incident where his mums voice can be heard in the background.

On Tontos claims that she lost a four months pregnancy, he addressed the timeline and said it is not true.

He said Tonto makes up the scars and that he is not a woman beater. Churchill also denied that he infected his wife with STD.

He added that Tonto got trucks to move all her things from their house despite claiming she left their home with nothing.

The businessman said their families have tried to reconcile them nine times. He said that during these family meetings, Tonto pretended to be interested in the reconciliation and then blocks him after. He shared videos and photos from a recent family meeting which Tonto attended with King.

Regarding the alleged trip with his mistress, Churchill said he got all his staff visas for a business trip to Europe which they all attended as a group.

He also alleged that Tonto beat his younger brother and said he had no kid outside wedlock.

On Tonto saying he withheld information on his first marriage, he said the gist and photos on his first marriage went viral before he and Tonto tied the knot

On Tontos allegations that the luxury gifts displayed were not truly purchased by Churchill, he said it is not true and that he has receipts for everything including a Rolex.

Churchills video comes barely two weeks after Tonto released evidence of domestic abuse in a video. In the video, which is reminiscent of Tiwa Savages infamous interview, the mother-of-one also revealed that actress, Rosaline Meurer, slept with her estranged husband.

The Petrochemical engineering graduate of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology also revealed how she endured domestic violence from her estranged husband in Nigeria and Ghana. She also added that the Nigerian Embassy in Ghana have photo evidence of battery.

The actress confirmed the cracks in her 17-month-old marriage in an open letter to a concerned fan on Instagram in February.

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Months after paying N522.74 billion Paris Club loan refund to 36 states, the federal government has concealed details of the disbursements, frustrating Nigerians keen about knowing how their governors spent the huge amount, PREMIUM TIMES can report today.

For months, Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, and other senior officials blocked attempts by Nigerians, civil society and the media, including this newspaper, to obtain details of the payments, amid allegations of misuse by governors.

In authorising the payments in November 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari advised the money be used in settling arrears of workers salaries, retirees pension and gratuities.

Few states applied the funds as advised, PREMIUM TIMES found.

Last week, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed it was investigating suspected misuse of the funds, but did not give details.

But despite the governments pledge to fight corruption by being more transparent, the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Debt Management Office, separately denied requests by Nigerians and groups to make those details open.

Secret sharing of $4 billion

Nigerians first knew of the refunds in November 2016 after the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, Dino Melaye, accused the federal government of secretly sharing the money to states.

The lawmaker also accused the 36 states governors of attempts to conceal the payment from the public, especially civil servants.

But the finance minister, Mrs. Adeosun, promptly dismissed the allegation as absolutely incorrect.

She said there was no such money to share.

The minister did not provide further details, particularly regarding the accumulated refund of the debt service deductions in respect of the Paris Club, London Club and multilateral loans of the federal and state governments between 1995 and 2002.

Mrs. Adeosun merely explained that states were overcharged during the 2005 Paris Club for debt relief under the Obasanjo administration.

Following verification and approval by President Buhari, the minister said only 14 states would share N153.01 billion in the first disbursement, but did not disclose the names of the affected states.

Only a few states like Kaduna and Plateau, voluntarily admitted receiving payments.

Mrs. Adeosun later explained that there was an agreement with states that at least 25 per cent of each states claim would be paid, subject to a cap of N14.5 billion, while balances due would be paid when the countrys financial situation improves.

In the end, N522.74 billion was paid to the states.

FOI requests

After several fruitless visits to the Federal Ministry of Finance for details of the refund, PREMIUM TIMES got in touch with Mrs. Adeosun, who initially denied having details of the payment.

The minister later assured that appropriate personnel had been directed to get in touch with this newspaper with the needed details. No such personnel ever contacted this medium.

When PREMIUM TIMES sent a text message to remind the minister of her promise, her Secretary, Bridget Emakpor, called back to lash out at the reporter for making inappropriate request.

No further information came from the ministry, and a Freedom of Information request sent on January 30, 2017 to the Minister appeared to have been ignored.

In a response to a similar request, the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, through the Director (Funds), Alexander Adeyemi, directed the newspaper to the Finance Minister for the information.

Again, no response came from the finance ministry.

Also, several telephone calls and text messages, and a FOI request to the Director General, Debt Management Office, Abraham Nwankwo, were also not responded to.

Mr. Nwankwos spokesperson, Liman Balarabe, did not also respond to calls and text messages requesting details of the payments.

The ministry and the other agencies did not say why the government was reluctant to release the requested details.

Buhari orders release of second tranche of payment

Amid allegations of fund diversion, and lack of transparency, President Buhari on Thursday, ordered the immediate release of the second tranche of the fund to the states to ease their financial difficulties.

The Paris Club debt payment deal was sealed in October 2005. It involved the repayment of $12.3 billion, instead of $30.4 billion.

Out of the $30.4 billion, Nigeria was expected to pay only $6.3 billion (arrears & levelling up) and another $6billion (post cut-off date debt and debt buy-back), while the creditors agreed to cancel $18 billion, an overall debt reduction of about 60 per cent.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) recently called on the federal government to sue states accused of diverting or mismanaging the refunds.

The executive director of SERAP, Adetokunbo Mumuni, said states should be compelled to publish what they collected and details of spending, either on a dedicated website or other media, to enable the people know what the monies were used for.

No state has done that yet.

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The recent decision by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to reintroduce various charges on large cash transactions in deposit money banks has generated mixed reactions by Nigerians, PREMIUM TIMES investigations have revealed.

The regulator in February unveiled a new banking policy requiring Nigerians who make cash deposits or withdrawals of N500,000 and above to pay between 1.5 per cent and 7.5 per cent charges.

The Director, Banking & Payments System Department of the CBN, Dipo Fatokun, said the new charges approved by the Bankers Committee, would affect individual and corporate deposits and withdrawals.

Details of the charges showed that individual customers deposits and withdrawals by of amounts below N500,000 would attract no charges, while corporate customers would equally not pay any charge for deposits or withdrawals below N3 million.

Individual deposits of between N500,000 and N1 million would attract 1.5 per cent charge, against two per cent for withdrawals.

Individual deposits of between N1 million and N5 million would attract a charge of two per cent, against three per cent for the deposit of a similar amount, while depositors above N5 million would pay three per cent as against 7.5 per cent for the withdrawal of equivalent amount.

Equally, all corporate deposits between N3 million and N10 million would attract a two per cent charge, against five per cent charge for withdrawals, while deposits of amounts between N10 million and N40 million would attract three per cent surcharge and 7.5 per cent for withdrawal.

The new charges also affect deposits and withdrawals above N40 million, which would henceforth attract five per cent and 10 per cent charge respectively for corporate organizations.

REACTIONS

Since the announcement of the reintroduction of the policy, various groups and individuals have been reacting with various views and opinions on how the way they transact businesses would be affected going forward.

While some say the new policy would compel them to adjust their attitude towards cash transactions, others criticise the CBN for reintroducing the policy, after it was suspended in the wake of cashless policy, until the necessary infrastructure was put in place.

Mr. Fatokun said the CBN decided to direct all deposit money banks to review the charges on cash deposits and withdrawals under the cashless policy to minimize the use of cash in transactions by individuals and corporate businesses.

A senior official of the CBN who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on the charges, said when the individual and corporate businesses weigh the benefits of using the various cashless payment platforms against the high costs and risks associated with cash transactions, they would be compelled to adjust their attitude.

Think about the risk, in terms of security, a businessman faces moving huge cash from his business premises to the bank. Compare it to the convenience of transferring the same amount to his bank without any movement. Apart from saving time and cost, it saves the business security risks and ensures accountability in the business, the official explained.

Regardless, a financial and management consultant, Uju Ogubunka, faulted the CBN for approving the new charges for deposit money banks, saying they were not set up to impose such charges on their customers.

Some of us feel strongly that it is not right for banks to charge their customers, Mrs. Ogubunka, who is also the President, Bank Customers Association of Nigeria, BCAN, said.

She added that it is wrong to charge bank customers on deposits or withdrawals, especially with CBN drive to achieve financial inclusion.

Mrs. Ogubunka, a former Registrar, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, CIBN, said charging customers for deposits or withdrawals would actually encourage more customers not to embrace the banking culture.

With multiple charges, bank customers would prefer to withdraw their money and keep at home for other activities, he said.

The Chief Executive Officer, Global Analytics Consult Limited, Tope Fasua, said the timing of CBN decision to reintroduce the charges was wrong.

Mr. Fasua said at a time the CBN appeared to be having a handle of the foreign exchange crisis, asking banks to be charging customers for deposits or withdrawals was not right.

The Managing Director, Cowry Asset Management Limited, Johnson Chukwu, disagrees. He said charging customers for deposits or withdrawals would seriously reduce money laundering in the banking sector as well as the penchant for people to move large volumes of cash.

The President, National Association of Nigerian Traders, Ken Ukaoha, said if the CBN thought reintroducing charges on deposits and withdrawals would force people to embrace its cashless policy, the low literacy level of Nigerians may work against it.

How many Nigerian traders would be able to use electronic banking services in view of their poor information communication technology, ICT, knowledge? Mr. Ukaoha asked.

For Chima Kalu, an Abuja based finance analyst, the latest charges on bank customers are an over-kill, considering that they were already being forced to pay several other charges by the banks.

Apart from the N1.00 current account maintenance fees per million charged on all customer-induced debit transactions, the banks charge N50 Stamp Duty charge per transaction, to generate more non-oil revenue for the federal government.

Besides, customers are charged about N65 on every third withdrawal on other banks ATMs, apart from the N1.50 they charge for text messages for alerts on all transactions.

For Chief Executive Officer, Payworth Supermarkets, Ikeja, Lagos, Mike Amadi, charges on deposits or withdrawals are decisions every individual or business has to make.

We have chosen to limit dealing with cash in our transactions, because the benefits outweigh the cost of doing otherwise. That is why we use point-of-sale, POS, teller machines. It is convenient for us and customers.

Save for problems associated with telecommunications network system of the banks, it is easier and faster for us to check and trace transactions and their payments and good for system accountability.

The machines are issued free of charge by our bankers (First Bank), while the fee by the marketing platform servicing us is just a token. Compared to the charge on cash deposits or withdrawal, not dealing with cash is more economical, Mr. Amadi said.

Adebayo Ladi, a manager with Kadesh Electronics, Ogba, Lagos, said the criticism against the policy is the loss customers are likely to suffer, which is avoidable.

The charge on cash deposit and withdrawal is not affect us, because we can avoid it by using the POS, which is easier, faster and safer than carrying cash. We own and operate account with GTbank. When we needed the POS machine, we requested and it was installed for us free. Our customers pay about 0.78 per cent on every transaction, Mr. Ladi said.

The Manager, AA Rano filling station, Kugbwa, Abuja, Sadiq Abubakar, said that following the announcement of the reintroduction of charges on deposits and withdrawals, the management of the station plans to de-emphasize cash payment by motorists.

In fact, those wishing to pay us for any service must do so through direct transfers to our account. Anyone who wants to pay large volumes of cash would have to bear the extra cost for the bank charges, Mr. Abubakar said.

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Three suicide bombers have attacked Ummarari Village in Jere Local Government of Borno State killing a mother, her two children and a member of Civilian JTF.

The attack occurred on Saturday night after the late evening Muslim prayers.

The attack led to the death of the four civilians while eight others were also injured.

PRNigeria gathered that the bombers included an adult and two teenagers.

The spokesperson of National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, in the North-East, Abdulkadir Ibrahim, disclosed that bodies of the dead and the injured had been evacuated.

Mr. Abdulkadir said: the casualties were evacuated to Borno State specialist hospital by the NEMA ERT and SEMA. The remains of the three suicide bombers were also deposited at the mortuary of the hospital.

In another development, officials of NEMA North East were at Konduga IDP camp to distribute relief materials.

The camp was recently gutted by fire outbreak

Some of the items distributed included foodstuff, household utensils, clothing, footwear, mats and baby food. The food items were provided in collaboration with Borno State Emergency Management Agency, BOSEMA, to ensure food security.

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In their efforts to check the menace of corruption, Nigerias anti-graft agencies appear to be paying attention to happenings in the ivory towers where administrators have been accused of financial scandals.

From vice chancellors to pro-chancellors and bursars, various officials of major Nigerian universities have been accused of corruption with some of them already being prosecuted.

PREMIUM TIMES takes a look at four of the prominent cases.

N800 million FUNAAB alleged fraud

The anti-graft EFCC is currently prosecuting three top officials of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB, for their alleged roles in an N800 million scandal.

The Vice Chancellor, Olusola Oyewole, the Pro-Chancellor, Adeseye Ogunlewe, and the Bursar, Moses Ilesanmi, were arraigned in November last year on an 18-count charge of financial misappropriation at High Court 6 in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The embattled vice chancellor was later reported to have refunded N6.5 million to the anti-graft agency, out of the funds mismanaged.

Investigation by PREMIUM TIMES showed that Mr. Oyewole refunded N2.5 million on December 6 from the illegal allowances he allegedly collected to finance his daughters wedding. Four other staff of the university also refunded a total of N4 million from similar illegal allowances.

A spokesperson of the EFCC zonal office in Ibadan, Ayo Oyewole, confirmed that some money was returned by suspects in the matter. The monies returned so far are, however, a far cry from the N800 million that the EFCC says Mr. Oyewole and others mismanaged.

The accused officials have all pleaded not guilty to the charges and are currently on bail.

The FUTA alleged fraud

The EFCC, on February 14 in Akure arraigned the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, Gregory Daramola, over allegations of fraud to the tune of N24 million.

The vice chancellor was arraigned alongside the schools bursar, Ayodeji Oresegun, for offenses of misappropriation of public funds, misuse of office, and obtaining money under false pretence among others.

While Mr. Daramola is facing a nine-count charge, his co-accused is facing a two-count charge of mishandling unpaid funds and fixing funds without due process.

According to the charges, the vice chancellor and the bursar conspired on or about 21 January, 2015 with intent to defraud to wit illegally place on fixed deposit the money of the Federal University of Technology Akure in a WEMA bank account No 1300002035.

They were also accused of abuse of office.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges and are currently on bail.

UNICAL bursars alleged fraud

The University of Calabar in August last year suspended the bursar, Peter Agi, over allegations of fraud, forgery and threat to life.

Following the development, an inquiry was immediately set up by the management of the institution to look into issues. In a letter of suspension signed by the Registrar, Moses Abang, the management of the institution alleged that the bursar had been found guilty of impersonating the vice-chancellor on the e-payment platform of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), among others.

Mr. Agi lost an appeal against his suspension at the National Industrial Court in Calabar but filed another application against his suspension at the Industrial Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

The Nigerian police has also said it is investigating Mr. Peter Agi, over financial dealings involving his office.

The OAU Vice Chancellors

The case of the Obafemi Awolowo University is unique as both the current vice chancellor and his predecessor are being investigated for alleged fraud.

The EFCC in February invited a former Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Bamitale Omole, over allegations of fraud levelled against him by academic staff of the university.

PREMIUM TIMES had on April 20, 2016, reported that the budget monitoring committee of the local chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, accused the management of the university under Mr. Omole of mismanaging N3.5 billion intervention fund released to the university for upgrade of facilities.

The Union had accused the management of the institution under Mr. Omole of expending the sum on hostel renovation and construction of new lecture theatres without observing due process and transparency.

The funds were part of the N100 billion released by the Federal Government in 2013 to universities in response to agitations by ASUU for upgrade of facilities at the tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

Weeks before Mr. Omole was invited, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the university, Anthony Elujoba, and the universitys bursar, Aderonke Akeredolu, were in December invited for questioning by the EFCC for allegedly diverting N1.4 billion.

They were quizzed by the anti-graft agency over the alleged payment of unapproved hazard allowance to the institutions workers. PREMIUM TIMES learnt that a petition was written by an unnamed OAU staff to the EFCC, who complained about the allowances.

The allowances were reportedly sourced from the universitys endowment fund, which is usually dedicated for projects.

Students and staff of the university, however, defended the new vice chancellor, saying he was transparent in his dealings unlike his predecessor.

Reacting to two of the cases being prosecuted, the Civil Society Network Against Corruption, CSNAC, asked the Ministry of Education to suspend the FUTA and FUNAAB vice chancellors.

In a petition addressed to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, on Thursday, the groups chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, said the continued involvement of the two indicted administrators in the activities of the universities may make a mockery of the current administrations dedication to the fight against corruption.

We thereby demand for the Ministrys intervention at ensuring the immediate, urgent and indefinite suspension of the Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) and Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB); Mr. Olushola Oyewole and Mr. Adebiyi Daramola respectively, Mr. Suraju said.

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Abdullahi Chafe, the Ekiti State Police Commissioner, said the woman who was beaten by police officers at a checkpoint in Ado Ekiti slapped one of his men and tore his uniform.

Mr. Chafe spoke in a reaction to the social media outrage against the police officers for brutalising a woman.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Toyin Adeyeye, nursing a two-month old baby named Heritage, was allegedly beaten by the policemen on Friday. Her face and back show scars from the manhandling by the police officers.

After the beating, she and her baby, including her younger brother, Adeniyi Dada, were detained at a police station in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital. The Kia Picanto that Mr. Dada was driving was also impounded.

Mr. Chafe said the woman, who was said to have recently returned from the U.S. where she delivered her baby, committed an offence at a checkpoint when she was asked to prove the ownership of the car in which she was being driven.

Those people slapped my policeman on duty and tore his uniform. Uniform is an authority and what those people did was against the law and it is not good for a civilian to slap a policeman

It is not good for somebody to prevent a law enforcement officer from carrying out his lawful duty, somebody wearing the uniform? It is not about his age but the authority he carries; I dont allow my men to do something contrary to the law

I dont want a woman to be detained with baby or with pregnancy, I dont want an old woman or a minor to be detained. I have taken note of this and we will take the right action on the matter as investigation continues, he said.

The husband of the woman, Akanni Adeyeye, has, however, refuted the police claim, saying his wife and her brother were beaten up and detained for refusing to offer bribe to the police officer at the checkpoint.

He told journalists that about five police officers on duty at the checkpoint beat them up before taking them to the New Iyin Police Station where they are being detained.

He said the police also impounded the black Kia Picanto with registration number LAGOS FKJ 221 EE conveying them.

He claimed that the policemen requested for vehicle particulars and drivers licence of his brother-in-law who drove the car and found them to be up to date.

He said the refusal of his wife to offer them bribe led to her being beaten-up.

He said the beating was severe to the extent that there are wounds on the back and face of his wife.

Mr. Adeyeye said he was shocked to discover that the police gave a different version of the incident that his wife narrated to him.

He said he believed that the police officers cooked up the story that his wife slapped one of them and tore his uniform.

But the Commissioner of Police insisted that the woman was detained for allegedly slapping one of the police officers on duty and tearing his uniform.

This is the second reported attack by security officials on a woman this month.

On March 12, a woman in Lagos, Ruth Orji, was attacked by soldiers at Odogunyan in Ikorodu area. The military authorities said they have arrested six soldiers who were involved in the attack, while lawyers to the woman said they have sued the military authorities and asked for N250 million in damages.

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Governor Seriake Dickson, the Chairman of the PDP Reconciliation Committee, has called on the Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee to step down in the interest of the party.

The Bayelsa governor made the call while speaking with journalists on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr. Dickson said the stage was now set for all the chieftains and elders of the party to impress it on the caretaker committee to cede its authority to the Ali Sheriff-led leadership.

When the idea of making Sheriff the National Chairman of our party was hatched, I personally kicked against it.

I also turned down all the overtures from Sheriff because I did not believe in him and what he did.

So now, my position is that we have to move forward. I am a politician of conviction, I am not a politician of convenience and I am not a typical Nigerian politician, Mr. Dickson said.

He said the party had come to a threshold when the right political decision should be taken to end the prolonged crisis.

The Makarfi  led caretaker committee should remember that it was a brain child of the majority of party members including I at a convention in Port Harcourt.

I and up to 80 per cent of the population of the PDP members were for Makarfi but the unfolding events have compelled us to adopt a political resolution instead of embarking on further bickering.

As politicians and democrats, we must first obey the constitution and all other instruments of civil rule and which includes obeying the judiciary, he said.

He also said: We had expected that the Court of Appeal would give us judgment, but it rather upheld Sheriff as the National Chairman of the party.

Whether anybody likes Sheriffs face or not, the Makarfi-led caretaker committee was stripped of its authority to manage the affairs of the party the day the judgment was delivered.

It was in the spirit to honour the courts pronouncement that the partys reconciliation committee that I chair submitted its report on how we shall move forward to Sheriff.

In fact, as it stands now, Sheriff has started addressing issues within the party, he is the one sending names of party members contesting elections in various states.

If there is going to be a by-election in Kaduna today, Makarfis home state, INEC would not accept correspondences from Makarfi any longer because his business in the party has ended, he said.

Mr. Dickson said Mr. Sheriff had always been disposed to political settlement of the crisis, adding that Mr. Makarfi had remained adamant.

So the reconciliation committee which I chair met several times to review our position in the light of the Court of Appeals judgment.

The reality is that Makarfi no longer has the legal backing to carry on with the task of managing the party.

We are aware of this quagmire, and therefore, the reconciliation committee went ahead to formulate a realistic, practical and strategic response to this reality because in the end it would be to the benefit of PDP, he said.

Dickson said the template to ensure the conduct of the partys National Convention in June was uppermost, adding that Mr. Sheriff was positively disposed to it.

So if you said you are passionate about the survival of the party, then you should be willing to sacrifice your ambition.

The crisis has caused us a lot, our elected officials, top notch members are decamping to even lesser parties.

The party continues to fail Nigerians because the crisis has so far prevented it from being a sound credible opposition even in the face of bad governance in the country right now, he said.

On whether it was right to challenge the decision of the Court of Appeal, Mr. Dickson said an amicable resolution of the crisis remained the best option.

Yes, we said they can go on to appeal but without prejudice to the Supreme Court case; let us intensify and fast track the peace moves, he said.

(NAN)

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The Police in Ekiti have freed Toyin Adeyeye, the American returnee who was arrested and detained by the Police Command after being brutalised for allegedly refusing to bribe police officers at a checkpoint.

A family source confirmed the release to the News Agency of Nigeria in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday.

He said that the woman was released to her husband late Saturday night on administrative bail.

According to the source, Toyins husband, Akanni Adeyeye, has taken her to a private hospital in Ado Ekiti for the treatment of bruises on her body, as well as the trauma she suffered in the hands of the police.

Toyin and her two months old baby, along with her brother, were detained from Friday up till Saturday night, before being released.

Abdullahi Chafe, the Ekiti State Police Commissioner, on Sunday said Toyin slapped one of his men and tore his uniform.

Mr. Chafe spoke in a reaction to the social media outrage against the police officers for brutalising the woman.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Toyin Adeyeye, nursing her two months old baby named Heritage, was allegedly beaten by the policemen on Friday. Her face and back show scars from the manhandling by the police officers.

After the beating, she and her baby, including her younger brother, Adeniyi Dada, were detained at a police station in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital. The Kia Picanto that Mr. Dada was driving was also impounded.

Mr. Chafe said the woman, who was said to have recently returned from the U.S. where she delivered her baby, committed an offence at a checkpoint when she was asked to prove the ownership of the car in which she was being driven.

Those people slapped my policeman on duty and tore his uniform. Uniform is an authority and what those people did was against the law and it is not good for a civilian to slap a policeman

It is not good for somebody to prevent a law enforcement officer from carrying out his lawful duty, somebody wearing the uniform? It is not about his age but the authority he carries; I dont allow my men to do something contrary to the law

I dont want a woman to be detained with baby or with pregnancy, I dont want an old woman or a minor to be detained. I have taken note of this and we will take the right action on the matter as investigation continues, he said.

The husband of the woman, Akanni Adeyeye, has, however, refuted the police claim, saying his wife and her brother were beaten up and detained for refusing to offer bribe to the police officer at the checkpoint.

He told journalists that about five police officers on duty at the checkpoint beat them up before taking them to the New Iyin Police Station where they are being detained.

He said the police also impounded the black Kia Picanto with registration number LAGOS FKJ 221 EE conveying them.

He claimed that the policemen requested for vehicle particulars and drivers licence of his brother-in-law who drove the car and found them to be up to date.

He said the refusal of his wife to offer them bribe led to her being beaten-up.

He said the beating was severe to the extent that there are wounds on the back and face of his wife.

Mr. Adeyeye said he was shocked to discover that the police gave a different version of the incident that his wife narrated to him.

He said he believed that the police officers cooked up the story that his wife slapped one of them and tore his uniform.

But the Commissioner of Police insisted that the woman was detained for allegedly slapping one of the police officers on duty and tearing his uniform.

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti has, meanwhile, called for an independent enquiry over the incident.

This is the second reported attack by security officials on a woman this month.

On March 12, a woman in Lagos, Ruth Orji, was attacked by soldiers at Odogunyan in Ikorodu area. The military authorities said they have arrested six soldiers who were involved in the attack, while lawyers to the woman said they have sued the military authorities and asked for N250 million in damages.

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A presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, has said that contrary to reports in some quarters, President Muhammadu Buhari had an engaging week devoted mostly to policy issues, not ceremonial events.

Mr. Shehu, who is the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, said this in Abuja on Sunday.

The presidential aide was reacting to media reports insinuating that the presidency had heavily cut down President Buharis workload since his return from London on March 10, to allow him rest.

The reports said the President has spent just about three to four hours in office since his return to Nigeria, adding that the president has not attended any event outside the Presidential Villa since his return.

Mr. Shehu, however, debunked these assumptions, saying that in the first week of his return, President Buhari walked his talk on his intense desire to pay back to Nigerians by way of keeping their trust and serving their interests.

His reply to the people for their support and trust is to work much harder for them.

According to him, the President did not have a day off or even a light week at all throughout his week of resumption.

He added that, I read those analyses and I believe they were mostly wrong. What they dont understand is that the President doesnt follow official working hours because he is on duty all the time.

He has another office by his living room so he works from home when most civil servants have closed.

Mr. Shehu noted that the president, who resumed work on Monday 13, started with the letters he sent to the two arms of the parliament, signifying his return to work.

He said the president then went in for a handover briefing by the Vice President.

They had a lot to discuss between themselves.

Although he gave specific mandates to the Acting President, he needed to be brought up to speed on the developments in the Supreme Court, the Niger Delta, the economy with particular reference to the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, ERPG which was launched in his absence and programs like the Small and medium Enterprises Clinic which have strong connections to the agricultural strategy of the administration.

He disclosed that on Tuesday the President followed up his meeting with the Vice-President, getting details from the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele on the liquidity situation of the country, the issue of reserves and the outlook for the rest of the year.

The presidential aide said the president then met with the leadership of the National Assembly led by Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.

Those two arms have dealt with the issue of his vacation with great sensitivity.

He revealed that on Wednesday, the President presided at the Federal Executive Council (FEC), saying that the president came well prepared for the meeting, appearing as if he had not been away for over a month.

The noticeable thing about the last meeting was that it dwelled on policy. The meeting didnt discuss contracts.

Mr. Shehu added that on Thursday, the President had a joint sitting with the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, the Ministers of Finance, Kemi Adeosun and that of Budget and Planning, Udoma Udoma.

He said that they discussed the countrys economic situation, the progress on the 2017 budget and liquidity issues.

He observed that on the same day, President Buhari held a state-of-nation meeting with governors who had assembled for the routine meeting of the National Economic Council being presided over by the Vice-President.

Mr. Shehu noted that Friday was used mostly for security briefing before the Jumaat prayers.

The President has big ambitions for the country, driven by an intense desire to leave his mark on national affairs. This is as he said on his return two Fridays ago, he added.

(NAN)

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University lecturers have warned of consequential damage to public university education in Nigeria if the federal government does not stop the slash in lecturers salaries.

The lecturers, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, stated this at a press conference on Sunday.

The text of the speech read by Theophilus Lagi, zonal coordinator of ASUU-Abuja zone, was sent to PREMIUM TIMES.

ASUU-Abuja zone comprises the University of Abuja; Federal University of Technology, Minna; Nasarawa State University, Keffi; Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai; and Federal University, Lafia.

Mr. Lagi said the federal government has since December 2015 been intermittently slashing personnel funds to federal universities which has affected payment of salaries.

He gave examples of funds to the University of Abuja and the Federal University, Lafia.

In January 2017, the personnel costs released by the government to the University of Abuja, for instance, was a little above N359 million, he said.

This amount could only pay about 91 per cent of the salaries of staff in the University for that month. However, in February2017, the same government released a little above N302 million to the same University of Abuja for the same purpose, when there was no reduction in the workforce at the University.

The don also questioned governments excuse of lack of funds due to the current economic recession.

If FIRS, which generates revenue from taxes on economic activities met its target, when or at what point did economic growth contract and even went into negative as to warrant the claim of recession and existence of same? he said.

He warned that the government must reverse the trend and ensure adequate funds are provided for universities to meet staff salaries or risk consequential damage to universities.

It is on this note that ASUU unequivocally demand an immediate restoration of releases of the full personnel costs (including arrears thereof) to all Federal Universities in Nigeria, in order to forestall the infliction of consequential damage to public university education in Nigeria.

Read Mr. Lagis full speech below.

On 15th of April, 2016, ASUU-ABUJA ZONE (comprising University of Abuja, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nasarawa State University, Keffi Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai and Federal University, Lafia) briefed you and by extension, the general public on the ugly and worrisome unilateral drastic cut by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) in the personnel costs allocations to Federal Universities across the country. Today, almost a year after, we again sadly invite you for briefing on the same issue of shortfall in salaries paid to our members across all Federal Universities. This ugly phenomenon began in December, 2015 and it has become a pattern employed by FGN to debilitate the workers movement in the country, especially ASUU.

THE CAUSES

It is very unclear what informed the FGN decision to callously and brazenly indulge in this inimical practice of unilateral pay-cut. One thing is clear however and that is, the extant authorities like the Ministry of Finance and the Budget Agencies have no inkling how the University system works; this is the most probable reason for the pay-cut. It does appear that the Finance and Budget and Planning Ministries have failed to realize or refused to accept and correct their mistakes in the figures they project as appropriation for tertiary education, particularly the University education sub-sector.

Gentlemen of the Press, you would recall that the issue of salary shortfall was one of the cardinal points that led the Union to embark on a one-week warning Strike in November 2016. Further to the intervention of the Senate President in the week-long warning strike, some understanding was reached, virement was made and funds were released to clear up some of the accumulated salary shortfalls. One would have thought that the right thing to do was to sustain the temple and maintain the drive to clear all outstanding shortfalls and to put mechanisms in place to forestall any future reoccurrence of any form of shortfalls. Sadly, this was not done.

In January 2017, the personnel costs released by the government to the University of Abuja, for instance, was a little above N359 million. This amount could only pay about 91% of the salaries of staff in the University for that month. However, in February2017, the same government released a little above 302 million naira to the same University of Abuja for the same purpose, when there was no reduction in the workforce at the University. This dipped the pay-cut further down. While the staff of University of Abuja received 81% of their total salaries in February, their counterparts in the Federal University, Lafia received only 45 per cent of their total salaries for the same month of February2017. At the Federal University of Technology, Minna, the story is also not different, as the University experienced over N21 million cut in salaries each for the months of January and February, 2017.

This is now the norm, with no end in sight. The most worrisome part of the problem is that in the 2017 Appropriation Bill submitted by the Executive arm of FGN to the National Assembly for consideration and possibly passed into law, the agencies responsible for budget preparation have maintained the figures they used for personnel costs projections for 2015 in almost all Federal Universities. The implications of this are many. First, this gives the impression that none of the Federal Universities was expected to recruit any staff from 2015 through 2017. Not just that; the same Universities were not expected to promote any staff as well, for even if the appropriation for 2015 could be sufficient to pay salaries for 2015, it certainly would not be sufficient to pay 2016 salaries, if one or two staff were promoted in the Universities. Rhetorically, one would ask if the intention of the Federal Government was to stop recruitment and promotion in the Federal Universities while student enrolment increases yearly, putting more excess workload on the academic staff.

Government would want to predicate this shortfall on the so-called recession that they claim the country is in. Technically speaking, recession means quarterly back-to-back negative economic growth for consecutive quarters of a year. In meeting with the 2016 appropriation, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) was expected to generate 4.2 trillion naira from taxes; taxes on economic activities. It is common knowledge that as at the end of November 2016, FIRS met this target of 4.2 trillion naira. If FIRS, which generates revenue from taxes on economic activities met its target, when or at what point did economic growth contract and even went into negative as to warrant the claim of recession and existence of same? In fact, it could be proven that the nation recorded budget surplus in 2016. Therefore, the Federal Government has no reason whatsoever, other than deliberate intent to inflict pains and misery on the citizenry, to hype the gimmick of recession and in that garb, decide to unilaterally cut the earned salaries of the academic staff. It is imprudent for a democratic government like the Federal Republic of Nigeria to implement unilateral pay-cut in workers salaries knowing that such an action is against its own policy thrust, being a signatory to most of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions. This is condemnable in every sense.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE PAY-CUT

Myriad consequences could cascade from this action of FGN. Foremost and most disturbing is the fact that State Governments who are the Proprietors of State Universities are waiting to copy this style adopted by the FGN to manage Federal Universities. Yea, with the benefit of hindsight, the State Governments will follow suit and this would precipitate a breakdown of industrial harmony across all public Universities in the country. Therefore, this singular action of the FGN is a recipe for the death of public university education in Nigeria. This implies that the masses shall no longer have access to university education in Nigeria and therefore, Nigeria shall continue to be under-developed.

WAY FORWARD

Unfortunately, this unacceptable practice which started in December 2015 has continued unabated. World over, salary is sacrosanct and payment of full salary (including all earned allowances) is the lubricant of the wheels of industrial harmony within the university establishment. ASUU insists that her members have rendered their duties in full (100%) and as such, they should have their salaries and allowances paid in full and not in percentages or decimals. It is on this note that ASUU unequivocally demand an immediate restoration of releases of the full personnel costs (including arrears thereof) to all Federal Universities in Nigeria, in order to forestall the infliction of consequential damage to public university education in Nigeria.

Long Live ASUU, Long Live the forthright people of Nigeria!

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Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola says houses built under the Federal Housing Scheme will be allocated to all Nigerians, irrespective of their states of origin.

Mr. Fashola made the remarks while speaking with journalists shortly after a tour of federal projects on Sunday in Maiduguri, Borno.

He said all qualified Nigerian residents in a particular state would be given equal opportunity to own a house, regardless of their origin or tribe.

The ultimate beneficiaries of the houses will be the residents of the states in which the houses are built.

I prefer to use the word residents to indicate people who live or work in the states where the houses are built rather than those who are indigenous to the state, Mr. Fashola said.

He said the houses built in Bauchi, for example, were for the residents of Bauchi.

That is, the workers in Bauchi, both from public and private sector, who qualified based on whatever premises used to decide allocation of the houses.

The minister explained that the objective of the scheme was to deliver affordable houses to workers based on the National Housing Policy.

There is a National Housing Policy in place aimed at providing affordable housing but there has been no programme in place to deliver the houses.

That is what this programme is all about, he said.

Fashola said that the programme would ensure acceptability by stakeholders.

The programme is built on a foundation that requires consulting stakeholders by conducting survey so the stakeholders can take ownership of it.

We are consulting and we hope that we will be able to carry along the stakeholders so that they can take ownership of the scheme, he said.

He added that it was after this stage that the ministry could talk about affordability.

Mr. Fashola said that the housing scheme was also part of governments multi-facet approach to economic development.

The programme is part of government efforts to create value chain economic activities, aimed at empowering Nigerians all over the country.

Workers will be happy on site getting paid from contractors to take care of their families and patronising food and others, he said.

The minister also said the ministry was training artisans like carpenters and bricklayers, among others, to be relevant technically.

(NAN)

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FG To Revitalise National Primary Healthcare

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, said the federal government is committed to repositioning the health sector through the revitalisation of the primary healthcare system.

Mr. Adewole, during the launch of the National Primary Healthcare Supply Chain, said the revitalisation of the nations primary healthcare centres is the only way for the government to deliver on its election campaign promise of affordable and accessible healthcare for all.

Investigate Coca-Cola products

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, has directed the National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to collaborate with the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON to address Nigerians on the safety of drinking Fanta and Sprite, a product of Coca Cola produced in Nigeria.

Mr. Adewole said the issue goes beyond the legal aspects of a court verdict but also about morality; so that Nigerians can trust government and agencies to put their safety first.

A Lagos High Court had ruled that NAFDAC should give the Nigerian Bottling Company, NBC, 90 days to include on all bottles of Fanta and Sprite that the contents cannot be taken with Vitamin C.

After meeting with relevant officials, Mr. Adewole said the next day that Fanta and Sprite were safe for human consumption but, like other soft drinks, cannot be taken with any drug.

The minister stated this after a meeting with the Department of Food and Drug Services, Federal Ministry of Health; National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC; and Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON; to address the concerns raised over the drinks by a judgement of a Lagos High Court.

The Consumer Protection Council later said it would launch its own investigation into the safety of additives used for Fanta and Sprite.

Nigeria alerts on new strain of meningitis

The Federal Government says it has deployed epidemiologists and vaccines to arrest the outbreak of a new a strain of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis, CSM, in parts of Sokoto and Zamfara states.

The disease has so far claimed five lives in Gada and Wauru towns of Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, said that the new strain, which is not common in Nigeria, was imported from Niger Republic and thus requires a different type of vaccine and a team of epidemiologists to address the challenge.

Queens College Lagos should be shut due to infections

The Lagos State government has advised an indefinite shutdown of Queens College, Lagos over the outbreak of water-borne disease in the school.

Two students have died since the outbreak, with more than 50 others currently on admission in the schools clinic after eating spaghetti and drinking water from the refectory.

Jide Idris, the states Commissioner of Health, said the water samples collected from the kitchen, behind the dining hall and Queens Delight, the school water factory, and analysed at the states Drug Quality Control Laboratory as well as the Microbiology Department of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital showed high bacteria contents.

Seek medical treatment for pelvic disease

Women suffering from pelvic inflammatory diseases have been advised to seek urgent treatment, as untreated infections could lead to infertility.

Safiya Ojo, a General Practitioner, said pelvic inflammatory disease is an infection of the uterus lining, fallopian tubes or of the ovaries, and if a woman has pelvic pain she should seek care immediately to prevent severe damage to reproductive organs.

Sexually active women in their childbearing years and those under the age of 25 were more likely to develop pelvic diseases because the cervix of teenage girls and young women are not fully matured.

Court tells Nigerian health workers to suspend strike

The National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja has restrained health workers under the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals from continuing or embarking on any strike action.

The judge, B.B. Kanyip, said the union should put the strike on hold, pending the determination of a suit filed by the ministry against the union because the respondent is an essential service provider, and thus restrained from proceeding with the strike action.

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Expression of interest by prospective investors in the countrys bitumen project would commence in June, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, has disclosed.

Speaking in Abeokuta during his tour of mining sites in Ogun State at the weekend, Mr. Fayemi said government was working with the consulting firm of PriceWaterHouseCoopers, to actualise the commencement of the process.

Nigeria is reputed to have the second largest deposit of bitumen in the world, spanning approximately 120 kilometres in Ogun, Ondo, Lagos and Edo States.

The Minister, who visited the Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, prior to the tour, urged state governments to key into the bitumen project to change their economic fortunes.

Mr. Fayemi said the Federal Government would partner with the state governments, investors and host communities to ensure a smooth coordination of the project, to ensure that international best practices were strictly adhered to.

Emphasis, he said, would be placed on exploration and exploitation of the minerals, stressing that protective investors would be encouraged to set up processing plants, to ensure value addition and employment generation.

The minister said rather than compete, Federal Government would partner with states to conduct mining operations in the states.

Our expression of interest by prospective investors in bitumen will start within the next two to three months. We want states to key into the project, and Ogun is one of the states endowed with bitumen deposits. So, we want states to take advantage of this, he said.

The minister who stated that about 80 per cent of asphaltic materials used for road construction in the country was still being imported in spite of the vast bitumen deposits, said government would focus on ensuring that serious investors who have proven work plan, financial capacity and readiness to build processing plants, were given licences.

The processing plants, according to Mr. Fayemi, would boost local production, help Nigeria meet local demands and create job opportunities for her teeming youths.

He urged state governments to set up special purpose vehicles, or enter into joint ventures with renowned operators to invest in the bitumen project.

The ministry would subject activities of the investors to proper monitoring in order to ensure compliance with laid down environmental and safety procedures and guidelines, the minister added.

Restating governments commitment to security of investment, Mr. Fayemi said the establishment of the Mines Police division by the Nigerian Police as well as the emergence of the Joint Task Force on Mines surveillance would put an end to criminal activities in the mines and ensure safety of lives and investments in the mines.

The Minister later visited Dangote Cement plant and limestone mine in Ibese and Lafarge Cement plant and limestone mine in Ewekoro, where he inspected production and exploration activities of the two indigenous cements companies.

Earlier at a meeting, the minister had frowned at the attitude of some operators who are in the habit of exporting unprocessed minerals.

He said the ministry was working with the Customs and other security agencies to halt the trend.

Similarly, he said states would now ratify consents, once the host communities had ratified it. This he said would reduce the tension between the state and federal government.

He said it was important for operators to cooperate with state governments and the host communities where they are carrying out their mining activities, in spite of the fact that they got their licences from the Federal Government.

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Soldiers in north-east Nigeria are battling to squeeze information from an arrested Boko Haram suspect who claimed to be deaf and dumb even though he was found in possession of eight mobile phones and a transistor radio.

The spokesperson of the Nigeria Army, Sani Usman, a brigadier general, said the suspect is currently being investigated alongside another Boko Haram suspect who was arrested in a village in Yobe State.

The troopsarrested another suspected Boko Haram terrorist whose name, age and origin could not be ascertained for now as he pretends to be deaf and dumb, he said.

However, he was found to be in possession of 8 functioning mobile telephone sets, a bunch of keys, two passport photographs, two amulet charms and a transistor radio.

Mr. Usman said the second suspect, Makinta Ibrahim, is 45 years old and a native of Yaro Grematalti in Yunusari Local Government Area of Yobe State. He was confirmed to be a major supplier of petrol and other logistic items to Boko Haram, the general said.

He said both of the suspect are being further investigated.

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, between 2012 and 2015, arrested 34,499 persons in connection with drug related offences across the 36 states of the federation and Abuja, according to an official report.

In the report obtained by the Economic Confidential in Abuja, Kano State in the north-west geo-political zone has the highest cases of drug-related offences within the period under review, just as the zone is also number one among the six geopolitical zones in the country with 8,939 cases.

Katsina State comes second with 2,173 cases of arrests by the NDLEA, while Plateau and Ekiti states were third and fourth respectively with 1,342 and 1,088.

Findings by Economic Confidential reveal that in 2012 alone, 8,052 cases were recorded by the agency, 8,843 in 2013, 8,826 in 2014 and 8,778 in 2015.

After then north-west, south-west came second with 6,999 cases, north-central came third with 5,574 cases, while the fourth position was grabbed by the south-south geopolitical zone with 5,545 cases.

The south-east and north-east geopolitical zones however had lesser cases and arrests with 4,230 and 3,212 respectively. The north-east geopolitical zone with years of terrorist attacks and insurgency is the least with cases of drug-related offences.

A careful analysis of the report indicates that of the 34,499 cases of arrests across the country, over 32,000 cases involve men, while a little over 2,000 involved women.

Also in the last four years, the quantity of narcotic drugs seized by the agency via the various state and area commands was 1,578,723. Of this number, 233,376 were for 2012; 344,985 for 2013; 165,652 was the number for 2014 while the figure for 2015 was 834,709.

More findings by Economic Confidential reveal that NDLEA secured a total number of convictions for drug-related offences put at 7,317 within the period under review. Of this number, 1,738 convictions were secured in 2012, 1,865 for 2013, 2,054 for 2014 while 1,660 convictions were secured for the year 2015.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Muhammad Abdallah, has assured members of the public of strict narcotic screening at the Kaduna airport. This, according to him, will help in preventing illicit movement of narcotic drugs by drug cartels.

Mr. Abdallah made the pledge following the interception of two suspected drug traffickers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja few hours to its closure with 2.150kg of heroin from Tanzania and 386 grammes of cocaine to Cambodia.

Preliminary investigation revealed that both suspects had planned to capitalise on the temporary relocation to Kaduna airport in moving narcotics at the Abuja airport, but the NDLEA promptly nipped the plan in the bud. The suspects are currently under observation pending their arraignment in court.

The NDLEA commander at the Abuja airport, Hamisu Lawan, said that both suspects tested positive for narcotic ingestion during routine screening.

Two suspected drug traffickers, Odogwu Augustine Ike, 57, caught with one hundred and ten (110) wraps of heroin weighing 2.150kg from Tanzania on an Ethiopian airline flight and Lekwauwa Mark Otaka, 53, found to have inserted seven wraps of cocaine weighing 386 grammes into his anus on an Egypt airline flight to Cambodia have been arrested. Both suspects are currently under investigation, he said.

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The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has distanced himself and his deputy, Uche Mefor, from a live broadcast of Radio Biafra slated for today in the U.S.

The IPOB leader who spoke through his lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, in a telephone conversation with PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday said he was aware but did not give permission for the launch.

Radio Biafra was slated to go on air live in the U.S. on Sunday. This was disclosed by Leonard Anemene, a leader of the organisation, in a statement issued on Friday.

Mr. Anemene noted that if not for some challenges, the project would have been out earlier.

He however, failed to disclose the exact location where the station will be operating from.

Radio Biafra has approval and authorization to set up in America according to the U.S. laws, Mr. Kanu said on Sunday. But neither me nor my deputy, Uche Mefor, gave approval for it to go on air today in America.

Mr. Kanu is currently being tried by the federal government for treason based on his formation of IPOB, establishment of Radio Biafra, and his call for a sovereign Biafran state.

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Against the uproar that followed the recent sack of a whistle-blower by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the federal government has promised to look into cases of Nigerians who got punished for helping to expose corruption.

Ntia Thompson, an assistant director in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, was sacked for exposing an alleged $229,000 fraud among top officials of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa, DTCA.

The sack of Mr. Thompson is seen as a big blow to the governments whistle-blower policy which is meant to encourage the citizens to help in exposing corruption.

A civic group, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, had given the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, a seven-day ultimatum to recall Mr. Thompson.

Impunity for reprisals against Mr Thompson would send a message to all potential whistle-blowers that your ministry lacks the commitment to their protection, the deputy director of SERAP, Timothy Adewale, said in a letter to the minister.

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, on Sunday, restated the governments resolve to protect whistle-blowers, as well as reward them.

For those who may have suffered any backlash as a result of the information they provide, their cases will be reviewed and appropriate mitigating actions taken, a statement issued by the ministry quoted Mr. Mohammed as saying.

The statement said Mr. Mohammeds assurance followed presentations made to the Presidential Asset Recovery Committee by concerned citizens and groups about the safety of whistle-blowers.

Mr. Mohammed said further, Whistle-blowers have nothing to fear because the committee has put in place the necessary measures to safeguard those who give useful information. As a matter of fact, whistle-blowers have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

The minister reiterated the governments readiness to reward whistle-blowers.

If a whistle-blower provides information leading to the recovery of 10 billion naira, he or she will receive 5% of the first 1 billion naira, 4% of the next 4 billion naira and 2.5% of the remaining 5 billion naira, Mr. Mohammed said indicating a whistle blower would get N335 million for every N10 billion fraud exposed.

What we have done by making this information public is to reassure potential whistle-blowers that the plan to reward is real. We are not just saying we will pay all whistle-blowers, but we are letting them know in advance what they are entitled to, once the information they provide leads to the recovery of looted funds, Mr. Mohammed said.

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David Jemibewon, a retired major general and former governor of defunct Western State, has weighed in on the ongoing faceoff between the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service and the Senate.

Hameed Ali, a retired colonel, has not been seen in Customs uniform since he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, sparking confrontation between him and senators who threatened serious consequences if he failed to do so by next week.

The senate before then had passed a resolution demanding that the customs boss appears before it on the service uniform to explain issues bordering on duty payment for imported vehicles.

Mr. Jemibewon said the demand from the senators was unnecessary.

We tend to create controversy where there ought not to be controversy. In a situation we are today, we should not be focusing on wearing a uniform, Mr. Jemibewon said.

Nonetheless, he threw his support behind Mr. Ali, describing him as a fine military man who should not belittle himself with Customs uniform.

It would be belittling the position of the uniform of a member of the Armed forces, Mr. Jemibewon said.

Mr. Jemibewon, a former Minister of Police Affairs, said he would have resigned if anyone had compelled him to wear police uniform as a minister.

There was no way anybody could have compelled me to wear uniform. I would have resigned, Mr. Jemibewon said. Even if the law said so I would have resigned.

The comments came days after PREMIUM TIMES reported that a former Customs chief appointed outside the service in similar manner as Mr. Ali wore uniform.

The moment I was appointed, I became a career Customs officer, Bello Haliru told PREMIUM TIMES last week. I knew I must comply with all rules and regulations of the organisation I am leading and that included wearing a uniform.

Similarly, Haladu Hananiya, a former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission, wore uniform of the agency following his appointment by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

This was despite the fact that Mr. Hananiya retired from the Nigerian Army as a major-general, years before his appointment to the FRSC.

When reminded about these past events, Mr. Jemibewon praised their humility, but stood his ground, still.

That is very good and I am happy about that. He probably just wanted to identify with them, Mr. Jemibewon said of Mr. Hananiya, adding that they joined the Army together on the same day.

Mr. Jemibewon also admitted that he doesnt know what Customs rules and regulations stipulate, but repeated that an Army officer should be above a Customs uniform.

The highest patriotic body in any country in the world is the Army, Mr. Jemibewon said. You dont expect someone who has risen to that position in the Army to wear customs uniform.

Here is a man who has excelled in his military career and youre asking that one to wear Customs uniform? I dont see how that will ensure competence and efficiency.

But a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, disagreed, writing on Twitter that the Senate must assert its position and a foremost authority in the country.

The Senate should insist that he appears before them stark naked. If he refuses they should arrest him and have him brought in chains, Mr. Fani-Kayode, who had beenstanding trial for alleged corruption since last year, tweeted on Sunday.

The Senate rescheduled Mr. Alis appearance to March 22 during which he must appear in uniform.

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Dickson Akoh, the national commandant of the Nigerian Peace Corps, has been detained by the Nigeria police, PREMIUM TIMES can report.

Mr. Akoh, 43, was taken to a facility belonging to the police special anti-robbery squad in Abuja hours after turning himself in, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

Although the police have not officially confirmed Mr. Akohs arrest, PREMIUM TIMES visited the facility where he is being detained at the police command headquarters in Abuja and confirmed that the Peace Corps leader was arrested.

The arrest came three weeks after the police, in a joint operation with the Nigerian Army and the State Security Service, stormed the Peace Corps head office in Abuja and arrested Mr. Akoh and several others.

Millicent Umoru, spokesperson for the Peace Corps, condemned the latest arrest and demanded immediate release of her principal.

Ms. Umoru said Mr. Akoh should not have been detained because he acted as a responsible citizen and submitted himself to authority.

She added that Mr. Akohs health had become fragile following his arrest weeks ago, warning that the police would be held responsible should anything happen to him.

He came all the way from Benue State after learning that the police were looking for him, Ms. Umoru said. He shouldnt have been arrested for simply being a law-abiding citizen with regards to constituted authority.

The police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, and his Abuja command counterpart, Anjuguri Manzah, said they didnt immediately have comments about the development Sunday night.

In separate telephone exchanges, Messrs. Moshood and Manzah promised to get back to this newspaper with their findings later.

Authorities slammed a 90-count charge of recruitment scam, money laundering and impersonation to the tune of N1.4 billion on Mr. Akoh and his comrades last week.

The Peace Corps countersued, demanding billions of naira in damages.

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The presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, says efforts to get the nation out of its present economic challenges are beginning to yield positive results, especially in agriculture.

The presidential aide said this in Abuja on Sunday.

According to him, an increase in the volume of rice production and processing across the country is already saving the country a lot of foreign exchange.

Mr. Shehu, who is the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, said that Nigeria only imported 58,000 tons of rice from Thailand in 2015 as against 1.2 million tons in 2014.

He revealed that due to the countrys growing rice production occasioned by the Central Bank of Nigerias decision to deny foreign exchange for the importation of rice parboiled rice mills in some Asian countries were shutting down production.

According to him, this is because Nigeria, which is one of the worlds largest importers of rice no longer, buys rice from them.

Five of such mills in Thailand servicing Nigeria have stopped production due to the withdrawal of our patronage, he added.

According to him, government is watching with keen interest the growing investment in rice milling by the private sector.

He said government would continue to encourage the Ministry of Agriculture on such efforts through BUA Industries in Jigawa and Dangote in Kano.

He said such encouragement would also be extended to OLAM and WACOTT in Nasarawa and Kebbi as well as a consortium of businessmen led by a former governor in Anambra.

The presidential aide noted with delight that the price of a bag of fertilizer had been reduced from over N9,000 per bag to 5,500.

This country has about 32 fertilizer blending plants that have remained idle for many years, but that about half of that number is now in production with many of them running three shifts a day.

He said some of the blending plants have now provided direct employment to hundreds of workers and indirect employment opportunities to thousands of others.

Mr. Shehu said that the Buhari administrations agricultural revolution was bringing about other socio-economic changes in the country.

He said that a recent survey carried out in two urban areas of Jigawa and Kiyawa showed that jobless young men were migrating from commercial motorcycle business known as, `achaba, to farming.

In Kiyawa, it takes a long wait to catch a commercial motor cycle because they are rapidly disappearing.

The young men are moving to the farms. These are development issues in the country that our media should pay attention, he added.

The presidential spokesman frowned at the way and manner some elites have continued to attack some government policies and programmes in spite of their positive impact on the ordinary Nigerians.

Because the elite dont care for ordinary people, they are saying that government is doing nothing but we are doing a lot for ordinary people.

They dont want us to talk about the 14 solar power projects that have been licensed to boost electricity supply in the country; the Mambila power project which will soon leave the drawing board and the many Chinese projects including the standard gauge railway.

This country has more important things to talk about instead of dwelling on trivialities, Mr. Shehu said.

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Electricity consumers in Plateau State are angry with the Jos Electricity Distribution Company, JEDC, over a series of service measures introduced by the company.

A group of the consumers, the Coalition of Plateau Residents and Consumers of JEDC, has risen to lead a campaign against the measures, which it argues have been introduced to exploit consumers in the area.

The campaign started with a letter of January 23 to the company, in which the group outlined its complaints, warning of imminent public and legal actions should the company neglect to address the consumers grievances.

The complaints the group stated in the letter include alleged outrageous billings of consumers without proper explanations, indiscriminate estimate of bills without letting consumers know the parameter used, installation of new prepaid meters without proper consultations or enlightenment of consumers, and poor response to customers complaints.

The group pressed further its campaign with a protest march on February 16 to the headquarters of the company in Jos, and the Plateau State House of Assembly where it submitted a petition.

The campaign has however failed to drive the consumers and the service company to a common ground on any of the issues raised in the complaints.

On Thursday March 9, a representative of the group, Sam Tokz, spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on the consumers grievances, after which our reporter met officials of the company in Jos for their reactions.

The regulator states that you are supposed to meter every house, you dont estimate bills. But Jos Electricity Distribution Company started estimating bills in November. In December they brought a bill of N17,500 to those who were (hitherto being) charged N2000 per month for estimation, Mr. Tokz claimed.

The regulator brought a mechanism; they call it the estimated billing methodology, so that estimated billing is fair to the consumer, not outrageous. But they started bringing outrageous bills, he added.

Mr. Toks also said apart from the new smart prepaid meters the company has introduced being uncalibrated, consumers do not understand why the meters were being mounted on poles, instead of on the walls of buildings where consumers can access and read them.

It is only in Nigeria, you cannot find it anywhere in the world, where you hang meters on the pole, Mr. Tokz claimed.

People have meters. For instance, you have prepaid meters but they will come and change the meters with those uncalibrated meters. These ones they brought in; in fact, they started the pilot project at Rayfield. Bauchi refused to take those meters, Gombe refused to take those meters, Benue refused to take those meters, he said.

He also alleged unexplained increase in tariff.

They were charging Jos N26.81k, but overnight they just increased it to N29 even when there is drop in power supply. You dont just increase the tariff.

They said the regulators have given them the leverage to increase the tariff up to 2023. So if there is drop in power supply, then you shouldnt increase the tariff. So we asked them what the rationale for increasing this tariff was.

Mr. Tokz said the group of consumers consulted a specialist, Barnabas Kwaha, who is a professor of Electronics Engineering at the University of Jos, with observations over the new meters.

According to him, Mr. Kwaha did a research on the uncalibrated meters and discovered that the billing method of the new meters was outrageous.

If you were spending N5,000 before on the former prepaid meter, you end up spending N38,000 at the end of the month because the meter reads leakages. Meaning that if there are leakages even from the transformers or from the cables, the consumer pays for it. And even if you change to generator, that meter is still reading. So the meter is clearly not calibrated. Mr. Tokz said.

He said the consultant, Mr. Kwaha, also observed that the company should have begun metering from areas where meters were not installed initially, instead of taking to areas that had old ones.

Mr. Toks dismissed a claim that meters were replaced with new ones hung on poles because the old ones were being tampered with. He said there are laws in place to punish those who bypass or tamper with meters.

The company had responded to the letter of complaints by inviting leaders of the group to a meeting. At the meeting, Mr. Tokz said the leaders asked why consumers in Plateau were paying more than those in other states around them.

They told us that it is the regulators policy. Meanwhile, we had copied the regulator, that is the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, and NERC told us that if they dont do anything about our complaints within 15 days, we can go to court so that we can challenge what they are doing.

Our major point of contention is that these meters are not calibrated and they are reading very fast. And the company confirmed to us that those meters were made in China, so probably, what we read was that it was based on specification. Maybe the company wants to make profit and just decided to certify without NEMSA (Nigerian Electricity Management Service Agency) certifying.

They showed us a document saying that NEMSA had certified. Even if NEMSA has certified, the consumer that pays for those meters should have been on ground to get their professionals to certify whether the meters were calibrated or not. They couldnt explain that.

Since they couldnt meet our demands, when it was first of February they increased the tariff from N26 to N28.83, he added.

Mr. Toks said the Plateau State House of Assembly has remained silent on a letter written to the lawmakers by the group. He suspected this could be because some top politicians in the state are stakeholders in JEDC.

JEDC Responds

When PREMIUM TIMES called on the electricity distribution company, its Head of Corporate Communications, Elijah Friday, reacted to the various issues raised by the consumers.

He said the company introduced the new meter in response to persistent complaints by residents against estimated billing system.

First and foremost, I will like to say that the reason for the installation of the smart prepaid meters was because of persistent complaints from customers that they were being overbilled based on estimated billing system that was provided by the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission.

So in order to forestall the issues of overbilling, the company in its wisdom decided to introduce these prepaid smart meters he said.

He explained that the meters were installed on poles to reduce bypass by consumers and faulted the claim that Plateau was the only state with pole-mounted meters. He said the meters were not peculiar to JEDC.

This is not the first time that pole-mounted meters are being introduced in the world. If you are conversant with the history of meters, and if you like when we finish from here I could also give you literatures, it is not something that was designed only for Plateau. Other distribution companies are also using it. So it is not peculiar to JED Plc. Other distribution companies are also taking advantage of these prepaid meters.

The mere fact that customers are worried that the meters are being pole-mounted shows a sinister motive. Otherwise, if I am mounting my meter up there should I be the one worried or you to be worried? I should be the one to be worried for the safety of the meter, because at the end of the day, if the meters get spoiled it is me who will provide you another meter, not the customers.

But in this case, because of that intendment to consume energy without necessarily paying for it, they are now worried. Because they are pole-mounted, it is more difficult to bypass than the ordinary prepaid meters that you put in peoples premises where they can stand and do whatever they want to do.

If you observe, the meters that were used before now are no longer good because we can no longer vouch for their integrity. Meters that were in operation for over 20/30 years of course you dont expect that such meters should be in perfect working condition, he said.

Mr. Friday also refuted claims that the new meters were not properly certified, stressing that the energy industry was a highly regulated one.

These new meters were comprehensively certified and met standards. Dont forget that the energy industry is a highly regulated one. We have various regulatory agencies monitoring the industry and monitoring us, so we cannot do anything without their knowledge, he said.

The company spokesman outrightly debunked the allegation that Plateau has higher tariff than neighbouring states.

That is not true. Jos, that is Plateau, Benue, Gombe, Bauchi, we have equal tariff.

We cannot introduce a tariff for Plateau State and another category of tariff for Benue State and another one for Bauchi state. Because these are our franchise states.

He said the tariff took into cognisance of the present economic situation in Nigeria; else the charges would have been up to N70 per megawatt.

He urged Nigerians to be conservative in their consumption of energy as he encouraged people to take advantage of the new smart prepaid meter.

On the claim that the new meter is uncalibrated, Mr. Friday took time to explain and refute the allegation.

First everything, we do fall under the ambit of regulations. The very group that sent you this petitionwhen they came, we also told them. when you observe the situation critically, their problem was as simple as anything. They dont want the new meters and the estimated billing, so where do we go?

And this energy that we are distributing we are vendors, we buy this energy, it is not given to us free and Nigerians must begin to realise that energy is no longer a free commodity when government was in full control of the energy sector.

These meters were tested, completely tested. In short, when they came here, they said it was uncalibrated and I just laughed. The word uncalibrated, if I should open my dictionary for you when you say something is not calibrated, that means it cannot be coupled. If it had not been calibrated, then why are we mounting it? he added.

Mr. Friday also debunked as fallacious the claim that the new meter reads when customers use private generators.

He also added that the billing system used for the old prepaid meter is the same with the new smart prepaid meters.

On whether consumers were being charged for the new meters, Mr. Friday said that they are free, but that since each comes with 100 units of electricity, a fee of N3130 was being charged.

Its free. The new meter comes with a hundred units credit and because energy is not free, you will be required to pay for that, he said.

He said when you divide the fee charged by the hundred units in the meter, you will arrive at the tariff charged per unit.

But when PREMIUM TIMES did a fact check, instead of giving N29.83k per unit as claimed by JEDC, the 100 units on the new meter produced N31.30K per unit.

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Some governorship aspirants in Anambra have described Chukwuma Soludos comment that there is no vacancy in the Anambra Government House as undemocratic.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Mr. Soludo, an economics professor and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria had said that there could only be vacancy after another four years.

Mr. Soludo made the comments on Friday, while delivering a lecture marking the third anniversary of Governor Willie Obiano.

The comment had continued to generate criticism by politicians in the state.

Barth Nwibe, an aspirant for the Anambra governorship position on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, informed journalists on Sunday in Awka that Mr. Soludos conclusion was against provisions of the Constitution.

Mr. Nwibe said Mr. Soludo could score the government as he wished, but went too far by placing such bar against aspirants.

Prof. Soludo gave a lecture and said there was no vacancy in Government House. I do not expect him to say such, for him to say that means the government is up to something undemocratic.

Oseloka Obaze, a former Secretary to Anambra Government said Mr. Soludo had spoken for himself and not the generality of Anambra people.

Mr. Oseloka, who is aspiring to contest the governorship position on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said it was wrong for Mr. Soludo to make such an open speech.

He should remember that the constitution and the Electoral Act stipulate elections after every four years.

I highly respect Soludo as an economist, and I also respect his right of free thought and speech, but such statement could become inflammable when things go wrong during the election.

I consider it inappropriate for anyone to declare that there was no vacancy in the Anambra State Government House as he did.

The Constitution stipulates such vacancy every four years, which is why even the incumbent is running for re-election and soliciting endorsement here and there, he said.

Sam Oraegbulam, the Chairman of Hope Democratic Party in Anambra said Mr. Obianos administration in the last three years had not been spectacular for people not to run against him.

Even if it was, there would still be vacancy. We have gone beyond such political practice of impunity. People must be given free hands to participate in the democratic process, he said.

Mr. Oraegbulam who scored Mr. Obianos administration 40 per cent said the vacancy that existed in the Government House had become obvious, adding that the November 18 gubernatorial election had already attracted many aspirants.

Payment of salaries is a routine task from any revenue that comes from federal allocation and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). So nobody should count that as an achievement.

Many key projects have been abandoned. What has happened to the three arms zone project, what has happened to Orient Petroleum, how about Anambra Airport project?

Gov. Obiano has done well getting some Anambra citizens to invest in the state and giving them our land to farm on, we also need to know the number of employment generated so far, he said.

However, supporters of the governor had contrary views.

Jude Emecheta, the Chairman of Obiano Support Group said it had been years of monumental strides as the state had witnessed steady development under Obiano.

Mr. Emecheta said Anambra had remained viable in the face of recession, in spite of its non-oil revenue earning status because of the governors prudent management of resources.

He also said the government had liberalised the process of doing business in the state, adding that the prevailing security had made the state most preferred destination for investors.

According to him, Mr. Soludos confirmation that Anambra is the fourth largest economy in the country is a testimony to the fact that Mr. Obiano remains the best option for the state.

To say that Obiano has performed well is saying the obvious, and nobody should sacrifice Soludo because he said the obvious. We should all support Obianos second term instead of playing politics.

Anambra is a train that must not be allowed to derail now, it needs a man with the focus, acumen, determination, and vision that we have seen in Obiano.

So, we plead to all the aspirants of the various political parties to allow him move the state to the next level.

However, election must be conducted as Soludos statement cannot derail participatory democracy in the state, Mr. Emecheta said.

The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Grand Alliance had on Friday endorsed Mr. Obiano for a second term, citing his outstanding achievements as the reason for the decision.

(NAN)

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Fulani herdsmen and farmers in Ikole Ekiti, in Ikole Local Council of Ekiti State, have reached a consensus on a joint security patrol of the area to ensure the safety of lives and property during their respective economic activities.

The understanding was reached by the two parties at the capacity building workshop for community policing organised by CLEEN Foundation in collaboration with the police in Ikole Ekiti Local Government Area.

The workshop, held at the council secretariat, was aimed at building the capacity of community policing groups for effective collaboration with the police in the fight against crime and prompt response to distress calls from community members especially farmers and herders.

Several cases of clashes between herdsmen and farmers were recorded shortly before the end of last year, prompting a legislation regulating grazing by herders in Ekiti State.

Last weeks workshop was the second of CLEEN Foundations intervention in the area in fostering understanding between the herders and the farmers.

At the end of the workshop, the herders and farmers agreed to apply conflict management skills in their communities.

Using the Herdsmen and Farmers vigilante group, they agreed to identify and report disputes to the police.

The leadership of the herders and farmers resolved to design a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and present to the Local Government Council for harmonization.

They also agreed to hold monthly coordination and Community Accountability Forum, to track progress made and to identify areas of need.

The foundations Program Officer, Ebere Mbaegbu, representing the Executive Director, Benson Olugbuo, said the foundation in line with its mission of promoting public safety and security, developed a project to promote peace and security between herdsmen and rural dwellers especially farmers with the support of the Canadian Fund for Local Initiative (CFLI).

He noted that CLEEN Foundation commenced the project implementation by mapping of relevant groups that would be influential in promoting peace before the advocacy visits to security agencies and local government authorities of the selected Local Government Area.

He said the workshop was geared towards building the capacity of the community policing groups on conflict management, human rights, basic policing skills and organisational management, as well as encourage and ensure that community policing groups had the capacity to effectively work with the police in curbing crime.

He noted that crime was one of the aggravating factors of the conflict between herders and rural dwellers.

According to Mr. Mbaegbu, CLEEN Foundation is implementing similar workshop in Imo, Abia and Enugu States (South-East) Oyo and Ekiti States (South-West).

Suleman Yakubu, Chairman Miyetti Allah Cattle Rearers Association in Ikole-Ekiti, thanked the organisers of the workshop, noting that the association translated information from the previous workshop to Hausa language and further educated members especially the ones in the bush.

He said the effort had increased their awareness on conflict management which had further led to crime reduction in the area.

Owoade Idowu, Chairman All Farmers Association Ikole Ekiti, commended the effort of Mr. Yakubu in ensuring that herders did not encroach into farm lands.

He, however, observed a trend of children cattle rearers in the community and warned that there should be a stop to it.

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Creator John Ridleys superb anthology drama American Crime, which returns for a third season Sunday on ABC, has been a minor miracle for broadcast network television. Its that rare show that strides into difficult and even morose subject matter without flinching or dressing it up. It favors empathy over momentum and ambiguity over conclusion. Even though its story arcs occasionally drift, the show takes us on an effectively written and thoughtfully performed journey.

American Crime is also never about just one theme. Season 1, about a home-invasion murder, presented itself as a study of the prejudices that prevent criminal justice, but it was just as much about how communities collapse in the same way that some families do. Season 2, about a rape involving athletes at a private high school, was predominantly a study in class divide but left a deeper impression as a story about the lingering damage of bias and gossip. In both cases, the crimes in American Crime were less about crime than about travesties and double standards  the inexorably punitive weight of societys many ills.

Now that Ridley has trained loyal viewers to expect a layered approach to moral ambiguity, American Crime comes across this time as a much broader story built entirely on cues, hints and nuances. Although a viewer will see a rape, a physical assault and the aftermath of a murder (at the very least), its difficult to get a fix on what the central crime really is this season, because there are so many laws being broken at once.

Human trafficking would be an umbrella theme: Set in North Carolina, the story focuses on the exploitation of migrant labor in farm fields as well as the plight of a teenage prostitute. Another plot involves opioid addiction and, by episode three, theres an additional story line about a French-speaking nanny from Africa.

Each of these tales draws on American Crimes talented company of actors: Regina King, who has twice won a supporting actress Emmy for her previous roles in American Crime, returns as Kimara Walters, a social worker who is losing faith in her ability to help teenage prostitutes get off the streets and find a better life. Richard Cabral plays Isaac Castillo, who oversees the recent immigrants who agree to slave conditions to earn a pittance in the tomato fields owned by the Hesby family, whose heirs include Laurie Ann (Cherry Jones) and her brother, Carson (Dallas Roberts).

Felicity Huffman plays Carsons wife, Jeanette, who overhears details about a trailer fire on the farm that killed 15 migrant workers. Astonished that there isnt more concern or media outrage over the deaths, Jeanette starts asking uncomfortable questions about the working conditions condoned by her in-laws.

American Crime is quite clear about the exploitation going on (in another story line, Benito Martinez plays Luis Salazar, a Mexican man who travels to North Carolina in search of his runaway teenage son, who disappeared while working the fields), but it is also careful to subtly push the blame out as far as the average American consumer, arriving smack in the middle of the viewers conscience: Just how cheap do you need your tomatoes to be? (Think about it while we pause for commercials selling fast food and luxury cars.)

Its no surprise that viewers have not turned out in droves for American Crime, even though critics have given the show high praise. Its a compelling but also consistently depressing series, and, in its lack of gloss, unlike anything else on the prime time schedule. Its not going to help matters that this season has exchanged some of American Crimes clarity for more cloudiness, which Im sure is Ridleys intent: He wants to show us how this leads to that, which leads to that, which leads to this, which creates a morass of injustice and crime. Where to start? (Where to end?) In a tangle of stories, American Crime may be speaking a much-needed truth, but its burdens may have become too heavy for most viewers to bear.
MARGATE  If there is a silver lining to a recently reported rise in bias crimes, its the coming together of people from all backgrounds, said Atlantic City Councilman Kaleem Shabazz.

And I think the challenge for us is to keep coming together, Shabazz said.

Sparked by reports of anti-Semitism and threats to synagogues and mosques across the state, religious and government leaders from the area met Thursday at Beth El Synagogue in a united stand against hatred. Shabazz said that, fortunately, none of the threats has been in Atlantic County.

Symbolism is very important. Its important that people come together, that people understand that the leadership from various sectors decry this kind of activity and that we stand united, he said.

For Rabbi Gordon Geller of Shirat Hayam in Ventnor, America is, at its base, a country of immigrants.

This is the fabric of our society and of democracy, so when a mosque or a Jewish community center is threatened with a bomb, its not the Jew or the Muslim, it is America being threatened, Geller said.

An immigrant himself, Kirk Wisemayer, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, told the leaders in attendance Thursday to be a voice for the discriminated-against. He said the problems of late are not isolated to any one particular location in our nation, or even to our nation.

Immigrants and people of different faiths and minority groups are facing obstacles that we thought we had actually outgrown as a civilization, Wisemayer said.

Law-enforcement officials also were present Thursday to show their support.

When Damon Tyner was sworn in as the new Atlantic County prosecutor Wednesday, he said the enormity of his position didnt strike him until he read a plaque in the lobby naming all of the past prosecutors.

I browsed through those names, and I looked at different eras, he said. I pondered to myself, How did those leaders at that time address turmoil? Then I thought about the times that we are living in now.

Tyner said he believes there are more people who love their neighbor than there are those who hate.

And it is incumbent upon all of us who love our brothers and sisters to come together and drive those out who have hatred in their heart, he said. We all will work together to drive hatred out because, at the risk of being political, but the expression is apropos: Love does trump hate.

Earlier this month, Gov. Chris Christie, in coordination with the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, announced increased patrols, training and outreach following threats against Jewish Community Centers throughout New Jersey, including one in Cherry Hill.

Lt. John Paige of the NJOSHP, who attended Thursdays meeting, said security training is available for faith-based organizations.

Paige, noting the jump in the last several months of threats to Muslims and Jews, said some people may be too embarrassed to report bias crimes.

Weve found, statistically, if its not reported, sometimes it emboldens the people who do this, Paige said.

He said to report crimes to local police first, but also to the NJOSHP, which can connect crimes all over the state.

Shabazz, who also serves as president of his mosque and chairman of the Bridge of Faith group, a coalition of leaders from local religious organizations, said he knows bigotry wont be defeated in one hour, but its a great first step.

Margate Mayor Mike Becker said his town has long been a place where religions have come together, even in his own family. Becker said his fathers and mothers parents were Orthodox Jews, he married an Irish Catholic and has two Jewish children and a Methodist daughter-in-law.

Ive lived a long, good life, and I realized a very long time ago that all of us have much more in common than we have differences. Theres no reason for hate, Becker said. Lets all work hard together to stop this nonsense thats going on in the world.
Many of those reading this newspaper grew up in a world filled with lead, a heavy gray metal that easily hides in chemical compounds.

Water pipes were often made of lead, as was the metal solder used to join nearly all pipes. Lead was added to gasoline starting in the 1920s to increase engine power. Lead-based paint was the standard for buildings and often used on furniture and childrens toys. Lead sinkers remain the most popular choice for fishing line weights.

Lead had long been known to be toxic at high levels, but starting in the mid-20th century, medical science became increasingly aware of its irreversible damage to nervous systems even at very low levels.

As the most densely populated state and one with an abundance of older housing, New Jerseys lead risk was high. In response, the state took the lead on many initiatives to reduce lead exposure  a role it continues today with its recent commitment to aim for the latest very low federal standard of exposure.

In 1956, the N.J. Department of Health (and Senior Services, as it was then known) was one of the first in the nation to start testing childrens blood for lead.

In 1971, New Jersey was one of the first states to prohibit the use of lead paint on toys, furniture and dwellings  seven years before the federal national ban on the sale of lead paint.

That still left a lot of lead in the everyday environment. Lead wasnt phased out of gasoline nationwide until the mid-1970s, and lead water pipes and lead solder werent banned until 1986.

Lead in water systems and paint isnt visible, so exposure typically remains undiscovered until testing. Rowan University recently discovered high levels of lead in the water of nine residences on campus. Its installing filters for drinking water while it analyzes the causes and develops a long-term solution.

The main risk of lead is from old paint, the source children are most likely to encounter.

Lead is most toxic to children 6 months to 6 years old because their nervous systems and organs are still developing. Their bodies absorb lead by touching the paint, inhaling its dust or ingesting its chips.

The state already had developed the N.J. Lead Poisoning Elimination Plan in 2010 in conjunction with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to increase screening and reduce the percentage of children testing above 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood.

In quick succession this year, the state shifted to a new CDC standard of half that level and announced an additional $20 million to help health departments and households find elevated lead in children and reduce exposure further.

The state has done a good job of quickly realizing the danger of lead, reducing exposure to it, finding children at risk and addressing their situations appropriately. Officials should consider banning lead fishing weights as well, as has been done by other states, nations and U.S National Parks.

Families neednt wait for state screening or help. Simple and affordable lead testing kits are readily available, and home water filters get the lead out and leave water tastier (and cheaper than bottled water).

The reduction in lead exposure is one of societys success stories. With the hard work done, a little more effort will leave the threat negligible.
DOHA, Qatar, March 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- After reaching the mark of two million users per month to become the largest flight metasearch engine in Brazil, No Borders Investments ("NBI") announces a substantive investment in Voopter with co-investor Travel Capitalist Ventures.

The "Series B " comes from No Borders Investments, a Doha-headquartered private investment firm making $1M to $100M USD investments in market leaders around the world. Current investments include government bonds, EU-based property funds spanning the Champs-Elysees in Paris; Zurich and Geneva, Switzerland; and Mayfair, London. NBI also has direct investments in Newport Beach, California, US-based Content Market (former CEO of Virgin Charter, part of the Virgin Group of Companies), and Bangalore, India-based JetSmart.

According to Mr. Abdulla Khalid, CEO and Managing Partner at No Borders Investments, "Investments in Brazil, South Africa and India allow us to diversify investments across asset class and geography while adhering to our core investment thesis. I look forward to announcing our other investments in late Q3 of this year."

No Borders Investments adds to funding from Global Founders Capital (GFC), a German venture capital company that trains talented entrepreneurs globally. This is GFC's second investment in the Brazilian flight search startup.

Voopter's unique offerings are geared to Brazilian consumers, who prefer to receive personalized promotional information and to plan trips in advance. Voopter provides tools adapted to this traveler profile such as a multi-dates calendar, collaborative alert system and curated content.

"This investment will help us to speed up our growth in the Brazilian market, where Voopter is already the leading metasearch," says Pettersom Paiva, CEO of Voopter. "But there is still great potential for growth. It will also back the launch of our 'media' and 'data' divisions, which will consolidate our offers for other travel business than airlines and OTA's."

About No Borders Investments

Founded in 2014, No Borders Investments is a Doha based investment firm making $1M to $100M investments in high growth companies and Funds in the Middle East, India, the United States and EU. More information can be found at www.nobordersinvestments.com.

About Voopter

Voopter is the leading flight metasearch in Brazil, with more than two million users and 250,000 cross tickets per month. The company presents the best fares available both through airlines and online travel agencies. Available at no cost on the web, and on iOS and Android systems, it features a unique multi-dates calendar, while the system shows users the cheapest trip combination. In addition, Voopter offers users the option to create alerts, which generates notifications when the ticket price is within the range the user is willing to pay. More information can be found at www.voopter.com.br.

Contact:

Florence Yaeger

Communications Director

Travel Capitalist Ventures

+1 720.985.1450

fyaeger@travelcapitalist.com

www.travelcapitalist.com

Related Links

http://www.nobordersinvestments.com



SOURCE No Borders Investments
LONDON, March 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Fujairah, the world's second-largest bunker and fuel oil trading hub, now has a new daily price assessment that reflects local and international market conditions. In recent years, Fujairah has built up a major storage and supply hub, increasing trade in marine fuel oil, or bunkers, and blending and aggregating fuel oil cargoes for sale to regional and international markets. Leading global commodity pricing agency Argus has launched the new price assessment based on the heavy fuel oil market as it trades in the region.

International attention on Fujairah as a major centre of trading activity has grown as its government has encouraged investment in storage and logistics facilities. Local trading activity has increased dramatically, and Argus has responded to demand from companies active in this market to provide a representative daily price assessment for barge-size cargoes. The Argus price assessment for Fujairah fuel oil reflects cargoes of 5,000-7,000t, RMG 380 grade (380 centistokes at 50C, 3.5pc sulphur fuel oil), for loading 7-15 days after the date of assessment in Fujairah. This is the most actively traded grade in the region, spurring bids, offers and deals from various participants in the trading chain.

Argus calculates its price assessments using a volume-weighted average of deals done during the assessment period. In the absence of deals, Argus reviews a variety of information, including bids and offers and other market information. For Fujairah fuel oil, an important source of price information is provided through Argus Open Markets, an electronic price discovery platform where market participants can post bids and offers, and initiate trades.

Argus Media chairman and chief executive Adrian Binks said: "We have been working with the local and international trading and refining communities for some time to develop a robust, reliable and useful price assessment that can be used in physical contracts and to settle financial derivatives for risk management. The Mideast Gulf market has matured to the point that it needs an assessment for fuel oil that can represent regional market trends and move independently of activity in other global hubs. I would like to thank the many individuals and companies, and the Fujairah authorities who worked with us to help develop this new representative price assessment."

Contact Information

London

Seana Lanigan

+44 20 7780 4272

[email protected]

Houston

Scott Berg

+ 1 713 968 0000

[email protected]

Singapore

Jim Nicholson

+65 6496 9960

[email protected]

About Argus Media

Argus is an independent media organisation with more than 800 staff. It is headquartered in London and has 21 offices in the world's principal commodity trading and production centres. Argus produces price assessments and analysis of international energy and other commodity markets, and offers bespoke consulting services and industry-leading conferences.

Companies in 140 countries around the world use Argus data to index physical trade and as benchmarks in financial derivative markets as well as for analysis and planning purposes.

Argus was founded in 1970 and is a privately held UK-registered company. It is owned by staff shareholders and global growth equity firm General Atlantic.

ARGUS, the ARGUS logo, ARGUS MEDIA, ARGUS DIRECT, ARGUS OPEN MARKETS, AOM, FMB, DEWITT, JIM JORDAN & ASSOCIATES, JJ&A, FUNDALYTICS, METAL-PAGES, METALPRICES.COM, Argus publication titles and Argus index names are trademarks of Argus Media Limited.

SOURCE Argus Media
RIDGEFIELD, Conn., March 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Important new data from the RE-CIRCUIT study show a better safety profile for Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate mesylate) compared to warfarin in atrial fibrillation (AFib) patients undergoing catheter ablation. AFib patients who underwent catheter ablation while being treated with uninterrupted PRADAXA experienced less major bleeding and fewer serious adverse events compared to those treated with uninterrupted warfarin. The results were presented in a late-breaking session at the American College of Cardiology 66th Annual Scientific Session in Washington, D.C. and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In the RE-CIRCUIT trial, uninterrupted PRADAXA significantly reduced the risk of major bleeding complications compared with uninterrupted warfarin. The trial showed a 5.3% absolute risk reduction in its primary endpoint, with major bleeds occurring in 5/317 of patients receiving PRADAXA versus 22/318 of patients receiving warfarin (77.2% relative risk reduction). PRADAXA showed a similar incidence of minor bleeding complications compared to warfarin (59/317 versus 54/318). There were no thromboembolic events in patients taking PRADAXA and one in patients taking warfarin. Six hundred and thirty-five patients with paroxysmal or persistent AFib undergoing catheter ablation were included in the RE-CIRCUIT trial. These patients were reflective of the types of patients undergoing the procedure in routine clinical practice, providing relevant new data to treating physicians.

"These results are exciting news for the medical community," said Professor Hugh Calkins, Chairman of the RE-CIRCUIT Study Steering Committee and Professor of Cardiology and Director of the Electrophysiology Laboratory and Arrhythmia Service, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, USA. "During an ablation procedure, patients are at risk of potential major complications, including stroke and bleeding. Therefore anticoagulation management at the time of AFib ablation is critically important. In RE-CIRCUIT, we have seen that uninterrupted anticoagulation with dabigatran showed significantly lower major bleeding complications than warfarin in atrial fibrillation patients undergoing cardiac ablation."

Every year more than 200,000 ablation procedures are conducted globally in patients with AFib, the most common heart rhythm irregularity. Ablation is a common treatment for the irregular heart beat experienced by AFib patients. The procedure involves passing a catheter through a vein or artery in the groin or arm into the heart and then using radiofrequency energy, extreme heat or extreme cold energy to destroy or isolate the area that is generating the abnormal heart rhythm. Catheter ablation is associated with a risk of both thromboembolism and bleeding. Anticoagulation before, during, and after ablation needs to be carefully managed to minimize these risks. RE-CIRCUIT has now provided specific data on this clinical situation for PRADAXA, a non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC).

"The RE-CIRCUIT trial is evidence of Boehringer Ingelheim's commitment to conducting research that can improve our understanding of treatment for atrial fibrillation patients," said Sabine Luik, M.D., senior vice president, Medicine & Regulatory Affairs, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "We are excited to present these results, which we believe will provide valuable insights for physicians treating atrial fibrillation patients undergoing catheter ablation."

About the RE-CIRCUIT study

The RE-CIRCUIT study (Randomised Evaluation of dabigatran etexilate Compared to warfarIn in pulmonaRy vein ablation: assessment of different peri-proCedUral antIcoagulation sTrategies) is an exploratory prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint, multicenter, active controlled trial. Patients with paroxysmal or persistent NVAF scheduled for catheter ablation and eligible for dabigatran 150 mg twice daily were included in the trial. Patients were randomly assigned to dabigatran etexilate mesylate 150 mg twice daily or warfarin (target INR 2.03.0) in a 1:1 ratio and remained on this treatment for the duration of the trial.

The study enrolled 704 patients across 104 sites, with 635 patients undergoing ablation with uninterrupted anticoagulation treatment. All patients were screened with a transesophageal echocardiogram before their ablation procedure to determine whether any blood clots were present in the upper left heart chamber (left atrium). The safety and efficacy of the therapies were assessed during the three to four month treatment period and follow-up visit one week after treatment end.

The primary endpoint of the RE-CIRCUIT study was the incidence of major bleeding events, as defined by the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis (ISTH), during the ablation procedure and up to two months post-ablation. Secondary endpoints included thromboembolic events (stroke/systemic embolism/transient ischemic attack), minor bleeding events or a composite of both the efficacy and safety endpoints during ablation and up to two months after the procedure.

About Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate mesylate)

Indications and Usage

Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate mesylate) capsules is indicated:

to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION ABOUT PRADAXA

WARNING: (A) PREMATURE DISCONTINUATION OF PRADAXA INCREASES THE RISK OF THROMBOTIC EVENTS, (B) SPINAL/EPIDURAL HEMATOMA

(A) PREMATURE DISCONTINUATION OF PRADAXA INCREASES THE RISK OF THROMBOTIC EVENTS

Premature discontinuation of any oral anticoagulant, including PRADAXA, increases the risk of thrombotic events. If anticoagulation with PRADAXA is discontinued for a reason other than pathological bleeding or completion of a course of therapy, consider coverage with another anticoagulant

(B) SPINAL/EPIDURAL HEMATOMA

Epidural or spinal hematomas may occur in patients treated with PRADAXA who are receiving neuraxial anesthesia or undergoing spinal puncture. These hematomas may result in long-term or permanent paralysis. Consider these risks when scheduling patients for spinal procedures. Factors that can increase the risk of developing epidural or spinal hematomas in these patients include:

use of indwelling epidural catheters

concomitant use of other drugs that affect hemostasis, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), platelet inhibitors, other anticoagulants

a history of traumatic or repeated epidural or spinal punctures

a history of spinal deformity or spinal surgery

optimal timing between the administration of PRADAXA and neuraxial procedures is not known

Monitor patients frequently for signs and symptoms of neurological impairment. If neurological compromise is noted, urgent treatment is necessary. Consider the benefits and risks before neuraxial intervention in patients who are or will be anticoagulated.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

PRADAXA is contraindicated in patients with:

active pathological bleeding;

known serious hypersensitivity reaction (e.g., anaphylactic reaction or anaphylactic shock) to PRADAXA;

mechanical prosthetic heart valve

WARNINGS & PRECAUTIONS

Increased Risk of Thrombotic Events after Premature Discontinuation

Premature discontinuation of any oral anticoagulant, including PRADAXA, in the absence of adequate alternative anticoagulation increases the risk of thrombotic events. If PRADAXA is discontinued for a reason other than pathological bleeding or completion of a course of therapy, consider coverage with another anticoagulant and restart PRADAXA as soon as medically appropriate.

Risk of Bleeding

PRADAXA increases the risk of bleeding and can cause significant and, sometimes, fatal bleeding. Promptly evaluate any signs or symptoms of blood loss (e.g., a drop in hemoglobin and/or hematocrit or hypotension). Discontinue PRADAXA in patients with active pathological bleeding.

Risk factors for bleeding include concomitant use of medications that increase the risk of bleeding (e.g., anti-platelet agents, heparin, fibrinolytic therapy, and chronic use of NSAIDs). PRADAXA's anticoagulant activity and half-life are increased in patients with renal impairment.

Reversal of Anticoagulant Effect : A specific reversal agent (idarucizumab) for dabigatran is available when reversal of the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran is needed:

: A specific reversal agent (idarucizumab) for dabigatran is available when reversal of the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran is needed: For emergency surgery/urgent procedures

In life-threatening or uncontrolled bleeding

Hemodialysis can remove dabigatran; however clinical experience for hemodialysis as a treatment for bleeding is limited. Prothrombin complex concentrates or recombinant Factor VIIa may be considered but their use has not been evaluated. Protamine sulfate and vitamin K are not expected to affect dabigatran anticoagulant activity. Consider administration of platelet concentrates where thrombocytopenia is present or long-acting antiplatelet drugs have been used.

Thromboembolic and Bleeding Events in Patients with Prosthetic Heart Valves

The use of PRADAXA is contraindicated in patients with mechanical prosthetic valves due to a higher risk for thromboembolic events, especially in the post-operative period, and an excess of major bleeding for PRADAXA vs. warfarin. Use of PRADAXA for the prophylaxis of thromboembolic events in patients with AFib in the setting of other forms of valvular heart disease, including bioprosthetic heart valve, has not been studied and is not recommended.

Effect of P-gp Inducers & Inhibitors on Dabigatran Exposure

Concomitant use of PRADAXA with P-gp inducers (e.g., rifampin) reduces exposure to dabigatran and should generally be avoided. P-gp inhibition and impaired renal function are major independent factors in increased exposure to dabigatran. Concomitant use of P-gp inhibitors in patients with renal impairment is expected to increase exposure of dabigatran compared to either factor alone.

Reduction of Risk of Stroke/Systemic Embolism in NVAF

For patients with moderate renal impairment (CrCl 30-50 mL/min), reduce the dose of PRADAXA to 75 mg twice daily when dronedarone or systemic ketoconazole is coadministered with PRADAXA.

For patients with severe renal impairment (CrCl 15-30 mL/min), avoid concomitant use of PRADAXA and P-gp inhibitors.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

The most serious adverse reactions reported with PRADAXA were related to bleeding.

Most frequent adverse reactions leading to discontinuation of PRADAXA were bleeding & gastrointestinal (GI) events.

PRADAXA 150 mg resulted in higher rates of major and any GI bleeds compared to warfarin.

In patients 75 years of age, the risk of major bleeding may be greater with PRADAXA vs warfarin.

Patients on PRADAXA 150 mg had an increased incidence of GI adverse reactions. These were commonly dyspepsia (including abdominal pain upper, abdominal pain, abdominal discomfort, and epigastric discomfort) and gastritis-like symptoms (including GERD, esophagitis, erosive gastritis, gastric hemorrhage, hemorrhagic gastritis, hemorrhagic erosive gastritis, and GI ulcer)

Other Measures Evaluated

In NVAF patients, a higher rate of clinical MI was reported in patients who received PRADAXA (0.7/100 patient-years for 150 mg dose) than in those who received warfarin (0.6).

Please see full Prescribing Information , including boxed WARNING and Medication Guide .

About Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Ridgefield, CT, is the largest U.S. subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation.

Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, the company operates globally with 146 affiliates and more than 47,000 employees. Since its founding in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel treatments for human and veterinary medicine.

Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to improving lives and providing valuable services and support to patients and families. Our employees create and engage in programs that strengthen our communities. To learn more about how we make more health for more people, visit our Corporate Social Responsibility Report .

In 2015, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about $15.8 billion (14.8 billion euros). R&D expenditure corresponds to 20.3 percent of its net sales.

For more information please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.us, or follow us on Twitter @BoehringerUS.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. either owns or uses the trademarks Pradaxa and RE-CIRCUIT under license.

SOURCE Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Kolkata, March 14 : Researchers from Assam have invented a simple technology that together removes arsenic and iron from contaminated water at less than one paisa per litre.

The technique has recently been granted an Indian patent.

Christened 'Arsiron Nilogon', the filtration method uses three easily available low-cost chemicals to eliminate arsenic and iron.

The set up is simple: two containers for two stages of the process. One for the chemical action on the contaminated water and the next for sand and gravel to extract clean water.

The capacity of the set-up can be customised according to community or household settings.

"The word 'Arsiron' was derived from arsenic and iron. 'Nilogon' is an Assamese equivalent of 'removal' in English. The recurring cost of the chemicals is less than Re 1 per 100 litre of water (less than 1 paisa per litre). The capital cost is the cost of the two containers, two plastic taps plus some sand and gravel," Robin Kumar Dutta, Professor, Department of Chemical Sciences, Tezpur University, told IANS.

Besides Dutta, S. Bordoloi, A.J. Bora, S. Nath and Sweety Gogoi were involved in the development of the innovative technology.

In Arsiron Nilogon, specific quantities of baking soda, potassium permanganate and ferric chloride are added successively with mild stirring after each addition, in a container, followed by filtration using a sand-gravel filter, explained Dutta.

"Arsiron Nilogon removes iron also, if present along with arsenic, on addition of more potassium permanganate until the purple color of potassium permanganate appears in the water," he said.

Currently one Public Health Engineering Department water supply scheme, about 75 schools and several hundred households in Assam are currently using the procedure.

High level of arsenic contamination, in almost entire northeastern states of India and in the plains along both banks of Brahmaputra in Assam, came to light in 2004.

Arsenic above 50 microgram per litre has been detected in groundwater in 23 out of 27 districts in Assam, six out of 13 districts in Arunachal Pradesh and two out of eight districts in Nagaland.
Los Angeles, March 16 : Jewellery worth $200,000 was stolen from the home of model Kendall Jenner here, just months after her sister Kim Kardashian West was robbed in Paris.

Kendall, 21, called police at 1 a.m. on Thursday morning when she realised some of her jewellery was missing, reports tmz.com.

According to law enforcement sources, Kendall left her home on Wednesday around noon and returned around 8 p.m.

Sources also say there was no sign of forced entry, and so far no suspects.

Police are investigating the theft.

This comes five months after Kendall's sister Kim was robbed of jewels worth $10 million in Paris.
Hyderabad, March 16 : Tirth Agro Technology Pvt. Ltd (Shaktiman), a leading agricultural implements manufacturer, will set up a centre of excellence and manufacturing facility in Telangana.

The proposed facility over 200 acres will manufacture farm machinery such as rotary tillers, power harrows, mechanical seed drills, compost shredders and flail mowers.

The Rajkot-based company, which manufactures agricultural implements with the brand name of "Shaktiman", on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Telangana.

The officials of the company and the state government signed the MoU in the presence of Telangana's minister for industries and commerce K. T. Rama Rao.

This will be the second manufacturing facility of the company after Rajkot.

It is expected to generate direct employment for 500 people and indirect employment for about 1500 people.

Shaktiman is the largest manufacturer of farm machinery in India with a market share of more than 50 per cent and exports to over 77 countries. Its revenues during 2016-17 were Rs 725 crore.

Ashwin Gohil, Chairman, Shaktiman Agro, said that the manufacturing hub at Hyderabad will serve as a gateway to South India and will increase their business in the region and will also generate revenue for the state government.

The proposed centre of excellence aims to improve the process of farming in India by introducing new and advanced techniques and also skill upgradation to the farmers and students.

Rama Rao said that the government's priority is to encourage local manufacturers which provide employment to the local youth. The agriculture and industries departments will provide support to the unit.

The minister told the company management that Telangana is the fastest growing state with a revenue surplus economy and leading in ease of doing business.
Imphal, March 18 : In its maiden Cabinet meeting, the BJP-led coalition government in Manipur decided to take steps to end the indefinite economic blockade imposed by the United Naga Council (UNC). A tripartite meeting has been convened on Sunday.

Informed sources said that Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Suresh Babu and Commissioner of Arts and Information Radha Kanta shall represent the Manipur government at the meeting. The officials to represent the central government are scheduled to arrive ahead of the crucial meeting.

However, informed sources said the meeting was likely to remain inconclusive on Sunday since UNC President Gaidon Kamei has been in judicial custody all these months. His release, which many expect to happen sooner than later, could facilitate the talks.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced in Imphal during an election meeting that the blockade would be lifted within 48 hours of the formation of a BJP government in Manipur.

The UNC imposed the blockade on two national highways, NH 2 and NH 37, on November 1, 2016, in protest against the government's plan to create two districts. However, later the government went on to create seven new districts, saying it was necessary from administrative point of view.

The UNC, Tangkhul Naga Long and other Naga bodies have been saying that the creation of seven districts comprising the "land of the Nagas left by our forefathers" is unacceptable.

The Congress government had insisted on holding talks either in Imphal or Delhi, but the present coalition government has agreed to hold talks in Senapati district, where the head office of UNC is located.

Although truckloads of consumer items and fuel are being brought under escort twice a week, these are not sufficient. Due to lack of adequate consumer items, prices have soared and the items are available mostly in black market.
Berlin, March 19 : The world's biggest economies have dropped a long-standing public endorsement of free trade at their first meeting with the US President Donald Trump's administration.

Finance Ministers and central bank Governors from the G-20 group of leading economies, including the US, China, Mexico, Germany and India, held two days of tough talking in the German town of Baden-Baden.

The formal statement issued after the meeting on Saturday contained only a bland reference to "working to strengthen the contribution of trade to our economies", CNN reported.

Conspicuous by its absence was the phrase "we will resist all forms of protectionism" that was contained in the communique from the last meeting of the group in China in July 2016.

It also did not contain a pledge to finance efforts to combat climate change, Efe news said.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, however, downplayed the content of the statement.

"This is my first G20, so what was in the past communique is not necessarily relevant from my standpoint," Mnuchin said.

In a press conference afterward, he described the meeting as extremely productive and stressed that Trump's administration believed in free trade.

However, he added that it was good for the US as long as it was balanced.

He said the US, which since Trump took office has withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and called for the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) to be renegotiated, was looking to enter into trade deals that are a "win-win" situation for the parties involved.

The Finance Minister of host Germany, Wolfgang Schauble, said for his part that the negotiations were very difficult but that a door had been left open for future talks.

He added that the final communique contained language that was not very concrete but which reflected the economies' shared commitment to fair trade, as demanded by the US, and rejection of currency manipulation.

Trump has accused two G20 members, China and Japan, of currency manipulation, while one of his top trade advisers has leveled the same complaint against Germany.

Given the opposition from the US and Saudi Arabia, the G20's communique also differed from its 2016 statement in that no reference was made to the members' readiness to finance the battle against climate change.
Berlin, March 19 : Some 30,000 Kurds staged a protest in the German city of Frankfurt against Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the media reported on Sunday.

Protesters on Saturday evening came from all over Germany ahead of Kurdish new year celebrations, the BBC reported.

They called for democracy and a "No" vote in the April 16 Turkish referendum on increasing presidential powers.

A diplomatic row has been escalating between the countries since Germany refused to let Turkish ministers hold pro-government rallies two weeks ago.

A police spokesman described Saturday's rally in Frankfurt as peaceful.

About 1.4 million Turks in Germany can vote in the April referendum, which could give Erdogan new powers over the budget and the appointment of ministers and judges, as well as the power to dismiss parliament, reports the BBC.

On March 13, Erdogan stepped up a week of anti-German rhetoric by accusing Chancellor Angela Merkel of "supporting terrorists".

Her spokesman described the jibe as "clearly absurd".

He also accused Germany of "Nazi practices" for blocking his ministers from speaking in Germany.
Chandigarh, March 19 : It's akin to carrying coal to Newcastle but a team of British chefs has landed here to give Indian tastebuds a curry treat -- albeit with a twist -- in an international food format.

Leading the British "invasion" on the Indian palate is Michelin-starred chef Rupert Rowley who, along with his team of chefs, will rustle up over 40 dishes at the curry festival (March 17-26) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel here.

They will dish out chicken tikka masala, prawn and mango balti, lamb and broccoli balti, seafood balti dupiaza, royal coronation chicken, lamb Madras, dal a la Kent, chana dal with spinach, vegetable Madras, spicy veg and cheese kebab, oregano chicken tikka and rosemary lamb tikka to tickle the tastes of foodies in City Beautiful during the 10-day event at "Piccante", the specialty Italian restaurant at the Hyatt.

"It is a great opportunity, which excites me to showcase my dishes. My aim is to offer the highest quality of British food with the freshest of ingredients, ensuring diners have a memorable experience," he said.

"I am a very big fan of curry and what really excites me most is that I will be working with a team of best curry chefs from Britain. I am really looking forward to flying the flag for British cuisine in India. Hopefully, we will get a chance to try some of the local delicacies too," Rowley added.

"The event promises to be yet another gastronomic celebration of taste; coming together from two diverse cultures of Britain and India," Hyatt General Manager Puneet Baijal said.

Organised by Curry Life magazine, the "Taste of Britain Curry" festival is a global event to promote the best of British curry in countries in Europe and Asia.

British Deputy High Commissioner David Lelliott said: "India and the UK's shared passion for curry is a reminder of what Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently referred to as the 'living bridge' between our two countries."

To the uninitiated, "curry" originated in Indian subcontinent (from the Tamil word "kari") but now outsells most European foods in the UK, making for an annual turnover of several billions pound sterling.

In 1809, Sake Dean Mahomed established the Hindustani Coffee House in George Street, Central London. Two hundred years down the line, curry restaurants are a fixture on the British high street.

Chef Rowley, who has worked with globally renowned chefs like Gordon Ramsey and Raymond Blanc, told the media here on Friday that curry food promotes social eating.

"Curry food promotes sociable eating. There are many options in curry food and people like to share and taste dishes," Rowley, 40, said.

The spicy flavours of curry have been attracting international attention, said Rowley, who is on his first visit to India.

"We do curries back home (in Britain). But you cannot learn to cook by just reading from a book. The English curry is not the same as Indian curry. We are looking forward to know the real flavours of the curry in India," Rowley told IANS.

He runs Michelin Star fine-dining Fischer's and traditional British food specialist Rowley's in Baslow village in Derbyshire.

"Curry food has really caught on in England and other places. We even experiment with curry on other international foods. The best thing now is that the stuff, spices and all, we can get now is amazing," added Rowley, whose first encounter with curry was a 15-year-old.

(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)
Mumbai, March 19 : Aiming to retain their psychologically- significant levels, key Indian equity indices will seek direction from the movement of the rupee, influx of foreign funds and global macro-economic data during the trade week starting March 20.

"With no major domestic triggers or events in the coming week, investors should continue to keep an eye on global events and fresh investment by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) and domestic institutional investors (DIIs), as well as the movement of the rupee against the US dollar in the near term," Vijay Singhania, Founder and Director of brokerage firm Trade Smart Online, told IANS.

The Indian rupee strengthened by 1.15 paise in the week gone by to Rs. 65.46 against the US dollar.

Provisional figures from the stock exchanges showed that the FIIs purchased stocks worth Rs 8,121.51 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) divested scrip worth Rs 2,192.86 crore in the last week.

Figures from the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) showed that foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought equities worth Rs 7,495.85 crore, or $1.13 billion, during March 14-17.

Market observers cited that the tone for the week ahead will be set by the release of some major global macro-economic data.

"Key global macro-economic data in the coming week includes China's CB (Conference Board) Leading Economic Index for February 2017, scheduled to release on Tuesday. The minutes of the Bank of Japan's monetary policy meeting will be out on the same day," Singhania said.

Apart from that, other global macro-data slated for next week include the US initial jobless claims for the week ended March 17, and the Eurozone Markit PMI (Purchasing Managers' Index) Composite data for March 2017.

Market experts opined that the markets may witness some profit- booking during the upcoming week.

"Indian equity markets are likely to trade with volatility due to profit booking at higher levels in the coming sessions. Sector-specific price movement can be seen in the markets next week," Dhruv Desai, Director and Chief Operating Officer of Tradebulls, told IANS.

On a similar note, Rakesh Tarway, Head of Research, Reliance Securities, asserted: "We continue to maintain a positive bias on markets, but there is a likelihood of some amount of consolidation at current levels after a sharp run up across indices."

On the technical levels, Deepak Jasani, Head - Retail Research, HDFC Securities, told IANS: "The Nifty remains in an intermediate uptrend with no signs of reversal yet as it enters the thirteenth week of uptrend. Further upsides are likely once the immediate resistance of 9,214 is taken out."

"Weakness could emerge if the support of 9,060 is broken."

Riding on the outcome of the assembly elections and a strong rupee, the equity indices had zoomed to new 52-week highs and crossed their psychologically-significant levels during last week.

The benchmark NSE Nifty hit a record intra-day high of 9,218.40 points and closed above the 9,100-mark for the first time during the truncated week ended Friday. Similarly, the Sensex touched a new 52 week-high of 29,824.62 points.

The barometer 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the BSE surged by 702.76 points or 2.43 per cent to close at 29,648.99 points, while the NSE Nifty was up by 225.5 points or 2.52 per cent at 9,160.05 points.

(Porisma P. Gogoi can be contacted at porisma.g@ians.in)
Kathmandu, March 19 : Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat is slated to visit Nepal at the invitation of the Himalayan nation's government.

During his visit from March 28 to 31, the Indian Army chief will be conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepal Army by Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, defence spokesman Major General Tara Bahadur Karki said here on Sunday.

President Bhandari will confer the honorary rank on Gen Rawat on March 29 for his "commendable military prowess and immeasurable contribution to fostering India's long-standing and friendly ties with Nepal", the spokesman said.

It is a custom and tradition between the Indian and Nepali armies to confer this honour on each other's chiefs to signify close and special military-to-military ties.

General Rawat will also discuss bilateral military ties and other aspects of cooperation during his meeting with Nepali Army chief General Rajendra Chhetri.

Rawat is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Defence Minister Bal Krishna Khand and will visit Pokhara, where India's biggest pension camp is located, and travel to Muktinath where Nepal Army runs a high-altitude military warfare training centre.

Other highlights of his visit will be issues related to purchasing military hardware and software for the Nepal Army.

Nepal makes almost all military and defence purchases from India, including helicopters.

Meanwhile, Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan will arrive in Kathmandu on March 23 for a three-day visit to inspect arrangements for the first-ever joint military drill between Beijing and Kathmandu.
Lucknow, March 19 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a brief chat with Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and outgoing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav here on Sunday.

While both Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh mingled with BJP leaders on the dais, when Modi arrived, he met a few BJP leaders and took a chair next to Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister designate Yogi Adityanath.

After the ceremony in which 44 ministers were sworn in, Modi got up and waved to the thousands gathered to witness the return of the Bharatiya Janata Party to power in the state after a gap of 14 years.

As Modi was about to leave, Mulayam Singh rushed towards him and patted him on the back.

Modi immediately smiled and warmly shook Mulayam Singh's hands. The Yadav chieftain then took Modi to his son Akhilesh Yadav.

The Prime Minister patted the back of the former Chief Minister.

Mulayam Singh then whispered something into Modi's ear after which the Prime Minister broke into a hearty laugh. BJP President Amit Shah briefly joined them.
Hyderabad, March 19 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Sunday hosted lunch for visiting Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at his officials residence here.

They exchanged views on a host of issues ranging from ease of doing business to law and order, Telangana welfare schemes, tourism and information technology.

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali, Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy, other ministers and top officials were present during the meeting.

Vijayan, who is on a two-day visit to Hyderabad to attend various programmes, was all praise for the programmes and schemes launched by the Telangana government and for becoming number one state in the country in terms of ease of doing business.

The Telangana Chief Minister sought allocation of land for the construction of guest house for pilgrims from his state in Sabarimala. Both states have already signed a draft Memorandum of Understnding in this regard and the issue is pending with the Travancore Devasthanam Board.

Rao told Vijayan that lakhs of devotees from Telangana regularly go on pilgrimage to Sabarimala, and requested the visiting Chief Minister to expedite the matter.

He explained the innovative and hassle-free industrial policy of the state and said this helped the state in achieving top rank in ease of doing business.

Vijayan evinced key interest in the land reforms and maintenance of land records in Telangana.

Telangana Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao, who is son of the Chief Minister and was present in the meeting, briefed Vijayan about the rapid strides Telangana has made in the IT, IT-enabled services sector.

He said that Goa had already signed an MoU with Telangana on the exchange of IT knowledge and Kerala could also sign a similar MoU with the state.

Both Chief Ministers exchanged views on culture and tourism. Rao hailed Kerala for being one of the most beautiful places in the country.

Vijayan talked about the Kerala's Ayurveda system of medicine, which is popular all over the world. He also spoke about the health care, hospitals and health tourism of Kerala.
Hyderabad, March 19 : The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad (ABVP) workers staged a protest against visiting Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Sunday, blaming him for the killing of RSS workers in Kerala.

Raising slogans of "Vijayan go back" they tried to disrupt a meeting which was being addressed by the Kerala Chief Minister. Police, however, arrested the protesters including women.

Mild tension prevailed outside RTC Kalabhavan where the CPI-M leader was addressing a meeting of Malayalis living here.

Holding ABVP flags, a group of protesters tried to rush towards the meeting venue.

Police stopped the protesters, bodily lifted them into waiting police vehicles and shifted to a police station.

Vijayan is in Hyderabad on a two-day visit to attend various programmes. He will address a public meeting of CPI-M in Saroornagar on the city outskirts on Sunday evening.

Police have made tight security arrangements for his visit in view of threats from right-wing organisations.

A BJP legislator in Hyderabad, Raja Singh, has threatened to obstruct the public meeting.

"If the Kerala CM, who is a murderer of Hindus, is invited to the event, I will not allow it to happen. I will go to any extent to stop the meeting," said Raja Singh, a member of Telangana assembly.

He had demanded of the Telangana government not to grant permission to Vijayan to visit Hyderabad.

An RSS leader from Madhya Pradesh had earlier this month announced a Rs 1-crore reward for anyone who brings the head of Kerala Chief Minister.

Several activists of the RSS and Kerala's ruling CPI-M were killed in the political violence in the southern state.

Reacting to the threat, Vijayan had said that he could not stop work due to such threats. "The RSS has taken the heads of many people. I can't stop working and travelling due to this. Let them issue many more threats... I don't care," he had said.
Imphal, March 19 : The economic blockade of Manipur imposed by the United Naga Council (UNC) will be lifted from Sunday midnight, announced a UNC office-bearer here.

The decision was taken following an agreement reached during a tripartite talk on Sunday involving two UNC constituents -- All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM) and Naga Women Union (NWU) -- and representatives of the central and Manipur governments, UNC General Secretary S. Milan said.

The meeting was held at Senapati district headquarters, where the head office of the UNC is located. Holding talks in Senapati was one of the conditions of the Nagas, which was not accepted by the previous state government.

The blockade was imposed on November 1 in protest against the creation of seven new districts. The Nagas maintain that the "lands of the Nagas" left by their forefathers cannot be taken away in this manner.

Now that the agreement is reached, UNC President Gaidon Kamei and Publicity Secretary S. Stephen, now in judicial custody, are likely to be released soon. Besides all cases relating to the blockade will be closed, as per the agreement.

Several trucks were torched, drivers attacked and security personnel ambushed by unidentified persons along the highways during the blockade.

"Talks shall continue at the political level," Milan said quoting from the agreement.

The Manipur government was represented by Additional Chief Secretary Suresh Babu and Commissioner K. Radhakumar, central government by S. Garg, Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs in charge of North-East, while the UNC was represented by former President Paul Leo and leaders of the ANSAM and the NWU.

Manipur had been reeling under acute shortage of all essential commodities, including fuel, due to the blockade. Hardly 300 trucks and oil tankers could lift essential commodities twice a week, which proved to be the proverbial drop in the ocean.

The BJP had assured the people that if it formed the government, the blockade would be lifted within 48 hours.
New Delhi, March 19 : Swaraj India's national President Yogendra Yadav on Sunday launched the party's first road show as part of the party's campaign for the upcoming MCD polls here.

The Party's candidate from Bijwasan, Satyendra Rana, along with hundreds of supporters, welcomed Yadav. Alongside the road show, the party supporters also took out a bike rally in the area.

Manju Yadav, the party's candidate from Kapashera, took the road show ahead from her ward.

"From Palam ward, Swaraj India's candidate Upasana took the road show ahead and made an appeal for votes. Party's Saadnagar candidate Rekha Yadav led the road show in her ward, with party supporters colouring the ambience in Basanti colours," party's National Chief Spokesperson Anupam told IANS.

Thousands of people, including auto-rickshaw drivers, expressed their support for Swaraj India and raised the slogan of "Teen Sarkar, Teeno Bekaar".

Yogendra Yadav also raised the slogan of "Jumla, Drama, Ghotaala.. #bas_aur_nahin".

With the term "Jumla", Yadav attacked the BJP and the Prime Minister; with "Drama" he targeted the Aam Aadmi Party, and with "Ghotala", he attacked the Congress party.

"In the upcoming MCD elections, the party is beginning its electoral journey and is contesting all the 272 seats. Right from the process of selecting candidates to setting the agenda, the party is showing how it is different from the traditional political parties," Anupam said.

Swaraj India is the first party that has kept environment and cleanliness at the top of its election agenda, he said, adding that the party has also launched its vision document by the name of "Saaf Dil, Saaf Dilli", which outlines its action plan.
New Delhi, March 19 : The Jat agitation that threatened to cripple normal life in Delhi on Monday has been postponed, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Jat leader Yashpal Malik announced here on Sunday.

The decision followed several rounds of parleys in Delhi between the government and prominent Jat leaders spearheading the community's agitation in neighbouring Haryana.

A relieved Delhi, however, still remained on alert with restrictions on exit in place at four Metro stations.

Special Commissioner of Police Dependra Pathak said security arrangements at the borders, in New Delhi area and other places will remain intact and that the security situation will be monitored closely.

"The police presence will be there. We are continuously monitoring the situation so that if any situation is precipitated, we are able to handle it," he said.

The Jat community, which have been demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions, among other things, resumed their agitation on January 29.

Apart from Khattar, Union Ministers Birender Singh and P.P. Chaudhary -- both Jats -- threw their weight from the government's side to persuade the Jat leaders to postpone their agitation in support of their demands and grievances.

Khattar said both sides have reached a consensus on five points, including initiation of the process of reservation for the Jats in central government jobs, reconsideration of cases lodged against Jat agitators since 2010 and permanent jobs to next-of-kin of those killed and those maimed during the 2016 February agitation in Haryana.

Besides, the government will also give monetary compensation to the injured and institute probe against officers accused of high-handedness during the Jat stir, he said.

"All this will be done in a time-bound manner. Our government is committed to the welfare of the Jats," the Chief Minister said.

Union Minister of State for Law and Social Justice P.P. Cahudhary said that the process for Jat resrevation in central government jobs will start after the Chairperson and other members of the National Commission for Backward Classes have been appointed.

Malik said the Jats will not undertake the proposed march to Parliament on Monday. However, he said, token dharnas at some places in Haryana would continue for the time being.

Khattar, who was to visit Lucknow to attend the swearing-in of Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, called off his visit to be available for parleys with Jat leaders in his state.

The protest call had set alarm bells ringing in Delhi as Parliament is in session. There were apprehensions that normal life would be severely hit in the national capital, apart from the fact that students were to sit for board exams on Monday.

After the Jats called off Parliament march, the Delhi Metro announced it will run normal services on Monday but there will be no exit from Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Lok Kalyan Marg stations in the heart of the capital on the Yellow Line on Monday.

Police had on Saturday asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to curtail its services to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in a bid to foil the entry of Jats into Delhi.

Subsequently, the Delhi Metro announced it will suspend services to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and close 12 important stations from Sunday night.

The administration had imposed prohibitory orders in 15 districts of Haryana, including Rohtak, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Panipat, Hisar, Kaithal, Charkhi Dadri, Fatehabad, Jind and Sirsa.

The Jat leaders were earlier in talks with a panel of government officers, but these had remained inconclusive.

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.

The Jat agitation entered the 50th day on Sunday.
Hyderabad, March 19 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday said the BJP and the RSS are not undefeatable and that people of India will win the fight against communalism.

Addressing a public rally of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) here, he said that in the wake of the results of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, many people expressed the opinion that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are undefeatable. He, however, did not agree with this.

He alleged that in Goa and Manipur, the BJP used undemocratic means to form governments despite clearly being the losers while in Punjab it finished fourth.

He said even in Uttar Pradesh, the share of BJP votes had come down to 39.7 per cent from its 42.3 per cent in 2014. Thus, more than 60 per cent people voted against the BJP.

The CPI-M politburo member said the BJP won by spreading communal hatred, through heavy injection of money and deploying entire central government machinery in the state. Pointing out that the opposition to the right-wing was not united, he remarked 'we should not be led to believe that this victory is here to stay'.

"Even in the entire country in 2014, only 31 per cent voted for BJP which means close to 70 per cent of all voters do not agree with the politics of the BJP. It is more than clear that in the fight against communalism, people of India will win provided they stay together," he said.

He slammed the Congress for not staking claim to forming governments in Goa and Manipur despite winning the largest number of seats. He also cited the examples of Congress leaders joining the BJP in various states.

"Historically there are plenty of instances where the Congress was soft to communalism and thus they have lost their identity. Those who once used to call themselves guardians of secularism are not even a force to reckon with now," said Vijayan.

He went on to remark that the Congress has ceased to exist as political party as PR companies are taking political decisions for them.

He called upon people to be vigilant against the forces which pander to the right-wing.

"History has shown that any political party that goes soft on the right-wing was devoured by the right-wing itself. The Congress has dug its own grave and is no more a credible ally against communalism," he added.

The CPI-M leader urged all democratic and progressive forces to come together to forge people's alliance to defeat communalism and neo-liberalism, saying that the two were bedrock of all injustice, inequality and misery in the society.

CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechuri also underlined the need for unity among the Left and Dalit forces to strengthen people's movement to achieve the goal of social justice.

The public rally was organised to mark the culmination of a 4,200-km-long 'padyatra' (walkathon) by CPI-M Telangana State Secretary T. Veerabhadram across the state to know about people's problems.

Leaders of Left parties, Dalit organisations, students' groups, women's groups and activists addressed the rally.
Chandigarh, March 19 : At least 18 Haryana Police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and women police officials, were injured on Sunday in Fatehabad district of Haryana when Delhi-bound Jat community protesters clashed with them, police said.

The police personnel were trying to stop them at a barricade to prevent them from moving towards Delhi.

The clash took place on the Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi Highway near Dhani Gopal village in Fatehabad district, around 200 km from here when the protesters, who were on tractor-trolleys, were stopped.

Police used force, including cane charge and lobbed teargas shells, as the protesters pelted stones.

The injured police personnel were rushed to hospital in Fatehabad. The DSP was reported to be seriously injured.

The Jat mob even set two buses on fire and damaged police vehicles.

Police officials said that the Jat protesters were carrying sharp-edged weapons on the tractor-trolley when they were stopped.

As the protesters argued with the DSP and other police officers, one youth allegedly hit the police officer with a wooden log on the head from behind. Soon other protesters also attacked the police personnel and some media persons present there with stones.

The protesters outnumbered the police force present at the barricade.

Authorities in Haryana had imposed a ban on the movement of tractor-trolleys in districts bordering Delhi to foil a call given by Jat leaders to lay siege to Delhi and hold a protest outside Parliament, which has now been put off on the assurance of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Agartala, March 20 : Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Sunday said the Left Front government in Tripura failed to utilise funds released by the central government for developmental projects and to serve the interest of the farmers.

"We released Rs 35 lakh in 2016-17 and last fiscal for implementation of 'Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana' for Tripura, but the state government could not spend the money. Rs 3.56 crore was sanctioned for soil testing management scheme but it remains unknown how the money was utilised," Singh said while addressing a gathering of officials and farmers at Lembuchara, near here.

The minister, who was here on a two-day visit, said in the last two years his ministry had sanctioned more than Rs one crore for giving soil health cards to over 1.80 farmers in the state, but the state government could use less than 40 per cent of the fund.

Singh said while in the last five years the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had allocated Rs 7,646 crore, the incumbent Narendra Modi government sanctioned Rs 23,655 crore in less than three years for many projects and schemes in the state.

"As the present central government sanctioned three times more funds than the previous UPA government, we expect development and benefit to the people should also be three times," he added.

The minister asked the state government to gear up its machinery for executing fisheries, horticulture and animal husbandry related central schemes.

The minister said Tripura's Left Front government has not submitted any project on 'Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM)' and asked the state to give importance to this mission.

The RGM aims to conserve and develop indigenous cattle breeds in a focused and scientific manner.

"The Modi-led government has given emphasis on development of the entire northeastern region with maximum stress on agriculture. It is now up to the state governments concerned to utilise the central schemes properly for the benefit of the people," he added.

The minister also inaugurated a new Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in West Tripura.

"The government has sanctioned seven KVKs for Tripura, of which five are already functional, and with the inauguration of this one, now six KVKs will become operational in the state," Singh said.

In addition, the site selection committee is also visiting the state for selection of site for the eighth KVK. With that, all districts in the state will have one KVK each.

The total number of KVKs in the country has now gone up to 668, from 637 about three year ago. Of these, 78 KVKs are functional in the north-eastern states.
Dubai, March 20 : The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi summoned on Sunday the Swiss Ambassador "to discuss" the report of the Swiss representative in the human rights council in the UN, about the human rights situation in the Gulf state of Bahrain.

Abdul Rahim Al-Awadhi, UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation for Legal Affairs, has summoned Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to the UAE, in attendance of Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum Al-Maktoum, Director of the European Affairs Department at the Ministry.

Al-Awadhi expressed to the Swiss ambassador UAE's "denunciation" over the Swiss statement from last Tuesday against Bahrain at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

He added that "it was better if such issues were resolved through established bilateral channels between Bahrain and Switzerland".

The statement was also perceived as not representative of the truth, as Bahrain has made numerous steps to improve its human rights record. The UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain are members of the six countries unions Gulf cooperation council (GCC) and close political allies.

Al-Awadhi informed Ambassador Tissafi that the security and stability of Bahrain is integral to security and stability of the UAE, "and such statements give a pretext for committing destructive and terrorist acts", the UAE Assistant Minister said.

He added that the UAE is looking forward to Switzerland's reviewing of their position on this issue.

On Saturday, the GCC Secretary-General Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the statement which was made last Tuesday by the Swiss representative before the UNHRC, slamming the "accusations and distortions" regarding the situation of human rights in Bahrain.
Islamabad, March 20 : President Mamnoon Hussain on Sunday gave his approval to the Hindu Marriage Bill, 2017 on the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, turning it into law.

The law aims to protect marriages, families, mothers and their children and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Hindu families. It is a consolidated law for solemnisation of marriages by Hindu families residing in Pakistan, according to a government press release.

Nawaz Sharif said the government was focused on the provision of equal rights to minority communities residing in Pakistan. "They are as patriotic as any other community and, therefore, it is the responsibility of the state to provide equal protection to them," he said.

The passage of the bill will enable Hindu families able to solemnise marriages in accordance with the customary rites, rituals and ceremonies. The law also provides for procedures relating to restitution of conjugal rights, judicial separation, void and voidable marriages, termination of marriage, The law also provides for procedures relating to restitution of conjugal rights, judicial separation, void and voidable marriages, termination of marriage, the financial security of spouses and children, alternate relief in termination of marriages, and termination of marriage by mutual consent.

It also provides divorcees with the right to marry again, the entitlement of remarriage by a Hindu widow at her own will and consent after the stipulated time, and the legitimacy of children.

Marriages solemnised before the law comes into effect will be retroactively validated, but family courts would need to be petitioned for the relevant registration and documentation.

The law also provides for punishments of imprisonment and fines up to Rs100,000 or both for contraventions. All offences under the law shall be non-cognisable and non-compoundable and can be tried by a first class magistrate.

On March 10, the National Assembly unanimously passed the Hindu Marriage Bill, 2016 by endorsing amendments made by the Senate in February. A day earlier, the bill was moved by Human Rights Minister Kamran Michael.
Lifestyle brand, Free People will open a new store in Westport, Connecticut on March 24th, 2017. The store will be 6,017 gross square feet.

The new boutique will be designed in the brands Studio concept, highlighting the more rugged side of the Free People girl. Designed to feel like her personal workshop, the space features a mix of rugged elements and feminine details throughout. Customers will be welcomed through a steel storefront system with custom door hardware. Atop a white painted brick facade, a large brass Free People sign will greet customers through double doors. Inside the space, white oak flooring will be installed, changing direction to follow the architectural elements of the detailed ceiling overhead. Douglas fir slats span between the existing steel beams on the pitched ceiling which also help delineate the space for easy customer navigation. Towards the back of the boutique, 8 fitting rooms with distinctive coin curtains will be installed, illuminated by special woven lanterns and natural light in the common area. Customers will be able to check out via a 4 point of sale cash wrap which features a bead board back wrap with soft maple shelving which displays the Free People girls most favorite collections. Distinctive wall finishes, including mica plaster walls, white washed brick, blackened steel accents and the use of skylights emphasize the workshop theme.

An array of clothing, intimates, beauty, movement and shoes will be available at the new store. Clothing highlights include one pieces, mini dresses, knit tops, embellished pieces and more. Layering tops, soft bras, camis and sets will be carried in the intimates section. Sneakers, sandals, boots, and loafer styles will all be represented in the shoe department. Movement pieces from true workout wear to pieces to take you to and from the gym are on location as well as a curated collection of beauty and wellness product.

Join us to preview the new store on March 23rd from 6-8PM. Refreshments and light bites will be served by Terrain as well as a special appearance from Creme Collective. Make sure to RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/676521495860104/

Each Free People store offers personalized shopping experiences from a team of expert stylists. Free People Westport customers can schedule a one-on-one appointment with their favorite stylist, as well as interact and gain inspiration through the brands online Style Community, FP Me.

The new location will be located at 645 Post Rd. E., Unit 415, Westport, CT 06880. Store hours are Sunday 11AM-6PM and Monday-Saturday 10AM-6PM

For more information, images, to request an interview, or to discuss a TV opportunity, please call Katerina Patouhas at 215-454-3871 or email kpatouhas(at)freepeople(dot)com.

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Free People is a specialty clothing brand featuring the latest trends and vintage collections for women who live free through fashion, art, music, and travel. The brand offers a wide range of products from apparel, to accessories, intimates, outerwear, and beauty  all reflecting a high level of quality, invoking attributes of femininity, spirit, and creativity in its design. Free People is distributed globally via direct channels including the Free People Global site, the Free People UK site, and the Free People China site as well as specialty boutiques, top department stores, and the brands free standing retail locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Bravo to Robert E. Bartlett Family Foundation and Moline-Coal Valley school leaders who have agreed to create a performing arts center for the district.

The Bartlett Performing Arts Center is precisely the kind of wow factor project we were wishing for when we urged voter approval of the 1 percent sales tax for Rock Island County schools.

Not that we disagreed with the need to attack key deferred maintenance projects that motivated many school district leaders to successfully ask voters to approve the school facilities tax. And were pleased to see area districts begin to attack such projects while eliminating a small school tax levy as promised.

But like many supporters of the 1 percent sales tax, we also hoped it would eventually bring Illinois Quad-Cities school facilities in line with the first-class facilities our Iowa neighbors are enjoying from an Iowa sales tax created several years ago.

Thanks to the $7 million gift from the foundation, Moline leaders were able to commit $3 million of the $3.8 million in anticipated sales tax collections to create a shining star for the school district.

Ground is expected to be broken in the new year and some two years later, Moline High Schools nearly six decades old auditorium will be transformed into a modern performing arts center designed to serve both the district and community.

We love the idea of ensuring the entire community will benefit from a center to which theyll contribute every time they make a purchase that is subject to sales tax in Rock Island County. The only thing that would make that plan better, is if students throughout the county could have easy access to the arts center and some if its programs, in much the same way that Bettendorfs arts center is used and Davenports is expected to be when it opens.

Those who knew Robert Bartlett well say the insurance executive and longtime Moline benefactor and promoter of the arts would be pleased about the project.

Deb Bracke, a foundation trustee, said, Im 100 percent confident this is what he would have wanted when he was alive.

The project has the added bonus of fulfilling one of the items on the list of facilities needs put together by the district with input from stakeholders: upgrade the outdated auditorium, according to chief financial officer Dave McDermott.

While it may slow progress on other worthwhile projects such as air conditioning, a multipurpose exercise facility and upgrading the high school swimming pool, this was an opportunity that district officials simply could not afford to pass up.

In addition to better serving students and making our schools more attractive to families moving to our community or locals who are contemplating moving away, the new center will help in creating the cool, creative vibe bistate community leaders are striving to foster.
MILAN  All village positions up for election April 4 find candidates running unopposed.

Duane Dawson is seeking re-election as village president unopposed, and Barb Lee is seeking election as village clerk.

Jerry Wilson, Jim Flannery and Jody Taylor are seeking election to the three open trustee seats. All of the candidates are incumbents.

Only Trustee Taylor responded to our election survey.

What qualifies you for this office?

I have been a trustee for 15 years. I worked for the village of Milan from 1986 to 1999 as an administrative assistant to the village administrator, then director at the Milan Community Center (now The Camden Centre). I am very familiar with municipal government.

What are the key reasons you decided to run?

I like it! I get to meet and get to know village residents and hear their ideas about how to improve our community.

What do you believe are the top three priorities facing the village?

1. Economic development - solicit retailers; 2. Keeping taxes low - Making sure we provide the best service to our residents in the most economical way possible; 3. Finding something that will draw people to our village - Expand arts along bike path and downtown and in our parks.

How should the village balance its financial needs with requests from taxpayers to lower assessments?

Milan has strived to keep property tax and sales tax as low as possible. If you look back on the line items on your property tax bill, the village of Milan increases will most likely be the ones that increase the least out of all of them.

What is your vision for your community's downtown district?

Unfortunately, downtowns are a thing of the past in most cities/villages. Unless you have something retail to bring tourists, I'm afraid the growth just isn't going to happen in the downtowns. Growth is created where the retail is happening in the community.

What is your philosophy on whether village business should be conducted in public or private?

I believe in transparency.

Why should residents vote for you?

I wish we had more residents attend our council meetings on the first and third Mondays each month. The community (young and old) can learn a lot about the financial burdens of the village by attending meetings. I wish we had opponents running. More people need to get involved in the community they live in.
As an Arizona voter and constituent of Senator Jeff Flake, I was appalled that he co-sponsored SJRes 18 to remove prohibitions on barbaric methods for killing bears, wolves and other apex predators in Alaska's National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge was designed to protect the wildlife and "allow natural processes to remain as nature intended, uninfluenced by humans." It is the United States' only wildlife refuge and should remain as it was intended when it was created in 1960 by President Eisenhower.

The killing methods in SJRes 18 are universally abhorred, regardless of party affiliation. It is not ethical "hunting" to use lethal gas to kill a mother and her young in their den as they hibernate, nor is it ethical to shoot any animal from an aircraft. There is simply too much risk that an animal escapes with mortal injuries, left to die a slow and excruciating death later.

Arizonans do not support cruelty to animals, and just like the vast majority of Americans (90 percent), we support the ESA (Endangered Species Act). Senator Flake should listen to his constituents and withdraw his co-sponsorship of this resolution, effective immediately.

LOU LaCHAT

Flagstaff
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump said Saturday that Germany owes "vast sums of money" to NATO and the U.S. "must be paid more" for providing defense, reiterating his stance that European allies need to meet their end of the bargain if they are to continue benefiting from the military alliance.

Trump's tweet from his Florida resort, where he is spending the weekend, came the day after his first meeting with Germany's leader.

"Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel," the president wrote. "Nevertheless, Germany owes ... vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!"

Trump and Merkel tried to sidestep their differences in their meeting at the White House on Friday, but it was punctuated by some awkward moments.

During a photo op in the Oval Office, the two did not shake hands before reporters. Later, during a joint news conference, Trump pushed back against the notion in Europe that his "America First" agenda means he's an isolationist, calling such a suggestion "another example of, as you say, fake news." And he referred to the United States as "a very powerful company," before quickly correcting that to "country."

When a German reporter asked Trump if he regrets any of his commentary on Twitter, Trump said, "Very seldom."

The new president reaffirmed the United States' "strong support" for NATO, but reiterated his stance that NATO allies need to "pay their fair share" for the cost of defense. Trump said at the press conference that many countries owe "vast sums of money"  but he declined to identify Germany, at the time, as one of those nations.

Prior to his inauguration, Trump declared NATO "obsolete" but has since modified his stance, telling European leaders the alliance remains of strategic importance. Only the U.S. and four other members currently reach the benchmark of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense. Germany currently spends 1.23 percent of its GDP on defense, but it is being increased.

When the topic moved to trade, Trump said the U.S. would do "fantastically well" in its trade relations with Germany. The president has been deeply critical of foreign trade and national security agreements but suggested he was only trying to revise trade deals to better serve U.S. interests, rather than pull back from the world entirely.

Trump said trade agreements have led to greater trade deficits. The U.S. trade deficit with Germany was $64.9 billion last year, the lowest since 2009, according to the Commerce Department.

Merkel maintained her composure when Trump repeated his contention that former President Barack Obama may have tapped his phones in Trump Tower. He sought to turn the explosive charge into a light joke when asked about concerns raised by the British government that the White House is now citing a debunked claim that U.K. spies snooped on Trump.

"At least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump said casually, referring to 2013 reports that the U.S. was monitoring Merkel's cellphone conversations. As for the most recent report, Trump said he shouldn't be blamed for quoting a Fox News analyst who had accused British intelligence of helping Obama spy on him.

On economic issues, Merkel attempted to project a conciliatory approach. She said the "success of Germans has always been one where the German success is one side of the coin and the other side of the coin has been European unity and European integration. That's something of which I'm deeply convinced."

Those comments appeared aimed at making a case to Trump on the benefits of the European Union. Trump backed Britain's departure from the EU and has expressed skepticism of multilateral trade agreements.

The two leaders tried to express their common bonds but showed minimal rapport in their first encounter, a departure from Merkel's warm relations with Obama during his eight years as president. At the start of the news conference, Merkel sought to break the ice, saying that it was "much better to talk to one another than about one another."

Merkel said delicately that while she represents German interests, Trump "stands up for, as is right, American interests. That is our task respectively." She said they were "trying to address also those areas where we disagree but tried to bring people together."

"We need to be fair with each other," Merkel said, saying both countries were expecting "that something good comes out of it for their own people."

The meetings at the White House included discussions on fighting the Islamic State group, the conflict in Afghanistan and resolving Ukraine's conflict, all matters that require close cooperation between the U.S. and Germany.

The talks aimed to represent a restart of a relationship complicated by Trump's rhetoric on the campaign trail. As a candidate, Trump frequently accused the chancellor of "ruining" Germany for allowing an influx of refugees and other migrants from Syria and accused his campaign rival, Hillary Clinton, of wanting to be "America's Angela Merkel."

___

Associated Press writer Vivian Salama contributed to this report from Palm Beach, Florida.

___

On Twitter follow Ken Thomas at https://twitter.com/KThomasDC and https://twitter.com/colvinj
The legislature in Connecticut is considering a bill that would raise the age of legal marriage to 18. Like 26 other states, 16- and 17-year-olds can marry with parental consent, and younger children -- 15, 14, heck, 8 or 9 -- can marry with parental consent and a judges approval. Between 2000 and 2014, there were 14 marriages in Connecticut involving 14-year-old girls.

Connecticut is part of a trend. Eight states are considering similar bills, an explosion of interest due to the work of activist Fraidy Reiss, who entered into an arranged marriage with a fellow ultra-Orthodox Jew when she was 19, later divorced, and now runs a nonprofit called Unchained at Last.

Setting aside the many merits of her movement, the bill raises a larger question: Who counts as an adult? Our federal and state laws are an patchwork of mixed messages. You can drive at 16 in most places, although not in New Jersey, where you have to be 17, or South Dakota, where you can get a license with some restrictions at 14 1/2. You can vote for president at 18, the same age at which you have to register for the draft. But if you are drafted at 18, you cant have a beer -- you have to wait until youre 21. Also at 18, you can buy a rifle or a shotgun from a licensed dealer -- but not a handgun. For that, you have to wait until youre 21.

Want to change these laws? You can run for the House of Representatives at 25, the Senate at 30, the presidency at 35. You can be mayor of most cities at a younger age, usually 18, which means you could theoretically run a town without being able to drink in its bars.

These inconsistencies arent our countries most pressing problem. But our cultures inability to agree on when adulthood begins contributes to some awfully infantile behavior, or at least our tolerance of it.

When the writer Charles Murray visited Middlebury College, students who disagreed with his views on race shouted him down, yelled obscenities, banged on windows, set off fire alarms and grabbed the hair of the professor who had debated against him. Some said, They are children! Thats an odd way to think about adults old enough to vote and enlist in the Army, but perhaps a rational take on man-boys too young to drink.

We need to figure out who counts as an adult. It makes no sense to expect people to die for their country but not drink for their pleasure. By the same token, its absurd to say that people who arent old enough to vote are old enough to get married -- if you cant vote for town government, you shouldnt be able to form your own household. There should be one age of majority when all of these rights are bestowed at once.

Of course, its not easy to determine the right age. Research suggests our brains dont reach cognitive maturity until we are well into our 20s -- a strong argument for not letting 18-year-olds buy liquor, drive cars or buy guns. Conversely, because 16-year-olds (and younger) can have babies, theres a good argument for letting them marry the babies fathers, with the hope of creating stable families.

But the fact that any arbitrary age we choose shouldnt blind us to the common-sense wisdom of having a uniform one. Eighteen -- when most people are done with high school -- seems as good an age as any.

If we raise the marriage age to 18, and lower the drinking age to 18 wed have one meaningful age of majority for marriage, voting, drinking and military service.

Not to mention signing contracts. We dont allow children to enter into significant binding contracts before 18, said Derek Slap, a Democratic legislator from West Hartford who said hell probably vote for the Connecticut marriage bill.

But what, I asked, about a couple of 17-year-olds who are truly in love? Maybe once in a while Romeo and Juliet would have to cool their jets for a year, Slap said. But I am OK with that.
When Jacinda Ardern was rattling off the things that matter most to all of us incredible Kiwis - it rang a little hollow when held up against Labours record.

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'It is for the first time that Modi has chosen someone as CM who happens to be a mass leader, a polarising figure, a vote catcher, a powerful orator and a Hindu mascot all at once -- qualities usually associated with Modi,' points out Rajeev Sharma.

It's difficult to decode Prime Minister Narendra Modi's political strategies when the who's who of the entire Opposition in the country has failed.

The question uppermost in the minds of all political animals -- be it full-time politicians, or journalists or academicians -- is why did Modi choose a heavyweight politician like Yogi Adityanath as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh?

To get to a near-credible answer to this question we must ask ourselves another question: Why did the Bharatiya Janata Party take one full week to decide its nominee for the CM's post when the party cleared the electoral ropes with a roadroller majority on its own in the 403-member UP assembly?

If Yogi Adityanath was in the minds of Modi and BJP President Amit Shah as the chief minister, why did they take so long to announce his name, even if considering that not projecting anyone as the BJP'S chief ministerial candidate before the polls was a conscious and deliberate strategy?

Is Yogi Adityanath really the choice of the Modi-Shah duo or has his candidature been thrust on them by the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh?

Whatever may be the real answers to these questions, one fact can be safely deduced.

The BJP which did not field a single Muslim candidate in a state like UP which has almost 20 percent Muslim population and yet won nearly two-thirds majority has played the Yogi Adityanath card with an eye on the 2019 general election.

The BJP has successfully cracked the code of polarising the electorate and winning an electoral mandate in such Muslim-dominant states like Jammu and Kashmir and Assam by completely marginalising the Muslims.

In fact, the party has gone far beyond polarising as large chunks of Muslim voters appear to have voted for the BJP.

A classic example of this is Deoband in Western UP where the BJP's Hindu candidate won despite the assembly constituency having 70 percent Muslim voters.

From the face of it, it looks that Yogi Adityanath was not the first choice of the Modi-Shah combine to be the party's CM face.

Obviously, that's why he was not projected as such by the BJP before the elections.

Modi was always wary, if not apprehensive, of him as he is a strong leader, enjoying a wide voters' base as well as mass appeal.

The 44-year-old monk politician, who is only one year older than Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, is a five-time MP, having been elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time at 26.

Moreover, he has no family -- and therefore no greed or emotional entrapment.

These are the qualities that enamour Modi. And yet he did not declare Yogi Adityanath as the BJP'S chief ministerial candidate before the elections!

Also, it took one full week for the Modi-led system in the party as well as the government to finally anoint him as the CM!

The logical deduction is that the Modi-Shah duo was trying to name someone else as the UP CM. Obviously, they wouldn't have been unmindful of Yogi Adityanath's damage potential if he were to be denied his chief ministerial ambitions.

The masterstroke was that the BJP finally threw its weight behind Yogi and hope to reap an even richer political harvest in the 2019 general election than what the BJP achieved in 2014.

At this rate, the BJP may even get 350-plus seats on its own in 2019 given the twin facts that Muslims have been marginalised in electoral politics and the entire Opposition has been running like headless chickens.

Yogi Adityanath can be expected to finally build the Ram temple in Ayodhya by late 2018 or early 2019 -- he is eminently capable of doing that -- and play the politics of majoritarianism.

Counterbalancing him with two deputy chief ministers -- a first in Indian politics -- may not yield the desired results.

However, this fairy tale script may go awry for Modi.

In the past 34 months of his prime ministerial tenure, Modi has won most state assembly elections, but has always ensured that a lightweight or a non-entity is made chief minister.

It is for the first time that Modi has chosen a leader to head the most crucial state of UP who happens to be a mass leader, a polarising figure, a vote catcher, a powerful orator and a Hindu mascot all at once -- qualities usually associated with Modi.

By giving UP to Yogi Adityanath may well be Modi's L K Advani moment when the former deputy prime minister had made Modi Gujarat's chief minister 17 years ago, thinking that Modi would always remain under his thumb.

Everyone knows how things have actually panned out.

Rajeev Sharma, an independent journalist and strategic analyst, tweets @Kishkindha

IMAGE: Yogi Adityanath, centre, Keshav Prasad Maurya, left, and Dr Dinesh Sharma. Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu is also seen. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo

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'What has hit me between the eyes is Modi's seeming utter contempt for public perception of the yogi being an unrepentant bigot who also carries the baggage of many criminal cases against him,' says B S Raghavan, the distinguished civil servant.

When Narendra Modi led the Bharatiya Janata Party to a spectacular victory in 2014, I, as an independent political analyst and commentator, was one of the first to celebrate it in these columns as a golden opportunity for the country to try out an alternative national mainstream governing model after nearly 40 years of hotchpotch coalitions, the last of which, between 2004 and 2014, misnamed the United Progressive Alliance, spread the sickening stink of corruption and downright loot and plunder all over India.

I was in near raptures listening to Modi's first speech in the Lok Sabha which I described as a tour d' force and his first address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15, 2014.

Ever since, I had paid high tributes to him in my columns as an inspiring leader and expressed my admiration for the new vision that he has placed before the country in tune with the spirit of the ongoing revolutions in knowledge, communications, technology and social engineering driving the world.

I heavily discounted the way he was portrayed by his opponents and detractors.

For instance, I took the side of those who dismissed as unfounded or unproven allegations that he slyly fanned the 2002 riots in Gujarat though I expressed my unease in articles over his unwillingness to rebut them convincingly in public.

I was equally intrigued over his determined silence when rabble rousers belonging to what was regarded as the rabid fringe of the BJP membership indulged in outrageous manifestations of religious fanaticism, including lynchings and killings, but somehow consoled myself thinking that Modi was doing something behind the scenes to rid the party of such malignant viruses.

I believed, and still want to believe, that he was genuinely against criminality in politics, and the ills and evils plaguing public life.

I thought he had succeeded in imparting a new inclusive and healthy meaning to nationalism.

I found his 'minimum government, maximum governance' uplifting and his 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' soul-stirring.

To let you in on a secret longing, I was even hoping that Modi would provide the right antidote to the Dravidian cult politics in Tamil Nadu, and generally the ravages of ragtag splintered groups in the South, by capitalising on the momentum in respect of the UP results.

At one stroke, by throwing his weight behind Yogi Adityanath's selection as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, he has dashed to the ground all the romantic notions I have been nurturing about his leadership.

I have begun doubting my own capacity for good judgment and wondering whether all those who had been painting him as a spin master and at heart as much of a supremacist as the extreme elements of his party are after all correct, and whether I had made a fool of myself.

Mark you, I am not saying this because I have hang-ups about Hindutva or secularism or communalism, or saffron versus any other colour; as a matter of fact, I hold such debates to be puerile.

I am prepared to accept the famous 1995 Supreme Court judgment on Hindutva. Minorityism and majorityism are anathema to me in an equal measure.

What has hit me between the eyes in regard to Yogi Adityanath being selected UP chief minister is Modi's seeming utter contempt for public perception of the yogi being an unrepentant bigot who also carries the malodorous baggage of many criminal cases against him for incitement of riots, murders and the like.

Those who, like me, are unable to stomach it are not swayed by any prejudice or antipathy to anything the BJP stands for.

What they find inexplicable is Modi being so devoid of sensitivity to the widespread revulsion to the kind of ugly credentials that Yogi Adityanath brings to his exalted position.

How can such a sharply intelligent and aware person like Modi, with the vision of building a new India, be so very blind to the fact that in taking the nation in the right direction in terms of values and precepts, perception counts far more than reality, even assuming that they can be different, as perhaps Modi believes it to be in the yogi's case?

Aren't there dozens of other acceptable, and credible, an suitable choices that Modi could have had for the asking from within the party?

Not one special, or distinguishing, or redeeming, feature in the yogi's personality is visible to me which made him the only choice at this juncture.

Modi, you have broken my heart.

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B S Raghavan, a member of the Indian Administrative Service, was director of political and security policy planning in the Union ministry of home affairs, secretary, National Integration Council during the time of the first three prime ministers, chief secretary of a state, US Congressional Fellow and policy adviser to the UN (FAO), besides being chancellor of the Jharkhand ICFAI university.

IMAGE: Yogi Adityanath after his election as leader of the BJP legislature party in Lucknow, March 18, 2017. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday vowed to work with the United States for healthy and stable development of bilateral ties, calling cooperation the correct choice for both the countries.

We should properly handle and manage sensitive issues to promote the healthy and stable development of sino-US relationship from a new start, Xi told US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Beijing.

Cooperation is the only correct choice for both the countries, Xi said apparently referring to anti-China rhetoric by US President Donald Trump.

Trump had branded China a currency manipulator stealing American jobs and also threatened to impose 45 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods.

Ahead of Tillersons visit to China, Trump also put out a tweet to criticise Beijings role in dealing with North Korea.

North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help, Trump tweeted.

However, Tillerson on Saturday held lengthy round of frank and candid talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

After talks, Tillerson said the US would work with China to deal with threats posed by North Korea, which is also a close ally of Beijing.

Tillerson visited South Korea on Friday.

During his visit to South Korea, Tillerson had cautioned North Korea that all options are on the table to deal with Pyongyangs provocative nuclear and missile programmes.

In his meeting with Tillerson on Sunday, Xi said the two sides should grasp the general direction for the development of China-US relations in an attitude responsible for history and future generations.

He suggested that the two countries increase strategic trust and mutual understanding, review bilateral ties from long-term and strategic perspectives and expand fields of

cooperation for win-win outcomes, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The two countries should also enhance coordination on regional hotspot issues, respect each others core interests and major concerns and encourage friendly exchanges, Xi said as he invited Trump to China.

Responding to Xis invitation, Tillerson said Trump placed a very high value on the communications that have already occurred between the two presidents.

He looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future, Tillerson said.

We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthening of the ties between China and the US, and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation, he said.

Trump and Xi are due to meet in Florida next month.

Image: Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson before their meeting at at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. Photograph: Lintao Zhang/Pool/Reuters
Two Indian clerics, including the head priest of Delhis Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who went missing in Pakistan, are safe and will be back in the city on Monday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said.

I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow, she said in a tweet.

The two clerics - Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, had gone to Lahore on March 8 and were to return to India on March 20. The main purpose of the visit of 80-year-old Asif to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi.

On Saturday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics were traced and reached Karachi.

Swaraj had taken up the issue with Pakistan Prime Ministers Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz on Saturday and requested him to trace the missing clerics.

According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in interior Sindh where there was no communication network and that is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts.

Earlier, Pakistani sources had said the two clerics were in the custody of Pakistans intelligence agency over their alleged links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources had said.
The Bharatiya Janata Partys decision to appoint Hindutva hardliner Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh chief minister has drawn an avalanche of reactions from opposition parties.

Here are some of them:

Congress

Veerappa Moily called it the biggest assault on secularism, but the partys official reaction was tempered with caution as it said it will act as watchdog of peoples interest.

It is a big assault on secularism in the country. Maybe, the BJP or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh would like to endorse their cause of Hinduism. India is not Hinduism. Hinduism is not India.

India is built above castes and religions and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) is the very foundation of our secular society. It is the biggest assault ever done on secularism, Moily said.

Congress in-charge of communications department Randeep Surjewala said, Congress party will continue to act as watchdog of peoples interests and play a constructive role in progress of the state of UP.

Maintaining that the prerogative of choosing a chief minister rested with the ruling party, Surjewala said, Excessive delay in arriving at a decision as also the compulsion to create two posts of deputy CMs reflects a bitter conflict to share spoils of power despite overwhelming majority of over 300 MLAs.

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, in a tribute to the new UP chief minister, put out a poem entitled Tribute to new CM of UP.

BJP troll brigade obviously demented IQ deficient. What a pity that party could not find intelligent advocates for lost cause, he also tweeted.

In another tweet, former Union Minister Khurshid said, No more pretence! Yogi Adityanath to sit where Pantji, NDT, Bahugana et al once sat. Great test PM has put BJP trolls to. Explain this.

Another former Union Minister Rajiv Shukla said, There is a question mark on whether Yogi Adityanath will fulfil the three issues of good governance, development and taking everybody along. This will also be a challenge for him and one wonders how he will be able to deliver on these fronts. He will have to find solution.

Another Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said, Congratulations UP! Hello media the man you called fringe is now mainstream!.

In another tweet, she said, The New India Mr Modi spoke about, he is now putting into action with the choice of UP CM. Welcome to the new normal...

She also said, Also the vikas ka mukhauta. The mask is truly off.. bring on Shamshaan-Kabristaan, Diwali-Eid narrative.

Communist Party of India-Marxist

The CPI-M questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modis stated commitment toward inclusive growth after the BJP named hardline Hindutva leader Yogi Adityanath as the next Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

How the PM has chosen to interpret the UP results is shown in his selection of the new UP CM #Development.

Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. Actions speak louder than words (sic), CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury said in a series of tweets.

CPI-Ms Brinda Karat termed Adityanaths election as part of RSS agenda.

It is clearly the RSS agenda and UP is the new experimental field for it. Since it is the victory of RSS (in UP elections), it has chosen the CM.

This gentleman has a criminal record. Several charges like rioting and more serious offences are against him in various courts in UP. Thats the issue. Then why this rhetoric of ending criminalisation, she said.

Samajwadi Party:

Samajwadi Party MP Naresh Agrawal reacted cautiously to the Yogis elevation.

I congratulate him on his election. We will wait and watch for six months. We hope he will change his thinking and desist from creating a divide between Hindus and Muslims. If he does, we will go among the people and oppose him, he said.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen:

Yogi Adityanaths elevation as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh is part of Narendra Modis vision of a new India, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said, taking a jibe at the decision.

Owasi, a firebrand Muslim leader, said he was the least surprised by the decision.

This is an assault on Indias age-old ganga jamuni tehzeeb -- a fusion of Hindu and Muslim cultures, he said.

This is Modiji and BJPs new India. But this is not at all surprising. The Samajwadi Party cheated the Muslims when it was in power. And now we will see a model of exclusivist development. This is the vikas they talk about.
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UPDATED at 11:10 A.M. EDT on 2017-03-19

A 24-year-old Tibetan man set himself on fire Saturday in a protest against Chinese rule in the Himalayan region, the first reported self-immolation of 2017, sources told RFA's Tibetan Service.

Pema Gyaltsen, from Nyagrong (in Chinese, Xinlong) county in Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, set himself on fire around 4 p.m., and police swiftly removed his charred body from the scene, Tibetan sources told RFA.

Two sources from the Tibetan exile community said Gyaltsen, an unmarried farmer, was taken to a hospital in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. One source said the man later died, but the other said his contacts in the region believed he was still alive in hospital.

In a one-minute video clip that was circulating on Tibetan social media, Chinese police are seen dispersing Tibetan onlookers from a scene of commotion, with women crying. Sources told RFA that authorities blocked the popular smartphone application WeChat following the self-immolation.

In the evening around ten close relatives of Pema Gyaltsen from Nyagrong went to Kardze county police station to see self-immolator Pema Gyaltsen. But the Chinese beat them severely and detained them for the entire night, and forced them to stand up the whole night," a Tibetan exile source with contacts in the town told RFA.

"Today some of them could barely walk from the beating, but they were released under the guarantee of a Nyagrong official, the source added.

He called for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and said there is no freedom in Tibet at the time of self-immolation," another source told RFA.

Gyaltsen was the eldest of five children of his father Wangyal and mother Yullha, and "the main breadwinner of his family and had not attended any school, the second source added.

The Kardze police station did not answer repeated calls by RFA seeking details of the incident.

Saturday's protest brings to 147 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans living in China since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009. The previous known self-immolation was on Dec. 8, when Tashi Rabten, 33, a husband and father of three, set himself on fire and died in Gansu province.

Gyaltsen's protest was the second case of self-immolation in Nyagrong, following the death of 18-year-old Kalsang Wangdu in March 2016.

Most protests feature demands for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from India, where he has lived since escaping Tibet during a failed national uprising in 1959.

Reported by Lobsang Choephel, Sangyal Dorjee, Dawa Dolma and Pema Ngodup for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Paul Eckert.

UPDATE: Adds conflicting report on status of Pema Gyaltsen.
Members of the elite Iraqi Counterterrorism Service went house to house in west Mosul's Sinaa neighborhood on March 18, searching for Islamic State (IS) militants hiding out there. A cameraman working for RFE/RL's Radio Farda was with the unit as it encountered three militants and shot them dead. In another house, the soldiers found a young boy standing guard after other family members had left for a safer place. (RFE/RL's Radio Farda)
Authorities in Belarus on March 19 detained at least three organizers of protests against a controversial tax on the unemployed, as hundreds took to the streets in the latest in a series of demonstrations against the levy in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic.



Viktar Marchyk, a politician with the opposition Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), was detained in the western city of Slonim, where several hundred protesters rallied against what authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka calls a tax on "social parasites."
Several hundred protesters in the Belarusian city of Slonim rallied on March 19 in opposition to a tax that authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says is needed to fight what he calls "social parasitism." Slonim District Council head Aleh Tarhonski arrived to talk to protesters. The rally ended with the adoption of a joint statement urging the authorities to improve employment and private business conditions and to stop raising the age of retirement. The statement also called on Belarus's state media to report impartially on economic and social conditions in the country. (RFE/RL's Belarus Service)
The NATO-led mission in Afghanistan says three U.S. troops were wounded in a March 19 attack by an Afghan soldier, the first known insider attack on coalition personnel in the country this year.



"Three U.S. soldiers were wounded this afternoon when an Afghan soldier opened fire on them at a base in Helmand Province. Coalition security forces on the base killed the soldier to end the attack," a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan was quoted by AFP as saying.



The NATO-led mission, known as Resolute Support, said on Twitter that the U.S. soldiers were receiving medical care.



The number of insider attacks by Afghan soldiers on international forces have declined in recent years, with a majority of foreign combat troops having withdrawn from the country in late 2014.



Some 13,000 soldiers under NATO leadership remain in the country, however, for a training and assistance mission aimed at helping Afghan forces combat Taliban insurgents.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
SLONIM, Belarus -- Authorities in Belarus on March 19 detained at least three organizers of protests against a controversial tax on the unemployed, as hundreds took to the streets in the latest in a series of demonstrations against the levy in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic.



Viktar Marchyk, a politician with the opposition Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), was detained in the western city of Slonim, where several hundred protesters rallied against what authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka calls a tax on "social parasites."



Meanwhile, a second planned protest in the western city of Baranavichy appeared to initially fizzle out after authorities preemptively detained two organizers of the rally.

Plainclothes officers there appeared to outnumber a few dozen people who had gathered at the site of the planned demonstration on March 19.

PHOTO GALLERY: Hundreds Rally In Belarus Against 'Parasite Tax'





Both the United States and the European Union have sharply criticized Lukashenka's government for its response to several protests across the country this month.



Authorities have detained more than 150 people across Belarus since March 1, dozens of whom have been handed jail sentences of up to 15 days.



The recent protests in the capital, Minsk, and other Belarusian cities have continued despite Lukashenka's March 9 announcement that collection of the tax would be suspended until 2018.



At the March 19 demonstration in Slonim, the top local official addressed angry protesters in a conciliatory tone, promising their grievances would be heard.



He also promised to protect the demonstrators from retribution by authorities, though Marchyk -- one of the organizers -- was subsequently detained following the protest.



Authorities have largely refrained from intervening in the protests, and a majority of detentions of organizers have occurred before or after the demonstrations.



Prior to the planned protest in Baranavichy on March 19, authorities detained the two main organizers of the rally: Mikalay Charnavus, a local BPF activist, and Ryhor Hryk, an independent trade union leader.



Hryk was detained as he emerged from his apartment in the morning, while Charnavus told RFE/RL that he was detained in a market and hauled into a police station, ostensibly as a witness in a criminal case.
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 the country's 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 agreed 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 Washington'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
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 forces engaged in fierce combat with Islamic State (IS) militants outside Mosuls Old City on March 19 as they pressed forward in a bid to recapture the western part of the city.



Iraqi federal police and the elite Rapid Response Force continued their offensive on IS targets, including with rockets and mortar rounds, as they closed in on the important Al-Nuri Mosque in west Mosul.



Residents of the city continued to flee the area as the battle for the western part of the city moved into its second month.



"Federal Police and Rapid Response forces resumed their advance after halting operations due to bad weather. The troops have a target of retaking the rest of the Old City," a police spokesman was quoted by Reuters as saying on March 19.



The operation to recapture Mosul, the last IS stronghold in Iraq, was launched in October, with Iraqi forces backed by U.S. air support and artillery.



Government troops captured the eastern half of the militants' so-called capital in Iraq in January after 100 days of fighting, and the offensive to capture west Mosul was launched with U.S. air support on February 19.



U.S. officials have estimated as many as 750,000 civilians may have been in west Mosul at the start of the offensive, along with some 2,000 IS fighters.



According to United Nations figures, some 255,000 people have been displaced from Mosul and its outskirts since October. That figure includes some 100,000 displaced persons since the beginning of the operation to retake west Mosul last month, according to the UN.



IS militants have been fighting back with sniper fire, mortars, and armored suicide car bombs, officials say.



The extremist group's stronghold in Syria, Raqqa, is also under pressure from U.S.-backed forces.



IS militants seized large portions of northern Iraq and Syria in an offensive in 2014.



The group has been accused of numerous atrocities and has claimed responsibility for major terrorist attacks in Europe and elsewhere.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters
Earlier this month, at a tense town-hall-style meeting in a western region of Kazakhstan regarded as a hotbed for Islamic fundamentalism, physicians, religious leaders, and local government officials debated the fate of the next generation.

Parents, some of them recalcitrant skeptics, were being urged to allow the vaccination of their children against life-threatening diseases.

"In one of the hadiths, our Prophet said that in case of illness, cumin should be used," one devout parent, Murat Zhumanbetov, recalled. "I have five children. They don't know what injections are. If they get sick, I treat them with cumin and honey."

Kazakh officials complain that a growing number of parents are refusing to inoculate their children based on such religious objections.

Around 10,000 children across Kazakhstan are denied vaccinations, authorities say, about one-fourth of them residents of the region of Aqtobe, where fundamentalists are said to be concentrated.

In Zhumanbetov's home district of Mughalzhar alone, local officials say 451 residents practice a "destructive" form of Islam and there are 353 unvaccinated children.

"They think vaccines are made with cell fragments of cells of haram animals," Amanzhol Adaev, a local doctor, told RFE/RL, using the Koranic word for forbidden. "I tell them that I have been working as a doctor for half a century, vaccinated their grandfathers, parents, and themselves, and that's why they have grown up healthily."

The regional representative of the state-sanctioned spiritual administration of Muslims, Imam Tolebi Ospanov, dismissed the idea that vaccinations are prohibited in Islam and pointed out that Saudi Arabia requires visitors for the annual hajj pilgrimage to be vaccinated against meningococcal meningitis.

At the town-hall meeting, parents also attributed health risks to vaccines and cited Kazakh cases of tainted vaccines in the past. A young woman who did not identify herself claimed her son, born in 2005, fell ill for seven months after being administered a "low-quality" BCG vaccine, which is primarily used against tuberculosis.



That year, more than 1,000 infants reportedly suffered complications in several regions of Kazakhstan after being inoculated with the BCG vaccine. Many of the affected newborns had to undergo surgery and long treatment.

And two years ago, more than 100 students fell ill after inoculation in a nationwide measles-vaccination campaign for teenagers.

But the deputy head of Aqtobe regional health department, Svetlana Esenamanova, rejected doubts about the quality of the vaccines currently used in Kazakhstan as "inappropriate."

Esenamanova told RFE/RL that the vaccines used against infectious childhood diseases are properly transported and stored, and that there are "no grounds for worrying" over their composition.



The regional consumer-rights agency in Aqtobe suggested that parents' refusal to have their children vaccinated is a phenomenon that took off in 2009. In a written statement, it said the parents involved were followers of "destructive religious movements" in 82 percent of the cases.

In the absence of any outbreak and thanks to high vaccination levels in the region, the phenomenon does not appear to have led to any increases in infant mortality or disability rates, the agency added.



It also insisted that vaccination remains the most reliable method for battling pneumonia, meningitis, tetanus, rabies, and other infections.

Kazakhstan is an ethnically diverse country of around 18 million people where Islam, and indeed religion, was officially discouraged under Soviet rule for much of the 20th century.

Written by Antoine Blua based on reporting by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
Pakistani police have arrested a young man on suspicion of killing his newlywed bride three days after their wedding in the eastern city of Lahore.

Senior police officer Zulfiqar Butt said on March 19 that Umer Tanveer confessed to killing his wife, Hira, by suffocating her with a pillow.

Butt said that Tanveer married his paternal cousin Hira under family pressure but was interested in another woman who lived in Dubai.

Hira was found dead on March 16, three days after her wedding.

Hiras father reported the matter to the police after he got suspicious of bruises on his daughters face and neck, Pakistani media said.

Tanveer initially denied killing his wife, but he has since confessed to the crime, the police officer said.

Based on reporting by AP and geo.tv
Russia plans to host international talks on the conflict in Afghanistan on April 14, a high-ranking Afghan official said.

Hanif Atmar, the Afghan presidents national security adviser, told RFE/RLs Radio Free Afghanistan on March 18 that 12 countries, including the United States and the five Central Asian nations, have been invited to attend.

Atmar, however, pointed out that no invitation is being sent to the Taliban.

"There is no agreement about the Talibans participation in any conference," Atmar said, adding the conference in Russia "is a meeting between states."

Russian news agencies quoted Atmar as saying Kabul was prepared to engage in direct negotiations with the militant group.

The Taliban "should sit down at the negotiating table with the Afghan government, rather than participating in the conference," Interfax quoted Atmar as saying.

Moscow in February organized talks on the situation in Afghanistan -- without the involvement of the West -- with representatives from Afghanistan, China, India, Pakistan, and Iran taking part.

A U.S.-led invasion drove the Taliban regime out of power in 2001.

But Afghan forces are facing mounting pressure from the resurgent militant group, which is seeking to reimpose its rule.

Since peaking at a force of about 100,000 troops, some 8,400 U.S. service members remain in Afghanistan after most NATO forces pulled out in 2014.

The head of the U.S. military's Central Command says more U.S. troops will be needed on the ground in Afghanistan in the fight against the Taliban and other forces.

Based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, Interfax, dpa, and RIA-Novosti
At least 10 Taliban militants have been killed and two others injured in an air strike in the eastern province of Paktia, Afghan officials said on March 19.

The air strike took place in the village of Narai Kandaw in Dandpatan district, where a group of Taliban militants gathered in a house in the afternoon on March 18, provincial Governor Zalmai Wesa said.

Wesa said there were no civilian casualties in the attack.

The air strike comes amid Afghanistans spring fighting season, when warmer weather brings increased operations by both militants and government forces.

Paktia, located near the Pakistani border, is a volatile area where the Taliban has a strong presence.

Based on reporting by RFE/RLs Radio Free Afghanistan and tolonews.com


The administration of new Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyaev seemed to be making progress in freeing political prisoners incarcerated during the previous regime of President Islam Karimov, whose death was announced on September 2, 2016.

Four activists -- three of whom had served sentences of 17 years or longer -- have left prison since late October 2016, and another activist was released from forced confinement in a psychiatric hospital after spending nearly all of the last 10 years in such facilities.

But on March 1, Mirziyaevs government took a big step backward when it detained rights activist Elena Urlaeva and confined her to a psychiatric hospital.

How to read these seemingly mixed signals? Does Mirziyaevs administration have a new policy toward jailed activists, political opponents, independent journalists, and others who were thrown into Uzbekistans prisons during the last 25 years under Karimov? Or was there another reason for freeing the activists? Is it still business as usual in Uzbekistan, despite the new president?

Those are the questions we ask in this week's Majlis podcast as we review the Uzbek governments recent moves toward perceived regime opponents.

Moderating the discussion was RFE/RL Media Relations Manager Muhammad Tahir. From Germany, Umida Niyazova, director of the Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights, joined the talk. From the United States, Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, took part in the Majlis. News that Urlaeva had been forced into a psychiatric hospital hit me like a brick to the head, so I wanted to say something also.

Karimovs government put thousands of people in prison over the course of 25 years. Most of them were jailed for religious reasons -- suspicions their piety had led, or would lead, them into Islamic extremist groups.

Any critic of the Uzbek government was targeted and measures taken to neutralize their potential influence on society.

"It has been a momentous six months," Swedlow said, as he recounted the release of an activist from the Ezgulik (Compassion) group, Bobomurod Razzaqov, in October, and Samandar Kukanov, a former member of Uzbekistans parliament who crossed Karimov and was imprisoned in 1993. "Perhaps after Nelson Mandela, [Kukanov] may have been the longest imprisoned political prisoner in the world."

And in February, there was Rustam Usmanov, founder of Uzbekistans first private bank but also a supporter of the opposition Erk party, who was jailed in 1998. And then the release of Muhammad Bekjon (Bekjonov), who Human Rights Watch called the longest imprisoned journalist in the world, put behind bars in 1999.

Bekjon is the brother of Muhammad Solih, the leader of the opposition Erk party. Swerdlow noted the significance of that, saying, "Many people believed that Mirziyaev could release others, but how could he possibly release the brother of probably the most hated enemy of the Uzbek government? But he did so."

Niyazova welcomed freedom for the four, but she noted, "Mirziyaev has not released them. ... [Three of them] already served all their [prison] terms," and added, "For Mirziyaev to release them, it cost him nothing, but it is in his favor that their detention term was ended."

Swerdlow pointed out that many of Uzbekistans prisoners, including those already mentioned here, have had their prison terms prolonged, usually just before they were due for release. Niyazova credited Mirziyaev for that: "Its good that he decided not to prolong their terms."

And it was noted that these four men are now elderly, in their 60s and 70s, and probably do not represent much of any kind of threat to Uzbek authorities anymore.

Jamshid Karimov, the nephew of former Uzbek President Karimov, was also let out of a psychiatric hospital at the end of February. Karimov, a rights activist who was also an independent journalist, was first put in a psychiatric hospital in 2006. His relation to Karimov made no difference to the former president, who had been estranged from the rest of his family for many years.

These all seemed like very hopeful signs.

But on March 1, police took Urlaeva into custody.

As Niyazova explained, "The same evening, a man who introduced himself as a doctor at a psychiatric clinic called Elenas son and said that Elena had been admitted for compulsory treatment."

Urlaeva has been instrumental in bringing to light the abuses that Uzbek authorities have been committing, particularly the annual conscription of up to 1 million people to go into the cotton fields at harvest time and pick cotton for the state.

WATCH: Uzbek Antislavery Activist Held In Mental Institution

Not so many years ago, many of these conscripts were children, but thanks to work by Urlaeva and others, this is no longer the case (although the authorities simply substituted the minors with their parents or other adults).

Niyazova said she has known Urlaeva for 15 years and "during all these years, we have lost count of how many times she has been arrested [or] she has been beaten."

As has previously been the case, Uzbek authorities have offered no reason why Urlaeva was detained, but Swerdlow offered one possible explanation for this latest detention.

"She was supposed to have a meeting with the World Bank and the [International Labor Organization] to discuss the results of the monitoring work shes been doing, to discuss the cotton harvest," he said.

Uzbek authorities have attempted for years to point to Urlaevas psychiatric treatments as proof she is not mentally competent to make any judgments about events inside Uzbekistan.

"I remember very well, about 15 years ago, when Elena was standing on the street, a man who was most likely an SNB (National Security Service) agent kicked Elena in her stomach with all his strength in front of my eyes," Niyazova said.

"The trauma she has suffered means that sometimes Elena needs medical psychiatric help. We should be clear on this," Niyazova explained. "But this does not undermine or discredit her human rights work, and the most disgusting aspect of this case is that Uzbek authorities are taking advantage of Elenas vulnerability, so when they dont know how to silence her they simply detain her in a psychiatric clinic."

Swerdlow said Urlaeva "has an enormous amount of compassion and understanding of people of all walks of life and religious backgrounds and is willing to help basically anyone at the drop of a hat, run to their house, or run to wherever a detention or arrest is taking place, witness it, write it down, and immediately communicate it to journalists and diplomats and anyone who will listen."

Niyazova summed up Urlaevas importance to Uzbekistan, saying, "Especially in Uzbek society and in a country like Uzbekistan, [where] people are living in fear, when people think about one thing and say another, Elena is unique."

Listen to or download the Majlis podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes.
As co-founder of a budding national company with its headquarters here, Nuno Valentine has faced some skepticism from investors outside the Richmond region.

When pitching to investors in some bigger cities, the first question and the first push you get is: You have got to get out of Richmond  you cant do this in Richmond,  said Valentine, who co-founded Iggbo, a Henrico County-based company that contracts with phlebotomists to provide on-demand, streamlined blood-drawing services.

From its start here three years ago, Iggbo has expanded its service into 120 cities. It also has raised more than $17 million from investors in Richmond and several other cities such as San Francisco and Nashville, Tenn.

When potential investors from outside the region ask why the company has decided to keep its home base in the Richmond region, it becomes about educating them, Valentine said. He tells the skeptics that Richmond is not what you think it is.

What the Richmond area has is a burgeoning business startup environment that is being propelled by a growing awareness of the need to nurture homegrown companies, Valentine said.

The region simply needs to develop more of a track record for producing startups to become recognized as an entrepreneurial hotspot that intrigues investors nationwide, he said.

Iggbo even has brought some of its investors from outside Virginia to visit the Richmond region and see for themselves what the local business startup climate is like, he said.

***

The entrepreneurial and startup climate in the Richmond area is robust, local experts say. And the support for these young businesses has increased in recent years, but they say more could be done.

Business incubators such as Lighthouse Labs or The Annex provide office space, mentorship and funding to new companies. UnBoundRVA is guiding future entrepreneurs from low-income communities for a one-year program.

Local angel investors, including serial entrepreneur Karen Booth Adams and New Richmond Ventures, are backing a growing number of startups.

Co-working spaces, such as 804RVA, 1E and Gather, offer small business owners work space, but also give them a place for support and inspiration.

The 1 Million Cups Richmond organization holds weekly meetings to educate and connect entrepreneurs so they and others can learn about the challenges of starting a business and share ideas. The Encorepreneur group was created for local baby boomers interested in creating new careers.

Local universities also have seen increased enrollment in entrepreneurship classes. For instance, Virginia Commonwealth University has a pre-accelerator program designed to help students with good business ideas develop those concepts into viable startup businesses that can then graduate to a business accelerator program.

The Steward School, a private school from junior kindergarten to 12th grade in western Henrico County, recently launched its first ever entrepreneurship studies program that allows participating Upper School students to have the opportunity to earn a diploma endorsement in entrepreneurship when they graduate.

Richmond has a lot of great, hidden talent, Valentine said. The potential here is just tremendous.

Success breeds success, he said. We just need to get a few wins.

***

The Richmond regions economy has evolved from one with an agricultural core, or growing things, to an economy of making things, or manufacturing, to an economy of thinking of things, said J. Robert Bob Mooney, a principal of New Richmond Ventures, a Richmond-based venture capital fund that invests in and provides business advice to promising startup companies.

While growing things and making things will always be part of our economy, our real core economy now is thinking of things  technology, said Mooney, who co-founded NRV with James E. Jim Ukrop and Theodore L. Ted Chandler Jr.

The thinking of things economy drives growth in numerous industries, from health care to manufacturing, he said.

The region has to cultivate an ecosystem that supports a startup culture, he said.

Some of the components of that include having an existing foundation of innovative industries, along with universities and business incubators and accelerators, and attractive places to live and work. The Richmond area has those characteristics, he said.

There also is a need for both early and later stage investments in startups.

We have a good mix of early investors, Mooney said. But what we really need is access to growth capital, or funding for businesses that are ready to expand and need the next level of investments beyond seed money.

We dont want to lose entrepreneurs that have to go to Atlanta, or New York or Washington to get funding, Mooney said. We need growth capital here and to be able to provide counseling and capital for them.

***

To have a successful entrepreneurial environment, regions such as Richmond have to find ways to build a critical mass of startups that form mutual support networks, said Marc Randolph, co-founder of Netflix, the California-based DVD rent-by-mail and online streaming service.

If you have a lone person trying to start a company, he is going to make fresh mistakes all the time, and the learning will be slow, said Randolph, who spoke at the University of Richmond in February.

In a place where there is a lot of entrepreneurs, and the community brings them together, they all learn from each other, he said. One person makes a mistake and shares it with the others. Thats a very powerful force. That is a huge advantage that Silicon Valley has.

A community that wants to have a thriving startup culture also must be willing to accept the risk profile that entails, he said. Other businesses must learn to adjust their risk aversion when working with startups. In Silicon Valley, they know how to evaluate risk differently, he said. They are comfortable taking on risk.

The biggest thing that can accelerate a local startup culture, Randolph said, is a big entrepreneurial liquidity event.

That means one of the companies does really well, he said. What it does is explodes money to people who are entrepreneurs, and they then invest in other entrepreneurs. Once that happens, then it is like a nuclear reaction.

This is a golden age of entrepreneurialism, Randolph said, because technology has made geography less of a barrier to starting a company.

***

Entrepreneurs who have started companies in the Richmond region in recent years generally describe their experience here in glowing terms.

Most said the local environment is favorable when it comes to labor, office space, cost of doing business, and opportunities for mentoring, but they say it could use some improvement in access to capital and stronger professional support networks.

The area is building a lot of the physical and human infrastructure needed to bolster a thriving business startup environment  with business accelerators and incubators, shared co-working office spaces, business pitch competitions that provide seed money for promising startup ideas, and a network of local angel investors. Most say the labor market offers talent at affordable costs.

The city amenities, cost of living and deep labor pool contributed to our decision to move our manufacturing to Richmond, said Steve Cummings, senior manager for marketing and strategy for Evatran Group Inc., a maker of wireless charging systems for electric vehicles.

The company, which sells its charging system under the Plugless brand name, was founded in 2009 as a subsidiary of MTC Transformers in Wytheville. It became a separate company in 2010 and subsequently moved its headquarters and manufacturing Richmond. It is now moving those operations into part of the former HandCraft Cleaners building in Scotts Addition.

Access to talent from some phenomenal Fortune 1000 companies as well as thriving marketing and creative scene here makes a big difference too, Cummings said. VCUs School of Engineering has provided good local talent for internships and entry-level engineering roles.

Evatran has received investments from within the Richmond area, but it also is a good example of a company that has been partly funded from outside the region for strategic reasons.

Evatran has gotten investments from VIE, an automotive parts manufacturer based in China. That investment was strategic for Evatran, because it can help the company take its wireless charging technology into China, the largest electric vehicle market in the world.

The company has an engineering and research and development office in Apex, N.C., near Raleigh. That area, Cummings said, has a deeper pool of the kind of specialized power engineering talent we need to continue pushing the frontier of wireless EV charging. The Richmond area, however, offers a deep talent pool for manufacturing engineers.

***

While startups say they like the Richmond region, some concede that finding capital here is difficult, so raising money often means hitting the road.

I have been knocking on a lot of doors, said Matt Donlon, co-founder of Uzurv, which developed a mobile app that enables people to make reservations for ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft.

The Richmond-based company has expanded its service to 114 cities and has about 20,000 drivers using its app, but when it comes to finding willing investors, we are either too new, or too uncertain, Donlon said.

There are a lot of folks that love what they see, but to come and write a check is very tough in this town. Getting money out of D.C. seems to be a lot easier.

What I do like about the Richmond market is there is a lot of good technical talent here at a much more affordable rate for a startup, he said. There is a network of business people in the area who are good people and they really want us to be a success.

Hailing Yang, the president and chief executive of Zynnovation LLC, said she would start her company in the Richmond region even if I had another option.

The company has developed a way to recycle disposable diapers to make tree diapers, which can be used in landscaping to absorb water around trees or plants and then gradually release it over time, saving water and labor costs.

Yang said Zynnovation benefited from being a tenant at the Dominion Resources Innovation Center, a business incubator in Ashland, before moving to a new space in 2015. Yang describes the local business and government environment as friendly and supportive.

The investment environment could be improved, she said, particularly when it comes to incentive support from state-level agencies. The company is just starting to seek outside investments, she said.

We were pitched by several small business innovation centers and economic development agencies around the country for their programs, she said. Comparing to those, there is a lot to improve in the commonwealth of Virginia and Richmond area to make it competitive with them.

She said finding talent in the region is not a problem. We do not have plans to move to anywhere else, she said. As the company grows, we need to set up locations outside this area to better serve our customers, but we will definitely keep the headquarters (here).

Isaiah Ham, the founder of Ivy Oaks Analytics, also said the funding environment has been challenging for his startup company, which provides comprehensive control of poison ivy and pests such as ticks and mosquitoes at summer camps and recreational sites. The company has been able to find help such as office space at the Dominion Resources Innovation Center.

Ham said he has looked at various sources for capital, but has only been able to secure a $1,000 prize from last years business pitch competition held by SCORE, a local organization of retired business executives who mentor small businesses. So Ham started his business on personal credit.

Fortunately we had a successful first year ... so this credit is not as much of a burden as it could be for other startups, he said.

Staffing can be difficult for a startup company, he said. It is challenging to find people to work for a startup with no long-term guarantee versus having job security at a large company, he said. I would not say that is because of Richmond, but in general people tend to not like risk.

He also would like to see more education and training opportunities for new entrepreneurs.

A lot of startups are run by young adults with little to no business experience or formal business education, he said. Itd be nice if there was a program or course available for startup founders to fill the gap in knowledge. I have to rely on my mentors advice in certain scenarios, which isnt bad, but Id rather be knowledgeable in advance.

***

Many entrepreneurs start their companies in the Richmond area because they attended college here or have local roots.

Ham started his company while attending Virginia Commonwealth University.

Thats also the case for Wealthforge, a Henrico County-based firm that was founded by two University of Richmond students originally from New York and Boston. The company operates an online platform that connects investors with businesses seeking private placement capital.

We saw a sign for really inexpensive incubator space downtown, so we opened our first office in RVA upon graduating, said co-founder Mat Dellorso. Professors from the University of Richmond and VCU, the local community of investors and mentors were supportive in that they wanted our early stage, high-growth business to remain in RVA, so we never looked to leave.

The company now has 30 employees, with plans to grow to 40 this year. Most are hired locally, but Wealthforge has recruited some from Northern Virginia, New York and even one employee from Silicon Valley.

Research Unlimited started here because of its co-founders Michell Pope and Jasmine Abrams earned doctoral degrees in health psychology from VCU.

The startup company could be described as a for-profit matchmaking service with a civic mission. The company helps its clients, including university, corporate and nonprofit researchers, connect with people in historically underrepresented communities for research studies, primarily focusing on health.

Pope said Research Unlimited received a lot of support as one of the many startups that have participated in Lighthouse Labs, an accelerator program.

Since finishing that program, Research Unlimited has been bootstrapping it, Pope said. The company has not sought investors, but Pope said it has picked up clients in other states such as Illinois.

The cost of doing business here is a lot cheaper than other places, she said. Still, Pope said she would like to see more support for startup businesses once they have left the nurturing environment of an accelerator.

***

Blue Crump and Jordan Jez founded Glass Smith, a startup that partners with business clients to provide on-demand repair service for smartphones and tablets. They started in Richmond because they are both natives of the area.

We found ourselves drawn back to Richmond after travels and honestly cannot imagine building our business anywhere else, Crump said. Ive built businesses in San Francisco, but home is where you feel most like home  and thats Richmond for us.

Glass Smith also is a graduate of the Lighthouse Labs accelerator program. Coming out of that program last year, Crump said he was worried about not being able to find capital, but more than half of its investors have come from Richmond, with the rest in the Washington, D.C., area.

It would be our preference if all of our seed stage investment came from Richmond, but were committed to closing the round no matter where we have to travel, Crump said. Richmond is still defining how it will work with and fund early stage startups, but the climate has been really great for building a new Richmond company.
Liberty University student Molly Strange-Boston gasped as she climbed out of the pool for the RVA Polar Plunge at Willow Lawn shopping center on Feb. 25. The event, which attracted more than 300 participants, raised $40,000 for Special Olympics Virginia.

This years Go Red For Women Luncheon raised $312,000 for womens heart health education and research in central Virginia.

Bon Secours Richmond Health System and Macys were the local and national sponsors.

I could not be any prouder of all the sponsors, volunteers, donors and individuals that helped make this years campaign such a success, said Gail Letts, Richmond Go Red For Women chair and Virginia market president for First Tennessee Bank.

Because of their support, more women will be able to live healthier lives free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

Donation for dental health

Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation donated $72,500 to Richmond-area groups in its end-of-year giving.

Crossover Healthcare Ministry received $5,000 for dental services and supplies; Lucy Corr Foundation, $10,000 to expand dental care; Virginia Dental Association Foundation, $15,000; Virginia Health Care Foundation, $35,000 for Dental Opportunities Champion program; and Virginia Oral Health Coalition, $7,500 for education on the importance of oral health care during pregnancy

Petco helps animal hospital

Prevent A Litter Veterinary Hospital has received $15,000 from the Petco Foundation to support its efforts to end animal overpopulation through affordable spay and neuter surgery.

Since 1999, the Carytown hospital has spayed and neutered more than 100,000 animals and performed other procedures such as tumor removals, hernia repairs and other soft tissue surgeries.

The Petco grant will help provide free and discounted services for pets owned by people in financial need.

The Petco Foundations grant will not only allow us to continue to save the lives of animals all over Virginia, but also allow us to provide their guardians with affordable treatment options in lieu of euthanasia. With their belief in our mission, we are certain that by working together, we will one day end the tragic practice of euthanasia of healthy, adoptable animals, said Susan DeFazio, executive director.

RVA Polar Plunge raises $40K

More than 300 participants took the challenge in the 2017 RVA Polar Plunge to raise $40,000 for Special Olympics Virginia.

At Special Olympics Virginia, our vision is to inspire the first unified generation; a generation of people who respectfully include each other in the school, in the workplace, in the community, said Rick Jeffrey, Special Olympics Virginia president.

The Polar Plunge included people with intellectual disabilities and those without; people of all ages, genders, races and religions; students and teachers; doctors and lawyers; military and law enforcement; one for all; all for one, he said.

The Chesterfield Police Department raised $6,000 and claimed the top team prize. Elizabeth Grosch of South Richmond raised more than $1,900 and claimed the top individual prize.

$10,000 for Make-A-Wish

McGeorge Toyota donated $10,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Virginia to help grant wishes to children battling critical health conditions in the Richmond area.

We are passionate about giving back to our community and are grateful for the opportunity to help make a childs wish come true, said Bob Farlow, McGeorge Toyotas general manager.

Book event fosters literacy

Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women distributed 500 new books to students at St. Andrews School in Oregon Hill in its annual Day of Service dedicated to literacy.

This donation follows Pi Phis 2016 installation of a Little Free Library at St. Andrews School, located in the courtyard so it can be open for all of the community to enjoy.
Virginias plantations appeal to lovers of history and beauty, and Jai Williams and Charlene C. Giannetti offer a photography-and-prose look at many of them in Plantations of Virginia (264 pages, Globe Pequot Press, $21.95).

The authors spent six months visiting 43 sites across the state, took the tours, researched each plantations history and interviewed experts who shared their information about the buildings and the people who lived there.

In addition to famous presidential plantations, such as Mount Vernon, Monticello and Montpelier, the authors examine some that do not receive as much attention, such as Liberia Plantation in Manassas, Smithfield Plantation in Blacksburg and Ker Place in Onancock. In the immediate Richmond area, the authors discuss Eppington and Magnolia Grange in Chesterfield County, Tuckahoe in Goochland and Henrico counties, Scotchtown in Hanover County and Wilton House in Richmond.

Both authors live in Alexandria.

***

Many American presidents have shared their farewell thoughts with the nation, and historians often mention two most prominently: Dwight D. Eisenhowers in 1961, in which he famously warned of the potential influence of the military-industrial complex, and George Washingtons in 1796.

New York City author John Avlon examines the latter in Washingtons Farewell: The Founding Fathers Warning to Future Generations (368 pages, Simon & Schuster, $27).

Washington encouraged moderation, religious pluralism and education. And in perhaps the most famous passage, he warned the fledgling country to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world, a policy that urged independence but not isolation.

***

A common joke among baby boomers: If you can remember the 1960s, you werent there.

Although hes not technically a boomer  he was born in 1944  J. Harvie Wilkinson III was there, and he has plenty to say about the decade in All Falling Faiths: Reflections on the Promise and Failure of the 1960s (208 pages, Encounter Books, $23.99), a combination of memoir and political and social commentary.

He credits the decade with good but writes that it came at so heavy a cost that it became impossible to discern what tradition, institution, or belief the disillusioned did not want to desecrate. And he writes that the era resulted in damage to education, commitment, law, home, service and unity.

Wilkinson, who grew up in Richmond, received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his law degree from the University of Virginia. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan nominated him to the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, on which he continues to serve. He was the courts chief judge from 1996 to 2003. He lives in Charlottesville.

***

Macon Brock, chairman and co-founder of Chesapeake-based Dollar Tree, offers readers a look at his career and advice on retail success in One Buck at a Time: An Insiders Account of How Dollar Tree Remade American Retail (216 pages, Beachnut Publishing, $24.95), co-written with Earl Swift.

Brock began his ascent at a five-and-dime store in Norfolk. Dollar Tree today operates more than 14,000 stores.

A native of Norfolk, Brock holds a bachelors degree from Randolph-Macon College.

***

David Wojahn examines issues of the present and the past and of the private and the public in For the Scribe (128 pages, University of Pittsburgh Press, $15.95), his ninth poetry collection.

Wojahn is a professor of English at Virginia Commonwealth University and also teaches in the MFA in Writing Program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. A native of St. Paul, Minn., he holds a bachelors degree from the University of Minnesota and an MFA from the University of Arizona.

He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his 2006 collection, Interrogation Place: New and Selected Poems, 1982-2005.

***

Also:

Henrico County resident Y.B. Taylor has released her fifth book of poetry, I See You!: Poems of Awareness, Empowerment, and Inspiration (120 pages, CreateSpace, $18). A native of Richmond, Taylor received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and attended the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. Longtime WWBT news anchor Sabrina Squire contributed a foreword.

(120 pages, CreateSpace, $18). A native of Richmond, Taylor received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and attended the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. Longtime WWBT news anchor Sabrina Squire contributed a foreword. When Tony Vanderwarker moved from Chicago to Virginia a quarter-century ago, he was in the middle of a lifestyle and career change, as well as a cultural one. He tells his story in Im Not From the South but I Got Down Here as Fast as I Could: How a Connecticut Yankee Came to Love Grits, Fried Green Tomatoes, and the Southern Way of Life and Lived to Tell About It (230 pages, Sartoris Literary Group, $19.95). Vanderwarker lives on a farm in Keswick.

(230 pages, Sartoris Literary Group, $19.95). Vanderwarker lives on a farm in Keswick. John H. Matsui examines the interaction of political beliefs of the soldiers with military considerations in The First Republican Army: The Army of Virginia and the Radicalization of the Civil War (240 pages, University of Virginia Press, $39.50). Matsui is an assistant professor of history at Virginia Military Institute.

(240 pages, University of Virginia Press, $39.50). Matsui is an assistant professor of history at Virginia Military Institute. Author Kay D. Allyn and illustrator Jen Williamson combine to create How Do I Feel Today? (32 pages, Belle Isle Books, $14.95), which is designed to help adults talk with children in their lives to help them understand, identify and respond appropriately to their feelings. Allyn is a school social worker in Staunton; Williamson, a former Virginian, now lives in Mississippi.

(32 pages, Belle Isle Books, $14.95), which is designed to help adults talk with children in their lives to help them understand, identify and respond appropriately to their feelings. Allyn is a school social worker in Staunton; Williamson, a former Virginian, now lives in Mississippi. Prince William County resident Rich Garons debut novel, Felling Big Trees (282 pages, BookBaby, $13.99), focuses on a disgraced congressman as he tries to find redemption. Garon, who works with the homeless in Northern Virginia, spent more than 25 years on Capitol Hill. Proceeds from sales will go to WhyHunger, an organization based in New York.

(282 pages, BookBaby, $13.99), focuses on a disgraced congressman as he tries to find redemption. Garon, who works with the homeless in Northern Virginia, spent more than 25 years on Capitol Hill. Proceeds from sales will go to WhyHunger, an organization based in New York. Virginia Beach-based Koehler Books offers a guide for writers in Pocket Guide to Publishing: 100 Things Authors Should Know (164 pages, Koehler Books, $12.95) by John Koehler and Joe Coccaro. Koehler, founder, president and publisher of the company, earned a bachelor of communications arts and design from Virginia Commonwealth University and lives in Virginia Beach. Coccaro, vice president and executive editor, joined the company after three decades as a reporter, columnist, editor and senior newsroom manager at several major newspapers, including The Virginian-Pilot. He lives in Cape Charles.

(164 pages, Koehler Books, $12.95) by John Koehler and Joe Coccaro. Koehler, founder, president and publisher of the company, earned a bachelor of communications arts and design from Virginia Commonwealth University and lives in Virginia Beach. Coccaro, vice president and executive editor, joined the company after three decades as a reporter, columnist, editor and senior newsroom manager at several major newspapers, including The Virginian-Pilot. He lives in Cape Charles. In a sequel to 2013s Deep Blood, Mississippi Sheriff Colt Harpers battle against illegal drugs draws the ire of a Memphis mobster in Fredericksburg resident Phillip Thompsons latest novel, Outside the Law (260 pages, Brash Books, $12.99).

Mississippi Sheriff Colt Harpers battle against illegal drugs draws the ire of a Memphis mobster in Fredericksburg resident Phillip Thompsons latest novel, (260 pages, Brash Books, $12.99). Glenn Shepard, a Williamsburg plastic surgeon, adds a second installment to his Dr. Scott James thriller series with The Zombie Game (334 pages, Mystery House, $14.95), in which James has enlisted a group of Haitian zombies to stop a plot to kill the pope during his visit to the United States.

(334 pages, Mystery House, $14.95), in which James has enlisted a group of Haitian zombies to stop a plot to kill the pope during his visit to the United States. Macye Lavinder Maher combines suspense and romance in her debut novel, Fireworks & Fertility (248 pages, Greenleaf, $14.95), a story that focuses on reproductive medicine and stars embryologist Julia Holland. A native of Roanoke and a graduate of the University of Virginia, Maher lives in Jackson, Wyo.

(248 pages, Greenleaf, $14.95), a story that focuses on reproductive medicine and stars embryologist Julia Holland. A native of Roanoke and a graduate of the University of Virginia, Maher lives in Jackson, Wyo. Chesapeake resident Shinese M. Collins offers inspiration to women in their personal and work lives in Resilient on Purpose (92 pages, CreateSpace, $18.95). She holds a bachelors degree in accounting from Norfolk State University and an MBA from Averett University.

(92 pages, CreateSpace, $18.95). She holds a bachelors degree in accounting from Norfolk State University and an MBA from Averett University. The author of 24 e-novels, Louisa County resident Ed Buhrer tells the tale of an unusual critter in Interview With a Were-Beaver (20 pages, Amazon Digital Services, $2.99), his most recent book. Among his other titles is his longest book, Whispers (713 pages, Amazon Digital Services, $3.99), which is set in Lee County in 1961.

(20 pages, Amazon Digital Services, $2.99), his most recent book. Among his other titles is his longest book, (713 pages, Amazon Digital Services, $3.99), which is set in Lee County in 1961. In Thomas Jefferson Revolutionary: A Radicals Struggle to Remake America (304 pages, St. Martins, $29.99), Kevin R.C. Gutzman examines the actions of the nations third president and how they remade the growing nation. Gutzman is a professor and chairman in the Department of History at Western Connecticut State University.

(304 pages, St. Martins, $29.99), Kevin R.C. Gutzman examines the actions of the nations third president and how they remade the growing nation. Gutzman is a professor and chairman in the Department of History at Western Connecticut State University. In Taverns of the American Revolution: The Battles, Booze, and Barrooms of the Revolutionary War (192 pages, Insight Editions, $24.99), San Francisco author Adrian Covert offers history, architecture, art and Colonial cocktail recipes as he examines how public houses performed a military function as meeting places for the Founding Fathers. Among those featured are two in Virginia: Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg and Gadsbys Tavern in Alexandria.

(192 pages, Insight Editions, $24.99), San Francisco author Adrian Covert offers history, architecture, art and Colonial cocktail recipes as he examines how public houses performed a military function as meeting places for the Founding Fathers. Among those featured are two in Virginia: Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg and Gadsbys Tavern in Alexandria. The James River is one of four that photographer Michael Kolster and essayists Alison Norstrom and Matthew Klingle examine in Take Me to the River: Photographs of Atlantic Rivers (240 pages, George F. Thompson Publishing, $60) and how they have been affected by the industrial era. The others are the Androscoggin, the Schuylkill and the Savannah.
Police in Chesterfield County say they have located a man whose disappearance they have been investigating as an abduction.

Police initially said the victim, Luis Conde-Saavedra, was last seen at about 10 p.m. Friday and the circumstances of his disappearance were suspicious.

Police say Conde-Saavedra was located Saturday morning suffering from non-life-threatening injuries.

They say they are still looking for his vehicle, a teal 2011 Nissan Altima with Virginia license plate VTR-2060.

Police did not release any other details about the circumstances of Conde-Saavedras abduction.
As Henrico County Public Schools began crafting plans for a two-year redistricting process, it included goals to address overcrowding and enrollment that commonly figure into such efforts.

But, as part of the process, the school division also adopted one relatively unusual goal  it is also studying ways to reduce the concentration of poverty at some schools.

Changes to the poverty concentration that would result from the two redistricting possibilities currently under study by the division are modest. School officials emphasized that addressing concentrated poverty is a tertiary goal, behind remedying overcrowding at Hungary Creek Middle School and creating space at L. Douglas Wilder Middle School for a proposed academy for gifted students.

But Henrico is still among just a fraction of school districts in the country that have undertaken it as an objective.

Beth Teigen, assistant superintendent for instruction, acknowledged the value of diversifying classrooms.

When you come from a different background, it doesnt matter what makes that background different; youre bringing something different to the table, and that enriches the experience for everyone, she said.

***

Forty-one percent of students across the division this academic year are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator of financial need, compared with 26 percent in 2002.

Poverty has proliferated in suburbs across the country in the last two decades.

The most significant local shift occurred in Henrico, where 10.7 percent of people were impoverished in 2015 compared with 6.2 percent in 2000, according to the most recently available U.S. census data.

Ballooning poverty in the school district hasnt affected communities uniformly.

The poverty level in the district has gone up considerably over the last several years, Teigen said. But its not spread out evenly across the division.

All students at three elementary schools in the eastern part of the county, Glen Lea, Highland Springs and Laburnum, are eligible for free lunch this academic year through a federal program that allows the countrys highest poverty schools to feed students free of cost.

By comparison, just 1.13 percent of students at Kaechele Elementary School in Short Pump are on free or reduced-price lunch plans.

Redistricting is one of a few avenues the district has recently explored to help economically challenged schools. A public-private academy for at-risk students will open at Highland Springs Elementary in the summer.

Wilder Elementary was chosen as the planned site of a Young Scholar Academy for gifted students, in part, because the district saw an opportunity to disperse poverty, said School Board Chairwoman Bev Cocke. About 79 percent of Wilder students receive free or reduced-price lunches.

But she also stressed that combating poverty is a community-wide undertaking that goes beyond the steps the school district has taken.

It is an issue that the community needs to discuss, Cocke said. Its time for us to do what we can to raise up all of our residents.

***

Education experts and research show that schools with students from middle-class and affluent families perform better academically than schools with significant levels of poverty. Research also shows lower-income students benefit academically from integration and middle-income and affluent students performance dont suffer.

In Henrico, at least 55 percent of students at the seven schools that were denied state accreditation this year receive free or reduced-price lunches. At four of the schools, more than 61 percent of students are eligible.

High-poverty schools also face issues their counterparts dont, including troubles with teacher retention and parent involvement, said Heather Schwartz, a policy researcher and the associate director of RAND Education, a policy and research think tank.

Poverty just generally generates instability, Schwartz said.

About 100 school districts and charter schools out of the roughly 14,000 across the country have voluntarily implemented or are pursuing plans calling for better socioeconomic integration, said Kimberly Quick, a policy associate for the nonpartisan think tank The Century Foundation.

She commended Henrico for taking steps to mitigate concentrated poverty but noted that the effort could go further.

Their plan makes some good and important progress, but its not a very dramatic plan, Quick said. Youre not seeing huge shifts in the poverty rates in one particular school.

Seven middle schools are the focus of the Henrico redistricting  Brookland, Fairfield, Holman, Hungary Creek, Wilder and Short Pump.

Under the first of the plans, the greatest dip in the number of students receiving free or reduced-price lunches would occur at Wilder Middle, with a drop of 7.6 percentage points to 71.2 percent. The next greatest would be at Brookland Middle, which would drop 5.1 percentage points to 60.3 percent.

Under the second plan, Wilder would also benefit the most by seeing its rate drop by nearly 10 percentage points to 68.9 percent, according to estimates from the school division.

For their part, schools officials have said they will not rezone students out of their way to balance economic disparities.

Tiffany Hinton, director of research and planning, said the school district would follow traditional redistricting guidelines and maintain school zones where elementary and high schools naturally connect to the designated middle school.
Hanover County Public Schools is one of two school divisions in the state that doesnt have all grade levels participating in a federally funded free and reduced-price meals program.

But now thats likely to change.

The latest budget adopted by the Hanover County School Board includes funds from the National School Lunch Program to subsidize free or reduced-price lunches for eligible high school students. Implementation of the program would begin in the 2017-2018 school year.

Terry S. Stone, assistant superintendent for business and operations, said Hanover County Public Schools operates a local program for high school students in need of free or reduced-price lunch. The 5.9 percent of high school students participating in the local program at the high school level, and 17.2 percent of middle school students participating in the federal program, suggested hungry students werent getting fed.

Were confident that we have students out there who are going without the assistance, Stone said.

Hanover high schools have not participated in the National School Lunch Program for at least 15 years, according to annual reports from the Virginia Department of Education. Asked if Hanover County Public Schools has ever participated in the federal lunch program at the high school level, Stone said, We do not know.

Hanovers elementary and middle schools have long participated in the National School Lunch Program, and also participate in the National School Breakfast Program. The federally funded programs reimburse schools the cost of offering free or reduced-price meals. In return, schools must serve lunches that meet federal requirements.

For fiscal 2016, Hanover received a value of $1.6 million in federal revenue for lunch and breakfast and USDA commodities, Stone said. The net monetary impact of implementing the federal lunch program at the high schools is expected to be a value of about $250,000 for the upcoming fiscal year, Stone said.

Stone estimated that about 1,000 high school students could become eligible for free or reduced-price lunch under the National School Lunch Program. There are roughly 6,000 students in Hanovers public high schools.

Asked why for so long it has made sense to have Hanovers public elementary and middle schools participate in the federal program but not the high schools, Stone said, We were not here when the decision was made. Our recommendation is for full participation.

School Board Chairman John Axselle said the board is fine with having the high schools participate in the National School Lunch Program.

Axselle couldnt say specifically why the high schools havent been participating. He said considerations that go into the decision usually have to do with finances and whether the requirements of the program fit in with Hanover.

You evaluate it from the standpoint of what the program is at the time, Axselle said. Its an annual thing. We could be chatting next year and were not in it.

To get free or reduced-price lunches, Hanover families submit an application that covers all the students in their household, Stone said. There is different paperwork for opting into the local high school program. Confusion occurs for families when children eligible for free or reduced-price lunch enter high school and are no longer covered by the federal lunch program, Stone said.

It creates some confusion with families relying on a high school student to bring home paperwork, Stone said. We feel by having the program at all levels, were ensuring the best opportunities for our students to be fed.

Stone said opting the high schools into the federal program will bring more consistency to the school systems lunch menus and make cafeteria kitchens operate more efficiently. Stone said parents want this established at the high school level.

Their children, again, are able to participate in elementary and middle school, Stone said. Then when they get to high school, the program is not there.

Since the 2007-2008 school year, the percentage of Hanover elementary and middle school students on free or reduced-price lunch has crept up from around 12 percent to hover right around 20 percent, but some schools surpass that number.

For the 2016-2017 school year at Henry Clay Elementary, 50.26 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. At John M. Gandy Elementary, 43.37 percent of students are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch. Statewide, 41.81 percent of students are eligible for free and reduced lunch, a rough measure for poverty.

At 7.9 percent in 2015, Hanover had a lower poverty rate for children younger than 18 than Henrico County and Chesterfield County, according to U.S. Census data. Like Henrico and Chesterfield, Hanovers poverty rate for children has grown since 2000, when it was 4.1 percent. The total population of children living in poverty in Hanover has increased by 94 percent over 15 years.

Whether a student is eligible to get free or reduced-price meals depends on the familys household income and size. Eligible childrens information is supposed to be kept confidential, and their experiences going through the cafeteria line isnt supposed to be any different than it is for other students.

The full price of a reimbursable lunch at Hanover high schools will be $3.25 in the upcoming school year. The reduced price will be 40 cents. Lunch will come with up to five items, and one of those items has to be a fruit or a vegetable.

The other school division in the state that doesnt participate in the National School Lunch program at all grade levels is Falls Church City Public Schools. The school systems three elementary schools participate in the federal lunch program.

Henrico has all levels of its students participating in the National School Lunch Program and the National School Breakfast Program. According to spokesman Andy Jenks, 36 percent of Henrico public high school students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Across the school system, the percentage of students eligible is 41 percent.

All Richmond Public Schools participate in the USDAs Community Eligibility Provision, a meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas, said Kenita D. Powers, a spokesperson for Richmond Public Schools.
CHRISTIANSBURG  A Virginia Tech architecture graduate students meeting with a professor turned into an altercation, but criminal charges will be dropped if he maintains good behavior for three months.

Hongyuan Yin, 28, was in Montgomery County General District Court on Thursday to resolve a felony charge of abduction and a misdemeanor count of obstructing free passage. Judge Gino Williams agreed with a prosecution motion to drop the felony charge and to take the misdemeanor under advisement for three months, to be dropped then if Yin gets in no legal trouble during that time.

Hes doing good in school, defense attorney David Rhodes of Christiansburg said before the hearing began. His hope is to graduate and return home to China within the next three months.

The unusual charges stemmed from a Jan. 18 incident between Yin and the chairman of his masters degree thesis committee, longtime Tech School of Architecture and Design Professor Hans Rott.

No account of the dispute was given in court, but Yin stipulated that the evidence was sufficient to convict him on the obstructing free passage charge.
Since the last time I answered some of your questions here in early February, weve had a lot of interesting weather and even more interesting questions.

Lets explore highs and lows.

Several readers have asked about how to interpret the temperature cycle. There are two main ways youll see it reported here on this page.

Well start with how we look back at observed weather.

For record keeping, the National Weather Service keeps data on the observed highs and lows within a given calendar day, between midnight and 11:59 p.m. local time.

So lets say on Nov. 15, the high was 45 and the low was 35. You might infer that the 35 was around daybreak and the 45 was during the mid-to-late afternoon.

Thats a fairly typical kind of day. But some days, especially during the cold season, dont follow that usual rise and fall.

The high of 45 might have been in the predawn hours, then a cooling trend steadily brought temperatures down to 35 by late in the evening.

It doesnt matter when the high and low happen during the calendar day, thats what counts for the books, and thats what will go in the Almanac section.

The National Weather Service in Wakefield issues a climate summary for Richmond each day, a report of the temperature, precipitation and other statistics measured at Richmond International Airport.

Theres a preliminary one that goes out in the late afternoon, and a comprehensive one issued after the day concludes.

Because of our evening publication deadline, AccuWeather uses the preliminary report of highs and lows in the Almanac section.

If the coldest point of a day happens during the evening, it may not necessarily be reflected in the following mornings Almanac.

The other way to think about highs and lows comes as we look forward in the forecast.

The forecast by AccuWeather here on this page has a format that looks like this, for example:

Saturday

95/75

So 95 would be the maximum daytime temperature on that hypothetical Saturday  not to be confused with todays actual forecast.

The 75 degree low would be for the following night, which is Saturday night into Sunday morning. Usually, that minimum happens right around sunrise of the following day.

Then the forecast cycle repeats for another high, then the following nights low. Think of the highs and lows here being grouped as Monday and Monday night, Tuesday and Tuesday night, and so on.

Other forecast sources may show their highs and lows differently, starting with the morning, then go up to the high.

Theres no right or wrong way, necessarily. But now were all on the same page about this page.

And on the rare instances where the high and low are expected to have a very unusual trend, Ill try to make a point to explain why thats the case in my column here.

Likewise, precipitation goes into the official National Weather Service records by calendar day.

But in the Almanac section, the precipitation is for a 24-hour period up to 6 p.m. of the previous day.

When its raining in the evening, those totals will eventually catch up in the next edition of the Almanac  and be included in the month-to-date precipitation tally.

There are many more meteorological questions Id like to get to, and well visit more topics in some future Sunday editions of the RTD Weather Desk, weather permitting.

In the meantime, the spring equinox is almost here  that moment occurs at 6:29 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Monday, March 20, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory.

Known as the vernal equinox in some references, its the start of the spring season by the astronomical definition.
Business trumps the health of people and our planet. Business trumps clean air, clean water, clean food. Business trumps the idea that carbon emissions are causing global warming and the deaths of our glaciers and coral reefs and their teeming life due to warming ocean water.

There is an old joke about getting the donkey's attention by hitting it between the eyes with a 2X4. I don't know what it will take to get the deniers to believe the vast majority of scientists of the world about carbon emissions causing global warming and the destruction of our planet.

Trump wants to roll back fuel-economy standards. He wants to put the coal industry back in business, but he has no plans to help alternative energy development. He wants to increase defense spending by $54 billion that would be offset by cutting budgets for education, health and human services.

I hadn't heard before Trump that we needed a military buildup. But $2.6 billion would go to build the proposed border wall. $400 million will be cut from the EPA budget, and this is the mockery of the century. The new EPA director opposed the EPA when he was attorney general of Oklahoma. He had 14 lawsuits against the EPA for restricting carbon emissions from factories and restricting factories from pouring their wastes in waterways.

This story goes on and on. We have a businessman for a president. Yes, the Dow has gone up. The environment keeps going down. Some say it's already too late to save the planet. I hope that isn't true.

BOB BOWSER

Flagstaff
The shutdown earlier this month of a gun ring supplied with more than 200 guns bought in Virginia for resale in New York City has reinvigorated calls for a state law that limits handgun purchases to one per month.

Proponents wanting to restore a so-called one-gun-a-month measure in Virginia say it would stifle the flow of guns from the state to crime scenes elsewhere, and that a law repealed in 2012 after nearly 20 years on the books did just that.

Those opposed say the law would affect only law-abiding gun buyers.

Neither have it quite right.

In 1993, the year then-Gov. Doug Wilder, a Democrat, signed the law, Virginia was the top supplier of guns recovered at crime scenes in New York and other northeastern states by way of the iron pipeline of Interstate 95.

Three years later, when the Virginia State Crime Commission studied the law after the first bill was introduced to repeal it  it was a constant target by Republicans  Virginia dropped to eighth on the list of source states for firearms trafficking, according to figures from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives cited in the 1996 commission report.

There, in eighth place, Virginia remains  even after the laws repeal.

In 2015, three years after the law was struck down, 441 guns recovered in New York were traced to Virginia, according to the most recent ATF figures. The bureau now includes a disclaimer on its trace data saying not all firearms used in crime are traced and not all firearms traced are used in crime.

Thats 34 more guns than in 2011, the last full year one-handgun-a-month was in place.

D grade for Virginia

Even when the law was in place, traffickers found ways around the monthly limit by using straw purchases  an illegal practice in which gunrunners pay Virginians without criminal records to buy their guns  or what gun-control advocates call the gun show loophole.

Virginia doesnt require background checks between private parties, such as independent sellers at gun shows. But a new state law that took effect last summer allows voluntary checks by the Virginia State Police.

Plus, the law applied only to handguns. Virginia residents could, and still can, buy as many rifles and shotguns as they can afford.

It appears that many of the 217 guns sold to an undercover New York City police officer, which led to a 627-count indictment and charges against 24 people , were purchased legally in Virginia from licensed gun shops, at gun shows or from private suppliers. But straw purchases, which were used by those busted in Brooklyn, are illegal in Virginia.

Of the 24 people charged, 22 are from Virginia  15 from the Richmond area, one from Northern Virginia, and the rest from Hampton Roads.

The indictment said the alleged traffickers traveled by bus or car via I-95 to New York and sold as many as a dozen guns at a time, although it is not clear how many of those purchases were made at one time.

It should raise some red flags when someone is buying that many guns, said Laura Cutilletta, the managing attorney for the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a California-based gun control group that grades each states gun laws on an A through F scale.

Virginia earned a D, while New York has an A-.

Cutilletta supports one-gun-a-month laws, as well as universal background checks including at gun shows.

She also suggested that gun dealers video-record their sales to help identify straw purchasers, and that local law enforcement track guns they find during investigations. That way, police can figure out if guns used in crimes come from any common sources, she said.

Although no Virginia law enforcement authorities have confirmed whether they are investigating the purchases , a New York official said the full cooperation between agencies in Brooklyn and Virginia, as well as federal counterparts, is continuing.

Part of the incentive is the lucrative market awaiting traffickers in states such as New York, where strict gun laws have driven up the price of black market guns to two and three times what traffickers pay for them in southern states.

(New York lawmakers) gave the criminals incentives to go out and find more guns, said Phillip Van Cleave, president of Virginia Citizens Defense League, a pro-gun rights group that led the efforts behind one-gun-a-months repeal. They are going to find a way to fill those orders through legal ways, or not.

Van Cleave said during the 20 years the law was in effect, New Yorkers complained that Virginia guns still were making their way to criminals there. Virginia remains New Yorks largest source of guns, according to 2015 ATF data.

New York City is the safest big city in the country and New York State is the third-lowest in gun deaths per capita because of our strict gun laws. Does that create a market for criminal enterprises like this? Yes. But thats not a reason to loosen the laws here but rather to tighten them elsewhere, said Oren Yaniv, spokesman for the Brooklyn District Attorneys Office.

High Richmond homicide rate

The homicide rate in Richmond is higher than it is in New York City, where strict limitations make carrying a gun difficult.

With a population of 220,289, Richmond has 27.7 homicides per 100,000 residents. New York City, where more than 19.8 million people live, has 3.9 homicides for every 100,000 residents.

In terms of homicide rate, Richmond compares more similarly to Chicago, where tight city gun laws are undermined by laxer laws in the suburbs and in neighboring states.

Last year, the Windy Citys homicide count soared to 762, nearly doubling the number a year earlier. Based on its population of 2.7 million, Chicago has a rate of 28 homicides per 100,000 people.

In Richmond, about 90 percent of the 61 slayings last year were committed with a gun.

Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham and Commonwealths Attorney Michael Herring often have stated that access to guns are to blame for the citys rising violent crime.

While law enforcement officials wait for lawmakers to enact some statute that will restrict the flow of guns, authorities have increased their efforts to seize firearms after they already are in the hands of people who shouldnt have them.

Richmond police seized 808 guns citywide in 2016 during its annual Fugitives and Firearms Initiative. Typically a summer event, Durham extended the drive throughout last year.

In 2015, the summer program netted 240 firearms; in 2014, 130; and in 2013, 146 illegal guns were recovered.

During his visit to Richmond last week, newly installed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he would expand the use of Project Exile, a program started in Richmond by now-FBI Director James Comey when he was a federal prosecutor here. Project Exile was credited with cutting Richmonds violent crime 20 years ago by shipping firearm violators to far-off federal prisons rather than incarcerating them locally.

Van Cleave opposes any restriction on guns, and doubts this renewed effort to pass one-gun-a-month will gain traction. Democrats have proposed similar bills nearly every General Assembly session since the law was repealed, to no avail.

Youre not going to take guns out of the hands of criminals, he said. So restricting gun ownership only hurts law-abiding citizens.

But his claim doesnt stand up against the data, either.

The earlier version of one-gun-a-month allowed state residents to apply for waivers if they wanted to purchase more than one handgun per month. Between 1996 and 2009, just 365, or 10 percent, of the 3,788 applications for multiple purchases were denied, according to figures provided by the state police in a Freedom of Information Act request from the Virginia Center for Public Safety.

The centers report said law-abiding gun purchasers in Virginia are not unduly burdened by Virginias one-gun-a-month law.

No limit

One of the suspects in the Brooklyn indictment was overheard on police wiretaps openly mocking Virginias guns laws.

Theres no limit to how many guns I can go buy from the store, said a man police identified as Antwan Walker, 21, of Highland Springs.

I can go get 20 guns from the store tomorrow. I can do that Monday through Friday. ... They might start looking at me, but in Virginia, our laws are so little, I can give guns away.

Walker, along with two others  Cameron Fobbs, 20, of Richmond, and Dwayne Lamont Rawlings, 30, of Hampton  are still at large in Virginia, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

The recording prompted former and current public officials to call for the resurrection of the one-gun-a-month law. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat, and Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor this year, echoed the need for common-sense gun laws such as the one-gun rule.

Wilder, the former governor, and Richard Cullen, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and a Republican, championed the bill when it was passed in 1993. They both spoke recently in favor of restoring the law.

The premise behind the legislation was simple economics. If the gun traffickers could only get their hands on one gun, there is no way they can make a profit. When they have an unlimited supply, their profits soar, Cullen said.
CHARLOTTESVILLE  As President Donald Trump continues to advocate buy American and hire American, his sons Albemarle County winery has again applied to hire foreign workers.

Trump Vineyard Estates, better known as Trump Winery, wants to bring in 29 workers this season through a federal visa program. The winery initially applied for six vineyard farm workers in December and applied for an additional 23 workers in February.

Its not the only Central Virginia vineyard to apply to hire foreign workers. Horton Vineyards, Early Mountain Vineyards and Barboursville Winery also have applied for workers this year. Glass House Winery and Grace Estates Winery didnt apply for workers this season, but they have utilized the program in the past.

Trump Winery did not respond to a request for comment.

Its difficult to find people, said Libby Whitley, a Nelson County attorney who has worked with employers on labor services since 1995. People these days say there are no workers that will perform seasonal work like agriculture jobs, landscaping, entry level, low skill ... I think thats an overstatement. I dont think there are no people do to it, theres just a deficiency of people to do it.

Whitelys firm, based in Lovingston, has worked with all the local vineyards, as well as orchards, nurseries and other farms, that are utilizing the H-2A program.

The H-2A program is for agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of domestic workers to bring foreign workers to the United States to perform agricultural labor or other temporary or seasonal services.

The employer must file an application with the Department of Labor stating that there are not sufficient workers in the U.S. who are able, willing, qualified and available to do the work. They must have initially attempted to find American citizens to fill these jobs.

The employers also have to engage in positive recruitment efforts, which include placing a newspaper advertisement on two separate days  one of which must be a Sunday  in an area where the workers will be used, and in other multistate publications.

This is a program for employers who typically hire larger numbers of temporary seasonal labor and whose alternative choice would be hiring from the undocumented population, Whitely said.

There are limitations to the programs, she said, when it comes to cost, general regulations and the lack of flexibility.

You cannot permit them to do any work that isnt described in the job order, Whitely said.

Both job orders for Trump Vineyard Estates say the primary tasks include planting and cultivating vines, adding grow tubes and pruning grape vines. It says workers also may perform general tasks relative to vineyard and winery operations when work in the vineyard is not available.

Theres a great deal of flexibility when you have a U.S. worker and  these temporary workers can only come in the exact same time period every year, theres no upward progression potential, Whitely said.

H-2A workers and U.S. workers in corresponding employment must be paid a certain rate  which this year in Virginia is $10.72 an hour for vineyard farm workers  and must be provided housing and transportation to the job site if their employment requires them to be away from their residence overnight.

Whitely said that with media coverage Trump Winery has received for using the H-2A program, she assumed her company would be flooded with people applying for the jobs.

Guess how many applicants we had? ... 13, she said. And they were all from places like the Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria. We did not have one American worker apply on [the first job order].

She said there has been more advertising for the Trump jobs than theyve had for any H-2A application in decades. They also have received emails from people who are outraged, and others who are curious or puzzled about the program, she said.

I qualify every one of those responses and I say, Are you interested in the job? If you are, please get in touch with us immediately,  Whitely said.

Under the program, employers are required to hire any qualified American worker who indicates an interest, regardless of how they found out about the job.

But recognizing the majority dont stay, [employers] have a significant interest in making sure that they can meet the labor needs by using the H-2A program and getting the labor certification so that if the domestic workers dont show, that they then have the ability to recoup the workers that they need, Whitely said.

Early Mountain Vineyards applied for 12 workers for this season through the H-2A program.

General Manager David Kostelnik said Early Mountain employs mostly Virginian workers. Many of its H-2A workers have been with the vineyard for more than one season, he added.

We are proud that 85 percent of our team members are from Virginia, Kostelnik said . The other 15 percent are seasonal workers, most of whom have been with us for multiple growing seasons, who come through the H-2A visa program. We value the experience our entire team brings, and are grateful for their dedication to excellence.
How do I sell more diamonds, a diamond trader recently asked me. Why don't we see global promotion of diamond jewelry so that more diamonds are sold? How can diamonds compete with the latest iPhone, cute tablet or round-the-world trip? Does the younger generation, such as those born after 1980, regard diamond jewelry as a must-have item? Are we leaving the field open to manufacturers of lab-grown diamonds who can supply stones at lower prices while appealing to young people with claims of producing environmentally friendly goods not tainted by blood diamond issues and not dug out of the ground by allegedly wretched, oppressed and impoverished workers?

So, how do I sell more diamonds, the trader asked me again. How can the industry create demand for diamonds and pull demand through the pipeline? That issue is increasingly being asked by diamond industry organizations. Indeed, it is difficult to attend an industry conference anywhere in the world where the issue does not come up.

Generic marketing and promotion; such a boring title for such an important topic. As most industry players know, De Beers practically single-handedly paid for global generic promotion of diamonds at a cost of around $200 million annually for many decades. When the mining giant was mining/selling 80 percent and more of global supply, it was clearly in its interest to promote diamonds as widely as possible around the world. Indeed, the firm is credited with creating huge new markets in India, Japan and elsewhere.

As De Beers' share of global supply began to decline, however, the company's management increasingly questioned the wisdom and necessity of its large-scale investment in generic promotion of diamonds. Other large industry players did not want to share the cost but were happy to enjoy the benefits.

Consequently, De Beers came to the realization that other large firms in the diamond pipeline would not pay their share of the cost of adverts and promotional campaigns. As the firm has said on many occasions: the company, with about 36 percent of global supply, is no longer the industry's custodian. Of course, it is not just another diamond industry player, but it is no longer an overwhelming power. In that case, let's create our own brand and put our marketing spend into it, De Beers said. And that's what it did with the Forevermark brand. Some reports suggest it is spending as much as $20 million a year on advertising the brand.

And then, in 2015, came the launch of the Diamond Producers Association (DPA), of which De Beers is a member, along with Alrosa, Gem Diamonds, Dominion Diamond Corp, Petra Diamonds, Lucara Diamonds and Rio Tinto Diamonds.

The latest move in the direction of creating a generic body to promote diamonds  the World Diamond Mark Foundation  deserves support not only because it is critical to the global industry's future health but also because if it does not make headway, the issue of generic marketing will likely fall by the wayside for another half decade or so. By that time, the diamond jewelry industry may have fallen so far behind its competitors  and there are many of them since there is no shortage of products putting up a tough fight for consumer spending.

The DPA was launched in 2015 with a modest budget of just $6 million. In January came reports that its members are being asked to approve a huge boost in its annual budget to $60 million. That is likely to give it the type of firepower to make a dent in boosting demand for diamond jewelry. Given that its main market is the Millennials  born between 1980 and 2015  the DPA badly needs the extra money. Thats because traditional advertising no longer works  certainly not with Millennials who appear to have an in-built rejection to anything conventional, including advertising.

Advertising has become hugely fragmented and therefore more expensive. Getting adverts in front of this new market requires a huge amount of ongoing research in the bid to slice and dice the market in order to find the most efficient way of reaching potential buyers.

As for whether the DPA will succeed in raising its budget to $60 million, this is still to be decided. It may be the case that not all of the miners will feel it fair that they each pay similar contributions. Why should De Beers or Alrosa, as the largest miners, pay far more in order to help Lucara, for example, may be one question raised. And looking forward to the future, how will the DPA develop? Will organizations in the countries that deal with diamonds be asked to contribute?

And if that is the case, will some countries be in favor because it is in their interest, such as India, for example, which has an estimated 1,000,000 workers involved in the diamond cutting and polishing and jewelry manufacturing sectors and annual gem and jewelry exports of around $20 billion. In that respect, other centers which once had large manufacturing industries and which are now little more than trading centers and do not have large diamond jewelry sectors  such as Israel and Belgium  may be less inclined to contribute.

Will large retailers want to put money into the project? The large chains are becoming ever more powerful and are happy to only advertise and promote their own products, while the smaller chains and, certainly, the mom-and-pop stores, do not have the spare cash to put into the project.

The truth is there are many reasons not to become involved. Money is tight and the advantages of marketing and advertising can often be difficult to prove. But not becoming involved and taking the approach of only being active where your own brand or sales area is concerned could be the path to ruin for the industry as a whole.

The World Diamond Mark has been founded by the WFDB to address the core issues of consumer desirability through generic marketing, consumer and media confidence in the integrity of diamonds, ongoing high quality educational programs and a commitment to ethical standards throughout the supply chain.

The World Diamond Marks (WDM) global objective is to ensure the health and future growth of the diamond and jewelry industry in the luxury market sector through the creation of consumer demand, via a network of accredited retailers and generic marketing campaigns.

The WDM project is based on three main points: there is education and training of the jewelry retail business community about diamonds through the Authorised Diamond Dealer concept of accredited retailers. Then there is confidence building with the consumer through the WDMs Authorised Diamond Dealer retailer accreditation program. Finally, there is the issue of generic consumer marketing and promotional programs in core markets for diamonds and diamond jewelry, to improve diamond jewelry sales and market share, in collaboration with a leading consumer credit card company as global sponsor.

The foundation of the program is the Authorized Diamond Dealer concept. The international diamond business community, represented by the WFDB, will accredit jewelry retailers as Authorized Diamond Dealers. This aims to create greater and wider brand recognition of diamonds as a luxury product and to the increased visibility of diamonds in jewelry shops. And worldwide marketing campaigns aim to increase consumer confidence and enlarge the slice of diamonds in the luxury spending sector. Just recently, the WDM announced its latest ADD  the British jeweler F. Hinds.

Can the DPA initiative succeed to the next level or will it run into political issues between diamond countries and organzations? Will the task of balancing the different political and economic interests be too tough? Will self-interest outweigh a more holistic approach? Are industry players enlightened enough to realize that only a global, all-encompassing, approach can take us all forward together?

By Albert Robinson for Rough&Polished




One of the original founders of Sarine, Uzi Levami has a long history of founding high-tech companies. He was awarded the prestigious Israel Defense Award in 1992 by then President Chaim Herzog, for his endeavors on a development project for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He is a former major in the IDF.

Uzi Levami has been the CEO of the Sarine Group since February 2009 and an Executive Director since December 2008.

With a Master's degree in Computer Sciences from the Weizmann Institute of Science; and a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering (Cum Laude) from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.

In an interview with Rough&Polished, Uzi Levami talks the company's new product that will be launched mid-2017, as well as about Sarine's efforts to create high-tech products as an ongoing process for the global diamond industry.

Some excerpts:

The need for technology to keep pace with the changing consumer trends has become more important of late than ever before. What steps is Sarine Technologies taking to keep abreast with this fast-growing industry, given that the competition is picking up as well?

For anyone involved in the consumer retail industry, it is clearer than ever that technology plays a key role. Today's consumers, particularly the younger, tech-savvy generation, expect a certain purchase experience. They are more educated and informed about the product they want to buy, and they demand more from the entire customer journey. There is no reason that diamond jewelry retail should be any different in this respect than other luxury goods, or indeed, any other consumer product. At Sarine, we see our company as developing technology-based solutions for jewelry retailers that bridge the gap between the experience the consumer wants and the experience they have when buying a diamond, whether in store or online.

For years Sarine Technologies has been producing sophisticated products for the global diamond industry, but what are the new products that have been introduced in the past one year?

In 2016, we launched our new Sarine Connect, a digital search and display solution for diamonds, gemstone and jewelry inventory at the point of sale. Sarine Connect is a cloud-based, mobile app for diamond traders and retailers. It enables them to present targeted offerings to customers in a fast, attractive and interactive way that brings incredible focus to the sales presentation. Of course, it fully integrates with Sarine Profile, our flagship diamond sales platform.





And among them, which of the new product/s that have made a significant mark in the diamond industry in the past 12 months resulting in high demand?

The past year has been a very exciting one for Sarine Profile, our digital diamond sales solution. Sarine Profile was introduced to the market in mid-2015, and in 2016, it achieved deep inroads in the diamond industry, in both the US and in Asia Pacific. We are delighted by the enthusiastic way the industry has adopted and implemented the Sarine Profile as part of the diamond sales process, and we look forward to continuing to develop and market Sarine Profile worldwide to our customers.

Do you supply customized products as well? Can you give us an example, if you can? And does Sarine have any plans on the anvil to develop new product/s in the near future?

Sarine Profile is designed to support and strengthen the retailer's individual brand, therefore it is a completely customized and modular product. There is no "off-the-shelf" version of Sarine Profile. Every delivery of Sarine Profile to our customers is individually tailored to meet their needs.

With respect to new products, in late 2016, we announced the next technology revolution for the diamond industry, with our new Sarine Color and Sarine Clarity grading products. Both technologies will change the way diamonds are graded and sorted, and we expect to release them to the market in mid-2017.

Sarine's 'Galaxy Inclusion Mapping Systems' was well received by the industry in 2016. How will this reflect on your financials for the year? Which country was the main consumer of these systems?

2016 was indeed an excellent year for our Galaxy inclusion mapping products, including Galaxy Meteor, the model for the smaller stone segment. As of end 2016, 299 Galaxy systems were installed, and we are proud to have doubled our income from our Galaxy systems this year. The majority of Galaxy systems were installed in India, the world's largest hub for diamond manufacturing.





The Indian diamond cutting centre has been a patron of Sarine products for quite a while. What steps is Sarine taking to maintain its position as a major tech supplier to the Indian sector? How is Sarine facing in India currently, given that other players are also aggressively entering the market?

At Sarine, each and every product is developed by first exploring how we can improve our customers' profitability. This is always our starting point. Due to this rationale, our technologies offer industry-leading approaches. We make sure to stay one step ahead with forward thinking solutions that anticipate future challenges to the diamond industry, and, of course, we cherish and protect our IP. Also, after so many decades in the industry, we are deeply entrenched in the entire diamond pipeline, so we have a unique perspective of the various issues that arise.

The diamond cutting sector in India is going through a tough time at present, especially the SMEs which are adversely affected by demonetisation and other issues. In the current situation, how is Sarine faring in terms of sales of its products?

Due to the makeup of our customer base, we have not been affected by the changes in India, and it's been business as usual for Sarine.

What is your opinion on the current global diamond manufacturing industry? With profits waning, diamond manufacturers are hard hit, especially in the Indian cutting sector. Have you any suggestions for the Indian manufacturers in terms of technological upgradation?

The past year was one of recovery and stabilization for the diamond industry, and for this we are thankful, and optimistic for 2017. Having said that, there are definite ways that diamond manufacturers in India can take advantage of new technologies to advance their business. The most important aspect of any technology in a manufacturing setting is operational flexibility. Diamond manufacturers must use technology to react swiftly to changes in the market, adapting their programs in real time to meet market demands. There are technologies that currently exist and new emerging technologies that enable diamond manufacturers to do just that. For example, our new Sarine Clarity machine, which I mentioned earlier is due to be released in mid-2017, features a sorting function that enables sorting of diamonds into sub-gradings based on pre-defined criteria, so manufacturers can ensure that each diamond is optimally valued for its ideal market. This new technological approach allows for a level of flexibility that gives manufacturers a definite competitive edge.

Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




They also circulated on Reddit and 4chan. The hack comes after Watson was attacked for posing for a revealing picture in a magazine. According to a screenshot from one of the original 4chan threads, more intimate photos of female celebrities will be posted over the next few days. Watson has previously been threatened with the leak of nude pictures as retaliation for her speech about gender equality as a UN ambassador for women. The minute I stepped up and talked about womens rights I was immediately threatened  within less than 12 hours I was receiving threats. Stolen photos of Amanda Seyfried were shared too after her computer is believed to have been hacked. The 26-year-old Watson announced Wednesday that she has brought in lawyers to deal with the issue. Last month, a hacker was sentenced to nine months in prison for hacking the electronic accounts of 30 celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and stealing nude photos and information.
By SA Commercial Prop News

Sasols enterprise development vehicle, Sasol ChemCity, together with the executive mayor of the Metsimaholo municipality and other key role-players, today launched phase one of their Eco Industrial Park in Sasolburg.

Situated in the industrial hub of the Free State, the site will provide a reliable supply of utilities, support services and infrastructure, to ensure an environment that is conducive to successful production, logistics and marketing.

Sasol ChemCity has aligned and integrated with the Metsimaholo and Fezile Dabi Municipalities Integrated Development Plans which aim to stimulate the local economy through sustainable job creation opportunities and attracting investment into the area.

The multi million rand site will ensure the occupants receive the benefits of a conventional industrial park with an additional benefit of being environmentally friendly.

One of the primary attributes, which sets the park apart, is its ability to minimise its carbon footprint with a long-term strategy to implement carbon reduction projects. Mechanisms are in place for entrepreneurs to utilise alternate building technologies, solar geysers, solar panels and other eco friendly tools.

By bringing revolutionary thinking to the conventional buzz around industrial parks, the project hopes to promote a green building philosophy in other regions, in time to come.

Sasol ChemCity is also in discussion with various partner organisations to co-fund the establishment of a mixed-use business incubator. The incubator will provide a wide range of business development support services, shared resources and infrastructure to support the establishment of new enterprises, and fast-track the growth of existing small enterprises.

One of its main roles will be to facilitate business linkages between existing large companies and incubates, as well as host various training and capacity building programmes.

Brutus Mahlangu, executive mayor of the Metsimaholo municipality said, This project is a prime example of an effective collaboration  one which will bode well for our future generations. Not only will it assist to reduce carbon emissions, but it also encourages and promotes responsible industry development.

Phase one of the site has just over 100 stands available for sale, and together with the proposed business incubator, will be able to cater for the business needs of hundreds of businesses.

Occupants will also benefit from the location, as the park is in close proximity to other large industries, has access to locally skilled labour force and existing road infrastructure to export/import hubs. But the cherry on top for most occupants will be the 10 year rates and tax holiday until 31 December 2018 which is in place for all occupants.

Sasol ChemCity managing director, Bridgitte Backman, said the site is an important step towards a greener and more effective business practice, for both the entrepreneurial and environmental community. Through strategic partnerships we are delivering projects which not only meet international standards but also talk to our South African needs.

Sasol ChemCity is committed to playing a strong and constructive role in the South African business environment, and to supporting governments objectives of socio-economic development.  Backman said.
The Jat agitation that threatened to cripple normal life in Delhi on Monday has been postponed, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Jat leader Yashpal Malik announced here on Sunday.

The decision followed several rounds of parleys in Delhi between the government and prominent Jat leaders spearheading the community's agitation in neighbouring Haryana.



The Jat community, which is demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions, among other things, resumed their agitation on January 29.



Apart from Khattar, Union Ministers Birender Singh and P.P. Chaudhary -- both Jats -- threw their weight from the government's side to persuade the Jat leaders to postpone their agitation in support of their demands and grievances.



Khattar said both sides have reached a consensus on five points, including initiation of the process of reservation for the Jats in central government jobs, reconsideration of cases lodged against Jat agitators since 2010 and permanent jobs to next-of-kin of those killed and those maimed during the 2016 February agitation in Haryana.



Besides, the government will also give monetary compensation to the injured and institute probe against officers accused of high-handedness during the Jat stir, he said.



"All this will be done in a time-bound manner. Our government is committed to the welfare of the Jats," the Chief Minister said.



Malik said the Jats will not undertake the proposed march to Parliament on Monday.



However, he said, token dharnas at some places in Haryana would continue for the time being.



Khattar, who was to visit Lucknow to attend the swearing-in of Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, called off his visit to be available for parleys with Jat leaders in his state.





The protest call had set alarm bells ringing in Delhi as Parliament is in session. There were apprehensions that normal life would be severely hit in the national capital, apart from the fact that students were to sit for board exams on Monday.



Earlier on Sunday, Delhi Metro announced it will suspend services to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and close 12 important stations from Sunday night. These were Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhavan, Lok Kalyan Marg, Janpath, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, R.K. Ashram Marg, Pragati Maidan, Khan Market and Shivaji Stadium.



According to a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation official, the 12 stations in central Delhi were to be shut from 8 p.m. on Sunday till further notice. But interchange facility was to be made available at the relevant stations.




Delhi Police on Saturday said that several routes in the national capital, including Zakir Hussain Road, will be closed in view of the Jat agitation on March 20, 2017.

The routes will be closed from March 19, 8.00 p.m onwards, to prevent the march of Jat community members to Parliament announced for Monday.

According to an advisory issued by the Delhi Police, the roads which will remain closed include Kemal Ataturk Marg from Race Course Metro Station to Panchseel Marg and Safdarjung Road to Aurobindo Chowk, among others.

Kautilya Marg from Samrat Hotel to Niti Marg, Kautilya T-Point near Bihar Bhawan, Teen Murti to Gole Methi roundabout will remain closed for the commuters. Zakir Hussain road for the commuters coming from Nizamuddin to India Gate will also remain closed, the advisory tweeted by the Delhi Traffic Police said.

The advisory further said that five entry points will be closed from 11 a.m March 19 onwards.

These entry points are Ring Road to San Martin Marg, Amrita Shergill to Lodhi Road, Max Muller Road to Lodhi Road, Archbishop Makarios Marg from Lodhi Road and all lanes leading to Panchkuiyan Road except Mandir Marg, R.K. Ashram and Hospital Road.

The Delhi Police has also advised the commuters wishing to travel from south Delhi to central Delhi to use Ring Road.

It has also issued a list of categories of people, who will be allowed to enter Delhi districts from March 19, 11 p.m onwards.

The list includes bona fide residents, people working in various offices situated in New Delhi area, emergency services, people coming to attend interviews, examination in New Delhi area, ambulances, fore brigades, buses of school children and any other people coming for some urgent work.
Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran on Sunday asked Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to resign for allegedly acting at the "behest of a few bar hotel owners" in Kerala.

In December, the Supreme Court banned the sale of liquor within 500 meters of national and state highways across the country.



But Rohatgi advised the Kerala government that retail outlets for sale of liquor alone need to be removed and that bar hotels and beer-wine parlours along the national and state highways can remain.



"There is every reason to believe that the said advice was given at the behest of a few bar hotel owners in the state," Sudheeran said in a letter to Rohatgi.





"As your good self is well aware, even while holding the esteemed office of the Attorney General of India, your good self has appeared for a bar hotel owner in a case challenging the erstwhile Kerala government's liquor policy to reduce the availability of liquor in the state," he said.



"You have again advised the state government with respect to a judgment, with an instruction which has the effect of flouting the very purpose of the judgment.



"There is every reason to believe that you have given such advice ... only to help a few bar hotel owners in the state," Sudheeran said.



The Congress leader urged the Attorney General to "give up the constitutional seat you now occupy".
The Jat agitation that threatened to cripple Delhi on Monday has been postponed, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Jat leader Yashpal Malik announced on Sunday.

The decision followed several rounds of meetings between the government and prominent Jat leaders.

earlier in day four police officials, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police, were injured on Sunday in Fatehabad district in Haryana when Delhi-bound Jat community protesters clashed with them.

The police force was trying to stop them from moving towards Delhi. The clash took place on the Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi highway when the protesters, who were on tractor-trolleys, were stopped.



Police used force, including tear gas, as the protesters pelted them with stones.



Authorities in Haryana have imposed a ban on movement of tractor-trolleys in districts bordering Delhi to foil a call given by Jat leaders to lay seige to Delhi and hold a protest outside Parliament.
Addressing national opioid crisis is happening in Salina

Salina organizations are joining the effort to fight and educate people on the crisis that nation is facing with opioid addiction.
Hodads co-owner Mike Hardin.  K.C. Alfred (K.C. Alfred)

Mike Hardin -- beloved burger master, philanthropist and co-owner of Hodad's, an Ocean Beach institution -- has died, leaving the community in mourning.

As news spread of his death, mourners gathered and left remembrances in front of the Ocean Beach restaurant on Newport Avenue, creating a makeshift memorial.

Restaurant employees and family members chose not to speak on Friday, an employee said, but a statement was posted on Hodad's website: "The Hodads family is completely devastated by the news of Mike Hardins untimely passing. We will remain closed until Sunday."

The closure also applies to a second Hodad's restaurant, located in downtown San Diego. Hodad's also has an outlet at Petco Park.

View the photo gallery: Hodad's Mike Hardin

Known to locals as the "Boss Man" (the words were tattooed on his knuckles), Hardin was found dead Thursday afternoon in a hotel room in Chowchilla, Calif., in Madera County.

A Madera County sheriff's detective assigned to the county coroner's office said Hardin's body was found by staff at a Holiday Inn off state Route 99 in Chowchilla about 2 p.m. Thursday. He said Hardin had checked into the hotel the night before. Friends said he had been in Oregon visiting his daughter.

There was no evidence of foul play in Hardin's hotel room, but the coroner's office has ordered an autopsy because it was an unexpected death, the detective said.

Wonderland segment on Hodad's

A resident of Ocean Beach since he was 11, Hardin, 56, ran Hodad's with his late mother, Virginia Hardin, since the mid-1980s following his father's death. His parents acquired Hodad's in the mid-1970s when it sat opposite the main lifeguard tower at Ocean Beach and later moved the burger joint to Voltaire Street in 1980. Only after Hardin relocated the eatery to its current location on Newport in 1991 did it really start to thrive, recalled Ocean Beach residents.

"When they moved to Newport, his business boomed, just like that," said Pat James, former co-owner of the James Gang, a longtime specialty printing business in Ocean Beach. "I remember he told me they went from 2 employees to 22."

Casey Spidle made a stop at Hodads burger restaurant to pay respect for Mike Hardin. Mourners gathered Friday and left flowers and small items at a memorial in front of the Ocean Beach eatery.  Nelvin C. Cepeda (Nelvin C. Cepeda)

While the restaurant, known for its mammoth, juicy burgers, onion rings and thick shakes, has long been a popular hangout for locals, it wasn't until 2007 when Hodad's was featured on Guy Fieri's Food network program Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives that the lines out the door grew even longer. Like the seaside community in which it sits, Hodad's has a decidedly funky feel, with its humorous vanity license plates crowding the walls and surfboards suspended from its ceiling.

Fieri, in an email, said of Hardin, "Mike was one of the most generous people I have ever known and he embraced life with a tremendous amount of appreciation."

In a tweet to his followers, he said, "RIP Mike Hardin 'boss man.' You helped the world in so many ways. We will miss you everyday."

It was unclear Friday who would take over operation of Hardin's business, although friends say his son Shane is involved in the business.

As much as Hardin will be forever known for his burgers, those close to him say he will be most remembered for his generosity, unceasing kindness and charitable works, having contributed to local schools and in recent years traveled overseas preparing Hodad's burgers for U.S. troops.

"He's given jobs to people on parole, people down and out, they'd be high on drugs, he'd fire them and hire them back, and would give them second and third chances," said John Tieken, owner of Last Days Tattoo parlor.

Tieken, who said he did the first tattoos for Hardin's children, said Friday he would be doing tattoos in honor of Hardin and whatever donations he received he would give to the kids.

Denny Knox, executive director of Ocean Beach Main Street, described Hardin as selfless, always willing to give of his time when the need arose.

He took good care of his employees, and if you were down and out, he was always the person to step up, whatever you needed, she said. Hed help sponsor events, cook for something, he never saw the bad side of people. And he never took his success for granted. He was very appreciative.

In 2011, Hardin brought the Hodads brand to downtown San Diego following repeated construction delays and ballooning costs. He acknowledged to friends that business at the new location started out slowly, but he always remained confident it would grow.

He always kept a positive outlook, said Saad Hirmez, owner of the Apple Tree Market, which he plans to reopen in Ocean Beach this year. He said it was slowly building up, people were starting to recognize it, and it was just a matter of people getting to know where it was.

In a 2005 interview with the Union-Tribune, Hardin that he was the only one of his siblings who followed his parents into the business.

"I think I grew up wondering what I would do for a living," Hardin said. "I'm the last of five kids. My brothers and sisters wanted nothing to do with the restaurant."

View the photo gallery: Hodad's and its burgers
CITY COUNCILS

CARLSBAD

The Carlsbad City Council is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Room 173A and B in the Faraday Center, 1635 Faraday Ave., to receive public comment and discuss council goals and priorities for 2017.

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DEL MAR

The Del Mar City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at Suite 100 at 2010 Jimmy Durante Blvd., when it will hear a legislative update, and an update on the citys Sea Level Rise planning. A public hearing is scheduled to review appeals of the Planning Commissions decision that it could not interpret city code on short-term rentals. The council will also review a donation offer for a Breeders Cup Art of the Horse statue, and discuss a possible temporary location for it.

ESCONDIDO

The Escondido City Council will meet in closed session to discuss labor negotiations and litigation at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in City Council Chambers, 201 N. Broadway. In open session at 4:30 p.m., the council will hold a hearing on an amendment to the Regional Transportation Improvement Program to approve a budget adjustment reflecting more funding for street paving. The council will consider a budget adjustment to repair emergency drainage projects, and a $1 yearly lease with Asociacion de Charros de El Caballo Park for use of property at 3400 Valley Center Road.

OCEANSIDE

The Oceanside City Council will meet in open session at 2 p.m. Wednesday in City Council Chambers at 300 N. Coast Highway to interview candidates for the Planning Commission and to appoint one commissioner for a term ending in 2021.

POWAY

The Poway City Council will meet in special closed session to discuss litigation at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Council Chambers, 13325 Civic Center Drive. In regular session at 7 p.m., the council will hear Greg Anglea, president of the Alliance for Regional Solutions and executive director of Interfaith Community Services, speak about the alliance. The council will also hold hearings on a request to open a child care center at 12222 Poway Road, and to approve a two-lot subdivision and request to waive the undergrounding of utilities at 13737 Temple St.

SOLANA BEACH

The Solana Beach City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday in City Council Chambers, 635 S. Highway 101, when it is scheduled to hear a presentation from the San Diego County Water Authority. The council will consider a contract for $91,000 with Van Dyke Landscape Architects for the skate park at La Colonia Park.

SCHOOL DISTRICTS

CARLSBAD

The Carlsbad Unified School District board is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday for a study session on Local Control and Accountability Plan goals and metrics at the district office, 6225 El Camino Real. A closed session will follow to discuss labor negotiations.

DEL MAR

The Del Mar Union School District board will meet in closed session at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday in the Training Room at the district office, 11232 El Camino Real, San Diego, and in open session at 5:45 p.m.

ENCINITAS

The Encinitas Union School District board will hold a special meeting to discuss its Local Control and Accountability Plan at 8:30 a.m. Thursday and 6 p.m. March 28, at the district office, 101 S. Rancho Santa Fe Road. The public is invited to participate in discussing the five goals identified in the LCAP.

ESCONDIDO

The Escondido Union School District board is scheduled to meet in closed session at 6 p.m. Thursday at the district office, 2310 Aldergrove Ave., and in regular session at 7 p.m.

FALLBROOK

The Fallbrook Union Elementary School District board will meet in closed session to discuss personnel and litigation at 5:30 p.m. Monday in Room 106 of the district office, 321 N. Iowa St. In open session at 6 p.m., the board will consider several contracts and agreements, including document tracking and website redesign.

POWAY

The Poway Unified School District board will meet in closed session to discuss litigation and property negotiations at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the district office, 15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego. In open session at 6 p.m. the board will consider a Safe Haven resolution for district students.

SAN MARCOS

The San Marcos Unified School District invites the community to meet representatives from a search firm to discuss the traits, skills and experience theyd like in a new superintendent. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Mission Hills High School library. A survey is available at schools and the district office, 255 Pico Ave., Suite 250, or at https://goo.gl/forms/e8MkzOKkPpOu8TG93. Contact Anna Lucia Roybal at annalucia.roybal@smusd.org.

laura.groch@sduniontribune.com
If the book world has rock stars, Neil Gaiman is one of them. Prolific across numerous platforms  novels, comics, television, movies, Twitter, the occasional song  he has legions of fans who will follow him wherever he ventures. His new book, Norse Mythology, is a retelling of ancient stories featuring Thor, Odin and Loki. It debuted atop the New York Times best seller list.

Born in Hampshire, England, Gaiman lives now near Minneapolis. He will be at the Civic Theatre in downtown San Diego on March 29 at 8 p.m. for an evening of story telling and questions from the audience. Tickets start at $25.

Q: I understand you first got interested in Norse mythology through comic books. What was it about the stories that attracted you?

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A: I would have been 7 years old at the time and there were these English reprints of American comic books. My first encounter with Thor would have been the Jack Kirby-Stan Lee book with (crippled doctor) Don Blake trapped in a cave, finding a stick and slamming it down on the ground and it turning into the hammer of Thor and then he transforms into the mighty Thor.

I loved this. I thought it was wonderful. I didnt know you could do this. I spent the next couple of years banging every stick I found onto the ground just to see if it would transform into the hammer. It didnt, but I now had a complete fascination with Norse mythology.

Then I got hold of an English book for children called Myths of the Norsemen, by Roger Lancelyn Green, and these werent the Marvel comics. This was something much rougher-hewn, and also much darker and weirder. Now Thor was this red-bearded hulking lout with a hammer who could out-drink you and out-fight you. Loki, instead of being a god of mischief, was a strange, complicated entity. Odin was shadowy and everything was all about the end of the world. I was hooked.

Q: Why did you decide to do your own versions?

A: Ive been retelling Norse myths in my own way for many, many years. I put Norse characters into Sandman. When I was researching American Gods, I went back to the original sources, to the prose Edda and the poetic Edda, and I became fascinated even more. I just loved the myths.

But it wasnt until I had lunch about eight years ago with an editor and he asked if I had any interest in retelling these stories for a new generation that I decided it would be an interesting thing to do. And it took me about four years of thinking and hesitating and trying to figure out what kind of language I would use, how to echo these short declarative sentences, whether or not I wanted to include the poetry, how I would do this. In each case, what I wanted to do was really play absolutely fair with the stories we had in the original sources.

Q: What were you comfortable making up?

I may give characters motivations, they may now have an interior world, you may know what they are thinking, but Im not changing the story. Its almost as if you are telling a joke. You may have read a joke or someone told you a joke and you remember the shape of it. You know where you are heading with the punchline. But how you tell the joke is up to you.

Q: In one of the stories, The Master Builder, the characters talk about building a wall to keep foreigners out. Did you think of these stories as political when you were writing them?

A: I wrote that one three years ago and I was retelling a story that was probably 1,500 years ago, so I definitely didnt think of it as a contemporary story. What I think is really interesting is if a story is good, and is good in the way that it tells us real things and important things about human nature, about who we are, about how we behave, how we react, then its going to remain relevant.

I remember being in New York the other day and reading it in the town hall and when I got to the point where Odin says, Were going to build a wall, the entire hall erupted. And I thought, Well, there you go. These stories may be old, but they are definitely relevant.

Q: You started out working for newspapers and magazines. How did that shape you as a writer?

A: It shaped me in three very huge and important ways. The first was it taught me economy. As a journalist, you know that you have a certain number of words to fill. It may be 800 words, it may be 3,000 words, but you dont have any more than that. At the same time, I had to learn to work anywhere. If the copy is due at 4 oclock that afternoon, and its now 1:30 and you are in a loud newsroom and people are shouting and there is stuff going on, you become very single-minded. You just focus and you tune everything else out and at 4 oclock its on the editors desk. Thats how you do it.

Those were the two good things I took from journalism. The thing I also took from it is I wasnt a journalist. I remember the moment I learned this. I got a phone call from an editor saying, We want you to do a story on how playing Dungeons & Dragons drives people to Satanism, madness or suicide. And I said, No. She said, What do you mean, no? I said, I dont think Im working for you anymore, and I put down the phone.

I just thought it would be so much more honest if Im making stuff up and labeling it as made-up stuff rather than obeying any kind of editorial edict about what the story was that Im looking for  essentially writing stuff that reinforces worldviews that may or may not actually have anything to do with reality.

Q: There were some alternative facts going on even then.

A: Even back then. There were definitely alternative facts. And the expression fake news  I dont know that that was fake news, but it was definitely tabloid news. And tabloid news, like the Satanism-in-our-schools madness of the 1980s, with people being imprisoned and stuff, only years later did we look at it and say, You know, none of this stuff was actually happening and its all a bit mad.

Q: To what do you attribute being so prolific?

A: You know whats funny? In my head, Im not prolific. But I think theres a level at which if you simply keep working, there comes a point where you have a tremendous body of work behind you. Im enormously fortunate. I like writing. I like telling stories of all kinds.

Q: Do you ever worry about writing too much?

A: I guess I do. I look at writers whose work I love, like G.K. Chesterton, and I think, You know, you would have been a better writer had you written less. Any idea you had, it became a story. So I think maybe I should write less.

But if you look at my adult novels, I probably dont write enough. Most writers of adult novels write one a year, or one every couple of years. Since 2000, Ive written American Gods, Anansi Boys, and the Ocean at the End of the Lane. Thats three in 17 years and now Im writing another one. You could say the same for my childrens books. Since 2000, Ive written Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Fortunately, the Milk and a few picture books. Why dont I write more?

So I feel theres always more I could be doing, even as I worry that I write too much.

Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman, W.W. Norton, 304 pages.

john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-2236
Abundance is an ironic name for the Beth Henley play that opened Saturday in a new San Diego production by Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company.

The two women in the 1989 tragicomedy have dreams of abundance as big as the vast skies over Americas Great Plains. But ultimately, the richness of life, love and happiness eludes them.

Like most other plays by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Crimes of the Heart, Abundance mixes humor and sadness with multidimensional female characters struggling in complex relationships. But instead of being set in Henleys native Mississippi, Abundance takes place in the Wyoming Territory from the 1860s-1880s, where its pioneering settlers battle broken hearts as well as starvation, blizzards and Indian tribes.

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Since married co-founders Francis Gercke and Jessica John launched Backyard Renaissance in 2015, their productions have included two moody English dramas and a wacky American musical. Abundance, being produced in the Moxie Theatre space in Rolando, is another genre entirely. But like the others, it has the kind of unpredictable, layered characters actors love to play.

Abundance is the story of the 20-year friendship between two mail-order brides who meet on the day their suitors arrive to claim them at a remote Wyoming train station. Macon is smart, adventurous, generous and an aspiring novelist. Bess is at first sweet, loyal and subservient, but hardship and betrayal by everyone she knows gradually harden her personality. Actors Jacque Wilke (as Macon) and Jessica John (as Bess) are both excellent and authentic at inhabiting these rich characters, who end up near-opposites of their former selves by the end of the two-hour, 10-minute play.

Brian Mackey steals his scenes as Will, Macons kind but awkward, dim-witted, scarred and one-eyed husband, Will. And Francis Gercke is strange and quirky as Jack, Bess cruel, philandering and violent moocher of a husband. The play takes an unexpected turn near its halfway point, and actor David Raines arrives on the scene as Professor Crome, a penny dreadful author seeking to capitalize on the unusual story of one of these pioneer wives.

Abundance is co-directed with spareness and playfulness by Gercke and Anthony Methvin. That same whimsy is captured in Ron Logans wide-open scenic design, made with apple crates, wooden slats, bare branches and a bold wash of blue paint on the back wall. Samantha Vescos fine period costumes not only capture the time and place but also the characters changing fortunes. Matt Lescault-Wood designed the toe-tapping Western sound and AJ Paulin designed the lighting.

Abundance unfolds like an epic Western, in the style of the dime-store novels of the 1800s. But through its clear direction and honest performances, the character are real and relateable and the play is funny, surprising and thoroughly entertaining.

Abundance

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; plus 7 p.m. March 27 (industry night). Through April 2.

Where: Backyard Renaissance Theatre Co., 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Rolando District (home of Moxie Theatre).

Tickets: $15-$30 (discounts available)

Phone: (619) 977-0999

Online: backyardrenaissance.com

San Diego Theater  On Now Video: Bruce Springsteen's solo trip to Broadway On Now Video: Inside the rehearsal room of SDMT's Damn Yankees! 2:22 On Now Video: La Jolla Playhouse-bred shows earn key Tony nominations 3:05 On Now Video: Broadway moment has arrived for La Jolla Playhouse's 'Come From Away 0:33 On Now Video: Lamb's Players Presents "An American Christmas" 2016 1:21 On Now Old Globe's 'Grinch' ready to rumble again 0:52 On Now Little Miss Sunshine at La Jolla Playhouse On Now Working the Magic On Now San Diego Repertory Theatre presents "Federal Jazz Project" On Now An American Christmas

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com. Twitter: @pamkragen
You can forgive the scheming producer Oscar Jaffe his extravagant fibs in the musical On the Twentieth Century. After all, the name of the very train hes riding on is a lie.

Its called the 20th Century Limited, but theres absolutely nothing limited about the gleaming and grand locomotive that Cygnet Theatre has parked on its cozy Old Town stage. Nor, for that matter, about the theaters splashy and laugh-filled revival of this screwball serenade to 20s-era theater people going off the rails.

And theres definitely nothing restrained about director and Cygnet artistic chief Sean Murrays gleefully histrionic portrayal of Jaffe, the washed-up impresario whose every gesture suggests he believes his very existence is some romantic melodrama.

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Sure, Jack Lalanne could tow a train with his teeth, but Murrays Oscar probably could chew right through an engine or two (the way he does this shows scenery), or maybe cause it to chug down the tracks by force of sheer blow-hardedness.

Murray is matched by a cast whose acting is generally not quite so florid, but still captures with aplomb the effervescence of this slight but fun 1978 show from Singin in the Rain writers Betty Comden and Adolph Green, teaming here with Sweet Charity composer Cy Coleman for operetta-esque escapades.

On the Twentieth Century

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through April 30.

Where: Cygnet Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town.

Tickets: About $31-$56 (discounts available)

Phone: (619) 337-1525

Online: cygnettheatre.com

The Century ensemble is like some Cygnet all-star team, with winning performances from such returning pros as Melinda Gilb (playing the Bible-thumping passenger Letitia Primrose), Steve Gunderson (as Oscars eternally put-upon press agent Owen OMalley) and Melissa Fernandes (as the seen-it-all business manager Olive Webb).

Murrays chief confederate is the wonderfully funny Eileen Bowman as Lily Garland, the sweet-voiced Hollywood star whom Oscar discovered years earlier as a plucky, uncouth accompanist named Mildred Plotka  shades of Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady  and turned into a stage star. (A priceless flashback featuring Debra Wanger as a hopelessly self-important actress singing Indian Maidens Lament  and getting upstaged by Mildred  establishes that moment.)

But even such larger-than-life personalities take a back seat, or maybe a second-class compartment, to set designer Sean Fannings arresting conception of the 20th Century, the real-life luxury train that ran for decades between Chicago and New York.

A series of period-perfect drops depicting the trains exterior rise to reveal an exquisitely detailed cutaway interior, complete with multiple connecting doors to speed along the slapstick. Blake McCartys projections likewise go (literally) above and beyond, showing vintage footage, maps and more on three screens that top the set; some of the shows best laughs come when he splices Murray and Gilb into film clips as they cling to the train during chase scenes.

The high jinks just keep getting higher in this story of how Jaffe, whos bankrupt and on the run, tries to rope Lily into doing one last show, with assistance from the mysterious Mrs. Primrose and her possibly loco motives.

Everyone looks good doing it, thanks to Jeanne Reiths gorgeous Roaring Twenties finery. (Peter Hermans wigs and makeup, Chris Rynnes lighting and David Brannens witty choreography are also first-rate.)

The show sounds good as well: Music director Terry ODonnell and his band bring plenty of pep and texture, boosted by Dylan Nielsens crisp sound design; the orchestra sounded particularly locked-in on the Act 2 number Babbette, which showcases Bowmans fetchingly fluttery voice.

If 20th Century takes a little long getting to Grand Central, the company helps keep it fun, including Michael Cusimanos turn as Lilys comically pompous squeeze Bruce Granit, plus solid ensemble work from Bryan Banville, Drew Bradford, Morgan Carberry, Trevor Cruse, Samantha Wynn Greenstone, Luke H. Jacobs, Lafras le Roux and Amy Perkins.

Yep, theyre all aboard  a big crowd bursting with inspired silliness in this entertaining spectacle.

San Diego Theater  On Now Video: Bruce Springsteen's solo trip to Broadway On Now Video: Inside the rehearsal room of SDMT's Damn Yankees! 2:22 On Now Video: La Jolla Playhouse-bred shows earn key Tony nominations 3:05 On Now Video: Broadway moment has arrived for La Jolla Playhouse's 'Come From Away 0:33 On Now Video: Lamb's Players Presents "An American Christmas" 2016 1:21 On Now Old Globe's 'Grinch' ready to rumble again 0:52 On Now Little Miss Sunshine at La Jolla Playhouse On Now Working the Magic On Now San Diego Repertory Theatre presents "Federal Jazz Project" On Now An American Christmas

Twitter: @jimhebert

jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com
Monumental sculpture makes unique demands of us, usually requiring us to look up.

Or through.

Or around.

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Welsh-born modern sculptor Richard Deacon expects even more from his audience.

And whats more, hes not above a bit of teasing.

Consider his new exhibit What You See Is What You Get, opening Saturday, March 25, at the San Diego Museum of Art.

Its a provocative and daring title for Deacons first major museum exhibition in the United States, which is surprising given that the internationally renowned London-based artist is no stranger here. He has participated in smaller solo exhibitions in Chicago (2009), New York (2008, 2012) and Venice (2008, 2013). And his works can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

Deacon earned a masters degree from the Royal College of Art in London and won Britains prestigious Turner Prize in 1987 for his show For Those Who Have Eyes.

The reason the show came to us in the first place is because Anita Feldman, my boss and the museums deputy director of curatorial affairs, came to us from Englands Henry Moore Foundation, says Ariel Plotek, co-curator of the exhibition.

She got to know Richard through various projects that involved Moores work being presented in dialogue with contemporary sculptors. Richard was delighted at the prospect, and Anita would be the person to do it because of her experience working with monumental sculpture. That happens to be my background, too. I get to return to some of those same ideas I had as a graduate student  exploring themes like allegory and symbolism, which I think are implied in many cases by Richards titles.

In the literal and broadest sense, what you will see is roughly 40 works, spanning three decades of Deacon working on a both domestic and monumental scale.

The exhibit includes free-standing sculptures, richly hued, glazed ceramics, works on paper and wall-mounted art.

Deacons metaphorical titles, literary references and unlikely combinations of material command more than a curious response or a sense of appreciation.

He makes you wonder.

Dancing in Front of My Eyes (2006, wood, aluminum) stands about 7 feet tall and alludes to the ways things are hidden, but right in front of your eyes.

The sculpture is reminiscent of a wooden roller coaster with hairpin turns and devilish loops, appearing from a distance to be as light as a pencil shaving. Get closer and the metal bolts and brackets are blatantly visible.

Then there is the new 10-foot-tall sculpture titled Under the Weather, No.1, which Deacon is donating to the museum. Its included in the indoor exhibit.

None of the works, despite their size, stand up to climate so well, says Deacon by phone from London. The works we selected will suffer if you put them outside. Theyll be  wait for it, folk  under the weather.

The work is made of wood, bundles of sticks steamed into malleability and twisted in a way that makes it appear from a distance to be fountainlike.

Ive been working with twisted wood in various ways, and the titles refer to the ways certain kinds of twists begin to look fluid, says Deacon.

You get different profiles appearing in succession. Some are big and some small, so you get a set of positive and negative shapes as you go up.

Positive and negative shapes and how they relate to each other have interested Deacon since he was a boy.

Deacon was born in 1949. His mother was a doctor, and his father was a career Royal Air Force pilot who served in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). When Deacon was 6, he visited the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, where enormous seated and reclining Buddhas were carved into the stone.

It was a potent experience; it wasnt an intellectual experience, it was emotional, Deacon says.

I was puzzled and terrified. I couldnt understand what magic or what mechanism could have made a piece of nature come to look like a figure. I think the hollowness in my work often relates to the absence of the cliff not being there. And the way a void or emptiness has a meaning.

Though many of Deacons sculptures are large and his titles expand the way we respond (he says he is deeply interested in the way that language relates to the ways in which we perceive things), the artist often prefers to experiment with a smaller idea that gets bigger on its own.

You can start out thinking you are going to make a work about love or death, Deacon muses.

These are big themes ... but when the little ideas grow bigger, it becomes much more engaging. It might really be about unwrapping a loaf of bread, but it can also be about a lot of other things. I think its the concreteness of the particular which launches the work.

Manna is a freelance arts writer.

Richard Deacon: What You See Is What You Get

When: March 25-July 25

Where: San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park

Tickets: Free for members and children 17 and under; $8 for college students with full-time I.D.); $10 for military (active and retired with I.D.) and seniors (65 and older with I.D.); $15 for adults.

Special events: Richard Deacon discusses his work at 11 a.m. March 25 in the Museum Galleries. Ariel Plotek, curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, presents a talk and exhibition tour at 10:30 a.m. April 3. Both events are free with admission.

Phone: (619) 232-7931

Online: sdmart.org
From the Batmobile to the sculpted bust of Beetlejuice, these comic-themed cakes are confection perfection.

And they were popular among the hundreds of professional bakers and dedicated cake eaters at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, on hand Saturday for the first day of the San Diego Cake Show. It continues Sunday.

Until he walked through the doors, Spencer Casady had no idea this world of sculptured sugar existed. The Chula Vista 18-year-old was especially blown away with the roughly 2-foot-tall Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cake that featured the foursome fighting foes around skyscrapers.

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This is really cool, Casady said after snapping a photo of it. I never knew people had this crazy imagination for cakes.

He has good taste in elaborate cake. The Ninja Turtle piece was a replica of the cake that Encinitas resident Monika Stout and assistant Louise Pass whipped up during a Ninja Turtle-themed episode of Cake Wars, a competition show on the Food Network.

The show aired Jan. 2. They won.

The two women also run the San Diego Cake Show, which this year boasts a cartoon theme.

Comic cake is just so typically San Diego, Stout said. And who doesnt love cake?

The event marks the 34th year of the show, which last year moved from the La Jolla Village Square shopping center to an exhibition hall at the fairgrounds. The change drew higher quality entries.

Stout said this years show  which also features demonstrations and classes  is 30 percent larger than last year, in terms of contest entries and vendors.

San Diego Cake Show

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

Where: Exhibit hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar.

Cost: $12 at the door

Info: sandiegocakeshow.com

The show is put on by the San Diego Cake Club, and all the proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego. Last year the event  dubbed confections for a cause raised $10,000.

Pass said competitions such as this one encourage people to really push the boundaries.

Its amazing what people can do basically with sugar, Pass said.

Among the dozens of cake-making contestants was Tiffany Peterson, who fell into it by chance when she got a job in the bakery of a Walmart seven years ago, and one day was asked to try her hand at decorating.

It came naturally, the Fullerton woman said.

It led her to pursue her associates degree in baking and pastry. Now a full-time pastry specialist at Susie Cakes, shes entered about five contests in the last year. This is her second time at the San Diego show.

Its amazing to see all the talent, Peterson said.

Recently retired nurse Joan Rettinger learned of the show through a weekend class for seniors at San Diego City College.

The decorating is amazing. How much work they must have put into it  and the colors are so vivid, she said of a Hagar the Horrible cake.

The 69-year-old came away so inspired she said she is totally going to join the San Diego Cake Club.

One big crowd favorite  takes the cake?  was the intricate Christmas-themed piece, with a design that included store windows filled with tiny toys.

Its clean, its perfect, said Kathy Leyba. Every single little animal, toy, gift box is perfectly made. So much detail.

Leyba, a professional cake maker, drove up from Tijuana to get some ideas and inspiration as she explores a move into crafting 3-D sculpted cakes. She came away very impressed.

And oddly enough, even though the show features cake after cake after cake, folks who go shouldnt worry about temptation to binge. Take it from a teenager.

I dont see it as actual cake  I see it as art, Casady said. When you look at it, your mind doesnt see it as food, so you dont get hungry.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
In a region largely shaped and driven for more than a century by federal spending on the military, President Donald Trumps first budget proposal last week triggered cheers from defense hawks and cries from researchers, academic leaders and others concerned about funding cuts to San Diego Countys scientific, medical and high-tech industries.

Economists agree that Trumps 2018 fiscal plan could buoy the regions defense sector, which has lagged for three years after budget tightening designed to trim the federal deficit. But theyre unsure whether those gains would outpace what could be deep downsizing of federal programs that support non-defense technology, biomedical and environmental exploration in an area that has long tried to diversify its economy  yet still relies predominantly on the armed forces and a constellation of related companies.

Were not quite as boom or bust as we were before, but (the military-defense complex) is still a huge part of our economy, said economist Kelly Cunningham with the National University System Institute for Policy Research.

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The one detail that the president is really planning on is a $54 billion increase in defense spending. Thats pretty key for San Diego. We still have the most military personnel based here in the nation and any increase there is going to help, as far as dollars flowing into San Diego.

In 2016, the federal government inked $8 billion in contracts with San Diego County businesses  $14.9 billion less than in 2009. That was because of the sequestration legislation that Congress had passed in 2011 to cap most federal discretionary spending, especially for the military. The belt-tightening began to bite in 2013, triggering significant cuts to weapons procurement and maintenance projects across the region.

Even with the diminished spending, the county still brought in more than $23 billion in federal funding last year for wages, procurement projects and veterans benefits, according to an analysis overseen by Lynn Reaser, the chief economist at Point Loma Nazarene Universitys Fermanian Business & Economic Institute.

Federal defense outlays last year directly generated one out of every five local jobs and  as the spending rippled through the region  triggered $21.4 billion in additional economic activity, Reasers team found.

Military and otherwise, the federal government is the single largest employer in greater San Diego.

Reaser predicted that the bulk of Trumps proposed budget, if enacted, would help mend the militarys readiness problems created by nearly two decades of wars overseas and the sequestration cuts. That would initially mean more spending on equipment, parts, training, infrastructure improvements and extra troops to ease Navy and Marine Corps deployments overseas.

Trump also wants the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to get a $4.4 billion boost, which could trickle down to the roughly 230,000 former service members who live in the county, Cunningham and Reaser said.

Trumps budget blueprint may be telegraphing future splurging on Navy warships, aircraft and drones, which Reaser said could help local firms and workers in later years, too.

About 10,000 people toil in local shipyards, notably General Dynamics-NASSCO and BAE Systems. Meanwhile, San Diegos Northrop Grumman and General Atomics are leading makers of unmanned aircraft.

Christopher Thornberg, a founding partner of Los Angeles-based Beacon Economics, affirms the militarys leading role in San Diego County but wants residents to pay more attention to what he sees as Trumps assault on most non-defense agencies.

If youre looking at the defense spending and going rah-rah Trump when youre in San Diego, youre really missing the point, he said.

Thornberg pointed to $5.8 billion in proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health, Americas largest underwriter of biomedical research. The president also envisions hefty reductions for agencies that underwrite climate change science, some types of medical training and international relations  all things with a notable footprint in this region.

In particular, San Diego Countys life-science and medical industries together employ tens of thousands of people. More than 20,000 work on the Torrey Pines Mesa in La Jolla alone. The mesa is dominated by UC San Diego, which annually pulls in about $400 million in NIH funding.

At any one time, the university is conducting more than 100 drug trials. It frequently collaborates with nearby private biomedical centers such as the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and The Scripps Research Institute.

The mesa also boasts research units from pharmaceutical giants, including GSK, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

In addition, Thornberg said Trumps budget proposal shouldnt be evaluated without scrutinizing his foreign policies.

Trump continues to threaten trade wars, tougher immigration restrictions and increased taxes on commercial shipments from Mexico, actions that Thornberg said could harm the San Diego and Tijuana economies.

Research in 2014 led by UC San Diego said the CaliBaja region  Baja California and San Diego and Imperial counties  generated $200 billion in annual economic activity and accounted for more than 70,000 northbound commercial and passenger crossings daily.

Economists have said it takes a sustained, multi-year pattern of major shifts in federal spending to make a lasting impact on a metropolitan region, even in a place like San Diego thats heavily reliant on one economic sector.

How did San Diego become such a defense hub?

It started in 1885, thanks to then-rival Los Angeles and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad.

When they built the transcontinental railroad, it ended up going through L.A., said Cunningham at National University. L.A. and Long Beach developed a shipping industry because thats where you came to unload or load up the railroads. San Diego missed on all that. They tried, but partly the geography  the mountains  made it difficult. After they missed out, the forefathers of San Diego said, Well, what can we do?

Around the same time, a former bellhop moved from Minnesota and eventually came to San Diego. William Kettner took up the insurance and real estate trades, then ran for Congress in 1912. The pro-business Democrat was championed by Republicans who coined the campaign slogan, Why not Kettner? It was part of a bipartisan bid to remake a San Diego still agog over the visit of Americas Great White Fleet four years earlier.

When you look at it historically, that was a strategic decision San Diegos leaders made to depend on the economy of defense spending, Cunningham said.

Although he was a freshman lawmaker, Kettner outmaneuvered the San Francisco delegation to win a $249,000 appropriation from Congress to dredge San Diegos harbor, making it navigable for large ships. (The Great White Fleets warships hadnt been able to enter San Diego Bay because it was too shallow. They moored off Coronado, which wasnt lost on Kettner, who served as chair of the welcoming committee.)

Kettner also secured funding to finish the Armys coastal artillery defenses at Fort Rosecrans and the Navys Point Loma coaling station  the first American stop for vessels steaming north from the new Panama Canal.

He curried favor with fellow Democrats like President Woodrow Wilson and a rising assistant secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who looked favorably on San Diegos warm-water port.

Back home, business leaders sweetened Kettners Capitol Hill deals by donating land and buildings for the Navy to use for training. They also piggybacked on the naval aviation experiments of flight pioneer Glenn Curtiss.

Federal defense spending in San Diego County spiked during World War I and continued as the Navy built a Pacific fleet. It surged again in World War II under Roosevelt, now the nations president, and rose yet again when troops went off to fight in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, according to Cunninghams research.

Military Videos  On Now D-Day paratrooper from Coronado jumps again in France  at age 96 On Now Remembering war's fallen, one name at a time On Now In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II 1:43 On Now Video: Navy's newest vessel sails into San Diego and a new future in surface warfare On Now Video: U.S. Navy files homicide charges over warship collisions On Now Stopping Marine hazing On Now Video: U.S. Navy Air Crew Grounded After Creating Vulgar Sky Drawing On Now Navy says Asia Pacific ship collisions were avoidable On Now Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp On Now Cutler Dawson Talks Navy Federal

cprine@sduniontribune.com
A North Park gang member convicted of participating in a racketeering conspiracy involving trafficking teenage girls, robbery and drug sales was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison.

Robert Banks III was found guilty at the end of a two-week trial in San Diego federal court last summer.

Twenty-four people were charged in the conspiracy.

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The indictment targeted the BMS gang, or Black Mob and Skanless, two groups that dont claim traditional gang affiliation but work together to make money, primarily in sex trafficking and drug sales.

Banks was an older mentor to younger members and had created a reputation for himself nationally as a pimp, even winning Player of the Year at a national convention that promotes the pimping lifestyle, prosecutors said. His nickname is Pimpsy.

Banks was convicted of working with others to traffic four 15- and 16-year-old girls, among other crimes.

Unfortunately, more gangs are expanding from traditional pursuits like drug dealing into this lucrative but illegal operation, Acting U.S. Attorney Alana Robinson said in a statement on sex trafficking by gangs. These gangsters are preying on our most vulnerable youth, and we are using every law enforcement resource available to keep our children and our communities safe from these predators.

U.S. District Judge John Houston also ordered the forfeiture of all of Banks personal property, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
When an indictment against nine current and retired Navy officers in the Fat Leonard corruption scandal was unsealed in San Diego federal court last week, it seemed like another version of a now-familiar story of booze, bribes, prostitutes and fraud that has consumed the service for nearly four years.

There was the same litany of misconduct by naval officers of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, from booze-fueled parties in luxury hotels across Asia, expensive meals costing thousands of dollars and salacious details of nights with prostitutes.

And all of it paid for by Leonard Glenn Francis  aka Fat Leonard  a gregarious Malaysian whose Singapore-based company Glenn Defense Marine Asia bribed Navy officials over the course of a decade. In return, he got their assistance so he could defraud the Navy out of tens of millions of dollars.

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Yet a closer look at the 78-page indictment reveals more than just sex and booze. Previous indictments in the probe  so far 25 people have been charged, with 20 of them current or former Navy officials  focused on one defendant or perhaps two and were more narrow in describing the interactions with Francis.

The latest indictment depicts a wider and more coordinated effort by both the officers and Francis, and the steps they took to advance his interests, keep the conspiracy going, and cover up their involvement.

Page after page, sometimes in meticulous detail, the indictment lays out a conspiracy that lasted more than seven years. It shows how this group of officers in the Navys Seventh Fleet worked together, accepting Francis lavish gifts and then many of them enthusiastically doing his bidding, sending him classified ship schedules for port visits, and using their influence to get ships to ports Francis preferred.

These were ports that GDMA controlled, and where Francis was able to inflate bills for the services he provided as a Navy contractor. Francis, who has pleaded guilty and has been cooperating with investigators, admitted defrauding the Navy of at least $35 million in this manner, though the total take is believed to be much higher.

Just how tight this conspiracy was is illustrated by one incident recounted in the indictment. In November 2008, Francis was angry about the Navys Ship Supply Office in Hong Kong.

For years, Francis had battled the staff at the small support office over charges his company submitted for payment for providing services to Navy ships. On more than one occasion the office had questioned the billings or held up payments.

A frustrated Francis wanted someone to press Navy officials to dramatically change the offices authority  or close it down entirely. So he turned to a trusted associate: Capt. James Dolan, at the time the assistant chief of staff for logistics for the Seventh Fleet.

Dolan, known as JD to Francis and others, was only too happy to oblige.

According to the indictment, on Dec. 1, 2008, Dolan sent a long email to a top admiral in the Pacific Fleet, recommending a reduction in staffing at the Hong Kong office that had so angered Francis.

Then he forwarded a copy of the email to Francis with a telling greeting  Who loves you, Brother?

Dolan, now retired, is one of the nine people named in last weeks indictment. All are charged with bribery, conspiracy, and honest services wire fraud conspiracy. One defendant, Capt. David Lausman, is charged with obstruction of justice and making false statements to investigators.

The most prominent individual indicted is now-retired Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless, who was a captain during his involvement with Francis but eventually rose to the rank of admiral and the top-level position of director of naval intelligence operations at the Pentagon.

The indictment depicts him getting meals, fine wines, and rooms at luxury hotels that Francis paid for in 2007 and 2008, as well as participating in a raging multi-day party with a rotating carousel of prostitutes at a hotel in Manila. At the time, he was the assistant chief of staff for intelligence for the Seventh Fleet.

Last week, he pleaded not guilty in federal court in San Diego.

Playing a larger role was Capt. David Newland, the lead defendant in the indictment, who served as chief of staff to the commander of the Seventh Fleet. He was the senior officer for the fleet, overseeing all aspects of the operations.

One of the new elements in the indictment is the depiction of how the defendants at times targeted, vetted and recruited new members  including one from the Australian military  into their group. It was known as a shaping operation, according to email passages excerpted in the indictment.

In August 2007, Chief Warrant Officer Robert Gorsuch, also indicted, sent an email to Francis, addressed Boss, vetting unidentified members of the fleet for possible inclusion in the group. Gorsuch also said he would work up personality profiles for Francis on potential candidates.

A month later, Francis had a dinner with Loveless, Dolan and two other defendants, Capt. Donald Hornbeck and Capt. David Lausman. The purpose was to target and screen other members of the fleet staff into the conspiracy. (Newland had left for a new post in July of that year.) Francis was targeting replacements on the command staff who might be amenable to corruption and asking the group  they called themselves Band of Brothers and Cool Kids among other monickers  to assist.

Francis was confident, according to the indictment. In September 2009, Francis in an email to Cmdr. Jose Sanchez  who was indicted previously and has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes  suggested studying an unidentified captain.

Every sailor has a weakness somewhere? he wrote.

Members of the group also warned him off bad candidates. In May 2008, Francis emailed Lt. Cmdr. Steve Shedd, who was indicted last week. Francis wrote that an unidentified officer had been very cautious around me last night.

Shedd wrote back: That officer is definitely poisoned. Now you can see why I havent attempted to bring him in.

Communication with Francis was done via fake names on email accounts on a foreign email service called Cooltoad. Thats how he received many classified ship schedules. He also was sometimes handed compact discs that had information on schedules for months in advance.

The indictment said the defendants also made demands on Francis, including arranging for prostitutes and booking rooms, as well as other gifts.

In 2007, Capt. Hornbeck had Francis arrange an internship for a relative at a Malaysian culinary school in a Kuala Lumpur luxury hotel. Francis picked up the living expenses totaling $13,000.

Other requests were more personal. In 2008, Shedd, who was back in the United States, asked Francis in an email to bail him out of a large personal debt. He gave him an account number for a wire transfer. Ill get you whatever information you need, he wrote.

Its unclear if Francis paid the debt off. But he did ask Shedd for information on future ship moves.

Hornbeck, Newland and Marine Col. Enrico DeGuzman, who also was indicted last week, each pressed Francis for jobs with GDMA after they left the service.

Francis appears not to have acted on those requests, but he continued to rain down money on the Band of Brothers. He spent as little as $3,000 picking up a hotel tab in Singapore and as much as $55,000 for four nights for a group of sailors  including three of the defendants  at a hotel in Hong Kong. Prostitutes from Manila were flown in for the event.

Lion King, Sanchez wrote in an email after, using a nickname for Francis, once again, the brotherhood is very thankful for everything you provided for this port visit.

Twitter: @gregmoran

greg.moran@sduniontribune.com
Local players UC San Diego academics who signed the letter, with their 2009 salary shown to illustrate the effect of the $245,000 cap on income that counts toward pensions:  David Brenner, dean of the School of Medicine and vice chancellor for health science, $755,897.  Tom Jackiewicz, CEO and associate vice chancellor of the health system, $600,000.  Gary Matthews, vice chancellor, resource management and planning, $226,611.  Thomas McAfee, dean for clinical affairs, $433,059.  Robert Sullivan, dean of the Rady School of Management, $331,373. Source: Sacramento Bee, San Diego Union-Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle

David Brenner

Five UC San Diego academic leaders are among three dozen of the University of Californias highest-paid executives to threaten a lawsuit unless they receive a boost in pension benefits they say was promised to them.

Their demand is outlined in a Dec. 9 letter to the UC Board of Regents obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.

We believe it is the universitys legal, moral and ethical obligation, to increase the benefits for employees earning more than $245,000, the executives wrote. Failure to do so will likely result in a costly and unsuccessful legal confrontation.

The university system estimates that the pension hike would add $5.5 million yearly to its $21.6 billion unfunded pension liability. In addition to that, UC would be on the hook for a one-time $51 million cost to make the increases retroactive to 2007.

To date, pensions are calculated as a percentage of the average of the last three years of pay, capped at $245,000. For a 30-year employee, the maximum pension is therefore $183,750  whether their final salary is $245,000 or much more.

If the cap is lifted, someone making $700,000 could make a pension of $525,000.

The executives who signed the letter say the regents agreed in 1999 to bump pensions once the Internal Revenue Service allowed them to lift the $245,000 cap. The IRS did just that in 2007 over the objections of some taxpayer groups.

Many individuals made a decision to come to the university based on the benefits (offered) when they were being recruited, said Robert Sullivan, dean of UC San Diegos Rady School of Management, who signed the letter. The larger issue going forward is, can anyone whos being recruited trust the salary package thats being offered?

But UC officials said the proposal to increase pensions if the IRS allowed it was never a guarantee, that it was always conditioned on several levels of final approval.

It was never that explicit. The pension increase always required approval from the president..., Steve Montiel, spokesman for the UC presidents office, said on Wednesday.

University of California president Mark Yudof has opposed the pension increases amid controversy over the UCs sizable shortfall in money available to pay pensions promised to existing employees. At the same time, he is aware that UC campuses need the ability to offer salary packages that allow them to recruit top academics, Montiel said.

The president is trying to thread the needle between competitive salaries needed to attract the best talent and fiscal prudence, Montiel said.

To help close the pension gap, the university system is reducing benefits for future employees, raising the retirement age and requiring higher employee contributions. Meanwhile, the regents approved an 8 percent increase in tuition effective next year  on top of a 32 percent increase imposed this year.

Fee hikes in the wake of Californias budget crisis have led to dramatic student protests up and down the state.

The demands from the well-paid academics has sparked outrage by critics who say high public pensions are a burden to taxpayers, especially during such bleak economic times.

People involved in these publicly funded pensions are totally out of touch with reality  the reality of the common resident or taxpayer, said Kendal White of Escondido, who works for a family-owned motorcycle dealership. Its outrageous.

Marcia Fritz, president of the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility, lashed out at the IRS for lifting the $245,000 pension cap to begin with. She went on to say that the current fiscal crisis trumps any 12-year-old plans that might have been made to bump up pension benefits for top UC officials.

Things change. We have to argue with whats going on today. I think this should go to court, Fritz said. They limit pensions under IRS regulations and then somehow they will work with the local agency to get around the caps. Its abusive.

The UC regents will likely take up the issue early next year, officials said. Although Yudof had recommended that the pension hike get rescinded, he is reconsidering in response to the letter, his spokesman said.

Sullivan, the UCSD management dean, said he and his colleagues are not expecting widespread sympathy for their fight. He said the issue at hand is about ethics, and keeping promises, rather than money.

We know that benefits packages and health care have to be reined in, Sullivan said. We are aware that the issue of the day  salaries and retirement packages  may influence this. Opponents will not be sympathetic.

maureen.magee@uniontrib.com (619) 293-1369
Reps. Darrell Issa and Duncan Hunter last weekend faced hostile crowds pressing them on many of the same issues.

They responded much differently at their separate town hall meetings  a likely reflection of their respective political realities.

Hunter engaged some of his angry constituents with direct answers, occasional sarcasm and a bit of gloating. He famously sang the chorus of Queens We Are The Champions  as if his critics and those of President Donald Trump needed to be reminded who won the election.

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And in a rare move for even a Republican, he gave fairly solid support to the GOP health care bill, though he said it still needs work.

At times, he seemed to be enjoying the combativeness. But then he represents one of the reddest of districts and was re-elected in November with more than 63 percent of the vote. Hes drawn a couple of Democratic challengers for next year who by all yardsticks dont present much of a threat at this point.

Its also a district where the Hunter name has long had great currency. As if to underscore that East County has its own political dynasty, the congressmans predecessor and father, Duncan Hunter, showed up for the festivities, looking jaunty in a straw hat.

In a more challenging time, Duncan Hunter the younger might be threatened by growing questions about whether the congressman used some campaign funds for personal use. But that hasnt as yet elevated into the kind of a full-blown scandal that can derail a well-ensconsed incumbent and Hunter at least outwardly has brushed it off like some of the caustic comments hurled his way on March 11.

Hunter seemed so comfortable during the rough-and-tumble session in Ramona that it wouldnt have been a surprise to see him eventually fire up another one of those out-of-town victory cigars he once posed with.

Over on the coast, Issa was more measured and diplomatic at back-to-back SRO meetings in a building at the foot of the Oceanside Municipal Pier. He wasnt going out of his way to antagonize anybody. Whether he did in the past didnt seem to be a concern for him, but now it is.

He remains a national figure but instead of making headlines as the chairman of a powerful committee unapologetically probing the Obama administration on a number of fronts, hes become the poster boy of Republicans whose political life is threatened in the Trump era.

He not only endorsed Trump and campaigned for him  as did Hunter  but badgered reluctant Republicans to get on board during the campaign. His connection to Trump was later hung like an albatross around his neck, though he survived and won the closest congressional election in the nation. It isnt likely to get easier next year.

The once solidly Republican district that straddles San Diego and Orange counties has become less so, as Democrats have begun closing the voter registration gap.

He has since distanced himself from Trump and reminded the crowd that he has called for an independent review of Russian interference in the election. He also expressed a need to change the Republican health care plan  while continuing to disparage Obamacare  and a few days later said he couldnt support it in its current state.

Issa didnt seem to have as many supporters at the Junior Seau Beach Community Center as Hunter did at the Ramona Mainstage, where shouting matches between backers and opponents were a regular feature.

Issa mostly waded patiently through the questions and the barbs. If nothing else, he addressed one of his critics biggest beefs: that he wouldnt hold a town hall meeting with constituents. While not satisfied, some got a bit of satisfaction at being heard.

... I think he felt the heat today, Ken Knight of Vista told the Union-Tribunes Teri Figueroa, and thats good.

Who will be Issas real opponent?

Doug Applegate, the candidate who nearly knocked off Issa in November, is spoiling for a rematch in 2018 and would seem to be much better positioned.

Last year, he was a political unknown, didnt have much money to begin with and seemingly not much ground support. Now hes a familiar name and has shown he can raise serious money.

But he might not be the Democrats choice. Though he nearly won, Applegate had troublesome baggage for any candidate (restraining order, messy divorce, guns temporarily confiscated).

Now the Federal Elections Commission is looking into a $400,000 discrepancy in his campaign finances.

Enter Mike Levin, who just recently jumped into the race. Hes the former executive director of the Orange County Democratic Party, so he would seem to have deep institutional party ties.

If no serious skeletons emerge from Levins closet  or if a higher-profile candidate gets in  dont be surprised if theres a move to push Applegate aside.

Goldsmiths new gig

Former San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith has signed on with Procopio, the big corporate and international law firm based in San Diego, Silicon Valley, Phoenix and Austin.

In announcing the move, the firm described Goldsmiths position as Of Counsel in its Litigation Team.

Asked for elaboration about the job, Kim Jewell, director of marketing and marketing technology for the firm, responded:

As Of Counsel, Jan will be leading teams of attorneys and support staff on a wide variety of matters ranging from government issues to business and business litigation, drawing on his varied experiences as a judge, city attorney, state legislator and private attorney.

Tweets of the Week

Go to Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (@LorenaSGonzalez), regarding her adult daughter, Tierra.

My daughter let me take over her Tinder. I chose her date for tomorrow. I hope Jeremy at Dept of Water Resources is a good guy.

Husband Nathan Fletcher (@nathanfletcher) chimed in enthusiastically: Go Jeremy!

Howd it go?

@LorenaSGonzalez

It was fine. Good. Thats all she will tell me. #DateUpdate
A sport fishing vessel, with 25 passengers and crew members on board, was rescued Sunday morning off San Clemente Island by the San Diego Coast Guard after it started taking on water.

The Coast Guard received a mayday call at 2:50 a.m. from the Truline, a 65-foot-long charter fishing vessel, whose crew said it was taking on water, said Senior Chief Jason Szczurowski.

The Coast Guard immediately dispatched a helicopter and small boat out of San Diego, about 60 miles away, and later sent its cutter, the Sockeye. Also responding was the USS Lake Erie, which sent a boat, equipped with pumps and a three-person rescue team, Szczurowski said.

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Crew from the Sockeye ultimately transferred the 20 Truline passengers to its vessel, and the five crew members stayed on board the fishing boat, the Coast Guard said.

Dewatering efforts to stem the flow of water coming in were successful enough that the fishing vessel, escorted by the cutter, was able to start making its way back to the San Pedro 22nd Street sportfishing landing around 8:30 a.m., Szczurowski said.

The Coast Guards gas-powered pumps on board were sufficient to keep the flooding in check, he added. As of 11 a.m., the fishing boat was still on its way back to San Pedro.

Breaking News

lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-2251 Twitter:@loriweisberg
The Hawaii judge who brought a national halt to President Trumps new travel ban last week has rejected the governments request to limit his ruling.

In a short filing in his Honolulu court on Sunday, U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson told federal lawyers who protested against the broad scope of his ruling that there is nothing unclear about his order against the ban.

The Department of Justice had filed a motion late Friday asking Watson to scale back his decision that found the travel ban to discriminate against Muslims to match a narrower ruling against it issued by a federal court in Maryland.

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On Wednesday, Watson ordered a stop to Trumps 90-day ban on travel into the U.S. by citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and a 120-day pause on refugee resettlement from any country. The judge also stopped the governments attempt to cap refugee resettlement and the compiling of a series of government studies and reports on how refugees and foreign visitors to the U.S. are vetted.

In their Friday motion, government lawyers had asked Watson to revise his ruling to say it did not apply to the refugee ban or to the government studies and reports. Federal lawyers did not abandon their argument that Trumps executive order is constitutional but said the judge should limit his ruling to the six-country ban.

The motion, in other words, asks the court to make a distinction that the federal defendants previous briefs and arguments never did. As important, there is nothing unclear about the scope of the courts order. The federal defendants motion is denied, Watson wrote on Sunday.

If Watson had granted the request, the Hawaii ruling would have largely matched a Maryland federal court order against the travel ban that was issued on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang. The Maryland judge declined to rule against the pause and cap on refugees.

The Department of Justice has appealed Chuangs decision to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va. It could also appeal last weeks Hawaii ruling to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

The original travel ban, signed Jan. 27, was blocked in federal district courts and the 9th Circuit. The new ban, signed March 6 and scheduled to go into effect March 16, was modified in an attempt to pass court muster.

Changes in the new version included deleting Iraq from the list of countries whose travelers would be blocked and removing preferential treatment of refugees who were religious minorities.
Three times in recent weeks, San Diego firefighter-paramedics loaded sick and dying patients onto fire engines to rush them to the nearest hospital.

They could no longer wait for an ambulance, San Diego firefighters union president Alan Arrollado said of his members. They needed to save the patients life.

It is not clear how long fire crews had to wait in the three cases, two in Scripps Ranch and one in San Ysidro. Timekeeping records could not be obtained due to a federal law that protects patient privacy.

But firefighters say they too often wait 20 or 30 minutes, or longer, for the arrival of ambulances from the citys contracted provider, Rural/Metro Corp. of Scottsdale, Arizona.

The matter is difficult to track, because the city places most of its effort on response times  a measure of the initial arrival of emergency personnel, whether its by fire engine or ambulance.

What firefighters are concerned about is a secondary measure of readiness, once a patient has been treated or stabilized on scene and is ready for a ride to the hospital. Too often, they say, the ambulance has not arrived at that juncture.

This is unreal, said one engineer, who didnt want his name published because he is not authorized to speak to reporters. We want our bosses to do their job. We talk to our captains, our captains talk to the chiefs, but it always seems to stay out of the public eye, and nothing seems to change.

Fire Chief Javier Mainar said he and his staff are doing their best to serve patients and to push Rural/Metro to boost staffing and reduce the time it takes to be ready to transport patients from the scene.

SDFD management is holding weekly meetings with Rural/Metro management to address staffing and call-volume challenges that are increasing ambulance response times and in some cases also increasing patient transport times due to a lack of available ambulances, Mainar said in a statement. Mitigation of these challenges is a top priority.

Rural/Metro spokesman Thomas Milton said any delays have been due to a 7 percent increase in the number of calls placed to 911 over the past year, not a staffing shortage. Last year, the department responded to 142,000 incidents, almost 400 a day. Nearly 90 percent of the calls are for medical assistance.

We actually have the paramedics we need, Milton said in a telephone interview from Scottsdale. We just dont have them all certified and out on trucks yet.

Milton said it takes 45 days for paramedics to receive the required certification from the county Emergency Medical Services office. Rural/Metro is working with county officials to speed up the process, he said.

Spokesman Michael Workman said the county has had discussions with the fire department and Rural/Metro about situations in which non-paramedics responded to a call when a paramedic would have been the standard.

We have reviewed two cases, one in July and the other in September, where first-responders decided to transport the patients, Workman said. In both situations, the decision to transport was made based on the medical condition of the patient, not the timing of the transport.

The number of ambulances available for service has a direct impact on the amount of time it takes drivers to arrive at the scene of an accident or medical emergency.

Rural/Metro vehicles respond to calls across the entire city, an area that covers more than 330 square miles and stretches from the Mexican border to Del Mar, and east into the San Pasqual Valley.

The situation with ambulance availability prompted department command staff to issue a bulletin on Sept. 24 outlining how its rank-and-file responders should deal with "Level Zero" situations in which no advanced life support ambulances are available.

The system has experienced an increased frequency of these events secondary to a number of factors including high call volume, current staffing issues faced by Rural Metro, and delays related to turnaround times at hospital offloads, the memo said.

Among other measures, the memo calls for the department to dispatch an advanced life support or ALS engine to emergency calls when Rural/Metro has only a basic life support or BLS ambulance available. According to the company, it has 46 advanced units and 27 basic units in San Diego.

An advanced team is staffed by one paramedic and one emergency medical technician, and carries more advanced medical equipment. A basic crew is staffed by two EMTs, who have less training than certified paramedics.

If a call is determined by (dispatch) to meet Level E criteria (cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, etc.) an attempt will be made to automatically assign a second ALS first responder to the incident, the departmentwide memo states.

Contract rules

Rural/Metro has been in business with San Diego for almost two decades, a partnership that has been marred by accounting and bookkeeping disagreements over the years.

City officials have wanted to put the ambulance contract out to competitive bid since 2011, but a ruling from state emergency-services officials has sidetracked that plan.

The state ruled that county officials are responsible for executing emergency-service contracts, not cities. San Diego city and county both disagreed, and the county has appealed. Meanwhile, in June the City Council granted Rural/Metro a new 5-year no-bid agreement.

Pending the outcome of the countys appeal, the city had no choice but to extend the contract with Rural/Metro, Mainar said. The contract contains an option to issue an RFP (request for bid proposals) in the event the state allows the RFP to move forward.

The San Diego Union-Tribune on Sept. 24 filed a California Public Records Act request for monthly summary reports on ambulance response, as well as transport-time data from the San Diego Fire Department, which the department hopes to respond to by Oct. 19.

While response-time requirements are a critical element of the citys contract with Rural/Metro, there is no rule stipulating that ambulances be ready to transport of patients within a certain number of minutes.

Mainar said such a demand is unworkable because of variables in incident location, proximity to a hospital and patient preference for where they want to be treated.

Transport time is not typically considered a critical metric since the patient is receiving Advanced Life Support treatment while at the emergency scene and in the ambulance en route to the hospital, he said.

Deployment plans

Rural/Metro Corp. provides more than transportation services to local governments. The company also offers fire-protection and other emergency-related services for businesses and individuals across the United States.

The contractor employs more than 7,500 people and responds to some 1.5 million calls for service each year. Its operations span nearly 700 communities in 21 states and are expected to generate $600 million in revenue this year.

Arrollado, the city firefighters union president, said the delays in transporting patients to hospitals is traceable to the citys efforts to cut costs by using a private company.

We believe that public safety should be a public service and not a private, for-profit service, Arrollado said. Outsourcing the work has jeopardized public safety, and it continues today. When we have to transport patients in fire engines, it robs the public of their fire protection and puts them at risk.

Who should handle ambulance services in San Diego? Rural/Metro 15% (155) Another company 26% (266) City employees 59% (596) 1017 total votes.

Milton, the Rural/Metro spokesman, said the hourly wage has not contributed to a backlog in the number of trained and certified staff.

We do pay competitive salaries when it comes to our industry, Milton said. Increasing our wages does add real costs. We do have to have a financial model that is sustainable.

The company pays about $12 an hour for entry-level EMTs and $15-plus to paramedics.

Chief Mainar said the ambulance provider is working to resolve the delays as effectively as possible. He said nine new paramedics are completing training and will be placed into the field in the next several weeks.

Deployment plans are continuously being evaluated by Rural/Metro, and adjustments made accordingly to improve response coverage, he said.

Rural/Metro has experienced serious cash-flow problems in recent years. It filed for bankruptcy in 2013, emerging in December of that year. In August of this year, Rural/Metro was sold for $600 million to the company that owns American Medical Response. Escrow is expected to close by years end.
Regarding Mayors of San Diego and Tijuana renew pact (March 14): This so-called renewed pact is an insult to the citizens of San Diego County, specifically those in the cities of Imperial Beach and Coronado.

I have lived in San Diego since 1979. Spilled sewage from Tijuana has been a chronic and consistent problem over 35 years. It affects real estate values, potential revenues from tourism and the unknown long-term environmental impact.

Yet state and city governments allow it to happen with impunity. Please ask the mayor of Tijuana and the Mexican government to fix the problem. Mayors Juan Manuel Gastelum and Kevin Faulconer should stop making slogans such as building bridges of understanding and reaffirming bonds, which are nothing but political nonsense.

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Mexico needs to be held accountable and financially responsible every time there is a sewage spill.

Jose A. Suarez

Downtown

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The sudden loss of local burger legend Mike Hardin Thursday night stung like salt in a wound for a city that has lost so many favorite sons in short order.

It was exactly a year ago that Jerry Coleman abruptly exited San Diego's broadcast booth as we struggled with the loss of Loren Nancarrow. It was just last month that Bob Bennett, co-founder of The Casbah, the city's favorite music venue, died of natural causes.

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Hardin was found dead Thursday afternoon by staff at a Holiday Inn off state Route 99 in Chowchilla. There was no evidence of foul play, but the coroner's office has ordered an autopsy because it was an unexpected death, a Madera County sheriff's detective said. He said Hardin had checked into the hotel Wednesday night, and friends said he had been in Oregon visiting his daughter.

That Hardin's death is untimely makes it all the sadder.

His knuckles said it all: Boss Man!

The unofficial mayor of Ocean Beach had lived in San Diego since 1969 when his parents opened Hodad's. The burger shop has now expanded to a second venue downtown and a third in Petco Park, thanks to Hardin's cooking and charm and Guy Fieri's national bandwidth.

Hodad's website now boasts "under 99 gazillion" burgers

It was saddled with a sadder message Friday: "The Hodads family is completely devastated by the news of Mike Hardins untimely passing. We will remain closed until Sunday. This is for both the location in Ocean Beach and our location in downtown San Diego. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our customers. We will be open at 11am on Sunday Feb 8th."

That Hodad's apologized at this time makes us all the sadder. And all the more appreciative for what the burger joint does so well: Cooking -- and caring -- for its customers. It treated us like family, which is why we kept and keep coming back, as we grow with ours, first with our friends and then with our girlfriends and then as those girlfriends became wives who became mothers until finally we got to watch our children sit in the bus for their very first time, their eyes as big as the burgers they couldn't wait to eat.

So thanks for the memories, Mike. Thanks for making ...

'The perfect bacon cheeseburger'

San Diegans memorialized Hardin emotionally Thursday on social media, where he was as much of a mainstay as he was in person in our city.

On Facebook, Ted Caplaneris, the owner and manager of the Old Townhouse Restaurant in Ocean Beach since 1973, mourned the passing of his close friend.

"We mourn the loss of our dearest friend, Mike Hardin, otherwise known as Hodad's Bossman. Mike was the kindest, sweetest and most generous man that has graced Ocean Beach. He has never said no to anyone that has asked him for a donation.

"San Diego lost one hell of a man tonight and someone that won't be forgotten by a lot of us anytime soon, if ever! His restaurants will remain a staple in Ocean Beach and Downtown San Diego for a long time to come because of his amazing staff.

"The Old Townhouse family offer our deepest condolences to his son Shane and all of the Hodads family. He will be missed."

The Ocean Beach Town Council added a tribute on its Facebook page: "We are deeply saddened to learn that Mike Hardin (AKA Boss Man of Hodad's) has passed away. Mike was a generous, compassionate, and all-around awesome Obecean. We send our thoughts and condolences to Mike's family and to the entire Hodad's family. RIP Boss Man!"
Immigration attorney Tifany Markee is celebrating 15 years as a legal professional.

More important than the number of years I have practiced is my ability to look back and see my work pay off for individuals, families, and companies throughout the world, said Markee, a Ramona resident and partner at Milner & Markee, LLP. I know that my dedication and commitment to improving my profession has made a true difference, and for that I am very proud. I look forward to the next 15 years with equal excitement.

Markee received her Juris Doctor from California Western School of Law, graduating Magna Cum Laude in May 2001. She is an active member of the California State Bar and American Immigration Lawyers Association. She is also a Certified Specialist in U.S. Immigration and Nationality law by the State Bar of California.

The mother of two internationally adopted children, Markee is one of only a handful of attorneys across the nation with an active practice in the adoption, immigration, and citizenship of foreign-born children. She is a lecturer and mentor in this field and frequently speaks at law schools and professional organizations, including the American Immigration Lawyers Association and Academy of California Adoption Attorneys.

Tifany has dedicated herself to this demanding field of law, and has successfully presented and assisted with cases before the CIS, Board of Immigration Appeals, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Federal District Courts, said Nora Milner, senior partner at Milner & Markee. The firm is very fortunate to have her unique skills and experience in international adoptions.

Milner is also a Ramona resident.

Milner & Markee focuses on immigration and nationality law. The firm maintains two offices, one in San Diego and one in Palm Desert.

For more information, call 858-451-6269 or visit www.milner-markee.com.
A decorated Iraq war veteran whose eyebrow was partially bitten off in a fight at his wedding reception told jurors Tuesday that he voluntarily pulled away moments before the other man lunged and bit him.

His left eyebrow noticeably shorter than his right, Ryan Kessler, 27, testified in the trial of Kevin Gartland, whos charged with aggravated assault.

When asked how it felt, Kessler said: Extremely painful, more or less shock at first.

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It happened, and then there was just sort of extreme pain all of a sudden and blood started running down my face. ... I was just, like, I just got bit. I started screaming, You just bit me.

Gartland, 35, of Fayston, says it was self defense. One of his lawyers told jurors in the trials opening day in Vermont District Court that the wrong man was on trial.

Kessler, a U.S. Army veteran who served tours in Iraq in 2003 and 2005 and earned a Bronze Star, described the unexpected turn of events at the June 28, 2008, wedding reception on his brides parents farm in Duxbury.

He said he came to blows with Gartland after his sister told him Gartland had thrown a drink on her at the reception.

Kessler confronted him, and words led to shoving and then a flurry of punches. The fight lasted only seconds, according to Kessler. He said he had disengaged from Gartland and put his hands up when Gartland - whom he knew only in passing as the boyfriend of his wifes cousin - suddenly attacked, sinking his teeth into Kesslers forehead and gouging out a chunk of flesh and hair.

It was never found, despite efforts by the brides father and others, who combed the farm property with flashlights, looking.

Kessler, who was shown color photos of his face that were taken immediately after the incident, needed plastic surgery to address the wound. Pointing to lumps on the middle of his forehead as he testified, Kessler, of Waterbury, said he may have more surgery.

His wife, Elizabeth King, her voice quavering, testified that she didnt see who threw the first punch in the altercation.

In questioning Kessler and his wife Tuesday, Gartlands lawyers suggested that Kessler was the aggressor and asked him about how many drinks hed had before the fight, which occurred about 11:30 p.m., more than seven hours after the wedding ceremony.

Kessler said hed had two beers, at least one gin and tonic and a shot of tequila, but he told police at the time he wasnt drunk.

Defense attorney Jordana Levine told jurors in her opening statement that Gartland wasnt at fault and that people who know him will testify that he is peaceful and honest.

We are confident that after you have heard from all of these witnesses, that you will determine that the wrong person is on trial, she said.

If convicted, Gartland could get 15 years in jail. Hes expected to testify Wednesday.
This morning we were driving to town to run some errands. And about 3 miles north  at the property called The Venezia  a bit of Venice in Belize  I saw this peeking out

and came to a screaming halt. A Wyndham resort? In Belize? WHAT? Apparently yes. But lets back up a bit. The Venezia del Caribe property has been under construction and pre-construction sale for a while  for at least a few yearsand then for the last 6 months at least, it has been halted. (You can see this post about the opening of a beach bar there in 2015  it has been closed for at least 6 months as well)

You can see the website above  its a development done in Venetian architecture with canals throughout. Experience the unique charm of Venice and the crystal clear water of the Caribbean.

Odd. I have no idea why you would want Venice in BelizeI like Belize in Belizebut maybe thats just me.

Lets back up again.

Belize isnt exactly known for chains of any kind. We dont have McDonalds or Subway or Wal-Mart or Starbucks  but that isnt because its illegal. Belize is a small market (about 350,000 people) and import duties are pretty high.

We DO have a few hotel chains  there is the Ramadas Princess Casino and Hotel in Belize City and the Best Western Biltmore Belize City. Mahogany Bay Village on Ambergris Caye is developing their hotel under the umbrella of Hilton Curio and homes as part of the large magazine/lifestyle brand Coastal Living.

And nowWyndham Grand! I had to look it up to see exactly what Wyndham Hotels & Resorts are. Heres what I foundthe Wyndham Hotel Group includes TONS of brands. Days Inn, Howard Johnsons, Ramada, Super 8, Travelodge and Dream Hotels  it also includes RCI, the largest timeshare company in the world.

Wyndham Grand exists in over 40 locations  larger, luxury resorts.

Wyndham has a NUMBER of franchise possibilitiesunder all of their different names. You buy into the franchises and you get marketing, expertise, systems, etc.

The famous Rialto bridge of Venice recreated in Belize from their website.

The website for the Wyndham Grand Belize is somewhat limited  and very similar to that for Venezia Del Caribe.

So I dont know if there is a new owner or a new investor or just an investment in a franchise. But I do know this will widen the exposure that Belize gets. Will turn up the spot light.

And it would be great if this construction got started again both for those who might have invested in pre-construction and for the caye as a whole.

Do I have all the answers? Not yet. But stay tuned.
It's time for Mr. Flake and McCain to act. They are pledged to uphold our constitution and they need to do their job. Trump needs to be held accountable for: only president since Nixon to not reveal his taxes; continuing to have family run his international business, creating a huge conflict of interest and demonstrating he values his business over the office of the presidency; Trump campaign making multiple contacts with Russians prior to election and proof of Russian campaign to get Trump elected; Trump questioning motivation and competency of our national intelligence agencies undermining their effectiveness; Trump broadly accusing our Free Press of lying when they report on his lies, cabinet nominations selected to unravel the agencies they are assigned to lead; and not holding our President accountable for numerous lies from the stupid (crowd size and margin of victory) to the severe (haven't done business in Russia, Obama wire taps).
FLORENCE, S.C.  The West Florence Fire District has been granted a stay on a court decision that deemed the special purpose district unconstitutional in January.

That means the department is still allowed to operate outside the countys unified fire district.

Dustin Fails, chairman of the West Florence Fire District Commission, said the department will appeal the January decision to the South Carolina Supreme Court.

As of Wednesday, a judge issued a stay on the previous ruling, which means we will not be proceeding with the county and we will still operate as a special district, he said. We will be appealing the decision and expect to have it wrapped up by the end of this year.

While West Florence is preparing for the appeal process, Florence County is following through with plans to merge the special purpose district into the unified fire district.

An ordinance was introduced by title only at the Florence County Councils March meeting to allow officials to begin planning of that process.

No details were given on how or when West Florence Fire would be lumped into the consolidated fire district, but Council Chairman Kent Caudle said that action is based solely on the courts January decision.

We were ordered by the court to have a plan in place by May 5th, which we will do, Caudle said. Its up to them [West Florence] whether they appeal and we carry it any further through the courts. Either way, well be prepared to bring them into the consolidated district.

The original lawsuit was filed by the county in September of 2014 after the district was created by the state legislature in May that year, and alleged that the creation of the special purpose district was unconstitutional and West Florence Fire should be a part of the countys unified fire district.

The West Florence district covers several large neighborhoods and interstate zones in the West Florence area and about 100 addresses across the Darlington County line.
Starr has resigned after the completion of a two year period of restructuring, refinancing and reorganisation.

Peter Rigg, chairman said: Rod has made a significant and transforming contribution to the company. He has created an executive team exceptionally well-qualified to continue the company's development.

Duncan has been responsible for many areas of strength within the company and is a natural successor.

Eley has been promoted from his position of coo, which he has held since May 2013, and boasts over 18 years of experience in the seismic industry in various senior management roles.

He worked with Schlumberger for 10 years supporting marine seismic operations in Europe, Africa and the Americas. Prior to joining Polarcus in 2009, Eley worked for a global strategy consultancy firm across the energy, transport and natural resources sectors.

Polarcus said that under Starr stewardship, the company has gained market share, significantly reduced operating and overhead costs and created additional liquidity through reduced debt payments and a recent private placement of equity.

Starr will continue to work with the executive management team and Polarcus board of directors for a transition period during the second quarter of 2017.
Press Release

March 18, 2017 LP ON ATTACKS VS VP LENI: ORCHESTRATED LIES DIVIDING THE NATION MANILA - The Liberal Party (LP) on Saturday said accusations linking Vice President Leni Robredo to moves to undermine the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte are baseless, orchestrated lies that only harm the country. LP president Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan reminded that the President himself last week declared that Robredo had nothing to do with what he called "destabilization efforts" against him. "Makinig sana ang mga ka-alyado ni Pangulo sa kanya at huwag nang maghasik ng kasinungalingan dahil hinahawahan nila ang buong bayan imbes na pinagbubuklod tayo (The President's allies should take this cue from him and refrain from sowing lies, as this is infecting the nation instead of uniting us)," the Liberal Party president said. Pangilinan observed that this seems to be part of an orchestrated effort to spread lies: from the so-called NagaLeaks to accusations of destabilization. "Ganito rin ang ginawa nila kay Leila: sinisiraan ng mga paratang na walang basehan sa katotohanan (It is the same thing they did to Leila: demonize and vilify with baseless accusations)," he said, referring to the President's critic Sen. Leila De Lima, who is now detained over alleged drug charges. On the other hand, LP secretary-general Rep. Kit Belmonte said Vice President Robredo is not and will not be part of any destabilization moves. "Hinalal siya para maglingkod sa mga Pilipino, at gagampanan niya ang kanyang sinumpaang tungkulin hanggang sa huling araw ng kanyang anim na taong termino (She was elected to serve the Filipinos and this she would do until the last day of her six-year term)," Belmonte added. Key allies of the President have been attacking Robredo following her video message to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, in which she talked about the victims of the administration's brutal campaign against illegal drugs. On Friday, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez threatened Robredo of impeachment for betrayal of public trust for her pronouncements before the international body. Belmonte pointed out that the video message narrated true stories of people who have approached the Vice President to seek help regarding their experience on the government's war on drugs. "They said rogue policemen were involved in the killings. Lumapit sila kay VP dahil wala na silang malapitan (They approached VP because they have nowhere else to go)," he said. The Speaker also accused Robredo of being behind the first impeachment complaint filed against President Duterte on Thursday by Magdalo partylist Rep. Gary Alejano. Alejano himself declared that the impeachment complaint was his initiative, and not anybody else's. Also on Friday, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, Duterte's running-mate in the last elections, tagged LP and its allies as behind a "coordinated" effort to discredit the administration. Cayetano questioned how an impeachment complaint was filed against the President soon after a video criticizing the government's war on drugs was played during a United Nations meeting. Drug Reform Coordination Network, the international NGO that organized the UN event where Vice President Robredo's video was shown, explained that the forum was set months earlier, and that she did not have anything to do with the schedule. "As the organizer of the event at the UN, I can attest that the date of our forum was scheduled months ago by UN staff, and the vice president's office did not make any requests of us as to timing or any other matters. We released it a few days before the session as a media strategy to draw attention to Pres. Duterte's atrocities," said David Borden, executive director of the Drug Reform Coordination Network. Pangilinan said Duterte's allies are spooking themselves for no apparent reason, creating political uncertainty. "They should stop destabilizing the administration and focus instead on the gargantuan tasks of delivering on its campaign promises such as end 'endo' and create jobs, finish the traffic nightmare and ease commuters' lives, and stop corruption and move the country forward, among others," the LP president added.
Press Release

March 18, 2017 LPPCHEA 4th Ramsar anniversary

Villar highlights importance of wetland as bird sanctuary and mangrove haven Sen. Cynthia Villar stressed the importance of the Las Pinas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Eco-Tourism Area (LPPCHEA) as a bird sanctuary and mangrove site on the occasion of the 4th anniversary of the habitat's designation as a Wetland of International Importance. "We don't have to go out of Metro Manila for a place where we could commune with nature. Here is an internationally-recognized place where one can go bird-watching in a setting where diverse species of trees and mangrove thrive," Villar said. On March 15, 2013, LPPCHEA became Site No. 2124 in the Ramsar Convention list of Wetlands of International Importance. Over 2,200 sites in the world are included in this list as a recognition of their "significant value not only for the country or the countries in which they are located, but for humanity as a whole." Aside from LPPCHEA, six other Ramsar sites are found in the Philippines with a total surface area of 244,017, namely: 1. the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan; 2. the Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park in Sulu; 3. the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary in Agusan del Sur; 4. the Naujan Lake National Park in Oriental Mindoro; 5. the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Cebu; and 6. the Negros Occidental Coastal Wetlands Conservation Area in Negros Occidental. LPPCHEA qualified as a Ramsar site because of its compliance with Criteria numbers 2, 4, and 6 under Ramsar's "Criteria for Identifying Wetlands of International Importance", these are: Criterion 2: it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities.

Criterion 4: It supports plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provides refuge during adverse conditions.

Criterion 6: It regularly supports one percent of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird. The 175-hectare of mangrove forest and marine habitat in the cities of Las Pinas and Paranaque serves as sanctuary for 84 bird species, including migratory birds from as far as Siberia. It is the breeding site of the vulnerable Philippine Duck and supports at least 1,000 of the remaining 100,000 remaining Black-Winged Stilts in the world. It has 36 hectares of mangrove forest, accepted as the thickest and most diverse in Manila Bay. To date, 11 species of mangroves are growing in the area. Villar noted that the survival of this nature reserve has been threatened by reclamation projects and poor solid waste management until recently, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) cancelled the environmental clearance certificate ECC) for reclamation projects in the area and prompted proponents to withdraw their plans. "With these challenges out of the way, we can now proceed with the realization of our vision to develop LPPCHEA as a tourist and bird watching destination in Metro Manila," Villar, chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, said. Villar said a memorandum of agreement was signed by DENR, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (SIPAG) for the development of the Las Pinas-Paranaque Wetland Park at LPPCHEA just like the Hong Kong Wetland Park. Under the agreement, DENR will allocate P10 million to build nature trails and the installation of water and electricity in the area and TIEZA will give P45 million for the construction of facilities such as the Wetland Center, birdhides, boardwalk and view towers. Villar SIPAG will donate for the construction of the visitors' center. The Wetland Center will house a wetland museum, a training center, the office of DENR, a restaurant, and a souvenir shop.
Press Release

March 19, 2017 Gatchalian Defends Affordable Higher Ed Act from Criticism Senator Win Gatchalian on Sunday defended the Affordable Higher Education for All Act (SBN 1304) from criticism voiced by student groups and youth organizations upon Senate approval of the bill earlier this week. "Certain groups are convinced that the Affordable Higher Education for All Act will serve as a hindrance to educational access at state universities and colleges. Unfortunately, their convictions are based on a deeply flawed reading of the bill," said Gatchalian, one of the co-sponsors of the measure in the Senate. In a series of statements, certain youth leaders had slammed the bill for allegedly laying the foundation for instituting a mandatory socialized tuition scheme in all SUCs, similar to the one currently employed by the University of the Philippines (UP) system for the assessment of tuition fees. Gatchalian, Vice-Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, explained that the default tuition assessment under the socialized tuition scheme (STS) is the full price of tuition. Thus, a student who does not file an application for a subsidy will automatically have to pay his or her tuition in full. However, Gatchalian pointed out that Sec. 4 of the bill clearly provides that the decision to opt-out of the full tuition subsidy will be based solely on the prerogative of the student. "Essentially, the Affordable Higher Education Act turns the situation on its head. Under this measure, no student will be obligated to pay tuition fees unless he or she expressly chooses to do so. This is a game-changing reform which will immediately benefit SUC students and their families who are struggling to pay for the high cost of college education," Gatchalian said. Gatchalian also brushed aside criticism that the bill does not make education completely free in SUCs due to the imposition of other school fees, explaining that even highly developed countries with free tuition schemes in public universities, most notably Germany, still charge students minimal fees that fund basic services enjoyed by students. "These school fees will still be waived for the most underprivileged students," Gatchalian added. A long-time advocate of education reform, Gatchalian has lauded the Affordable Higher Education Act as a much-needed investment in the country's struggling tertiary education system, projecting that initial implementation of the measure will result in a 27-percent increase in public spending on the SUC system. "The Affordable Higher Education Act is a revolutionary reform that will bring our tertiary education system to greater heights. The key is to sustain this momentum, and to build on this victory to usher in a golden age of education reform in the Philippines," said Gatchalian.
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More than a year after a large concrete chunk of the Bay Bridges tunnel crashed onto the roadway, narrowly missing a motorist, Caltrans has started making repairs  to hundreds of potentially corroded spots on the tunnels walls, The Chronicle has learned.

Repair work on the lower level of the tunnel, which carries eastbound traffic, started quietly at the end of February and is being done during daylight hours, said Caltrans spokesman Bob Haus. The work, which requires lane closures, could continue until June and cost as much as $1.4 million.

Corrosion problems within the 1936-vintage concrete tunnel became obvious on Jan. 30, 2016, after a piece of the wall, the size of a tire, popped loose and landed in front of a car driven by a San Francisco schoolteacher heading home to Oakland. Having no time to stop, she ran over the fallen concrete, causing $3,000 in damage to her car.

Caltrans officials said at the time the incident appeared to be isolated. But further inspections  by federal officials using high-tech imaging equipment that allowed them to peer inside the walls, and Caltrans crews who tapped the tunnel with hammers and listened for hollow sounds  revealed about 200 spots of potential weakness.

If it makes a good solid thud, its in good shape, Haus said of the hammer tests. If it sounds hollow, it may be corroded.

While most of the weakened areas posed no immediate threat of falling onto the roadway, he said, Caltrans decided to repair them all.

It is an 80-plus-year-old bridge, he said, so we decided, just to be on the safe side, lets do them all.

The 1,800-foot Yerba Buena Tunnel, completed in 1936, slices through rocky Yerba Buena Island, carrying Bay Bridge traffic on two levels  westbound on the top, eastbound on the bottom. The tunnel connects the east and west spans of the Bay Areas busiest bridge, which carries about 280,000 vehicles a day.

Caltrans repair crews have already chipped out cracked and crumbled concrete, Haus said. Theyre now patching the damaged spots throughout the lower level of the tunnel with a special mortar that contains fiberglass for reinforcement.

On the upper level, workers are replacing drains and catch-basins that often clogged in the past, causing water to leak into the walls, rust the rebar and result in cracks in the concrete. The bridge deck is being sealed with waterproof materials to keep water from seeping into the walls.

After last years incident, the Federal Highway Administration brought in high-tech equipment to give the tunnel what was essentially an X-ray, Haus said. They used sound-echoing technology, ground-penetrating radar and infrared radar, he said, and discovered cracks or weak areas ranging from inches long to feet long.

Despite the discovery of hundreds of weak spots in the walls, the public was never in danger, Haus said.

We put safety first, he said.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
California legislators who say they are disturbed by the 11-month incarceration in Yolo County of a young boy who fled Honduras and crossed the U.S. border alone want officials to explain his lengthy detention and reveal any other cases like it.

G.E., as he is named in public records, has no criminal record but was detained in the countys juvenile hall even after receiving asylum status. The 14-year-old boy, who fled severe domestic abuse, was released to a Spanish-speaking foster home last Monday, eight days after his story appeared in The Chronicle.

Now state legislators and human rights activists are pressuring local and federal officials to prevent more children like G.E. from being held indefinitely in lockups. A class-action lawsuit being heard in federal court next month will argue that many such childrens rights are being violated.

One of 155,000 unaccompanied minors apprehended by Border Patrol agents in recent years, the boy known as G.E. is among a smaller group of child immigrants who have no known relatives or sponsors to take them in. Concern about their fate is heightened amid President Trumps anti-immigration directives.

Unaccompanied immigrant children who arrive in this country should be treated humanely, not as criminals, said Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco. Wiener, who is chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, is among a group of at least eight California legislators preparing to send a letter Monday requesting information from the Yolo County Board of Supervisors.

These kids have already been traumatized, Wiener added. We need to reduce that trauma, not increase it.

Under a $2.8 million contract with the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, the Yolo County Juvenile Detention Facility in Woodland agreed to house up to 30 unaccompanied minors. The children there have been determined to have committed crimes or are believed to represent a threat to themselves or others.

The federal agency has not commented on the case, but released him to child welfare officials in Yolo County last Monday.

After his release, a statement from Yolo County said the county acted quickly and consistent with the value of doing right by others by facilitating his release from federal custody into a foster home. County spokeswoman Beth Gabor also acknowledged widespread concern for the boy, after an inquiry from Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove (Sacramento County), and plans for a vigil outside the detention facility.

In the latest development, State Senate public safety committee chairwoman Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Oakland, is drafting a letter inquiring about G.E.s case that is expected to also carry the signatures of state Sens. Wiener; Jim Beall, D-San Jose; Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens (Los Angeles County); Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys; Connie Leyva, D-Chino (San Bernardino County); Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara; and Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina (Los Angeles County).

Skinner said the legislators are disturbed by the boys case, particularly descriptions of his extended confinement in a cell, the use of hand and wrist restraints, and his being doused with pepper spray. The boys advocates say that his self-harming and aggressive behaviors noted by detention facility staff were aggravated as his detention dragged on.

We want to meet with the county to ensure that other juveniles being held in the same facility are being held in appropriate and humane conditions, Skinner said, adding that she wants to see children who can be housed in unlocked settings or in foster care released from the detention facility.

The senators also say they will ask the county for more information on how G.E. remained incarcerated despite receiving asylum, and how the county proposes to avoid a similar situation occurring in the future.

Seth Sanders, a UC Davis religious studies professor who organized a vigil for G.E. and other detainees together with the activist organization Indivisible Yolo, said he was ecstatic to see that the Senate was starting to ask questions. The Senate is right to want to know whos in there for what and what are the limits on their treatment?

Last week, Sanders and about 70 other people gathered outside the Yolo County juvenile hall shouting into bullhorns and waving signs reading: Asylum-seeking children never belong in jail and No Human is Illegal.

Immigration rights activists say far more oversight of juvenile detention centers is needed.

In a suit scheduled to go before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on April 18, advocates will argue a case they say shows that G.E. is only one of many unaccompanied minors being housed at local facilities under the jurisdiction of the Office of Refugee Resettlement whose rights to appear before a judge and have their detentions reviewed are being violated.

The unique thing about G.E.s case is that the government continued to detain him after he won asylum, said Holly Cooper of the UC Davis immigration law clinic, which initiated the class-action suit. But hes not unique in that most kids in there have no convictions or juvenile dispositions at all  in their home country or here.

Karen de Sa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kdesa@sfchronicle.com
Im starting to wonder if the media will ever get wise to President Trumps tricks.

I cant help but think that his operation was behind last weeks anonymous drop of Trump tax returns to Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist David Cay Johnston. The news was then heavily hyped by my friend avowed anti-Trumpest Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.

Some 4 million viewers were drawn to the show, but when Maddow opened the envelope, there was no evidence of deals with Russia. There was no evidence of loans from foreign powers to the Trump empire. And, no evidence of Trump dodging taxes.

It was just two pages of a 2005 tax filing that showed Trump had earned $153 million in income and paid $38 million in taxes.

It was probably the most tax-friendly return Trump had ever filed.

Rather than hurt Trump, the ensuing coverage has probably inoculated hin from further discussions about his tax returns. Now, the American public thinks the story has been reported  and there was nothing there.

The Russian connection is still his Achilles heel, but Im told that may ultimately be an empty envelope as well.

A documentary on the history of San Franciscos Chinese Hospital premiered the other day at the Great Star Theater in Chinatown, but for me the real story was in the audience,

The movie follows the hospital from its early days, when it was a clinic funded by Chinese family associations, to the state-of-the-art facility it is today.

But those in the audience who were born at the hospital, including a number of doctors and San Francisco Supervisors Norman Yee and Sandra Lee Fewer, are living proof of its success.

The film was narrated by the late Rose Pak, who, from her many acerbic comments, clearly was not working with a script.

My favorite plot twist in this tale was the screening theaters location, 636 Jackson St., a building owned by Julie Lee, a real estate agent and one of Roses biggest enemies.

I must be showing my age. The other night, the Baby Bull walked out of the back room of Kokkari Estiatorio and gave me a big hug. The amazing thing is how many of those thirtysomethings that I was with had no idea who the Baby Bull was. FYI, hes Orlando Cepeda, the renowned San Francisco Giants first baseman.

The next night, Jed York, the owner of the 49ers, was at Kokkari dining with a group of friends and being sought after for selfies, autographs and high fives. I guess the most recent front office and player decisions are a cause for optimism among fans.

None of the buzz, however, compared with Niners legend Joe Montanas visit the next night.

Some things never change.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

San Franciscos Recreation and Park Department is reaching out, and Im helping. It wants to light the Conservatory of Flowers the way City Hall and the Willie Brown Bridge are lit for artistic display.

The same genius who lit up the bridge, Ben Davis, and the same lighting experts, Obscura, are doing the deal.

Its great idea. We ought to be recognized as a city of lights. So, for my birthday Monday, you can join me at the Devils Acre, but bring a donation. Checks made payable to the SF Parks Alliance, no cash. We need to raise $100,000 to complete the task. The fun starts at 7 p.m.

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.

By the way, the food and drink are on Devils Acre and me.

Movie time: Kong: Skull Island. Dont let the name of this latest King Kong adventure scare you. This is one clever and fun remake of the classic monkey movie, and this time everyone will be rooting for our big furry hero. Its not in New York, but on some faraway island. Samuel L. Jackson plays a whacked-out Vietnam vet, and John Goodman is one of the bad guys. Those two performances alone are worth the price of admission.

For years, San Franciscos transit policy has been aimed at getting people out of their cars and onto transit.

Well, not only are people getting out of their cars, theyre getting out of the buses  and cabs too  because traffic is so bad it makes more sense to walk.

What was once an eight-buck cab ride from my apartment at Third and Mission to my office on the Embarcadero has been costing $21. The ride, typically five minutes, has turned into a 20-minute crawl, thanks to all the high-rise construction along the route.

So now I walk. You might try it too.

Who knows? We may pass each other, and you can tell me how you feel about me, the city and this column.

Heck, everyone else does.
Philip P. Choy, a retired architect who was the dean of Asian American historians, died at his San Francisco home Thursday at age 90.

Mr. Choy, who also was a teacher, an author and an advocate for civil rights, had been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. He was a self-taught historian who became an expert on the Chinese American experience.

He believed the contributions of Chinese Americans to the development of the nation had been ignored in standard American history books.

He said that we had been denied the right to tell our story, said Connie Young Yu, an old friend and a historian in her own right. It is an American story.

Mr. Choy devoted much of his life to explaining the history of his people in the United States. He taught and lectured in schools and colleges, and wrote or co-wrote four books on Chinese American life. Mr. Choy and Him Mark Lai, another historian, taught the first ethnic studies course in Asian American history at San Francisco State University in 1969. Until then, it had never been taught in the U.S., but the course has since become a model for similar college programs.

We have lost a giant, said Sue Lee, executive director of the Chinese Historical Society of America.

He is irreplaceable, said Anthea Hartig, executive director of the California Historical Society.

Mr. Choy was a third-generation San Franciscan, born in the city on Dec. 17, 1926. He attended local schools and was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, and went through basic training in Mississippi. Though he had experienced prejudice against Asians in California, the treatment of black people in the South opened his eyes.

Blacks were required to sit in the back of the bus, and public facilities were segregated. Because he was Chinese, he was not affected, But it bothered him a lot, said his son, Randall.

After his military service, Mr. Choy went to UC Berkeley on the GI Bill and majored in architecture. He worked for an architectural firm for a while but was told he would not get a senior position because of his race and quit to set up his own practice, which he ran until he retired in 2000.

In the meantime, he became interested in history and was elected president of the Chinese Historical Society of America.

He had been invited to the centennial of the transcontinental railroad in 1969 but was incensed by the lack of recognition to the Chinese role in the project.

The western half of the railroad  the Central Pacific  was built by Chinese labor, including difficult construction in the Sierra Nevada. But when the secretary of transportation delivered the keynote address, he said, Who but Americans could have built this railroad?

My father was furious, Randall Choy said, and he made his views very well known. He gave an interview to The Chronicle that ran on Page One and attracted wide attention.

Mr. Choy became the face of Chinese American history and received many honors, including a presidents medal from San Francisco State in 2005 and the Oscar Lewis Award for history from the Book Club of California in 2011. Mr. Choys first book, co-written by Him Mark Lai and published in 1971, was titled Outlines: The History of Chinese in America. He followed that in 2007 with Canton Footprints: Sacramentos Chinese Legacy and The Architecture of San Francisco Chinatown in 2009.

He also had a major role in the restoration of the Angel Island Immigration Center and taught and lectured widely. His last book, San Franciscos Chinatown, was published in 2012.

Mr. Choy was a courtly man, unfailingly polite, and loved to tell the story of the Chinese in this country. He was quietly powerful, the California Historical Societys Hartig said.

Mr. Choys wife, Sarah, died in 2015. He is survived by a daughter, Stephanie Choy of San Francisco; sons, Randall Choy of San Francisco and Brian Choy of Oakland; and six grandchildren.

Plans for a memorial service are pending.

Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cnolte@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carlnoltesf
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.

Monday

Political discussion: Panel talk on how to be involved at the local, state and federal level, hosted by the United Democratic Club. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 6 union, 55 Fillmore St., San Francisco.

Climate change discussion: Occupy Sonoma County asks, Is Global Climate Disruption Happening to Us or For Us? The event is free and will focus on how humans impact climate change. It is from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Peace and Justice Center, 467 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa.

Tuesday

Protest: The Bay Area Resistance is calling for a boycott of banks to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline and other projects it opposes. A rally will be held at 5 p.m. outside the First Congregational Church, 2501 Harrison St., Oakland. The rally is followed by a march to Wells Fargo, Chase, Bank of America and U.S. Bank in Oakland.

Thursday

Panel on women: Hosted by the California History Society, a panel on the roles women played in resistance and social protest movements in the Bay Area during the 1960s and 1970s. The event is free for members, $10 for nonmembers. It is at 6 p.m. at the California Historical Society, 678 Mission St., San Francisco.

March 25

Summit: The California Clean Money Campaign is hosting a summit on how to get dark money out of politics. The event is from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 505 East Charleston Rd., Palo Alto. Register: www.yesfairelections.org.

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.

Danville town hall: Hosted by Mayor Renee Morgan with Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, state Sen. Steve Glazer, Assemblywoman Catharine Baker and Contra Costa County Supervisor Candace Andersen. The event is from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building, 400 Hartz Ave. Contact Nat Rojanasathira, assistant to the town manager, at (925) 314-3328 or nrojanasathira@danville.ca.gov for more information.

March 29

Political discussion: Panel talk on sanctuary cities, as well as stories of immigration challenges. The event featuring immigration attorneys and former members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors begins at 6:30 p.m., 3271 18th St., San Francisco.
In addition to checking out and re-shelving books, San Francisco library staffers may soon be trained to give lifesaving medication to reverse overdoses among the growing number of heroin users mixing in with the homeless in and around the Main Library.

It does save lives, City Librarian Luis Herrera said of the plan being floated to allow his staff to administer naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan. The idea surfaced after an addict was found dead in one of the Civic Center librarys restrooms in early February.

Alarmed by the scope of the problem, the Department of Public Health assigned a couple of staffers to patrol the perimeter of the library last week in two shifts  one between 9 and 10 a.m. and the other between 5 and 6 p.m.  to talk with people who appear to be at risk and to administer the opioid-blocking drug when needed.

San Francisco is a city with lots of drug use, health department spokeswoman Rachael Kagan said, and we consider people with drug-use issues part of the population we feel responsible for.

She said the patrol hours were set based on feedback and observations on when drug use is the heaviest among the people who gather there.

The library also has a social worker and six formerly homeless health and safety associates who scour the Main Library and its 27 branches and provide outreach to those in need. Plus there are city police officers assigned to work overtime in and around the Main Library.

In a Feb. 28 email to his staff, Herrera cautioned that no decision about training librarians to treat overdoses with naloxone would be made without fully exploring the matter.

Furthermore, he added, if we determine that library staff may use it, it will be on a strictly voluntary basis.

Naloxone typically is administered by a nasal spray or leg injection  were told the library staff probably would be taught the spray method, with assistance from the Drug Overdose Prevention & Education Project. The group, which is funded by the Department of Public Health, already hands out naloxone to addicts through its needle access program.

San Franciscos Main Library has become a magnet for the citys exploding homeless population. Coincidentally or not, the neighborhood has seen epidemic numbers of users of heroin and prescription painkillers  opioids such as codeine, morphine and OxyContin.

Just around the corner, in fact, BART police arrested 27 suspected drug users last week during a three-day sweep of the Civic Center Station.

Library security guard Gloria Cowart has watched the passing show for years, as San Francisco police officers chase neighborhood drug dealers and addicts from one corner to the next  and back again. The addicts often wind up inside the library, shooting up in the stacks or restrooms.

We might catch somebody (shooting up) once or twice a week, Cowart said. There is nowhere for them to go.

In 2016, the Main Library tracked 689 instances of patron misbehavior, ranging from vandalism and altercations to verbal disturbances and drug use. Of those incidents, 72 were described as severe violations that merited the patron being suspended from the library for a year or longer.

Separately, records compiled by the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management show fire or ambulance crews were dispatched to the Main Library 138 times last year.

Fire Department spokesman Jonathan Baxter, who was assigned to a station in the Civic Center area for eight years, said the calls often involved homeless people who were intoxicated  though some were for injuries and ailments from living on the streets.

Mel Evans/Associated Press

The health departments most recently available estimates are from 2012 and put the number of addicts injecting drugs in San Francisco at between 15,000 and 22,000.

San Francisco has taken a compassionate approach when dealing with the problem, offering both free and unlimited access to syringes, plus methadone treatment on demand to help people better manage their addictions.

City police and emergency workers have long been trained how to administer naloxone, which has been in use for decades.

The overdose prevention project, operating on a $245,000 annual budget, not only hands out naloxone to addicts, but also trains welfare hotel staff and community service workers to identify signs of overdosing and how to dispense the lifesaving medication.

In 2014, there were 127 fatal opioid overdoses in San Francisco, the vast majority from prescription medicines, Kagan said. The same year, there were 365 overdose reversals with naloxone, she said. In 2016, the number of reversals more than doubled, to 877.

When an overdose occurs in the library, we are the people most likely to be on the scene, not emergency responders, librarian Kelley Trahan recently told colleagues at a staff meeting, urging that they get on board with the naloxone program.

Drug use should not be punishable by death.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
At 577 Fifth St. in Oakland, Jordan Stern has built a wind telephone to commemorate the folks who died in the Ghost Ship fire, including his friend and Laney College classmate Denalda Siegrist. It aims to provide solace to what Stern describes as a field of people grieving in Oakland. The sign inside the handmade phone booth: Welcome to the Oakland wind telephone! A wind telephone is a magic device that allows you to call your dead loved ones. Just dial their numbers and say hi!

Stern learned of the wind telephone concept, which originated in Japan, in an NPR report. The old-model phone, accessible all the time, is in a three-sided enclosure on a porch in front of Oakland.Secret, a community art space he describes as a gallery and oddity shop.

The wind telephone has been there for about a month and a half, during which the guest book has been signed by a lot of people, he says. No one has disturbed or vandalized it in any way so far.

Subject to be discussed at the bargaining table when an end to the war between men and women is being negotiated:

On March 8, International Womens Day, Rick Larder wore a red tie and met his wife, Carol Jones, at lunchtime, so he could join her in the Womens March. On Market Street, some young women were handing marchers salted chocolate chip cookies. A polite man, he thanked them in advance, only to be told, Sorry, sir, theyre just for women today.

I was amused, says Jones, but he felt terribly discriminated against. She shared the cookie with him.

A local man who was in Seoul last week, when Korean President Park Geun-hye was kicked out of office, says the citizens who filled the streets afterward were in a mood of high excitement, both in protest and in celebration. It was like a giant rock concert, the streets jammed with a crowd so big that it was as though Market Street were full all the way from the Ferry Building to City Hall. Three stages were set apart for three different political mind-sets. He found himself watching somewhat longingly, wondering if perhaps hed seen just the first of two impeachments this year.

Question posed by 16-year-old Eli Eccles to his mother, Cheryl Eccles: Mom, for the prom, Bayla said that I need a cucumber gun for my tuxedo and a burgundy and white wrist corset. Do you know what shes talking about?

Many readers wrote about the music that turns them on. To Hobart Bartshire, its the Deads The Other One; Barbara Johnson has listened to Ravels Bolero many times, but last time she listened, she was surprised at the depth of my emotional response; Mark Hein gets goosebumps too numerous to specify while listening to Bartok quartets; James Brezinski first heard Stravinskys Rite of Spring on a 78 rpm record he found in a trash can, and he still likes to hear it in scratchy form; for Candace Forest, its Samuel Barbers Adagio for Strings; Tom Rose is moved by Richard Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra; Suez Lycett has been moved to tears by the third movement of Beethovens Seventh Symphony which sounds like someones heart breaking; as Gil Deane raves about the last moments of Verdis Otello: The anticipation of the thrilling impact is as strong as the thrill itself.

Were all stirred by music, and there were many responses to this query. But the original purpose was to find out what music turns on the musicians who are playing it. Lower brass? Woodwinds? Strings? Percussion? Where are you?

Driving south on Highway 101 in Marin, Gary Tobin noticed that an officer in a sheriffs department vehicle had pulled up on his left, and seemed to be keeping pace with him. Immediately wondering what hed done wrong, he became more and more anxious as he drove. When he slowed down, the other car slowed down; driving up to speed, the other car did the same. I was getting a little restive.

When he glanced up at the driver, to see if he was looking at me ... he was flashing me the live long and prosper Star Trek salute. I acknowledged him, and he drove off. Tobins license plate is BME UP1.

Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @leahgarchik

Public Eavesdropping

My mom, like, constantly plays Paul McCartney songs. ... He was, like, in a band called Wings, like, 100 million years ago.

Young woman to young woman, overheard in Cole Valley by Steve Heilig
We review all the ways to get your weed card in 2017

Since legal sales of marijuana to any adult 21 and over will not begin until Jan. 1, 2018, in California, the states medical marijuana system remains the only way for most people to access cannabis legally.

But getting into one of the states thousands of pot shops always requires a doctors recommendation  not a prescription. A recommendation is just a note saying a doctor thinks you might benefit from the medicinal herb.

There are dozens of ways to get your recommendation, from your primary care doctor, to online clinics, to special booths at pot events that pop up around the state. The cost and experiences can vary enormously, from high-tech and a bit surreal, to an urban adventure.

Below we review the Bay Areas premier, and less premier, medical cannabis doctors to see what the experience of getting your rec looks like now in the post-legalization era.

ONLINE

HelloMD

Online website and app

Cost: $49 for consultation and medical recommendation

Clean: 4 of 5 stars

Inviting: 4 stars

Establishment age: 2 years

HelloMD began as a general health website, then two years ago went all-in on cannabis, becoming a network of doctors and users (and cannabis businesses promoting their wares). You can pick up simple medical information and clinic listings here, but Californians can also get nearly immediate online access to a doctor and a medical card recommendation. Once you join online and download the iOS app from iTunes or the Apple app store, the process is easy: Youll fill out basic medical info, upload a photo and a scan of your drivers license, then join a virtual queue. I waited about 15 minutes to video-chat with Dr. Ulin Sargeant, who gave me crisp, clear info on what kind of cannabis was suitable for my symptoms (insomnia, anxiety)  he even told me, a first-time user, Dont try this on a weekday.). It was a bit off-handedly surreal, but I felt free to ask questions; Sargeant had a comforting video-side manner. And once we signed off, there in my inbox popped up a downloadable recommendation; the actual card arrived via mail in two days.  Kitty Morgan (hellomd.com)

Meadow MD

Cost: $100

Inviting: 5 stars

Establishment age: 2-plus years

The days of putting on shoes to visit the doctors office are officially over. With Meadow MD, prospective medical-cannabis patients are but a few clicks and a credit card number away from a video consultation with a licensed physician. The 30-minute appointment is not only painless, but also informative. Lead physician Dr. Dan Price provides clear and in-depth feedback with keen professionalism. The site itself also features plenty of helpful information and tips, presented in sleek, graphical form. The doctors recommendation is sent via an encrypted email, ensuring consumer protection and confidentiality. Appointments are widely available.  Spencer Silva (meadowmd.com; (415) 488-8952)

EazeMD

Cost: $40; $55 with plastic ID card

Clean: As clean as your living room: 5 stars

Inviting: 5 stars

Establishment age: Since July 2015

If telemedicine can bring doctors to remote corners of Alaska, it can bring a cannabis recommendation to your living room. EazeMD, connected to the cannabis delivery service Eaze, is a free mobile app for both Apple OS and Android devices. After entering your information into EazeMD, whose design is reassuringly minimalist, a doctors face appears on your phone to conduct a virtual consultation. Seconds after he or she approves the recommendation, youre free to shop on Eaze; a paper copy follows in five to seven days.  Jonathan Kaufmann (No address or phone; 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; eaze.md or find in the Apple app store or Google Play)

PrestoDoctor

Cost: $69.99

Inviting: 4 stars

Establishment age: 2 years

An online evaluation couldnt be more convenient  all you need is a computer with a webcam, a valid ID and a comfy chair. Prestos site is well-designed and easy to navigate. After filling out the questionnaire and uploading a profile and ID photo, select the day and 10-minute window for your video conference. Log in to the virtual waiting room at the scheduled time and wait for the doctor to sign on for a live chat. Dr. David Nguyens evaluation was professional and informative. A temporary copy of the recommendation was emailed minutes later; the card arrives in the mail three to five days later. Good to know: As with a real waiting room, your evaluation may not start on time.  Deb Wandell (www.prestodoctor.com)

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

SAN FRANCISCO

MMJ Doctor

Cost: $69.99 for new recommendation (ID card $20 more)

Clean: 

Inviting: 5 stars

Establishment age: 3.5 years

It may not be bargain-priced, but MMJ Doctor makes up for its $69.99 fee with excellent service  and efficiency. The friendly front-desk staff may answer questions you didnt even know you had; the helpfulness of their advice rivals the doctors. Either way, the office provides an exceedingly comfortable environment. And if you dont feel like shouldering the $3 ATM fee, they accept bitcoin.  Esther Mobley (1884 Market St. mmjdoctor.com; (415) 554-0171; 11 a.m.-7 p.m.)

Priceless Evaluations

Cost: $95 for first-time patients; $75-$85 for renewal

Clean: 5 stars

Inviting: 4 stars

Establishment age: 6 years

Priceless Evaluations is a tiny storefront tucked away in the heart of the Mission District. Admittedly, its on the pricey side: A $95 evaluation gets you two copies of your recommendation and a plastic ID card. If youre renewing your recommendation, make sure to check their website for coupons. Crowds at Priceless are minimal, with wait times usually under an hour for walk-ins. Once you get into the doctors office, youre in and out in a matter of minutes.  Nastia Voynovskaya (2533 Mission St.; PricelessEvaluations.com; (415) 970-2236)

Greenway

Formerly SoMa, now digital-only

Cost: $150 for new customers, $90 to renew

Clean: N/A

Inviting: 3 stars

Establishment age: 7 years (est. September 2009)

Greenways Dr. Rachna Singh recently decided to pack up her Mid-Market practice and go online only. She now books virtual appointments through Hellomd.com and a chat app that you download. This could be handy if you cant leave the house, but may be too newfangled for the old-school patient. Recommendation printouts are available the same day. Dr. Singh can be difficult to reach as the number on the website only leads to a recording.  Ted Andersen (Formerly located in S.F.s SoMa. Now virtual appointments booked online only; greenway420.com; (415) 777-0157)

Green Evaluations

Cost: $49 new patients, $39 renewals

Clean: 3 stars

Inviting: 3 stars

Establishment age: TK years

Getting your green card from a clinic on Haight probably feels appropriate for those who remember scoring dime bags in the nearby park. Add that the location is above ultra-cool Amoeba Records and youve got a great story for your next cocktail party. Evaluations are quick and no fuss: If you make an appointment you can probably make it out in a half hour and be back riffling the old vinyl in no time. Tony Bravo (1855 Haight St.; sfgec.com; (415) 831-1032)

EAST BAY

Medical Offices of Dr. Frank Lucido

Berkeley

Cost: $250 (Under 18, $600)

Clean: 5 stars

Inviting: 5 stars

Establishment age: 35 years (medical cannabis since 1996)

Dr. Lucido is one of the foremost medical cannabis experts in the world. Whether it be many of the industrys top professionals or pediatric patients from across the country, people come from far and wide in search of his expertise. Dr. Lucido is also recognized as an expert witness on medical cannabis by the state of California, so when hes not helping sick kids you can find him explaining plant counts and dosing to judges and juries. His Berkeley office is one of the warmest and most inviting youll find when getting your recommendation.  Jimi Devine (2300 Durant Ave., Berkeley; DrFrankLucido.com; (510) 848-0958)

Oakland 420 Doctor

Oakland

Cost: $55 for six months; $80 for one year.

Clean: 4 stars

Inviting: 3 stars

Establishment age: 7 years

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Oakland 420 Doctor is a straightforward, no-frills establishment. It is a reliable and relatively quick stop for a medical card  appointments are not required, and if you visit during daytime on a weekday, its unlikely you will have to wait in line. The environment is reminiscent of a government office building  not grimy, but less focused on ambiance than some other local options. The strictly business staff is fairly knowledgeable and not unfriendly, but likely wont give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, either. Medical doctors are on-call to provide private consultations in a back room during most normal business hours, and their knowledge about medical cannabis options and laws is extensive. If you qualify, youll have the option to get a photo-ID medical card printed on the spot. Located along downtown Oaklands International Boulevard, this is not the coziest atmosphere in town, but its central and convenient.  April Short (2700 International Blvd, Suite 23, Oakland, CA, 94601; (510) 532-2575 or

(510) 866-6217; Oakland420doctor.com)

Compassionate Health Options

Oakland

Cost: $90

Clean: 4 stars

Inviting: 4 stars

Establishment age: 8 years

Ring the alarm! Theres reggae music playing in the waiting area. While the cold leather furniture doesnt suggest compassion or health, at least this place is speedy. The recommendation was printed (the card was an extra $15!) in 30 minutes. The doctor hand-drew cannabis charts based on the evaluation. The best part of the visit  even better than it being close to BART  was the conversation with the friendly receptionist.  Otis Taylor Jr. (1322 Webster St., Suite 401; www.green215.com; (510) 465-0420)

420 MD

Oakland

Cost: $65 (new patients) / $55 (renewals) plus $20 for identification card

Clean: 3 stars

Inviting: 3 stars

Located conveniently close to the MacArthur BART Station, this office offers a simple, straightforward experience in a casual and comfortable, but no-frills environment. Bring a book or a fully-charged phone and lots of patience, because even with an appointment, you can plan to spend some time in the waiting room to see the doctor after filling out a few pages of paperwork. Beware of parking  theres often little street parking available and you may get a ticket if you park across the street in another business lot, so plan accordingly.  K. Astre (2633 Telegraph Ave, Suite 109, Oakland, CA 94612; 420md.org; (510) 832-5000)

Naturally Healing MD

Albany

Cost: $99 for 1st-time patients (renewals $75)

Clean: 5 stars

Inviting: 5 stars

Establishment age: 17 years

For Dr. Laurie Vollen, the effectiveness of cannabis is all about the dose. At her practice on Albanys pedestrian-oriented Solano Avenue, Vollen recommends that patients start small and incrementally increase their intake to achieve relief. To encourage micro-dosing Vollen provides patients with a 10mg baby spoon as an effective starting point and encourages a diary of consumption habits. When selecting cannabis, Vollen recommends patients set aside cannabis varietal names like indica or sativa and place the focus on terpene profiles instead. Terpenes are the aromatic and flavor molecules in cannabis, which can alter their effects.  Ellen Holland (1201 Solano Ave. #203; naturallyhealingmd.com; (510) 550-7500)

Norcal Healthcare

Oakland

Cost: $125 for first-time patients

Clean: 3 stars

Inviting: 3 stars

Establishment age: 10+ years

Norcal Healthcare is located in arguably the most nondescript, undecorated office in all of downtown Oakland. But we knew we were in the right place because Alice in Wonderland played on the big-screen TV in the waiting area. There was a longish wait for our 2 p.m. drop-in appointment; the no-nonsense receptionist who answered the phone recommended arriving early. Once we started, the doctor couldnt have been more attentive, answering very basic questions in an unrushed, straightforward manner, and offering useful advice. That said, the $125 price ($5 more for a wallet-size card) for a first-timer seemed very high - even for an office a couple of blocks from Oakland dispensaries.  Peter Hartlaub (449 15th St., Suite 104, Oakland; norcalmdrx.com; (510) 839-0723)

PENINSULA

Be Legally Green

San Carlos

Cost: $80 / $60 for renewal

Clean: 4 stars

Inviting: 3 stars

Establishment age: 6 years (2009)

In an out-of-the-way location in a light industrial complex near Highway 101, Be Legally Green provides a no-frills, functional yet friendly setting in which to consult with a physician. Making an appointment online ensures a speedy visit, although patient traffic is often light on weekdays. Ample parking available. Cash only; no credit, debit cards or checks accepted. Best to bring documentation about medical conditions that necessitate a cannabis recommendation. Carolyne Zinko (887 Industrial Road, Unit I, San Carlos, belegallygreen.com; (650) 669-40621)

Know a quality cannabis physician we missed? Had a bad experience you want to share? Email David Downs, Chronicle cannabis editor at ddowns@sfchronicle.com
Good morning Mick: Not all movies that win the Academy Award for best picture deserve to win. What movies have truly deserved the best picture Oscar?

Paul Sheinfeld, San Rafael

Good morning Paul: Of all the Oscar categories, best picture winners have dated the worst. At least a third of the movies are barely watchable. Theyre just big and mediocre. But since you asked for the good news, Ill give you my favorite winners for each decade. The Broadway Melody (1929), Grand Hotel (1932), Casablanca (1943), All About Eve (1950), My Fair Lady (1964), The Godfather (1972), Amadeus (1984), Schindlers List (1993), Million Dollar Baby (2004) and The Artist (2011). That would make a good film appreciation class, wouldnt it? Best of the best pictures.

Dear Mick LaSalle: Seemingly, Academy voters yielded to pressure from the backlash of there having been no black nominations last year by voting Moonlight as best picture. Which is worse: Denying an award because of race or giving an award because of race?

Dan Wichlan, Pleasant Hill

Dear Dan Wichlan: Thats a trick question. Obviously, neither is worse because ultimately theyre identical. If you deny someone an award because of race, youre giving it to someone else based on race. And if you give someone an award based on race, youre denying it to someone else because of race. But thats not really what happened with best picture this year. Look at it this way: Among the best picture nominees, there were four plausible winners  Moonlight, Fences, La La Land and Hacksaw Ridge. You could make a strong case for any one of those. At a certain level of quality, choosing just becomes a matter of personal preference. Sure, its possible that Moonlight would not have been released, distributed and promoted with the same fanfare without the protest of a year ago. Maybe, maybe not. But ultimately thats irrelevant, because it really was one of the best movies of the year, and it compares well with best picture winners of other years. The reason La La Land lost in an upset has more to do with the ranked voting that was instituted in 2009. Since then, most of the morning-line favorites  Lincoln, Revenant, Avatar, Boyhood, The Social Network  have lost.

Dear Mick: When I was an early teen, I became fixated on the French movie Sundays and Cybele (1962) and saw it five times. Of course, Ive changed a bit since then, matured, probably, and consequently may have lost some of the staggeringly shattering emotions certain films engendered in me. I am wary of watching it again. If you were me, what would you do? Hang on to a vague but precious memory, or take a chance of spoiling it?

Rocky Leplin, Richmond

Dear Rocky: Id see it again. Id see it tonight. Ultimately, the important element here is not the movie, its you. You had a profound emotional response, which is real, whether you still love the movie or not. When you see it again, youre not going to discover how the movie has changed, because it hasnt. Its been sitting in a film can minding its own business for nearly 55 years. Youre going to find out how youve changed. And given the fact that you still care about this experience you had so long ago, I dont think youre going to find out that youre dead inside. If you were dead inside, you wouldnt care. Rather, I think youre going to find out that youre alive inside in ways you werent before, and youre going to come away with a deepened understanding of the movie, yourself and your younger self. Just one bit of advice: Watch it alone. This is a private thing. You have to honor that. Share it with someone else only after youve renewed contact both with the movie and the part of yourself that Sundays and Cybele represents. And then  most important of all  write back and let us know how it went.

Have a question? Ask Mick LaSalle at mlasalle@sfchronicle.com. Include your name and city for publication, and a phone number for verification.
Im not one of those hard-core lefties who think all life must be suspended until President Trump is defenestrated from the Oval Office. Yes, barricades must be mounted, distress flags flown. But the battle for Americas soul is never-ending. So in the meantime, martinis must still be served, weddings and funerals attended, and guilty pleasures indulged. One of mine is watching gloriously tacky old Hollywood movies in the privacy of my home on the TCM channel. Somehow I had missed one of the most glorious and tacky of all, The Sandpiper, the steamy 1965 melodrama starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, until the film rolled around this month during TCMs tribute to Burton.

Set along the sands and cliffs of Big Sur, The Sandpiper tells the tale of a tortured and breast-heaving affair between a free-spirited artist (that would be Taylor, in flowing caftans and eye-popping halter tops) and an uptight, self-righteous headmaster of an Episcopalian boys school (Burton in a priests collar so tight it made his eyes pop). Though Taylor and Burton married before shooting began on the film along the Central California coast, they remained the most scandalous couple in the world, with paparazzi swarming them wherever they went.

Taylor  portrayed as a home-wrecking vamp ever since she broke up Americas sweethearts, Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher  took her femme fatale act to a sensational new level when she dumped Fisher and stole Burton from his wife and kids on the stormy set of Cleopatra, the 1963 epic that nearly sank 20th Century Fox. (The notoriously rakish Burton did not require much seduction  all Taylor had to do was fix her bewitching violet eyes on him.)

Even at the time, the films depiction of the Big Sur art scene, caught somewhere between the beat and hippie eras, was hilariously bogus. Lets start with the square-headed Charles Bronson, who somehow got himself cast as a beach-bum sculptor and former bedmate of Taylor. Bronson enjoys baiting the pompous Burton (Hey, padre, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?  or language to that effect). But he comes across more as a North Beach bouncer than a Benny Bufano. To her credit, Taylor wanted Sammy Davis Jr. for the role, which would have given the movie a genuinely bohemian interracial frisson, but the studio nixed it.

The stiff Burton just cant fit into Taylors scene at the wild and dissolute Nepenthe restaurant, where young lotus-eaters loll about and dance to music that sounds vaguely Middle Eastern and unlike any songs that my California generation was listening to at the time. The Shadow of Your Smile  the annoyingly unforgettable, Oscar-winning theme song from The Sandpiper  was more Burt Bacharach than Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead or the Doors (all of whom started playing together as bands in 1965). Even Dave Brubeck wouldve been a more appropriate soundtrack.

At the cliffside restaurant, the minister lectures Taylor and her tribe that nepenthe was a drug used by ancient Greeks to obliterate sorrow and trouble. They look blankly at him. Um, cool. Yes, the Nepenthe is still there, hanging in the mists above the roaring surf, but oblivion is harder to find these days among the tourists.

The critics were savage to The Sandpiper when it was released, and for good reason. But there was something especially vicious and vindictive in the way that movie reviewers like Bosley Crowther of the New York Times (talk about uptight squares!) scolded Taylor and Burton for their loose morals. The movie, harrumphed Crowther, is a slick and sympathetic sanction of the practice of free love  or, at least, of an illicit union that is supposedly justified by naturalness. And because it has Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the leading roles, the indelicacy of its implications is just that much more intrusive and cheap.

Burton, too, thought he was slumming it on the film, for which he was paid a half million dollars while Taylor got a cool million (a lot of Hollywood green at the time). But there is something genuinely hot about the charged scenes between these two actors who had overturned their lives because of their need for each other. Burtons married minister is guilt-stricken after their first night of lovemaking. But Taylor roars that she feels clean and content with myself  as if shes telling off the whole world.

We never thought it would be an artistic masterpiece, Taylor later wrote in her autobiography. We were playing two people in love, so it was not particularly difficult. I must say, when we looked at each other, it was like our eyes had fingers and they grabbed hold, and perhaps something special did happen.

The Sandpiper was written by left-wing screenwriters Dalton Trumbo and Michael Wilson, who only recently had been freed from the Hollywood blacklist. Even within its kitschy formula, there are bursts of dialogue that reflect the banned writers rebellious spirits, including some early feminist lines given to Taylor. Men have been staring at me, rubbing up against me ever since I was 12 years old, she tells Burton. Theyve always been sort of waiting for me to stumble so they can close in. Sometimes I get the suffocating feeling that they will. I see myself as being handed from man to man as if I were an amusement. Men have always had me  theyve never really loved me.

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.

Its no surprise why The Sandpiper has acquired an ardent cult following over the years. Yes, its a laughably fictitious version of California bohemia in the mid-60s. But it still channels Taylors feisty spirit and the heartfelt bond she felt for the outcasts of the world. She might have been a Hollywood goddess, but she knew that her almost absurd beauty made her into some kind of freak.

In its cracked way, The Sandpiper reflects a looser, freer time  when Taylor and Burton were still in their sensual prime and didnt give a damn about the worlds finger-wagging opinion. There was love in the air at Big Sur, and two summers later it would wash all over San Francisco.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist David Talbot appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Email: dtalbot@sfchronicle.com
Too many students are struggling with the cost of earning a college degree at Californias universities. In response to growing concerns over college affordability, Democratic lawmakers in the Assembly are proposing a new college aid plan that would be the most generous in the nation.

The plan would give full-time community college students their first year tuition-free, and create a Degrees, Not Debt scholarship for hundreds of thousands of students attending the UC and California State University campuses.

The scholarships, which would differ based on family incomes and other benefits the student is eligible to achieve, would potentially cover living expenses as well as tuition.

While many of Californias public universities are comparative bargains with their nationwide counterparts on tuition, California students can take on heavy debt to cover the costs of fees, books and housing.

It doesnt really help students to get a college degree but come out with $150,000 worth of debt, said Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco. It affects the kinds of jobs they can get, whether or not they can buy a house, how they can contribute to society.

But theres one big problem: California cant afford this plan.

The state is predicting a slight budget deficit for this fiscal year, and the state treasury receipts are already running nearly a quarter of a billion dollars behind Januarys forecast.

Its irresponsible to imagine that we can add an entirely new  and, at a cost of $1.6 billion, very expensive  program.

For this years upcoming budget, Gov. (Jerry) Brown is aiming to close a budget gap of $1.6 billion and to provide a modest and minimal reserve of about $1.5 billion for economic emergencies, said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the state Department of Finance.

The plans proponents have argued that state budget projections are too pessimistic.

They are not.

The Trump administrations fiscal impact on California isnt fully known yet, but its certain to be substantially negative.

Any new national health care plan is certain to slash Californias Medicaid funding. Trump has also pledged to withhold federal funding from Californias sanctuary cities.

In addition to the federal uncertainties, the state has many unfulfilled promises. For example, the hundreds of billions of dollars worth of overdue transportation fixes that lawmakers have failed to fund.

There are ways for state legislators to assist Californias struggling students, even without a huge new program.

One way to make a degree less expensive is to help students graduate on time.

Brown has worked with both UC and CSU officials on programs to improve enrollment planning and increase the number of community college transfer students. There have been positive results from these efforts, and they should be expanded.

The state could do much more to support affordable housing development. Prioritizing housing affordability in university areas would be a tremendous boon for cash-strapped students and residents.

Lowering the debt burden for college students is a worthwhile endeavor.

But considering Californias many other priorities, the state Legislature needs to look for creative solutions that work for every resident.
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President Trumps budget proposal is a direct assault on our health and safety. The enormous cuts he is proposing to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other departments will hurt people and the planet by gutting enforcement of laws that protect the water we drink, the air we breathe and the environment that sustains us.

How many voters last year asked for more smoggy skies and fouled water, for less enforcement of criminal pollution and faster climate change? Its doubtful most Trump voters want that, but his budget sides with polluter interests and climate deniers  not with us.

The EPA has a huge responsibility but a tiny budget. Out of every $10 in federal taxes, just two cents goes to the EPA. Cutting the EPAs budget by 31 percent would not save much money, but it would cost a lot in lives, in lost productivity from illness and in pollution damage to crucial resources such as San Francisco Bay.

The bay is our regions greatest natural treasure, the heart of our economy and quality of life. It took enormous effort to return the bay to health from near-death 40 years ago, when it was choked with garbage, sewage and industrial waste.

The Clean Water Act and the EPA helped build treatment plants in the 1970s that made the bays beaches safe and its waters swimmable again. Harbor porpoises have even returned to the bay.

As the Bay Area keeps growing, we need more federal investment, not less, to combat the impacts of climate change, freshwater diversion and polluted storm water pouring unfiltered off streets into the bay.

Bay Area voters agreed to tax themselves in last years Measure AA to accelerate shoreline wetlands restoration thats mostly within a federal wildlife refuge. The federal government should match our investment, yet Trumps budget would zero out EPAs $5 million program that protects marsh habitat and reduces pollution in the bay.

And the cuts go much deeper.

The Bay Area environment is not a bubble. Were connected to the rest of California and the nation, where the EPAs programs have made people and wildlife healthier and safer. Agency warnings about threats to fish species and water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta are forcing a rewrite of Gov. Jerry Browns California Water Fix. The EPAs Clean Air Act enforcement reduced smog from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh and forced safer drinking water in cities nationwide. To avoid more health crises like the tragedy in Flint, Mich., we need a stronger EPA, not budget cuts that slash enforcement.

The EPA identifies and cleans up toxic waste at Superfund sites, including more than 50 in the Bay Area. Its Toxics Release Inventory publishes data online so we know the pollution risks in our backyards. It is on the front lines of addressing the climate change that is already hurting our health, natural resources and economy.

The EPA has helped cut global warming gases from U.S. power plants, factories and cars, and its energy efficiency standards have reduced our consumption of fossil fuels. While Trump and his Cabinet deny facts and ignore science, the EPA is required by law to limit the carbon emissions that are cooking the planet. But that takes resources and staff that Trump would cut.

We must tell Congress to reject reckless budget cuts to environmental protection. Every mayor and city council member must echo that call. Our governor and state Legislature must keep their pledge to enforce laws if the federal government does relax its efforts, and fund enforcement of those laws.

Trumps budget would make America dirty and sick again, and nobody who breathes or drinks should stand for it.
Indie choreographers, musicians and theater makers are a scrappy bunch, equally adept at blazing creative trails and finding off-the-grid performance venues. But even their superior hand-to-mouth skills are no match for San Franciscos superheated real estate market, where underground spaces are being razed in favor of high-rises, and skyrocketing rents make surviving locations unaffordable.

In an end run around the market, a network of major foundations, the mayors office and nonprofit partners are helping small arts organizations play the property game  and win. Joe Landinis dance incubator Safehouse for the Performing Arts is the latest indie to join the landed gentry.

In February, Landini signed a 15-year lease on the Tea Room Theater, a 49-seat former gay-porn house on the ground floor of the West Hotel, at 145 Eddy St. At Safehouses 10th-anniversary fundraising party this spring, the public can take a first peek inside.

Landini is relieved to settle down after a nomadic first decade, during which Safehouse (then called the Garage) relocated from Howard Street to Bryant Street to 1 Grove St. It was always, Have we made enough money to make the rent, and is there enough money for the next move? he recalls. Stability is an odd sensation, but now the board and myself can spend time reflecting on the real needs of the artistic community. How do we build on that, and can we be more?

Safehouse (the acronym stands for Saving Arts From Extinction) is now rooted in an independent performing-arts nexus that includes Exit Theatre, CounterPulse, PianoFight, the Center for New Music and the Luggage Store Gallery. Its a renaissance rather than a reinvention of the 33-block Uptown Tenderloin Historic District. The Tivoli Opera House and the Baldwin Theater are long gone, but ACTs century-old Strand Theater, the 1922 Golden Gate Theatre and the 1926 Orpheum Theatre now anchor the district.

Emerging artists dont fill opera houses, though; they thrive in small, flexible spaces with the lowest possible overhead. Thats where people like Landini come in. If theres anybody who can make magic on a dime, it is Joe Landini, says Tom DeCaigny, director of cultural affairs for the San Francisco Arts Commission, a significant player in the real estate strategy.

Its been a really critical pathway for emerging artists, DeCaigny says of Safehouse, a lean organization dedicated to early- and mid-career dance makers, LGBTQ artists and cross-genre collaboration. Laura Larry Arrington, Alyssa Mitchel and Dominika Bednarska are among the many beneficiaries of the programs Landini offers.

The quarterly Resident Artists Workshop provides studio time and performance production in exchange for five hours of housekeeping work at 1 Grove St., while the Summer Performance Festival presents a dozen artists in the spacious black box at Joe Goode Annex. When the West Wave Dance Festival faltered in 2012, Landini revived it as a high-profile showcase. At every level, artists get what they need most: rehearsal time, performance opportunities and creative freedom.

We want them to fail, Landini, 52, says matter-of-factly, because we want them to experiment. My opinion, and some people disagree with me, is that we are probably the most ... crucial level of the arts ecosystem. The higher levels are what get all the attention, but the higher levels cant exist without the lower levels.

San Francisco wants them to succeed. Since 2011, the city has acted to protect those lower levels of the arts via the Central Market/Tenderloin Strategy, an effort by the Mayors Office of Economic and Workforce Development and other departments to repurpose vacant ground-floor retail spaces for the arts and other nonprofits  and breathe new life into the neighborhood.

That commercial space is a community asset, says Donald Falk, CEO of the nonprofit Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corp., Landinis landlord. The corporation owns 40 low-income housing properties, like the West Hotel; the protected housing stock prevents displacement of residents, who have welcomed the artists as neighbors. Were not simply looking at how we can go about getting the most possible rent, Falk says, but also the contribution the use of that space can make to the neighborhood.

Exit Theatre staked an early claim to the Tenderloin, in 1983. Back then, it was off-limits, Artistic Director Christina Augello said by phone. People thought, Theres no way Im going to go do anything in the Tenderloin, its a scary neighborhood. Shes seen perceptions steadily evolve since then. The city changed, real estate has changed, boundaries have changed. And now we are the San Francisco theater district.

Acquiring property, even via a nonprofit landlord, requires negotiating savvy and seed money that most artists dont have. So in the wake of the Economic and Workforce Devel opments initiative, numerous organizations have cropped up with real estate readiness training, creative financing and leasing strategies.

The return on this substantial investment of time and grant money is quantitative, according to Mayor Ed Lee. Performing arts are vital to the fabric of this diverse neighborhood as they will draw residents and visitors from around the City, he wrote in an email. These new arts organizations demonstrate the Citys ongoing commitment to revitalize the Central Market and the Tenderloin communities.

Adam Fong, executive director of the Center for New Music, argues that the qualitative return is just as valuable. What Ive seen happening in other cities, such as Munich or Manhattan, is that when it gets so expensive that the artists cant live there, you still have artistic culture, but largely you have consumption happening and not creation, he said by phone.

I dont think thats what people really want to happen in San Francisco. I think people take pride in having homegrown talent and being the place where invention happens.

Most Safehouse artists will continue to innovate at 1 Grove St., until the lease runs out in 2018 and the Tea Room becomes its full-time home. Until then, 145 Eddy will be dedicated to the queer dance residency Airspace.

There is a real need to support queer-centric art making, especially young, multi-abled, people of color and trans artists, says Landini. Airspace is the right first use for the Tea Room, he says, given its history as an all-male theater in a pioneering queer neighborhood: A block away, at 101 Taylor, stood Comptons Cafeteria, where trans women launched the nations first trans-rights riot in August 1966. Earlier this year, Supervisor Jane Kim proposed legislation to designate the area the Comptons Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual District.

Landini is also busy deploying grant money for renovations like a sprung dance floor, a Disabilities Act-compliant restroom and 360-degree soundproofing in time for a September opening. Hes also restructuring Safehouse as a collective, with lead artists like choreographer Lili Weckler taking on larger, yearlong service commitments.

Joe is just an incredibly generous person, says Weckler, 29, who is writing grants for Safehouse while developing her contemporary-dance rock-opera triptych, De Huma. I see him again and again put himself  maybe even his own sanity  on the line for the artists who come to him.

Kary Schulman, director of San Francisco Grants for the Arts, echoes the sentiment. One tenacious individual can make such a huge difference, she says. He cares, and it serves all of the artists really, really well. They need that.

Claudia Bauer is a Bay Area freelance writer.

Open House & Fundraiser: Music, performance and mingling with Safehouse artists and friends. Planned for April (pending renovations); check website for updates. Tea Room Theatre, 145 Eddy St., S.F (415) 518-1517. www.safehousearts.org

Safehouse Resident Artist Workshop: Experimental dance performances by James Andrew Wilson, Leyna Swoboda and Eileen Farrell. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, March 22-23. $10-$20. Safehouse Arts, 1 Grove St., S.F (415) 518-1517. www.safehousearts.org

Video links

To see Claudia Bauers interview with Joe Landini: http://bit.ly/safehousemove

To see more about the history of Safehouse Arts: http://tinyurl.com/hsjc6fe

To see a clip from Lili Wecklers De Huma: http://tinyurl.com/zooansg

To see Alyssa Mitchels Close, Far and Somewhere in Between: http://tinyurl.com/zynq74w

To see Laura Larry Arringtons choreography for Hope Mohr Dances 2016 Bridge Project: http://tinyurl.com/joxuz5f
Even though it is only a few months old, the fledgling resistance to President Trump is realizing it needs to address three big questions: How do we keep people from burning out? With so many new groups addressing the same issues, how do we keep from duplicating our efforts?

And perhaps the most daunting: How do we transform all this street energy and anger into some electoral wins in 2018 and beyond?

The resisters are also realizing there are no easy answers, especially just two months into Trumps presidency. But a key first step happened Friday when representatives of 31 of the approximately 200 anti-Trump groups that have formed since November met in Oakland at what organizers dubbed a Wonkathon  a chance for its political nerds and newcomers to connect in-person and figure out their next steps.

Knitting together the movements diverse and occasionally duplicative efforts is what it needs to do now. So, organized by the new Bay Area resistance group Wall-of-Us, led by women, Fridays conference stirred the political startups in with longtime activists and some boldface names of the progressive movement, including retired UC Berkeley professor and message-framing guru George Lakoff, Daily Kos blog founder Markos Moulitsas, and best-selling authors Steve Phillips (Brown is the New White) and Arlie Russell Hochschild (Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right).

Ive have never seen so much energy in politics in my life, said the 75-year-old Lakoff. But yes, there is a lot of duplication at this point. Thats OK. It will get settled out.

The faithful also heard some early warning alarms sounded about potential burnout among those who have been flooding congressional town halls and jamming House phone lines over the past few weeks.

An online survey of 1,000 people taken this month by the new resistance group CitizenBe found that while average resisters took 2.5 actions like calling their member of Congress last month, theyre only willing to take half that many next month. A survey of Wall-of-Us members found that while their favorite activity was marching in protest, their least favorite was making phone calls on behalf of the resistance.

These behavioral researchers are trying to figure out how to keep these acts of resistance fun for newbies  and how often to ask them to do things.

We have a lot of evidence suggesting that if you do something once, youre less likely to do something similar if you have the opportunity, said Julie OBrien, one of the scientists who conducted the CitzenBe survey. If you do something emotionally exhausting and youve invested a lot of effort in it and it doesnt feel that great, then youre not going to be energized to do something again.

The concern is that activists feel that because they, for example, participated in the Womens March or called their member of Congress a couple of times they can check that box and return to their usual life. Instead, movement organizers need to habituate these resistance activities, OBrien said.

What (the results) tells us is that we need to really, really strategically think about how we craft that behavior, she said.  If we want somebody to call (Congress), we can tell them, Pour yourself a glass of wine and call. Or Find your best friends and have a calling party. Find ways to make it pleasurable.

Many activists Friday found these preliminary insights helpful, especially because the movement is filling with many people who have not done any kind of activism before.

Though the young groups have tapped into the anxieties of several million Americans since the election, the average age of these groups is 11 weeks old, and they are largely run by volunteers who have day jobs. And what was obvious from Friday was that in their zeal to go out and do something to resist Trump, several are focusing on the same things.

Several organization leaders introduced themselves as some iteration of organizing tech for the resistance or working on flipping Republican districts.

But in the tradition of Silicon Valley, some of those startups are learning how to fail fast and learn from their early mistakes in this high-speed political era. And some will not survive.

Yeah, there is some duplication out there, Nicole Derse, a San Francisco campaign consultant who served as a senior adviser on organizing to Hillary Clintons presidential campaign, said in between advising the Wonkathoners. But thats a good problem to have. Id rather have people stepping on each others toes a little bit than not stepping up.

And more tech isnt the answer to everything. A lot of voters are over 50. Were going to have to find the right mix of tech and good old-fashioned door-to-door outreach, Derse said.

The difference between political startups and tech ones is that this isnt a competitive space, said Vanessa Archambault, a Silicon Valley software engineer who helped found Flippable, which works to flip state legislatures from Republican to Democrat. Were all trying to achieve the same objective. Were all talking  and if someone has a better way to do something, then we can all share resources.

The half-day conference at the Kapor Center for Social Impact was helpful, sometimes painfully so for her. Archambault conducted a small focus group Friday on the sites latest iteration, and some of the feedback I got was tough for me to hear as a software engineer. But its all good. Helpful, she said, and smiled.

With so many new people coming into the movement, it is important that they connect what theyre doing with the people who are in the communities that are going to be affected by some of Trumps policies, said Guillermo Mayer, president and CEO of Public Advocates, a 46-year-old San Francisco group that advocates for low-income communities. Im seeing glimmers of that. The desire is there.

Organizers from the new Sanctuary Restaurants movement  where restaurant owners, workers and patrons bind together to protect workers without documents from immigration authorities  found connections with several of the tech groups.

Starting Monday, Lakoff will be working with Indivisible, a breakout star of the resistance movement with more than 5,000 nationwide chapters, by helping it frame the messages its activists are using to pressure members of Congress at town hall meetings. Next month, he will lead a message-framing tutorial that will be live-streamed to all Indivisible chapters.

But while a progressive like Moulitsas said he is blown away by the energy hes seeing, he offered a cautionary note: The fault lines in the progressive movement are not Hillary versus Bernie. They are not. The fault line is resistance versus opposition. Opposition, he said, is not an option with Trump as president.

And he cautioned the groups not to let the Democratic Party or other large groups try to co-opt them.

Mrinalini Chakraborty, a national team coordinator for the Womens March, sounded another cautionary note: We may have millions of people who came to the marches around the world. But you have to remember that so many of us are still startups.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
Swiss watchmakers are diving further into the unproven smartwatch market, with Montblanc, Tag Heuer and Tissot seeking to attract younger shoppers with a technology the industry largely snubbed until consumers began turning away from traditional timepieces.

Last week, Tag Heuer unveiled the new generation of a $1,650 smartwatch it makes with partners Google and Intel, Montblanc released the $890 Summit, and Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek announced plans for a Tissot connected watch using a proprietary operating system.

With the flurry of new gadgets, watchmakers are trying to attract Millennial shoppers during the longest downturn on record for the Swiss industry. Yet sales of smartwatches so far have underwhelmed, even for Apple, and the new tech-driven timepieces generally command lower prices than the Swiss industrys traditional output, creating risks for brands that have jumped in.

The smartwatch market hasnt necessarily been as big an engagement as some thought it would be, said John Guy, an analyst at MainFirst Bank. Swiss watchmakers arent doing this to fend off the Apple Watch.

Instead, theyre dabbling in smartwatches as a way to lure younger shoppers  who often dont wear anything on their wrist, smart or otherwise. Prices of Montblancs traditional watches run as high as $10,000, more than 10 times the price of its new gadget, while Tag Heuers most expensive models extend to about $15,000. The original version of the Apple Watch starts at $269.

Its a way to be on top of peoples minds, and hopefully getting people in their stores, said Alessandro Migliorini, an analyst at Mirabaud Securities.

So far, Swiss watchmakers have insulated their high-end brands from the trend, seeking to preserve the exclusivity of more traditional timepieces. The top five brands by sales, as ranked by analyst Rene Weber at Bank Vontobel  Rolex, Omega, Cartier, Patek Philippe and Longines  have stayed out of the smartwatch market entirely.

The latest releases represent a change of heart for Richemont, which owns Montblanc, and Swatch, which produces Omega. Richemont Chairman Johann Rupert previously said his brands planned to make intelligent watch-straps and that that putting electronic functions into the watch case creates a danger of obsolescence for time-honored watchmaking practices. Swatch CEO Nick Hayek has said he doesnt expect smartwatches to be a revolution.

Tag Heuer wants smartwatch buyers to upgrade. With its first device, customers could pay extra to replace it with a traditional timepiece if they ever decided it was obsolete. For the new version, which is Swiss-made, Tag Heuer is offering a module for an extra $1,650 that can swap the smartwatch with a mechanical time face.

Googles Android operating system is behind a number of smartwatches, including Montblancs new gadget, which is made in China.

High-profile failures, such as the death of a $17,000 luxury version of the Apple Watch and the end of smartwatch pioneer Pebble, are easier to count than successes. Market researcher IDC declared in a report this month that wearables arent dead, but growth in the category is erratic. IWC had an intelligent watch-strap plan that never saw the light of day, while Tissot is behind schedule on its Smart Touch watch, which would work with iOS and Android.

IDC estimates that 19.8 million smartwatches were sold last year, missing the forecast of 28.3 million. Of the top five wearable makers, Apples volume dropped 7.9 percent in 2016 while shipments at Samsung rose 39 percent, IDC said. Switzerland exported 25.4 million wristwatches in 2016, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry.

The mixed results for tech giants have eased some fears in the Swiss industry, which has reported signs of sales bottoming after 19 months of declining exports. Swatch forecast a rebound in U.S. and European markets.

Guy estimates that Tag Heuer got slightly less than than 10 percent of its sales from its first-generation smartwatch in 2016. If the technology remains a niche product, that might be a good thing, he said. Otherwise, they risk a slippery slope in which lower-priced timepieces undercut their sales.

Watchmakers have to be careful not to start to dilute their own brand equity (with) too many smartwatches, Guy said.

Thomas Mulier and Corinne Gretler are Bloomberg writers. Email: tmulier@bloomberg.net, cgretler1@bloomberg.net
WASHINGTON  When Judge Neil Gorsuch arrives on Capitol Hill on Monday morning to begin his confirmation hearings for a seat on the Supreme Court, he will give President Trump his first chance to make a lasting imprint on the federal judiciary  and Republicans a fresh test to work their will now that they control all of Washingtons levers of power.

Gorsuch, a federal appeals court judge from Colorado, was promoted by conservative legal activists because of his sterling credentials, a decade of right-of-center rulings and his allegiance to the same brand of constitutional interpretation employed by the late justice he would replace, Antonin Scalia.

Single best thing the presidents done, said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a frequent Trump foil who predicted Republican unity on the matter and an easy victory for the president following the string of controversies that Trump has wrought since he took office.

All of that also sets up a stark dilemma for Senate Democrats. Monday brings their newest opportunity since the confirmation hearings of Trumps Cabinet to take a stand against a young administration that has horrified liberal Americans with efforts to strip away provisions of the Affordable Care Act, impose an entry ban on some immigrants and deeply cut federal agencies.

The left also remains angry about a Supreme Court seat that has sat vacant since Scalia died 13 months ago, after which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., decided to block a hearing for former President Barack Obamas selection for the seat, Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Gorsuch seemed to forecast what might await him from Democrats in a 2002 column he wrote lamenting the state of the Supreme Court nomination process: When a favored candidate is voted down for lack of sufficient political sympathy to those in control, grudges are held for years, and retaliation is guaranteed.

Yet Democrats are divided about how to take on a genial jurist who has made few waves in the weeks since Trump nominated him and he began meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Gorsuch is a bit of a puzzle, said California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Were going to try to put those pieces together so that the puzzle is complete and we have an understanding of what kind of a fifth vote will be going on the court.

Asked about what more she hopes to learn about Gorsuchs stances, Feinstein said: Voting rights. Right to choose. Guns. Corporate dollars in elections. Worker safety. Ability of federal agencies to regulate. All of the environmental issues  water, air.

Ed OKeefe and Robert Barnes are Washington Post writers.
LOS ANGELES  Octavio Chaidez was walking out of a Pasadena courtroom with a client last month when four men jumped up from a hallway bench and rushed toward them.

The men asked his clients name. Then they pulled out badges.

They say, Youre Mr. So and So? and he says, Yes, Chaidez said. They show him a badge, and they say, Were from Immigration and Customs, and they took him in.

Chaidez, who has worked as a defense attorney in Los Angeles County for nearly 15 years, said he had never seen federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents make an arrest inside a courthouse.

But in the last few weeks, attorneys and prosecutors in California, Arizona, Texas and Colorado have all reported teams of ICE agents  some in uniform, some not  sweeping into courtrooms or lurking outside court complexes, waiting to arrest immigrants who are in the country illegally.

On Thursday, the California chief justice asked the Trump administration to stop immigration agents from stalking the states courthouses to make arrests.

Courthouses should not be used as bait in the necessary enforcement of our countrys immigration laws, Tani Cantil-Sakauye wrote in a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. Enforcement policies that include stalking courthouses and arresting undocumented immigrants, the vast majority of whom pose no risk to public safety, are neither safe nor fair.

ICE officials have defended the tactic, saying they make arrests in courthouses only when all other options have been exhausted. But activists, attorneys and prosecutors fear ICEs increased presence in courthouses could deter other immigrants without legal status from appearing in court to testify as witnesses or answer warrants, which ultimately could endanger prosecutions.

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon called ICEs forays into courthouses very shortsighted because some immigrants here illegally will simply avoid court for fear of being arrested.

The chilling impact that has on an entire community is devastating, he said.

ICE directs its agents to avoid making arrests in sensitive locations, including schools, places of worship and hospitals, whenever possible, said Virginia Kice, an agency spokeswoman. But that policy does not cover courthouses, Kice added.

James Queally is a Los Angeles Times writer.
WASHINGTON  The Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said Sunday that there was no proof in new documents provided to Congress by the Justice Department on Friday to support President Trumps claim that his predecessor had ordered wiretaps of Trump Tower.

Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, but there never was, and the information we got on Friday continues to lead us in that direction, California Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, said on Fox News Sunday.

He added, There was no FISA warrant that Im aware of to tap Trump tower  a reference to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a federal law that governs the issuance of search warrants in U.S. intelligence gathering.

Nunes spoke a day before his panel holds its first public hearing on alleged Russian attempts to interfere in last years presidential election  a subject that is certain to include discussion of contacts between Trump campaign figures and Russian operatives. Trumps first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned last month after it was revealed that he had privately discussed U.S. sanctions with the Russian ambassador to Washington before Trump took office.

Nunes said the new Justice Department documents, submitted in response to a congressional request, included no evidence of collusion between Trump campaign figures and Russian operatives to swing the election in Trumps favor. The lawmaker said he remained primarily concerned about leaks of U.S. surveillance of conversations between Flynn and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

Thats the only crime we know has been committed right now, Nunes said, adding that Mondays hearing was just the beginning.

Were trying to get to everyone who, for lack of a better term, was at the crime scene, he said. Were trying to bring them all in, see what they knew, when they knew it, if they knew about the leaks, if they knew about General Flynns name being unmasked. These are all questions that we need to get to the bottom of.

Trump last week refused to back down from his tweets on March 4 that claimed former president Barack Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory and compared it to McCarthyism and the Watergate scandal. But no credible evidence has emerged to support those claims, and the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee said last week that they have seen nothing that supports the allegation.

Trump remains under pressure from members of his own party to back off his claims of illegal wiretapping  particularly after the furor intensified last week when White House press secretary Sean Spicer suggested that British intelligence may have played a role in the surveillance. Spicer later apologized for the claim and explained that he had repeated an unverified media report.

Mike DeBonis is a Washington Post writer.
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Lucknow, Mar 19 (IBNS): Five times BJP parliamentarian, Yogi Adityanath will take oath as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister on Sunday.

Adityanath government will have two deputy chief ministers-Keshav Prasad Maurya, BJP's UP chief, and Dinesh Sharma, who has been the Lucknow Mayor for many years.

Five times MP of BJP from Gorakhpur constituency in UP, Adityanath was an unanimous choice for the post of the leader of the state legislature at a parliamentary meet of the party's state unit.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu who presided over the meet named Adityanath as the new CM of UP.

On being chosen for the Chief Ministerial post, Adityanath had said: "I want to thank BJP for trusting me and also grateful to the Governor for inviting us to form the government."

Adityanath, a fire brand of Hindutva (Hinduism), was often seen to be landing up in controversies for his attacks on Muslim community.

He also attacked Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan once and had said: "I think there is no difference between the language of Shah Rukh Khan and Hafiz Saeed (terrorist)."

Highlighting the idea of development, Adityanath on Saturday said: "We will take UP forward with Prime Minister's 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas (Development for all)."

Apart from good governance, the would-be CM of UP ensured that the BJP led government will improve the law and order situation.

BJP during the election campaign in 2017 criticised the former Samajwadi Party led government for poor law and order in Uttar Pradesh.

The swearing-in ceremony would take place at 5 PM on Sunday.
Fatehabad, Mar 19 (IBNS): The Jat protesters on Sunday morning turned violent in Dhan Gopal village of Fatehabad district in Haryana when they were prohibited from crossing the barricades by the police, media reports said.

The protesters reportedly tried to break the barricades.

They also resorted to stone pelting where several cops including DSP Gurdyal Singh were injured.

Some protesters were also injured in the police action, said reports.

The protesters have been demanding reservations for the community in government jobs and educational institutions.


Guwahati, Mar 19 (IBNS): The United Naga Council (UNC) on Sunday has decided to end the 130-day long economic blockade against Manipur.

UNC decided it during a tripartite meeting with Union Home Ministry and Manipur state government, held at Senapati district headquarter on Sunday.

Following the meeting, we have decided to lift the economic blockade with effect from tonight, UNC General Secretary S Milan said.

UNC had imposed the economic blockade against Manipur since Nov 1, as a protest against the creation of seven new districts by the Ibobi Singh led government.

The tripartite meeting, held in presence of Joint Secreatary (NE) of Home ministry Satyendra Garg, Manipur governments Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Dr J Suresh Babu, Commissioner (Works) K Radhakumar Singh, decided that the grievances of the UNC which led to the imposition of economic blockade by them was recognised as there was non-adherence to the four Memorandum of Understanding and the Union governments assurance on the matter.

The Manipur government has agreed to start consultation with all stakeholders to redress the same.

The meeting also decided that the Manipur government will unconditionally release the arrested UNC leaders and all the cases related to economic blockade against the Naga tribes leaders and students leaders will be closed.

The tripartite meeting decided to create conductive environment for the democratic process of consultation and dialogue and next tripartite talks will be held within a month of time at political level, S Milan said.

The top UNC leader said that, the UNC appreciates the initiative and new approach of the newly formed BJP-led Manipur government is coming forward to address the core issue at hand.

Apart from the UNC leaders, All Naga Students Associations Manipur unit president Seth Shatsang, Naga Womens Union president LM Tabitha were also present in the meeting.

Nongthombam Biren Singh was sworn in as the first BJP Chief Minister of Manipur on Mar 15.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)

Image: Google Maps
Fresh off the heels of a dust-up with Britain, President Donald Trump attacked another key ally - Germany.

At a news conference Friday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump "reiterated" his "need for our NATO allies to pay their fair share for the cost of defense." He followed up Saturday with an impolitic double-barreled tweet shot, writing that Germany owes America "vast sums of money" for NATO. And, he argued, the United States should be paid more "for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides."

Security experts quickly attacked the flaws in Trump's logic. On Twitter, former U.S. ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder wrote that increased defense spending in Germany isn't transferred to the United States. He also pointed out that NATO decided to make the 2 percent requirement mandatory just a couple of years ago. The alliance gave all member states until 2024 to reach that goal, and Germany is on track.

"Trump's comments misrepresent the way NATO functions," Daalder told us. "The president keeps saying that we need to be paid by the Europeans for the fact that we have troops in Europe or provide defense there. But that's not how it works."

Despite such critiques, this line of argument has been a near-constant refrain for Trump and his administration. Since the campaign, he's argued that other countries aren't contributing what they should for the defense alliance. NATO members are urged to contribute 2 percent of their GDP to defense spending. Germany pays 1.2 percent; the United States kicks in more than 3 percent. Four other countries also meet their obligation, including Greece, Estonia, Poland and Britain.

Those numbers, though, don't tell the whole story.

Since World War II, Germany has intentionally kept its military small. The country defines itself by its pacifism and its commitment to the idea of "never again." Germany's defense spending - or lack thereof - has frequently been criticized and mocked. In 2014, for instance, German forces made headlines when they were forced to use broomsticks instead of machine guns during a NATO exercise, exposing the state of the country's underequipped military.

But, Germans argue, they make up for that in other ways. As Merkel argued in a speech last month, mutual security goes beyond military spending. International development aid for hospitals and schools, for example, does as much for peace as warheads in Europe. "When we help people in their home countries to live a better life and thereby prevent crises, this is also a contribution to security," Merkel said in Munich. "So I will not be drawn into a debate about who is more military-minded and who is less."

She and other German leaders also point out that they're bearing the brunt of the Syrian refugee crisis, spending 30 to 40 billion euros a year. If that were included in the tally, they say, they'd be putting more than 2 percent of their budget a year toward security. (They're also quick to note that U.S. military interventions are one reason there are so many displaced people from the Middle East.)

Not everyone agrees. For the countries on Europe's eastern border - places such as Poland, Latvia and Lithuania - military might isn't an abstract idea but an insurance policy against Russian invasion. (Russia, for its part, keeps tanks and missiles stocked right up against the NATO border.)

At last month's conference, Artis Pabriks, a former defense minister of Latvia, responded curtly: "For me, as a Latvian, it sounds a little bit bitter that support for my borders and the security of my country will be challenged because some other European nations will not pay their share."

And Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the alliance, told Time magazine last month that "it's not either development or security. We need both." He continued: "When we live in more challenging times, we need to invest more in defense. . . . We need peace and security to facilitate development."

Germany says it will increase its military spending by about 3 billion euros per year for the next eight years. By 2024, the country will be meeting its NATO commitment. That plan, though, needs to be approved by the German government and Parliament.

And Trump may be making that harder. As Marcel Dirsus, a German security politics scholar, argued, the president's public criticism of German defense spending could backfire, making it harder for Merkel to increase the country's defense budget, particularly just months before a tough reelection campaign.

An "increase in defense spending is unpopular, and so is Donald Trump. By 'ordering' Merkel to increase spending, he will make it harder for her to sell that increase at home," he said. "Nothing would be worse for Merkel than being seen as taking orders from Trump. Ultimately, I predict Germany will increase spending - but at the pace it had already committed to."

- - -

Rick Noack contributed to this report.
As U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch faces his Senate confirmation hearings, Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-Calif., is labeling him an extremist on such issues as worker protections and reproductive rights.

As a federal appeals court judge, Gorsuch has consistently sided with employers and corporate interests, a news release from Feinsteins office said of President Trumps selection. The release said Gorsuchs record on cases involving birth control and Planned Parenthood showed that Trump was keeping his promise to choose a pro-life extremist.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, on which Feinstein is the highest-ranking Democrat, begins hearings Monday on Trumps nomination of Gorsuch to succeed the late Justice Antonin Scalia. The Republican-controlled Senate refused last year to consider President Barack Obamas nomination of appeals court Judge Merrick Garland to succeed Scalia, who died in February 2016.

Gorsuch, a judge on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver since 2005, is a professed admirer of Scalia, who was the courts most outspoken conservative. Republicans are hoping to sway at least eight Democrats or independents to back his confirmation and thwart a possible filibuster.

On cases affecting workers, the release cited Gorsuchs dissenting vote in favor of a trucking company that fired a trucker for driving off in his cab to find help after being stranded for hours in freezing weather that had disabled the brakes on his trailer. It noted another case in which he wrote a ruling upholding a universitys refusal to provide more than six months of sick leave for a cancer-stricken teacher.

Gorsuch also ruled in favor of the religious rights of a corporation, the Hobby Lobby arts-and-crafts chain, allowing it to deny contraceptive coverage to its female employees, a ruling later upheld by the Supreme Court. The Feinstein release said it illustrated his approach to issues of both workers rights and birth control.

The release also cited his dissenting vote in 2015 in a case that would have allowed the governor of Utah to block funding to Planned Parenthood, a funding freeze that would be partially imposed at the federal level by the health care bill backed by Trump and Republican leaders.

Feinsteins office criticized him for his hostility to the Supreme Courts doctrine of deferring to government agencies interpretations of unclear federal laws. He has called the doctrine a violation of the constitutional separation of powers.

The release said he could also further weaken the tottering government regulations of political campaign financing. In a 2014 opinion, he called the act of contributing to campaigns a basic constitutional freedom entitled to the highest level of constitutional protection.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
BEIJING  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and China President Xi Jinping cast aside their differences on Sunday with a public display of cooperation, sidestepping areas of disagreement.

In the highest-level face-to-face meeting between the two countries since Donald Trump became president, the two sides made no mention of other contentious issues, including possible punitive trade measures against China and Washingtons unhappiness with Beijings assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Xi, greeting the new secretary of state in an ornate room in the Great Hall of the People, thanked Tillerson for a smooth transition to the Trump administration and expressed his appreciation for the sentiment that the China-U.S. relationship can only be defined by cooperation and friendship.

At least in public, Tillerson adopted a far different tone than that of his boss, who said in a Twitter post on Friday that China had done little to help on North Korea, instead saying that the United States looked forward to stronger ties with China.

China has been North Koreas biggest backer, but relations between the two countries have been strained as the North continues to pursue the development of nuclear weapons.

During his 24-hour stay in Beijing, Tillerson, who also visited Japan during his first trip to Asia as secretary of state, took the unusual step of repeating rosy Chinese language on the state of relations between the United States and China.

The relationship between China and the United States was guided by non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Tillerson said at a news conference with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Chinese state media quoted Tillersons echo of the Chinese phrasing, noting it approvingly in stories about his visit.

But behind the scenes, diplomats and analysts said there was little doubt that Tillerson had pressed China to enforce sanctions against North Korea and had raised the possibility that the United States would bolster its missile defense in Asia if China did not rein in Kim.

China strongly objects to the installation in South Korea of a missile defense system there, and the polite public words from Tillerson were designed to give China face, said a diplomat in Beijing who spoke on the condition of anonymity per usual diplomatic custom.

Tillerson also had the task of setting a broad agenda for a summit meeting between Trump and Xi that is expected to take place in Florida in early April.

At the summit meeting, China is expected to seek a reaffirmation of the One China policy under which the United States recognizes a single government in Beijing and does not maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Jane Perlez is a New York Times writer.
New Zealand accommodation providers hosted a record number of guests in January, as a surge in international visitors during the summer months offset a decline in local stays, the latest data shows.

National guest nights increased 1.1 percent to 4.9 million in January compared with the same month a year earlier, Statistics New Zealand said. International guest nights jumped 6.9 percent to a record 2.1 million, while domestic guest nights fell 2.7 percent to 2.8 million as more Kiwis travelled overseas, the agency said.

Record levels of tourism and migration are stoking the country's accommodation sector. The government's tourism marketing body Tourism New Zealand has stopped advertising the country as a destination during the peak summer months amid concerns the country's infrastructure is reaching capacity. About 35 percent of New Zealand's international visitors typically arrive during the three months of summer, and the government is encouraging investment into new hotels through its "project palace" initiative which helps identify opportunities for investors, with concerns about a looming shortage of beds during peak periods.

The latest data shows nine of New Zealand's 12 regional areas had more guest nights in January. The Hawke's Bay-Gisborne region had the biggest increase, with a 9.9 percent rise in guest nights. Guest nights fell in Auckland and Wellington regions as lower domestic guest nights offset an increase in international guest nights. Guest nights in Canterbury declined due to a 61 percent fall in Kaikoura guest nights following the November earthquakes, Stats NZ said.

Guest nights rose for three of four accommodation types in January. Motels were up 2.1 percent, holiday parks were up 2.7 percent while backpackers were up 1.4 percent. Hotel nights bucked the trend, down 1.7 percent.

The total available capacity fell across all four accommodation types in January. The occupancy rate rose for motels, backpackers and holiday parks but fell for hotels. Occupancy rates normally peak in summer and trough in winter.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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Toronto, Mar 19 (IBNS): Canadian employees had been complaining that they lacking career development opportunities and were wiling to see a cut in their pay as an alternative to getting better career development opportunities, media reports said.

Toronto, Mar 19 (IBNS): Canadian employees had been complaining that they lacking career development opportunities and were wiling to see a cut in their pay as an alternative to getting better career development opportunities, media reports said.

Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Canada tweeted, ICYMI working Canadians would take a pay cut for better prof dev opps elsewhere http://bit.ly/2mJIwuq."

Employees in Ontario and British Columbia were more willing to have their pay cheques slashed if it meant better career development opportunities, the survey said.

Over the years, career development support by the employees have increased but four out of 10 employees either rarely or never received this support, said ADP Canada, a human resource company.

What surprised me the most I think is that paradox between all of these people who are looking for career development and the fact that so many employers dont seem to be providing it, Sooky Lee, general manager of human resources business process outsourcing at ADP Canada, was quoted as saying by Global News reports.

Out of the surveyed regions in Canada, Atlantic Canadians were among those who reported the most issues with lack of access to career development (49 per cent). This was followed by Quebecers and Ontarians at 41 per cent.

Canadians across the country were anxious to get that missing professional support to the point that they were willing to have their pay slashed from five percent to 10 percent.

43 percent of Ontarians and 42 percent of British Columbians respectively were more eager to take such drastic steps, followed by 41 percent of Atlantic Canadians.

This issue, said Lee, was important to Canadian workers because the workforce especially around technology changed a lot.

Linked with the above issue, the employees prefer to work for different employers in different companies and needed to stay competitive and acquire most current skill sets from their present employers.

The employees said that the reasons for not getting this support was because some employers professed they do not offer this support to their employees.

Others said they did not ask for support as they felt they lacked the seniority, and still others said that employers lacked the time to provide this support.

The present growth gap in the company can cost it more when employees try to move to other companies that offer more fulfilling jobs than if employers provided the necessary expertise and support to the existing employees, said Lee.

Another tweet by ADP Canada said, Employee  employer gap is growing; Cdns arent happy says @ADP_CDA poll http://bit.ly/2mJIwuq 

ADP Canada also posted, Did you know 40% of Canadian #workforce faces a Growth Gap? Learn more about @ADP_CDA poll

Lee said that this area was worth researching and one cost-effective solution she offered was providing online training which sometimes is free training, and directly approaching the employers or by getting outside courses.

Another tweet by ADP Canada stated: Learn to use labour Management & HR Analytics to drive results. Register for @ADP_CDA webinar: https://tinyurl.com/gn3or6k 

Sheryl Boswell, director of marketing at Monster.ca. was not surprised by the result of the survey.

Boswell said employers should take note of these numbers and understand what they mean.

The statistics showing that four out of 10 workers would take a pay cut in exchange for better career development support shows that Canadians desire fulfilling and rewarding career than just a reliable paycheque.

As for the type of development employees are looking for, Boswell said there were many opportunities available for them to grow professionally including taking courses outside of regular work hours, attending networking events and getting to know more about the industry they work in.

ADP Canada tweeted: Know more about state of the art in #Workforce Management practices @ADP_CDA webinar on Mar 8th https://tinyurl.com/gn3or6k 



(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)

Image of ADP Canada: Wikipedia
Toronto, Mar 19 (IBNS): A Canadian resident has been sued by the U.S. Justice Department for not having filed a form to the U.S. government listing his bank accounts outside the United States, media reports said.

Jeffrey Pomerantz, a Vancouver-area resident with dual Canadian-U.S citizenship, had been sued for the amount equivalent of $1.1 million Cdn.

Pomerantz had filed his income tax returns to the IRS and the CRA during the three years in question but didn't file a second form called the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR).

In the case filed in the United States District Court in Seattle, the U.S Justice Department is seeking $860,300 US in civil penalties, late payment penalties and interest.

Pomerantz had also been accused of not filing a Treasury Form TD F 90-22.1 ("FBAR") for calendar year 2007, 2008 or 2009 to disclose the existence of any foreign accounts, said Department of Justice lawyer Paul Butler, CBCNews reports said.

It was found out that Pomerantz had different accounts in different countries namely Canada, U.S. and Switzerland about which he had not filed a FBAR form declaring these accounts out of U.S.

There was also a discrepancy of the statements of his stay in a country with the authority records.

There were many mistakes and omissions in Pomerantz's filings to the IRS or the U.S. government which were deemed to be unintentional by Pomerantz's lawyer who suggested petitioner had prepared his own tax returns incorrectly and had not committed any fraud.

Toronto lawyer Hari Nesathurai said in the past couple of years there had been an increase in cases of the Canadian residents being pursued by U.S. government who haven't filed FBAR reports.

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government had negotiated the information-sharing deal following the adoption of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) in the U.S.

There had been several debates concerning this controversial agreement according to which Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) transferred information about Canadian bank accounts to the IRS, which could result in more Canadian residents being pursued by U.S. authorities for not filing FBAR reports.

Transfer of Canadian banking records to U.S. agency doubled last year.

Under the agreement, which is being challenged in Federal Court, the CRA had transferred information about thousands of Canadian bank accounts belonging to Canadian residents believed to qualify as U.S. persons under American tax law.

Many of them may be U.S. or dual citizens and others may be born in the U.S. or spend enough time there to be subject to U.S. tax laws.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)

Image of The U.S. Justice Department Wikipedia
garners mom.jpg

In this 2015 file photo, Gwen Carr, Eric Garner's mother, attends a vigil in Tompkinsville on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She's due in court Monday after she was arrested outside Trump Tower in January during a protest against President Trump's Supreme Court nominee. (Staten Island Advance/File Photo)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.--- Protestors arrested in front of Trump Tower in recent months will face a judge in Manhattan this week.

The activists are scheduled to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court at 9 a.m. on March 20, according to the press release.

Police made arrests Jan. 20, Jan. 31 and Feb. 20 outside Trump Tower, during protests against the inauguration of Donald Trump, his appointment to U.S. Supreme Court and the celebration of President's Day.

Carr was arrested Jan. 31 in front of Trump Tower.

Her son, Eric Garner, 43, died July 17, 2014, while officers were arresting him for allegedly selling untaxed, loose cigarettes in Tompkinsville.

Defendants in court Monday will be represented by Arnold Kriss, former NYPD Deputy Police Commissioner of Trials, according to the press release.
schumer.jpg

On March 2, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y. spoke to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, about news reports of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' contact with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. during the presidential campaign. This week Schumer released a statement in opposition of proposed budget cuts to anti-terror efforts. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- President Trump's federal budget proposal would reduce national anti-terror and disaster mitigation funds in New York City and beyond, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer said on Sunday.

The current proposal would cut $700 million of funding that cities receive from the Department of Homeland Security's Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) Program, in addition to other Homeland Security Grants that help the NYPD prevent terrorist attacks, according to a statement from Schumer.

"NYPD and terorrism experts alike say it again and again: terrorists or other evil-doers look to exploit our weakest links. Cuts like the ones proposed by the Trump budget would not only weaken the security apparatus of this city, but they could turn a weak link into something far more serious," said Schumer.

Schumer said that federal security funds, like UASI, are the "cornerstone of effective preparedness and prevention against terror threats and enable the NYPD to do all they can to keep New Yorkers safe and secure. These dollars prevent costly and crippling disasters, but more importantly, these dollars save lives and so, it makes no sense for this funding to be slashed."

Schumer also noted that New York City continues to be the "number one target for terrorism in the United States and federal anti-terror funding should reflect that reality."

With the continued requirements of the NYPD to protect Trump Tower, federal funds to New York City should be increased, not decreased, Schumer added.

"Under the president's proposal, nearly all federal funding to the NYPD would be eradicated," O'Neill said Thursday. "This funding is absolutely critical. It is the backbone of our entire counterterrorism apparatus."

Trump did not include any funds for security at Trump Tower in the budget blueprint, according to Schumer's statement.

---Anna Sanders contributed to this report
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced Saturday a donation of $100,000 to the five sons of slain EMT worker Yadira Arroyo.

"As soon as we heard what happened, we just knew that something had to be done for this family," said John Hodge, chief operating officer for the Staten Island charity. "Not only did these boys lose their mom, but they lost the main breadwinner for their household."

The foundation hosted a press conference Saturday afternoon at Station 26 in Morrisania, Bronx, where the late Arroyo worked.

"I've been part of a lot of donations and press conferences," said Hodge, "but today was without a doubt the most gut-wrenching one I have ever been involved with."

During the press conference, Arroyo's mother wailed for her daughter as the fallen EMT's youngest son sobbed and repeated "I want my mommy."

Arroyo was killed Thursday when she was struck and dragged by her own ambulance. Jose Gonzalez, 25, is charged in the death of the 44-year-old EMT.

Police said Arroyo stopped her ambulance in the Bronx at about 7 p.m. after being alerted that a man was riding on the back bumper. When she exited the vehicle to investigate, the man jumped inside as the EMT tried to stop him, police said.

The man put the ambulance into reverse, striking the EMT, who fell and got caught beneath the wheels.

"Based on the sheer tragedy of this case, anything that anyone can do to help this family out should be done," Hodge stressed.

Tunnels to Towers hopes their donation will not only ease the future-financial burdens to Arroyo's five children, but also inspire more New Yorkers to donate for a selfless cause.

"The money we gave today is just the tip of the iceberg," added Hodge. "Just think about what is costs to raise five children? We need the generosity of New Yorkers to kick in and help out further with the future costs of education, medical and housing needs for these kids."

The foundation, named after firefighter Stephen Siller, who lost his life saving others on 9/11 while off-duty, has a history of stepping up to help during tragedy.

The Stephen Siller Foundation organization raised more than $1 million for Pei Xia Chen and Maritza Ramos, who lost their husbands, Detective Wenjian Liu and Detective Rafael Ramos during an ambush in Brooklyn in 2014.

The organization also raised money for the families of five police officers who lost their lives in a Dallas shooting last July.

Those interested in making donations can visit Tunnel2Towers.org.
By India Today Web Desk: Aamir Khan possesses a Midas touch. All his films are almost guaranteed to strike box-office gold, and his last release, Dangal, was no different. Dangal broke all records to become the highest grossing Bollywood film ever, and if a report DNA is to be believed, the actor received a handsome return.

An industry insider is quoted as saying, "Aamir himself has earned a humongous Rs 175 crore (approx) from the film with the kind of profit-sharing partnership he entered into with co-producers Disney UTV. While he took Rs 35 crore upfront he also took 33 per cent of partnership as he always does for his films. And will take 33 per cent royalty in whatever money the film earns in the future, including satellite rights."

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With that whopping sum as his fee, Aamir is probably the highest paid actor in B-Town right now.

He will next be seen in a guest appearance in Secret Superstar, which features Dangal girl Zaira Wasim in the lead role. He will also be doing Thugs Of Hindostan with Amitabh Bachchan.

ALSO READ: Aamir Khan overwhelmed with Dangal response, thanks fans from the bottom of his heart

ALSO WATCH Dangal review: Aamir Khan surpasses all expectations with this fabulous film

--- ENDS ---
The incident happened on March 12 at main Krishana Gali, Maujpur and a case was registered at Police Station Jaffrabad.

By Anuj Mishra: Four youths, including an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Youth Wing leader, have been arrested on charge of robbing a businessman of Rs 25 lakh, Delhi Police said.

The arrested include Najeeb (25), president of the Jaffrabad AAP youth wing, Jitender, 27, Mohd Yusuf, 19, Naved, 22.

The incident happened on March 12 at main Krishana Gali, Maujpur and a case was registered at Police Station Jaffrabad.

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The businessman was robbed of his bag containing Rs 25 lakh, one mobile phone and other documents. One person also sustained gun shot injuries during the robbery.

While trying to flee, one accused Nadeem, aged 22 years, was caught. Police recovered Rs 1,60,6000, one countarymade pistol, one Apache motorcycle robbed by them, the stolen bag containing pan card, calculator, bill book etc from them.

They have revealed their involvement in more than 20 other cases of robbery and snatching.

Further investigation is going on in the matter.

Also read:

Delhi Police busts gang of robbers, Rs 4.20 lakh recovered from accused

Daylight robbery attempt foiled in Delhi's Khichripur area, 1 held

--- ENDS ---
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What was planned as a casual afternoon of surfing turned into a dramatic beach rescue for a Canberra father and son last Sunday.

Shortly after arriving at an unpatrolled South Coast beach on the afternoon of March 12, 16-year-old William Nash and his father, Kevin, were alerted to a family of five struggling in a rip.

Canberra teen William Nash didn't hesitate when he saw a family of five struggling in a rip on the South Coast.

With no time to spare, the quick-thinking Conder teenager handed a surfboard to a beachgoer to assist three of the children and paddled out himself to rescue the father and another child.

"I paddled out to the father and his young daughter  he was under the water and she was screaming, trying to hold him up," William told Fairfax Media.
New apprentice numbers have collapsed in recent years, prompting calls for governments to make a fresh commitment to vocational education and training.

While politicians, unions and industry groups blame each other, one Canberra employer believes the problem is how society exaggerates the value of universities.

Emilio Cataldo says society should value apprenticeships as much as university education. He's pictured with third year apprentice Jovana Durdev (behind) and Shae Thompson. Jovana, 19, attended Queanbeyan High and always wanted to be a hairdresser. "I'm loving it," she said. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Emilio Cataldo operates Cataldo's Salon at Civic and Woden, and has seen apprentice numbers halve in the past two years.

"It's a trend that's been occurring for some time," Mr Cataldo said.
With its brightly coloured buildings, cobble-stoned streets and balconies strewn with lush purple and pink bougainvillea, the Colombian city of Cartagena is a far cry from Australia's bush capital. Nevertheless, two young Canberrans, Tom Navakas and Vanessa Brettell, are preparing to pack their backpacks and venture off on the South American trip of a lifetime.

Their goal is simple yet ambitious: armed with hard earned savings and street smarts gained from years of travel, Navakas and Brettell plan to open a not-for-profit cafe in the heart of Cartagena's bustling old town.

Vanessa Brettell and Tom Navakas who are heading to Colombia to open a not-for-profit cafe dedicated to building menus around local produce and training locals in hospitality and management. Credit:Rohan Thomson

Navakas and Brettell have been joined at the hip since childhood, living around the corner from each other and attending the same primary school. Navakas remembers Brettell's fascination with Latin America beginning at a young age, following a short stint living in Mexico with her family.

From an early age, Navakas found himself in the grips of a culinary obsession that has lasted a lifetime.
The Canberra Symphony Orchestra. Llewellyn Series: Piano. Llewellyn Hall, ANU School of Music. Conductor: Jessica Cottis. Pianist: Daniel de Borah. March 29 and 30 at 7.30pm. Tickets: premier.ticketek.com.au or 1300 795 012.

Jessica Cottis will be making her Canberra Symphony Orchestra conducting debut on March 29. But while the Anglo-Australian conductor is now based in Britain she's a frequent visitor to her home country and is far from a stranger in the national capital.

Conductor Jessica Cottis Credit:Colin Hattersley

"My father was an Australian defence attache and my family moved every three years but my father would always return to Canberra. He ended his career as commandant at Fairbairn."

On one of her frequent Australian conducting visits she was invited by the CSO's chief conductor and artistic director, Nicholas Milton, to conduct the orchestra and decided to take the opportunity to return to Llewellyn Hall, where she performed her first organ recital.
The chemical contamination crisis hitting Australian military bases is now flaring up at commercial airports across the country, including Canberra.

Officials fear toxic chemicals from fire fighting foams have polluted the soil at 22 of the country's largest airports, which are stuck in a year-long deadlock with the federal government over how to clean them up.

At least 22 airports across Australia are though to be affected by legacy chemical contamination. Pictured is Canberra Airport, where contamination has been detected near the old fire fighting training ground.

From 1980 to 2003 the foams, which contained harmful polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), were used by government-employed fire fighters at dozens of airports and military bases.

The Environment Department has previously described the chemicals as "persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic".
"People with disability generally aren't expected to achieve highly, particularly in the area of employment and building a career," he said.

He said society had low expectations for people with disability and this needed to change.

Federal public servant Jeanette Purkis says people with autism can be effective and loyal employees. Credit:Jamila Toderas

The public sector is well suited to employing people with autism but more needs to be done to foster workplace diversity, according to disability employment advocate Bill Gamack.

"This subject of low expectations is an unfortunate truth and something people struggle to discuss, but without first acknowledging this we can never expect to tackle it."

Mr Gamack said a major shift in thinking was needed.

"It's not easy challenging social norms and preconceptions that have existed for so long, but it is essential to see progress and level the playing field for people with disability," he said.

"The jobs are there, and there are people with disability who can fill these roles, it's just a matter of opening those doors and fostering an environment of diversity and acceptance.

"People with disability may need a little extra support upfront while they are getting comfortable and familiar with their role, but like anyone they grow in confidence over time."
By Press Trust of India: Amid speculations that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pushed for Yogi Adityanaths candidature as Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister, the RSS today said it was a political decision and it had no say in the selection of chief ministers in BJP-ruled states.

Replying to a specific question on choosing Adityanath, a swayamsevak as Chief Minister, RSS Joint General Secretary Bhagaiah told reporters it was a political decision.

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When pointed out that BJP has elected Trivendra Singh Rawat, a RSS pracharak, as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also an RSS man.

Bhagaiah said RSS was not pressurising the BJP for the selection of Chief Ministers.

Priest-turned politician Yogi Adityanath, the controversial mascot of hard-line Hindutva, was on Saturday named as next Chief Minister of UP by the BJP, a move that took many by surprise.

State BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, who was himself in contention for the top job besides union minister Manoj Sinha, had announced Adityanath's election amid speculations that the RSS pushed for Yogi's candidature.

WATCH| Yogi Adityanath as UP Chief Minister: Did the BJP choose a divisive figure

ALSO READ| Yogi Adityanath: What Opposition parties said about new Uttar Pradesh CM

ALSO READ| 7 reasons why Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh chief minister is a BJP masterstroke

--- ENDS ---
A surprise export ban imposed on gold and copper concentrate by Tanzania's President has forced several Australian mining firms to seek urgent assurances about the future of their operations in the African nation.

The export ban is seen by some as the latest manifestation of a populist drive affecting politics worldwide, amid a backlash to globalisation most obviously characterised by Donald Trump's rise to the White House.

Tanzania has imposed a ban on the export of mineral concentrates and ores for metallic minerals, including gold, copper, nickel and silver. Credit:Bloomberg

Perth-based Tanga Resources director John Stockley will fly to Tanzania on Monday for talks with local ministers after the country slapped a ban on the export of mineral concentrates and ores for metallic minerals, including gold, copper, nickel and silver.

"If the Tanzanians wish to encourage foreign investment, they're not helping by making these sorts of announcements," Mr Stockley said.
But who knows, maybe the time away from the investment spotlight will lead him back to his higher calling.

But what now? Hall has hinted at a return to stockpicking without all the administrative headaches that come with the CEO title.

He cashed in his final stake for $17 million last week.

Peter Hall 's messy departure from Hunter Hall  the ethical fund he founded  is now complete.

Hunter Hall founder Peter Hall decided in late December to quit the company and sell his controlling 44 per cent shareholding. Credit:Julian Andrews

Many years ago, not long after the financial crisis, Hall revealed what he hopes to be his ultimate legacy.

"I see the purpose in my life to try and return the world to balance," Hall told the Financial Standard . "If I can have played a part in saving whales from extinction, rhinos from extinction, dugongs from extinction, all these beautiful animals and plants from extinction, that would be a fantastic legacy.

"I would like to see at least half the world covered in wilderness where animals can live out their lives and the whole process of evolution can carry on," Hall said.

Money did not figure in the musings of the man who went to the same school as the actor Daniel Day Lewis, musicians Lily Allen and Joe Strummer of The Clash.
The man in charge of the Productivity Commission's inquiry into access to justice has criticised Attorney-General George Brandis for attempting to influence the outcome of the review.

Former Productivity Commission commissioner Warren Mundy, who conducted the review between 2013 and 2014 into the legal system including class actions, described the behaviour of the Attorney-General's office before and after the commission issued a draft report of the inquiry as inappropriate. Senator Brandis has denied Dr Mundy's allegations.

The access to justice inquiry by the commission looked at a range of legal issues, including legal aid funding, access to legal services and class action funding.

During the inquiry and after the draft report was released Mr Brandis appeared in a series of media articles threatening a crackdown on litigation funding despite the review not being finalised.
Casino tycoon James Packer has an extra $100 million in his wallet after calling in a loan to his Crown Resorts empire.

Mr Packer last week sold a million subordinated notes  a debt security  to Crown for $101.58 each, returning more than $101 million to his coffers. Crown and Mr Packer's personal wealth vehicle Consolidated Press Holdings told the Australian Stock Exchange after the market closed on Friday.

Crown has issued the notes since 2012 with a face value of $100, suggesting Mr Packer made 1.5 per cent interest  or $1.5 million  on the loan.

Crown on Friday also delivered Mr Packer, a company director and its largest shareholder with 48 per cent of shares, a separate $489 million cash injection in the form of a 30 dividend and a special 80 payment from Crown's sale of its Macau casinos stake.
Google, the primary revenue driver for Alphabet Inc., announced changes to its advertising policies after major brands pulled ads from the platform because they appeared alongside offensive content, such as videos promoting terrorism or anti-Semitism.

The US company said in a blog post Friday it would give clients more control over where their ads appear on both YouTube, the video-sharing service it owns, and the Google Display Network, which posts advertising to third-party websites.

Google will give clients more control over where their ads appear on YouTube. Credit:Bloomberg

The announcement came after the UK government and The Guardian pulled ads from the video site, stepping up pressure on YouTube to police content on its platform.

France's Havas SA, the world's sixth-largest advertising and marketing company, pulled its UK clients' ads from Google and YouTube on Friday after failing to get assurances from Google that the ads wouldn't appear next to offensive material. Those clients include wireless carrier O2, Royal Mail Plc, government-owned British Broadcasting Corp., Domino's Pizza and Hyundai Kia, Havas said in a statement.
Costco, one of the world's biggest retailers, is taking another stab at selling alcohol in South Australia after trying for years.

But the country's biggest supermarket chain Woolworths and the Australian Hotels Association have successfully fought Costco's bid in a case that puts the spotlight on how liquor laws vary state by state.

Costco sells alcohol in NSW, Canberra and Victoria. Credit:Justin Sullivan

The state's licensing court in 2014 ruled Costco's model for liquor licensing was not compatible with South Australian requirements and granting the big-box retailer a licence would risk setting an undesirable precedent. Costco appealed the decision, but its bid failed.

The Supreme Court last year ruled against Costco's bid to sell alcohol at its store in Kilburn. Costco Australia managing director Patrick Noone told Fairfax Media that Costco was now seeking a different liquor licence to sell in the state.
Kate Zizys, 46, has been underemployed her entire working life in Australia.

Earning less than $20,000 a year from casual work, she is one of 1.1 million Australians who want more hours of work than they are getting.

New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show the official unemployment rate has increased from 5.7 to 5.9 per cent.

"I'm tertiary educated and have been in a casualised system my entire working life," Ms Zizys said.
Then Mr Trump launched a pair of tweets on Saturday morning accusing Germany of failing to fulfil its obligations after several negative headlines about his meeting on Friday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington. Accusatory tweets "Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel," he said on Twitter. "Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!" (Germany does not owe vast sums of money to NATO, the defence alliance. Member nations are expected to spend 2 per cent of their gross domestic product on defence spending, but Germany only spends 1.2 per cent. It's unclear what Trump is referring to when he says the US must be paid more for its defence of Germany, which hosts a major US Air Force base.) German economic officials spoke on Saturday in Baden-Baden about the same time Mr Trump sent the accusatory tweets.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble said the US was at an "impasse" with others about what they should say on trade protectionism, so they decided to say nothing at all. He also accused the Trump administration of not having a firm view on what it was seeking in terms of a trade policy. Struggled to reach concensus Mr Schauble said the finance ministers struggled to reach a consensus on how to approach trade. The Germans had tried to get Mr Mnuchin on board. Sensing opposition to the initial language from the Trump administration, German officials had watered it down several times but Mr Mnuchin resisted. Finally, about 1pm on Saturday, Germany's top central banker Jens Weidmann told his colleagues that the efforts to reach an agreement on the trade talks had failed.

Mr Mnuchin then spoke up and asked if they could agree on more generic language that said the countries wanted to "strengthen the contribution of trade". Several other finance ministers balked, saying such watery language was meaningless. Still, a version of Mr Mnuchin's proposal ended up in the final agreement, which contained just a brief generic reference: "We are working to strengthen the contribution of trade to our economies." The new language was markedly different from last year's, when the finance ministers issued a joint statement that said: "We will resist all forms of protectionism." Re-examine certain agreements "We believe in free trade," Mr Mnuchin said at a media conference. "We are one of the largest markets in the world. We are one of the largest trading partners in the world. Trade has been good for us and good for other people. "Having said that, we want to re-examine certain agreements ... To the extent that agreements are old agreements and need to be renegotiated, we will consider that as well."

The G-20 first met during the George W. Bush administration, and its purpose is to try to get global agreement on common issues that face each of the countries, such as trade, taxes, financial regulation and national security. Global ramifications Joint statements issued after G-20 meetings are difficult to finalise and are only as meaningful as the countries want them to be. They aren't formal treaties, but they do signal if there is consensus. Many world leaders are trying to determine how Mr Trump's "America First" mantra will affect existing and future trade agreements, which dictate how goods and services are imported and exported around the world. The US economy is the world's largest, and changes to the way it buys and sells goods will have global ramifications. The White House has said it thinks existing US trade deals are unfair to US workers because it allows countries to lure away US jobs and send their goods to the US at unfairly low prices. In addition to scrapping the Asian trade deal, Mr Trump has also said he will renegotiate  or scrap  the North American Free Trade Agreement. Critics of this approach have said it can isolate the US economy, make goods more expensive for Americans, and hurt US companies that rely on exporting their goods around the world.

The angst about Mr Trump's approach quickly became the backdrop at the Baden-Baden meeting, and many foreign officials came seeking more clarity from Mr Mnuchin, whom most had never met. Mr Mnuchin had spent his career in part at Goldman Sachs, starting a hedge fund and working as a Hollywood producer. They wanted to know if he would veer from Mr Trump on some of the economic nationalism they had heard coming from the White House. He wouldn't, they quickly learnt. Mr Mnuchin quickly became the "centre of attention", Canadian Finance Minister William Morneau said. Many sought one-on-one meetings with Mr Mnuchin to explain their position and hear his views. The trade language in the joint statement served as a test to see how dug in Mr Mnuchin  and ultimately Mr Trump  was willing to be on trade. Still, Mr Mnuchin agreed to numerous meetings as he said he wanted to develop more relationships with his foreign counterparts. He met with top officials from France, South Korea, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, the European Central Bank, Britain, Germany and Argentina, among others. His first international trip was a blizzard of bilateral discussions, with everyone trying to size up the new Treasury Secretary.
The air of my part of Canberra, Woden, is so disappointingly odourless that I always feel a pang of envy of Tuggeranong whenever its residents complain about smells.

Last Monday's paper contained the latest instalment ('Stink continues over Tuggeranong smell') of the fragrant saga of the "rotting vegetable" smell that sometimes sets some Tuggeranong nostrils twitching. Residents point the bony finger of accusation at the Mugga Lane tip.

Tuggeranong residents have complained about the smell from the Mugga Lane tip. Credit:Graham Tidy

I have always believed it a fine thing when cities, like people, like wet dogs, have some distinctive smells. Smelly cities have the character that real cities (teeming as they are with pungent people and with aromatic industries) really ought to have.

Well-travelled, I must testify that Canberra is, disappointingly, the closest thing I know to a pongless city. This is surely a major reason why Australians struggle to feel affection for Canberra. Just as it would be impossible to love a lover who didn't smell of anything human it is hard to feel affection for a city, Canberra, that gives off so few true-city smells.
Part of my motivation for becoming a climate scientist was my grave worries for our future and my desire to make a positive contribution. In today's world, this isn't straightforward.

Earlier this year, I wrote publicly of my qualms around desiring children. I have always loved children and always wanted children in my own life. At the same time, among my friends and colleagues, such ordinary desires are increasingly accompanied by long, complex conversations about the ethics of such aspirations.

Sophie Lewis had trouble reconciling her concern for climate change with her desire to be a parent. Credit:Michael Clayton Jones

Children born today face a dramatically different climate future than their parents did.A child born today is a child of a changing  and extreme  global climate. The decision to have a child is a decision to exacerbate such climate extremes.

We collectively recycle, switch off lights, install LEDs and chose green energy providers. But such measures are more than negated by a decision to have children; having a child in Australia is an ongoing commitment to a high carbon future.
By Press Trust of India: Melbourne, Mar 19 (PTI) Almost six million Adelie penguins are waddling along the icy Antarctic continent, 3.6 million more than previously estimated, according to a new study.

The research has implications for both terrestrial and marine conservation, with more birds potentially interacting with human activities on the continent and in the Southern Ocean than previously thought.

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A team of Australian, French and Japanese scientists used aerial and ground surveys, tagging and re-sighting data, and automated camera images over several breeding seasons.

They focused on a 5,000 kilometre stretch of coastline in East Antarctica, estimating 5.9 million birds and extrapolating that out to likely global estimate of 14-16 million birds.

According to Australian Antarctic Division seabird ecologist, Dr Louise Emmerson, up until now population estimates only took into account breeding pairs and did not include non-breeding birds.

"Non-breeding birds are harder to count because they are out foraging at sea, rather than nesting in colonies on land," Emmerson said.

"However, our study in East Antarctica, has shown that non-breeding Adelie penguins may be as, or more, abundant than the breeders," said Emmerson.

"These birds are an important reservoir of future breeders and estimating their numbers ensures we better understand the entire populations foraging needs," Emmerson said.

Lead author of the study, Dr Colin Southwell, said the rocky, ice-free areas preferred by the penguins for nesting is also a region preferred for research stations due to ease of resupply.

"There are currently nine permanently occupied research stations in the ice-free areas of East Antarctica and we found over one million birds, or 29 per cent of the population, breed within 10 km of a station, and 44 per cent within 20 km of a station," Southwell said.

"Of the 16 Antarctic Specially Protected Areas in the study region, eight contain breeding Adelie penguins, encompassing about 10 per cent of the breeding age population.

"By identifying significant penguin breeding populations near stations we can better identify which areas may need enhanced protection into the future," Southwell said.

The research also estimates the amount of prey (krill and fish) needed to support the Adelie penguin population.

"An estimated 193,500 tonnes of krill and 18,800 tonnes of fish are eaten during the breeding season by Adelie penguins breeding in East Antarctica," Emmerson added. PTI SAR MHN

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The Indonesian government's decision to target increased paper and timber exports into Australia during last week's free trade agreement negotiations was a reminder that now is not the time to weaken protections against illegally logged imports. International studies have consistently identified Indonesia as a major source of illegally logged timber and, although considerable effort is being made to reverse this trend, recent analysis suggests at least 30 per cent of Indonesian timber is still illegally harvested.

Of course, Indonesia is not alone. A recent joint United Nations and Interpol report estimated illegal logging across the globe could be worth between $70 billion and $206 billion, equivalent to 15 to 30 per cent of the global timber trade. Not only does illegal logging have disastrous effects on the environment and local communities, it also imposes significant economic losses, by undercutting legitimate businesses and robbing taxpayers of billions of dollars in revenue.

A villager walks on a freshly-cut tree at an unregistered logging site in Aceh Besar, Indonesia. Credit:Binsar Bakkara

Alas, as Australia looks to open up trade in the region, rather than strengthening protections against the scourge of illegal logging, our government is proposing to water them down. Late last year, the government announced it was considering several worrying changes to Australia's landmark illegal logging regulations, only introduced in 2014, under the guise of "reducing the regulatory burden".

This July will mark 10 years since then opposition leader Kevin Rudd announced that a Labor government would introduce laws to crack down on illegal logging, mirroring a pledge from the Coalition government. Ostensibly, the political will and bipartisanship (tripartisanship, if you factor in the Greens' support) has long been there to tackle illegal timber imports. And with good reason: a report commissioned by the government several years ago estimated the value of Australia's illegal timber imports at about $400 million, or 9 per cent of total imports.
If my memory serves me correctly there was an episode of Yes Minister where department head Sir Humphrey Appleby explained to his minister that abolishing a department was difficult.

On the other hand merging two departments was easy. All that was required was to retain the two original departments and add another layer of bureaucracy.

Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, thinks the idea of creating a mega-department of Homeland Security is worth considering. Credit:Andrew Meares

This episode came to mind as I considered the proposal to create a mega-department of Homeland Security, by merging a number of agencies including the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, into the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

As you'd expect, the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, thinks the idea is worth considering, saying that "we want to make sure that there are no silos."
The plan being floated by Barnaby Joyce to pay a share of gas royalties to farmers is a thoroughly bad idea and would lead to division and bitterness in rural communities ("Joyce's push to dismantle CSG bans", March 18-19). The idea ignores the fact that a gas field, particularly where fracking is involved, does not just affect the farmers who have the wells on their properties. The experience of communities such as Gloucester and Narrabri is that gas exploration and extraction has a huge impact upon the whole community. Gas extraction has the potential to adversely affect both underground and surface water over a wide area and leads to the industrialisation of rural areas. It also adversely affects other local industries such as tourism and can completely change the character of the affected town. If implemented, such payments would cause bitterness, jealousy and huge division between the farmers being paid on the one hand and other farmers and the rest of the community on the other. Joyce needs to consider whether his idea is really in the best interests of the rural communities he claims to represent. It seems more designed to simply further the interests of the mining companies.

John Watts Gloucester Once something has proven to be as environmentally disastrous as coal seam gas extraction and banned accordingly, that should be the end of it. For good. Bribing farmers to accept the destruction of their (our) land, aquifers and atmosphere because the government has failed to take advantage of traditional gas extraction supply and royalties is despicable. Why is only prime agricultural land and groundwater of any importance to Barnaby Joyce? Do the environmental services, habitat and wildlife provided by natural landscapes, aquifers and ecosystems have no relevance to the National Party? Those of us who appreciate the natural world, or what is left of it, are utterly sick of fighting the same battles over and over because some dinosaur of a politician can see a short-term spike in votes and revenue at the expense of the pesky environment.

CSG extraction should be stopped once and for all. George Lemann Glenquarry Barnaby Joyce is putting another nail in the coffin of the National Party and shows that his party has been effectively wedged by its alliance with the Liberals (not to mention his friendship with powerful miners). Farmers who are opposed to CSG are not just concerned about money, they are worried that the rivers they rely on will be poisoned, that river walls and beds could be cracked and streams and waterways will dry up and be lost forever. Throwing a few dollars at farmers is the kind of short-term policy we have come to expect from this bunch, where considerations of the true long-term costs are dismissed in the pursuit of the policies of the pro-mining lobby groups. Anthony van den Broek Erskineville Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, our political masters dig deeper into the slime. Barnaby Joyce's barefaced ploy to tempt farmers to put greed before what they know and feel is right is disgusting and needs to be called out for what it is  an attempt to bribe.

To risk poisoning our arable land is a decision totally in opposition to the future of our children and our country and must be opposed with everything we have. Peter Leonard Tweed Heads South For years I have harboured the fear that gas companies would one day realise all they need do is offer rural landholders a far more reasonable 10 per cent of each CSG well's gross earnings. Most of the land in their sights supports cattle farms. With these farmers struggling to net $100 an acre a year, an income boost of as much as $100,000 would be a temptation few could resist. Our rural landscape would be forever blighted. Sadly, that time is upon us. Tony Snellgrove Midginbil Stamp duty plan ignores elephant in the room

Let me get this straight. We cut stamp duty on houses so people can afford to buy them and then slug them with an annual fee which they probably can't afford while paying a mortgage ("Stamp duty plan slashes $40,000 from $1 million house", March 18-19).Why aren't we addressing the elephants in the room, which are negative gearing and foreign investment? Surely we could cut stamp duty for domestic home buyers without making them pay land tax, and at the same time make it less attractive for investors competing with home buyers.This would free up the supply and make houses more affordable for home buyers. Margaret Grove Abbotsford Killing stamp duty on house purchases producing a saving of up to $40,000 would be of little consequence to the average young couple in Sydney where there is a median house price of $1 million, and owning their own home remains just a dream. Richard Harris Valery Removing stamp duty will cost home buyers hundreds of thousands of dollars, not save them tens of thousands. By way of example: if I have $240,000 saved, I can buy a $1 million place with $40,000 going on stamp duty, my remaining $200,000 paid to the vendor and $800,000 borrowed from the bank at an 80 per cent loan-to-value ratio. Remove stamp duty and my $240,000 savings now allow me to borrow $960,000 at 80 per cent LVR and spend $1.2 million on a place. With no change to housing supply and exponentially more purchasing power for buyers' savings, this would see a further surge in house prices, which would severely diminish, not enhance, first home buyers' prospects.

Craig Selman Willoughby Language of toxic sludge I share Garry Linnell's pain ("Going forward, let's bite the bullet", March 18-19). My workplace is awash with meaningless corporatese. Being a government department has not saved it  if anything, the public sector is now the main wellspring for this toxic sludge.The latest offering emerged last week when I read that new employees would no longer receive orientation to the organisation. No, they would now be "onboarded".As Linnell observes, we should not be complacent about this trend, particularly in the political realm. The use and misuse of language has always been a weapon of choice for those who wish to deceive, distract and dissemble. George Orwell summed this up beautifully when he said that words can "fall upon the facts like soft snow, blurring the outlines and covering up all the details....[and] give the appearance of solidity to pure wind." Michael Hinchey New Lambton Snowy plan has a catch

Where will the Prime Minister get the water to turn Turnbull's turbines ("Power play", March 18-19)? I am a former Snowy area journalist and to my knowledge the Snowy's main storage, Lake Eucumbene, hasn't been full since the 1970s and at times since then has dropped nearly to below operating level. Lakes Jindabyne and Tantangara also struggle for enough water each year and the all-important winter snow volumes are declining. No more dams are planned so it will be interesting to see where next year's Snowy Mk II feasibility study plans to source the water for what appears to be a quickly conceived political kneejerk project. Graham Pike Jamberoo Could our innovating leader or any of his party, explain why it is better to dig tunnels and use last-century technology to store power, when batteries can be installed where power is needed without erecting mains to the Snowy? It is now 2017 not 1950 and batteries could be working before next summer. Bob Phipps Allambie Heights Any suggestion the Snowy Scheme was a "Menzian vision" is wrong. It was actually a Chifleyesque vision of the Labor government, which planned and commenced the scheme.

Andrew Macintosh Cromer Children lose as experts go Kevin Farrell's stand on classroom behaviour is strong and principled (Letters, March 18-19). Unfortunately, the wisdom and experience of experts like him are often lost on a teacher's retirement. As the scholarship holders from the 1970s are finally leaving the workforce, schools are being left with the less experienced (though enthusiastic and well-trained) teachers and administrators. Other retired professionals, such as engineers, are frequently retained as consultants in their field. In the teaching service the knowledge and skill base built over a lifetime is often completely severed. The losers are always the children. Janice Creenaune Austinmer PM at his best at Leak service

I attended the service for Bill Leak at the Sydney Town Hall ("Leak snatched from the jaws of PC jackals", March 18-19). It was an inspiring event balancing warmth, humour, art, a string quartet and moving speeches from Leak's two sons. Barry Humphries was as irrepressible as ever, witty and scathing in his condemnation of the scourge of political correctness, but what really struck me was the speech from our Prime Minister. At his best  and Malcolm Turnbull was at his very best  he was sincere, articulate, intelligent and impressive. On the issue of free speech one can only hope that his actions will match his words. John Dale Camperdown The increasingly tedious accusation of "political correctness" is so often made by people who resent how far our society has progressed in addressing age-old inequities and injustices of gender, race, welfare or power. People who want to continue being sexist or racist or enjoying other advantages of birth or position, unquestioned. People who cannot think of credible arguments against the ethical position that offends them, and so resort to the ad-hominem "PC" attack. Bill Leak's funeral brought them out in droves. Jeffrey Mellefont Coogee Time for the 'Ted M test'

After reading the heartfelt homage by Elizabeth Farrelly to one of our nation's most venerable living politicians, how about considering a possibly more subtle addition to the Australian journalists' official lexicon regarding politicians' integrity and their perceived trustworthiness ("The need for independents in politics as vital now as ever", March 18-19)? Move over "pub test" and make room for the "Ted M test". Cleveland Rose Dee Why Sympathy over sale It was interesting reading about Rob and Ruth Peters and noting the sympathetic manner in which their plight was treated ("Foreigners forced to sell family home after 14 years", March 18-19). I wonder would the same sympathy be offered to them if they were Asian or Arabic. I suggest not. At least they have been able to benefit from the surge in Sydney prices and will be able to return to Canada well ahead financially. Mary Lawson Marrickville

Gruelling record What these riders are doing is really inspiring ("It's the Hunger Games on wheels", March 18-19). Peter Heal did the same in 2009. Unsupported, he rode from Cottesloe Beach to Bondi Beach in 11 days, 17 hours. Rolf Muller Concord A belly-full I guess if one has a significant beer belly one can truly say "Je suis Coopers", David Park (Letters, March 18-19).
As the Turnbull government prepares for the final two sitting weeks of Parliament before the May budget, two cabinet ministers - with different personal views on marriage equality - have repeated the Coalition's position that a plebiscite is the only way the issue will be dealt with.

Resources Minister Matt Canavan said the government should be concentrating on its efforts to reduce company tax and on getting its childcare changes through the Senate.

"The Coalition's policy is very clear. We think the Australian people deserve a say... it's resolved as far as the Coalition is concerned," Senator Canavan said on ABC television on Sunday.

"We've got a lot of other things to get on with. A notion that we'd distract ourselves and go into other areas would be a massive distraction."
Treasurer Scott Morrison will launch a fresh attack on tax avoidance this week in Parliament in a bid to get the so-called "Google Tax" pushed through and shift public attention towards the Coalition's record on multinational tax crackdowns.

The Diverted Profits Tax is due to be debated this week, almost a year after it was first introduced in the 2016 budget and less than two months before Mr Morrison hands down his second in May.

Mr Morrison told Fairfax Media the Diverted Profits Tax would close major loopholes in the system.

The tax targets companies with global turnover of $1 billion or more. Some $202 billion in revenue flowing between companies will come under the microscope, according to the Australian Tax Office.
Finland's model works for them, I  and some brave academics argue  because they have a unique cluster of characteristics including a high-quality early childcare system, and a largely culturally homogenous society with a small population. Indeed, holes are being punched into the Finnish miracle, with the Program for International Student Assessment showing that Finland's status is slipping (if you're going to judge things by standardised tests, that is). In 2012  the latest scores available  Finland fell out of the international top 10, with top PISA performers all hailing from Asia. Australia, meanwhile, is a dog's breakfast of starting ages. In NSW, children can start kindergarten if they turn five by July 31 but by law they must be in school by their sixth birthday. In Victoria, by contrast, children need to turn five by April 30. NSW parents are increasingly holding their children back. NSW Department of Education data revealed that in 2006, 19 per cent of children were six when they started school. Last year that figure was 22 per cent.

Six! No wonder my children, now in Year Five, share a classroom with boys with beards and girls with breasts bigger than mine. For us, the stigma is heightened by the fact that in our neighbourhood, it seems, some parents would gladly hold back their spawn until puberty. At the local Rudolf Steiner pre-school, I see children taller than I was at 12. Ok, I'm shortish, but still. I can't help thinking as I go by: "why aren't you in school?" So why did we send our twins at four? (specifically, it was four years and seven months; they turned five in June of their kindy year). Lack of quality long day care, for one. I needed childcare until at least 6pm; like most working mothers, the option of pre-school with its laughingly anachronistic nine to three format was the stuff of dreams. I felt like I had won the lottery when I found a centre that was nurturing and multicultural, but a few years down the track, it descended into Fawlty Towers-style anarchy after being taken over by another operator.

For me, the last straw was when I dropped in one day to find a room of bored kids watching Dora The Explorer on a sunny day. Dora, as every parent knows, is unimaginably bad  there is really no excuse to watch it ever, even on rainy days. Why were we paying $30,000 a year (pre-childcare rebate) to have our children watch TV and play with glue sticks? And the twins were curious, maddeningly so, always asking questions, wanting to learn. What are shooting stars, where do jellyfish come from, how do rockets fly, why are some people ticklish  they needed to be fed intellectually, not sedated and patronised in the modern-day holding pens that is bad (note, as opposed to good) childcare. Perhaps if I had access to better long day care, I wouldn't have sent them. Who knows? In any case, off they went to kindy the next year. Obviously a sucker for punishment, I also split them up ("don't twins have a special bond?," was the chorus this time).

My son's teacher approached us in the first two weeks, saying he was too young  take him out, she advised. I still feel the sting of guilt when I met the child who had already turned six in his class  a spread of over 15 months from youngest to oldest. But my son was happy and keen to be there. And if I pulled him out, where would that have left his twin sister, equally thirsty to learn? A body of research points to boys faring better if they start school later, but how does this help us parents of boy/girl twins? How does this apply on an individual level? In any case, my children have remained in the NSW school system. They started their second last year of primary school this year (gulp) age nine, and yes, they share a classroom with 11-year olds with stubble. They enjoy learning (mostly), are in the middle of their cohort academically, have a good social group, do coding and debating, and play lots of sport. Loading
Body love keeps the focus on the body. The times I'm happiest are when I'm not thinking about my body at all.

Because some of us can't look at ourselves naked and whisper "thank you" to Gaia. Some of us can't go to the beach in a bikini like it's no big thing.

Exactly. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, who said that a truly humble man will not be thinking about humility: a truly liberated woman is not reciting mantras about how much she loves her body.

Ain't that the truth? It is called body neutrality, and it's gaining momentum. It's seen by recovering anorexics as a halfway point between body hatred and acceptance. But others see it as a whole new paradigm. As clinical psychologist Bryan Karazsia, Ph.D. puts it, "Body Neutrality goes a step further [than body acceptance] to ask an important question: Why all the fuss about the body?"

"I don't see the pressure on women really easing up, and then you're supposed to have this bulletproof self-esteem on top of all that. It's not something we can really live up to. Body love keeps the focus on the body. The times I'm happiest are when I'm not thinking about my body at all."

Since I was 12 I've tried, as much as I possibly can, to avoid looking at photos of myself. I'm aware that this mandate occurred when I entered puberty. It's not like I haven't been to therapy. But avoiding photos is my way around body hatred. If I don't see myself, then I can't feel bad about myself for the next 48 hours, sinking into a dark funk about what I'd like to change about myself.

When I had to have my headshot taken for this job I declared I'd rather have a pap smear, and I really do prefer them to photos. Nobody's telling you to smile when you have a pap smear.

I thought that after I had kids I'd start to see my body for the amazing life-giving force it is. I longed to emulate Sienna Miller, who publicly discussed how proud she was of her body for performing such a Herculean task. Many women are fortunate to feel this way; declaring their body battle over.

Body acceptance advocate and founder of The Body Image Movement in Australia, Taryn Brumfitt, had an epiphany after the birth of her daughter. She was booked in for a tummy tuck and a breast lift, but realised that having these surgeries was sending a message to her daughter about what it is to live as a female. So, she decided she would live differently. These days she has a book and talks at seminars.

I love her for this, and for the photos she shows of her normal body. But that's not how I feel. Don't get me wrong, I'm awestruck by what the human body can do, and I feel more detached from my own flesh than ever before, owing to the fact that so many doctors have seen so much of it. But, just like Whitefield-Madrano, I'm happiest when I can find other things to be proud of.
Former prime minister Julia Gillard has credited her introduction of national standardised testing and the creation of the MySchool website with transforming Australians' perceptions of the quality of private and public schools.

"Many people, before they had this information, would have said to themselves private equals good, and public equals bad," Ms Gillard told an audience at an education conference in Dubai on Saturday.

"And then when we actually had the data set, what people worked out was a lot of state schools were outperforming expectations, going really well; and a lot of non-government schools  some of which parents were paying very high fees for  weren't going as well as their historic reputation would have led people to believe."

She did not name names. But changing enrolment patterns support her view.
A much-trumpeted state government crackdown on property developers on councils has been described as unenforceable after a councillor was able to declare he was not a developer, despite running a company that had made nearly 100 development applications in three years.

Weeks before declaring he was not a developer on nomination forms for council elections, Fairfield Liberal Peter Grippaudo (also known as Fowler) lodged plans to develop Grippaudo Glade, a private street with five accompanying homes in Minchinbury.

Peter Grippaudo is the CEO of Fowler Homes.

Fairfax Media can reveal that Fowler Homes, a company of which Cr Grippaudo is chief executive and jointly owns with his wife, has lodged more than 90 other recent development applications.

Councillors have been required to declare if they are developers since September, as part of reforms to "restore community confidence" in local government with measures such as forcing developer-councillors to disclose their income sources.
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance is locked in a standoff with the Turnbull government over relaxing a cap for regional aircraft at Sydney Airport during peak hours, accusing Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce of "being completely obstinate".

In an escalation of his tussle with Canberra, Mr Constance said NSW was spending $100 million on upgrading regional airports yet the federal government was unwilling to follow suit to improve air services to towns in the bush by amending legislation.

He wants the federal government to alter the Sydney Airport Demand Management Act to allow for extra slots to be set aside for regional aircraft.

A state parliamentary inquiry recommended more than two years ago for the federal government to improve access to Australia's busiest airport for regional planes by relaxing the cap on landings or takeoffs for small, turboprop aircraft.
By Press Trust of India: Kathmandu, Mar 19 (PTI) Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat will arrive here on a four-day official visit to Nepal on March 28 during which he is scheduled to call on the countrys top leadership and hold talks on stepping up bilateral defence cooperation.

Rawat will meet President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister Prachanda, Defence Minister Bal Krishna Khand and his Nepali counterpart General Rajendra Chhetri during his visit from March 28 to 31, Kathmandu Post reported.

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A special function will be organised at the Presidents Office where Bhandari will confer the honorary chief title on Rawat, the report said.

The army chiefs of both the countries have a tradition of exchanging their honorary titles to mark their special relations.

Rawat, who became the chief of the Indian Army on December 31 last year, will also visit the Indian pension paying camps in Pokhara and Muktinath areas. PTI CPS AKJ CPS

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The NSW government will ramp up a program of encouraging major housing development near rail stations in Sydney, as well as pushing for new schemes that make it easier for renters to buy their own property.

The program of fostering developments near rail stations will take place through an expanded "priority precincts" program  an existing scheme under which areas such as those around stations on the new rail line to Sydney's north-west have been rezoned for new housing.

And the new schemes to improve housing affordability could include programs such as rent-to-buy, where renters are offered a chance to keep some of the increased value in their home, or a joint equity arrangement, where the government or another institution takes a partial stake in a home.

In an interview, Planning and Housing Minister Anthony Roberts said the government's housing strategy  nominated as a priority by Premier Gladys Berejiklian  would be framed around the principles of affordability, choice and growth.
Twenty-nine BlackBerry mobile phones in the study, four on the lounge, one in the coffee table drawer and a plastic cup with 31 grams of meth in the kitchen cupboard.

This is what detectives uncovered when they raided the inner-city Sydney unit of an accused dealer in encrypted phones in October 2014.

Convicted insider trader John Hartman alleges he used Blackberry to communicate information to Oliver Curtis. Credit:Philip Le Masurier

The contents of the unit in Sussex Street were a significant find for police, who have been battling a growing trend in criminals arming themselves with uncrackable phones to direct gangland hits and to run organised crime gangs.

The increasing use of encrypted phones and message applications has continued "unabated", the NSW Crime Commission says.
An accused gunman has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting a man in the head and stomach in Brisbane's south.

The Carina man allegedly shot at a woman in Mount Gravatt earlier in the night before shooting a 38-year-old man twice after a disagreement in Holland Park West in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The victim of the second shooting, a 38-year-old Sunnybank Hills man, was stable but suffering life-threatening injuries as police took a 32-year-old Carina man into custody about 2pm Sunday.

He was taken to the Mount Gravatt Criminal Investigation Branch for interrogation.
The Peninsula Hot Springs is now one of the region's top tourist attractions. It's visited by over 440,000 people a year and employs 264 staff.

People used to drill into the ground in the hope of making their fortune by finding oil or gas.

"I came up with the idea lying in a hot spring in Japan," Davidson says. "I was in Japan on an Asia Pacific fellowship. I thought 'This is amazing, why don't we have this in Australia?' It was that sensation, that sublime connection of the sense of relaxation."

Charles Davidson was inspired to start Peninsula Hot Springs after a visit to Japan.

Sipping on a green tea at the cafe looking out over the Peninsula Hot Springs, Davidson describes how he set out visiting hot springs across Japan and a moment of serendipity occurred.

"I found out that the [Victorian] government had done test drilling right across the state in the 1970s and a report had been drawn up and ended up in Japan on the desk of the Victorian state office in 1993," he says. "I walked in the door in 1997 when I was working at the Tokyo embassy and started talking about these hot springs. They said 'I think there's hot water on Mornington Peninsula'. It was coincidence and then following your passion."

Davidson and his brother boot-strapped the business using their savings including what Davidson had set aside from his work in Japan. They bought the initial plot of land together, spent eight years getting it opened and built it up over a decade. In 2015 Davidson's brother passed away.
A couple who run a milk bar in Melbourne's south-east have been injured during a terrifying armed attack by masked robbers.

The group of four assailants entered the milk bar on Coral Drive in Hampton Park about 8pm on Saturday when one of the men jumped the counter and assaulted the 33-year-old woman, forcing her to the ground.

Police are investigating an armed robbery in Hampton Park. Credit:Marina Neil/Fairfax Media

A second man emptied the till and stole cigarettes while a woman kept watch.

A third man, armed with a knife, wrestled with the 45-year-old partner of the victim out the front of the store before pushing him through an adjoining shop window.
The mercury barely dipped below 20 degrees overnight in Melbourne and the pain is set to continue throughout Monday with the humidity high, thunderstorms looming and another warm night ahead.

After a dry and hot start to Autumn, Melburnians are suffering through a warm and sticky start to the week, with up to 50 millimetres of rain forecast for the next two days.

The rain began as commuters travelled to work on Monday morning, and by 1pm up to 3.2 millimetres had fallen over Melbourne, with more rain on the way.

Melbourne's thick humidity had reached 90 per cent in some parts of the city. In Olympic Park, humidity had reached 76 per cent by lunchtime.
Notorious strip club Kittens faces significant penalties over claims it employed a 16-year-old ward of the state in its cloakroom.

The club is one of several late-night venues across Melbourne facing sanctions over alleged breaches of their liquor licences.

Kittens strip club in South Melbourne.

Nightclubs in South Yarra, Prahran and Windsor also face penalties, including hefty fines and a reduction in trading hours after a recent spate of drug overdoses.

Victoria Police investigated several Chapel Street venues over the weekend as part of an ongoing investigation.
Financial consultants warned the state government more than a decade ago that it would not share in the profits from the Kew Cottages redevelopment if it agreed to reduce the size of the $500 million-plus project, which it subsequently did.

The confidential advice, obtained by Fairfax Media, also indicates that the government was in private discussions about major changes to the Kew project, including the deletion of 159 apartments, even before the joint-venture contract was signed in October 2006.

The transformation of the long-time home for hundreds of Victorians with intellectual disabilities was supposed to be a bonanza for disability services across Victoria. Yet within weeks of signing the contract with Sydney billionaire developer Lang Walker in 2006, the government was warned it would not share in profits if it agreed to shrink the scale of project.

Confidential advice, by financial consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers, sheds some light on the poor return to taxpayers from what the Bracks government called a "flagship" housing project on the prime state-owned site in Melbourne's inner east.
The death of a woman found in a Broome shopping centre car park is now being treated as suspicious.

Police were called to Paspaley Plaza car park on Carnarvon Street on Saturday about 8.50am, and later put the car park into lock down.

Police and onlookers at the scene. Credit:ABC Kimberley

Major Crime detectives from Perth attended the scene on Sunday and several vehicles that were parked near where the woman's body was found were kept for inspection.

It has now been confirmed the body is of a 23-year-old woman from Port Hedland.
Police have charged two teenagers after they led them on a dangerous car chase through Perth's southern suburbs on Saturday.

WA Police superintendent Garry Kosovich said the pair stole a car on Tuesday from outside a NAB branch in Osborne Park.

Nine News Perth caught the moment the teen was apprehended by WA Police. Credit:9 News Perth

The nabbed Mitsubishi Challenger was later spotted by police in Baldivis on Saturday at around 3.10pm, and officers attempted to pull the vehicle over.

The driver of the vehicle refused to stop and gave chase, with police twice forced to abandon the pursuit.
By Press Trust of India: Bengaluru, Mar 18 (PTI) The suspect in the 2005 terror attack at Bengalurus Indian Institute of Science (IISc), who was arrested near Agartala, will be brought soon to the city, a top police official said here today.

"Our four-member City Crime Bureau team is waiting to get a transit remand of the suspect from Jogendranagar court. As soon as they get the transit remand, the suspect will be airlifted to Bengaluru," Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Praveen Sood told PTI here.

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The suspect could be airlifted and brought to the city today or tomorrow, depending upon the weather conditions, another senior police official said.

In a joint-operation yesterday, Karnataka Anti-Terror Squad and Tripura Police had arrested Habib Mia (37) from Jogendranagar area near Agartala.

On December 28, 2005, suspected terrorists had barged into the IISc campus and opened fire, killing a retired professor of IIT Delhi and injuring four others.

Prof Munish Chandra Puri, Professor Emiratus of Mathematics Department of IIT Delhi, had fallen victim as the gunmen sprayed bullets from an AK-47 rifle when delegates attending an international conference were proceeding for dinner at around 7.20 pm. The IISc attack was suspected to have planned by Pakistan-based banned terror organisation LeT. PTI BDN RC BSA

--- ENDS ---
A Perth business forced to correct a job advertisement calling for only 457 visa-holders to apply has again ignited debate about protectionism in WA's workforce.

The business posted an ad on Gumtree Australia on March 8 for a full-time electrician that read:

The Gumtree advertisement has since been changed- but its original contents are still available on other recruitment websites. Credit:Gumtree Australia

"##Hiring Electrician on a 457 for [job]##. Looking for a candidates interested in Solar. Should be ready to start immediately. Training provided. Requirement: 457 Visa, Valid Electrician Licence, Valid Driving Licence."

A 457 visa is provided by the Federal Government, and is valid for four years. It allows for businesses to hire migrants in specialised positions.
Dubai: Forty-two Somali refugees have been killed in a helicopter gunship attack on their boat off Yemen, the United Nations refugee agency says.

The UN and Somalia have called on the Saudi-led coalition fighting in the country to investigate the attack on Thursday.

Mohamed al-Alay, a coastguard officer in the Hodeida area, which is controlled by Yemen's rebel Houthi movement, said the refugees, carrying official UNHCR documents, were going to Sudan from Yemen when an Apache helicopter attacked near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait.

The area is part of a broad front where forces loyal to Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, backed by a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states, are fighting the Iran-allied Houthi movement which controls most of north and western Yemen.
Washington: It was girls' day out, and Diana Carrillo had abandoned her desire to eat healthy well before she, her sister and two friends got to the Southern California restaurant. The destination: Saint Marc, an upscale spot in the seaside city of Huntington Beach, where Carrillo had been once before.

As the waiter walked up to the table, Carrillo figured she'd splurge on the grilled-cheese sandwich and pay the $US2 ($2.60) up-charge to add some of the restaurant's signature bacon. To start, maybe she'd share a watermelon and cheese plate with her sister and friends.

Protesters gather across the street from a restaurant in Chicago before a Donald Trump campaign rally. Credit:AP

But the mood soured quickly after the waiter appeared. Before he could serve the four Latina women, he said, they needed to show proof of residency. "I need to make sure you're from here," he said.

Flummoxed, the four women handed over their IDs. But as what was happening sank in, they fumed. "I looked at my sister and [my friend], and I said, did he really just say that?"
Dili: The front-runner in East Timor's presidential elections on Monday has offered new hope for a breakthrough in a bitter stand-off with Australia over $40 billion in oil and gas fields.

Francisco Guterres, known as Lu-Olo, told Fairfax Media there are now "better prospects" for an agreement on sea borders which could lead to an agreement to develop the Greater Sunrise fields in the Timor Sea.

Francisco Guterres, popularly known as Lu-Olo. Credit:Wayne Lovell

An Australian parliamentary committee has been told that without billions of dollars in revenue from the fields, Australia's neighbour is likely to become an aid-dependent, failed state.

Mr Guterres, a leading figure in the power-sharing Fretilin Party, left open the possibility of the gas being piped to an existing plant in Darwin or for a floating platform to extract it above the fields.
Paris: The father of the man who attacked a soldier at Paris' second-largest airport said on Sunday that "there's no way my son was a terrorist".

Police questioned and then released relatives of Ziyed Ben Belgacem who was shot dead at a Paris airport, as investigators sought clues on why he attacked an army patrol in an incident that has pushed security to the forefront of France's election campaign.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said late on Saturday that the 39-year-old man had shouted he was there to "die for Allah" when he tried to seize a gun from a woman air force member on patrol at Orly airport.

After throwing down a bag containing a can of petrol and putting an air pistol to the head of the soldier, he was shot three times by her colleagues.
Washington: President Donald Trump is a reckless bully with authoritarian leanings and a craving for attention. Kim Jong-un is a reckless bully with dictatorial powers and a craving for attention. Oh yes, and both have fingers on nuclear triggers. That's why so many national security experts of both political parties struggle to think of a scarier pair.

It's not just that Kim's outlaw North Korean regime has accelerated its nuclear weapons capacity and delivery capability, or that Kim sees nuclear weapons as his insurance policy against adversaries.

It's also that Trump has displayed little appreciation of history or knowledge and a compulsion to show that he's tough.

Trump has called Kim a "madman", one of the few things he has gotten right about North Korea. Dealing with him, though, requires measured patience and smart diplomacy - not Trump's forte - and a reliance on alliances and relationships that he has dismissed.
Beijing: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday that US President Donald Trump looks forward to enhancing understanding with China and the opportunity for a visit in the future.

Mr Tillerson said Mr Trump places a "very high value on the communications that have already occurred" between Mr Xi and Mr Trump. The two leaders are scheduled to meet in the US in April.

"He looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future," Mr Tillerson said.

"You said that China-US relations can only be friendly. I express my appreciation for this," Mr Xi said.
Willemstad:--- Venezuelan authorities arrested former Minister of Finance of Curacao Jorge Jamaloodin on Friday afternoon on the request of an arrest warrant that was issued by the Prosecutors Office of Curacao. Jamaloodin is wanted in Curacao as authorities there needs him in three separate investigations.

One of the cases relates to his brother Robbie Dos Santos, Bientu which had to do with money laundering, tax evasion, and forgery. The second case regards land he obtained illegally while he was Minister of Finance in Curacao Germanium while he is also wanted in the brutal murder of Helmin Wiels knows as Maximus.

Jamaloodin is currently behind bars in Venezuela awaiting extradition to Curacao.

Spokesman for the Prosecutors Office Norman Serphos told SMN News that Jamaloodin is in Venezuela over a year now even though an arrest warrant has been issued for his arrest months now. Serphos said that Jamaloodin lawyers told the Prosecutors office that Jamaloodin was in Venezuela for medical purposes.

It is not yet known if Jamaloodin will contest his arrest in Venezuela or if he will be placed on a plane and sent out of the country as an unwanted person.

Serphos said Venezuelan authorities cooperated with their request and arrested the wanted politician.

It should be noted that Jamaloodin is one of the candidates that applied for the position as Director of the PJIA St. Maarten. It is not yet known if management of PJIAE knew that Jamaloodin was wanted in Curacao as a suspect in several criminal investigations.
Pacific Park offers seven great reasons to work at the two-acre amusement park:

SANTA MONICA, Calif., (March 06, 2017) --- Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier is hiring for new employees for Spring and summer positions during its annual Job Fair on Saturday, March 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Seaside Pavilion, which is located at the west end of Pacific Park next to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

Pacific Park looks for fun, outgoing, energetic team members to work in areas that include rides, games, retail and security, among others.

Potential employees can visit Pacific Park to submit an application in person or apply online at http://www.pacpark.com/jobfair. Pacific Park is an equal opportunity employer.

Pacific Park offers seven great reasons to work at the two-acre amusement park:

- Work outdoors, 40 feet over the ocean, on the beach.

- Make new friends and develop job skills.

- Earn extra cash while having fun.

- Promotions and pay raises possible in just 60 days.

- Work around school schedules.

- Great perks: employee parties, movie tickets, free meals, Park discounts, free ride wristbands, and discounts on-one-of-a-kind stuffed animals.

- Specialized on-the-job training, teaching real-life skills.

"Spring and summer are now upon us and we are gearing up for a new season of fun while making lifetime memories for our guests," says Jeff Klocke, Vice President and General Manager at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier. "Pacific Park encourages individuals to join our winning team and gain valuable skills and training."

Pacific Park is a very unique two acre amusement park that helps attract more than 8 million visitors annually to the Pier. The Park's vision statement reads: "Our purpose is to provide an authentic California amusement experience, where guests of all ages play together in a safe and unrivaled setting."

Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier, LA's only admission free amusement park, offers 12 amusement rides, 14 midway games, an oceanfront food plaza and retail shops. In addition to the Pacific Wheel, the world's only solar-powered Ferris wheel, Pacific Park's signature rides include The West Coaster, a steel roller coaster that races 55 feet above the Santa Monica Bay; and Inkie's Air Lift Balloon Ride, the high-flying, family-sharing kids' ride.

Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier is located at 380 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401. For additional information and hours of operation, call 310-260-8744, visit http://www.pacpark.com, follow on Twitter: @pacpark and Like at Facebook: facebook.com/pacificpark.
A group of lawyers and activists held a programme in New Delhi urging that the government ban the practice of triple talaq.

By Baishali Adak: A group of Muslim women lawyers and activists came together to demand an action for repeal of triple talaq from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

They claimed women across India - in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, etc - were pained by the practice, and local courts and police officers are also not sympathetic to their woes. They said lack of education and respect for women was harming them and the government must address this issue appropriately.

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The programme - replete with placards supporting the PM with slogans 'sabka saath, sabka vikas', 'beti bachao, beti padhao' and 'Muslim behnon ne mana hai, Modi ji ka saath nibhana hai' - was held at the Vithal Bhai Patel House in New Delhi.

"Muslims have realised that BJP is not against them. That is the reason the party received their votes in Uttar Pradesh, from both Muslim men and women. Just look at the candidates Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati fielded. They have clear criminal cases against them," said Shehnaz Afzal, a resident of Kashmere Gate.

"More so, Mulayam Singh Yadav says 'bachchon se aisi galtiyan ho jati hain' (boys commit such mistakes) when rapes happen," she added.

Another participant, Rehmani, said, "Triple talaq is a black spot on our community. Men divorce women by uttering the three words using excuses like 'she is too short,' 'she is not beautiful,' 'she doesn't cook good food,' and such. Are these valid reasons for divorcing a woman who you married willingly and in your full senses?"

Nobody listens to these women thereafter, said Fatma Begum rom Nangloi, adding, "Families abandon them. They are left with no financial means to raise kids and they are also scared away at local police stations."

Saima Nizami felt that Muslim women are leading dark lives.

She said, "Nobody bothers about their education, especially if they are from economically weak backgrounds. We have been working in groups to impart them training in various skills, educate them on health and sanitation, and take classes on personality development."

On Friday, RSS-affiliated body Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) claimed that it has already received one million signatures on its petition against triple talaq.

Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad also said at the Gujarat National Law University on Saturday that "Muslim women affected by triple talaq voted for the BJP in good numbers" during the recent Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, leading to their massive win.

ALSO READ | Triple talaq: 1 million Muslim women sign RSS-backed petition against the practice

ALSO READ | Muslims must stand in support of triple talaq just like Tamils did for jallikattu: Asaduddin Owaisi

ALSO WATCH | PM Modi on triple talaq: Lives of Muslim women can't be destroyed

--- ENDS ---

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The appeals court ruled Riders trial attorney was ineffective because she failed to object to the warrantless seizure of Riders cell phone related to the 2017 shooting death of Julii Johnson, outside the Warren home of her boyfriend.
Our View: Your vote, whatever it is, is a vote for democracy

Today's Debate
By Press Trust of India: From K J M Varma

Beijing, Mar 19 (PTI) China and the US should handle "sensitive issues" in their bilateral ties properly, Chinese President Xi Jinping today told visiting Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as he called cooperation the "only correct choice" for providing a "new start" to their relations.

Xis assertion came amidst a number of contentious issues in Sino-US relations, including the South China Sea, the status of Taiwan, trade as well as the North Korean missile and nuclear threats.

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"We should properly handle and manage sensitive issues to promote the healthy and stable development of sino-US relationship from a new start," Xi told Tillerson here.

Cooperation is the "only correct" choice for both the countries, Xi said apparently referring to anti-China rhetoric by US President Donald Trump.

Trump had branded China a currency manipulator stealing American jobs and also threatened to impose 45 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods.

In his meeting with Tillerson today, Xi said the two sides should grasp the general direction for the development of China-US relations in an attitude responsible for history and future generations.

He suggested that the two countries increase strategic trust and mutual understanding, review bilateral ties from long-term and strategic perspectives and expand fields of cooperation for win-win outcomes, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The two countries should also enhance coordination on regional hotspot issues, respect each others core interests and major concerns and encourage friendly exchanges, Xi said as he invited Trump to China.

Responding to Xis invitation, Tillerson said Trump placed a "very high value on the communications that have already occurred" between the two presidents.

"He looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future," Tillerson said.

"We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthening of the ties between China and the US, and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation," he said.

Ahead of Tillersons visit to China, Trump also put out a tweet to criticise Beijings role in dealing with North Korea.

"North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help," Trump tweeted.

However, Tillerson yesterday held lengthy round of "frank and candid" talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

After talks, Tillerson said the US would work with China to deal with threats posed by North Korea, which is also a close ally of Beijing.

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Tillerson visited South Korea on Friday and cautioned North Korea that all options are on the table to deal with Pyongyangs provocative nuclear and missile programmes. MORE PTI KJV UZM AKJ UZM

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Streaking Into Space

United Launch Alliance

At 8:18 pm ET on March 18, 2017, the U.S. military communications satellite WGS-9 launched into orbit atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket. See photos from the rocket launch here.

THIS IMAGE: This brilliant long-exposure view shows the Delta IV rocket streaking into orbit with WGS-9. Read our full story.

Liftoff for WGS-9!

United Launch Alliance

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket carrying the Wideband Global SATCOM 9 communications satellite for the U.S. military lifts off from Space Launch Complex-37 of Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 8:18 pm ET on March 18, 2017. Read our full story.

Launch View Lookout

Jeff Spotts/United Launch Alliance

A camera inside ULA's Mobile Service Tower captured this view of the Delta IV launch carrying WGS-9. Read our full story.

A Night Launch

Jeff Spotts/United Launch Alliance

The Delta IV rocket lights up the Florida night sky to launch WGS-9 into orbit from Space Launch Complex-37 of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Read our full story.

Next Stop, Space!

Jeff Spotts/United Launch Alliance

ULA's Delta IV rocket roars of the pad of Space Launch Complex-37 with the U.S. Air Force's WGS-9 communications satellite aboard. Read our full story.

A Successful Launch

United Launch Alliance

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket launches the Wideband Global SATCOM 9 communications satellite for the U.S. military on March 18, 2017. The mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Read our full story.

SRB Separation

United Launch Alliance

Four solid rocket boosters (smaller lights) can be seen just after separating from the ULA Delta IV rocket carrying the WGS-9 military communications satellite during the March 18, 2017 launch. Read our full story.

Night Falls at the Launchpad

United Launch Alliance

Bright lights illuminate Space Launch Complex-37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, where the Delta IV stands ready to launch WGS-9. Read our full story.

One Tall Rocket

United Launch Alliance

The Delta IV rocket carrying WGS-9 is a 220-foot-tall booster, making it as tall as a 22-story building.

The View from Up High

United Launch Alliance

This photo from the Mobile Service Structure of ULA's Delta IV rocket offers a sweeping view of the seaside launchpad.

In Launch Position

United Launch Alliance

Another view of the Delta IV rocket carrying the WGS-9 military communications satellite as it is rolled into launch position at Space Launch Complex-37.
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket carrying the Wideband Global SATCOM 9 communications satellite for the U.S. military lifts off from Space Launch Complex-37 of Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 8:18 pm ET on March 18, 2017.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.  A Delta IV rocket blasted off Saturday night (March 18) to deliver a $445 million U.S. military communications satellite into orbit, the ninth member of a planned network of 10 satellites.

Built and flown by United Launch Alliance, the 22-story tall booster lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station here at 8:18 p.m. EDT (0018 March 19 GMT), soaring out over the Atlantic Ocean after a 34-minute delay to resolve an issue with ground support equipment. United Launch Alliance is a partnership of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co.

Perched on top of the rocket was the U.S. Air Force's ninth Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite, built by Boeing. [In Photos: The WGS-9 Military Satellite Launch]

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket carrying the Wideband Global SATCOM 9 communications satellite for the U.S. military lifts off from Space Launch Complex-37 of Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 8:18 pm ET on March 18, 2017. (Image credit: United Launch Alliance)

Once in position more than 22,000 miles (35,400 km) above the equator, the satellite, known as WGS-9, will join a constellation that provides the military's highest capacity communications service.

The WGS network is used to relay television broadcasts, video conferences, images and other high-bandwidth data to and from ships, aircraft, ground forces, operations centers, the U.S. Department of State, the White House and select partners worldwide.

A Delta IV rocket carrying the advanced WGS-9 military communications satellite for the U.S. Air Force streaks into space from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in this long-exposure image taken on March 18, 2017. (Image credit: United Launch Alliance)

The spacecraft support both X-band and Ka-band communications, which are parts of the electromagnetic spectrum used for data transmission. The satellites can seamlessly cross the bands to accommodate voice, data, video and other types of communications over a broad range of ground-based and mobile terminals.

"WGS provides anytime, anywhere communications for soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and international partnership through broadcast, multicast and point-to-point connections," said Robert Tarleton, director of the Military Satellite Communications Systems Directorate at Air Force Space Command in Los Angeles.

The Wideband Global SATCOM 9 communications satellite for the U.S. military is encapsulated in the payload fairing of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket ahead of planned March 18, 2017 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. (Image credit: United Launch Alliance)

In exchange for part-time use of the WGS network, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and New Zealand picked up the $442 million bill to manufacture WGS-9.

The United States has a similar partnership with Australia, which paid for the WGS-6 spacecraft that was launched in 2013.

International partners receive proportional access to the bandwidth provided by the WGS constellation based on financial contribution, the Air Force said.

The 10th and final member of the WGS constellation is targeted for launch in late 2018.

Follow Irene Klotz on Twitter @Free_Space. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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By Press Trust of India: Beijing, Mar 19 (PTI) For the first time in a decade, Chinas Hongjiannao Lake, the countrys largest desert freshwater lake, expanded in 2016 by over four per cent, a report said today.

The surface area of the lake, located in Shenmu County, northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province, stood at 32.94 square kilometers by the end of last year, up around 4.5 per cent year on year, according to statistics from the provincial remote sensing information center for agriculture.

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The lake, sandwiched between the Muus desert in Shaanxi and the Erdos plateau in north Chinas Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, saw its water level retreat by 30 to 60 centimeters a year since 2006.

In 2015, it shrank to less than 32 square kilometers.

At its largest, the lake covered 67 square kilometers in 1969.

Significant increase in precipitation, including artificial rainfall, as well as more water from reservoirs upstream, contributed to the lakes expansion, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. PTI KJV MRJ

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By Linnea Engstrom

17 mars 2017

Morocco has no official claim to the waters off Western Sahara, so why, Linnea Engstrom asks, should the EU pay Rabat for the right to fish there?

Linnea Engstrom is a Swedish Green MEP and first vice-chair of the European Parliaments Committee on Fisheries.

In December 2016, the European Court of Justice (ECJ), through strict interpretation of international law, ruled that the Western Sahara was not part of Morocco and that no EU-Morocco trade deals should apply to any part of the Western Saharan territory. The ruling presents the first time the European court has taken a stance on Moroccos claims over the territory.

Inherently, this ruling also means that fishing rights sold by Morocco cannot by any means apply to the territory off the coast of Western Sahara. The ECJ explicitly declared that the Council had disregarded its obligation to ensure that International Law was respected before the FPA, and its protocols, were signed. The ruling also states that Front Polisario should give their consent on behalf of the Sahrawi people to any activity regarding their natural resources.

It is now clear that the EU must do its utmost to make sure that any agreement that entails the exploitation of resources in Western Sahara protects the right to self- determination of the Sahrawi people, as well as their right to benefit from the natural resources of their territory. This will be crucial for the EU to uphold the credibility of its commitments towards sustainability and ensuring compliance with EU fishing laws and principles (including human rights) embedded in its Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements.

Under the UN Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), states may declare exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of up to 200 nautical miles off their coast. Morocco did that in 1981 along the Atlantic coast. However, the southernmost point onshore from which the EEZ is derived is 27o 42 N, whereas the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara is 27o 40 N, slightly to the south. A search on the site of Oceans and Law of the Sea, the repository of states legislation on, among other things, their EEZs, shows nothing whereby Morocco has claimed sovereignty or jurisdiction over the waters off the coast of Western Sahara.

On the other hand, in 2009, the Sahara Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) declared its maritime zones, including an EEZ of 200 nautical miles, beginning at 27o 40 N as the northern extremity.

The agreement of 2006 defines the Moroccan fishing zone as the waters falling within the sovereignty or jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Morocco which essentially leaves the geographical scope unclear. But if Morocco has not declared any sovereignty over the waters off Western Sahara, it is difficult to see why a) Morocco has the right to sell fishing rights there, and b) why the EU needs to pay Morocco for fishing in waters not under its jurisdiction.

Polisario must now develop its general policy on the management of the maritime resources it seeks to control. If UNCLOS gives a state the right to the resources in its waters, it also obliges them to accept the responsibilities of management that go along with it, rights and responsibilities are two sides of the same coin. Now is the time for Polisario to develop at least a general policy, committed to sustainability and food security. This is especially relevant as many of the resources are shared stocks, imposing a special responsibility under international law. International law clearly recognises the rights to natural resources as part of the right to self-determination.

After these crucial steps have been taken, Front Polisario should have the right, as the official representatives of the Sahrawi people, as recognized by the UN, to negoiate a sustainable fisheries partnership agreement with EU. (SPS)

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https://www.euractiv.com/section/africa/opinion/western-sahara-should-be-able-to-negotiate-a-fisheries-partnership-agreement-with-the-eu/
New York, 19 March 2017 (SPS) Saharawi Coordinator with MINURSO, Mhamed Khadad, said that the meeting of the Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Ibrahim Ghali, with the new UN Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, has allowed to inform the latter about the latest developments of the question of Western Sahara and the Moroccan obstacles against the United Nations' efforts to find a just and lasting solution to the last case of decolonization in Africa.

In a statement to SPS, Mr. Khadad stressed that this meeting, at the request of the Polisario Front, "has allowed to inform the new UN Secretary-General about the developments of the Saharawi issue and the Moroccan obstacles (renouncement of its international commitments, expulsion of the political and administrative component of MINURSO mandated by the Security Council, and violation of the ceasefire in Elguergarat region).

The Polisario Front also expressed the will of the Saharawi party to cooperate with the new Secretary-General of the United Nations and his Personal Envoy with a view to implementing the decisions of the United Nations calling for the self-determination of the people Sahrawi through a free and fair referendum, he added.

The Secretary-General of the Polisario Front will also meet with the President of the Security Council and most of the ambassadors of the UN Security Council, to discuss the role of the United Nations in reviving the peace process, especially in the light of Moroccan intransigence and its challenge of international legitimacy, he further added. (SPS)

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London, 19 March 2017 (SPS) - The Spanish government in a statement yesterday confirmed the EU court's judgement that Western Sahara goods are not covered by the EU-Morocco trade deal. Spain states it is up to France to make sure the controversial trade of fish oil from 'Key Bay' vessel was properly tariffed.On 16 March 2017, the Spanish government explicitly stated that products from Western Sahara are not covered by the EU-Morocco trade agreements.

The consequences of this, is that cargoes such as the fish oil which was on board a vessel that stopped over on the Canary Islands in January 2017 cannot be granted tariff reduction. After bunkering in Las Palmas, the chemical tanker 'Key Bay' sailed to France, where she discharged the entire cargo of fish oil, destined to the importer Olvea.

As the vessel stopped over in Las Palmas, the vessel was boarded by Spanish police and harbour authorities. The Spanish government confirmed yesterday that the information it collected have thus been communicated to French customs (presumably confirming WSRW's doubts on the validity of the export documents), and that it is now up to France to take its responsibility.

This is, to WSRW's knowledge, the first public statement from Madrid on the non-applicability of the EU-Morocco trade agreements to products from Western Sahara. In the absence of a discussion in the European Council and of European Commission instructions on the implementation of the CJEU ruling, EU member states seem divided on how to deal with Western Sahara goods.

The 'Key Bay' affair was the first confirmed transport of fish products into the EU after the landmark judgement on 21 December 2016, of the Court of Justice of the EU which ruled that Western Sahara products cannot be covered by the EU-Moroccan trade agreements.

The ruling was in line with the opinion of Northern European states. However, the EU, with pressure from France, has until now treated goods from Western Sahara as if they were Moroccan. France, alongside Spain, is an important importer of both fisheries and agriculture products made in the territory under Moroccan occupation. France is also the state in the UN Security Council that backs up Morocco in all aspects of the occupation, including in preventing the UN forces to report on human rights violations in the territory. France last year also prevented the Security Council to enforce a return of UN troops unilaterally kicked out of Western Sahara by Morocco.

The question about the Spanish government's position on the imports fish products was first submitted by the Spanish member of Congress Jorge Luis Bail of the Spanish party Unidos Podemos/EQUO on 18 January 2017. (SPS)

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http://www.wsrw.org/a105x3780
Port Louis (Mauritius), 19 March, 2017 (SPS) - Speaker of the National Council, Khatri Adduh, arrived Sunday in Port Louis, Mauritius, who will represent the President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, in the Inaugural African Economic Platform (AEP) from 20 - 22 March.

Mr. Khatri Adduh was received at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport by Mauritius Minster of Foreign Affairs Mr. Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo.

The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Jugnauth will be present at the opening ceremony together with a number of African Heads of States and governments.

The AEP will institutionalise a new annual platform for African leaders and create an avenue for dialogue amongst a range of sectors, including the African political leadership, business leaders in the private sector, universities and intellectuals. (SPS)

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Juanita James is nothing if not candid.

She doesnt hesitate to talk about the hostility she faced as one of Princetons first female students, and how dramatically the school had changed by the time she joined its board of trustees as its first black woman.

But no matter the topic, she never loses her smile.

And she speaks without a shred of resentment. James, president and CEO of Fairfield Countys Community Foundation, forever focuses on the positive.

My mother always told me not to let others define your hopes and dreams, she said. Mom told me to surround myself with positive people. People who affirm you.

While raising her daughter in Brooklyn, N.Y., James mother also stressed the importance of education. That commitment would take James, 64, to a string of high-powered corporate jobs and, today, one of the top philanthropic positions in the state.

The road there was not easy. In high school, her guidance counselor discouraged her from applying to Princeton. James believes the counselor may have hoped to shield her from disappointment. She applied anyway.

She recalls vividly her classmates whooping in celebration when the loudspeaker crackled, announcing shed be attending Princeton on a full scholarship, which included a National Merit Scholarship.

The long bus ride

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Once she arrived on the Ivy League campus in 1970, James perceived some professors werent in favor of the schools new population of women.

The first semester was uncomfortable. She took the bus home to spend every weekend with her mother. There were subtle ways you realized people didnt respect you, James said. There were some professors who never called on women. But we were in the vanguard and determined to be successful.

She never told her mom the truth  that she made the trek because she didnt feel like she fit in at school. I knew how much she sacrificed to let me have this opportunity, James explained, a stern expression replacing her usual smile. I wasnt going to let her down.

She found solace through volunteering with children at a local organization. She caught fewer homeward-bound buses the second semester, and by summer, she decided to stay in Princeton to work with the children over her break.

In 1974, James became the first in her family to graduate college.

Up the ladder

A few years after college, James got married, moved to Maryland and began working at Time Inc. as an editorial apprentice in its books division.

I loved everything there, she said. I loved learning something new every day and I was surrounded by smart, creative, dynamic people.

She and some colleagues noted ways the firms apprenticeship program could improve. James took their ideas to her boss and was named director of the program. Then the company told James it wanted to pay for her to attend Columbia Business Schools Executive program.

Around this time James realized she and her husband were planning different futures. They divorced. Later, she met her current husband, Dudley Williams Jr. Early on in their relationship, he turned down time with her due to a prior commitment with his father. There was something so different about him, she said. About a grown man being so committed to his family.

Her career success continued when she graduated business school in 1982 and the CEO of Time-Life Books read her thesis. It outlined how to save the companys faltering books division, James said. He asked how I had come up with my suggestions, which were pretty similar to what he paid to get from McKinsey, the high-priced consulting firm.

He recruited her to be an executive assistant in Time-Life Books. She eventually ended up running one of its subsidiaries, Time-Life Libraries, as its president and CEO for four years.

The greatest obstacle

Running a subsidiary with 16 offices across the country, James work meant constant travel and her marriage meant alternating weekends between cities where she and her husband each worked. In 1989, en route to consolidating their things in their new Stamford home, Williams had to drop everything and meet his wife in Baltimore, where she had gone into labor  four months before her due date.

It was then she dealt with her greatest challenge.

Faced with a job and newborn son, Dudley III, who weighed less than 2 lbs. and had suffered bleeding in his brain due to his premature birth, James decided to stop working and focus on her child. I dont think it was a really a choice, she said. When you have a child, your first obligation is to them.

Most of the following year was spent at the hospital. They were difficult days, but the lingering memory is of a son who wouldnt give up. He had spirit, heart and fight, James said. That kind of stress could tear marriages apart, she acknowledged, but she and her husband used it to draw closer together.

Shes the queen of well get through this, said Williams, to whom James has been married for almost 30 years. She did everything for our son. She made sure he knew that he was the center of our lives. He now tells that to people often.

Dudley Williams III is now marketing coordinator at John Hancock Financial Services. He is also an ambassador for Best Buddies, which has a job placement program for adults with intellectual disabilities and helped him find his own job.

A year after her sons birth, James returned to work at Time Inc. and accepted a position as vice president of Book-of-the-Month Club  a step back from her job before taking time off.

But that didnt stop James from aiming high. She eventually wound her way through several corporate positions and was elevated to chief marketing and communications officer at Stamford-based Pitney Bowes.

There, she was a visionary leader, according to Matthew Broder, who reported to James. Shes very open. ... And those who work for her are fiercely loyal. The anchor for that is the vulnerability she expresses, which is a rare trait among leaders of her stature, he added.

James retired from Pitney in 2010 and planned to take some time off. A year later, she was recruited to run Fairfield Countys Community Foundation.

Her career contains countless accomplishments, including being named Stamfords Citizen of the Year, being included in Savoy Magazines 2016 list of Most Influential Black Corporate Directors and guiding numerous nonprofits and philanthropies. Most importantly, James cites raising her son, who lives and works in Boston, as her crowning achievement.

Crossing barriers

When James traces her career, she doesnt gloss over hurdles she faced, but she never dwells on being treated unfairly. It mirrors how she says she wants to see society tackle similar challenges.

We need to tone down the level of combativeness in our language and be more gracious to each other, James said. We need to acknowledge each others differences without it being a criticism. Theres a fine line between speaking up without it becoming a threat.

There seems to always be periods of great dissatisfaction and usually we come out of it with great leadership, because in the end, people want to be happy. As leaders, we need to generate that. Each of us has that power.

MBennett@greenwichtime.com, 203-625-4411; Twitter @Macaela_
When it comes to laughs and roles you will never forget, iconic comedian, actor and author Billy Crystal stands far taller than his 5 foot 7. From his first days as a stand-up comic, to his TV role on the groundbreaking TV series Soap and his mahvalous stint on Saturday Night Live, to starring film roles in When Harry Met Sally and Ci ty Slickers, the New York native has had fans laughing till it hurt and still wanting more. Considered among the best as a time-to-time host of the annual Academy Awards show, Crystal has gone back to his roots, stand-up comedy, traveling city to city with his Spend the Night with Billy Crystal tour, which lands in Connecticut at the Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford on Saturday, March 25. The Tony and Emmy Award-winning 69-year-old reflects on 40 years in show business, his appearances at the former Bill Hahn hotel (later the Waters Edge Resort) in Westbrook and how he would have handled this years Oscar faux pas.

Q: You are looking at 69 years old this month. How is getting older what you expected and how is it a surprise? What do you want for your birthday, and what kind of cake will it be?

A: There are no real surprises. Its what I thought it would be. Listen, I love what I am doing now. I feel great. I have a good time. Good health for me and my family is all I want and good audiences, and I have had those on this tour for sure. My grandson will be 4 on the same day (March 14) and well be celebrating together, along with 35 other 4-year-olds coming to his party. That should be fun. And as far as the birthday cake, since I was 6, it has always been whats called a Victory Layer Cake. Its all chocolate and cream. My wife, Janice, makes it for me every year.

Q: You and your wife are setting records when it comes to celebrity couples who have enjoyed a long, happy marriage. Whats the secret?

A: We feel like we are still dating. We just celebrated the 50th anniversary of our first date, a Mets game. I was in Australia and she was home in LA, but we celebrated the occasion when I got back. I remember when I was first playing clubs she and our oldest, who was a baby then, would pile into the Volkswagen to get from gig to gig. We would put her to sleep on the bed and eat dinner in the bathroom. Sometimes we still do eat dinner in the bathroom.

Q: Speaking of long-term couples, what are Harry and Sally doing in the sequel, if there were one?

A: Who knows, they are probably going through empty-nest syndrome now. Hopefully, they are still together. There was talk about a sequel for awhile, but (playwright) Nora Ephron said, Lets just leave them alone and believe in living happily ever after.

Q: You are the master when it comes to hosting the Oscars. Did you see this years winners card faux pas? What were your thoughts, and would you ever host the Oscars again?

A: I was in Austin, Texas, and had the night off, so yeah, I saw it. I was dumbstruck and surprised something like that could happen. But it has happened before. Sammy Davis Jr. was given the wrong card at the 1954 Oscars. Theres a video of it. I felt bad for Warren (Beatty); you could tell there was confusion when he handed it to Faye Dunaway. Its easy to say I would have handled it differently as a host, but you are in front of a billion people and something like that happens, who knows what you would do? But I thought it was handled gracefully by La La Lands producer, Jordan (Horowitz). It was a great honor to be the host of the Oscars nine times and I feel honored to be mentioned with the great Bob Hope as someone who hosted so many times. As far as doing it again, I dont know. I am having so much fun doing what I am doing now.

Q: Where did the idea for the tour come from, and how did Bonnie Hunt become part of the show?

A: The idea came many years ago in 2001 right after 9/11. I was asked to do a fundraiser in Seattle for kids who had lost their parents in the towers. I said yes, but didnt have an act, so I talked with David Steinberg and suggested we do an interview-type program. Thats where the concept started. I did a similar version of that program with Andrew Denton during a recent trip to Australia. Hes kind of the Dick Cavett of Australia. It went tremendously well. Its a good way to introduce a lot of stand-up and sit-down material. The show now includes an interview done with Bonnie Hunt, which is a lot of fun and insightful, and there are film clips no one has seen before. It becomes a little bit of a documentary, as well as a comedy routine and an interview. Bonnie and I were on a panel together during a dedication of a theater to my best friend, Robin Williams. We hit it off, so I asked her if she would be interested to be part of the tour and its been great. We have great chemistry and each show is always a little bit different, which makes it fun for us and the audience.

Q: What do you know about Connecticut?

A: I used to play in this little place in Connecticut. It was a little inn, and the owners name was Bill Hahn. It was on the Sound and Streisand played there, too. He was an amazing guy who loved performers and I think I made $150 a week or something. But that was one of the first places I performed when my career was beginning, and Ill never forget him.

Q: Politics in America these days, are you doing more laughing or crying?

A: (chuckling) A little bit of both.

Q: What is something most people dont know about you?

A: I failed algebra twice in high school. I passed it the third time because I had memorized the book.

Toyota Oakdale Theatre, 95 S. Turnpike Road, Wallingford. Saturday, March 25, 8 p.m. oakdale.com, 203-265-1501.

MaryEllen Fillo is an award-winning journalist and adjunct professor. Email: mwazorko@gmail.com
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STAMFORD  A 20-year-old murder fugitive wanted for a New Years Eve killing in New York was apprehended Friday at a West Side home, police said.

Juan Nico Morales, 20, was arrested during a raid of a Smith Street house by Stamford detectives and U.S. Marshals, according to Capt. Richard Conklin, head of the city police departments Narcotics and Organized Crime unit.
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NORWALK  There may soon be a higher level of security at courthouses throughout the state.

House Bill 7215, making its way through the General Assembly, will seek in part to have an armed judicial marshal posted at each courthouse. It has drawn support from the marshal community and opposition from at least two state judges.

Louis Speringo Jr., state chief judicial marshal, testified in support of the bill at a March 6 public hearing of the Judiciary Committee.

The publics safety and lives are at risk in our courthouses during an active shooter situation ... Speringo told legislators. Currently the policy dictates that all judicial employees, including marshals, should run, hide, or as a last resort, fight for survival.

Over the past several years firearms have been found in courthouses, Speringo testified.

Thankfully no one has been injured in these events, he testified. However, with the heightened tensions of terrorism in our country as well as the statistical data of the rise of courthouse violence, its only a matter of time before something happens here in our courthouses.

Current security measures at Norwalk Superior Court require visitors to place items on a scanner and walk through a metal detector under the watch of judicial marshals.

One marshal spoke in favor of the bill on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak publically about the measure.

That would be another way to prevent problems, the marshal said. I think its a good idea.

House Bill 7215 states in part: Not later than July 1, 2017, the Judicial Department shall commence training and certification of judicial marshals to carry firearms in courthouses. The department shall determine which judicial marshals to train and certify, which firearms may be carried and in which courthouses such judicial marshals may carry such firearms.

We are sworn peace officers and wed like the Legislature to give us the tools we need to do our job, said Joe Gaetano, president of the International Brotherhood of Police 731 union, which represents judicial marshals statewide.

Gaetano strongly supports the arming of marshals at key courthouse locations.

We would like to see at a minimum, an armed marshal at the front doors of courthouses, Gaetano said. We dont feel every marshal should be armed  not in lockup or in the courtroom  but at specific posts in the courthouse.

There is high emotion going on at court and even good people can lose their rationale, Gaetano said.

In particular, state Superior Court in Bridgeport has been the site of brawls in recent years at emotion-ridden proceedings, the latest of which occured in June 2016.

In that incident five people were arrested after engaging in a brawl outside the courthouse after a murder sentencing.

That was a serious incident, Gaetano said. People were trying to get into the courthouse and there was a melee in the parking lot where people were using bats and chains.

In February 2014, more than a dozen rival gang members fought outside of the Bridgeport courthouse after a man pleaded guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy to commit murder. In 2012, Bridgeports courthouse was the scene of another brawl in which three people were arrested for fighting at the arraignment of a murder suspect.

In spite of the current security at courthouses, Gaetano said that weapons could still make their way inside.

Weve had situations around the state where someone who has been taken into custody by police and brought to court and may have a weapon on them, Gaetano said. The way things are right now is that we would have to contact local police. The average response time for police is five to six minutes and during that time a lot can happen.

Opposition to the proposed bill in the strongest possible terms was voiced by Chief Court Administrator Judge Patrick L. Carroll III on behalf of himself and former Stamford Superior Court Judge Chase T. Rogers.

The safety of those who come to and work in our courthouses and offices is our highest priority, Carroll said. The security measures we undertake, which incorporate a combination of ... building design, sophisticated electronics ... highly trained security staff are ... the most appropriate ways to secure our courts. Introducing firearms into our buildings are not.

Citing budgetary cuts that have reduced the number of marshals by more than 100, Carroll said, Our greatest security challenge is maintaining a sufficient number of judicial marshals ... We currently have more than 190 judicial marshal vacancies. If the Legislature is interested in helping the Judicial Branch bolster security, the single most effective measure ... is to provide adequate funding to fill those vacancies.

llake@hearstmediact.com
For me, sidewalks the day after heavy snowfall are similar to a Rorschach test.

How property owners respond to snow after a storm exposes their personalities and how they function in a society.

I speak from experience. That trope about walking uphill both ways to grade school is a chronicle of my childhood. The walk  which is exactly one mile  was shaped like a u, not like an n.

These days, I shadow my son to Kindergarten over a route that also is one mile. The school is on a hill, but the big slope is on the way home, making the stroll more like a j. Hey, its good for his character.

Regardless of season or time of day, traffic is always light on our sidewalks. Ive come to accept that the evolution of humans ceased with the invention of the motorcar. Sure, we eventually sorted out that walking upright thing, but these days most people need special shoes to transport themselves to the doughnut shop on every corner.

That doesnt make it OK to let the blanket of snow rise on your sidewalks while you huddle under comforters binge-watching Netflix.

Its always a gamble to pick the right time to shovel. I started chopping paths while the snow was still falling Tuesday afternoon. Im on a corner of a main road, and thought the plows had already done their worst. I handed The Kid his little red plastic shovel and told him to start digging. After a few hurls, he decided he had built enough character and wandered off to bury toy trucks.

A few hours later, he pointed out the window into the darkness to rat out the plow driver who was sculpting Mount Doom at the entrance to our corner sidewalk. I wanted to bury that guys truck.

We assessed the damage at the start of our trek to school the next morning. The Kid sized up the obstacle, which was taller than his 4 feet. The wall looked like President Trumps handiwork: Pointless and expensive.

I hurled The Kid over the wall and scrambled after him. My shovel had carved a path that curved like a drifting s. We proceeded to interpret the rest of the snow blot tests before us.

The dog walker: You probably have one in your neighborhood too. Judging by the paw prints and poopsicle in the snow, the homeowner was yanked via leash to the sidewalk and back without a shovel or a scooper.

The luge: Some effort was made here, but you can barely put one foot in front of the other. The eventual tumble offers a two-man luge run along the gutter.

The Its about me: A rising percentage of people seem to dig out a path to the car, but leave the sidewalks untouched.

... and the car washer: Seriously, you can get your car washed but leave all the snow on your walk?

The Get off my property extremist: While I have sympathy for people who are truly unable to shovel, there are nut jobs who welcome the snow as a social deterrent. One homeowner boasts Beware of Dog and Second Amendment signs, but lacks the fortitude to lift a shovel.

The salter: Some homeowners frozen paths are saltier than a Howard Stern-Amy Schumer interview. They seem to hold faith that sodium chloride will sizzle through a foot of ice.

The OCD: God bless these snow angels, who are so compulsive the sidewalk looks like it was just paved. How they must loathe some of their neighbors.

Our walk in subsequent days proves municipal ordinances regarding clear sidewalks carry about as much of a threat as those involving texting and driving.

This storm demonstrated that all snow is not created equal. If you didnt hit pause during your bingefest, you couldnt budge it with a jackhammer the next morning. A neighbor told me of a day when he offered shoveling services in a neighborhood starting at 5 a.m. He finished at 9:30 a.m. with $480 in his pocket. But Queen Elsa of Arendelle couldnt have moved this big freeze at dawn Wednesday.

If you dont care about walkers, you should Beware of Kid. I see no reason to discourage him when he whips ice balls at offending homes.

Just try to chase us. I dare you to walk a mile in our boots.

John Breunig is editorial page editor of The Advocate and Greenwich Time. Jbreunig@scni.com; 203-964-2281; twitter.com/johnbreunig.
A nti-terror police held a major training exercise on the River Thames today in preparation for the potential hijack of a tourist boat.

Emergency services were being tested on their ability to handle a terror attack on a cruise boat in which dozens of hostages are taken.

More than 200 police officers and emergency services personnel including paramedics, firefighters and RNLI workers, were involved in the training.

The challenging exercise emulated a scenario in which terror attackers hijack a boat along the Thames estuary and head down the river towards central London.

Firearms officers race down the Thames is speedboats / PA

It is the first time the Met Police has enacted a live-action, water-borne exercise of its kind.

A sightseeing vessel became the scene of a fierce mock-gun battle between armed officers and police volunteers posing as terrorists shortly after 11am on Sunday, close to the London Docklands area.

Armed officers boarded the moving vessel in a hail of gunfire just over two hours after a simulated hijacking in which a group of around five officers posing as gun-wielding terrorists assumed command of the boat in a role-play hostage scenario.

At least one "body", played by a police volunteer, was cast overboard, and officers were deployed in a bid to assess the effectiveness of rescue operation tactics in life-like conditions.

It was designed to test every phase of the emergency services' effectiveness with a river-based terrorist attack in the capital - from the moment an incident is reported, to the conclusion of a rescue operation.

Hostages put their hands up inside the boat as firearms officers attempt to board in a mock anti-terror training exercise / PA

Photos showed armed police dressed in black racing down the river in speedboats before attempting to board the vessel.

Scotland Yard Commander BJ Harrington, head of the Met's Public Order Command, said the exercise was not planned in response to any "specifc inteliigence" about an impending marine attack.

But he noted that recent terrorist incidents on the continent showed how would-be attackers have diversified their means of inflicting harm to the general public.

He said: "It's important to point out that the exercise has not been designed in response to any specific threat.

"There's no information that we have that we're preparing for.

"Of course, we have seen a number of incidents abroad in the past few years: Nice, Berlin - we have seen different methodologies developing, and, of course, the river runs right the way through London so why wouldn't we prepare for that."

Police officers taking part in a multi-agency exercise to test their response to a marauding terrorist attack on a boat in London / PA

The exercise comes just two weeks after the Met's most senior counter-terrorism officer, assistant commissioner Mark Rowley, revealed that security services have thwarted 13 potential terrorist attacks in the UK in less than four years.

The figure is one higher than the last tally given in October.

Commander Harrington said the exercise marks the first time all the involved agencies have come together to test their interoperability and effectiveness as a group, and hoped it would act as a deterrent to any would-be attackers.

The multi-agency operation was carried out between the Met, the Port of London Authority, London Coastguard, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade.

Police posted messages on social media warning the public not to be alarmed if they spotted the training exercise taking place on the river.

The Met's marine policing unit said: "Don't be alarmed if you see our specialist firearms officers on the River Thames who are taking part in the #999exercise today."
A major police manhunt is under way after a one-year-old boy died and a girl was left fighting for life following an attack at a flat in Finsbury Park.

Murder detectives, who have seized a hammer found nearby, are searching for Bidhya Sagar Das, 33.

Mr Das lives at the apartment in Wilberforce Road where the injured children were found.

He is believed to be the child's father and members of the public have been urged to dial 999 immediately if they see him.

A murder probe was launched after the two children, believed to be twins, were found by police with critical injuries at the flat on Saturday night.

A hammer reportedly found dumped in a bag of sand near the apartment is being examined by forensics officers, although the Met would not comment on its relevance in the investigation.

One-year-old boy dies after an incident in a Londear-old boy dies after an ion flat

Scotland Yard said officers were alerted to the incident at 11.10pm on Saturday.

Police said Mr Das left the flat shortly before the emergency services were called and has not been seen since.

Neighbours said a woman was heard frantically shouting for help before scores of police arrived at the scene.

Medics rushed the injured children, believed to be twins, to the Royal London Hospital.

One child was taken to the hospital by air ambulance and the other by ambulance.

Police outside a flat in Finsbury Park where two children were found injured / PA

The boy was pronounced dead shortly before 1am in hospital, while the girl remains there in a critical condition.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams told Sky News police had received a call from a "distraught" member of the public.

He added that the young girl is being operated on.

A Met Police spokesman said: "Detectives are urgently trying to trace a man who was at the flat shortly before the injured children were found, but left before emergency services were called. The man has not been seen since this time.

Police officers enter the house in Wilberforce Road / PA

"If any members of the public see this man or know his whereabouts, they are urged to contact police via 999 immediately."

Witnesses heard the woman shouting for help on the street outside and later saw two children being carried out of the property.

Mihai Manea, 29, who lives on the second floor of the building, said the children were twins and lived on the top floor with their Romanian mother and Indian father.

A police officer enters in the address in Wilberforce Road / PA

The father worked at the nearby Pembury Hotel as a receptionist, where Mr Manea also works, until a few days ago, he said.

A woman living opposite the building, who gave her name as Gui Gui, said she heard a woman shouting late last night and opened the window to offer help.

"I was watching TV," she said. "I heard someone was shouting. She kept on shouting. I do not know what she was shouting.

"I opened the window and I asked her 'Can I help you, can I call the police for you?' She said, 'My kids'."

She later saw two young children being carried out of the building, with one being held very close to a member of the emergency services.

Mr Manea described the mood inside the property as "tense".

"It's really tense," he said. "There's police coming and going all the time."

On Sunday morning, police cars were parked outside a white three-storey building where the children were injured.

Police officers were visiting and searching properties along the tree-lined street.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "This is clearly a tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the family of the two young children.

"Despite the best efforts of medical professionals a baby boy sadly died in the early hours of this morning. A baby girl currently remains in a critical condition and is receiving specialist medical care.

"We are in the early stages of the investigation and our inquiries have led us identify Bidhya Sagar Das, who we believe was at the flat shortly before the injured children were found late on Saturday night.

"It is of paramount importance that he is located immediately and we are urgently seeking the public's help in the hope that they will be our eyes and ears and provide us with any useful information that would assist with tracing him.

"As the hours pass the need to locate Bidhya Sagar Das becomes more pressing.

"He may have approached friends or family in the aftermath of the incident and I am specifically appealing to these people to come forward. "

The Met added: "Next of kin are aware. Formal identification awaits and a post-mortem examination will be scheduled in due course."

The force urged members of the public, who have been warned not to approach Das, to contact 999 if they see him or know of his whereabouts.

Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8345 3775 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
By Press Trust of India: Chandigarh, Mar 17 (PTI) Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal today said the government will come out with a whitepaper on the states finances and alleged that there was "systematic loot" of resources during the SAD-BJP rule.

The Amarinder Singh-led government will take some important decisions in its first cabinet meeting tomorrow, he said after assuming office here.

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For the meeting, the state government has prepared a 150 point agenda pertaining to reforms in governance, economic reforms and eliminating VIP culture among others, Manpreet said.

The main objectives of the new government would be to streamline expenditure, bring down revenue deficit and raise additional resources to put the states fiscal situation on track, the newly-inducted minister said.

On his party accusing the SAD-BJP of "mismanaging" state finances, Manpreet, the estranged nephew of former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, said the present dispensation will come out with a white paper on it.

"We will be presenting a white paper. I have already asked officials to prepare it on the states finance that we have inherited," he said.

"There was systematic loot of Punjabs resources and its legitimate revenue was siphoned-off to cartels in transport, sand and mining sectors," Manpreet alleged.

The minister said the state will have a special audit of government expenditure in the last three years.

"We will be going for a third party audit of government expenses. A lot of work was undertaken without administrative or financial approvals," he said.

A special audit of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited will be done, there has been a lot of mismanagement in the power utility, Manpreet said.

In the wake of the Congresss poll promise to waive agricultural debt in Punjab, he said the government will set up a committee of experts to assess the quantum of farm debt in the state.

"We are yet to assess institutional debt, outstanding farm loans of cooperative banks and Arthiyas, and how much of it is farm debt," he said.

On farm loans in banks, he said the government is competent to negotiate with the financial institutions and can make payments and take over the farm debt.

Manpreet said the new government will continue to give free power for farmers.

He accused the SAD-BJP government of leaving the state with a staggering Rs 1.75 lakh crore debt.

Yesterday, after assuming charge, Amarinder said he was committed to fulfilling all his electoral promises and his government would take several important decisions in the first cabinet meeting. The Chief Minister had reiterated his promise to constitute a Special Task Force (STF) end the drugs menace in the state within four weeks. PTI CHS AKA ANB

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A flight travelling from London to Poland was forced to make an emergency landing when it dramatically lost air pressure.

The Titan Airways flight was travelling from Stansted Airport on Sunday morning when the captain declared an emergency before diverting to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

Video footage shows passengers on board the Boeing 767 forced to wear oxygen masks as the drama unfolded.

The mayday call was made at 9.43am due to depressurisation and the plane touched down in the Dutch capital at about 10am, Airlive reported.

None of the 272 people on board the charter flight were hurt.

A spokesman for Titan Airways said: On Sunday a Boeing 767-300 aircraft operated by Titan Airways experienced a cabin air pressure problem whilst en-route from London/Stansted to Rzeszow in Poland.

"The Captain declared an emergency to the air traffic control authorities and immediately diverted to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

There were no injuries amongst the passengers and crew but on arrival the aircraft was met by emergency service personnel as a precaution to ensure the welfare of the passengers.

Whilst such events are rare, all Titan Airways crew undergo regular rigorous training in accordance with EU EASA regulations to ensure they manage such situations successfully.

Titan Airways are now working with the passengers on their further travel plans.

The flight was believed to be taking Jewish passengers on an annual pilgrimage to the tombstone of Rabbi Elimelech Weisblum.
P eckham has topped a list of the best places to live in London.

The south London district was revealed as the most desirable location in the capital in a list published today in the Sunday Times.

Up and coming areas including Walthamstow, Canonbury and Muswell Hill also made this years top 10 list, according to the newspapers Best Places to Live Guide 2017.

Of Peckham, the paper writes: The areas story in a nutshell - the swift transformation of a crime-ridden, no-go patch of south London into a hipster rival to Dalston, and latterly a middle-class hotspot.

Crowned the winner: Peckham has topped the list of the best places to live in London / Daniel Lynch

It said the transformation of the area, where the average price of a family home is almost 1m, was thanks to popular grime DJs, a thriving Womens Institute and rooftop cinema club the Bussey building.

Walthamstow also made the top 10: A woman tries on a hat at the market on the high street / Getty Images

According to the guide, Walthamstow has graduated from an end-of-the-Tube punchline to an aspirational address, while Canonbury has become the Islington of the popular imagination and property-porn fantasy.

The guide said Muswell Hill had become popular for its high-achieving schools and good independent shops on the high street.

Unlikely contender: The City also made the top 10 / Getty Images

The City was also featured in list despite the guide saying it was not really thought of as a place to linger.

It said the Square Mile had come to life in recent years thanks to bars, restaurants, gyms and shopping centres springing up to serve cash-rich, time-poor corporate types.

The 10 best places to live in London 2017 Peckham Barnes Bermondsey Bloomsbury Canonbury The City Crystal Palace Muswell Hill Teddington Walthamstow

The suburb of Teddington also made the top 10 with the guide saying it was now considered to be a good compromise between the capital and the countryside.

Published annually, the guide combines data such as crime rates, house prices and school performance with local knowledge.

This weekend, it also revealed that Bristol had topped the list of the best places to live in Britain overall.

Peckham Pride

As well as Peckham, the regional winners for this year's guide were published as Ballycastle (Northern Ireland); Cowbridge (Wales); Frome (South West); Knutsford (North West); Newcastle Quayside (North and North East); North Berwick (Scotland); Shipston-on-Stour (Midlands); Wadhurst (South East) and Woodbridge (East).
T heresa May will start a nation-wide UK tour with a visit to Wales on Monday, as she faces pressure to keep the union together in the wake of the divisive Brexit vote.

The Prime Minister is carrying out talks in the devolved nations ahead of her promise to trigger Article 50 and formally start the process of withdrawing from the European Union by the end of the month.

It comes as Mrs May dismissed calls for a potential second independence referendum for Scotland before the Brexit deal is finalised.

She will be accompanied by Brexit Secretary David Davis and Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns, and will meet First Minister Carwyn Jones as well as leaders in business and other sectors.

It will also coincide with the signing of a 1.3 billion Swansea City Deal between the UK Government, local authorities and the Welsh Government, which aims to create more than 9,000 jobs in the region.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Mrs May said: "From my first day on the steps of Downing Street, I made clear my determination to strengthen and sustain the precious Union.

"I have also been clear that as we leave the European Union I will work to deliver a deal that works for the whole of the UK.

"I want every part of the United Kingdom to be able to make the most of the opportunities ahead and for Welsh businesses to benefit from the freest possible trade as part of a global trading nation."

Mr Jones welcomed the investment for Swansea as a "transformative deal" for the whole region.

"This is a package which will deliver jobs and economic growth for all of South West Wales, with clear benefits for all the areas involved," he said.

Additional reporting by Press Association
A baby lost consciousness after he was given alcohol by his parents, a judge has concluded after a hearing at a family court.

The little boy, whose 31-year-old mother had worked at a childrens nursery, was admitted to hospital when he was three months old after he began vomiting.

He then suffered unexplained episodes of unusual limb movements and unconsciousness, Mr Justice MacDonald was told during a private hearing at the Family Division of the High Court in London.

Tests revealed extremely high levels of alcohol  plus an antihistamine drug  in the babys system.

Details of the case emerged in a written ruling in which Mr Justice MacDonald concluded that one or both of the baby's parents gave him alcohol and antihistamine after analysing evidence

The judge said social services bosses at East Sussex County Council had welfare responsibilities for the little boy and asked for decisions on how alcohol and antihistamine got into his system.

The judge said he could not be sure how or why the alcohol entered the childs system but the evidence showed that the boys 26-year-old father had suggested giving the baby whisky if he would not settle.

His mother claimed that hand sanitiser containing alcohol had got into the childs system but the judge was satisfied that this was not to blame.

The judge said evidence also suggested that the relationship of the parents, who both denied giving their son alcohol and antihistamine, was under strain and that the boy's father had threatened to kill his partner and the baby if she left him.

The judge said the family could not be identified.
A n Indian man called Saddam Hussain claims no one will employ him because he has the same name as the murderous former dictator of Iraq.

The marine engineer claims he has been turned down for 40 jobs with shipping companies because people are scared to hire him.

Mr Hussain says every one of his former classmates who became qualified as engineers in 2014 have found employment, except for him.

And despite the different spelling of his surname  Hussain rather than Hussein  he claims it is the shadow of the former Iraqi leader that is holding him back.

He told the Hindustan Times: I inquired with the HR departments of the companies and some of them told me my name was the problem.

Mr Husaain said he had tried to change his name in a bid to end the ordeal.

But despite getting a new passport, driving licence and other forms of ID, he claims he now cannot provide proof under his new name that he went to school.

I am an innocent victim of somebody elses crimes, he told the paper.

Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq from 1979 until 2003 when he was overthrown by the Allied coalition.

He was executed three years later after being convicted of crimes against humanity.
A man has been arrested after he drove up to a White House security checkpoint and allegedly claimed to have a bomb in his car.

The Secret Service said that a man had been detained at a White House checkpoint at 11.05pm on Saturday after agents declared his vehicle suspicious.

CNN said that two law enforcement officials told a reporter at the scene that a man had driven up to the security gate and claimed to have a bomb in his vehicle.

There was no confirmation on whether there was any device in the car but security at the White House was immediately upgraded, CNN reported.

Streets around the White House were sealed off as police checked the vehicle for explosives.

A photo posted on social media by CNN Washington Correspondent Ryan Nobles showed what appeared to be a bomb disposal robot inspecting the suspects car.

Other images showed a swarm of emergency services vehicles in the surrounding streets.

US President Donald Trump was not at the White House at the time and was spending his weekend at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago.

It was the second scare at the White House on Saturday after a person jumped over a bike rack in a buffer zone in front of the White House.

He was able to make it over the fence into the grounds, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Twitter.

Two Secret Service agents tackled him to the ground and he was removed.
T he suspected Islamic extremist shot dead at Orly airport in Paris phoned his father to say Ive screwed up after blasting a police officer in the face.

A post mortem was being carried out on Sunday to determine whether the gunman was drunk or high on drugs when he took a soldier hostage at Orly airport in Paris and was shot dead by her fellow patrolmen.

According to soldiers, the attacker yelled: "Put down your weapons. Put your hands on your head. I am here to die for Allah. Whatever happens, there will be deaths.

The suspect, Ziyed Ben Belgacem, stopped at a bar in the early hours of Saturday morning, about four hours before he first fired bird shot at traffic police.

Shot: The man lies on the terminal floor / AP

Then, 90 minutes later, he attacked the military patrol at Orly, causing panic and the shutdown of the French capital's second-biggest airport.

A subsequent police search of his flat found cocaine, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said.

In an interview on Sunday with French radio Europe 1, a man identified as the suspect's father said Belgacem was not a practising Muslim and drank alcohol.

"My son was never a terrorist. He never attended prayer. He drank. But under the effects of alcohol and cannabis, this is where one ends up," said the father.

The Paris prosecutor's office, which is in charge of the probe, said on Sunday that Belgacem's father was released from police custody overnight. His brother and a cousin were still being questioned.

In a news conference late Saturday, Molins said Belgacem called his father and brother early that morning, minutes after he fired birdshot at a police traffic patrol, injuring an officer in the face, to say that he had made a stupid mistake.

"He called me at seven, eight in the morning and said, 'there you go, Papa', he was extremely angry, even his mother couldn't understand him," the man identified as the father said on Europe 1.

"He told me, 'I ask for your forgiveness. I've screwed up with a gendarme'."

Terror probe: Soldiers at the airport / AP

Blood samples taken during Sunday's post mortem were to be screened for drugs and alcohol, the prosecutor's office said.

The 39-year-old Frenchman had a long criminal record, with multiple jail terms for drugs and robbery offences.

Mr Molins said Belgacem was out on bail, banned from leaving France and obliged to report regularly to police, having been handed preliminary charges for robberies in 2016.

He was also flagged as having been radicalised during a spell in detention from 2011-2012, Mr Molins said.

His house was among scores searched in November 2015 in the immediate aftermath of suicide bomb-and-gun attacks that killed 130 people in Paris.

Yelling that he wanted to kill and die for Allah, Belgacem wrested away the soldier's assault rifle during the Saturday morning airport attack but was shot and killed by her two colleagues before he could fire the military-grade weapon in Orly's busy south terminal.

"With a pistol in his right hand and a bag over his shoulder, he grabbed (the soldier) with his left arm, made her move backward by three to four metres, positioning her as a shield, and pointed his revolver at her forehead," Mr Molins said.

The attack forced both of the airport's terminals to shut down and evacuate, sent passengers and workers fleeing in panic and trapped hundreds of others aboard flights that had just landed.

It was the violent climax of what authorities described as a 90-minute spree of destructive criminality across Paris by the suspect.

The drama, which caused no injuries apart from the lightly-wounded traffic police officer, further rattled France, which remains under a state of emergency after attacks in the past two years that have killed 235 people.
By Press Trust of India: Chandigarh, Mar 17 (PTI) The stalemate between Haryana government and protesting Jats continued with All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti (AIJASS) today accusing the Haryana government of "misleading and cheating" them.

While Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said he did not know why protesting Jats "stepped back" from making an announcement of calling off the ongoing agitation, which entered its 48th day today.

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Haryana Minister Ram Bilas Sharma who held talks with agitating leaders of the Jat community had yesterday claimed that both sides had reached an agreement and indicated that the deadlock may end today.

"Haryana government has cheated and misled us. We were supposed to meet Haryana CM here in Delhi today as was decided yesterday to take final call on our demands and how the state government will fulfill and implement them," AIJASS President Yashpal Malik said today.

"Last evening, it was decided that CM will meet us in Delhi and discuss all issues with us. But he skipped the meeting with us despite being in Delhi," Malik claimed.

"Therefore, we decided to continue with our agitation and we will now move to Delhi on March 20 to lay siege in support of our demands," said Malik, adding that there was no scope for talks with the government before March 20.

Malik claimed that the government was yet to resolve their issues.

"No agreement has been reached yet with the government. The government has lied that an agreement has been arrived at," he said, adding that only discussion on the demands took place yesterday.

However, Khattar today reiterated the commitment of the state government to maintain a peaceful atmosphere.

The chief minister said that he was always prepared to negotiate with an open mind to resolve the issue and the Jat leaders should hold dialogue with him at any place.

He said that tomorrow he is scheduled to go to Chandigarh, Sonepat and Delhi and the agitating Jat leaders could see him at any of these places.

The chief minister said that yesterday the Committee headed by senior most Cabinet Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had a talk with the Jat leaders in a cordial manner and a "consensus" was reached, but he was not aware what went wrong with Jat leaders.

When asked if there was involvement of any political person in their backing out, Khattar said that he was not sure.

He said that a Committee of officers under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary was constituted.

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This committee had held two meetings with the Jat leader Yashpal Malik and others. Apart from this, dialogue was continued at personal level to end the agitation.

On the demand of the Jat leaders, the government again constituted a committee headed by senior most Cabinet Minister Ram Bilas Sharma and Minister of State for Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Krishan Kumar Bedi and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Kamal Gupta are its members.

The first meeting was held yesterday at Panipat which ended on a positive note. PTI CHS IKA

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: meet

New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) A 10-member Indian delegation today left for Pakistan to take part in the meeting of Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) beginning tomorrow in Islamabad.

The delegation comprises Indias Indus Water Commissioner P K Saxena, MEA officials and technical experts.

Speaking to PTI, a government source said India is "always open" to discuss and resolve concerns Pakistan have over its projects under Indus Water Treaty (IWT) bilaterally.

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The source, however, reiterated that there will be "no compromise" on India exploiting its due rights under the 57-year-old pact.

However, the agenda for the meeting, taking place nearly six months after India decided to suspend talks on the pact in the wake of the Uri terror attack by Pakistan-based outfits, is yet to be finalised.

Asked whether the delay in reaching consensus over agenda for the meeting will leave little time to resolve issues, the source replied in negative.

"We always go into such meetings with optimistic mindset.. In the past too, there had been delays in finalising agenda for the meeting, yet solutions were achieved," the source added.

To drive the point, the source recalled how Pakistans concern over Indias Uri-II and Chutak hydroelectric projects were resolved seven years ago through discussions.

Pakistan had raised objections over designs of 240 MW Uri-II and 44 MW Chutak projects, built in Baramulla and Kargil districts of Jammu and Kashmir respectively, saying these will deprive it of its water share under the pact.

However, at a meeting held here in May 2010, the neighbouring country withdrew objections after Indian side provided details of these.

Similarly, Pakistan has been flagging concern over designs of Indias five other hydroelectricity projects -- Pakal Dul (1000 MW), Ratle (850 MW), Kishanganga (330 MW), Miyar (120 MW) and Lower Kalnai (48 MW) -- being built/planned in the Indus river basin, contending these violate the treaty.

It had approached the World Bank, the mediator between the two countries of the 57-year-old water distribution treaty, in August last year raising issues over Kishanganga and Ratle projects in Jammu and Kashmir.

While there is no clarity yet whether issues relating to these two projects will figure during the meet as they are before the Bank, the source said Pakal Dul, Miyar and Lower Kalnai may be discussed. (More) PTI ENM PYK DIP

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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
By Press Trust of India: Gandhinagar, Mar 18 (PTI) Digital economy will require both technological and legal innovations, and law graduates have enormous opportunities to tap in the push for Digital India, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said today.

The Minister for Law and IT delivered the convocation address at Gujarat National Law University here.

Prasad said law graduates will have new avenues opening up for them especially in the fields of "intellectual property, competition, data privacy, and a whole range of other innovative laws."

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"Indian digital economy is going to become a trillion dollar economy in the coming 5-7 years. Communication, IT services, digital delivery, e-commerce, cyber security, digital payment, are also going to create new avenues for legal redress," he said.

"Digital coverage is good coverage, digital delivery is faster delivery, but this will throw up legal challenges, issues of privacy, cyber security, competition. Why? Because digital world is a virtual world, and the problems of the virtual world have to be addressed in the real world," he added.

"(Digital economy) will require not only technological innovations but also legal innovations. And there I see an enormous opportunity awaiting for you (graduating students) to tap in the field of intellectual property, competition, data privacy, and a whole range of other innovative laws," Prasad said.

"Once this digital profile becomes an important component of Indias digital and commercial discourse, I see larger avenues opening for you," he said.

Prasad said that out of a population of 1.25 billion, Indians have 1.08 billion mobile phones, 1.12 billion Aadhar Cards, 50 crore people are connected to internet, and 35 crores own smart phones.

"India is at the cusp of a big digital revolution. And some of the transformative programmes that we have started under the guidance of Prime Minister -- Digital India, Make in India, Stand Up India, Start-up India, Skill India -- are all designed to make India an empowered nation," he said.

Stressing on the need for ethics, Prasad told graduating students that "legal profession demands a lot of ethical values. Ethical values are being articulated as a great component of your training, research programme".

"Our profession is very demanding, challenging. If you slip at one point, you may shine immediately but you will loose in the long term. Choice is yours. Be more focused on the ethical values," he said. PTI KA PD NRB RYS

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WestWay Christian Church would like to honor Marshall and Cindy Smith on his retirement from WestWay.

We are grateful for his 22 years of faithful service.

There will be a potluck and card shower on April 2 at noon.

Please mail your cards to WestWay at 1701 W 27th St Scottsbluff, NE 69361.
TORRINGTON, Wyo.  Goshen County Weed and Pest and Goshen County Extension will host a Calibration Workshop and Private Pesticide Applicator Training on Tuesday, March 28, in the Rendezvous Center at the Goshen County Fairgrounds.

The morning will consist of discussing appropriate timing for control of weeds and pests, importance of calibration, and hands-on stations to learn/refresh how to calibrate spray equipment. The afternoon will be the FINAL opportunity for individuals to attend a Private Pesticide Applicator Training for southeast Wyoming.

Registration will begin at 9 a.m., with the presentation, What is the Critical Time for Weed & Pest Control, beginning at 9:30. The Importance of Calibration will begin at 10:30 am., followed by hands-on calibraion stations at 11. Individuals should bring their own sprayers to have them calibrated.

The Private Pesticide Applicator Training will begin after lunch, at 12:30 p.m.

Morning snacks and lunch will be provided.

The event is free, but, to ensure materials and meals, RSVP by March 24, by calling Goshen County UW Extension Educator Caleb Carter at 307-532-2436.

The Department of Agriculture has approved this program for up to seven continuing education credits for commercial applicator license holders. The morning session is worth three CEUs while the afternoon is four credits.
LINCOLN  The Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement will honor Robert Andersen and Eugene Glock at a banquet on March 16 in the Great Plains Room of the Nebraska East Union in Lincoln.

Formed in 1916, the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement is dedicated to preserving and improving Nebraska agriculture. Each year, the group recognizes at least one honoree and inducts new members.

As president of the Nebraska Cooperative Council for 42 years, Robert Andersen spent his professional career making contributions to Nebraskas agriculture industry and its natural resources. He effectively mentored cooperatives statewide by assisting with their organization, leadership, education and financial stewardship. He also was an effective leader at the national level, serving as a director of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives for more than 20 years.

A 1972 graduate of the University of NebraskaLincoln, Andersen has been a strong supporter of the University and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He helped establish $130,000 in scholarships that have been awarded to 170 students and helped establish the Universitys professor of agricultural and rural cooperatives tenure-track position.

A few of Andersens honors include the Nebraska Corn Board Elevator Industry Award; the Nebraska Ag Relations Council Ag Relations Award; the Nebraska Rural Radio Association Service to Agriculture Award and the Nebraska Agri-Business Club Public Service to Agriculture Award.

Eugene Glock is a lifelong native of Butler County, Nebraska. He raises corn and soybeans, primarily for seed production, on the family farm near Rising City. Adopting progressive soil and water conservation practices has always been a high priority for him. Glock is recognized as a leader in water conservation.

Glock was instrumental in establishing the Nebraska Soybean Association and served as its first president in 1973. He was also a founding member of the Nebraska Soybean Development Board that administers the soybean check-off program and served in that capacity for 15 years. His leadership in the soybean industry extended to the national level where he served nine years on the American Soybean Association Board and seven of those years on the executive committee.

Eugenes leadership contributions extend to all corners of Nebraskas agricultural industry. He served 12 years on Senator Bob Kerreys staff as the Senators State Agriculture Representative; six years on the Board of Directors of Agriculture Builders of Nebraska; and on numerous University of Nebraska advisory committees. He currently serves on NU President Bounds Advisory Council. He also served in a leadership role for the Ag 40 Group that was instrumental in establishing IANR.

A few of Glocks honors include the Nebraska Agribusiness Club Service to Agriculture Award; Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben Agricultural Achievement Award; Nebraska Crop Improvement Association Premier Seed Grower Award; University of Nebraska CASNR Alumni Achievement Award; Nebraska Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers Distinguished Service Award; and Nebraska Rural Radio Association KRVN Service to Agriculture Award.

NHAA will also welcome new members at the banquet. New members are nominated by a fellow member of the hall for their significant contributions to the states agriculture industry.

This years new NHAA members, listed by hometown are:

BRIDGEPORT: Nick Lapaseotes, farmer, feedyard and cow-calf operator

CHADRON: Connee Quinn, rancher, retired Elanco Animal Health sales rep

COLUMBUS: Debora Hamernik, interim associate vice chancellor for research, associate dean of the Agricultural Research Division, associate director of Agricultural Experiment Station, professor of animal science, University of NebraskaLincoln; James Hellbusch, owner and operator, DuoLift

KEARNEY: Anne Marie Bosshamer, executive director, Nebraska Beef Council

LINCOLN: Dean Eisenhauer, emeritus professor, biological systems engineering, University of NebraskaLincoln; Galen Erickson, Nebraska Cattle Industry Professor of Animal Science, beef feedlot nutrition specialist, University of NebraskaLincoln

PAXTON: Mark Spurgin, owner, Spurgin Inc.

SHELTON: Randy Gangwish, owner and operator, Gangwish Seed Farms

YORK: Gary Zoubek, retired educator, Nebraska Extension
SAN DIEGO, Calif.  The strength, diversity and success of modern family farm agriculture is the result of hardworking men and women across the industry, and three individuals have gone above and beyond to ensure that success and the well-being of family farmers, ranchers and rural communities.

National Farmers Union (NFU) presented Merle Anderson, Cheryl Cook, and Kent Peppler with the Meritorious Service Award for their outstanding leadership and service to family agriculture and to Farmers Union over the course of their lifetimes.

As advocates for family farmers, ranchers, and rural communities, it is important to our mission as an organization that we recognize those who work to aid progress in rural America, said NFU President Roger Johnson. Merle, Cheryl and Kent dedicated their careers and lives to bettering life for family farmers, ranchers, and their communities. I am honored to recognize their contributions today with our organizations highest honor, the Meritorious Service Award.

Anderson, Cook and Peppler join past recipients of the Meritorious Service Award, including former members of Congress and a former United States president, who have made particularly noteworthy contributions to family agriculture, humanity, and Farmers Union at the state and national levels.

About the

Recipients

Kent Peppler is a fourth generation farmer from Mead, Colorado. His family has raised sugar beets and sunflowers in the past, and they have fed cattle, sheep and hogs for three generations. He has farmed the family operation since graduation with a B.S. in Agriculture Education from Colorado State University. Peppler served as president of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union from 2006 until 2015. He was on the NFU Board of Directors, serving as Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee. Kent has also served four federal government appointments, several state committees and task forces to be the voice for family farm agriculture.

Merle Anderson is Chairman Emeritus of the board of directors for the American Coalition for Ethanol, a company he founded in 1987. Anderson grew up on his familys farm in Polk County, Minnesota, where he helped his father grow potatoes before taking over the operation himself. From 1970-71, he was the chairman of the Red River Valley Growers Association, followed by a stint as president of the National Potato Council in 1973. Anderson also served 45 years on the Red River Valley Cooperative Power board, and 25 years with Minnkota Power Cooperative.

Cheryl Cook is Chief Innovation Officer at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA). Prior to joining PDA in March 2015, she completed a six-year stint with the Obama Administration. Cook was appointed to serve as the United States Department of Agricultures (USDA) Chief Information Officer from April 2012 to March 2015, after serving as Deputy Under Secretary for USDAs Rural Development Mission Area from March 2009 to April 2012. From April 2003 to March 2009, Cook served under former Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff as Deputy Secretary for Marketing and Economic Development. Cook also served as a member of the National Farmers Unions public policy staff, focusing on dairy, credit, and environmental issues. She received her bachelors degree from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania, and a law degree from The Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Nestled in a tree line abutting a cornfield about six miles east of Scottsbluff and three miles north of Minatare is the East Lawn Cemetery.

Five generations and more than 1,900 people are interred at East Lawn. The first person was buried there in 1897, and the grounds contain the remains of 100 babies and 170 military veterans, including four Civil War vets.

Cemetery districts are one of many political subdivisions created under Nebraska law which are authorized to levy a tax. Because the districts board of trustees has that tax levying authority, it must also adhere to a number of state statutes which govern its operations, including laws relating to public meetings.

However, for a number of years East Lawn cemetery districts board of trustees were lax with the rules, Board Secretary Carolyn Mowry said.

For a while, (the board) were kind of in a mentality of doing things their own way, Mowry said. Theres probably a lot of that in small cemetery boards  they think that theyre small and that no one cares.

The discrepancies with how the board conducted its business in the past, from posting meeting notices to properly conducting elections, were something Mowry noticed as soon as she was elected in 2015.

Theyre discrepancies Mowry is now working to rectify.

A public meeting of the cemetery board will be held Monday, March 20, at 7 p.m. at the Minatare Public Library. For questions, contact Mowry at 308-631-8282.
Over three years, 156 meetings and countless hours researching on their own, six women pored over scrapbooks, diaries, old newspapers and bits of papers, gathering the history of Minatare. The culmination of their work is packed into 360-pages of history, genealogy and stories from the towns past.

On March 25, the women of the Minatare History Committee will launch their book, Minatare Memories: A Historical Account of the Tabor-Minatare Community of Western Nebraska. During the presentation, Juanita Baker, Sharon Curtis Johns, Jolene Webber Kaufman, Betty Kelso Kenyon, Wanda Steffensmeier Mowry and Alice Jessup Walters Reuter will discuss their research and display several artifacts used in the book on hand.

Minatare Memories covers the history of Minatare from 1887 to the present.

The book was a labor of love and the committee always stood behind the idea of If we dont do it, who will? The committee received hundreds of tips. They looked at newspaper clippings, handwritten notes, photographs and other memorabilia.

Some people say, How do you find that material? Baker said. But every town has a history.

Baker is not from the area originally and she enjoyed watching the other women discover things about their own families they didnt know.

During their research, Baker came into contact with Linda Judd, of Temple, Texas, who had learned some of her ancestors were from Minatare. After a trip to Minatare, she thought the committee needed some help.

She typed the entire manuscript for us, Baker said.

The committee looked in town and online, but wanted to stay local for the printing of the book. They were pleased Print Express was available and at a fair price.

This is not a fundraiser or moneymaking project, Kaufman said. Its just a group of us caring for and preserving history.

Once the book was printed, others provided additional information. The women sigh. They wish they had known before, so they could have included it in the book.

We might need to have an addendum, Kaufman said.

Theres always another story.

The committee had 200 copies printed. They dont think they will have enough. Several copies have already been mailed to Colorado, California, Oregon and South Dakota. Word of mouth is spreading.

Its successful and we havent even launched it yet, Kaufman said.

Baker said there is a good chance of a second printing.

The presentation will be held in the community room in Minatare, which was once an opera house. A Minatare blacksmith named Gauvain built it after the entire block on the west side of Minatare, where his shop was, burned. He decided he wanted an opera house.

So, in 1915, he built one for $8,000, Baker said.

The ladies joke Kaufman will be singing on Saturday before deciding against the idea. They will, however, have artifacts for visitors. Some of the highlights are scrapbooks, a copy of the Minatare Free Press newspaper, which began one week after the Gering Courier, and a 1929 city map.

Those who attend the book launch will learn tidbits of local history, such as Kenyons uncle who was a teacher in the 1920s. Her mother worked for her uncle and when he died, her mother ran the town. She was the city clerk and sold real estate. Her mother knew everything about the town.

You could go to her and say, Agnes, where is so-and-so buried? Kenyon said. She would respond, Well, you know where so-and-so is buried. Hes right next to him.

One bittersweet story is on page 139. The committee received a letter from Robert Hoesing of Fremont. It was addressed to all six ladies and somewhere in Minatare Nebraska. The letter reached them. Baker replied, but because there was no suite number on his return address, her letter was returned. She hopes hell try to contact the committee again.

The book also has an index for readers to find any of the 1,200 surnames within its pages.

They dont all have a story of their own, but they are in the book, Kaufman said.

The ages of the committee members, from age 70-90, was beneficial to their research. Their lives cover a large portion of the decades of Minatares history. It is an invaluable piece of first person history. When they mentioned how things were done at school or on the farm, each person could explain how it was done in different time periods.

Six women came together with a desire to preserve a towns history, but they created a bond none of them expected. The book is finished, but their friendships are not.

Were going to still get together at least once a month because we have become such good friends, Kaufman said.

And they dont plan to be idle either. They hope to take a tour of all the homesteads in the community in the next year.

The book launch and presentation will be held in the Minatare Community room on Saturday, March 25, from 1-3 p.m. Copies of the book will be available for sale during the book launch for $25, tax included.

To place an order, contact Betty Kenyon at 308-623-1082 or Juanita Baker at 308-783-1957 or raccoon@scottsbluff.net.
Considered close to Modi and Amit Shah, Dinesh Sharma was made the BJP's national vice-president soon after the party came to power in 2014

By Mail Today Bureau: The soft-spoken Dinesh Sharma (53) is a prominent Brahmin face of BJP. A professor of commerce in Lucknow University since 1992, Sharma won the mayoral elections of Lucknow in 2008 and subsequently in 2012.

Considered close to Modi and Amit Shah, he was made the BJP's national vice-president soon after it came to power in 2014. He was subsequently made the in-charge of Gujarat BJP.

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Considered close to Modi and Amit Shah, he was made the BJP's national vice-president soon after it came to power in 2014. He was subsequently made the in-charge of Gujarat BJP.

Apart from politics, he also spares time for academics as nearly 20 doctoral theses have been completed under him in Lucknow University.

He is also credited with taking up the party's membership to a whooping 11 crore (before this assembly election) from a meagre one crore (before the 2014 Lok Sabha election).

ALSO READ | 7 reasons why Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh chief minister is a BJP masterstroke

ALSO READ | 5 things you must know about Uttar Pradesh CM designate Yogi Adityanath

ALSO WATCH | Yogi Adityanath named as next Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister

--- ENDS ---
A Columbus woman was killed early Saturday in a one-vehicle rollover on U.S. Highway 30 near Richland.

A Colfax County Sheriff's deputy on routine patrol noticed a 2003 Chevy Tahoe with its headlights on stopped on the north side of Highway 30, just west of County Road 4, according to the Colfax County Attorney's Office.

The deputy first found a man lying in the grassy median and then a woman on the north side of the highway near the vehicle. Both were taken to Columbus Hospital, where the woman was pronounced dead. The man, who was conscious when the deputy found him, was flown by helicopter to a Lincoln Hospital with injuries that are not life threatening, according to the attorney's office.

The names of the man and woman have not been released. Neither were wearing seat belts, the attorney's office said. The accident is still under investigation. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor.
Until recently, I knew of just two mystery novels set in northern Iredell County: Ovid Pullen's 1966 "Cross Roads," and Cotton Ketchie's 2011 "Trouble in Love Valley." Pullen, who was a minister, mayor, inventor and postmaster of Harmony, used a thinly-disguised version of that town as the setting for his only known novel. Ketchie, of Mooresville, is an artist, photographer and writer who set his second novel in Iredells Cowboy Capital.
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There are reports in the US and Chinese media that US President Donald Trump is scheduled to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a two-day summit on April 6-7 at his mansion Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

By Santosh Chaubey: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is in China, met the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday after which both held a joint press conference. There are reports in the US and Chinese media that US President Donald Trump is scheduled to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a two-day summit on April 6-7 at his mansion Mar-a-Lago in Florida which Trump is using as his winter retreat. Tillerson's China visit is being seen as intended to lay groundwork for the upcoming summit.

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According to Global Times, the sister publication of People's Daily, Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper, Tillerson's visit to China has 'served to reduce anxiety over US-China' ties. Global Times writes quoting Wang Yi that "the phone call between the two countries' leaders has served as guidance for both sides" to work out further details.

After Donald Trump assumed the US presidency, the US-China ties have been under cloud with Trump indicating that he may take a different approach to the issues that China finds vital to its interests.

Though Trump put his faith in the One China policy during his first phone call with Jinping last month, his acts in the past have indicated otherwise. Breaking the three decade old US protocol of not speaking to Taiwan, Trump spoke to Taiwan president in November after his victory. Further, Trump said that the 'One China' policy was not sacrosanct and was open to new realignments, like with new trade deals. China ferociously follows the 'One China' policy and believes Taiwan is a rouge province that will sooner or later come to its fold.

WHAT CAN FIGURE PROMINENTLY IN TRUMP-JINPING TALKS?

The issue is expected to figure prominently in Trump-Jinping talks. And if we go by a report published in The Independent today that says the Trump Administration is preparing to sell Taiwan arms it needs in case of a Chinese attack, there are bound to be hard negotiations as Sean Spicer, the White House Press Secretary, said after the Trump-Jinping call last month that 'Trump always gets something in return in negotiations'. The new arms sales package to Taiwan, at a time when both countries are preparing for a summit between their leaders, tells that Trump is not satisfied with what assurance he got from Jinping during his phone call and he intends for more.

Though there were no discussions on Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) issue, it is another issue that Tillerson and Wang Yi would be hoping to work on set the contours of the talks when Jinping-Trump meet next month. China has come down heavily on South Korea for deploying the US missile defense system against North Korea after North Korea tested ballistic missiles this month. China is opposed to THAAD's deployment in the region saying it disturbs power balance and is inimical to its interest in the South China Sea, another disputed region where China is pitted against the US and other world powers after a UN panel rejected Chinese claims on the South China Sea.

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Tillerson's China visit, it seems, is aimed at finding common grounds for bottleneck issues to prepare conducive atmosphere for Trump-Jinping summit, something that China also realises. Global Times, quoting Wang Yi, writes, "It is normal for China and the US to have their differences, and that open communication is essential."

ALSO READ | S Jaishankar meets US Secretary of state Tillerson, discusses India-US ties, H-1B visa

Rex Tillerson, Trump's secretary of state, says would block China from South China Sea

--- ENDS ---
At a time when her teenage peers were downing sodas and other sweet drinks, Gina Hoagland was falling in love with dry wine. A high school friends parents introduced her to their wine cellar and allowed her to choose any bottle. They would then educate her about its taste and origin.

There was this whole world in a glass, said Hoagland, who began her freshman year in college with a wine rack in her dorm room. Everybody else was drinking to get drunk, and I was sipping my Entre-deux-Mers.

Last year, she broke ranks again by purchasing Webster Groves-based Trademark Wines, making her a member of a small but growing group of women in the United States who own liquor distribution operations. Missouri, like most other states, has a three-tier distribution system put in place after Prohibition under which alcohol producers and suppliers must sell their products to wholesalers or distributors, who then sell the beverages to retailers.

Because many alcohol wholesale businesses are family-owned and privately held, it is difficult to determine just how many women are heading up these operations, but women in the industry say it is still very much male-dominated, particularly at the large distribution level. That puts St. Louis at the forefront of womens ability to break through the distribution industrys glass ceiling, because Sue McCollum is chairman and chief executive officer of St. Louis-based Major Brands. The company, which distributes beer, wine and spirits throughout the state, employs more than 500 people and serves more than 9,000 retail customers. It is the largest women-owned distributor member of the national trade association Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America .

Unique to St. Louis

St. Louis is also unusual in that it has at least two smaller distribution businesses that are completely owned by women. One is Hoaglands Trademark Wines, and the other is Classique Wines & Spirits, which is owned by the mother-daughter team of Diane Raab and Summer Endraske.

Its more common to find women in partnerships with male relatives. For example, Elizabeth Engelsman co-owns Pinnacle Imports with her brother Bill Kniep, and Dana Atwell co-owns Vinoteca with her husband, Brad. Pinnacle and Vinoteca are both distributors and importers.

Its definitely always been a good old boys business, said Classique owner Raab. When I bought the business in 2004 there were only four other women-owned wholesalers in the U.S.

Efforts are underway to encourage more women to become involved in the distribution end of the business. In fact, a panel discussion on this topic during the Third Annual Women of the Vine & Spirits Global Symposium was held this month in Napa. Women of the Vine & Spirits is a membership group that supports the advancement of women in the alcohol beverage industry. The symposium follows an announcement last October that the group and the WSWA had formed a partnership aimed at helping to develop business opportunities for women.

This is an industry about relationships, and women are great at relationships, said Major Brands McCollum. But its a relatively new industry for women, and Id love to see more women join it.

Though industry efforts are relatively new, Hoagland had really considered going into the wine business as far back as the mid-1980s when she graduated from Georgetown University. Instead, she decided to pursue an MBA at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. But Hoagland still had the wine bug, and after graduation  despite student loans  she made a modest purchase of first-growth Bordeaux wine futures as a consumer.

Hoaglands passion for wine remained a serious hobby as she went on to become chairman and principal of Collaborative Strategies Inc., a St. Louis-based firm that provides board development, strategic and succession planning services to a variety of financial, manufacturing and distribution companies. In that position, she got to know many people in the beverage and restaurant industries.

I then started thinking there might be a place for me in the boutique wine business, she said.

Hoagland became interested in Trademark Wines, which was founded by Cal Nicholson in early 2010. Nicholson also owns Nicholson Jones, a premium Napa Valley producer of limited production wines. The winery is named after Nicholson and his wife, Pam Jones Nicholson, the CEO of Enterprise Holdings.

Cal wanted to focus on his wines and turn the distribution business over to someone he could trust, Hoagland said.

Unlike Hoagland, Raab had not originally thought about buying a wine business. Instead she was primarily looking for a part-time job when she and her husband moved to St. Louis from Chicago because of his work.

Raab had worked as a broker for Sonoma-based Iron Horse wines in Chicago, so her daughter, Endraske, suggested she might like a sales position at Classique. Endraske, was working as a buyer for The Wine and Cheese Place retail shop in Rock Hill at the time.

That part-time job lasted about 35 or 45 days, said Raab, who took the sales position in 2001. When you work for a small distributor, you do it all.

Then in 2004, she took the leap and purchased Classique, which is now based in Webster Groves and has a second warehouse in Kansas City. Endraske joined her mother about a year and a half later.

I had never really run a business, so this was really learning by doing, Raab said. We focused on wine that people could afford, and we worked hard to deliver good customer service.

Story time for wines

Both Hoagland and Raab attribute part of their success to finding wines that have good stories.

For example, Trademark will soon start distributing wines from Leonard Wine Company, owned by St. Louisan Tom Leonard and his Napa-based winemaker son, Chris. The boutique winery specializes in small production roussanne and zinfandel wines. Its roussanne wines are made under the Muddy Arch label  a tribute to the owners St. Louis background.

People like to hear a story, Endraske said. When youre excited to sell something, that enthusiasm comes out.
The qaraqul  a triangular, peaked hat made from leather and wool  is traditional headgear for men throughout Central and South Asia. It has its origins in Afghanistan.

Haseeb Ahmadis father made such hats in his shop in Kabul, but by the time Haseeb was born in 1991, life in Afghanistan had become chaotic, even for the family of a hat maker. The Russians had left Afghanistan in 1989, but the civil war continued. In 1996, the Taliban took Kabul and introduced a hard-line version of Islam.

It is strange what a child remembers. Haseeb recalls an uncle driving, approaching a checkpoint, and putting his head out the window to give himself a disheveled look. Shaving was forbidden, but it was not enough to have a beard. The beard could not look trimmed. Dishevelment was a virtue.

Haseebs family was Tajik. The Taliban were primarily Pashtun. Haseebs father decided the prudent course was to leave the country. He took his family  Haseeb was the 11th of 13 children  to Pakistan.

They returned to Kabul when the Americans invaded in 2001.

Haseeb worked as a bicycle mechanic, and he sold cups of water in the market. He went to school and studied computers and English. He had a gift for languages. He already spoke Dari, Pashto and Urdu. By his early teens, he spoke English well enough to get a job with the Americans.

Before long, he was working for the American military as a translator.

In 2013, Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Hugh Tychsen arrived in Afghanistan to serve as an embedded advisor to a unit of the Afghan Army that was based in Helmand Province.

Tychsen was a veteran of three tours in Iraq, but this was his first tour in Afghanistan. Imagine being dropped into an alien culture unable to directly communicate with the people whom you are supposed to be advising  and doing this while those people are engaged in heavy fighting. The unit lost 110 men and had more than 500 wounded during the first six months.

Haseeb was the liason between the Afghan Army and its Marine advisers. He and Tychsen became close friends quickly.

He was my eyes and ears, Tychsen said.

The dangers were not limited to the Taliban. Afghan Army attacks on U.S. troops  so-called Green on Blue attacks  were also a threat. Sometimes these attacks were ideologically based, and sometimes they had to do with cultural misunderstandings or personal enmity.

Again, Tychsen relied on Haseeb to read people and situations.

In May 2014, as Tychsen prepared to leave Afghanistan, Haseeb wondered aloud about the Tychsens replacement. There wont be one, said Tychsen. The two friends had already talked about the possibility of Haseebs coming to the United States. Life was becoming increasingly dangerous for Afghans who worked with the Americans. Tychsen promised to help his friend.

Before leaving, Tychsen sponsored Haseeb for a special immigrant visa.

Even in the midst of uncertainty, life goes on. Haseebs cousins told him they had found a young woman for him. He scoffed. Just meet her, they said. He agreed. Your cousins are teasing me, she told him. I am sorry, Haseeb said, but he was smitten.

He married Mahbooba in November 2014.

The U.S. Embassy contacted him about the request for a special visa. Haseeb brought documents to the embassy. He waited 11 months for a response. He was asked to fill out more forms. He did. More waiting. He was jobless. Concerned about safety. Stories circulated about people being kidnapped and tortured.

As they waited, Haseeb and Mahbooba wondered where in America they should try to settle. They had heard of California.

No, no, said Tychsen, who was in email contact with his friend. You should come to St. Louis. Its a nice place and its a whole lot cheaper than California, he said.

Tychsen was raised in University City. He graduated from Priory High School in 1999 and joined the Marine Corps. Shortly after leaving Afghanistan, he took a medical retirement and now works at Express Scripts.

The long vetting process was finally completed, and Haseeb and his family  he and Mahbooba have an 18-month-old daughter  arrived Wednesday.

Tychsen had already laid the groundwork with the International Institute in St. Louis, and he helped the family move into an apartment in south St. Louis. He and Haseeb were bringing in groceries when I stopped by on Thursday. Haseeb is slight and soft-spoken. He seemed remarkably calm for somebody who had just said goodbye to his family, possibly forever, and had launched this new great adventure. So many unknowable things in front of him.

Maybe he felt a little like Tychsen felt when he arrived in Afghanistan.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) A Parliamentary panel has asked Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Ministry to immediately to get thoroughly investigated the alleged cases of fraud in its housing scheme PMAY (Urban).

"The Committee is perturbed to note cases of fraud and cheating taking place in many cities including NCR of Delhi for allocation of houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) with fake propaganda that a house could be booked by just paying Rs 150 by unscrupulous elements and fraud NGOs etc," the panel said.

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The standing committee on urban development, in its reports Demands for Grants (2017-18) for HUPA Ministry, noted that a lot of bogus builders/developers are apparently registering and enlisting a lot of consumers for allotment of economic weaker section/ lower income group house in the name of affordable housing scheme under the mission of Housing for All by 2022.

"The committee strongly caution and recommend that HUPA Ministry should immediately swing into action and get such complaints thoroughly investigated in all states and UTs as one of their prime scheme, named PMAY (U) is being misused for illegal money-making by some corrupt-minded anti-social elements," the panel, headed by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Pinaki Misra, said.

The panel underlined that any delay in catching those involved will give them liberty to rob millions of more poor and have-nots of the society.

"If unchecked, poor and homeless masses will feel cheated and betrayed and also it will be difficult for them to trust any of the government schemes henceforth," the committee said in its report tabled in Parliament recently.

The panel pitched for aggressive awareness programmes through visual and print media to educate and inform common people to beware of fraudulent persons and NGOs.

Meanwhile, the committee also recommended higher allocation of budgetary funds for HUPA Ministry.

"The committee recommend for a real increased budgetary provisions to be provided henceforth in favour of HUPA ministry, responsible for fulfilling aspirations and expectations of millions of urban poor and homeless," the panel said. PTI MP DIP

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LEBANON  Alice Liu, 10, didnt realize how prepared  and excited  she looked each time she walked up to the stage at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Spelling Bee finals on Saturday.

Each round, she marched up with purpose to the microphone, beaming. Alice says despite how it looked, she was nervous, hoping she would get lucky.

Luck wasnt a factor Saturday  it was skill.

Alice, a fifth-grader at Wild Horse Elementary School in Chesterfield, won during the seventh round of the annual spelling bee at McKendree University.

Id like people to know that everybody has talent in some way, Alice said after her win. Even though Im pretty good at spelling, theres other people that are pretty good at other things, too.

She cant wait to move on to the national competition in Washington in May.

Were so excited and proud of her, her father, Fenglong Liu, said as he watched a line of people congratulate his daughter.

The consensus among spellers and their parents was that this years words were more difficult than ever.

As helpful as it is to run through flashcards and online programs to help prepare spellers, several rounds in, the words from the prep lists stop popping up.

Words that booted some of the 49 finalists who participated in the Post-Dispatch Spelling Bee ranged from rosemaling, which is a decorative art, to colchicum, a genus of perennial plants.

The spellers are forced to rely on their own knowledge by asking the pronouncer to define the word, use it in a sentence and provide its origin.

Different spellers had different approaches from there. Some wrote out the word using their finger on the back of their spelling bib. Others tapped their feet to the rhythm of their spelling.

Colette Giezentanner, 10  a fourth-grader in the PEGS program for gifted students at Concord Elementary in the Lindbergh School District in south St. Louis County  was one of four runners-up this year.

She came ready with her lucky socks and a few nights of late bedtimes for extra spelling practice.

Colette also kept the crowd amused in one round when she gasped after she correctly spelled splacknuck. The auditorium filled with laughter as she skipped off.

After misspelling phlobaphene in the seventh round, which meant Alice was the winner, Colette stayed and clapped with a big grin on her face.

I almost fainted for a second, she said. I was just so surprised I got that far. The words were really hard this year. They were way harder than last year.

Colette made it to the final five last year, too.

As she talked about her favorite part of the bee, Colette was interrupted by a fan from the crowd who said she couldnt wait to see Colette win first place next year.

Editor's note: This article has been edited to correct Colette's grade in school.
By Press Trust of India: Dewas (MP), Mar 19 (PTI) India should focus on development of villages to ensure prosperity, the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said today.

"Indias prosperity depends on the development of villages instead of developing big cities. So, the journey of development should start from rural areas of the country," the Dalai Lama told a gathering at Turnal village of Dewas district in Madhya Pradesh.

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He was here to participate in the ongoing Namami Devi Narmade-Sewa Yatra, which is aimed at conserving Narmada river.

"India is predominantly an agriculture-based economy and rural India must be transformed for the countrys development.

"The focus should be on developing basic facilities like health and education in rural areas. All the basic requirements of the people should be made available in the villages. India will transform only through the rural transformation," the Dalai Lama said.

The Tibetan spiritual leader also stressed the need for greater participation of women in different fields.

"The women are more sensitive and full of compassion. Their enhanced participation will make the world a better place as they can ensure promoting deeper human values," he said.

While lauding the river conservation campaign launched by MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who also participated in the programme, the Dalai Lama said the people should think holistically as far as global warming was concerned.

"The environment has been changing across the world. Our approach should be holistic. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been making efforts for conservation of river Narmada. People should actively participate in such campaigns to make them successful," he said.

The Tibetan spiritual leader said, "Our ancestors were living here on the earth. Our future generation will live here. We need to save water, carry out plantations."

He said the people across the world have been facing problems due to racism and apartheid.

"We need to be united against the discrimination and atrocities. The racism and apartheid are behind most of the social problems across the world. Every person in the world wants to live in peace and happiness," he added.

The Dalai Lama said the basic needs of all seven billion people of the world like water and food were same despite the technology revolution. PTI ADU RMT DIP

--- ENDS ---
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says Pakistan is pursuing a policy of peaceful neighbourhood and wishes to resolve all outstanding issues with its neighbors, peacefully through dialogue.

He was talking to President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, who called on him in Islamabad on Sunday.

The Prime Minister reiterated to establish a strong partnership between Pakistan and Russia in all fields to promote peace and stability in the region. He said that longstanding bilateral relations between the two countries are a manifestation of a common desire to explore possibilities for enhancing bilateral cooperation.

He said Pakistan's longstanding partnership with the Russian Federation and with its Muslim regions, including the Republic of Tatarstan, will witness significant progress in all areas of mutual interest.

The Prime Minister said cooperation in sectors including Banking, Halal food, production of cement, automotive industry, pharmaceuticals, technology, culture and education, should be explored.

The visiting dignitary thanked the prime minister for according warm welcome to him and his delegation in Pakistan.
At least three terrorists were killed by security forces during an attack on Pakistani checkpost in Khyber Agency.

The terrorists hailing from Afghanistan once again attacked the checkpost and received a befitting reply from the army.

Security forces also carried out a joint search operation in North Waziristan and Lower Dir and confiscated huge cache of weapons.

The Pakistani checkposts have been frequently attacked by the terrorists from across the border.
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By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) India should consider reviving the long-delayed Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline following easing of sanctions on Tehran, a Parliamentary panel has said.

India had almost abandoned the IPI pipeline in 2008 following the US sanctions against Iran over its suspected nuclear programme and has instead pursued a rival line from Turkmenistan, passing through Afghanistan and Pakistan (TAPI pipeline).

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"The government should examine the idea of reviving the (IPI) project as international conditions have become favourable following lifting of sanctions against Iran," the Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas said in a report submitted to Parliament on Friday.

The Oil Ministry in its comments to the committee stated that IPI pipeline was envisaged to transport natural gas from South Pars gas field of Iran to Pakistan and India with a carrying capacity of 60 million standard cubic meters per day, to be equally split between India and Pakistan.

"The total length of the pipeline up to Indian border (near Barmer) was about 2,135 km (1,100 kms within Iran and the rest within the territory of Pakistan)," the ministry said. "As per past estimates, investments required for this pipeline were in excess of USD 7 billion."

There has been "little or no progress" in the IPI project since 2008 for a number of reasons, the Committee said in its report without elaborating.

India is pursuing transnational pipelines to meet rising energy needs. The country is reliant on imports to meet about half of its natural gas needs.

The panel said a consortium for Turkmenistan-Afghanistan -Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline -- TAPI Pipeline Company Ltd (TPCL) -- was incorporated in Isle of Man, and shareholders agreement signed in December 2015.

Turkmenistan will own 85 per cent of TPCL while India, Pakistan and Afghanistan will each have 5 per cent stake.

"The construction of pipeline has commenced in December 2015 and is likely to be completed in about 7 years," it said.

It recommended that TAPI project be monitored closely in collaboration with other participating countries in order to ensure that the project is completed in time.

"The Committee feels that trans-national pipelines are important elements of national energy security and they need to be pursued vigorously," the report added.

On April 7 last year the Investment Agreement (IA) of TPCL was signed in Ashgabat. "It relates to initial equity infusion by the shareholders. TPCL subsequently opened its office in Dubai, UAE and has been holding its board meetings," the ministry said in its submission to the panel. PTI ANZ SBT SA ABI

--- ENDS ---

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By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) Two Indian clerics, including the head priest of Delhis Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who went missing in Pakistan, are safe and will be back in the city tomorrow, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today.

"I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow," she said in a tweet.

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The two clerics - Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, had gone to Lahore on March 8 and were to return to India on March 20. The main purpose of the visit of 80-year-old Asif to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi.

Yesterday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics were traced and reached Karachi last evening.

Swaraj had taken up the issue with Pakistan Prime Ministers Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz yesterday and requested him to trace the missing clerics.

According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network" and that is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts.

Earlier, Pakistani sources had said the two clerics were in the custody of Pakistans intelligence agency over their alleged links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources had said. PTI MPB SRY

--- ENDS ---
Police are reaching out to the public to help them locate a man suspected in a number of rural burglaries in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato.

Manu Cashmore, 42, has warrants for his arrest for breaching his court release conditions.

Cashmore has contacts in Edgecumbe, Kawerau and Hamilton.

Senior Sergeant Yvonne Parker says he is also a suspect in a number of rural burglaries in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato.

"Police are urging anyone who may know of his whereabouts to call their nearest Police station.

"He should not be approached."

He is described as being of medium build and has a tattoo of a bulldog head on his right shoulder and a skull on his left forearm.

"Police also wish to remind people to report suspicious activity around their rural properties as soon as possible and, if they can safely, record any vehicle registrations or descriptions of persons or vehicles to their nearest Police station or in an emergency dial 111."

Anonymous information about Cashmore can also be provided to Crimestoppers on 0800555111.
The meeting comes six months after India decided to suspend talks on the Indus Water Treaty in the wake of the Uri terror attack by Pakistan-based outfits.

The delegation will take part in a two-day meet

By Press Trust of India: A 10-member Indian delegation arrived in Lahore Sunday to take part in the meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) beginning today in the Pakistani capital.

The delegation, which will take part in the two-day meeting, is led by India's Indus Water Commissioner P K Saxena and comprises of Ministry of External Affairs officials and technical experts.

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Senior Pakistani officials and Indian High Commission officials greeted the delegation at the Wagah border.

Media personnel gathered at the Wagah border were not given access to the delegation, which later left for Islamabad by road amid high security.

INDIA 'OPEN' TO RESOLVING PAK CONCERNS

Ahead of the visit, an Indian government source told PTI that India is "always open" to discuss and resolve concerns Pakistan has over its projects under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) bilaterally.

The source, however, reiterated that there will be "no compromise" on India exploiting its due rights under the 57-year-old pact.

NO AGENDA YET

However, the agenda for the meeting, taking place nearly six months after India decided to suspend talks on the pact in the wake of the Uri terror attack by Pakistan-based outfits, is yet to be finalised.

Asked whether the delay in reaching consensus over the agenda for the meeting will leave little time to resolve issues, the source replied in negative.

"We always go into such meetings with optimistic mindset...In the past too, there had been delays in finalising agenda for the meeting, yet solutions were achieved," the source added.

The source also recalled how Pakistan's concern over India's Uri-II and Chutak hydroelectric projects were resolved seven years ago through discussions.

Pakistan had raised objections over designs of 240 MW Uri-II and 44 MW Chutak projects, built in Baramulla and Kargil districts of Jammu and Kashmir respectively, saying these will deprive it of its water share under the pact.

However, at a meeting held here in May 2010, the neighbouring country withdrew objections after the Indian side provided details of these.

Similarly, Pakistan has been flagging concern over designs of India's five other hydroelectricity projects -- Pakal Dul (1000 MW), Ratle (850 MW), Kishanganga (330 MW), Miyar (120 MW) and Lower Kalnai (48 MW) -- being built or planned in the Indus river basin, contending these violate the treaty.

It had approached the World Bank, the mediator between the two countries of the 57-year-old water distribution treaty, in August last year raising issues over Kishanganga and Ratle projects in Jammu and Kashmir.

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ALSO READ | Pakistan PM Sharif meets World Bank CEO, takes up Indus Water Treaty dispute

--- ENDS ---
Annabel Langbein, New Zealands popular free range cook, will visit Tauranga this Monday as part of a nationwide tour promoting her new book.

ESSENTIAL Annabel Langbein brings together everything shes learned in a career of cooking and eating adventures.

She says shes looking forward to coming to the Bay of Plenty again.

Tauranga is a beautiful part of the world: lots of good coffee shops, nice weather, lovely fruit and vegetables. I like seeing whats happening at the farmers markets, little stores and the development of artisan food culture.

This her 25th book, in about as many years.

So many things have changed in the past two decades. Ive brought up a family, and I continue to be a busy working mum, she says.

In this book Im trying to teach people how to be good cooks, rather than just provide a collection of recipes. Im hoping as people learn confidence they can start to develop their own ideas and be creative.

Every recipe in the book has been tweaked for todays tastes  for example, there are fewer refined ingredients and the occasional gluten-free option. On-trend flavours such as sriracha, chipotle, and aquafaba also make an appearance.

Paper Plus Papamoa owner Neville Butler says Annabels been to the store in the past, and always draws a crowd.

It went really well last time, we had quite a big queue.

Annabel will be visiting three local Paper Plus stores on Monday March 20 to sign books  Bethlehem from 11-11.30am, Tauranga from 12-12.30pm, and Papamoa from 2-2.30pm.
More than 3000 electric vehicles are now registered in New Zealand, much to the delight of Transport Minister Simon Bridges.

I am delighted with the number of EV registrations we are now seeing. This year there has been 517 EV registrations bringing the total number of EVs in New Zealand to 3005. With nine months to go we are already half way to achieving our 2017 target.

While 1513 EVs were registered in New Zealand in 2016, in Australia only about 220 EVs were. This clearly demonstrates the success of the New Zealand Governments EV programme at pushing up purchasing.

Infrastructure and charging stations are ever-expanding across the country to support the growing number of EVs on our roads.

There are now about 50 fast chargers, including one on The Strand in Tauranga, available throughout the length of the country, with more coming, giving EV drivers greater confidence on longer journeys.

Were also seeing more new models [cars] coming onto the market and an increased interest from EV manufacturers  with both Hyundai Ioniq and Tesla, for example, recently announcing their entry into New Zealand, says Simon.

Theres also been a big increase in the models and quantity of used EVs being brought into New Zealand. This means more EVs, at a range of prices, giving more choice to New Zealanders when they decide to step up on this.

Electric vehicles are the future. A move from petrol and diesel to low emission transport is a natural evolution. We are working hard to encourage this and its fantastic to see more and more New Zealanders recognising the benefits of EVs.

Driving an electric vehicle in New Zealand produces 80 per cent fewer carbon emissions than a petrol or diesel car due to New Zealands abundant renewable electricity.

In May 2016, the Government announced its Electric Vehicle Programme, a wide ranging package of measures to encourage the uptake of EVs in New Zealand.

The target is to double the fleet each year, reaching 64,000 EV registrations by the end of 2021.

The Governments EV website can be found at: www.electricvehicles.govt.nz
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES:

It is prohibited to reproduce, distribute, make available, communicate publicly and use in whole or part the contents of this website, in any form or way, without previous express authorisation in writing. This includes simply reproducing it and/or making it available as a summary, comment or press review for commercial purposes or those which are directly or indirectly lucrative, which is expressly forbidden.
W Bro Adrian Howard was installed as Master of the Coin Freemason Lodge for the second year running at an event in Yates's Family Bar and Restaurant recently.

The meeting, attended by the Assistant Provincial Grand Master, included an announcement about charity donations and was followed by dinner.
The number of recent serious bullying offences in schools should be treated as "isolated cases in context", but these are nonetheless causing a lot of concern in the regional government, according to the regional minister for education, Adelaida De la Calle.

Her statement came after six minors in total were arrested in two major incidents in Fuengirola and Estepona.

The case in Fuengirola saw four young people arrested after the victim's father was himself witness to the bullying, having had suspicions that all was not well with his son beforehand.

Having arranged to pick his son up from the Mercedes Labrador secondary school after class, he saw one boy approach his son and pull the hood of his sweatshirt over his head.

He then threatened to hit the victim, which forced the father to get out of his car and run towards the boys, with the aggressor fleeing upon seeing him heading towards them.

The teenager was already being insulted on a daily basis by three minors, who attended the same school as him, and also by a fourth child at another school, before events escalated and became violent.

The three minors at Mercedes Labrador, who worryingly were also said to have threatened the boy by putting a penknife to his throat, have been suspended by the school while they are being investigated by police.

The school has also taken immediate internal action, which includes changing classes and counselling for the boy.

National Police were also alerted to a similar situation in Estepona by the parents of a boy who confessed that he was being constantly insulted by three classmates at the Juan XXIII school and that they had threatened to beat him up.

Two minors were consequently arrested, while a third is not criminally liable at just 13 years old.

The boy has since seen a psychologist specialised in bullying, while the police are also investigating the possibility of a second victim of the same group of teenagers.

A second investigation in the same municipality is also underway after a video of a girl being assaulted on the street was circulating on WhatsApp between students at Monterroso, another local secondary school. The video also shows other young people at the school cheering while the incident was taking place.

According to the Cisneros X Report, which includes bullying statistics across Spain, 27.7 per cent of pupils suffer bullying at school in Andalucia, while other research carried out by the Centro Reina Sofia found that 75 per cent of the students surveyed have witnessed some form of bullying at their schools.

Such statistics have alarmed the regional government's Education ministry, with De la Calle reassuring parents that these cases "will be treated with the same seriousness and rigour as any other".
The Jat protesters turned violent in Dhan Gopal village of Fatehabad district in Haryana on Sunday morning when the police stopped them from crossing the barricades. The protesters tried to break the barricades and even pelted stones at the police injuring several cops including DSP, Gurdyal Singh.

By Manjeet Sehgal: The Jat protesters turned violent in Dhan Gopal village of Fatehabad district in Haryana on Sunday morning when the police stopped them from crossing the barricades.

The protesters tried to break the barricades and even pelted stones at the police injuring several cops including DSP, Gurdyal Singh deployed on the spot.

Nearly 1000 protesters including women violated the prohibitory orders which were clamped after the All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) decided to choke Delhi with tractors besides 'gheraoing' the Parliament on Monday.

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Fatehabad police resorted to cane charge and tear gassed the protesters to diffuse the situation. Some protesters were also injured in the police action. However, their exact number is not known.

Haryana police has barricaded all the roads connecting New Delhi following the protest threat. A number of precautionary measures including ban on the sale of liquor , blocking internet services, banning ferrying of passengers in tractor trolleys and rationing of diesel have been taken to stop the protesters from proceeding to Delhi.

The Deputy Commissioners have asked the police to book the people committing arsons by names in case they were found guilty of violating the prohibitory orders.

The Petrol Pump owners have been asked not to sell more than 10 litres of diesel to a tractor owner. The state Police Chief, K P Singh has assured the state residents that the roads of the state are safe as the police, military and para-military forces are regularly patrolling highways, railway stations and other public places.

"All the state highways in the state will be open on Monday and there is no need to panic. Adequate security measures are in place to deal with any eventuality. As the CBSE examinations will start from Monday, the students appearing in these exams should appear without any fear. We appeal to the protesters not to move on tractors to New Delhi as ferrying passengers on these vehicles has been banned," K P Singh said.

Meanwhile, the All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti leader Yashpal Malik has accepted the invitation of the Haryana Government for the talks between the Haryana, Union government and Jat leaders on Sunday afternoon. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal, Union Minister for State, Ministry of Law and Justice PP Chaudhary and Union Steel Minister Birender Chaudhary will also be present at the meeting organised at Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi.

"We have accepted the invitation. A team of 20 to 30 Jat leaders will first meet at Nangloi and then will take part in the meeting. We are hoping that the government will accept our demands," AIJASS, President Yashpal Malik said.

Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal has said that the government is serious about the demands raised by the protesters.

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Also Read: Jat quota agitation: Khattar invites protesters for talks, paramilitary forces deployed in Haryana

Also Read: Jat agitation: Section 144 imposed in NCR, Metro services suspended

Also Watch: Delhi: Jat community threatens to intensify protest outside Parliament if demands not met

--- ENDS ---
The decision to post-pone the agitation followed several rounds of meetings between the government and prominent Jat leaders.

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: The impending Jat agitation crisis in the national capital region on Sunday was averted after Jat agitators and government agreed on truce albeit a temporary one. The decision to postpone agitation by 15 days came after the intervention of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

This comes as huge relief to students of NCR appearing for board exams, besides those heading to office and even the current Parliament session.

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"Centre and Haryana will soon begin the process of giving reservation to Jats," state's CM told mediapersons at Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi. It took nearly four hours for both parties to make an official announcement.

The government has in principle agreed to 5 demands of the protestors:

1. To appoint national backward commission chairman who will conduct a survey on Jat reservation viable in court.

2. An amendment in 9th schedule of Constitution after court process finishes.

3. Cases slapped against jat leaders to be re-examined by a committee

4. Jobs to kins of those killed in previous Jat agitation and other victims handicapped on account of violence. Compensation to be given to injured.

5. Action against officers alleged to have played a partisan role.

AIJASS Chaiperson Yashpal Malik said that their protest will be peaceful and they will decide their next course of action after a 15-day period. An agitated Malik said, "The politicians have made a fool of us for our votes. We got reservation at least four times but because of unjustified action, and partisan court rules, we could never get it."

Cornered by media on Jat arm twisting Centre to concede demands, Haryana CM said, "There is no arm twisting by Jats. There has been a consensus between us to give them reservation. In addition, we will also give reservation to 5 more castes. We will give reservation at the Centre and we will re-examining cases pending since 2010." "We will do justice," he said to a question posed by India Today.

The Jat agitation, which began on January 29, completed 50 days on Sunday. The stir for quota in jobs and education - a matter that has remained unresolved over the last decade - drew thousands of protesters to Delhi earlier this month.

Also read: Jat quota agitation: DSP injured in stone pelting in Fatehabad of Haryana

Also watch: Jat agitation called-off after Haryana CM Khattar meets protesters

--- ENDS ---
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse police are searching for suspects after a man was stabbed early Sunday morning at a dance club downtown.

A 25-year-old man arrived at Upstate University Hospital in a private vehicle at about 3 a.m. after being stabbed during a dispute, police said.

The man told police he was at Venue 315 at 308 West Genesee St. when he got into an argument with a group of men. They began to fight, and the man was stabbed in the lower back, police said.

The man's injuries are not considered life-threatening, according to police.

Venue 315 is an event center, bar and dance club for people 18 years of age and older. Owners of the club could not be immediately reached for comment.

The Syracuse Police Department asks anyone with information on the incident to call (315) 442-5222, or submit a tip through the "SPD Tips" app.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A man who robbed a bank in Syracuse late last week has been arrested, the Syracuse Police Department announced today.

At 12:13 p.m. Thursday, officers responded to Chase Bank at 110 W. Fayette Street for a robbery call.

Robin Guthridge

Bank employees told police a man had come in and demanded money from one of the tellers, officers said.

The teller complied, handing over an undisclosed amount of cash, according to police. The man then left the bank and was last seen headed west on East Washington Street.

The man did not brandish any weapons and no one was injured, Sgt. Richard Helterline, a police spokesman, told syracuse.com.

Police circulated surveillance footage of the suspect on Thursday, asking the public for help finding him.

After conducting several interviews and reviewing evidence, police found and arrested Robin Guthridge, 30, of 1074 S. Clinton St. on Saturday.

The property is a men's shelter owned by the Catholic Charities of Syracuse, according to county property records.

Guthridge was charged with first-degree robbery and is being held in Onondaga County jail without bail, according to county inmate records. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Helterline later confirmed that Guthridge was involved in a previous bank robbery at the same Chase Bank in 2013. Officers found him trapped in a garbage chute while trying to flee and charged him with third-degree robbery.

Guthridge also led Syracuse police officers on a car chase in 2010, Helterline said. He faced multiple charges, including two felonies, for the incident.
A Binghamton University student died in an off-campus accident on Saturday, the university announced in a statement.

Conor Donnelly

Conor Donnelly, a BU freshman from Pearl River, NY, in Rockland County, "died accidentally," according to the statement from the school.

"It is always difficult to lose someone," Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger said in the statement, "but it is especially difficult to lose a young member of our campus community so suddenly."

A sergeant with the Binghamton Police Department confirmed to WBNG that they were investigating an incident on Front Street in Binghamton, but would not release further details of the accident.

The Press & Sun Bulletin reported that Donnelly was a 2016 graduate of Nanuet Senior High School in Rockland County.

Another Binghamton University student, Stefani Lineva, was killed in a hit and run near the Southern Tier Expressway in December.
Search warrants to access a suspect's search history aren't uncommon. Search warrants to access metadata from an entire cell tower are becoming more and more popular, too. What isn't common though, is a search warrant for the internet history of an entire town. While this sounds like something from the "what not to do" chapter in a law textbook, it is happening right now in the town of Edina, Minnesota.

A thief faxed in a fake passport to a credit union which allowed him to steal $28,500 out of a victim's bank account. Police were notified of the fraudulent transfer and discovered that the photo used on the passport could be accessed by searching Google Images for the victim's name. It doesn't show up in Yahoo or Bing searches, so police are hoping to use Google to help track down their thief.

The county judge agreed with the police and granted the warrant, which was then served to Google. The warrant, if Google agrees to provide the information, allows the police to collect names, emails, account information, and IP addresses of anyone who searched for the victim's name during a five-week period.

Googling someone's name isn't illegal, so privacy experts are up in arms over the potential to collect information on innocent users. Possible employers, friends, or anyone who happened to be interested in the victim during the time period in question could have their personal information handed over to the authorities.

By casting such a wide net, the Edina Police Department are also opening themselves to the possibility of evidence being thrown out before a trial if it is deemed to have been obtained illegally. Google and the Police Department aren't saying much since it is an ongoing investigation, but the full can be viewed on security researcher Tony Webster's website.
While metro services have been suspended from 11.30 pm in Delhi today, 124 paramilitary companies have been deployed in Haryana.

By India Today Web Desk: Members of the Jat community have planned massive protests in and around Delhi demanding reservation for them.

Delhi Police and administration have beefed up their arrangements to avoid any untoward event. While metro services have been suspended from 11.30 pm in Delhi today, 124 paramilitary companies have been deployed in Haryana.

Jat protestors will meet Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at Haryana Bhawan on Sunday afternoon. Minister of State, Law and Justice, PP Chaudhary will be present at the meeting.

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HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Delhi Police has restricted entry of people in the Lutyens area where the Parliament is located. A number of routes have been closed to limit entry of people. The police has asked Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to restrict metro services outside Delhi. Police has issued a notification ordering the closure of several key routes from 8 pm onwards in Delhi. Services at prominent stations like Rajiv Chowk, Pragati Maidan, Janpath, Mandi House, RK Ashram Road, Khan Market, Lok Kalyan Marg, Central Secretariat, Shivaji Stadium and Udyog Bhavan will be affected. The police have also directed DMRC to stop trains to Ghaziabad, Noida, and Gurgaon. Despite the order, interchange facilities will be available at all interchange stations. Sources said that the metro train services will be resumed after they get clearance from Delhi police. The CBSE has advised students appearing for the Classes 10 and 12 Board exams to reach their exam centres well before the scheduled time. The Class 10 exams for painting, Spanish and Russian languages and Class 12 exams for Mathematics, First Aid and Emergency Medical Care, Clinical Bio-chemistry and Microbiology-II, Microbiology (MLT), Health Centre Management, Ophthalmic Techniques-II, Radiograhpy-II (Special Investigation Imaging Radiography) are scheduled for Monday. All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti had earlier said that it would intensify its agitation on March 20. Their demands include jobs to kin of those killed in violence during protests last year. The violence that broke out last year killed nearly 30 people and about 200 were injured. National highways and roadways passing through Haryana to remain open tomorrow, informed Haryana DGP. He added that adequate security has been deployed to ensure hassle-free movement.

ALSO READ | No Delhi Metro service in NCR from Sunday night over Jat quota agitation

ALSO WATCH | Delhi: Jat community threatens to intensify protest outside Parliament if demands not met

--- ENDS ---
Android 7.1.1 Nougat is fast making its way to many smartphones, with the most recent being the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T. OnePlus smartphone users will welcome the news that the company has pushed out the OxygenOS 4.1.0 update for the two phones.

OnePlus has ended the beta phase of the OxygenOS 4.1.0 and has officially rolled out the over-the-air (OTA) update for its OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T smartphones. The update is now available for the users of the two handsets.

Owners of the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T will be pleased with the promptness of the company as the devices benefited from the Android Nougat-based OxygenOS 4.0.3 earlier in February. For the unfamiliar, OxygenOS is the company's very own customized version of Android.

The arrival of the update has been confirmed by the company itself and will bring in its folds several new features and improvements.

"We are starting the incremental roll-out of OxygenOS 4.1.0 (7.1.1) OTA for OnePlus 3T," said a staff member on OnePlus' official blog.

What Are The Features?

The newest update brings a plethora of features to the two phones. The OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3 will both get updated to Android 7.1.1 Nougat thanks to the roll out. Not only do the two smartphones move to the latest OS, the monthly security patch from Google  the March update  also makes its way to the handsets.

OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3 users will benefit from the expanding screenshots feature. Moreover, users will soon be able to snap up better pictures of moving subjects with the enhanced blur reduction. That is not all, post the update, users of the two OnePlus smartphones will be able to record videos with greater stability.

The OxygenOS 4.1.0 update, which is based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat, also brings enhanced Wi-Fi connectivity for OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T users. The Bluetooth connectivity on the two smartphones also gets improved.

The arrival of the latest update will be welcomed by the smartphone owners. OnePlus is being quite prompt in upgrading its smartphones, and the OnePlus 3 began receiving support for the Google Assistant earlier in March.

Since the OTA update is being pushed out in phases by OnePlus, it could take some time to make its way to your device.

However, users can check for its arrival manually by navigating to Settings > About Device > Software Update > Check for Updates. If the smartphone shows that OxygenOS 4.1.0 is available to download, users can get in on the action. However, before downloading, users should make sure they are connected to a reliable Wi-Fi network and the smartphone has at least 50 percent battery charge.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The United States has declassified its secretive footage of the nuclear tests it conducted between 1945 and 1962 and published them online on YouTube.

Much of the footage will make viewers run for cover as they see chilling reminders of the arms race for military superiority during the Cold War.

The footages were captured by multiple cameras at various angles. They documented each explosion at the rate of 2,400 frames per second and made an estimated 10,000 films.

Out of the 750 declassified video recordings, around 210 are of atmospheric nuclear tests. In the footage, nuclear bombs can be seen blown on the ground as well as on ocean atolls.

Raw footages of the nuclear tests were taken mostly from Nevada and the Marshall Islands. While some videos are seconds long, many are beyond seven minutes.

The video documentation of the nuclear tests extends until the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 and may serve as a moral deterrent to nuclear-armed countries.

"We hope that we would never have to use a nuclear weapon ever again. I think that if we capture the history of this and show what the force of these weapons is and how much devastation they can wreak, then maybe people will be reluctant to use them," said Gregory D. Spriggs, a weapon physicist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

Footage Unseen For Almost 70 Years

Most of the videos are spine-chilling - showing blinding light flashes and mushroom-like white clouds spewing out into the atmosphere.

Spriggs and his team of experts at the LLNL tracked down the nuclear test films, which had been locked up in high-security vaults across the United States. They have been scanning, reanalyzing, and declassifying the films for the past five years. The project aims to preserve the footage before the films fall into decay and their content is lost forever.

The project has recovered thousands of the nuclear test films, around 6,500 of the estimated total. The film rolls, made of nitrate cellulose and which had been gathering dust for more than 65 years, gave off a vinegar-like smell, a sign of film decomposition.

The effort has led to the declassification of 750 films. Their digital versions are now published in the LLNL's playlist on YouTube.

Benefit For Nuclear Researchers

The declassification of the footage has a sociological benefit and historical significance. According to the LLNL, the main benefit will be that researchers of the post-Cold War era can understand the impact of nuclear weapons. The project The project will also provide scientists with the data they need to ensure that the aging nuclear deterrent of the United States is effective, safe, and secure.

Another gain from the reprocessing of the footage is the opportunity to correct distortions in data by comparing restored footage with the original data sheets for each test.

Data Correction In Nuclear Records

Spriggs said the revived footage helped in correcting many of the errors in the published data during the tests.

Decades ago when the tests were conducted, researchers analyzed each of the frames on each roll of film manually. They used a kodagraph to enlarge the image in each frame, project it on a grid, and carefully note the size of the fireball and shockwave. Because the tests were filmed at the rate of 2,400 frames per second, at least a thousand analysts were needed to do the measurements.

Now computers are doing that analysis, with programs making precise measurements from each of the captured frames.

"We were finding that some of these answers were off by 20, maybe 30, percent," Spriggs said.

He added many discoveries about the detonations were made possible from the footage not seen before. That helped in making fresh correlations by the nuclear forensics community.

It will take two more years to digitize the remaining films. Spriggs expressed the hope that the footage will stop nations from ever using the nuclear arsenal option.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The LG G6 is the latest Android powerhouse to hit the scene and it's already gone up for preorder at nearly all major U.S. carriers.

AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and US Cellular have already kicked off their LG G6 preorders. T-Mobile is currently the only major carrier in the United States that has yet to start taking preorders for the LG G6, but even so it still has a product page for the device and pricing information is available.

That said, here's a quick roundup of the LG G6 pricing and availability at various U.S. carriers, complete with their promotional offers to sweeten the deal.

Verizon LG G6 Price And Freebies

Verizon kicked off LG G6 preorders on March 17, offering the handset at $28 per month for 24 months or $672 outright. Freebies include $200 trade-in credits, a free LG Smart TV, and a free Google Home smart speaker, and the smartphone should start shipping by the end of this month. For more details or to preorder the LG G6 from Verizon, head over to the carrier's website.

AT&T LG G6 Price And Promos

AT&T is offering the LG G6 at $24 per month for 30 months, $30 per month for 24 months or $719 outright. The smartphone should ship between April 4 and 6, and promotional offers include a free Google Home, a discounted LG Watch Sport at $49, or a Buy One Get One (BOGO) deal to get two smartphones at the price of one.

Sprint LG G6 Price And Promos

The Sprint LG G6 is available at $29.50 per month for 24 months or $708 outright, and will start shipping on April 7. Promotional deals include a free Google Home and a free 49-inch LG HDTV.

US Cellular LG G6 Price And Promos

The LG G6 on U.S. Cellular comes in at $10 per month for 30 months with a promo card, or $597.60 outright. Promotional deals include a free Google Home and a $297.70 promo card and the smartphone will start shipping on April 7.

T-Mobile LG G6 Price And Promos

Lastly, T-Mobile will be offering the LG G6 at $26 per month for 24 months or $650 outright, with a free Google Home speaker to sweeten the deal. As previously mentioned, the carrier has yet to start taking preorders for the smartphone and a release date is not available yet. At the time of writing, the LG G6 product page on T-Mobile's website still shows a "coming soon" label.

LG G6 Carrier Price Comparison

As with most devices, the LG G6 carrier prices vary across the board. Taking both prices and freebies into account, it seems that Verizon and U.S. Cellular have the most attractive deals for prospective customers. T-Mobile, meanwhile, has a clean offer with no additional incentives past the free Google Home speaker that's in the mix with all LG G6 purchases regardless of carrier. Sprint and AT&T seem to be on the more expensive side of the spectrum, but the freebies might convince some shoppers to drop the extra cash.

As always, make sure to carefully read the fine print of all offers before making your decision.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket launched the ninth Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS-9) space mission for the U.S. Air Force on Saturday, March 18. The 22-story payload lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The launch, which was broadcasted live on YouTube and ULA's official website, reportedly experienced a 34-minute delay because of a glitch with its ground support equipment.

Check out the highlights of WGS-9's launch.

The Penultimate: WGS-9 US Military Satellite

The WGS-9, which has a jaw-dropping price tag of $445 million, is the second to last in the 10-fleet state-of-the art satellite communication system for the U.S. military.

Once in its target position at approximately 22,000 miles above the equator, the latest addition to the advanced WGS network is expected to take the country's military communication service to a whole new level  transmitting real-time television broadcasts and video conferences and high-bandwidth data to and from U.S. Air Force ships, aircraft, ground troops, operations centers, the U.S. Department of State, the White House, and various allies from around the world.

International partners are allowed proportional access to the bandwidth provided by the WGS constellation based on financial contribution, according to the Air Force.

Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and New Zealand shared a total of $442 million to produce WGS-9. Australia, on the other hand, paid a part of the 2013 WGS-6 project.

WGS-10 is currently in the works with a target launch of 2019.

X-band And Ka-band Support

WGS satellites support both X-band (weather monitoring, air and marine vessel traffic control, defense tracking, and vehicle speed monitoring) and Ka-band (close-range targeting on military aircraft) radar frequencies. The satellite can support 8.088 gigahertz of bandwidth, with an expected downlink speed of up to 11 Gbps.

"WGS provides anytime, anywhere communications for soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and international partnership through broadcast, multicast, and point-to-point connections," Robert Tarleton, director of the Military Satellite Communications Systems Directorate at Air Force Space Command in Los Angeles, said.

WGS Program And Delta IV

The mission marks the seventh flight of the Delta IV in the Medium+ (5,4) configuration for the WGS-9 mission and its 35th launch since its inauguration in 2002. It has launched all WGS satellites in orbit today.

The Boeing Co. was awarded the first contract to develop the WGS system, which initially proposed two satellites, in 2001.

With its expendable launch vehicles Atlas and Delta, it has facilitated numerous U.S. government space missions in the last five decades. The U.S. Department of Defense, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Reconnaissance Office, and the U.S. Air Force are among the prominent organizations in its launch portfolio.

The United Launch Alliance is a 50-50 venture between the Lockheed Martin Corp. and the Boeing Co., established in 2006.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The shape of your nose isn't just for aesthetic purposes. It also has important functions for health and can give you an idea about your ancestry particularly where your ancestors lived.

The Nose

Besides being associated with the sense of smell, the nose also serves another important function that can help prevent illness and damages to the lungs and airways. It warms and humidifies the air that a person breathes.

Because of this particular function, scientists have long thought that the shape of the nose may have partly evolved in response to climate conditions.

Regional Climates And Nose Shapes

In a new study, which was published in journal PLOS Genetics on Thursday, researchers were able to confirm this theory as they found evidence that links the shape of the nose that we have now with the climates of the regions where our ancestors lived.

For their study, the researchers involved participants whose parents and ancestors were born in regions namely West Africa, East Asia, South Asia, and Northern Europe that corresponded to their genetic ancestry. At least 40 participants were recruited for each of these regions.

The researchers found that the participants whose ancestors came from regions with warm and humid climates tended to have wider nostrils. Those whose ancestors were from cold and dry climates, on the other hand, were likely to have narrower nose with the strongest correlation observed in those whose ancestors were from Northern Europe  suggesting that cold and dry climates may have played a part in shaping narrower nostrils.

The findings back up the idea of U.S. Army physician Charles Edward Woodruff who served in the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War, which he wrote in his book The Effects of Tropical Light on White Men.

"In the tropics where the air is hot and therefore rarefied, more of it is necessary and it is essential that there should be no impediment to the air currents so the nostrils are open and wide and the nose very flat. Such a nose is unsuited for cold countries as it permits masses of cold air to flood the air passages and irritate the lining membrane," Woodruff wrote.

Study researcher Arslan Zaidi, from the Pennsylvania State University, explained that physical traits that are directly in contact with the environment are more likely to undergo natural selection and evolve faster,

"People are more similar than they are different. What this research does is offer people a view of why we're different," Zaidi said. "There's an evolutionary history to it that, I think, kind of demystifies the concept of race."

Potential Application

Researchers said that studying how traits that evolved as an environmental adaptation that may no longer be relevant may help with a better understanding of disease risks for certain individuals.

"The investigation of nose shape evolution with respect to climate adaptation, while interesting anthropologically, is also relevant medically. As humans are becoming more of a global community, the study of local adaptation is becoming more important to understanding health risks involved in living in 'foreign' climates," researchers wrote in their study.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Kanwal Sibal's collection of poems is a reflection of his travels across the world, and insight into society and politics.

By Palash Krishna Mehrotra: DURING his career of more than four decades, Kanwal Sibal has been India's Ambassador to Turkey, Egypt, France and Russia, besides being Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington, with rank of Ambassador.

While his travels have surely shaped his imagination, it is his three-year sojourn in Russia which seems to have left the deepest impression. The first section of the book, titled 'Moscow Musings', describes the cold wintry landscape with vividness and paradoxical warmth: "On coloured domes of St Basil,/ Red turrets of the Kremlin wall,/ Snow flurries swirl around at will/And from the sky white blankets fall."

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Moscow's winter is an impressionistic painting, beautifully rendered and skilfully executed by nature in brisk bold strokes: "Like thick strokes from a fervid brush/ The air is filled with daubs of white,/ Nature seems in a frenzied rush/ To paint the city in one night."

When the life-giving sun finally shines, it is as a harbinger of death: "Pierced by the shafts/ Of the sun's rays,/ The snow/ Began to weep;/ Drops of tears/ Fell from its/ Countless crystal eyes/ And icicles of agony/ Like teeth of reptiles/ Bared by the grimace/ Of throes of death/ Appeared.// Winter in its white shroud/ Was being slowly cremated/With the heat/ From the blazing sun."

Sibal's subject matter, for the most part, is drawn from the universal staples of poetry: the passage of time, memory and nature. To this he adds, in the latter half of the book, politics and diplomacy, drawing in no small measure on his own experiences: "You find in international life/ That double standards are most rife.//However much you rant or rail/ It simply is to no avail.// If you are weak and they are strong/ E'en if you're right, you will be wrong."

Also read: Nikita Singh's latest book weaves a story that every woman can relate to

In 'Two Nations', Sibal is sceptical of Indians and Pakistanis coming together on the basis of a false bonhomie created around wishful commonalities of food and music: "Women as an inferior race/ In Islam must hide limb and face,/ While Hindu girls like slender skiffs/ Sail smoothly with exposed midriffs."

Snowflakes Of Time by Kanwal Sibal, Bloomsbury; Rs 399. Photo: Mail Today

Sibal takes multiple digs at Rahul Gandhi in poems like 'The Houdini Act' and 'Getting Ready for Combat': "I've made sure no one's in the know/ Where I vanished for many weeks,/ I do not care if my furlough/Caused sniggers with tendentious leaks." In 'Washed Out Session', "fiery Sushma" gives it back to Rahul, and makes him "swallow bitter pills." Sonia Gandhi is not spared Sibal's humorous whiplash either: "Oh! Sonia, dear, what awful luck,/ Just when in seat as number one/ A Swedish snoop raked up the muck/ Around this wretched Bofor's gun..."

In 'Agenda for a True Nationalist', the tone is that of marked irony: "Of all the things that you must do/To be seen as a nationalist. / You have to gather in a crowd/ In places like the JNU/ With booming lungs then cry out loud/ That Yakub M, Afzal Guru./ Were innocent..."

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As a poet, Sibal has two major concerns: structure, which manifests itself as an obsession with rhyme, and accessibility to the reader. With regard to structure, he writes in his Preface: "I may be oldfashioned, but I have always liked rhyme in poetry. Rhyme makes the writing 'chiselled', 'adds music' and puts a limit on self-indulgence."

Sibal wants his poems to be accessible: "Poetry should not be so abstruse that its meaning is not immediately clear. It should not be like a cross-word puzzle." The lyricism contained in Sibal's finely-hewn lines bears testament to this: "I distilled the redness/from the evening skies/ And with a metal syringe/ injected it into my blood;/ I rolled the sunlight/ into a tiny pill/ and swallowed it..." ('Swimming in Pools of Light').

Sibal, the poet, also has a playful side. He deftly manipulates the lengths of lines, so that they form concrete shapes or picture-poems on the page: a perfume bottle, a champagne glass, the contours of a spade in a pack of cards.

For many readers, poetry is the dentist's chair of literature. They run away from it. Pick up this volume of light verse to lose your fear of poetry and to lose yourself in its (em)bracing warmth.

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The writer is the editor of 'House Spirit: Drinking in India', published by Speaking Tiger

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By India Today Web Desk: Kapil Sharma surprised everyone on Saturday by introducing them to his girlfriend Ginni Chatrath on social media. But soon he was making headlines for the mid-air ruckus that he created on a flight.

There have been reports of tension brewing between Sunil Grover and Kapil Sharma for some time now; but things went out of hand when Kapil allegedly assaulted Sunil on a flight from Australia to Mumbai on Thursday night. The Kapil Sharma Show's entire team was in Australia for a tour, and was returning to Mumbai when the unpleasant incident took place. He not only misbehaved with Sunil but also abused loudly, which caught attention of the co-passengers too.

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Also read: Kapil Sharma introduces his girlfriend with a sweet post on Twitter

The flight attendants wanted to handcuff Kapil but Sunil stood by him and asked the them to overlook his drunken behaviour.

An eyewitness travelling on the same flight as Kapil Sharma and Sunil Grover told The Quint, "Without any provocation, Kapil pounced on Sunil Grover. We saw Kapil loudly abusing Sunil. Sunil kept quiet, probably thinking that Kapil would calm down after the outburst. But Kapil got more aggressive. His loud abuses could be heard right across the flight cabin.He then physically assaulted Sunil. Thats when all hell broke loose. The flight attendants rushed to the spot. They wanted to handcuff Kapil in order to restrain him. To his credit Sunil stood by his unruly colleague and asked the cabin crew to overlook his drunken behaviour."

Both Sunil and Kapil have known each other for a long time now. Sunil was the host of Hans Baliye, a couple reality show where Kapil participated with Ginni. Both the comedians gained popularity from Colors' Comedy Nights With Kapil. While doing the show, Sunil had some differences with Kapil and had quit the show. He, however, returned later. When Kapil had issues with Colors, Sunil supported him and left Colors to join Sony TV and be a part of his show.

Kapil might have become very popular because of his amazing comic timing, but his problematic behaviour after getting drunk is becoming a problem for his colleagues. As per reports, Sunil, whose Rinku Bhabhi and Dr. Mashoor Gulati acts are quite popular on The Kapil Sharma Show, might quit the show.

Has success gone to Kapil's head?

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"We are in an irreversible stage of the climate change damage, which has been caused by the capitalist, destructive, and highly polluting model," the Bolivarian leader stressed. | Read More
The picture of Bebo holding the youngest Nawab in her arms and kissing him lovingly is melting our hearts.

By India Today Web Desk: When you're the son of two of the top actors in this country, all eyes are bound to be on you. Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan's son Taimur is no different. The three-month-old has already made headlines, whether it is about his controversial name or oh-so-adorable pictures. In fact, he was a media favourite even before he was born!

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On Saturday, a candid photo of Kareena and her li'l cutie Taimur surfaced on the internet and went viral. The picture of Bebo holding the youngest Nawab in her arms and kissing him lovingly is melting our hearts.

Baby boy ????? A post shared by Kareena Kapoor Khan (@therealkareenakapoor) on Mar 18, 2017 at 6:15am PDT

This is not the first picture of Taimur that has gone viral. Right after Kareena's delivery, photos of him from the Breach Candy Hospital took the internet by storm. Proud parents Saif and Kareena also waved and smiled for the shutterbugs with their little one, as they brought him home from the hospital. A photo that Saif had used as his WhatsApp display picture had netizens gushing about just how handsome Taimur was. Earlier this week, pictures of him going on his first outing with mom Kareena and aunt Karisma also had people going gaga over the cutiepie.

ALSO READ | Saif Ali Khan on son Taimur: I might change his name, don't want him to get unpopular

ALSO WATCH | Saif-Kareena become proud parents to a baby boy, Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi

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Powerstar Pawan Kalyan's Katamarayudu trailer is breaking the internet for all the right reasons.

By India Today Web Desk: The makers of the upcoming action drama Katamarayudu have finally released the theatrical trailer of the film, which has powerstar Pawan Kalyan in the lead.

A remake of the Tamil blockbuster Veeram, Pawan Kalyan will be seen reprising the role played by Ajith Kumar in Tamil. Going by the trailer, it looks like the makers have tweaked certain elements to work well for the Telugu audience. Apart from Kalyan's electrifying screen presence, the highlight of the film is the action sequence. After the trailer was out, fans have been relentlessly sharing the video on social media. Now, the trailer has clocked more than a million views in less than 24 hours. Interestingly, the teaser of Katamarayudu received terrific response and earned 10 million views so far.

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Katamarayudu also features Shruti Haasan, Siva Balaji, Ajay, Kamal Kamaraju and Chaitanya Krishna in important roles.

Pawan Kalyan and Shruti Haasan are teaming up for the second time after the commercial success of Gabbar Singh.

Directed by Dolly, Katamarayudu is all set for a massive opening on Ugadi.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that brothers Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan are teaming up for a Telugu film, which will be directed by Trivikram Srinivas.

Rumours are also rife that Pawan is likely to remake Ajith's forthcoming release Vivegam.

ALSO READ: Kamal Haasan's elder brother Chandrahasan passes away

ALSO READ: Singer SP Balasubrahmanyam not to sing Ilaiyaraaja's songs after legal notice

ALSO READ: Baahubali 2 trailer: SS Rajamouli's film earns 65 million views, becomes most watched ever

WATCH: Katamarayudu Trailer

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GONZALES  City officials hope to bring a true downtown flavor to Gonzales by creating a mile-long Main Street District along Burnside Avenue, the main street that cuts through the heart of the city.

Letters went out last week to 120 commercial property owners situated on both sides of the avenue, telling them of the city's intent to give the area the new designation of main street zoning, which allows residential and commercial uses at the same site, one of several new zoning designations approved in an ordinance adopted by the city in April.

Property owners along Burnside would be grandfathered in, meaning the new zoning would not affect their commercial retail status or the existing uses of their properties, said City Clerk Clay Stafford.

In fact, Stafford said, the new zoning "would be more liberal for them."

Under the new zoning, shops can be built up to the sidewalk with parking at the back of the buildings. Businesses can be on the ground floor and residential above, similar to Perkins Rowe in Baton Rouge.

"It's an up and coming trend, a move back to people being able to walk to services near where they live," said Frank Cagnolatti, chairman of the Gonzales Planning and Zoning Commission.

"It's a way of making a prettier downtown," Cagnolatti said.

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted in March to move toward a Main Street District after a local doctor requested the new commercial zoning for a two-story building he owns on Burnside.

"The idea is to not do it in a piecemeal fashion," Stafford said of creating the district.

The area the city hopes will become a pedestrian-friendly Main Street District is a block deep on either side of Burnside and is a about a mile long  from Bayou Francois to the south, and to the railroad tracks that run through Gonzales to the north.

"At one time that was the hub of Gonzales," Cagnolatti said.

Burnside, also known as La. 44, is a busy corridor between La. 30, where the Tanger Outlet Center is located, and Airline Highway, and for many years was a two-lane street with parallel parking next to the sidewalks.

When the street was expanded from two-lanes to four-lanes in the 1970s, it lost a lot of its small-town appeal, say local residents. Burnside, though, is still lined by a variety of businesses, most of them locally owned.

A new master plan adopted by Gonzales in the summer of 2015 suggests the city look at the possibility of converting the older section of Burnside Avenue back to two lanes again.

City Engineer Jackie Baumann, who's talked with the state Department of Transportation and Development about a possible transformation of Burnside Avenue downtown, said reducing the number of lanes is not a likelihood "at this time, because of growth" in the parish.

The master plan, developed for Gonzales by the Center for Planning Excellence of Baton Rouge, describes a revitalized main street that would fit in with the nearby site of what city officials hope one day will be a train stop along a commuter rail line between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Proposed new master plan introduced to Gonzales City Council GONZALES  With the formal introduction Monday of a proposed new master plan for Gonzales to

In December, Gonzales was awarded a $50,000 federal grant by the Southern Rail Commission to design a plan for the infrastructure that would be needed for a train stop on North Boullion Avenue, just a couple of blocks east of the old part of Burnside.

+3 Gonzales receives grant for design of what a train depot would require GONZALES - The city of Gonzales will use a new federal grant to come up with a design plan s

A different project to improve the sidewalks and add other features along that section of Burnside Avenue is due to begin later in March.

Baumann said the project will repair the street and sidewalks, as well as add wheelchair-accessible ramps where sidewalks meet cross streets.

New pedestrian crosswalks will also be added across Burnside Avenue at two of its main intersections, New River and Roosevelt streets.

Pedestrian crosswalks will also be added on several side streets where they meet Burnside.

The railroad crossing on Burnside will also be rehabilitated to give it a smoother, less elevated approach, Baumann said.

Eighty percent of the $694,000 project  first sought by the city in 2014 as it looked to develop a new master plan  will be funded by a federal program with the city paying the remainder, she said.

The Gonzales Planning and Zoning Commission plans to hold a public hearing at its meeting April 3 for the city's proposal to create the Main Street District.

Cagnolatti said that if the commission gets largely negative feedback, the proposal would be tabled for another time or dropped.

But, he said, "We're trying to get citizens on board."

The new Main Street zoning would "mainly affect new construction," he said.

Such a district and the train stop the city hopes to get, "would work hand in hand," said Gonzales Mayor Barney Arceneaux.
By Press Trust of India: Hyderabad, Mar 18 (PTI) Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up issue of hate crime incidents against Indians in the USA with the government of that country.

In a letter to Modi, he referred to the recent killings of two Telugu-speaking Indians Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Vamsi Chander Reddy in the US.

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"It has also been noticed that hate crime against Indians has increased. As we all know, the Indian diaspora in the US are contributing immensely to the development of US and India as well. I request you to take up the matter with the US authorities at appropriate level," Rao said in the letter.

On February 22, Indian nationals Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani were shot at a bar in Olathe, Kansas, by a man shouting "get out of my country". Kuchibhotla, 32, later died at a hospital. PTI SJR NRB BAS

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In the month that Flora Guillory has been on Medicaid, she's been to the doctor four times.

Before she qualified for Medicaid, she couldn't imagine having the ability to go to a doctor four times a year, despite suffering from severe health ailments including sarcoidosis of the lungs and lymph nodes, deep vein thrombosis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and hypothyroidism, among others.

"Those are just the major things," she said.

About a month ago, she learned she would qualify for Medicaid since the state expanded the health care program for the poor in July.

A full-time daycare worker, Guillory couldn't afford health insurance on her own.

"The expansion allowed me to get it when I couldn't get it before," she said.

Guillory's husband died in December after about a year-long battle with liver cancer. They had tried to get onto Medicaid when he was alive but couldn't. Instead, Flora decided to forego insurance and they pooled their double-income resources to pay for insurance to cover his cancer treatments.

Shortly after he died, she received notice that he could enroll in Medicaid, she said.

"He did well with his treatments, but the damage was extensive, so it finally took him down," Guillory said.

Louisiana is taking a unique role in the fight over President Donald Trump's efforts to repeal and replace the federal Affordable Care Act, with stories like Guillory's being used as examples of the benefits and downfalls.

Gov. John Bel Edwards' office and Together Baton Rouge, a coalition of religious and community leaders, are collecting stories of how people have benefited from the state's expansion of Medicaid through the ACA.

Edwards, a Democrat, signed an executive order expanding Medicaid through the Obama-backed Affordable Care Act shortly after taking office in January 2016. The expansion took effect July 1. In the months since, enrollment has continued to climb past 408,000, with thousands of patients reportedly seeking care for chronic conditions and severe illnesses.

Louisiana road to Medicaid expansion long, winding but finally here Against all odds, Louisiana has become the 31st state  perhaps more noteworthy, the first s

Under the expansion, which is an opt-in provision for states, adults who make less than 138 percent of federal poverty level  about $33,500 a year for a family of four or $16,200 for a single adult  can qualify for free health care coverage.

The federal government paid 100 percent of the costs for the state's newly-enrolled through the end of 2016, and the state gradually will take on up to 10 percent of the costs by 2020, if the existing law stands. State leaders have said that the infusion of additional federal dollars linked to the Affordable Care Act has saved the state nearly $200 million.

U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, a Jefferson Republican who has emerged as a key ally of President Donald Trump in the health care debate, solicited stories of his own from those who had bad experiences with the health care law.

During a recent highly-publicized hearing on a new health care law backed by the House GOP leadership, Scalise waved a binder full of stories from his Louisiana constituents and read several of their specific accounts.

Richard from Abita Springs, a veteran whose wife's health insurance premiums doubled in the first year of the ACA. Christy from Slidell, who "for the first time in (her) life" doesn't have health insurance because her family of four couldn't keep up with the rising costs. Pamela from Mandeville, who at 57 years old had to get a plan that covers maternity and pediatric care.

Each one, Scalise said, had faced higher costs of health insurance or other negative impacts after the ACA took effect.

"These are real people," he said. "They are fed up with this law."

Scalise is one of the most visible surrogates for the alternative health care proposal, which in its current form would freeze Medicaid expansion enrollment in 2020 and convert the health care program for the poor to a per capita federal funding model.

"Some people have forgotten the reality of what's happened in the last seven years," Scalise said.

Currently, the federal government picks up a share of each state's costs, depending on health and income disparities, no matter how much is spent. Edwards and other proponents of the current Medicaid system say that could lead to states shouldering more of the burden or cutting their rolls.

Louisiana health leaders have made a big push to enroll more people on the expanded Medicaid program since it went into effect. People who were already on some smaller programs that had the same eligibility parameters were automatically shifted to Medicaid, and those who receive food stamps received notices that they may also be eligible for Medicaid under the expansion.

Guillory isn't sure why she received a letter in the mail informing her that she would qualify for Medicaid, but she views it as a godsend.

"I was very surprised when I received the letter in the mail," she said. "All I knew was I was grateful."

She said the ability to see doctors as she needs to has had a dramatic impact on her life, particularly since her husband passed away.

"It's made such a big difference in my quality of life," she said. "I can go and have these things taken care of."

When she heard that changes could be coming to the program, Guillory said she was "heartbroken."

"I felt finally when I'm at a point where I can deal with my health issues and get to a point where I'm more healthy now, this can be taken away, and especially not that I'm by myself ..." she said.

Guillory's daycare job pays enough for the basics  food, her monthly necessities  and her work doesn't provide health care benefits.

"I can only pay for my bills," she said. "I can't afford anything over that. I just don't have the funds available."

"If they do away with it, they are going to have more people suffering, dying because they can't get the health care that would have been available to them," she said. "With my illnesses, I could be one of them."

Margie Vicknair-Pray, of St. Tammany Parish, is in a different position. She has Medicaid but mostly can't use it. She's still a huge advocate of the expansion.

"It really hasn't helped me at all because I haven't been able to use it. If it had been working I would have used it," she said.

Vicknair-Pray, 64, said she has an optional insurance through her part-time job. But she was hopeful that enrolling on Medicaid would provide full coverage. Because Louisiana goes through a managed care system to deliver most of its Medicaid benefits, many patients are left to choose between the companies. Vicknair-Pray says she accidentally picked the wrong one. She can't go to any of her local doctors and would have to wait a year to change providers, but she's in the process of challenging that.

She said she worries for people who, unlike herself, have no other health insurance options.

"Having Medicaid gives a lifeline to help keep people going," Vicknair-Pray said. "I don't think anybody in their right mind can stand there and say that you shouldn't provide Medicaid. It's insanity."
Reducing Louisiana's nation-leading incarceration rate is one of those goals that everybody talks about, but nobody seems to be able to achieve. But with the Legislature poised to tackle a wide-ranging criminal justice package over the next several months, there's actually reason for optimism.

It's not just that Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, who campaigned on the issue in 2015, is planning to throw his weight behind the proposed changes. He's done that before with other campaign promises, things like slightly raising the minimum wage and making it easier for women to pursue wage discrimination complaints, and has been stymied by Republican lawmakers.

It's more that this time, there's a diverse coalition behind the drive  and that it now includes Edwards' vanquished opponent, former Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter.

The idea of Edwards and Vitter wearing the same jersey is a symbolically powerful one, even it's kind of jarring. The two men faced one another in a bitter campaign, and despite his decisive loss, some of Vitter's GOP allies are maneuvering to try to unseat the governor in 2019. And don't forget that Vitter launched one of the election season's ugliest attacks against Edwards over precisely this issue, even though he too was touting some reform-minded proposals in his own literature.

But if there were ever an area where it makes sense for them to come together, it's criminal justice reform. Against all odds and contrary to overall trends nationally and here in Louisiana, Democrats and Republicans are increasingly finding common ground in understanding that tough-on-crime laws have left too many non-violent offenders locked up without hope, destroyed the communities they left behind, and cost the public way too much money.

The proposals, released by a task force last week, aim to shed 13 percent of Louisiana's prison population and save the public $150 million over the next 10 years. The recommendations focus on reducing sentences for non-violent crimes, expanding alternative treatment programs, increasing probation opportunities, and creating more consistency and equity in sentencing.

Conservative groups such as the Louisiana Family Forum, the state's most prominent religious right champion, are involved. So is the Pelican Institute, a libertarian-leaning think tank that has hired Vitter as a consultant.

None of that means Vitter deserves a pass for his behavior during the campaign.

Back when he was trying to discredit his opponent, Vitter ran an incendiary and racially tinged ad claiming that Edwards' proposed policies would unleash a flood of crime.

Voting for Edwards is like voting to make Obama Louisianas next governor, the ads narrator charged in a distorted, alarmist tone. Want proof? Obama dangerously calls for releasing 6,000 criminals from jail. Edwards joined Obama, promising at Southern University hell release 5,500 in Louisiana alone. Fifty-five hundred dangerous thugs, drug dealers, back into our neighborhoods.

The commercial drew widespread condemnation and allegations of race baiting by the local NAACP. And Edwards correctly pointed out that he had proposed no such thing.

Even worse, by attempting to paint Edwards as soft on crime, Vitter only helped stoke the sort of fears that could give reform proponents cold feet. Already, the state's district attorneys are questioning the task force's proposals to allow inmates serving lengthy or life sentences for violent crimes to be eligible for parole.

And face it, legislators aren't going to be thrilled at the prospect that someone might run a Vitter-type ad against them.

Vitter's new assignment bolstering support  and presumably calming fears  among his fellow conservatives suggests he understands that his attack against Edwards is exactly the sort of thing that makes the landscape for reform that much more challenging. Honestly, he's smart enough to have known all along.

Now, he's got a chance to make up for it. And after the way Vitter went after Edwards two years ago, lending his name, expertise and lingering influence with the state's most conservative legislators to the cause is really the least he can do.
By Press Trust of India: Alwar (Raj), Mar 18 (PTI)A person was today mauled to death by a panther near Sariska area in the district of Rajasthan, officials said, adding that the animal was later killed by villagers in retaliation.

"Rampratap Gurjar was killed in the panther attack in Madhavgarh near Sariska. After attacking the man, the panther hid in a cave-like place. The villagers set that place afire, leaving the panther charred," R S Shekhawat, Sariska field director, told PTI.

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He said the body of the man has been handed over to family members, adding that a compensation was also provided to the aggrieved kin.

"An FIR will be lodged against the villagers for killing the animal," Shekhawat said.

It is the seventh death due to panther attacks in Sariska in recent times.

The forest department had launched a massive hunt to nab the panthers involved in the deadly attacks on humans. Though a panther was caught last month, such attacks remain unabated in the area. PTI SDA SRY

--- ENDS ---
"Value-capture", promoted by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as a way of getting the private sector to stump up for government infrastructure has almost never lived up to its promise, a new analysis by the Grattan Institute finds.

Even Australia's most celebrated instance, where landholders north and south of the new Sydney Harbour Bridge were taxed at "a halfpenny in the pound" on the unimproved value of their properties raised nothing like the one-third the cost of the bridge intended.

An artist's impression of the Parramatta light rail project which is part of a value-capture effort to tax nearby development.

During the Depression the levy became politically difficult, and in 1932 it was cut to one third of a penny in the pound and then repealed in 1937. In the end it raised only one-sixth the cost of the bridge and the expense, combined with the onset of the Depression pushed NSW to the verge of bankruptcy.

Melbourne's most famous example, the development of the city rail loop in the 1960s and 1970s, was to have been partly funded by a special levy on properties in the central business district that was to have lasted 53 years. It was scrapped after 32 years to cut costs for businesses and ended up raising 3 per cent of the cost instead of the intended 25 per cent.
David Provan does his full-time job which is based in Sydney from his home in Melbourne.

The company he works for has decided to remove any barriers that prevent its 5800 employees from making their jobs more flexible.

Origin Energy head of health, safety and environment David Provan at home with his wife and three children. Credit:Jesse Marlow

For Mr Provan, the head of health, safety and environment at Origin Energy, that means working from home in Melbourne and flying to the utility company's offices in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide most weeks.

It allows him to take his children to swimming lessons on Friday mornings before contacting his colleagues around the country over the phone and online.
Less pollution, more social connection, increased housing density without sacrificing amenity, extensive public transport  all qualities many of us want in our home town. In recent days we have seen innovative thinking about what a Melbourne of the future could look like, and how to make it happen.

In a study driven by Melbourne University, researchers have modelled what four Australian cities  Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth  could look like if pollution were slashed by 80 per cent. The possible scenarios for a low-carbon future are inspiring and there is much our city planners can learn.

Long vision required. Credit:Paul Rovere

Based on work with 250 experts from industry, not-for-profits and government, the study identified four models for low-carbon cities.

In one model, tighter planning controls and greater government intervention are used to push public investment in renewable energy storage, public production of biofuel, and better public transport. This delivers more compact, interconnected cities.
Now the canonisation of the controversialist cartoonist Bill Leak is more or less complete, with a memorial service in his honour late last week attended by the Prime Minister and other luminaries, it might not be a bad idea to stand back and ask a few simple questions.

Where does this leave the cause of free speech in this country, and what might be done to guard against the misuse, even abuse, of statutes under the Racial Discrimination Act in an environment unfriendly to journalists in any case, grappling with some of the more restrictive defamation laws in Western democracies?

Cartoonist Bill Leak. Credit:Stephen Baccon

And, how do we elevate that debate beyond the tedious culture wars in which the right assails the "progressive left", having weaponised itself with the phrase "political correctness" as a sort of battering ram to "offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate" its opponents?

The latter are the politically charged words that appear in sub-section 1 a) of Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act of 1975  amended in 1995 to bolster the "hate speech" element  and ones now that are subject to endless disputation to no-one's advantage.
The arts community has rejoiced at the Turnbull government's decision to axe a George Brandis initiative for "excellence in the arts" and return the money to the Australia Council.

The Brandis-era outfit, now known as Catalyst and dubbed a "slush fund" by arts observers, allowed the minister and his department to hand-pick projects for government funding.

Lesson learnt: Arts Minister Mitch Fifield has taken the axe to George Brandis' arts funding vehicle Catalyst. Credit:Andrew Meares

Australia Council chief executive Tony Grybowski declared himself "delighted" at the policy reversal, which followed almost two years of pressure from arts groups and high-profile artists.

The decision was a "positive indication of the minister's confidence in the Australia Council and our programs and activities", Mr Grybowski said.
Back to Mr Katter for a moment.

Fellow independent Andrew Wilkie supports him and the pair are confident they have the numbers for the bill to pass (they're assuming government MP George Christensen will vote for it).

The bill provides for an inquiry into the banking sector with all the powers of a royal commission without actually being called a royal commission.

It's not getting the bill introduced that's a problem for the MPs, it's getting it to a vote.
Migrants are being warned that "practices and behaviours that undermine" Australian values and sense of "fair go" have no place in Australia, in a new government multicultural statement to be released today.

Called "Multicultural Australia: United, Strong, Successful" the document notes "justifiable concern" in the Australian community, triggered by "terrorist attacks around the world."

But it says promoting "acceptance and understanding", combined with "strong borders and national security," will help to keep society "safe, cohesive and harmonious".

The document, seen by Fairfax Media, identifies Australia's shared values as respect, equality and freedom, and says learning English "is a critical tool for migrant integration".
SJANA EARP Yogi, digital influencer, 22 1.2 million Instagram followers @sjanaelise The glamorous life of Sjana Earp as seen by her Instagram followers. Credit:Instagram/ Sjanaelise "When I was in year 10, I went through a rough patch with depression and had a few stays in psychiatric wards. I dropped out of school at the end of that year. I did a Certificate III in fitness training and studied photojournalism, but stopped my studies because I started to earn an income through Instagram.

I used Instagram for self-expression and as a creative outlet, then I was asked to photograph an event in Perth. That job led to me being invited to Bali as an influencer for a yoga retreat. If someone sees your content and they like it, they'll invite you somewhere else. It was never my intention to achieve a certain number of followers. I remember reaching 10,000 and I couldn't believe it. I think my following comes down to timing, luck and passion. I can't remember the first time I posted about my mental health issues. I started by saying little bits about how I was having a rough time. Instagram has provided me with an outlet  there's nothing worse than bottling up your emotions  and my followers accepted me being open about my feelings. INSTAGRAM HAS PROVIDED ME WITH AN OUTLET  THERES NOTHING WORSE THAN BOTTLING UP YOUR EMOTIONS. Three years ago I was approached by an agency who wanted to manage me. My reaction was, 'What? Really? I could get paid for doing this?'

I don't do sponsored posts if I don't use the brand or product myself, and I limit myself a lot more than many other influencers because it works better for my personal brand. It's good to come forward and acknowledge when you have been sponsored. I have a contract with yoga wear brand Alo Yoga. I became an ambassador for them because it's my favourite yoga brand anyway. As your following grows, opportunities grow and so does the price tag associated with posts. It's a very spontaneous life. I don't know what's next but I do know how lucky I am to do what I do." I have a contract with yoga wear brand Alo Yoga Credit:Instagram/ Sjanaelise CHLOE MORELLO

Beauty blogger, 26 853,000 Instagram followers @chloemorello Chloe Morello has a huge following on Instagram and Youtube. Credit:Instagram/ Chloemorello "I was only 16 or 17 when I found make-up tutorials on YouTube, but I became obsessed. Mum used to yell at me for using all the dial up [internet]! I learnt so much from social media and YouTube. I was 20 when I decided to do my own online tutorials. My following grew quickly but I didn't plan for it to become my full time job.

I use Instagram to post about makeup, but also my personal life, travel, relationships and fashion. Instagram is great because people can find you easily and it's a way of sharing my knowledge. I've been uploading make-up tutorials for Muslim women for about four years. It started when a Muslim friend asked me to do a tutorial to coincide with Eid al-Fitr [a celebration to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan]. The tutorial had more than double the usual number the comments of other videos I'd done, and all were positive, so I kept it up. I've received thousands and thousands of requests from Muslim women [for] those videos, but last year I got some negative comments. The majority of criticism came from non-Muslim women. When someone enquires about working with me on Instagram, my manager gives me the details and I decide whether I am interested. Usually I am not, because I am very picky. A sponsorship is not worth it if all it does is annoy your followers.

If it's a make-up brand I already use and love, then the decision is super easy. I've worked with brands like Bobbi Brown, Smashbox, Dior, Benefit, Sephora, Givenchy and Coca-Cola. It's surreal because they're brands I have used and loved for years. Often a sponsored opportunity is not booked as a sole Instagram post but as part of a broader campaign, so the fee I am paid includes a YouTube video. YouTube videos pay at least four times more than an Instagram post. Each post is definitely worth the money, but I only do one or two sponsored posts a month. It is not enough to live off, but combined with YouTube I'm making much more money than I ever dreamed of: a strong six-figure income.

It is hard to keep up with posting to Instagram and to create quality pictures. Finding someone to take the photos of me is the hardest thing. I'm engaged but it is a long-distance relationship, so usually all I have is the length of my arm to take pictures. There's only so many selfies I can manage to take." Chloe Morello. Credit:Instagram/Chloemorello LAUREN BATH Travel photographer, 36 461,000 Instagram followers @laurenepbath

Lauren Bath Travel photographer. Credit:Lauren Bath "When I was 26 I came back from my first overseas trip and decided I wanted a new direction in life. I left my partner of 10 years and moved back to my hometown on the Gold Coast. I had been a head chef but I took a casual cheffing job so I had more time to pursue a new hobby, and that hobby became Instagram. I downloaded it purely by chance and had no idea Instagram was about photography. In 2011 I went to Zimbabwe on holiday and started taking snaps, which I uploaded to Instagram. That was during a huge period of growth on Instagram. People were finding me through the Popular Page [now called Explore]. It was purely algorithmic: if you had a high number of likes per minute for 15 to 20 minutes after you posted, then you would go to the Popular Page. My content was different to the pictures that were popular at that time  nail polish, cats and Justin Bieber  and my following grew by about 1000 each day.

There was a time when some Instagrammers didn't want anyone else to do well and reported my pictures to be "inappropriate", which meant my images were automatically taken off the Popular Page. I didn't grow a single follower for at least a month and I got really upset, but I knew it was so ridiculous because it's just an app on my phone. I was crying but at the same time I remember thinking, 'I feel like Instagram is leading somewhere for me.' On New Year's Eve in 2012, I was washing dishes in the restaurant and I thought, 'This isn't what I want out of my life'. So I made a pact to quit my job and see if there was any potential to make money from Instagram. I was not aware of anyone in the world making money from Instagram. But the universe had plans for me: I told my boss I was quitting and two hours later there were three opportunities in my inbox. All were paid and all were photography- and travel-based.
By Press Trust of India: Imphal, Mar 19 (PTI) The five-month-long economic blockade in Manipur was lifted tonight after successful talks among the Centre, the state government and the Naga groups.

The blockade was imposed by the United Naga Council on November 1 to protest against the creation of seven new districts by the erstwhile Okram Ibobi Singh-led Congress government in the state.

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The blockade on two national highways -- NH-2 and NH-37 -- has led to steep rise in prices of essential commodities and severely affected the normal life in the state.

It had become a major issue in the recently held assembly polls in the state.

Appreciating the "first step of the newly formed government" led by the BJP, Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla said the lifting of the blockade "will usher in an era of peace and prosperity" in the northeastern state.

Chief Minster Biren Singh said the lifting of the blockade was "just the beginning" and that his government was trying to fulfil the promises Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made to the people of the state.

"Our effort is to make it (lifting of blockade) successful. It is just the beginning. The word was given by honorable Prime Minister Modiji to the people of Manipur during the election campaign. We are trying to fulfil his words," he told news channel NDTV.

Earlier in the day, a joint statement, issued after the tripartite talks held at the Senapati district headquarters, stated that there would be "unconditional release of the arrested UNC leaders and all cases related to the economic blockade against the Naga tribe leaders and student leaders will be closed".

It had said that the blockade would be lifted from midnight today.

The statement was signed by Joint Secretary Satyendra Garg of the Union Home Ministry, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) J Suresh Babu and Commissioner (Works) Radhakumar Singh of the Manipur government and UNC general secretary S Milan and All Naga Students Association president Seth Shatsang.

The tripartite talks were held first on February 7 in Imphal for ending the blockade, but they had failed to make any headway as the UNC refused to allow the seven new districts to be carved out.

The stakeholders had earlier met in Delhi on February 4 and the Centre had expressed hope that the blockade would end soon.

The joint statement said the next round of tripartite talks would be held within a month at political level. PTI CORR RG MD SMN SMN

--- ENDS ---
A man has had a lucky escape after a gang of would-be intruders fired a shot into a home in Melbourne's south-east.

Casey Crime Investigation Unit detectives are investigating after four unidentified men went to a property on Marklin Street in Cranbourne at about 11.30pm on Saturday night.

The victim was assaulted after he opened the door, before seeing a long-arm firearm being pointed at him.

The Cranbourne man, 38, closed the door and fled to the rear of the house as a shot was fired through the door.

The bullet passed through the lounge-room before striking a wall on the opposite side of the room.
A 72-year-old man, charged following the stabbing of a beloved Catholic priest in front of shocked worshippers in Melbourne's northern suburbs, has been released on bail.

Reverend Tomy Mathew was about to begin the 11am Italian mass at St Matthew's Catholic Church in Fawkner on Sunday when the man allegedly approached with what was believed to be a kitchen knife.

Father Tomy Mathew.

Reverend Mathew had been in the foyer when the man attacked, police said.

On Sunday night the Fawkner man was arrested over the stabbing. He was charged with intentionally and recklessly cause injury on Monday morning.
London: British troops have begun a long-term deployment to Estonia as Germany's intelligence chief warned that Russia has launched a dramatic and potentially threatening military build-up on its western border.

An advanced contingent of 120 British soldiers, from the 5th Battalion The Rifles, landed at the country's Amari airbase late on Friday night.

Eight hundred British troops, with Challenger 2 tanks, AS90 self-propelled guns and Warrior armoured vehicles, will eventually be based in the town of Tapa, 130 kilometres from the Russian border, from next month.

The deployment is part of what NATO is calling an "enhanced forward presence", designed to reassure eastern allies and deter Russia from attempting a repeat of its invasions of Crimea and eastern Ukraine in the Baltic.
German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen (left) visiting German soldiers at Camp Marmal in Mazar-i-Scharif, Afghanistan in December. Credit:AP The style of making one point and swiftly changing direction reminded some foreign policy experts of the way Trump acted on the campaign trail, when his position on certain issues could veer wildly from one day to the next. "Once again, we've seen Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde," said Sylke Tempel, the editor-in-chief of Internationale Politik, published by the German Council on Foreign Relations, remarking on the approach that Trump took during the leaders' joint news conference on Friday. Visitors to the Trump White House will be kept secret. Credit:Bloomberg "He was Mr Jekyll while reading his statement, saying nice things about economic ties, his commitment to Ukraine, common friendship; all the niceties," Tempel said. "Then, in the question-and-answer session, he's his old self: disparaging the media, criticising the British."

Although memories of Merkel's warm relationship with former president Barack Obama remain fresh in the minds of many Germans, it took repeated meetings over several years before the chancellor reached that level with Obama. During a joint news conference in Dresden in June 2009, she displayed stiff body language and a chilly formality, months after she had denied Obama permission to speak in front of the Brandenburg Gate during the 2008 presidential campaign. In 2006, Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, sought to win her over with a playful shoulder rub, a move abruptly rebuffed by the pragmatic chancellor. One year later, however, at the summit meeting of the Group of 8 industrialised nations, she coaxed Bush to voice support for her vision of a global plan to combat climate change. Yet both of Trump's most recent predecessors followed diplomatic conventions and worked within the institutions established after World War II to foster communication and cooperation among nations. Trump's "America First" approach and his disparagement of global trade agreements have caused uncertainty among German politicians and industry leaders. Asked by a German journalist about this approach, the president insisted that while he was not against trade, the United States had been treated unfairly in global trade agreements. "But I am not an isolationist," he said. Less than 24 hours later, however, Trump's government refused to back a pledge to fully oppose trade protectionism at a meeting in Baden-Baden, Germany, of the finance ministers of the Group of 20, which comprises industrial and emerging-market countries as well as the European Union. Participants last year had agreed to resist "all forms" of protectionism.

Germans have been both fascinated and horrified by Trump's willingness to ignore the strictures of diplomacy when dealing with foreign leaders. For example, he has castigated Merkel for allowing refugees to flow into Germany in 2015, and he has called into question post-World War II alliances, including NATO and the European Union. Germans have not been entirely sure what to make of him. "One thing we can depend upon, that we saw yesterday: Donald Trump says what he wants," Nikolaus Blome, deputy editor of Bild, wrote in its online edition. "He has predictable political interests. What he doesn't have is a predictable way to pursue them." German Defence Minister questioning the US president's understanding of NATO finances. Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday called the criticism "inaccurate," without mentioning the president by name. "NATO does not have a debt account," Ms Von der Leyen said in a statement released by her ministry.

In reality, NATO has only a small logistical budget, which relies on funding by all member states. The vast majority of NATO members' total resources are managed domestically. Ms Von der Leyen's response to Mr Trump's tweets  made less than 24 hours after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel  echoed other experts, including former US ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder. "Trump's comments misrepresent the way NATO functions," Mr Daalder told The Washington Post. "The president keeps saying that we need to be paid by the Europeans for the fact that we have troops in Europe or provide defence there, but that's not how it works." Ms Von der Leyen also indirectly criticised Mr Trump's plan to reduce funding for UN peacekeeping missions.

German defence expenditure was not exclusively dedicated to NATO missions, she emphasised, and additional German funding would be used for UN peacekeeping missions. "What we want is a fair burden-sharing, and in order to achieve that we need a modern understanding of security," she said. The rather unusual rebuke of Mr Trump by a German defence minister indicates growing concerns in Berlin over trans-Atlantic relations. Loading Tempel, of the German Council on Foreign Relations, said simply: "If this [meeting] was really about getting a first impression, you got your first impression."
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/03/2017 (2059 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Leaders of two local colleges are thrilled that their respective institutions have been added to a provincial scholarship and bursary program.

This week, the province announced that Providence University College and Steinbach Bible College would be added to its Manitoba Scholarship and Bursary Initiative (MSBI). The program encourages private donations for post-secondary bursaries and scholarships by matching one-third of donations collected.

We were happy to be included, and we appreciate being recognized, said Providence president David Johnson.

JORDAN ROSS | THE CARILLON Steinbach Bible College president Rob Reimer (seated, centre) said he is pleased with the provinces decision to include faith-based colleges in its provincial scholarship and bursary program. Also pictured are (left to right) academic dean Terry Hiebert, students Gillian Plett, Mikayla Goertzen, and Kendall Reimer, director of financial aid Dalen Kroeker, and student Ashley Penner.

Its a big win for our students, said SBC president Rob Reimer.

Johnson said the inclusion of faith-based institutions helps to level the playing field between large, public universities and smaller, private ones. While the former typically see their operating grant increased annually, he explained, Providences stays the same, meaning the institution must sometimes raise tuition to cover increased operating costs.

That always eliminates some students from being able to come, so adding some money to scholarships makes it possible for those students to still come to Providence, said Johnson.

If whats going to keep a student from coming here is $2,000, this will allow us to give that student $2,000 so they can come.

The one-third matching of private donations will come with a cap of $25,000 for both SBC and Providence, Reimer and Johnson confirmed. Reimer said he expects the financial benefits begin in September. In total, SBC provides $150,000 in scholarships and bursaries for its students each year, Reimer said, while Johnson said Providence is on track to reach $500,000 next school year.

Moving forward, Johnson said the initiatives apparent flexibility in how the funds are divided is a plus. In some cases, students who would not have otherwise received a scholarship or bursary may now obtain one, while in other cases, students already qualifying for one may see its dollar value increased. Reimer said the money could, for instance, be split into 25 portions of $1,000, positively affecting nearly one quarter of SBCs student body.

About half of students at both institutions receive a scholarship or bursary annually. SBC has 110 students registered this semester while Providence has a student body of 509.

Johnson hopes the changes will factor in to tough decisions made by potential students as they compare the pros and cons of various post-secondary institutions in Manitoba.

Canadian Mennonite University and Booth University College are also included in the expanded program.

To me it signals that the four faith-based [institutions] add significantly to the contributions of Manitoba, said Reimer, who observed that over 80 percent of SBC graduates to volunteer in their community, thereby benefiting not only the church, but wider society.

Weve been told that they appreciate the contribution that small, private, and faith-based

schools make to the whole post-secondary education system, said Johnson, who said Education Minister Ian Wishart has, in prior discussions, given him the impression the provincial government is looking more favourably on schools like Providence.
One wouldnt mind being Bernard-Henri Levy.

The French cultural milieu still listens to the public intellectualperhaps only for another generation (perhaps less, if Le Pen wins), but at least for now. Through a combination of wit, brilliance, opportunism, and culture, it somehow matters what this philosopher thinks about, say, foreign intervention in Libya, Bosnia, or Darfur.

This has not been without controversy: Levy is generally liberal, but part of a generation of French-Jewish thinkers (Alain Finkielkraut is another) that sometimes resemble American conservatives in their critiques of Islamic fundamentalism. (Levy is also a frequent contributor to this publication.) But love him or loathe him, Levy matters in a way that has not been true of American liberal intellectuals for a generation. He is BHL, celebrity philosopher.

And of course, one wouldnt mind getting away with Levys French prose style; its occasionally indulgent poesy and prosody, rendered even in translation.

Its sentence fragments and short paragraphs.

Its pauses for dramatic effect.

Ill stop gesturing to it now, but I admit: I envy the freedom and the consequence accorded Levy and French intellectuals like him.

That said, The Genius of Judaism, his newest volume, is a curious book. It does not answer the audacious implied question of its titlewhat is the genius of Judaism, anyway?until late in the book, and elliptically at that. (The French title, The Spirit of Judaism, is perhaps more reasonable.) And before it does so, it undermines itself with an inadequate analysis of anti-semitism.

At the risk of exacerbating my Americanness, I will proceed in reverse order, first assessing Levy s depiction of Judaism, and afterward critiquing the first hundred pages of his book.

Much of Levy s assessment of Judaism is poetic, rather than analytical. The Genius of Judaism is a love letter dressed up as an essay. Early on, for example, Levy rhapsodizes over the glory of the Jews, like the light gleaming in lines of rain falling to the ground, like shafts of sun over a misty land, like the trail of sparks left by the masters whose wisdom I was absorbing.

This is emotive writing, not analysis. But there are three elements to this glory that surface throughout the work.

First is the old saw that Jews are the people of the book, committed to intellectual reflection and contributing to their cultural contexts in return. Speaking of French-Jewish philosophers like Emanuel Levinas, Levy writes, they are strong through study and spirit. They are strong through their memory and through their effort to know. Jews are strong when they mine intelligence from its matrix of gangue.

(I looked it up so you dont have to: gangue is the rough rock from which minerals are mined.)

Second is the Jewish ethic, exemplified by Levinass responsibility to the Other, a humanistic rejection of Hegelian dialectic (and its progeny in Marx and Heidegger). As Levy writes, even the Jewish messiah is just an everyman, or a beggar, or you. The messianic moment is not the redemption at the end of history (though, of course, such messianism is found in countless Jewish texts) but rather the moral moment in the midst of the world. Not the revolution, but the ethical act.

Thirdand here Levy is more original than elsewhereis the relationship of Jew to Gentile, i.e., .01 percent of the population to the other 99.99 percent, that is the exact inverse of the usual meaning of the term chosen people. God, writes Levy, did not come solely for the individuals gathered that day at the foot of Mount Sinai ... but for all those who were not there with them that day but are objects of the same redemption.

To be sure, there are sources for this universalist view within Jewish tradition. Levy makes use of the 70 faces of Torah corresponding to the 70 nations of the world and offers an extended reading of the Book of Jonah, the paradigmatic case of the Jew preaching to non-Jews. One could also add others: the non-triumphalist messianic vision of the prophet Micah, for example.

But like most such Jewish theologies, Levys requires a selective reading of tradition, and tends to ignore the voices within it that directly contradict his view. Just this week, for example, yet another ultra-Orthodox rabbi published a book in Israel affirming that Jews have no ethical responsibility to non-Jews. And surely the chosen people concept has engendered precisely the ethnocentrism which Levy here rejects.

Fair enough, I suppose. All contemporary religious thinkers have recourse to a usable pastnot the past as it was, in all its multivocal complexity, but the past as resource for the present. BHL no more or less than anyone else. And if there is a certain grandiosity in aligning his own missions to Libya with Jonah s mission to Nineveh, well, that, too, is what good religion does; it provides paradigms, frames, archetypes, models.

Thus, for Levy, the genius of Judaism is for Jews to be, as the Bible holds, a light onto the nations and a nation of priests. They do this by speaking prophetic, ethical truth to power, by going beyond their own tribe to speak to the rest of the world, inspired by Jewish values and Jewish history. Even the suffering of the Jewish people is part of this mission, as the people on the front line of mobilization [against genocide] have reflected on the plight of the Jews.

To many progressives, all this rings hollow today, because the policies of the State of Israel have so fallen short of this ideal as to undermine the ideal itself. And so we come to the first part of Levys book, which asserts that anti-Zionism is antisemitism. Indeed, says Levy, one can now be anti-Semitic only by being anti-Zionist.

Ugh.

Unlike many apologists for Israel, Levy does at least jump through certain intellectual hoops. First, he defines antisemitism as a kind of primal animus. At bottom, he writes, it is a language of pure rage, of brute violence without logic, which knows that it is never more convincing .... as when it succeeds in dressing up its resentment in legitimate-looking clothes.

This definition erases the historic plurality of anti-Jewish sentiments as so many faces of the same demon spirit. It also flies in the face of the last generation of scholarship on antisemitism, such as Gavin Langmuirs Toward a Historical Definition of Antisemitism. But it does the work for Levy, because now any animus directed against Jews is, by his definition, antisemitism.

That includes anti-Zionism, which, per Levy, posits that the Jewish state is (1) illegitimate, because it was planted where it did not belong, and (2) colonialist, racist, fundamentally criminal and even fascist in its attempts to silence the voices of its opponents.

But wait a minute. What about observing that Israel is currently conducting the worlds largest occupation of another people (6.3 million people, plus 4 million more in refugee camps) while also being the largest-by-far recipient of U.S. foreign aid ($38 billion over the next ten years)? Surely, while some on the far left do make the arguments Levy sets forth, many more make far more reasonable ones, such as the Israeli talk show host Assaf Harel, whose five-minute monologue Wake Up and Smell the Apartheid recently went viral.

Indeed, some Levys defenses of Israelpresented, recall, before his affirmative case for the genius of Judaismsimply backfire. I know a country that has found a solution to the problem of multiethnicity, he proclaims. But then Levy only speaks of the diversity of Jews, omitting anti-Arab housing discrimination, educational discrimination, employment discrimination, infrastructure discrimination, and of course the occupation itself. (Even within Jewish populations, one could ask Mizrachi Jews if Ashkenazi-dominant Israel has really solved the problem of multiethnicity.) The erasure of Israeli Arabs and Palestinians from this narrative of multiethnicity render the narrative almost absurd.

Ultimately, these lapses and lacunae are a result of the personal nature of The Genius of Judaism and, indeed, of Levys Jewishness itself. I remember a country, Levy writes of his first visit to Israel, where everything whispered to my soul in its soft native tongue. And the truth is that, though I was then so tepidly Jewish, there I found the most unexpected of inner homelands, a rock on which I knew immediately that I would lean from that point forward.

I had similar moments myself: in 1992, visiting Israel on my junior year abroad and overwhelmed by an inarticulate sense of belonging, and the next year, when I began the first of my three years living and learning there.

But these are not moments deserving of intellectual priority. They were moments of sentiment, perhaps psychology. They are experienced not just by intellectuals but by teenagers on the Birthright Israel trip. If anything, they should cause one to be more skeptical of Israel and Judaism, not less. Because I am enamored, I am biased; I cannot trust my assessments because they are so thoroughly infused with feeling.

It is believable, authentic, and daring for Levy to disclose the personal reasons for his love of Judaism: the visit to Israel, learning the Talmud from Levinas and from the lesser-known teacher Benny Levy, the disillusionment from secular liberalism, which had failed to deliver on its promises.

Indeed, Levy here is not unlike the American conservative Jewish intellectuals who, as ably chronicled in Daniel Oppenheimers Exit Right, forsook secular liberalism because of their own personal crises and disenchantment from youthful ideals. Levy embraces Judaism not for any principled reason, but because it spoke to his soul. Or, if you prefer to be reductive, to his psychology.

Yet Levy is indeed a public intellectual, and so to discover that sentimental attachment is at the core of his apologia is disappointing. It almost renders the intellectual case redundant. It turns out that emotion is the ore. Philosophy is the gangue.
On March 6, I read that the Supreme Court had remanded the case filed by Gavin Grimmthe 17-year-old transgender student whos fighting to use the same restroom as the other boys at his schoolsending it back to be reconsidered by a lower court. The Trump administration rescinded critical guidance that clarified Title IXs sex discrimination protections applied to transgender individuals. The argument against trans inclusion in Title IX is usually made along biological lines, citing that there are XY males and XX females, and being transgender is not a sex by definition.

Similarly, a few weeks earlier, I came across an article using biological determinism titled You are Born a Girl or a Boy, Period. It caught my eye because I was born neither. People like me have existed since the dawn of humanity, and most of us prefer the label intersex, which encompasses all the variations of sex characteristicsincluding variations in chromosomes or gonads which are invisible to the eye, as well as visible genital variancethat humans can have. This article wasnt about intersex, though, as I had expected.

Rather, it was about trans people and, more specifically, the position statement Gender Ideology Harms Children, which was released this past January by the American College of Pediatricians (ACPEDS). This statement asserts that conditioning children into believing a lifetime of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex is normal and healthful is child abuse. I could go on about the many offensive and unsubstantiated statements I read in the article, but what I found most noteworthy was that it denies the existence of intersex people in order to depict trans people as psychologically disordered. The vice president of ACPEDS, Dr. Quentin Van Meter, was quoted saying, You are either born a girl or boy, period. This transgender concept is simply a social and cultural feeling. He also said in an audio interview that's linked to in the article, We are binary as a human population; we are male or we are female.

I found these statements odd because Dr. Van Meter is a pediatric endocrinologist, and as anyone in his field should know, some people are born intersex. Because we make up 1.7 percent of the population, you could say were as common as redheads, and despite the blonde/brunette hair color binary, no one is denying their existence. So why would this doctor feel the need to deny intersex peoples existence while discussing trans people?

As I later learned from reading the article, the ACPEDS statement says that being trans is a "recognized mental disorder in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association." Ah-ha. It stands to reason the ACPEDS wouldnt want to acknowledge that biological sex is not binary, as this could be seen to support the notion that trans peoples existence is naturala notion that was recently explored in the National Geographic documentary Gender Revolution, which explained what intersex means and then explored how, similarly, there may be a biological component to being trans, caused by factors impacting the brain in utero.

Although Dr. Van Meter did eventually address intersex people in the article, he did so by saying, "The exceedingly rare disorders of sex development (DSDs)  are all medically identifiable deviations from the sexual binary norm, and are rightly recognized as disorders of human design. Apparently, according to the ACPEDS, if youre born other than a girl or a boy, or if your gender identity is uncommon, you have a disorder. I cant help but wonder how they think children benefit from being portrayed this wayin a no-win situation where theyre deemed inferior whether their gender variance is psychological, physical, or both.

Dr. Van Meter also asserted this: Individuals with DSDs do not constitute a third sex. When I read this, I immediately thought that I would love for him to explain to me why, then, I get stopped when I travel because the full-body scanners used by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) dont recognize my body as either male or female. As the TSAs website.

states, When you enter the imaging portal, the TSA officer presses a button designating a gender (male/female) based on how you present yourself. The machine has software that looks at the anatomy of men and women differently. If there is an alarm, TSA officers are trained to clear the alarm...

This process creates problems not just for intersex people with genital variance (or ambiguous genitalia) like me, but also, sometimes, for trans people. If trans people have not had gender conforming surgery, or if they have but are mislabeled by TSA agents as their sex assigned at birth, then their genitals, too, sound an alarm. As Shadi Petosky, a transwoman who sued the TSA, told the New York Times, Im in trouble if they push a button that doesnt fit.

I can empathize because Im in trouble no matter which button agents push because the machines only approve male or female anatomy unlike mine. Additionally, while TSA regulations address transgender people, the word intersex isnt mentioned in them. This results in situations like one I discuss in my memoir Born Both, when a TSA supervisor once rudely told my partner while I was stopped in the security line that when theres an anomaly we must check the threat.

Many, even some intersex people, dislike the concept of a third sex, because to say there are only three sexes is somewhat erroneous given that theres a wide range in what we call biological sex, even among intersex people. Whatever you want to call us, though, were all born something other than the two commonly acknowledged sexes. And if were born with genital variance that wasnt surgically normalized when we were babies or children (a human rights violation which all intersex people advocate against), the TSA registers it and doesnt approve us as males or females.

This is why, just last month, I found myself sitting on an airplane, dazed and on the verge of tears after feeling violated by a TSA agent. The TSA has been stopping me and inspecting my genitals since 2011, when full-body scanners were introduced, and until now I had usually brushed those experiences off. But being the target of discrimination doesnt always get easier.

My mistake this last time, apparently, was saying to the agentwith a friendly smile, mind youthat this always happens to me and I realized she had to pat me down. Instead of defusing the situation, though, my comment seemed to set off a suspicion in her. She proceeded to slowly explain why she had to check me. When I politely mentioned that she didnt need to explain, and to please go right ahead as my flight was boarding soon, she stared at me coldly and called her supervisor over.

Then, with the supervisor watching, she began reiterating why I had to be patted down, running her hands all over my private parts as she was doing so. The fact that she fixed a cruel stare upon me while she did is what made this experience feel, for the first time, violating. It sent me into the disassociated space I was still in an hour later, my heart racing and my body slightly shaking. All because the TSA has yet to acknowledge us.

A few days after my upsetting incident, I found my reality echoed in the words of trans actress Laverne Cox. While appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, she stated, Bathroom bills are not really about bathrooms, theyre about whether trans people have the right to exist in public spaces  I exist. I have a right to exist in public spaces.

I agree. Both trans and intersex people have a right to exist in public spaces, but there is an ongoing effort by medical, government, and other institutions to discourage or limit our ability to do so. I am routinely stopped and made to undergo physical examinations at airports simply because my sex is different than the available categories of male or female. Its made flying an anxiety-provoking drag, to say the least.

What Ive been left wondering is, what is all the fear about? Trans, intersex, and gender non-conforming people are just a variation on a human theme, like people with green eyes or red hair. Ill even add that because, in our case, the theme is gender, we may actually have some valuable insights about gender to share with the rest of the world. No matter what folks think of us, though, we wont stop standing up and speaking out for what we know is rightand we wont hide. In fact, Im getting on another flight later this month. Wish me luck!

Hida Viloria is a writer and intersex activist, chairperson of the Organization Intersex International (OII), and founding director of its American affiliate the Intersex Campaign for Equality, also known as OII-USA. Hida's mission is to obtain equality for intersex and nonbinary people as part of a broader vision for a world that accepts and values difference of every kind.
By Press Trust of India: Imphal, Mar 18 (PTI) Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla has appointed BJP MLA V Hangkhanlian as the Protem Speaker of Manipur Assembly, official sources said today.

V Hangkhanlian would be sworn in as the Protem Speaker by the Governor tomorrow at Raj Bhawan here, the sources said.

The Protem Speaker would then administer the oath to all newly elected MLAs, the sources said.

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Hangkhanlian, was elected from Churachandpur assembly constituency on a BJP ticket. PTI COR RG

--- ENDS ---
Stop calling Judge Neil Gorsuch an originalist. His opinions would make the Founding Fathers turn over in their graves.

The Supreme Court nominees record on cases pitting individual against corporate rights tilts consistently in favor of corporations over many years. And while many conservative originalists dont like to talk about it, the Founders hated corporations and sharply limited their power.

In recent years, the Supreme Court has vastly expanded the notion of corporate personhood. For two centuries, it was understood that while corporations enjoy legal personhood, that personhood is a legal fiction. Corporations are like actual people in some ways, but they dont enjoy every right that an actual human being enjoys. They cant vote, for example.

Lately, however, corporations have been getting more and more of them thanks to the Supreme Court.

Per Citizens United, corporations have the same free speech rights as flesh and blood people, including the right to spend unlimited amounts of money to speak about political affairs. This has led to an astounding transformation of our campaign finance system: one recent study showed that the Courts recent decisions led to more than $3 billion in spending on the 2016 elections, equivalent to 45 percent of the total cost of the elections.

And according to the Hobby Lobby decision, corporations even possess religious liberty rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Just as with private citizens, the government must pass an extremely heavy test before it can abridge the religious liberty of a corporation.

Judge Gorsuchs record strongly suggests that hell continue the Rehnquist and Roberts Courts expansion of corporate power at the expense of individual rights. As an appellate judge, Gorsuch hasnt heard high-profile cases like Citizens United. But he has heard many cases balancing corporate and individual rights. And time and again, faced with close cases, he has sided with businesses over individuals: with insurance companies that sought to deny disability benefits, with employers who wanted to cut pension benefits, and with employers defending against employment discrimination claims.

The most telling of Judge Gorsuchs opinions are his dissents, in which he frequently departed from his mostly conservative Tenth Circuit colleagues to stake out even stronger pro-business positions. A report by the left-leaning People for the American Way catalogued 35 such dissents, including four out of five workers rights cases where the court found for the worker, but Gorsuch dissented to support the company.

Gorsuch voted down a fine against a company that failed to properly train a worker, resulting in the workers electrocution on the job. He ruled against a truck driver who was fired after refusing to wait for more than two hours in a broken down truck in subzero temperatures. He dissented to throw out a sex discrimination case despite considerable evidence in the record. And in another dissent, he accused the National Labor Relations Board of acting out of frustration that it cannot pursue more tantalizing goals like punishing employers for unlawful actions.

Now, judges make close calls all the time, thats their job. And no one is alleging that any of these decisions were improper or compromised. But when a consistent trend emerges over several years, its reasonable to extrapolate that trend into the future. And that trend suggests that Judge Gorsuch will continue the conservative justices radically pro-corporate power approach.

But theres nothing originalist about this. Nowhere in the Constitution will you find the principle that corporations are people. On the contrary, the Founders had profound misgivings about them.

The earliest corporations, inherited from the British, were primarily cities and schools, not for profit enterprises. Economic concerns dont begin to be incorporated until the 1790s, and even then, they were of limited duration and subject to revocable charters issued by legislatures. Corporations as we know them today  let alone gigantic trans-national corporations  simply did not exist at the time of the Founding.

On the contrary, the largest corporation of the time  the British East India Company  was derided as an imperium in imperio, a state within a state, and deliberately not replicated in the new republic. Indeed, the Boston Tea Party was as much a protest against the company as it was against the Crown.

General corporate statutes began to crop up in the 19th century but corporations were still strictly limited as a matter of law. They were temporary, their charters were revocable, they could not hold stock in other corporations (no subsidiaries, no mergers), and owners were personally liable for any criminal acts.

That only changed after the Civil War, when Gilded Age oligarchs began using the Fourteenth Amendment, meant to give rights to former slaves, to give rights to corporations. Suddenly, railroads and massive trusts became recognized as people, and their power expanded dramatically.

The modern regulatory state, which many conservatives regard as a betrayal of American libertarian ideals, was only created in the wake of these changes. The trusts and other mega-corporations that arose in the Gilded Age, not the regulatory state, represent the real departure from the society the Founders envisioned. Regulations were only a correction.

This point is omitted in the elisions of individual and corporate rights that are a hallmark of modern conservatism. The dichotomy between the public sector and the private sector is too simplistic. As the noted liberal theorist Charles Reich has discussed, we should actually understand society as consisting of three parts: the public sector, the individual sector, and the corporate sector. And more often than not, the state steps in to protect one from the other.

For example, Republicans often depict environmental laws as the government regulating the private sectorand criticize them for getting in the way. But this depiction is misleading. Really, the government is regulating the corporate sector to protect the individual sector: preventing pesticide companies from poisoning unsuspecting families, preventing factory farms from polluting drinking water.

In these and thousands of similar examples, its not liberty in general thats being curtailed. Corporate liberty is curtailed so that individual liberty (as in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) can grow.

Corporations are useful legal entities, of course. As legal-fictional people, they enable actual people to pool resources in ways that have transformed our world for the better. They limit liability so that the aggregate, rather than individual owners or officers, is responsible for debts and damages. They are extremely useful tools.

But they are not people. They outlive human beings, growing in power and accumulating capital more than any individual, or any dynasty, could. They can merge with one another, amassing even more power. And they can span the globe, with eyes, ears, and limbs everywhere in the world.

They are also unlike human beings, who can balance their self interest against things like morality, sustainability, and the common good, because corporations, by their charter, must maximize value to shareholders. Even if a mining companys board of directors knows that shaving off that mountaintop is bad for the long-term future of everyone, they are duty-bound to do it if maximizes profits. If corporations really were people, theyd be the biggest, most selfish, most obstinate jerks you ever met.

Which brings us back to Judge Gorsuch.

For too long, progressives have given conservatives a pass on the concept of originalism. It was never the Founders original intent to allow corporations to become as powerful as they are today. Quite the contrary; their original intentions were to limit them or even ban them entirely. It is absurd to suggest that Gorsuchs pro-corporate rulings, or the Supreme Courts decisions in Citizens United and Hobby Lobby, in any way reflect the original intentions of the founders.

With Gorsuchs confirmation hearings fast approaching, well hear a lot of talk about whether the Constitution is to be interpreted as a living document (as progressives usually say) or according to original intent. Whatever we may make of that debate, expanding corporate power is not originalism. Lets stop pretending that it is.
It could be argued that the best thing ever to happen to Volkswagen was being whacked by U.S. prosecutors.

That might seem odd, given that as of now the company has agreed to pay $2.8 billion in criminal penalties, $1.5 billion in civil fines, another $2.9 billion in environmental remediation costs and $2 billion to promote zero-emission vehicles. Altogether the cost of the greatest scandal in auto company history, deliberate cheating on the emissions tests of diesel-powered models, will be more than $20 billion in the U.S. alone.

America has turned out to be the worlds best cop when it comes to bringing this global corporate monster into line. The exposure of the scandal and the rigorous pursuit of VW executives has shaken a culture that was arrogant and behaved as though it was above the law. That ought to be a teachable moment, good for the companys future and good for VW customers who bought unknowingly a product being sold on the basis of a lie, the clean diesel.

This may, however, be too optimistic.

There is something ineluctably Teutonic about VW  the bad part of Teutonic, a resolutely blinkered belief in its own superiority and an inability to admit any failures.

The attitude begins at the top. VW is run by a supervisory board of 20 that is a combination of family fiefdom and workers council. These two groups might appear to have little in common. In fact they are incestuously bound together in an arrangement that has been described by one German industrialist as an unholy alliance of losers.

By far the most powerful influence on the board is dynastic. It flows through one of the three largest shareholders, a holding company, Porsche SE. This is in the hands of descendants of Ferdinand Porsche, who created for Adolf Hitler the eponymous peoples (volks) wagon, the first Beetle.

Several generations of cousins are involved, split between the Porsche and Piech families. The diesel scandal has now brought into public view an ugly feud between Wolfgang Porsche, grandson of the founder of VW and chairman of the holding company, and another grandson, the Austrian-born Ferdinand Piech, acknowledged as a brilliant engineer, who ran VW until 2015 when he was forced to step down in a power struggle.

The board has proved itself to be resistant to any serious overhaul of the company culture. Early in 2016, under pressure to let in more daylight, they appointed the first woman board member, Christine Hohmann-Dennhart, a former high court judge, to handle integrity and legal affairs. This January, after barely a year in the job, Ms Hohmann-Dennhart quit, due she said to differences in their understanding of responsibilities and future operating structures.

Last month Piech angered the board by saying that Wolfgang Porsche had known about the scandal a lot earlier than he had been claiming  a charge refuted by the company. Piechs allegation also included the man who was VW chief executive when the scandal was planned and executed, Martin Winterkorn.

The threat to VW now is that the damage of the scandal to the companys reputation will be exacerbated by the disclosure of an equally nefarious cover-up going right to the top.

And Winterkorn is in the cross hairs of that investigation.

The net began to close on him in October. A senior VW engineer, James Liang of Newbury Park, California, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government and agreed to cooperate with investigators in the U.S. and Germany.

Last summer Liangs importance to the case was revealed in an indictment against VW brought by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Liang had been directly involved in the fraud from the beginning, when the computer code controlling emissions had been written to detect when a car was stationary for an emissions test, the so-called defeat device.

For the duration of the test the toxic emissions fell to a level that met regulations. At all other times the emissions of highly toxic nitrogen oxide exceeded the permitted limit by as much as 35 times.

Liang had worked on the first defeat device in 2006 and on five later generations. In 2014 he was sent to California to devise tests that would persuade regulators that the emissions problem could be solved by a recall to update the software.

The October grand jury indictment against Liang placed him at the center of a 10 year conspiracy and described emails between Liang and other VW engineers in which they remained confident until mid 2015 that the defeat device would not be discovered. Liang was the first VW executive to enter a plea and it was obvious that he would be able to finger others.

In January another engineer, Oliver Schmidt, who had been head of VWs regulation compliance team in the U.S., was arrested by federal authorities while on holiday in South Florida. The indictment against Schmidt (who will stand trial in April) sheds new light on the timeline that prosecutors have been constructing in order to answer the basic question, who knew what and when did they know it?

The indictment alleges that Schmidt and others briefed top VW management at the corporate headquarters in Wolfsburg in July, 2015, assuring them that the U.S. regulators had not detected the fraud.

But confidence in that belief did not last long. The New York State indictment revealed that a few weeks later a senior VW attorney in Wolfsburg advised multiple employees that a litigation hold was about to be issued prohibiting the destruction or deletion of documents from their computers. A team of at least 40 employees then deleted or removed critical data from the company records, according to the attorney generals complaint.

Winterkorn resigned on September 23, 2015, as the scandal first became public. (The day before he resigned Winterkorn had a call from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Merkel told German lawmakers that this call followed her learning about the scandal from American media.)

Two months ago Winterkorn appeared in public for the first time since his resignation, to answer questions from a committee of German lawmakers in Berlin. He astonished them by claiming that he had never heard the term defeat device before the scandal was revealed. He was mystified, he claimed, how striving for perfection could end this way. The unthinkable has happened and we must all deal with it.

At best, this appeared disingenuous. As chief executive, Winterkorn was known in the industry as an obsessive details man, frequently seen at auto shows peering under the hoods of cars being introduced by rivals to see whether their engineers were smarter than his, and he rarely conceded that they were - or could ever be.

Winterkorn took over as chief executive in 2006, installed after a management purge by his mentor, the then chairman, Ferdinand Piech. Immediately Winterkorn discovered that VW had a huge problem in the U.S. Their existing range of diesel sedans no longer met U.S. emissions standards and had to be dropped. They had to do something no engineer in any other company had achieved: produce a diesel that did meet the rigorous new standards.

When it was revealed that VW had solved this problem by cheating, the company tried to maintain that this had been done by a small group of rogue employees who had in some miraculous way kept their handiwork secret from top managers. That fiction has collapsed as a result of the multiple indictments by U.S. prosecutors and the work of German investigators  there are now at least 37 VW managers under investigation, and prosecutors believe the final total could be in the hundreds.

Moreover, it is clear that both Liang and Schmidt briefed top executives in Wolfsburg well before the scandal became public, according to court documents. Prosecutors in Braunschweig, the authority that includes Wolfsburg, are inching closer to Winterkorn and have publicly gone as far as saying that he could have known of the manipulated software and its effects sooner than he has maintained.

The indictment against Schmidt alleges that when he discovered in April, 2014, that tests carried out on VW sedans at West Virginia University since 2013 on behalf of a non-profit named The International Council on Clean Transportation had probably detected the defeat device, he wrote to a colleague, It should first be decided if we are honest. If we are not honest everything stays as it is.

So far no record has emerged of any communication between Schmidt and Winterkorn specifically about defeat devices. After 90 minutes of questioning Winterkorn, the German lawmakers were frustrated by his evasions, frequently resorting to I am not aware or I dont know and declaring never did I have the impression that anyone was afraid to speak to me.

He missed a really good chance to shed more light, one of the lawmakers said.

The scale of the conspiracy as now revealed makes it virtually impossible to believe that it could have been initiated and sustained for a decade without the consent of managers at the very highest level. This is an indictment not just of people but of the culture, and the failure of that culture to be accountable. And a significant part of this failure is that the VW board just doesnt get its American problem.

On the face of it, the unholy alliance of losers doesnt seem to be losing. Last year VW overtook Toyota as the worlds number one automaker, selling 10.31 million vehicles (up 3.8 percent over 2015) against Toyotas 10.18 million. But there was a problem hidden in those numbers: sales in the U.S. were down by 2.6 percent, totaling 591,100 vehicles. Compare that to Toyota, who sold just short of 2.5 million vehicles in the U.S.

America is the most competitive auto market in the world but in more than 50 years of trying VW has never managed to become a mass market brand in the way that Toyota and Honda learned to do. They never adapted to American tastes to produce an equivalent of the Camry or Acclaim. They persisted in believing that they could exploit the aura of German engineering and sell models that were basically unchanged from those that were hits in Europe.

The lie of the clean diesel was a last resort. Neither their American or Japanese competitors could figure out how to house-train a diesel and they wondered what magical part of German engineering had pulled off that trick. It wasnt magical engineering, it was malignant engineering.

The other part of VWs American problem was not believing that they would be caught, and then finding out how costly the consequences of being caught would be. Indeed, the contrast between VWs readiness to fork out billions in settlements in the U.S. and its attitude in Europe is striking.

For decades the production of diesel cars was encouraged in Europe with tax relief because shifting from gasoline to diesel was thought to be the easiest way to cut carbon emissions, and because diesels delivered far higher mileage. As a result of lobbying by the auto makers, European regulators were slow to incorporate nitrogen oxide testing into their environmental standards. Consequently, VW has resisted compensating European owners of their diesels on the grounds that when the cars were sold they met the legal limits.

In the U.S. VW has agreed to pay the owners of nearly half a million diesel VW and Audi vehicles between $5,100 and $10,000 each to either buy back the cars or fix them. And Europeans can only boggle at the uncharacteristic largesse of the $2.9 billion that VW has allocated for environmental mitigation.

This fund is nearly five times larger than the federal government has provided to the states over the past nine years under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act. Among other things the money will go to upgrading the diesel engines in school buses and heavy-duty public vehicles like garbage trucks. It will also be used for extending the infrastructure needed to build fleets of electric vehicles.

Beware Germans bearing gifts? Not really. But VW is being held to account in the U.S. to a degree it has never experienced in its homeland. Whether or not they are ready to take the punishment required of a criminal enterprise remains to be seen.
ROMESometimes its hard to know just where the Catholic Church stands when it comes to the devil. Obviously the Church is against evil and sin, but it has been decades since a pope has been as candid about Satan himself as Pope Francis is.

Rather than referring to the actual devil, Pope Benedict XVI often used theology in his teachings on evil. Before that, John Paul II even sidelined the Vaticans official office of the Devils Advocate, which was tasked with digging up dirt on would-be saints headed for canonization.

Not so with Pope Francis, who seems to be giving the devil his due.

On Friday, in an address to a group of priests at a Vatican workshop meant to bolster the skillset of a good confessor, Francis told them they should not hesitate to call on a Vatican-trained exorcist should they need one.

Cautioning on the common confusion between mental illness and true demon possession, he said priests should first consult psychiatric specialists, but not to rule out exorcism as a form of treatment.

Speaking from notes published on the Vatican website, Francis cautioned that discernment is key to understanding whether the person on the other side of the confessional wall is possessed or psychotic.

They could also have spiritual disturbances, whose nature should be submitted to careful discernment, taking into account all the existential, ecclesial, natural and supernatural circumstances, Francis said. When the confessor becomes aware of the presence of genuine spiritual disturbances  that may be in large part psychic, and therefore must be confirmed by means of healthy collaboration with the human sciences  he must not hesitate to refer the issue to those who, in the diocese, are charged with this delicate and necessary ministry, namely, exorcists.

The use of exorcism in what is perceived as demon possession has long been criticized by the mental health community, which cautions that ignoring mental illness can be detrimental to the patient. The Vatican upgraded its rules on exorcism in 1999, making it mandatory to consult mental health care experts when dealing with a person exhibiting signs of what had been traditionally assumed to be devil possession.

Vatican exorcist Father Cipriano de Meo argues that it is fairly easy for a seasoned exorcist to spot the difference. He says that a skilled exorcist will notice that during a prayer session with the potentially possessed, the adversary or devil that is present will let the exorcist know hes there.

A possessed person has various general attitudes towards an exorcist, who is seen by the Adversary as an enemy ready to fight him, he told Catholic news service ACI. There's no lack of frightening facial expressions, threatening words or gestures and other things, but especially blasphemies against God and Our Lady.

The Catholic Church teaching makes the distinction. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church, according to the Catholic Catechism teaching on the topic. Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.

Still, the exorcism rite is hardly like it is depicted in pop culture. The Catholic Church Book of Rites says that the exorcist must first go to confession to clear his own soul, thereby not offering any competition in the way of an unclean soul for the devil during the ritual. Then, wearing a purple stole over a simple tunic, he sprinkles himself and the possessed person with holy water and recites a list of prayers including the Litany of the Saints and others before reciting the final devil-be-gone prayer that starts with, I cast you out, unclean spirit, along with every Satanic power of the enemy, every specter from hell, and all your fell companions

The rite can be repeated as often as is necessary and the Church advises supplemental prayer to keep the devil away for good.
A month before president-elect Donald Trump pursed his lips, pointed at CNNs Jim Acosta, and barked, You are fake news! one of the most hotly anticipated movies of the year became embroiled in a fake news controversy of its own.

Back in November, days after Trumps shock election victory, Chris Weitz, one of the screenwriters of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, tweeted: Please note that the Empire is a white supremacist (human organization). His co-writer, Gary Whitta, then replied, Opposed by a multi-cultural group led by brave women. After being relentlessly trolled by alt-right Trump stans, Weitz fired off a photo of a Rebel insignia with a safety pin through it, accompanied by the message: Star Wars against hate. Spread it. The message was retweeted by the inimitable Mark Hamill, aka Luke Skywalker, who has made it quite clear that he is no fan of the Trump administration.

White supremacists dug up the tweets a month later and posted them to the Reddit board r/altright. They eventually fell into the Twitter fingers of the alt-right Pizzagate crowd, including Jack Posobiec, who shared a fake news chyron falsely alleging that the Rogue One writers not only called Trump a Nazi, changed the ending of the upcoming film to bash Trump.

That bogus chyrons message was spread by the rest of the silly alt-right conspiracy theorist crowd, e.g. Mike Cernovich and Tim Treadstone, with the latter tweeting, Stop using your multiculturalism anti-American agenda in a science fiction Disney movie. We just want to enjoy a fun movie, followed by the hashtag #DumpStarWars. The hashtag rose to become Twitters top trending topic, and the aggrieved racist nerd army found itself mocked by The Late Shows Stephen Colbert, who joked, How do you fit anti-Trump scenes into a movie that takes place in another galaxy? Did one of the stormtroopers try to grab someone by the wookie?

Of course, like the far-right hashtivism campaigns against Starbucks and Broadways Hamilton before it, #DumpStarWars was a big ol dud. Rogue One rave reviews en route to a $530 million domestic takemaking it the highest-grossing film of the year.

When I mention the nontroversy to Gareth Edwards (Godzilla), the talented director of Rogue One, he grins and shakes his head in embarrassment.

Theres loads of fake news, he says. Thats the thing: no offense to anyone, but I just dont believe anything I read on the internet. Having been under the magnifying glass a bit when it comes to Star Wars, you see stories written and think, Where did that come from? and it makes you more cautious when you read other articles about other things. I mean, that was blatantly fake. I dont know where that came from. He laughs: I forgot what the number is, but I think when its been copied-and-pasted twenty times, it becomes the truth... Or maybe its twenty-five times.

Edwardss film is now, of course, a resounding success. But it didnt always look like it would be. Last summer, Rogue One was plagued by story after story about its reshoots, with The Hollywood Reporter maintaining that Disney executives felt its initial cut was tonally off with the rest of the Star Wars universe. The cumulative effect was that the film was in troublea narrative that Edwards asserts was always false.

Imagine being a composer and you sit down in front of your piano or guitar, and you strum or start to play, but then you get something wrong and you want to go backbut you cant. Thats what filmmaking is, he tells me. And now with digital technology, and with the high resources provided to you by the studio, you can be more flexible and fluid and change things. I feel like films are like children: you want your child to be a lawyer or doctor, but then the child comes into the world and starts to tell you what it wants to be, and you should try and listen. So you should listen to the film, try and steer it, and if you have the opportunity to fiddle around and tweak stuff, you should try to do it.

Im sitting across from Edwards at a hotel in downtown Austin, Texas, during SXSW to chat about his journey to Star Wars ahead of the films April 4 DVD and Blu-ray release. Hes squeezing in a bit of press while hes in town to deliver a keynote speech during the popular film, music, and tech conferencea full-circle moment for the Brit, given that exactly seven years ago, the fest premiered his directorial debut, Monsters.

They accepted my first movie, Monsters, when no one else would, so I feel really indebted to them, he says. When I did Monsters, it was a proper South by Southwest experience: we went out, partied, got drunk, saw some bands, saw other films. Its seven years to the day. Yesterday, I met up with Scoot [McNairy] and Whitney [Able], who are the actors in Monsters and live in Austin. It was surreal to be here with them on the anniversary and realize that seven years had gone by. Its crazy.

Monsters, a sci-fi film about a photojournalist chaperoning his bosss daughter through a post-apocalyptic, monster-infested wasteland, was shot for just $250,000 (with another quarter million for post-production), and had Edwards wearing many hats, serving as writer, director, cinematographer, production designer, and visual effects artist. He jokes, I think it had the budget of one days catering on Star Wars! which came with an overall price tag of $200 million.

When he was first throwing around ideas for Rogue One, Edwards says that the film was decidedly smaller in scope and budget than the end product.

The film started off a lot smaller than it was, he shares. Things that were banded about were references to District 9a lower-budget, more experimental-type film. Then, as Episode VII started to come out and was clearly going to be this massive hit, it gave us a lot more resources and allowed us to grow. To be honest, its very hard to do a version of Star Wars that isnt epic; to me, thats kind of what Star Wars is. I dont know how youd make a small version of Star Wars, as it seems like an oxymoron.

And, while Edwards always knew that his film would feature a female heroine in the form of Jyn Erso, eventually brought to thrilling life by the Oscar-nominated actress Felicity Jones, he says that he followed the Alien/Ripley blueprint of writing Jyn as a man in order to avoid cliches.

Alien is the benchmark. You watch Alien and theres no part of me who thinks of Ripley as this womanshes just Ripley. We were very keen to not view this character as a woman, and have her do things because shes a woman, and just view her as a really cool character that we like and we just happened to cast a female, says Edwards. We tried to do the trick they did on Alien where Ripley was written as a mans role and at the last minute they cast a female. So at the start we tried to write Jyn as a guy, just to get it off the group, and then tried not to do anything to pander to the fact that shes a female.

Around the time the films far-right backlash reached its boiling point, Disney CEO Bob Iger, a prominent member of Trumps presidential transition team, declared that Rogue One was not a political movie. But, given how candidate Trump rode a wave of xenophobia into the White House, the notion of a multicultural coalitionled by a woman and a Hispanic mantaking down the Empire seemed pretty darn political to viewers with any grasp of subtext.

Im happy for everyone to take whatever they want from the film, but I cant claim that we sat down two years ago and somehow knew the landscape of politics and how things would turn out. What we were trying to do is we were trying to tell as timeless a story as possiblebecause thats what George [Lucas] always did, offers Edwards.

Youre not giving yourself nearly enough credit, I tell him, poking fun at his diplomatic response.

We wanted it to feel diverse, and we wanted everyone to be represented in some way, he concedes. I grew up in the UK and what I find really weird is, when we used to play Star Wars in the playground, I never, ever wanted to be Han Solo because I had fair hair. I wanted to be Luke Skywalker because I was looking for someone on the screen who looked more like me, and Luke looked more like me. I think its about time where you can look on the screen and see more of the world. We were in a privileged position to do that, and I think it will be more and more common. Eventually well look back on these sort of questions and think, God, what kind of era was that when this was even a thing?

Eventually our chat turns to the evil Empire, which Star Wars creator George Lucas originally modeled after the Nazisfrom his stormtroopers named after the Nazi stormtroopers (or Sturmabteilung) and the Imperial officers SS-like coats and insignias to the Great Jedi Purge, a genocide inspired by the Holocaust.

Filmmaker J.J. Abrams doubled down on the parallels when, describing his seventh installment Force Awakens, he shared that Supreme Leader Snoke and Sith lord Kylo Ren came out of conversations about what would have happened if the Nazis all went to Argentina but then started working together again. Edwards, on the other hand, sees the Empire as a stand-in for more than just the Nazis. The Death Star, after all, bears some similarities to the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki committed by America during World War II.

The Death Star represents a superweapon and they use the superweapon as a warning shot, which is kind of what America did in World War II with the nuclear bomb. Its a mistake to always think that everyone else is the bad guy because then you dont realize that you can become like that. Its realizing that anybody can become the Empire, he says.

If theyre just the Nazis, thats an injustice to what they represent because the Empire is anyone in power whos abusing their position, Edwards continues. Its something thats gone on throughout all of time. Its that cycle of: theres a revolution, people become empowered, and then people become corrupt and theres time for another revolution. Its this cycle of life that goes on and on, and Star Wars is the story of one of those cycles. So I think the Empire represents anybody whos in power as a warning of: Dont let it go to your head.
When news broke earlier this week that production had commenced on Terry Gilliams The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, it was difficult not to take the announcement with grains upon grains of salt. Thats not because of the material itself: a modernized reimagining of Miguel de Cervantes 1605 fable about foolish old Don Quixote, who believes himself a knight and goes off in search of adventure with his portly companion Sancho Panza by his side. Nor was it because of its pedigree, with Gilliam at the helm and Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce leading the cast, it has credibility to spare. Rather, its because Gilliam, and cinephiles, have been down this path numerous times before.

And, so far, its only led to heartbreaking disaster.

The odyssey of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is one of an artist mirroring his art, of cinematic devotion in the face of unrelenting opposition and misfortune, and of a jinxed project that its obsessive maker simply wont abandon. It begins as far back as the early 90s, when Gilliamthe former Monty Python member who moved on to direct surreal, idiosyncratic works like Brazil, Time Bandits, Twelve Monkeys and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegasfirst got the idea to turn Cervantes Don Quixote into a feature. The twist, however, was that his story, dubbed The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, would concern a modern-day advertising executive named Toby Grisoni who finds himself magically transported back to 17th century Spain, where he soon finds himself tilting at windmills beside Quixote.

In 2000, Gilliams film was on its way, albeit with only foreign fundingand with a $32.1 budget, it was one of the most expensive European-financed productions ever mounted. As a director whose fanciful ambitions often exceeded his budgetary grasp (a situation that previously led to disaster on 1988s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen), Gilliam was again embarking on an endeavor that, from the outset, was poised precariously between triumph and failure. What followed has since become the stuff of cine-legend, thanks to the fact that Gilliam had filmmakers Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe documenting the making of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote in Madrid. When the film fell apart, it did so in front of their cameras.

The result was Lost in La Mancha, a behind-the-scenes documentary about the movies ultimate collapse. Courtesy of a margin-less schedule and numerous, ruinous acts of God including location-destroying flash floods, roaring F16 fighter jets that made dialogue recording impossible, and the poor health of French star Jean Rochefortwho, after spending seven months learning English to play Quixote, became so crippled by double herniated discs that he had to abandon the roleFulton and Pepes non-fiction film is like watching an inevitable train wreck in slow motion. Even though Gilliam was determined to press forward with filming, and had footage in the can of both Rochefort on horseback (if just barely) and co-star Johnny Depp in shackles (and tussling with a fish), The Man Who Killed Don Quixote died unceremoniously in the Spanish plains.

Without a battle, maybe I dont know exactly how to approach it, says Gilliam in Lost in La Mancha, and though its clear that his Quixotes failure was largely due to forces out of his control, theres a sense throughout that documentaryand any overview of his careerthat the director thrives off disarray (no wonder his first assistant director dubbed him Captain Chaos). The projects collapse was traumatic for Gilliam, but he soldiered on, only to find that there were more headaches ahead, be it clashes with Miramaxs Harvey Weinstein over 2005s The Brothers Grimm (with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger), or the untimely death of Ledger during filming of 2009s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which (in an interview with IFC at the time) had Gilliam thinking that it was Quixote all over again: That was the first clear thought: its over!

Nonetheless, it soon became clear that nothing would kill Gilliams desire to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. While he made some public intimations as early as 2005 that he was thinking of restarting the movie with Gerard Depardieu as his new Quixote, it wasnt until 2008 that things truly began to sound promising, this time with Gilliams fellow Pythonite Michael Palin (coaxed out of retirement) as Quixote, and Depp remaining as Grisoni. That also wasnt to be, however, and in a 2009 interview with Collider, Robert Duvall revealed that he was now in talks to play Quixote, opposite Ewan McGregor as Grisoni. By 2010, financing on that iteration had collapsed, with Gilliam telling Variety, Don Quixote gives me something to look forward to, always. Maybe the most frightening thing is to actually make the film.

Determined, like Quixote, to make his dream a reality at any cost, Gilliam pressed onward. In 2014, he told Maxim, I think its just simple pigheadedness, because its so stupid to do what Im doing; so romantic, and not at all pragmatic. Recently, Ive decided to call it a tumor thats growing inside me. Until I excise the tumor, I wont ever be able to live my life properly again. At the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, the director struck a distribution deal with Amazon to, among other things, produce and distribute Quixote, this time with John Hurt as Quixote and Jack OConnell as Grisoni. With Amazons money behind it, the film actually sounded like it might make it to the finish linebut Hurts pancreatic-cancer diagnosis shortly thereafter (which later claimed his life) again brought things to a halt.

Still, by mid-2016, the movie was back on track, with Palin recommitting to the role of Quixote and Adam Driver as Grisoninow reconceived as an advertising director. At Cannes that year, Gilliam sounded optimistic, claiming that Driver was, the guy Ive been looking for all these years, and stating that, We should be here in Cannes next year with the finished film, and then you can ask me why I made such a mess of it or why I made such a wonderful film. That projection, unsurprisingly, soon came to seem premature, as funding issuesreportedly due to producer Paulo Branco not delivering the money hed promisedhalted production days before the cameras were to roll last September.

Now, however, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is apparently shooting, with Palin out and Pryce in as Quixotemeaning Gilliams decades-long Sisyphean mission may finally be nearing completion. We are still marching forward. It is not dead. I will be dead before the film is, the director told BBC Radio 2s Jonathan Ross last September. And while one hopes that isnt the case, its a sentiment that perfectly sums up a filmmaker who, like Quixote, cant stand the thought of living in a world that doesnt have room for his outsized imagination.

If Quixote makes it to the screen, itll be not only an against-all-odds miracle, but also a testament to its makers indefatigable belief in, and need for, cinematic magic. The windmill-tilting, apparently, never ends.
The Republicans in Congress now debating the fate of the 2010 Affordable Care think that just about everything is wrong with it.

However a major revelation to me as I watch the GOP tussle with repeal-and-replace is that the authors of the 2010 ACA and the decisions by the Obama Administration these last seven years have constructed a system that deliberately slights the least among us in favor of the able-bodied.

Medicaid serves those at or near the poverty line who are generally single mothers, children under six years old, children from six to 18 in needy familes, the disabled, or the elderly poor.

The 2010 ACA offered a Medicaid expansion population that described adults who are not disabled, not elderly, not parents, and who are 100-138% of the poverty line.

The astonishing inequity in the ACA is that it compensates the states for the Medicaid expansion population at 100%, while compensating the states for the historical Medicaid population at only 57%.

Basically we have a bizarre situation, Charles Blahous of the Mercatus Center and Hoover Institution told me recently, where, if you are a childless woman above poverty, you are getting 100% support basically from the Federal government. But your pregnant sister is only going to get 57% (of the funds reimbursed to your state from the Federal government). Or an able-bodied adult above poverty is getting 100% -- but the disabled adult in poverty is only getting 57% (of the funds reimbursed to his or her state from the Federal government),

How did this amazing upside-down situation come about?

I think there is a general perception, Blahous answered, because Medicaid is a program for poor, vulnerable people, there tends to be an equation between expanding Medicaid and doing more for people in need. But instead whats happening is that we are doing much more, or at least the government is, for people who are less in need, and doing much less for people who are more in need.

I learned that lawmakers and the Obama Administration created this formula  what is called an inflated match rate  in order to encourage more states to expand their Medicaid populations regardless of the illogic.

This inflated match rate has induced states to make far different decisions about who should be covered, Blahous observed, and where the resources should be prioritized, than they would otherwise be making.

One consequences of this construction is that, while Medicaid enrollment has increased 20% in the years 2013-2016, there is no data to show a comparable increase in medical facilities or practices that welcome Medicaid patients. Blahous commented ruefully, Certainly you would expect there to be a problem in access given this surge.

Even more confounding is that the expanded Medicaid population has proved more and more expensive over the years.

Blahous described the original thinking of the actuaries who analyzed the ACAs Medicaid expansion: We think it will cost less per person to cover these folks then the people who are on the rolls already. These arent people who are pregnant. They are people with somewhat higher income. They are able-bodied

Instead, Blahous explained, But because of the warped incentives of the Affordable Care Act, they have wound up costing a lot more.

In 2013, the estimate was that by 2015 it would cost less than $4000 annually per person to cover the expanded population.

By last years report, Blahous reported, the look back at 2015 had them spending over $6350 per person. So it was an increase of about 60% over what they originally projected.

There was a much starker discovery. Blahous observed, More money is being spent on the expansion population than on the historically eligible population. Which just simply does not make sense for the relative health needs of the different populations.

I asked for an explanation of how it is possible for the ACA to spend more on a young worker who earns some money than a single mother or a disabled person who earns none?

Their original explanation Blahous replied, speaking of the ACA experts, was that this was pent-up demand. The expansion population  the sickest people went on the rolls first. And then, later on, they would be followed by a healthier population. And the cost would come down.

But then the next year happened, and the costs didnt come down, and they continued to go up, Blahous added, and so it becomes apparent that what happens with the inflated match rate is that it induces states to set payment categories and capitation rates that are much higher than they ever would be.

Searching for logic in the face of such numbers, I asked if the states were providing additional services for the able-bodied young?

Blahous closed with the limits of understanding of what the 2010 ACA has created, They are categorizing these people as having  the phrase is higher acuity and morbidity. Basically, they are needing more intense health services, you know, they are at greater risk of dying. Basically they are being thrown into these higher risk health service categories. The specifics of why that is happening, why they are being put into these more expensive categories I don't know. But that is what is happening.

The repeal-and-replace debating and voting in the GOP Congress may or may not turn on continuing the Medicaid expansion population.

But surely there must be careful attention to the unacceptable illogic of slighting the most vulnerable population in the United States  all because of the peculiar political needs of the Obama Administration and the Democratic-majority Congress 2009-2011 that made Obamacare the law of the land.
If we can fly in airplanes, defying gravity, because a little old apple fell from a seventeenth-century tree near Isaac Newton, if we can turn on lights because lightening hit a little eighteenth-century key of Benjamin Franklins, many of us think positive when trying to healand sometimes blame ourselves when we dontbecause a little old nineteenth-century lady slipped on the ice, Mary Baker Eddy.

Actually, in 1866, when the then Mary Baker Glover Patterson had the little fall that launched a bestseller, a religion, a Pulitzer-Prize-winning newspaper, 1,200 Reading Rooms, a communications empire, and some Supreme Court lawsuits, she was only 45 years old. And she would live another 44 years. But she had already hit the average life expectancy back then  and lived a stressful life. In the previous fifteen years she had buried a husband, a fiancee, a brother, her mother, and her spiritual mentor, Phineas Quimby. She had also lost contact with her only child becausedepending on which faction you believeeither no one wanted to care for a widow and her rambunctious son or she was too self-involved with psychosomatic illnesses to mind him. Beyond that traumatic pile-up, Mary Baker Eddy was an emotional wreck, one of those fragile, melodramatic Victorians, prone to acting hysterical and staying in bed. Professor Harold Bloom called her "a monumental hysteric of classic dimensions, indeed a kind of anthology of nineteenth-century nervous ailments." However, this great American go-getter put the theatrics to great use.

Now, on February 1, 1866, Mary was in critical condition, having sustained a serious spinal injury after slipping on the ice while walking in Lynn, Massachusetts. Instead of dying, she had her life-defining, empire-creating, history-making, faith-healing epiphany. On her third day of anguish, writhing in pain, she opened the Bible, and, As I read, the healing Truth dawned upon my sense. She rose, feeling better.

She realized the power of Life in and of Spirit; this Life being the sole reality of existence. She would say, I gained the scientific certainty that all causation was Mind, and every effect a mental phenomenon. This insight would make her a Gilded Age spiritualist celebrity whose legacy resonates in every health food store entered and healing ritual attempted, in every organic vegetable consumed and homeopathic vitamin swallowed.

Born on a farm in Bow, New Hampshire in 1821, Mary Morse Baker married George Washington Glover in December 1843. By the time their son George Washington II was born nine months later, his father had died of yellow fever. Thus began a trying decade and a half that culminated with her seeking healing with a charismatic, mesmerist, Phineas Quimby, setting the stage for her new religion. Now Mary Patterson, she would repudiate hypnosis and shrug off those who accused her of stealing Quimbys ideas. Whether she took it or invented it, her bete noire, Mark Twain would acknowledge, it was a sawdust mine when she got it, and she has turned it into a Klondike.

Mary started refining her theory that disease resides in the mind more than the body. By 1875, recently divorced, she published what became her magnum opus, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. That book fused the power of American Christianity with the lure of nineteenth-century science, promising what Jesus Christ and George Washington promised: individual salvation.

Two years later, another brief marriage to Asa Gilbert Eddy provided her final name change. Until 1910, even as Mary Baker Eddy revised her textbook in 432 editions, showing her ongoing spiritual quest, she gave her ideas an institutional infrastructure. In 1879, she established the Church of Christ, Scientist, which became the First Church of Christ Scientist 13 years later. Understanding that you needed a communications strategy, she conquered the fields of education, publishing, and journalism. She founded the Massachusetts Metaphysical College in 1881, the Christian Science Journal in 1883, the first Reading Room in 1888, the Christian Science Sentinel and the Christian Science Publishing Society in 1898, and the Christian Science Monitor in 1908.

Spiritualism shaped Mary Baker Eddy. But most Spiritualists spoke to or through the dead, while Eddy focused on the self. Moreover, as Professor Anne Braude notes in Radical Spirits, Where spiritualists emphasized personal spiritual knowledge, Christian Scientists emphasized doctrinal uniformity.

That uniformity, reinforced by zealous, and profitable institutions, infuriated Mark Twain. The satirist believed Eddy was fleecing the masses. While considering her the most interesting woman that ever lived, he also found her "[g]rasping, sordid, penurious, famishing for everything she seesmoney, power, gloryvain, untruthful, jealous, despotic, arrogant, insolent, pitiless where thinkers and hypnotists are concerned, illiterate, shallow, incapable of reasoning outside of commercial lines, immeasurably selfish. In short, Mary Baker Eddy was the kind of American Twain believed Americans loved to love and he loved to hate to show how much he loved them.

The great Mary Baker Eddy debate continues. Some biographers, like Gillian Gill celebrate her as one of those nineteenth-century women who were strong in their religious faith, in their fruitful bodies, in their property rights, in their talents  and endured sexist attacks. Others echo Twain, blasting this chronically unhealthy women  and rumored morphine addict -- who tried healing Americans by denying them medicines she used; this spiritual leader who was enough of a materialist to leave a $3 million estate. Similarly, the debate about Christian Science continues, especially with the occasional court case pitting First Amendment rights to practice religion freely versus parents responsibilities to treat sick children medically not just spiritually.

Mary Baker Eddys tale is about the Puritans, and their debate about a covenant of works, whether God makes you do well if you do good. It is the story of the American Revolution, creating a redemptive New World Order. It is the story of Thomas Jeffersons belief in individualism and the pursuit of happiness. It is the story of the nineteenth century religious revivalists, and Spiritualists, spreading Christianity as a Gospel that delivers the goods for the good. And it is the story of Gilded Age capitalists, mass marketing with mass media.

Few Americans are Christian Scientists, but we have all been Christian Scientized. When we ask lung cancer victims if they smoke, trying not to sound accusatory. When we judge the overweight harshly. When we start exercising to avoid medication, start meditating while undergoing cancer treatments, or simply pray for our health, we are calculating that healing is not just about science. Studies suggest that prayer works  but not exclusively and  whats that most unfashionable phrase today -- in moderation.

FURTHER READING

Caroline Fraser, Gods Perfect Child: Living and Dying in the Christian Science Church (1999, 2000). A former Christian Scientist says the church  and Mary Baker Eddy  are not very Christian nor scientific.

Gilliam Gill, Mary Baker Eddy (Radcliffe Biography Series) (1998). A positive reading of Eddy.

Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (1875). The original.

Mark Twain, Christian Science (1907). Twain on the warpath!
By Press Trust of India: Gurgaon, Mar 18 (PTI) Factory workers of six plants, including three belonging to car major Maruti Suzuki India, will go on a one-hour tool down strike tonight in order to express resentment over the conviction of workers in the 2012 Manesar plant violence. Besides, three Maruti Suzuki plants in Gurgaon and Manesar, workers of Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIPL) and two component joint venture companies Bell Sonica Auto and FMI Automotive Components will participate in the protest. Maruti Suzuki Mazdoor Sangh, an umbrella organisation of workers in the plants, said the workers were convicted due to false witnesses produced by the government and administration. "We are very angry and we have decided to go on strike from 9 pm to 10 pm tonignt. Work in all the six plants will remain shut for one hour," Maruti Suzuki Mazdoor Sangh Secretary Kuldeep Jhanghu told PTI. A Gurgaon court today awarded life sentence to 13 former employees of Maruti-Suzuki India, who it had found guilty of murder in connection with the violence at the automobile giants Manesar plant in 2012 in which a senior company official had died.

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Additional district and session judge RP Goyal granted life sentence to the 13 men, who had been convicted for murder by it earlier.

Of the 18 other ex-workers, who had been convicted of various other offences like violence, rioting and attempt to murder, four have been given a sentence of five years. Fourteen other convicts would be released after paying a fixed amount of Rs 2,500 as fine. The court termed these 14 as "undergone accused" as they had already served a jail term of four-and-a-half years, which it felt was enough punishment. Earlier, 31 workers had been convicted and 117 were acquitted by the court on March 10. Thirteen of the accused were held guilty of murder while the remaining 18 were convicted of violence, rioting and other offences. Violence had erupted at the facility in August 2012 over disciplinary action against an employee during which agitated workers went on rampage, torching a part of the factory, setting senior human resource manager Awanish Kumar Dev on fire, and beating up and bludgeoning with rods 100 others. Those wounded included some foreigners and policemen. The police had arrested 148 workers in connection with the murder. PTI MSS RKL MR

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Love old or unusual movies but never know when they're on? Here are several I recommend:

Night Of The Hunter (1955): The actor Charles Laughton directed this classic study of good versus evil. Robert Mitchum stars as an ex-convict out to find the money hidden by another criminal. He pretends to be an itinerant preacher and meets and woos the other criminal's widow (Shelley Winters). She has two children who he is convinced know where the money is hidden. The film features a great performance by silent screen legend Lillian Gish as a woman who shelters the children from Mitchum. The film has an amazingly fable-like look and feel, making it come off like some beautiful kind of folk opera. David Denby has called this movie "The greatest film directed by someone who only directed one film." Be prepared to be chilled to the bone.

Turner Classic Movies, 11 p.m. Monday

M (1931): Here's the movie that made Peter Lorre a star ... and I'll bet you've never seen it. Directed by the great Fritz Lang (Metropolis), this is the disturbing story of a child murderer in a large German city. The killer is so clever at eluding capture that the police are at their wits' end. So who can catch him? The other criminals, of course. The interesting twist in this plot is that the members of organized crime in the city realize it's actually in their best interests to get this creep off the street. Lorre is unforgettable as the hunted, haunted man who's unable to control his obsession to kill. Turn the lights down real low and sit with someone you can grab onto.

Turner Classic Movies, 10 a.m. Tuesday

Margin Call (2011): Oh, it's so much fun watching evil powerful people get into trouble, isn't it? Based on a true story, this tale of financial skullduggery is impossible to look away from. First of all, it's got a ridiculous case: Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany, Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore and others. Second, the writing and performances simply crackle. If you've ever wanted to be a fly on the wall while the big bad stuff goes down on Wall Street, here's your chance.

Now streaming on Amazon Prime.

Memento (2000): Here's one of only two movies I actually like Guy Pearce in. It's Christopher Nolan's intense puzzle box of a movie featuring Pearce as a brain-damaged guy who cannot make new memories. Since he can only remember things for about 15 minutes, Nolan employs the gimmick of telling the story in 15-minute chunks  but in reverse order. He does cheat a little bit (there's a flashback series that goes in the correct order) but it's still fascinating to try to untangle this web of murder and betrayal. Featuring sharp support from Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano. Pet Peeve Note: Work with me on this one and don't be one of those people who refer to this movie as Momento.

Now streaming on Netflix.

Trivia Question #677: Which of this week's performers was featured as "Guido the Killer Pimp" in a classic '80s movie?

Answer to Trivia Question #675: Actor Jean Hersholt had a special Academy Award named for him.

 Bryan native Ray Ivey is a writer and movie fan in Hollywood, Calif. He would love to hear from you at rayivey@ca.rr.com. You can also visit his blog at www.starkravingray.com.
With activity rising in the oil patch, Becky Riedl and Tracy Thompson had a compelling message for job seekers in Billings Thursday: Stay closer to home.

They dont want to go to North Dakota, or Eastern Montana. They dont want to be away for months, said Riedl, who works at Billings office of the Laborers Local 1686, which supplies workers for construction, bridge work, road-flagging, refinery work and other jobs.

Spring time means hiring time for these union representatives, and their table was buzzing at the Jobs Jamboree at MetraPark last week.

More than 2,000 people came to the MetraPark Pavilion Wednesday for the regions largest job fair, sponsored by Billings Job Services Employers Committee. The event featured 164 booths with employers, seeking workers in Eastern Montanas typically tight labor market.

Montanas seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.9 percent in January, the lowest statewide rate in a decade, state officials announced this month.

In Yellowstone County, the unadjusted jobless rate in January was 4.1 percent. The rate stayed below 4 percent for most of 2016, putting the pinch on employers to find quality talent in the Billings area.

Inside the cavernous pavilion hall, restaurateurs pitched their shops across the hall from law enforcement offices. Real estate brokers met with job seekers who had just stopped at booths for trucking companies, and big-box retailers set up shop in different corners of the room.

Other industries in the diverse set included hospitality, local government, health care, trucking and energy services.

I hear over and over that this is their main event for hiring and for hiring exposure, event coordinator Trisha Glen said.

Many employers were interviewing prospective candidates with one eye on the North Dakota oil patch, which drives demand for service in outlying communities but also suck away talented employees.

We get a lot of people who dont get a job in the oilfield, Hunter Easterling, a K-9 police officer from Dickinson, N.D., said at his fair booth.

Easterling made the four-and-a-half hour trip to Billings with Shelly Nameniuk, Dickinsons human resources coordinator, to recruit new talent for the city.

The police department for the city of about 20,000 is 40 officers strong and has unique advantages because of oil money, Easterling said.

The department boasts new technology that new recruits couldnt find in other departments, he said.

Its hard (to find new officers), but not impossible, Easterling said.

With crude oil prices moving toward $50 a barrel, economic activity in the North Dakota oil patch is picking up, though it remains well behind the boom years from the early decade. North Dakota is reporting 47 active rigs in 2017, up from 31 a year ago but well below the 190 in 2014.

Barb Wagner, Montanas chief economist, said the oil drilling industry added 47 jobs in Montana in the first nine months of 2016, indicating a small recovery.

At Purity Oilfield Services, with an office in Williston, weve never slowed down, said Kathleen Atwell, who works in human resources.

Atwell said shes seeking commercial drivers at the job fair, who drive winch and vacuum trucks at the patch and haul equipment.

Dallas, Texas-based Purity has offices in Douglas, Wyo., and Watford City, N.D., and operates all over the Western United States, Atwell said.

In North Dakota, Purity is offering a $800 monthly housing stipend to help workers live in an area that has seen rent prices skyrocket during the oil boom, she said.

So how does Atwell pitch prospective employees to join Purity, considering the high competition for workers regionwide?

We are a very sound, growing, strong company, with plans to go worldwide, she said.

Brad Gummer, Billings operation manager for Pioneer Energy Services, said hes looking for as many workers as (he) can get for the companys wireline services division.

Beginning drivers can start at $14 per hour and work their way up, he said. Salaried engineers will make between $60,000 and $80,000 annually, he added.

Were getting busier. (Oil) prices are coming up, Gummer said.

Despite this uptick, employment in service industries in Eastern Montana has not caught up, largely because of the overall loss of high-paying oil jobs, said Wagner, the state economist.

Long-term, in-demand jobs in the region include truck drivers, bartenders, janitors, teachers, accountants, nurses, petroleum engineers, lawyers and surveyors, Wagner said.

All of these are jobs that we expect will be growing in the future, or where retirements of the existing workforce require more people to enter the job, Wagner said in an email.

Seasonal construction hiring is starting to ramp up, but demand in Eastern Montana will likely be down from three years ago, she added.

Nevertheless, some of the biggest crowds at the Billing job fair were around the laborers union table, where unskilled workers can start at $20 per hour in the summer.

Its a good opportunity for some, but not a good fit for everyone, said Riedl, the union rep.

This is hard, physical work, she said.
The development comes after a resident doctor at Sion Hospital was beaten by the relatives of a patient who passed away.

By Saurabh Vaktania, India Today Web Desk: A majority of resident doctors in government hospitals across Mumbai and some parts of Maharashtra have gone on mass leave, starting 8 pm Sunday. The doctors are agitating against the recent spate of attacks on resident doctors in areas such as Dhule, Nashik and Sion.

The doctors, in their leave applications, have said that they cannot work under such life-threatening conditions.

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Almost 75 per cent of resident doctors across major Mumbai health centres, including Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, KEM Hospital, JJ Hospital and Nair Hospital, have gone on leave.

The development comes after Dr Rohit Kumar, a resident doctor at Sion Hospital, was beaten up by the relatives of a patient who died. A compliant was registered in the incident, which took place Saturday night, with the Mumbai police and three accused have been arrested.

Speaking to India Today, a doctor from Sion Hospital said, "Relatives of a patient who was declared dead tried to assault a first-year resident doctor...luckily they were stopped in time by security.

He added that the the hospital is in the process of establishing stricter protocols to prevent such incidents. Proposals including fast tracking creation of new security posts and installing more CCTV camera.

According to a Mumbai High Court order, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) cannot call for a strike, which is why the doctors have gone on leave instead. There is a general belief that the supposedly spontaneous decision of the resident doctors to go on leave is a ruse to in fact go on a strike.

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Politicians like to talk about the importance of education, but when it comes to providing the needed funding, they routinely look the other way.

Article 7, Section 1 of the Texas Constitution says: "A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools."

In Texas, that means a combination of state and federal funds and an increasing reliance on local property taxes, which are a bad, bad way to fund public schools. The portion of the state's contributions to our schools had been declining steadily over the years and instead of addressing that, lawmakers spend their time devising funding schemes that consistently fail to pass court muster. Yet, every time the courts say the state funding system is inadequate, legislators work overtime to find another, even more unpalatable way to fund our public schools.

To be sure, things are looking up in Texas -- sort of. Texas is spending more to educate each child, but we still are well below the national average, with the state ranking in the bottom third of expenditures per student nationally.

And some lawmakers want to implement a voucher system that would drain even more dollars away from public schools and allow the state's best and brightest students to private schools.

The problem isn't just public education, though. The same problem of inadequate funding extends to public colleges and universities in Texas. Already, some of the best schools in the state -- established to allow any Texas parent to send his or her child to get a college degree -- have priced themselves beyond the means of many Texas families.

The Texas Senate saw the problem and immediately proposed a budget that would cut funding to state schools of higher education by 6 percent to 10 percent. For Texas A&M University, that could mean a cut of $29 million over the next two years, That isn't acceptable and, fortunately, the Texas House of Representatives is looking at less draconian measures.

We understand the problem Texas lawmakers face. Under the state Constitution, the state basically has to live within its means, which is a good thing. Unlike most other states, Texas is pretty much debt free. There are many demands for each dollar the state takes in in revenue each year, and the demands keep getting larger. And each demand matters to at least some Texans. Saying no to those people can be difficult,

There is at least a partial solution, though. Several sessions ago, lawmakers wisely created a "Rainy Day Fund" to handle emergencies. Today, that fund has grown to approximately $10 billion. At the very least, some of that money could be used to help fund needed programs.

But lawmakers are split. Some, such as our own state Rep. John Raney, want to use some of the Rainy Day Fund to help finance the upcoming two-year budget. Others, however, are adamantly opposed to such expenditures from the fund, saying it isn't raining that hard now and the fund should be left untouched and allowed to grow.

Former state Sen. Steve Ogden of Bryan -- boy do we really miss him -- favors spending some of the Rainy Day Fund, saying, "It is, in my opinion, ridiculous not to tap into a Rainy Day Fund to fund what I think are critically needed programs,

"The legislature needs to use the Rainy Day Fund to make this budget work. If they won't, I think that is just very poor judgement on the part of our state government."

Ogden isn't just any former politician. Always a wise head in a tough political atmosphere, in his later years in the state Senate he chaired -- ably -- the powerful Senate Finance Committee.

For his part, Raney, a leading voice on education, said, "In my opinion, the Senate cuts are not an option.

"I understand the fiscal constraints on the state this biennium, but it damages Texas' economic future to drastically cut funding for public and higher education.

"It makes sense to use a reasonable portion of the fund to keep our job market strong. ... If we properly invest in education from pre-K thought postgraduate, the less we will have to spend on prisons and social services, and the stronger our economy will become."

Indeed, House leaders have approved withdrawing about a quarter of the Rainy Day Fund to help with the upcoming two-year budget.

It would be a shame to let our students suffer because of a refusal to dip into the Rainy Day Fund.
The decision was announced after a tripartite meeting between the new BJP-led state government, the Centre and the UNC.

By Indrajit Kundu: After continuing with its economic blockade of the Imphal valley for close to five months, the United Naga Council (UNC) has finally relented, agreeing to lift it from Sunday night.

The move came a day before the new N Biren Singh government's floor test in the state assembly. No party won a simple majority in the recently-held election, and the BJP formed the government with the help of smaller parties and independent MLAs.

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The decision to lift the blocked was announced after a tripartite meeting between the new state government, the Centre and the UNC. The meeting held at Senapati district was chaired by the Joint Secretary from the Ministry of Home Affairs in-charge of the North East.

"To create conducive environment for the democratic process of consultation and dialogue, the United Naga Council will lift the economic blockade with effect from tonight," stated a statement released after the meeting.

The UNC decision comes after the new BJP-led Manipur state government assured the unconditional release of all arrested UNC leaders. The government has also agreed to close all cases slapped against the UNC leadership pertaining to the economic blockade.

In his very first cabinet meeting, new Chief Minister N Biren Singh had discussed the matter and had appealed before the UNC to end the impasse. In fact, ending the painful economic blockade was one of the main poll promises of the BJP.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his campaign rally in Imphal had promised that if the BJP came to power in Manipur, the new government will get the blockade lifted immediately.

The United Naga Council has been protesting against the erstwhile Congress government's decision to create seven new districts in the state mostly curved out from the Naga dominated hill areas. The Naga tribes have been opposing the decision alleging that it was a ploy to covertly occupy tribal land protected by special provisions of the Constitution.

WATCH VIDEO: Manipur: United Naga Council agrees to end economic blockade

Also read: Ahead of polls, Centre close to cracking deal between Nagas, Manipur govt to end economic blockade

Curfew imposed in Manipur after protesters opposing Naga economic-blockade burn down buses

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How a $1.1M grant could help put Burlington on the conservation map

Here's a look at the $3.1 million plan to showcase the sites and experiences that gave rise to the founding father of conservation.
Addressing the audience at a charity dinner at the International Diamond Conference in Mumbai through video conferencing, Modi said India has emerged as the leader in diamond manufacturing.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that India should become an international diamond trading hub in addition to its present status as cutting and polishing hub.

Addressing the audience at a charity dinner at the International Diamond Conference in Mumbai through video conferencing, Modi said India has made rapid strides since the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council of India was set up 50 years back.

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He said, "India is now the world's largest manufacturer of cut and polished diamonds, and gems and jewellery sector is one of the leading sectors in India in terms of value of exports as well as employment generation."

Modi said India has emerged as the leader in diamond manufacturing and export in the last four decades and exports of gems and jewellery from India account for 15 per cent of India's total merchandise exports.

"This is one of India's success stories. From just 28 million dollars in 1966-67, exports reached one billion dollars in 1982-83 and two billion dollars in 1987-88. It crossed 10 billion dollars in 2003-04, 20 billion dollars in 2007-08 and is now nearly 40 billion dollars."

Modi said Indian importers had to go abroad to view and purchase rough diamonds till recently, which reduced the efficiency of the supply chain.

AMENDEMENTS TO LAWS

The Prime Minister said amendments have been made to the laws to enable rough diamonds to enter and exit, duty free for the purpose of viewing, and the Special Notified Zone at the Bharat Diamond Bourse, which became operational in November, 2015, has already shown good results.

Modi said only 80 to 90 big merchants used to get access to global rough diamonds by travelling to Belgium, Africa and Israel, and now about 3,000 small and medium merchants have this privilege through the new Special Notified Zone.

"Many of the most reputed international names in the diamond industry have conducted over 244 days of viewings. My intention is to make India, which is already the cutting and polishing hub, into an international diamond trading hub," he said.

"Our goal is to transform India in one generation. Since taking office, this government has placed emphasis on many transformative initiatives. 'Make in India' is one of them. Our aim is to make India a preferred destination for manufacturing," Modi added.

He said the gems and jewellery sector had accounted for 475 billion dollars of exports despite India having little diamond or gold production.

ECONOMY OF 21ST CENTURY

Referring to Skill India initiative of the government, Modi said it aims to ensure that new entrants to the work force have the necessary skills to contribute to the economy of the 21st century.

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"The gems and jewellery sector employs 4.6 million people. Out of this, one million people are in the diamond industry alone. Thus, the gems and jewellery sector is a prime example of the potential of 'Make In India' and 'Skill India'," he said.

Referring to the presence of ministers from several African countries, Modi said India would support them in developing their gems and jewellery sector.

Modi said India's future is much bigger than cutting and polishing alone and there is a lot of unexplored potential.

He suggested documenting the legacy of India, which is of relevance to the jems and jewellery trade, and using it for designs.

He said diamonds are being used in spectacles, watches and pens. "Can't our jewellers, with their skills, strengths and heritage, create and change global tastes and fashions?"

The Prime Minister said that India has acquired a global brand for high skills and excellence in software but is yet to do that in jewellery.

Modi said: "The Council should consider taking a census of the lowest-paid and least prosperous persons in your industry. Can the industry ensure that every one of them is enrolled in the government's low cost social security schemes?"

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Noting that India will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its Independence in 2022, Modi asked the gems and jewellery industry to set goals for itself.

He said the government can consider changes in regulations based on specific and practical suggestions.

Also read: India Today Conclave 2017: PM Modi presents report card, calls GST an example of deliberative democracy

Also read: When PM Modi made Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh 'patch up'

--- ENDS ---
Russian National Ballet Theater / Contributed photo

Lavish costumes and lush scenery and music will combine for the Russian National Ballet Theaters production of the beloved fairy tale ballet, Cinderella, with its famous score by Sergei Prokofiev.

The company returns to Fairfield Universitys Quick Center on Wednesday, March 29, for a one-night visit on its American tour.
By Press Trust of India: Guwahati, Mar 18 (PTI) The newly-elected BJP MLAs of Manipur are camping here, North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convener and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, said today.

"It is a fact that BJP MLAs from Manipur are camping here. The Congress MLAs are also camping together in Manipur," said Sarma, who is credited with enabling BJP form its first-ever government in Manipur.

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Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting, the high profile Assam Cabinet minister said, "It (camping together) should be done as reports are flying that one party is trying to pull legislators from another and these have created apprehensions."

Without elaborating Sarma said, "The MLAs (of Manipur) will be sworn-in tomorrow and the next day the Speaker of the legislative assembly will be elected followed by trust vote the same day."

"We (BJP-led NEDA government) have 33 legislators and Congress 27 MLAs (in a 60-member House)," he said. PTI ESB RG

--- ENDS ---
As the founder and CEO of a company that has grown from its modest beginnings in my spare bedroom at home to a successful business with more than 50 employees in two states -- a company named one of South Carolinas "Best Places to Work" three years running -- I have a surprisingly simple philosophy of business:

Happy employees take care of their customers. And happy customers who are well taken care of refer new clients, pay their bills and contribute to the profitable growth of the company.

Related: 30 Secrets to Hiring the Right People

You dont have to be a business guru to recognize when a business is firing on all cylinders, when employees are putting their skills to maximum use, working together and simultaneously having a good time.

But, how to create that chemistry? Thats the question. Here are some strategies that have worked for my company:

1. Staff your team with "A" players; theyre worth the wait.

An "A" player is someone who brings all of the necessary qualifications to the table plus something extra as a human being. Of course, that isnt always readily apparent during a 45-minute interview. This tip speaks to the importance of having an intuitive hiring manager, which in the case of a small business, may be the CEO.

In short, you should always be looking for A players, whether a position is open or not. In fact, you need a virtual bench. In a recent Gallup report on the millennial generation, 21 percent of millennials surveyed said they'd changed jobs within the previous year, which is more than three times the number of non-millennials reporting the same.

Consider, too, that each day, 10,000 baby boomers retire. People will leave, and you need to have a few A candidates in mind whom you can immediately reach out to. Most companies approach hiring and recruiting reactively. The goal is to be proactive.

Look at Danny Espinosa, currently an infielder for the LA Angels. Espinosa originally played on the farm team for the Washington Nationals until the team called him up. His second year he hit 21 home runs, stole 17 bases and finished sixth in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting.
NORWALK  A long-awaited bill to address the way Connecticut divvies out its education funding to school districts across the state may have little-to-no impact on Norwalk, at least as it currently stands.

House Bill 7270 seeks to more equitably adjust the amount of money given to each school district through education cost sharing grants from the state for the next two years, 2018 and 2019, according to a number of factors such as equalized net grand list, median household income" and number of children below the level of poverty."

Its a temporary measure, said Rep. Gail Lavielle, R-Wilton. Not a fix to the formula.

Lavielle, a ranking member of the Education Committee, said overall, this bill sought to even things out a bit on a temporary, two-year basis.

If they thought a district was getting too much money, the measure would reduce that coverage, she said. If they thought a district was getting too little, it would give some of that back to the district.

Still, Norwalk leaders, school officials and community members were expected to travel to Hartford Monday and send written testimony as the Education Committee of the General Assembly held its second public hearing on the development of an education cost sharing bill  this time for a bill with more detail than Senate Bill Number Two, put forth by Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk.

The public hearings for bills dedicated to education cost sharing comes months after a Connecticut Superior Court judge ruled in the years-long legal dispute, deeming the current method of school funding irrational and calling for state legislators to create a new model for school funding. That decision has since been taken up with the state Supreme Court.

Lavielle said ECS is particular to Norwalk and that the community members have a legitimate axe to grind.

Norwalk has been called the poster child for reform in the way the state divvies out its educational grants. The school district collected roughly $11.2 million dollars this year in education cost sharing funding from the state, compared to similar cities such as Danbury which took in $31.3 million.

The new bill would have Norwalk seeing $11.5 million for each of the next two years.

Lavielle said the current formula for education funding has been a thorn in the side of Norwalk. She said it was important for people with a vested interest to get to Hartford to allow people there to understand that Norwalk is not just another rich town in Fairfield County.

It (Norwalk) has a high number of low-income students, a high number of ELL students. It has some real facilities needs, Lavielle said. It has a very low median income relative to its property value. All this has led to it receiving way too little funding compared to other similar cities.

She said Monday was the time for people who wanted to make an impression to do so.

Mike Lyons, chairman of Norwalks Board of Education, said he wouldnt be able to attend the public hearing due to business obligations, but that he sent in written testimony for the last public hearing that will remain on the record for this hearing.

CCJEF estimated that my city, Norwalk, has been underfunded by at least $23 million per year under the current formula, Lyons said in his statement. This is about 15 percent of our annual budget. As an urban school system that is 67 percent minority and with 50 percent of our students on free and reduced lunches, we have significant challenges to overcome, and an underfunding of that magnitude makes meeting those challenges successfully vastly more difficult.

Lyons also called on others from the community to testify, noting that many had already submitted written testimony.

Norwalkers should definitely attend, he said.

In the end, the bill still has months to change as it  along with several other education funding bills  makes its way through a vote in the Education Committee by March 27 and on to other committees before making it to the Senate or House floor.

I would be very surprised if this were the final form of this bill, Lavielle said.

Handfuls of other bills were also on the agenda for Mondays public hearing, including a mandate relief bill Lavielle worked on, which she said would relieve districts of seven state mandates they have been trying to get rid of for years.

KSchultz@thehour.com; 203-354-1049; @kevinedschultz
Canon Holley, 10, of Central Valley School in Scotia placed fourth in the 2017 Nebraska Severe Weather Awareness Poster Contest. Keep Calm and Find Shelter was the theme of her poster.

The top four finishers were recognized by Lt. Gov. Mike Foley at a proclamation signing for Severe Weather Awareness Week March 8 at the state Capitol.

Other area students receiving honorable mention in the contest were Corbin Scott, 10, of Hastings, who attends Doniphan-Trumbul Elementary, and Kaitlyn Simpson, 10, of Burwell, who attends Burwell Elementary.
MANHATTAN, Kan.  Bans imposed by some countries on poultry products bear watching by all U.S. livestock producers, according to Kansas State University agricultural economist Glynn Tonsor.

In response to news of the presence of highly pathogenic H7 avian influenza (HPAI) on a Tennessee commercial poultry farm, South Korea on March 6 banned imports of all uncooked U.S. poultry and egg products.

Taiwan imposed a ban on imports of poultry-related products from Tennessee and also imposed a ban on poultry meat from Wisconsin on news that a flock there was confirmed with low pathogenic H5 avian flu. Japan and Hong Kong have also imposed restrictions.

The Tennessee state veterinarians office confirmed on March 9 that a separate flock of chickens at a commercial poultry operation tested positive for low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI).

The U.S. exports about 18 percent of its annual poultry production, according to the USDA Economic Research Service. Mexico, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan were the top five importers of U.S. poultry and eggs in 2016.

Neither the low-pathogenic nor high-pathogenic forms of the disease poses a risk to the food supply, according to the Tennessee statement.

Depending on how long or widespread such bans on U.S. or specific states poultry imports last, however, poultry supplies could back up and potentially weigh on prices for chicken, as well as pork and beef, Tonsor said.

When one industry loses access to a foreign market, a portion of that volume may be redirected to other foreign customers yet usually results in larger domestic consumption, he said.

The net effect can lead to a chain reaction: Without the ability to export chicken meat to international markets, U.S. suppliers may be forced to lower prices in order to move product off of grocery-store shelves. And when chicken is cheap, many shoppers will opt to save money instead of buying pork or beef which, in turn, affects the price of livestock in those markets.

Tonsor noted that its helpful when some international buyers of U.S. meat products  in this case, poultry  adopt regionalization restrictions rather than nationwide restrictions.

When an importing country elects to restrict products from a region rather than the U.S. entirely, the corresponding trade disruptions and, hence, market-price effects are diluted as the national industry retains some of their originally expected trade access, he said.
In 2016 the United States was the worlds largest net exporter of ethanol, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) trade data and reported by the the U.S. Grains Council (USGC).

Net exports are calculated as the difference between exports and imports. The 2016 calendar year concluded with U.S. net exports of 838 million gallons, the second highest level ever, exceeded only in 2011. U.S. ethanol shipments exceeded 1 billion gallons, and incoming shipments totaled nearly 215 million gallons in 2016.

For a majority of the 2000s, Brazil was the largest net exporter of ethanol in the world and the United States was among the worlds largest net importers. The U.S. started as a net exporter of ethanol in 2010, exporting more than 410 million gallons and importing more than 131 million gallons that year.

By 2011, American exports rose so sharply (more than 1.2 billion gallons) that the United States seized the top world net exporter of ethanol slot from Brazil.

Today, USGC said, the United States is both a major ethanol exporter and one of the worlds largest importers. Roughly 85 percent of U.S. ethanol imports originate from Brazil, with most imports entering the United States through Gulf and West Coast ports.

Brazilian ethanol imported into Houston-Galveston ports is processed into ETBE (a fuel oxygenate) and then re-exported to Japan to meet that countrys strict greenhouse gas criteria, which favors Brazilian ethanol over U.S. ethanol. This is one issue USGC and its partners are working to address as part of their ethanol market development efforts in Japan.

The importation of Brazilian ethanol into California is driven by the states Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), which favors sugar-cane ethanol over Midwest, corn-based ethanol. This year, however, the United States has imported very little Brazilian ethanol due to the much lower price for U.S. corn ethanol.

Conversely, U.S. ethanol exports to Brazil have increased substantially due to the price disparity relative to competitively-priced corn ethanol. The relatively high price of sugar compared to ethanol has redirected Brazilian sugar cane into sugar production rather than ethanol. As a result, Brazil has increased its imports of price-competitive U.S. ethanol to meet growing fuel ethanol demand, a trend USGC expects to continue through much of 2017.

The 26 percent increase in U.S. ethanol exports is the second-highest level on record, said the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

U.S. imports of ethanol, which are relatively much smaller, decreased by 60 percent to 36 million gallons in 2016. The United States remained a net exporter of fuel ethanol for the seventh consecutive year, exporting ethanol to 34 different countries, with Asian and South American markets receiving the highest volumes.

In the United States, ethanol is primarily used as a blending component in the production of motor gasoline and mainly blended in volumes up to 10 percent ethanol, also known as E10. Corn is the primary fuelstock of ethanol in the United States, and large corn harvests have contributed to increased ethanol production in recent years.

Nebraska is the nations second largest ethanol producer with a production capacity of more than 2 billion gallons.

U.S. ethanol production reached a record level of 15 billion gallons in 2016, equivalent to about 1 million barrels per day.

Brazil surpassed Canada as the top destination for U.S. fuel ethanol exports, receiving 267 million gallons in 2016. Brazil is one of the worlds largest producers and consumers of fuel ethanol, but unlike the United States, Brazils main ethanol fuelstock is sugarcane. Corn ethanol exports to Brazil were further encouraged by Brazils 27 percent fuel ethanol mandate and its zero import tariff for ethanol, which will remain in place through the end of 2021.

China, the third-highest export destination, received 179 million gallons of U.S. fuel ethanol in 2016. Exports from the United States to China were especially attractive during 2016 because of a temporary reduction of the Chinese tariff on ethanol. The tariff was reduced from 30 percent to 5 percent during 2016, but returned to 30 percent at the start of 2017.

U.S. ethanol imports fell by 60 percent in 2016 to 36 million gallons, the lowest level since 2010. Imports were almost exclusively (99 percent) sugar-cane ethanol from Brazil. Most of the imported ethanol went to the West Coast region. Californias Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) Program uses scoring rules that count sugar-cane ethanol as a fuel with a much lower carbon content than corn ethanol.

In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), EIA forecasts that net exports of ethanol will increase by 6 percent more than 2016 levels, reaching 1.2 billion gallons in 2017, potentially matching or exceeding the record level set in 2011.
Lemburg leading downtown district

Cara Lemburg has joined the Downtown Business Improvement District as executive director.

Lemburg will oversee the daily operations of the Railside office, as well as developing plans and programs to support the Downtown Business Improvement District.

She previously worked for Les Mills US Trading for four years as customer insights analyst. She worked for the YMCA of Grand Island prior to that.

Lemburg graduated from Wayne State College in Wayne with a masters degree in science education.

She can be reached at (308) 398-7022 or director@arriverailside.com.

Hope Harbor adds four new staff members

Hope Harbor in Grand Island has four new staff members.

Daisy Arreola began work as shelter service coordinator in November 2016.

Arreola was born and raised in Grand Island. She is pursuing an associates degree in human services from Central Community College.

Peachis Mason became service coordinator in January.

Before joining Hope Harbor, Mason was a Community Help Center specialist for three years. She earned her associates degree in human services in 2010 from Central Community College.

She lives in Grand Island with her daughter. She is also a member of the Hall County Housing Authority.

Marketing Coordinator Katie Simmons joined the Hope Harbor team in February. She has eight years of experience in marketing and project management.

Simmons lives in Shelton with her husband and three children.

Maria Arvizo is a part-time bilingual receptionist at Hope Harbor who began work there in February. She is planning to finish her associates degree in business administration.

Arvizo lives in Grand Island with her two sons.

Big Brothers Big Sisters hires executive director

Brenna Poindexter is the new executive director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Grand Island.

Poindexter previously worked with the Right Turn program at Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska as marketing and community outreach coordinator. She developed and managed Right Turns peer mentoring program for parents as well as expanded and managed the Right Turn brand and development.

She has a background in public relations and outreach. She is also the administrator for the Fairfield Outreach and Sponsors Association.

Poindexter graduated in 2006 with a bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The Abbott sisters, Edith and Grace, have left a lasting impact on the city of Grand Island and Nebraska. The duo will be honored on Monday and at an event Sunday.

Two different proclamations by Mayor Jeremy Jensen and Gov. Pete Ricketts have declared Monday as Abbott Sisters Day in honor of Edith and Grace.

This is a good reflection on the heritage and vitality of our community because Grand Island is home to Edith and Grace Abbott, said Library Director Steve Fosselman of the proclamations. In many cases, they are not very recognized by the public. Theyre not recognized as exceedingly important people in our history and the history of Grand Island, Nebraska and nationwide for what they did and the kinds of pioneers they were for their times.

Fosselman said Abbott Sisters Day has been celebrated every year since 2002. An event celebrating the Abbott sisters will be held from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Edith Abbott Memorial Library at 211 N. Washington St.

At 2 p.m., the library, Hall County Historical Society, Prairie Pioneer Genealogical Society, the Betsey Hager Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and Stuhr Museum will be discussing the research resources they have and how they can be used to help the public learn about the Abbott sisters and the Abbott family.

Fosselman said the special resource the library has is the Abbott Sisters Research Center housed inside the librarys Heritage Room.

The Abbott Sisters Research Center has materials that were collected largely by John Sorensen when he was doing his research on the Abbott sisters, he said. We will be showing people different resources that we have available about the Abbott sisters lives and the speeches they made on those different subjects. We will have those items available for people to do research.

Fosselman believes the work of the Abbott sisters is important and that the impact of their work is still felt today.

For Edith, its the sort of scholarly approach that she took to taking some very important, at the time, social issues that are still important today and putting them into a fact-based data approach, he said. It is important because opinions are opinions. Everybody has them. But when you attach real life to people and attach data and analysis and put it into the context of the times, Edith was way ahead of her time.

Fosselman added Grace Abbott was equally ahead of her time in terms of policy and was very instrumental in shaping national policy for immigrant rights, labor issues and Social Security.

He said the Abbott sisters were from a family that believed in learning throughout their lives. He added it is appropriate that the library is named in honor of Edith Abbott because it is devoted to providing its patrons with materials and programs to make informed decisions in their lives.

When we do Abbott Sisters Day at our library, we proclaim the vital importance of learning and applying, Fosselman said. Thats what the Abbott sisters did. They learned, made informed decisions and applied those decisions for the good of other people. What a wonderful way for a person to live their life.
Sources said that Pakistani troops started medium machine gun fire on two Indian posts since 6.15 am.

By India Today Web Desk: Pakistani Army today violated cease fire on Line of Control (LoC) in Balakote area of Poonch in Jammu.

Sources said that Pakistani troops started medium machine gun fire on two Indian posts since 6.15 am.

Two Pakistani posts, Peer Baba and Shalti were reportedly targeting two posts in forward areas on LoC. India has retaliated to the attack.

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Sources said that Pakistan is giving cover fire to the terrorists so that they can infiltrate from this side.

"Unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan Army in BG sector and Balakot sector from 0600 to 06:45 hours. They used 2-inch mortars, automatic weapons, while the Indian troops responded befittingly," said Lt Col Munish Mehta.

No injuries to Indian troops reported.

Also read:

As Mumbai hosts India Today Conclave 2017, India, Pakistan diplomats exchange fire in debate on 26/11

India Today Conclave 2017 LIVE UPDATES: Pakistan not doing enough against terrorism, says Nicolas Sarkozy

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, March 18 2017

An ongoing exhibition calls on decisionmakers in the fashion industry to involve more knowledge about a piece of cloth and the long story behind it before making the decision to buy or to reject.

Organized by German cultural center Goethe-Institut, the month-long Fast Fashion  the Dark Side of Fashion exhibition at Gudang Sarinah Ekosistem in Pancoran, South Jakarta, is an eye-opener on the grim facts of the global fashion industry.

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Linkedin Moses Ompusunggu and Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Tanjung Gusta, North Sumatra  Sat, March 18 2017

Indigenous groups have used the fifth congress of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) to demand that the government fulfill its promises on improved welfare for native communities.

Here, in the name of this bow and arrow I brought from my homeland, I ask the President to issue a law on indigenous people, cried Alexander, who traveled from Papua to attend the event held in Tanjung Gusta, North Sumatra, on Friday.

How could it take so long for [President Joko] Jokowi [Widodo] to fulfill his promise? he asked, while holding the bow and arrow high in the air to cheers from around 2,000 participants at the congress.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, March 18 2017

The leaders of Mozambique and Indonesia agreed last week that the way is open for further strenghtening and expansion of bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries. President Joko Widodo and Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, held on March 7, a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the IORA 20th Anniversary Commemorative Summit.

During this meeting, President Joko Widodo expressed interest of Indonesia in boosting economic ties with Mozambique in areas of trade and investment particularly in railway and agriculture (cotton) and other areas of interests for both countries. Also indicated that the Governmet of Indonesia is willing to encourage and assist its private sector that is looking for other markets as Mozambique.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 19, 2017 15:46 2059 a291276806121264c0bd211cde56746d 1 City fake-vaccines,fake-vaccine-syndicate,Court Free

The Bekasi District Court in West Java has sentenced five of the 19 suspects found guilty of producing and distributing fake vaccines, which sparked a public uproar last year, to various prison terms.

The defendants who have been sentenced are the couple, Iin Sulastri and Syafrizal, for their roles in assisting to spread and produce fake vaccines, the courts spokesperson Suwarna said on Saturday.



A panel of judges presided over by Kurnia Yani Darmono handed down an eight-year for Iin and a 10-year one for Syafrizal. The court also required the two convicts to each pay Rp 100 million in fines.



Iin gets a lighter sentence because she recently gave birth to her child, Suwarna said.

(Read also: Police uncover fake vaccine syndicate)

Other convicts, Seno and Farid, each got eight years in prison and were ordered to pay fines of Rp 1 billion or serve another month in prison. They were both found guilty of distributing the bogus vaccine, Suwarna added.

Meanwhile, in a separate hearing, the court gave Irnawati, a nurse with the Harapan Bunda Hospital, a seven-year prison term and a Rp 1 billion fine. She was proven guilty of helping to distribute the product.



Suwarna said that the court was scheduled to carry out sentencing on the other 14 perpetrators in the near future.



Health Minister Nila Moeloek has revealed that at least 1,500 children in Banten, Jakarta and West Java had been exposed to the fake vaccines. (fac/dmr)
A sudden and abnormal warming of Pacific waters off Peru has unleashed the deadliest downpours in decades, with landslides and raging rivers sweeping away people, clogging highways and destroying crops.

A woman gets rescued after a massive landslide and flood in the Huachipa district of Lima, Peru. (Picture: Reuters)

By Reuters: A sudden and abnormal warming of Pacific waters off Peru has unleashed the deadliest downpours in decades, with landslides and raging rivers sweeping away people, clogging highways and destroying crops.

At least 62 people have died and more than 70,000 have become homeless as Peru's rainy season has delivered 10 times as much rainfall than usual, authorities said on Friday.

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About half of Peru has been declared in emergency to expedite resources to the hardest hit areas, mostly in the north where rainfall has broken records in several districts, said Prime Minister Fernando Zavala.

Peru is bracing itself for another month of flooding.

A local El Nino phenomenon, the warming of surface sea temperatures in the Pacific, is likely to continue along Peru's northern coast at least through April, said Dimitri Gutierrez, a scientist with Peru's El Nino committee.

Coastal El Ninos in Peru tend to be preceded by the El Nino phenomenon in the Equatorial Central Pacific, which can trigger flooding and droughts around the world, said Gutierrez. But this year's event in Peru has developed from local conditions.

The U.S. weather agency has put the chances of an El Nino developing in the second half of 2017 at 50-55 percent.

While precipitation in Peru has not exceeded the powerful El Nino of 1998, more rain is falling in shorter periods of time - rapidly filling streets and rivers, said Jorge Chavez, a general tasked with coordinating the government's response.

"We've never seen anything like this before," said Chavez. "From one moment to the next, sea temperatures rose and winds that keep precipitation from reaching land subsided."

Some scientists have said climate change will make El Ninos more frequent and intense.

In Peru, apocalyptic scenes recorded on cellphones and shared on social media have broadened the sense of chaos.

A woman caked in mud pulled herself from under a debris-filled river earlier this week after a mudslide rushed through a valley where she was tending to crops.

Bridges have collapsed as rivers have breached their banks, and cows and pigs have turned up on beaches after being carried away by rivers.

"There's no need to panic, the government knows what it's doing," President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said in a televised event, urging people to stay clear of rivers.

In Lima, the capital, classes have been suspended and running water has been restricted after treatment systems were clogged - prompting a rush on bottled water that produced shortages at some supermarkets.

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The vast majority of people affected by the extreme weather are poor, including many who built makeshift homes on floodplains that had been dry for 20 years, said Chavez.

"There's no electricity, no drinking water...no transit because streets are flooded," said Valentin Fernandez, mayor of the town Nuevo Chimbote.

Chavez said Peru must rethink its infrastructure to prepare for the potential "tropicalization" of the northern desert coast, which some climate models have forecast as temperatures rise.

"We need more and better bridges, we need highways and cities with drainage systems," said Chavez. "We can't count on nature being predictable."

Also Read: Take a tour of these Pisco vineyards to indulge in the spirit of Peru

Also Read: Man shot dead at Paris Orly airport after attacking soldier

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Jambi  Sun, March 19, 2017 18:29 2059 a291276806121264c0bd211cde56b9f3 1 National Jambi,illegal-logging Free

Members of the Garuda Putih Military Resort Command in Jambi seized more than a hundred cubic meters of illegally logged timber in the concession area of a company in Kumpeh Ulu district, Muaro Jambi regency, Jambi province, on Saturday.

This is not an arrest, but a discovery of evidence, Military resort commander Col. Refrizal said on Sunday.

The military personnel discovered the logs acting on tips from the public and the owner of Forest Concession Rights (HPH) over the past month. The information was also forwarded to the Jambi Forestry Agency and the Jambi Police.

Refrizal said there were around 1,000 hectares of land opened up under the HPH scheme, but up to now, people continued to encroach on the forest.

We seized 120 to 150 cubic meters of timber and rengas [Gluta Renghas]. However, we have no suspects for this case, he added.

The Jambi Forestry Agencys forest protection division head Ahmad Bestari said the province was working to crack down on illegal logging. The practices, he said, caused state losses and damaged the environment.
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Sun, March 19, 2017 17:08 2059 a291276806121264c0bd211cde56984d 1 Business Jokowi,electricity,35000MW Free

Indonesia adds 500 MW into power grid from new mobile power plants

President Joko Jokowi Widodo on Saturday officially inaugurated the operation across the archipelago of eight gas-based mobile power plants (MPP) with a total capacity of 500 megawatts (MW).

The simultaneous symbolic inauguration took place during the Presidents visit to Mempawah regency, West Kalimantan, the State Palace reported.

Each of the eight power plants has an electricity production capacity of between 25 MW and 100 MW. They are located in Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, Bangka Island, Lampung in South Sumatra, Pontianak in West Kalimantan, Bengkalis in Riau Islands, Belitung Island and Nias and Medan in North Sumatra. Some of them have been operating since last year.

Mempawah, home to some 250,000 people, is located next to the West Kalimantan provincial capital of Pontianak, whose new MPP can generate up to 100 MW of electricity.

The current government is aiming to exponentially increase the amount of power available to the nation by 2019 through an ongoing program to generate an additional 35,000 MW of electricity.

The project is basically a continuation of the attempt by then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during his first presidential term in 2005 to generate an additional 10,000 MW of electricity to keep the reserve margins  the difference between capacity and peak demand  within the International Energy Agency's recommended level of 20 to 35 percent. (ecn/hwa)

Topics : Jokowi electricity 35000MW
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Tanjung Gusta, North Sumatra  Sun, March 19, 2017 10:41 2059 a291276806121264c0bd211cde56506b 1 National AMAN,indigenous-people,indigenous-people-rights,nawacita,Jokowi,jokowidodo Free

Participants of the fifth congress of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) on Saturday evaluated President Joko Jokowi Widodos nine-point priority agenda, known as Nawacita, coming to the conclusion that it had not yet served the interests of indigenous people in Indonesia.

AMAN Congress organizing committee head Arifin Monang Saleh said the evaluation of the Presidents Nawacita was one of important agenda items up for discussion during the congress.

The congress participants evaluated six points of the Nawacita program, he said, including the implementation of Constitutional Court (MK) ruling No. 35 on customary forests, the deliberation of the indigenous people bill, the establishment of a national commission for indigenous people, the settlement of conflicts in customary communities and the implementation of a law on customary villages.

The six Nawacita points related to indigenous people in the country have not yet been realized. We very much regret this, Arifin told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the congress in Tanjung Gusta, Deli Serdang regency, on Saturday.

(Read also: Carnival of culture opens indigenous people's congress in North Sumatra)

The results of the Nawacita evaluation by congress participants will be further discussed in the commission for recommendation, resolution and declaration.

We will announce what they [indigenous people] have recommended to realize the Nawacita program at the end of the congress, said Arifin.

The last agenda item of the congress, which will end on Sunday, is the selection and inauguration of the National AMAN Council and AMAN secretary general for the 2017-2022 period. (ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 19, 2017

United States technology giant Apple Inc. has secured official approval to once again sell its signature iPhone mobile phone series in Indonesia after fulfilling a requirement to use a minimum of 30 percent local components in smartphones distributed throughout the country, locally known as TKDN.

The Industry Ministrys director for metals, machinery, transportations and electronics, I Gusti Putu Suryawirawan, confirmed on Sunday that the ministry had granted the approval after Apple agreed to build supporting infrastructure to fulfill the requirement.

Meanwhile, Apples official partner, telecommunications company Smartfren, has announced that the company will open up pre-order services for Apples iPhone 7 and 7 Plus on March 24, according to company spokesman Yondi Hartanto.

The products will arrive in customers hands after they create pre-orders. We dont want to discuss the .exact date, but its usually no longer than a week after the pre-order, Yondi said on Sunday via telephone.

As the only telecommunications firm officially partnering with Apple, the company will help sell the products with completed data packages, Yondi said, adding that Apple had also partnered with some electronics distributors.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus for Smartfren can be organized through the companys official website or through its 13 galleries spread across several big cities in Indonesia, he added. (yon/hwa)
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Linkedin Nethy Dharma Somba (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura, Papua  Sun, March 19, 2017 10:27 2059 a291276806121264c0bd211cde56421a 1 National French,journalist,Deportation,deportations,immigration,immigration-violations,Immigration-Office,ImmigrationOffice,#ImmigrationViolation,#ImmigrationOffice Free

The Tembagapura Immigration Office has banned two French journalists, Jean Frank Pierre, 45, and Basille Marie Longhamp, 42, from entering Indonesia for the next six months for allegedly violating the 2011 Immigration Law.

The activities of these two journalists were basically good. However, there was a lack of coordination with related institutions, said Tembagapura Immigration Office head Samuel Enock in Timika, Papua, on Friday.

He further explained that the two French journalists were sponsored by Garuda to carry out journalistic investigation in Indonesia.

However, they started their work before obtaining the necessary documents, which were still being processed. As a consequence, they are banned from entering Indonesia for the next six months, Samuel said.

Pierre and Longhamp were deported from Timika to France via Jakarta on a Garuda flight on Friday.

Samuel said the two journalists had not yet obtained journalist visas from the Indonesian Embassy in Paris before they started working. They took pictures while on a tourist visa. They also had not yet obtained a reporting permit, although both of them already had a permit from the Tourism Ministry and their activities were sponsored by Garuda, said Samuel. They were charged with violating Article 75 (1) of the 2011 Immigration Law.

The French journalists were taken into custody when they were about to take pictures of Cartenz areas using a helicopter rented from Happi Live Aviation. They also planned to take pictures in Asmat, Wamena, and Raja Ampat and Sorong in West Papua.

In 2014, Thomas Dandois, 40, and Valentine Bourrat, 29, were deported for carrying out journalistic activities during a tourist visit. (ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 19, 2017 15:53 2059 a291276806121264c0bd211cde567690 1 National vice-president,VicePresidentJusufKalla Free

Vice President Jusuf Kalla departed for Cambodia on Sunday morning to attend the funeral of the deputy prime minister of Cambodia, Sok An, in Phnom Penh.

The deputy prime minister passed away at the age of 66 on March 15 while he was receiving medical treatment in Beijing.

Mr. Vice President went to Cambodia this morning to attend the funeral ceremony, the Vice President secretariat said in a release on Sunday.

The Vice President and his wife, Mufidah Kalla, are also scheduled to make a courtesy visit to the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Peace Palace, the prime minister's office.

The Vice President would return to Indonesia later today. (rdi/dmr)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, March 20 2017

Indonesias external debt grew by 3.4 percent year-on-year (yoy) to US$320.3 billion in January, according to the latest statistics published by Bank Indonesia (BI).

The rise was triggered by a 12.4 percent yoy increase to $161.2 billion in public sector offshore borrowing, marking an acceleration from the 11 percent increase seen in December last year, BI reported on Friday. On the other hand, private sector external debt in January declined by 4.3 percent yoy to $159 billion.

The financial sector, manufacturing, mining and utilities together accounted for more than 76 percent of private companies foreign debt in January. The central bank has vowed to continue monitoring Indonesias foreign debt, particularly in the private sector, saying it wants to ensure that the borrowings play a significant role in the countrys development without triggering risks that may affect macroeconomic stability.

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Linkedin Ibrahim Kholilul Rohman (The Jakarta Post) Guimaraes, Portugal  Mon, March 20 2017

Mobile telephony has played a crucial role in closing the digital gap. The diffusion of devices has seen a leap-frog process, where an increased penetration rate happened at low cost and quickly.

Current technology has produced the advanced fifth generation (5G) to give ample opportunities in the future. The 5G technology will provide greater benefits with sizeable capacity and reliable speeds for mobile broadband.

The technology also links with the new wave of innovations, such as connected cars, virtual reality, 3D printing and artificial intelligence. It will shift our daily lives amid widespread impacts on smart cities, environmental sustainablity, health care, transportation and more.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura  Mon, March 20 2017

The Tembagapura Immigration Office has banned two French journalists, Jean Frank Pierre, 45, and Basille Marie Longhamp, 42, from entering Indonesia for the next six months for allegedly violating the 2011 Immigration Law.

The activities of these two journalists were basically good. However, there was a lack of coordination with relevant institutions, said Tembagapura Immigration Office head Samuel Enock in Timika, Papua, on Friday.

He further explained that the two French journalists were sponsored by Garuda to carry out journalistic investigation in Indonesia.

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Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, March 20 2017

Just a few years after getting charged with anti-dumping duties by the European Union (EU), Indonesian biodiesel exporters have been severely impacted as sales have fallen significantly.

Ranging between 8.8 percent and 23.3 percent, 76.94 (US$82.74) to 178.85 each ton, the punitive duties effectively slashed shipment of the local palm oil based fuel since its implementation in 2013 to its lowest level in 2015, before starting to gain last year, according to data from the Trade Ministry.

The imposition of the high tariffs eroded the competitive edge of biodiesel made by four local producers, Biofuel Producers Association (Aprobi) chairman Paulus Tjakrawan said Sunday.

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Pranab Mukherjee was speaking as the chief guest at the valedictory session of the three-day international conference, 'Buddhism in the 21st Century - Perspectives and Responses to Global Challenges and Crises', at Rajgir in Nalanda district of Bihar.

By Indo-Asian News Service: President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said the world needs to discuss and deliberate as to why it is facing the scourge of violence and how to stop the "wanton destruction".

"No part of the world today is free from the scourge of violence. This crisis is all pervasive. The basic question being raised today is how to stop this wanton destruction and come back to sanity," the President said.

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He was speaking as the chief guest at the valedictory session of the three-day international conference, 'Buddhism in the 21st Century - Perspectives and Responses to Global Challenges and Crises', at Rajgir in Nalanda district of Bihar.

Speaking about the relevance of Buddhism, Mukherjee said the philosophy of Buddhism is as relevant today as ever - especially as the world grapples with complex problems that seem intractable.

"Buddhism has had a deep influence on human civilisation. The mighty emperor Ashoka, who had the ambition of extending his empire as far as he could, was converted into a missionary. Dhamma Ashoka is remembered in history rather than warrior Ashoka," he said.

He said that in the 21st century, the path of Lord Buddha and Buddhism will help the world get rid of viloence and terrorism.

ANCIENT EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

About the historical significance of the ancient Nalanda University, Mukherjee said it reflects our ancient educational system which attracted mighty minds in the form of students and teachers in ancient India.

Quoting Gandhiji on the Buddha, Mukherjee said: "He was saturated with the best which was in Hinduism... His great Hindu spirit cuts its way through the forest of meaningless words which had overlaid the golden truth which was in the Vedas."

The President congratulated the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara for publishing the entire Pali Tripitaka (texts or words of the Buddha) in 41 volumes in the Devanagari script.

Appreciating the initiatives of Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, the President said this will go a long way in popularising the tenets of Buddhism and will help the coming generations to easily connect with the supreme ideals of humanity, forbearance, discipline and compassion.

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Friday inaugurated the three-day international Buddhist conference which is being attended by 1,000 delegates from 35 countries.

The conference is being organised by the Union Ministry of Culture.

Also read: At India Today Conclave 2017, President Pranab Mukherjee calls for guarding against majoritarianism

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang and Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Bandung  Mon, March 20 2017

The competition for the top post in West Java, Indonesias most populous province and also its most intolerant, has begun more than a year before the gubernatorial election takes place with several candidates reportedly ready to throw their hat into the ring.

The NasDem Party officially endorsed popular Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil on Sunday for the election. Ridwan, a nonpartisan mayor, was endorsed by the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the Gerindra Party in his 2013 bid for the Bandung mayoralty. In the election next year, he might face Netty Prasetiyani Heryawan, the wife of PKS politician and current West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan.

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Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, March 20 2017

Travel services firm PT Panorama Tours Indonesia (PTI) has obtained business backup from Japans largest travel agent JTB Corp., following the latters stake acquisition in the company.

JTBs acquisition was made final during a recent general shareholders meeting of PT Panorama Sentrawisata, the parent company of PTI.

The shareholders approved Panorama Sentrawisatas plan to transfer 30.1 percent of its stake in PTI to JTB for Rp 369.72 billion (US$27.71 million).

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Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, March 20 2017

A zoology researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI), who declined to be identified, is one of the few promising Indonesian scientists who has had the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree in Germany.

She was invited to take part in a cutting-edge research project called insect-derived anti-infectives from Indonesia.

The project, which aims to develop antibiotics by using insects from Indonesia that exhibit antimicrobial activity, was a cooperative effort between the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology in Germany and LIPI.

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Linkedin Michael Hegarty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, March 20 2017

A long-term observer of Southeast Asian affairs casts a critical eye at the 10 years in office of Indonesias sixth president.

If one were to call Central Casting looking for a veteran Western news reporter who has spent decades covering the ups and downs of politics and society in Asia, one would no doubt seek a great bear of a man.

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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 19, 2017 16:28 2059 a291276806121264c0bd211cde5690b2 1 SE Asia Indonesia,malaysia-indonesia,#Malaysia,bilateral-ties,#bilateral,migrant-workers,#MigrantWorkers Free

Indonesia is intensifying its efforts to protect migrant workers in Malaysia, as indicated by a visit to Penang and Johor by Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi this week.

Retno's visit from March 15 to 18 was the first by an Indonesian foreign minister to Penang and Johor since 1969.

The minister held talks with Indonesian migrant workers and several companies in some key areas, including oil palm plantations and technology-intense industries, such as the Plexus Riverside.

I have asked the management to end the problems that occur in Malaysia and I will also convey that to the Malaysian government. Meanwhile, I have communicated with the relevant ministers to look for solutions to the upstream problems, Retno said in a statement on Saturday.

Retno also visited shelters for troubled citizens managed by the Indonesian consulate general offices in Penang and Johor Bahru and she launched public service innovations to assist with the welfare of migrant workers aboard, such as online passport application assistance.

She also launched the Indonesian Community Center, initiated by Johor Bahrus consulate general, which provides clinic facilities and skill training to migrant workers.

In Penang, Retno met with Governor Tun Dato Seri Utama Haji Abdul Rahman, who conveyed appreciation for Indonesian migrant workers' contributions to development in Malaysia.

According to data from the Foreign Ministry, there are approximately 360,000 Indonesian workers registered in KJRI Johor Bahru and about 80,000 in the KJRI Penang area, the majority of which work in oil palm plantations, construction and manufacturing industries. (ipa)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 19, 2017 08:21 2059 a291276806121264c0bd211cde55df64 1 News Airport,#airport,Dubai,Dubai-International-Airport,United-Arab-Emirates,Wi-Fi,Internet Free

Despite not making it onto Skytraxs top ten airports of 2017 list, the Dubai International Airport has claimed that it is now home to the worlds fastest, free airport Wi-Fi, at speeds of 100mbps.

The announcement follows the recent overhaul of both Dubai Airports, Dubai International and Dubai World Central. The overhaul, which was rolled out in December last year, featured free, unlimited high-speed internet.

The network, called WOW-Fi, is now available to all 89 million travelers who are expected to visit the airport in the following year. To make it work for such a large number of people in transit, the Dubai Airports group says that they will be installing 6,000 new Wi-Fi access points in the two airports.

(Read also: South Korea has worlds fastest internet)

Despite this, when group Rotten WiFi conducted their report of fastest airport internet speeds in 2016, the Middle East was mostly missing in the list of 226 airports, AFP reported. Instead, the United States and Thailand were named world leaders in fastest internet Wi-Fi, with seven and six airports featured on the top 20 list, respectively.

Still, with this new update, the Dubai International Airport says that in this respect, it has now eclipsed the competition. (sul/kes)
Professor Narendra Nayak has been fighting to get justice for the murdered RTI activist, Vinayaka Baliga for almost a year now. Vinayaka Baliga was hacked to death near his house in Kodialbail in the early hours on March 21, 2016 but on Wednesday, Professor Nayak alleges that he almost escaped a murder attempt on his own life.

By Nolan Pinto: Professor Narendra Nayak has been fighting to get justice for the murdered RTI activist, Vinayaka Baliga for almost a year now.

Vinayaka Baliga was hacked to death near his house in Kodialbail in the early hours on March 21, 2016 but on Wednesday, March 15, Professor Nayak alleges that he almost escaped a murder attempt on his own life.

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Professor Nayak, a rationalist, consumer activist and also a human rights activist in Mangaluru is not new to facing life threats for his activism but he tells India Today that these threats have increased in number ever since he took up the case of the murdered RTI activist.

He decided to do something since he found a lot of vested interests behind the murder. "He was hacked to death in a very gruesome manner. His skull was split and there were 13 stab wounds on his body,' Nayak tells India Today.

The RTI activist Baliga was an electrical contractor by profession and had unearthed controversial information related to electricity theft and unauthorized constructions in Mangaluru city. He had also raised the issue about alleged irregularities in the affairs of the famous Venkataramana temple in Mangaluru.

Professor Nayak, who currently holds the position of the president of the Federation of Indian Rationalists Associations says that the whole issue was sidetracked and a few people were set up as fall guys. 'Once we took up the case, a lot of things came out and that's when the threat to my life increased.'

The Mangaluru police then appointed a gunman for his protection but on Wednesday, instead of waiting for his gunman to arrive, the professor went for a swim at around 6.25 in the morning.

In his complaint he tells the police that two unknown people tried to stop him. When he did not stop, they told him that his car had a puncture. 'Their movement was very suspicious and I did not stop but drove straightway to a petrol bunk and found the tyres in perfect condition,' he says.

He immediately approached the police and filed a complaint alleging that a murder attempt on his life. 'When I enquired with people as to who these people were, they told me that they belonged to a local rowdy Shivaprasad who is involved in the murder of the RTI activist,' he says adding they are now out to finish him off for taking up the case.

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The rationalist says that the investigation has now come to a dead stop after one arrest took place and hence they have planned to take out a protest on March 21 along with a public meeting to force the authorities to carry on investigating this case.

Also Read: Bengaluru: Muslim girl trolled for singing Hindu devotional song in singing reality show

Also Read: We have retaliated for every attack, gave back for every murder: BJP leader

--- ENDS ---
In its latest Reactions video, the American Chemical Society (ACS) explains the science behind why some of us are born with red hair. Researchers say its all down to a recessive genetic trait caused by a series of mutations in the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R for short)  a gene located on chromosome 16.Chemically speaking, skin and hair pigmentation is caused by two different kinds of melanin  eumelanin and pheomelanin. While most humans produce the brown-black eumelanin that results in varying shades of skin colour and hair from blonde to black, redheads have MC1R that causes cells to produce the reddish pheomelanin instead, resulting in paler skin and fiery locks. As MC1R is a recessive gene trait, both parents need to carry that gene (even if they arent redheads themselves) to have a child with red hair.In addition, it appears the way red hair pigment is produced in the cells also has an effect on sensitivity to pain. The ACS researchers say studies have shown redheads have higher sensitivity to pain and a slightly greater sensitivity to cold than others in the population. Some studies have suggested redheads might need more anaesthesia during surgery as well, they add. Although the cause for pain sensitivity has not been determined by the scientists, one of the theories is that MC1R gene expression takes place in the periaqueductal grey area of the brain, which, in part, governs the pain sensation experienced by the human body.
If youve ever been on a bit of a party holiday, youll know that sometimes they can take a rather unexpected turn.

Including, say, downing shots with a grandma.

Ooh thats a good shot  yes, that was a grandma saying that.

Twitter user Anna Maria, from San Diego, uploaded a video of her and two friends drinking by the pool in Mexico and Doreen Grett excitedly joining in.

Anna Maria told us: Me and my friends were on spring break and were at the hotel pool one morning when we met Doreen and her husband, who were sitting near us. She was super-sweet and told us how she liked our swimsuits and we started talking to her and then, when we ordered drinks, we thought it would be fun to take a shot with her and she agreed.

She was one of the sweetest people and we just thought it would be fun to take her a shot. We had no idea it would get this big and Im still so surprised how much attention weve gotten.

We need some Doreen in our lives pronto.

The clip was actually in response to a viral tweet from Doreens granddaughter Payton. See, Payton had shared a picture of the drinking sesh that Doreen had posted on her Facebook page with the caption shots with the girls. It understandably went viral and Anna Maria spotted it in her timeline.

Theres a cute twist to the story  Anna Maria and Payton have since been chatting over Twitter, sharing their love for the fun-loving grandma.

@annaamsberry ohh my gosh lmao this is soooo cute! She loved you guys too!  payt (@paytongrett) March 10, 2017

@paytongrett im so glad we met her she was so sweet and told us all about you and your brother  anna maria (@annaamsberry) March 10, 2017

Payton replied to Annas video of the holiday antics in Playa Grande, saying: Ohh my gosh lmao this is soooo cute! She loved you guys too to which Anna replied: Im so glad we met her she was so sweet and told us all about you and your brother.

Nawwwwwwww.

People havent been holding back in showing their love and respect for Doreens tequila chugging.

@annaamsberry @paytongrett this is currently my favorite thing on the internet  Robert Balkovich (@robertbalkovich) March 10, 2017

I'm trying to marry someone who is as fun as Doreen at that age https://t.co/YQbdxBvooA  Blake Gardner (@CoachGardnerEC) March 11, 2017

Payt your grandma is so dope. I know where you get it from now https://t.co/ZJHlURq7UU  SavvyD (@SavvyLee143) March 11, 2017

We also love how in the clip it appears that sassy Doreen dont need no lime after her shot.

Inspirational stuff.
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The angry mob took to pelting stones at the QRT and forest department officials, who were involved in the tranquilising of the animal.

By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: Anger continues to simmer in parts of Sariska Forest Reserve area after a leopard was burnt to death by a rampaging mob. The forest department in Alwar has filed an FIR against unknown persons under sections 9(51) of the Forest Act.

Tension has gripped large parts as the reserve area continues to witness one of the worst instances of man-animal conflict in recent years. There has been palpable fear in villages in the area after another person was killed in a leopard attack on Saturday taking the total number of deaths due to leopard attacks to 7.

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After the death of Ramprasad Gujjar on Saturday, who belonged to Bansur area, villagers had demonstrated against the forest department. They blamed the department for not taking quick and required action. On Saturday, some of the villagers spotted a leopard, suspected to have killed Ramprasad and the angry mob started pelting stones at the Quick Response Team and forest department officials, who were involved in the tranquilising of the animal. Some of them also chased the leopard which had entered a cave. The area was blocked and thereafter, the angry mob set the leopard on fire.

A villager Dayaram admitted, "We have burnt him. He was harassing the villagers and killing animals."

As per Sanwarmal Nagora, CO of Alwar rural area, "The leopard was tranquilised. Thereafter, he had entered a cage. The villagers started pelting stones (at forest department officials). They had burnt him."

The reserve has recently been under increasing glare due to rise in incidents of leopards attacking human beings. In February, there had been four deaths within a span of seven days. Despite repeated assurance, leopard attacks did not stop and has adversely affected people's lives in the area. And after Saturday's leopard attack, several top officials from the police and district administration had reached the spot and combing operation was being carried out in the forest area.

India Today spoke with Alwar District collector, Muktanand Agarwal, who mentioned, "Large number of leopards have been living in the area for a long time. Human beings and these animals had been living in a cordial atmosphere. Sometimes, these leopards used to pick up on their animals and villagers used to not mind. But after last month's killings, the man - animal conflict has become clear and that has been of concern."

Last month, four people were brutally killed in the Sariska forest reserve in a period of seven days due to leopard attacks. Thereafter, more than two dozen men from the Quick Response Team (QRT) were deployed to scan through deep forests of Sariska for any tell tale signs, like pug marks, of the leopard. The district administration had also been made use of drone to scan through large, treacherous parts of the forest region. Loud speakers and pamphlets were being made use of by the administration asking villagers to stay on alert.

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The recent spate of killings has also led to politicians making a beeline for the area. Blame game has ensued as angry villagers continue to hold the administration responsible for the failure to stop the killings. Tikaram Juli, district president, Congress, says, "There is anger in the village because the leopards have been attacking everyday. The forest officials were given information but the forest team turned up very late."

Demands of compensation and security have been made. Shakuntla Rawat, an MLA from Bansur area mentioned, "Leopards have caused havoc. One person from the family of dead be given a job, Rs 20 lakh compensation. I will raise this matter in the Assembly."

ALSO READ | Rajasthan: Leopard attack causes another death in Sariska Forest Reserve

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) Jats, agitating for quota, today announced that they will not march towards Delhi tomorrow as planned, a decision that came as a relief to the national capital which was bracing for trouble.

The leader of the jat agitation, after a four-hour meeting with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here, said the demands of the community had been met and therefore the stir will end. Two Union Ministers Birender Singh and P P Chaudhary, both jats themselves, were also present during the deliberations.

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After the announcement, the authorities in Delhi, which was on tenterhooks, eased restrictions which were proposed to be put in the capital tomorrow. Delhi Metro said its services will now run normally except for curbs on exit at certain stations close to Parliament.

However, there was violence in Fatehabad in Haryana today when jat agitators were stopped by police from moving towards Delhi. At least 35 people, including an SP, a DSP and 16 other policemen, were injured in the clashes.

Khattar, while addressing a press conference after the truce deal, promised "full justice" to the jats as described their demands as "genuine".

He said the Centre will soon initiate the process of providing the reservation while at the state level, an early action will be initiated as soon as a decision comes from the High Court before which the matter is pending.

Regarding other demands, he said the state government will "re-assess" the cases registered betweeen 2010 and 2017 against the Jat protesters, the next of kin of those killed and handicapped during those protests will be given permanent jobs and the role of officers will be probed so that strict action can be taken against the guilty.

All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) Chairperson Yashpal Malik, leader of the agitation seated besides Khattar, said, "We have called off our agitation and march towards Delhi. The state government has agreed to our demands.... The march to Delhi planned for tomorrow has been postponed and therefore jats will not come to Delhi tomorrow."

He said the jats have "full trust on the intentions" of the government.

However, he added, that dharnas will continue at some places in Haryana "as we have to inform them about todays decision and it will take 5-6 days. By March 26, we will do it... At some places, dharna will take place in a symbolic way till our demands are met or any new decision is taken. These dharnas will be attended only by our committee members."

The Jats have been sitting on dharna in various parts of Haryana since January 29.

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The Haryana Chief Minister appealed to people in the state to cooperate in maintaining peace and harmony. Around 30 people were killed and more than 300 people injured when a similar agitation by the Jats had resulted in large-scale violence in Haryana in February last year.

In view of the planned march tomorrow, prohibitory orders had been clamped in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to stop the Jat protesters from entering Delhi.

About 24,700 paramilitary personnel had been mobilised to maintain peace. Metro and road transport has been curtailed and several schools have been closed in the national capital.

Besides quotas, the Jats have been demanding release of people jailed during last years agitation, withdrawal of cases slapped during the protests and government jobs for the kin of those killed and injured while taking part in the stir. PTI NES KUN AKK AKK

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Stolen, fraudulent checks valuing $849,000 found during traffic stop

The Watertown Police find over 100 stolen checks and an estimated $800,000 in fraudulent checks during a vehicle search.
A new barbecue restaurant is moving into the long-vacant spot formerly occupied by German restaurant Kuckucksei on Billings West End.

Owners Ryan and Cindy Sahli say theyre planning to open Im Cravin Bar-B-Que in early April at 111 S. 24th St. W. inside the Rimrock Mini-mall.

The two started the restaurant as a food truck about two years ago, setting up shop at Canyon Creek Brewery and on the Billings South Side. After this snowy season, Sahli said he knew he was ready to make the jump to brick-and-mortar.

The long winter helped. Its hard to get the trailer out in that stuff. And we were always discussing it. We wanted to do something small, Sahli, 41, said.

The new space is about 2,300 square feet and seats about 100 people, he said.

The Sahlis make brisket, pulled pork, homemade chili, frito pies, chili dogs, melt sandwiches, Philly cheese steaks and other Southern favorites. Cindy Sahli is a Texas native, and Ryan Sahli, who is from Billings, spent about nine years in the Longhorn State, learning the recipes.

In the West End location, the Sahlis plan to expand the menu and add side dishes, more ribs, smoked chicken and smoked turkey.

They plan to keep operating the food truck but on a more limited schedule.

The expansion will also allow Ryan Sahli to quit his job driving truck and work in the restaurant full-time, he said.

Its in a good area. Its still lively, and the school is close, he said.

Im Cravin Bar-B-Que will be open 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The business will have six to eight employees.

Pizza chain eyeing Billings

A West Coast pizza chain is seeking franchisees to expand in Billings.

Oakhurst, Calif.-based Pizza Factory announced last week that its accepting applications to open a new store in Billings. The chain has 110 stores in six states.

Pizza Factory is a fast-casual restaurant that serves pizzas with fresh cheese, slow-cooked meat sauce and meat balls rolled in-house.

The chain has a No Bully Zone program and holds fundraisers for youth groups in its communities.

Visit www.pizzafactoryfranchises.com for more information.

Bagels downtown

Mels Lunch Box, a new Billings South Side sandwich shop, added bagels to its breakfast menu last week, owner Tammy Fletcher said.

The eatery inside the historic L&L Building at the corner of Minnesota Avenue and South 27th Street is selling different colored bagels, including rainbow, Fletcher said.

Fletcher and her wife, Melody Fletcher, opened Mels Lunch Box in February at the former Subway shop. The also own For the Funk of It across 27th Street.

Taxes coming in

The Montana Department of Revenue announced last week it has processed 212,899 individual income tax returns so far this year and issued 141,317 refunds averaging $447.16.

The agency noted refunds might take longer because of extra security in response to a rise in fraudulent filings.

April 18 is the deadline for all filers. Taxpayers can visit www.revenue.mt.gov for more information or call 866-859-2254 for assistance.

Haikus from the valley

They came, they shot hoops

They visited Billings schools
The school management also barred the students from appearing in annual exam, citing non-payment of school fee.

By Press Trust of India: A private school in Hyderabad allegedly confined 19 students, some as young as five, in a room on its premises for over one hour after their parents failed to pay school fee on time, police said today.

The incident took place on Saturday. The school management also tried to prevent the students from appearing for their annual exam, Hayathnagar Police Station Inspector, J Narender Goud said.

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Those confined include students from Class I, said the police official.

"They (school management) confined the students and were not allowing them to write the exams, stating that their parents had delayed fee payment. After police intervened, the students were released and allowed to appear for exams," the Inspector said.

A parent of one of the student lodged a complaint with police against the school management after which a case under IPC section 342 (wrongful confinement) and relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act was registered, the police officer said.

ALSO READ| India Today School Summit 2017: Here's all that is wrong with our education system

ALSO READ| Delhi schools turn into theatres of violence, teachers feel terrorised

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Four police officials, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police, were injured on Sunday in Fatehabad district in Haryana when Delhi-bound Jat community protesters clashed with them.

The police force was trying to stop them from moving towards Delhi. The clash took place on the Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi highway when the protesters, who were on tractor-trolleys, were stopped.

Police used force, including tear gas, as the protesters pelted them with stones.

Authorities in Haryana have imposed a ban on movement of tractor-trolleys in districts bordering Delhi to foil a call given by Jat leaders to lay seige to Delhi and hold a protest outside Parliament.
The Centre is on high alert and has mobilised heavy security forces even as Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday invited Jat community leaders for talks in Delhi ahead of their proposed agitation programme.

"The government is serious about resolving the issue. To maintain peace and brotherhood in the state is our first priority," Khattar said.

The Jat community leaders have decided to intensify their agitation, demanding quotas in government jobs and education. The agitation has been under way for 50 days. Now, the community plans to intensify the protest and storm Parliament.

Meanwhile, to prevent any chaotic and tragic situation in view of the Jat protests, the Centre has called out the Army and mobilised 24,700 paramilitary personnel in Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Also, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC have been imposed and Internet services suspended in many 'sensitive' districts of Haryana, including in Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonepat.

Khattar would be holding the talks with Jat community leaders, along with Union Minister of State for Law and Justice P P Chaudhary and Union Minister Birender Singh.

DGP KP Singh said all security measures have been taken and all highways and roads are opened so that people may travel through the state without any fear.

The All-India Jat Aarkashan Sangarsh Samiti has been spearheading the ongoing quota stir which entered its 50th day on Sunday.

On March 16, a Haryana ministerial panel led by senior Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had held talks with the Jats in Panipat, after which he said that an agreement had been reached with the community and the deadlock could end soon.

"Whatever confusion arose earlier, will be removed. Whatever has been decided at the March 16 meeting, we will look to move forward from there," Khattar added.

(With inputs from agencies)
Parliaments last week was just after the Assembly election results of five states were declared. Not surprisingly, therefore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed as lion of Gujarat when he arrived for Thursdays Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha. He received asimilar welcome from BJP MPs in the Lok Sabha. Although the Congress had the Punjab victory to answer for the BJPs capture of UP and Uttarakhand, it cried murder of democracy in both Houses over Goa and Manipur, where BJP-led coalitions were invited to form governments, ignoring its claim for being the single largest party. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad raised an interesting point that the BJP had already formed governments in Goa and Manipur where it emerged without majority in the polls, and was yet to initiate the same process in UP and Uttarakhand, where its victories had impressed everyone. Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, armed with facts, listed instances at the Central and state levels where alternative coalitions, including the one led by Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee in 1998, presenting more credible options, were sworn into office. The Congress led walk-outs on the issue in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, and forced repeated adjournments in the Rajya Sabha the next day by shouting slogans in the well of the House.

Despite this, the two Houses proceeded with the Budget session work. While the Lok Sabha discussed the working of the Ministries of Railways, Defence, Home and Agriculture, the Rajya Sabha trailing behind, resumed its General Budget discussion. After the recent derailments, safety in rail travel was uppermost in the minds of the Lok Sabha members when they spoke on the Railway Ministrys Demands for Grants. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu spoke of Rs.10,000 crores being spent on safety works. The rail accidents were being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), he said. Congress and Shiv Sena members staged a walk-out when Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, intervening in a discussion on the Demands for Grants of his Ministry, said the Centre would bear the burden of the farmers loan waiver only in Uttar Pradesh, and gave no assurance for other states. The members were agitated when the minister said that in UPs case, the BJP had made a poll promise that it would finance a loan waiver, if it came to power in the state.

The Defence Budget discussion brought up the surgical strikes issue, and Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said these strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control were carried out on the basis of specific information on possible attacks on the country from there. While there was absolute precision in the strikes, no Indian casualty was suffered, he said. Rejecting Congress member Jyotiraditya Scindias charge that the Army was not getting new weapons, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, who holds the Defence charge in addition to his Finance Ministry portfolio after the movement of Mr Manohar Parrikar to Goa as its new Chief Minister, said the armed forces were fully prepared to meet any threat to the country. Home Minister Rajnath Singh replied to the Home Ministry debate on Friday and said the Centre had adopted a humanitarian approach towards problems of Jammu and Kashmir. The Lok Sabha debates were exhaustive as the House sat till late in the evening, allowing members to have their say.

The Rajya Sabhas General Budget discussion had Mr Jairam Ramesh of the Congress saying that demonetisation might have been a smart political move but it had a spurious and dubious logic behind it. Judging from bank credit, railway freight and electricity consumption, the economys performance as flat. Both Houses welcomed the return of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj after her medical treatment, and heard her assuring statements on crimes against Indians in the US, and fishermens release from Pakistan and Sri Lankan custody.
Most people who follow a religion never read its holy books. They simply follow social customs that pretend to be part of the religion. For instance, the Prophet Mohammeds eating habits were very frugal and he espoused vegetarianism by his actions and teachings, but every Muslim will swear that eating meat is part of his/her religion. The Sikhs do the same with eating meat even though all their Gurus are vegetarian. So do the Buddhists. The Tamilians grow up thinking they know the teachings of Thiruvalluvar, the poet who wrote one of the world's finest treatises on practical morality, Thirukkural. But, like all proponents of religions and philosophies, they take selectively and out of context what they need to bolster a way of life that suits them  whether drinking, gambling, eating meat or bigamy, whether beating women, stealing or whoring. During the recent mob violence in Tamil Nadu, that pushed the local government into a frontal attack on the Supreme Court, many people quoted Thirukkural as giving the sanctions for the annual assault on bulls that leaves many dead and maimed.

There any many savageries on animals in India and this is one of the worst. Unfortunately, since the mob got away with it, many other states are now demanding that the Supreme Court allow their people to be equally savage  cockfighting, bullfighting, cow racing, bulbul fighting, all this is now being pushed along with the appropriate Hindu scriptures. How sad to see the descendants of Thiruvalluvar pushing for permissions to be cruel to bulls and quoting his immortal Thirukkural as a reason. Give alcohol to a bull so that his liver is permanently damaged, tear out bits of his skin so that he is in agony, cut of his tail, put lime juice in his eyes and chillies on his genitals and then jump all over him till he falls and dies. This is not the sport that the poet advocated  it has become a furious, mad violence unleashed on an animal victim. The Thirukkural is composed of 1,330 couplets in Old Tamil. Each kural, or couplet, contains exactly seven words, known as cirs, with four cirs on the first line and three on the second. Each one teaches you how to live life at its purest level in a way that makes you enjoy being alive.

What does the Thirukkural say about compassion?

Wicked men do not fear, but worthy men dread : The arrogance of sinful deeds.

201

Only the forgetful plot another's ruin; others remember : That virtue itself devises a plotter's downfall. 204 Let him who wishes to be free from afflictions' pain:Avoid inflicting harm on others.

206

One can escape from hate-filled enemies : But one's own hateful acts will relentlessly pursue and destroy him.

207

Among the wealthy, compassionate men claim the richest wealth : For material wealth is possessed by even contemptible men.

241

Find and follow the good path and be ruled by compassion : For if the various ways are examined, compassion will prove the means to liberation.

242

Those whose hearts are drawn toward compassion : Will never be drawn into the woeful world of darkness.

243

Evil deeds dreaded by the soul will not afflict : The compassionate who foster and protect all life.

244

This wide and wind-swept fertile earth is witness to the truth : That misery is not for men who keep compassion.

245

They say those who act cruelly by forsaking compassion : Must have forgotten what it means to forsake morality.

246

As this world is not for the penniless : So is that world not for the pitiless!

247

Those without wealth may one day prosper : but those without Kindness are utterly forever doomed.

248

Practicing charity without compassion is as inconceivable : As realizing Truth without clarity of mind.

249

Before advancing against those weaker than yourself : Ponder when you stood before those more powerful.

250

The face's smile and the heart's joy are slain by anger : Does there exist a greater enemy than one's own anger?

304

If a man would be his own guard, let him guard against anger : Left unguarded, his own wrath will slay him.

305

Drawing near it, men are engulfed in fury's fire : Which burns even rescuing friends and family.

306

If hurting others would bring princely riches : The pure in heart would still refuse.

311

It is the principle of the pure in heart never to injure others : Even when they themselves have been hatefully injured.

312

To harm even those who antagonize us unprovoked:Will bring boundless suffering.

313

What good is a man's knowledge unless it prompts him to : Prevent the pain of others as if it were his own pain?

315

Any actions which a man knows would harm himself:He should not inflict on others.

316

The supreme principle is this : Never knowingly Harm anyone at any time in any way.

317

Why does one hurt other lives : Doing what he knows can hurt oneself?

318

If a man inflicts sorrow on another in the morning : Sorrow will come to him unbidden in the afternoon.

319

Harm descends on those who harm others : Hence, those who wish not to be harmed, do no harm.

320

What is virtuous conduct? It is never destroying life : For killing leads to every other sin.

321

Of all the virtues summed by ancient sages the foremost are these : To partake of food one has shared and to protect all living creatures.

322

Not killing is the first and foremost good : The virtue of not lying comes next.

323

What is the good way? It is the path that reflects on : How it may avoid killing any living creature.

324

Among all who disown the world out of dismay, the foremost are : They who, dismayed with death-dealing, embrace non-killing.

325

Life-devouring death will not assail the living days : Of one whose code of conduct is to never kill.

326

Refrain from taking precious life from any living being: Even to save your own life.

327

By sacrifice of life some gain great wealth and benefits : But wise men scorn such gains.

328

The savages whose trade is killing creatures are defiled : Wise men know the defiling nature of being mean.

329

The beggar who suffers a sore ridden body and destitute life must have : Once deprived another's body of life.

330

All of you who believe that an animal, or even a human being, who has less power than you, is simply a being to be hurt and used, read these immortal verses and think about the quality of your own mind and life. Are you happy? Did you get any happier when you were hurting someone weaker than you?
The strategic significance of the extended definition of the North-east, which made Sikkim a part of the North Eastern Council, is that the region is now the only one in India that shares land borders with five countries. And yet, interest in developments in Nepal has always been limited with little media coverage.

Even in the 1990s when the Maoists launched the Peoples War in that country and installed a parallel power centre vis- a- vis the state in several parts, media and people in the North-east did not feel concerned about the possible impact of Maoism in the region.

This was in sharp contrast with the perception that prevailed in the wake of the Naxalite movement in the 1970s. It might be due to the anti-foreigners movement in the 1980s when migration from Nepal was seen as a part of the problem. However, indifference to Nepal now makes little geo-political sense because in the post- April 2015 earthquake scenario, new opportunities are emerging for India in which the North-east may have a mutually beneficial role to play. Such possibilities have been obscured in the fog of political uncertainty associated with Nepals unfinished task of forming a constitution capable of meeting the legitimate aspirations of its diverse population, which is divided into four broad ethno-cultural groups. These are upper caste-based in the hills and the valley, Janjatis meaning tribes in the hills and plains divided into 54 groups, Dalits and Madhesis comprising roughly 31 per cent, 30 per cent, nine per cent and 31 percent, respectively of Nepals population of 29 million people according to the 2016 estimates. However, there are some gaps in these estimates due to overlapping of identities.

The mind-boggling ethnic diversity of Nepal is seen from the fact that in only 15 out of 75 districts is there a single group that makes up more than 50 per cent of the population. This makes the task of delineation of legislative constituencies, reservation of seats and any system of decentralised governance extremely complex. Consequently the declaration the Maoists made when they joined the interim government in 2006 of wanting Nepal, even in the interim period, to become a democratic federal republic remained unfulfilled largely due to a lack of consensus in balancing the interests of ethnic groups in the distribution of political power in a democracy with federal features as worked out in the 2015 constitution.

Since Nepal was not under direct British rule, its institutions of governance were not influenced, as in India, by the British common law, systems and procedures. From the formation of the state in 1768 under the legendary King Prithvi Narayan Shah till the 1990 constitution, Nepal was an absolute monarchy without any basic feature of democracy such as the rule of law, bill of rights, duly elected legislature, independent judiciary and an apolitical civil service. And, power and privileges were cornered by the hill upper caste elite who held roughly two thirds of all positions in government while the land and other rights of subjects were unclear and discriminatory.

The Maoist insurgency was a violent protest against this extractive state. However, its promise of building an inclusive state has hit several road blocks of such magnitude that they prompted keen observers of Nepal like KV Rajan, who was the Indian envoy there, to feel that notwithstanding the 2015 Constitution and the decision of the government to go through the motions of elections to local bodies  scheduled in May this year  and provincial and national legislatures thereafter to be completed by January 2018, the election process is unlikely to succeed in the near future. The withdrawal of support of an alliance of Madhes-based political parties to Prime Minister Prachanda-led government on 15 March and the present Madhes agitation against holding of elections to local bodies  the first ever to be held in Nepal after 20 years  prove that Rajans assessment has been right.

Let us look at the Madhesi issue. There has been inaccurate reporting in the Indian media that the Madhesis are of Indian origin, far from it because the Terai area where they live was a part of the kingdom of Nepal since its inception in 1765.

The British allowed Nepal to retain this territory to ensure economic viability of Nepal and two districts in the far west, Kanchanpur and Kailali were returned to the monarchy for their loyalty after 1857.The Ranas like the zamindars of Assams Goalpara district actually encouraged farmers from neighbouring areas to move up to raise crops and thereby increase revenues of the state. Thus Madhes emerged as the base of Nepals agrarian economy and the main source of revenue. Also, all surface transport links to India passes through Madhes. Thus 50 per cent plus of Nepals GDP of $20.88 billion ($71.52billion in terms of purchasing power parity as per 2016 estimates) is derived from the Madhes region and the main segments of the industry and service sector of the economy operate in Madhes except tourism.

The economic future of Nepal critically depends on Madhes. In the present situation when democracy in South Asia is really a numbers game, the formation of seven provinces under the 2015 Constitution mixing hills and plains areas in a manner that would ensure permanent dominance of the hill upper caste elite in six provinces means cynical rejection of the core Madhesi demand of ethnicity-based constitution of provinces for ensuring due Madhesi representation in the national assembly and their majority status in two provinces in the Terai.

The demands are unlikely to be met soon as this will require a restructuring of the dispensation of political power in Nepal and a change in the outlook of the ruling elite, which calls itself Communist and democratic, and is yet unwilling to agree to a political arrangement based on regional autonomy and balanced development for peace and progress of Nepal.

The brighter side of Nepal is the small population and huge untapped hydro-power potential, estimated at 42,000 MW, and natural resources for rapid all-round growth of the economy. In 2014, the economy grew at six per cent and though disrupted in 2015 due to the earthquakes, it is picking up again mainly fuelled by post-earthquake reconstruction and increased remittances from expatriate Nepali citizens, which account for 31.7 per cent of the GDP  the highest proportion for any South Asian nation as over half a million Nepalis are presently working in countries outside South Asia.

Nepal has a strong co-operative sector and has embarked on a skill development programme and to promote medium, small and micro enterprises. There has been a rising demand for improved health care and higher education in engineering, medical and management, which cannot be locally made given the spatial distribution of Nepals population and easy access to such facilities in the Indian neighbourhood. That creates opportunities for West Bengal, Sikkim and other North-eastern states.

The latter has an advantage as it has a well spread out ethnic Nepali population, which must now be about two million, which is five per cent of the regions population especially in Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

In Assam, Nepalis introduced commercial dairy farming for which they were accorded recognition as graziers under the Assam Land Revenue Regulation 1886 and professional grazing reserve lands were set apart for their cattle in all Assam valley districts. Their role in the Assam Rifles, state police, forest resource-based activity and as skilled workforce in urban areas, have immensely contributed to transform the North-east in the modern period. Thus the time has come to recognise the ethnic Nepali not as the other but as a vital link to the emerging economy of Nepal with increased foreign investment and larger interaction with the neighbouring states of India and South-east Asia.

If the North-east could open its healthcare and education facilities to Nepal, the region could gain immensely from a research and development partnership with the Nepal-based International Center for Mountain Development. The region could also avail Nepals expertise in developing world class tourism industry for ushering in a new era of Nepal-North East economic and technological cooperation. And this will require a critical change of mindset in the North-east  looking to Nepal as a source of opportunity for mutual progress.

(THE WRITER IS A RETIRED IAS OFFICER OF THE ASSAM-MEGHALAYA CADRE AND HAS SERVED AS A SCIENTIFIC CONSULTANT IN THE OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR TO THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA)
India should consider reviving the long-delayed Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline following easing of sanctions on Tehran, a Parliamentary panel has said.

India had almost abandoned the IPI pipeline in 2008 following the US sanctions against Iran over its suspected nuclear programme and has instead pursued a rival line from Turkmenistan, passing through Afghanistan and Pakistan (TAPI pipeline).

"The government should examine the idea of reviving the (IPI) project as international conditions have become favourable following lifting of sanctions against Iran," the Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas said in a report submitted to Parliament on Friday.

The Oil Ministry in its comments to the committee stated that IPI pipeline was envisaged to transport natural gas from South Pars gas field of Iran to Pakistan and India with a carrying capacity of 60 million standard cubic meters per day, to be equally split between India and Pakistan.

"The total length of the pipeline up to Indian border (near Barmer) was about 2,135 km (1,100 kms within Iran and the rest within the territory of Pakistan)," the ministry said. "As per past estimates, investments required for this pipeline were in excess of USD 7 billion."

There has been "little or no progress" in the IPI project since 2008 for a number of reasons, the Committee said in its report without elaborating.

India is pursuing transnational pipelines to meet rising energy needs. The country is reliant on imports to meet about half of its natural gas needs.

The panel said a consortium for Turkmenistan-Afghanistan -Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline  TAPI Pipeline Company Ltd (TPCL)  was incorporated in Isle of Man, and shareholders' agreement signed in December 2015.

Turkmenistan will own 85 per cent of TPCL while India, Pakistan and Afghanistan will each have 5 per cent stake.

"The construction of pipeline has commenced in December 2015 and is likely to be completed in about 7 years," it said.

It recommended that TAPI project be monitored closely in collaboration with other participating countries in order to ensure that the project is completed in time.

"The Committee feels that trans-national pipelines are important elements of national energy security and they need to be pursued vigorously," the report added.

On April 7 last year the Investment Agreement (IA) of TPCL was signed in Ashgabat. "It relates to initial equity infusion by the shareholders. TPCL subsequently opened its office in Dubai, UAE and has been holding its board meetings," the ministry said in its submission to the panel.
It is festive time in Yogi Adityanaths native village Panchur in district Pauri. As the name Yogi was announced as new UP Chief Minister, media invaded the remote village. The big gathering of journalist and villagers from different corner of the district coming, forced Yogis father Anand Singh Bisht to drop his idea to visiting Lucknow for attending the swearing in ceremony of the new Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

Anand, his wife Shavitri and other members of the family watched the glittering function on television in a small room- packed with media people. The eco of Yogi Adityanath Jindabad echoed in the remote village in Uttarakhand.

Panchur is a small revenue village in district Pauri with a small population of about 70 persons and consisting of 20 houses. The remote village saw a sudden big movement of obi tv news vans and tv journalists. All of a sudden Panchur was in limelight.

Yogis father Anand Singh Bisht, a retired forest ranger, was to go to Lucknow for attending the swearing in ceremony of the his son and new UP Chief Minister. But, guests and media kept the Bisht family occupied all round the clock from Friday evening. This forced Anand to cancel his trip.

The Panchur village is in celebration mode since Friday evening. Guest are dancing on the beat of the traditional drum beaters.

I am hopeful that Yogi will fulfill the aspirations of the UP people. He will work for development of every section of the people, said a proud Anand Bisht.

As the news about Yogi becoming Uttar Pradesh CM spread in the region, people began visiting Panchur. They expressed their happiness by cracking crackers, distributing sweets and dancing.

Panchur is located 110 kms from Dehradun. Yogi was earlier known as Ajay Mohan Bisht and he did his masters in Mathematics from HNB Garhwal University.

UP Chief Ministers brother Mahinder Bisht said, There is big excitement in the region. We are thrilled!

Adityanath is the head priest of the Gorakhnath Mut. He left his native village in 1992 and was declared heir of Mahant Avaidyanath in 1994. An interesting event related to student politics is associated with Yogi Adityanath. In the 90s Yogi made an obtain Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) ticket to contest for general secretary post in the Kotdwar College student union polls. Yogi was denied ticket and he contested as independent candidate. Yogi lost the polls, but in over a span of two and half decade the same person is crowned Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister. Amazing journey of highlander from the hill to top of UP politics.
"A sucker is born every minute, said Barnum, the 19th century showman. I saw enough of that when I lived in India and, on the recommendation of well-meaning friends, met revered gurus who quickly proved purveyors of snake oil. They would spout sacred verses in Sanskrit, which most Indians dont know; but I had painstakingly learned the ancient language, in which most Hindu texts are written, and I frequently found these blatantly misquoted or misinterpreted.

When I came to the US, I found a parallel phenomenon with religious leaders. They would volubly cite Biblical verses, then interpret them to neatly fit their crass social or political views. A famous preacher in the south would massage them for a happy, upbeat creed, while a popular televangelist would use them for fiery anti-Arab diatribes. They cared little for the historical meaning of canonical texts.

So you will understand my hesitation when a friend in Kathmandu suggested that I join him and visit a reputed Buddhist lama. The latter, I was told in a hushed tone, was both a Rimpoche (the word means jewel), a scholarly abbot, and a Tulku, a child prodigy who is the custodian of a Tibetan Buddhist lineage.

I had barely sipped my first cup of coffee that Saturday morning when my resolute friend came to collect me. Seto Gumpa, the white chapel, was a charming midtown monastery, neither small or cramped nor huge or overwhelming, and, with colorful little flags and bright curtains, almost unmonastic.

We sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor of a sun-drenched hall with sixty other visitors, and presently the Rimpoche arrived.

A middle aged man, with a young and sturdy look, he wore a loose brown-and-saffron garb and walked briskly across the hall to take his seat on a slightly elevated platform. The broad eyebrows and firm lips were a contrast to his sparkling eyes. When he spoke, his tone was of genial conversation, not weighty discourse. He gave pauses, seeming to invite questions, and when some came, he explained himself mildly, almost deferentially.

His was the shortest spiritual talk I have ever heard. When he stopped, some of the foreigners present asked him about Buddhist practices and he responded readily, sometimes drolly, to everyone.

Then suddenly the Rimpoche pointed at the last row, and I thought he wanted to talk to my friend. My friend whispered, He wants to talk to you, and quickly wrapped a silken scarf around my neck. I walked up to the Rimpoche, and following the Tibetan custom unwrapped the scarf, bowed and placed it around his neck. He acknowledged the gift with a bow and then placed his own scarf  gently but more deftly  round my neck.

As I sat awkwardly on the floor in front of him, he smiled and asked who I was. I gave the conventional reply that I was the American consul in Nepal. He said that I looked a little different from the other Americans in the room. I explained that I was born in India of Indian parents and had spent a large part of my life there.

Why did I then move to the US? I had met and loved somebody in India, who was an American. When she returned to her country, she wanted me to join her, and I did. He smiled broadly and said I was right to do so.

Then he asked me a question that stumped me. Was I happy? Did I like doing what I was doing in my life? I thought a little and said that there were parts of my work  parts where I felt I was helping other people  that I liked. There were also, I added, other parts that I did not like so much. In my private life too, I liked the affection of friends and family, but werent comfortable with some other elements.

I paused and then hesitantly said that I was often troubled by the feeling that my life was far too focused on small things and on myself; I would have preferred a larger role for larger things.

He looked at me for a long time in silence. His face was as placid as it was earlier, but now it had a tinge of concern and sadness.

He asked me to tell him my full name. When I did so, he repeated it and asked me to help him pronounce it properly. I said it twice more and he repeated it. When I nodded to approve, he asked me, so softly that I had to bend to hear him, to take care of myself. Good care, he emphasized.

He was again quiet for a while. Then he said: Do the small things well. As well as you can. And wait for the larger things to appear.

More than a decade has passed since that strange encounter. I cannot forget the astonishing tranquility the Rimpoche somehow conferred on me in those few minutes. Never have I talked with a total stranger and felt every syllable heard with supreme attention and, yes, acceptance.

I had heard a rumour that he was clairvoyant. He didnt need to be, for he saw, I felt, right inside me. He didnt just hear my words; he absorbed my thoughts, my feelings, all my fears, hopes and concerns. Ludicrous as it sounds, I said to my friend, I felt like a little boy sitting in front of my mother, loved, cared for, fully understood.

When I came out, the colourful little flags of Seto Gumpa, fluttering in the midday breeze, seemed to be singing a silent anthem.

(The writer is a Washington-based international development advisor and had worked with the World Bank. He can be reached at [email protected])
A first-of-its-kind 'Coffee With MLAs' event was organized at Chennai's Valluvar Kottam, but no lawmakers showed up.

By Pramod Madhav: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy, rebel AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam, and Opposition leader MK Stalin 'shared a stage' today in Chennai - or at least, their 'doppelgangers' did. That happened when 20 performers clad in white shirts and dhotis - and wearing face masks of Tamil Nadu MLAs - enthralled a crowd at a first-of-its-kind 'Coffee With MLAs' event, after no real MLAs showed up.

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The event was conducted by several youths - along with volunteers from the NGO Arappor Iyakkam - at Valluvar Kottam, a Chennai monument decidated to the Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar.

"We gave the invitation to the elected MLAs of Tamilnadu. There are 234 MLAs and we are trying to create a platform for the people of the city to interact and ask questions to them regarding many important issues of the State", said Chandramohan, the Convenor of Arappor Iyakkam.

EVENT WELL-ATTENDED; MLAs A NO-SHOW

An open invitation was posted on social media and as many as 1,600 people - including actors Rohini and Swarnamalya - attended the event, which began at 9 am. Many were surprised to see such a large number of people turn up.

"We've been waiting patiently for them and have arranged chairs with their names on it along with good, steaming coffee. Now we know that there is less chance for them to turn up but we as people want to give them a chance to explain about many things such as Kuvathur episode and Apollo episode", said Rekha, a college student.

After waiting for four hours, the crowd asked the volunteers to phone the MLAs.

A volunteer tried calling Finance Minister Jayakumar, only to hear a busy tone. Another call, made to Minister SP Velumani, was picked by his assistant. The volunteer who made the call bluntly said people were waiting to meet the minister and had questions for him.

Taken aback by what he heard, and by the crowd wildly cheering in the background, the assistant cut the call, and said he would talk later.

Finally, when no MLAs turned up, the organisers of 'Coffee with MLAs' brought out the 'doppelgangers'. The crowd enjoyed seeing the Stalin, Panneerselvam and Palanisamy impersonators sitting together.

The 'doppelgangers' answered questions just like the MLAs they were impersonating, and the crowd was thoroughly entertained. The questions had been written down and sent to the moderator.

"Though the event is more hilarious now, we initiated this to only create awareness. Ours is a sorry state as until Jayalalithaa was alive, these MLAs didn't open their mouth and all were praising Amma. Not even two days post her death, they began to praise Chinnamma", said Mohan, a volunteer and a participant in the pro-jallikattu protests held in January.

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ALSO READ | Tamil Nadu Budget 2017 dwells in past, stays tax-free despite falling revenues

Bitter truth of sweet shops: boys from Tamil Nadu in bondage, burnt and beaten

ALSO WATCH | Tamil Nadu: Security beefed up at State Assembly ahead of budget session

--- ENDS ---
Terrorism, in one form or another, has existed for centuries. While its goals change according to the prevailing context, the basic technique ie using force to achieve political, social and religious ends has been the same throughout history, and has often included the use of suicide attackers.

Modern suicide terrorism began in the 1980s under conditions where the coercer was the weaker actor and the target the stronger. From Hezbollah, Hamas, the Tamil Tigers and Chechnyan rebel groups to Al Qaeda and the militant Islamic State group, the rhetoric of major suicide terrorist groups reflects the logic of coercive punishment. This techniques purpose is to inflict punishment and provoke fear. Triggered in part by suicide attacks elsewhere, a trend of such attacks took off in Pakistan in 2004, with waves of increased frequency.

The protracted terrorism campaign in Pakistan seems to base itself on three levels of validation: strategic, social and individual  the strategy being to induce changes in the status quo through political coercion. If terrorist groups did not believe that suicide attacks would advance their political goals, they would not carry them out. The reason behind the uptick in such attacks is that its sponsors know that the strategy pays off and is effective in achieving some political and societal changes. People belonging to minority Islamic sects and minority religions, security forces, lawyers, etc are tactically selected to maximise the damage in terms of casualties and intimidation.

Social validation comes from terrorist groups ability to exist, nurture and thrive in society. Our government and society seem to tolerate their existence and recruitment efforts, and legitimise their proclamations of hate and religious

purity.

The endless supply of individuals willing to give up their lives to attack innocent people provides the third validation. Religious indoctrination, weak states, hegemonic structures, inequality, poverty, and a lack of democracy and rule of law enable this supply of willing executioners.

Suicide attacks do not appear out of thin air, they require systematic efforts. Stopping this heinous act requires a multi-pronged strategy involving intelligence, security and operational measures, response and deterrence mechanisms, awareness campaigns and community involvement, and influencing the attitudes of such groups constituencies.

Intelligence is key, and both the federal and provincial law-enforcement agencies need to enhance their capabilities. Data collection and analysis, with support from modern technologies, is vital for eliminating terrorisms infrastructure. Increased coordination among intelligence and law enforcement to collect, share and analyse data on terrorist threats is needed.

Even with such measures, attacks may occur, which is why the government must have effective response measures. Disaster preparedness plans and structures must be developed, and technical, mitigation and relief teams formed, to deal with rescue and evacuation. This would reduce public apprehension and panicked demands for extreme measures that may imperil democracy. Involving the community in emergency disaster preparedness would be of benefit.

Terrorism is a group endeavour and, thus, deterrence efforts should be mainly directed at groups rather than individuals. A credible threat of severe punishment that implies a groups demise would presumably act as a deterrent, while addressing the grievances of larger population groups, to which the terrorists belong, may be effective in changing sympathies. A consistent, well-publicised de-radicalisation and reintegration plan for deserters and sympathisers would also be invaluable.

It is imperative to gain insights into the conditions and processes leading up to terrorist atrocities to identify possible interventions to prevent/ break the cycle of retaliation. Physical security measures may prevent attacks from occurring, but they do not eliminate the ideology or the enthusiasm for it.

When we tolerate religious parties and schools censuring religious minorities, women, and progressive sections of society, and subscribe to the absence of separation between religion and state, terrorism is inevitable. Collective efforts are needed at all levels of government and society to create an environment that discourages militancy and fanaticism.

An outright rejection of sectarian religious education, and advocating for policies and laws that create a more unprejudiced and equal society, can serve as an antidote to terrorism. The syllabi taught in madressahs must be regulated. Civil society, progressive writers, academics, activists, and print and electronic media must be given support and protection to counter prevailing narratives that inspire extremism through education and awareness campaigns that promote tolerance.

Dawn/ANN.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday launched a scathing personal attack against German Chancellor Angela Merkel, accusing her of using "Nazi measures" in an intensifying dispute between Ankara and Berlin.

Tensions flared after German authorities refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign for a 'yes' vote in the April 16 referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers, and he responded by saying Berlin was behaving like Nazi Germany.

"When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable.They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said in a televised speech.

"But you are right now employing Nazi measures," Erdogan told Merkel using the informal 'you' in Turkish.

"Against who? My Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers" who went to the country to hold campaign rallies for a 'yes' vote in next month's referendum.

Authorities in Germany have blocked some Turkish ministers from holding rallies, infuriating Ankara.

Erdogan said the crisis in relations with Europe over the last days "showed that a new page had been opened in the ongoing fight against our country."

Accusing Europe of backing outlawed terror groups, he warned: "The masked ball is over!" without specifying further.

Turkey had earlier expressed fury that German authorities had yesterday allowed a pro-Kurdish demonstration in Frankfurt to go ahead where many participants carried insignia of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Germany meanwhile is livid over the jailing ahead of a trial on terror charges of dual Turkish-German national Deniz Yucel, the Turkey correspondent of the German newspaper Die Welt.

Erdogan described Yucel, whose arrest has caused global concern, as a "terror agent" and "supposed journalist" and accused Germany of hosting him for one month at its Istanbul consulate before he went to police for questioning.


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By Press Trust of India: From Aditi Khanna

London, Mar 19 (PTI) The UK government is overhauling its rape laws to allow alleged rape victims to pre-record their evidence and spare them from cross-examination in open court.

UK justice secretary Liz Truss said that such schemes of pre-recording testimony before the trial piloted in three cities showed they led to a higher level of "early guilty pleas".

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The plans could come into force as early as September this year.

"It reduces the level of trauma for the victim. I want to see that being the standard offer in those cases and that will give more victims confidence to come forward," Truss was quoted as saying by the Sunday Times.

Under the new regulations, victims and vulnerable witnesses would be able to give evidence "in a room in the court where its much less intimidating, where there are ground rules set by the judge," Truss said.

She said the pre-recorded interviews will also provide "much clearer ground rules" to counsel.

Judges will be able to limit the length of the cross-examination during such testimony to avoid victims having to testify for days on end and will determine the types of questions that can be asked.

Truss noted: "At the moment prior sexual history can only be asked about in exceptional circumstances, but sometimes questions can be asked that verge on that territory. If a question is asked that is inadmissable, that can be cut out of the tape by the judge."

Pre-recorded evidence is already being launched for child sex cases in the UK.

The justice minister also announced a crackdown on paedophiles grooming children on social media with a new offence of "sexual communication with a child".

Those convicted will automatically go on the sex offender register and face up to two years in jail.

Truss will officially outline both plans on Monday, when MPs are scheduled to vote on the second reading of the Prisons and Courts Bill in the House of Commons. PTI AK AJR

--- ENDS ---
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad (ABVP) workers staged a protest against visiting Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Sunday, blaming him for the killing of RSS workers in Kerala.

Raising slogans of "Vijayan go back" they tried to disrupt a meeting which was being addressed by the Kerala Chief Minister. Police, however, arrested the protesters including women.

Mild tension prevailed outside RTC Kalabhavan where the CPI-M leader was addressing a meeting of Malayalis living here.

Holding ABVP flags, a group of protesters tried to rush towards the meeting venue.

Police stopped the protesters, bodily lifted them into waiting police vehicles and shifted to a police station.

Vijayan is in Hyderabad on a two-day visit to attend various programmes. He will address a public meeting of CPI-M in Saroornagar on the city outskirts on Sunday evening.

Police have made tight security arrangements for his visit in view of threats from right-wing organisations.

A BJP legislator in Hyderabad, Raja Singh, has threatened to obstruct the public meeting.

"If the Kerala CM, who is a murderer of Hindus, is invited to the event, I will not allow it to happen. I will go to any extent to stop the meeting," said Raja Singh, a member of Telangana assembly.

He had demanded of the Telangana government not to grant permission to Vijayan to visit Hyderabad.

An RSS leader from Madhya Pradesh had earlier this month announced a Rs 1-crore reward for anyone who brings the head of Kerala Chief Minister.

Several activists of the RSS and Kerala's ruling CPI-M were killed in the political violence in the southern state.

Reacting to the threat, Vijayan had said that he could not stop work due to such threats. "The RSS has taken the heads of many people. I can't stop working and travelling due to this. Let them issue many more threats... I don't care," he had said.
Secretary of All India Congress Committee (AICC) and former minister Sajjan Singh Verma on Sunday demanded Padma Shri or higher award for Jashodaben, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's wife, at a function in Madhya Pradesh where the latter was the chief guest.



Jashodaben had come to Dewas from Mehsana, Gujarat, to attend the social gathering of Rathore community where eligible girls and boys chose their life-partners. Jashodaben also participated in a function at Vidyakunj International where several office-bearers of the Rathore community greeted and felicitated her.



Speaking on the occasion, senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh minister Sajjan Singh Verma compared Jashodaben with goddess Sitathe wife of Lord Ram.



Verma said that women have contributed immensely to the development of society. He asked the women members of the community to demand from the government that Jashodaben be awarded Padma Shri for her contribution to society.

Refusing to comment on the BJPs victory in Uttar Pradesh or questions related to Narendra Modi, Jashodaben said that she had come to participate in a social function and that she was working for the upliftment of women. Unable to speak in Hindi, she sought help of translators to answer the questions posed by media. She did not speak on subjects related to politics.

The district administration of Dewas made all arrangements, as per protocol, for the wife of prime minister.

Apart from Jashodaben, the function was attended by Ratan Singh Rathore, the national president of Khsatriya Rathore Mahasabha, and many others.

A few months back, Jashodaben has come to Ujjain for prayers at Mahakal Shiva Temple. Brother of prime minister, Prahlad Modi, is also a regular at Madhya Pradesh. He often comes to attend social functions organised by his community.
Authorities in Haryana have imposed a ban on movement of tractor-trolleys in districts bordering Delhi on Monday to foil a call given by Jat leaders to lay seige to Delhi and hold a protest outside Parliament.

Director General of Police K.P. Singh said on Sunday that security forces were on high alert in districts bordering Delhi and monitoring the movement of Jat protestors in view of the March 20 Dilli Kooch call by the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS).

"There will be a complete ban on the movement of tractor-trolleys on highways and roads in districts adjoining Delhi on March 20... The Haryana Police is on high alert and people can move freely on highways. We have provided adequate security," he said in Chandigarh.

Behind the scene moves were on Sunday to hold talks with Jat leaders to call off their Delhi protest in view of alarm bells in the national capital following apprehensions that normal life would be severely hit, especially with students taking their board examinations on Monday.

Official sources said Jat leader Yashpal Malik and others could hold talks with Haryana chief minister in Delhi to resolve the stand-off over their demands.

Khattar, who was to go to Lucknow to attend the swearing in of Yogi Adityanath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, called off his visit to be available for talks with Jat leaders.

The administration in 15 districts of Haryana imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Cr.PC on Sunday as a precaution, prohibiting sale of liquor, carrying of firearms and other weapons, assembly of five or more persons near railway tracks and plying of tractor-trolleys carrying five or more persons on state and national highways.

The districts include Rohtak, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Panipat, Hisar, Kaithal, Charkhi Dadri, Fatehabad, Jind and Sirsa.

"A limit of 10 litres has been imposed on refuelling of tractor-trolleys and directions have been issued to petrol pump owners to record details such as driver's name, registration number of the vehicle and number of people travelling in the vehicle. Ban has also been imposed on open sale of petrol, diesel and other inflammable materials," a government spokesman said.

He said the ban has also been imposed on plying of tractor-trolleys carrying food items, cooking equipment and materials and any type of weapon including lathis and swords on state and national highways.

The spokesman said pitching of tents along the state and national highways has also been prohibited and owners of dharamshalas, hotels and restaurants have been directed to maintain record of guests.

The authorities in the 15 districts have also stopped all Internet services like 2G, 3G, 4G, EDGE and GPRS and bulk messages provided on mobile networks in the district till 9 am on March 21 to prevent spreading of wrong information and rumours.

Shops selling liquor would also remain closed till 9 am on March 21.

Accusing the Haryana government of hatching a "conspiracy" to weaken their agitation, the Jat community on Friday said it will continue with their protests across the state and lay siege to Delhi on March 20.

Talks between the Jat leaders and Khattar, scheduled in Delhi on Friday, could not be held. Both sides blamed each other for this.

The Jat agitation entered the 50th day on Sunday.

The Jat leaders were earlier in talks with a panel of government officers but these had remained inconclusive.

Talks between the 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 CBI against some Jat leaders over violence.

The Jat 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.
Members and leaders of the Sikh community in Peshawar expressed their disappointment at being "left out" of the national census, saying they feared their community would not be adequately represented in Pakistan's first national headcount in 19 years.

"The concerned department has not included the Sikh minority in the ongoing count. It is not only unfortunate for us, it is also a point of great concern for the community to have been missed out in the counting exercise," Radesh Sing Tony, chairman of a Sikh committee, told the Dawn on Saturday.

He complained that a sizeable number of Sikhs was living in Pakistan, but the community was not counted among the religions included in the census form.

He noted that Sikhs would be counted under the "other" religion category in the form, which would not provide an accurate picture of the Sikh population.

"This is an injustice, we are being deprived of our rights," he said.

The 500-year-old religion was founded in what was now part of Pakistan. Most Sikhs left Pakistan for India after both countries gained independence from Britain in 1947.

Around 20,000 Sikhs remain in Pakistan today, most in the restive northwest regions, which have been rocked by an Islamist insurgency for more than a decade, forcing many to leave their homes in the tribal areas on the Afghan border for the city of Peshawar.

Tony said he had written to the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Chief Justices of the Peshawar and Sindh High Courts requesting that the community be counted as an official religion.

When contacted, a spokesperson for the census exercise, Habibullah Khan, admitted that it was a mistake on the part of the census authorities.

"Yes, a sizable population of Sikhs are living in Pakistan, but have we missed them in the census," he told Dawn.

He said the census forms had been printed in 2007 and only five religions had been included on the recommendation of a 120-member technical committee.

He conceded that the Sikh population may have been marginal in 2007, but their population had increased with the passage of time.
By Press Trust of India: From Yoshita Singh

United Nations, Mar 19 (PTI) A UNSC resolution has called on Afghanistan to tackle the "threats" posed by the Taliban, al-Qaeda, ISIS affiliates and other terrorist groups which threaten the security and stability of the war-torn country.

The resolution adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council on Friday extended the mandate of UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan until March 17, 2018, and expressed serious concern at the presence and potential growth of ISIS affiliates in the country.

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The 15-member council reiterated its support for the Afghan government, and in particular to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces, "in securing their country and in their fight against terrorism and violent extremism."

It called on the Afghan government, with international assistance, to continue tackling "threat posed by the Taliban as well as by al-Qaeda, ISIS affiliates and other terrorist groups."

Stressing the political missions role in supporting an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process, it welcomed current efforts to strengthen regional connectivity and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbours, citing the example of the Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project and the Chabahar port project between Afghanistan, India and Iran.

The TAPI project, which has a preliminary cost estimate of USD 10 billion, aims to export up to 33 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year through a proposed approximately 1,800-kilometre (km) pipeline from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

The port of Chabahar is located in southeastern Iran in the Gulf of Oman. It is the only Iranian port with direct access to the ocean. India, Iran and Afghanistan have signed the trilateral contract for the establishment of a transport and transit corridor among the three countries.

It also urged further efforts to strengthen regional connectivity, trade and transit, including through regional development initiatives such as the Silk Road Economic Belt and Maritime Silk Road (the Belt and Road) Initiative.

The Silk Road Economic Belt is an overland route running through Central Asia, while the 21stCentury Maritime Silk Road will traverse the South China Sea and Indian Ocean.

The resolution also called for strengthening efforts such as bilateral transit trade agreements, expanded consular visa cooperation and facilitation of business travel, to expand trade, increase foreign investments and develop infrastructure with a view to promoting sustainable economic growth and the creation of jobs in Afghanistan and the region.

On the human rights front, the UNSC requested continued support efforts to strengthen the protection of children affected by armed conflict, and reiterated the importance of accelerating the establishment of a fair and transparent justice system.

In that vein, the council emphasised the importance of ensuring access for relevant organisations to all prisons and places of detention in Afghanistan. PTI YAS ZH

--- ENDS ---

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By Press Trust of India: From Yoshita Singh

United Nations, Mar 19 (PTI) A UNSC resolution has called for strengthening economic cooperation and connectivity between Afghanistan and its neighbours through the TAPI pipeline and Chabahar port projects involving India and Chinas Silk Road Economic Belt and Maritime Silk Road initiatives.

The resolution adopted unanimously by the 15-member UN Security Council on Friday extended the mandate of UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) until March 17, 2018, stressing the political missions role in supporting an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.

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It welcomed current efforts to strengthen regional connectivity and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbors, citing the example of the Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project and the Chabahar port project between Afghanistan, India and Iran.

It said the UNSC "welcomes and urges further efforts to strengthen the process of regional economic cooperation, including measures to facilitate regional connectivity, trade and transit, including through regional development initiatives such as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (the Belt and Road) Initiative."

The resolution also called for strengthening "regional development projects, such as the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan- Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, the Central Asia South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project (CASA-1000), the Chabahar port project, agreed between Afghanistan, India and the Islamic Republic of Iran."

The TAPI project, which has a preliminary cost estimate of USD 10 billion, aims to export up to 33 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year through a proposed approximately 1,800-kilometer (km) pipeline from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

The port of Chabahar is located in southeastern Iran in the Gulf of Oman. It is the only Iranian port with direct access to the ocean. India, Iran and Afghanistan have signed the trilateral contract for the establishment of a transport and transit corridor among the three countries.

The Silk Road Economic Belt project, a pet initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping, is an overland route running through Central Asia, while the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road will traverse the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. Both are interconnected infrastructure networks being spearheaded by China in its attempt to play a much larger regional role and better connect its economy with those in the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

China says at least 100 countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, have joined its ambitious the Belt and Road Initiative. India is yet to sign up for it. PTI YAS ZH AKJ ZH

--- ENDS ---

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Maryland Parents for Education (MPFE) praised Delegate Joseline Pena-Melnyk and Senator Roger Manno for introducing a new school security grant program bill (HB 1161).

The new bill will authorize the Maryland Center for School Safety to make grants for security related projects. Schools and childcare centers deemed at risk for hate crimes or ideological attacks will be eligible for the grants.

In the wake of increased threats and incidents, the Teach Advocacy Network (a Jewish national partner organization of MPFE) is urging legislatures across the U.S. to increase security funding for children in at-risk schools and childcare centers. In Maryland, the Rockville and Baltimore Jewish Community Centers, and the Charles E. Smith Day School in Rockville were recently targeted with bomb threats.

We are very grateful to Delgate Pena-Melnyk and Senator Manno for introducing this important bill, said Yehuda Neuberger, Co-Chair of Maryland Parents for Education. Too many religious schools, of all types, face threats, and these sponsors have recognized that the state has an important role in ensuring the safety of all our children.

HB 1161 is a tremendous first start, and we look forward to working with the Maryland legislature over the coming weeks and months to make sure at risk schools can access the security equipment they need to keep our children safe, said Sam Melamed, Co-Chair of Maryland Parents for Education.

The Teach Advocacy Network has worked to increase security for school children for several years, but the recent increase in anti-Semitic incidents brings a new urgency to this mission, said Maury Litwack, Teach Advocacy Networks executive director. We urge the Maryland legislature to act immediately and pass HB 1161.

(YWN Headquarters  NYC)
President Donald Trump defiantly refused to back down from his explosive claim that Barack Obama wiretapped his phones, and sidestepped any blame for the White House decision to highlight an unverified report that Britain helped carry out the alleged surveillance.

In brushing off the diplomatic row with perhaps Americas closest ally, Trump also revived another: the Obama administrations monitoring of German Chancellor Angela Merkels calls.

At least we have something in common, perhaps, Trump quipped Friday during a joint news conference with Merkel.

Merkel, who was making her first visit to the White House since Trump took office, looked surprised by the presidents comment, which he appeared primed to deliver. The Obama administrations spying infuriated Germany at the time and risked damaging the U.S. relationship with one of its most important European partners.

Trumps unproven recent allegations against his predecessor have left him increasingly isolated, with fellow Republican as well as Democratic lawmakers saying theyve seen nothing from intelligence agencies to support his claim. But Trump, who rarely admits hes wrong, has been unmoved, leaving his advisers in the untenable position of defending the president without any credible evidence.

On Thursday, spokesman Sean Spicer turned to a Fox News analysts contention that GCHQ, the British electronic intelligence agency, had helped Obama wiretap Trump. Fox News anchor Shepard Smith said Friday that the network could not independently verify the reports from Andrew Napolitano, a former judge and commentator who has met with Trump.

The GCHQ vigorously denied the charges in a rare public statement, saying the report was utterly ridiculous and should be ignored.

According to a Western diplomat, Britains ambassador to Washington, Kim Darroch, had told the White House Tuesday that Napolitanos assertions were not true. Still, it was among several news reports Spicer referenced in his briefing Thursday as part of an angry defense of the presidents claims.

Darroch and other British officials complained directly to White House officials after the episode, Prime Minister Theresa Mays office said it had been assured the White House would not repeat the allegations. Spicer was very apologetic when confronted by Darroch at a White House dinner on Thursday, the Western diplomat said.

But Trump himself offered no public apologies and suggested there was nothing wrong with the White House repeating what it had heard.

All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television, Trump said during Fridays news conference. You shouldnt be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox.

Spicer was also defiant Friday, telling reporters, I dont think we regret anything.

A White House official confirmed that Darroch and the British prime ministers national security adviser, Mark Lyall Grant, expressed concerns to both Spicer and Trumps national security adviser, H.R. McMaster. Spicer and McMaster said that the press secretary was simply pointing to public reports and not endorsing any specific story, the official said.

The U.S. and United Kingdom are members of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, which prohibits members from spying on each other. Australia, Canada and New Zealand are the other members.

The diplomat and White House official both spoke only on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

The president is a voracious consumer of news and frequently repeats information he reads or hears on television, often without verifying it first. It was a story in Breitbart  the far-right website once run by his senior adviser Steve Bannon  that appeared to spark Trumps March 4 tweets accusing Obama of wiretapping the New York skyscraper where he lived and ran his presidential campaign.

The White House has asked the House and Senate intelligence committees to investigate the matter as part of their inquiries into Russias hacking of the presidential election and possible contacts between Trump associates and Russian officials. But the top lawmakers on both committees have said they have seen no indications that Trump Tower was wiretapped.

The Justice Department said Friday that it had complied with congressional requests for information related to any surveillance during the 2016 election. The department would not comment further on what information, if any, was provided.

The chairman of the House intelligence committee, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., confirmed Friday that the Justice Department had fully complied with the committees request. He, too, declined to provide details.

Republicans in Congress also said Trump should retract his claims. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., called the accusation against Britain inexplicable and the Trumps accusation against Obama unfounded.

A president only has so much political capital to expend and so much moral authority as well, and so any time your credibility takes a hit, I think in many ways it weakens the officeholder, Dent said.

FBI Director James Comey is sure to be asked about the wiretapping allegations when he testifies on Capitol Hill Monday. The public hearing is the first of several that the intelligence committees are expected to hold on Russias interference in the election.

(AP)
11:55AM IL: Air raid Sirens sounded in the Eshkol Regional Council of southern Israel on Sunday morning; signaling a rocket attack from Gaza.

Thousands ran to nearby shelters as is protocol.

Thankfully, no rockets had been fired. An IDF Spokesman unit informed the media moments later that the sirens were a false alarm.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, today on Thursday, 18 Adar, pursuant to his authority under Article 3 of the 2016 Fight Against Terrorism Law, declared the Palestinian National Fund (hereinafter the fund) to be a terrorist organization.

The decision to declare the fund a terrorist organization stems from its continuing and ongoing activity in providing massive support for elements responsible for committing severe acts of terrorism against Israel.

The fund serves  inter alia  as a significant financial pipeline for tens of millions of shekels that are transferred on a monthly basis to security prisoners held in Israel for committing acts of terrorism and to members of their families. In effect, the longer the sentence, the greater the payments to the prisoner and his family.

The fund also supports family members of terrorists who were wounded and killed while perpetrating acts of terrorism against Israel.

The fund has a vital role in the financial support for Palestinian terrorist operatives imprisoned in Israel, and it is used as the most significant route for transferring funds.

The fund is headed by Ramzi Elias Yousef Khouri, a senior PLO official who is close to senior Palestinian Authority leaders.

As of today, all necessary actions will be taken in Israel and overseas in order to seize and confiscate property and assets designated for, or belonging to, the fund.

The security services will continue to take strong action against all bodies that support terrorism against the State of Israel

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
President Reuven Rivlin on motzei Shabbos departed for a state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of the countrys president. President Rivlin was accompanied on his visit by a delegation of Israeli business leaders headed by President of Israels Manufacturers Association, Shraga Brosh, and a further delegation of heads of Israeli defense industry firms, led by Director-General of the International Defense Cooperation Directorate of the Israel Ministry of Defense Brig.-Gen. (res.) Michel Ben-Baruch.

I am departing now on an important visit to Vietnam, said President Rivlin, this visit represents an expression of the growing friendship between our two countries.

He added, Together with me is travelling a delegation of heads of leading Israeli companies from across the market, and a delegation of heads of defense companies in a range of fields. We see in Vietnam a county leading Asia, and we are following with appreciation their impressive economic growth. Security and economic cooperation between us will promote this prosperity and growth of both countries, and will contribute to the stability to each of our regions.

The President continued, I believe that cooperation between Israel and Vietnam can contribute to the advancement and improvement of the lives of many. Together we can promote food security, agricultural advancements, water technologies, education, health, hi-tech, and cyber. We hope that over the course of this visit we will be able to advance in a very significant way efforts toward the signing of a free trade agreement between Israel and Vietnam, and to the strengthening of the firm friendship between our peoples.

President of Israels Manufacturers Association, Shraga Brosh, commented, I am grateful to President Rivlin for including this prestigious business delegation in his visit to Vietnam. I am sure that this visit will promote trade with Vietnam, open doors, and strengthen the economic ties between the countries.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
By Press Trust of India: Washington, Mar 19 (PTI) A 14-year-old boy in the US has discovered the largest brown diamond registered in nearly 40 years - a rare 7.44-carat stone that has been named Supermans Diamond.

Kalel Langford was visiting the Arkansass Crater of Diamonds State Park when he spotted the shiny, dark brown gem.

"It was just a few inches from a stream of water, with a bunch of other rocks that were about the same size," Langford said.

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The diamond is the 7th-largest diamond found at the Arkansas State Park in the US.

"We had only been at the park for about 30 minutes when he found it. Its colour was so dark that we werent sure if it was a diamond, but we knew we needed to have it looked at," said Craig Langford, Kalels father.

Kalel named his gem Supermans Diamond.

"Conditions were ideal for Kalel to find his diamond. About an inch of rain fell on the plowed search area during the week," said Waymon Cox, Park Interpreter.

"A heavy rain can uncover larger diamonds near the surface. Diamonds have a metallic-looking shine and are often easier to spot on top of the ground," said Cox.

The diamond is the largest registered at the Arkansas State Park since June 24, 2015, when Colorado resident Bobbie Oskarson found an 8.52-carat white diamond that she named the Esperanza.

It is the largest brown diamond registered in nearly 40 years, topped in weight only by an 8.61-carat brown diamond found by Betty Lamle, of Hitchcock, officials of the park said. PTI APA MHN MHN

--- ENDS ---
Boost: Peter and Valerie Woodward bought a second home in Spain

Older homeowners with interest-only mortgages they cannot pay off at the end of the term are being offered more ways to stay in their homes.

By releasing equity from a property, it is possible to clear the debt, meaning a homeowner can live there until they die or go into long-term care.

In the past, those whose homes were not mortgage-free had limited options for equity release.

Although they are now rare, interest-only mortgages were widely sold in the late 1980s and early 1990s by commission-hungry salesmen who assured borrowers that if they invested in the stock market, rather than repay the loan, they would have extra cash at the end of the term.

This is a promise many borrowers are finding has been broken as their mortgages mature after 25 years.

Yorkshire Building Society has just teamed up with equity release specialist Age Partnership to give such borrowers access to the full range of equity release options.

Andrew Clare, Yorkshire's senior risk and customer operations manager, says: 'The equity release sector grew last year at a record level.

Those using it to repay interest-only mortgages fuelled a significant part and that is likely to continue.'

But equity release is not to be rushed into. Family members need to be involved because it affects the size of inheritance left to children. With many types of plan available, independent advice is vital.

Lifetime mortgages are the most popular form of equity release. Here a loan is secured against the home with interest payments added to the outstanding balance.

How much can be borrowed depends on age. A 55-year-old may be offered a fifth of their home's value, but older homeowners can borrow up to half. The loan is repaid from the sale of the home when the surviving owner dies or goes into care.

In the past, this left homeowners with few possibilities, if they found they needed more  or less  money.

Other options for mortgage shortfalls Equity release is not the only solution for those facing shortfalls on their mortgage. Other options exist. Moving to a cheaper property  known as downsizing  is the most straightforward. Yet this will only work if sufficient cash is left after the sale to buy somewhere that is comfortable. Another option is to convert an interest-only mortgage to a repayment loan, but this may not be easy in later life. It will depend upon the ability to satisfy the lending criteria of the loan provider and to meet the mortgage repayments. If repayments prove a struggle, family members may be prepared to give or lend money to meet any mortgage shortfall  particularly if they stand to be eventual beneficiaries of the estate.

But Dean Mirfin, technical director at equity release specialist Key Retirement, says many lifetime mortgages now provide borrowers with payment flexibility. This includes the right to make monthly interest payments before switching without penalty to a roll-up loan.

Borrowers can also ring-fence some of their home's value as a future inheritance for children. Other plans allow ad hoc repayments. Mirfin says: 'There are schemes that allow voluntary repayments of up to 10 per cent per year without penalty.'

Some schemes allow equity to be drawn down in stages, again slowing the build-up of interest. Tom Moloney, at Age Partnership, says this is sensible, adding: 'Many plans offer a pre-approved further borrowing facility should you need more funds.'

Planholders are given a 'no negative equity' guarantee, which means that on the death of a homeowner their beneficiaries are not chased for any shortfall on the sale of the family home from other assets.

The best variable rates on a lifetime mortgage are about 3 per cent, while the lowest fixed rate is 3.92 per cent. On an 80,000 lifetime mortgage, the set up costs will be about 2,500. Specialist providers offer bigger loans to those with certain medical conditions or 'lifestyle' issues, such as a history of smoking.

An alternative to a lifetime mortgage is a home reversion plan. Here, a homeowner sells part or all of their property at the outset in return for a lump sum. They can still live there until death, when the company takes its slice of the proceeds.

The lump sum will typically represent between 30 and 50 per cent of your home's market value.

Moloney urges consumers not to borrow more than they need, and says they should consider flexible mortgages. He says: 'Many offer a pre-approved further borrowing facility should more funds be needed in the future.'

Equity release can fund a variety of retirement plans. Valerie Woodward, 77, and her husband Peter, 83, released equity from their property in Perranporth, Cornwall, four years ago to buy a second home in Spain.

The couple, who ran a restaurant before retiring, now winter in Mar Menor, on Spain's east coast.

They released a third of the value of their British home and were able to give some money to their granddaughter to buy her first property.

Valerie says: 'We discussed what we were doing with our two children and they were happy.

'After taking advice, we went for a fixed-rate lifetime mortgage with Just Retirement. We love our place in Spain and all the family use it as a holiday home.'
Bosses of two leading companies have warned that expelling European Union workers from Britain will deal a massive blow to the economy.

Mike Coupe, chief executive of Sainsbury, said it would be 'unacceptable' to force 8,000 of his staff to leave the UK after Brexit.

Meanwhile, Tim Martin, founder and chairman of pubs group JD Wetherspoon  who was one of the most prominent pro-Brexit business leaders during the referendum campaign  said it was vital that immigration stays close to current levels to keep the economy dynamic.

Booze Baron: Tim Martin, founder and chairman of pubs group JD Wetherspoon said it was vital that immigration stays close to current levels to keep the economy dynamic

Martin, who described himself as a 'liberal' on immigration, said he had supported the Leave campaign because he objected to what he saw as a lack of democracy in the EU. Not because he was against immigration.

Last week, MPs rejected a House of Lords amendment calling on the Government to guarantee the rights of EU citizens already working in the UK as part of its Article 50 Bill.

Theresa May is expected to trigger Article 50 in the next ten days, eventually leading to Britain's exit from the EU. The rights of EU citizens living in the UK will be determined during negotiations at a later stage.

Speaking before the parliamentary votes last week, Coupe, who employs 163,000 workers across Sainsbury's 1,300-store empire, said: 'About 5 per cent of people who work for us are from the European Union.

Plea: Sainsbury's boss Mike Coupe

'If it was decided that those 5 per cent were not allowed to work in the UK, that would be a big deal for us and it would be a big deal for the country more generally. If there is a different set of rules post-Brexit then of course we'll comply with those, but clearly it would be wholly undesirable if people were asked to go home tomorrow.

'For a business like ours, losing 5 per cent of our workforce would be unacceptable.'

He added: 'You can broaden the issue more widely to the food industry. There are 80,000 people who come to pick fruit and vegetables in the UK. Our agricultural industry relies on seasonal labour.'

Coupe's words echoed views expressed earlier this year at the annual National Farmers Union conference, where Environment

Secretary and prominent Leave campaigner Andrea Leadsom was warned that fruit and vegetables could end up 'rotting in fields' if pickers from the EU were not given visas.

Martin added: 'I'm a liberal regarding immigration and we've generally benefited from immigration from both within the EU and outside the EU.'

He made similar remarks in the Cambridge University magazine Varsity earlier this month when he said the ideal amount of immigration was 'about the level we've had in recent years'.

Martin told The Mail on Sunday last week: 'There is a low birth rate in Britain, but we need a gradually rising population in order to be a successful economy.'

He said he favoured regulating immigration by introducing a points-based system. Some argue that such a method could protect highly-skilled migrant workers, but say it would do nothing to help the unskilled EU workers who are heavily represented in the retail, leisure and farming sectors.

Earlier this month, sandwich chain Pret A Manger revealed that just one in every 50 job applications it receives are from British citizens.
Dom or non-dom? HSBC chief Stuart Gulliver

HSBC chief executive Stuart Gulliver may have set up a trust specifically in order to test whether the taxman would accept he was a 'non-dom', according to experts.

It emerged last week that he is being investigated by Revenue & Customs over whether he can claim to be a non-dom  a tax break allowing him to avoid paying tax on foreign earnings.

The probe became public after Gulliver asked a tax tribunal in London to stop the investigation on the grounds that in 2003 the Revenue had classed him as a non-dom.

Gulliver has been asked more than 120 questions about his life going back to 1981 to establish if he is 'domiciled' in Hong Kong as he claims.

He has been resident in the UK for the last 13 years.

In 2002, Gulliver had set up a trust for his family with 273,677  an amount which exceeded the tax-free threshold at the time.

Mark Davies, who runs specialist tax advice agency Mark Davies & Associates, said: 'This is a well-known test.

You set up a trust with slightly more than the nil-rate band.

'If you are UK domiciled you have to pay tax. If you aren't, you don't. You only do it when you are not sure.'

The investigation is continuing.
Silver lining: The pound's crash has lured overseas shoppers to buy British

Small firms saw sales rocket in the second half of last year as the falling pound lured overseas shoppers to buy British.

The boom was revealed by online payments group PayPal, which showed overseas sales at small and medium-sized firms rose by 34 per cent in the second half of 2016.

Sales rose in the first half, too, but by just 10 per cent.

Mark Brant, PayPal's UK managing director, said: 'When the buying power of international shoppers increased, we expected a surge in online exports. But there were other factors.

The best placed firms were those that had already adapted their online stores, for example by letting customers browse in their own language, and pay in their own currency.'

PayPal's data shows that tens of thousands of firms with a turnover of less than 1 million a year sold online to a new country between July and December 2016.

The top five markets were the US, Germany, Australia, France and Italy.

PayPal said customers in all five were attracted to new products exclusive to the UK. There was a 49 per cent a year rise in fashion and sport exports.

Ian Bristow, of outdoor fashion retailer Blackleaf in Lincolnshire, said: 'We feel like we've become a global company over the last six to nine months.'
Actor Viraf Patel is not very pleased with the way his character has progressed in the show.

By India Today Web Desk: Model turned actor Viraf Phiroz Patel who plays the role of Ashish in Mahesh Bhatt's Naamkarann might soon make an exit from the show. The actor is unhappy with his character's progress in the show post leap.

Viraf told The Bombay Times, "I don't feel there will be anything creatively satisfying for me to do now, after the leap. So maybe, I should quit the show. Hopefully, they will let me go. However, things can change if Mahesh Bhatt saab has better things in store for me."

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Also read: Just heard: Viraf, Barkha's chemistry in Naamkarann song is simply explosive

Viraf has earlier been a part of shows like Ek Boond Ishq and Mahi Way. He is currently involved in the script writing of Sony TV's upcoming show Moh Moh Ke Dhaage.

Naamkarann has taken a leap of 15 years, and the story now focuses on Avni and Neil. Aditi Rathore and Zain Imam are the new leads of the show.

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By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Mar 19 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said he will talk to Union Finance Minister to look into the concerns of the gems and jewellery industry about the proposed GST.

"The gems and jewellery industry not only earns foreign exchange for the country but also generates employment opportunities. We understand the concerns of the industry over the proposed GST (good and services tax)," Fadnavis said at the 43rd India Gems and Jewellery Awards 2016 here last night.

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"The industry faces global competition and the profit margin is slim. So if the capital is blocked, the interest goes up," he said.

"I promise the industry that I along with Gujarat Chief Minister will talk to FM Arun Jaitley and try to convince him about the need to help the sector," he said.

"We are in an era of ease of business, so we will try to find a solution in this regard," he further said.

The chief minister said the gems and jewellery industry has given an identity to Mumbai, and the state government will work together with the sector to boost it.

"We will find a suitable land for the industry to set up an exhibition centre and a gems and jewellery park in Mumbai or its vicinity," Fadnavis said.

He said the state will consider a proposal from the industry to set up a gems and jewellery university.

"We dont want to only go for conventional universities and are looking at something like gems and jewellery university, which will not only provide human resource to the industry but also generate employment," he said.

"However, it has to be done through an act of legislation and we will consider any such proposal from the sector," the CM said.

Currently, India is the sixth largest exporter of gems and jewellery in the world, Fadnavis said.

"We will work together with the industry and with the university, we will make India the number one gems and jewellery exporter in the world," he said.

The gems and jewellery industry has been earmarked as one of the priority sectors which contributes almost 6 per cent of Indias GDP.

It currently employs 3.5 million people and aims to create an additional 2.5 million jobs by 2022. PTI SM PSK ARS GK JMF

--- ENDS ---
MHLAMBANYATSI  A group of 18 boys and girls from one of the best-performing schools in Swaziland wants to visit Turkey next month, to participate in an international cultural exchange event.



Parents of Little Academy pupils have already been informed of the trip.

The school is situated in Mhlambanyatsi.



Most parents are excited while others are understandably sceptical, in light of political upheaval in the European country in recent times.

However, the Ministry of Education and Training has put its foot down, saying Turkey is too volatile at the moment.

For the sake of safety, the children will not be allowed to travel.



This is despite that the children already have their international passports and are eager to board the flight on April 21, 2017.

The school administration has confirmed the planned trip and its disappointment at the ministrys decision. Faye Miller, the schools Head teacher, said they were still finalising a few logistics regarding the trip. She revealed that the 18 pupils had already acquired air tickets to Turkey which cost parents about E8 000.



A plane ticket to Turkey costs about E18 000 but we were able to get a discount because we were travelling as a group, said the head teacher. If the trip goes ahead, parents would have to part with E800 for a shuttle that would transport the pupils to and from the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

That is where the 18 pupils and four teachers will board their flight.



According to www.cheapestflights.co.za the longest flight from Johannesburg to Istanbul, a major city in Turkey, is 31 hours and 5 minutes long while the quickest is 11 hours and 25 minutes.

A depressed Miller told the Times SUNDAY that the school was invited by a certain municipal council from that country to be part of over 40 other schools representing their countries.

This will be in celebration of International Childrens Day. There will be exchange of science and cultural activities.
LOZITHA  Implementation of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy Action Plan is the blocs assurance to citizens that their standard of living will be improved.



This was noted by His Majesty the King, as Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Chairman.

He was making his opening remarks during the Extra-Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government held at the Mandvulo Hall, Lozitha yesterday morning.



The King reminded fellow leaders that the regions citizens were looking up to them to create the necessary environment for enhanced economic growth, wealth creation and employment opportunities.

His Majesty said the summit was being held mainly to consider the action plan of the strategy launched in 2015, which is expected to be implemented by 2063. The plan is very critical in bringing to reality our desire as a region to realise the expectations of our citizens, he said.



It was mentioned that the SADC strategy and road map was anchored on three pillars namely; industrialisation, market integration and infrastructure development.

Present during the Summit were the President of the Republic of south Africa and SADC Deputy Chair Jacob Zuma; Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe; President Henry Rajaonarimampianina of Madagascar; Namibian President Hage Geingo; as well as the president of Zambia Edgar Chagwa Lungu.



Leaders of other member States within SADC were represented by leaders of their governments.

His Majesty, in his address, mentioned that the task of SADC heads of State was to approve the action plan of the industrialisation Strategy, in order for the plan to be utilised as it was planned when the road map was approved in 2015.

Time is not on our side, as the first phase is scheduled to end in 2020. Therefore, there is a need for SADC to ensure that the implementation of the strategy takes centre stage.



The King revealed that he had been advised that in finalising the programme, consideration had been given to ensuring that there was proper sequencing of activities lined up to be carried out in the short-medium and long-term.

He requested that SADC countries join efforts as this was required when carrying out some of the activities to be embarked on in the strategy and action plan, including those presented in the infrastructure development master plan. The SADC chairperson also stressed the importance of the involvement of the private sector in the implementation process as well as financing of the strategy.know-how.
MBABANE  The past financial year has been tough for Swazi students, travellers, government suppliers and other stakeholders who benefit from the public purse. The reason?

Government has been complaining of huge cash-flow challenges.



These resulted in a reduction in scholarships to students in colleges and universities, the non-payment of private sector companies that do business with government and a shortage of various services like travel documents and passports.

Now and again, social grants paid to elderly men and women are also delayed, as government claims to have no money at that particular moment.

The Times SUNDAY can today reveal that while all this has been happening, government has had more than E600 million sitting in one of its most treasured bank accounts.

This is the Plant and Vehicles Renewals Fund.



As at the end of March 2016, this fund had E606 533 379.18.

Worth noting is that this amount has been rising over the years.

Government keeps injecting money into it.



The fund is specifically for the purchase of new cars and heavy plant equipment like graders, groundwater drilling rigs, tractors and others.

Government is known to be in the habit of buying new cars even for one-day events like national celebrations.



In 2008, several BMW 750i sedans were purchased for the 40/40 Double celebrations, when the kingdom commemorated 40 years of independence from the British and His Majesty the Kings Birthday.

The cars were to be used by heads of state who had been invited to celebrate with the Swazi nation.



After the event, the vehicles, which still smelt new, had to be disposed of. Individuals and businesses who were lucky enough to have the cash bought them at reduced prices. Some of them still drive these German machines.

Shortly after the new government was formed in 2013, government decided to purchase 20 BMW X5s for Cabinet ministers. This was despite the fact that they had already been allocated state vehicles of the Chevrolet Trailblazer model.
MBABANE  The police have come out to dispel widespread fears that some officers may have stolen the alcohol that fell from a truck that overturned on Malagwane Hill on Friday.



The statement comes after pictures of police officers carrying six-packs of alcohol at the accident scene went viral on social media.

The truck was driving down the notorious Malagwane hill when it suddenly developed a malfunction with its gear system, hence forcing its way into a passing car and pushing it over the wall on the sideways.

The truck was from Westville in South Africa and was fully loaded with crates of Castle Lite and a few of Black Label beer.



Superintendent Khulani Mamba, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, condemned the act of looting at accident scenes.

He said it was not true that the police at the scene were acting in their personal capacities.



Some of the officers were spotted picking up six-packs and taking some from the people who had helped themselves to the alcohol at the scene.

This resulted in some people accusing the officers of taking the beer with the intention of throwing parties at their private residences.

The officers who were spotted there were acting in the line of duty and all the beer that was collected from the accident scene was taken to the police station. I would also like to warn the public from the act of looting at such scenes because it is a crime. Its more like stealing exhibits, he said.



After the accident, hundreds of people crammed the accident scene and helped themselves to the free beer.

Some were spotted alighting from buses and kombis, which were caught in the six-hour traffic gridlock.

The intention was to collect as many bottles or packs of beer as they could.



Motorists had a difficult time trying to negotiate space to pass through as there was traffic congestion.

A number of people stopped their cars next to the accident scene and started stealing as much alcohol as they could.
Those who grew up with the Boy Who Lived will never want to leave this theme park in the USA.

By Abhiruchi Jain: WHOEVER said Harry Potter's magical world is a work of fiction lied. Universal Studios Florida has recreated Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, giving us muggles a very real experience of the world of flying broomsticks, goblins and love potions.

While growing up, not receiving the Hogwarts acceptance letter was a major heartbreak for Potterheads like me. But one ticket to Orlando and all our childhood dreams come to life. With multiple 4D thrill rides, live shows, shops and outlandish theatricals all around, Universal Studios offers something for all age groups. It has two theme parks - Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure - major part of both, to my delight, is Harry Potter.

One of the coolest things here is the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross Station in Universal Studios. Photo: Mail Today

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WILD WIZARDING WORLD

Knowing that it was President's Day weekend, the park was overcrowded, which is why my first stop was Diagon Alley. I crossed 'New York' and 'San Fancisco' in a hurry to get to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (not something I get to say everyday). Once I saw the familiar purple bus, I had an ear to ear smile. People were already queuing up to get a picture with Stan, Dre Head and the Knight Bus but I was too focused on looking for Diagon Alley. It is well hidden behind a huge wall but once you find it, you're surrounded by people in long black robes, waving their interactive wands at things that appear absolutely normal, except they suddenly start moving, spraying water or making noise. The place is built with intricate detail, making it very true to the books. The street is lined up with shops and restaurants on both sides - Zonko's/ Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Flourish and Blotts, Madame Malkins Robes, Ollivanders, Leaky Cauldron and many more - each with its own unique magical elements.

Also read: Harry Potter fans rejoice! You can now book stays at the major filming locations

GRINGOTTS BANK

But the most fascinating of them all is Gringotts Bank which is right at the end of the street. The fire-spitting dragon on top of the bank is quite enthralling. I entered the building for my first ride. The main hall of the bank looks spectacular with the huge, sparkling chandeliers on the ceiling and 8-10 elegantly fashioned life-like goblins sitting on both sides of the hall. The head goblin, sitting right in front of the queue, looks up, nods and writes in the bank books like the rest of them.

The head goblin, sitting right in front of the queue, looks up, nods and writes in the bank books like the rest of them. Photo: Mail Today

But to my surprise he also started talking and giving instructions on how to open a new account. Escape from Gringotts is a multi-dimensional simulation ride where I, along with Harry, Ron and Hermione, break-out of the underground vaults. There are numerous obstacles - dragons, out-ofcontrol 360-degree cart turns, and at one point Voldemort and Bellatrix attack using spells. It is undoubtedly the most exciting ride not only because of the roller coaster and cart spins, but because the 3D effects make you feel you're actually part of the action. I screamed, laughed, had panic attacks but enjoyed every bit of it. Twice.

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The rest of Diagon Alley was hustling with people. There were live shows throughout the day. My favourite was 'The Tale of the Three Brothers', the legendary story of the deathly hallows. The deliciously creamy Butterbeer and the tangy Firewhiskey at Leaky Cauldron are must-haves. At every shop, the managers ask you to "Please sign for the Ministry". The park members are extremely invested in making this a special experience for us. A small dark street next to one of the shops is a hidden gem. It takes you to the nasty and shady Knockturn Alley, filled with miscreant characters, singing shrunken heads and animated posters of Azkaban prisoners such as Bellatrix and Sirius.

LONDON TO HOGWARTS

One of the coolest things here is the Hogwarts Express between King's Cross Station in Universal Studios and Hogsmeade Station in Islands of Adventure. You can see the entire journey between London and Hogsmeade "outside your window". Both the windows and compartment doors are screens where you encounter Harry, Ron and Hermione roaming the train passages, when it gets attacked by dementors.

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You can also see Hedwig and Buckbeak flying next to the window, Fred and George causing mayhem while flying on their brooms, centaurs running as we cross the Forbidden Forest, the majestic Hogwarts Castle and of course, Hagrid with his welcoming smile. Once off the train, you enter Hogsmeade village. My favourite thing about this place was The Three Broomsticks. Accommodating up to 500 people, the place is huge and cuisines so delicious, you will end up in a food coma.

The Hogwarts Express runs up to Hogsmeade Station in Islands of Adventure. You can also see Hedwig and Buckbeak flying next to the window. Photo: Mail Today

When you exit the village, you get the first sight of the stunning Hogwarts Castle. In this part of the park, The Forbidden Journey is the other Harry Potter ride worth experiencing. It is a breath-taking adventure inside Hogwarts Castle. Unlike the Gringotts cart, I was sitting in a suspended seat held by a mechanical track above. This allowed more movement and room to pivot while I travelled the Floo network, played Quidditch and escaped dementors, fell into the Chamber of Secrets, slammed into Whomping Willow and faced Aragog in the Forbidden Forest.

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Words cannot describe how beautifully various parts of the books are woven together in one ride. Moreover, the ride's queue was through Headmaster's office with talking paintings, Gryffindor common room and different parts of the castle, making it all the more nostalgic.

PARK-A-PALOOZA

Apart from Potter-verse, I enjoyed the other simulation rides at the park. Minions 3D ride was another fun plot which involved a scientific experiment of converting us humans into tiny yellow troublemakers. The Transformers 3D ride was worth the 2-hour wait. You get to experience a hyper-realistic thrill ride, right in the middle of all the action in the incredible world of Transformers. You are being thrown around city streets, zipping through subways, hanging to your dear life. At one point, Megatron drops you 50 storeys down a building and Optimus Prime saves you, just in time.

Universal's Parade is a starstudded show where all the characters from different movies come to life on the streets of the park. It was marvellous and absolutely memorable watching the Minions, Spongebob squarepants and the characters from Secret life of pets have a ball. But the grand finale was the Mardi Gras parade where stilt walkers, street performers and glitter covered dancers and artists came on floats and threw glimmering beads into the crowd to make everyone a part of the celebration.

From the streets of New York and San Francisco to Jurassic World and Poseidon's ancient temple, every part of the park is so charming and appealing. Every turn takes you to another place, another era, which is a visual treat. Everything is on such a grand scale, it felt surreal. I would definitely love to come back and join the party.

--- ENDS ---
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By Larry Penner

There is more to Transit Quagmire (TimesLedger editorial, March 10-16) concerning Gov. Andrew Cuomo cutting $65 million from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority budget and ongoing problems with both the LIRR and No. 7 subway.

Besides cutting $65 million, Cuomo only proposed providing $1.5 billion more toward the $8.3 billion shortfall he originally promised two years ago to fully fund the $29 billion 2015-2019 MTA Five Year Capital Plan.

This leaves a balance of $5.8 billion that he owes carried over into 2018 and 2019. Cuomo still needs to come up with the $5.8 billion balance of the $8.3 balance he still owes to fully fund the capital plan: $6 billion for Second Avenue Subway Phase 2, $6 billion for New York States 25 percent share of the $24 billion Amtrak Gateway Tunnel, $3 billion federal loan owed for the Tappan Zee Bridge and $2 billion for the LIRR Main Line Third Track between Floral Park and Hicksville in Nassau County, just to name a few.

Riders have had to endure too many years of inconvenience as a result of the MTA NYCT investing $774 million in Communication Based Train Control on the Flushing No. 7 line.

With or without CBTC, there are opportunities to increase capacity and service by running trains more frequently midday, evenings after rush hour, overnight and weekends 24/7 on the 7 line.

Until the 1980s, there was Manhattan-bound express service till 12:30 p.m. on the 7. Flushing-bound express service began shortly after 1 p.m. There has been no express service between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. due to periodic ongoing track, power, signal and routine maintenance projects for decades, including work over recent years to support CBTC.

Upon completion and implementation of CBTC by early 2018 (which was supposed to have been completed between October and December 2016), let us hope midday express service will resume. Will it be worth investing $774 million in CBTC when it may only result in increasing the number of rush hour trains by two from 30 to 32 in each direction?

LIRR riders have been waiting for direct future East Side Access service to Grand Central Terminal since work started on the 63rd Street East River tunnel on Nov. 24, 1969! The anticipated revenue service date has slipped on numerous occasions from the original 2011 target. (Some elected officials promised 2009). Cost has grown from $3.5 billion in 2001 to $10.8 billion today and perhaps $12 billion by 2023.

The MTA corporate party line claim (based upon the most recent project recovery schedule which has also changed numerous times during the life of the project) calls for a December 2023 opening day passenger service.

Based upon previous history of delays, changes in procurement strategy, readvertising of contracts, change orders to contracts, resequencing of work, recovery schedules, cost overruns, budget issues and coordination issues with Amtrak, including providing construction contractors with insufficient track outage time necessary to perform work, dont be surprised if the first day of passenger service occurs in 2024 or later.

Cuomo reminds me of the character Wimpy, who famously said: Ill gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. Tuesday never seems to come for Queens commuters and taxpayers.

Larry Penner

Great Neck

(Larry Penner is a transportation historian and advocate who previously worked 31 years for the United States Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration New York Region 2 Office)
Yogi Adityanath contested the Lok Sabha elections in 1998 and got elected for the first time with margin of over 26,000 votes.

By Prabhash K Dutta: Born as Ajay Singh Bisht in Garhwal of the then undivided Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath had a dramatic entry in public life in Gorakhpur some 23 years ago.

It was early summer in Gorakhpur when a group of students had a brawl with a local cloth merchant, who took out his revolver at the college youths. Next day, a young priest was leading a huge rally of protesters on the streets of Gorakhpur, picketing the residence of the then Superintendent of Police.

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This priest-turned-leader was Yogi Adityanath, who shot to fame in Purvanchal politics as angry young man.

INITIAL YEARS IN GORAKAPUR

Yogi Adityanath completed his graduation in science from Uttarakhand, At 22 in 1994, he was initiated by his guru Mahant Avaidyanath, who was the head priest at Goraksh Nath temple in Gorakhpur.

Those were the years when Purvanchal was trying to slip out of the grip of musclemen politicians Harishankar Tiwari and Virendra Pratap Shahi.

Yogi Adityanath appealed to the imagination of upper caste students. They saw him as a successor of Mahant Digvijaynath, who was from Gorakhpur and played pivotal role in the Chauri Chaura incident in 1921, which forced Mahatma Gandhi to call off his non-cooperation movement. A police station had been torched by a mob supposedly led by Digvijaynath, who later became the head priest of Goraksh Nath temple.

Yogi Adityanath's popularity soared further when his guru anointed him as his successor at the Goraksh Nath Math, which he has been heading since demise of Mahant Avaidyanath in 2014.

With the blessings Avaidyanath and riding on his influence in Gorakhpur, Yogi Adityanath contested the Lok Sabha elections in 1998 and got elected for the first time with margin of over 26,000 votes.

Yogi Adityanath has not lost an election since. The five-time Lok Sabha member is yet to get elected to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

COW PROTECTION MOVEMENT

Soon, Yogi was seen championing the cause of cows in Gorakhpur. He founded Hindu Yuva Vahini, which according to him is reformist outfit and works for betterment of villages and protection of cows.

Yogi Adityanath calls himself a gau-sevak (servant of cows) and works at the gaushala (cowshed) maintained at Goraksh Nath Math. During the Assembly election, Adityanath promised to shut down all the illegal slaughterhouses in Uttar Pradesh and to ensure that no cow is killed in abattoirs across the state.

Hindu Yuva Vahini has been in controversy over the years. It is accused of fomenting communal trouble in Purvanchal. Adityanath, himself, faces several criminal cases including those of murder, communal riots, hurting religious sentiments and attack on religious places.

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But, as the activities of Hindu Yuva Vahini increased in Gorakhpur, Yogi Adityanath's popularity soared and so did his winning margins election after election. In 2014 general elections, he won Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat by more than 3 lakh votes.

PURIFICATION AND CONVERSION DRIVES

Year 2002 was a turning point in Yogi Adityanath's political career as he emerged as a strong hardliner Hindutva leader. He was made an accused in the 2002 Mohan Mundera incident at Kushinagar district, where nearly 50 homes of Muslims were torched after a Hindu girl was allegedly raped. Opposition parties pointed fingers at Yogi Adityanath. But, he was not made an accused.

In 2005, Yogi Adityanath launched a 'purification drive' to re-convert Christians to Hinduism. Later, he claimed that he reconverted more than 5,000 people at Etah in UP. The same year, Yogi and his Hindu Yuva Vahini were accused of instigating communal violence in Mau.

RISE THROUGH CONTROVERSIES

In 2007, Yogi Adityanath launched a 'non-violent agitation' after a Hindu boy was killed when some miscreants opened fire during Moharram procession in Gorakhpur. He led a march and gave a speech vowing delivering justice despite prohibitory orders. He was arrested but his popularity touched new heights in Gorakhpur.

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Later, Yogi Adityanath broke down in the Lok Sabha relating his arrest. The then Mulayam Singh Yadav government had suspended the senior police officials of Gorakhpur after the incident.

Yogi's Hindu Yuva Vahini launched retaliation after his arrest. Wide-scale violence took place in Gorakhpur, where two people lost their lives.

2014 AFTERWARDS

In 2014 parliamentary polls, Yogi Adityanath's image and influence added to Modi wave in BJP sweeping Uttar Pradesh. His contribution in Uttar Pradesh was such that many expected that Yogi would be rewarded with a cabinet berth at the Centre.

Next year, when intolerance debated was raging on social media and other platforms, Yogi Adityanath compared bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan with 26/11 terror attack accused Hafiz Saeed.

Yogi further challenged those who voiced their opposition against Surya Namaskar, the ancient morning exercise. He asked such people to 'leave India'.

During the UP Assembly election campaign, the BJP used him as star campaigner in second half of the seven-phased polls as the theatre of electoral politics shifted towards eastern part of the state.

With Modi camping in Varanasi for the final two phases, Yogi's supporters made it sure that Purvanchal delivers maximum seats to the BJP to take it past 300-mark on its own.

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Also read: Meet Yogi Adityanath's lone Muslim minister Mohsin Raza in UP Cabinet

Also read: Yogi Adityanath is new entrant to India's bachelor chief ministers' club

Also watch: Will follow PM Modi's mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath

--- ENDS ---
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By Bill Parry

A 54-year-old retired city correction officer has been charged with attempted murder in the shooting of his wife in their Woodside home last Sunday, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. According to the charges, Victor Guzman was involved in a verbal and physical altercation with his wife, Maria Guzman, 52, inside their apartment on 59th Street near Laurel Hill Boulevard when he pulled out a .38 caliber revolver and fired one round while their 7-year-old grandson was in the home.

The bullet struck Maria Guzman in the chest with fragments hitting her spleen, stomach and adrenal glands, according to the DA. She was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center where her injuries were not life-threatening, a police spokesman said.

Guzman was arrested at 60th Street and Queens Boulevard and charged with second-degree attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the DA. If convicted, Guzman faces up to 25 years in prison.

The Guzmans were estranged and planning a divorce, according to the NYPD.

Meanwhile, an off-duty Emergency Medical Technician was arrested in Woodside Tuesday after he allegedly assaulted and stabbed his girlfriend in their home near 64th Street and Queens Boulevard, police said. Peter Matura, 31, an EMT with the FDNY was arrested around 1:30 p.m. after allegedly throwing the victim against a wall and smashing her head before stabbing her in the abdomen causing a laceration, police said. She was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center where she was listed in stable condition.

Matura was charged with assault, grand larceny, criminal mischief, criminal possession of a weapon and harassment, according to the NYPD.
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FINANCIAL

BALLSTON SPA NATIONAL BANK

Colleen Pickett was promoted to vice president of risk management. Pickett joined in 2013 as a compliance and bank secrecy act officer.

Ervin Murray was promoted to senior vice president and chief information and operations officer. Murray joined as assistant vice president of systems in 1999 and assumed increasing levels of responsibility since.

Colleen Caringi joined as relationship manager. Caringi has six years of prior branch management experience.

WOJESKI & COMPANY CPAS PC

Michelle Bousquet was promoted to senior staff accountant on the audit team. Bousquet joined in 2014 through the student internship program and was later hired as a staff accountant.

NONPROFITS

CAPITALIZE ALBANY CORP.

Joseph Landy joined as a senior economic developer. Landy previously served as director of commercial lending at the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce.

MEDIA

PATIENT EXPERIENCE PROJECT

Emily Jahn joined as an art director. Jahn previously served as a graphic designer at Upside Collective and in the Times Union Magazine Division.

Katie Brites joined as a liaison to clients. Brites worked as an account executive at inVentiv Health Managed Markets.

PROFESSIONS

NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE

Felicia Gross joined the Litigation Bureau. Gross previously served as a law clerk to Rya W. Zobel on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

SERVICES

BOWNE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS INC.

Jim Hall was promoted to vice president, strategic accounts. Hall previously served as senior project manager and will be working with key customers on cutting edge technology projects that drive improvements in planning, decision making and operations.

Chris Kobos was promoted to vice president of GIS services. Kobos previously served as GIS program manager and will manage Long Island GIS technology contracts, supervise the GIS group and contribute to strategic growth of the municipal and private client base.

John LaVolpe was promoted to chief information officer for the AE&T Group, which includes the agency as well as Sidney B. Bowne & Son LLP and RouteSmart Technologies Inc. LaVolpe previously served as director of information technology.

THE GRAND REHABILITATION AND NURSING AT GUILDERLAND

Amber Acosta joined as human resources coordinator. Acosta previously served as a junior recruiter with Classic Westchester Employment Agency.

Dan Hoose was named director of recreation. Hoose is responsible for developing, implementing and supervising recreation services.

Simone Westerman joined as a social worker. Westerman previously served as a research associate at a survey research firm in the Capital Region.

LEE AUDIO 'N SECURITY

Jason Starr joined as an electronic service technician in the Clifton Park office. Starr has more than 10 years of experience as an electrician and fire alarm technician.

 Jennifer Patterson
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Orly, France

Yelling that he wanted to kill and die for Allah, a suspected Islamic extremist attacked a French soldier Saturday morning at Paris' Orly Airport and wrested away her assault rifle, a French prosecutor said. Two colleagues on her patrol shot and killed the man before he could fire the military-grade weapon in the busy airport terminal.

The attack forced the airport's terminals to shut down and evacuate, sent passengers and workers fleeing in panic and trapped hundreds of others aboard flights that had just landed. It was the violent climax of what authorities described as a 90-minute spree of destructive criminality across the French capital by the suspect, identified as Ziyed Ben Belgacem.

The attack further rattled France, which remains under a state of emergency after attacks over the past two years that have killed 235 people.

Stopped first by police in Paris' northern suburbs early Saturday morning for driving too fast, the 39-year-old Frenchman opened fire, injuring an officer in the face, authorities said.

He then fled by car to a bar that he frequented regularly and where he had already stopped a few hours earlier and again opened fire. No one was injured.

Finally, in another car stolen at gunpoint, he parked at Orly. A few minutes later, he hurled himself at three soldiers on patrol in its South Terminal, throwing a bag with a gas can at the floor and wielding his 9 mm revolver, said Paris prosecutor Francois Molins.

According to soldiers, the attacker yelled: "Put down your weapons! Put your hands on your head! I am here to die for Allah. Whatever happens, there will be deaths," Molins said.
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A Schoharie County man fought with his girlfriend and then, as he fled troopers, dialed her up to promise he would kill himself by crashing his car, State Police said.

Emmanuel C. Humphreys made good on the pledge, slamming his car into a dump truck on Route 7 in Rotterdam before state troopers could get to him and stop his car early Sunday morning.

The impact split the car in half. Humphreys, 36, died at the scene, troopers said. The crash was the culmination of a 21-mile high-speed chase that stretched from Schoharie to Schenectady counties.

"It's unfortunate that we weren't able to get him stopped and save his life," State Police Capt. Robert Patnaude said at a news conference Sunday. "But it's fortunate he hit the dump truck that was big enough that he couldn't hurt anybody else."

Patnaude said the incident began at 10:55 p.m. Saturday when police received a call about a domestic disturbance at a mobile home park just off Route 7 in the Schoharie County village of Richmondville.

Humphreys was gone when troopers said they pulled up to the home on Leland Lane.

State Police shared a description of Humphrey's 2010 Honda and it was found a short time later. Humphreys pulled over at the intersection of Route 7 and Route 30A, just outside of Central Bridge, but drove off when one of the troopers, Joshua Udell, tried to speak to him, State Police said. Despite having his foot run over by the fleeing car, Udell pursued as did two other State Police vehicles.

As the chase pressed on, Humphreys tried to call his girlfriend, Patnaude said. Twice he left voicemails but then the woman picked up  allowing a trooper at her home to listen in on the phone call. Police have not released the woman's identity.

Patnaude said the trooper listening to the call relayed the information to a State Police sergeant overseeing the chase. He said Humphreys was telling his girlfriend that he was looking for something big to hit.

"A lot of times we terminate chases," Patnaude said. "But with this one in particular he's saying that he's looking to find something big enough to kill himself  so we don't want that to be another car with innocent people in it."

Patnaude said Humphreys was accelerating and decelerating between 60 and 80 mph, driving on the side of the road each time a trooper attempted to get in front of his vehicle. Police said they unsuccessfully tried to get ahead of Humphreys to throw down road spikes, or use their own cars to block the road. Three State Police vehicles and two Schenectady County sheriff's deputy vehicles were involved in the chase, Patnaude said.

A 1999 Volvo dump truck that was hauling snow just east of Schalmont High School on Route 7 pulled over to the side of the road when the driver saw the approaching police lights. Patnaude said Humphreys accelerated and turned his car directly into the side of the truck, causing his Honda to flip back into the road and strike a pursuing trooper's car. Troopers said Humphreys' vehicle broke in two, and a piece hit a Toyota RAV4 traveling westbound on Route 7.

The trooper whose vehicle was hit, Jason Cintula, suffered back and chest bruises, while the drivers of the RAV4 and the dump truck were uninjured. Cintula and Udell, whose foot was bruised, were treated at Ellis Hospital and released.

Route 7 in Rotterdam between Antonia Drive and Risoli Lane were closed for about 13 hours while the investigation continued.

Patnaude said an autopsy expected to be done Monday should shed light on whether Humphreys was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

"I think our sergeant and all the troopers involved did exactly what they're supposed to do," Patnaude said.

lstanforth@timesunion.com  518-454-5697
Michael P. Sanderson, P.E., PTOE, LEED AP and president/CEO of Sanderson Stewart, was recently awarded the 2017 Distinguished Service Award by the Billings Engineering Club. The award recognizes distinguished engineers for exceptional technical contributions to the engineering profession and contributions to their communities.
The swearing-in ceremony will take place at 2.15 p.m., in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, a host of union ministers and senior party leaders.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Elaborate arrangements are underway for the swearing-in ceremony of Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

State's Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar, Director General of Police Javeed Ahmad along with other senior officials visited the venue, Smriti Upvan park, to take stock of the preparations and security arrangements.

Adityanath also visited the venue in the morning escorted by the Bharatiyta Janata party's state General Secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak.

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The swearing-in ceremony will take place at 2.15 p.m., in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, a host of union ministers and senior party leaders.

Hundreds of Adityanath's supporters from all across the state have reached Lucknow to attend the ceremony.

Two Deputy Chief Ministers -- Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya -- will also be sworn-in.

Meanwhile, celebrations started in Gorakhpur, from where Adityanath is a Lok Sabha member.

Also Read

Yogi Adityanath: What Opposition parties said about new Uttar Pradesh CM

7 reasons why Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh chief minister is a BJP masterstroke

What clinched it for Yogi Adityanath as next Uttar Pradesh CM: All you need to know

--- ENDS ---
From a priest and devout gau-sevak, Yogi Adityanath has travelled a long political journey to become the UP Chief Minister. People in his home constituency Gorak now expects him to do what he promised to do in order to protect cows in Uttar Pradesh.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Five-time Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath is the 22nd Chief Minister of country's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh.

Yogi Adityanath, whose political career has travelled along his fiery controversial comments against minorities, practising politics of hard core Hindutva and his campaign against cow slaughter, has a task cut out especially on the cow slaughter issue.

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Yogi Adityanath has gained acceptability and popularity for his campaign against cow slaughter over the years. He founded Hindu Yuva Vahini to carry campaign against cow slaughter.

On several occasions, Yogi Adityanath has asserted that cow slaughter was a cause of serious concern. He has said several times in the past that whenever BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh, he would ensure that all illegal slaughterhouses were closed.

On the day of Yogi Adityanath's swearing-in as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, India Today visited the gaushala (cowshed) at the Goraksh Nath Mandir, his home in this sleepy dusty town of Gorakhpur in Purvanchal.

Insiders at this temple say, whenever he is in Gorakhpur, Yogi Adityanath, who is Mahant of this temple, makes it a point to visit the gaushala without fail and do gau-seva.

The gaushala at Goraksh Nath Mandir houses more than 350 cows brought from states like Gujarat, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Shrawan Kanaujiya, caretaker of this gaushala, is ecstatic at Yogi Adityanath's elevation as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

"Adityanath always does gau-seva whenever he is in Gorakhpur. The relation of Yogi with the cows here is like that of a son with his mother. We hope that finally the illegal slaughterhouses will be shut down by our new CM," Shrawan Kanaujiya said.

Cow slaughter has for long been a contentious issue and a cause of rift between Hindus and Muslims. However, people from the Muslim community from Gorakhpur are also hopeful that Yogi Adityanath must ban cow slaughter in the state.

"We should attack the reason behind the Hindu-Muslim differences. Cow slaughter has been a contentious issue and a ban on illegal slaughterhouses will finish the reason for the difference," said Nazir Ali, a Gorakhpur resident.

ALSO READ:

LIVE: Yogi Adityanath swearing-in as UP CM at 2.15 pm; list of probable ministers

why Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh chief minister is a BJP masterstroke

Yogi Adityanath: What Opposition parties said about new Uttar Pradesh CM

Adityanath: 7 things that you may expect Yogi to do as Uttar Pradesh CM

--- ENDS ---

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The best VPN can be a powerful tool for online security and privacy, and the top services boast fast, encrypted connections to servers located all over the world, strict no-logging policies, DNS protection, kill switches, and other security features. Together, they help make for a safer and more private online experience.

There are a few decent free VPN providers out there, but its important to understand their limitations in terms of both security and privacy.

To put it bluntly, no-fee VPNs arent as secure as the paid options. There are a number of features that help make a VPN provider safe and secure and, while there are occasional exceptions, youre unlikely to find a no-fee VPN that ticks all the boxes. Heres where things can go wrong:

No choice of server or location

First, its good to have a wide choice of VPN servers and locations. While this also makes for a better Netflix VPN, routing your Internet traffic through a certain country  one with stricter privacy laws, for example  can help keep your online activity more secure. Providers like ExpressVPN offer hundreds of servers in 90+ countries. No-fee providers usually dont give you the choice.

Speed freaks will appreciate a fast VPN

Logging and sale of your private information

Paid VPN providers dont need to sell your information to make money  youre already paying them  and have no incentive to do so: security and privacy is their whole product.

Free providers, on the other hand, are known for logging traffic, making use of tracking technology like cookies, and even selling this information to advertisers and third parties.

Instead, look for VPNs with strict no-logging policies, like NordVPN.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

(opens in new tab)

Limited security features

Many free providers offer only limited functionality, often as an incentive to go paid. As a result, you may not get proper DNS leak protection or a kill switch, leaving your identity and activity exposed if something goes wrong with your VPN connection.

In the wrong hands, DNS requests can be used to track you, making you more vulnerable to hackers, while a VPN without a kill switch cant keep you safe if the encrypted connection fails. Your personal data can be intercepted and stolen by anybody who happens to be in the right place at the right time.

Apple users need a Mac VPN, and PC users should get a Windows VPN

Presence of malware

No-fee VPN providers may also lack the resources necessary to keep their own products and services safe, regardless of their intentions.

In fact, according to a 2016 paper (opens in new tab) presented at the Internet Measurement Conference in Santa Monica, California, of the 10 most popular (Android) VPNs found to carry malware, six were free. Most of the malware cases were related to advertising, which isnt something paid providers tend to engage in.

Use of your resources and Internet connection by other users

Finally, some free providers make money by using your computer as an exit node for paying customers. What this means is that their traffic, legal or otherwise, may end up going through your Internet connection. Your ISP, and anybody else whos watching, will think its yours.

Bottom line

If you only need to very occasionally use a VPN for checking your email or accessing online banking when connecting to a public WiFi, youre probably OK using a free version.

Just remember that your data may be collected and sold (which more or less defeats the purpose of using a VPN in the first place), and that there may be numerous security holes just waiting to be exploited by hackers and other unsavory characters.

If you value privacy and security, your best bet is to go with a proper, paid VPN provider. There are excellent VPNs available that cost only a few bucks per month, and are thus a worthwhile investment in your online safety.
Ed Sheeran has managed to yet again continue his stranglehold on the Aussie charts, keeping Aussies almost completely at bay as his dominance reigns.

As we reported last week, Ed Sheeran was almost in complete control of the Aussie charts last week with his new album  (Divide) sitting atop the album charts, while a total of 16 of his singles were within the top 50 positions on the charts. This dominance has continued for yet another week, with very little changes occuring at the top end of both the singles and albums charts.

The albums charts sees Sheerans Divide take top spot for the second week in a row, while his previous albums X and +, sit at numbers three and eight, respectively. Meanwhile Adeles Australian tour has continued to pay off, with her records 25 and 21 reaching the number two and four positions for this week. Aussie talent isnt completely out of contention though, with The Waifs previous chart-topper Ironbark holding its own at number seven for the second week in a row.

Likewise, Tash Sultanas Notion EP is back to #14 from its position at #23 last week, while Keith Urban and Kingswood sit at #17, and #21, respectively.

Back in the singles charts though, Ed Sheeran finds himself dominating, with the current chart-topper, his track Shape Of You, staying at the top for the tenth week in a row, the first track to do so since LMFAOs Party Rock Anthem in 2011. While the charts arent quite as filled with Sheeran as they were last week (with only 14 in the top 50 instead of 16), the top ten does see a further two of his songs feature, with Castle On The Hill, and Galway Girl reaching the second and seventh positions, respectively.

Aussie talent is a little harder to find though, with our highest reaching Aussie artist being Sia, who reaches #19 as part of her appearance alongside Pink in Stargates Waterfall. Pnaus Chameleon continues to sit at #22 for another week, while Amy Sharks Adore is only one position lower than last week, ranking at #27 for this week.

The Aussie talent on the charts is rounded out by the Ryan Riback remix of Starleys Call On Me at #28, Sheppards Keep Me Crazy entering the charts at #42, and Peking Duks Stranger still charting with a position of #46, for its 21st week in the charts.

With plenty of good Aussie albums set to be released in the coming weeks and months, we can be certain that Sheerans dominance wont continue for too much longer, and well be getting homegrown talent back on top once more.
BJP's decision to appoint Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has evoked sharp reactions from Opposition parties. Even those parties like TMC and BJD, which don't have presence in Uttar Pradesh, have slammed the BJP for its choice for Chief Ministerial candidate.

By India Today Web Desk: The BJP has thrown a surprise by naming Yogi Adityanath, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma as candidates for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers. None of them are among the 312 elected legislators in the UP Assembly election held recently.

But, the BJP's decision has drawn an avalanche of sharp responses from the Opposition parties. None of them seems to have liked the idea of appointing Yogi Adityanath, a core hardline Hindutva leader, as the UP Chief Minister.

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The Congress has said that choice of the BJP for Uttar Pradesh CM has put their development mask off saying that a 'fringe' leader is now in the 'mainstream'.

WHO SAID WHAT ABOUT YOGI ADITYANATH: 10 QUOTES Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "Congratulations UP! Hello media the man you called 'fringe' is now mainstream!" She further said, "Also the 'vikas ka mukhauta', the mask is truly off. Bring on Shamshaan-Kabristaan, Diwali-Eid narrative." Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala was a bit restricted in his attack on Yogi. He said, "Excessive delay in arriving at a decision as also the compulsion to create two posts of Deputy CMs reflects a bitter conflict to share spoils of power despite overwhelming majority of over 300 MLAs." Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agrawal said, "We will wait and watch for six months. We hope he will change his thinking and desist from creating a divide between Hindus and Muslims. If he does, we will go among the people and oppose him." The CPI (M) politburo member Mohammad Salim said, "Selection of Adityanath is the culmination of Modi-Amit Shah brand of politics in the state where the BJP systematically played communal card." Salim's party colleague Brinda Karat said, "It is clearly the RSS agenda and UP is the new experimental field for it. Since it is the victory of RSS (in UP elections), it has chosen the CM." The BJD, which is ruling in Odisha also questioned the BJP's decision to appoint Yogi Adityanath as UP Chief Minister. BJD leader Bhartrahari Mahtab said, "He never held any administrative post. This is an opportunity for him to prove his mettle. I hope he lives up to the expectations of all the people in UP." Trinamool Congress, which is ruling West Bengal and has no presence in Uttar Pradesh was also wary of the BJP's decision. TMC leader Saugata Roy said, "The BJP is in majority and it is their prerogative as to whom they name as the Chief Minister. But it is evident that the BJP wants to pursue a strong Hindutva line in Uttar Pradesh." BJP's ally at the Centre and adversary in many states Shiv Sena too had a piece of advice for Yogi Adityanath. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, "The controversial remarks won't work now as he will be the next chief minister of the Uttar Pradesh, India's largest state. If in case he does make such remarks, it will create chaos in the state. Now he should talk about development." Senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily said, "It is a big assault on secularism in the country. Maybe, the BJP or RSS would like to endorse their cause of Hinduism. India is not Hinduism. Hinduism is not India." Taking to twitter, another senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid said, "No more pretence! Yogi Adityanath to sit where Pantji, NDT (Narayan Dutt Tiwari), Bahugana et al once sat. Great test PM has put BJP trolls to. Explain this."

ALSO READ| Why Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh CM is a BJP masterstroke

Adityanath: 7 things that you may expect Yogi to do as Uttar Pradesh CM

ALSO WATCH | How Congress, SP, BSP and Shiv Sena reacted to Yogi Adityanath's swearing-in

--- ENDS ---
At the University of Kansas this past October, a panel was held on campus to review what costumes students could wear for Halloween without running the risk of "cultural appropriation." If anyone wonders why the cost of higher ed keeps increasing, he or she need only consider the parties involved in sponsoring this event.
Amid new anxiety, fewer than half as many foreign students apply to UMKC Following a campaign season often perceived abroad as bordering on xenophobic, amid Trump administration travel bans and in the wake of racially charged violence against immigrants, the allure of American college campuses appears to be fading. In Kansas City, Lawrence, Manhattan and Columbia - as at schools across the country - fresh anxieties are driving down college applications from overseas.

Harsh times for the city college after anand nearby suspected hate crime killing has apparently scared long distance kangaroos from the campus . . .This is critical given hefty profits for the school paid from higher fees required of these students. Checkit:
New Democratic Firm in Missouri Takes Home Big Award

TJP Strategies, a new Democratic political consulting firm based in Missouri, was recognized this year by the American Association of Political Consultants for winning a Gold award for Support Your Library, a newspaper insert for Mid-Continent Public Librarys Proposition L campaign. The Pollie Awards (Pollies) are awarded to only the very best firms in the country, making them some of the most sought-after awards in the political industry. The American Association of Political Consultants, a nonpartisan organization of political professionals, judges the entries.





In addition to being recognized with a Pollie award, TJP Strategies remains undefeated. Some of TJPs notable victories include John Rizzos state senate campaign and Mark Ellebrachts statehouse campaign in 2016.





One of the keys to TJPs success in 2016 was our ability to message to voters in right-leaning districts, and Im optimistic that there will be more opportunity for that as Democrats look to 2018.

As always, we try to keep our blog community informed about the personalities, players and new people making waves in the local political scene . . . This upstart crew led bycould be the last hope for Democrats to make up ground in Red State Missouri. Here's the word . . .########Developing . . .
AFTER DARK CROWDS ON THE PLAZA RAGE AGAINST ONE ANOTHER WHILE POLICE USE PEPPER SPRAY TO BREAK-UP FIGHTS!!!

"Have you seen the recruits for mall security at Country Club Plaza this year? It a real Blade Runner vibe they got going on down there. One of the biggest complaints I hear tourist say about the CCP is the sidewalks aren't wide enough for many pedestrians. But the new landowners have taken care of that problem by giving Security huge Segway's with flashing that are so bright you might find on airport runway's. Anyway, KCPD has plenty of pepper spray on hand this year, not like the red dust they use to clear out Westport on a crowded summer night. This stuff is gel form, as to not upset the gentry. Unfortunately, a young girl about twenty feet from me got a direct hit of the stuff while a couple young men were scuffling in the street to garner her attention."

Spring Break provides little respite for embattled Midtown Kansas City party districts as fighting mad crowds earned rebuke from authorities.We won't get too worked up given that St. Paddy's weekend was made for fighting. Still . . .As always,get the first word and here's the analysis from citizen media at the scene . . .Like it or not, this is the reality of the Country Club Plaza nowadays as rowdy young adults dominate the late night of the formerly upscale outdoor shopping location.You decide . . .
CREDIT TO JACKSON COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINERS IN ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND HELP WHILST CONDUCTING THEIR PART OF THIS ONGOING KANSAS CITY MURDER INVESTIGATION!!!

"M(edical) E(xaminer) bringing in more help. Cause of death critical here and they're being careful with what they say. Ruling may surprise some people. Amazing what they can find."

now

More than a week after her discarded car and dead body were discovered near the bottom of the Missouri River under mysterious circumstances, Toni Anderson has not been laid to rest as medical examiners reach out for assistance amid their postmortem inquiry.To wit . . .Via social media, extended family and friends have expressed some dismay in the wait to put Toni Anderson to rest following her horrific death but seem to understand the need to continue looking at forensic evidence in order to find her killer.Thanks tofor this note on the topic . . .Meanwhile, rampant public skepticism about how Toni Anderson and her car made their way into the Missouri River has caused police to roll back their initial "no foul play" pronouncements . . .And so, funeral arrangements for Toni Anderson are onhold as the ongoing medical investigation proves more complex, time-consuming and captivating than earlier reports regarding the death of the troubled stripper who met with a tragic fate.Developing . . .
Greece's development plan focuses on the attraction of investments to dynamic and innovative businesses, stated Economy Minister Dimitris Papadimitriou in a statement to the Sunday edition of Ethnos newspaper. "The Greek economy needs a new technologically upgraded and extrovert growth model that will promote the competitive advantages of the domestic productive networks and of the qualified human resources.

It is the only way to cover the productive gap that characterises today the economy and in parallel to create new job positions in order to absorb the unprecedented unemployment that plagues the country". The minister said that "we focus on the attraction of investments to dynamic and innovative businesses in order to broaden their activities and to acquire extroversion (strengthening of exports) with aim the increase of added value and the creation of new qualitative job positions and intercept the brain drain." The positive increase of GDP is not a satisfactory indication of stabilisation.

In order to have a real economic and social stabilisation we must have growth rate that after the deduction of the country's debt obligations to allow even a medium increase of the real GDP per capita. This will allow the lost ground to be covered at mid-term level, noted Papadimitriou.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
The latest "unofficial deadline" to concluding the now long-overdue second review of the Greek program appears to have been lost

The latest "unofficial deadline" given for finally concluding the now long-overdue second review of the Greek program (third bailout), which was none other than Monday, March 20, appears to have been lost, with the only consolation being the prospect of a decision by the Eurogroup on the same day for a return of institutional creditors to Athens.

Nevertheless, "significant progress" in closing existing differences and even "guarantees" by the Greek side are, according to reports, the conditions required by creditors for a return of their representatives.

If Monday goes by the wayside, the next "unofficial deadline" on the calendar is the April 7 Eurogroup meeting.

However, the IMF's tight deadlines for April, given the annual spring meeting by the Fund at its Washington D.C. headquarters from April 18 to 22, leaves very little room for an agreement that will include measures for the Greek debt - a standing demand by the IMF to guarantee that the debt sustainable.

The more-or-less negative view over coming deadlines was expressed on Thursday by a top Eurozone official in the Belgian capital.

"It's technically possible, it's not, necessarily, politically possible," the EZ source said.

Teleconferences are expected to continue on Friday between the embattled Tsipras government and creditors' negotiators, and possibly over the weekend. If progress is judged to be satisfactory and if and if the Greek side offers its partners certain guarantees then Eurozone ministers may decide on Monday to send their representatives back to Athens.

"This may be the last chance for Greek government to conclude the review to conclude, otherwise April will be lost and negotiations will drag on until the summer," the EZ source said.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
President Nicos Anastasiades will have a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Permanent Representative of the Republic to the UN Kornelios Korneliou said

President Nicos Anastasiades will have a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Permanent Representative of the Republic to the UN Kornelios Korneliou said on Thursday evening, addressing a dinner hosted in his honour by the Federation of Cypriot American Organisations, the International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA) and the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC).

Referring to developments on the Cyprus problem, Korneliou who assumed his duties as the Permanent Representative to the UN recently, said that we are at a difficult juncture, but this will not hinder us from continuing our efforts so that deliberations bear fruit.

He said personally he is not very optimistic from the messages received by Ankara, citing Turkish President Tayyip Erdogans stance against European countries such as the Netherlands, Germany and France. He has no problem adopting policies against us or Greece. But this will not hinder us to continue our effort, he added.

Korneliou said that his first priority as Permanent Representative of the Republic to the UN is the Cyprus problem, adding that as long as it remains unsolved we cannot focus on any other issue.

Support on the Cyprus problem

He noted that the fact that we forge alliances with other member states either of the region or other regions, within the UN, gives us the right to ask for their support on the Cyprus problem.

Korneliou requested the support of Cypriots living in the US, expressing the belief that in the end we will make it.

PSEKA President Philip Christopher assured the new Permanent Representative that all Cypriot diaspora organisations in the US will stand by him.

He expressed hope that the new US administration will change the American policy on the Cyprus problem.

President of the Federation of Cypriot American Organizations Kyriakos Papastylianou, Greek Consul General in New York Konstantinos Koutras, and Cypriot Consul General Vasilis Philippou also addressed the event, welcoming Korneliou and wishing him every success to his new duties.

Source: CNA

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker will receive UN Secretary General Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide next Thursday, according to his official calendar.

Commission Spokesman Alexander Winterstein, invited to comment by CNA on a possible meeting, said that "we should know how close the reunification is to the presidents heart, how closely he was involved, for a long time and how open his communication channels are to all parties and players in this process, so this visit is part of this process of the president being involved, but I cannot tell you today exactly what will be discussed."

Eide has been in Cyprus over the past week in an effort to resume peace talks between the leaders of the islands two communities, President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci. The talks aim to reunite the country, divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion.

On Thursday, Eide and UN Special Adviser Elizabeth Spehar informed the UN secretary General Antonio Guterres on the latest developments in the Cyprus talks and informed them of the way forward, SigmaLive learnt.

Source: CNA

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
The crisis has become degradation that the country can't stand anymore" said in an interview with the Sunday newspaper Realnews main opposition New Democracy (ND) deputy

The crisis has become degradation that the country can't stand anymore" said in an interview with the Sunday newspaper Realnews main opposition New Democracy (ND) deputy and responsible for foreign policy George Koumoutsakos.

"The prolonged course of the paralytic uncertainty continues, the economy is sinking and the society is in despair" he claimed and reiterated his party's request for elections underlining that it is not only linked with the endlessly expected review but it is required by the deep degradation that the country is experiencing".

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Eleven wineries from Crete are participating in the biggest international wine exhibition held in Dusseldorf, ProWein

Eleven wineries from Crete are participating in the biggest international wine exhibition held in Dusseldorf, ProWein, between March 19-21.

The wineries that participate are Alexakis Winery, Diamantakis Winery, Douloufakis Winery, Efrosini Winery, Idaia Winery, Lyrarakis Winery, Michalakis Estate, Minos - Miliarakis Winery, Domaine Paterianakis, Strataridakis Bros Winery and Domaine Zacharioudakis.

According to the Wines of Crete network, a large wine bar has been set up at the Cretan kiosk at Hall 9,  78, where visitors can taste more than 130 wine labels, explore the 11 local indigenous wine varieties and learn about the islands wineries.

Participation in the event is supported by the Cretan Prefecture. ProWein is the worlds leading trade fair for wine and spirits, the largest industry meeting for professionals from viticulture, production, trade and gastronomy.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Omans Sohar Port and Freezone, following a new phase of expansion and growth, aims to attract $8 billion worth of new investments over the next five years, said a report.



Part of this targeted inflow will be generated by Sohars new reclamation project, according to Mark Geilenkirchen, chief executive officer, Sohar Port and Freezone, reported an Oman Daily Observer report.



Geilenkirchen added that officially to be named Sohar Port South, the reclaimed land will allow the industrial port to expand its portfolio of companies and add more business to drive growth within the Omani economy.



He added that Sohar will build on the Port of Rotterdams extensive experience with similar projects, like the massive Maasvlakte 2 land reclamation in the Netherlands, to achieve the best results during construction.



Maasvlakte 2 is a massive civil engineering project involving the construction of a new port and supporting infrastructure on reclaimed land adjoining Maasvlakte. As an extension of the Port of Rotterdam, the project offers around 2,000 hectares of newly reclaimed land for container terminals and other investments  the difference being that the new ventures are operated on the principles of sustainability.



Moreover, Sohar Port South (known earlier as the Majees Reclamation Project) is a key component of the Sohar 2040 Masterplan, which is currently under finalisation.



Geilenkirchen further noted that on completion it will give a substantial boost to the ports ability to support Omans aim to increase its diversification efforts.



Additionally, part of the reclaimed land that will form part of Sohar Port South has already been leased to significant new tenants under contracts signed last year, the official stated.
The legendary Breitling DC-3 aeroplane has landed in Bahrain as part of its record-breaking world tour.



This historic aircraft, which is aiming to become the oldest plane to circumnavigate the globe, landed at Bahrain International airport on Friday (March 17) ahead of the next leg of the trip which will take it to Doha, Qatar.



Having travelled across northern Saudi Arabia, flying low over the golden desert from Amman, Jordan, the Breitling DC-3 is making its first ever visit to a region that today boasts some of the worlds leading airlines, with fleets of state-of-the-art aircraft. The visit of the Breitling DC-3 harks back to the early days of international aviation travel with its maiden flight taking place in 1940.



Speaking after arriving in Bahrain, Breitling DC-3 pilot Francisco Agullo said: Crossing the Middle East, with its vast open desert, is something Ive really been looking forward to since we started planning this project. And flying over Bahrain at just 2,000 feet, far lower than commercial aircraft are normally allowed to, has been a truly unique experience and a personal highlight of this world tour.



The Breitling DC-3 world tour took to the skies on March 9, 2017, seventy-seven years to the day since its maiden flight. Departing from Breitlings home country of Switzerland, the plane will visit 54 countries over seven months, landing back in Switzerland at the Breitling Sion Airshow 2017 in September. Bahrain is its fifth stop.



To celebrate the world tour, Breitling is also introducing a 500-piece limited edition of its famous Navitimer aviation chronograph, of which 25 models will be made available for the Middle East market. This steel Navitimer 01 (46mm), powered by Manufacture Breitling Caliber 01, will be distinguished by its caseback, which will be engraved with the Breitling DC-3 World Tour logo. Enthusiasts will have to wait until the end of 2017 to get their hands on this model  all 500 pieces will travel aboard the Breitling DC-3 around the planet, thus ensuring they are truly part of the entire adventure. Each watch will be delivered with a certificate signed by the flight captain.



The first Douglas DC-3 (DC for Douglas Commercial) twin-engine propeller plane made its maiden flight in 1935, at a time when Breitling had introduced its first on-board chronographs for civilian and military aircraft. Nicknamed the Normandy landings plane, the DC-3 seats 20 passengers and has a cruising speed of 241km/h (130 knots). More than 16,000 DC-3 aircraft were built and most major airlines acquired them as part of their fleet. Today there are fewer than 150 DC-3 aircraft in flightworthy condition worldwide, including the Breitling DC-3, which itself flew for the first time in 1940. It now flies under Breitling colours and participates in a variety of air shows around the globe.  TradeArabia News Service








Investment Saudi Arabia and Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu have signed a milestone agreement with leading information and communications technology (ICT) company Huawei to establish a training academy and a smart city innovation centre in Yanbu region of the kingdom, accelerating smart city deployment in line with the Kingdoms Vision 2030.



The agreement was signed on the sidelines of King Salman bin Abdulaziz visit to China and during the 2017 Saudi-China Investment Forum.



It was organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Investment in co-operation with Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (Sagia) and the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) along with Saudi Aramco.



As per the deal, the smart city innovation center - which is the first of its kind in the region, is set to open this year. The academy too will open for training soon.



On the agreement, Dr Alaa bin Abdullah Nassif, the CEO of the Royal Commission of Yanbu and Jazan Economic City, said: "Enforcing the directives of the wise leadership and with the aim of achieving the strategic goal of developing a unique city that is technologically advanced based on global standards of smart cities, the Royal Commission of Yanbu established and developed the first smart city in the Saudi Arabia through partnerships with several private sector companies."



"Today, we signed a partnership deal with one of the leading companies, Huawei, to develop and establish the smart city innovation center - which is the first of its kind in the region - as well as developing the Huawei training academy in order to transfer the knowledge and global experience in the technology field," he noted.



In order to build the most skilled team in the kingdom, Huawei will be supplying the latest in lab equipment, training instructors, monitoring talent development and other proactive knowledge sharing initiatives.



The smart city innovation center is also begged to be open in 2017, and will aim to support Saudi Arabia 2020 transformation program focused on growing their digital economy. The center will be home to innovative smart city technology, providing a platform for the two parties to create, build and deploy new services in Yanbu industrial city.



Ramadan Ding, the CEO of Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia, said it is proud to be a strategic partner to the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu in developing local ICT capabilities that will support the development and implementation of His Majestys 2030 vision for the Kingdom.



"Huaweis advanced smart city innovation coupled with its global leadership in research and development will ultimately benefit the people of Saudi Arabia. Huawei reaffirms its full support and commitment to the Kingdom and its people," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Ascott, a leading service residence owner-operator, said it has been awarded a contract to manage a Citadines-branded property at Al Khobar in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.



Citadines Al Khobar will be located at central Al Khobar, in a highly sought after location between King Salman and Prince Fawaz streets on the 4th main street in Al Khobar Al Shamaliah, which offers numerous dining, shopping and leisure options.



It will comprise 54 spacious, one-bedroom apartments with various layouts, said a statement from the Singapore-based company.



Managed and operated by Ascott, facilities will include a breakfast area, residents lounge and fully equipped gym, making it an excellent choice for accommodation amongst business and leisure travellers.



With this new contract win, CapitaLands wholly-owned serviced residence business unit, Ascott, continues to expand its footprint in the Middle East to capture a bigger share of the market, it stated.



We are delighted to have signed an agreement to manage Citadines Al Khobar, remarked Vincent Miccolis, Ascotts country general manager for Middle East & Turkey.



Saudi Arabia remains a highly significant growth market and this latest signing will not only expand our presence in KSA but also reinforces our leadership position in the Middle East, he stated.



"Citadines Al Khobar is the third property, together with Citadines Abha and Somerset Al Khobar, that we will be working with developer AREIC (the real estate arm of Al Mutlaq Group) and we are pleased to strengthen our partnership with them," he added.



With corporate business driven by Saudi Aramco, the worlds largest oil company being based in the Eastern Province, demand for high quality serviced apartments is on the rise, stated Ascott in its statement.



Other large companies located in Al Khobar such as Sumitomo and Al Rashid sustain a steady demand for short, medium and long term accommodation due to regular visits for meetings and missions in the city.



Furthermore, Al Khobar is also considered Saudi Arabias most popular leisure holiday destination. Travel to the city from all parts of the kingdom is very high during the holiday period, which is primarily driven by school holidays, it said.



"Citadines Al Khobar, represents a significant opportunity for us to establish Ascotts award-winning Citadines branded accommodation in Al Khobar," Miccolis added.-TradeArabia News Service
FOCUS ON INFRASTRUCTURE DEALS

Investcorp mulls major India ramp up; eyes $5bn investment

Investcorp, a global alternative investment firm based in Bahrain, is planning a major ramp up of its India investments, which it aims to take it to $5 billion in the next 5 years, up from the current $600 million, said a report citing its top official.
SC Vasudeva

My wife, whose annual income is less than Rs2.5 lakh, has been filing her income-tax return. Can I deposit money in her Public Provident Fund (PPF) account and claim rebate under Section 80C in my return?  Dev Raj Garg

You can claim deduction under Section 80C of for the amount deposited in your wifes PPF account. The maximum deduction allowable for various schemes specified under the aforesaid Section is Rs1,50,000.

I, a super senior citizen, 81, am earning Rs17,000 per month as rental income and Rs3,000 per annum as bank interest. The tenant wants to deduct TDS from the rental income. Is TDS deduction applicable in my case where the exempted income level is Rs5 lakh per annum? I am not filing my tax return as my income is below the exemption limit.  Shanta Jain

According to the provisions of the Income Tax Act 1961, any person, including an individual or HUF, whose accounts are subject to audit under Section 44AB of the Act is required to deduct tax at source at 10 per cent from the amount of rent payable for the use of any building, rent of which exceeds Rs1,80,000 per annum. In view of this provision ,the tenant has no option, but to deduct tax at source from the amount of rent payable to you even if he is an individual or HUF whose accounts are subject to the provisions of the audit under the aforesaid section of the Act. You have an option to obtain a certificate from the Assessing Officer under Section 197 of the Act allowing you to receive the payment of rent without deduction of tax at source. An application has to be filed for obtaining such certificate with the Assessing Officer concerned.

My NRI son, working in Singapore, has NRE fixed deposits in an Indian bank. He files his return back home in respect of income, mainly rent. Recently, while auto renewal of the FD, 31 per cent of interest paid was deducted as withholding tax (tenure of the FD was 390 days). While the NRE FD interest is tax-free, is the withholding tax some additional levy on interest earned? If so, how does the bank issue the withholding tax deducted certificates, and how does an assessee mention it in his income-tax return and upload it on the tax portal? 1 Krishan Dev Uppal

Section 10(4)(ii) of the Act provides that in case of an individual, any income by way of interest on money standing to the credit of a non-resident (external) account in any bank in India in accordance with the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999, and the rules made thereunder is exempt from tax as such an income does not form part of the total income of an individual. This exemption is subject to a proviso that the individual is a person resident outside India as defined in Clause (w) of Section 2 of the FEMA Act. A non-resident has been defined by the said Act as a person who is not resident in India. A person resident in India means, a person residing in India for more than 182 days during the course of the preceding financial year, but does not include a person who has gone out of India or who stays outside India, in either case 

a) for or on taking up employment outside India, or

b) for carrying on outside India a business or vocation outside India, or

c) for any other purpose, in such circumstances as would indicate his intention to stay outside India for an uncertain period.

In case your son, who is based in Singapore, is covered within either of the aforesaid exceptions, the interest earned on his NRE deposit would not be taxable in India. It is presumed that your son is covered by the aforesaid exceptions. In such a case, the bank seems to have made a mistake and therefore you should check with the bank. However, since your son is filing his return in India, he can claim a refund in respect of the amount so deducted by the bank on an income which is not chargeable to tax.
Tribune News Service

Mohali, March 19

A 40-year-old man was found murdered in Phase 3B1 here on Sunday. The police found the body stuffed in a large suitcase which was kept in a BMW car parked near a house.

The crime was brought to the notice of a PCR team by an autorickshaw driver who happened to pass by.

Blood stains could be seen near the car and on the rear seat of the vehicle on which the suitcase containing the body had been kept.

The police have identified the deceased as Ekam Singh Dhillon.

DSP Alam Vijay Singh said they have recovered a pistol from the house.

He said a case had been registered in this regard against the wife of the deceased, Seerat, her mother and brother.

The wife of the deceased is a niece of senior Congress leader Ajit Inder Singh Mofar, a former MLA from Sardulgarh. He had lost to the SAD candidate during the recently-concluded Assembly elections in Punjab.
Saud M. Al-Sati

RECENTLY, under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and earlier under the late Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdallah bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia has rolled out a series of women-friendly initiatives. These have established an enabling environment for women and helped to expand their participation in public life.Women in Saudi Arabia are drivers of the change we see today: participating in our workforce; leading multi-national corporations and becoming the champion of education, health, financial and other sectors.

According to recent reports, there is a sound economic argument around the collaboration between women and men that can benefit our GDP by over $50 billion by 2025. The Kingdoms aim is to have women account for 30 per cent of the workforce in the coming years, an increase from the current 22 per cent. In fact, according to the latest figures from Saudi Arabia's Central Department of Statistics and Information, since 2010 the number of women employed in Saudi Arabia has increased by 48 per cent.

The financial sector, in particular, is experiencing noteworthy developments. Sarah Al-Suhaimi was appointed the first-ever woman to chair the Saudi stock exchange in February. She has established herself as a force to reckon with, Al-Suhaimi held various key positions in investment firms, finally taking charge of the stock exchange. Rania Nashar, was named the Chief Executive of the Samba Financial Group, becoming the first CEO of a listed commercial bank in Saudi Arabia.

Education has been at the core of Saudi Arabia's national policy agenda. The Kingdom has always offered an encouraging environment for women to explore careers in the academic fields. Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University at Riyadh is the largest women's university in the world. It bears testimony to Saudi Arabia's committement towards women's education and excellence.

We take pride in women achievers from our nation who have made great strides towards realising their professional ambitions by creating a niche for themselves globally. Dalal Moheealdin Namnaqani, an educator in medicine, has become the first Saudi woman to be appointed the dean of a university in which she supervises both male and female faculties. Mona Al Munajjed, another significant name in academics, is Saudi Arabia's foremost sociologist. She has been instrumental in formulating several social development field projects. For these, she received the UN-21 Award for Excellence, outstanding coordination and individual productivity in 2005. There are many other women who have earned international accolades for their pivotal contribution to education, research, healthcare and science.

We are proud of Hayat bint Sulaiman bin Hassan Sindi, a Saudi Arabian scientist. She was appointed Emerging Explorer by National Geographic in 2011. In 2012, she became a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for science education. She has served at the UN Secretary-General's Scientific Advisory Board. Among the innovations Sindi has developed are a diagnostic tool used for the early detection of breast cancer and the Magnetic Acoustic Resonance Sensor (MARS).

Khawla S. Al-Khuraya, another distinguished name in the field of medical research, is a Saudi Onco specialist and professor of pathology. Al-Khuraya is well known for identifying the FOSM1 gene, which prompts the human body to form cancer cells. She was the first Saudi woman to receive the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud in 2010 for her cancer research. It is a matter of pride for us to see our country making incredible progress to further education and expand opportunities for women. According to data from The Global Gender Gap Report 2014, released by the World Economic Forum, Saudi Arabia now has an astonishing female literacy rate of 91per cent  an unheard of feat in many nations across the world. Essentially, almost 52 per cent of the graduates in Saudi Arabia are women. The government's focus on womens education has had various positive effects. It has led to a noteworthy reduction in fertility and mortality rates, improved health and nutrition tables. As metioned earlier, it has led to an increase and involved participation in public life. Tens of thousands of scholarships to study abroad are provided to the women of Saudi Arabia every year. A recent achievement that gave me great pleasure was that of Somayya Jabarti, who took over the role of the first woman Editor-in-Chief of the English daily Saudi Gazette.

For Saudi Arabia, it was an important, defining moment in 2013, when  for first time in the kingdom's history  30 women became a part of the Shura Council, a 150-member advisory body. In a landmark municipal election in 2015, four women were elected from Makkah, Jawf and Tabuk.

Recently, Women's Day was celebrated in Saudi Arabia with a gathering held at the King Fahd Cultural Centre. During the same time, the kingdom also celebrated the national cultural festival, Al Janadriyah  showcasing tradition, culture and the blend with modernity through creativity and ingenuity of the people. This year's Al Janadriyah festival devoted some programmes to focus on women's role and value in nation building.

The government is leading a host of successful initiatives in gender empowerment and cultural development. Participation of women in the socio-economic structure remains the focus of the government today. A number of initiatives above are being undertaken for the promotion of participation and involvement of women in all walks of life in our country.

The writer is Ambassador, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to India
MK Bhadrakumar

THERE are some positive signs and many negative portents of a Russian-American detente in world politics appearing through the eight-week period of the Donald Trump presidency. I2n the frenetic rush of current history, we fail to take note of nascent processes, only to grasp with hindsight that the kaleidoscope had inclined ever so slightly, causing a shift in the symmetrical pattern. To be sure, the security of the Greater Middle East  arc stretching from the Levant to Central Asias steppes  hinges on the extent to which US-Russia cooperation becomes possible. However, any new policy direction toward Russia on the part of the Trump administration can only crystallise at a glacial pace.

Syria beckons the future of US-Russia detente. Politics is a seamless web. Progress anywhere makes progress everywhere more likely. Any Russian-American cooperation to fight terrorism in Syria may inevitably spill over to Iraq  and, almost unavoidably, to Libya  and, perhaps even to Yemen. Can Afghanistan be far behind?

Trump has shown sensible aversion toward committing good money to kick-start a dubious second surge in Afghanistan  this time around, without a timeline, until the war is won. He underscored in his address to the US Congress recently that the $6 trillion Washington spent in the Middle Eastern wars was bad money wasted, which could have rebuilt America twice over. It stands to reason why Trump is taking time to announce US new Afghan strategy, despite persistent urgings from the military that the stalemate in the war may still be broken, if only with a final push.

Indeed, the most desirable outcome in the Afghan war that is realistically possible today will be a power-sharing arrangement in Kabul that accommodates the Taliban in a spirit of reconciliation. No one doubts that the Taliban is an authentic Afghan movement. Russia is a stakeholder in preventing ISIS cadres fleeing Syria and Iraq from flocking to Afghanistan. President Vladimir Putin recently undertook a tour of frontline states in Central Asia where Russian bases are in standby mode. Russia keeps contacts with the Taliban and is improving relations with Pakistan. China too has had contacts with the Taliban and wields considerable influence on Pakistan. Vital Chinese interests are at stake. The ISIS recently threatened to create rivers of blood in Xinjiang.

Meanwhile, a bold idea is struggling to be born in the regional and international discourses  trilateral US-Russia-China cooperation and coordination to resolve regional and international problems. It has figured with increasing frequency in the Russian and Chinese discourses, which cannot be coincidental. It has Trump as the audience. The Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi fuelled this idea at a press conference recently on the sidelines of the National Peoples Congress in Beijing: In the new era, the China-US-Russia relationship should not be a seesaw game. The three countries should work with, rather than against, one another and pursue win-win, rather than zero-sum, outcomes.

A US-Russia-China joint effort is just what is needed to end the Afghan war and create a new regime in Kabul that gives due role to the Taliban in the governance of their country. This is no longer a zero-sum game. Any outright takeover by the Taliban in Afghanistan will lead to another protracted civil war and it can be apocalyptic in outcome, resulting in the withering away of the Afghan state, and anarchical conditions posing long-term threats to outlying regions. Equally, given the hugely controversial record of western hegemony over Muslim Middle East, which engendered a deep sense of humiliation in the Muslim psyche, open-ended US military presence in Afghanistan will provoke resistance and, in turn, strengthen the extremist Islamist groups in the region. In immediate terms, no one knows how to salvage the government in Kabul, which was a creation of the Barack Obama administration. The fragmentation of Afghan polity is touching the terminal stage, and, alas, Trump has proclaimed his profound distaste for nation-building anywhere expect in America itself.

On the other hand, the Taliban takeover in Kabul and ensuing anarchical conditions in Afghanistan will put intolerable strains on Pakistans own resources and deflect it from the unique opportunities that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor offers it to make good as a prosperous country. To be sure, if the Taliban continues with its war of attrition against foreign forces and begin advancing from the countryside into the urban centres in a conceivable future, it may become futile to try to stop the insurgents on their track. After that, what? Pakistan lacks the means to bankroll a Taliban regime.

On the other hand, a few thousand additional western troops cannot break the current stalemate. Are there any volunteers to undertake a surge of 50-1,00,000 troops and wage an open-ended campaign without a timeline  and, yet, victory far from assured? Clearly, big powers have a crucial role to encourage Pakistan to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. What needs to be worked out is the calibration of the legitimate interests of Pakistan, while ending the Afghan war  quintessentially, a government in Kabul that remains sensitive toward Pakistans concerns and interests.

However, for that to happen, a grand bargain is needed at both the regional and international level. At its core, there is a complex three-way entanglement at the regional level involving Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, which provides fodder to the hydra-headed beast of terrorism. All three countries are in denial mode. Unless they can be brought within a single tent and made to cohabitate peacefully as benign neighbours and responsible regional states, peace will elude Afghanistan. The big powers can play an influential role here. Unless there is a holistic approach toward reset of the complicated regional calculus, endeavours such as the Afghan-Pakistan meet in London last Wednesday, brokered by the UK with US concurrence, to address terrorism problem in bilateral terms cannot produce enduring results.

On the contrary, a big-power effort remains predicated on their readiness to work together. Russia and China, which have huge stakes in regional security, are eager to work with the Trump administration to stabilise Afghanistan, but indications are that Pentagon prefers to handle the war the John Wayne way. Alas, this lone-ranger mentality may serve the corporate interests of the US military-industrial complex, but it can only spell doom for peace and stability in the region. The onus is on Trump to read out the script to the Pentagon. Will he? Trumps summit meeting in April with Chinese President Xi Jinping offers the opportunity to initiate a historic concert of big powers over Afghanistan.

The writer is a former ambassador
Islamabad, March 19

In a landmark development, the bill to regulate marriages of minority Hindus in Pakistan became a law on Sunday after President Mamnoon Hussain gave his approval.

With the President's nod, Pakistan's Hindus got an exclusive personal law to regulate marriages.

"On the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has assented to the 'The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017'," a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said.

The law aims to protect marriages, families, mothers and their children while safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Hindu families.

"It is a consolidated law for solemnisation of marriages by Hindu families residing in Pakistan," the statement said.

Prime Minister Sharif said his government has always focused on provision of equal rights to minority communities residing in Pakistan.

"They are as patriotic as any other community and, therefore, it is the responsibility of the state to provide equal protection to them," he said.

The statement said the Hindu families will be able to solemnise marriages in accordance with the customary rites, rituals and ceremonies.

According to the law, the government will appoint marriage registrars in areas convenient for the Hindu population for registration of their marriages.

This law also provides for procedures relating to restitution of conjugal rights, judicial separation, void and voidable marriages, termination of Hindu marriage, financial security of the wife and children, alternate relief in termination of marriage and termination of marriage by mutual consent.

The law provides the right to a separated person to marry again, entitlement of re-marriage for a Hindu widow at her own will and consent after stipulated time, legitimacy of child born out of void and voidable Hindu marriage.

As per the law, Hindu marriages solemnised before commencement of this law shall be deemed valid and petitions under this law shall be presented before the family courts.

The law also provides for punishments of imprisonment and fines up to Rs 100,000 or both for contraventions.

All offences under this law could be tried in the court of a first class magistrate.

It is the first law which would be applicable to entire Pakistan except Sindh province which has its own law to regulate marriages of Hindus.

The law was unanimously passed on March 10 by the National Assembly which endorsed amendments made by the Senate in February.  PTI
Gurgaon, March 18

A Gurgaon court today awarded life sentence to 13 former employees of Maruti Suzuki in connection with the murder of the companys manager, who was killed after violence and rioting at the automobile giants Manesar plant in 2012.

Additional District and Sessions Judge RP Goyal also sentenced four other accused to five-year imprisonment and said the four-and-a-half-year sentence already served by the remaining 14 accused was sufficient and they would be released after paying Rs 2,000 as fine.

The 13 persons sentenced to life imprisonment include the then union president Ram Mehar. During the proceedings today, prosecution counsel Anurag Hooda sought death penalty for all 13 murder convicted employees. Defence counsel Rebbecca John, however, said she would approach the High Court against the decision.

On March 10, 31 workers had been convicted and 117 were acquitted by the court. Thirteen of the accused were held guilty of murder while the remaining 18 were convicted of violence, rioting and other offences.

Violence had erupted at the facility in August 2012 over disciplinary action against an employee during which agitated workers went on the rampage, torching a part of the factory, setting senior human resource manager Awanish Kumar Dev on fire, and beating up and bludgeoning with rods 100 others.  TNS/PTI
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 19

At least 18 police personnel were injured and two buses of the police set ablaze when Jat agitators turned violent near Dhani Gopal village in Fatehabad today.

A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and two Inspectors  one a woman  were among the injured. Three mediapersons were injured as agitators snatched their belongings and smashed their cameras. Some protesters were injured when the police used tear gas and resorted to a lathi charge.

Fatehabad Superintendent of Police OP Narwal said the incident occurred near Dhani Gopal, where the police had set up a barricade to check vehicles.

The police stopped some tractor-trailers of agitators brandishing sharp-edged weapons. They were moving towards the dharna site at Dhani Gopal. DSP Gurdial Singh, incharge of the naka, told them to leave their weapons before proceeding to the dharna site, but they did not relent, he said.

Many other tractor-trailers carrying protesters reached the spot soon afterwards. While the DSP was speaking to the agitators, a youth hit him on the head with a wooden log from the rear, injuring him critically, Narwal said.

He added that the police tried to disperse the agitators by using tear gas, but the protesters, who outnumbered them, attacked the personnel, injuring at least 18 of them.

Besides the DSP, SHO Kuldeep Singh and Inspector Bimla Devi were among the injured. The protesters set two police vehicles on fire.

Ram Kumar Kaswan, a resident of Ghani Gopal, blamed the police for the incident.

The police tried to stop peaceful agitators on way to the dharna site, leading to the faceoff, he said.

Three Fatehabad-based journalists were allegedly held hostage and beaten up by the agitators and their belongings snatched. They returned to Fatehabad after some villagers freed them.

Two of them  Amit Rukhaya and Bajrang Meena  worked for vernacular dailies and Jaspal Singh was from a television news channel.

When a fight broke out between protesters and the police, we ran to safety. We took shelter in a police bus which had some personnel. The agitators attacked the bus with stones before setting it and another bus on fire, said Jaspal Singh.

We managed to come out of the bus somehow, but were captured by the agitators. They then took us to a house in the fields and beat us up there. They snatched our mobile phones and money and smashed our cameras, he said.

Ex-MLA flays attack

Jhajjar: Roshan Lal Arya, former MLA and working president of the Haryana Sarvajan Party, has condemned the attack on mediapersons, police and paramilitary personnel by Jat protesters at Dhani Gopal village in Fatehabad on Sunday. He has also demanded adequate compensation for the victims. Arya said the state government had put the democracy in peril by accepting all demands of Jats.  TNS
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 19

At least 18 policemen, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police and two inspectors  a woman among them  were injured and two buses of police were set ablaze when Jat agitators turned violent near Dhani Gopal village of Fatehabad on Sunday.

Some protesters were also injured when the police tear-gassed the agitators and then resorted to lathicharge.

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Three mediapersons were also injured and the protesters snatched their belongings and smashed their cameras.

Fatehabad Superintendent of Police OP Narwal said the incident occurred near Khairi Chowk near Dhani Gopal where the police had set up a barricade to check vehicles.

The police stopped some tractor trolleys of Jat agitators who were brandishing sharp-edged weapons. The Jats were moving towards their dharna site at Dhani Gopal. Our DSP Gurdial Singh, who was incharge of the naka told them to leave weapons there before proceeding to their dharna. However, they did not relent and soon many other tractor-trolleys carrying protesters reached there. While the DSP was speaking to the agitators, a youth hit on his head with a wooden log from behind injuring him critically, Narwal said.

The SP maintained that the police tried to disperse the agitators by using tear gas, but the protesters, who outnumbered the cops, attacked them injuring at least 18 of them.

Besides the DSP, SHO Kuldeep Singh and Inspector Bimla Devi are also among those injured.

The protesters also set two police vehicles on fire.

Ram Kumar Kaswan, a resident of Ghani Gopal, however, blamed the police for the incident.

The police tried to stop peacefully moving agitators to dharna site leading to the face-off, he maintained.

Meanwhile, three Fatehabad journalists Amit Rukhaya, Bajrang Meena, both from vernacular dailies, and Jaspal Singh from a TV news channel, were allegedly held hostage by the agitators, their belongings snatched and beaten up.

When the fight ensued between protesters and the police, we ran to safety and alighted on a police bus where some cops were already present. However, the agitators attacked the bus with stones before setting ours and another bus on fire. We, somehow, came out of the bus but were captured by the agitators who took us to a house in fields and beat us up. They snatched our mobile phones, money and smashed our cameras, said Jaspal Singh, who along with the other two returned to Fatehabad after some sane villagers got them freed from the agitators.
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 19

Khap panchayat leaders are of the view that cancellation of the march to Delhi by All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) was a foregone conclusion because its leader Yashpal Malik was trying to find a graceful way to end the agitation.

Sube Singh Samain, national spokesperson of the Sarv Jat Khap Panchayat, said after successful talks between the government and Jat leaders, he had predicted that Malik was trying to wriggle out of the situation so that he could have a graceful exit.

Malik has collected hefty donations from Jats living in India and abroad in the name of agitation. Having given the call of march to Delhi before coming to power of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Malik was now worried about the success of his campaign, Samain maintained.

He said the Jat quota leader was aware that the police would not allow agitators to march to Delhi and since he had been instigating the protesters for the past 50 days, he knew there was every possibility of clash with the police.

Samain maintained that Malik had been pleading with Union minister Birender Singh since yesterday to help him wriggle out of the situation and todays talks were result of that.

He said since Malik knew that all agitators were unlikely to wind up dharnas on his call now, he had announced today that these would be ended in a phased manner.

He said that the Sarv Jat Khap Panchayats were already against any dharnas or agitation because the issue of reservation was before the courts and the state government had already given firm assurance on other demands of the Jats.

Tek Ram Kandela, president of the Kandela khap and convener of the Sarv Khap Panchayat, however, welcomed the calling off of the march to Delhi by the Jats.

We cannot comment on the outcome of talks because we were not part of it, but we are relieved that the impasse has finally ended, Kandela said.

He said the khaps were always of the view that Jats should adopt only peaceful means to put pressure on their demands.
Tribune News Service

Hisar, March 19

Jat protesters clashed with police during their march towards Delhi from a village in Fatehabad on Sunday.

The clash began when police tried to stop protesters tractors at Dhani Gopal on the on Sirsa-Hisar Delhi National Highway from heading toward the national capital. In the clash that ensued, police lathicharged protesters.

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A villager, Raj Kumar Kaswan, claimed more than 20 policemen and five protesters have sustained injuries.

Two police buses were damaged and two were set on fire at Dhani Gopal. Some press equipment was also snatched.

A Jat leader claimed that police used tear gas shells on stop the protesters from heading to Delhi. Police meanwhile claimed the protesters even pelted stones.

DSP Gurdayal Singh and two inspectors  one of them a woman  were reportedly injured in the clashes. Injured policemen and protesters have been admitted to a hospital.



Superintendent OP Narwal later said that DSP Singh was on duty at a barricade where tractor trolleys carrying protesters armed with sharp-edged weapons were stopped.

Police told them to leave the weapons behind, but they refused, the officer said. Soon more than 20 tractor trolleys joined them and began arguing with the policeman. A youngster threw a wooden log at the DSP, injuring him, SP Narwal said.

There was heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces near the dharna site.

Hisar IGP Amitabh Dhillon later visted the injured policemen in Fatehbad.

The development came as a meeting between leaders of the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS), Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and an unspecified minister of state from the central government was held at the Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi on Sunday.

AIJASS leader Yashpal Malik, who is leading the Jat delegation, has asked supporters to remain calm and await the outcome of the talks.

The meeting came a day before Jats planned protest in the national capital.

Meanwhile, security was heightened in Jhajjar following the clashes.



Authorities in Haryana have imposed a ban on movement of tractor-trolleys in districts bordering Delhi on Monday to foil a call given by Jat leaders to lay seige to Delhi and hold a protest outside Parliament.

Director General of Police K.P. Singh said on Sunday that security forces were on high alert in districts bordering Delhi and monitoring the movement of Jat protestors in view of the March 20 'Dilli Kooch' call by the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS).

"There will be a complete ban on the movement of tractor-trolleys on highways and roads in districts adjoining Delhi on March 20... The Haryana Police is on high alert and people can move freely on highways. We have provided adequate security," he said here.

The administration in 15 districts of Haryana imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Cr.PC on Sunday as a precaution, prohibiting sale of liquor, carrying of firearms and other weapons, assembly of five or more persons near railway tracks and plying of tractor-trolleys carrying five or more persons on state and national highways.

The districts include Rohtak, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Panipat, Hisar, Kaithal, Charkhi Dadri, Fatehabad, Jind and Sirsa.

"A limit of 10 litres has been imposed on refuelling of tractor-trolleys and directions have been issued to petrol pump owners to record details such as driver's name, registration number of the vehicle and number of people travelling in the vehicle. Ban has also been imposed on open sale of petrol, diesel and other inflammable materials," a government spokesman said.

He said the ban has also been imposed on plying of tractor-trolleys carrying food items, cooking equipment and materials and any type of weapon including lathis and swords on state and national highways.

The spokesman said pitching of tents along the state and national highways has also been prohibited and owners of dharamshalas, hotels and restaurants have been directed to maintain record of guests.

The authorities in the 15 districts have also stopped all Internet services like 2G, 3G, 4G, EDGE and GPRS and bulk messages provided on mobile networks in the district till 9 a.m. on March 21 to prevent spreading of wrong information and rumours.

Shops selling liquor would also remain closed till 9 a.m. on March 21.

Accusing the Haryana government of hatching a "conspiracy" to weaken their agitation, the Jat community on Friday said it will continue with their protests across the state and lay siege to Delhi on March 20.

Talks between the Jat leaders and Khattar, scheduled in Delhi on Friday, could not be held. Both sides blamed each other for this.

The Jat agitation entered the 50th day on Sunday.

The Jat leaders were earlier in talks with a panel of government officers but these had remained inconclusive.

Talks between the 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 CBI against some Jat leaders over violence.

Jats have been holding peaceful protest demonstrations in several parts of the state since the end of January demanding 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 other things.

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. (With inputs from agencies)
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 19

A planned agitation by members of the Jat community to gherao Parliament on March 20 has been postponed following a meeting between Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, senior ministers of the Narendra Modi cabinet and Jat leaders here on Sunday.

The two sides arrived at an agreement for implementation of the demands of the Jat community.

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It looks more of a temporary peace, as the matter to include Jats in the reservation list in the state of Haryana is pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

An announcement to postpone the Dilli kooch karo (move to Delhi programme) was made in the national capital at a joint press conference conducted by Khattar and the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) leader Yashpal Malik on Sunday evening.

The details of the agreement were thrashed out over a four-hour meeting at the Haryana Bhawan here. Among those present at the meeting were Union Steel Minister Birender Singh and PP Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Law and Justice.

Khattar announced that the Central government will commence the process of putting the Jat community on the list of reserved castes once the chairman to the National Backward Classes Commission is appointed.

In Haryana, he said, as and when the court case ends the Jats will be included in the reservation list under Schedule 9. He was referring to the Indian Constitutions Schedule 9 which sort makes it immune from judicial intervention.

The state will review all cases registered during the previous jat reservation agitation in February 2016 and jobs for all those who were disabled during the last agitation, the CM said while promising probe against all those responsible for violence during the last agitation.

Yashpal Malik said, We have decided to agree to the assurances laid down by CM and have decided to suspend agitation scheduled in Delhi for March 20.

Malik, however, added that it will take him five-six days more to reach and meet all the ongoing protests in the state of Haryana to convince them.
Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 19

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today made no new offer other than what he announced two days back, yet Jat protesters, following his assurance, decided to call off tomorrows proposed Dilli kooch to press for reservation and other demands.

In the truce brokered at Delhis Haryana Bhavan, Khattar only reiterated what he had announced at a press conference in Chandigarh  re-examining police cases pertaining to last years violence, pushing for reservation for Jats at the Centre and in the state depending on the outcome, jobs for those who lost their lives in last years violence and release of compensation for those injured.

However, a day ahead of their proposed protest to choke Delhi and gherao Parliament, the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) leader Yashpal Malik chose to accept what was on offer, unlike previous occasions.

I agree that the Chief Minister only gave us what he announced at the press conference on March 17. However, one big difference was that two ministers of Narendra Modi government were present at todays meeting. This means that the Modi government cannot wash its hands off the commitment and will keep an eye on the state government. On all previous occasions, it was Khattars ministers who had committed to meeting our demands. Today, the Chief Minister also came on record, Malik said.

Sources said though an agreement had been reached at the last meeting in Panipat earlier this week, Malik denied it a day later since the Chief Minister had left the compromise to Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma while the Jat leader was keen on a joint statement on the demands in the presence of the Chief Minister.

Unhappy that the AIJASS had been denied an audience with the Chief Minister, who had gone ahead and announced that the government had accepted the demands of Jat protesters, its leaders felt short-changed and decided to go ahead with its protest call slated for March 20 and refused to have any further talks with the Haryana Government.

No, it is not about holding a joint press conference. We wanted the Chief Minister to own up to the agreement and wanted the Centre to be party to it, Malik stated, speaking on phone after his joint press conference with Khattar.

Meanwhile, Internet services, suspended yesterday, were restored with immediate effect. Paramilitary forces spread across the states Jat-dominated sensitive districts would stay put for the time being.

Sources in the Home Department said though deployment of the Army in Rohtak had been cancelled, paramilitary forces already deployed in the district would continue to keep vigil over the next couple of days before being withdrawn.
Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, March 19

The Kurukshetra authorities scaled up security arrangements following a clash between the police and Jat agitators in Fatehabad district today.

Abhishek Garg, SP, inspected various spots to take stock of the situation.

The arrangements have been made in view of a call for a massive agitation by the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) in New Delhi on Monday.

An official said the situation remained calm in the district and additional security personnel would be called to meet any situation.

Sources said extra vigil was maintained at various public installations, including railways, National Highway-1 and other highways crossing through the district.

Panipat: The local administration and the police have made elaborate arrangements to ensure law and order was maintained in the district in view of the Delhi gherao call by Jats.

Dr Chander Shekhar Khare, District Magistrate, has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC in the district.

Besides, Internet services have been suspended in the district and open sale of petrol, diesel and other inflammable items has been banned.

Twentysix nakas have been installed in the district out of which 18 are on sensitive points. As many as 2,000 Haryana Police and 580 paramilitary forces personnel have been deployed at the nakas. The DC and Rahul Sharma, SP, took stock of the arrangements today.

Khare has appealed to the people not to spread any rumours or inflammatory content on the social media.

Karnal: Mandeep Singh Brar, Deputy Commissioner (DC), and Jashandeep Singh Randhawa, Superintendent of Police (SP), have increased patrolling on National Highway-1 and the Munak canal in view of the Delhi gherao call of Jats.

We have imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in the district in wake of the protest call and have asked for an Army company to assist the district police and the CRPF, said the Deputy Commissioner.

We have deployed one company of the CRPF along the Munak canal and patrolling has been intensified on NH-1, he said.

Duty magistrates have also been assigned at all sensitive points, the DC maintained.

The SP said people could share information about any miscreant at 8570885704 and 01844091000.

High alert in Jhajjar

Jhajjar: Security was strengthened in Jhajjar district as soon as the news about the Fatehabad clash between Jat protesters and the police reached here.Patrolling was intensified on all highways in the district while paramilitary and police personnel deputed at the Jhajjar-Delhi border were put on high alert. Chander Prakash, Commissioner, Rohtak Division; IGP Navdeep Singh Virk, Jhajjar Deputy Commissioner RC Bidhan and B. Satheesh Balan, SP, visited Bahadurgarh town, located on the border with Delhi, in the evening to inspect security arrangements. Bidhan said 87 duty magistrates had been appointed in the district and adequate security arrangements put in place to prevent any untoward incidents on Monday. TNS
Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 19

The BJP is going to constitute a panel which will hold discussions with its coalition partner  PDP  to jointly contest the forthcoming byelections to the Srinagar and Anantnag parliamentary constituencies.

The decision to set up the panel was taken after partys national general secretary Ram Madhav suggested to the state unit on Saturday to hold discussions with the PDP to devise a strategy for the byelections.

Highly placed sources said the panel was likely to be headed by Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh and would also have some members from the state unit. They would hold discussions with the PDP on effectively fighting the byelections, the sources said.

As separatist groups in the Valley have given a call for poll boycott, displaced Kashmiri Hindus would play a deciding role in the byelections. The BJP leadership will devise a strategy on diverting this vote towards the PDP.

Interestingly, the National Conference and the Congress have already started a joint campaign in the Valley but the ruling coalition is yet to present a united face. NC stalwart Farooq Abdullah is contesting the election from the Srinagar parliamentary seat while Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir is the coalition candidate for the Anantnag constituency, which is considered a citadel of the PDP.

After participating in the state election committee meeting in Jammu on Saturday, Madhav made it clear that the PDP and BJP were coalition partners so every decision would be taken keeping in view the coalition dharma. He had suggested to the BJP state unit to hold discussions with PDP leadership to jointly fight the elections.

The sources said Madhav, who had played an important role in working out the PDP-BJP alliance after the demise of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in April 2016, was taken into confidence by the PDP leadership while announcing the candidates for the byelections.
DK Sudan

Poonch, March 19

Pakistani troops again violated ceasefire along the Line of Control today by targeting Indian forward posts in the Balakote sector of Poonch district. Indian troops retaliated to the firing which lasted for over 45 minutes.

Troops of the Pakistan army resorted to unprovoked and indiscriminate firing on Indian Army posts along the LoC in the Bhimbar Gali and Balakote sectors from 6 am to 6.45 am today. They fired two-inch mortars, a defence spokesperson said. Our troops responded appropriately. No casualties or damage to our troops was reported, the defence spokesperson said.

Sources said Pakistani troops targeted Balakote forward, Peer Baba, Shatli Cheer forwards posts from their Goga, Cheell and Tekri posts, under the control of the 651 Mujahidin Regiment.

The Pakistani troops violated the truce pact this morning for the fourth time in the past 11 days by resorting to small arms firing and mortar shelling on forward posts in the Balakote and Bhimbar Gali sectors.

In view of the escalating tension on the Line of Control, the cross-LoC bus service, Rahen Milan, and the cross-LoC trade were suspended last week. The Pakistani troops targeted the Chakan da Bagh LoC trade centre on March 12 and 13, damaging its roof. On March 9, Pakistani troops fired on an Army post along the Line of Control in the Gulpur sector, killing Sepoy Deepak Jagannath Ghadge of the 15 Maratha Light Infantry. The soldier had received a bullet injury in the head.
MATTOON -- Cornerstone Christian Academy plans to close its child care center on Lake Land Colleges main campus at the end of the current spring semester.

The center provides an on-campus location for Lake Lands early childhood and education program students to get real world experience while helping care for the children of fellow students, college employees, and other community members.

Lake Land opened its campus childcare center in 1988 and operated this facility with its own staff for more than 25 years. The college then decided, as a cost-savings measure, to have a third-party child care provider operate the center and it contracted with Charleston-based Cornerstone in November 2013.

Cornerstone Director Teresa Lang said she and her staff have enjoyed the opportunity to operate a child care center on Lake Lands campus in Mattoon and to reach out to the community there during the last three-and-a-half years.

However, Lang said the child care center on Lake Lands campus needs to able to serve more children in order to be profitable. She said the center is too small, as is, to accommodate more children and there is no room for this facility to expand.

We want to be good financial stewards, Lang said of not renewing the contract with Lake Land. She added that the campus center serves an average of 30-35 children per year and only has the capacity for up to 37, whereas Cornerstones center in Charleston is licensed to serve up to 153 children.

Lang said approximately half of the children at the campus center have parents who are part of the Lake Land community and the other half have parents who are part of the general public.

Cornerstone has invited parents whose children attend the campus center to transfer to the Charleston center at 661 Castle Drive if possible, Lang said. Cornerstone plans to transfer its five staff members at the campus location to the Charleston site, she said.

Additionally, Lang said Cornerstone is open to working with Lake Land early childhood and education program students at the Charleston center. She also said Cornerstone is interested in considering opportunities for opening another location in Mattoon someday.

Cornerstones campus center is scheduled to close after May 27 and its lease there is set to expire at the end of June.

In a press release, Lake Land reported that its cabinet will be meeting to discuss how the college will move forward with the campus child care center location.

Lake Land reported that its early childhood and education programs will not be impacted by the closing. The college reported that it partners with several area child care facilities to provide practicum experiences for its students.

The college will continue to work with these partners to place students so they continue to have valuable, hands-on learning opportunities, Lake Land reported.
Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar March 19

Amid panic among people, the J&K Government has taken samples from different hospitals to identify the virus, which has infected thousands of children across Kashmir.

After the outbreak of the viral infection among schoolchildren in the first week of March in north Kashmirs Bandipora district, the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir (DHSK), immediately sent a team of doctors to prevent the viral infection from spreading further.

The viral infection had engulfed almost all the children of the Pethkot hamlet of Bandipora. Besides, a 5-year-old boy, Nazim Khan, who was also suffering from viral infection and had underlying comorbidity of a congenital heart disease, had died at his home on March 4.

The team of doctors treated 68 children having viral infection at Pethkot hamlet on March 6.

Initially, we had information that the infection is restricted to Pethkot village only but later, it came out to have infected other areas of the district also. We distributed over 1,000 bottles of cough syrups among the patients in Pethkot, block medical officer, Bandipora, Dr Syed-ur-Rehman said.

As the viral infection turned into an epidemic, the DHSK sent a team of doctors from epidemiology division to Bandipora to collect samples on March 16.

The five samples collected from Bandipora were sent to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi, to identify the virus, believed to be airborne.

We have taken five samples in Bandipora to identify the virus which has infected thousands of children in Kashmir. We are expecting a report from the NCDC in the next few days, Kashmir epidemiologist Rehana Kousar said.

The epidemiology division has also issued advisories and started creating awareness among people to prevent the infection from spreading further. However, Kousar said the infection had plateaued with the improvement in the weather.

At Kashmirs lone tertiary-care childrens hospital, GB Pant, the rush of viral-infected children continued today. There is no end to it but we hope things will improve in the next few days. The number of patients in the Outpatient Department has exceeded by 1,500 per day while the rush in the casualty department during night has gone up from 100 to 800, medical superintendent of GB Pant Hospital, Dr K K Pandita said.
Tribune News Service

Lucknow, March 19



Priest-turned-politician and controversial mascot of hardline Hindutva, Yogi Adityanath was on Sunday sworn in as the 21st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and the fourth from the saffron party, ending its 15-year hiatus.

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BJP state unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya and partys national vice-president Dinesh Sharma were sworn in as Cabinet ministers by Governor Ram Naik at a grand ceremony at Kanshiram Smriti Upvan here.

They will assist 44-year-old Adityanath as deputy chief ministers. Interestingly, none of the three is a legislator in UP.

The Governor also administered oath of office and secrecy to 22 Cabinet ministers.

The five-term MP from Gorakhpur, who lacks administrative experience, was on Saturday unanimously elected the BJP legislature party leader at a meeting of the newly elected MLAs, in a move that took many by surprise.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP chief Amit Shah and party veteran LK Advani were present at the ceremony, which was also attended by outgoing Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Several chief ministers, Including Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj S Chouhan, Andhra Pradeshs N Chandrababu Naidu, Maharashtras Devendra Fadnavis and Goas Manohar Parrikar, also attended the function.

The elevation of Adityanath, who has chequered rapport with the BJP leadership, has left many puzzled, with political circles abuzz with talk of the RSS having prevailed over the party in deciding the Chief Minister.

Often caught in controversy because of his speeches, Adityanath, who heads the Gorakhnath Mutt, allegedly led a purification drive for conversion of Christians to Hinduism in 2005.

In 2015, he reportedly said those who oppose yoga can leave India and that they should all be drowned.

He was arrested for allegedly inciting Gorakhpur riots in 2007.

Adityanath, who has been accused by opposition parties of being a divisive political figure, enjoys considerable popularity in the state and is known to make provocative statements, be it about Islam or Pakistan.

A strong votary of construction of the Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, he drove BJPs Hindutva campaign in the eastern UP in the just concluded Assembly polls.

He had said on Saturday that he would follow Modis slogan Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas and ensure all-round development of the countrys most populous state.

I am confident that the state will march on the path of development, he had said in his first brief media interaction at the Raj Bhawan.

He had also said his efforts would be to provide good governance in the state.

Before Adityanath, Kalyan Singh, Ram Prakash Gupta and Rajnath Singh of BJP had served as UP Chief Minister. Kalyan Singh, now Rajasthan governor, held the high office twice.

Like him, CB Gupta, Charan Singh, ND Tewari, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati too have served as Chief Minister more than once.

Mayawati has the distinction of holding the post four times, while Mulayam was CM thrice. Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav have to their credit having completed a full five-year term.

The BSP supremo has also served the shortest term of four months when she first took over the reins in 1995.

In the Congress era of the 1960s and 70s, the state had witnessed stalwarts of the likes of GB Pant, Sampuranand, CB Gupta, Sucheta Kriplani, TN Singh, Kamalapati Tripathi, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna, VP Singh, Sripati Misra and Vir Bahadur Singh holding the high office.

Of them, CB Gupta became Chief Minister three times.

Charan Singh, Ram Naresh Yadav and Banarsi Das served as non-Congress chief ministers with Yadav and Das holding reins of the state during the Janata Party rule.

Charan Singh, who served as CM twice, represented Bhartiya Kranti Dal.  PTI
Simran Sodhi

The sounds of ghunghroo moving in sync with the tabla made boundaries irrelevant as Bageshree Vaze, an Indo-Canadian artiste, presented Tarana, a concert in memory of the late Pandita Veena Sahasrabuddhe. The presentation, which was made in collaboration with the Canadian High Commission, saw the presence of sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan with his wife and sons Aman and Ayan.

Pandit Birju Maharaj made a brief appearance towards the end of the concert to meet and bless the artistes. Pandit Deepak Maharaj also performed and the evening brought alive the rich cultural traditions of India.

Vaze was formally trained in Bharatnatyam and later received her training in Kathak from the living legend Pandit Birju Maharaj and his son Jai Kishan Maharaj. Vaze, who has performed all over the world to glittering reviews by The New York Times, among others, said that for her as an individual, dance is about a deeper connection. She pointed out that non-resident Indians actually place greater emphasis on their children learning the classical Indian dances because for them that provides a connection back home.

Vaze is quick to point out that while Bollywood is a recognised term, it is the complexity and the intricacies of the Indian classical dances that the global audiences associate India with. Europe, Canada and the United States all have their classical dances too, like the opera, she explained. For many children like her who grow outside India, the first introduction to classical dances came from learning the tradition in the temples there.

For the Canadian High Commission, the presentation underlined the deep connect the two countries share. Canada today boasts of a rich and vibrant Indian diaspora and the connections span the cultural, political and economic arenas. Vazes performance was another important reminder of how Indias oldest art form still reverberates in the modern times, across nations and continents.

Japan backs Swachh Bharat

In a unique gesture, the Japanese embassy lent support to Prime Minister Narendra Modis Swachh Bharat scheme last week. The embassy along with Kodansha, a Japanese publishing house, co-organised a book-reading event of Mottainai Grandma series.

Written by Japanese writer Mariko Shinju, in India the books will be published by the National Book Trust. Interestingly, the expression closet to Mottainai in English is What a waste, or Do not waste, or a situation where a thing is being wasted or being used without proper care and consideration. So that makes for some Japanese-inspired Swachh Bharat initiative.
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 19

The Indian Army has rescued 127 tourists trapped in a snow blizzard across the Sela pass near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

A massive blizzard struck yesterday around 2.45 pm between Sela and Tawang in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.

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After reports of tourists and transients stuck in the blizzard were received, the Army swung into action and a rescue operation was launched within less than an hour.

With darkness setting in by 5 pm, the entire operation was conducted in the dark and continued till all 127 tourists, including five foreign nationals from Japan, New Zealand and Bulgaria, were rescued, spokesperson of the Army's Kolkata-based Eastern Command, Wing Commander SS Birdi said on Sunday.

A Bulgarian woman slipped and fell down the steep gorge while she was trying to move on her own and died. Her body was recovered around midnight.

The rescued persons were accommodated at Army transit camps and provided with medical assistance and comforts.

The road had about 2-3 feet of snow and was opened for traffic today by the Border Roads Organisation. All vehicles were recovered and the tourists left for their respective destinations.
Shubhadeep Choudhury

The BJP and Forward Bloc may belong to two ends of the political spectrum, but the parties speak in one voice when it comes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

Rangoon, the Bollywood film directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, has played the catalyst to bring out the similarities between the two parties. Impressed by the film, which deals with the Indian National Army (INA) led by Netaji, some of his descendants and followers have started urging Bhardwaj to make a strictly fact-based film on INA.

Netajis grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose forwarded the proposal to Bhardwaj, who was recently in Kolkata. Bose is vice-president of BJP in West Bengal. He unsuccessfully fought against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the last Assembly elections. Bose told Bhardwaj that the movie can open with the 1946 trial of INA soldiers in Delhi and tell the story of the force in flashback.

Former MP Debabrata Biswas also wants something similar. Biswas, general secretary of the Forward Bloc party founded by Netaji, thinks it will be a commendable task if Bhardwaj can depict how soldiers of the colonial army were inspired by Netaji to fight against the British. Biswas says there is a lot of material on INA in Maharashtra which Bhardwaj can use for his research. Bhardwaj has assured Chandra Bose, Debabrata Biswas and others of considering their proposal.

Toilet, with police help

She urged her parents-in-law, fought with her husband and even warned of walking out on him. But Madhumita Mahatos husband and his family always refused to have a toilet built. After enduring the ordeal for four years, Madhumita, a city girl who started living in Mahatomara village after her marriage, decided to go to the police.

Triguna Roy, inspector of Jhalda police station in West Bengals Purulia district, was quite taken aback by her complaint. But Roy did talk to Madhumitas husband Ashok and his father. It worked. The Mahatos have now started the construction of a bathroom with a toilet attached to it in their compound.

Purnadeb Malakar, BDO of Jhalda-1, said only 15 of the 45 houses in Mahatomara villages had toilets. We have repeatedly urged the villagers to have proper toilets but they are reluctant. Maybe they will respond if the police talk to them instead of us, Malakar said.

Airavats jumbo effect

The West Bengal forest departments strategy to depute Airavat to drive away herds of wild elephants from residential areas is bearing fruit. The mythical Airavat is a huge elephant that Lord Indra rode. The Airavat here is a Matador van modified to scare elephants. It is fitted with multiple lights and a loudspeaker to create a racket to scare herds straying into human inhabited areas.

Trained personnel armed with tranquiliser guns, firecrackers and chains travel in the vans to take on the tuskers, which may not get intimidated by the sound and light show alone.

Between April 2015 and March 2016, 112 people lost their lives in West Bengal due to attacks by elephants.
Lucknow, March 19

Sending a strong message against corruption on day one, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday asked all his ministers to provide details of their income, moveable and immoveable assets within 15 days.

He gave this direction to his ministers at the first introductory meeting soon after assuming office.

"As uprooting corruption is the main agenda of our party, the CM in his first introductory meeting with his ministers directed them to give details of their income, moveable and immoveable properties with 15 days to the (party) organisation as well as the secretary (to CM)," Cabinet minister Srikant Sharma said.

He added that the chief minister also emphasised on "coordination" between government and the BJP organisation.

It was also decided to train new legislators and devise ways as to how they can remain connected with the electorate.

On portfolios, Sharma said that no decision has been taken in this regard as of now and the chief minister will decide it later.

Earlier Adityanath told mediapersons that his government will follow 'sabka saath sabka vikas' agenda and claimed that the previous governments were corruption-ridden because of which the state had suffered.

"In past 15 years, UP lacked in race of development as previous governments indulged in corruption, nepotism and failed on the law and order front due to which people were affected," he said.  PTI
Yash Goyal

Jaipur, March 19

Residents of several villages in Amber Tehsil of the district on Sunday gathered to vote not to elect any leader but to decide whether to have a liquor shops in the village. Nearly 88 per cent villagers voted against having liquor shops.

Villagers were seen standing in long queues with their voter IDs amid police security.

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About 2,580 voters of five Panchayat Samitis in Amber Tehsil cast their votes on the issue. As many as 2,270 cast their vote against having liquor shops.

The villagers cast their mandate through a secret ballot in day-long election held by the Jaipur Collector.

Four polling booths were set up and police force was deployed to ensure free and fair polls.

After a campaign against liquor shops by National Jankranti Manch president Pooja Chabra and National Peoples Party MLA Naveen Pilania (Amber constituency), the administration has given official permission to hold such elections.
New Delhi, March 19

Two Indian clerics, including the head priest of Delhis Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who went missing in Pakistan, are safe and will be back in the city on Monday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.

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I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow, she said in a tweet.

The two clerics, Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, had gone to Lahore on March 8 and were to return to India on March 20. The main purpose of the visit of 80-year-old Asif to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi.

Yesterday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics were traced and reached Karachi last evening.

Swaraj had taken up the issue with Pakistan Prime Ministers Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz yesterday and requested him to trace the missing clerics.

According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in interior Sindh where there was no communication network and that is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts.

Earlier, Pakistani sources had said the two clerics were in the custody of Pakistans intelligence agency over their alleged links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources had said.  PTI
Tribune News Service

New Delhi/Chandigarh, March 19

After a number of positive but inconclusive rounds of meetings with the Jat protesters of Haryana, the state government today finally managed to broker peace with the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, which decided to call off tomorrows choke Delhi and Parliament gherao programme.

The truce was reached following a four-hour meeting of the AIJASS, led by Uttar Pradesh leader Yashpal Malik, with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and senior ministers of the Narendra Modi Cabinet, Ch Birender Singh and PP Chaudhry, at the Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi today.

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The two sides arrived at an agreement for implementation of the demands of the Jat community. Later, an announcement to postpone the Dilli kooch karo (move to Delhi programme) was made in the national capital at a joint press conference conducted by Khattar and Malik.

Malik said the AIJASS would wind up the double dharnas in districts in a couple of days while the executive of the AIJASS, scheduled for March 26, would decide how many dharnas will continue beyond that. We are satisfied with the assurance and will wind up most of the dharnas barring a few. These will be gradually wrapped up once the government starts meeting our demands, Malik stated.

He, however, added that it will take him five-six days to meet all those participating in the ongoing protests in Haryana to convince them.

Chief Minister Khattar announced that the Central government will commence the process of putting the Jat community on the list of reserved castes once the chairman of the National Backward Classes Commission is appointed.

In Haryana, he said as and when the court case ends, the Jats will be included in the reservation list under Schedule 9. He was referring to the Indian Constitutions Schedule 9 which makes it immune from judicial intervention.

The state will review all cases registered during the previous Jat reservation agitation (February 2016) and promised jobs for all those who were disabled during the last agitation, the CM said. He promised a probe against all those responsible for violence during the last agitation.

In the national capital, 24,000 paramilitary personnel had been mobilised to maintain peace. Metro and road transport had been curtailed and several schools closed ahead of the stir.
Shahira Naim

The question that has remained in the discourse in academia, drawing rooms and within Muslim organisations isDid the Muslims vote for the BJP contributing to its landslide victory with 325 seats (along with allies) in a House of 403?

The answer is no rocket science. Lets take the example of what happened in Deoband in Saharanpur. The same pattern was replicated in varying degrees all over the state with identical results.

This constituency, the seat of the famous Islamic seminary, reportedly has 70 per cent Muslim population. Here BJPs Brijesh won by polling 1,02,244 votes defeating his nearest rival Majid Ali of the BSP by 29,400 votes. Before hastily drawing any conclusion take into account that Samajwadi Partys candidate Mawiya Ali had polled 55,385 votes.

Together the two Muslim candidates from the BSP and the SP polled 1, 28,229 which are 25,985 vote more than what was polled by the BJP candidate.

According to 2014 report of political scientist Gilles Verniers for the Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy in Uttar Pradesh, Muslim vote is a determining factor in around 130 of its 403 Vidhan Sabha constituencies.

Like 2014, the message that the BJP has sent out loud and clear in 2017 as well is that Muslims are totally irrelevant in their brand of politics. The BJP did not field a single Muslim candidate. BJP national president Amit Shah defended his decision by citing the winniability factor.

Representation down

After the recent Assembly poll results, the Muslims, who comprise 19.2 per cent of Uttar Pradeshs population, have only 5.9 per cent representation with only 24 seats in the newly elected Vidhan Sabha.

In the outgoing Vidhan Sabha, the Muslims had 17.1 per cent representation with 68 seats which was the closest to their share of population. The emerging pattern reveals that more than the BJP, the damage was due to the secular parties strategy.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), another Muslim outfit headed by Asaduddin Owaisi, further fragmented votes. At Kanth in Moradabadand (another Muslim-dominated district), BJPs Rajesh Singh won by polling 76,307 votes. The combined votes of SPs Anseesurahman (73,959), BSPs Mohd Nasir (43,820) and AIMIMs Fizaullah Chadhury (22,908) were 1,40,687.

At Tanda (Ambedkar Nagar), Gainsari (Balrampur) and Shrawasti, the AIMIM single-handedly played vote katuafacilitating BJPs win.

Mayas strategy failed

Perhaps the worst effect on poll results was that of Mayawatis so-called Dalit-Muslim strategy under which her party fielded 99 Muslim candidates on seats where the Samajwadi Party or the Congress had sitting Muslim MLAs.

There were 35 seats where the SP and the BSP both had fielded Muslim candidates. Of these, the BJP managed to comfortably win 27 seats due to division of votes.

The extraordinary performance of the BJP in western Uttar Pradesh and Devipatan division (comprising Gonda, Bahraich, Shrawasti and Balrampur districts) can largely be attributed to Mayawatis new social engineering formula due to which even her Dalit and SPs Yadav votebank gravitated towards the BJP. Another example of Mayawatis failed social engineering formula is the fact that her party miserably failed at 85 reserved seats for which every political party fields only Dalit candidates.

The BSP, considered to be the party founded for empowering the Dalits, which constitute around 21 per cent of the population, managed victory on only two reserved seatsLalganj in Azamgarh and Sidhauli in Sitapur.

More shocking is the fact that on 50 per cent of the reserved seats, the BSP could not even secure the second place. Of these 85 reserved seats, the BJP won 69. Three seats each went to BJPs alliesUnion Minister Anupriya Patels Apna Dal and Om Prakash Rajbhars Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Partytaking the tally to 75.

The Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance secured seven seats. Lone Independent Vinod Kumar won the Babaganj reserved seat in Pratapgarh district.

While these are not the only reasons for the BJPs landslide win, these do explain to some extent a few of the decisions that helped them strike gold in Uttar Pradesh.
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 19

In a path-breaking move, part-production of the Light Combat Aircraft, The Tejas, has been outsourced to Indian private companies, with an aim to speed up production to cover up the dwindling number of Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets.

The IAF is operating with 33 squadrons (16-18 planes each) as against the need for 42 squadrons mandated to effectively fight a simultaneous two-front war with Pakistan and China.

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T Suvarna Raju, Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), said, We are getting fuselage (body) made by private companies and the HAL, in future, will just be an integrator. We have outsourced fuselage and the wing production to three companies and these have to come back with deliveries in two years.

This was part of a three-pronged plan to speed up Tejas production, Raju said.

There are 123 Tejas jets  in two variants  on order and HAL has an installed capacity of producing only eight planes every year. In the past, a private company made the hull (body) of the nuclear submarine INS Arihant.

Raju said, The increased production rate will be visible from 2018 when we will be able to provide 16 planes per year under a Rs 1,300-crore expansion project (at the HAL facility in Bangalore).

The HAL CMD said the second part of the increase-production plan is to use the existing facility of the hawk trainer jets and a pilot project has already started.

The third part involves outsourcing to private companies, thus turning HAL into an integrator  a concept adopted by leading foreign manufacturers. This will mean the Tejas fleet of 123 jets can be delivered earlier than planned.

The IAF is operating with 33 squadrons (16-18 planes each) as against the need for 42 squadrons mandated to effectively fight a simultaneous two-front war with Pakistan and China.
Ahmedabad, March 19

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Sunday said all the like-minded parties need to come together to counter the BJP.

He also said with Yogi Adityanath becoming the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, "mandir-masjid" politics may get a boost.

"Looking at the kind of support BJP has garnered in the Assembly elections, it is very clear that all the like-minded parties need to come together (to face it)," said Pawar, who was here to inaugurate NCP's new office.

"All the (non-BJP) parties need to do introspection about their shortcomings. To provide a strong alternative to BJP, it is necessary that all the like-minded parties come together," he said, speaking to reporters.

Asked if any talks had started for this purpose, he said he wasn't aware.

"It is a suggestion. As of now, no detailed discussions have been held....If NCP gets a proposal to be a part of such alliance, we will respond positively," he said.

On the hardliner BJP leader Yogi Adityanath becoming the Chief Minister of UP, Pawar expressed fear that communal politics may take precedence in the northern state.

"Being such a big state, UP needs a leadership with a clear foresight to execute development agenda. However I am now worried about the people of UP, as the new leadership might pay more attention to `mandir-masjid' issues rather than bringing real development," he said.

His party was open to pre-poll alliance in Gujarat where Assembly elections are due this year, Pawar said. In 2012 state polls, NCP had a tie-up with Congress and won two seats.

"We haven't received any proposal from any party for alliance. Though our experience with Congress wasn't pleasant last time, we are still open to alliance with it," he said.

Earlier, addressing the local NCP workers, Pawar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had failed to keep his elections promises.

"People voted for BJP because Modi made tall promises before 2014 polls. Modi had promised to increase farmers' income by 50 per cent. But after three years farmers' income has only decreased. That is why large number of farmers have ended their lives during BJP rule," he claimed.

"Initially people thought demonetisation was a good decision. However, it only took away jobs. Around 52 per cent of workers in the small industries became jobless," he said.  PTI
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 19

An exhibition underway at Newarke Houses Museum, Leicester, is showcasing relics from the Anglo-Sikh wars.

The wars were fought between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company in a series of battles leading to the annexation of Punjab in 1849. The British were led by Generals who had fought in many military campaigns, such as the Napoleonic wars (1803-15), while the Sikh forces comprised remnants of the army created by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The exhibition uses 3D modelling and augmented reality technology to bring lost relics to life. The Anglo-Sikh Wars Project was initiated last year by the Sikh Museum Initiative (SMI), which has worked with various museums across the UK. The SMI was formed in 2015 by a group of Leicester professionals and volunteers to research and promote Sikh heritage in the UK.

Leading the project is Sikh scholar and historian Gurinder Singh Mann, head of the SMI. Speaking at the exhibition launch recently, Mann said: This exhibition has brought together many items from the Anglo-Sikh wars in one place for the first time. A number of items have never been seen in public before.

We have 3D-modelled several key relics, from the Kohinoor diamond to the sword of Lord Hardinge. Our augmented reality set-up showcases how we can advance our knowledge of history and heritage through new technologies.

The exhibition, which will continue till June 4, tells the story of the battles through artefacts which were captured by British regiments, including swords, manuscripts, paintings and other objects from the battlefield.

There is a parallel display at the University of Leicester, where copies of the Illustrated London News and other publications from the period can be viewed.
Lahore, March 19

Pakistans Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking security to mark the death anniversary of Indian freedom fighter, citing threats from religious extremists.

The foundations chairman advocate Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi filed a writ petition yesterday contending that the organisers of the March 23 event should be provided with security.

Qureshi said threats had been received from religious extremists for the event.

We had requested the provincial government and police high ups to ensure security for the function but they did not respond positively, Qureshi said.

He said the Punjab chief secretary, inspector general of police and DIG operations Lahore have been denying protection and security at public place which is a fundamental right of every citizen of the country.

Advocate Qureshi requested the court to order the respondent authorities to take security measures for the upcoming event in order to protect the lives of the participants and public at large.

Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh would take up the petition tomorrow.

March 23 marks the death anniversary of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh who was hanged along with his comrades Raj Guru and Sukhdev in 1931 at Fawara Chowk in Shadman Lahore.  PTI
Islamabad, March 19

Members and leaders of the Sikh community in Peshawar expressed their disappointment at being left out of the national census, saying they feared their community would not be adequately represented in Pakistans first national headcount in 19 years.

The concerned department has not included the Sikh minority in the ongoing count. It is not only unfortunate for us, it is also a point of great concern for the community to have been missed out in the counting exercise, Radesh Sing Tony, chairman of a Sikh committee, told the Dawn on Saturday.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

He complained that a sizeable number of Sikhs was living in Pakistan, but the community was not counted among the religions included in the census form.

He noted that Sikhs would be counted under the other religion category in the form, which would not provide an accurate picture of the Sikh population.

This is an injustice, we are being deprived of our rights, he said.

The 500-year-old religion was founded in what was now part of Pakistan. Most Sikhs left Pakistan for India after both countries gained independence from Britain in 1947.

Around 20,000 Sikhs remain in Pakistan today, most in the restive northwest regions, which have been rocked by an Islamist insurgency for more than a decade, forcing many to leave their homes in the tribal areas on the Afghan border for the city of Peshawar.

Tony said he had written to the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Chief Justices of the Peshawar and Sindh High Courts requesting that the community be counted as an official religion.

When contacted, a spokesperson for the census exercise, Habibullah Khan, admitted that it was a mistake on the part of the census authorities.

Yes, a sizable population of Sikhs are living in Pakistan, but have we missed them in the census, he told Dawn.

He said the census forms had been printed in 2007 and only five religions had been included on the recommendation of a 120-member technical committee.

He conceded that the Sikh population may have been marginal in 2007, but their population had increased with the passage of time.  IANS
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 19

Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly and AAP MLA HS Phoolka said party MLAs would accept bare minimum security which was required to discharge duties as MLA.

Our MLAs will have maximum of four security guards, two for security at the official residence and two will remain with the MLA throughout the day. Besides, our MLAs will also accept the official residence and car which is also required to fulfil day-to-day political obligations. However, we will not use beacon or hooter on our official cars to discourage the VIP culture, Phoolka said.

On being asked how many security guards an MLA is entitled to, Phoolka said he had no idea of it and would have to get it checked. He, however, added that even Manpreet Badal had accepted minimum security comprising six guards.

Phoolka said party MLAs would accept the official accommodation because they did not have personal residence in Chandigarh. I dont have a house in Chandigarh and being a leader I require official residence to discharge my duties and so is the case with other MLAs, he added.

Phoolka said he had been told that the Leader of Opposition was entitled to special police route to prevent any traffic bottlenecks, but he would not prefer any route. He urged people to post photographs of leaders or bureaucrats using red beacon on his mobile number and AAP would ensure action.

He said most of the decisions taken by the Congress in its first Cabinet meeting, including abolition of VIP culture, were the brainchild of AAP. Phoolka said the AAP would also support all decisions of the Congress favouring Punjab.
Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, March 19

With incidents of theft of gas cylinders, computer items and food in government schools rising, teachers are facing a tough time as there is no staff to guard the school premises during the night and on holidays.

Now, the School Education Department  in a letter on March 2  has put the onus of investigation on the school heads to fix responsibility for the thefts.

As a result, the teaching staff have started appointing a watchman on their own.

In most thefts, expensive devices like computers and Information and Communication Technology equipment were targeted by the miscreants.

In the past week, over one dozen computers and its accessories were stolen from different government schools in the area.

In the latest incident, thieves broke open the laboratory of Government High School, Raowala-Ukandwala in Jaitu and stole some computers. The residents of these villages joined the students to stage a dharna against the lackadaisical attitude of the Education Department towards school security.

This is the fifth theft in this school in the recent past. On December 13 last year, an LPG cylinder, mid-day meal rations and many other items were stolen, said Mangat Sharma, officiating principal of the school.

In the absence of guards to do night duty in government schools, most schools are vulnerable to theft. For the past 10 years, no watchman has been recruited in the schools.

Under Edusat, the first satellite-based educational programme in government schools in remote and rural locations, students are imparted lessons on computers.

As the police were unable to check the thefts, the Faridkot police  some time back  had come out with a unique plan. They had directed the school authorities to shift all goods susceptible to theft to the house of a reputed person in the village every day after school hours.

The financial condition of the computer education programme in government schools could be assessed from the fact that some days ago, BSNL had informed the School Education Department that many internet connections had been cut in many schools over the non-payment of bills. So, the schools heads were asked to pay for the internet. Now, teachers and students are contributing money to pay the internet bill to keep the computer labs operative.
Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 19

It was a day of rejoicing in Panchur village in the Yamkeshwar block of Pauri Garhwal district as local man Yogi Adityanath took over as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

People in large numbers visited the house of Anand Singh Bisht, father of Yogi Adityanath, at Panchur, where sweets were distributed and fire crackers bust to celebrate the occasion. Adityanaths father and mother, who witnessed the swearing-in ceremony on television, were congratulated by villagers. Anand Bisht, a retired forest department official, expressed happiness that his son would prove a worthy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Savitri Devi, mother of Yogi Adityanath said he was hopeful that his son would give his best to Uttar Pradesh, as he had already dedicated his entire life to the welfare of society.

Yamkeshwar block pramukh Krishan Negi said it was a great honour for the residents of the Yamkeshwar region and Uttarakhand that the son of the soil has become the Chief Minister of the most populous state of India.

Anand Bisht said initially he did not want his son to go to Gorakhpur but could not stop him considering his resoluteness. Now, his son has become Chief Minister, the proud fathers phone does not stop ringing and he has had to recharge its battery several times.

An emotional mother, Savitri, says Adityanath always had a helpful disposition and she is delighted to see him rise to a high position. People of Panchur village burst crackers to celebrate Adityanths becoming the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He may have left for Gorakhpur, but Adityanath stays in touch with his village and in 1998 a school was opened with the assistance of the Gorakhnath Trust, it is learnt.

Local villager Mahendra Badola too expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making Yogi Adityanath the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Adityanath originally named Ajay Singh Bisht, was born in Panchur village on June 5, 1972. After spending his early childhood days in the village, Ajay studied at Kotdwar and later did BSc from Garhwal University, Srinagar. He came under the influence of Mahant Avaidyanath, the Mahant of Guru Gorakshnath peeth, Gorakhpur, who become his spiritual guru and mentor. Mahant Avaidyanath died in 2015 and Adityanath succeeded him as the head of the Guru Gorakshnath peeth.

Adityanath was the youngest MP to be elected to the 12th Lok Sabha in 1998. He had never lost any election since then from the Gorakhpur parliamentary constituency. He also participated in the Ram temple movement in Uttar Pradesh.

Significantly, many in Uttarakhand are hoping that Adityanath will help resolve the long pending vexed issue of assets distribution between Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

It is learnt that Yogi last visited his parents in Panchur village recently when he came to campaign for BJP leader Satpal Maharaj who was the contested from the Chaubatakhal constituency.
Dhaka, March 19

The Bangladesh Supreme Court today upheld the death sentence of banned Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islamis former leader and two of his accomplices for attacking British envoy in 2004, paving the way for their execution.

HuJI leader Mufti Hannan lost the legal battle to save himself from the charges of an attempt on life of the former UK envoy to Bangladesh. Hannan and two of his associates attacked a shrine in 2004 that left three persons dead and injured Anwar Chowdhury, the British high commissioner at the time.

There now remains no barrier in executing (HuJI chief) Mufti Abdul Hannan and the two other operatives of the outfit, a spokesman for the attorney generals office said as the Supreme Courts Appellate Division rejected a plea by the convicts seeking review of the apex court decision.

He said a three-member apex court bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha rejected the plea after holding hearing on the convicts review petition.

According to Bangladeshs legal system, the convicts can seek presidential clemency to save themselves and unless they are pardoned, jail authorities can hang them in four weeks. Chowdhury narrowly escaped the grenade attack by sustaining minor injury when three policemen were killed and 70 others wounded.  PTI
Teresa Stroebe still hurts when she sees the photo, a black-and-white image in an out-of-town newspaper.

"Yeah, that's really tough," she said.

In the photo, a surgeon holds a liver in his two gloved hands, preparing for a transplant operation. It belonged to Stroebe's 4-year-old daughter, Marion.

Stroebe long ago made peace with her daughter's death; it has been almost 30 years now. And sitting in her sunlit kitchen earlier this month, she spoke tenderly of Marion and smiled as she remembered the girl's attachment to an old brimmed hat  she thought she was a cowboy  and her direct way of approaching people she was curious about.

Bryan Peek hardly remembers the operation. He was 3 when he went into surgery at Seattle Children's Hospital to receive a new liver. He never knew who it came from. He only knew his life-saving surgery was born of tragedy.

"I've always wondered," he said. "I've always wanted to know."

One Saturday morning

When Teresa Stroebe talks about the accident, her face clouds over just a bit, and the old lines of grief become a little more apparent.

"It was May, and it was an absolutely gorgeous day," Stroebe said.

Marion was playing that morning, May 5, 1990, with her 6-year-old brother, Frank. It was a Saturday, and Teresa's husband, Conrad, had come home with doughnuts while Teresa had spent the morning with friends, her first outing since giving birth six weeks earlier.

When Teresa got home, Marion exclaimed to her, "Dad bought doughnuts!"

That day a work crew was fixing up the back deck, which stands about 12 feet above the ground. A single door on the Lockwood home's second floor leads to the deck, which at that point had several missing planks. The door had been shut while crews worked.

Maybe that made it more attractive.

While she was playing in the house with her brother, Marion got up the stairs and through the door to the deck. She fell 12 feet to the concrete floor below, hitting her head. She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors were unable to stop the bleeding in her brain.

By Sunday, they told the Stroebes that Marion was most likely brain dead. Before they turned off the machines, they asked Teresa and Conrad if they were willing to donate their daughter's organs.

"Conrad signed the papers," Teresa said. "I couldn't."

Waiting for the pager to beep

Bryan had been at Seattle Children's Hospital most of that spring as doctors worked to keep his liver disease from getting any worse.

"A month before he turned 3 he really started deteriorating," said Vickie Peek, Bryan's grandmother. "He was a light mustard color, and his hair had turned white."

Shortly after Bryan was born, he was taken by his mom to the hospital, puffed up and yellow, like he had jaundice. Eventually he was diagnosed with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. It's a hereditary disease that prevents the liver from producing an important protein, causing hepatitis or cirrhosis and shortening the person's lifespan. In small children, it's especially devastating.

Bryan really had no idea just how sick he had been. He was too young to remember, and the scarier details of the ordeal his mom and grandmother had never really shared  until a couple weeks ago, when he first heard the Stroebes might be interested in reaching out to him.

Up until that point, he'd had no idea who the Stroebes were and that it was their daughter who had donated the liver.

Filled with new questions about his transplant operation, Bryan excitedly relayed this information to his mother and grandmother. And so at his 30th birthday earlier this month, they pulled him aside.

His grandmother explained that shortly before they learned a liver had become available, doctors were preparing to tell his mother that Bryan likely didn't have long to live.

"It was very, very dire," he said.

The disease has no known cure, so a liver transplant is really the only way to successfully treat it. Bryan had been placed on a transplant list four months earlier, and the family had been given pagers that would beep when a liver became available.

It was an enormously stressful time wrapped in lots of guilt, Vickie Peek said.

"We knew what had to happen for Bryan to get a liver," she said.

As they counseled with the donor service and their doctors about receiving the liver, they got to a place where they were able to make peace with it.

"The only way we got through it was because we knew some child was going to live on through him," she said.

It was the day after Conrad signed the papers, as Bryan's mother and grandmother were sitting at the hospital, when the pagers went off. The next day, May 8, 1990, Bryan was in the operating room for the surgery.

It would be the first successful pediatric liver transplant in the Pacific Northwest.

And it was all over the news.

Connecting the dots

When organs are donated, the donor family and the recipient are kept confidential. If the two sides choose to correspond, the organ donation service acts as an intermediary, delivering messages while protecting confidentiality.

It was because of this policy that the Stroebes received an unsigned letter from the Peeks shortly after the operation.

"We had mixed emotions that day," Bryan's grandmother wrote the Stroebes. She wrote the letter for her daughter, who simply wasn't emotionally up to the task. "Happy and excited because our wait had finally ended; frightened because our child was now facing major surgery; and sad because we thought of the life that was lost. You were in our thoughts and prayers in that moment, as you have been so many times since."

The Northwest Organ Procurement Agency, a group that served Alaska, Washington, Idaho and Montana, arranged the organ donation (the company was bought out by LifeCenter Northwest in 1997). Officials there had let Bryan's family know that the liver they were to receive had come from a 4-year-old child in Montana. The agency informed the Stroebes that the recipient of Marion's liver was a 3-year-old boy in the Seattle/Tacoma area.

It was fortuitous for Teresa, who had aunts in Seattle. One was an engineer for Boeing, and the other was a nurse, who was riveted by the news of the transplant. Watching all the coverage, aware of Marion's death and the family's decision to donate, the aunt knew immediately the liver was Marion's.

She collected much of the news at the time and mailed clippings to the Stroebes, including the transplant photo Teresa still keeps in a notebook at home. It was a lot of information to absorb, and some of the details, like the photo, were painful. In some ways, the family wasn't sure what to do with it all.

And after all these years, they still grapple with knowing what to do.

They've held onto the newspaper clippings, thankful to know Marion saved a little boy's life. The clips sit with other papers and mementos of Marion's life and death, including photos of Marion and the letters of gratitude from Bryan's family and the organ donation company.

But they've never tried to reach out to Bryan, despite knowing his name and where he lived.

The family has felt like it would put enormous pressure on Bryan to somehow respond. He doesn't need to, Teresa often says. The organ donation has always been viewed by the family as a gift.

Earlier this year, the Stroebes decided telling their story to the Gazette was perfect middle ground. They could put their story out there, and maybe Bryan and his family would see it, leaving them free to respond how they choose.

A phone call from a Gazette reporter, then, was the first time Bryan had learned anything about the family who gave him his liver.

The missing puzzle piece

His family had no news clippings and no indication that they'd ever learn who donated the liver or learn about the tragedy behind it. Bryan didn't really start thinking about it until he was a teenager.

Up until then, the transplant was always just an operation, an experience he'd had as a 3-year-old and one that he almost doesn't remember.

"It's just a part of who I am," he said. Kids in gym class would always ask about the long, semicircle-shaped scar on his stomach.

But as he grew older and understood better the operation and the experiences around it, he wanted to know more.

Bryan has always felt a connection with his donor that he has trouble explaining. He and his family would drive through Montana most summers traveling to South Dakota to visit family. And every time, that trip across Montana would weigh on him.

"I can't even fathom to put a name or a face (to the donor)," he said. "I can't explain the feeling."

Now the donor is a real person with a real family, and it feels like the Earth is shifting beneath Bryan's feet.

He compares it to a puzzle. As he lives his life and adds pieces to it, there's always been one piece that's missing, a part that he feels should be there but that he can't identify.

In many ways, it's guided his entire life.

"I'm big about being positive and doing the right thing," he said.

One thought that has always given him direction has been, "I hope that whoever's liver this is, that they could look down on me and be happy with who it went to."

Simply put, he hasn't wanted Marion to be disappointed with him.

Life moves on

Bryan is married now and has three kids, ages 8, 4 and 2. Because his liver disease was hereditary, he and his wife had fears that Bryan's condition would manifest in their children. That hasn't been the case.

But having children has given him new insight into the tragedy the Stroebes must have gone through on that May morning 27 years ago.

"I think about it with my kids," he said. "I can't imagine."

He takes nothing for granted. He's long been an organ donor, and so has his wife. Their children are donors as well. In the year after his surgery he had a few organ rejection scares. And until he was 10, there were a battery of tests every few months. But for the past two decades, Bryan's life has been mostly normal.

He still takes anti-rejection medication night and morning and has to go in for yearly blood tests. He avoids medications that are hard on his liver; he can't take aspirin, and he can have ibuprofen only in emergencies. His doctors forbid him from smoking, and he doesn't really drink.

Marion's death changed the Stroebes. Teresa talks about it leading to a spiritual awakening for her and Conrad.

"I believe in eternity," she said. "More so than I did before."

Like Bryan, the Stroebes have felt a connection they couldn't quite explain. A news photo of a 3-year-old Bryan leaving the hospital gave Teresa some comfort. He looked a lot like Marion.

The Stroebes and the Peeks have yet to meet. In fact, they still haven't spoken. But for the first time, they both know the other is out there and they're eager to connect.

Bryan is still struggling to put into words the emotions almost too powerful to process. He's spent the last weeks since he learned about Marion and the Stroebes absorbing a thousand different thoughts and feelings. Mostly, he's overjoyed to finally learn who the 4-year-old was and the connection she has to who he now is.

"I owe them and their little girl Marion my life."
Mosul, March 19

Iraqi forces backed by helicopter strikes engaged in heavy fighting with jihadists on the outskirts of the Old City on Sunday as they pressed an offensive to recapture west Mosul.

The elite Rapid Response Force and Iraqi federal police attacked the Islamic State group militants with rifles, machineguns, mortar rounds and rockets a month after the west Mosul operation began.

The joint forces were around 100 metres south of Mosul's Iron Bridge, which has been destroyed along with other bridges that span the Tigris River that linked the city's eastern and western sides.

Helicopters circled overhead harrying IS with barrages of bullets and rocket fire in strikes aided by weather that was clearer than it had been in recent days, correspondents said.

"The aim of the battle is to go past Al-Hadidi (Iron) Bridge northwards," Brigadier General Abbas al-Juburi of the Rapid Response units told AFP.

He said the operation was complicated by the presence of hundreds of thousands of civilians believed to have stayed on under jihadists rule.

"The difficulties are the presence of families, how to avoid opening fire on families who are used as human shields" by IS jihadists, Juburi said.

The battle for the densely populated Old City, with its warrens of alleyways, was always expected to be the toughest of the campaign to retake Mosul from IS.

In January Iraqi forces retook the east side of the city before setting their sights on the west.

At the heart of the Old City lies the Al-Nuri Mosque, where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in July 2014 proclaimed the IS "caliphate" that spans jihadist-controlled territory in Iraq and Syria. It was Baghdadi's first public appearance and the capture of the mosque would be highly symbolic and strategic for the Iraqi forces who have in recent days taken several targets from IS.

Yesterday elite forces battled house by house in the Old City as they tried to inch towards the mosque, but were slowed by bad weather and the complicated effort of navigating the narrow streets.

"Our forces are 800 metres from the mosque," Captain Firas al-Zuwaidi, the spokesman for Rapid Response, said yesterday.

"The fighting is street by street, house by house," he said, as the sound of mortar fire rang out from the heart of Iraq's second city.

The Rapid Response Force is being backed up by federal police who have made steady gains since Friday, including the Al-Arbiaa market and a grain silo overlooking the Old City.

The taking of Mosul, Iraq's second city, would deal a major setback to IS following months of losses in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

Iraqi authorities launched the fight to retake Mosul from the jihadists on October 17 last year, with the support of the US-led coalition that has been carrying out strikes against IS in Iraq and neighbouring Syria since 2014.  AFP
Kuala Lumpur, March 19

Malaysian police said on Sunday they are hunting for more North Korean suspects over the killing of the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the new suspects are in addition to the seven North Koreans already being sought in last months poisoning death of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpurs airport.

Khalid said the new suspects include an important person, but he declined to give further details.

I do not deny that there are more North Koreans involved in the murder of Kim Jong Nam. We will follow the legal channel to get them, he said. I do not want to say more than that. If I do, they may run ... but we believe there is an important person too.

Malaysian authorities say two women smeared Kims face with the banned VX nerve agent on February 13 at a crowded airport terminal. He died within 20 minutes. The two women, an Indonesian and a Vietnamese, have been charged with murder.

Four of the seven initial North Korean suspects left Malaysia on the same day of the killing. Police have obtained an Interpol red alert notice for the four men, believed to be back in Pyongyang.

Police said the other three men are believed to be hiding in the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Relations between Malaysia and North Korea have deteriorated sharply since Kims death, with each expelling the others ambassador.

North Korea blocked Malaysians from leaving the country until a fair settlement of the case is reached. Malaysia then barred North Koreans from exiting its soil. The two countries have also scrapped visa-free travel for each others citizens.

Although Malaysia has never directly accused North Korea of being behind the attack, many speculate that it must have orchestrated it.

Experts say the VX nerve agent used to kill Kim was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons.  AP
Sittwe, March 19

Hundreds of hard-line Buddhists in a Myanmar state wracked by religious violence protested today against the governments plan to give citizenship to some members of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority community.

Rakhine states dominant Arakan National Party led the protest in Sittwe, the state capital, where many Rohingya lived before an outbreak of inter-communal violence in 2012 forced them to flee their homes.

We are protesting to tell the government to rightfully follow the 1982 citizenship law and we cannot allow the government giving citizenship cards to these illegal migrants, said Aung Htay, a protest organiser.

Todays protest took place three days after the Rakhine Advisory Commission, led by former UN chief Kofi Annan, urged Myanmars government to reconsider a failed programme to verify Rohingya for Myanmar citizenship and to remove restrictions on freedom of movement.

We also look at the question of citizenship, and we also call for all those who have been recognised as citizens to have all the rights attached to that citizenship, Ghassan Salame, a member of the commission, said last week. Myanmars new civilian government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, welcomed the commissions proposal.  AP

Outsiders in own country
Beijing, March 19

With warm words from Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended his first trip to Asia since taking office with an agreement to work together with China on North Korea and putting aside trickier issues.

Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to work with the US for healthy and stable development of bilateral ties, calling cooperation the correct choice for both the countries.

We should properly handle and manage sensitive issues to promote the healthy and stable development of sino-US relationship from a new start, Xi told Secretary of State Rex Tillerson here.

Cooperation is the only correct choice for both the countries, Xi said apparently referring to anti-China rhetoric by US President Donald Trump. Trump had branded China a currency manipulator stealing American jobs and also threatened to impose 45 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods.

Ahead of Tillersons visit to China, Trump also put out a tweet to criticise Beijings role in dealing with North Korea. North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help, Trump tweeted.

However, Tillerson yesterday held lengthy round of frank and candid talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

After talks, Tillerson said the US would work with China to deal with threats posed by North Korea, which is also a close ally of Beijing. Tillerson visited South Korea on Friday.

During his visit to South Korea, Tillerson had cautioned North Korea that all options are on the table to deal with Pyongyangs provocative nuclear and missile programmes.

In his meeting with Tillerson today, Xi said the two sides should grasp the general direction for the development of China-US relations in an attitude responsible for history and future generations.

He suggested that the two countries increase strategic trust and mutual understanding, review bilateral ties from long-term and strategic perspectives and expand fields of cooperation for win-win outcomes, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The two countries should also enhance coordination on regional hotspot issues, respect each others core interests and major concerns and encourage friendly exchanges, Xi said as he invited Trump to China.

Responding to Xis invitation, Tillerson said Trump placed a very high value on the communications that have already occurred between the two presidents.

He looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future, Tillerson said. We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthening of the ties between China and the US, and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation, he said.  Agencies

Groundwork before crucial Florida meet
OKLAHOMA CITY  An Oklahoma City couple who never believed their daughter killed herself two years ago is now looking ahead to a court date for her husband, who was arrested recently in connection with her death.

They published their daughters photo in an advertisement Tuesday in The Oklahoman marking what would have been her 51st birthday.

On Jan. 3, 2015, just before 7 a.m., police officers and medical personnel in Henderson, Nevada, were dispatched to the home of Susan Winters, a 48-year-old University of Oklahoma graduate who became a lawyer and moved west to take a job with the Clark County District Attorneys Office in Las Vegas.

They found Winters unresponsive and not breathing in the home she rented with her husband, 54-year-old psychologist Gregory Brent Dennis, who grew up in Blanchard and played defensive back for the University of Tulsa from 1980 to 1983. The couple had been married for 19 years, separated on at least one occasion, and were rearing two daughters.
A woman wanted for a string of gun-related crimes was killed Saturday afternoon when an officer intentionally ran over her in south Tulsa after she exchanged gunfire with police following a vehicular chase.

Madison Sueann Dickson, 21, was pronounced dead at 3:07 p.m., Tulsa homicide Sgt. Dave Walker said.

Officers roped off the scene in the 8900 block of South Harvard Avenue outside of Jenks East Elementary School.

Police had been searching for Dickson because of her alleged involvement in a spree of gun-related crimes over the past week.

Officers found Dickson at an apartment at 81st Street and Sheridan Road on Saturday, police spokesman Leland Ashley said. Dickson then got into a pickup as a passenger and fled from the officers, Ashley said.

Dickson eventually bailed out of the truck and presented a handgun, Ashley said, which was when at least two officers shot at her. She fired gunshots at officers, Ashley said.

During the altercation, she was run over by a patrol cruiser, Ashley said, noting police desperately were trying to stop her because of the threat she represented. He said no one was struck by gunfire.

She had every opportunity to stop and turn herself in, he said.

The trucks driver, a female, was being questioned by police. Ashley said they are unsure of the womans involvement at this time.

Dickson had been identified as the suspect in a number of crimes, including the shooting of a man Thursday night that resulted in him crashing his car and being hospitalized in critical condition.

Earlier Thursday, Tulsa County prosecutors had filed charges against Dickson for crimes from last weekend.

In the latest crime before Saturday, officers responded to a traffic collision involving a shooting victim shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday near 18th Street and Peoria Avenue. An investigation showed that after being shot, a man drove a car south on Peoria before colliding with a small SUV.

Investigators said Dickson may have been a passenger in the mans car at some point before the shooting.

The man was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Walker said Friday that the man was expected to recover but was heavily sedated and unable to speak to officers since arriving at the hospital.

Prosecutors had charged Dickson with shooting with intent to kill, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, unauthorized use of a vehicle, attempted larceny and discharging a firearm in a public place for incidents March 11 and 12, according to court records.

Dickson was allegedly involved in a March 11 theft from a Best Buy store on 71st Street near U.S. 169. She discharged a firearm during that incident, according to a news release from Walker.

On March 12, Dickson allegedly shot a woman at a Walgreens store at 7111 S. Lewis Ave. According to Walker, Dickson and an unidentified male approached a customer in her car outside the store and demanded that she exit. Dickson allegedly shot her in the arm after she became too frightened to move, and Dickson and the man then fled.

Police say Dickson also was among a group of females who later that day were discovered attempting to steal a license plate from a vehicle parked at the AMC Southroads 20 movie theater near 41st Street and Yale Avenue.

An employee said a woman matching Dicksons description pointed a gun.
Taking a page from ABCs well-done American Crime, Fox introduces its own event series dealing with social, political and criminal justice issues. Shots Fired begins its 10-episode run at 7 p.m. Wednesday on Spectrum channels 9, 18 and 1207.

From creators and writers Reggie Rock Bythewood and Gina Prince-Bythewood, Shots Fired tells the story of two racially charged shootings in a North Carolina town. It begins with an African-American deputy shooting and killing a white teenage boy in a rough part of town.

Despite the clumsy opening -- the deputy calls for backup but not an ambulance after shooting somebody -- Shots Fired finds its feet when the Department of Justice becomes involved, sending an attorney (Stephan James) and investigator Sanaa Lathan to look into the incident(s).

While the series is peopled with high profile actors in supporting roles, including Helen Hunt as the governor, Richard Dreyfuss as a real estate mogul, Will Patton as the sheriff, Stephen Moyer as a sheriffs lieutenant and Jill Hennessy as the mother of one of the deceased boys, the real stars here are James and Lathan.

James brings across an unshakable confidence as the attorney who doesnt see color and only wants justice, and Lathan bursts with energy as the unpredictable investigator with a troubled personal life.

Shots Fired tends to get preachy -- watch for James speech in front of news TV cameras in the pilot that really sets the show in motion -- but it sheds a bright light on whats been playing across newspaper pages. Grade: B.

News and notes

* Cant get enough of Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory? CBS has given the go-ahead on a prequel featuring Sheldon as a child growing up in Texas. The series, narrated by Jim Parsons, will feature Iain Armitage (Big Little Lies) as tiny Sheldon and Zoe Perry as his mom. Perry is the real-life daughter of Laurie Metcalf, who recurs as adult Sheldons mom.

* The CW is taking some of the surprise out of its May upfront announcement. The network already has renewed Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DCs Legends of Tomorrow, Supernatural, Jane the Virgin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Riverdale.

* Jason Isaacs (Malfoys father, Lucius, in the Harry Potter movies) will play the captain on CBS Access Star Trek: Discovery. The new series is slated to begin its run late summer or early fall on the streaming service. CBS Access already has renewed its other high-profile show, The Good Fight, for a second season.

* FX rolled out a bunch of renewals: Taboo (for a second season), Legend (second season) and Baskets (third season).

* Saturday Night Live, enjoying some its best ratings in years, announced it will go live across the country with shows beginning April 15. Broadcasts have been delayed in western time zones, but SNL wants everybody to enjoy (i.e. Tweet and Facebook) the experience together.

* Quick hits -- Showtime renewed Billions for a third season  Netflix is bringing back A Series of Unfortunate Events, starring Neil Patrick Harris, and the One Day at a Time reboot for second seasons  Syfys 12 Monkeys will end with a fourth season in 2018.
People often ask me, Are you a daredevil or an adrenaline junkie? and I am neither of those. But I am someone who likes to test things out, explore and push things to the limit, Todd Sampson explains.

I was scared in all of these. Its not like I thought That looks easy! I was scared but I was managing it as best I could.

In the 6 episodes of Life on the Line, Sampson hurls himself into extreme challenges involving fire, bullets, heights and brute force, in a test of will and science. In his third solo TV series, Sampson puts physics to the test, with his own mortality as the guinea pig.

My goal from the beginning was to merge together a couple of genres. I wanted to create a smart adventure show, collide Brian Cox and Bear Grylls together, he says.

They can be entertaining and you get information.

Its kind of how I live my life,

But didnt he put his Life on the Line on the high-wire in Redesign My Brain? Wasnt he risking it all climbing Everest in Body Hack? Sampson insists his shows each have a point of difference.

Redesign my Brain was neuroscience, about how we can adapt and change for the better.

Body Hack is a whole bunch of extraordinary people living in the world today, who have learned how to adapt to do things differently. My mission is to find out the tools and techniques that they use and bring them back to make them relevant to our lives.

Life on the Line is completely different, exploring the natural laws of the world hopefully in an entertaining way.

Im not standing there presenting things in a passive voice. Im actually doing the things I say can happen, in each episode. So yes, it is true that they are all immersive. They are all about human potential, they are all about pushing to extremes.

Its kind of how I live my life, and how I encourage my kids to live their lives: to go for it. Without getting Pollyanna we can do a lot more than we think, and science is showing us how.

I see them as completely different journeys. Body Hack is about them, not me. But because Im immersed in their culture I try to do what they do.

And with more Body Hack coming on TEN (he has just returned from filming in Mongolia), Sampson is in demand. Thankfully both ABC and TEN are happy to share the spoils, affording him the best of both worlds.

Some shows match better to some networks than others, but both networks have been brilliant. They provide the freedom to make the content you want to make. But Im excited to be back on the ABC because as you know it all started with Gruen.

In the first episode of Life on the Line, he barrels feet first into an 800-degree inferno on a custom-made sled with only a dousing of water and its heat capacity to stop him from being burnt alive.

One of the scariest was episode 2 where I stand in front of an AK47 in a swimming pool, he recalls.

We were testing friction and the theory is that above-water an AK47 can fire roughly 2km on a right angle. But underwater, according to the laws of resistance, it shouldnt be able to hit me at point-blank range.

Let me tell you. that got my attention. I cant describe to you the feeling of standing in front of an AK47. Even though I know 100% that the science is certain it does open your eyes.

The 1 tonne wrecking ball that was inches from my face when we released it, came back inches from my face. That was also a little bit hard. So many errors could have happened.

A lot of things failedbut the goal is my safety

Is he worried viewers may becoming blase about his death-defying challenges? Indeed might they be wanting the car-crash voyeurism, where something goes wrong?

Maybe. I think fundamentally people want to be entertained and want to learn something on that journey. I dont think people are just sitting there thinking Wouldnt it be great if. But some may, and this show opens up the possibility of that, because they are all experiments, he continues.

They dont go right a lot in this series, a lot of things failed. But the goal is my safety, so we wouldnt do an experiment that we thought wasnt going to work. As much as I like making science and adventure shows that would be silly.

And for the record, he has the approval of his family in each of his extreme challenges.

Theres a misconception around my family, he admits.

Theyve seen all 6 episodes but if you ask my wife, she would say when it comes to life in general, of the 4 of us, Im the weakest link!

My 8 year old watched the series and said Dadda why are you always looking so scared? And my oldest daughter kept saying I would have done that!

I dont believe fear should define our lives. Its important and its a biological force, but its a yellow light not a red light.

Science tells us we are the only species on the planet that can feel fear and then go through it. Every other species has to react instinctually but we dont have to.

Todd Sampsons Life on the Line airs 8pm Tuesdays on ABC.

Warning: Please do not attempt these experiments. They are potentially fatal. All experiments have been conducted with safety professionals.
Actress Melissa George revealed she had been the victim of domestic violence in a brutal custody battle with French millionaire Jean David Blanc.

Speaking to Sunday Nights Steve Pennells, a tearful George said she was turning to Australian media as a last resort after a series of traumatic domestic and legal scenarios.

It started with him on top of me with my arms locked above my head. I used my feet to get him off me for five minutes. I wet the bed. I wet the floor. I just went into a crazy. It was just a moment of like, Im in deep shit,' she revealed.

I fought as hard as I could.

He pushed me into the door, and then struck my face and I hit the wall and fell on the floor and I was out. Just out. And he stood over me and said, Now youre a real actress. And I was like OK.

George made her escape via an Uber driver to the Paris police.

She was crying . Just crying, the driver revealed, and saying I am scared, I am scared, please go  he will find me, Im scared. I have my two babies in the apartment. I say to her stay here, I will go. She said No, my boys are with my babysitters. I want to go to the police station.'

George is now unable to accept acting jobs because her partner will not allow her to leave France with her children.

George denies she was running away with her two sons when stopped by French authorities minutes before flying out of the country on a private jet last year.

I was absolutely not kidnapping, she insists.

Ill always come back. I will always do whats right.

George also conceded her previous comments about Australia were misplaced, and accepted responsibility for them.

I want my country to help me get home thats it, Ive got nothing else, she pleaded.

A happy ending would be to go home with my kids and the father can have his kids as often as he wants and see them but to be able to show my kids my country and where they are from.

Domestic violence helpline: 1800 737 732
Neighbours fans are getting those London-filmed episodes this week with storylines involving Dee (Madeleine West), Toadie (Ryan Moloney) and Willow (Mieke Billing-Smith).

TEN Head of Drama, Rick Maier, said: Neighbours continues to be one of Australias most successful drama exports to the UK and its fantastic that we are shooting the thrilling climax to the Dee storyline in London. It is great for the fans and great television. The performances are a stand-out.

Neighbours Executive Producer, Jason Herbison, said: We are excited that one of our biggest stories this year has taken us to the other side of the world. There is so much more to come from this UK escapade.

Ryan Moloney said: Filming in London was a cracking way to watch the Dee storyline come to a head. Madeleines return to Neighbours has been very close to my heart. To have the whole thing explode in such a dramatic fashion is beyond exciting. Viewers are going to love this!

After learning that Dee (Madeleine West) and his daughter Willow (Mieke Billing-Smith) have fled Erinsborough for the British capital, Toadie (Ryan Moloney) goes in search of them, desperate for answers.

Misinterpretations, salacious secrets and shocking revelations quickly follow  and Toadie makes a life-changing decision with catastrophic consequences.

Dees identity is revealed, rocking Toadie to his core. But has the truth arrived too late?

Monday, 20 March at 6.30pm on ELEVEN
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Native Nebraska resident, Sarah Ellen (Johnson) Johnston, 75, died peacefully January 18, 2017, in her home with her son & caregiver, James of Phoenix, Ariz., by her side and son Robert and friend & caregiver Stephanie Ashley. Sarah was born on November 24, 1941, in Omaha, and adopted by Frank M. and Arvilla M. Johnson of Lexington.

She attended Lexington High School, graduating in 1960. She continued her education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Education and received her Nebraska Teaching Certificate in 1964; this would allow her to teach young people music, the first love of her life.

In addition to entertaining, sewing, piano playing, Mary Kay Cosmetics and other entrepreneurial endeavors, she was an active member of the Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority and maintained a close alumni friendship late into life. Sarah was also a committed PEO member in Chapter DK serving as president, a charter member of Chapter AI.

She married James Arthur Johnston of Lincoln; the union welcomed two sons keeping her busy as a mom. She was quite active in her community, and a member of Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church where she enjoyed singing in the church choir and many times performed solo. Her kindness, loving nature, outgoing spirit, sense of humor, strength and beautiful voice of angels will be missed.

Preceded in death by her ex-husband James Arthur. Survived by her sons, James Anthony, Phoenix, and Robert Grayson (Orna), Stratford, Conn. Grandchildren, Ronan and Ciara. Brother-in-law, Robert Eugene Johnston, Oakton, Va. Sister, Jeanette (Stan) Garner, and two nieces, Melissa Rock and Cindy Garner.

A celebration of life memorial will be held for Sarah E. Johnston at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 25, at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, 8300 E. Pointe Rd., Lincoln, NE 68506. The family asks, in lieu of flowers, please choose a charitable donation in her name to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, www.nationalmssociety.org or Hospice of the Valley, 13614 N. 59th Ave., Glendale, AZ 95304, www.hov.org.
Even before the Lincoln City Council considers a redevelopment plan request from Nebraska Innovation Campus to begin the next phase of construction at the research park, interest in the 80,000-square-foot building has been high, particularly among entrepreneurs.

What we have a lot of demand for is 200- to 500- to 1,000-square-foot offices for companies that are just kind of getting going, said Dan Duncan, executive director of Nebraska Innovation Campus.

Small space is difficult to come by in the commercial real estate world, which typically caters to larger, more-established companies looking to rent entire floors rather than individual office suites.

The latest building planned for Innovation Campus  a proposed $15.3 million facility (with an estimated $3.1 million in tax-increment financing) privately funded by Tetrad Property Group  is a clean slate for the lead developer.

The first phase of construction at the research park focused on transforming the Industrial Arts Building and the 4-H Building  icons from the days of the Nebraska State Fair  into offices, laboratories and conference halls.

Two additional facilities  Innovation Commons and the Plant Innovation Center  were designed to connect to those structures both architecturally and conceptually, with specific needs in mind.

Targeted for a space to the north and east of the corner of 21st Street and Transformation Drive, the still-unnamed, mixed-use office building will shed the constraints that the first wave of projects were built under.

Drawing from ideas gleaned during tours of Pinterest, DropBox and others tech companies, the new design is set up to be a more modern take on office space, according to Josh Berger, Tetrads director of operations.

The team representing Innovation Campus connected with University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumni at tech companies and research parks in San Francisco and Toronto  including Apple and Google  to learn what Duncan called spaces younger people, especially, will want to work in.

A big takeaway from the trip was a design featuring an innovative hub to serve mid-sized companies relocating to Lincoln, as well as small companies and startups spun off from UNL seeking to grow out of single offices.

The goal is to create a space that is both an asset in business recruitment, as well as fully functional as a workplace for Innovation Campus partners.

Obviously, we cant copy everything thats being done, but if we could take a few key pieces and replicate those, it helps us with recruiting companies, he said. That in turn parlays into those companies recruiting employees when they are here on campus.

Duncan said the new building will be built to quickly adapt to the needs of tenants, including anchor tenants and the dozens of companies they are in talks with at any given time.

They are going to build that space out with an open concept that is easy to put walls in so, number one, we can get people in quickly, and, number two, we can have multiple sizes of offices, Duncan said.

About 370 full-time workers, plus some 100 part-timers and interns, are employed at the research park. Students enrolled in food science courses at UNL add to the activity there, along with creative projects at the Innovation Studio and dozens of conferences each year in the conference center.

Later this summer, The Mill will add a coffee shop and bistro and continue to demonstrate the campus is open for business, Duncan said.

Were getting to that critical mass where it helps, he said.


On March 17, The Bachelor breakout star Corinne Olympios celebrated St. Patricks Day with a legendary bash at Hyde Bellagio in Las Vegas (Pictured: Peri Olympios, Corinne Olympios and Dani Padron  Photo credit: Hyde Bellagio).

Photo credit: Hyde Bellagio.

Following an appearance on the red carpet with her family, Corinne and an intimate group of friends made their way to a luxurious VIP table and were greeted with flashing lights and giant letters spelling out T-E-A-M-C-O-R-N, presented by Hydes sexy servers.

Photo credit: Hyde Bellagio.

The nighttime revelers immediately went wild as the reality television bombshell took the stage, hyping up fans as she announced Hyde Bellagio, everyone take a shot with me!

Photo credit: Hyde Bellagio.

The party didnt end there as DJ Joe Maz took over the turn tables and delivered an explosive set, keeping the fountain-side hotspot bumping while Corinne sipped Perrier-Jouet and Veuve Clicquot and danced along well into the early morning hours.

Photo credit: Hyde Bellagio.
By: Loan Quach

Vietnam has progressed to become the worlds fifth largest exporter of agro-food commodities including aquatic products, rice, coffee, tea, cashews, black pepper, rubber, and cassava according to a World Bank report released in 2016. However, while increasing its stature as a global exporter, the quality of growth in the sector overall remains low. In order to improve it and, in turn, enhance the countrys economic competitive capacity, the Ministry of Agriculture plans to introduce incentives such as tax exemptions or land use fee cuts to attract private investments, especially from overseas investors. At the forefront of this drive are hi-tech agriculture and clean agriculture which will be the two focus fields targeted to start the modernization and diversification of Vietnams agriculture sector.

RELATED: Pre-Investment Advisory Services from Dezan Shira & Associates

Overcoming current challenges

Given small-scale production, inadequate infrastructure, low productivity, and an ambiguous legal framework, the amount of FDI pouring into the agriculture sector had been relatively low until 2015, when Vietnam started to actively seek foreign investments in an effort to restructure the sector. In 2016, the total FDI registered capital in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector stood at US$ 133.5 million in 16 projects.

Director of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Do Anh Tuan commented: [Vietnams] agricultural exports have unprecedented opportunities as a string of free trade agreements between Vietnam and other countries have been or will soon be signed. Investment in this sector is expected to continue rising in the near future.

International trading opportunities

Having reached a comprehensive free trade agreement with the European Union, Vietnam is expected to take advantage of tariff reductions and other benefits for its many products and services. The demand for Vietnamese agricultural products like cashews, coffee and fisheries have already been high in the EU market, which is also Vietnams second largest export market after the United States. As the EVFTA will come into effect in 2018, it also brings about optimism that improving government security regarding dispute settlements in areas such as intellectual property rights, and legal security and transparency will entail a new wave of investments from Europe to Vietnam. The Southeast Asian country is looking forward to dominating the EU market with its agricultural products.

In addition, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which has been revived as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) without the US, will give Vietnam access to newer markets such as Canada, Mexico, and Peru with whom it does not have a trade agreement. The member states of CPTPP are pushing for a mid to late 2018 deadline to bring the trade agreement into effect.

Choosing a location for investment

In addition, intrigued to situate hi-tech agriculture at the core of the economy, Vietnam has expected to house 200 hi-tech agricultural businesses and 10 hi-tech agricultural zones by 2020. The general plan of agricultural zones is to industrialize the agricultural sector by regionalizing agricultural products. For example, tea production in Thai Nguyen, Lam Dong and also in the Central Highlands while vegetables and flower plantations will be in Lao Cai, Lam Dong, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Shrimp farmings will be concentrated in the Red River Delta, the Mekong Delta, and north central, south central coast, and south-central regions.

That being said, experts suggest other provinces and municipalities in Vietnam follow Quang Ninh Province model, which has fostered public-private partnerships to establish high-tech agricultural zones in Dong Trieu District.

RELATED: Vietnam: FDI Strategy for 2018-2023

Agriculture restructuring plan 2017-2020

In November 2017, the Prime Minister ratified a plan to restructure the agriculture sector for 2017-2020. The plan aims for a GDP growth of three percent by 2020 for the agriculture sector. During this period, the average labor productivity is predicted to expand by 3.5 percent annually, while the share of labor in agriculture is estimated to fall below 40 percent.

The rural income during this three-year period is expected to increase by at least 1.8 times compared to 2015 and 50 percent of communes will be transformed into new rural areas. The plan also focuses on increasing the number of cooperatives and unions of agricultural cooperatives and improve access to hygienic water for the rural population.

To adhere to international standards, the restructuring programme aims to develop the household livestock and animal husbandry sector by reorganizing the slaughter system to ensure food safety, tightening the monitoring of the use of veterinary drugs and additives in the field, and increasing efficiency in disease control. The government will also help in the development of value production chains and branding strategy. The livestock industry is targeting an annual growth rate of 4.5 to 5 percent.

In the seafood sector, the government will prioritize offshore fishing, aquatic breeding, and increase investments to modernize processing and storage facilities to reduce losses. The seafood sector is also targeting an annual growth rate of 4.5 to 5 percent.

To improve quality and production, the plan aims to increase the use of science and technology in producing high-quality varieties, developing organic farming, reducing the use of pesticides, and growing crops which are more adaptive to climate change.

In the first 11 months of 2017, agricultural exports increased by 16 percent. Fruit and vegetable exports reached a record high of US$ 3.16 billion, an increase of 43.2 percent. Other products with strong export growth include cashew, rubber, and rice growing at 23.2 percent, 38.9 percent, and 24.2 percent respectively.

Note: This article was originally published in March 2017, and includes recent updates regarding the agriculture sector.



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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.
Doubts expressed by Germanys spy agency regarding the role of a U.S.-based cleric in last years coup attempt in Turkey are proof that Berlin supports the organization behind the attempt, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans spokesman said Sunday.

Ibrahim Kalin made the comment in a live interview with broadcaster CNN Turk.

No Gulen connection

On Saturday, German news magazine Der Spiegel published an interview with the head of the BND foreign intelligence agency, who said the Turkish government had failed to convince it that Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was responsible for the coup attempt.

Turkey has tried to convince us of that at every level but so far it has not succeeded, Bruno Kahl was quoted as saying.

Kalin said those comments were proof that Berlin supported the coup.

Germany and Turkey have been locked in a deepening diplomatic row after Berlin banned some Turkish ministers from speaking to rallies of expatriate Turks ahead of a referendum next month, citing public safety concerns.

Another rally possible

There is a possibility that Turkish ministers could plan another rally in Germany ahead of an April 16 referendum on changing the constitution, Kalin said Sunday, a move that could further heighten tension with Berlin.

Turkey has been locked in a feud with both Germany and the Netherlands after both countries prevented its ministers from addressing rallies of expatriate Turks, citing safety concerns.

Kalin made the comment on CNN Turk. Kalin said that Turkophobia was on the rise in Europe, as Ankara points out the Wests mistakes, adding that Turkey remains a country friendly to international investors.
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that Germany owes NATO and the United States "vast sums" of money for defense.

"There is no debt account at NATO," von der Leyen said in a statement, adding that it was wrong to link the alliance's target for members to spend 2 percent of their economic output on defense by 2024 solely to NATO.



"Defense spending also goes into UN peacekeeping missions, into our European missions and into our contribution to the fight against IS terrorism," von der Leyen said.



She said everyone wanted the burden to be shared fairly and for that to happen it was necessary to have a "modern security concept" that included a modern NATO but also a European defense union and investment in the United Nations.



Trump said on Twitter on Saturday  a day after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington  that Germany "owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!"



Trump has urged Germany and other NATO members to accelerate efforts to meet NATO's defense spending target.



German defense spending is set to rise by 1.4 billion euros to 38.5 billion euros in 2018 - a figure that is projected to represent 1.26 percent of economic output, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has said.



In 2016, Germany's defense spending ratio stood at 1.18 percent.



During her trip to Washington, Merkel reiterated Germany's commitment to the 2 percent military spending goal.
Shihab Ayed and several other men struggled to push a cart carrying the bodies of his son and wife, wrapped in blankets, through a muddy ditch nearly 2 miles (3 kilometers) from their destroyed home in Mosul.

Four other carts followed, laden with days-old corpses from air strikes that the men said killed 21 relatives and neighbors in an area Islamic State militants controlled earlier in the week.

A father's loss

Ayed, a 40-year-old laborer, pulled back a blanket to show his only son, 3-year-old Ahmed, lying lifeless with his eyes closed and a big gash in his right cheek.

Three houses were destroyed by two air strikes, Ayed said. Islamic State fighters were firing from our house and from the road outside, and we were hiding inside. Fifteen minutes later the strikes hit.

We pulled the bodies from the rubble and now were going to bury them. Then Ill come back to my three remaining daughters, Ayed said, in tears.

The bodies had begun to smell, but it had only just become safe enough to leave the district, now cleared of the militants, and bring the carts to Mosul airport, where a bus might be able to take them to the nearest village for burial, he said. Reuters counted about 15 corpses on the carts.

Air strikes miss IS, kill civilians

They are among the latest victims caught in the crossfire of an intensifying battle between U.S.-backed Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants holed up the center of Mosul, their last major stronghold in Iraq.

Rights groups have expressed concern over the mounting civilian death toll, as Islamic State fights from homes and densely populated areas, a threat the Iraqi military and U.S.-led coalition have been countering with heavy weaponry to support troops on the ground.

Families fleeing Mosul in recent weeks have talked of high numbers of civilians killed by air strikes, and said that in many cases Islamic State fighters have slipped away by the time the bombs hit.

When the coalition see a sniper on a home, its five or 10 minutes before that house is hit, Mohammed Mahmoud, a 40-year-old former police officer, told Reuters in another area of Mosul.

But they dont kill the Daesh (IS) militants. Daesh withdraw, and the strikes end up killing civilians  whole families.

Islamic States tactics since the beginning of the offensive to drive them out of Mosul, which began in October, have been to deploy car bombs and snipers, rain shellfire on troops and residents alike and take cover among the civilian population.

On Friday, even as Ayed and his helpers waited with their carts, helicopters fired at positions in Mosul and forces further back launched Grad missiles into the city.

Many reports of civilian deaths

Human Rights Watch has said the fight to recapture the western half of Mosul has been dirtier and deadlier to civilians than the battle to retake the east, which was completed in January.

The New York-based watchdog said Iraqi Interior Ministry units had recently used nonprecision rockets in west Mosul.

Their indiscriminate nature makes their use in populated civilian areas a serious violation of the laws of war, it said in a statement.

Separately, the United Nations says it has received many reports of civilian deaths in air strikes.

The number of civilians killed in the Mosul campaign  by Islamic State, including executions, or by errant Iraqi and coalition fire  is unclear, with various estimates given by residents, watchdogs and the military.

Civilian death estimates vary widely

The U.S.-led coalition backing Iraqi forces with air power and military advisers admits causing unintentional civilian deaths.

This month the U.S. military said the total number of civilians killed by the coalition since the start of operations against the militant group in 2014 in both Iraq and Syria was 220.

That estimate is lower than those of some monitoring groups.

Airwars, a journalist-run project to monitor civilian casualties, says at least 2,590 civilians have likely been killed by coalition actions since 2014, including scores in Mosul in the first week of March alone.

Coalition forces go slow

Coalition and Iraqi forces have mostly been careful to avoid civilian deaths, a reason military officials said they slowed some assaults in eastern Mosul last year.

But the west, which houses the narrow-alleyed Old City, has been a tougher fight, and Islamic State have pinned down Iraqi forces for days on end in some areas without significant advances.

The level of destruction is visibly greater, with dozens of buildings flattened and large holes in roads from air strikes.

In the wrecked Mamoun district Tuesday, a man trudged down a muddy road in search of body bags.

I have 18 bodies I need to bury  my brothers family, Faisal Umm Tayran, 50, said matter-of-factly.

Theyre just lying in the garden at the moment.
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Iraqi helicopters on Sunday fired rockets near a key mosque in the contested city of Mosul, as ground forces closed in on the site where Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a self-styled caliphate in 2014.

Video showed billowing black smoke and mushroom clouds near the al-Nuri Mosque, as helicopters hovered overhead and civilians in the densely packed Old City fled to safety.

U.S. and Iraqi analysts have eyed the mosque as the jihadists' unofficial administrative headquarters, after Baghdadi mounted the steps of the facility in July 2014 to announce a caliphate stretching from eastern Syria through much of northern and western Iraq.

At one point late Sunday, witnesses reported Iraqi ground forces within 100 meters of Mosul's wrecked Iron Bridge, pressing slowly toward the nearby mosque in an offensive slowed by narrow roadways and the presence of hundreds of thousands of civilians.

"The difficulties are the presence of families, how to avoid opening fire on families who are used as human shields" by the jihadists, said General Abbas al-Juburi in comments to the French news agency.

Juburi also linked the slow pace of the days-old offensive to the lack of artillery in the ancient neighborhoods of the Old City, where buildings are too close together and roadways too narrow to support the use of such weaponry.

More ethnic Yazidis freed

In other developments, the Kurdish news agency Rudaw said eight more captive ethnic Yazidi women and children were rescued Sunday from their IS captors.

Details were sketchy. But the report quoted Kurdish rescue official Hussein Koro as saying the operation was coordinated with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and security agencies north of Mosul in Duhok province.

Koro said 2,000 Yazidis have been rescued since Islamic State seized much of Kurdish northern Iraq three years ago. But he said 3,400 others remain captive.

Islamic State kidnapped thousands of Yazidi women and children in August 2014 when it attacked their homes and villages in northwestern Iraq near the Syrian border. Iraqi Kurdish forces backed by U.S. airstrikes have since recaptured some of that territory, but many children have been orphaned and many young women are believed to have been taken into slavery.

Escapees say the slaves are often victims of rape and subjected to forced labor.

Runaways also have reported that slaves are closely tracked and that many of them are recaptured, only to face more punishment.
Two key U.S. officials are set to testify publicly about whether there is any truth behind the explosive, but unsubstantiated, claim by U.S. President Donald Trump that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his Trump Tower headquarters in the weeks before last year's presidential election.

Both FBI Director James Comey, and National Security Agency chief Admiral Michael Rogers likely would have known about the eavesdropping if it occurred. They are to appear Monday before the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee.

For two weeks, Trump has refused to back down on his allegation, even as a string of officials, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and the top Republican and Democratic lawmakers on both the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, have said there is no evidence to support Trump's March 4 wiretapping claims he made in a series of Twitter comments.

On Sunday, Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House panel, told Fox News that new information lawmakers received Friday from the Justice Department about the possibility of a wiretap has not changed his conclusion.

"Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, but there never was, and the information we got on Friday continues to lead us in that direction." Nunes said.

Neither Rogers nor Comey has spoken publicly about the president's allegation. But Comey, as the FBI chief, sought to get the Justice Department, which oversees the FBI, to disavow Trump's claim shortly after the president made it, but the agency has not released any statement.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who oversees the Justice Department and was a staunch Trump supporter during the presidential campaign, said last week he never gave the president any reason to believe he was wiretapped in the weeks before the November election.



Trump's White House spokesman, Sean Spicer, last week suggested that the wiretapping was carried out by British agents, citing a statement on Fox News by a legal analyst, Andrew Napolitano. The British electronic intelligence agency, the GCHQ, said the report was "utterly ridiculous and should be ignored," but when asked about it Friday at a White House news conference, Trump deflected any blame for linking the British to his wiretapping allegation.

"All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television,'' Trump said of the claim that Obama had enlisted the British to eavesdrop on him. ``You shouldn't be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox."

A short time later, a Fox News anchor said, "Fox News cannot confirm Judge Napolitano's commentary. Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind, that the now president of the United States was surveilled at any time, in any way."

Last week, the leaders of of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican Richard Burr and Democrat Mark Warner, said in a joint statement, "Based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government, either before or after Election Day 2016.

The wiretapping allegation is part of a broader U.S. investigation by the FBI and lawmakers into the conclusion by the country's intelligence community that Russia meddled in the election in an effort to help Trump defeat his Democratic challenger, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

U.S. investigators say Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the hacking into the computers at the Democratic National Committee. The anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks subsequently released thousands of emails from the files of Clinton campaign chief John Podesta in the month before the election, showing embarrassing, behind-the-scenes efforts of Democratic operatives to help Clinton win the party's presidential nomination.

But the Trump administration has rebuffed any contention that its campaign aides colluded with Russian officials in that cyberattack.
Malaysian police are expected to make a few more arrests, including an important person, in connection with the murder of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, state media reported Sunday.

Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar declined to elaborate on details when speaking to the state media, adding that the arrests would be made at the appropriate time.

I dont deny we are targeting new individuals including North Korean nationals involved in this murder, and we will use all legal channels to apprehend them. Although I cant reveal who they are, we believe there is an important person among them, he told state media.

The police chief did not respond immediately when contacted by Reuters for comment.

Malaysian police have previously identified eight North Koreans wanted for questioning in connection with the killing of Kim Jong Nam, some of them hiding in the North Korean embassy. A Vietnamese woman and an Indonesian woman have been charged in the case.

Kim Jong Nam was killed February 13, when Malaysian police say two women smeared toxic VX nerve agent on his face at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

On Thursday, police said Interpol issued a red notice, the closest to an international arrest warrant, for four North Koreans wanted in connection with the murder.
Three suicide bombers killed four people and injured eight others in a village near the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, a police spokesman said Sunday.

A man and two women blew themselves up when they were challenged by a member of the Civilian JTF, a government-approved militia group, just outside Maiduguri, the city worst hit by jihadist group Boko Haram's eight-year insurgency.

The blasts, in the village of Umariri about 7 kilometers (4 miles) from the city, occurred Saturday around 9 p.m. (2000 GMT), said Maiduguri police spokesman Victor Isuku.

"Four people which include a Civilian JTF, a woman and her two children died while eight others sustained injuries," he said.

It is the latest in a string of attacks in the last few days that bear the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which has killed about 15,000 people and forced more than 2 million people to flee their homes in Africa's most populous nation since 2009.

A man claiming to be the group's leader appeared in a video circulated Friday in which he claimed responsibility for bombings in Maiduguri and a raid on the nearby town of Magumeri last week. He also denied that 5,000 hostages held by the group had been freed.

Boko Haram, whose attacks have increased since the end of the rainy season in late 2016, wants to create a state adhering to a strict interpretation of Islamic laws in northeast Nigeria.

It also carries out cross-border attacks in neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Officials say three suicide bombers attacked a village in northeastern Nigeria Saturday, killing four people and wounding eight.

Authorities say the bombers  a man and two women  targeted the village of Umariri, near the city of Maiduguri, the heart of the seven-year-old insurgency by the Boko Haram militant group.

Victor Isuko, Borno state police spokesman, said the the bombers "detonated the IEDs [improvised explosives devices] strapped to their bodies while running to different directions."

Officials say a vigilante and a woman with her two children were among the dead.

Ibrahim Abdulkadir, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency said the vigilante was trying to stop the bombers and "that was when he was engulfed by the bomb and the woman was nearby."

No one immediately claimed responsibility, but the bombings are similar to previous ones carried out by Boko Haram.

Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamic State in northeastern Nigeria.

Over the past seven years, Boko Haram violence has displaced more than two million people and killed at least 20,000, according the the United Nations.

The militant group has recently stepped up attacks after a lull that lasted months due to a leadership struggle.

Since Boko Haram first took up arms against the Nigerian government in 2009, trade routes and farming activity have been disrupted.

Although Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has led a successful military campaign against the militant group since he assumed office, Boko Haram is still capable of executing deadly attacks.

The violence is not limited to northeastern Nigeria and has spilled over into Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
North Korea ground-tested a new high-thrust rocket engine, the countrys official news agency, KCNA, said Sunday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the test was successful and emphasized that the world will soon witness the great significance of the epoch-making victory we achieved today, KCNA reported.

The test consisted of firing the rocket engine while it was held in place on the ground, not powering a missile. The ignition took place at the Tongchang-ri rocket launch station near the Norths border with China, according to KCNA, which said Kim went to the site at dawn, mounted an observation post and gave the order to start the test.

From this same region, Pyongyang launched a satellite into space in February 2016 using banned intercontinental ballistic missile technology.

Possible ICBM engine

The state news agency quoted Kim as saying the new high-thrust engine would help consolidate the scientific and technological foundation to match the world-level satellite delivery capability in the field of outer space development. This also indicated the engine being tested was likely intended for use in long-range missiles.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson emphasized Saturday during his visit to China the need for a new approach to deal with the growing North Korean nuclear threat, and stressed the United States is willing to consider all options to rein in North Koreas aggressive military policies.

Analysts say this could range up to some form of limited military action, and would certainly confront North Korea more directly that the diplomatic approach backed by former President Barack Obama, whose policy in the region was known as one of strategic patience.

Tensions at dangerous level

In South Korea Friday, Tillerson said: Let me be very clear, the Policy of Strategic Patience has ended. We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures. All options are on the table.

Earlier this month, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan in response to annual U.S.-South Korea military drills, which the North sees as a preparation for war.

Three of the missiles flew about 1,000 kilometers and landed in Japanese waters, the Pentagon said. U.S. officials said the weapons were medium-range rockets that did not pose a threat to North America.

VOAs White House correspondent Steve Herman, Brian Padden in Seoul and Carla Babb at the Pentagon contributed to this report.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visited the southeastern U.S. state of Florida on Saturday to try to drum up support for the Republican health care plan meant to replace the Affordable Care Act signed into law by former President Barack Obama.

Pence also met with Governor Rick Scott in Jacksonville, where he spoke about the Republicans' health care bill. Although many members of his party have expressed their concern about the plan, which could reach the floor of the House of Representatives during the coming week, Pence was upbeat.

The vice president said the administration's American Health Care Act, which has not yet been published in full, would change the way in which Americans people buy health insurance, to "the way you buy life insurance, the way you buy cars."

Despite widespread reports to the contrary, Pence said the plan endorsed by President Donald Trump would lower costs by increasing consumers' choices and "create a dynamic marketplace."

He urged dozens of supporters gathered to hear his speech to "stand up and speak out."

"Tell your neighbors and tell your friends. Stop people outside the drugstore and just let them know" about the changes planned for U.S. health care, Pence said, adding, "I strongly support the president's vision for this country."

He also promoted the administration's health care plan heavily on Twitter, sending out more than 20 messages from his official account, @VP, with messages such as: "Freedom, personal responsibility and state flexibility - that's what works, and that's what our plan will do. #VPinFL"

Pence was due to remain overnight Saturday in south Florida, where Trump was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort and vacation home.

The vice president is scheduled to attend a worship service Sunday morning, then fly back to Washington aboard his own plane. Trump will return to the U.S. capital later Sunday aboard the presidential jet, Air Force One.
The eastern U.S. city of Philadelphia has canceled this year's celebration of Cinco de Mayo, an event that attracts as many as 15,000 people.

Edgar Ramirez, one of the event's organizers, said the unanimous decision by the planners was "sad," but it was the "responsible" thing to do because of "the severe conditions affecting the immigrant community."

Ramirez said the organizers were afraid federal immigration officers would stage a raid on the annual festival in Philadelphia  the country's fifth-largest city.

U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to step up the arrests and deportations of people living illegally in the U.S.

Cinco de Mayo  or the Fifth of May  commemorates the Mexican army's 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations.


Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday welcomed the prospect of the International Criminal Court (ICC) putting him on trial over his bloody war on drugs, saying he would not be intimidated and his campaign would be unrelenting and "brutal."

A self-confessed assassin who testified to being in a "death squad" under Duterte is expected to file a case at the ICC this month or in April, accusing the president of crimes against humanity, his lawyer said recently.

But Duterte has said he is on the right track regarding human rights and has never instructed security forces to kill suspects who were not resisting arrest. More than 8,000 people have died since he took office last year and began his anti-drugs campaign, a third in raids and sting operations by police who say they acted in self-defense.

"I will not be intimidated and I shall not be stopped just by what? International Criminal Court? Impeachment? If that is part of my destiny, it is my destiny to go," Duterte told reporters shortly before leaving for Myanmar.

"The drive against corruption, criminality and drugs will resume and it will continue and it will be brutal."

Rights groups say many of the deaths were assassinations of drugs users with police complicity. The authorities reject that and blame vigilantes and drugs gangs.

Duterte said he would never "condone the killing of a criminal person arrested with outstretched arms, begging for his life, or what is popularly known as extrajudicial killings."

"Follow the law and we are alright. Drop shabu and nobody will die tomorrow," Duterte said. Shabu is the street name for the highly addictive crystal methamphetamine that the government blames for most of the serious crimes in the Philippines.

But Duterte warned: "If you place the guys lives in jeopardy ... my order is to shoot you."

He said he would rather see "thousands or millions of criminals go first", than see security forces killed in the anti-narcotics war.

Two men, including the one who is expected to file the ICC case, have testified before the Philippine Senate saying they were part of an alleged "death squad" in Davao that killed at Duterte's behest. But legislators found no proof of extra-judicial killings and death squads.

The "death squad" and allegations of drugs-related extrajudicial killings were among the reasons for an impeachment complaint filed by an opposition lawmaker in Congress against Duterte on Thursday.

Duterte said he was not ruling out the possibility that "scalawags in government who are trying to silence guys dealing with them" were behind these extrajudicial executions.
Heavy fighting broke out between Syrian government forces and rebel groups in several districts of the capital Damascus, after rebel fighters detonated two cars in a contested area that killed 20 people, reports and activists said.

Sunday's clashes came as rebels affiliated with the Tahrir al-Sham, a coalition of Islamist opposition forces, rapidly advanced in Jobar, Qaboun and Ein Tarma neighborhoods in eastern Damascus.



Since the outbreak of Syrias civil war in 2011, the government of President Bashar al-Assad has maintained strong grip on the capital city and rebel fighters who control small pockets in Damascus have been besieged by government troops since 2013.

Many observers view increasing pressure on the capital by rebels and other militant groups as a major development.

This is a major development in the heart of Damascus, said Zara Seyda, a Syrian reporter who closely follows the events. The Syrian government has always wanted to make certain that rebels are far from establishing strongholds in Damascus.

According to opposition news sources, the rebels have captured several regime-held positions and a dozen soldiers were killed in the clashes. Rebels are trying to seize al-Adawi highway that connects eastern Damascus to the downtown area, Ayman Midani, a local media activist in Damascus, told VOA.

But the state-run SANA news agency downplayed the recent events in Damascus Army units thwarted the attack by the terrorists and isolated them in the area. SANA news agency reported.

Syrian government refers to opposition fighters as terrorists.

Syrian government has also deployed military reinforcement to embattled area and increased security measures throughout Damascus, a Syrian news agency Smart News reported.

The security situation in Damascus has deteriorated in recent weeks. A series of suicide bombings, including three in the last two weeks that killed at least 150 people and wounded hundreds more have shaken the capital, which is seen as a major stronghold of Assad and his regime.

An al-Qaida affiliate, operating in Syria, has claimed responsibility for the recent suicide bombings in Damascus.

Rebels are after leverage

Observers believe that rebels further advances in eastern Damascus could undermine governments ability to secure the capital.

Sundays clashes certainly threaten the relative stability Damascus has enjoyed for some time, said Rami Abdulrahman, director of Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group that has researchers across Syria.

Others say that rebels attempt to make some military inroads before the upcoming round of U.N.-sponsored peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition groups in Geneva.

The timing of these military operations is crucial for the rebels, reporter Seyda said. The opposition is trying to make some military gains that could leverage their talks with the Assad regime in Geneva.

He added that Damascuss symbolic and strategic status as the capital city attracts the rebels to put their weight behind the ongoing battle there.
DeWITT  Thursday was an afternoon of adventurous eating for the students at Tri County Schools.

The school held its first farmers market, which included veggies picked from the schools greenhouse and foods provided by local businesses.

There were some old favorites, such as ice cream and carrots, on hand, but some of the veggies  such as jicama, a root vegetable with an apple-ish consistency; and kohlrabi, a member of the cabbage family that tastes kind of like a sweet broccoli stem  were a bit of a novelty.

Every class of students gets to go through our farmer's market today and try local produce, said Jane Niemeier, the school nurse at Tri County, who worked to organize the event. We have new vegetables out today, and we're all still learning how to spell them.

The farmers market was the culmination of a grant received from Nebraska Team Nutrition. The schools Wellness Committee used the money to help the school build a hydroponic growing system in the greenhouse.

Currently, the hydroponics are being used to grow lettuce, completely free of dirt. Sophomore Tiffany Pearson, who is in the schools horticulture class, said she's impressed at its efficiency compared to conventional methods.

Our hydroponic system is really incredible, Pearson said. I planted some lettuce in regular, loamy soil in November and we planted lettuce, same breed, same variety, in the hydroponic system. And they grew, like, three or four times faster than the stuff in the soil.

So far, Pearson said, the horticulture class has grown and eaten carrots, turnips, radishes, lettuce, kale, peas and green beans.

I love plants, she said. It's so fun that we have the opportunity to have the greenhouse.

Aside from the school-grown veggies, students got a chance to taste some foods from Prairieland Dairy, Classic Dairy and Franks Smokehouse.

In the cafeteria, hummus, whole-grain breads, beef sticks, ice cream, cheese sticks and other healthy snacks were laid out for hungry students at lunchtime.

One of the more popular items was the Shamrocks and Gold fruit smoothie prepared by University of Nebraska Extension that had apple juice, baby spinach, pineapple, yogurt and bananas. Some fourth-graders gave it a big thumbs-up as they slugged down a small cup of smoothie, even if the spinach did sound a bit weird at first.

I am a picky eater, said junior Shae Wattjes, who was serving sausage and sauerkraut to students. I hope that they learn to try new things, even if it looks kind of funny. It actually tastes pretty good.

Students seemed eager to try just about anything in front of them, which was kind of the point of the event, Niemeier said.

We wanted to start bringing local production, local produce into the school system. It just makes sense."
As President Trumps Supreme Court choice testifies before a Senate panel Monday, Republicans are optimistic Judge Neil Gorsuch will be confirmed while Democrats face enormous pressure from progressive activists to block him.

Hopefully a week from Thursday, Im able to tell you he [Gorsuch] has done such a good job in answering questions [at the confirmation hearings] that anyone would be embarrassed to take him on [vote against him], the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa, told VOA. I have a feeling that thats the way its going to work out.

Conservative philosophy

A federal appellate judge nominated by former President George W. Bush in 2006, Gorsuch would fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death last year of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia.

Widely viewed as an articulate and capable jurist, Gorsuch possesses a conservative judicial philosophy, borne out in thousands of federal court cases over the past decade.That has Democrats worried.

Judge Gorsuch may act like a studied, neutral judge, but his record suggests he actually has a right-wing, pro-corporate, special interest agenda, said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. Judge Gorsuchs record demonstrates he prefers CEOs over citizens, executives over employers, corporations over consumers.

Its unclear exactly where he [Gorsuch] falls on the spectrum among conservative justices, but he certainly would fall on the conservative side of the line, said University of California, Irvine law professor Rick Hasen. He is likely to act like Justice Kennedy [a moderate], but vote like Justice Scalia.

Few options for Democrats

Progressive groups are sounding alarm.

He [Gorsuch] is a believer in originalism, that the Constitution is frozen and unchanging, said Rachel Tiven, CEO of Lambda Legal, which advocates on behalf of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. That could mean that things like access to birth control or privacy in your own bedroom are not things he would believe the Constitution protects.

Although in the minority, Democrats could attempt to block Gorsuch by using a procedural tactic, the filibuster, which would require a three-fifths majority vote to confirm him. But it is not clear that enough Democrats would join the filibuster for it to succeed, and Republicans could change Senate rules to eliminate the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees and confirm him with a simple-majority vote.

The Democratic base wants there to be as much resistance to Trumps agenda as possible, Hasen said. Democratic leaders in the Senate have very little leverage. They are caught between a rock and a hard place. The base wants them to do something, but there really is nothing effective that they could do.

Republicans believe they have little to fear.

I dont think they [Democrats] are going to filibuster, Grassley said. I cant dictate what the Democrats are doing, but I dont hear it [discussed] very much.

Watch: Trump Court Pick Gorsuch Begins Confirmation Hearings Monday

Hearings open Monday

Publicly at least, Democrats are taking a wait-and-see approach on Gorsuch as his confirmation hearings are set to begin Monday.

We [Democrats] are going to ask a lot of questions, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, a long-serving member of the Judiciary Committee, told VOA. I wont prejudge it, Ill keep an open mind till I hear his [Gorsuchs] answers.

Tiven wants Democrats to press Gorsuch for his views on watershed court victories by the LGBT community, like the 2003 Supreme Court ruling that struck down anti-sodomy laws in the United States.

Democratic senators readily acknowledge the pressure they are feeling from liberal grassroots activists and groups like Lambda Legal.

Weve had a lot of heat, theres no question about that, the Judiciary Committees top Democrat, Dianne Feinstein of California, told VOA. But we have a constitutional duty to do. This is an advise-and-consent position, and its up to us to carry it out properly.

Democrats also remain bitter that Republicans blocked former President Barack Obamas nominee for the same high court seat, Judge Merrick Garland, for nearly a year.

Republicans are wholeheartedly endorsing Gorsuch.

He is going to make an exceptional Supreme Court justice, said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican. Its a sentiment you hear expressed right across the political spectrum. The president made a brilliant choice with Judge Gorsuch.

Little impact on court's balance

As a conservative jurist, Gorsuch would, if confirmed, replace another conservative Supreme Court judge and, in theory, have little impact on the courts ideological balance. But other vacancies could loom in coming years that would allow Trump to replace the courts liberals or its one remaining moderate member.

It would be much worse from the liberal perspective if its [Anthony] Kennedy or [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg or [Stephen] Breyer leaving, the three oldest justices now on the court, Hasen said.
As desperate Syrians flee the devastating war in their country, some are finding refuge in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana.

One imam from Aleppo, Abdul Ghani Bandenjki, first visited Ghana in 2006 after being invited to officiate at prayers during the Ramadan holy month. When fighting broke out in Syria five years later, Bandenjki decided to return to this West African nation more than 3,000 miles (4,825 kilometers) away.



Now the 42-year-old tutors Quranic students outside the capital, Accra. What was once a temporary solution for his family has started to look permanent, though adjusting hasn't been easy.



"We just want the war to end so that one day we can go back to our country," Bandenjki said in Arabic.



As millions fled Syria, his brothers and sisters left for nearby Turkey and Lebanon. Other family members scattered across Europe. His father, however, refused to leave, and he said his mother died of grief three days after a bomb destroyed their family home.



Bandenjki's journey with his wife and four children has been the longest. He stays in touch with his surviving relations as best as he can.



As more of his countrymen arrived in Ghana, bewildered, he was asked to become the Syrian refugee community's liaison with the local government. There are no firm statistics on the number of Syrians here, he said, but he believes the figure is close to 1,000.



And it's not just Ghana. Fleeing Syrians have found refuge in pockets across sub-Saharan Africa, even as far as South Africa. An estimated 300 are in Somalia's relatively peaceful breakaway northern territory of Somaliland.



In contrast to the millions living in camps in Syria's overwhelmed neighbors, the Syrians here find themselves relatively free.



"I think what makes Ghana different is the fact that we have a very generous asylum policy," said Tetteh Padi, program coordinator for the Ghana Refugee Board. "They are free to move about. They can go out, look for work. I know for a fact that is not the case in other countries. In some countries, refugees are not even allowed to leave the refugee camps."



Over 130 Syrians so far have been granted refugee status, Padi said, and other requests for asylum are being considered.



Ghana's government has not provided food or lodging assistance so far but provides help where it can, Padi said. "The state is providing them with security, the state is protecting them. We're issuing them with documentation, which is very critical."



This country now feels like a second home for Bandenjki, and he calls Ghana beautiful. But he wishes more could be done to help others fleeing Syria's devastation. Many refugees are far worse off financially than he is, he said.



The lack of support and work opportunities in Ghana, plus the high cost of living, drives many Syrians to pursue a move to developed countries in North America or Europe.



"Ghana is not really ready to host refugees," Bandenjki said.



But his 17-year-old son, Mohammed, has adapted quickly to life here and is studying hard at school. He managed to learn English in about five months, the teen said.



Of his family's fate, Bandenjki said simply: "We are patient until God finds us a solution."
At least three American soldiers were wounded Sunday when an Afghan solider opened fire at them in southern Afghanistan.

The incident happened during a training exercise at a military base in the Helmand province. The U.S. soldiers are receiving medical care, said NATOs Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan.

Afghan officials say that the attacker was swiftly gunned down by foreign troops.

So-called insider attacks in which Afghan security personnel would turn their guns on colleagues before fleeing to Taliban insurgents have taken place repeatedly in recent months.

But the frequency of such incidents involving foreign troops has declined in recent years due to strict security measures NATO commanders have put in place, in collaboration with their Afghan counterparts.

Afghanistan's largest province of Helmand has been the scene of intense fighting in the last year and most of its districts are under the Taliban's control or influence. American military advisors have been deployed in the region to conduct mandatory train and advise tasks to help Afghan forces in their battle against the insurgency.

A group of about 300 U.S marines is also due to arrive in the country later this year and will be deployed in Helmand to help Afghans reverse Taliban territorial gains.
With warm words from Chinese President Xi Jinping Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended his first trip to Asia since taking office with an agreement to work with China on North Korea. They put aside trickier issues.

China has been irritated at being repeatedly told by Washington to rein in North Koreas nuclear and missile programs and the U.S. decision to base an advanced missile defense system in South Korea.

WATCH: US Looks for New Way Forward on North Korea

Beijing is also deeply suspicious of U.S. intentions toward self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own, with the Trump administration crafting a big new arms package for the island that is bound to anger China.

Words of praise

But meeting in Beijings Great Hall of the People, those issues were brushed aside by Xi and Tillerson, at least in front of reporters, with Xi saying Tillerson had made a lot of effort to achieve a smooth transition in a new era of relations.

You said that China-U.S. relations can only be friendly. I express my appreciation for this, Xi said.

Xi said he had communicated with President Donald Trump several times through telephone conversations and messages.

We both believe that China-U.S. cooperation henceforth is the direction we are both striving for. We are both expecting a new era for constructive development, Xi said.

The joint interests of China and the United States far outweigh the differences, and cooperation is the only correct choice for us both, Xi added, in comments carried by Chinas Foreign Ministry.

China and the United States must strengthen coordination of hot regional issues, respect each others core interests and major concerns, and protect the broad stability of ties, Xi said.

Unpredictable partner

Tillerson replied that Trump places a very high value on the communications that have already occurred between Xi and Trump.

And he looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future, Tillerson said.

We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthened, strengthening of the ties between China and the United States and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation.

Trump has so far been an unpredictable partner for China, attacking Beijing on issues from trade to the South China Sea and in December by talking to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.

Before Tillerson arrived in Beijing on Saturday, Trump said North Korea was behaving very badly and accused China of doing little to resolve the crisis over the Norths weapons programs.

On North Korea

Both Tillerson and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi struck a more conciliatory tone in their meeting, with Tillerson saying the United States and China would work together to get nuclear-armed North Korea take a different course.

Underscoring the tensions, North Korea conducted a test of a new high-thrust engine at its Tongchang-ri rocket launch station and leader Kim Jong Un said the successful test was a new birth of its rocket industry, Pyongyangs official media said on Sunday.

Washington wants China, the Norths neighbor and main trading partner, to use its influence to rein in the weapons programs.

China says it is committed to enforcing U.N. sanctions on North Korea, but all sides have a responsibility to lessen tensions and get back to the negotiating table.

Chinese official also repeatedly say they do not have the influence over North Korea that Washington and others believe, and express fears poverty-struck North Korea could collapse if it were cut off completely, pushing destabilizing waves of refugees into northeastern China.
Tensions between Germany and Turkery are on the rise again, with the Turkish president accusing the German chancellor of using "Nazi" measures. The accusation follows a pro Kurdish rally in Germany Saturday that turned into a rally against the Turkish President.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, campaigning in a referendum to extend his presidential powers again, turned his fire on the German chancellor Angela Merkel. In a televised speech Sunday, Erdogan used Germanys Nazi past against Merkel

"When we call them fascists, Nazis they in Europe get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said adding, But you are right now employing Nazi measures,

Erdogan was infuriated after two of his ministers earlier this month were prevented from addressing meetings in Germany for the Turkish diaspora, in support of a yes vote in Aprils referendum. The meetings were cancelled by local authorities because of security concerns. But on Saturday tens of thousands of Kurds were allowed to attend a gathering in the German City of Frankfurt. The meeting ostensibly to mark Newroz, the Kurdish new year, turned into a rally against Erdogan and called for a "No" vote in the referendum.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusolgu in a statement accused Berlin of double standards, hypocrisy and supporting the" No" vote. Sunday, the German ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry to receive an official condemnation.

Adding to Ankaras anger, many Kurds attending the Frankfurt rally carried pictures of the imprisoned leaderof the PKK Abdullah Ocalan. The PKK is fighting the Turkish State and is designated internationally as a terrorist organization..

Political columnist Semih Idiz of Al Monitor website says the Europe is becoming increasingly embroiled in Turkish politics.

"The vote in Europe is significant , there is nearly 5 million people across Europe who are Turkish. In Germany 1.4 million who are eligible to vote. So this a reflection of domestic politics overflowing into the foreign domain and creating a big mess," said Idiz.

Observers say the importance of the diaspora vote which traditionally gives strong support to Erdogan is viewed as increasingly key given that opinion polls indicate the result is too close to call. Tensions with Berlin could ratcheted up further with an Erdogan spokesman saying Turkey is considering sending another minister to Germany to speak at a rally ahead of the April referendum.


Opposition figures in Turkey say they have faced threats, violence, arbitrary detentions, a lack of TV airtime and even sabotage in the campaign for a referendum on expanding the president's powers.

The complaints come even as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself has slammed European countries for not letting his ministers campaign on their soil for the April 16 vote on giving his office more power.



Politicians campaigning against the constitutional changes proposed by Erdogan also say the state of emergency in Turkey since a failed coup attempt in July prevents them from getting their message out ahead of the vote.



"Those who advocate for a 'no' vote are faced with a series of obstructions," said Utku Cakirozer, a former journalist who is now a lawmaker for the opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP.



While he, too, criticized moves by Germany and the Netherlands to stop Turkish ministers from campaigning to Turkish citizens abroad, Cakirozer said "our democracy bar has been lowered a great deal and needs to be raised rapidly."



At stake are changes that would usher in an executive presidential system, merging the powers of the prime minister and the president. Erdogan argues that a strong presidency will make Turkey better equipped to deal with economic and security challenges.



Critics say it would give Erdogan too much control and further erode the democratic separation of powers in the country.



With opinion polls suggesting the outcome of the tight race could be determined by yet-undecided voters, "no" campaigners say they face an uphill battle because Turkey's TV channels are either pro-government or refrain from broadcasts critical of the government for fear of reprisals.



Erdogan and members of the government have dominated the airwaves, holding twice-daily campaign speeches that are televised live in their entirety on all channels. Inauguration ceremonies and state-funded official trips also frequently turn into "yes" campaign events.



Meanwhile, the pro-government media largely ignore campaign rallies by the "no" camp. Even state-owned media, which is obliged to be neutral, cuts away early from speeches delivered by CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.



Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan's spokesman, disputed claims of an uneven playing field, saying the opposition was allowed to campaign freely.



"Just because the president and the prime minister's rallies attract more numbers and it looks like only `yes' campaigning, that's not true. It's a misperception," he told journalists last week.



The CHP says it has counted more than 100 incidents of obstructions to the "no" camp, ranging from physical assaults and death threats to detentions by police.



Sinan Ogan, a "no" campaigner who broke away from a nationalist party that backs Erdogan, was interrupted in mid-speech this month at a university in Istanbul by a man who ran on the stage and knocked down the podium, sparking scuffles in the hall.



"It's either our electricity cut [during rallies] or leaflets torn apart, or [the rally venue] is being restored at the last moment, or the podium is attacked, or there is an interruption attempt so that we cannot speak,'' he told The Associated Press. "And even if you do speak, no TV station will air it."



His political ally, Meral Aksener, was forced to hold a campaign event in the dark after the electricity at her venue in the city of Canakkale was cut off.



Erdogan, who called the Dutch and German governments Nazis and fascists for barring Turkish ministers from campaigning in those countries, has said those who oppose the constitutional changes include terrorists and coup-plotters.



"That is why I believe my citizens, my brothers, will vote `yes,'" he said.



Turkey's state of emergency allows the government to rule by decree and to suppress demonstrations and gatherings. Some 41,000 people have been arrested and tens of thousands of others dismissed from public sector jobs for alleged links to the coup attempt or alleged ties to terror groups.



Those in jail include some 150 journalists and a dozen legislators from Turkey's pro-Kurdish party, which also opposes the constitutional changes.



A decree issued under the emergency powers has eliminated the High Electoral Board's ability to slap fines on TV stations that don't devote equal campaign time to opposing sides.



During a visit to Ankara last month, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for election observers to be allowed to monitor the vote. European institutions have also expressed concerns over the campaign process, including the restrictions on the freedom of expression and the right to assembly.



"If a constitutional referendum must absolutely be held during a state of emergency, restrictions on political freedoms have to be lifted,'' the Venice Commission, a legal advisory body of the Strasbourg, France-based Council of Europe, said in a recent report. ``If the restrictions may not be repealed, the constitutional referendum should be postponed until after the state of emergency."



The Sozcu newspaper, one of the few remaining outlets critical of the government, said in a front-page article Wednesday that what the Netherlands did was "wrong," but questioned what was going on at home.



"The country's system of governance is changing but those who say `no' are given no space to breathe," it wrote.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the U.S. and China feel a sense of urgency about North Korea, which on Sunday tested a high-thrust rocket that it called the new birth of its rocket industry.

Concerns about North Korea and its increasingly threatening behavior dominated discussions during Tillersons first trip to the region, which included stops in Japan, South Korea and China, the final stop.

WATCH: US Looks for New Way Forward on North Korea



The administration of Donald Trump is looking for a new way forward on the issue and clearly finding a way to work together with China on the regional flash point is key.



"We've committed ourselves to do everything we can to prevent any type of conflict from breaking out. And we view there are a number of steps that we can take that are in front of us, Tillerson said, speaking at a joint news conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.



Neither Tillerson nor Wang elaborated what steps are under consideration and it's still unclear whether Washington and Beijing see eye to eye on the issue.



Before Tillerson arrived in Beijing, President Donald Trump criticized China for not doing enough.



"North Korea is behaving badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help!" Trump said in the tweet.



But Wang told Tillerson it is everyones responsibility to implement sanctions and try and restart talks.



Earlier in Tokyo, Tillerson declared that diplomatic and other efforts over the past 20 years to put an end North Korea's nuclear ambitions have failed.



All options on the table



In Seoul, He said all options are on the table, including military measures.



If North Korea takes actions that threatens South Korean forces or our own forces, then that would be met with an appropriate response. If they elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level that we believe requires action, that option is on the table, said Tillerson at a joint news conference with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se.



Some experts argue its not a tougher approach that is needed, but direct talks without pre-conditions.



Of course there is no guarantee for success. Right now the status-quo is not working. Time is not on our side, said James McKeon, a policy analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.



The North Koreans continue to advance their nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities to the point that they are now, not necessarily testing their missiles, they are showing off their missiles' capabilities."

Earlier this month, North Korea conducted its latest missile launch, firing four missiles into the Sea of Japan. The ballistic missiles landed inside Japan's exclusive economic zone  an area according to international law that extends 200 kilometers off a country's coastline.



Rocket engine test



On Sunday, news of the rocket engine test came not long before Tillerson met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.



North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the test was successful and that the world will soon witness the great significance of the epoch-making victory that Pyongyang has achieved.



The test consisted of firing the rocket engine while it was held in place on the ground, not powering a missile. The ignition took place at the Tongchang-ri rocket launch station, near the Norths border with China, according to North Korea media.



During Tillersons meeting with Chinese President Xi on Sunday, the two discussed efforts to arrange a planned meeting between President Trump and Xi. Diplomatic sources told VOA the meeting from April 6-7 will take place at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.



Tillerson told Xi that President Trump looks forward to enhancing the understanding between the two countries, and the opportunity for a visit in the future.



Tillerson: Trump Places High Value on Communication with China



Working together to get North Korea to change course is something Trump and Xi will need to work out face to face.
The U.S. government has put out a call for proposals to build a wall along the border with Mexico that President Donald Trump ordered as one of his first official acts after the inauguration.

The request for proposals issued by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency are a first step toward the multibillion-dollar wall project.

The agency is seeking bids from designers and builders who are prepared to erect prototypes of their wall plans of a reduced size and total area of about 10 square meters each, which would be used to make a final decision later this year about how the wall would be built and by whom.

Specifications for the finished product, as described in the official documents, make clear that the wall will be a massive construction project. The government is asking for a 9-meter-high concrete barrier, extending 2 meters underground, built to be "physically imposing" and capable of resisting almost any attack, "by sledgehammer, car jack, pickaxe, chisel, battery-operated impact tools, battery-operated cutting tools [or] oxy/acetylene torch."

'A big, beautiful wall'

Trump, who as a candidate made the Mexican border wall one of his main campaign themes, said he wanted "a big, beautiful wall," and the government's request for bids reflected that wish, declaring the completed project should be "aesthetically pleasing"  at least on the north or U.S.-facing side of the wall.

Two detailed requests for proposals were issued Friday, each more than 130 pages long. One was for a solid concrete barrier, the other called for a similar structure containing see-through openings, apparently for border guards' use. The specifications noted that under certain circumstances, likely affected by local topography, some portions of the finished wall could be shorter than 9 meters.

Both walls would have to incorporate features to prevent anyone from scaling the barrier or attaching grappling hooks to its summit, and both also were required to incorporate electronically controlled gates for vehicles and pedestrians.

First step calls for scale models

Customs and Border Protection said it intends to award multiple contracts based on responses to its request statement, but noted the aggregate awards would not surpass $300 million. The agency previously called for would-be bidders to submit concept designs by March 10, but it was not clear whether any were submitted.

The prototypes, or scaled-down sample walls, are to be built in Southern California, close to the Mexican border in the U.S. city of San Diego.

The entire U.S.-Mexico border covers 3,200 kilometers, over a variety of terrain, from California, through Arizona and New Mexico and ending in southern Texas. More than 1,100 kilometers of that stretch already is fenced, but nowhere is the barrier as massive as the wall described in the new CBP documents.

Trump called for the wall to stop illegal immigration into the United States from Mexico and to cut off drug-smuggling routes. A preliminary version of the president's budget for government for fiscal 2018, beginning in October, was sent to Congress this week, and it included $2.6 billion for the beginning of wall construction.
South Africa, long a haven for migrants from across Africa, is trying to update its immigration policy with a number of changes, which one official says aims to strike a balance between being welcoming of immigrants and keeping the nation safe.

Among the policy changes being considered: the creation of processing centers for asylum-seekers along South Africas border; the end of an automatic path from long-term residency to citizenship; the introduction of a points-based system intended to attract highly skilled immigrants and the elimination of some visa requirements for African citizens.

The proposed changes come amid tensions over xenophobic attacks on African immigrants, with the view that it is "neither desirable nor possible to stop international migration.

Delicate balance

Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said the proposal, which will go before parliament next week, aims to strike a delicate balance between welcoming millions of migrants from African countries and keeping the nation safe.

The new policy comes amid a wave of violence in recent weeks against African immigrants, whom violent protesters accuse of taking jobs and scarce resources away from South Africans.

South Africa is committed to freeing movement in a managed way, Gigaba told journalists on the sidelines of a conference on international migration in Johannesburg. And we will be looking at what is happening in West Africa, to draw lessons from how West Africa is dealing with this process and, and to the extent possible, to begin implementing some of those measures.

"Because, most certainly, the South African international migration policy must be Afrocentric," he said.

Last year, the Department of Home Affairs said 16 million people arrived in South Africa. Most came from neighboring countries, such as Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Botswana. The government also documented the arrival of more than 400,000 Americans and more than 560,000 British nationals.

That same year, immigration officials deported more than 23,000 people, most of them from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland and Malawi.

Tony Elumelu, director of the Commission on Free Movement of Persons for the Economic Community of West African States, said South Africas proposed policy works well with the transitory nature of intra-African migration.

We are a highly mobile people, but we do not stay, Elumelu told VOA. So if we do not stay permanently, what you do is allow us to go and come back.

Critics of proposal

Human rights activists have expressed concern over the proposal.

Jacob van Garderen, national director of Lawyers for Human Rights, said the proposals on asylum-seekers are worrying.

We are concerned that some of the laudable mission statements in the white paper are not translated into reality through the sections that follow," van Garderen said. "We are very concerned about additional restrictions that are being introduced or proposed for asylum-seekers, the creation of additional detention centers in the various provinces, the removal of the right to work and study for asylum-seekers.

"There also seems to be a further push for the criminalization of immigration offenses, which is deeply unfortunate," he added.

Minister Gigaba will deliver the paper to South Africas Cabinet next week. He says hes optimistic that it will pass, and that the changes will take effect by 2018.
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/This content is subject to copyright.

Seminal guitarist and rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry was found dead earlier today in St. Charles County, Missouri. He was 90 years old. As the St. Charles County Police Department reported on its Facebook page:

Related Stories Chuck Berry Invented the Idea of Rock and Roll

St. Charles County police responded to a medical emergency on Buckner Road at approximately 12:40 p.m. today (Saturday, March 18). Inside the home, first responders observed an unresponsive man and immediately administered lifesaving techniques. Unfortunately, the 90-year-old man could not be revived and was pronounced deceased at 1:26 p.m.



The St. Charles County Police Department sadly confirms the death of Charles Edward Anderson Berry Sr., better known as legendary musician Chuck Berry.

Well continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
While fans of The Walking Dead (and even its stars) have loved pointing out parallels between the brutal, bat-wielding antics of Negan and the unique governing style of the 45th president, the shows producers have laid to rest any direct correlation between Trump and the ruthless leader of the Saviors played by actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan. I always find that [theory] funny, showrunner Scott M. Gimple told Vulture at the opening night of PaleyFest in Los Angeles on Friday, which featured a panel discussion of the cast and creators of AMCs juggernaut zombie drama. Im really trying to hold onto Negan from the book, and tell human stories that reflect reality. If people draw conclusions about current events, its just coincidence  or that [TWD author] Robert Kirkman is clairvoyant, which is entirely possible! The [source] material was written years ago.

Still, actors on the series say they understand why people see echoes of Negan in our current political climate. People look at the show through many different lenses, said Ross Marquand, who plays Aaron. Some have a religious perspective, some a political perspective. There is no right or wrong way to look at the show, but it is interesting that a lot of people are seeing parallels to world leaders; those who also seem a bit dictatorial, like Negan.

If nothing else, Morgans gleefully sadistic portrayal of the series most brutal bully has inspired intense emotions among the shows fanbase. I have people walking up to me on the street saying, Just fucking kill that guy! Jesus, what are you waiting for? said executive producer, director, and zombie-effects maestro Greg Nicotero with a laugh. Jeffrey and Norman [Reedus] tell a really funny story. They were at a gas station. This little old lady came out and saw Norman and she went, Oh  my Norman! And she went [to Morgan]: That fucker! I hate him! Jeffreys like, Im just an actor, man. Sorry.

Cast members also admitted they arent above lobbying producers to have their characters be the one to end Negan. I think Norman would probably love to do it the most, said Tom Payne, who plays Jesus. But I think it would be cool if it was Carl  That would be awesome, if it came out of left field and it was someone a bit more unexpected. Alanna Masterson, who portrays, Tara, said she believed that honor should belongs to the shows enduring hero, Rick Grimes, whos played by British actor Andrew Lincoln. The person who kills Negan has to be Rick, said Masterson. Hes who has to kill him. Either Rick goes or Negan goes. Thats just what has to be.

Gimple also hinted that by the current seasons end, viewers might want to brace themselves for something that might be just as jarring as Negans controversial onscreen debut, and suggested we should all prepare something to soothe themselves. A little bit of chamomile tea, maybe, he said. There are going to be some twists and turns that might make people uncomfortable. They even made me uncomfortable.
Criminal complaints Monday, March 13, through Friday, March 17:

This list is not comprehensive. Municipalities are listed as they appear on the criminal complaint. Suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. To see mugshots of the accused, visit www.journaltimes.com/gallery. Additional information about the complaints can be found at: journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts.

Juan G. Arispe, 1400 block of 11th Ave., Union Grove, second degree sexual assault.

Chevalier M. Armstrong, 4700 block of Hampton Ave., Milwaukee, retail theft, and bail jumping.

Margarita Arroyo, 1300 block of Hamilton St., Racine, battery, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.

Roosevelt L. Busby, 4300 block of Sixth Ave., Kenosha, burglary of a building or dwelling.

Austin T. Cameron, 400 block of Luedtke Ave., Racine, theft, and possession of marijuana.

Sheila S. Canady, 1800 block of Villa St., Racine, operate a motor vehicle while revoked, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, operating a motor vehicle with prohibited alcohol concentration, recklessly endangering safety, and bail jumping.

Perry N. Carothers Sr., 3300 block of 17th St., Racine, bail jumping, domestic abuse assessments.

Aiesha K. Carson, 2600 block of 53rd St., Kenosha, battery by prisoners, and disorderly conduct.

Jade D. Carvell, 1700 block of West Blvd., Racine, retail theft, and bail jumping.

Jessica N. Collier, 3200 block of Packer Drive, Racine, theft in a business setting.

Rick J. Corbin, 2100 block of Willow Brooke Drive, Woodstock, Ill., violation of harassment injunction.

Christopher A. Cosey Jr., 2400 block of Carmel Ave., burglary of a building or dwelling, and carrying a concealed weapon.

Arthur B. Delaney, 17500 block of Sandalwood Drive, Tinley Park, Ill., possession with intent to deliver narcotics.

Antwane D. Dunn, 1000 block of Romayne Ave., Racine, battery, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.

Lucas R. Ellison, 2100 block of S. Sixth St., Milwaukee, uttering a forgery.

Kevin B. Ferguson, 3000 block of Durand Ave., Racine, battery.

Terrance L. Flanagan, 1700 block of Linden Ave., Racine, manufacture/deliver heroin.

Thomas A. Flanagan, 1700 block of Linden Ave., Racine, possession with intent to deliver cocaine, possession with intent to deliver non-narcotics, maintaining a drug trafficking place,

Trevor M. Frischmuth, 2600 block of Delaware Ave., Racine, disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana.

Sergio Garcia, 1900 block of Mead St., Racine, false imprisonment, strangulation and suffocation, battery, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments, criminal trespass, and bail jumping.

Luis M. Gonzalez, 600 block of High St., Racine, possession of narcotic drugs.

Daniel Greathouse, 1800 block of Roosevelt Ave., Racine, obstructing an officer.

Gyeontae M. Gwinn, 1500 block of W. Sixth St., Racine, possession with intent to deliver or manufacture marijuana, use of a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, and theft of moveable property.

Andrew P. Hamby, 1100 block of Washington Ave., Racine, disorderly conduct.

Thomas S. James, 300 block of 11th St., Racine, disorderly conduct, and bail jumping.

Michael R. Jeter, 1600 block of Douglas Ave., Racine, robbery by use of force, battery, and disorderly conduct.

Jonquita S. Kimble, 1300 block of N. 39th St., Milwaukee, retail theft.

Renate K. Kniprath, 100 block of S. First St., Waterford, battery, obstructing an officer, and disorderly conduct.

Ashley M. LaPoint, 800 block of Eighth St., Racine, retail theft.

Ashley M. LaPoint, 1900 block of Marquette St., Racine, possession of drug paraphernalia.

September F. Marshall, 1500 block of S. 24th St., Milwaukee, fraud against a financial institution.

Brandon A. Matelski, 4000 block of 10th Ave., Kenosha, possession with intent to deliver or manufacture marijuana.

Ashton R. Mayberry, 6700 block of Jacobsen Lane, Mount Pleasant, bail jumping.

Abrey D. Mayweather, 1100 block of Albert St., Racine, possession of marijuana, and bail jumping.

Kevin R. Mayweather, 1600 block of Center St., Racine, uttering a forgery.

Michael R. Mayweather, 1100 block of Albert St., Racine, possession with intent to deliver or manufacture marijuana.

Cody M. McCarthy, 31000 block of Bushnell Road, Burlington, obstructing an officer, and attempting to flee or elude a traffic officer.

Glenn A. Miles, 2200 block of Washington Ave., Racine, possession of cocaine, and bail jumping.

Ashley P. Molzahn, 1100 block of Marquette St., Racine, theft.

Zachary A. Moore, 4900 block of S. Bartel Drive, Greenfield, possession of narcotic drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, and bail jumping.

Marcus A. Navarro, 2100 block of Mead St., Racine, operate a motor vehicle while revoked.

Rafael Nieves, 5300 block of 75th St., Kenosha, retail theft.

Kyle M. Newhouse, 600 block of High St., Racine, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.

David J. Ozier, 900 block of Delamere Ave., Racine, resisting an officer, possession with intent to deliver or manufacture marijuana, maintaining drug trafficking place, receiving stolen property, and furnish firearm to unauthorized person.

Jesse L. Patt, 3900 block of Green St., Racine, operating while intoxicated, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and operate motor vehicle while revoked.

Duane L. Perkins, 1300 block of S. 11th St., Milwaukee, obstructing an officer.

Phillip B. Pharr, 5000 block of S. Green Bay Road, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.

Lacey A. Rowsey, 600 block of High St., Racine, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.

Anita G. Sanders, 1600 block of Morton Ave., Racine, substantial battery, disorderly conduct, use of a dangerous weapon, domestic abuse assessments.

Gary G. Schemenauer, 6900 block of Lone Elm Drive, Racine, personal identity theft.

Akeem J. Smith, 2000 block of Charles St., Racine, possession of marijuana.

Chelsea L. Styron, 1000 block of 92nd St., Pleasant Prairie, intoxicated use of a vehicle causing great bodily harm.

Kevin R. Tess, 30000 block of Weiler Road, Burlington, fourth degree sexual assault.

Darin A. Tiedt, 3800 block of Lake St., Burlington, strangulation and suffocation, battery, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments, and placing foreign objects in edibles.

Christopher S. Tolefree, 10200 block of W. Arch Ave., Milwaukee, operating while intoxicated.

James D. Wampole, 200 block of Crab Tree Lane, Racine, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.

Kartara T. Williams, 600 block of 12th St., Racine, retail theft.

Elizabeth A. Zahnow, 3300 block of LaSalle St., Racine, throw or discharge bodily fluids at public safety worker, criminal damage to property, criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.
The ancestors of Yellowstone National Parks bison migrated to North America much later than previously believed, according to newly published research.

The common ancestor for all of these bison is not very old, said professor Beth Shapiro, of the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute. There are some really old dates from fossil assemblages in southern North America. We pointed out that some of these old dates are pretty bad.

Research by Shapiro and University of Alberta professor Duane Froese, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, pulls that date much closer: between 130,000 and 195,000 years ago for the first migration, 45,000 to 21,000 years ago for a second wave of Asian bison.

Theres really no record of bison in North America from more than 150,000 years ago, Froese said.

Tracking DNA

The scientists used new techniques for ancient DNA extraction and sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of more than 40 bison, including the two oldest bison fossils ever recovered  one from the Yukon, and one from Snowmass, Colorado. Mitochondria are passed from the mother to offspring.

Comparing these genomes to additional Siberian and North American bison clarified the earliest parts of the bison family tree. From that information the scientists constructed a bison genealogy establishing that a common maternal ancestor  the mother of all North American bison  arrived during the Illinoian ice age, corresponding with a lower sea level.

"Until recently, the fossil records from different parts of North America disagreed with each other, with a few fossil localities suggesting that bison arrived millions of years ago, but most old fossil sites showing no evidence of bison at all," Shapiro said.

Bison species

From about 191,000 to 130,000 years ago, ice covered much of the northern hemisphere. As the ice sheet grew the sea level dropped by 300 feet or more, opening a 600-mile wide land route between Asia and North America known as the Bering Land Bridge. The same route would later be used by humans, possibly about 25,000 years ago, and was a place where those early ancestors were isolated for 10,000 to 15,000 years before glaciers receded and allowed them to venture farther south into North America, migrating down the West Coast, according to the most recent theory.

The second wave of bison migration is pretty coincidental with when humans came across, which isnt surprising knowing that those people were bison hunters, Shapiro said.

The first bison to enter North America from Asia were the now-extinct steppe bison, Bison priscus. This animal was about 6 feet tall at the shoulder and weighed around 2,000 pounds. Its horns were spread about 3 feet apart.

No Bison priscus fossils have been found south of the Yukon. What have been found in the United States are descendants of B. priscus. The first was Bison latifrons, an extinct long-horned bison that was much bigger: 8 feet tall at the shoulder and weighed about 2,250 pounds with horns that stretched 4 to 7 feet.

They were 25 to 30 percent bigger than modern bison, Froese said. Theyve never been found in the North.

This was the most intriguing part of this study, Shaprio said. I expected them to be so different genetically, but really they were just responding to the enormous amount of resources available to them.

After latifrons disappears from the fossil record, Bison antiquus arrives, which was a bit smaller in stature. Next came the American bison, Bison bison. The two species of modern North American bison that are still present  the American Plains bison like those in Yellowstone, Bison bison bison, and the slightly bigger American wood bison, Bison bison athabascae found in Canada  are the descendants of the American bison. Earlier studies show these modern species descended from a common ancestor about 15,000 to 22,000 years ago.

Based on the horn and skull morphology, they are all priscus, Froese said. Theyre not that different genetically.

Shaprio agreed. Im a lumper. I believe they are all pretty much the same thing. At one point there were 50 different named species. Genetically, theyre all the same.

Which is not what past scientists had believed. Yet Froese said most of the response hes gotten from fellow scientists about the new dates and genealogy has been positive so far.

The comments weve received from paleontologists are that they are happy to see this get nailed down, he said.

Invasive species

Although initially the first bison would have been blocked from migrating farther south from Beringia by large ice sheets, when they did make it to what is now the United States they found a land very favorable to their species.

The close genetic relationship between maternal lineages found in the earliest northern bison and the earliest continental bison argues for a rapid expansion of bison across the continent in a period of approximately 20,000 years, according to the scientists published research.

"After they arrived in Alaska, they spread quickly across the continent, taking advantage of the rich grassland resources that were part of the ice age ecosystem," Shapiro said.

The early bison would have been sharing grazing lands with mammoths and early horses, successful species that had lived on the continent for a million years. They all coexisted together for about 100,000 years before the mammoth and horses went extinct, along with many other large animals present following the last ice age. Somehow, when so many other animals died out, the bison survived and even thrived.

So its probably the most successful invasion of a mammal into North America, except for humans, because of the success they had, Froese said.

He is curious about how that successful establishment of bison on the Great Plains affected the grassland ecosystem that had long been dominated by horses and mammoths. Did the grasslands become more productive? How was the vegetation altered by the many different herbivores?

Nearly extinct

Estimates of North American bison populations before the mid-1800s have ranged from 30 to 60 million animals. They were a key source of sustenance for many American Indian tribes and their early ancestors, who are estimated to have begun exploring what is now the United States more than 15,000 years ago.

In the early 1800s, market and sport killing of bison by Euro-Americans exterminated the animals east of the Mississippi River and nearly pushed the animals to extinction in the West. In Yellowstone less than two dozen animals managed to survive under protection of the U.S. Army. Those few animals were supplemented by introductions of bison from other remnant populations.
As performers took to the skies early Saturday afternoon, organizers predicted 40,000 people would pass through the gates at the Texas State Technical College airport by the end of the annual Heart of Texas Airshow.

Spectators fun at last years show in September was dulled by temperatures in the mid-90s that turned the vast pavement at the former James Connally Air Force Base into a griddle. Saturdays mild temperatures were accompanied by a morning cloud cover that threatened to hamper high-flying maneuvers, but the clouds had mostly disappeared by early afternoon.

Performances Sunday are scheduled from noon to 4:30 p.m., highlighted by the aerobatic Air Force Thunderbirds at 3 p.m. Exhibits and activities are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The show opened with flyovers by a B-52 heavy bomber and a 1945-vintage B-17 Flying Fortress. Organizer Debby Standefer of D&D Marketing Concepts said the Navys Blue Angels plan to return to the show next April after an absence of more than 30 years.

You dont ordinarily see appearances by B-17s and B-52s at air shows, Standefer said. Were one of the countrys top air shows because were in a central location for spectators, some of whom come from as far away as Oklahoma City, and for the military. We have a lot of major attractions.

The B-52 flyover will not be repeated Sunday.

One static display that allows tours by attendees is a KC-135R tanker built in 1960 to refuel B-52s at the height of the Cold War and still in operation to serve different aircraft.

The four-engine jet came from Grissom Air Reserve Base in Indiana. One of its crew, Master Sgt. Jerry Cummings, said the planes have lasted so long because of low usage and careful maintenance. Originally outfitted to carry paratroopers as well, they can hold 30,000 gallons of fuel for in-flight refueling.

Beside it is a C-130 four-engine propeller transport displayed annually by the Texas Air National Guard.

Another static display is an MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft that can take off vertically, then rotate its engines for forward propulsion. The Marine Corps flew the craft from Air Station Miramar in California to attract attention as reserve Marines from the Waco area brought heavy machine guns and small arms to display under its wings.

Other showpieces are on display as pilots offer rides for prices reaching into the hundreds of dollars in vintage aircraft.

Other military and civilian pilots will tax the limits of propeller and jet aircraft through the afternoon, and vendors will offer food, drinks and souvenirs along a midway.
Americans are faced with lots of rhetoric about health care today and what Washington is doing about it  some factual and some not. To address this, I am writing to have a candid conversation about the current state of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.

This discussion has to start with the condition of Obamacare today. When it passed Congress in 2010, its goals were to increase access to health care and to improve affordability. My Central Texas constituents have made it clear to me that these goals were not met.

The number of national health-care insurance provider options has dropped from 232 choices in 2016 to just 167 today  a decline of about 30 percent. In Texas, 70 percent of our counties have just one health-care insurance option. Without quick action from Congress, many of those counties will lose all options in 2018.

Many families have learned the hard way that having an insurance card does not necessarily mean they have access to affordable quality health care. I have heard many stories from constituents  our families, local charities, governmental institutions and employers  who have endured huge increases in health-care insurance premiums, followed by having to pay thousands of dollars of uncovered out-of-pocket costs.

In addition to the failed promises of improved access and better affordability, these families were also promised a number of other benefits: if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor and the biggest whopper of all  families should see an average decrease in premiums of $2,500. Americans soon discovered that all of these were demonstrably false.

It may be a surprise to you, but members of Congress and their staff are limited to being on Obamacare exchange plans for their health insurance. So my family has experienced firsthand the same failures of Obamacare, with a tripling of my monthly premium costs since 2013 and an explosion of out-of-pocket costs from roughly $3,000 per year to over $14,000.

In light of the failures of Obamacare, President Trump and congressional Republicans ran on a platform including the repeal and replacement of Obamacare. House Republicans and the Trump administration have developed a three-phase plan to repeal and replace Obamacare with patient-centered, free-market solutions for the 21st century.

The first phase is a bill called the American Health Care Act (AHCA) which uses a legislative process known as budget reconciliation to repeal and replace meaningful sections of Obamacare. Unfortunately, Senate rules for the use of reconciliation restrict what we can include in AHCA in order to pass it with a simple majority in the Senate.

Using the reconciliation process, the AHCA is comprised of the same repeal components that were used in the bill House and Senate Republicans passed in 2015 (the 2015 Repeal), which then-President Obama vetoed. The AHCA starts with the 2015 Repeal and includes policies to allow Americans to transition to a 21st-century health-care system that lowers costs, encourages competition and, most importantly, empowers patients to take control of their health-care decisions.

Additionally, it ensures that each and every American, regardless of previous coverage or any pre-existing condition, has the option to maintain insurance coverage. AHCA also includes the most dramatic reforms to Medicaid since the mid-sixties.

The second phase of our plan utilizes administrative review and action. Obamacare currently allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services substantial latitude to stabilize the health insurance market, increase choices and lower costs. Now that Dr. Tom Price serves in that role, he has committed to work with the House to use the substantial authority granted to him to relieve hardworking American families from the burdens of Obamacare. In the short time since he was confirmed, Dr. Price has already used his authority to allow states much-needed flexibility to prioritize market stability and increase affordability.

The third phase of our plan consists of additional legislative action that cannot be included in phase one because of Senate constraints for the use of budget reconciliation. Some of these legislative polices include allowing individuals to purchase coverage across state lines, allowing small businesses to pool together and purchase insurance, reforming medical liability and dealing with high drug costs. Phase three will start the same week we vote on AHCA and will be ongoing during 2017.

The Congressional Budget Office recently reviewed the AHCA and their estimates showed that the bill would lower premiums by 10 percent, reduce the federal deficit by $337 billion and provide $883 billion in tax relief for hardworking American families and small businesses. While some concern has grown over the projected coverage numbers, it is important to note that this CBO estimate is based only on phase one, the AHCA. It does not take into consideration any of the future actions that will take place in phases two and three of our plan. It also inaccurately states that persons may lose coverage, when the truth is we are restoring freedom for consumers to choose to buy or not to buy health insurance.

Bottom line: The Republican three-phase plan, starting with the AHCA, will increase access to quality, affordable care and allow for families to have more freedom and flexibility to get the health-care coverage that is right for them. The Trump administration and congressional Republicans remain committed to working together to stop the burdens that failed Obamacare policies have placed on the backs of our families and businesses.

Our principles are clear. We believe health care must be patient-focused, market-driven, competitive and affordable. We believe in using market incentives to purchase health insurance, not mandating it or penalizing those who forego purchasing coverage. We believe that the states must have the Medicaid flexibility they need to meet the health-care needs of lower-income, elderly and disabled populations.

We now have a chance to deliver a 21st-century health-care system that offers quality, affordable, market-based health care options. I am confident that our plan will give all Americans better choices and empower them to make their own health-care decisions, free of Washington mandates and unelected bureaucrats.

Republican Congressman Bill Flores, a former oil and gas executive, represents the 17th Congressional District, which includes Waco. He is past chairman of the Republican Study Committee.
As were certain to hear during this weeks Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, conservatives insist that Judge Neil Gorsuch of the Denver-based 10th Circuit should be confirmed because he is an originalist who will decide cases by following the Constitutions text and history. But a review of his record  both his opinions and his nonjudicial writings  suggests that he is a selective originalist.

First, his record suggests that he is a judge who gives pride of place to the 1789 Constitution while ignoring the amendments added to the Constitution that limited the states, protected substantive fundamental rights and equality and gave Congress broad powers to help realize these constitutional promises.

Judge Gorsuchs opinions as a court of appeals judge have not been shy in invoking the wisdom of Founding Fathers such as James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. He has written a number of thoughtful originalist opinions, particularly in cases construing the Fourth Amendments ban on all unreasonable searches and seizures.

His record when it comes to the amendments added to the Constitution in the wake of the Civil War  often called Americas Second Founding  however, stands in stark contrast. He has written many opinions interpreting the Fourteenth Amendment but he has never written any opinions that discuss the text and history of the Fourteenth Amendment. He has never celebrated the Framers who made equality a central constitutional value and ensured that states respected fundamental rights.

This is a gaping hole for an originalist judge.

Respect for text and history has to be for the whole Constitution, not just for parts of it. In fact, his cases in this area, more often than not, give a narrow interpretation to the individual rights protected by Fourteenth Amendment and an outsized view of the respect due to the states.

Second, even where Gorsuch looks at text and history, he sometimes reaches results that ignore first principles. His attack on Chevron  one of his most widely noted opinions  is a case in point. In seeking to eliminate one of the most cited cases in American law, Gorsuch tries to constitutionalize something thats just not in the Constitution.

Gorsuchs opinions portray administrative agencies as an unchecked fourth branch not countenanced by the Framers. But administrative agencies are not a modern invention; in fact, their history goes all the way back to the Founding. The idea that agencies can exercise delegated power to enforce a statute they administer  so long as they act consistently with the underlying statute  has a rich history from the Founding on and has been noted by scholars as well as Justice Antonin Scalia and others on the Supreme Court. This reflects an important Founding principle: the president cannot execute the law on his own; he must rely on subordinates to do so. This has been discussed in numerous Supreme Court cases, the Federalist Papers and even by George Washington. Gorsuchs opinions trying to take down the Chevron doctrine, however, do not grapple with this history.

Gorsuch argues it is unconstitutional to give agencies the power to reasonably interpret statutory ambiguities, even when Congress explicitly delegates this power. Thats a rule of his invention; it is not supported by the Constitution.

David H. Gans is director of the human rights, civil rights and citizenship program at Constitutional Accountability Center.
The U.S. jobs report came out this month and shattered expectations. Employment in the private sector rose by 235,000 in the month of February. That was more than the 190,000 jobs expected, according to economists surveyed by ADP.

But economists dont make headlines. Instead, I see stories about people like Mark Cuban, Elon Musk and Bill Gates talking about the rapid advances in technology that will displace millions of workers. In a recent USA Today article, tech writer Mike Snider reported how companies in the Fortune 500 will get more done with less people as these tech leaders warn about how quickly robots are taking away human jobs.

I have one thing to say about that: Send them to me.

Theres a side to this national jobs discussion that is being drastically neglected, under-reported and seemingly less deserving of attention. Thats because, as Mike Rowe would say, these are dirty jobs.

Im talking about the service trades  the plumbers, the electricians, the heating and air conditioning service professionals we need in growing numbers. There will be 2 million unfilled trade jobs by 2025, according to a Deloitte study. And a JP Morgan Chase study highlights some 42,000 middle-skills jobs in North Texas alone that will go unfilled this year and next.

These jobs dont require a four-year college degree but they do require advanced-skills training after high school. So what are we doing to prepare?

We can start by giving these middle-skills jobs some respect. Blue-collar jobs exist, they are growing in number and they offer a good wage across many industries. I can point to the growth of Dwyer Group and the expansion of our service brands to more than 2,800 franchisees around the world doing more than $1.4 billion in system-wide sales as hard evidence of this opportunity. We are part of the jobs report that is escalating. And these are not the kinds of jobs that vanish in an evolving economy.

When its the middle of winter and your heater goes out, you will need it fixed. When your house floods, you will seek disaster restoration. When the toilet breaks, you will call a plumber. All of these emergencies require a professional. But we are not turning out enough skilled-trades people in the workforce where we know these jobs exist. And, ironically, society doesnt hold these jobs in high regard when the income they provide and the services they deliver should be greatly admired.

Instead, local school boards across America have phased out high school shop classes over the years in favor of preparing everyone for a four-year college education. Then states and governments jumped on board to support state colleges, universities and local community colleges with our tax revenues. And today we are witnessing an entire generation graduate with unprecedented debt in student loans while more skilled jobs with good pay cannot find qualified help.

Americans now owe nearly $1.3 trillion in student loan debt and graduates from the class of 2016 averaged $37,172 in debt, up 6 percent from the previous year. The return on this investment simply does not make sense for many of them.

Picture a world where everyone has a college degree and nobody works with his or her hands and the dilemma is clear. As an economy, we cannot afford it. More importantly, there is an entire population being overlooked that doesnt want it.

I credit the Texas State Technical College system, which offers two-year programs in a wide array of middle-skills jobs, as the only college system in Texas to adopt a funding model based on student employment outcomes. It directly aligns with TSTCs purpose of strengthening Texas with a highly skilled, technically competent workforce. But for perspective, Texas has 254 counties and 138 community colleges, while TSTC has just 10 campuses.

The bright side, which I know first-hand, is that there are people who like working with their hands, who like running businesses, who like serving customers, and who like earning a good living all doing dirty jobs. They are skilled trades people and they are intelligent and successful in large numbers. But we need to respect them, as they do in Germany where working in a skilled trade is not only valued but admired. In many cases, they earn annual incomes in excess of those working white-collar jobs with a four-year degree. We need more of them  many, many more.

Mike Bidwell is the president and CEO of Dwyer Group, based in Waco.
As President Trump and the 115th Congress lay out their legislative agenda, there have been troubling discussions of gutting a critical tool for protecting some of our nations most special places.

Since 1906, the Antiquities Act has allowed presidents to establish national monuments, including one right here in our backyard: the Waco Mammoth National Monument. For more than a century, citizens like those of Waco and other parts of Texas have come together and appealed to the president to protect special places that share important stories and scientific relevance for the good of our country.

The incredible prehistoric site at Waco Mammoth enhances our community and educates tens of thousands of people who visit the area annually. Nowhere else in the nation can citizens and guests from around the world see evidence of a nursery herd of Columbian Mammoths who roamed the Waco plains some 65,000 years ago. The staff frequently experience a look of amazement and wonder in the eyes of young and old alike as they try to relate to these now-extinct animals.

Wacoans who diligently pursued national monument designation would surely resist any effort to rescind Waco Mammoth National Monuments status as a nationally significant site. We worked too hard to share the story, build community support and search for ways to conserve and share this unique place for all. Our rewards are revealed in the expressions, questions and favor of thousands who seek out the stories and finds of long ago.

Regardless of party affiliation, nearly every president has used the Antiquities Act to protect, conserve and add places to our National Park System for all Americans to experience and enjoy. Parks protect our most beautiful landscapes and our most nationally historic and culturally significant places. They also serve as economic engines for surrounding communities. In fact, for every dollar invested in the National Park Service, about $5 is generated for local economies. The mammoth site is already proving this point; since its establishment in July 2015, it has seen increasing visitation and use, giving a boost to the local economy.

National parks such as Waco Mammoth National Monument are good for our community and good for understanding the significant scientific and historical stories of our nation. Undoing the national monument designation of a place like Waco Mammoth  if it comes to that  would dismantle 100 years of conservation legacy starting with President Theodore Roosevelt.

I urge President Trump and our representatives in Congress  particularly Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and Rep. Bill Flores  to oppose any effort to undo the designation of this treasured Texas site. Like the other 15 national park sites in the Lone Star State, Waco Mammoth National Monument shares stories that simply cannot be told anywhere else.

Russ Whitlock, a 37-year veteran of the National Park Service, recently retired as superintendent of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. He also oversaw the partnership that drives the Waco Mammoth National Monument, including the city of Waco, Baylor University and the Waco Mammoth Foundation. He and his wife are now touring the nation via motorhome.
Wisconsin has fallen behind other states in efforts to reduce the tons of climate-altering carbon dioxide that billows from smokestacks of coal-burning power plants.

As the economic recession and cheap natural gas helped the U.S. cut emissions by 18.1 percent from 2000 to 2014, a dozen states notched decreases more than double Wisconsins 12.7 percent rate.

Many factors affect a states emissions  from access to fuels and hydroelectric power to population density and geographic size.

The willingness of political leaders to push power companies to use more solar and wind power also plays a role.

Recently, Wisconsin has lagged by this measure even as the cost of renewable energy has fallen, said Greg Nemet, a UW-Madison La Follette School of Public Affairs professor who specializes in energy policy.

In 2000, the state was one of the first in the Midwest to set a standard for the amount of electricity from renewable sources utilities sold; that 2 percent requirement was increased to 10 percent by a nearly unanimous state Legislature in 2005.

Since then, more than two dozen states have set higher bars while Wisconsin has done nothing further, Nemet said.

Its a pretty unambitious policy compared to what has been done by other states that found it was easy and cheap to do, so they reached for more, he said.

In 2017, only one of the 29 states with a renewable energy standard has a lower requirement than Wisconsin, according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker, state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, didnt respond to requests for comment.

Lowering solar,

wind costs

Burning coal to generate electricity is the largest source of carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases climate scientists agree is causing the Earth to heat up.

Walker has claimed former President Barack Obamas carbon-cutting Clean Power Plan would be like a buzzsaw to the nations economy. Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel has gone to court with other states attorneys to block it. And President Donald Trump has vowed to undo the rule.

But the states three largest electrical providers have their own plans to reduce roughly the same amount as would be required under the federal plan.

Thats because existing government policies  like the 2005 state renewable energy standards and federal tax credits that encourage use of those energy sources  increased demand for wind and solar, which in turn led to lower costs, said Nemet and Keith Reopelle, senior policy director for Clean Wisconsin.

Those lower costs, along with investors who see a future in clean energy and customers who want electricity that wont cause a climate change disaster, have made renewable sources attractive to many power companies, they said.

Building on reductions in emissions accomplished under the 10-year deadline the 2005 law set for increasing renewable energy, Alliant Energy, We Energies and Madison Gas and Electric plan by 2030 to reduce carbon emissions 40 percent from 2005 levels.

Alliant Energy, which has customers in both Wisconsin and Iowa, reached the 30 percent mark last year, said spokeswoman Annemarie Newman.

At a high level, our plans were never predicated on the Clean Power Plan, Newman said. By adopting the long view, we avoid the uncertainty of having our plans upended by changing climate policies (and we) also take advantage of clean energy opportunities, for example adding more wind power  its low fuel costs help keep rates stable for customers.

The Clean Power Plan remains important to hold companies to needed reductions, and force better behavior by utilities that havent set adequate goals for themselves, Reopelle said.

In the same way, if the state would join others that have set strong standards for renewable energy, then all Wisconsin electrical users could be assured that they are using cleaner energy over time, he said.

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission also plays a role in how much the states utilities contribute to climate change.

In recent years, the commission approved electric rate increases that were structured in ways that Nemet said undermined demand for solar power.

In 2014 and 2016 the commission boosted the fixed monthly charges on consumers bills, while constraining or even decreasing charges for the amount of electricity used.

The utilities said higher fixed charges were needed to cover costs of things like poles and wires that benefit all customers no matter how much power they use.

But opponents said the change would hurt people who dont use much electricity  including those who invest in things like solar power panels, energy-saving appliances and insulation  because they would pay the higher fixed rate even though they used less electricity.

Madison Gas and Electric had wanted to increase its $10.50 monthly fixed rate to $67 over three years while slicing the 14 cents per killowatt-hour usage charge to 3 cents during winter months, with a similar cut in summer months.

In 2014, the commission majority instead approved nearly doubling the fixed rate along with a less pronounced reduction for power used.

Two Walker appointees voted in favor of the plan. The third commissioner, who had been appointed by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle before Walker was elected in 2010, voted against the change, saying it still penalized customers who used lesser amounts of power.

Similar changes to the rate structure were approved for We Energies that year and for Alliant in 2016.
The G20 financial leaders have dropped a decade-long commitment to free trade after opposition from the US, raising fears the Trump administration could upset the global economic order.

The annual meeting of 20 finance ministers closed on Saturday afternoon without a statement voicing the bloc's longstanding opposition to "all forms" of tariffs and rules that favour one economy over another, after it failed to find a suitable compromise with Donald Trump's administration.

Steven Mnuchin, the US Treasury Secretary, dismissed the group's traditional economic playbook of opposing protectionism as "not really relevant" any longer, and said the US now prioritised "balanced trade" over low border tariffs.

Mr Trump, who was elected on an "America First" campaign, blamed US manufacturing job losses on free trade and has already pulled out of a proposed agreement with Japan and other Pacific Rim countries.
A year ago, Tourism Tropical North Queensland issued a call for members to "bombard social media with the tsunami of joy" to counter global news headlines suggesting the Great Barrier Reef was in trouble from coral bleaching.

A tsunami of a different sort will likely be needed this year as the bleaching has not only returned but is now hitting the key tourist zone from Port Douglas to Cairns and south to Townsville and beyond.

Heat stress on corals continues to mount with sea temperatures still abnormally high. There's also no cyclone or large tropical low on the forecast horizon to stir in cooler waters and provide cloud cover.

"Bleaching is a real bitch from a marketing perspective," said Col McKenzie, executive director of another industry group, the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators. "I expect [numbers] will be hit."
Vitamin and supplement giant Swisse has asked the federal government to end its direct oversight of advertising rules for Australia's $4 billion complementary medicine market in favour of a system of self-regulation.

In a submission to the federal budget process, Swisse asked to end oversight of advertising claims by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, saying its controls for pharmaceuticals were not consistent with the public health risks associated with its range of supplements and vitamin products, and that pre-market assessments are burdensome and damage competition.

Swisse brand ambassador Nicole Kidman. Credit:Getty Images

The company told Treasury a "mature" consumer protection system overseen by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission made existing rules unnecessary, and an industry-funded self-regulation system established under the Advertising Standards Bureau would be sufficient to deal with advertising claims of complementary medicines, as well as compliance and complaints.

Swisse, which is known for its aggressive marketing and celebrity endorsements including from Nicole Kidman, Ricky Ponting, supermodel Ashley Hart and chefs George Calombaris and Karen Martini, wants Australian diplomats to have specific knowledge of its products to better market products to Asia and other markets, allowing it and other businesses to take advantage of international trade agreements.
Tap and go payments are increasingly done with a smartphone instead of a credit or debit card. Credit:Getty Images Mike Ebstein, the founder of payments consultant MWE Consulting, estimates that recurring direct debit payments would be about 10 per cent of of the value of credit card payments. Meanwhile, in-app payments such as in rideshare and taxi services Uber and GoCatch provide yet another way to do away with cash. And pretty soon the Reserve Bank's New Payments Platform will make electronic payments from bank account to bank account even faster and easier, meaning you'll be able to pay online for that secondhand fridge at a garage sale on a Saturday. But who benefits from the decrease in cash? Electronic payments are convenient for consumers, but is there a downside?

Mark McCrindle, a social researcher with his own consultancy, McCrindle Research, says the convenience can come at a cost as "out of sight is out of mind". "It is all around us, with tollway e-tags, for example, where there is a bip but most people are not aware of how much they are paying," he says. "There's not that 'point of pain' of paying with cash that has a psychological impact of making us aware that we are now poorer having made that transaction." Game of phones The major drawcard for contactless payments is convenience, including the ability to use a credit or debit card for small amounts and the efficiency of the transaction.

With Visa payWave and MasterCard PayPass, consumers can 'tap and go' for everyday transactions, up to $100 a time, without the need to enter a PIN or sign a receipt. Smartphones are the next frontier in contactless payments with the big tech companies coming out with apps that allow payments without even require opening the app or unlocking the device. Australia is one of the leading countries in the world for smartphone uptake, with more than four out of five people owning a device, according to Deloitte for its Mobile Consumer Survey in 2016. That's up from up from three out of four in 2014.  Elizabeth Barry, 26 from Sydney's Zetland, uses CommBank's contactless app, which has replaced its earlier app, Kaching, for everyday transactions. "I use my phone for pretty much all of my smaller payments like grocery shopping. I find it more convenient taking my phone out than taking a card out," Barry says.

Barry has a Samsung phone and she can put a short-cut on the phone screen but she prefers to log-in to make sure that she is making the payment correctly. "It's all really easy  I don't remember the last time I logged-on for internet banking," she says. A senior writer with comparison site Finder, Barry doesn't shop too much online and when she does she prefers to use PayPal if it is available, because it's easy and PayPal will refund her money if something goes wrong. Cash not dead However, not everyone is a winner from the shift. It is having a detrimental effect on waiters' tips and charities that solicit cash donations from passers-by on the streets.

According to a survey of 2000 people, commissioned by ME Bank, those who pay with a card or smartphone are less likely to pay tips to waiters or to donate to a charity in the street. Nic Emery, the ME head of deposits and transactional banking, says the move to digital money also excludes people who do not have a bank account, which sometimes includes the poorest people. Though use of cash is slowing, cash is not dead. In fact, it's going to remain part of the Australian economy and the payment system for the foreseeable future, says the Reserve Bank in its December 2016 Quarter Bulletin. The Reserve Bank's Consumer Use Survey of 2013, the latest available, found that about one in 10 respondents said they make all of their in-person payments with cash. And cash remains an important store of value.

About three out of four people told the survey they held cash in places other than their "wallets". Following day-to-day transactions, the next most-cited reason for storing cash was to cover emergencies. McCrindle says tapping a smartphone connected to a credit card tends to loosen people's natural restraint. He points out that the ratio of household debt to income is the highest it's ever been, and the January crunch from Christmas spending is now happening year round. "It's going beyond the budget and living in a financial fog, tapping here there and everywhere, making it harder to manage money," he says. Which app?

Tech experts predict digital "wallets" will soon be used not only in place of cash, but for paying for all sorts of things such as travel tickets and passes. Tech companies are seeking to strike deals with as many banks, card providers, retail chains and big providers of services as possible. Apple Pay app is probably the market leader, though it is the only app that works with the iPhone's "near-field communications", which communicates with payment terminals, says Alex Kidman, tech expert at Finder. It allows payments on an iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or Mac using Visa, MasterCard and American Express debit and credit cards. ANZ has entered into a deal with Apple to use Apple Pay, as has several smaller banks and credit unions.

Android Pay is probably the next most popular. It can be used by any smartphone using the Android operating system - such as popular Samsung, HTC and Google models - and works with those financial institutions who support it. Android Pay supports MasterCard, Visa and American Express credit and debit cards. Android Pay can be used on an ever-growing number of stores, including 7-11, Coles, McDonald's and some government agencies. PayPal remains the middleman for online payments for many online retailers, including eBay. Security

Trying to remember passwords is becoming a frustration of the past as biometric scanning gains traction. Technology that involves our own money is always something that's likely to make us nervous, but the reality is that smartphones can be significantly more secure, Kidman says. Most mobile payment systems will allow you to use a PIN if that's your desire, but payment by smartphone-apps like Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay offer an additional level of security, provided your device is protected with fingerprint scanning. These use your fingerprint to pre-enrol onto the device as an additional layer of authentication. Kidman says even if your phone is lost or stolen, thieves can't use it for contactless payments. "Your fingerprint data is stored securely on the device itself, so there are no worries about your biometric data being stored or illicitly accessed online," he says.

Smartphone payment systems work like PayPal in that the details of your card do not go to the retailer. Instead, a one-time token is generated for each purchase. Warning for travellers Travellers have to be careful and remember to carry more cash and cards with old technology, because contactless payments are not as widely used overseas as they are Australia. Loading "You may see a sign that indicates Apple Pay or Android Pay compatibility, but it's not a guarantee that when it comes time to tap the transaction will go through," Kidman says.
A Melbourne schoolgirl has second degree burns to her thigh after the battery inside her Samsung Galaxy S4 phone exploded while she was on her way to school on Friday morning.

Croydon woman Courtney Handley said she had just dropped her nephew off at Mooroolbark College, and was driving her niece, 15-year-old Brooklyn McDonald, to Oxley College about 8.30am, when she heard "hissing".

The phone had caught fire after exploding in the girl's lap, while she was in the front passenger seat of the car.

"All of a sudden there was a hissing noise, then there was a big pop, and there was smoke everywhere inside the car," Mrs Handley said.
The charge could carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years, according to the US district attorney in Dallas, who is prosecuting the case.

On Friday, the FBI said it had arrested John Rayne Rivello, 29, at his home in Salisbury, Maryland, and accused him of sending the electronic file. The agency charged Rivello with criminal cyberstalking with the intent to kill or cause bodily harm.

Washington: When the journalist Kurt Eichenwald opened an animated image sent to him on Twitter in December, the message "You deserve a seizure for your posts" appeared in capital letters along with a blinding strobe light.

Kurt Eichenwald, senior writer with Newsweek, who had a seizure after being sent a tweet. Credit:Twitter/@kurteichenwald

The unusual case has shown how online tools can be deployed as weapons capable of physical harm. The FBI and the Dallas police led the investigation into Rivello, and the police said he sent the strobe light knowing that it was likely to lead Eichenwald, who has publicly discussed his epilepsy, into a seizure.

Steven Lieberman, Eichenwald's lawyer, has argued that the use of the strobe light in a GIF, or moving graphic, was akin to sending an explosive or poison in the mail.

"This electronic message was no different than a bomb sent in the mail or anthrax sent in an envelope," said Lieberman, who is working on the case as a pro bono service. "It triggers a physical effect."

That comparison makes Eichenwald's case different from other claims of harmful attacks using social media. Lawsuits involving stalking and bullying on the internet have focused on how online content, such as disparaging and abusive messages and pictures, can harm victims emotionally and even increase the risk of suicide. But with this case, Rivello is said to have designed the attack specifically around the victim's medical condition.
Illustration by David Rowe German Chancellor Angela Merkel did not get a surprise shoulder squeeze from this President. He ignored her request to shake hands. But Merkel still looked jittery. Many who meet Trump - from foreign leaders to US lawmakers - look like cats on a hot stove. One Democratic senator told me he was determined not to smile in a session with the President in case Trump suddenly said something offensive or batty while the senator was politely grinning for the cameras. Everyone is tiptoeing around the mad king in his gilded, sparse court. His lieges make fools of themselves trying to justify or interpret his transcendentally nutty tweets and wilfully ignorant comments. For two weeks, he has refused to back off his unhinged claim that his predecessor tapped his phones during the election.

According to CNN's Jeff Zeleny, Trump got furious reading a Breitbart report that regurgitated a theory by conservative radio host Mark Levin that former president Barack Obama and his allies had staged a "silent coup". It is surpassingly strange that the President would not simply pick up the phone and call his intelligence chiefs before spitting out an inflammatory accusation with no proof, just as it was bizarre that Trump shrugged off the regular intelligence briefings after he was elected. He preferred living in his own warped world. White House press secretary Sean Spicer offered a shaky Jenga tower of media citations to back up the President, including the contention of Fox's Judge Andrew Napolitano that Obama had used GCHQ, a British intelligence agency, to spy on Trump. In a rare public statement, the GCHQ called the claim "utterly ridiculous". Fox News also demurred, with Shepard Smith saying it "knows of no evidence of any kind that the now President of the United States was surveilled at any time, in any way. Full stop."

Even Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, gave up the Sisyphean effort of defending Trump's tripe. He said that if you took Trump's remarks "literally" - as we expect to do with our commander-in-chief's words - "clearly the President was wrong". Asked by a German reporter about GCHQ rubbishing the wiretapping claims, Trump was dismissive. "All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind," he said. "You should be talking to Fox." Trump's aversion to veracity is exacerbated by his inner circle of sycophants and conspiracists. As far as Trump is concerned, his budget and healthcare plan are going great, when everyone else in Washington is averting their eyes. In a Wall Street Journal piece, Bannon said his anti-elitist worldview was shaped by his father's decision during the financial crisis in 2008 to sell his AT&T stock, at a loss of more than $US100,000. Marty Bannon, who started at AT&T as a lineman, got spooked by Jim Cramer's advice on the Today show to take "whatever money you may need for the next five years" out of the market. Even though one son, Steve, was a banker at Goldman Sachs and another son had an investment background, Marty Bannon did not consult them or a financial adviser until the sale was completed.

He preferred, like Trump, to get crucial information from TV pundits and eschew the experts in his own circle who might have told him that selling during panics is not wise and that having one stock in an undiversified portfolio is not smart. "Everything since then has come from there, all of it," Steve Bannon, the multimillionaire architect of Trumpworld, said of the stock sale. So, essentially, because Bannon's father made a bad, hurried financial decision based on watching TV, we now have to slash Meals on Wheels, Big Bird, the arts, after-school programs, health insurance, immigration from Muslim countries, climate change research, diplomats and taxes for the rich. Loading Maybe if these elites-pretending-not-to-be-elites deigned to talk to some knowledgeable elites in government once in a while, they might emerge from the distorted, belligerent, dystopian, Darwinian, cracked-mirror world that is alarming Americans and our allies. They might even stop ripping off the working-class people they claim to be helping.
Jerusalem: The Syrian armed forces fired anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli warplanes that had struck targets deep in Syria early, in what appeared to be the most serious clash between the two militaries since the start of the Syrian civil war six years ago.

The Syrian army's General Command asserted that its forces downed one of four Israeli aircraft that conducted operations around the ancient city of Palmyra, and hit another on Friday, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

The Israeli military denied that claim, saying in a statement that "at no point was the safety of Israeli civilians or the IAF aircraft compromised," referring to the Israeli air force.

Anti-Assad activists ridiculed the Syrian army's claim, sharing a post on social media showing the "evidence": a photograph of a paper plane, singed at the edges, with crude drawings of a Star of David on its wings.
Astros take World Series title over Phillies in six games
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Mar. 19, 2017 | LEXINGTON, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 19, 2017 | 12:07 PM | LEXINGTON, KY

Thirty-two law enforcement officers from agencies across the state graduated Satuday from basic training at the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training, including several from western Kentucky.



The graduates of Class 480 completed 23 weeks of training, which consisted of 923 hours of recruit-level instruction. Major training areas included homeland security, law offenses and procedures, vehicle operations, firearms, investigations, first aid and CPR, patrol procedures, orientation for new law enforcement families and the mechanics of arrest, restraint and control.



Basic training is mandatory for Kentucky law enforcement officers to comply with the state's Peace Officer Professional Standards Act of 1998. The Department of Criminal Justice Training provides basic training for city and county police officers, sheriffs' deputies, university police, airport police and others.



The agency also provides in-service and leadership training for Kentucky law enforcement officers and public safety dispatch training.



The Department of Criminal Justice Training is a state agency located on Eastern Kentucky University's campus. The agency is the first in the nation to be accredited under the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies' public safety training program designation. DOCJT also earned accreditation through the International Association for Continuing Education and Training in 2013 - making it the nation's only law enforcement training academy to achieve dual accreditation by two independent accrediting organizations.



CLASS 480 GRADUATES AND THEIR AGENCIES ARE:



NATHAN R. BALK, Nicholasville Police Department



SPENCER H. BEAM, Boyd County Sheriff's Office



SHELBY L. BECKNELL, Nicholasville Police Department



TRAVIS M. BOGUE, Fulton Police Department



COREY D. BRADLEY, Catlettsburg Police Department



RONALD BRIGHT, Lebanon Police Department



JUSTIN T. CONLEY, Fleming County Sheriff's Office



DOUGLAS J. HANDLON, Edgewood Police Department



SETH A. HATFIELD, Catlettsburg Police Department



ANTHONY J. KENNER, Kenton County Sheriff's Office



DWAYNE A. LANE, Murray Police Department



ALYSSA B. LELM, Murray Police Department



PATRICK A. LESLIE, University of KY Police Department



JOSEPH R. LEWIS, Lebanon Police Department



KENNETH E. LOVELACE, Cincinnati/N. KY International Airport Police

Department



JASON T. MAXEY, Glasgow Police Department



MATTHEW W. RAABE, Covington Police Department



CHAD M. RAY, University of KY Police Department



ZACHARY RICHERSON, Lebanon Police Department



ANTHONY J. RUGGIERO, Nicholasville Police Department



MARK SPARKS, Lewis County Sheriff's Office



CHRISTIAN D. SQUIRES, Georgetown Police Department



LAURA STEINER, Henderson Police Department



ADAM K. STRINE JR., Independence Police Department



TYLER D. SWIKERT, Cincinnati/N. KY International Airport Police

Department



TREVER G. THOMPSON, Scottsville Police Department



ZACHERY H. TRAVIS, Nicholasville Police Department



ANTHONY C. TRELLER, Newport Police Department



TRISTA TYSON, Murray Police Department



KYLE G. WASHBURN, Shelby County Sheriff's Office



STANLEY WILLIAMS JR., University of KY Police Department



WESLEY T. WRIGHT, Murray Police Department



*Class 480 photo available Monday upon request.


By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 18, 2017 | 10:11 AM | FRANKFORT, KY

Early mornings turned to late nights and spirited debate echoed through the House and Senate chambers as we closed in on the final days of the 2017 Legislative Session in Frankfort. A flurry of bills were sent to Governor Matt Bevins desk this week, highlighted by measures to empower our Kentucky teachers and create better learning environments for our Kentucky students.

One of our top priorities in the Senate this session was Senate Bill (SB) 1, which is designed to let teachers teach by mirroring the Federal Every Student Succeeds Act to foster state and local decision making by our valued educators. The House passed SB 1 unanimously this week. Senate Bill 1 will bring sweeping changes to reform education in our Commonwealth, and we are confident those changes will improve our schools for many years to come.

Another education bill that was sent to the Governors desk this week was House Bill (HB) 520, which authorizes the establishment of charter schools in Kentucky. Passage of a charter schools bill has been a priority in the Senate for the past several sessions, and we were pleased to finally see its passage with help from our colleagues in the new House Majority.

With the passage of HB 520, Kentucky became the 44th state in the U.S. to pass a bill that permits school choice. None of the previous 43 states that have enacted charter school legislation have repealed it, which gives added confidence that this was the right move for Kentucky. In order for a charter school to be established, it first must be authorized by a local school board.

Complementing the HB 520, we also sent HB 471 to Governor Bevin, which is the funding mechanism for charter schools. It is important to note that HB 471 has been crafted to support, not burden school district funding systems. Based on projected enrollment, a school district would send its request for funding to the Kentucky Department of Education. That district would include charter school enrollment figures as well. A base" guarantee of funding that is sent to a school district would include adjustments for percentages of students who are at-risk, special education, limited English proficient, home/hospital, plus transportation costs. The formula also requires local fair share by each school district based on taxable property there.

The school district develops and uses an allocation model that promotes educational equalization, equity, and adequacy based on the needs of its schools and distributes allocations to each School Based Decision-Making Council. For charters, our funding legislation allows the school district to receive state funds and to allocate a portion of the funds to a charter school board of directors in its district using the same allocation model the district would use if the school were one of its own. No siphoning away; funds follow the students wherever they are. In fact, the students, teachers, and other staff in the charter would still be from the community.

Before sending funds to the school, the school district is allowed to keep the following amounts:

 Three percent of the allocation to the charter for administrative purposes.

 Amounts for transportation, capital outlay, debt service, and extra local tax raised that was matched by the state.

In other words, a school district would continue to receive funds as it always has to serve its students, and a charter school would receive even less. Funding to a charter school would be forwarded by the district to the school as though the school were its own, minus three percent and other amounts as listed above. So the district would actually keep a percentage of the funds for students they were no longer serving. Regardless, the local school board would have oversight of the charter schools funding and implementation of its approved plans.

Finally, a school board could deny a charter application if the applicant did not adequately plan to serve a school districts targeted population. Although the applicant could appeal to the state board, it would be highly unlikely that the state board would overturn a local boards decision to use its funding to meet the needs of its underserved population.

We value our public schools, our teachers, and our students. It is important to realize that charter schools were not designed to take anything away from our existing system but to provide new opportunities for our students at struggling schools.

Several other important bills moved quickly though the legislative process this week and were delivered to the Governor for his signature:

 Senate Bill 11, The Leeper Act, which I sponsored, lifts Kentuckys nuclear moratorium to expand our states energy portfolio. This was my priority piece of legislation for the session and it is my belief that the passage of The Leeper Act into law will result in economic development opportunities for our region and across the commonwealth for decades to come;

 Senate Bill 75 updates the states outdated campaign contribution laws that have previously encouraged dark money and discouraged free speech;

 Senate Bill 89 removes barriers in health care plans to allow patients to access smoking cessation treatments;

 Senate Bill 91, also known as Tims Law, is aimed at helping families of those with severe mental illness ensure that individual receives proper outpatient treatment;

 Senate Bill 107, setting up a due process to remove members from dysfunctional or non-compliant state boards, such as university boards;

 Senate Bill 120, comprehensive justice reform that also provides methods for reentry and employment access. I struggled with this bill because I felt it went too far by allowing Class C felons to participate in work release and day reporting programs. This language was removed at my request and I voted in favor of the bill. I believe as a state we must maintain the appropriate balance between rehabilitation opportunities and accountability for ones criminal actions. And, we must ALWAYS consider the victims in any criminal justice reform efforts;

 Senate Bill 136, which offers in-state tuition for all active members of the Kentucky National Guard whether or not they are official residents;

 Senate Bill 159, requiring all public high school students to pass a civics test in order to receive a regular diploma;

 Senate Bill 195, aligning the juvenile criminal record expungement process with that of last years House Bill 40, to allow for expungement of certain juvenile crimes. This is another bill I had concerns with; however, at my request the language in the bill was changed from, shall to, may, which will leave the decision in a judges hands. So for those young people who are truly trying to recover from a mistake and move forward in a positive direction (i.e. college or military), it is now possible for certain criminal convictions to be expunged.

 And Senate Bill 236, allowing for more thorough background checks on potential child care providers.

Multiple House bills also headed to the Governors desk for his signature:

 House Bill 38, known as the Playground Protection Act, prohibits sex offender registrants from being on the grounds of a publicly owned playground without explicit permission from a local legislative body;

 House Bill 410 allows citizens to obtain a voluntary travel ID that complies with federal security standards aligning with military bases and domestic flight travel, and does not allow for the retaining of birth certificate information. This bill will alleviate concerns many of you have expressed regarding id requirements when traveling;

 And House Bill 156 promotes outdoor recreation and tourism development by establishing the Kentucky Mountain Regional Recreation Authority, while its committee substitute creates the Kentucky Coal Fields Endowment Authority to aid in economic development in coal-based counties.

Wednesday, March 15, marked Day 28 of the 2017 Session of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Senate is adjourned until March 29 and this brief period of time is known as the veto period, during which Governor Bevin can veto any legislation that comes to his desk. When we return on March 29, however, the General Assembly has the power to override the Governors vetoes, as long as the legislation was passed before the beginning of the veto period.

We will still likely pass a few more bills on March 29 and 30, so I encourage you to continue watching the movement of legislation. It is an honor to serve you in Frankfort, and I look forward continuing to work on your behalf in the General Assembly.

If you have any questions or comments about these issues or any other public policy issue, please call me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181 or email me at danny.carroll@lrc.ky.gov. You can also review the Legislatures work online at www.lrc.ky.gov.





Note: Senator Danny Carroll (R-Paducah) represents the 2nd District encompassing Ballard, Carlisle, Marshall and McCracken counties. Senator Carroll serves as the chairman of the Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government, as well as the co-chair of the Program Review and Investigations Committee. He also serves as a member of the Appropriations and Revenue Committee, the Education Committee, the Budget Review Subcommittee on Education, the Health and Welfare Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and the Government Nonprofit Contracting Task Force.


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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/03/2017 (2059 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BALTIMORE  Ejected a decade ago from its place among the planets, the distant, icy world of Pluto still has its admirers.

The runt of the litter and ninth in line from the sun, Pluto was  for 75 years after its discovery  considered a peer of hefty Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. And then, one day it wasnt.

People like to root for the underdog, said Kirby Runyon, a Johns Hopkins University scientist behind a renewed effort to restore Plutos lost title.

KIM HAIRSTON / BALTIMORE SUN Kirby Runyon, a scientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, is behind a push to make Pluto a planet again.

Runyon and some leading planetary scientists have launched what might be the best shot in years at returning the icy rock now known as a dwarf planet to what they consider its rightful orbital place. And Pluto wouldnt be the only one up for a promotion.

Its advocates generous definition of a planet would include Earths moon and crowd the cosmic neighbourhood with 110 planets. The matter will be considered next week at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas.

Runyon, 31, a doctoral candidate in planetary geology, recently waded into a long-simmering debate with the biggest names in astronomy.

This is really just a Pluto-nostalgia thing dressed up like science, said renowned planet hunter Mike Brown, an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology, who literally wrote the book on Plutos ouster, called How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming.

The Pluto-huggers think this is their chance.

Plutos popularity surged after a NASA flyby in the summer of 2015 revealed ice mountains, hazy clouds, canyons and cliffs, capturing imaginations everywhere. Images even revealed evidence of volcanoes. Admirers among the public were invited to suggest mythology-themed names for these Earth-like features.

Dear Pluto, lookin good. But youre still a dwarf planet  get over it. Love, Neil deGrasse Tyson, the celebrity astrophysicist and director of Hayden Planetarium in New York City, wrote on Twitter at the time.

Tyson and Brown gravitate toward the 237 astronomers who convened in Prague in August 2006 and voted Pluto out of the planet club. The controversial vote by the International Astronomical Union  157 members were opposed  rewrote the universal definition of the planet. Overnight, Pluto was relegated to dwarf planet status.

The unions new criteria required a full planet must clear the neighbourhood around its orbit, meaning it must gravitationally dominate its surroundings and slingshot away debris.

This was a Hail Mary attempt on the part of the IAU to declassify Pluto, Runyon said.

No planet has totally cleared its orbit.

Even mighty Jupiter has a cloud of asteroids. The strength of a planets slingshot forces decrease as it gets farther from the sun. Earth wouldnt clear the debris way in Plutos neighbourhood, Runyon wrote.

So he co-authored and proposed a new definition with scientist Alan Stern, the principal investigator for NASAs Pluto flyby.

Among planetary scientists, almost no one considers it anything but laughable, Stern said. The astronomers went into an area they dont own or know very much about, and they made a mess of it.

Here lies the rift over the Pluto identity: on one side, astronomers, and on the other, planetary scientists.

If youre off in the woods and need emergency brain surgery, but the only doctor around is a foot doctor, you better say your prayers, Stern said. This is what happened: the podiatrists got hold of the brain surgery of planetary science.

Brown, the Pluto killer, discovered in 2005 another shape in that far-flung neighbourhood, and it was the densest one yet. His discovery of Eris, a little smaller but denser than Pluto, partly prompted the International Astronomical Union to reconsider what makes a planet, well, a planet and rewrite the definition.

The only reason Pluto was ever considered a planet was because people were grossly mistaken with how big it was, Brown said.

The New York Times reported the discovery in 1930 with an article suggesting Pluto could be bigger than Jupiter  it wasnt. In the following decades, the perceived size of Pluto would shrink and shrink.

Now Pluto is understood to be roughly the size of North America. One could line 59 Plutos across Jupiters equator. By volume, more than 200,000 Plutos could fit inside Jupiter. Plutos closest neighbour is Neptune.

The only reason Pluto was ever considered a planet was because people were grossly mistaken with how big it was  astronomer Mike Brown

If Neptune were a Chevy Impala parked at the curb, ask yourself what car would Pluto be? It would be a matchbox car, Tyson said in an interview with TV host and comedian Stephen Colbert. During his appearance, Tyson wore a planetary necktie that omitted Pluto.

If its not on a casual accessory owned by Neil deGrasse Tyson; its not worth knowing, Colbert quipped. Forget it, forget it, who cares?

Al Tombaugh sure does. His father was just 24 years old and farm-raised, the sort who taught himself to build telescopes and scout distant space, when he spotted Pluto in February 1930 from Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz. Clyde Tombaugh became the first American to discover a planet, and he would die about 10 years before his find was reclassified as a dwarf.

His son, Al, learned of the vote when a reporter called soon after.

It caught me completely off-guard, me and my mother and my sister, said Tombaugh, a retired banker and contractor in New Mexico. Its just tremendously flawed, and its unfortunate it was ever brought for a vote It took (Pluto) out of the public view.

Plutos fans at New Mexico State University carried picket signs proclaiming Size doesnt matter! The debate spilled into popular culture with cartoons of a sad-eyed pup beside Mickey Mouse. There were petitions and ironic T-shirts: Its okay, Pluto. Im not a planet either. The defiant city council in Madison, Wis., adopted a resolution declaring Pluto Madisons ninth planet.

Science teachers around the world changed lessons, took down posters, added disclaimers to textbooks.

The students got it. Theyre not as emotional about it as the adults and teachers were. Some of them were fighting mad over it, said Tim Kent, who runs a travelling space lab for Baltimore County schools. I understand why they did it. There may be 2,000 rocks out there. How can you call them all planets?

The reworked International Astronomical Union definition maintains old requirements that planets must orbit the sun and have enough mass and gravity to wrap themselves into a ball.

If you look at the solar system with fresh eyes, Brown said, you realize there are eight dominant bodies, and everything else is being pushed around by these eight bodies.

Runyon, however, proposed a definition that dramatically eases the standards: Round objects in space that are smaller than stars, he wrote.

But theres an exact science packed in that simplicity. Any round planet must possess enough mass and gravity to pull itself into a sphere. Tiny Pluto meets this criteria, and so does Jupiter.

Nobody is going to say a hummingbird femur isnt a femur just because its little, Runyon said.

He isnt asking the International Astronomical Union to accept his definition. He hopes it catches on among science teachers and students. The astronomers are more concerned with the external orbit-clearing forces, he said.

If planets were people, the IAU would define people on who they hung out with and what bars they visited versus who they are on the inside, he said.

Its a message he hopes resonates with admirers everywhere of one former runty, underdog planet.

 Baltimore Sun
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/03/2017 (2059 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Geert Wilders larger-than-expected defeat in Wednesdays Dutch election sets up a disappointing year for nationalist populists, who only last year appeared to have centrist elites on the run. But while its fine to celebrate Dutch good sense, its also useful to keep in mind the problems that nearly handed Wilders a win are not going away.

A year ago, Wilders anti-immigrant, anti-European Union party, PVV, appeared poised to win a large plurality in the election despite having no local political offices or campaign machine. It was almost certain even then Wilders wouldnt get a chance to govern because other big parties had refused to co-operate with him after a minority cabinets failed attempt to work with the PVV in 2011. His election victory, however, would have further energized fellow nationalists in France, Germany and Italy, already encouraged by Brexit and Donald Trumps election.

Wilders barely managed to win second place with only 20 seats in the 150-member parliament last week. That can hardly be held up as an inspiring example; being beaten by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, a centre-right politician known for his tendency to flip-flop, is a particular humiliation for the Dutch nationalist, one of the pioneers of the global nationalist movement.

MARKUS SCHREIVER / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Activists celebrate Hollands election results in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Thursday.

From a practical rather than symbolic point of view, the Dutch parliament will have an almost two-thirds pro-EU majority. Given the Netherlands strong economic ties with the United Kingdom, thats a post-Brexit vote of confidence on the union and in Germany, the countrys biggest trading partner. Essentially, old centrist parties and the surging GreenLeft, propelled to a strong performance by its young, charismatic leader Jesse Klaver, can simply ignore the minority that either wants the Netherlands out of the EU or demands major reforms of the bloc.

The high turnout that helped Rutte to victory shows a populist threat can mobilize voters more or less happy with the status quo. Its a good sign for the second round of the French presidential election in May.

Still, its useful to remember how Rutte won this election. This political chameleon successfully invaded Wilders territory by demanding Muslim immigrants act normal or leave. He sealed his advantage by flying into battle with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who wanted the Netherlands to open its doors to his proxies campaigning ahead of an April referendum designed to hand Erdogan dictatorial powers. The unceremonious removal of one of the proxies, a female Turkish government minister, from Dutch territory was a Wilders-style move  only Rutte, unlike his populist rival, could actually make it because he had the executive power.

The new Dutch parliament will not have a pro-immigration or pro-immigrant majority. Anti-immigration sentiment runs deep in Dutch society; I saw it on a recent trip to cover the election campaign. Its not a flash-in-the-pan protest, a chance wind in Wilders sails. A number of other parties, including Ruttes VVD, are in favour of tighter immigration controls and a more demanding approach to integrating newcomers, which would make it harder for Middle Easterners and North Africans to keep their Muslim identity. Multiculturalism  or the uniquely Dutch version of it that cultivates indifference to how other distinct communities live  is out.

The pro-immigration Dutch left, and its boy wonder Klaver, is talking about making sure foreign-born people feel theyre part of society. That, too, requires more than the time-honoured live-and-let-live approach. Theres a divide between lighter- and darker-skinned Dutch that needs a conscious effort to bridge, and while centrist and leftist forces can celebrate their collective victory over Wilders, they dont agree on how to fix the underlying problem. Immigrants themselves wont help them much: They are not inclined to trust any politicians, even those from their own midst. That explains the poor showing of the immigrant-led Denk party.

The worst thing that can happen is the integration problem will be swept under the rug in the wake of Wilders defeat. If so, in the next election cycle it may resurface in the form of a less extravagant and more electorally attractive far-right challenge. The right-wing intellectual Thierry Baudet, who only formed his party last September, managed to get into parliament Wednesday; theres a lot of room for universally acceptable politicians on that flank, and plays will be made for the space.

Brexit and Trump made many people worry all rules are out the window and the populist wave is unstoppable. Continental Europes electoral systems, however, are designed to blunt radical challenges to level-headed leadership. The political fragmentation and the better representation it provides is in itself a powerful obstacle to the success of Wilders, Marine Le Pens National Front in France or the AfD in Germany. Its an advantage the continental democracies have over the U.S. and the U.K., and it may be enough to protect the centrist status quo this year.

But the changing demographics in Europe means centrist politicians cant count on it for many election cycles to come. As a reminder, Wilders tweeted Wednesday night: Rutte is not rid of me yet.

PETER DEJONG / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders casts his vote Wednesday in The Hague.

It will take a clear new understanding of the EUs functions and potential in order for pro-EU forces to keep winning.

A lot will depend on how the EU handles Brexit: the Dutch may be turned away by a punitive approach on the blocs part and encouraged to consider the Nexit option if the U.K. does well initially as a standalone nation-state.

It will also take progress on integration  or consensus on tougher border policies  to take the immigration issue off the agenda for the next elections, not just in the Netherlands but throughout Europe. If none of this happens, not much stands between Europe and Trump-style upheavals.

Leonid Bershidsky is a Bloomberg View columnist. He was the founding editor of the Russian business daily Vedomosti and founded the opinion website Slon.ru.

 Bloomberg
Art and liberal education

The motif of this article is propelled by two contexts. I am using motif for the subject from the register of language used in art reviews.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  The son of a 98-year-old Minnesota man sought by Polish authorities in connection with a Nazi massacre reiterated Saturday that his father is innocent and asked that evidence against him be released.

A court in Poland issued an arrest warrant for Michael Karkoc earlier this week, opening the way for Poland to seek his extradition from the U.S. on war crimes charges. The AP had previously identified Karkoc as an ex-commander in an SS-led unit that burned Polish villages and killed civilians in World War II.

Karkocs son, Andriy Karkoc, called on U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken to intervene in his fathers case on legal and humanitarian grounds and to investigate the source of the evidence against him, which Andriy Karkoc says was fabricated by Russian intelligence.

The Associated Press and the KGB may provide something they say is proof, he said. But what they cannot provide is something that is true. My father was, is, and remains an innocent man.

AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton said the AP stands by its stories, calling them well-documented and thoroughly reported.

A spokesman for Klobuchar says the senator believes the matter should be addressed in the criminal justice system, not the U.S. Senate. Franken was traveling from northern Minnesota to Washington on Saturday and was unavailable for comment.

Earlier this week, prosecutors from the Institute of National Remembrance in Poland said evidence shows that American citizen Michael K. was a commander of a unit in the SS-led Ukrainian Self Defense Legion that raided eastern Polands village of Chlaniow in July 1944, killing 44 people, including women and children.

Judge Dariusz Abramowicz said the regional court in Lublin issued an arrest warrant based on 13 volumes of evidence, including documents from the U.S., Germany and Ukraine and from Polands archives. He said that the evidence was strong enough to seek arrest.

Andriy Karkoc said his father served honorably with the Ukrainian Self Defense Legion, and the actions of other people in the unit might be at issue, but his father cant be judged guilty by association.

A prosecutor in Lublin, Jacek Nowakowski, said on Polish TVP 3 station earlier this week that signatures from Nazi times and an application for a U.S. visa are among various pieces of evidence that helped identify the man.

Polands decision to issue an arrest warrant comes four years after the AP published a story establishing that Michael Karkoc commanded the unit, based on wartime documents, testimony from other members of the unit and Karkocs own Ukrainian-language memoir. The AP also established Karkoc lied to American immigration officials to get into the United States a few years after the war.

A second report uncovered evidence that Karkoc himself ordered his men in 1944 to attack a Polish village in which dozens of civilians were killed, contradicting statements from his family that he was never at the scene.

It wasnt immediately clear when Polands Justice Ministry would write the extradition motion, which would then be handled by the U.S. Justice Department.

Andriy Karkoc has said his father suffers from Alzheimers disease, but Abramowicz said there was no information to suggest that health conditions could hamper Karkoc from standing trial in Poland.

German prosecutors also began investigating Karkoc after the APs 2013 story. In 2015, they concluded there was enough evidence to pursue murder charges, but they shelved their investigation, deciding Karkoc was unfit to stand trial.

Andriy Karkoc called on authorities to end the baseless attacks on his father. He said hell forward information he has collected to the U.S. Department of Justice and Secretary of State, in hopes that his father can receive justice in the U.S.

The Associated Press and the KGB may provide something they say is proof. But what they cannot provide is something that is true. My father was, is, and remains an innocent man. Andriy Karkoc
It is time, once again, to explain journalism to Fox News.

In a way, thats disappointing. After all, that networks Shepard Smith has emerged as something of a journalistic hero lately, repeatedly standing up to Donald Trumps administration for its attempts to undermine and delegitimize the news media. Its been a stirring performance  and a pleasant surprise to those of us who long ago wrote the network off as just the propaganda arm of the Republican Party.

But Fox is still Fox. For proof, look no further than a peculiar little story that aired last week on Fox & Friends.

Media bias on full display! chirped the report breathlessly. Newspapers now cashing in on T-shirts splashed with anti-President Trump rhetoric!

So what, you ask, are these terrible anti-Trump slogans?

From The Washington Post: Democracy Dies in Darkness.

From The Los Angeles Times: Journalism Matters.

From The Chicago Tribune: Speaking Truth To Power Since 1847.

As anti-Trump rhetoric goes, they sure sound a lot like journalistic boilerplate. Makes you wonder if anyone at Fox ran this piece past Shepard Smith. Probably not. Surely he would have explained to them that these slogans simply celebrate a basic principle of journalism: News media exist to ferret out truth and hold power to account. He might further have reminded them that this is supposed to be the prime directive, even at Fox.

He might even have asked: What does it say about that network, about Trump, about how upside down our world has become, when being pro-truth is decoded as being anti-Trump? People get awards for defending truth. They are lionized for it. Indeed, youll sometimes hear a journalist boast that her job is to report the truth without fear or favor.

Is that anti-Trump rhetoric, too?

Better question: does the essential quality of truth change depending upon whom it helps or hurts? Did some of us not get the joke when Stephen Colbert said that reality has a well-known liberal bias?

These questions are bigger than Fox, bigger than journalism, bigger, even, than Trumps pathetic attempt to impersonate a president. They are as big as the country itself. One is reminded of the famous line from A Few Good Men: You cant handle the truth!

What if thats right? What if we cant? What then? You cant run a democracy this way. Where truth is the enemy, a people cannot be free.

Yet in just the last few days, weve had the bizarre spectacle of the so-called president accusing his predecessor of wire-tapping him, based on no evidence whatsoever. Then his press secretary clarified by explaining that when Trump said wire-tapping, he didnt mean wire-tapping. Meantime, the attorney general clearly lied under oath. And Russia goes drip, drip, drip.

But someone at Fox thinks we should be up in arms because The Chicago Tribune celebrates journalism? Unreal.

Wherever Harry Truman went, people used to yell, Give em hell, Harry! for his blunt way of expressing himself. To which the 33rd president would reply: I never gave them hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell.

Trumans quip seems apropos to this standoff between news media and apologists like those at Fox & Friends seeking to normalize Donald Trump. It should be painfully clear by now that theyve set themselves an impossible mission.

You know youre in trouble when the truth looks like hell.
Disappointed in Rep. Pelowskis

vote against working people

As a Winona resident and constituent of state Rep. Gene Pelowski, I am very disappointed in his vote on March 2 in favor of HF 600, commonly known as the preemption bill.

This bill aims to take away the right of local governments to set their own standards for their communities on matters such as the minimum wage and earned sick time requirements. This legislation directly affects working people in Minnesota. It came about as a reaction to recent, successful organizing led by low-wage workers, primarily people of color, in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Both of those cities have recently passed strong sick leave ordinances, which preemption would eliminate, and workers are also currently organizing for minimum wage increases.

Minnesota lawmakers are now attempting to take away these hard-earned protections that were enacted through local activism and democracy. Rep. Pelowski was one of only two DFL representatives who joined with Republicans in voting for this bill. HF 600 does not directly benefit the residents of this district, and further, harms people elsewhere in Minnesota.

We must demand more from our government and accountability from our legislators.

Diane Leutgeb Munson

Winona
There has been no more maligned group of humans over the centuries than the Jews. It dates back to Egypt in the 13th century BCE (Moses) and continues through Persia in the 6th century BCE (Esther) and the Spanish Inquisition during the fifteenth century CE and the Holocaust in Nazi Germany in the twentieth century CE to the present day.

Jewish graves are desecrated, synagogues defaced and shoppers knifed or run over in the market.

In the Broadway musical Fiddler on a Roof, Tevye reflects on his harsh life in Anatevka and says to God, I know, I know. We are Your chosen people. But, once in a while, cant You choose someone else? This echoes the plaintive cry of the Hebrew people throughout the ages as they reflect on their life as both chosen and smitten.

The history of the Jewish people in America is a storied one of both promise and insult. The first Jewish congregation was established in New Amsterdam in 1654 during the early colonial period. Since then, due to a variety of factors, primary among them persecution and economic hardship in their home countries, the Jewish population in the United States has grown through immigration and citizenship to almost 7 million (approximately 2 percent of the US population).

At first the Sephardic Jews from Iberia came to America due to the Spanish Inquisition (15th century), but later the Ashkenazi Jews from central and eastern Europe outnumbered them, being driven from their homelands by pogrom after pogrom. (Read Elie Wiesels play The Trial of God.)

In his book The first Jews in the New World: The Dramatic Odyssey of the Early Jews into the Western Hemisphere, Joseph Heckelman observes that the violent and deadly antagonism against Jews in Europe was basically left in the Old World. There was little bloodshed or taking of life here.

However, he then recounts the many ways that Jews were treated as second class people by not allowing them to vote or hold public office and also by not counting them worthy as witnesses in court proceedings. There was a Virginia law in 1735 that prohibited Jews from having Christian servants. Indeed, a law of the times and thankfully now outlandish to consider today.

The Georgia legislature in 1770 showed disdain for the Jewish community by refusing them land to expand their cemetery, stating the Jews imbibed principles entirely repugnant to those of our own (Christian) religion.

These examples are indicative as to how Jews were considered different and not of equal human or civic status. Of course, there were exceptions in different states (South Carolina, for example, notably in Charleston), but this was common throughout the growing new nation until more recent times.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote The Jewish Cemetery in Newport as a tribute to the Jews who had come to the New World. How came they here? What burst of Christian hate,/ What persecution, merciless and blind,/ Drove oer the seathat desert desolate/ These Ishmaels and Hagars of mankind.

It is an on-going learning curve in America for us to be able to live together harmoniously, not only with those who are ethnically or religiously different than one is, but also with those who are politically of other persuasions, as recent, unfolding events prove today.

The words of George Washington in a letter written to Moses Seixas (keeper of the Newport, Rhode Island, synagogue) are an exhortation to all of us today regarding the mosaic pattern of our nations citizenry: May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while everyone shall sit in the safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid

To this may we all learn to say: Amen, Shalom, Salaam, Amena, Frieden, Pace, Paz, Vrede, Peace.

(Mark J. Molldrem is a writer, community volunteer, and daily host of Joy in the Morning on WBEV. He lives in Beaver Dam with his wife, Shirley. WordPowerSolutions@gmail.com)
MADISON  Columbus Mayor Kelly Crombie will continue to serve on Madison Colleges Board of Trustees.

The Board Appointment Committee also selected Fitchburg residents Elton Crim and Frances Huntley-Cooper to fill vacancies for terms beginning July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2020.

A board member since 2014, Crombie also serves on the Columbus Planning Commission, City of Columbus Investment Board, Columbus Community Development Authority, Columbus Water and Light Commission and the Greater Columbus Energy Commission. He is owner of the Crombie Law Office and Mullins Short Stop in Columbus. Crombie earned his doctorate degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Crim is a clinical professor of higher education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He holds a doctorate in higher education administration from Penn State University and a masters degree in public service management from DePaul University.

Huntley-Cooper first served on the board from July 2007 through June 2013. She was re-elected in July 2014 and has served as chair since 2015. Huntley-Cooper retired as an administrator in the Workers Compensation Division of the State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. A graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, Huntley-Cooper earned masters degrees in social work, public policy and administration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The Madison College District Board functions as the official link between the college and the community it serves. The board oversees and guides the college on governance issues, college organization and effectiveness and assesses the performance of the college president.

These appointments are contingent upon approval by the Wisconsin Technical College System Board at its May 9 meeting. Madison Colleges Board Appointment Committee is comprised of county board chairs within each of the counties that are part of Madison Colleges 12-county district. This committee meets annually to fill three vacancies on the District Board.

Madison College serves more than 40,000 students throughout a 12-county district in southcentral Wisconsin, offering more than 150 career programs and certificates.
Larson House assisted living, located at 550 River Road in Columbus, is adding a second building, which should be completed and ready for residents in the fall.

John Teresinski, the owner and managing director of the Larson House, said he decided to add a second building on an adjacent lot because the original building, which has 33 beds in it, is full and has a waiting list.

There is a growing demand and will continue to be for some time to come for assisted living, in Columbus and all over the state, Teresinski said.

The second building, which construction workers broke ground on two weeks ago, will have 28 beds, divided into two wings. One wing will be a CBRF  community based residential facility  like the current building. The other wing will be specifically for memory care.

Memory care is typically for people with more advanced Alzheimers, folks that have memory issues and typically wandering issues, Teresinski said. That part of the facility will be locked so folks cant wander off.

Each wing will have its own kitchen and dining room. There will be a central common area for administrative functions. All together the building will have 17,000 square-feet of space.

Teresinskis company, Platinum Communities, bought the Larson House in 2015. In addition to the Larson House, the company owns four other similar facilities in the state: a 49-bed residential apartment complex in Watertown, a 40-bed assisted living facility in Sheboygan, a 38-bed assisted living home in Milwaukee and a 50-bed assisted living community in Oak Creek.

Teresinski said he plans to start taking reservations for the new building this week.

For more information about the Larson House, call 920-623-5253 or visit the Platinum Communities website at http://platinum-communities.com/.
A woman who fell into the Wisconsin River from the Kilbourn Bridge in Wisconsin Dells on March 12 was quickly rescued by Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton first responders in what was termed a lifesaving effort.

Clinging to the cable and barrel warning system in front of the Kilbourn Dam on the Upper Dells, the woman was pulled from the river by Kilbourn Fire Department firefighters in their emergency boat.

She was transferred by Dells-Delton EMS staff to a medical helicopter and was in stable condition as of Thursday afternoon, according to Dells Police Lt. Perry Mayer.

Dells Police continue to investigate this incident, according to a department news release.

The woman, who has not been identified, was seen falling into the river after letting go of the railing along the bridge that carries County Highway 13/16 into downtown, according to the release.

After receiving reports that a person was standing outside the railing on the bridge, Dells police on arrival, witnessed an adult female letting go of the (bridge) railing and falling into the river.

The police immediately called Kilbourn firefighters and Dells-Delton EMS. The firefighters dispatched the rescue boat to the rivers edge via the trail that runs from the parking lot high above northeast bank, quickly launching the boat and heading to the woman toward the middle of the river.

The rescue crew pulled her into the boat and took her over to shore to get her help in the ambulance, according to Kilbourn Fire Chief Scott Walsh. EMS took over from there.

Dells police witnessed the womans fall after being dispatched to the scene by multiple reports of a person standing outside the railing on the Kilbourn Bridge over the river. She fell upon arrival, according to the news release.

After calling the fire department and Dells-Delton EMS, police tossed life preservers to the woman but she was not able to get them, the release said. Officers directed her to grab the safety cable and she did.

The bright orange cable and barrel system  which was installed by Alliant Energy to warn of the dams approach  was the key to saving this persons life today, the news release said.

Alliant Energy installed the safety system in July, according to spokeswoman Annemarie Newman, out of public safety concerns. Alliant Site Manager of Hydro and Gas Generation Amanda Blank said via email that the public safety concerns about the river are widely shared by the power company and government officials.

There was community consensus that the buoys are a good practice, Blank said. We worked with local, county and state officials to get the permits, find something that would withstand winters, and address safety issues in installation.

Walsh also credited the floating barrel and cable system with saving the woman from being carried over the dam.

The buoys (i.e. the barrels that keep the cable afloat) did their part, he said.

Dells police also thanked the Kilbourn firefighters, the Dells-Delton EMS and the Lake Delton Police Department for all their efforts at the scene.

A relatively low river and boating-safe current also contributed to the successful rescue, Walsh said.

The current was strong, but we assessed it and determined it was safe enough for us to put a boat on it, he said.
DPM Thapa urges SLMM to participate in local poll

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development Kamal Thapa has urged the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha to participate in the local poll.
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.




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EC move can ruin poll environment: Thapa

A sitting minister on Saturday warned that the Election Commission (EC) decision of striking down parts of his party statute can have serious implications and could ruin the environment for local level elections.
For over 50 years, the husband and wife team of Claudette and Roger Laliberte have been entertaining audiences with music of the French Canadian tradition with the show LEcho Musical.
Debate Over Plans to Axe One of Wrexhams Fire Engines to Take Place Tomorrow

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Mar 19th, 2017

A decision on controversial plans to axe one of Wrexhams full-time fire appliances is set to be made tomorrow.

Proposals to axe of the towns appliances was put forward by the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority in May 2016 in a bid to cut 1 million from its budget.

At the time it was noted that reducing the number of Wrexhams wholetime appliances was the least damaging option. If the proposals went ahead a total of 24 firefighters jobs would also be lost.

A public consultation titled Affordable fire and rescue services for North Wales launched in summer 2016 before concluding on December 12th.

Within the consultation four draft objectives were put forward, including: 

1. Continuing to keep people safe from Objective 1 fire in their homes

2. Taking a new approach to meeting Objective 2 the Authoritys costs

3. Protecting all our communities with Objective 3 better planning of firefighting crews

4. Exploring how we can do more things Objective 4 for our communities

Documents published ahead of the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authoritys meeting in Wrexhams Guildhall tomorrow morning, show that a total of 346 people responded to the online survey.

Almost half of the respondents stated they were from Wrexham County Borough.

A breakdown of the responses show that 34% of participants disagreed strongly with the statement: If we have to make do with one less fire engine, then it would make most sense to take it away from the fire station that has the most fire engines (i.e. from Wrexham, which is the only fire station in North Wales that has three fire engines).

A further 19.1% also disagreed with the statement. 17.3% agreed with the proposals while 9.7% strongly agreed. The remaining 19.8% were neutral.

In addition to the online consultation a further 27 responses were received  including comments from five County Councils, the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, two responses from Members of Parliament and an Assembly Member.

Of the 27 written responses 69% disagreed with the Authoritys proposal to remove one whole-time fire engine from a 24-hour shift fire station.

Across the region there was a mixed response to the proposals from local authorities, with both Flintshire County Council and Conwy County Council supporting all four of the objectives put forward by the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority.

Wrexham Council, although supporting two of the draft objectives put forward, stated that they are vehemently opposed to any proposal to remove a fire engine from the town.

A number of specific concerns about the proposals to axe one of Wrexhams wholetime appliances were raised, including the expected population growth, the opening of HMP Berwyn, the size of the Wrexham Industrial Estate and issues with arson.

Commenting on the concerns, Some concern was expressed that removing a wholetime fire engine

from a large town like Wrexham would leave the local population vulnerable and the Service unable to deal with its workload.

The Authority acknowledges the concerns in the Wrexham area, and has consistently stated that it was with great reluctance that it came to the conclusion that it would need to remove a whole-time fire appliance in order to secure the necessary savings.

However, the number of fire engines and their location is a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority to determine for its own area, based on known risks and affordability.

Comparisons show that one whole-time and one retained fire engine in Wrexham would not only

match the provision at Deeside and Rhyl, for example, but would also be consistent with fire cover provision elsewhere in Wales and in other towns and cities of comparable size in the United Kingdom.

The Authority has a duty to ensure that its resources are used as effectively as possible to provide affordable services for the whole of North Wales. This proposal would ensure that a wholetime and a retained fire engine would still be based in Wrexham, and that no community would see its fire station close.

A debate on the proposals put forward by the authority will take place at a meeting at the Guildhall in Wrexham at 10:30am on Monday 20th March. The meeting is open to the public.

You can read the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authoritys full report on the consultation and its findings, here.
Electrifying story

Nepal is traditionally known as being rich in hydropower. The steep gradient of the terrain makes Nepals rivers excellent sources of hydroelectricity.
Fire destroys 3 houses in Dang

A fire that broke out at Amiliya in Lamahi Municipality-9, Dang, destroyed three houses and a shed on Friday night.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent handcuffs a immigration rules violator at an ICE office and holding area in Yakima Nov. 28, 2007 before taking him and other violators to Tacoma. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic file)
HELENA - Neither of Montanas U.S. senators have advertised many of their public appearances in recent years as town halls  until now.

Many people have developed a special interest in town halls since a congressional recess in February, when some Republicans in Congress returned home to hostile crowds demanding to meet face to face at the events.

Although Republican Sen. Steve Daines was Montanas only U.S. senator being badgered by protesters at that time, neither he nor Democratic Sen. Jon Tester advertised any of their public appearances during the recess as an official town hall.

In response to a request for a list of all town halls held since Daines assumed office on Jan. 3, 2015, the senators office provided information on dozens of public appearances where he has met with citizens and taken questions. However, a March 21, 2016 appearance in Colstrip as part of his 10-city Made-in-Montana Energy Tour was the only one of those officially billed as a town hall.

Testers staff also pointed to a host of in-person appearances since the beginning of 2015, though its unclear whether the term town hall was used to advertise any of those held prior to last months congressional recess. But Tester has held two face-to-face events officially billed as town halls since then: one on March 4 in Great Falls and one on March 17 in Helena.

Though Testers staff wouldnt say whether they are now using that wording because of the national attention town halls are receiving, a political scientist at Carroll College said that would be a smart move.

The nomenclature I think is very important right now, the actual language, because it has become an issue of which politicians are and which politicians are not holding town halls, said Jeremy Johnson, associate professor of political science at the college.

Even if they called their events listening sessions or something else in the past, he said, Its politically astute for a politician to call a forum a town hall.

Tester spokesperson Marnee Banks said the number of calls, emails and letters his office received in January of this year was six times greater than what was received in January 2016. These folks are asking for face time with their elected leaders, Jon is delivering that just as he always does, she wrote in an email.

'A civil conversation'

Tester and all Democrats in Congress are better positioned to hold town halls because the Republicans are on the defensive as a result of their power in Washington, Johnson said.

Its the flip of what happened in 2009 and 2010. The Democrats had unified control of Washington, D.C. and Democrats were on the defensive at town halls, he said. Now Republicans control the power, so theyre the ones who are really on the hot seat.

After his Feb. 21 appearances at the Montana Capitol, where he briefly took a few questions amid a crowd of protesters, Daines told Lee Newspapers of Montana that he doubted an in-person Q&A where they could ask follow-up questions would be productive. He said he already understands the concerns of those who are protesting, calling and emailing him, and he criticized organized movements intended to put pressure on Republican leaders by shouting them down in town halls.

Thats not what Montanans are about. Maybe for some pockets in Missoula, Bozeman and Helena, but generally Montanans say, No, he said at that time. Were about having a civil conversation, a back and forth. Im not sure that will be the outcome with some of these folks.

Johnson said a town hall held by Daines or other Republicans could be productive, but it could also be politically damaging right now.

If you know people are going to be really angry at you, you might not want to have that broadcast so people can watch it across the whole nation if something blows up at a town hall, he said.   Theres no way to look good in such a situation.

Traveling the state

Regardless of what wording was used to describe their events, the offices of both senators defended their record of meeting with their constituents throughout Montana.

The information provided by Daines offices shows he has participated in roundtable discussions on a variety of topics in Bozeman, Missoula, Great Falls and Columbia Falls; a 56-county tour where he met with community leaders and constituents; and numerous special observances across the state.

Since Sen. Daines was elected to the senate, he has met with Montanans at various locations in all 56 counties of Montana, including coffee shops, small businesses, schools, parks, refineries, at the base of the North Fork, factories, and many other venues, said Katie Waldman, a spokesperson for Daines. He enjoys speaking with Montanans, hearing whats on their minds and answering questions, whether that be in person, on social media or tele-town halls.

The information from Testers office showed he has held listening sessions in Helena, Billings, Flathead, Missoula, Havre, Roundup and Bozeman in recent years. The dozens of other public appearances detailed by his office included roundtables in Helena, Columbia Falls and Missoula, and a variety of other events and observances throughout the state.

Though they may be called by different names, Banks said, any events that are publicly advertised and open to public comment or Q&A are considered town halls. She said Tester also regularly meets with Montanans one-on-one, and he gets back to Montana nearly every weekend and travels extensively throughout the state making himself available to his constituents.

Jons going to continue holding public events moving forward, she said. I think that hes been very clear that getting out and meeting face-to-face with Montanans is really important, and those face-to-face meetings are incredibly important to getting critical feedback.

Turning to technology

In addition to their in-person events, both of Montanas senators have also turned to technology for many of their town hall meetings. Daines has held 14 town halls via phone since he became a senator, while Testers staff listed five held by phone and two on Facebook in that time.

While these types of events allow politicians to say they are listening to their constituents, Johnson said, it also lets them avoid the possibility of something caught on video that could be very embarrassing.

Up to 200,000 Montanans have been dialed and up to 30,000 households have participated in individual telephone town halls held by Daines recently, his staff said. During his Feb. 16 "tele-Town Hall," Daines said the telephone discussions are more efficient than in-person events and that he reaches people from all Montana counties every two years.

Daines' staff also said he uses Facebook Live to broadcast from a number of events, including Inauguration Day and a surprise ceremony for a retiring undersheriff.

Up to 70,000 Montanans have been dialed and up to 12,000 have participated in individual telephone town halls held by Tester recently, his staff said. While some of Testers telephone town halls targeted specific demographics, such as seniors and sportsmen, others were not specific to any particular issue.

During tele town halls, Jon dials out to a specific number of Montanans (usually while he is stuck in DC on Senate business) to discuss a wide range of issues, a statement from his office said.   Jon tries to host a tele town hall between 3-5 times a year, almost always from his office in Washington, D.C.

Testers staff said 900 people participated in more than 80 percent Testers latest town hall held on Facebook Live, and more than 27,000 people have watched the video that remained on his page. People can type out questions for the senator during these events, and he answers some of them live.

Jons staff recommended he do a Facebook Live to connect with younger Montanans, who generally did not participate in tele town halls, his staff wrote. This Facebook Live was advised as specifically for Montana millennials.
Upper Karnali Hydropower Project: Korean firm keen on equity partnership

A Korean state-owned hydropower project developer has expressed interest to partner with GMR Upper Karnali Hydropower Limited to develop 900 MW Upper Karnali Hydropower Project.
Former head of the Arrow anti-ballistic missile project, Uzi Rubin, expressed his satisfaction with the system's performance over the weekend, after it successfully intercepted an incoming Syrian surface-to-air missile.

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"I wasn't surprised when I heard about what happened, it was obvious the Arrow would work. There was no doubt. Despite preceding the rest of the world in this project, we had to deal with critics who claimed it wouldn't work."

Arrow-3 missile test (:   ",  )

X

While it was able to shoot down the obsolete projectile, the Arrow system is designed to intercept much larger and more significant missile threats.

Uzi Rubin (Photo: Yoav Zitun)

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is investigating whether or not the launch was entirely necessary given that the SA-5 (S-200) is a largely obsolete weapon that officials aren't even sure would have endangered an Israeli community. The question is whether the system's threat recognition mechanism simply sought to entirely avoid undue risk.

A look at the Arrow

The Arrow project began in 1988 as part of the Israeli contribution to US President Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiativealso known as the 'Star Wars' planto intercept ballistic missiles.

The US provided funding for the system's development and production.

Arrow (Photo: Ministry of Defense)

The system went online and entered service in 2000 as the Arrow-1 and continued to be developed throughout the years, with the Arrow-3, which has the ability to intercept missiles in space, being the most updated version.

"We wrote the book in many areas of this field and there was simply no one to learn from," Rubin said. "But we had vision and belief from previous projects we had undertaken and one of the best teams to ever work for the Ministry of Defense and the entire security apparatus.

"The US help with funding helped us get over any domestic opposition to the project. One of the biggest achievements of the project was the development of the system's radar, which was seriously innovative for its time," explained Rubin.

Arrow-3 (Photo: Ministry of Defense)

In addition to the Arrow, the US was funding its own anti-ballistic missile system, the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense), which is currently being deployed in South Korea, much to China's chagrin.

"At the time, it was very uncomfortable that our system was succeeding and theirs was encountering difficulty. After each of our tests, I would go to Washington to present the results and it would be particularly uncomfortable if they had recently logged unsuccessful tests.

"However, eventually the Arrow assisted in the development of THAAD and the system is extremely successful," said Rubin.

Almost 20 years passed since the Arrow entered service with the IAF before Israel confirmed operational deployment. "It is a happy event, but I wish we wouldn't have needed to use it, because this is a strategic system," said Rubin.

(Translated and edited by Fred Goldberg)
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) on Sunday morning called on Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu) to leave the coalition and form an alternative government with him.

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On Saturday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to go to early elections amid his ongoing feud with Kahlon over the new Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC).

The threat, which came after Netanyahu changed his mind about the IPBC and argued it should be shut down before it even starts broadcasting, led to a firestorm in the political system.

Herzog at Ynet's studio (Photo: Ori Davidovitz)

"We can change governments in this current Knesset," Herzog told Ynet. "Over 61 MKs would love to see Netanyahu go home."

"People have been talking behind the scenes for a long time," the opposition leader claimed. "The political system has had enough of Netanyahu's behavior a lot time ago. It's insufferable."

Herzog said he spoke to Kahlon on the matter more than once over the past 24 hours. "We've agreed to examine all sorts of options, including a constructive vote of no confidence, which means an alternative government (without going to elections)," he said. "We can create a coalition in various different ways."

The opposition leader claimed he was willing to examine any candidate to replace Netanyahu as prime minister. "Kahlon can clearly be an alternative candidate, but there are others. I'll also talk to (Yair) Lapid and others."

Kahlon and Netanyahu (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

"People need to put away their ego," he argued. "I've proven that I know how to break egos to try and lead the country in a different direction. That's my advantage, I believe in an alternative, sane Zionist bloc that could lead the country instead of Netanyahu."

Herzog accused the prime minister of "spending days thinking what to do with the IPBC while the situation in the north and the south escalates. Netanyahu doesn't care about the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) employees, it's all coming from a different place: From the investigations against him and to pressure from (US President) Trump."

Netanyahu, Herzog claim, "has a sick obsession with the media."

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud), meanwhile, tried to douse the flames, saying there is no support in the ruling Likud party for Netanyahu's move to go to early elections.

"There is no reason to hold early elections," Katz claimed in an interview with Ynet. "There are no disagreements within the coalition over fundamental issues. You don't go to early elections over a dispute regarding the media. This sort of thing necessitates a solution, not creating a climate that would lead to elections."

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Photo: Marc Israel Sellem)

Katz said there were no consultations among the party leadership on the matter, nor were any decisions made to that end. "If such a discussion is held, I'll make my position heard and I'm convinced I won't be the only one of that opinion."

He argued that government stability and continuity was vital in light of the regional developments in Syria and Lebanon and the internal challenges Israel faces.

But while Katz tried to downplay the discord in the coalition, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin (Likud), who also serves as liaison between the Knesset and the government, characterized the argument between Netanyahu and Kahlon over the IPBC as a "real crisis."

On Saturday, the prime minister held a meeting with Likud Ministers Levin, Miri Regev and Tzachi Hanegbi and Coalition Chairman David Bitan. The general consensus of the meeting was that the IPBC should not be allowed to start broadcasting, and that the feud between Netanyahu and Kahlon cannot be allowed to continue.

"If we can't reach an agreement with Kahlonwe'll go to elections," Netanyahu warned during the meeting.

Kahlon himself has yet to officially respond, but sources close to him said that "If Netanyahu wants electionsKahlon is not worried. The IPBC will be erected just as it was agreed on."

Before leaving for a state visit to China, Netanyahu took to Facebook to address the ongoing crisis. "Governments exist based on coalition agreements," he wrote. "The coalition agreement clearly states that all parties are bound by the Likud's decisions on communications, including closing down the IPBC. It cannot be that the Likud partywith 30 seats at the Knessethonor all of the coalition agreements of smaller parties, even on topics we disagree on... while we it comes to our agreementsthat are important to the Likud and to methey're not being honored. This is unacceptable."

Netanyahu and wife Sara leave for a state visit to China (Photo: Haim Tzah, GPO)

During the meeting with the Likud ministers, they presented Netanyahu with the data concerning the IBA's restructure, claiming that it won't require any further spending, and is therefore out of the Kahlon's jurisdiction, since the finance minister cannot interfere in any law concerning communications which doesnt require funding.

"I changed my opinion following a meeting I held with IBA workers yesterday," Netanyahu wrote on Facebook. "In the meeting I listened to heart-wrenching stories about experiences and dedicated workers sent home because of the IPBC.

"In addition to that, it was revealed during the meeting that, contrary to data by the Finance Ministry, the cost of keeping the IBA running is tens of millions of shekels cheaper than erecting the IPBC. So what do we even need it for?"

Culture Minister Miri Regev raised a similar argument in Ynet's studio on Sunday morning, saying "When there's no implementation of coalition agreements, we can't go on. Today it's about the IPBC, tomorrow it would be about Amona, and the next day it would be about something else. A government can only function and govern when coalition agreements are honored."

She further argued that "we'll go to elections over principle. Those who say we want to go to elections because of the IPBC fail to see the bigger picture."

MK Yoav Kisch (Likud) noted that while "no one has the desire to go to elections, the matter is in Kahlon's hands. He needs to understand he deviated from coalition agreements. The Treasury needs to understand it is not the one running the country."

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, whose party joined the coalition over a year after it was formed, said Sunday that "Elections is the last thing the people of Israel need at this time. I hope a compromise is found; there is no reason to dismantle the current coalition."

(Translated and edited by Yaara Shalom)
Jamaa Azbarga, 59, of Lakiya, will be sworn in on Sunday as a member Knesset from the Joint List, replacing MK Basel Ghattas

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Azbarga, a father of nine, is a former employee of the Maccabi Healthcare Services and was responsible to promote ties between the healthcare provider and the Bedouin sector prior to his retirement four years ago.

Jamaa Azbarga

Azbarga, like Ghattas, belongs to the Balad party, which is considered a more extreme faction within the Joint List.

Ghattas signed a plea deal with prosecutors in which he admitted to smuggling cellphones and SIM cards to Palestinian security prisoners. He will serve two years in prison.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened Sunday to destroy Syria's air defense apparatus if it targets Israeli fighter jets again after the Assad regime tried to shoot down Israeli Air Force (IAF) planes over the weekend.

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"We have no interest in interfering in the Syrian civil war, not for nor against (President Bashar) Assad, and we have no interest in clashing with the Russians," Lieberman clarified during a visit to the IDF induction center.

"Our main problem is with the transfer of advanced weapons from Syria to Lebanon. That is why every time we identify an attempt to smuggle game-changing weapons, we will act to thwart it. There will be no compromise on this issue," the defense minister stressed.

Lieberman at the IDF induction center (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Israeli Arrow anti-aircraft missiles were used to intercept a Syrian S-200 missile fired at IAF jets that returned to Israeli territory after attacking targets in Syria on Friday night.

"Next time, if the Syrian aerial defense apparatus acts against our planes, we will destroy it," Lieberman said. "We won't hesitate. Israel's security is above everything else; there will be no compromise."

Lieberman at the IDF induction center (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Similarly, he said, the IDF will respond to any rocket fire coming from the Gaza Strip "with force."

"We'll cut down Hamas's capabilities, we're not willing to tolerate any provocation," Lieberman said. "We won't take money from the Israeli taxpayer to invest in electricity and water for the strip, while they are investing their money in tunnels."

New recruits at the IDF induction center (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

The defense minister also addressed his ongoing feud with Education Minister Naftali Bennett over disparaging remarks made by Rabbi Yigal Levinstein about women in the IDF. Lieberman called on the rabbi to resign and threatened to halt Defense Ministry recognition of the rabbi's pre-army preparatory yeshiva, which angered Bennett.

"The IDF presents a variety of optionsfrom Caracal (a co-ed battalion) to the Haredi Nahal (for ultra-Orthodox soldiers). Everyone has a place," Lieberman determined. "This sweeping attack against women is unreasonable. We've tried to avoid friction with Levinstein. We've forgiven him twice before (for similar comments) and dragged our feet on this. A third time is too much."

Lieberman added that Rabbi Levinstein will face a disciplinary hearing, in accordance with a legal opinion in the Defense Ministry.

(Translated and edited by Yaara Shalom)
The two military incidents over the weekend, both on the Syrian front and on the Gazan front although unrelatedpoint to the fact that the relative calm along the borders in the past few years, which has become a symbol of security stability and Israel's deterrence abilities, is gradually wearing out.

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So far, the logic behind IDF operations along the borders was that Israel must do everything in its power to avoid a military conflict. This led to the creation of an equation: On the one hand, Israel acted over the weekend to curb the transfer of long-range and accurate weapons from Syria to Hezbollah and to damage Hamas's infrastructure and capabilities in the Gaza Strip ; on the other hand, Israel made sure not to push the enemy into a corner that would force it to respond in a way that could lead to an all-out conflict.

In recent weeks, however, Israel itself has been putting this equation to the test. It seems as if there is someone on our side who wont be too sorry to see the security issue reclaim the headlines.

Remains of the intercepted Syrian projectile in Jordan

The weekend events in the north indicate that Israel is striking in Syria not only to curb the Iranian arms convoys to Hezbollah, but also to demonstrate its presence in Syria and make it clear, especially to the Russians, that there will be no agreement in Syria without Israel's input.

According to the Syrian armys announcement, the Israel Air Force attacked the T4 airport, between Homs and Palmyra, a particularly sensitive area as far as the Russians are concerned, as the Syrian military recently completed a successful attack in the area with massive Russian aid. The airstrike and the interception of the Syrian anti-aircraft projectile raised the stakes for Israel on the Syrian poker table. We are one step closer to a military escalation on the Syrian front. Both sides have climbed up a high tree and are unwilling to budge.

Israel cant climb down that tree because, according to its military policy, every show of weakness will harm its interests and give the Iranians a foothold in the Golan Heights and a pier at the port of Latakia. Such a pier will turn the supply of arms to Hezbollah from a drizzle into a deluge.

If the Syrians fail to climb down the tree and continue threatening Israels freedom of action against the weapon convoys to Hezbollah, a clash with the Syrian armynot just in the Golan Heights, but also deep within Syriawill be inevitable.

There is no wonder there is a nervous silence coming out of Moscow. Such incidents could have far-reaching ramifications on the agreement the Russians are trying to establish in Syria.

The Israeli ambassador in Moscow does not usually get summoned right before Shabbat unless there is unusual concern and anger on the Russian side. Its quite possible that the Russians feel there is a gap between what they heard from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his meetings with President Vladimir Putin and Israeli actions on the ground. This isnt another operational misunderstanding discussed as part of the coordination between the two armies, the Israeli and the Russian, or between the two defense ministries. This is a diplomatic crisis.

In general, Syria's decision to launch the improved S-200 model, which the Russians recently sold them, is surprising. The S-200 is a heavy, immobile anti-aircraft missile, which can reach a range of 300 kilometers, and is not meant for intercepting fighter jets. Furthermore, Russian military experts said recently that Israel was using electronic warfare systems that completely blind the Syrian batteries and disrupt their communication systems.

As far as we know, the Russians did not provide the Syrians with any information on the Israeli strike, which adds to the ambiguity of the decision to launch the Syrian interceptor. Its also unclear who gave the order in Syria. Its possible that the decision to launch the missile was not made in the presidential office, and that the Syrian military echelon claimed responsibility for the launch in hindsight.

The working assumption in Israel is that the Syrian missile was directed at some targetbut not at the Air Force fighter aircraft, as they were no longer there. The Israeli Air Force is now investigating what was actually shot down by the Arrow missile. It might have been a large fragment of the S-200 that exploded in the air after missing its original target.

The IDF had no early warning about the Syrian missile launch. For years, the teams operating the Arrow 2 interceptor have been waiting for a real-time testand they passed it successfully. This is also an impressive achievement for the Israeli defense industry. The Arrow 2 intercepted a ballistic object at a range of more than 100 kilometers, beyond Israels borders. This is a clear message to the Iranians for the day they decide to fire Shahab missile at Israel.

In Gaza, there has been a significant spike in the number of rockets launched at Israel by Salafist groups. Israel is using this as an excuse to increase its aerial activity against critical military infrastructures in the strip. But this back-and-forth game of ping-pong is taking place during a dramatic change of leadership in Gaza. Yahya Sanwar, who will become the Hamas leader in Gaza in April, is a former student of Abdullah Azzam, al-Qaedas spiritual teacher. Granted, he is giving up the prison and underground manners for political visits to civil institutions in the strip, dressed in a suit, but he is not committed to the alleged signs of moderation conveyed by the Hamas leadership in the Gulf states.

Israeli officials estimate that Hamas failure to respond to the airstrikes should not be taken as a sign of political moderation, but rather as a sign the organization has simply not yet completed its preparations for another round of fighting. This doesnt guarantee that Israeli pressure, which will humiliate the leadership in Gaza or lead to casualties, wont drag Hamas into an armed conflict with the weapons it has accumulated so far.
The Jalazone refugee camp nearly touches the settlement of Beit El. The camp is located on the western side of the Ramallah-Nablus road, and the settlement is on the eastern side. A tall concrete wall was built along the road to prevent Jalazone teens from throwing stones at the settlements homes. It also prevents Beit El teens from seeing the wretchedness of the Jalazone homes.

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Jalazone is home to members of the fourth and fifth generations of the 1948 refugees, and members of the third and fourth generations of the 1967 refugees, residents of villages in the Latrun area, whose lands were used to build Canada Park.

Jason Greenblatt, US President Donald Trumps special envoy to the Middle East, went to the trouble of visiting Jalazone last week. He later tweeted: Met with youth leaders in the Jalazone refugee camp near Ramallah to understand their daily experiences. He added a photo of himself sitting in a classroom, at the head of the table, with nine girls sitting to his right and to his left.

Jason Greenblatt's meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Where did the black skullcap go? (Photo: Kobi Gideon, GPO)

Greenblatt is one of President Trumps three religious Jewish associates. The other two are Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his nominated ambassador to Israel, David Friedman. Friedman and Kushner donated money in the past to the American Friends of the Beit El Yeshiva Center and got the Trump Foundation to donate something too. And then Trump was elected president, and their lives changed.

Greenblatt, on his first visit as the presidents envoy, chose to go to Jalazone, and did not take the opportunity to visit the settlement across the road too. That says something.

He also met with students in Bethlehem, to hear their views on peace, and with a small group of Palestinian high-tech entrepreneurs. In Ramallah, he sat down with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for a meeting he described as positive and far-reaching. In Israel, he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (a very positive and productive meeting) and with President Reuven Rivlin (great). The Israelis took note of the fact that Yael Lempert, one of former President Barack Obamas top Middle East advisors, escorted Greenblatt in all his meetings. Lempert is a professional diplomat. Nevertheless, that says something too.

Greenblatt with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah (Photo: Reuters)

Greenblatt, a 50-year-old lawyer who worked in Trumps businesses, worded the White House statement during Netanyahus visit to Washington. In the statement, Israel was urged to restrain its settlement policy, a stance contradicting the spirit of Trumps declarations during the election campaign. Why did you include this paragraph? he was asked by a friend. Did Netanyahu imply that he needs it in order to curb the pressures from the Right?

Greenblatt appeared surprised by the question. We didnt even think about it, he said. I included the paragraph because I thought it was the right thing to do.

It seems that Naftali Bennetts dream about an administration that would support the settlements anywhere, at any time and at any extent, has disappeared. Trumps people are walking on thin ice between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Obama despised the Saudi regime, despised its indirect involvement in terror, despised the corruption, despised the violation of human rights. Trump is winking at the Saudis, if not for strategic reasons, then just to prove that he is doing the opposite of what Obama did. The Saudis are focused on Iran, but they need something on the Palestinian issue.

Greenblatt came looking for a deal. It doesnt matter what deal, as long as its finalized quickly, and as long as Netanyahu and Abbas thank Trump, Donald the miracle worker. It could be an Israeli agreement to pull out IDF forces and control construction in the settlements, in exchange for Abbas agreement to return to the negotiating table and fight incitement. Even less than that will do. In the meantime, Netanyahu has reached an agreement with Trumps people: They will occasionally call on Israel to restrain the construction, and he will do his best. There is no real dispute here, just a game: Youll tweet on me and Ill tweet on you.

On his way to Israel, Greenblatts plane made an unexpected stop in Frankfurt. He rushed to tweet: Time for morning prayer. Pray for peace. He added a photo of a prayer shawl and phylacteries.

When he set foot in the Holy Land, however, his was bareheaded. The black skullcap had been removed. That may say something too.
The IDF's Southern Command called up its reserve forces for a surprise exercise on Sunday amid a recent increase in rockets fired from the Gaza Strip at southern Israel.

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As part of the exercise, reserve forces will drill a variety of operational scenarios, with an emphasis put on threats on the southern front.

The IDF said the exercise was planned in advance, and that an increased movement of military vehicles and IDF troops will be felt in southern and central Israel.

Archive photo: Surprise exercise on southern border (Photo: Barel Efraim)

A Code Red rocket alert siren was sounded at the Eshkol Regional Council shortly before 12pm on Sunday, but it turned out to be a false alarm.

On Saturday, a rocket launched from Gaza landed in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In retaliation for the rocket on Saturday, IDF tanks and IAF fighter jets attacked two Hamas targets in the northern Gaza Strip.

It was the fifth rocket that fell inside Israel since early February, and the 8th security incident on the border area within that time.
MK Basel Ghattas (Joint List) submitted his resignation Sunday to the Speaker of the Knesset, Yuli Edelstein, as part of his plea bargain with prosecutors for smuggling cell phones to Palestinian security prisoners.

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The meeting between Ghattas and Edelstein was cordial, yet without a handshake. Following the exchange, Edelstein said, "It is a shame he didn't resign two months ago."

Former MK Ghattas (Photo: Yariv Katz)

Ghattas' resignation will take effect after 48 hours when he will be officially replaced by MK Jamaa Azbarga (Balad).

"From the first day of this whole affair I felt that everything I did was a personal act that had nothing to do with anyone else or with the party," said Ghattas at a press conference Friday. "I am a political, social and public activist for my people and my homeland, which is under occupation. This case forced me to act in a hostile atmosphere, complete with lies and leaks.

"The judge did not give in to this atmosphere and after studying the matter, decided that there were no security crimes committed. I decided to take the deal of two years. The price I am paying is not in vain and the torture of our prisoners will get attention."

Copy of Ghattas' resignation notice

Ghattas further added that he has been subject of "a racist propaganda campaign, which includes an attempt by the police to create an atmosphere that I committed serious security offenses. The media assisted in this attempted lynch and kangaroo court."

Ghattas was filmed smuggling mobile phones and SIM cards to Palestinian security prisoners in Ktzi'ot Prison. He was indicted in January for smuggling documents and communication devices into a prison, using property for terrorist purposes, aggravated fraud and committing breach of trust by a public official.

(Translated and edited by Fred Goldberg)
KABUL -- Afghan officials say that at least 12 insurgents including two of their commanders have been killed in separate drone attacks in eastern Afghanistan.

Mohammad Rahman Ayaz, spokesman for the provincial governor in eastern Paktika province, said Sunday that the two insurgent commanders were targeted by a drone while they were traveling in a vehicle Saturday in the Barmal district.

Meanwhile 10 other insurgents were killed in separate airstrike in neighboring Paktia province, said Zelmai Wesaa, provincial governor for Paktia. Wessa added the attack took place in the Dand-e Patan district near the Pakistani border.
The Israeli Air Force's (IAF) strike in Syria has ramped up tensions between the two contiguous enemies and Syria is now threatening to activate more air defense systems against the IAF.

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The Syrian threats come after Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman threatened to destroy Syria's entire air defense network.

Images released by Hezbollah depicting Syrian air defense equipment

Syrian air defense equipment

Hezbollah's propaganda wing joined the international spat Sunday, publishing images of Syrian air defense equipment, including the S-200, which was fired at the IAF aircraft Friday.

Following the attack, the Syrian military claimed to have shot down one of the Israeli jets; a claim the Syrian military has made more than once following IAF airstrikes in Syrian territory.

These often erroneous claims are more than likely intended for domestic audiences within Syria, especially after the regime has taken serious criticism for not returning fire on Israel, but rather its own people.

Dr. Mordechai Kedar, a senior lecturer at Bar-Ilan University, believes that Syria does indeed possess the capability to harm Israel. "They have chemical weapons that they have used repeatedly and they have missiles. I'm not sure a large volley of missiles could be stopped by Israeli systems. If they decide to go wild with the backing of the Russians or the Iranians, they could become very problematic."

Dr. Mordechai Kedar (Photo: Ori Davidovich)

According to Dr. Kedar, "Assad fired at the planes to prove that he could and to prove that he is retaking control not only of the ground, but also the air. That was the message."

Dr. Kedar also explained that he believes Assad actually has an interest in escalating tensions with Israel. "In order to give himself legitimacy, he wants to bring Israel into a conflict with the Iranians and the Russians. The coordination between Israel and Russia is uncomfortable for him as is the fact that the Iranians are approaching the Israeli border, yet refraining from open conflict."

(Translated and edited by Fred Goldberg)
Lies, damn lies and statistical lies

There is a popular saying in statistics that there are three types of lieslies, damn lies and statistical lies.
LASHKAR GAH -- Three US troops were wounded on Sunday after an Afghan soldier opened fire on them at a base in the southern province of Helmand, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said.

The soldiers are receiving medical care, the NATO-led training and assistance mission said on Twitter.

A spokesman for the Afghan military in the south of the country said the Afghan special forces soldier was shot dead after firing at the Americans at Camp Shorab air base at around 3 p.m. local time.

"The guard lost his life in exchange of fire," Mohammad Rasoul Zazai told Reuters.
The Syrian center for human rights is claiming that Israeli fighter jets shot a vehicle in the road near Quneitra at the border with Damascus, killing a citizen driving it.

News agencies affiliated with the government are claiming that the man, Yaser a-Said, was a member of the pro-Assad militia Homeland Shield Forces.

In addition, a radio station affiliated with the government reported that the Syrian army managed to chase away an Israeli aircraft the intruded Syrian airspace.
Mossad Director Yossi Cohen made his first public comments on the 2014 Gaza war state comptrollers report on Sunday.

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In a meeting with the Knessets State Control Committee, Cohen promised, Every lesson will be learned, and every opinion needed to be heard will be heard so that we will be better prepared for the next battle, in which we will hopefully achieve more of what we aim for.

With that, he claimed that Security cabinet members had plenty of information even before the war: There was no issue we did not know about. The tunnel issue was discussed.

Mossad Director Yossi Cohen (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Cohen reminded that two of his children served as officers, adding, I assess that in the next war, which I really hope wont happen, they will also participate. And so, the main issue for me is the practicality of what we are doing with important criticism to make sure that we do the next battle better, both strategically and tactically.

In an answer to whether the National Security Council (NSC), which he headed at the time of the war, did everything to their upmost abilities, Cohen answered, Do I think I did the best I could? I think I did. Did I make mistakes? Sure I did. Are there lessons in the report which I personally have to learn? Absolutely yes. Internal assessments in the Mossad are held every day, so Im not in the position to attack a report or my criticizers.

The lessons are whats important, added Cohen. Its not the most pleasant thing to be criticized in a comptroller report, certainly not when there are people present in the room who were personally hurt by those actions, bereaved families you need to face, but every lesson will be learned. I should also note here that the NSC keeps improving, but there are of course things that still require improvement.

Cohen commented, The NSC has an important and vital function for maintaining the national security of Israel. I would be happy to still be part of every NSC meeting, and the people in the council still seek my opinion at times.

Then, to further emphasize his point, Cohen mentioned several events where the NSC took actions which resulted in them being faster and better resolved, like the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers and the time when Ben Gurion Airport was nearly hit by rockets.

In regards to the main question of whether the Cabinet members received the sufficient information on the tunnels ahead of the war, the head of the Mossad said, I think the Cabinet members had plenty of information, even in the months beforehand."

The Security Cabinet received many security briefings by the Military Intelligence Directorate, the Shin Bet, the defense minister and the prime minister. During the war there were dozens of Security Cabinet meetings, and I even recall days in which there were more than one meeting a day, including over the weekend and throughout the night.

Its difficult for me to accept that the members of the Cabinet did not know, understand, or were not supplied with enough information. I think that when such a sharp statement is being made about a subject and it is not sufficiently clarified, every Cabinet member can just raise his hand and say I want to learn more about this.

There was no issue we did not know about. There was no such thing. The tunnel issue was discussed. The humanitarian issue in Gaza was discussed. The strategic alternatives were discussed. Everything was discussed.

Cohen then added I think there were about 31 Cabinet meetings during Operation Protective Edge. That is about one every three-four days. Is there a chance that someone could not have asked a question? Is there a chance that someone could not have demanded anything? Is it possible that they are seriously claiming, We didnt know,' We didnt understand?

(Translated & edited by Lior Mor)
IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot discussed on Sunday what he believed to be Israels upcoming war with Lebanon and terrorist organizations supported by that republic.

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The lieutenant general was speaking at the change of command ceremony in Safed for the GOC northern command. Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick took over from Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, who is being promoted to the position of Eisenkots deputy.

L-R: Strick, Eisenkot, Kochavi (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

Eisenkot said in his remarks, Regarding a future war, the writing is on the wall: The state of Lebanon and terrorist organizations that operate with their support. Eisenkot added, We are working to keep advanced weaponry from Hezbollah, and we will continue to do so in the future.

A continued quiet has reigned for more than decade on the countrys borders, the chief of staff explained. The quiet security situation is a joint interest of Israel and LebanonHezbollah continues working to get more precise deadly weaponry to harm the Israeli home front, in violation of the UN resolution.

Eisenkot changes Strick's unit tag to Northern Command (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

Kochavi said, We have a lot of work ahead of us. We must intensify the planning and filling of gaps for the changing reality. Not far from here, across the border, the Middle East is boiling with brutality and violence. I am proud to lead a command that with one hand thwarts enemy units, and with the other, brings wounded for treatment in Israel.

His replacement spoke to his intentions in his new position, saying, We will operate to strengthen deterrence and preventing war, but if required, we will act with determination and strength.

(Translated and edited by J. Herzog)
Athens  Greeces Jewish community hailed on Saturday lawmakers decision to allow descendants of Holocaust survivors to apply for Greek citizenship.

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The parliamentary amendment follows calls from the Central Board of Jewish Communities, the groups president David Saltiel told AFP.

This is a moral victory, and a fresh step forward in the recognition of the history of the Holocaust and of Greek Jews, he said.

Heinz Kunio, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, places a flower on a train wagon during a memorial marking the 74th anniversary of the first deportation of Jews from Thessaloniki to Auschwitz, in Thessaloniki, Greece (Photo: Reuters)

The new amendment concerns relatives of those survivors, many of whom live in Israel.

Thursdays vote passed largely unnoticed but has since become a political controversy.

The leftist Greek government on Saturday sharply criticized the opposition conservative New Democracy (ND) party for abstaining from the vote.

Zana Sadikario-Saatsoglou, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, shows her arm with a death camp number on it during the memorial (Photo: Reuters)

The ND countered that it backs the measure and attributed its abstention to confusion during the voting.

As expected the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, the fourth biggest in parliament, voted against the legislation.

Before the Nazi occupation, there were over 50,000 members of Greeces largest Jewish community in the second city Thessaloniki.

Eighty percent of the Jewish community in Greece were slaughtered during the war. It now has fewer than 5,000 members.

In January the Jewish community in Thessaloniki finally got the go-ahead to build a Holocaust museum partly funded by Germany.
One in every 10 homes in New South Wales is purchased by foreign buyers, states new figures released under the freedom of information laws. Not surprisingly for those who regularly attend auctions, Chinese nationals account for roughly a third of foreign buyers.

House prices have reached such ridiculous levels in Sydney, theyve effectively outpriced first-home buyers from the housing market. These people  who often have to resort to renting and living in shared accommodations  are justifiably upset at seeing so many foreign investors purchasing properties theyre happy to leave vacant.

At first glance, it appears that foreign investors are driving up prices by snapping up the homes first-home buyers believe they deserve. However, experts are not convinced the two are so clearly linked.

Things arent what they appear to be

If one in every 10 homes in NSW is purchased by a foreign investor, thats only 11% of property purchases. An even closer examination of the data, according to the Australian Financial Review, will show that these figures arent as alarming as they initially seem.

Once you strip away homes jointly purchased by Australians and foreign citizens, and homes purchased by dual citizens, the share of foreign buyers of NSW homes falls to just 8%, and that includes permanent residents.

Not only do foreigners have a far smaller share of the market than they initially appear to have, first-home buyers (such as young families and young adults) arent always competing for the same types of property, according to Professor Peter Phibbs at the University of Sydney.

The Chinese investor is quite complicated, and what theyre after is not the same as what your average first homebuyer is looking for, he said. Often they want to live around Chinese people where theres Chinese food and culture. Its not like theyre spread out all across the city.

A lot of them are looking at apartment blocks in Chatswood where theyre very dominant in that market. You cant imagine your first homebuyer thats trying to buy a crappy semi in the middle of the suburbs is going to have to fight a fight with an investor over that sort of property.

Aside from favouring specific suburbs, many Chinese nationals who invest in Australian property are only interested in parking their spare cash in a safe haven. Such investors are utterly unconcerned about the liveability of the properties theyre investing in, said Phibbs. This means properties that would be considered unliveable or substandard by actual occupants would still be favoured by Chinese investors.

Phibbs also argues that without such a strong foreign presence, the housing market would actually be a lot smaller. Thanks to foreign investors, a lot of new developments are getting off the ground.

You cant get finance for an apartment block without presales, and guess whos buying off the plan? he said. By making that investment and boosting that supply, foreign buyers are in a way helping out domestic investors.

In short, while foreign demand is undeniably contributing to the house price acceleration and housing affordability crises in Sydney, its only one contributing factor among many in a highly complex housing market.

Related stories:

Nearly 80% Of Chinese Buyers Cant Settle On Apartments Bought Off-The-Plan

Chinas Crackdown On Capital Outflows Could Hit The Aussie Property Market Hard
Morcha cadres padlock Saptari municipal, village council offices

Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha cadres have padlocked all of the recently revamped municipal and village council offices in Saptari on Sunday.
NEA mulls building 762MW project on Tamor River

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has started conducting feasibility study of 762MW Tamor Hydropower Project, which, if constructed, would be one of the biggest in the countrys eastern region.
New Delhi: The Army has rescued 127 tourists stranded at the Sela Pass near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, official sources said on Sunday.

"Troops of Blazing Sword Division rescued 127 tourists from near Tawang, about 280 km from Tezpur," Defence Spokesperson (Kolkata) Wing Commander S.S. Birdi said.

The rescue operation started on Saturday night and continued till the early hours of Sunday. Those rescued included five foreign nationals from Japan, New Zealand and Bulgaria.

The tourists were trapped after a massive snow blizzard struck around 2.45 p.m. on Saturday between Ahirgarh, Sela and Nuranang on the Tezpur-Tawang road in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, Birdi said.

The body of a Bulgarian national, who fell into a gorge, was recovered around midnight.

The rescued persons were accommodated at the Army transit camps and provided with medical assistance.

The road, with about 2-3 feet of snow, was opened by the Border Roads Organisation for traffic on Sunday and all vehicles of the stranded tourists were recovered.

Most of the rescued persons have since left for their respective destinations, Birdi added.
Punctuation Sense: Oxford comma: To put or not to put

It all came down to a missing comma, and not just any one. And its reignited a longstanding debate over whether the punctuation is necessary.
Specialist doctor appointment: Panel for easing working, study conditions

As the government faces difficulties in hiring specialist doctors, a committee led by Dr Chop Lal Bhusal has recommended leniency in their appointment and waiver of the compulsory one-year experience for doing a post-graduate course in these subjects.
Brazil sells meat and poultry to at least 150 countries, so the rotten meat scandal is deeply concerning to national authorities

Brazil's president held crisis talks Sunday with ministers and foreign ambassadors to try and limit the damage to trade from allegations that major Brazilian producers have been selling rotten meat worldwide.

Police allegations that meat producers bribed health inspectors for years to certify tainted food as fit for consumption has struck at the heart of the world's leading beef and chicken exporter.

Temer -- whose government is already battered by a huge embezzlement scandal and Brazil's deepest recession in history -- huddled first with meatpacking representatives, Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi and Trade Minister Marcos Pereira.

As international concern grew, the embattled president was to meet next with ambassadors from major importers, Temer's office said.

About 150 countries buy meat from Brazil, with principal markets as widespread as Saudi Arabia, China, Singapore, Japan, Russia, the Netherlands and Italy. Brazil exported about $5.9 billion in poultry and $4.3 billion in beef in 2016, according to Brazilian government data.

So far police have arrested at least 30 people in the alleged scheme, raiding more than a dozen processing plants and issuing 27 arrest warrants.

A poultry-processing plant run by the multinational BRF group and two meat-processing plants operated by the local Peccin company were shut down, the Agriculture Ministry said.

An additional 21 establishments are under investigation, and the ministry dismissed 33 officials allegedly involved in the scheme.

- Fears of trade fallout -

For Brazil, the worry is that the scandal will ruin global appetites for its food.

The row comes at a sensitive time, as Brazil and other members of South America's Mercosur group are pushing for a trade deal with the European Union, a big market for Brazilian meat.

The EU ambassador to Brazil, Joao Cravinho, tweeted on Sunday that "we asked for complete, urgent clarifications from the agriculture ministry."

"It really complicates negotiations," admitted Brazilian under secretary general for economic and financial affairs at the foreign ministry, Carlos Marcio Cozendey.

Story continues

However, he insisted that the problems were limited in scope.

"From the criminal, corruption point of view, it's obviously a very serious incident," Cozendey told AFP. However, "based on what we know now, it won't impact the control system as a whole."

He urged that any response to the crisis be "proportional" and said foreign partners should not overreact. "I hope that this is not used to unjustifiably close markets."

- Problem, what problem? -

Companies in the police crosshairs denied that there was anything wrong with their products.

The authorities did not say where tainted products had been found, but noted, in a news conference in the southern city of Curitiba, that carcinogenic substances had in some cases been used to mask the odor of bad meat.

Federal police were due to give further details at a press conference on Monday.

In addition to the giant BRF firm, which owns the Sadia and Perdigao brands, companies under investigation include JBS, a world leader in meat sales and owner of the Big Frango, Seara Alimentos and Swift brands.

JBS took out a full-page ad in the newspaper O Globo to say that the federal office conducting the investigation had made no mention of health problems stemming from JBS products. The BRF group is running similar ads, saying its products pose no health risk "whatsoever."

An ad in which actor Robert De Niro testifies to the quality of JBS's Seara ham -- with its "authentic Italian flavor" -- has gotten heavy play on Brazilian television.

But Professor Silvia Farias, who shops in a Rio supermarket, said reports that some chicken products may be mixed with cardboard are worrying.

"We go to the supermarket, we buy meat for our family's consumption, and what do we expect? That it is in good condition," she told AFP.

"I would never imagine that the meat could be mixed with cardboard."
Brazilian President Michel Temer eats barbecue in a steak house in Brasilia after meeting with ambassadors from countries that import Brazilian meat, on March 19, 2017

Brazil tried to reassure the world Sunday that its huge meat industry poses no threat -- with President Michel Temer even inviting ambassadors to a steak dinner -- despite allegations that corrupt exporters sold tainted products.

Temer smiled as he invited diplomats to a traditional Brazilian meat restaurant called a churrascaria, saying "if you accept the invitation we will be very happy." Nineteen of the 33 envoys who met with him accepted the offer.

But Temer had the serious mission of calming a scandal threatening the reputation of the world's biggest beef and poultry exporting nation.

The scare started Friday when police said a two-year probe had found major meat producers bribed health inspectors to certify tainted food as fit for consumption.

At least 30 people have been arrested, with police raiding more than a dozen processing plants and issuing 27 arrest warrants. A poultry-processing plant run by the multinational BRF group and two meat-processing plants operated by the local Peccin company were shut down, the Agriculture Ministry said.

Brazilian meat is exported to more than 150 countries, with principal markets as far apart as Saudi Arabia, China, Singapore, Japan, Russia, the Netherlands and Italy. Sales in 2016 reached $5.9 billion in poultry and $4.3 billion in beef, according to Brazilian government data.

- High stakes -

In his address to the ambassadors, Temer acknowledged that the scandal had generated "major concern."

But he insisted that the bad meat and faked certificates occurred in only "a very few businesses" and did not represent a wider problem.

Calling Brazil's inspection system "one of the most respected" in the world, Temer said: "I want to reiterate our confidence in the quality of our products."

In 2016, 853,000 consignments of animal products were exported, Temer said, yet "just 184 of them were deemed by importers to be in violation."

Earlier, Luis Eduardo Pacifici Rangel, secretary of agricultural protection, told reporters that there was "no risk for population, neither for exports."

Story continues

Meat processor BRF also went on the counter-offensive, taking aim at allegations that cardboard was mixed into chicken products.

"There is no cardboard of any kind in BRF products. There's been a big misunderstanding in the (audio) recordings of the police," the company said in a statement.

There have been no reports of people made sick as a result of the alleged practices.

However, Brazil is worried the scandal will hurt attempts to negotiate a trade deal between South America's Mercosur group with the European Union.

The EU ambassador to Brazil, Joao Cravinho, tweeted on Sunday that he wanted "complete, urgent clarifications from the agriculture ministry."

"It really complicates negotiations," admitted Brazilian under secretary general for economic and financial affairs at the foreign ministry, Carlos Marcio Cozendey.

He urged that any response to the crisis be "proportionate."

"I hope that this is not used to unjustifiably close markets," he said.

- PR campaign -

The authorities have not yet detailed where tainted products were found, but say that in some cases carcinogenic substances were used to mask the smell of bad meat.

In addition to the giant BRF firm, which owns the Sadia and Perdigao brands, companies under investigation include JBS, a world leader in meat sales and owner of the Big Frango, Seara Alimentos and Swift brands.

JBS took out a full-page ad in the newspaper O Globo to say that the federal office conducting the investigation had made no mention of health problems stemming from JBS products. The BRF group is running similar ads, saying its products pose no health risk "whatsoever."

An ad in which actor Robert De Niro testifies to the quality of JBS's Seara ham -- with its "authentic Italian flavor" -- has gotten heavy play on Brazilian television.
Pre-construction work of Bheri-Babai project set for mid-July completion

The actual construction of Bheri-Babai Multipurpose Project is expected to begin in mid-July, as pre-construction works of the irrigation-cum-hydroelectric project are likely to be completed by that time, according to Min Raj Dhakal, the projects senior divisional engineer.
A year after being hit by a pickup truck, a Calgary boy is making a miraculous recovery.

Last March, Ethan Nielson, who was eight at the time, was walking home from a piano lesson when he was hit by a truck while crossing Cranford Drive S.E.

The driver remained at the scene.

The youngster was rushed to South Health Campus where he was stabilized before being airlifted to Alberta Children's Hospital (ACH).

Doctors said he suffered a severe brain injury  along with a broken pelvis and broken bones around his ear and eye  and wasn't expected to live.

But a year later he's getting stronger by the day and is able to walk, talk, and play.

And now his family wants to give back to the facility that helped save him.

"They healed Ethan and in doing so they gave me my whole family back," mom Melanie Nielson told CBC News.

In an effort to give back, the Nielson family organized a toy drive, collecting hundreds of gifts over the weekend which will be donated to the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation.

"We weren't really sure how many people to expect, we were hoping it would be quite a few ... it's been fantastic," said dad, Jordan Nielson.

All told, the family estimates the event brought in about $10,000 worth of toys along with about $1,000 in gift cards.

Staff at ACH didn't just operate on Ethan, says Melanie, they cared.

"They've got stuff in place to help you when you're at your darkest, when you're at your worst, when you don't know what to expect," she said.

"They're there to help you along. So that's what this is going to do. It's going to help some other little boy or little girl who's going to have a surprise at the hospital and they're going to be able to go into it happy and have a smile on their face and they're going to try harder and they're going to do better because they're happy and it makes a big difference."

Story continues

Melanie remembers hospital staff giving her son a stuffed animal to grip as he was being rushed into an emergency surgery.

"He had that in his hand to go, as he was wheeled off away from me, and I'm so grateful that he had something," she said.

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The Canada Border Services Agency detained more Mexican migrants in the first two months of 2017 than it did in all of 2016, new statistics show.

According to the CBSA, 444 Mexicans had been detained in Canada as of March 9.

In 2016, 410 Mexicans were held by Canadian border officials.

The spike comes immediately after Canada's federal government lifted its visa requirement for Mexican citizens in December. In January alone, 70 Mexicans made refugee claims upon arriving in Canada.

At that time, Conservative Foreign Affairs critic Peter Kent told CBC News the change was not surprising.

"We anticipated there would be, if not an immediate spike, a surge, and it seems that is what's happening."

Many Mexicans looking north have shifted their focus from the United States to Canada as President Donald Trump vows to crack down on America's undocumented immigrants, about half of whom are Mexican.

The office of Immigration and Refugee Minister Ahmed Hussen says his department is monitoring the situation.

"As with all visa lifts that Canada undertakes, we continually and carefully monitor migration trends to ensure the integrity of Canada's immigration system," spokesperson Camielle Edwards said in a statement. "The visa lift for Mexico has only been in place since December 2016. It would be premature to speculate on future policy at this point."

The CBSA can detain foreign nationals if it is believed they pose a danger to the public, if their identity is unclear or if they are deemed unlikely to appear for removal or for a proceeding.

Previously, the largest number of Mexicans detained by the CBSA was in 2012 when 667 people were held.
By Aidan Lewis TUNIS (Reuters) - Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) has been coordinating with military forces from eastern Libya and has "no reason to believe" it will not regain control of the Es Sider and Ras Lanuf oil ports, NOC's chairman said. The loss and recapture of the ports this month by the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) had raised doubts over its willingness to let the Tripoli-based NOC manage the ports. Revenue from the sites is controlled by a central bank and U.N.-backed government in the capital which pro-LNA factions oppose. Eastern officials accuse rivals in Tripoli and the western city of Misrata of supporting a March 3 attack on the ports by a faction known as the Benghazi Defense Brigades (BDB). An oil guard commander appointed by the U.N.-backed government was deployed to secure them. After they were retaken, the head of a Benghazi NOC office appointed by Libya's eastern government, Naji al-Maghrabi, said he was pulling out of an NOC unification deal signed in July and an LNA spokesman said there would be no immediate decision on a handover. But in written responses provided to Reuters, Mustafa Sanalla, the Tripoli-based NOC chairman, said his staff had already been working with the LNA. "We have been coordinating our assessment of the facilities with them," Sanalla said, in his first public comments since the ports were retaken. "We have no reason to believe control of the ports will not be handed back to NOC." Es Sider and Ras Lanuf have a combined potential capacity of 600,000 barrels per day (bpd). Operations there and at two other ports southwest of Benghazi are crucial to the NOC's efforts to revive Libya's output, which has been crippled by years of conflict and political chaos. The LNA took over the ports in September, ending a two-year blockade at three of them and quickly inviting the NOC to resume exports. Es Sider and Ras Lanuf were badly damaged in previous rounds of fighting and have been operating well below normal levels. The latest clashes, which included ground battles and more than a week of LNA air strikes, had dented the LNA's claim it could defend the ports and led to fears that facilities would suffer further damage. But Waha Oil Company resumed pumping to Es Sider on Saturday and Sanalla said the NOC had decided to restart operations at the ports based on technical assessments and a review by military engineers. "For the most part, the facilities are not damaged. In one or two locations, some work needs to be done by the military engineers. Our workers are returning to their terminals gradually." Reuters journalists observed little apparent additional damage to the ports during a visit on Thursday. An engineer at the Waha oil field said on Sunday it was pumping 25,000 bpd to Es Sider as it restarted production. The NOC said 13,000 bpd were being pumped from Defah field, and that Waha's production should reach 80,000 bpd by the end of March. Sanalla said the NOC was hoping to raise overall production to 800,000 bpd by the end of April from 611,000 bpd currently. Libya along with Nigeria has been exempted from production cuts recently agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). However, any gains in Libya remain fragile as long as the political turmoil that has fractured the country since its 2011 uprising continues. Oil accounts for nearly all of Libya's income and pipelines and ports have been repeatedly blockaded by local groups seeking political and financial gain. Eastern authorities have attempted to sell oil independently, but have been blocked by international sanctions which remain in place. Oil facilities are protected by the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) but PFG units often operate independently or for a particular political faction. Sanalla said he was not concerned by Maghrabi's rejection of the NOC unification deal, which he said had been signed to clear up uncertainty in the markets. "I don't think that uncertainty exists anymore," he said. "No respectable oil company or ship owner will touch (the eastern NOC) ... To export oil independently would risk the integrity of the state of Libya." Sanalla said a neutral PFG should have a role, "but under the authority and real management of NOC". "Putting the PFG under the NOC would, we think, go a long way to removing Libya's oil assets as an object of military competition," he said. "Unless oil assets are taken off the table as an object of conflict, unless the oil industry is ring-fenced from our political conflict, then the possibility of more fighting remains." (Additional reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli in Benghazi; editing by Jason Neely)
BERLIN (Reuters) - The Turkish government has failed to convince Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency that U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind last summer's failed coup in Turkey, the BND head told a German magazine. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish government accuse Gulen of orchestrating Turkey's failed coup on July 15 in which more than 240 people were killed when rogue soldiers commandeered tanks, warplanes and helicopters, attacking parliament and attempting to overthrow the government.. "Turkey has tried to convince us of that at every level but so far it has not succeeded," BND head Bruno Kahl said in an interview with news magazine Der Spiegel published on Saturday. Erdogan and the Turkish government want the United States to extradite Gulen, who denies involvement in the coup attempt. Asked whether the Gulen movement was extreme Islamist or terrorist, Kahl said it was a "civil association that aims to provide further religious and secular education". Kahl also said he did not think the Turkish government was behind the coup, saying: "The coup attempt was not initiated by the government. Before July 15 the government had already started a big purge so parts of the military thought they should do a coup quickly before it hit them too." Kahl also warned of an increasing Russian threat to Germany and Europe, saying: "Russia has doubled its fighting strength on the western border ... you can't see all of that as a defense against the West." He said Russia could influence a federal election in Germany on Sept. 24: "We must at least expect that it can happen." U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia conducted cyber attacks on Democrats in an effort to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election on Republican Donald Trump's behalf. Russia has denied this. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Dale Hudson)
From Somalia to Manitoba: A look at the long journey of asylum seekers

The snow-covered fields around the Emerson, Man., border have become a pathway for many asylum seekers hoping to make a refugee claim in Canada  a colder trek than most have experienced on their long journeys from around the world.

Many of the people coming into Manitoba are originally from Somalia, a country located in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya.

There are many reasons people flee Somalia  devastating famine, a staggering unemployment rate, the threats of al-Shabaab and a civil war that has been ongoing for more than 25 years  but not all planned to end up in the Canadian Prairie province.

As Manitoba deals with an influx of refugee claimants, it is addressing the fallout of a war and famine thousands of kilometres away.

Why are people fleeing Somalia?

Somalia is experiencing a devastating drought that has led to famine which could affect 6.2 million people, the United Nations estimates.

Earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made an emergency visit to the country and called on the world to act immediately to prevent more deaths from the famine.

It is the third famine in the country in 25 years; a 2011 famine killed nearly 260,000 people.

On Friday, Canadian Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen announced $21 million would go to Somalia to help address extreme food insecurity.

At the same time, opportunities to find work and support families in Somalia are increasingly rare.

A 2016 report from a global security expert said the world's two most fragile cities  defined as those where institutions are fundamentally unable to provide "law and order, basic services [and] resilience to sudden onset or long-term climate change"  are Mogadishu and Kismaayo, both in Somalia.

Those cities had unemployment rates of 66 per cent. The report said all of Somalia's cities are "exceedingly fragile."

A 2012 report from the United Nations Development Program said the unemployment rate for 14- to 29-year-olds is 67 per cent  one of the highest rates in the world. For women, it's 74 per cent.

Story continues

How dangerous is it in Somalia?

People in Somalia also face violence from the militant group al-Shabaab, which rose out of Somalia's civil war  a conflict that began in 1991 and is still considered ongoing.

Until 2011, al-Shabaab, an Islamic extremist group, controlled Mogadishu and much of Somalia and imposed a strict version of shariah law.

Although the group's hold on the country has weakened, it still carries out deadly attacks, including one in Mogadishu in January which killed 28 people.

Abdikadir Ahmed Omar, 30, who spoke to CBC in Mexico on his way to Canada in February, said he fled his homeland because he feared for his life.

His role as a human rights activist  and occasionally as a translator for media outlets, including once for the CBC  had put him on the radar of al-Shabaab.

"But if Shabaab wants to kill you, they will," says Ahmed Omar. "The only option was for me to leave."

How do they get to Canada?

The journey from Somalia to Manitoba can vary, but many of the asylum seekers have told CBC News about harrowing journeys from Somalia to countries in Central and South America, including Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Mexico, before arriving in the United States.

Many people travel by foot, bus, boat and train through South America and Central America before finally arriving in North America  a journey which takes three to five months and costs upwards of $20,000 US per person.

While the journey seems long and expensive, many of the asylum seekers arriving here say a Mediterranean Sea route to Europe wasn't an option, with borders so tight.

The U.S. used to be the end goal for many people, but those plans are changing since the election of President Donald Trump.

Why are they coming to Manitoba?

The more than 6,400-kilometre-long southern Canada-U.S. border is wide open and undefended, but it is our agreement with the U.S. over refugee claimants that is pushing many north.

Under the Safe Third Country Agreement, Canada generally does not accept refugee claimants coming in from the U.S., but there are exceptions. Canada is also a signatory to the United Nations Refugee Convention, so those who irregularly cross into the country  meaning they enter somewhere other than a border crossing  can be given permission to make a claim here.

Six provinces  British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador  offer immigration and refugee legal aid. Saskatchewan is not experiencing a surge in asylum seekers like Manitoba's, which could be because it does not offer legal aid to refugee claimants.

There is also a large Somali community in Minnesota, just across the border from Manitoba. Minneapolis is home to one of the largest Somali communities in the United States  with a clear road right to the Canada-U.S. border.

Why are they leaving the U.S.?

Mohamud Noor, executive director of the Confederation of Somali Communities in Minnesota, told CBC News in February that Somalis have the highest rate of asylum claim rejections and deportation orders in the U.S.

While some asylum seekers always planned to make their way to Canada, many have had their U.S. asylum claims rejected.

Since Trump's election and the administration's attempts to impose a travel ban  which includes Somalia  many people from the country don't think they have a chance for appeal or judicial review of their asylum claims. Many would rather try their luck in Canada with the help of legal aid, which usually isn't provided in the U.S.

"I am black. I am Somali. I am a Muslim  the three things the president doesn't like," said Naimo Ahmed, 23, who crossed in Febuary.

"To him, I am a terrorist. But I am not. I don't want to harm anyone; that's the last thing I want to do. All I am looking for is protection."

Is it true Canada doesn't deport people to Somalia?

An increase in immigration raids in the United States also has many people worried they will be sent back to Somalia, something that may not happen even if an asylum claim is rejected in Canada.

If an asylum claim is rejected in Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or the Canada Border Services Agency will normally issue a removal order for the claimant.

There are three countries currently on Canada's temporary suspension of removals list. Claimants can't be deported to those countries because of things like armed conflict or environmental disasters. Afghanistan, Congo and Iraq are on the list, but Somalia is not.

Parts of Somalia are sometimes included in an administrative deferral of removals list, which stops deportations for a short period of time during a humanitarian crisis.

Once the situation in the country stabilizes, the person will be deported. An ADR is currently in place for certain regions of Somalia, including Mogadishu.
A home cooked meal went a long way for Somali asylum seekers new to Winnipeg Saturday night.

Rice, chicken and lots of stew was on the menu at the Winnipeg Islamic Centre, but there was also a sense of community.

"We're pretty new, so it's good to meet new friends, know there's a community here," said Yacin Ali Sougueh, who fled the U.S. on foot for Manitoba two weeks ago.

Sougueh is from Djibouti and is one of many asylum seekers who've entered Manitoba in recent months.

Hundreds of asylum seekers have walked through snowy fields near the Emerson, Man. border to get into Canada.

Refugee claimants are using an exception in the 2004 Safe Third Country Agreement, which lets a person make a refugee claim in Canada if he or she has entered the country somewhere other than an official port of entry, like a field near a border crossing.

'Dangerous journey'

"It was a dangerous journey, but it was one that we needed to make to find a better life in the pursuit of happiness," Sougueh said.

"It hasn't been easy at all."

Mohamed Sharif also came into Manitoba on foot.

He arrived last month with a group of six other asylum seekers. He said he felt as if he had no choice but to leave the U.S., so he paid $800 for a cab ride to the border.

"Things have changed drastically for us immigrants," Sharif said, adding that Somalis have recently been deported from the U.S.

"At the end of the day, a lot of people are very scared."

Sharif said he is grateful for the opportunity to have his refugee claim heard by an adjudicator  something many have waited years for in the U.S.

He said he fled Somalia in 2016 because he is part of the Madhiban, a minority tribal group at risk in the country.

"We're only looking for a better life, opportunity for ourselves and our family," he said.

"If we had options to stay in America we wouldn't be here. If we had options to stay back in Somalia we definitely wouldn't be in North America."

Story continues

Volunteers in Winnipeg's Somali community organized Saturday's dinner.

Anisa Isse said the community wants newcomers to feel welcome.

"You've left your family, your friends, the community you already knew," she said.

"It can be [an] isolating experience," she said.
Andargachew Andy Tsege and his family

A father-of-three from London has now spent 1,000 days on Ethiopias death row, after the countrys security forces kidnapped and rendered him there in June 2014.





Andargachew Andy Tsege, a vocal critic of Ethiopias ruling party, disappeared while transiting through an international airport almost three years ago.





Ethiopian officials later admitted to having illegally rendered him to a secret prison, in a process which British diplomats privately deemed completely unacceptable.





Mr Tsege is being held unlawfully under a death sentence that was handed down in absentia, when he lived in North London with his partner and their three young children.





Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has failed to secure Mr Tseges return to the UK, despite visiting Ethiopia for the first time as recently as last week.





Mr Johnson claimed on Friday (17th) to have secured progress on the case, saying that Mr Tsege has been promised regular access to a lawyer.





However, the UK governments focus on legal access for Mr Tsege has caused dismay among MPs from across the political spectrum.





A former Attorney-General, Director of Public Prosecutions and Lord Chancellor have all warned that: The British Governments emphasis on securing Mr Tsege a lawyer ignores statements by the Ethiopian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister confirming that there is no appeal process available to Mr Tsege.





Maya Foa, a director of Reprieve, said:





It is appalling that Andy Tsege is spending his 1,000th day on death row in Ethiopia, just days after Boris Johnson missed a vital chance to seek his return to the UK. Its clear there is no justice for Andy in the compromised Ethiopian court system, and its hard to see how a lawyer can help him when the Ethiopians have said he has no way of appealing his death sentence. Its time for the UK Government to bring this British father home.





On Monday (20th) at 2.30pm, Mr Tsege's partner and children will go to the Foreign Office to hand in a petition calling on Boris Johnson to secure his return to the UK.





 Further detail on Mr Tseges case can be found on the Reprieve website, here

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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Source: Reprieve, March 19, 2017
Pressure in Congress to approve amendment bill before May vote

Nepali Congress lawmakers and Central Working Committee members representing the Tarai/Madhes have piled pressure on the party leadership to approve the constitution amendment bill before holding the local polls.
A new strain of ranavirus is currently causing mass mortality in several species of amphibian in the Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain range in continental Portugal. This infectious agent is hypervirulent and also affects fish and reptiles, which complicates the situation, according to a study boasting the collaboration of the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid.

An emerging virus is affecting amphibian populations in Portugal, but this is not the first time amphibians have been a source of worry in the country. In 2009, hundreds of midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans) were found dead in Serra da Estrela Natural Park.

A research study published in the journal Scientific Reports raises a new alert on this genus of virus, which has also been discovered in Spain and elsewhere in Europe. As Jaime Bosch, a researcher at the National Museum of Natural Sciences and co-author of the study, tells SINC: "Ranaviruses have been known about for a long time, although in recent years globalisation is setting off mass mortalities throughout the world, and new strains also keep appearing, probably from Asia."

The fact that these viruses also affect fish and reptiles complicates the situation enormously, firstly because they can spread easily and also because of their persistence in the environment, even after amphibians disappear.

"They have probably been infecting amphibian populations in Spain for several decades. In 1992 we discovered what turned out to be the first known case in our country, although at the time we didn't even know exactly which organism caused the problem," the scientist adds.

In autumn 2011, another curious episode of mortality arose in the Serra da Estrela, which not only affected midwife toads but also other species of amphibians in the park. The episode was in contrast to all mortality patterns previously associated with chytridiomycosis on the Iberian Peninsula and Europe.

Tests carried out on dead animals confirmed that not only was there infection by chytrid fungi; they then discovered the new strain of ranavirus in all species analysed.

"Viruses of this genus are found all over the world and can infect various groups of animals. But different strains have different degrees of virulence and the one circulating in the Serra da Estrela belongs to a hypervirulent group called CMTV-Ranavirus," explains Goncalo M. Rosa from the Portuguese Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C). "This new strain has been linked to annual mass mortality of several species of amphibian, similar to the mortality recorded in northern Spain."

The ranavirus is highly infectious to several species at various life stages and can reach various altitudes. "This strain has the potential to affect practically all species in the systems in which we discovered them," M. Rosa emphasises.

It therefore represents a crucial challenge for wildlife conservation and makes it necessary to urgently optimise conservation strategies for amphibians.

The ranavirus in Spain

The best-known case in Spain is that of the Picos de Europa National Park, where scientists have been working since 2005. "Several amphibian populations at the park have practically been wiped out, and we have not yet been able to find a method to diminish the effects of the disease," the researcher laments.

In addition to this case, another is currently being studied in Pontevedra and, in recent years, they have detected three further episodes of mass mortality related to these viruses in other areas of Spain, which have not yet been published. "At the moment, the only option to combat these viruses is to prevent them from spreading, since treating animals is not possible, and eliminating them from the natural environment even less so," explains Bosch.

Establishing severe border controls could prevent new strains entering through the exotic pet trade. Monitoring the species introduced - mostly fish - would be fundamental to end their most abundant reservoirs.

###

References: Rosa, G.M., Sabino-Pinto, J., Laurentino, T.G., Martel, A., Pasmans, F., Rebelo, R., Griffiths, R.A., Stohr, A.C., Marschang, R.E., Price, S.J., Garner, T.W.J, Bosch, J. (2017). "Impact of asynchronous emergence of two lethal pathogens on amphibian assemblages" Scientific Reports https://doi.org/10.1038/srep43260
Aspiring Top-10 MBA School Student with a GMAT 710 Q48 V39 IR6 [ #permalink

Dear Critical Square:



Age: 24



Gender: Male



Ethnicity: Caucasian



Home: Midwest, United States (one of the least populated states)native English speaker



University/GPA/Major: Medium-sized liberal arts university located in the Midwest, USA.; GPA: 3.86; BA History; Magna Cum Laude



GMAT: 1st attempt-- 710 Q48 V39 IR6 AWA?



When to attend MBA school? 3 years from nowie I dont intend to start until Fall 2019 at the earliest, but most likely Fall 2020.



Work Experience:

Month-long internship in Japan at one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the country. Dealt with fortune 500 companies. Worked in trademarks, patents, copyrights, presented to design-team attorneys in an effort to provide a potential solution to a clients problem. I have a well-written, and generously positive cv addendum piece written by the owner and founder of the firm. In it he described my role at the company, and my character traitsall very positive.



24-months at a very successful finance/banking company in my local town. It is a company that one of my relatives ownsthus I have had a very unique and positive experience there. I work on various projects, all of which are meant to simply add value to the firm. I have worked on finding a property for my company to move into. Thus, lots of experience in the citys local real estate. I presented to management the pros and cons of the various properties I had in mind. Ultimately, we went with the property I was most in favor of. This deal was a multi-million dollar property. Up to date, this has been my proudest achievement at the officeand I intend to spotlight this well in my application.



At this trust company, I have also created and presented my thoughts on a 5-year capital plan. I suggested various ways in which the firm could retain more of its earnings. Moreover, I suggested ideas as to what these retained earnings could be invested inone of these ideas was the very building we ended up purchasing. I have also dealt with fee structuring for clients; space-reconfiguration for employees at current office; and am working on composing a piece describing the benefits of the industry that my firm works in has to the state in which it is located.

I intend on continuing to work at this firm for an additional yearand then I will be moving to a larger city in the Midwest, and be getting a job there for approximately 2.5 years until I am ready to begin school.



Extra Facts:

 Attended a top-10 MBA school for a month during the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college. I took various classes at the school; and, the experience culminated with a group presentation to various business executives and professors. The presentation was on a valuation of a publically-traded company to various business leaders and professors.

 I am co-founder and co-manager of a start-up real estate investment company that owns a small 5-unit apartment in my local town. This is my largest passion.

 In my part-time, I am also working for an insurance-consulting business that works primarily provides insurance consulting for international clients.

 Took an introductory MBA-level Foundations in Economics course this past fall. Received an A.

 Sport Enthusiast; and avid reader

 Series 6 and 63 certified



Aspirations:

It is my hope to attend one of the top-10 MBA schools. Of course, at first blush, HBS and Stanford are my dream schools. I do really need some guidance, however, in that I am not certain how to best achieve acceptance into these schools.



I want my real estate company to grow exponentially. I want it to get into commercial properties, and eventually help to develop my citys real estate. I also want this company to evolve, in that its purpose is not entirely real estate, but has the awareness to engage in other investments outside of just the scope of real estate.



Questions:

How does my profile stack up for a top-10 MBA school? How about HBS and Stanford?

Are there any key components missing in my profile? I am not yet very community involved, and feel I ought to be for many more reasons than just that it would potentially augment my application.

Should I retake the GMAT? I have not yet asked this on the forum, and I understand that this question may better be asked elsewhere, but I am curious as to what an admissions individual would suggest after knowing more of my story



Thank you!
Quote:

1) Is there a test (online/offline) that will tell me where I stand in Quant and which areas need to be worked on?

Quote:

2) Which resources (free/purchased) should I use for Quant and Verbal?

Quant:

Study material:

Workbook:

Verbal:

sc:

cr:

rc:

Quote:

3) Is it better to go through Quant and Verbal in one book and then move on to the other or to finish Quant from multiple resources and then move on to Verbal?

yes, take Manhattan's free CAT, at the end of the test it will give you a detailed report called assessment report.If you want to brush up your basics really well then Manhattan's Foundation book is great!is great value for money for all of gmat quant, they also offer excellent email support.But if you aren't too bad with math then you can check gmatclub's theory book, it is a free and useful resource: https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-math-bo ... 30609.html Use gmatclub's guide: https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-club-gu ... 29823.html it offers you topic wise/difficulty wise questions of all of quant. Finish any one and a quant review. start with medium level questions, if you aren't solving them correctly, then review relevant lessons from , solve more questions of those type and then move on to next topic.solve questions, buy their CATS, it's really worth. make sure you review each question, if you have doubts, post it on the forum.you need to be well versed with parallelism/idioms-you can learn this (there are free videos and blog posts available)also check their meaning based approach, very useful to improve accuracy. (stick to questions)check egmats blog posts on specific subtopics tested on the gmat.you can use this technique while solving questions: Picture one person who you really enjoy disagreeing with, or simply someone you listen to with a lot of disapproval, the kind you want to prove wrong. Whenever you attempt a question, think that the CR prompt is being spoken by this person. When you do this, apart from grabbing your full attention, you will also be able to instantly find faults in the said person's argument. After that, read the question and pre-think the answer without checking the options, you will be able to eliminate answers more easily and this should also help in spotting the correct answer.check this article to understand different rc question types: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2016/strategie ... ion-types/ try to understand the big picture of each passage. how? summarize every paragraph in a sentence or two, reword it in your head in a language you're most comfortable with. then summarize each of these 1/2 line paragraph summaries, into 1/2 sentence passage summary- this is the big idea/primary message of the passage.observe shifts in tone of the author, and note them down or anything that the author stresses in the passage.As I have mentioned above, you can study fundamentals using Manhattan's Foundations book.For other video lessons you can buy 's subscription access their video lessons, and drop them emails too with your doubts, in case you fail to understand something. They are very helpful.But if you aren't too bad with math then you can check gmatclub's theory book, it is a free and useful resource: https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-math-bo ... 30609.html It would be advisable to tackle your weaknesses first. So take Manhattan's free CAT and check the assessment report and then dive into studies accordingly.
Province 2 likely to see heavy police presence during local elections

The government has categorised eight districts of Province 2 as sensitive and is set to deploy security personnel there in huge numbers for local level elections set for May 14.
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
SLMM lawmakers boycott Parliament meeting

The Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) has boycotted the Legislature-Parliament meeting on Sunday saying that their major demand of constitution amendment was not addressed.
HELENA  While Montanans dont have a vote in the U.S. House, where the bill to replace the Affordable Care is working its way through the process, the candidates to replace former U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke have plenty to say about the legislation.

I believe that Obamacare needs to be repealed and replaced, said Republican Greg Gianforte, seeking the congressional seat vacated by Zinke's ascendance to Interior Secretary. Its beyond repair. Its in a death spiral."

Gianforte, a technology entrepreneur from Bozeman who failed to unseat the incumbent Democrat in last years gubernatorial race, is up against Democrat Rob Quist, a political newcomer from Conrad best known as a banjo player and member of the Mission Mountain Wood Band.

Gianforte said that under the Affordable Care Act, premiums have doubled and Montanans cant afford it. Last year the cost of some plans on the federal marketplace went up as much as 62 percent, though 85 percent of Montanans who purchase insurance there receive a premium tax credit that will offset the rate increase.

We need to repeal and replace with a plan that will lower premiums and increase access, he said.

But that doesnt mean hes throwing his weight behind the bill in front of Congress now.

The process is just starting in Washington. Its clear to me changes need to be made to this proposal."

Gianforte stressed that he doenst want to see anyone lose health care under Medicaid, the state-federal program for those who earn low incomes. You cant rip the carpet out from people who have coverage," he said.

But he added that the states cost burden to pay for Medicaid expansion, which covers those who earn up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $16,000 a year, is something he worries is too high.

Quist also thinks the bill before Congress now is not the answer.

Its going to kick millions of Americans off of health insurance and increase the cost for many in Montana. Theres no doubt the cost of health care is rising but you dont want to fix it by repealing the progress weve made," he said.

Quist said he believes every citizen has the right to affordable health care and that attempts to fix Affordable Care Act have been stonewalled by Republicans.

Saying that a back injury sustained while baling hay once almost financially sunk his own family, Quist said costs need to come down.

I cant tell you the number of benefits Ive played for, he said, for people who need to pay off medical bills.

Any meaningful change would include more transparency in the cost of medical care and prescription drugs, he said.

And while Quist has said before he thinks the single-payer system is the best way to go, on Friday he said hes not sure it can be accomplished.

I think its going to be hard to get there at this point in time. We need to look at fixing the system thats in place.
State Minister BK monitors Secondary examination

A team comprising Minister of State for Education, Dhanmaya BK, has today monitored Secondary Education Exam (SEE) in Bhaktapur located schools. The SEE is taking places from March 16 across the nation.
Leader Kim Jong-un declared the test a new birth for the Norths rocket industry, state news agency KCNA said, according to the BBC.

He said the engine would help North Korea achieve world-class satellite launch capability, it added.

The development, not confirmed elsewhere, comes as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits China  Pyongyangs main ally.

After personally overseeing the test, Mr Kim emphasised that the world will soon witness the great significance of the epoch-making victory we achieved today, KCNA reported, adding that it marked the birth of the countrys rocket industry.

Mr Tillersons East Asian tour has been dominated by anxieties over North Koreas nuclear capabilities.

In South Korea on Friday, he said a US military response would be on the table if North Korea threatened South Korea or US forces.

The US and China pledged to work together to get the North to take a different course and move away from its weapons programmes after Mr Tillerson met his Chinese counterpart on Saturday.

The BBCs China editor Carrie Gracie says the North Korean announcement upstaged Mr Tillersons subsequent talks with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping.

North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches. Experts and government officials believe it is working to develop nuclear-warhead missiles that can reach the US.

Kim Jong-un has said the country is close to a test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
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 ...
Micrograph of a heart with fibrosis (yellow) and amyloidosis (brown). Movat's stain. Credit: Nephron/Wikipedia

African Americans experience a disproportionately high risk of cardiovascular disease, and statin treatment can be an important tool to lower the risk of plaque building up in the arteries.

But statin guidelines from different organizations vary, according to a new paper published in JAMA Cardiology and presented at the American College of Cardiology's annual Scientific Sessions.

The 2013 American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines dramatically increased the number of people eligible for statins. Recent guidelines developed by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force, or USPSTF, focus on a narrower population using clinical risk factors.

"We found one in four African Americans who would have been recommended for statin therapy under the ACC/AHA guidelines would not be recommended under new USPSTF guidelines," says Venkatesh Murthy, M.D., Ph.D., co-senior author and cardiologist at Michigan Medicine. "We wanted to determine whether the right people were being identified for statin therapy."

Murthy, an assistant professor, led a study of 2,812 African American adults who participated in the Jackson Heart Study in Jackson, Mississippi and were at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In 1,743 of the participants, Michigan Medicine and Harvard University researchers also analyzed the impact of calcification of the coronary arteries, which is associated with cardiovascular events, such as stroke or heart attack.

The study determined the stricter USPSTF guidelines did not identify as many individuals with coronary calcification as the ACC/AHA guidelines.

"Because the USPSTF guidelines target those with the highest risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, they also may miss some African Americans with some vascular calcification and low or moderate risk," says Ravi V. Shah, M.D., co-senior author from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Researchers say the results support further personalization of recommendations for statin therapy, including targeted imaging.

This is the latest work to come out of the Jackson Heart Study, the largest single-site, prospective, epidemiologic investigation of cardiovascular disease among African Americans. The full study includes a cohort of more than 5,000 patients who live in rural and urban areas of three counties around Jackson, Mississippi. The subjects were each examined three times over a period of nine years, beginning in 2000.

More information: Ravi V. Shah et al, Subclinical Atherosclerosis, Statin Eligibility, and Outcomes in African American Individuals, JAMA Cardiology (2017). Journal information: JAMA Cardiology Ravi V. Shah et al, Subclinical Atherosclerosis, Statin Eligibility, and Outcomes in African American Individuals,(2017). DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2017.0944
Her hurry-up response was a reflection, in part, of IBMs eagerness to find new businesses to make up for the erosion of its traditional hardware, software and services offerings. The company has made progress with new products like data-analysis software and its Watson artificial intelligence software.

Image Blockchain is being used to track and monitor all kinds of shipments and transactions, including Walmart pork shipments in China. Credit... Walmart

But growth in new businesses has not yet offset declines in traditional businesses. In January, IBM reported its 19th consecutive quarterly drop in revenue, though some of that sales retreat was because of profit-draining operations the company sold off, like semiconductor manufacturing and industry-standard server computers.

IBM has already suffered from being late to one of the biggest trends in technology today, cloud computing, where it moved slowly at first and watched the early market leadership go to Amazon and Microsoft. Today, Mr. Krishna said, The first-mover advantage is even more important than it used to be.

After getting Ms. Romettys push on the blockchain, the IBM teams first move was to make its software open source, meaning that it would be free and available for anyone to review and tinker with. IBMs bet was that this would establish its technology as a de facto standard, and that it could make money by selling software and services that would sit on top of the technology.

It was the chairman of IBM Europe, Erich Clementi, who personally pitched the concept to the top technology executive at Maersk. Like Walmart, Maersk had already been looking for years for a better way to trace the goods it ships around the globe.

For Maersk, the problem was not tracking the familiar rectangular shipping containers that sail the world aboard its cargo ships  instead, it was the mountains of paperwork that go with each container. Maersk had found that a single container could require stamps and approvals from as many as 30 people, including customs, tax officials and health authorities.

While the containers themselves can be loaded on a ship in a matter of minutes, a container can be held up in port for days because a piece of paper goes missing, while the goods inside spoil. The cost of moving and keeping track of all this paperwork often equals the cost of physically moving the container around the world.
The South African Local Government Association (Salga) has stated that it is time for the third tier of government to participate in the tax regime.

According to a report by the Sunday Times, the association  which consists of SAs 257 municipalities  wants to introduce a local government tax.

The report stated this will likely be in the form of a business tax.

One of the proposed options is the introduction of a new tax. Another option put forward was the allocation of a percentage of existing taxes levied by national government.

Alan Mukoki, CEO of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the proposals would lead to job cuts if carried out.

The report follows economist Dawie Roodt stating that higher taxes in South Africa were part of a ravenous state that continues to parasitise the productive sector.

Roodt added that a tax revolt may be next, while other commenters said wealthy South Africans will leave the country if put under more financial pressure.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan recently announced an increase in income tax for certain individual, along with a hike in the fuel levy, excise duties for alcohol and tobacco, and the dividend withholding tax rate.
South Africa has applied to the United Nations Security Council to sell missiles worth R1.5 billion to Iran.

The Rapport newspaper reported that this will be the biggest deal yet for Denels Umkhonto surface-to-air missile system.

The Umkhonto vertical launch surface-to-air missile was developed for the SA Navys Meko A200 class frigates, and has been in service since 2001.

The missile is high-velocity and infrared homing, providing defence against attacks from missiles and aircraft.

Although it is a surface-to-air missile, it is also capable of taking out stationary surface targets.

The Umkhonto was designed with a 23kg warhead for high-kill probability, unlike other missile systems in its class.

This news follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding in December 2016 between Iran and South Africa to boost defence and military cooperation.

According to the agreement, the countries will bolster cooperation in the fields of marine security and fighting organised crime.

Although Iran was removed from the United Nations list of countries to which no weapons can be provided, approval from the UNs sanction committee is still needed for missile technology.

According to the Rapport, there is discomfort in political circles about South Africas plan to provide weapons to Iran.

Umkhonto surface-to-air missile

Now read: Awesome tanks and jets of the Border War
The discussion about how law enforcement or government intelligence agencies might rapidly decode information someone else wants to keep secret is  or should be  shifting.

One commonly proposed approach, introducing what is called a backdoor to the encryption algorithm itself, is now widely recognized as too risky to be worth pursuing any further.

The scholarly and research community, the technology industry and Congress appear to be in agreement that weakening the encryption that in part enables information security  even if done in the name of public safety or national security  is a bad idea.

Backdoors could be catastrophic, jeopardizing the security of billions of devices and critical communications.

What comes next? Surely police and spy agencies will still want, or even need, information stored by criminals in encrypted forms. Without a backdoor, how might they get access to data that may help them solve  or even prevent  a crime?

The future of law enforcement and intelligence gathering efforts involving digital information is an emerging field that I and others who are exploring it sometimes call lawful hacking.

Rather than employing a skeleton key that grants immediate access to encrypted information, government agents will have to find other technical ways  often involving malicious code  and other legal frameworks.

Decades of history

In the mid-1990s, the Clinton administration advanced a proposal called the Clipper Chip. The chip, which ultimately was doomed by its technical shortcomings, was an attempt to ensure government access to encrypted communications.

After the chips introduction and failure, a group of cryptographers formally studied various mechanisms that might allow a trusted third party (in this case, the government) to read encrypted data in emergencies. They concluded that each approach had significant security risks.

Overall, the cryptographers view was that introducing this new capability into an encryption system made an already complicated process even more complex.

This increased complexity made it more likely that there would be an unintentional vulnerability hidden in the encryption protocol that malicious hackers could find, gaining access to the trusted third partys emergency system or otherwise breaking the code. The hackers could then read secret messages for their own purposes  a huge risk.

When the Clipper Chip project died and when the cryptographers major study came out, the idea of exceptional access for government seemed to die as well.

In an environment in which cybersecurity was an increasing priority, and in which encryption was a partial defense against many data breaches and hackers, it seemed unwise to do anything that might weaken cryptographic standards.

Snowden reveals more

While the Clipper Chip effort to use public processes to create weaknesses in cybersecurity had failed, the National Security Agency had, in secret, worked to undermine certain popular encryption algorithms.

In addition to direct attempts to break encryption with mathematical methods, an NSA project code-named Bullrun included efforts to influence or control international cryptography standards, and even to collaborate with private companies to ensure the NSA could decode their encryption.

This came to light when former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed a massive trove of files about U.S. government spying in 2013 and reignited the debate about what abilities and powers the government should have to read encrypted material.

Once again, a group of the worlds leading cryptographers studied the issue, and in 2015 came to the same conclusion: The risk of backdooring encryption to enable government access was too high.

Doing so would weaken overall security too much to make up for any brief improvements in public safety or national security.

The FBI pushes back

Then came the San Bernardino attack. On Dec. 2, 2015, Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, opened fire at a social services center in San Bernardino, California. Inspired  but not directed  by foreign terrorist groups, they killed 14 people and wounded 22 more during their violent rampage.

Before the attack, Farook had physically smashed up two personal cellphones, rendering their data unrecoverable.

He left untouched his work phone, an iPhone 5c issued by San Bernardino County. Investigators found the phone, but the FBI was unable to examine its data due to Apples encryption and security mechanisms on the device.

To get around this, the United States government used a law from the earliest days of the republic, the 1789 All Writs Act, to try to compel Apple to write software that would break the encryption and grant the FBI access.

Apple refused, saying that doing so would weaken the security of every iPhone on the market, and a court showdown began.

The conflict in a nutshell

The Apple-FBI case nicely encapsulates much of the debate around encryption: a horrible incident that everyone wants investigated, the governments stated need for access to aid the investigation, strong encryption that prevents that access and a company unwilling to risk the broader security of its products by attacking its own software.

And yet, even when the stakes were as high as the government said they were in the San Bernardino case, encryption would remain secure.

Faced with Apples refusal to comply and criticism from the technology and privacy industries, the FBI found another way.

The bureau hired an outside firm that was able to exploit a vulnerability in the iPhones software and gain access. It wasnt the first time the bureau had done such a thing.

As this all unfolded, and in the face of a wide range of significant opposition, a bill to mandate backdoors was introduced and failed in the United States Congress.

Encryption backdoors remain largely viewed as weakening everyones protections all the time for the sake of some peoples protections on rare occasions.

As a result, workarounds like the FBI found are likely to be the most common approach going forward. Indeed, in recent years, law enforcement agencies have greatly expanded their hacking capabilities.

A look to the future

The details matter, though, and how this fledgling field develops remains to be seen. Technologists and lawyers studying the issue have identified several key questions, but not their answers. These include:

What kinds of vulnerabilities can law enforcement use to gain access, technologically, legally and ethically?

Should they report those vulnerabilities to the software vendors for fixing, even if it means it is less likely that either police or hackers will be able use the weaknesses in the future?

What do they need to tell a judge in order to get permission to hack a device?

Can they hack devices outside of their jurisdiction, and what happens if they hack computers in other countries?

Do they need to tell a defendant at trial how they hacked his or her device?

While some details depend on specific certain answers to these legal and technical questions, a lawful hacking approach offers a solution that appears to gain greater favor with experts than encryption backdoors.

A group of scholars proposed some ways we should begin thinking about how law enforcement could hack. Agencies are already doing it, so its time to turn from the now-ended debate about encryption backdoors and engage in this new discussion instead.

Ben Buchanan, Postdoctoral Fellow, Cyber Security Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
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German industry calls for postponement of global minimum corporate tax

Bezos Earth Fund pledges $1 billion by 2030 to protect carbon stocks and biodiversity

Qatar's foreign minister calls criticism of West 'arrogant' and 'racist'

Delegations headed by Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs meet in Washington

French Finance Minister calls on EU to oppose U.S.

Armenian President: Aliyev's statements about intentional destruction of mosques have nothing to do with reality

German MFA reports constructive talks in EU on new sanctions against Iran

Kazakhstani President Tokayev instructs to increase oil supplies bypassing Russia

President of Artsakh holds expanded working meeting

Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports to receive more than 250 billion drams in 2023

Borrell says EU is dependent on supplies from China

Armenia official: Peace treaty implies restoration of sovereign territory

Guterres thinks mankind is heading for climate hell

Dollar, euro gain value in Armenia

General: Iran riots were US plan to derail nuclear deal

Minister: 'Lydian Armenia' may start exploitation of gold mine on Mountain Amulsar

Armenia political scientist: Balance is formed in region thanks to Iran

Minister: 70 schools will be repaired or newly built in Armenia in 2023

UAE lifts most COVID-19 restrictions for tourists

Political scientist: There is no Armenian-American agenda

President of Finland says country has no plans to host nuclear weapons

Russian Ambassador to Armenia: We are not used to making PR and playing games

Flight restrictions extended to 11 airports in Russia

Kopirkin: Spiritual core will help Armenia, Russia overcome difficulties, challenges

Armenia ranks among top 5 CIS countries for winter tourism

Envoy: Russian president awarded Armenian philologist with medal

Iranian intelligence arrests 26 terrorists: an Azerbaijani citizen among them

Russian Defense Ministry confirms: Azerbaijan fired at Khramort village in Artsakh

Number of oil and gas drilling rigs is up in US

Economy minister: Azerbaijan aggression prevented increase of Armenia wheat sowing areas

Gegharkunik governor: There are observers who recorded that Azerbaijan carried out aggression against Armenia

The National Interest: Iran turns attention to the Caucasus

Tokayev: Kazakhstan is ready to use other measures, besides diplomacy, for its defense

Economy minister: Primary agricultural products ensure 11%-13% of Armenia GDP

FAO: World grain prices rise in October

Kremlin urges Yerevan and Baku to refrain from destabilization

Governor of Armenias Tavush on possible handover of enclaves to Azerbaijan: Not being discussed now

Governor of Armenias Vayots Dzor: We have pastures that are monitored by Azerbaijan

WSJ: Sullivan is in contact with Ushakov and Patrushev on Ukraine

Vayots Dzor governor: Azerbaijan military that infiltrated Armenia can be seen with naked eye from Jermuk city

Armenia President: Military clashes, hostilities have direct impact on soil, air pollution

IRGC seizes over 1,500 weapons in Iran riots

Minister: $879 million worth of agricultural products exported from Armenia

Japan to exterminate 150 thousand chickens because of bird flu outbreak

Armenia informational online platform for promoting highly qualified specialists engagement is launched

South Korea's president apologizes for crush in downtown Seoul

Documento: Greek PM Mitsotakis used intelligence services to spy on dozens of people

Close to $98M to be allocated from Armenia state budget for agricultural projects in 2023

Man who set self on fire near Armenia government mansion is in severe condition

Anti-Iranian action to take place in Baku

UN promises to lift restrictions on Russian grain exports in near future

Fighter jet crashes in Saudi Arabia

About $770M to be assigned to Armenia territorial administration, infrastructure ministry next year

Armenia parliament vice-speaker: There is very important note in Sochi statement

Copper falls in price

New York bank robberies up 42% this year

Armenia President to attend climate change convention in Egypt

Gold prices change slightly

World oil prices falling

Mirzoyan, Blinken, Bayramov to meet in Washington today

How long will it take to know US midterm elections results?

Iranian Armenian MP: Iran-Armenia trade is expected to reach $1B

U.S. National Park Service urges against licking the Sonora desert toad

Azerbaijan army units open fire in direction of Armenia positions

Minister: Britain's government faces tough decisions

Pashinyan: Teachers in Armenia must get 800,000, 1,000,000 and 1,200,000 drams wages

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

U.S. arms sales in Europe are soaring

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

Iranian Parliament Speaker's visit to Azerbaijan postponed

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
STEPANAKERT.  The adversary breached the truce along the line of contact between the Karabakh and Azerbaijani opposing forces more than 30 times, from late Saturday night to early Sunday morning.

During this time the Azerbaijani armed forces fired more than 350 shots toward the position-holders of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR) Defense Army, and with different-caliber shooting weapons, the defense army informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

But the Artsakh defense army vanguard units are in command of the operational and tactical situation, and they continue confidently carrying out their military watch.
YEREVAN.  A march in memory of Arthur Sargsyan, aka Food Provider, ended in Liberty square.

The demonstrators first marched to the government building where they were met by large number of police officers. The protesters tried to close the street, but police moved them away using force. Minor clashes with police also occurred on Nalbandian street.

The participants of the march plan to hold a protest action at Liberty Square on Monday.

On Saturday protesters handed over a letter to the government demanding that Sargsyan has to be buried at Yerablur military cemetery. They have not received any answer from the government yet.

Artur Sargsyan, a.k.a. the Food Provider, died Thursday at Armenia Medical Center, in capital city of Yerevan

Sargsyan, who was charged with aiding the Sasna Tsrer armed group, was released from prison on December 31, 2016, since he had an illness that was incompatible with imprisonment. On February 9, however, he was arrested yet again. Subsequently, Sargsyan went on hunger strike, and demanded that his preventive measure of arrest be commuted.
The latest

Milwaukee's best LGBT bar, 2017

For the second year in a row, upstart Hamburger Mary's has edged LaCage to be named as Milwaukee's best LGBT bar. And, after moving from Bay View to Walker's Point in November, opening in a larger location, readers seemed to love Mary's even more.
When Chloe Allison was a little girl, she had a pair of pink patent leather dress shoes that she loved so much she wanted to sleep in them. Now, Allison wants to create that feeling for other little girls with her childrens wear and accessories business, Alli C.

Allison, a Milwaukee native who attended Alexander Hamilton High School, founded Alli C. in 2011 after working for Kenneth Cole, an American fashion brand. Alli C. offers beanies, blankets and accessories for infants from birth to 24 months. Her clothing is sold at boutiques in Evanston, Illinois, and Washington, D.C. Allison also sells her brand at baby showers and to Milwaukee residents through email. She is currently developing an e-commerce website, which will make it easier for her to sell online.

Allisons best-selling items are silk-lined beanies and blankets. She got the idea from watching her hair stylist put pieces of silk behind her babys head in the car seat. Silk does not soak up lotion or creams that may be on a babys skin and does not get tangled in hair.

Allison did not always want to go into fashion; when she was growing up, she wanted to be a veterinarian. It wasnt until her sophomore year of high school that she realized she would be unable to put down a sick animal or work with reptiles. That year, she went to a summer fashion program for high school students at the Savannah College of Art and Design. While at SCAD, Allison realized that she was talented at fashion design and had a passion for the work.

In college, she hoped to design bridal wear, but after coming up with the idea for Alli C., she decided to create childrens clothing instead. Allison said she loves working with children so it has been a good fit.

According to Shirah Rachel Apple, spokesperson for the U.S Small Business Administration& Wisconsin District Office, entrepreneurs starting a small business have a number of hurdles they have to overcome.

Apple noted that planning helps small business owners grow their businesses more rapidly. "We have seen it time and time again that business who do more planning make more money, hire more people and stay in business longer."

Apple recommends that small business owners contact a mentor through Milwaukee organizations such as SCORE or the Small Business Development Center run by the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. "It is definitely a challenge for small businesses to get started, but we have a lot of resources to help them," she said.

Nyerere Davidson, president of Social X, an organization that works to help young professionals thrive in Milwaukee, has mentored Allison. "I think she has a huge vision for her company," said Davidson. "She has a huge vision for fashion in Milwaukee, especially for childrens fashion."

Allison runs Alli C. on her own, but said that her family has been helpful in unpacking merchandise and providing emotional support. Her day-to-day activities include calling boutiques, designing new collections, going through inventory and working with sewing contractors in Chicago and Janesville.

She would like to manufacture her products in Milwaukee but said there is not a large enough sewing force locally. Sewing is a "dying art in Milwaukee," she noted. Allison said that she has been working with the Makers Coalition, whose mission is to build the sewing industry in the U.S. A branch of the group operates in Milwaukee.

Although her business is six years old, Allison said she still considers it to be in the "startup phase." She observed that it has been a struggle to market her products and get them placed in boutiques; most of her business comes through word of mouth.

Nevertheless, Allison said she is committed to grow the business in the next five years.

According to Davidson, "She knows what she wants; she is very driven and very tenacious."
The universal Veda

In the recent pro-jallikattu protests, many people from Tamil Nadu quoted the Thirukkural to justify their horrendous cruelty towards helpless animals.
- A new Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) plan says membership of the opposition will now be paid for

- The new membership plan is categorized into six and the people in the high cadre, the Platinum members will enjoy government positions, contracts and chance to become Board of Trustees members among other things

- The Ahmed Makarfi started the plan but the Ali Modu Sheriff faction has kicked at it saying that the party is not for sale

Senator Ahmed Makarfi's faction has accepted the plan as the best way to help the cash-strapped party

The Punch is reporting that the Senator Ahmed Makarfi faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has perfected moves to use the partys structure to generate funds for the opposition.

According to the report, a high-powered committee made up of 201 members and headed Professor Jerry Gana has advised the party to sell its membership and also restrict senior government positions and other perks to the highest bidder.

READ ALSO: Presidency heavily cuts Buharis workload to allow him rest

Sources within the party Gana has been moving around the country, distributing copies of the report, which has been accepted by the larger Makarfi faction, to prominent members of the party.

It was this report that former President Goodluck Jonathan, ex-national chairman Bamanga Tukur, former Chairman of the Board of Trustees Chief Tony Anenih and a former National Security Adviser; Gen. Mohammed Gusau (retd.) received recently.

Some other members of the BoT and the national caretaker committee have also collected copies of the document, sources say.

The report groups the partys membership into six categories in descending order of members financial contributions. The Punch reports that those in the highest categories are to have special benefits based on their financial contributions to the party.

The categories are: Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver, Standard and Students in Tertiary Institutions.

Male members of the party that desire to be Platinum members are to pay N500,000 a year or N50,000 monthly instalments while women will pay N250,000.

Consideration shall be given to platinum card-carrying members for appointment into boards of Federal Government-owned parastatals, agencies, ministerial appointments as well as other benefits that accrue to the party, the report says.

Other perks, the report says, are inclusive, but not limited to procurements, contracts and projects (awards) at all levels of the party governance structure.

In the diamond category, men will pay N250,000 (men) or N200,000 (women) annually to the party and the report explains that they will (however) not be eligible for consideration into the membership of Board of Trustees as well as contest for the position of President and national party offices as the national chairman, deputy national chairman and national secretary.

And so on are the breakdowns.

PAY ATTENTION: Get the latest news on Legit.ng News App

But the national chairman of the party and leader of the court-backed faction Senator Ali Modu Sheriff decried the plan saying the party was not for sale and the idea was to handover the party to the rich.

He spoke through the acting national publicity secretary of the party Bernard Mikko, saying: That idea wont work. We are talking and planning to handover the party to the people, yet some people are secretly planning an alliance to hijack it.

The PDP is not for sale. We wont allow it to happen. The party is for ordinary Nigerians who are committed to its ideals and not for a few, who are desperate to hijack it.

Meanwhile, River state governor and top chieftain of the PDP Nyesom Wike has accused the police in his state and the Nigerian police as a whole of affiliating itself to a political party in the country.

Daily Post reports that Wike made this statement during a meeting with the new Commissioner of Police Zaki Ahmed at the government house in Port Harcourt.

The governor urged the police to concentrate on their constitutional responsibility of providing internal security for Nigerians.

Source: Legit.ng
Nigerias Senate president, Bukola Saraki, on Sunday, March 19 commenced consultations with prominent citizens of the country ahead of 2019.

Saraki and his guests during the visit

Saraki, who is believed to be eyeing the presidency currently occupied by Muhammadu Buhari, visited former military leader, Ibrahim Babangida at the latters home in Minna, the capital of Niger state.

READ ALSO: Buhari working hard, normally - Presidency releases workload of the president since resumption

Daily Trust reports that some of those who went on the journey with the Senate president include Governor Alhaji Umar Ganduje of Kano and Dino Melaye.

At the time of this report, details of their discussion had not been revealed. Saraki has also not officially reacted.

However, sources privy to the meeting said part of what was discussed centred on the 2019 general election.

Saraki is touted to have his eyes fixed on the presidency. Political analysts claim that is his ultimate goal.

READ ALSO: How Saraki, others rented out official residences for rent - CSNAC

If he truly declares interest anytime soon, it could mean that President Buhari would have a lot of northern figures to contend with during the election.

Source: Legit.ng
In our 4 Stocks This Week, we look at M1, Noble, Hock Lian Seng and Singapore Airlines (SIA). Out of the four companies, only Hock Lian Seng might be less known as the other three are all listed on the Straits Times Index (STI). We tell you more about why these stocks are featured below.

Before diving in, we always welcome readers to reach out to us, via our Facebook page or email, to let us know if you think there are other interesting stocks. This will also help other readers to get more relevant information.

To start off, we look at how the macroeconomic climate is functioning. A good proxy, and one that we commonly use, is the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) All-Country World Index (AWCI). This week, the MSCI AWCI continued to climb to record levels on the back of continued optimism for global growth.

In Singapore, our benchmark STI rode on the positive wave globally to continue recording new 52-week highs. Rounding the week 1.1% higher, the STI ended on 3.16968 on Friday (17 March 2017), levels not seen in the last 19 months.

Since the start of the year, the STI has delivered a return of 10.2%. This number rises to 13.5% if we base it on past 52 weeks.

# 1 M1 Ltd

On Friday (17 March 2017), M1 called for a share trading halt just after 3pm. This was in response to a sharp rise in its share price of close to 7.9%.

The telecommunications company has recently been under pressure from falling revenue and profit levels as well as the impending arrival of a fourth telecommunications firm in the industry.

After the market closed, Singapore Press Holdings (SP) announced that M1s largest shareholders were undertaking a strategic review of their holdings in the company, with a view to a potential transaction. The main shareholders of M1 are Singapore listed SPH and Keppel Telecommunications and Transportation (Keppel T&T) as well as Malaysias Axiata Group.

Also Read: How Going For SIM Only Plan Can Help You Save Money On Your Mobile Bill

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For this week, M1s share price had actually gone down by $0.05, or 2.4%, after opening at $2.08 on Monday (13 March 2017) and closing at $2.03 on Thursday (16 March 2017). Taking into consideration the upswing on Friday (17 March 2017), M1 posted a total return of 5.3%.

M1 share price chart (1-week)

Source: Yahoo! Finance/ Google Finance

# 2 Noble Group Limited

Noble, one of the world largest commodity firms, has been featured on this column recently. This was when it was an upward trajectory, reporting narrowing losses for 2016 as well as possible interest from one of Chinas largest companies, Sinochem.

This was followed by another poison pen from Iceberg Research, which has been releasing scathing attacks on the company since early 2015.

On Wednesday (15 March 2017), Noble announced that it would consolidate 10 of its shares for 1 share in the group. According to the company, this was to reduce volatility and improve liquidity.

On the back of this announcement, investors did not respond with enthusiasm as Noble shares fell on Thursday (16 March 2017) For the week, Noble declined over 2.9% from $0.205 to $0.199. For the year-to-date, Noble has still performed well, returning 17.1% to shareholders. However, over the past 52-weeks, the stock has shaved off close to 38.8% of its value.

Also Read: How To Diversify Your Investment Portfolio Outside Of Singapore

Noble share price chart (1-week)

Source: Yahoo! Finance/ Google Finance

# 3 Hock Lian Seng

Compared to the other stocks listed on the column this week, Hock Lian Seng is not as well-known. Whats interesting, however, is that the civil engineering company is trading at record high levels.

Over the past 52 weeks, the company has returned 73.9%. More pertinently, most of this has come since the turn of the year delivering over 72.0% in 2017 alone.

The driving force behind this company is its strong track record of government projects including those for the Changi Airport, MRT stations expansion, expressways and other industrial property development projects. In addition, the group has a strong order book over the next few years to sustain its growth.

As at 16 March 2017, the company has a net cash holding of $190.2 million. This is 61.7% of its market capitalisation. The company has also seen a strong 29.2% year-on-year increase in its earnings per share. The companys dividend yield is also hovering at close to 3.9%.

Source: Yahoo! Finance/ Google Finance

# 4 Singapore Airlines Ltd

On Friday (17 March 2017), Singapore Airlines (SIA), along with 10 other airlines, were fined $1.2 billion by the European Union antitrust regulators for their participation in an air cargo cartel from 1999 to 2006. For its role, SIA was slapped with a $112 fine.

This roughly translates to 13.2% of its 2016 net profit. Also, as news of this came out only after markets closed, investors can expect to see some volatility in its share price on Monday as the market absorbs the fine that will make a one-off impact on its bottomline this year.

For the week, SIAs share priced moved sideways, from $9.99 on Monday (13 March 2017) to $10.01 on Friday (17 March 2017). Since the start of the year, SIA has delivered a return of over 3.5%. Over the last 52-weeks, however, it has plunged over 9.3%.

Read Also: 4 Stocks This Week [6 Mar 2017]: City Developments; Kimly; Silverlake; MapleTree Industrial Trust

4 Stocks This Week is not a recommendation from us to buy or sell any of these stocks. For investors who are keen to find out more, you should continue researching about them before making your investment decisions.

Apply online for any of these five selected credit cards from now till 30 March and receive up to an additional $100 NTUC or Takashimaya Vouchers for your online application. To find out more, visit this link.

The post 4 Stocks This Week [13 Mar 17]: M1; Noble; Hock Lian Seng; SIA appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
Belgium this week marks the first anniversary of the Brussels airport and metro bombings with ceremonies showing the heart of Europe is still beating despite the country's worst ever attacks. Applause is set to ring out during a "minute of noise" on Wednesday as trains, trams and buses halt to remember the 32 people killed and more than 320 injured in the attacks claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group. Belgium remains on high alert with troops patrolling the streets a year after the blasts, carried out by a network that investigators say was also behind the November 2015 Paris attacks. "Our country is safer now," Interior Minister Jan Jambon told AFP in an interview, while warning that there was still a threat that battle-hardened jihadists fleeing the Islamic State's last stand in Syria could come home to Belgium. The ceremonies start at Zaventem Airport where King Philippe and Queen Mathilde will lead victims, family members and rescuers in a service of remembrance for the 16 people killed there by suicide bombers Ibrahim El Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui at 7:58 am on March 22, 2016. The royal couple will then travel by the subway to Maalbeek metro station in the city's European quarter where Bakraoui's brother Khalid blew himself up on a crowded train at 9:11 am, killing a further 16 people. - 'Minute of noise' - In a break from tradition, metro staff will hold a "minute of noise", in which commuters will be invited to take part "to show that they do not forget but they will stay standing against hate and terror," Stib, the Brussels public transport company, said in a statement. Finally the king and queen will inaugurate a new curved, steel memorial at the nearby Robert Schuman roundabout, which sits at the heart of the European Union institutions based in Brussels. The shock of the attacks was compounded by accusations afterwards that Belgium had become a "failed state" which was unable to track down the IS-inspired cell behind the Brussels bombings and also the Paris attacks in which 130 people died. International media descended on the Belgian capital's largely Muslim Molenbeek area where many of the attackers hailed from, as questions abounded about whether deep divisions between Belgium's French and Flemish speaking communities had allowed growing radicalism to slip under the radar. Fugitive Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam was shot and arrested in a police raid in Molenbeek on March 18, 2016, raising speculation about how he had managed to get back to Belgium and remain undetected for nearly four months. His arrest apparently panicked the rest of the cell into changing their plans and, instead of carrying out a new attack on France, they targeted the airport and metro in Brussels just four days later, investigators say. A third airport attacker whose device failed to go off, Mohammed Abrini, dubbed the "Man in the Hat" because of the headqear he was shown wearing in security footage, was arrested -- again in central Brussels -- nearly a month after the attacks. All the suspects were linked to an IS cell led by Paris ringleader and Syria veteran Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a man of Belgian-Moroccan origin. Airport bomber Laachraoui was meanwhile identified as chief bombmaker for the Paris attacks. - Soldiers still on streets - A year on, rifle-toting soldiers and military vehicles still stand guard outside key landmarks and other sites deemed at risk of attack, such as synagogues, while Belgium remains on its second highest terror alert level, 3 out of 4. Anti-terror laws have been stepped up, and police are to this day carrying out raids on people with possible links to the Brussels and Paris investigations. Jambon pointed out that "other democracies" had also been unable to prevent further attacks, suggesting that Belgium had been unfairly singled out for criticism when it was in fact a victim. France has suffered from further jihadist horror, particularly the devastating truck attack on Nice in July 2016 that killed 86 people. While Belgium is keen to show that it is still strong, the pain goes on for the victims. Around 900 people have been officially recognised by the state as victims -- the bereaved, the injured, the psychologically traumatised -- creating a new challenge for the country. Nine people including Abrini meanwhile remain in custody, with any trial said to be years off.
Germany angrily warned Turkey on Sunday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had gone too far after he accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of using "Nazi measures" in an escalating diplomatic feud. Turkey and the European Union are locked in an explosive crisis that threatens to jeopardise Ankara's bid to join the bloc, as tensions rise ahead of an April 16 referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers. The row erupted after authorities in Germany and other EU states refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign for a 'yes' vote on their soil, provoking a volcanic response from the Turkish strongman who said the spirit of Nazi Germany was rampant in Europe. "When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said in a televised speech on Sunday. "But you are right now employing Nazi measures," Erdogan said referring to Merkel, pointedly using the informal "you" in Turkish. "Against who? My Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers" who planned to hold campaign rallies for a 'yes' vote in the referendum, he said. Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded Erdogan's comments "shocking". "We are tolerant but we're not stupid," he told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper. "That's why I have let my Turkish counterpart know very clearly that a boundary has been crossed here." Julia Kloeckner, the vice-president of Merkel's CDU party, also reacted angrily to the comments. "Has Mr. Erdogan lost his mind?" she said, telling journalists she was urging the EU to freeze "financial aid amounting to billions of euros" to Turkey. - 'Germany behind coup?' - Home to 1.4 million Turkish voters, Germany hosts the world's largest Turkish diaspora but the partnership between NATO allies Ankara and Berlin has been ripped to shreds by the current crisis. Turkey reacted furiously to a Frankfurt rally on Saturday urging a 'no' vote where protesters brandished insignia of outlawed Kurdish rebels, accusing Germany of double standards. "Yesterday (Saturday), Germany put its name under another scandal," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told CNN-Turk. He said the German ambassador had been summoned although this was not confirmed by Berlin. The Turkish foreign ministry accused the German authorities "of the worst example of double standards" for allowing the pro-Kurdish protest while preventing Turkish ministers from campaigning there. Many protesters carried symbols of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terror organisation not just by Turkey but also the EU and the United States. Ankara also reacted with indignation after Germany's intelligence chief said he was unconvinced by Turkish assertions that US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen was behind the failed July coup aimed at overthrowing Erdogan. Kalin said Europe was seeking to "whitewash" Gulen's group, while Defence Minister Fikri Isik said the comments raised questions about whether Berlin itself was involved in the putsch. "The fact that the head of German intelligence made such a statement will increase doubts about Germany and give rise to the question 'was German intelligence behind the coup?'," he said. In an interview with Der Spiegel published Saturday, German foreign intelligence chief Bruno Kahl said Ankara had repeatedly tried to persuade Berlin that Gulen was behind the coup "but they have not succeeded". - 'Further than ever' - The dispute has left Turkey's ambition to join the EU -- a cornerstone of its policy for half a century -- hanging in the balance ahead of the referendum. Erdogan threw further oil on the fire Saturday by saying he believed parliament would, after the referendum, agree a bill to restore capital punishment which he would then sign. It was Erdogan's clearest warning yet that he could reverse the 2004 abolition of capital punishment, a pre-condition for joining the EU. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned Sunday that any return of the death penalty in Turkey would be a "red line". And Gabriel told Der Spiegel: "We are further away than ever from Turkey's accession to the EU." The crisis is hitting Turkey's relations with key EU members and Turkish-Dutch ties hit an all-time low in the run-up to the March 15 election in the Netherlands. Erdogan last week even called on Turks living in Europe to have more children to tilt the demographic balance. Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen on Sunday said he was summoning the Turkish ambassador for an explanation after a report that dual nationals critical of Erdogan had been threatened.
FBI director James Comey will be in the hot seat Monday facing lawmakers who accuse him of stonewalling Congress, as they demand answers about Donald Trump's potential Russia ties and the president's extraordinary accusation of wiretapping by his predecessor. The two explosive issues have preoccupied Republicans and Democrats alike for weeks, robbing Trump's administration of a smoother rollout and raising uncomfortable questions about possible collusion between Trump associates and the Kremlin. The stakes for the tycoon-turned-world-leader could hardly be higher. Comey will testify before the House Intelligence Committee at an open hearing aimed at investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 election campaign. National Security Agency director Mike Rogers is also scheduled to testify. The US intelligence community has publicly blamed Moscow for hacks of the Democratic National Committee last year, and suggested the cyber attacks were aimed at steering the election to a Trump victory. Russia has denied involvement in the hacks. Several congressional panels have launched investigations into Russia's alleged interference, including House and Senate intelligence committees, which have jurisdiction over the nation's 17 intelligence agencies, and the House and Senate judiciary committees. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also probing Russian interference in the election. The question remains whether the agency has opened a criminal investigation into possible ties between Trump campaign aides and Russian officials. Monday's hearing promises to be a very public showdown between the FBI and lawmakers, with the national security world certain to watch whether Comey drops a political bombshell on Washington. Members of Congress have expressed mounting frustration over the lack of cooperation from the FBI about Russia and Trump's incendiary wiretap claim, which Barack Obama and an array of other officials have flatly denied. Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican, vented his anger at the Justice Department, which oversees the FBI, by threatening not to hold a vote on Trump's nominee for deputy attorney general until he gets answers from Comey. The FBI director then trooped up to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to brief Grassley and the judiciary panel's top Democrat, Senator Dianne Feinstein, behind closed doors. The information discussed was "highly classified," Feinstein told reporters afterward. "It's really not anything that we can answer any questions about." Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Friday that the Justice Department had "fully complied" with the panel's request for any materials related to Trump's wiretapping claim. He would not disclose what was provided. But Representative Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said that he had yet to see any evidence of wiretapping. If the White House has any, he added on CNN, "Please share it with us." Trump has denounced the tumult over the Russia connections as a "total witch hunt." The issue mushroomed last month when Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned after it was revealed he misled top officials over his contacts with Russia. Around the same time, The New York Times reported that US intelligence agents had intercepted calls showing that members of Trump's campaign had repeated contacts with top Russian intelligence officials in the year preceding the November 8 election. Adding to the intrigue, Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from any Russia-related inquiries after it was learned that he had met twice with the Russian ambassador in the months before Trump took office. Top officials from both parties have discredited Trump's wiretapping allegation. House Speaker Paul Ryan, as well as the chairmen and top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees, have said they have seen no evidence to back the claim. In a BBC interview published Saturday, National Security Agency deputy Rick Ledgett called the suggestion -- which a White House spokesman conveyed to reporters -- that British intelligence might have helped spy on Trump "just crazy." British officials have vigorously denounced the allegation. Still, Trump doubled down on his assertion Friday. Speaking at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, he answered a question about the wiretap allegation by referring to the National Security Agency's reported tapping of Merkel's phone years ago. "As far as wiretapping, I guess, by this past administration, at least we have something in common perhaps," Trump said.
A congressional panel so far has found "no evidence" that Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election, its chairman said Sunday, ahead of testimony by the head of the FBI on the US president's potential Russia ties. Based on "everything I have up to this morning -- no evidence of collusion," by Trump's team and Moscow, Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News. Nunes made his remarks one day before Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey is to face lawmakers on the panel, amid speculation that Trump aides and associates -- and perhaps even the businessman-turned-politician himself -- may have maintained uncomfortably close ties with Moscow. Monday's hearing was also expected to address a second explosive issue: Trump's unsubstantiated accusations of wiretapping by Barack Obama -- charges that have roiled political waters in Washington for the past two weeks. Trump on March 4 tweeted that Obama had "tapped" his phone -- a charge that has consumed political debate in the US capital. The US intelligence community has publicly blamed Russia for hacks of the Democratic National Committee last year, and suggested the cyber attacks were aimed at steering the election to a Trump victory. Moscow has denied involvement in the hacks, and Trump has denounced the tumult over alleged Russia connections as a "total witch hunt." - A city obsessed with a baseless claim - But the question of whether Trump Tower was bugged -- an accusation first lodged by the president on Twitter -- nevertheless has risen to the top of Washington's political agenda, becoming something of a national obsession, even as a growing number of lawmakers and top US officials assert there is no evidence of any such claim. The wiretapping issue mushroomed last month, when Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign after it was revealed he had misled top officials over his contacts with Russia. Around the same time, The New York Times reported that US intelligence agents had intercepted calls showing that members of Trump's campaign had repeated contacts with top Russian intelligence officials in the year preceding the November 8 election. Nunes has said that the intelligence committee probe focuses in part on who revealed the fact that Flynn had unreported private contacts with the Russians over the issue of international sanctions against Moscow -- a disclosure which led to his forced resignation as Trump's national security adviser. Adding to the intrigue, Trump's attorney general Jeff Sessions had to recuse himself from any Russia-related inquiries after it was learned that he had met twice with the Russian ambassador in the months before Trump took office, and had failed to disclose this during his confirmation hearing. - Trump's credibility takes a hit - Domestically, the headline-grabbing controversy over the wiretapping claim has pulled attention away from Trump's effort to push through other key items on his agenda, including the planned repeal of Obama's healthcare law, tax reform and his controversial travel ban. Critics say it has also debased the already-coarse tone of political debate in Washington and eroded the president's credibility at home and abroad. Some of the fallout has been international in scope: The White House was forced to retract a charge repeated last week by its spokesman Sean Spicer suggesting that Britain's intelligence services aided the Obama administration in the alleged wiretap. That claim has strained relations with America's closest ally. Still, as recently as Friday, Trump repeated the baseless claim in an aside during a White House press conference with Angela Merkel. "As far as wiretapping, I guess, by this past administration, at least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump told the German chancellor, referring to a WikiLeaks report in 2015 that the US had monitored calls involving Merkel and her top aides for years. Republican Senator Ted Cruz -- Trump's vanquished rival last year for the Republican presidential nomination -- said the wiretapping charges are not entirely "outlandish" and should be investigated. - 'Not necessarily outlandish' - "I think it would be quite good for the administration to put forward what evidence there is," Cruz told CBS television. "You know, I will point out this is not necessarily as outlandish as everyone in the press suggests. We do know that the Obama administration targeted their political enemies... so the notion is not necessarily outlandish, but it's serious," he said. With national debate consumed by talk over Trump's wiretapping claim, Adam Schiff, the top Democratic lawmaker on the intelligence panel, said it is time "to put an end to the goose chase." "What the president said is patently false and the wrecking ball it created has banged into the British allies and German allies and (is) continuing to grow in terms of damage, and he needs to put an end to this," Schiff said on NBC. One Republican lawmaker said the president might be well advised to follow sage parental counsel he received years ago. "To quote my 85-year-old father... 'It never hurts to say you're sorry,'" Representative Will Hurd, a Republican from Texas, told ABC television. "And it's not just sorry to (Obama) but sorry to the (United Kingdom) for the claims -- or the intimation -- that the U.K. was involved in this as well," said Hurd, himself a former intelligence agent.
From hotels with segregated swimming pools to jelly made from seaweed instead of pig bones, Buddhist Thailand is chasing halal gold as it welcomes Muslim visitors and touts its wares to the Islamic world.

Inside the cavernous dining hall of the five-star Al Meroz hotel in a Muslim suburb of Bangkok, an elderly man with a wispy beard recites verses of the Koran as a nervous-looking groom awaits the arrival of his bride.

The young man bursts into a smile as his soon-to-be wife appears, clad in a brilliant white dress with matching headscarf.

The ceremony is one of dozens of marriages held over the last few months at the Al Meroz -- the city's first entirely halal hotel.

Thailand has long been a draw for the world's sun-seekers and hedonists, drawn to its parties, red-light districts, cheap booze and tropical beaches.

But it has also seen a huge influx of visitors from Muslim countries, part of a quiet but deliberate strategy by the Southeast Asian nation to diversify its visitor profile.

"Considering there are 1.5 billion Muslims around the world, I think this is a very good market," explains Sanya Saenboon, the general manager of the hotel, one of a growing number of businesses serving a boom in Islamic tourists.

The hotel opened its doors last year, setting itself apart with its attention to all things Islamic.

For a start there is no alcohol on sale, while the top floor swimming pool and gym has specific times for when men and women can use the facilities.

Everything in the building has been ticked off against stringent checklist for practicing Muslims, from bed linen washed in a particular way, to ensuring toiletries are free of alcohol or animal fat -- making everyday goods "permissible" for the faithful.

Sanya, who is Muslim, says such checks give visitors "peace of mind" so clients never have to ask themselves "can I eat this?"

- 'Ahead of the curve' -

Despite a decade of political turbulence, Thailand has seen an explosion in tourist arrivals, from 13.8 million annual visitors in 2006 to a record 32.5 million last year.

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Western arrivals have largely remained a constant. The biggest increase in arrivals comes from China, skyrocketing from just 949,000 arrivals 10 years ago to 8.7 million visitors in 2016.

But Muslim countries are also sending their citizens.

An AFP analysis of government figures shows visitors from key majority Muslim nations in the Middle East and Asia have risen from 2.63 million in 2006 to 6.03 million last year.

"Thailand was ahead of the curve," says Fazal Baharden, founder of the Singapore-based Crescent Rating, which rates which countries are most welcoming to Muslim travellers.

Thailand routinely places in the top two for non-Muslim majority nations alongside Singapore in Crescent Ratings' annual survey of halal destinations.

"They've really recognised the Muslim consumer market is worth tapping into," he explains, adding medical tourism, shopping and high quality hotels are the primary draws.

Baharden says the Islamic travel market is one of the world's fastest growing thanks the growth of cheap flights and booming Muslim middle classes.

He estimates the number of Muslim travellers has surged from around 25 million a year in 2000 to 117 million in 2015.

But it is not just at home that Thailand has gone halal.

- Food gets halal makeover -

From chicken and seafood to rice and canned fruit, the country has long been one of the world's great food exporters.

Now a growing numbers of food companies are switching to halal to widen their customer base.

Against a backdrop of humming machines churning out butter, Lalana Thiranusornkij, a Buddhist, explains how her family turned their three factories -- under the KCG Corporation banner -- halal to access markets in Indonesia, Malaysia and in the Gulf.

But going halal sometimes required some clever workarounds, such as how to avoid animal based gelatin to make jelly.

"In the past we used gelatin from pork but... we changed our gelatin from the pork source to be from a seaweed source," she said.

Thailand's junta has set the goal of turning the country into one of the world's top five halal exporting nations by 2020.

Some outsiders might be surprised to see an overwhelmingly Buddhist nation embrace halal.

But Dr Winai Dahlan, founder of the Halal Science Centre at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, says Thailand was well placed to make the change.

Five percent of its population is Muslim and -- outside of the insurgency plagued southern border region -- is well-integrated within the Buddhist majority.

It was local Thai Muslims who first began asking for the country's halal testing centre, a business that scours products for any banned substances and has since boomed.

"Fifteen years ago there was only 500 food plants that had halal certification. Now it's 6,000," Winai told AFP as female lab technicians in headscarves tested food products for traces of pork DNA.

Over the same period the number of halal certified products made in Thailand has gone from 10,000 to 160,000, he added.

It's paid off. The government estimates the halal food industry is already worth $6 billion a year.

As Thailand has quickly learned, there's gold at the end of the halal rainbow.

jta/apj/lto
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
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
Robert Gilpin, R.I.P. - The Washington Post : His greatest book was written in 1981, but the main theory in it is perhaps more trenchant now...
This site focuses on Republican politicians and conservatives that rip off their constituency. We have the Tea Party, fundamentalist churches, the corruption of ALEC and other special interests groups. But the site also supports progressive Democrats and the local Democratic Socialist of America. We must have ideas on how to replace regressive and corrupt politicians with something better. For comments steveotto2001@yahoo.com or ottozero2001@yahoo.com.
Deutsche Bank AG / Key word(s): Capital Increase





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.



Frankfurt am Main, 19 March 2017 - Deutsche Bank AG (XETRA: DBKGn.DE / NYSE: DB) today fixed the total proceeds from its capital increase against cash contributions at EUR 8.0 billion and set the following key parameters: Issue of 687.5 million new shares

Subscription ratio of 2 : 1

Subscription price of EUR 11.65 per share Deutsche Bank will issue a total of 687.5 million new registered no par value shares (common shares) in public offerings in Germany, the United Kingdom and in the United States, using authorized capital. The subscription price will be EUR 11.65 per new share issued, and the subscription ratio will be 2 : 1. This means that Deutsche Bank shareholders may acquire for the subscription rights attached to two existing shares one new share at the subscription price during the subscription period which is expected to run from 21 March through 6 April 2017.

The new shares will have the same dividend entitlement as the existing shares. The gross proceeds from the offering, which is fully underwritten, will amount to EUR 8.0 billion. The underwriting syndicate was increased from eight to 30 banks since the initial announcement on 5 March 2017.

The subscription rights are expected to be traded on the German stock exchanges from 21 March through 4 April 2017, and on the New York Stock Exchange from 21 through 31 March 2017. It is expected that the new shares will be delivered through Clearstream Banking AG on or about 7 April 2017 and through The Depository Trust Company on or about 11 April 2017, and will be included in the existing quotation of the Deutsche Bank shares on the German stock exchanges and on the New York Stock Exchange on or about 7 April 2017.



Contact:

Michael Golden

Deputy Head of Communications & CSR

Phone: +44 207 5456469

e-mail: michael.golden@db.com

















IMPORTANT NOTICE



For readers in the European Economic Area

This release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for, any securities of Deutsche Bank AG. This document does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of the EC Directive 2003/71/EC of the European Parliament and Council dated 4 November 2003, as amended (the "Prospectus Directive"). The public offer in Germany and the United Kingdom will be made solely by means of, and on the basis of, a securities prospectus which is to be published following its approval by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). Any investment decision regarding any subscription rights or shares should only be made on the basis of the prospectus which will be published after its approval and will be available for download on the internet site of Deutsche Bank AG (www.db.com/ir). Copies of the prospectus will also be readily available upon request and free of charge at Deutsche Bank AG, Taunusanlage 12, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

In any Member State of the European Economic Area that has implemented the Prospectus Directive (other than Germany or the United Kingdom) this communication is only addressed to, and directed at, qualified investors in that Member State within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive.



Stabilization

In connection with the offering of the New Shares, Credit Suisse Securities (Europe) Limited will be acting as the stabilization manager and it (or one of its affiliates) may take stabilization measures aimed at supporting the market price of the shares of Deutsche Bank AG in order to offset any existing selling pressure in such shares (stabilization measures). The stabilization manager has no obligation to undertake stabilization measures. Accordingly, it cannot be guaranteed that stabilization measures will be taken at all. If stabilization measures are taken, they may be discontinued at any time without prior announcement. Such stabilization measures may be taken on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Frankfurter Wertpapierborse) or the New York Stock Exchange as from the date of the publication of the Subscription Offer and must cease at the latest on the 30th calendar day following expiration of the subscription period, expected to be May 6, 2017 (stabilization period). Stabilization measures may result in a (quoted) market price of the shares of the Company that is higher than would be the case in the absence of such measures. Furthermore, the (quoted) market price may temporarily reach a level that is not sustainable.



For readers in the United Kingdom

This communication is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (iii) high net worth companies falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order, or (iv) other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). The new shares are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire such new shares will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.



For readers in the US

Deutsche Bank has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") for the offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement, the supplement to that prospectus Deutsche Bank expects to file with the SEC and other documents Deutsche Bank has filed and will file with the SEC for more complete information about Deutsche Bank and this offering. You may get these documents, once filed, free of charge by visiting EDGAR on the SEC Web site at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, Deutsche Bank, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the offering will arrange to send you the prospectus after filing if you request it by calling Deutsche Bank at +49 69 910-35395.



For readers in Canada

Deutsche Bank intends to make the offering to which this communication relates in Canada pursuant to a Canadian offering memorandum filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities under an exemption from the requirement to file a prospectus in Canada. Before you invest, you should read the Canadian offering memorandum and other documents Deutsche Bank has filed and will file with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities for more complete information about Deutsche Bank and this offering. You may get these documents, once filed, free of charge by visiting SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Alternatively, Deutsche Bank will arrange to send you the Canadian offering memorandum after filing if you request it by calling Deutsche Bank at +49 69 910-35395.





19-March-2017 CET/CEST The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.dgap.de


Healthy cell function relies on well orchestrated gene activity. Via a fantastically complex network of interactions, around 30,000 genes cooperate to maintain this delicate balance in each of the 37.2 trillion cells in the human body.

Broadly speaking, cancer is a disruption of this balance by genetic changes, or mutations. Mutations can trigger over-activation of genes that normally instruct cells to divide, or inactivation of genes that suppress the development of cancer. When a mutated cell divides, it passes the mutation down to its daughter cells. This leads to the accumulation of non-functioning, abnormal cells that we recognise as cancer.

Our laboratory is focused on understanding how one particular cancer  chronic myeloid leukaemia or CML  works. Each year more than 700 patients in the UK  and over 100,000 worldwide  are diagnosed with CML. After recent advances, almost 90% of patients under the age of 65 now survive for more than five years.

But in the vast majority of patients CML is currently incurable and lifelong treatment means that patients must live with side effects and the chance of drug resistance arising. With increasing numbers of CML patients surviving (and treatment costing between 40,000 and 70,000 per patient a year), increasing strain is being placed on health services.

A single mutation

CML is perhaps unique in cancers in that a single mutation, named BCR-ABL, underlies the disease biology. This mutation originates in a single leukaemic stem cell, but is then propagated throughout the blood and bone marrow as leukaemia cells take over and block the healthy process of blood production. The presence of BCR-ABL affects the activity of thousands of genes, in turn preventing these cells from fulfilling their normal function as blood cells.

Drugs that specifically neutralise the aberrant effects of this mutation were introduced to the clinic from the early 2000s. These drugs have revolutionised CML patient care. Many are now able to live relatively normal lives with their leukaemia under good control.

Story continues

But while these drugs kill the more mature daughter cells of the originally mutated leukaemia stem cell, they have not fully lived up to their initial billing as magic bullets in the fight against cancer. This is because the original seed population of leukaemic stem cells evade therapy, lying dormant in the bone marrow to stimulate new cancer growth when treatment is withdrawn.

To truly cure CML we must expose, understand the inner workings of, and uproot the leukaemia stem cells. And to do this, we need to learn more about them. How do they survive the treatment that so readily kills their more mature counterparts? Which overactive or inactivated genes protect them?

We believe that the answers to these questions lie in the analysis of biological big data. Genome-scale technologies now allow scientists to measure the activity (or expression) of every gene in the genome simultaneously, in any given population of cells, or even at the level of a single cell. Comparison of expression data generated from leukaemia stem cells with the same data generated from healthy blood stem cells will reveal single genes or networks of genes potentially targetable in the fight against leukaemia.

Big data to the rescue

In a project funded by Bloodwise and the Scottish Cancer Foundation, we have created LEUKomics. This online data portal brings together a wealth of CML gene expression data from specialised laboratories across the globe, including our own at the University of Glasgow.

Our intention is to eliminate the bottleneck surrounding big data analysis in CML. Each dataset is subjected to manual quality checks, and all the necessary computational processing to extract information on gene expression. This enables immediate access to and interpretation of data that previously would not have been easily accessible to academics or clinicians without training in specialised computational approaches.

Consolidating these data into a single resource also allows large-scale, computationally-intensive research efforts by bioinformaticians (specialists in the analysis of big data in biology). From a computational perspective, the fact that CML is caused by a single mutation makes it an attractive disease model for cancer stem cells. However, existing datasets tend to have small sample numbers, which can limit their potential.

The more samples available, the higher the power to detect subtle changes that may be crucial to the biology of the cancer stem cells. By bringing all the globally available CML datasets together, we have significantly increased the sample size, from two to six per dataset to more than 100 altogether. This offers an unprecedented opportunity to analyse gene expression data to expose underlying mechanisms of this disease.

As of March 2017, the portal is up and running in the public domain. We are planning to tour Scotland and present at international conferences, aiming to train researchers in how best to exploit this new resource. Ultimately, we hope that this tool will lead to new ideas and approaches, and attract more funding, in the fight against CML. And while we continue to expand our representation of CML data in real time from research centres all over the world, we also plan to begin incorporating data from other types of leukaemia.

In recent years, targeted therapies have become hugely important in cancer research. By providing these data to the CML research community within LEUKomics, we hope to mobilise new research into cancer-causing leukaemic stem cells, and ultimately design treatments to target them without affecting healthy cells. Our database provides a critical stepping stone in this process.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Lorna Jackson receives funding from the Medical Research Council, the Scottish Cancer Foundation and Bloodwise.

Lisa Hopcroft has received funding from Cancer Research UK and Bloodwise.
Johannesburg - When celebrated young Zimbabwean artist Gerald Machona first arrived in South Africa in 2006 to study at the University of Cape Town, he felt at home. As he told City Press in a previous interview, We had Afrikaans-speaking South Africans at my school. South African music was a big part of Zimbabwes pop culture.

He began making sculptural objects using Zim dollars, investigating the collapse of the economy and what it took to buy a loaf of bread at home.

I wanted people to understand why Zimbabweans were migrating. I became obsessed with telling the story of the migrant.

Then the first xenophobic attacks happened. That blew my entire project into the air. Even though I was in Cape Town, I became cautious. I actually changed how I dressed so I could blend in. I picked up isiXhosa lingo...

Here's a picture of Gerald Machona in Cape Town:

Jacket: Lerato Nkosi #slaythursdays #umhlangano2016 A post shared by Gerald Machona (@da_afronaut) on Dec 15, 2016 at 11:32am PST

With a particular political elegance, Machona began bringing his sculptures to life by creating tribal masks of currency and wearing them. I titled each performance with the prefix ndiri, which means I am.

Ndiri Cross-border Trader stood above a bus port in Harare and the wind scattered the banknotes from his head.

I started looking at the occupations African foreign nationals take up in South Africa. Ndiri Barman, Ndiri Deejay and Ndiri Bouncer were born. As Ndiri Barber, I shaved everyones head the same style  chiskop. This was partly about trying to pass as a South African  who generally keep their hair shorter.

For me, it started a discourse about Afrophobia. African nationals were targeted, but white foreign nationals were seen as tourists or business investors. I wanted to look at the process of how we are profiled.

For his masters degree, he created a spacesuit out of currency. For me, the spacesuit is a metaphor about having to adapt to a foreign space that is not designed for you. South Africa is not designed for foreign nationals from Africa.

Chatting to #Trending this week about recent events, he said: In response to the recent violence, the National Association of Nigerian Students gave a 48-hour ultimatum to all South African companies in Nigeria to relocate over the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa. While I do not condone retaliation as a response, there must be a realisation that we live in a global community and that the ripple effect is much wider than just South African society.
Storyful

Music boomed through a darkened street in Kyiv, Ukraine, on November 5, despite the city experiencing widespread blackouts due to the damage of critical infrastructure.Video filmed by Sergio Olmos shows the light from a patio heater illuminating a section of an otherwise dark street in Kyiv while speakers play electronic music.The National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities of Ukraine released a statement regarding the blackouts on November 4, blaming Russian energy terror for the restricted service.Such measures are forced steps to ensure the balance of the energy system and avoid network overload. The commission emphasizes that emergency teams of energy companies are doing everything possible to restore all energy facilities damaged by Russian attacks as soon as possible. With this in mind, the NKRECP appeals to consumers and asks them to understand such temporary steps to restrict electricity supply, the regulator said, according to a machine translation.On November 4, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 450,000 people in the city were without power.On November 6, Klitschko posted on Facebook saying officials have to be prepared for different scenarios and urged people to save electricity, according to a machine translation.In the war situation in which we live, you need to have plans in case of various scenarios of events and emergencies. And be prepared for action. Preparing for winter, we have purchased, engaged from foreign partners and continue to purchase generators, heat guns, equip heat points, secure critical infrastructure facilities. We are doing everything we can to ensure the livelihood of the capital in these difficult conditions, Klitschko wrote.According to a New York Times report, Ukrainian officials have begun planning for the possibility of a total blackout in Kyiv, and the evacuation of its civilians. Credit: Sergio Olmos via Storyful
Next fall you may see trees in New Mexico with more colorful leaves. Specifically, you may see Mesa Glow maples with bright crimson leaves. Its scientific name is Acer grandidentatum JFS-NuMex 3, and New Mexico State University has recently been awarded a patent on the plant.

Rolston St. Hilaire, NMSU Plant and Environmental Sciences department head and professor, is the scientist who has been leading the effort since 2000. When he first arrived in Las Cruces in the late 1990s, he began hiking in the area, inquiring about maples and studying area maps. He noticed a type of maple tree  the Bigtooth maple  in the Organ Mountains and in other areas in the Southwest, such as the Chiricahua Mountains near Wilcox, Ariz.

The significance of the Bigtooth maple here in New Mexico is that it has brilliant fall colors that are, in my opinion, better or rival that of the sugar maples that we see on the East Coast, St. Hilaire said. My vision was: If I can get this plant to work, it could fill a niche. Obviously the color is important. People really like the color, and they just love maples. It has ornamental appeal.

The problem with the Bigtooth maple in the Southwest is that its only found in mountainous areas, not in the lower desert. Also, in nature, many Bigtooth maples do not stand completely upright. St. Hilaire had worked extensively with sugar maples and black maples while pursuing his doctorate at Iowa State University, so he had plenty of experience with that type of tree.

But how could he develop a tree that would have colorful leaves, stand upright and withstand the dry climate, salty soil and high light?

He was on a mission.

Starting from seed

St. Hilaire spent much of 2001 traveling to places in the Southwest, such as Arizona, Texas, Utah and other New Mexico locations to collect seeds of maples that grow in dry environments.

Once we did that, we brought that material back to our greenhouses at the Fabian Garcia Science Center, and we grew thousands of seedlings, St. Hilaire said. We began a process of testing those materials for resilience to a variety of environmental stresses, including how well it lived with limited water and whether it tolerated salt in the root zone and high light.

It was 2003 when he found a few ideal plants, based on data and detailed physical characteristics.

Yet, he faced another obstacle. This particular maple tree only had a 1 percent survival rate when reproduced by cuttings. So, St. Hilaire and his research team began working on tissue culture methods to propagate the plant from the parent stock.

Clare Bowen-OConnor, his graduate research assistant at the time, had a breakthrough in 2005. She developed a tissue culture method  a form of micropropagation  to reproduce the plant. With this method, researchers were able to clone the plant by using specific buds from the stem.

Because this technique is very involved and time-consuming, NMSU partnered with J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. in Boring, Ore., to test the plant. St. Hilaire sent the company three plants with all the necessary characteristics. One of the plants  clone number three  emerged. Hence, the 3 in the name Acer grandidentatum JFS-NuMex 3.

Growers at J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. propagated the plant on a sugar maple stock and tested it for about eight years. The company recently trademarked the Mesa Glow maple name and has entered into a partnership with NMSU to produce the trees. While the name Mesa Glow was trademarked, its completely separate from the patent.

To market

In 2014, St. Hilaire began working closely with Terry Lombard, director of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer for NMSUs Arrowhead Center.

Dr. St. Hilaire is in the ideal situation for our model here in the tech transfer office, said Lombard. A large portion of the licensing that happens comes through the relationships that researchers develop. We helped him take action to get his goals filled quickly, meet the goals of the licensee and protect the intellectual property.

The tree has been tested in both dry environments and in high-salinity soil, and it does well in both. Its also not prone to disease. Another benefit of the tree to homeowners is its relatively small size.

The other huge significance is that its a smaller maple, it only grows to about 30 feet, St. Hilaire said. So, if a homeowner wants to have a tree that will have brilliant fall color, he or she can have that plant in his or her backyard.

The trees are available to the wholesale market at this time, and theyre expected to be available from retailers by spring 2018. St. Hilaire ensured a special stipulation was included in NMSUs agreement with J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. Any nursery in New Mexico will receive a discount on the wholesale purchase if they choose to produce and carry Mesa Glow maples.

All in all its a great plant, and we think it will make a significant contribution to the ornamental plant industry, St. Hilaire said.
The Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company will open its 25th anniversary season and world tour with a benefit concert at the University of New Mexico on Tuesday, March 21.

Its founder, a Santa Fe near-native, launched the pre-eminent modern dance company in Washington, D.C., where a Washington Post dance critic named him the poet laureate of Washington dance. Burgess also has served as a U.S. State Department cultural ambassador for 20 years. The Smithsonian Institution named him its first choreographer-in-residence.

Burgess family moved to Santa Fe when he was 5 years old. He moved to martial arts until a friend enticed him into a dance class. Burgess studied ballet, modern dance and jazz dance at UNM. Both of his parents were visual artists.

I grew up with this creative process all around me all the time, he said from his Washington, D.C., office two blocks from the White House. I grew up with the stage as a canvas and the dancers as the brush strokes. The art form of choreography was it for me.

The troupe will perform a trio of modern Burgess originals: Leaving Pusan, Margin and Confluence.

Leaving Pusan tells the story of his grandmother, who fled Korea for Hawaii in 1903 as the Japanese invaded her homeland.

For me, this work invokes the traditions she left behind in order to start a new life in America, he said. The dance is filled with anxiety and the anticipation of forging a new life on the plantations of Oahu, Hawaii.

The lead dancer wears a mask, a traditional symbol from Korean folk dance, and the costumes are white, the Korean color of mourning.

They speak to issues young people are facing: socio-economic imbalance, redefining gender roles, issues of race and immigration, he said.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

The New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts reported in a 2009 legislative analysis that there is no system in place in New Mexico to assure effective oversight and monitoring of court-appointed guardians.

Four years later, another legislative analysis found that conservatorships and guardianships were becoming more common, but in New Mexico, there is limited regulation of what is known as corporate guardianship,  which involves court appointment of a for-profit or not-for-profit entity that is paid to be the legal guardian  either from the wards assets or by the state.

Little has changed since then, as New Mexico lags behind other states, including Texas and California, that have made reform of the system a top priority.

We are focused on making sure that these people are protected, and its a big issue, a hot topic all throughout Texas, said Jeff Rinard, guardianship certification program director in Texas. Nationwide, its a big deal, especially as the population ages.

But in New Mexico, which has one of the most secretive guardianship/conservatorship systems in the nation, the state doesnt know how many people are living under a court-approved guardianship or conservatorship.

In a special project funded two years ago by the Legislature for the 2nd Judicial District, the Albuquerque-area court identified about 6,000 active guardianship or conservatorship cases in Bernalillo County alone, some dating back to the early 1950s. Two special masters have been spot-checking cases and have made home visits to find out if wards are OK and to check their living conditions  if they are still alive.

The rest of the state? State court officials say the courts computer system can only show the number of guardianship cases that have been active since 2016, but efforts are underway to improve tracking of cases prior to that time.

No records

A judge in New Mexico typically sets a 30-minute closed hearing to make a potentially life-changing, and often irrevocable, decision on whether to place an allegedly incapacitated person in the hands of a family member guardian or guardianship firm.

If the request is granted, based on reports presented to the court, the incapacitated person is stripped of virtually all his or her rights, with the guardian/conservator assuming authority to make decisions on every aspect of that persons life and finances.

The guardianships break down into three general categories:

 Cases in which a family member is appointed guardian, which account for the vast majority.

 Cases in which a for-profit or not-for-profit guardian is appointed for someone with few assets and is paid by the state  $3,650 a year for each incapacitated person.

 Cases in which the allegedly incapacitated person has assets and a commercial guardian/conservator is appointed and paid from the assets, often charging hundreds of dollars an hour and hiring others to provide services that could include help with personal hygiene, grocery shopping and even dog walking. Conservators have virtually total control over financial decisions.

Family members interviewed by the Journal have complained that commercial guardians/conservators ignored the incapacitated person and wasted estate assets against the wishes of that person and family members.

They said efforts to complain to the judge who made the appointment are often futile.

Among their complaints: Guardians and conservators can charge excessive fees with little justification required by the court.

And they say a family member who hires a lawyer and files a petition for guardianship is in the drivers seat from then on, partly because judges typically appoint that lawyers recommended team to advise the court whether to grant a guardianship. That practice has been rejected, for example, in California, where judges use a court investigator on staff to investigate the need for a guardian.

A 2013 legislative analysis said there is no specific mechanism in New Mexico for complaints against corporate guardians who dont have contracts with the state Office of Guardianship. Texas has overhauled its system to put licensure for guardians in place, along with a complaint system.

The Office of Guardianship, which contracts with for-profit and not-for-profit firms to provide guardian or conservator services to low-income individuals, does have the authority to investigate complaints against its guardian contractors.

But the 2013 legislative analysis said that because the office works closely with its contractors, there is an inherent conflict of interest.

And what about the complaints the office has investigated?

Records custodian Justin Moore told the Journal: The Office of Guardianship has no public records showing the number of complaints filed against any particular contractor. Moreover, such complaints are exempt from inspection because they related to client complaints against a contractor, which he said are exempt from public inspection.

The states Adult Protective Services Department investigates complaints against guardians and makes referrals to the state Attorney Generals office, but a spokesman last week said the agencys tracking doesnt distinguish how many referrals have involved guardians.

Reforms elsewhere

A federal Governmental Accountability Office report in 2011 noted that many states reported having limited resources for monitoring guardians. But that didnt stop some, including Delaware and Texas, from recruiting volunteers to help oversee guardians.

Delaware officials reported that their volunteers serve as liaisons between guardians and the courts, visit guardians and wards, and report to court officials about once every six months.

The National Association for Court Management noted that the court in Palm Beach County, Fla., created a guardianship fraud program that has become a model for the state of Florida.

The units investigations have uncovered more than $3 million in questionable expenses and misreported assets. The program includes a hotline that allows people to anonymously report suspicious activity in guardianship cases.

In New Mexico, the current method of court oversight involves a guardian or conservator filling out a form sanctioned by the state Supreme Court that shows how the wards are doing or what expenses have been incurred.

But those forms didnt seem thorough enough, according to some judges interviewed.

So the 2nd Judicial District Court in Albuquerque, beginning in January, began using an additional form to obtain more financial information from conservators.

One Albuquerque judge said she wishes her court had the funds to hire a forensic accountant to scrutinize some of the conservatorship cases.

Licensing

Other states require licensing or certification of guardians, which typically requires an examination.

New Mexico has no such requirement in law, said Angela Burkett, of the Center for Guardian Certification, based in Harrisburg, Pa.

The New Mexico Office of Guardianship does require in its contracts with guardianship agencies that their employees obtain certification from a national firm.

The certification center in Pennsylvania looks into complaints against guardians it certifies, and last year the organization suspended the certification of a Las Cruces-area for-profit guardian for prohibited conduct.

Meanwhile, the national Center for Elders and Courts says the qualifications of guardians and conservators, or lack thereof, have been the subject of federal inquiries.

For example, in 2010, at the request of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, the Government Accountability Office investigated the financial exploitation, neglect and abuse of seniors in the guardianship system. GAO investigators focused on 20 cases in which guardians stole or improperly obtained assets from incapacitated victims.

In the majority of those cases, the GAO found the potential guardians were inadequately screened and there was insufficient oversight of guardians after appointment.

Furthermore, the GAO, using fictitious identities, obtained guardianship certifications or met certification requirements in four separate states. None of the courts or certification organizations used by those states checked the credit history or validated the Social Security numbers of the fictitious applicants.

Though many states do not require financial background checks of guardians or conservators, some states, such as Colorado, do ask for a credit report. In Wisconsin, a guardian must report if he or she filed for bankruptcy protection.

There is no such requirement in New Mexico.

Background checks

By certifying and licensing guardians, Texas has a vehicle by which to investigate complaints, and in recent years several investigations have led to revocations of guardians state licenses.

Moreover, in Texas, guardians are required to post a bond, and even the probate judge on a guardianship/conservatorship case has to be bonded. Currently, there is a bill in the Texas Legislature to increase the amount of the bond judges who hear guardianship cases must post to up to $250,000.

The measure aims to cover any potential losses caused by a judges gross negligence in performing duties of his office. The assets of people under guardianship in Texas are worth approximately $6 billion, according to one recent estimate.

Certification director Rinard said the reforms in Texas have been spearheaded by the judiciary, which has been working with the Legislature to improve the system,

Meanwhile, New Mexicos lawmakers to date have made the posting of bonds by guardians optional.

Yet in cases in which the Department of Veterans Services acts as a personal representative or conservator, state law mandates the department shall post with the secretary of state a corporate surety bond of $500,000.

The bond shall be conditioned upon the faithful discharge of the duties of the department as personal representative or conservator and shall inure to the use and benefit of each person or estate for whom the department is appointed to act, the law says.

Secret system

Some critics of New Mexicos system say more oversight requires more transparency.

New Mexico law allows public access to the name of an incapacitated person appointed a guardian, and the court docket sheet that lists actions taken in a guardianship or conservatorship case is also public record  although many clerks have not been aware of this and have denied even that limited request.

Public access to guardianship documents was among the questions posed of court officials around the country in a 2014 survey by the Administrative Conference of the United States. Of the 859 state court officials who responded, more than 60 percent reported all or most guardianship files are open to the public, except for confidential or sensitive information.

Individual state responses werent provided, but one Albuquerque civil court judge said she would put New Mexico in the category of respondents who said their guardianship/conservatorship court files are uniformingly sealed and not available to the public. The survey found only 8 percent of judicial and court staff nationwide adhered to such a policy.

Spot checks

Amanda Frazier, one of the special masters helping review guardianship cases in the 2nd Judicial District, said in an email that no serious problems have been uncovered by the spot checks. Since most guardians are relatives, she told the Journal, the checks have shown a need for better resources and training that would help these families.

The spot checks and home visits also allow the special masters to spot potentially harmful trends with different corporate guardians and conservators, as they are in a unique position to view how the decisions of corporate guardians and conservators impact the day-to-day living of the Incapacitated Person, she said.

Currently, the state requires guardians to report to the court within 90 days of appointment, and every year thereafter. Such reporting wasnt always required in the past. Barry Massey, spokesman for the state Administrative Office of the Courts, said courts around the state are trying to update their case management to better track older cases. So far, he said, the courts computer system hasnt been successful in detecting cases where a guardian has failed to file an annual report.

Tune in to town hall

The Journal, KANW-FM and the Albuquerque Department of Senior Affairs are sponsoring a town hall-style discussion on the issue of the states court-monitored guardianship program for senior citizens. Tune in to KANW-FM (89.1) from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, to hear the live broadcast. A panel of family members, advocates, judges, lawmakers, industry representatives and others will join in making presentations.
The first time Houston Largo faced deadly gunfire as a Navajo police officer, he and other tribal police had swarmed a patch of desert near the Chuska Mountains to pursue an armed domestic violence suspect.

The 40-mile chase that began near Shiprock had crossed into Arizona, where the suspect, armed with an assault rifle, crashed his vehicle that March 2015 night and opened fire. One officer was killed and two were wounded, while Largo escaped injury and received a commendation for helping a fellow officer to safety.

One week ago, Largo again faced gunfire  this time alone on a dark New Mexico road while en route to a domestic violence call on the eastern edge of the United States largest American Indian reservation.

The 27-year-old was found critically wounded, on the ground bleeding about 50 yards from the vehicle he had stopped, sheriffs officials said. He was flown to an Albuquerque hospital where he died.

He embodied what we ask for from our officers right to the very end, said Amber Kanazbah Crotty, a lawmaker on the Navajo Nation council. The violence we are seeing is showing our officers are not only stretched thin, but they also are facing challenges with the vastness of the area.

The Navajo Nation covers 27,000 square miles in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, where tribal officers patrol the rural roads alone, Navajo Police Chief Phillip Francisco said. That can leave them without backup during a life-or-death situation, especially in circumstances in which the nearest fellow officer is more than an hour away, he said.

Tribal jurisdictions across the West often cover sweeping, remote areas that are larger than some U.S. states, but with far fewer police.

Its just a fact of geography that creates all sorts of challenges as far as policing reservations, said Tim Purdon, a former U.S. attorney for North Dakota and partner at the Minneapolis law firm Robins Kaplin. The issue here is both officer safety and public safety.

The FBI has released few details stemming from its investigation into the March 12 shooting, including what sparked it. But Largos death has renewed focus on the dangers that Indian Countrys remote landscapes can pose for officers both within the Navajo Nations chronically understaffed police department and on remote reservations from the Dakotas to the Southwest.

In Montana, fewer than 20 Bureau of Indian Affairs officers serve the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, which spans an area of the Great Plains twice the size of Rhode Island, Tribal Chairman Floyd Azure said.

He called the situation abysmal, saying the reservation is likely in need of more than twice as many officers than it has.

A high volume of domestic violence calls adds another layer of danger for officers on many reservations. Such calls are statistically considered the most deadly for police.

More than half of Native American women and nearly half of men surveyed by the National Institute of Justice for a report released last year said they had experienced physical violence by a partner.

The Navajo Nation, home to more than 175,000 people, has fewer than 250 patrol officers and investigators. The officers responded to more than 4,600 domestic violence calls in 2015, the most recently available figures.

The last three fatal shootings of Navajo officers, including Largo, happened while responding to reports of domestic disputes. The others included Officer Alex Yazzie in March 2015 near Red Valley, Ariz., and Sgt. Darrell Cervandez Curley in Kaibeto, Ariz., in 2011.

For the Navajo Nation, they work twice as hard and twice the area with half the staff, Chief Francisco said.

He declined to comment directly on the facts of the case but said the area where Largo was shot is especially desolate, and the lack of cellphone service there has been a serious safety concern for authorities.

The town closest to the incident is Prewitt in New Mexico, a tiny, unincorporated community in McKinley County. The area where the shooting occurred is so remote, Francisco said, that sometimes officers radio transmissions will fail.

Youll look out and see a couple houses in different areas, but everything is so spread apart, he said. It can be overwhelming when you drive through.

It remained unclear last week whether another officer had also been called to the same domestic violence dispute as Largo.

A woman who came up on the scene used Largos radio to call for help, the county sheriffs office said, and the first authorities to arrive found him with a bullet wound in the forehead.

It wasnt yet known how much time elapsed between the shooting and when emergency responders arrived.

The Navajo Times obtained a report from the sheriffs office, one of the law enforcement agencies that initially responded to the shooting, saying that when deputies arrived, the driver of the pickup truck that Largo had stopped on the county road was handcuffed to the steering wheel.

The driver provided information about the suspect, and authorities found him hiding on a ridge nearby.

The FBI has not commented on the report or the suspect, except to say that they had a suspect in custody.

Our officers put themselves in highly volatile situations every day in addressing domestic violence situations, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye said last week in response to Largos death.

Last year, Begaye had asked U.S. House members to increase the Interior Departments public safety budget for Indian Country, as he testified that an officer shortage on his reservation was to blame for increasing response times to crimes.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is responsible for providing law enforcement on reservations that dont have their own police and provides federal funding for those that do.

On the Navajo Nation, there is roughly one officer for every 1,000 residents. The national average is double that rate.

Of the departments officers, Largo  a five-year veteran of the force  was an especially active and passionate officer, the police chief said.

This report is one of a series of stories from the CJ Project, an initiative to broaden the news coverage of criminal justice issues affecting New Mexicos communities of color. Partners and collaborators in the project include the Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press, Asian American Journalists Association, Investigative Reporters and Editors, and National Council on Crime & Delinquency. Supporters include the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
When our Constitution was adopted it was a miracle.

This is one of the most important documents ever created in human history. Our Constitution can trace its roots back to ancient Greece, through the Roman Republic, the Magna Carta, the Iroquois Confederation and many other political philosophies of history. Today, our Constitution is the pinnacle of political freedom. This document may remain the pinnacle for many centuries, but I am sure someday it will serve as the base document for something better. In the meantime we need to exercise great caution that we do not destroy this great document. It is certainly possible, even likely, we will destroy this document in an ill-advised effort to find utopia.

Nothing in our Constitution is new, nor was new at the time of adoption  what was new is that all the great ideas of history were debated by people who read history and knew it well. They disagreed and argued about things and came to the miraculous document that governs us today.

When they argued about right vs. left they were not talking about the political spectrum we refer to today  they were arguing about tyranny versus anarchy. What was the proper balance between being a subject of an all-powerful king and having no government at all?

How could we find elusive balance between enough government and too much government?

They knew that every true democracy in history fell apart and was replaced by a tyrant. It is an unavoidable truth; democracies fail every time and are universally replaced by the guy with the strongest contingent of armed alpha males.

So how did they solve the problem of democracies and still have a government that reflected the will of the people? How would they resolve the various interests of widely differing states?

This was one of the three great issues requiring extreme patience  they truly wanted consensus, not just majority rule. This is why there were 60 votes taken before the Electoral College was finally adopted. Sixty votes and weeks of discussions were required before consensus was obtained, not just a majority vote.

This miraculous document, which governs only about 5 percent of the population of the world, enabled this meager population to create more wealth and spread it to more people than any other government in all of history. Not only has America created more wealth than all nations in all of history combined, it is also the most generous government in all history. Americans have given more to the rest of the world than the combined population of all other people in history.

Now, we want to go down the path of democracy  and soon tyranny  simply because Chris Wallace, in October of 2016, didnt ask Secretary Clinton if she would accept the results of the election.

What does giving up the Electoral College really mean to New Mexico? Elections will be decided in a few of the most populous cities in the country, period.

New Mexico has been the best predictor of presidential elections since 1912. We picked the winner in every presidential election except two: We voted for Ford in 76 and for Clinton in 16. New Mexico is important; thus most candidates come to New Mexico. Removing our meager electoral vote truly makes us useless fly-over country.

Our founders were adamant, we must teach history. If not we are doomed to repeat the seemingly perpetual collapse of great societies, and once again be relegated to the death and destruction that follows.

Now we are ignorantly proposing the elimination of the brilliant Electoral College, thus driving us toward the path of democracy, then tyranny.

For the sake of our children, keep the Electoral College as it was gifted to us. Let us not destroy the Hope of the world  America and Americas Electoral College.
Hello Ms. Jimenez! She grimaced when I flipped the light switch but quickly smiled, a sign she just woke up from much-needed slumber that is hard to come by in a busy hospital. This was no ordinary day for Ms. Jimenez; she had delivered her second child the night before, a healthy baby boy born at full term. I congratulated Ms. Jimenez and asked her the standard postpartum questions about breastfeeding, contraception plans and follow-up appointments. Yes, she had an appointment for her son. But she would not be scheduling any for herself.

Ms. Jimenez did not have health insurance. She made enough in wages to not qualify for Medicaid but was unable to afford the Affordable Care Acts marketplace insurance plans. New Mexico has state funding for medical care for pregnant women, but after delivery people are kicked off. This was especially concerning as her last pap smear suggested a pre-cancerous growth that would require follow-up care.

The Affordable Care Act has improved the lives of over 750,000 New Mexicans by expanding the Medicaid program. But it still leaves 26 million adults uninsured in the United States. While the ACA may have been a step in the right direction, the plan still leaves too many without any insurance, has permitted skyrocketing deductibles and premiums, and ignores outrageous drug prices. Ultimately, it falls short of providing affordable, comprehensive, universal health insurance.

The American Health Care Act just released by Republicans will only further disrupt Americas already tenuous health care by downsizing Medicaid benefits for millions of low-income families, reducing premium and out-of-pocket subsidies for poor and middle-income Americans and giving tax breaks to only the wealthiest individuals and ultimately hurting affordable health care access for the low and middle classes.

The ACA is not doing enough for Americans. And the AHCA is a clear assertion by Republicans that affordable health care is not a priority.

We need a real solution that provides affordable, comprehensive health care for all Americans from birth until death. And we need those on the front line of the health care system to stand up and demand it.

In honor of patients like Ms. Jimenez, I flew to Philadelphia on March 11 and joined hundreds of other health professional students from across the country in attending the Students for a National Health Program summit at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. This student-organized event featured speakers from grass-roots Philadelphia organizations whose missions include health care as a human right. I heard from organizers who work tirelessly to connect the uninsured to free or reduced-cost health clinics. I heard from union members who described their bargaining efforts to retain affordable health insurance benefits. I heard from members of Put People First!-PA who described how their continued pressure on the State Insurance Department led to the first-ever public hearing on rising health insurance premiums.

From New Mexico patients to community members in Philadelphia, the evidence is clear: The private health insurance industry, the only beneficiary of the proposed AHCA plan, will continue dictating who receives health care and who does not. And they will continue doing so until Americans stand up and say, Enough is enough.

Students across the country are building the movement for improved and expanded Medicare for All, a national health program that would cover all Americans, cut waste and provide excellent care. Backed by community members and congressional leaders across the country, it may be the treatment our countrys health system needs. A Medicare for All health insurance system would give New Mexicans an opportunity to see a doctor without having to ration their grocery budget for the month.

I look forward to practicing medicine in a health system where I can ask patients like Ms. Jimenez standard postpartum questions and know my patients will have follow-up appointments and the medical care they need. I am committed to making this system a reality.
Few state agencies are as little known yet have as much reach into the lives of New Mexicans as the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. Touching everything from fighting forest fires to protecting New Mexicos air and water from mining and oil and gas development to managing our state parks  EMNRD is like rolling the U.S. Department of Interior, Department of Energy and the Forest Service into one.

Because of this reach, it is crucial that the head of this agency be committed to scientific approaches to policy issues. Unfortunately at his recent confirmation hearing, Gov. Susana Martinezs new EMNRD Secretary Ken McQueen created serious uncertainty about his commitment to sound science.

During some tough questioning from the Senate Rules Committee, McQueen displayed a troubling lack of understanding of the role of the oil and gas industry in adding to the massive methane hot spot hovering over northwest New Mexico. Scientists from NASA and NOAA have directly tied this methane pollution problem largely to leaking natural gas wells, pipelines and associated infrastructure in the San Juan Basin, but McQueen tried to sidestep that fact and blame the problem on natural causes, a common  and commonly debunked  industry talking point.

This might be understandable for someone who is still coming up to speed on issues in a new job. But that isnt the case with McQueen. Until last May, he ran the San Juan Basin operations for WPX Energy  one of the largest natural gas producers in the area.

The fact is, New Mexico has a methane pollution problem so severe you can see it from space. Industry talking points wont fix it, only action will.

Studies have shown that New Mexico wastes more natural gas every year from our federal and tribal lands than any other state  $100 million worth, or enough to heat every home in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces for a year.

This is a huge waste of taxpayer owned resources, depriving the state budget of millions more in royalty payments every year that could, and should, be invested in vital state needs like education.

This wasted natural gas is coming from leaks at poorly maintained oil and gas wells and outdated industry practices like flaring  simply burning off natural gas rather than getting it into a pipeline where it can be put to good use. And since the primary component of this natural gas is methane  a very potent greenhouse gas  this waste is also impacting our changing climate and adding to the Delaware-sized methane pollution cloud hovering over the Four Corners.

New Mexico leaders have recognized this problem and have been fighting tirelessly for several years to get strong new methane waste reduction rules in place from the Environmental Protection Agency and Bureau of Land Management. Last spring, 40 elected officials from across New Mexico sent a letter to Washington supporting strong BLM methane waste rules. The congressional delegation including U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and members of Congress U.S. Reps. Ben Ray Lujan and Michelle Lujan Grisham are also fighting for these money saving rules. And N.M. Attorney General Hector Balderas has been defending them in court.

Unfortunately, some in Congress and even Gov. Martinez would like to see these rules rolled back. A few weeks ago a congressional review act resolution repealing the BLMs methane waste rule passed the U.S. House, and as soon as this week this legislation could be heard in the U.S. Senate as well.

New Mexico has a lot to lose from federal methane waste rollbacks since currently the state  unlike several of our neighbors  has no state regulatory requirements to fall back on. We need these standards to help solve this waste problem and keep these dollars at home.

Leading EMNRD is a tough job  I speak from experience on this point. As he settles into his new role, I hope Secretary McQueen will take another look at letting science and sensible policy be his guide on issues like oil and gas waste and pollution that are so important to New Mexico.

Jon Goldstein is a former Cabinet Secretary of New Mexicos Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department.
WASHINGTON  So much for the forgotten men and women. Judging by President Trumps initial forays into economic policymaking, they would have been better off forgotten.

The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer, Trump vowed in his inaugural address. Everyone is listening to you now.

They are? The Republican health care plan that Trump endorsed and the budget he just submitted cater more to the interests of the team of billionaires Trump chose for his Cabinet than to the lower-income, rural and older voters who formed the backbone of his electoral support.

Indeed, if you convened a group of health care experts and asked them to design a system guaranteed to alienate those Trump voters, you would come up with something like the American Health Care Act. The bottom line of the Congressional Budget Office number  that 24 million fewer would have coverage by 2026  actually understates the harms that the proposal would inflict on many Trump voters.

The insurance that people would obtain would have lower average actuarial values  CBO-speak for worse coverage. The high co-pays and deductibles about which Trump and other critics of Obamacare rail? They would tend to be higher than anticipated under current law, and would climb even higher for the less well-off after 2020, when cost-sharing subsidies are repealed, significantly increasing out-of-pocket costs  for many lower-income enrollees.

The new system would hurt the oldest consumers. Insurers would be free to charge those between ages 50 and 64 five times as much as younger enrollees; under Obamacare, that differential is limited to three times as much. It would hurt those with lower incomes, because the tax credits would tend to be smaller than the subsidies available under current law, which are more generous to those who earn less  not to mention the extra hit after 2020, mentioned above.

It would hurt those who live in rural areas, with fewer available health care services and therefore higher costs, because the tax credits would be the same across the country, not based on the actual cost of premiums in particular states.

Meantime, the ultra-wealthy would benefit, big-league. The Trump plan would eliminate the additional 0.9 percent payroll tax on earnings and the 3.8 percent tax on investment income for households making more than $250,000. Those in the top 1 percent  making more than $772,000 in 2022  would reap 40 percent of the benefits, according to the Tax Policy Center.

As former CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf summarized the impact in recent testimony, Im baffled that anyone could have watched last years election campaign, seen the frustration and anger of many working Americans, and concluded that the most important thing they could do for our country is to make health care unaffordable for tens of millions of Americans of modest means who can afford care now while cutting taxes for the richest Americans.

Trump appears to be aware of this, except when he isnt. In an interview with the president, Fox News Tucker Carlson cited a Bloomberg analysis that Trump-backing counties would do far less well under this bill than those where voters supported Hillary Clinton.

Well, I know, Trump replied, then added, We will take care of our people or Im not signing it. Two days later, Trump proclaimed himself 100 percent behind the great plan.

And then there is Trumps budget  in quotes, because it is a particularly bare-bones document that does not include his proposal for a massive tax cut. The latest version of his tax plan would cost $6.2 trillion over the decade, according to the Tax Policy Center, and, again, be heavily tilted toward the richest Americans. Even leaving taxes aside, Trumps proposals would hurt the voters whose interests he pledged to protect: cuts to job training, college aid, housing assistance, heating costs, rural development, meals for shut-ins, and after-school programs for low-income students. Draconian, careless and counterproductive, said one House lawmaker  not a Democrat, but Kentucky Republican Hal Rogers, former Appropriations Committee chairman.

And its not like these domestic discretionary spending programs have been swimming in cash  funding levels are already set to be at the lowest levels as a share of the economy since such data collection began in 1962.

Which brings us back to Trumps inaugural. For too long, he said, a small group in our nations capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.

How does he explain himself to the people now?

E-mail: ruthmarcus@washpost.com. Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group.
In New Mexico we celebrate  and often take for granted  our U.S. military forces. We turn out en masse for parades and fireworks displays. We jealously guard the budgets of our national labs, Air Force bases and Army missile range. We glance up at the flyovers. And we dont think twice when we see a vehicle with a Purple Heart license plate parked next to one with a Disabled Veteran plate down the row from one with a National Guard plate.

But theres an unspoken risk and sacrifice that comes with having such a large and important military presence here  unspoken until a tragedy like the crash Tuesday of a single-engine military aircraft near Clovis. The training flight crash took the lives of pilot Capt. Andrew Becker, 33, of Novi, Mich.; co-pilot First Lt. Frederick Dellecker, 26, of Daytona Beach, Fla.; and combat systems officer Capt. Kenneth Dalga, 29, of Goldsboro, N.C. All were attached to the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis.

Col. Ben Maitre, the base commander, said, Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and friends of those involved in this tragic accident.

Thats especially true in Clovis, where Chamber of Commerce President David Robinson said, Everybody here in Clovis knows somebody at the base.

And its especially true in New Mexico, where everybody knows somebody with a tie to the military  whether its at Cannon, Holloman or Kirtland Air Force bases, White Sands Missile Range, Los Alamos or Sandia or the Air Force Research labs, the VA hospital, or veterans who made the choice and sacrifice to serve our nation and protect democracy.

New Mexico has more Medals of Honor awarded per capita than any other state, the highest per-capita casualty rates in WWII and a heavy toll in the Bataan Death March, 649 servicemen and women lost in conflicts from Korea to Afghanistan, and an estimated 172,500 veterans who call the Land of Enchantment home. When there is a loss of a military life, the whole state grieves because it is not only close to home; it is home.

The same goes for our men and women in law enforcement uniforms. Last week Navajo Nation officer Houston James Largo, 27, was shot on a county road after stopping a vehicle north of the community of Prewitt. He had been recognized along with two colleagues just a year earlier after a domestic dispute prompted a police pursuit and ended with one Navajo officer dead and two others wounded. Largo had worked with another officer to save the life of one of their own during the gunfight.

Largos death resonates in communities across New Mexico that have lost law enforcement officers. Rio Rancho police officer Gregg Nigel Benner, Hatch officer Jose Chavez, Albuquerque officer Daniel Webster, Alamogordo officer Clint Corvinus, Farmington officer Victoria Chavez and Sandoval County Sgt. Joseph Harris are unfortunately just the most recent.

These latest losses  Capt. Andrew Becker, First Lt. Frederick Dellecker, Capt. Kenneth Dalga and officer Houston James Largo  make the unspoken risk and sacrifice endemic in serving in the military and law enforcement all too raw and all too real. New Mexico and the nation owe them, their colleagues and their families a debt of gratitude for their service.

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.
PEORIA, Ariz.  Police have identified an Arizona woman who was shot and killed while her 12-year-old daughter was home.

Peoria Police say 49-year-old Tammy Mattison was shot in the head in her apartment Friday. Officer Brandon Sheffert says the womans daughter and neighbor called 911 and reported that the girls father may have shot the woman.

Sheffert says the 53-year-old father was found later with a gunshot wound to the head in a separate apartment he lived in at the same complex. Police reports say the couple were living in separate apartments because of recent relationship issues.

The father was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and was still alive as of Saturday afternoon.

Sheffert says the child is with family.
Secretary of State Tillerson met with Chinese President Xi on Sunday morning and the two pledged to cooperate on key issues, most notably North Korea.

President Trump has antagonized China for months, challenging the One China policy and issuing critical tweets as recently as Friday.

Based on comments this morning from Xi, China is viewing the Tillerson meeting - the highest-level sit down yet between the sides - as a sign the administration ultimately wants normal ties with China:

We are both expecting a new era for constructive development

What's next: Xi and Trump are expected to meet next month. Xi said they had spoken several times by phone.
Making It, by Norman Podhoretz (NYRB Classics, 272 pp., $17.95)

Released in 1967, Making It was the first of several autobiographical books by long-time Commentary editor Norman Podhoretz. The books republication after 50 years rights a literary injustice. The brief introduction by critic Terry Teachout adds a grace note to what is in essence a 50th anniversary edition.

When it first appeared, Making It met with a publishing equivalent of a lynch mob. It included Podhoretzs friends and fellow members of the New York literary/intellectual establishment, famously dubbed the Family by Murray Kempton. They found Podhoretz guilty of crimes against taste and discretion. For his part, Podhoretz forthrightly declared that he sought wealth and fame with the book; he harvested mostly condemnation. Though he has taken up the reaction to the book briefly in subsequent autobiographical reflections, he still finds the experience painful to discuss in print.

The New York Review of Booksunder whose auspices the NYRB Classics series appearsset out to demolish the book. Its first choice to review Making It, the prominent critic Hilton Kramer, disliked the book, and was afraid he may have been overly harsh in the draft he submitted. When I sent it on to the New York Review, Kramer subsequently told Podhoretz biographer Thomas Jeffers, he was amazed to hear that the New York Review wasnt interested in publishing a valentine to Norman Podhoretz! Seeking something tougher still, the editors called on sociologist Edgar Z. Friedenberg (whom Podhoretz had discovered for Commentary in 1960, Jeffers dryly notes), who delivered the desired pan.

Podhoretz couldnt say that he hadnt been warned. His friend Jason Epstein had counseled him against publishing the book, as had his college teacher and mentor Lionel Trilling. Podhoretz had warded off his own forebodings to proceed. Jeffers quotes Podhoretzs letter to critic Frank Kermode referring to the book as suicidal.

Rereading the book today, I find it difficult to explain the contemporary reaction. Im not the only one. As Jeffers observed in 2010, Today, one reads Making It wondering what the fuss was about. In the fullness of time, Making It is taking its place in the great tradition of American autobiography, along with such classics as The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Two Years Before the Mast, and The Education of Henry Adams (a book of which Podhoretz is not a fan).

Indeed, Making It might have been titled The Education of Norman Podhoretz. The author traces his education from public school in the tough and impoverished Brownsville section of Brooklyn to college as a scholarship student at Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. Columbia set his brain on fire. He became the star student of the great literary critic Lionel Trilling and other prominent members of Columbias dazzling faculty. At Columbia, Podhoretz won a Kellett Fellowship and Fulbright Scholarship to support his study for three years at Cambridge University with F.R. Leavis, the leading literary critic of the age. In 1951, Podhoretz made his debut, so to speak, with a review of Trillings The Liberal Imagination in Leaviss journal Scrutiny.

When Podhoretz immersed himself in the work of Henry Adams for a 1983 essay, published in the New Criterion and later collected in his 1986 book, The Bloody Crossroads, he was struck by the ferocity of his [Adamss] ambition. Podhoretz wrote: What he wanted above all else was success, and he wanted it in its usual forms: power, money, status, acclaim. This was the theme Podhoretz had taken as his own in Making It. In 1967, sex was no longer the dirty little secret D.H. Lawrence had ascribed to the Victorians; it was out in the open. Podhoretzs self-examination sought to expose the real dirty little secret of the intellectuals: the thirst for power, money, status, and acclaim. This book, Podhoretz explains in the preface, represents an effort to explain why it should have taken someone like myself so long to arrive at such elementary discoveries.

I take this declaration at face value, but most of Making It reads like straight autobiography. The confessional approach allowed Podhoretz to find his true voice, seamlessly mixing life, politics, history, and culture in the impossibly difficult art of exposition (as he sums up the education he received writing for Commentary founding editor Elliot Cohen early in his career).

The book offers the enthralling coming-of-age story of Podhoretzs rise to success in the heavily Jewish world of New York intellectuals of the 1950s and 1960sthe lost world of Kemptons Family. The Family was born in part from the break of Partisan Reviewthe legendary intellectual review whose founding editors were Philip Rahv and William Phillipswith the Communist Party. The Partisan Review crowd married a commitment to left-wing anti-Stalinist politics with a devotion to modernist art and literature. Podhoretz joined the Family as a precocious member of its third and final generation. At just 30 in 1960, he was named Cohens successor as editor of Commentary, the magazine then sponsored by the American Jewish Committee. Podhoretz widened the audience for a highbrow magazine of general interest on matters cultural and political. Commentary became a publication of great influence, and Podhoretz emerged as an editor and essayist whose opinion mattered. Podhoretz would take up the Family and the lost world that it represented again in Breaking Ranks (1979) and Ex-Friends (1999), but one of the intrinsic pleasures of Making It is how it conveys the authors joy in the discovery of his calling as an editor and as a writer, a subject from which his later autobiographical works have moved on.

Visiting Making It for the first time, or returning to it after many years, readers will find it evocative of another lost world, toothat of the Yiddish-speaking, Eastern-European immigrant Jews, which included Podhoretzs literal family. He himself grew up speaking both Yiddish and heavily accented English. In the first chapter of Making It, Podhoretz describes the unforgettable Mrs. K., the high school English teacher who took it upon herself to polish me to as high a sheen as she could manage and I would permit.

Podhoretzs sense of humor in the book is by turns wry and mordant. When he sees his nascent career interrupted by an involuntary two-year stint in the army, he experiences in his own way the dislocation that Elvis Presley felt when Uncle Sam called. Having found a foothold as an editorial assistant at Commentary in 1953, Podhoretz had begun to make substantial headway on the upward path that he so energetically pursued. Yet despite the career detour, Podhoretz found unexpected satisfactions in the army. He formed friendships with back-country Southern boys, real rednecks, with whom, to my liberal surprise, I always seemed to get along very well. Speaking for himself, Podhoretz found that he admired their bravery and unstinting loyalty, once they had decided to befriend him:

Though I understood very well why I admired such Southern boys, I was puzzled as to what they saw in me, and my curiosity drove me once to ask one of them why he liked me. Because, he answered in a thick Mississippi drawl, you talk so gooda remark which not only did much to restore my confidence in the validity of my own element, but also made me regret the jeer I had directed in Partisan Review a year earlier at the contention that Southerners have a more sensitive feel for the language than other Americans.

Later, when Podhoretzs career is interrupted again, he accepts the opportunity offered by Jason Epstein to go into publishing part-time as an editor of a new line of childrens books:

To my surprise we did actually manage to raise a large amount of money on the very terms he had outlined [favorable to Epstein and Podhoretz], and we incorporated ourselves in the plush offices of a very fancy New York law firm as the Looking Glass Library. Having spent my childhood mainly reading comic books and a few collections of fairy tales, I now had to become familiar with the vast literature for children which has been produced since the nineteenth century, and to that end I spent three full days a week squeezed into one of the little chairs in the Childrens Room at the main branch of the New York Public Library, avoiding as best I could the suspicious glances of parents and librarians alike. There I discovered that childrens books, with very few exceptions, really are for children. I also came home one day with a very high fever which the doctor said he would have diagnosed as roseola if not for the fact that it was a childrens disease that adults hardly ever contracted. This adult, however, apparently had, which was the only thing besides a fairly pleasant temporary living he was ever to get out of the Looking Glass Library.

Making It was Podhoretzs second book, following an earlier collection of his essays, Doings and Undoings: The Fifties and After in American Writing. That book was received mostly warmly, but Podhoretz notes that it became the occasion for some people to present me with the first installments of the bill for all those glorious years when everyone had been on my side. Podhoretz chided himself: I should have anticipated that this would happen, for I had seen it happen enough to others before me, but I was too hungry by now to have perspective.

Podhoretz paid several further installments of the bill upon the original publication of Making It. The certification of the book as a classic 50 years later by New York Review Booksand its publisher, the New York Review of Books, no less suggests that the balance owing has tipped back in favor of Podhoretz.

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The U.S. Coast Guard removed a record 201 metric tons of cocaine and brought 585 smugglers to justice last year, among its many accomplishments, according to the annual state of the Coast Guard address given March 16 (2017) by U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft.

Also last year, more than 5,000 Cuban migrants were apprehended at sea, the highest number in a decade.

The Coast Guards mission is to secure the countrys maritime borders, secure maritime commerce and economic security, and protect the marine environment as a branch of the U.S. armed forces.

In 2016, the Coast Guard also created a cyber protection team and hosted an Arctic coast guard forum with participants from 10 arctic nations.

For the cruise industry, the Coast Guards routine involvement is in design approvals for newbuilds; periodic inspections of vessels in service for safety and compliance; policing in terms of non-compliance; pollution; port and harbor security; and other aspects.

The Coast Guard is also the go-to-source in ship and boating incidents at sea that would require evacuation or rescue, including medevacing passengers and crew from ships to landside medical facilities.

Commandant Adm. Zukunft said: When it comes to the economic prosperity of our great nation, perhaps the most overlooked aspect of our mission is the many hardworking men and women on our prevention team; marine inspectors, technical experts in the maritime industry who ensure the security and safety of, and facilitate, maritime commerce that translates into economic prosperity.

According to Zukunft, the Coast Guard has embarked on an expansion and renewal program with new fast response, offshore patrol and national security cutters being built in addition to three heavy and three medium ice breakers. But more needs to done to replace a fleet of aging inland cutters and to grow the active duty component by some 5,000 people over the next five years.

He said there is an emergence of non-state actors and asymmetrical threats - transnational criminal organizations that erode regional stability, in addition to the largest flow of migrants and refugees since WWII, human trafficking, piracy and illegal fishing, as well as trafficking in drugs, weapons and bulk cash, while at the same time the oceans are expanding as Arctic sea ice retreats.

Thus the Coast Guard has already been deployed around the world this year, off the coast on all seven continents.

After 226 years of service, the Coast Guard today employs nearly 42,000 men and women.
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Farmers have been reassured of Prime Minister Theresa May's commitment to British farming, as she stated today (15 March) that she will continue to back British farmers.

In her answer to Victoria Atkins MP, Louth and Horncastle, during todays Prime Ministers Questions, the PM said: We do have an opportunity to build a new future for our food & farming industry when we leave the European Union.

We will maintain the UKs high standards of food safety and of animal welfare, that will be a priority for us and any trade deals we enter into will need to be right for consumers, for businesses, for farmers they will need to ensure our food safety and environmental protection and of course the animal welfare standards I just referred to.

We recognise the need for certainty for businesses and weve already provided guarantees of support for farmers up to 2020 and I can assure her we will continue to back British farmers.

Pleased to see a commitment

The National Farmers Union (NFU) has welcomed todays remarks from May on food and farmings future post-Brexit.

NFU President Meurig Raymond said: We are pleased to see that farmings significant contribution to the country, economically, socially and environmentally, has been recognised at by the Prime Minister.

For every 1 invested in farming, it gives 7.40 back to the nation. To maintain, or even accelerate, British farmings contribution post-Brexit, we need Government to secure the right trade conditions and access to a competent and reliable workforce in formal negotiations.

The importance of certainty for farming businesses mentioned by the Prime Minister today is something British farmers need and the country needs. Were continuing to push for commitments for when the Treasurys guarantee comes to a close at the end of 2019. After all, this will be when the UK is operating outside of the EU.

Mr Raymond concluded: The Prime Minister rightfully says we have an opportunity to build a new future for our industry post Brexit. The NFUs work on post-Brexit policy will ensure Government is able to seize this opportunity so the farming sector can thrive.
OPEC turns 57 years old this year. I suppose I could wait three more years for a "round" number to tell you about it, but as they say, there's no time like the present. So put a candle to the oil lamp, son, sit back, and listen up as I tell you the history of OPEC -- what it is, how it came to be, and how an oil embargo made OPEC famous.

Or infamous, as the case may be.

Present at the foundation

The history of OPEC began in September 1960, when five founding members signed their names to a document establishing the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and declared the organization open to "any country with a substantial net export of crude petroleum, which has fundamentally similar interests to those of Member Countries." In short order, eight more countries took them up on that offer (then nine, then back to eight again -- see chart below). As a result, OPEC today boasts 13 active members.

Members Accession date Ins and outs Iran 1960 Iraq 1960 Kuwait 1960 Saudi Arabia 1960 Venezuela 1960 Qatar 1961 Indonesia 1962 Suspended in 2009, reactivated in 2016 -- and then suspended again later in 2016. Libya 1962 United Arab Emirates 1967 Algeria 1969 Nigeria 1971 Ecuador 1973 Suspended in 1992, reactivated in 2007 Gabon 1975 Terminated in 1975 and rejoined in 2016 Angola 2007

Curiously, some of the world's biggest oil producers do not belong to OPEC, and never have. Among them: Canada, China, Mexico, Norway, Russia, and the United States itself. And although not a single European nation is an OPEC member, the organization maintains its headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

How OPEC came to be

The founding members formed OPEC in September 1960, at a time when the developing world was rapidly decolonizing post World War II. At that time, seven major oil companies (known as the "Seven Sisters"), all originating in the developed world, controlled about 85% of global oil production. These included:

Britain's Anglo-Persian Oil Company, which later evolved into BP plc BP 1.27% )

Standard Oil of California -- modern-day Chevron CVX 1.04% )

Texaco (later absorbed into Chevron)

America's Gulf Oil (likewise)

Standard Oil of New Jersey -- modern day ExxonMobil XOM 1.02% )

Standard Oil of New York (later absorbed into Exxon)

And Royal Dutch Shell RDS.A)

OPEC's defining objective was to reclaim developing nations' oil resources from their former colonizers, and from the companies that would one day become BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Royal Dutch Shell -- for the benefit of their citizens and "in the interest of their national development."

To this end, OPEC started flexing its muscles in the early 1970s, demanding a greater share of the profits from oil extracted from OPEC countries by the Seven Sisters. Things came to a head in 1973, when Egypt's invasion of Israel marked the onset of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and provided an excuse for OPEC to test its strength. The cartel elected to punish countries supplying arms to Israel, and announced an oil embargo against the U.S. (and allies Portugal, the Netherlands, and South Africa). In addition to banning the sale of oil to these countries, OPEC cut oil production generally, causing oil prices to quadruple in price in relatively short order.

The search for stability

This was good news for OPEC, but only in part. High oil prices tend to discourage oil consumption and depress oil sales -- the lifeblood of OPEC countries -- and encourage customers to invest in alternative fuel sources. What OPEC really should aim for, member countries soon concluded, was stability in oil markets that would guarantee a "regular supply of petroleum to consumers" and "a steady income to producers."

Thus, it's probably fair to judge the history of OPEC by the yardstick of how well OPEC has succeeded in maintaining stable, high prices for oil. How has that worked out? Let's take a look:

One year after the oil embargo ended, OPEC countries held their first Summit of Heads of State and Government in Algiers in 1975. Policies established here helped OPEC to maintain high and stable oil prices into the end of the decade, at which point the Iranian Revolution arrived to drive them sharply higher.

Post-Revolution, oil prices remained high until the middle of the next decade, though these prices eroded over time, presumably due to covert overproduction by various OPEC countries. By 1986, this had produced sufficient surplus oil that an oil glut developed, causing a price crash. OPEC responded by instituting a new system of "production ceilings," allocating to each member country a certain level of daily production that they were not to exceed.

This strategy largely succeeded, with oil prices first stabilizing in the high-teen to low-twenty-dollar range, then holding more or less constant throughout the 1990s. By the end of the 1990s, however, oil prices had sunk back to levels approximating those of the 1986 oil bust.

In 2000, OPEC instituted a "price band" mechanism that again aimed to stabilize oil prices. Supply constraints and growing demand for energy in China, however, drove prices up in the 2004 to 2008 period -- before the 2008 Financial Crisis again destroyed demand, and sent prices tumbling. Oil prices briefly stabilized again in 2011, and held at high levels through mid-2014 -- then collapsed again later that year.

On balance, therefore, it's hard to call the history of OPEC an unqualified success. Despite boasting many of the world's leading oil producers, OPEC has failed to secure a complete lock on oil prices. As a result, despite periods of stability, oil prices still fluctuate wildly to this day. OPEC countries themselves may be to blame, as even the countries that did join OPEC have failed to maintain production discipline within their ranks. As cartels go, OPEC leaves much to be desired.
When crude oil prices crashed into the $20 range early last year, it had most oil-producing nations quaking in their boots. That's because few countries can make much -- if any -- money at that price point. I say most because there are a handful of producers that were still able to make a tidy profit at that price point. Leading the way was Saudi Arabia.

According to data from energy industry consultant Rystad Energy, on average it cost Saudi Arabia less than $9 to produce a barrel of oil last year. That's the cheapest in the world, though fellow OPEC countries Iran and Iraq can produce for around $10 per barrel as well, which is well below rival nations:

Here's a look at why Saudi oil is so cheap, and what one emerging rival is doing to catch up.

Drilling down into what makes Saudi oil so cheap

Rystad Energy looks at four data points when figuring out a nation's average cash cost to produce a barrel of oil: Capital spending, production costs, administrative and transportation costs, and gross taxes. Here's a breakdown of those costs per barrel for Saudi Arabia:

As that chart shows, Saudi Arabia only needs to spend $3.50 in capital to pull a barrel of oil out of the ground. This amount includes money invested in drilling new wells as well as the associated equipment. The reason its capital costs are so low is that the country's oil is located near the surface of the desert and pooled in vast fields, so it doesn't need to invest that much in drawing it out of the ground. Contrast this with countries that have large offshore production bases like Norway and the U.K., which incur significantly higher capex costs of $13.76 and $22.67, respectively, due to the need to build large offshore production platforms.

Meanwhile, the location and size of Saudi's oil fields also help keep its production costs down. While it's not the cheapest in the world, as several nations have production costs around $2 per barrel, it's still a fraction of the production costs of a country like Canada, which pays $11.56 to produce a barrel of oil. One reason Canada's production cost is so high is that oil sands make up the bulk of its output, which are either produced through a process that burns natural gas to make steam or with large mining shovels and trucks to dig the oil sands out of the ground.

On a percentage basis, Saudi Arabia has some of the highest administrative and transportation costs in the world at 27.7% of the total. However, that's just because its other expenses are so low. When looking at those costs on a per-barrel basis, they are toward the bottom.

Finally, the lack of taxes is a significant competitive advantage for Saudi Arabia and other ultra-low-cost producers like Iran and Iraq. For perspective, if Russia didn't have to pay taxes, its cash costs for oil would decline from $19.21 to $10.77, which is much more competitive with its Middle Eastern rivals. That said, while these Middle Eastern nations don't tax oil production, they still get their cut because oil profits support a large percentage of their federal budgets. In fact, oil provided 62% of the revenue for Saudi Arabia's government last year and is expected to provide 69% in 2017 due to rising oil prices.

How does shale compare?

For years Saudi Arabia had been the undisputed world leader in the oil market. However, thanks to advances in shale drilling technology, oil production in the U.S. recovered from years of declines, and at one point America overtook Saudi Arabia as the world's largest producer. In fact, shale drillers pumped out so much oil that the world became vastly oversupplied, which caused prices to crash. The Saudis didn't help matters, choosing to leverage their low costs into higher volumes to drive as many shale producers out of the market as it could.

That move, however, backfired, because it forced shale producers to become much more efficient, which led to a significant reduction in costs. That said, cash costs for U.S. shale are still more than twice those of Saudi Arabia due to higher expenses across the board:

Still, those costs have steadily come down over the years, with capital spending seeing the biggest improvement. For example, last year oil production from leading shale producer EOG Resources (EOG 1.62%) declined less than 1% despite a remarkable 42% reduction in capital spending versus 2015. Fueling that capital efficiency was a significant decrease in EOG's completed well costs after drilling expenses in the Bakken dropped from $8.8 million in 2014 to $5.1 million last year, while those in the Delaware Basin plunged from $15.4 million to just $8.5 million over that same time frame. EOG used several techniques to reduce costs, including using data to drive well placement decisions, drilling longer wells and using more sand, and other innovations.

Production expenses, likewise, have come down sharply. In EOG Resources' case, its cost per barrel of oil equivalent has fallen 22% since 2014. Meanwhile, production expenses in the Permian Basin have dropped to as low as $2.25 per barrel, according to Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD 0.12%). Because of that, Pioneer Natural Resources' now-retired CEO Scott Sheffield said last year that "definitely we can compete with anything that Saudi Arabia has." That said, not all basins are quite that good, including former shining stars like the Eagle Ford and Bakken. However, shale is still in the early innings and has come a long way over the past decade, which suggests that companies could continue to innovate their way to even lower costs.

Investor takeaway

Saudi Arabia has the lowest oil production costs in the world thanks to two strategic advantages: Abundant pools of oil close to the surface and no taxes on production. Because of that, it can make money in almost any oil price environment. That said, Saudi Arabia made a mistake by trying to use its low costs to kill the shale revolution; it only made shale stronger.
Local NAACP members taking concerns to Raleigh

Frustrated by the actions of elected leaders, members of the NAACP from Henderson and three other mountain counties will travel to Raleigh Tuesday to express their views on pending and past legislation they say hurts minorities and the poor.

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We have a list wed like to present and were going to be discussing the direction the North Carolina General Assembly is moving in and bills that are hurting North Caorlina, said Melinda Lowrance, president of the Hendersonville NAACP chapter. Among the bills she cited as negative in the NAACPs view are HB2, the states refusal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, gerrymandering that packs black voters into districts, voting rights and the law that takes power from the governor and the judicial branch.

The NAACP opposes a bill Republican leaders have introduced that would make all judicial elections partisan.

We think it should remain nonpartisan, Lowrance said. Because if it becomes partisan I dont believe well get the fairness we should from the bench.

Besides Henderson County, the delegation includes NAACP members from Buncombe, Transylvania, Yancey and Mitchell counties. Also traveling to Raleigh from Hendersonville is Donald Reed, second vice president of the Hendersonville chapter. The WNC delegation will join members of the NAACP and Forward Together Moral Movement for the 11th annual Peoples Legislative Advocacy Day.

NAACP representatives on Feb. 27 delivered about 150 letters to U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows office in support of Obamacare and immigration reform.

Lowrance has been appointed district supervisor for the NAACP in Western North Carolina, which has grown to nine branches. Besides Hendersonville, the NAACP has branches in Yancey, Mitchell, Jackson, Haywood, McDowell, Buncombe and Burke counties plus a college branch at Mars Hill University.

Were beginning to organize a chapter here at Blue Ridge Community College, Lowrance said. I believe were growing because of the frustration among the people over the policies. Its just everything thats going on thats affected those that are less fortunate and people in general. People are just frustrated now with the way things are going.
It was a charm offensive at the tail end of a nearly $900,000 TV ad carpet bombing to get Montanas Sen. Jon Tester to confirm Trump nominee Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Thursday, five former Gorsuch law clerks from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, traveling by chartered jet, touched down in Montana to sing Gorsuchs praises to anyone willing to listen. They were as happy as a duck hunting party, and Tester, a Democrat from a state President Trump won easily, was their mallard.

The trip was part of the Judicial Crisis Networks campaign to get Gorsuch appointed. The Senate begins its hearings process on Gorsuch Monday. All five clerks, now in private law practice, were convincingly supportive of their former boss, a Westerner whose biggest selling point could be offering regional perspective to many issues in which justices from urban coastal states have little practical experience, like split estates, or American Indian treaty rights.

(Gorsuch) is unquestionably qualified to be on the Supreme Court. Hes been a circuit judge on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Denver, for nearly the last 11 years. The American Bar Association just came out and rated him as unanimously well qualified, which is the highest rating you can get for a candidate, said Michael Davis, a former Gorsuch law clerk now in private practice in Denver. He is unquestionably independent. He may have conservative personal views but it doesnt influence his job deciding cases as a judge.

Its that last part, the stuff about not letting conservative personal views influence court decisions, that is tripping caution flags for Democrats, many of whom are frosted that the Senates Republican majority refused to grant a hearing to Merrick Garland, former President Barack Obamas nominee for the Supreme Court.

Reflecting voters' voices

March 16 marked the one-year anniversary of Garlands nomination. Republicans argued that with 11 months left on his second term, Obama was too close to the end of his tenure to be nominating judges. The GOP slow-walked the process into 2017, vowing in last years elections to take up the matter with a new president, regardless of who won.

The American people have already begun voting on who the next president will be, and their voice should continue to be reflected in a process that will have lasting implications on our nation, Montanas Republican Sen. Steve Daines, said last spring.

In the process, Senate Republicans created a presidential campaign issue, upon which Trump vowed to appoint a justice who let the legality of abortion be decided on a state by state level. For 44 years, abortion has been recognized as a Constitutional right under the 14th Amendment, a right that states couldnt deny.

Getting a U.S. Supreme Court justice seated takes 60 Senate votes. And with only 52 Republicans in the Senate, pro-Gorsuch groups have been throwing everything at Democrats like Tester in states President Trump won. In Montana, Trump clobbered Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential race, winning 101,531 more votes.

Tester has consistently said he would give Gorsuch a fair hearing, the kind Democrats still argue Merrick Garland deserved. The senator hasnt said whether he would vote for Trumps nominee.

The Supreme Court is too important to play politics with, thats why I am going to give Judge Gorsuch a fair shake. Ive met with him, Ive been reviewing his opinions, and I am eager to see his hearing, Tester said in an email Thursday. Vetting a Supreme Court nominee is too important to act as a rubber stamp for anyone  political party, special interest groups, or any president. This is important to the people of Montana.

Tester hasnt been a rubber stamp for Trump in the Senate. The senator has voted against nine Trump nominees for Cabinet positions and other high-ranking federal offices. Tester has voted for 11 nominees, including Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, of Whitefish. However, those nominees needed just 51 votes for confirmation. Gorsuch will be the first nominee that needs more than a couple Democrats to succeed.

Montana voted strongly enough for Trump that statistician Nate Silver, of the FiveThirtyEight blog, predicts that Tester should be voting with Trump about 92 percent of the time. The senators votes are in line with the president 44.8 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Ads

Its that red wave for Trump that has Planned Parenthoods Martha Stahl thinking that its a practical move to carpet bomb Montana with political ads urging voters to call Tester. Stahl isnt a Gorsuch supporter. Shes concerned the judge could set back womens reproductive rights, based on his previous ruling that corporations, citing religious beliefs, could deny women birth control coverage in company insurance policies. In another case involving a Utah decision to defund Planned Parenthood, the judge sided with the state.

Montanans care about the judiciary, Stahl said. If you can motivate constituents to call their senator on either side, thats effective.

Western Montana has been the biggest target for Judicial Crisis Network advertising. Early ads urged confirmation of Gorsuch with no mention of Tester. More recent ads name Tester, opening with attacks on his support for the Affordable Care Act and threatening to obstruct Neil Gorsuch, a threat Tester hasnt made.

Television stations serving Missoula and Kalispell have been part of a $561,250 ad buy, according to reports filed with the Federal Communications Commission. Amounts have been smaller for other areas, though its impossible to get through a night of network television without seeing the ads in most Montana markets.

Theres also an automated call-in campaign drive in which Montanans willing to call Tester are connected to his office phone by a group called the Concerned Veterans of America.

Theres not much known about these groups. Recognized as social welfare groups under federal tax law, the groups run issue-based campaigns and so long as they dont suggest the public vote for or against a candidate, they dont have to reveal where their money comes from.

Judicial Crisis Network is the most active group in Montana currently when it comes to Gorsuch. Not much is known about it. However the group's president is attorney Carrie Severino, a former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, one of the most conservative judges on the court. The group helped promote the confirmations of Supreme Court justices Samuel Alito and John Roberts, who were nominated by former President George W. Bush. The group's creation was reported by the Center for Responsive Politics, which traced its roots to 2004.

Television ad documents filed with the FCC by Billings station KTVQ also name Neil Corkery as part of the JCN team. Corkerys wife, Ann, is instrumental in Wellspring, another group whose finances are undisclosed, but has given JCN at least $700,000, and contributed to several conservative groups.

Last year, JCN campaigned against granting Merrick Garland a hearing.

"It's concerning that outside dark money is already flooding into Montana, and Montanans should know who is funding these misleading ads, said Nancy Keenan, Montana Democratic Party executive director. Montanans want a senator who will take a thoughtful, measured approach to the Supreme Court nomination, something Jon Tester has been doing, and something Republicans refused to do just last year."

Dark money

Tester said Montanans should know who is paying for the ads attacking him. Hes introduced legislation that would require social welfare groups to reveal the people funding their organizations. The bill, titled the Sunlight for Unaccountable Non-profits Act, was introduced before JCN ads attacking Tester began appearing in Montana.

Tester said he doesnt think advertising will persuade Montanans to support Gorsuch. Theyll find their own reasons to support or oppose the nomination.

Montanans are independent people, we wouldnt buy a pickup because the commercials got a catchy jingle, we buy one when we know it can get the job done, Tester said. Montanans expect the same thing from their senators. Thats why I am kicking the tires on Judge Gorsuch and waiting for his public hearing. I have to see if hes up to the task.

Gorsuchs former clerks are hopeful their boss wont be thwarted by politics.

His job is to apply the facts to the law and let the chips fall where they may, Davis said. Hes not a political judge. Hes not a partisan judge. He doesnt have a political or partisan agenda whatsoever. His only agenda is pushing the law and wherever the law takes him. Thats the message were trying to send.
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

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
Dateline Dateline Irrawaddy: The Govts 21st Century Panglong Conference is at Risk

This week, The Irrawaddy discusses the recent attacks in Laukkai as well as other developments in Burmas peace process.

Kyaw Kha: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy. This week, well discuss the latest developments in the peace process, one of the most pressing issues facing Burma. Im Irrawaddy Burmese reporter Kyaw Kha, and my colleagues, ethnic affairs reporters Ko Lawi Weng and Ma Nan Lwin Hnin Pwint, will join me for the discussion.

Northern Alliance troops have again launched attacks in Laukkai in northern Shan State. Ko Lawi, what do you think are the causes of those attacks?

Lawi Weng: The Northern Alliance has repeatedly stated the reasons behind the clashes. As we have continuously reported about the clashes, we find that its reasons are logical given the developments. Recently, the UNFC [United Nationalities Federal Council] met government peace negotiators in Naypyidaw. Before that, General Mya Tun Oo [of the Burma Army] held a press conference in which he said the Burma Army would not hold [peace] talks with the TNLA [Taang National Liberation Army], the MNDAA [Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army] and the AA [Arakan Army]. Just a couple of days after this, the Northern Alliance launched attacks in Laukkai. The Northern Alliance said it was forced to launch attacks because the Burma Army had been conducting large-scale offensives in their regions. Another reason would be their frustration with General Mya Tun Oos words.

KK: There are people who say they dont care why the two sides are fighting; they just dont want clashes in residential neighborhoods. Clashes have forced local residents to suffer. Ma Nan Lwin, please share your thoughts about this.

Nan Lwin Hnin Pwint: Those clashes were only brought to light after they took place in Laukkai. Before that, there were continuous clashes on the hills between Laukkai and Maw Hitke in January and February. The Burma Army spokespeople did not talk about those clashes, but released statements only after the large-scale offensive in Laukkai, saying about 56 clashes took place during January and February.

More than 3,000 people including internal migrants from central Burma who were working on sugarcane plantations as well as company staff fled the clashes and as many as 40,000 people, most of them Kokang locals, fled to China. Kokang locals have border passes so it was convenient for them to cross the border. But internal migrants had to flee through sugarcane plantations and some did not get their salaries because the clashes were in the early days of the month.

KK: They faced many difficulties on the way.

NLHP: Yes, they did.

KK: Some [ethnic] groups have called for self-determination, but in reality, people who are in control of their own destinies are also in grave danger, arent they?

NLHP: The Burma Army justifies the fighting by saying it is protecting the territorial integrity of the country and the safety of the people. And ethnic armed groups justify it by saying they are fighting for self-determination. Locals, however, have fallen victims to the clashes, and some have had to flee for their lives. They cant even plan for tomorrow, never mind control their own destinies.

KK: People have been innocent victims in a tug-of-war between armed men. The same people will continue suffering until the animosity between those armed men vanishes.

LW: Its mainly because the Burma Army has rejected those three groups despite them wanting to join the peace process. They searched for ways to join and then decided to fight, hence the clashes and the suffering of locals.

NLHP: Besides those causes, the Kokang group led by U Pheung Kya-shin was driven out of the region [into China by the Burma Army] in 2009 due to its links with the drug trade. It returned in 2011 and 2012, and I heard it was attempting to retake its strongholds in places like Mong Ko and Laukkai, resulting in clashes.

KK: Ko Lawi, armed groups along the China-Burma border and the Chinese special envoy met on Tuesday. What have you heard about the meeting, and what do you think they discussed?

LW: They met in Chinas Kunming. They would have discussed the ongoing clashes [in Laukkai] and the committee formed [by the United Wa State Army (UWSA)] at the Panghsang ethnic summit in order to discuss peace with the government. There have been continuous clashes on the border to this day. China has been affected by those clashes both its dignity and the safety of its citizens so that would have been discussed at the meeting as well as the Panglong Peace Conference and an all-inclusive peace process. But we still dont know the outcome.

KK: The UWSA cant be excluded when talking about ethnic armed groups and the peace process. Lets discuss the UWSA draft [on the Wa policy regarding the political dialogue and its demands, initially submitted to the Panglong Conference] that was brought forward again at the Panghsang Summit. Some points in the draft are concerning for the peace process. What will happen if the UWSA moves forward based on this draft? Ma Nan Lwin, what is your assessment of the draft?

NLHP: The UWSA prepared that draft long ago and restated it during the Panghsang Summit that concluded on Feb. 24. The group submitted it to the first Panglong Conference last August. The draft includes 15 points, mostly on its detailed political demands regarding presidential eligibility, ethnicities making their own laws and border relations, the latter allowing ethnic states to directly engage with neighboring countries and impose their own immigration regulations on foreigners who come to their regions, as well as deciding the terms for sharing their resources. Other demands included demilitarization and ethnic minorities rights.

This suggests the UWSA is demanding a confederate state more than a federal state. Brig-Gen Tar Bong Kyaw of the TNLA recently said they would discuss with the UWSA and other ethnic groups after the Panghsang Summit whether or not to use the Was draft as a guideline for future dialogue with the government. Nine groups are slated to discuss it but two groups from the UNFC [United Nationalities Federal Council]the KNPP [Karenni National Progressive Party] and the NMSP [New Mon State Party]are not yet sure if they will join the discussion [although they were invited, the KNPP and the NMSP did not attend the Panghsang Summit].

The UWSA plans to formally implement a committee [agreed at the Panghsang Summit] by the end of March and begin discussions based on the draft. Then we have to see if its policies conform to the policies of other ethnic armed groups. The Wa and Mongla groups have already enjoyed self-administration, but other ethnic armed groups have not even signed ceasefire agreements or started political dialogue.

KK: Unlike other ethnic armed groups, the UWSA already enjoys self-administration. So if the UWSA signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement with other ethnic armed groups, it would seemingly have to renounce all those rights, which is why it is demanding so much. However, the Burma Army will not accept those demands and so it is fair to say that things will be difficult.

LW: Yes, it is quite a complicated issue. The UWSA included the NMSP, KNPP, KIA and SSPP [Shan State Progressive Party] in the committee [formed at the Panghsang Summit]. But these are also members of the UNFC. Its complicated and makes me wonder if they are playing political tricks.

KK: We learned that the UNFC, the alliance of NCA non-signatories, met on Tuesday. Do you think they discussed the nine points that the UNFC has demanded from the government?

LW: They would have discussed those nine points as well as how to sign the NCA. Im afraid the Burma Army will not agree to all nine demands. Some say the Burma Army will not agree to three points in particular, including declaring a nationwide ceasefire and demilitarizing within 24 hours after signing the NCA. There is no way it will agree to those demands. The UNFC would have also discussed the outcome of the Panghsang Summit. The KIA, SSPP and NMSP have not yet clearly disclosed what they agreed to at the summit although the UWSA announced a committee would be formed. Its not yet clear whether the UNFC and the UWSA are in the same boat or not.

KK: I find it interesting that the KIA attended the Panghsang Summit in Wa State and was included in the committee formed at the summit but is also taking the lead role in the UNFC. Will the KIA act on the policy of the UWSA or the UNFC? What do you think, Ma Nan Lwin?

NLHP: We are waiting to see what will happen. KIA Gen NBan La and SSPP Maj Sai Htoo attended the Panghsang Summit from Feb. 22-24 and then attended a meeting with the UWSA over the next two days to discuss forming a committee that would hold talks with the government. On the other hand, the NMSP and the KKPP said the UNFC would not join the committee formed by the UWSA. This raises questions; such as will its cooperation depend on the political situation?

The KIA also attended the UNFCs meeting in Chinas Kunming. We have to wait and see what moves it is making. Now the KIA has joined the UWSAs committee, it is still a UNFC member, and it has not clearly stated its policy for how it will join the peace process. The KIA has military outposts in northern Shan State and it wants an all-inclusive peace process because it has political and military ties with the TNLA and the AA, which are adjacent to its controlled areas. If these two groups were not included, the KIA would feel unsafemilitarily unprepared. It attended the Panghsang Summit and also takes part in the UNFC to ensure an all-inclusive approach.

KK: Overall, the latest developments are a real headache among UNFC members. We can draw the conclusion from recent developments that the governments 21st Century Panglong Conference is at risk. Ko Lawi Weng, Ma Nan Lwin Hnin Pwint, thank you for your contributions.
Burma Chinas Complex Role in Burmas Peace Process

Refugees who fled fighting in northern Shan State stand in relief camp in Nansan, Yunnan province, China in March 2017. / Thomas Peter / Reuters

RANGOON  Relations between Burma and China have improved during the first year of the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government, aided in part by Chinese support for the governments peace process, according to a report.

China has devoted considerable efforts to improving bilateral ties with Burma while promoting its official policy of non-interference and support for persuading for peace and facilitating dialogue, in the peace process, according to the analysis by scholar Yun Sun for a prominent US government-funded institute.

For its part, the NLD government has opted to try to enlist Beijings support for its national priorities, including ethnic reconciliation, rather than continue to cater to anti-China sentiment in Burma, according to Yun Sun.

Chinas official policy on the peace process, however, is tempered by a variety of factors, including differences between policy makers in Beijing and provincial interests.

Historic, cultural, and economic links between different Chinese interest groups in Yunnan and ethnic armed organizations in Burma continue to significantly complicate the bilateral relationship, the analysis published by the US Congress-funded United States Institute for Peace (USIP) points out.

Thus, the immediate outlook for the evolving ties between the two countries remains a work in progress, according to Yun Sun in the report whose research was conducted before the recent renewal of violence in the north, which has seen thousands of refugees from Burma spilling into China.

As Burmas largest neighbor, China has been and will remain a critical player in the peace process, Yun Sun said in the analysis based on more than 80 interviews with officials in China and representatives from ethnic armed groups in Burma.

Chinas positive attitude towards Burmas peace process is based on its observation that the NLD is inclined to improving relations with China and on the hope that it might induce NLD cooperation and goodwill, the author states.

Beijings overriding geo-strategic concerns relate to its ability to achieve its goals to build connectivity in the region with initiatives such as its One Belt One Road strategy and Indian Ocean strategy.

Though some influential analysts in China favor a buffer policy of developing ties with ethnic armed groups in order to temper the Myanmar [Burma] governments treatment of China and Chinese business interests, this is not the view of China the nation, the report says.

Beijings official approach is, however, problematized by the complexities of historic and current localized relations with armed ethnic organizations along the border in Kachin and Shan statesin particular, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the United Wa State Army (UWSA), and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) also known as the Kokang Army.

Yun Sun notes that historical ties bind people of the same ethnicities living on two sides of a borderline between the two countries that originated during the colonial period.

The policies of the provincial government of Yunnan and the activities of Yunnan business interests in areas controlled by armed groups, including in activities such as logging and mining, are often cited as a key independent variables undermining the effectiveness of Beijings policy toward Burma, said Yun Sun.

Unofficial and independent Chinese financial support, mainly involving private businesses, for ethnic armed organizations is difficult to assess, the author says, though rumors remain rampant.

The former Chinese business giant the Yucheng Group, currently under criminal investigation in China for massive internet-based financial fraud, possibly provided support to six ethnic armed groups in northern Burma after 2015 when conflict broke out between the MNDAA and the Burma Army, according to the report.

Chinese links with the KIA, the UWSA, and the MNDAA are explored in the analysis which makes clear that the relationships with each are very different and complex, but in all cases are significant, a fact often overlooked in analyses of Burmas conflicts.

The sum of the complex picture is that China does not see an immediate solution to Burmas conflicts, according to the author.

Among the barriers to achieving piece from the Chinese perspective, she indicated, are included a belief that Burmese chauvinism is a main barrier to a successful negotiations process.

The NLDs delicate relationship with the Burma Army which perceives the separatist ethnic rebels as a threat to the nation and the battle against them as an inherent mission of the military, is also seen as a block on progress, Yun Sun said.

Some Chinese doubt whether all ethnic armed groups are genuinely seeking peace, and Chinese attitudes are also colored by apprehension about the potential for an increased US presence in the peace process and Burmas border regions, the report said.

For the foreseeable future China will seek to prepare for different uncertainties and maximize its flexibility in the process, the author stated.

The report is released at a challenging time for Burmas peace process after the second Union Peace Conference scheduled for February was postponed amid deadlock over government pressure on armed groups to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement, and as armed conflicts escalate in Burmas north.

Foreign support for Burmas peace process is also seen by many as stalled in a state of uncertainty amid the deteriorating security environment and a lack of evident forward movement in the negotiations processes.

Washington DC-based USIP has operated peace-related programs in Burma since at least 2012. Two years ago the organization created by the US Congress set up an Asia Center that is currently headed by the former US Ambassador to Burma Derek Mitchell.

Mitchell and other USIP leaders visited Burma in February and met with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing.

Last year, the organization hosted a discussion in Washington about US plans to reengage with The Burma Army. The engagement would be conducted in a limited and calibrated way, according to Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southeast Asia Patrick Murphy.
Burma Environmental Agency Praises Danish Divestment from Burmese Teak

An elephant pulls a teak log at a logging camp in Pinlebu township, Sagaing Division, on March 6, 2014. / Soe Zayar Tun / Reuters

RANGOON  An international environmental NGO, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), has said it welcomed the Danish authorities ruling banning Burmese teak from its markets.

The decision was the second such move from Scandinavia, following a similar Swedish ruling last November.

Danish authorities ruled on Monday, March 13 that injunctions be placed on all seven Danish operators bringing Burmese teak into the country. The decision was based on the EIAs evidence arguing that Danish timber companies had violated the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR).

Denmarks leadership in EUTR enforcement underpins similar rulings already made in Sweden, and leaves no doubt that anyone placing Burmese teak on the EU market under current conditions is in breach of European law, said EIA forests campaigner Peter Cooper.

Referring to Denmarks ruling as a precedent, the EIA said in its statement on March 15 that they also expect authorities in other EU countries, such as Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and the UK, to rapidly resolve the remaining twelve cases submitted by EIA.

The twelve companies included Antonini Legnami, Basso Legnami and Bellotti Spa in Italy; Boogaerdt Wood, Gold Teak Holdings and World Wood in the Netherlands; Crown Teak and Vandercasteele Hout Import in Belgium; Teak Solutions in Germany, a case now transferred to Spain; and Moody Decking, Stones Marine Timber and DA Watts and Sons (Wattsons) in the UK, according to EIA.

The EIA stated that the Burmese state-owned Myanmar Timber Enterprises lack of transparency, in addition to the high risk of illegality in supplied wood cutting, has made it impossible for any company to successfully apply due diligence to Burmese teak.

Regarding the ruling, the Burmese traders said that the Burmese authorities should have been contacted before any decisions were made.

U Barber Cho, a former timber trader now working as a secretary of the Myanmar Forest Certificate Committee (MFCC) told The Irrawaddy that the Danish government should have asked us, which they did not. We are sad to know that they are blindly blaming and deciding [in a] one-sided [way].

The EUTR was designed to change the behavior of operators in Europe, it maintains. Faith Doherty, the forest team leader with the EIA, told The Irrawaddy that, in this case, we hope that with a clear message coming through that the current system in Myanmar does not adhere to the due diligence requirements of this law, changes will be made.

She said the EIA believes that those who choose to reform have an opportunity to create a working transparent system that benefits Burma.

We see the political will coming from the top of the Forestry Department, and we also note that the Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE) in acknowledging it is unable to provide what is needed must now take the next step and work towards a far more open and transparent system that does not just rely on paperwork, Doherty explained.

On Thursday, the ministry of natural resources and environment conservation (MONREC), which oversees the MTE, said in its statement that their timber traceability system has been working well, as it was designed to allow control of extraction, trading of timber, and timber products from the forest of origin to point of export.

We acknowledge, however, that the system may be complex for external parties to navigate. We are also aware that some European Union importers are facing challenges in accessing documentation needed to demonstrate the chain of custody of their purchases back to specific forest areas when exercising due diligence as required by the EUTR, read the statement.
Burma New Suspect Revealed in U Ko Ni Murder as Case Goes to Court

Newly revealed suspect Aung Win Tun, accused of harboring an offender, appeared at Rangoons Northern District Court on March 17. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  An individual not previously mentioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs for suspected involvement in the assassination of lawyer U Ko Ni made his first appearance at Rangoons Northern District Court as the case proceeded on Friday.

Four of the defendants appeared together in court for the first time, more than one month after the National League for Democracy (NLD) legal advisers murder. Among them were alleged gunman Kyi Lin, co-conspirators Aung Win Zaw and Zeya Phyo, and a newly revealed suspectAung Win Tun, accused of harboring one of the offenders.

Aung Win Tun reportedly drove Aung Win Zaw to Hpa-an, Karen State, after the killing was carried out in Rangoon on Jan. 29. However, neither the home affairs ministry nor the police mentioned his name in any connection to the case at the press conference on Feb. 25, nor did they reveal exactly when he was arrested. There was also no reference to Aung Win Tun from the Presidents Office in its public updates on the cases progress.

Authorities have so far named five suspects in the assassination of U Ko Ni. One alleged co-conspirator remains at large: former lieutenant colonel in the Burma Army Aung Win Khaing is charged under Article 302 of the penal code for the homicide, but has so far eluded police.

U Nay La, the lawyer for U Ko Nis family, said that Aung Win Tun is charged under Article 212 of Burmas penal code for harboring a criminal.

According to the home affairs ministry, Kyi Lin, Aung Win Zaw and Zeya Phyo are also being charged under Article 302 of the penal code, as well as Article 19(d) and (f) of the countrys Arms Act.

Zeya Phyo, a former military intelligence officer, is additionally charged under Article 67 of the Telecommunications Law for the possession of restricted telecommunications equipment and Article 468 of the penal code for the forgery of national identity cards.

Kyi Lin was apprehended immediately after U Ko Ni was gunned down outside of Rangoon International Airport on the afternoon of Jan. 29. He also fatally shot an airport taxi driver, U Nay Win, while attempting to flee the scene.

The defendants next scheduled court date is March 24.

U Ko Ni was an expert on Burmas military-drafted 2008 Constitution and had worked closely with the ruling NLD party as a legal adviser, looking into ways to amend or replace the charter, which is widely criticized as undemocratic.
Burma Parliament Approves Reduced Budget for 2017-2018

U Htin Kyaw attends the Union Parliament in March 2016. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  The Union Parliament approved a budget of 20.59 trillion kyats for the 2017-2018 fiscal year on Fridaylower than the proposed budget of more than 20.89 trillion kyats.

On the last day of the current legislative session, the Union Parliament agreed to the recommendations of the joint bill committee to cut the budgets of 17 ministries and 12 Union-level organizations, while the budget for a few ministries, including the Ministry of Defense, remained intact.

The Parliament cut unnecessary expenses, but approved the amount which was needed, said Sai Moon of the Lechar constituency in northeastern Shan State.

The cuts from ministries and Union-level organizations included the suspension of 130 existing and future projects by the Ministry of Industry under the National Planning Bill for 2017-2018, which was approved on Wednesday by the Parliament.

Lower House lawmaker U Aung Min of the joint public accounts committee said the cuts followed a systematic review of the projects by the committee. He told The Irrawaddy that projects whose budgets were overestimated, and those that were not deemed necessary, were cut.

The budget cuts, which totalled more than 300 billion kyats, did not apply to the ministries of defense, tourism or information, or to the Constitutional Court. The highest percentage of the budget was directed to the ministries of national planning, at nearly 22 percent of the total, electricity and energy20 percentand defense, at more than 13 percent. Education and health received a combined 13 percent.

The budget for the defense ministry for 2017-18 was estimated at 2.9 trillions kyats, or nearly 14 percent of the total budget requested.

The 13 budget assessment committees, formed to review the 2017-18 budget proposal, assessed the proposals from each ministry.

None of the committees raised the prospect of budget cuts to the defense ministry; therefore the Union speaker went ahead with the approval, according to a lawmaker and member of the Union Parliament Joint Bill Committee who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The intact military budget could be due to the policy of national reconciliation of the Burma Army, said the lawmaker.

The amount of spending on the defense ministry has led to questions over the Burma Armys commitment to peace and national reconciliation as wars continue in northern Shan State.

Lower House lawmaker U Aung Min said that the budget for defense was not cut in order to support the military becoming a standard army.

Regarding the budget decisions, parliamentarians have to follow the majority ruling, lawmakers said.

Some members of each Houses bill committee and public accounts committee revealed that they were unclear about budget decisions made, as they were not in the budget assessment committees.

Sai Poe Myat, from Shan States Muse constituency, who is also a member of the Lower House bill committee but not in any of budget assessment committees, told The Irrawaddy: We all expect [to achieve the goals of] this delicate peace process, and we have to be very careful in raising debate in Parliament, when asked why lawmakers did not voice concern over the military budget request.

Htet Naing Zaw contributed to this report from Naypyidaw.
News Campaigners Warn of Dams Impact

The Salween River on the border with Thailand in Karen State. / Reuters

RANGOON  On the occasion of the International Day of Action for Rivers, campaigners in Burma rejected plans for large dams in Burmas ethnic minority areas and said local people have the right to decide how to use their resources.

More than 16 ethnic civil society organizations from the Burma Rivers Network (BRN) and the Save the Salween Network (SSN) released a joint statement on Tuesday saying that 50 planned dams on the countrys rivers will increase hydropower production from 3,000 to 46,000 megawatts by 2030 and that two-thirds of that power will be exported to neighboring countries.

The dams will have a devastating, irreversible impact on Burmas riversincluding the Irrawaddy and the Salween riverswhich are vital arteries for millions of people, nourishing peoples livelihoods, and home to fragile ecosystems, it stated.

Foreign investors should not be building dams in Burmas conflict zones, Mi Ah Chai, the coordinator of Burma Rivers Network, was quoted as saying in the statement.

The dams are fueling conflict, human rights abuses and displacement, and destroying local environmental resources, she said.

Mi Ah Chai told the Irrawaddy that campaigners across the country held events in Kachin, Shan, Karenni, Karen, and Mon states together with local communities, commemorating the International Day of Action for Rivers and raising public awareness regarding the threat of dams.

The groups statement will be sent to ruling National League for Democracy lawmakers as well as ethnic representatives, she said.

Prominent Burmese environmentalist U Win Myo Thu stressed the need for awareness of human-inflicted damage to river ecosystems in a video message posted on Facebook to mark the day.

He said many hydropower projects attempted to use the countrys rivers for the sake of a handful of people.

We request that our rivers are used for the sake of the people and in accordance with their desires, he concluded.
Politics Lower House Names Mon State Bridge After Gen Aung San Despite Protests

Construction of the bridge on the Salween River between Chaungzon and Moulmein townships. / Aung Naing Oo / Facebook

NAYPYIDAW  Politicians voted to name a bridge across the Salween River in Mon State after Burmas independence hero Gen Aung San on Tuesday despite serious concerns and objections from locals.

Residents favored naming the bridge linking Moulmein and Chaungzon townships Yamanya, meaning Mon State in Mon language, or Salween Bridge.

Burmas Lower House, however, accepted the motion of Mon States Paung Township lawmaker Mi Kon Chan to name the bridge Gen Aung San.

The bridges proposed name became known when the Ministry of Construction sent a letter to Aung Naing Oo, deputy speaker of the Mon State parliament, announcing a celebratory opening ceremony for it on Feb. 13, the 102nd birthday of Gen Aung San. Locals were outraged by the decision and the opening was cancelled.

Chief minister of Mon State U Min Min said he would reconsider naming the bridge after the Burmese independence icon but then Mi Kon Chan put forward the motion to name it Gen Aung San.

Accepted by the Lower House on Feb. 28, the motion was followed by a protest of more than 3,000 people near the bridge construction site.

Fifteen lawmakers debated the proposal during the Lower House session on Tuesday, with National League for Democracy (NLD) members campaigning for the name Gen Aung San and Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) members as well as military representatives arguing against the proposal.

Touting Burmas independence heros virtues, NLD lawmakers said he was not the leader of a particular group or region but the leader of the whole nation.

I was quoting the history [of Gen Aung San] at Parliament and invented nothing, Mi Kon Chan told the press after the parliamentary session.

USDP lawmaker U Maung Myint of Minkin Township said the main responsibility of the legislature is to exercise checks and balances on the executive and judicial branches, and not to debate such proposals.

Parliament is not the place to debate the naming of a bridge, he told Parliament. Its the wrong platform.

The Ministry of Construction and the Mon State government should have discussed the name, said military representative Major Zaw Zaw Moe.

Rather than voting to name a bridge, Lower House lawmakers should listen to the wishes of local people in accordance with Parliaments slogan, he said.

NLD lawmaker U Kyaw Lwin Aung of Magwes Sidoktaya Township argued that every citizen is in debt to Burmas independence hero. Fellow NLD lawmaker Daw Mar Mar Khaing of Mon States Thaton Township said Mon people are grateful.

Lawmaker U Myo Zaw Oo of Lewe Township said the name shows the gratitude of Mon States residents toward Gen Aung San, adding that the NLD government has also been working to revitalize the customs and identities of ethnic groups.

He cited the NLD governments addition of a Brahminy Duck statue in state capital Moulmein, a cultural symbol of the Mon.

Saying that the countrys peace process remained sensitive, ethnic Kachin lawmaker Nhtung Hka Naw San of the NLD explained: Mon locals will have many opportunities to name future structures in line with their culture and the Union government will have opportunities to arrange this.

USDP lawmaker U Maung Myint evoked the names of dozens of well-known Mon people. Even if the bridge were named after President U Htin Kyaw [whose ethnicity is Mon], I would accept it, he said.

Mi Kon Chan urged Parliament to approve the proposal and the Union minister for Construction U Win Khaing agreed that the name strengthens and perpetuates the Union Spirit.

The proposal resulted in 217 lawmakers voting in favor, 43 against and 116 abstaining.
Commentary Where are the Assassins?

Suspects appeared in court for the first time on March 17: gunman Kyi Lin (left), ex-captain Zeya Phyo and ex-lieutenant Aung Win Zawbrother of Aung Win Khaing. Ex-lieutenant colonel Aung Win Khaing (far right), an alleged key perpetrator in the plot, is still at large.

Assassins and schemers behind the killing of prominent lawyer U Ko Ni are still at large one-and-a-half months after the crime was committed.

Will they be apprehended soon? Thats what we are all waiting for.

On Friday, four suspects appeared in court in Rangoon for the first time: ex-lieutenant Aung Win Zawbrother of Aung Win Khaingex-captain Zeya Phyo, gunman Kyi Lin, and a new suspect in the case: Aung Win Tun.

Ex-lieutenant colonel Aung Win Khaing, an alleged key perpetrator in the plot to kill the National League for Democracy legal adviser, is still at large after he curiously disappeared in Burmas capital Naypyidaw.

The public suspects that in this high-profile murder, there are bigger fish at large than Aung Win Khaing. There is considerable disquiet that the Home Affairs Ministry, which is responsible for the case, has yet to bring a key culprit to court and disclose the true picture of the case.

At a ceremony in Rangoon on Saturday to mark 40 days since U Ko Ni was shot dead at Yangon International Airport on Jan. 29, patron of the ruling NLD party U Tin Oo said he was surprised that important suspects were yet to be arrested. He urged the authorities to apprehend them as soon as possible.

Like him, the public is impatiently waiting for the truth, while the victims family is waiting for justice. There are almost endless unanswered questions surrounding the case:

Why did Aung Win Khaing flee to Naypyidaw, the city with the most surveillance in Burma, instead of a distant hideout like other criminals?

What is behind the fact that all key suspects are ex-military officials?

Are any other high-profile individuals or organizations involved in the case?

How could the alleged assassins afford to spend nearly US$100,000 on the assassination?

Why is it taking so long for the police to apprehend Aung Win Khaing?

All are valid questions and people are trying hard to connect the dots.

Many people are convinced that U Ko Ni was targeted because of his strong criticism of the military-drafted 2008 Constitution and had consistently advocated for the amendment of the undemocratic charter.

Among the many questions, the biggest for a lot of people is why all key plotters in the case are ex-military officials.

A former military colonel named Lin Zaw Htun, currently a lawmaker for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), was questioned by police over his friendship with two of the suspects, ex-army men Aung Win Khaing and Zeya Phyo.

Some members of the general public worry that current influential elements in the institution, or associates linked to it, are involved in the case.

This theory is only set to keep growing as long as the police and the Ministry of Home Affairs fail to thoroughly explain the case and bring the culprits to justice.

No one has dared to publicly give voice to this suspicion yet. Meanwhile, the military has denied the theory before it came to light in public.

The armed forces chief of general staff Gen Mya Tun Oo said in a press conference on Feb. 28 that the military, known as the Tatmadaw, was not responsible when asked if he knew of any organizations behind the assassination.

His answer indicated that top military officials have the impression that people suspect that the Tatmadawor high-ranking officials in the establishmentmight be involved in the murder, perhaps due to the involvement of ex-military persons.

Gen Mya Tun Oo rejected accusations around Lin Zaw Htun that implicated the Tatmadaw: Even if he [Lin Zaw Htun] is involved, it has nothing to do with the Tatmadaw. He has resigned from the army. The Tatmadaw is not involved, even if he is found of guilty.

But suspicion remains over Lin Zaw Htuns close friendship with the two key suspects Aung Win Khaing and Zeya Phyo.

Significantly, it has been reported that Lin Zaw Htun served as personal security officer for the commander-in-chief of the military, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. Lin Zaw Htun retired from the army in 2015 to run for office under the USDP.

The positions on the case of the military-controlled Home Affairs Ministry and the military itself differ from the ruling NLD party and its leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmas State Counselor.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi attended the ceremony in Rangoon last month to mark one month since the incident and described U Ko Ni and driver U Nay Win, who died trying to apprehend the gunman Kyi Lin, as martyrs.

At the Feb. 28 press conference a day before, Minister of Home Affairs Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe downplayed the significance of the suspects as ex-military officials and said that the assassins were motivated by extreme nationalism and personal grudges.

His responses became the subject of ridicule in day-to-day conversations and on social mediawhich the military leaders must have noticed.

The ex-military officials involvement in the murder has definitely done nothing to improve the image of a military already accused of human rights abuses in Kachin, Shan, and Arakan states.

There is only one way for the military and home affairs ministry to control this damageto seriously try to bring all key suspects into court as soon as possible. Otherwise, conspiracy theories will continue to spread and grow.

This important murder case should not simply disappear in the same way Aung Win Khaing slipped away in Naypyidaw.
Guest Column Rakhine Politics: A Great Success or another Great Rift Ahead?

The Arakan National Party (ANP) head office in Sittwe, September 3, 2015. / Reuters

I remember the days when many Rakhine people from around the state insulted Munaung residents [who are also ethnic Rakhine] in regards to Dr. Aye Maungs 2015 electoral loss. The former upset the latter so much so that some people thought it was the day of a great rift for the Rakhine people. Many Rakhine people portrayed the Munaung as traitors against the national causewhatever that national cause is. I am worried that a great rift will soon befall the Rakhine people again.

On April 1, 2017, Myanmar is going to witness a by-election. This election will not be too exciting for the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party or the main opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). The number of vacant seats is so small that the power dynamic will not shift for the two main parties. However, the Arakan National Party (ANP) and the head of that party, Dr. Aye Maung, think otherwise.

Dr. Aye Maung wants to regain power and will begin by testing the waters in Rakhine States Ann Township, with a bid for a seat in the Lower House. Many Rakhine have expressed enthusiasm to reinstall the champion of their national cause. But after keeping a low profile after his 2015 electoral loss, will he ever see great political success?

His election bid at this point in time is a reckless venture. First and foremost, his conventional method of utilizing nationalism for electoral gain will not guarantee success in this election.

He is testing uncharted territory. According to local sources, Ann Township exhibits an interesting mix of ethnic and party loyalties. About 40 percent of its population is Chin. Apparently, the Chin population does not subscribe to the Rakhine nationalism that the Arakan National Party uses as its campaign platform. It is not hard to believe that Chin votes will go to either the NLD or USDP.

Another substantial portion of the populace constitutes military men. This is not surprising given the fact that Ann is the center of the Western Command. For such a small town, heavy military presence means that a large chunk of the population will constitute soldiers and their families.

There are mixed reactions in the Arakanese community. While a great number of Rakhine people think that Dr. Aye Maung can bring about the changes they want to see once he is reinstalledwhich I find very unlikely, a sizable number of Rakhine also think that he is a rabble rouser, due to his rhetoric during the 2015 campaign.

He campaigned on the promise that he would seize the Rakhine State Parliament without ever firing a gun. He even challenged the NLD, stating that it would not gain a majority of seats without our supportour has been interpreted by some political commentators as a consolidation of USDP and other pro-USDP allies, including the ANP.

However, a huge public outcry erupted when he lost the election in Munaung. Some Rakhine people called the Munaung people San-Ra-Phway (traitors) to the national cause, among other insults.

In return, many Munaung natives lashed back, while also exhibiting frustration, confusion and despair. There was an overwhelming exchange of crude words from both sides on social media regarding Dr. Aye Maungs election loss. It was a dark and ugly period of ethnic disunity for the Rakhine people.

Should he lose the by-election, supporters will not hesitate to insult and blame Ann Township residents for their lack of support for the national cause. Another great rift will ensue.

Aung Myo Oo is a native of Sittwe and an active commentator on social media about political activities in Rakhine State. He received a Master of Human Rights and Democratization from the University of Sydney.
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

After Trump falsely accused President Obama of having him wiretapped at Trump Tower during the campaign, Sean Spicer upped the ante by charging that Obama could have used the British GCHQ electronic surveillance agency to carry out the monitoring. GCHQ does in fact outrageously invade peoples privacy online, but there is no reason to think it targeted Trump or that President Obama could have ordered them around. Although initially it was reported that Spicer apologized to an outraged British government, he denies any apology was proffered.

After an awkward meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the leader of the Free World, Trump tweeted out an insulting message accusing Germany and other NATO countries of not paying the US enough for the very expensive defense umbrella Washington spreads over Europe.

But NATO countries dont pay anything to the United States. Trump does not understand how NATO works. They just devote some proportion of GDP to their own defense. The idea that the US is owed anything by European countries for deigning to erect a North Atantic Treaty Organization over their heads is daft. It is the US that wanted NATO, for its own Cold War purposes. About 5 NATO countries devote 2% of GDP to defense spending, and the rest have (unrealistically) pledged to do so over the next 5 years or so. Theyd be better off spending the money on their people. They certainly are not giving any of it to Washington, however.

Trumps threat to slap a 35% tariff on BMW automobiles made at a new plant in Mexico and exported to the US could meet with a German lawsuit at the World Trade Organization, German experts agree.

Trumps budget cuts roughly 38% from the $56 bn. international affairs section, including deep cuts to the State Department, to US AID, and to foreign aid. In the 1990s, the era of the peace dividend after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US walked away from any involvement in Afghanistan after funding a major jihad there against the Soviets. (The US withdrawal was negotiated by George H. W. Bush with Soviet premier Mihail Gorbachev as a quid pro quo for the Soviet withdrawal). In the subsequent vacuum, the Taliban took over Afghanistan and hosted al-Qaeda, and 9/11 was the result.

The European Union has complained bitterly about proposed US cuts in development aid. The UN is in the midst of a major, and so far amazingly successful, bid to reduce absolute poverty in the world. Trumps stinginess would endanger the success of this program. In Trumps budget, only Israels $3 bn a year is sacrosanct. Israel is a wealthy country that doesnt need US aid.

At this rate we wont have any allies soon.

-

Newsy: Trump: Germany owes US, NATO for defense
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Maan News Agency |  

BETHLEHEM (Maan)  After the head of a United Nations agency resigned from her post, citing pressure from the UN Secretary-General to censor a new report that accused Israel of imposing an apartheid regime on Palestinians, Palestinian officials denounced the UN for removing the report.

Head of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) Rima Khalaf resigned on Friday, telling reporters in Beirut that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had insisted on the withdrawal of the damning report, which was no longer visible on ESCWAs website on Friday.

Khalaf stood by the report, calling it the first of its kind from a UN agency that sheds light on the crimes that Israel continues to commit against the Palestinian people, which amount to war crimes against humanity.

ESCWA, which is comprised of 18 Arab states, said in the report that Israel was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of imposing apartheid policies against Palestinians.

Israeli officials were quick to denounce it, comparing it to Nazi propaganda and calling for Guterres to publicly reject it.

Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi condemned the decision by the UN to remove report in a written statement published Saturday,.

Instead of succumbing to political blackmail or allowing itself to be censured or intimidated by external parties, the UN should condemn the acts described in the report and hold Israel responsible, she said.

The PLO official lauded the report as a step in the right direction that she said highlights the true reality on the ground which is one of apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and military occupation.

Ashrawi called on Guterres to do what is right, reinstate the ESCWA report and undertake serious and concrete measures to hold Israel accountable for its persistent violations of international law and human rights.

Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Maliki for his part reacted with deep regret that Khalaf was compelled to resign and expressed his unequivocal objection to the withdrawal of the report, which he described as an objective analysis of the facts on the ground, arriving at an accurate conclusion based on the legal definition of the crime of apartheid.

Al-Maliki also noted that UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarrics comments defending the reports withdrawal did not take issue with the content of the report itself, but rather with the fact that it had allegedly been published without consultation with the UN secretariat.

Despite the procedural differences and, as the content and veracity of the reports conclusions are not being debated, Palestine considers the withdrawal to be counterproductive and ill-advised, the ministry said.

The statement went on to argue that the reports removal sends a dangerous message to countries that commit crimes; that with enough pressure, their actions can be ignored and appeased and that even reporting in this regard will be censored, as opposed to triggering serious consideration of the situation and of potential remedies, including accountability as per international law.

This has far-reaching negative consequences for the international system as we know it, he urged.

Both Ashrawi and al-Maliki expressed their gratitude for Khalaf. Ashrawi said that the UN Secretary-General should have never accepted Khalafs resignation, affirming that the PLO will continue to remain grateful to Dr. Khalaf for assuming a principled and courageous stand on behalf of the people of Palestine.

Al-Maliki described Khalaf as an outstanding international civil servant, whose expertise and integrity are beyond reproach and admired by all privileged to work with her, and her leadership and contribution to the advancement of societies across the West Asia region and beyond are fully recognized and commended.

He concluded his statement by saying: Trying to scrap the report will not scrap the reality it describes.

Palestinians, activists, and a number of intellectuals have increasingly compared Israels occupation of the Palestinian territory with an apartheid system over the years, and sought to use similar tactics as those that took down the apartheid regime in South Africa.

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement founded in 2005 as a peaceful movement to restore Palestinian rights in accordance with international law has been largely influenced by the Sout[h African example].

Via Maan News Agency
By Rachel Lee



Korea-born former French Minister of Culture and Communications Fleur Pellerin was in Korea on March 13 as Grand Temoin de la Francophonie for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.



"Korea can be proud to be the only country in Northeast Asia to have institutional links with the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF)," Pellerin said at a reception at French Ambassador Fabien Penone's residence in Seoul.



"This is a strong asset for Korean diplomacy, related to the will of Korea to be a global and open player on the world scene."



The OIF was created in 1970 with a mission to embody the active solidarity between its 80 member states and governments (57 members and 23 observers). Together they represent more than one-third of the United Nations' member states and have a population of more than 890 million people, including 220 million French speakers.



Pellerin is the first Grand Temoin de la Francophonie in Korea.



She said that during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, she plas to make Francophonie audible and visible while promoting cultural diversity and being multilingual that are enriched by what all members of Francophonie have to offer.



"In the name of the secretary general, I confirm that you have the full support of OIF, in respect of your obligations related to official languages and of linguistic services to delegations," Pellerin said.



"I am convinced that the PyeongChang Games will be an occasion for Korean authorities to demonstrate their attachment to Francophonie, a wide family that Korea has joined."



The French ambassador described French as a "language of the future" in Korea.



"It is one of the two official languages of the PyeongChang Games," the diplomat said. "It is the language of diplomacy, a language of the business world, a language of research and education.



"It is also a wonderful bridge between Korea and all the francophone countries, in particular for the young people."



Pellerin added: "To deepen its engagement with Francophonie, Korea can count locally on the Council of Promotion of Francophonie in Korea, which was launched in December 2015 at the initiative of French Ambassador Fabien Penone."



The council is chaired by Canadian Ambassador to Korea Eric Walsh this year.



The IOF organizes political activities and actions of multilateral cooperation that benefit French-speaking populations. Its actions respect cultural and linguistic diversity and promote the French language, peace and sustainable development.



The IOF has concluded 33 cooperation agreements with international and regional organizations and has established permanent dialogue among the major international linguistic zones (English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Arabic).




Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited, the largest private indigenous bank in Ghana, and Prudential Life Insurance Ghana, one of the leading insurers in the country, have today launched two innovative Bancassurance solutions to protect Ghanaians.

The launch of the Fidelity Education Plan and the Fidelity Life Plan follow the success of the Hospital Cash Plan and Farewell Plan, launched under a partnership between Fidelity Bank and Prudential in August 2015.

All Bancassurance products will now be available to Fidelity Bank customers throughout any of its 73 branches.

The Fidelity Life Plan is the first income protection product in Ghana with unlimited cover, guaranteeing 100 percent reimbursement of all premiums if customers outlive the term of the policy without making a claim. Cover can be provided for as little as GHS 29 per month for between five and 52 years. The Fidelity Life Plan also covers 10 critical illnesses and entitles customers to an innovative free annual health check.

The Fidelity Education Plan enables parents to save for school or university fees. Parents can save as little as GHS 30 per month for between 8 and 25 years.

The assurance provided by this policy is the continuous payment of premium on behalf of the parent in the event of death or permanent disability. It is the first education plan in Ghana to feature a unique four percent bonus which is awarded to parents at maturity of the policy.

Jim Baiden, Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, said: We are delighted to launch the Fidelity Education Plan and the Fidelity Life Plan with Prudential, one of the worlds leading life insurance companies. We are dedicated to helping our customers build better futures by offering innovative and affordable products that meet their needs. We look forward to working with Prudential over the coming years as we grow our insurance portfolio.

Emmanuel Aryee, Chief Executive of Prudential Ghana, said Prudential is committed to helping people throughout Ghana protect themselves and their families from lifes misfortunes.

"We are leading the way with these products, particularly the Fidelity Life Plan, which is the first of its kind in Ghana. We are proud to partner with Fidelity Bank and we look forward to helping Fidelity Bank customers plan for the future with our innovative products, he adds.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | GN
The 13 electoral area coordinators and polling station executives of the New Patriotic Party in the Awutu Senya East constituency of the Central Region, have called for peace and tranquility ahead of the appointment of a Municipal Chief Executive for the area.

Two members of the party have been shortlisted for the MCE position, including the constituency Secretary, Micheal Mensah, and Abdul Tarik Bonsu, who contested the incumbent MP, Mavis Hawa Koomson during the 2015 NPP primary.

Recently, a group calling itself Concerned Youth of Awutu Senya East, accused the incumbent MP of introducing one of the shortlisted applicants as the person endorsed by President Nana Akufo-Addo for the MCE position.

The group further appealed to the MP to respect the laid down processes of the party.

But addressing a pressing conference in the capital, Kasoa, on behalf of the coordinators, Patrick Sekyi Annan said the party could not afford to lose the seat in the name of a brouhaha over the appointment of the MCE.

We are not ready to lose our parliamentary seat to any opposition party, we also believe in our constituency, regional executives, campaign team and MP/Minister. We are very sure they will recommend the right who has been with us and who understands the various developmental needs of the constituency, he stated.

He also called on rank and file of the party to remain calm, and warned all groups in the party to allow the president to appoint the MCE in consonance with the laws as enshrined in the 1992 constitution and the local government act 462.

We wish to appeal to all to remain calm. The appointment of MCE is an exclusive party. Therefore all mushroom groups that are cropping up must leave the president alone to carry out the appointment in peace.



By: Akwesi Koranteng/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The responsibility for protecting the youth from committing suicide goes beyond the parenthesis of the law enforcement agencies, rather, rest on the chest of the commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).

Protection is very supreme to the people of Ghana who give up their complete inalienable rights to freedom, life, safety and liberty by creating government to attain these rights that are also enshrined in the 1992 constitution.

It is the duty of the government to ensure that these fundamental human rights are freely attained and enjoy without any sweat by all citizens including the youth, but here we are, these rights have eluded the youth and even as hard as they tried to pursue it, the harder and unbearable it becomes.

Suicide, which is a crime on itself, has become last resorts among the youth in our contemporary days, stealing the life of our young generation which threaten the future of Ghana and Mr. Akufo-Addo, the father of the nation remain nonchalant to the plight of the youth and Ghana.

If the commander-in-chief cannot secure the life of the youth, what else does he deem important that he can promise the youth than their life?

Its unfortunate that Mr. Akufo-Addo is so proud of exhibiting gross incompetent at the seat of government at the very early stages of his leadership.

Someone should do me a favor by telling Mr. Akufo-Addo to stop pretending to lead and lead from behind. He should find a lasting solution to this over alarming suicide among the youth.

Mr. Akufo-Addos Ghana has failed the youth and many wonder whether the youth should remained thankful for having a leader or look elsewhere for protection.

Despite my respect for Mr. Akufo-Addo for his person and status, I have never envisaged that he will be a dependable leader, but for him to reveal the four years nightmare ahead of Ghanaians at the very beginning of his reign is unimaginable. Yet I have no regret in Akufo-Addo because Ghanaians were forewarned of these days ahead of time.

Sometimes the truth is buried, while deception is hailed. If not so, who will appoint a man who depends on medication to get up from bed to be the CEO of his company?

To God be the glory.
19.03.2017 LISTEN

The spate and the successive trend of suicide cases recorded in the country recently is alarming and needs attention asap. Indeed, taking one's own life isn't the right approach to deal with issues battling one's mind.

Individuals who normally commit these horrible crimes often have been battling with certain medical conditions and problems they find very difficult to discuss with others about. Perhaps, it is their inability to discuss these pressing issues with others that led them to take their life in such a miserable way. For this reason, the act must receive the greatest condemnation it deserve, nevertheless, we must not be quick to judge or question why people have to take their own lives.

Some few weeks ago, A first-year Chemical Engineering student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) committed suicide in her hostel leaving school authorities appalled. Miss Adwoa Agyarka Anyimadu-Antwi, took her life at her hostel room with a rope.

In a related development, Jennifer Nyarko, a final year consumer science student at the university of Ghana has also died mysteriously. She died after allegedly jumping from the fourth floor of her Akuafo Hall Annex A room 407 and was found with severe head injuries.

Of course, these two tragic deaths in Ghana's two prestigious universities have send fear among every well meaning Ghanaian. Moreover, parents having their wards in the various schools in Ghana begun to live in fear and panic due to the successive trend it is taking.

Suicide in most jurisdictions are perpetrated by psychological problems and other forms of unbearable medical conditions. Nonetheless, for the purpose of this write up, I will limit myself to some human behaviours and negligence on our part as people that push people around us to do the unthinkable.

Firstly, I would like to take on Parents. I strongly believe that negligence on the part of some Parents and their inability to have full control over their wards is a possible factor. Parents who fail in providing parental guidance to their children normally go astray, hence luck good upbringing. Some of these children refuse or luck the will power to discuss their feelings to us because we refused to allow them to get closer to us. Some Parents are just extremely inconsiderate and aggressive with their children and the people around them, thus making them feel isolated and neglected. With regards to this, children fail to open up to their Parents with the fear of being rebuked. It will shock you to know that some of these youths confide in their peers than parents. Therefore, parental irresponsibility is capable of pushing children to contemplate suicide in their quite moments as they have nobody to discuss their pressing issues with.

Again, School authorities are the next to blamed for the negative conducts by some students. You will agree that school authorities are the next group of people children spend most of their time with, apart from their parents. This is so because they spend all the days in school learning different disciplines. Despite all these time spent with the school authorities, they fail to organize effective and resilient counselling sessions to these children entrusted into their hands. Rather, they expect these children to walk personally into their offices to receive that services. In as much as I agree that these students can equally walk into the office of these school authorities, I am of the view that our educational institutions should rather be organising a compulsory counselling sessions for these students.

Also, Deppression can possibly impel one to commit suicide. Some people naturally when in a state of depression or frustration lose their sense of reasoning considering what they have been through. It could possibly be; accusing someone falsly, persecution, miserable mistakes, disappointment relating to business, being jilted etc. All the aforementioned scenarios can put somebody in a state of depression which can lead to the person ending his/her own life because there was no absolute control of the mind or the person's failure to discuss the problem with others for advice.

I can say for a fact that the above factors cannot be underestimated when it comes to the possible causes of suicide. They have the tendency of forcing depressed people to take their lives without a cause. Even though, they are minor things we overlooked.

However, Suicide has diverse effects on parents, society and country to a larger extent. parent invested and channelled so much into their children to become breadwinners for their family But some, due to what they experienced in life, will decide to end it all. Unfortunately, some of the people who lose their lives in such a mysterious way might be future leaders for this country. When this happens, every sensitive homosapien become so emotional knowing the role such people could have played for their country. As a result, family and friends of peole who "succeed" in committing suicide often suffer terribly as they struggle to believe why their beloved has to die such a mysterIous death.

I want to personally take the opportunity to applaud the Mental Health authority (MHA) for coming out with a help line for people who need psychological help or are contemplating suicide. This initiative by (MHA) is a step in the right direction, hence must be commended.

I think we have reach a stage where authorities of the various Religious Bodies must rise up to the task. Religious leaders can help curb the menace. Clearly, if Religious authorities devote a day out of every week to raise awareness and offer deep counselling session for members, these mysterious deaths might have reduced drastically.

Parents cannot be left out in the fight against suicide. Parenting is not a joke. It comes with serious responsibility. In the light of this, parents must endeavour to allow their wards to get access to them at all times to augment their communication. By this, they can open up to you when they are battling with personal issues. By offering constructive advise or counsel to their problems, you conspicuously save their soul from destruction.

In conclusion, school authorities must also join in the crusade to battle the increasing rate of suicide cases in our educational setups especially. It is often said "If Mohammed will not go to the mountain, the mountain must come to Mohammed." In effect, school authorities must not wait on the students to come under their feet for counselling, rather they (the school authorities ) can equally organize counselling sessions for the students to get deep understanding on how to handle some personal issues or mistakes they have committed.

YES! We can do better than this. Let's be proactive. By this, I mean let us find solution and eradicate the recent rampant and horrific deaths by coming up with policies and programmes that will help curb the devilish phenomenon called suicide.

Let's champion a course against this and raise serious awareness on it.

SAY NO TO SUICIDE NOW!

BY: Felix Kwaku-Dua
Mogadishu (AFP) - Somalia has called on the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen to investigate an incident in which dozens of Somali refugees were shot dead on board a boat.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack that killed more than 40 Somali refugees in waters off the coast of war-torn Yemen early on Friday.

The bloodshed was quickly condemned by UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Somalia's Foreign Minister Abdusalam Omer urged the Saudi-led coalition fighting Huthi rebels in Yemen to investigate.

Somalia is a member of the US-backed coalition fighting against Shiite Huthi rebels aligned with Iran.

"We call on our partners in the Saudi-led coalition to investigate the raid," the minister said in a statement released late Saturday.

"It is very sad, targeting a boat carrying Somali migrants near the coast of Hodeida in Yemen."

On Friday, a coalition spokesman denied responsibility for the attack.

The Red Sea attack took place off rebel-held port of Hodeida, with women and children among the dead.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which has operations in Yemen, said 42 bodies were found, and more than 30 wounded people were reportedly taken to hospital.

The IOM said it believed the boat was heading for Sudan when it was attacked.

Despite a two-year war that has cost more than 7,000 lives and brought the country to the brink of famine, Yemen continues to attract people fleeing the horn of Africa.

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, says Yemen is hosting more than 255,000 Somali refugees.
President of Friends of Rivers and Water Bodies, Nana Dwomoh Sarpong, has cast doubt on governments preparedness to clamp down on illegal mining activities known as galamsey in the country.

He said the sophisticated manner the illegal miners carry their activities with the support of some politicians makes it near difficult for their destructive activities to be arrested.

His Saturday remarks come days after the Lands and Forestry Minister, John Peter Amenu, announced he intends to tackle illegal mining with the aid of drones.

Ghana is losing its forest and river bodies to activities of illegal miners, a development experts have said will adversely affect the country in the coming years.

The Tano River in the Brong Ahafo Region has dried up for the first time in 40 years. Residents blame it on the intense nature of illegal mining activities in the Region.

Mr Peter Amewu who has promised stamp out illegal mining said he will partner with stakeholders in the industry to end destructive activities near Ghana's natural resources.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has also lamented the damage caused river bodies and land in the country when he delivered his speech at Ghana's 60th independence anniversary.

But Nana Dwomoh Sarpong whose organisation seeks to protect flora and fauna in the country said although Mr Peter Amewu's decision to use drones might help, it will not yield the right results.

He explained any effort to address the issue requires a multifaceted approach taking into perspective the number of key people who are sponsoring the illegal miners.

Nana Dwomoh Sarpong bemoaned the shutting down of a number of water treatment plants because their sources have been polluted by activities of illegal miners.

Ghana may soon import drinking water from neighbouring countries if illegal mining also known galamsey is not checked," he rehashed experts warning.

He wants government to consider regularising activities of illegal miners under strict environmental rules if the intention is to end the galamsey menance.

This suggestion he said will enable Ghanaians to benefit from the natural resources in the country which will not lead to violence in the mining area.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) has set an ambitious 5 billion dollars target in Foreign Direct Investments to Ghana for 2017.

The target is more than double the total FDIs recorded in 2016.

The CEO of the GIPC, Reginald Yoofi Grant told Citi Business News he is highly optimistic of the targets considering the numerous investment decisions embarked on by the NPP administration.

We've been between 2.5 to 3 billion dollars annually over the past four to five years and we are looking forward to push it further to 5 billion dollars of inward investments which will translate into multiples of tax revenue and jobs, he stated.

Mr. Grant added, What we then need to see is how much more value, technology and social impact that these investments will bring to the country.

The GIPC boss was speaking at a meeting with the press in Accra over some major agreements the government of Ghana has entered into with Mauritius in a bid to attract investments into the country.

It also followed a recent visit by the Vice President and some government and business delegation to the country to learn and negotiate on new partnerships for investments.

Meanwhile comparing the FDIs between 2015 and 2016, the figure dropped by 3 billion dollars.

In 2015, total foreign direct investments to Ghana amounted to 2.7 billion dollars.

It however dropped to 2.4 billion dollars in 2016.

But total number of registered projects increased by 10 between the one year period.

Projects registered at the GIPC increased from 170 in 2015 to 180 in 2016.

Although Mr. Yoofi Grant admits that the figures for the 2017 first quarter ahead of the official report by the GIPC, he maintained he is confident of meeting the target set for 2017.

I think that we need to be bold and positive in the goals that we set, he stressed.



By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Keta has threatened to challenge the House's approval of government's 2017 budget in court on Monday.

Richard Quarshigah said his action was triggered by some policy directions in the budget that he claimed violates the 1992 Constitution.

He cited the decision to cut down statutory payment to the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) as a clear violation of Article 252 (2) which states that at least 5% of annual government revenue be ceded to the Fund.

In this budget, GHC34 billion is the total revenue expectation. And when you work the 5% out, it is GHC1.7 billion. But the government is ceding GHC1.5 billion to the district assemblies. That is a direct contravention of the constitution of Ghana, he lamented.

Ghana's legislature on March 15 approved the government's 2017 budget presented to the House by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta

Some Minority MPs stomped out of the chamber in protest over certain portions of the budget as well as actions of the Speaker, Professor Mike Ocquaye, which they described as worrying.

They were unhappy with the manner the Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, was "unnecessarily" heckled by the Speaker as he made his final submission on the budget.

However, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) dominated legislature overwhelmingly approved the budget.

But Mr Quarshiga suggested that a budget that breaks the law cannot be allowed to stand.

Former Deputy Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Ayine

He said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's decision to reduce the DACF contradicts his own promise to uphold the dictates of the Constitution when he took his oath on January 7.

This is not the rule of law, and that is the reason for which I will go seek interpretation at the Supreme Court, the Keta MP said.

He disclosed his lawyer, Dr. Dominic Ayine who is a former Deputy Attorney-General will file the suit at the Supreme Court to challenge the approval.

I will want the court to tell us whether or not this decision that was taken (by Parliament) has not violated Article 252 (2) of the Ghanaian constitution, he said.

Monitoring and Evaluation Minister, Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei

The Majority in reaction has dismissed the claim that allocation to DACF by government constitutes a breach of the constitution.

Monitoring and Evaluation Minister, Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei, said some deductions including VAT Refund, cost of collection and royalties would all have to be done from the total revenue before the five (5) percent is sent to the District Assemblies.

This means that the percentage would have to be computed using GHC31 billion and not GHC35 billion which puts the DACF in the budget to 5.09 percent, he said.

Since 1993, that is the same formula the NDC government has used to make allocations to the DACF. Are they saying that they deliberately committed an illegality when they were in government? he quizzed.

Dr Akoto Osei under a serious tone announced the readiness of government, saying, If they are ready, we are ready. They can go to court. They will lose.
The Half Assini Magistrate Court has granted a GHs 500,000.00 bail to Gideon Konibah, the Jomoro Constituency Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and his accomplice with two sureties to be justified for alleged fraud.

Konibah and Augustine Ofori Andoh, Deputy Constituency Secretary of the NDC, are facing a provisional charge of defrauding under false pretense.

Their pleas have not been taken and they would reappear before court on Wednesday, April 12 .

Prosecuting, Police Detective Sergeant Richard Amoah, said from June to August last year, the accused persons collected a total of GHs 87,000.00 from 13 fishermen in the area under the pretext of supplying them with outboard motors but failed to do so.

He said all efforts by the victims to retrieve their monies failed when the accused person could not provide the outboard motors, and therefore lodged a complaint with the Police resulting in the Chairman and his accomplices arrest.


A native of Bimbilla and a worker at Ecobank in Accra, Alhassan Haruna, has donated some hospital equipment to the Bimbilla District Hospital in the Nanumba North district of the Northern Region.

Issahaku Ben Hussein, who presented the equipment on behalf of Alaskan Haruna, appealed to youth and other stakeholders in the area to emulate the kind gesture of Haruna by channeling their resources in assisting the hospital to save lives rather than buying arms to destroy life and property.

The equipment that has been presented to the hospital is in recognition of that fact that the people need good and quality healthcare. This is the type of activities we want to see in the Bimbilla community.

People must avoid channelling their resources towards procuring arms to destroy lives and properties. They should be looking at what to do to help the hospital so that a lot of people can benefit instead of destroying lives and properties. We want to appeal to the youth to work towards peace in the Bimbilla community.

The district director of the Bimbilla hospital, Dadia Stephen, pledged that the equipment will be taken proper care of and that it will be put good use.

This is what we ve been yearning for. It is our prayer that these items that have been received by the facility will go a long way to help us to serve the populace. We want to say a very big thank you to the donor and also want to assure him that the items donated will be taken care of so that they can last and serve the purpose for which they were procured.

The equipment included two wheelchairs, one examination couch, one stretcher and one blood pressure assessment apparatus.



By: Mohammed Aminu M Alabira/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Rome (AFP) - The Italian coastguard and other boats rescued some 3,000 migrants from unseaworthy boats off the Libyan coast on Saturday, as the good weather pushes the numbers up, a participating NGO said.

In all 35 rescue operations were launched during the day, with 15 of them still underway as night fell, the coastguard said.

German NGO Jugend Rettet, which took part in the rescue operations on Saturday, said 3,000 people had been plucked to safety during a particularly busy day due to the fine Spring weather in the Mediterranean.

On Friday rescue vessels worked flat out to rescue over 2,000 people from flimsy dinghies.

The Italian coast guard and five privately-run rescue boats plucked migrants from 16 overcrowded dinghies and three wooden vessels packed with people hoping to make a new life for themselves in Europe.

EU's border control agency Frontex has accused donor-funded vessels of doing more harm than good by sailing off Libya and acting "like taxis", and Italian prosecutors have suggested they may have links with traffickers -- a charge they have fiercely denied.

Distressing images of African migrants being plucked from heaving seas or the coffin-strewn aftermath of major sinkings have become a regular feature of television news bulletins since the crisis began spiralling out of control four years ago.

So far this year 666 people have been logged as dead or missing off the Libyan coast.

However that figure is well down on the death rate seen last year when more than 5,000 people perished, according to the International Organization of Migration.
Washington (AFP) - The World Bank on Sunday announced $57 billion in financing for sub-Saharan Africa over the next three fiscal years.

Of that total, $45 billion will come from the International Development Association, the World Bank fund that provides grants and interest-free loans for the world's poorest countries.

The package will also feature an estimated $8 billion in private sector investments from the International Finance Corporation, a private-sector branch of World Bank, and $4 billion will come from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the bank's unit for middle-income nations, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim said in a statement.

Germany, which hosted a meeting of the G20 countries Friday and Saturday, said that a partnership called "Compact with Africa" would be a priority of its presidency this year of that club of powerful nations. Of all the countries in Africa, only South Africa is a G20 member.

"This represents an unprecedented opportunity to change the development trajectory of the countries in the region," Kim said.

"With this commitment, we will work with our clients to substantially expand programs in education, basic health services, clean water and sanitation, agriculture, business climate, infrastructure and institutional reform," he added.

Kim left for Rwanda and Tanzania on Sunday in a show of World Bank support for the entire region.

The new financing from the International Development Association will target 448 projects that are already underway in sub-Saharan Africa. The region accounts for more than half of the countries eligible for this kind of financing from the IDA, the bank said.
The Punch is reporting that no fewer than seven people have been killed in suicide bomb attacks on Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

FILE PHOTO: the attack occurred on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the police says

In the attacks that occurred on Saturday, March 18 evening, three suicide bombers and four others, including two children were killed in the attacks.

READ ALSO: How soldiers fighting Boko Haram are allegedly being maltreated by Army

Eight other people sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital.

These were confirmed in a statement by deputy superintendent of police Victor Isuku, the spokesman of the Nigerian Police Force, Borno State Command.

Isuku said the attack happened at about 9pm on Saturday on the outskirts of Maiduguri.

The statement read: At about 2100hrs of 18/3/2917, three suicide bombers, a male and two female, attempted to infiltrate Maiduguri town through Umarari village in Molai general area.

They were sighted by Civilian JTF and challenged. They detonated the IEDs strapped to their bodies while running to different directions.

PAY ATTENTION: Get the latest news on Legit.ng News App

Four people which include a Civilian JTF, a woman and her two children died while eight others sustained injuries, and have been taken to hospital.

PRNigeria quotes the spokesperson of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the North-East Abdulkadir Ibrahim as saying disclosed that bodies of the dead and the injured had been evacuated.

Abdulkadir said: The casualties were evacuated to Borno State specialist hospital by the NEMA ERT and SEMA. The remains of the three suicide bombers were also deposited at the mortuary of the hospital.

The Cable reports that the last attack on Ummarari village, which is about 5km south of Maiduguri and has less than 200 residents, was in June 2016 when two female suicide bombers killed 22 people while observing early morning prayers.

Source: Legit.ng
The Nigeria Police Force has detained the Commandant-General of the Peace Corps of Nigeria, Mr Dickson Akoh.

BREAKING: Police detain Peace Corps boss

The police detained Akoh on Sunday, March 19 after he submitted himself for questioning at the FCT police command.

READ ALSO: Peace Corps sues FG, Police, demands N2bn compensation

Akoh had been in his home state of Benue where he was receiving traditional medical attention due to his ill-health.

His illness was triggered after he and 49 senior officers of the corps were arrested and detained about two weeks ago.

He was detained at exactly 5:40pm on the order of a senior officer of the Criminal Investigation Department.

Legit.ng gathered that Akoh is currently at the office of Special Anti-Robbery Squad where he is being held.

A group of journalists, including a Legit.ng reporter who went to SARS to confirm the arrest were chased away by security operatives who shot in the air twice.

Another enquiry at the FCT Police headquarters by reporters was met with stiff resistance by policemen at the entrance of the police building.

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The Nigeria Police had earlier declared Akoh wanted.

When reached on the phone, the FCT Police public relations officer, ASP Manzah said he doesn't have details of the arrest.

Reacting to the incident, spokesperson of the Peace Corps, Patriot Millicent Umoru stated that an Admin Officer of the police she simply identified as 'Mr Abdullahi' threatened to ''kill someone'' apparently referring to Akoh.

'Should anything happen to him (Akor), we will hold him (Abdullahi) responsible, because he was saying it openly'' Umoru told Legit.ng on the phone.

Source: Legit.ng
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency has revealed the identity of the medical doctor who killed himself on Sunday, March 19 by jumping into the Lagos lagoon.

Orji's car

The man, who was said to be returning from the church, allegedly stopped the car, a Nissan X-trail with registration number LND 476 EE before diving into the lagoon.

It was also learnt that shortly before the incident, the man had received a call from someone.

READ ALSO: Medical doctor jumps into Lagos lagoon, kills self

The spokesperson of LASEMA, Kehinde Adebayo, explained that the agency was alerted by concerned Nigerians over the incident adding that the man's name had been identified as Orji.

The Agency received a distress call of a man who parked his grey coloured Nissan SUV with registration number LND 476 EE at about 4.50 pm today Sunday.

The incident happened around Adekunle, inward 3rd Mainland bridge and jumped into the Lagos Lagoon.

Preliminary investigation at the scene revealed that the man said to be a medical doctor named Orji was said to be driven by his driver and suddenly ordered the driver to pull over.

He dropped from the car and suddenly jumped into the water from the bridge. The vehicle and the driver have been taken to Adeniji Adele Police Station for further investigation.

There are efforts to recover his body from the Lagoon, he said adding that LASEMA's general manager, Mr Adesina Tiamiyu, had said a proper investigation into the incident would be carried out.

Meanwhile, a user on Instagram who must have been at the scene of the incident, wrote: I witnessed the worst thing ever today!! The owner of this particular car jumped into the lagoon right in front of me!!! I saw him get out of his car, then jumped, I was directly behind him, I parked and ran as fast as my legs could carry me but it was too late..

"I wish he had waited a little longer, I wish I was able to stop him, I wish I was about to hold his hands, I wish he could tell me what the problem was!!!!!

"Depression is real I couldnt believe my eyes, Im still in shock, I couldnt control my tears. I ran after him I tried to save him I called for help. Su*cide is not the answer!!!!! Its a pity a problem shared isnt a problem solved anymore its a problem gossiped aboutwe now live in a world where negativity is like 90 percent.

READ ALSO: Tragedy as car plunges into Lagos lagoon

"I really wish I was able to save him. Loads of people stopped because they saw me acting like a crazy woman, the ambulance was present, the fishermen were trying to help but it was too late!!!!! He left a note on his personalized Drs notepad with his house address.

"May God help his family though this difficult time. Please, lets be our brothers keeps. Lets genuinely love and help one another. Life is short. We are here for just a little time. Lets spend that time spreading love and being kind to one another!

In their reactions, many Nigerians expressed belief that the victim may have been facing depression. Some others urged the police and other security agents to investigate those he spoke to last before his demise.

Source: Legit.ng
Now 36, Provost helps run US Uncut, a left-leaning Facebook page and website with more than 1.5 million followers, about as many as MSNBC has, from his apartment in Philadelphia. (Sample headlines: Bernie Delegates Want You to See This DNC Scheme to Silence Them and This Sanders Delegate Unleashing on Hillary Clinton Is Going Absolutely Viral.) He frequently contributes to another popular page, The Other 98%, which has more than 2.7 million followers.

Occupy got him on Facebook, but it was the 2012 election that showed him its potential. As he saw it, that election was defined by social media. He mentioned a set of political memes that now feel generationally distant: Clint Eastwoods empty chair at the 2012 Republican National Convention and Mitt Romneys debate gaffe about binders full of women. He thought it was a bit silly, but he saw in these viral moments a language in which activists like him could spread their message.

Provosts page now communicates frequently in memes, images with overlaid text. May I suggest, began one, posted in May 2015, when opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership was gaining traction, the first 535 jobs we ship overseas? Behind the text was a photo of Congress. Many are more earnest. In an image posted shortly thereafter, a photo of Bernie Sanders was overlaid with a quote: If Germany, Denmark, Sweden and many more provide tuition-free college, read the setup, before declaring in larger text, we should be doing the same. It has been shared more than 84,000 times and liked 75,000 more. Not infrequently, this level of zeal can cross into wishful thinking. A post headlined Did Hillary Clinton Just Admit on LIVE TV That Her Iraq War Vote Was a Bribe? was shared widely enough to merit a response from Snopes, which called it quite a stretch.

This year, political content has become more popular all across the platform: on homegrown Facebook pages, through media companies with a growing Facebook presence and through the sharing habits of users in general. But truly Facebook-native political pages have begun to create and refine a new approach to political news: cherry-picking and reconstituting the most effective tactics and tropes from activism, advocacy and journalism into a potent new mixture. This strange new class of media organization slots seamlessly into the news feed and is especially notable in what it asks, or doesnt ask, of its readers. The point is not to get them to click on more stories or to engage further with a brand. The point is to get them to share the post thats right in front of them. Everything else is secondary.

While web publishers have struggled to figure out how to take advantage of Facebooks audience, these pages have thrived. Unburdened of any allegiance to old forms of news media and the practice, or performance, of any sort of ideological balance, native Facebook page publishers have a freedom that more traditional publishers dont: to engage with Facebook purely on its terms. These are professional Facebook users straining to build media companies, in other words, not the other way around.

From a users point of view, every share, like or comment is both an act of speech and an accretive piece of a public identity. Maybe some people want to be identified among their networks as news junkies, news curators or as some sort of objective and well-informed reader. Many more people simply want to share specific beliefs, to tell people what they think or, just as important, what they dont. A newspaper-style story or a dry, matter-of-fact headline is adequate for this purpose. But even better is a headline, or meme, that skips straight to an ideological conclusion or rebuts an argument.

Rafael Rivero is an acquaintance of Provosts who, with his twin brother, Omar, runs a page called Occupy Democrats, which passed three million followers in June. This accelerating growth is attributed by Rivero, and by nearly every left-leaning page operator I spoke with, not just to interest in the election but especially to one campaign in particular: Bernie Sanders is the Facebook candidate, Rivero says. The rise of Occupy Democrats essentially mirrored the rise of Sanderss primary run. On his page, Rivero started quoting text from Sanderss frequent email blasts, turning them into Facebook-ready memes with a consistent aesthetic: colors that pop, yellow on black. Rivero says that its clear what his audience wants. Ive probably made 10,000 graphics, and its like running 10,000 focus groups, he said. (Clinton was and is, of course, widely discussed by Facebook users: According to the company, in the last month 40.8 million people generated interactions around the candidate. But Rivero says that in the especially engaged, largely oppositional left-wing-page ecosystem, Clintons message and cautious brand didnt carry.)
Mashaal Gauhar and Junaid Jay Munir were married March 18 at Chelsea Old Town Hall in London.

On Nov. 26, the couple took part in a religious ceremony at the Churchill Hotel in London that incorporated Islamic wedding traditions. T. J. Winter, a member of the divinity faculty at Cambridge University and an Islamic scholar, led the ceremony.

The bride, 38, is keeping her name. She is a journalist with the The Daily Mail, a newspaper based in London. She graduated with a law degree from the University of Sussex in England. She is a daughter of Manizeh Gauhar and Humayun Gauhar of Islamabad, Pakistan.

The groom, 40, is the chief of the political and economic section at the United States Embassy in Algiers. He was from August 2015 to August 2016 the special assistant to the State Departments assistant secretary for the Middle East and North Africa. He graduated from Yale and received a law degree from Harvard. He is the son of Ghazala S. Munir and Dr. Mazhar Munir of Grand Rapids, Mich.

The couple met in January 2012 while Mr. Munir was serving as the political and economic section chief at the United States Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. He attended an event for visiting American journalists that the bride had helped organize.
In his short White House tenure, President Trump has already set a record for histrionic tantrums against the media  whether attacking CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times or MSNBC for revealing his 2005 tax return, as he did last week. Hes actually pursuing a well-worn path of American presidents blaming the press for their problems.

Five decades of reporting have taught me that whenever a president starts screeching about the media, its a sure sign hes in hot water and fearing revelations about some policy disaster, damaging mendacity or political villainy. Even popular presidents with reputations for charming the press occasionally stoop to blaming the press for quagmires of their own making.

John F. Kennedy, for example.

In September 1963, with the Vietnam War escalating and the pro-American authoritarian regime of President Ngo Dinh Diem besieged by popular protests, President Kennedy used a private meeting with The New York Timess publisher, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, and James Reston, the Washington bureau chief, to charge that David Halberstam, the Times correspondent in Saigon, was undermining the American war effort and to pressure the publisher to pull Mr. Halberstam out of Vietnam. President Kennedy was particularly angered by a stream of front-page articles by Mr. Halberstam graphically describing battlefield defeats and the self-immolations of Buddhist monks.

What the president did not know was that The Times was already planning to replace Mr. Halberstam because the editors feared that Vietnamese secret police had marked him for assassination. Because I covered Vietnam policy in Washington, I had been told to get ready to replace Mr. Halberstam.
The letter to Mr. Stone was signed by the committees chairman, Senator Richard M. Burr, Republican of North Carolina, and its ranking Democrat, Senator Mark Warner of Virginia. Press officers for Mr. Burr and Mr. Warner declined to comment on the letter.

Democrats and some investigators, as well as some Republicans, have been watching Mr. Stone, a Richard M. Nixon acolyte and self-described dirty trickster, more closely since he posted on Twitter in August 2016 about John D. Podesta, Hillary Clintons campaign chairman, whose private emails were hacked and provided to WikiLeaks.

Mr. Stone said on Twitter that Mr. Podesta would soon face his time in the barrel, two months before the emails were made public. Mr. Stone maintained that he was alluding to business activities he attributed to Mr. Podesta, not prior knowledge of the hackings.

Mr. Stone said he is eager to provide the committee with information.

I am anxious to rebut allegations that I had any improper or nefarious contact with any agent of the Russian state based on facts, not misleading and salacious headlines, he said, adding, I am willing to appear voluntarily if the committee isnt looking for the headline of issuing a subpoena.

Mr. Stone, who has strenuously denied the allegations for months, has retained two lawyers to assist with his response to the inquiry, as well as in the hope of pushing federal investigators to either make their information public or say that no case exists.
SEOUL, South Korea  North Korea conducted a ground jet test of a newly developed high-thrust missile engine, the countrys state-run news media said on Sunday, even as Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson is in the region discussing tougher strategies to help end the Norths nuclear and missile programs.

The Korean Central News Agency said the test took place at the same northwest facility where the country has been launching rockets to put satellites into orbit, which Western officials have said were efforts to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Although North Korea has never flight-tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, it has recently demonstrated significant progress in its missile programs with new engines that could potentially deliver a nuclear warhead as far away as the United States.

Mr. Tillerson is in Asia, holding discussions with Japan, South Korea and China. In Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, he said that two decades of international efforts to end North Koreas nuclear weapons program have failed, and he warned that all options should be on the table, including pre-emptive military action.
Staged by a fellow comic, Bo Burnham, who beautifully directed this special in the Masonic Hall in Manhattan, its a startlingly intimate opening that anticipates the quietly searching, introspective jokes that follow. The recent presidential election shadows this hour, particularly in its melancholy mood.

Mr. Carmichael is a deeply political comic, but his contrarian perspective is clarified as much by the way he probes his psyche as by his examination of the issues. His apathy is a central theme. In a culture in which so many on social media trumpet their moral rightness, Mr. Carmichael, who has an acclaimed NBC sitcom, The Carmichael Show, invites the audience, sometimes explicitly, to judge his wrongness.

He explains his indifference to global warming or inability to support the troops with conviction. In his soft-spoken delivery, he presents confessions of embarrassing thoughts, transgressions that are not cheap provocations so much as the activity of a free and fearless mind. Explaining that Jay Z means more to him than the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he says plainly: I know every Jay Z lyric. I only know, like, four bars of the I Have a Dream speech.
IT FOLLOWS (2015) 8 p.m. on TMC. David Robert Mitchells slick teenage horror film is both a homage to the genres tropes and a refreshingly original story full of haunting mystery. To explain the terrifying plot would be both difficult and unfair to those who arent familiar with it. It Follows abides by a principle that few horror movies have the courage to embrace: The unknown is the unknown, Stephen Holden wrote in The New York Times. Clues to the source and motives of this menace are dropped, but they dont add up. Like the evil in a David Lynch horror film, it is out there in the night, waiting to get you.

BIG LITTLE LIES 9 p.m. on HBO. David E. Kelleys mini-series, gorgeously directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, continues with its fifth of seven installments. Among this weeks drama: Madeline receives encouraging but still worrisome news about the play, while Dr. Reisman tries to understand Celestes relationship with Perry. Then on Girls, at 10, Hannah gets some advice from her dad about a big life decision (no spoilers here). At 10:30, Pete Holmess comedy Crashing, presented in part by Judd Apatow, returns with Petes parents coming to New York. He begs Jess to tag along to pretend they are still married. But a tense dinner puts the charade to a test. Stick around at 11 for the latest episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. All these are also streaming on HBO Go and HBO Now.

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Mr. Do faced an agonizing predicament. He wanted to provide as much information as he could to establish that the book was not a hoax. But he also had to protect Bandis identity to keep him safe from retaliation by the North Korean regime. This is about all Dr. Do will say about Bandis identity: He was born in 1950. He has belonged to the Korean Writers Alliance, a government-controlled organ dedicated to producing censored literature for state-run periodicals of the North.

Image The Accusation: Forbidden Stories From Inside North Korea, by Bandi. Credit... Patricia Wall/The New York Times

The Accusation was published in South Korea in 2014 by Chogabje.com, a conservative news website and publisher, but failed to gain much attention. Mr. Do persisted, pitching the manuscript to publishers abroad. A breakthrough came when a French translation was released last year. Other translations quickly followed.

Mr. Do said that the last time middlemen checked on Bandi, nine months ago, he was safe and was aware of his books publication in the outside world. A regular guest on a South Korean radio program broadcast into the North, Mr. Do has been providing updates on the book, hoping that Bandi will hear him. The Accusation has earned $10,000 in royalties. Any profit will be used to support Bandis family and books by defector writers living in South Korea, Mr. Do said in an interview.

Only a handful of people have been allowed to examine the original manuscript. Mr. Do recently let a reporter for The New York Times check it, but did not allow it to be photographed, fearful that the North Korean regime might be able to identify Bandi by scrutinizing his handwriting.

As an additional protection, Mr. Do said that he altered the names of the characters and locations in the stories. I assumed that they were fictional in the first place, he said. But I did not want to take chances. The more he is known, the more I am worried about his safety.

Kim Joeng-ae, a former North Korean propagandist now in Seoul, is a member of North Korean Writers in Exile PEN Center, a branch of PEN International, the literary and human rights organization. She said that she and other writer defectors had studied Bandis stories and concluded that they were indeed written by a North Korean.

There are expressions in his book that only a North Korean would be able to write, she said. (The version published in South Korea has footnotes to guide readers though words only used in the North.) His stories also closely followed the seed theory, a guideline of all North Korean writers, which requires them to structure their writing tightly around a core ideology  though Bandi uses the same device to attack the party line.
BEIJING  A senior Chinese official on Sunday defended his countrys push for greater self-sufficiency in computer chips, electric cars and other industries, calling it a necessary strategy in the face of Western countries controls of certain high-tech gear.

As the country tries to move away from low-end manufacturing, Beijings plan, Made in China 2025, is designed to juice economic development in emerging industries by providing $300 billion in low-cost loans, research funds and other government aid. But big companies in the rest of the world worry that the program gives an unfair advantage to homegrown players, with the stated goal of Chinese companies owning as much as 80 percent of specific domestic markets in eight years.

Chinas minister of industry and information technology, Miao Wei, said the new policy was not meant to wall off the countrys companies from outside competition. Yet he also conceded, without offering specifics, that the plan might need changes.

We never thought about closing ourselves and doing it only at home, but I think we need some adjustments, he said on the second day of the China Development Forum, a three-day gathering of senior Chinese economic policy makers with corporate leaders and top economists from around the world.
OBIT - JIMMY BRESLIN- #5373 - SCRIPT of cut uploaded to scoop on 9.23.2016 BRESLIN: I always knew from the sports writing, dont go where the others go. Go to the losers dressing room at all times. music TITLE CARD: THE LAST WORD TITLE CARD: JIMMY BRESLIN REPORTER TITLE CARD: animation of signature VO: As columnist, novelist, biographer and raconteur, Jimmy Breslin witnessed and chronicled the American 20th century with an eye for life lived in the lanes of the overlooked, and the unwritten. He also contributed two classic titles to the literature of cosmic ineptitude: The Gang That Couldnt Shoot Straight, about a crew of dissolute Brooklyn Mafiosa, and Cant Anybody Here Play This Game? about the 1962 New York Mets. Ultimately Breslins most enduring love was newspapers and he produced pieces that changed journalism. SOUND UP FROM KENNEDY BURIAL In 1963, the funeral of President John F. Kennedy drew reporters from around the world. BRESLIN: Theyre all herded together and they were talking about how Jacqueline Kennedy walked, what Truman looked like at graveside, or the planes overhead. Well forget about it, thats nothing. VO: Breslin found Clifton Pollard - the man who had dug the Presidents grave. BRESLIN:He was getting three dollars and one cent an hour to dig the grave. And// when he was through with it, he//He tried to get back to watch the funeral and they wouldnt let him back.//. Youre looking like a bum, youre a laborer. SOUND UP FROM KENNEDY BURIAL BRESLIN: While they were having the big funeral services he just went over the hill and dug another grave. SOUND UP FROM KENNEDY BURIAL BRESLIN: //I remember, when it was all over, he looked at the grave, they fixed it up late in the evening. And I remember him just saying,  its an honor to have done this. FOOTAGE: KENNEDY BURIAL - TAPS. VO: Among journalists, his account of that day became a genre of its own. For years afterwards, editors would send reporters out to stories with instructions to look beyond the obvious, to tell their tale through the gravedigger. VO: Born in 1930 in Queens, New York, Breslin grew up with dreams of the sportswriters life... BRESLIN: We used to get the Long Island Press at home on 101st Avenue where I lived. And Id spread it out //on the living room floor and read it. .Carl Lundquist, that was my favorite writer,// I had a...a candle in my mind to him.// He covered the major league baseball roundup. // He would start with the game of the day and work his way through the schedule. And all I dreamed of was Lundquist in ariding in a Pullman car from St. Louis, then hed go up to Chicago//well the pullman cars were at Sunnyside Yards, we used to go down there and stand on the hill and look at them and dream we were going away in them. //I didnt know that Lundquist was on 42nd Street, and he used to put a different city on top of the story every day, then he took the Long Island Railroad home to Long Island. He never went anyplace. VO: After getting his start on the obituary desk at the Long Island Press, Breslin became a leading figure in what became known as the New Journalism. He and writers like Joan Didion, Tom Wolfe and Pete Hamill brought literary techniques and personal voices to their work. BRESLIN: //youve got to let the people come in and see something. Set a scene. 02:13:30 // You gotta have people talking. Let them hear the people involved talk. SOUND UP FROM CIVIL RIGHTS MARCH VO: In 1965 as the civil rights struggle was reaching an epic climax, Breslin was in Alabama covering a march from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights. At the front of the march was Dr. Martin Luther King. The very last man was Albert Turner, a bricklayer, who wanted to vote. BRESLIN What bothered Albert Turner on this night was the figure on his pay stub. It said that twenty-seven dollars and fifty-two cents had been taken out for income taxes. He looked at the stub and a strange thought ran across his mind. If the government can take $27.52 a week, then it can give back something to Albert Turner, like a vote in an election. //He represented to me everything in the south. People taking a chance to force change that had to be. SOUND UP FROM CIVIL RIGHTS MARCH VO: Breslin traveled widely, always writing to the rhythm of of columnists deadline. He spent the afternoon of June 4, 1968 in Los Angeles, reporting a column about gun violence. That evening, he went to the Ambassador Hotel where Robert F. Kennedy was holding a rally to celebrate winning the Democratic presidential primary in California. Breslin: I walked into the kitchen just as they were breaking from their rally. //And Im in the kitchen and this guy ahholds a gun out at Kennedy and shoots. Nat sound news coverage of shooting Breslin://There was hysteria there, they were screaming and yelling, but they couldnt get the gun out of the fellows hand, I remember that. //All of a sudden they threw him onto the steam table, and ah everybody pushed and I winded up sitting on his legs and Roosevelt Grier just put an arm over him at that end and he couldnt move.// Nat sound news coverage of shooting Breslin: They stamped feet on his hand to get the gun out, and that was that. VO: Shaken by the assassination, Breslin took a break from the news. He wrote his first novel - a best-selling Mafia satire  based on his reporting about the Gallo crime family of Brooklyn called The Gang That Couldnt Shoot Straight Nat Sound: Movie Breslin: They had a gang war. There was a war between kidnappings and shootings. ,Tthey kept hitting telephone poles when they shot. Nat Sound: Movie Breslin: They had a lion in the basement....[pop]/t/ook a lion on a leash around Mulberry Street.[pop].. I had to be nuts not to hang out with that act. VO: The movie, which flopped with the critics, featured a very young Robert DeNiro. Breslin: He got $750 dollars a week for that movie. He must get $750 dollars uh, to brush his teeth now. VO: Breslin himself became a performer in 1969, when he officially entered the race for New York City council president on a ticket with fellow writer Norman Mailer, who was running for Mayor. Their campaign featured a plan for the city to secede and become the 51st state. A: //thats a bad idea, isnt it. That we could be all alone here with our money, and living a nice life... VO: Much to the relief of themselves and people who knew them well, neither Mailer nor Breslin were elected. VO: During the summer of 1977, when New York City was hit by a vast power blackout and massive looting, Breslin also was writing about the 44 caliber killer, known Son of Sam, who shot one of his earliest victims just a few block from Breslins house in Queens.  BRESLIN: Then some weeks after that, a college student named Virginia Voskerichian is walking from...from the subway on Queens Boulevard down from the station square and //from the bushes jumped a guy with a gun and he held...she got terrified and held a big textbook up to her face and he shot through it and she was dead. VO: After months of terrorizing the city with a spree of shootings that left five people dead, the killer sent JImmy Breslin a letter. BRESLIN: It was printed in big backslash printing, marvelous cadence, hello from the sidewalks of New York and the ants that dwell in the sidewalks and the dried blood in the cracks in the sidewalks of the city// signed Son of Sam. VO: Breslin used his column to plead with the deranged killer, but on July 31st he struck again, this time in Brooklyn, murdering 20-year old Stacy Moskowitz and wounding her boyfriend. The news sent the simmering city into complete panic. SOT Brown=haired woman Getty 176746614: You have to be careful - you have to watch where you go now, how late you stay out.. Ultimately It was a parking ticket issued near the scene of the Moskowitz killing that lead police to a suspect and finally cracked the case. David Berkowitz was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences for the killings. BRESLIN:I never heard from him again except Christmas card from the devil, he sent me. Once or twice. // VO: He might not have been everyones idea of a man of letters but the range of Breslins writing was matched by few in his era. He wrote biographies of Damon Runyon, the chronicler of Prohibition New York, and of Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodger executive who integrated baseball by signing Jackie Robinson. In columns for the Daily News and New York Newsday, he was one of the earliest voices demanding dignified care for people with AIDs. He won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1986 after exposing the use of torture by rogue police officers in Queens. BRESLIN: Its a great thing, though. A newspaper column you just put yourself into it and make sure that people will want to read it the next day, it gives them something. Its a great obligation to the reader. VO: He filed his last regular column on November 2, 2004, and kept working on new books, plays and film projects. When the Times spoke with Breslin in 2007 he was 77 years old and about to release his latest book, The Good Rat about one of his favorite subjects - Mafia families. Q: How do you want to be remembered? 12;33 Audio drop out BRESLIN: What does it matter? Please dont talk about me when Im gone? I mean I dont care what you say or what you do, if Im not here it dont count. MUSIC OUTRO CREDITS  2016 THE NEW YORK TIMES
April 21, 2014

Pershing Square publicly discloses its big stake in Allergan. The next day, Valeant unveils a bid for Allergan worth about $46 billion. The company rejects the offer the next month.

Nov. 17, 2014

Allergan agrees to a merger with Actavis, a drug company based in Dublin. Because of its investment in Allergan, Pershing makes $2.6 billion on the deal. It then gives $400 million of it to Valeant as specified in an agreement they had made. Fueled by its Allergan gains, Pershing Square records a roughly 40 percent gain for 2014.

Dec. 16, 2014

Pershing and Valeant are sued over their Allergan arrangement by investors who sold the stock without knowledge of the deal while Pershing was buying Allergan shares. The plaintiffs contend Valeant and Pershing violated securities laws barring fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative acts or practices, in connection with a tender offer.

March 9, 2015

Pershing begins buying Valeant stock. Mr. Ackman swoons over the company, praising Mr. Pearsons management. The stake, at an average cost of about $190 a share, approaches 10 percent of the company.

Oct. 21, 2015

Citron Research, a favorite of short sellers who bet against stocks, publishes a report asking if Valeant is the pharmaceutical industrys Enron.
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Good morning. It is St. Josephs Day in the Roman Catholic Church and quite a few others, a feast day during Lent and thus a chance to go big on a relatively meatless meal: lots of fava beans and Sicilian pastas adorned in bread crumbs, black olives and garlic. Accordingly, we put together a collection of recipes you might like to consider for this weeks Sunday repast. (Speaking of, check out this sculpture of young Marys husband and the boy he took as his son. Very Jeff Koons!)

On Monday, well keep the theme meatless because many of us do that on Mondays and we are here to serve. You might consider a spinach, tofu and sesame stir-fry, or Amanda Hessers pasta with lemon, herbs and ricotta salata.

Nowruz has begun. For Tuesday night, you could make Persian herbed rice, Samin Nosrats stuffed fish with walnuts, herbs and pomegranate, or the kuku that the Iranian food writer Najmieh Batmanglij gave Michelle Obama last year.
Kathryn Louise Johnson, a daughter of Britt L. Johnson and Dr. Edward R. Johnson of Eagan, Minn., was married March 18 to Lee Eric Rosenthal, a son of Joan Rosenthal and Steven P. Rosenthal of Marblehead, Mass. The grooms father, who became a Universal Life minister for the event, officiated in a ceremony that incorporated Jewish wedding traditions at the Metropolitan Club of New York.

Mrs. Rosenthal, 29, is a second-year medical student at Drexel, where she received a master of science degree in biomedical studies. She graduated from Wellesley.

Her father retired as a cardiothoracic surgeon in St. Paul.

Mr. Rosenthal, who is 31 and graduated from Harvard, is the founder and president of West Shore, a real estate private equity fund in Boston, where his father serves as the companys chairman.

His mother is a substitute teacher for primary schools in Marblehead. Until last year, she was a trustee at the Glenn Urqhardt School, a private elementary school in Beverly, Mass. His father was, until 2006, a co-managing partner in the Boston law firm of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo.
Rachel Stowe Collins and Gary Ronson Clarke were married March 18 at the Down Town Club, an event space in Philadelphia. Rabbi Eli Freedman officiated.

The bride, 31, is a prosecutor for the Philadelphia District Attorneys office, where she works on major felony crimes in the northwest region of the city. She graduated from the College of William & Mary, and received a law degree from Georgetown.

She is a daughter of Susan B. Collins and Todd S. Collins of Philadelphia. The brides father is a managing shareholder at the Philadelphia law firm Berger & Montague. Her mother retired as a public defender for the Philadelphia public defenders office. She was also a civil rights lawyer in private practice.

The groom, 33, is a commercial real estate lawyer at the Philadelphia law firm Saul Ewing. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, from which he received a law degree. He served as a surface warfare officer in the Navy from 2005 to 2009, achieving the rank of lieutenant.
Rachel Ellie Seldin and Nicholas Michael Flood were married March 18 at the Barlow Culinary and Arts Center in Sebastopol, Calif. Nik Divakaruni, a Universal Life minister and a friend of the couple, officiated.

Mrs. Flood, 35, owns an interior design firm in San Francisco that bears her name. She graduated from Colgate and received a certificate in interior architecture and interior design from the University of California Berkeley Extension, San Francisco campus.

She is the daughter of Joy Novak Seldin and Jay D. Seldin of Montclair, N.J. The brides father, who retired as a teacher of graphic design and photography at Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.J., is now a photographer in Montclair. Her mother retired as an executive vice president at United Envelope Company in New York.

Mr. Flood, 37, is a regional sales manager in San Francisco for Green Flash Brewing Company. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Scott Randall Falmlen and Paul Winford Fox III were married March 18 at the Chapel at St. Marys School in Raleigh, N.C. The Rev. Janet White Prewitt, a Presbyterian minister, led the ceremony.

Mr. Falmlen (left), 52, is a founder of Nexus Strategies, a public affairs and political consultancy in Raleigh. He is on the board of Raleigh Little Theater. He graduated from Georgetown College in Kentucky.

He is the son of Barbara Rainey Falmlen of Winchester, Ky. His mother, who is retired, was an independent real estate broker in Winchester, and she also owned and managed commercial office space and mixed-used properties in the downtown area.

Mr. Fox, 50, an interior designer, is a principal in 310 Architecture & Interiors in Raleigh, specializing in corporate, health care and educational facilities. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
DEFIANCE, Ohio  James Waltimire, a police officer on unpaid medical leave, has been going to the hospital in this small city twice a week for physical therapy after leg surgery, all of it paid for by Medicaid.

Mr. Waltimire, 54, was able to sign up for the government health insurance program last year because Ohio expanded it to cover more than 700,000 low-income adults under the Affordable Care Act. He voted for President Trump  in part because of Mr. Trumps support for law enforcement  but is now worried about the Republican plan to effectively end the Medicaid expansion through legislation to repeal the health care law.

Originally the president said he wasnt going to do nothing to Medicaid, Mr. Waltimire said the other day after a rehab session. Now they say he wants to take $880 billion out of Medicaid. Thats going to affect a lot of people who cant afford to get insurance.

As Republicans in Washington grapple with how to meet their promise of undoing the greatest expansion of health care coverage since the Great Society, they are struggling with what may be an irreconcilable problem: bridging the vast gulf between the expectations of blue-collar voters like Mr. Waltimire who propelled Mr. Trump to the presidency, and longstanding party orthodoxy that it is not the federal governments role to provide benefits to a wide swath of society.
In recent weeks, a widening scandal has erupted over secret all-male groups of Marines and veterans that posted nude photos of female Marines online without their knowledge and consent, and often included names, ranks and where the women were stationed. A new article, the third Ive done on the unfolding scandal, reports on young Marine veterans who have taken up the fight against the harassment online, saying the Marine Corps leadership is not sure how to tackle the problem. But as is often true, there are interesting side stories that dont make it into the main report. Such is the case with the inspiration for some of the anti-harrassment efforts: Saint Mattis.

In a photo with todays story, a former Marine captain named Shawn Wylde, who spent $10,000 taking out targeted Facebook ads asking Marines to help him reveal the identities of those sharing photos, leans on his desk. A poster over his shoulder features Defense Secretary Jim Mattis dressed like a medieval saint, complete with halo, and gripping a knife and a grenade. Underneath it reads: Saint Mattis of Quantico, patron saint of Chaos.

The image, created by Mr. Wylde, is so wildly popular that it now hangs unofficially in Marine bases around the world. Mr. Wylde, who owns an online, military-themed T-shirt company, has also sold more than 100,000 shirts featuring the tough-talking Mr. Mattis, who has become a cult figure among Marines.

That a defense secretary could have such resonance in the rank-and-file shows that Mr. Mattis is no ordinary secretary. While most recent picks to lead the Pentagon have been policy wonks with Ivy League degrees, Mr. Mattis is a combat-hardened Marine and that most dubious of modern achievements, internet meme.
Dr. Rabinowitz said that about 80 percent of freshman entering community college in the CUNY system require remediation in reading, writing, math, or some combination of those subjects. Students of color are twice as likely to be assessed as needing remediation as white students. But at the end of one year, only half of all students in remediation have advanced out of those classes. The need for remediation is a chronic problem at community colleges around the country as students graduate from high school without the skills they need for college.

We had outcomes that were in line with national averages, which is to say very disappointing, Dr. Rabinowitz said. The system, she said, was not working. And if thats not working, then CUNY is not working.

One fundamental shift CUNY is planning will address how students are assigned to remedial courses. Traditionally, most students entering CUNY community colleges take placement tests in reading, writing and math, which determines who needs help. But researchers and college administrators around the country worry that these tests put people in remedial classes who could have done well without them.

In fact, ACT, the testing company, withdrew its placement test from the market last year over such concerns. Ed Colby, a spokesman for the company said that the test, called Compass, and others like it, were not placing students where they should be. Students who had been out of high school for a few years when they took the exam were particularly likely to be unnecessarily steered toward remediation, Mr. Colby said.

For now, CUNY has switched to a different test  ACCUPLACER, which is a College Board exam  but the plan is to incorporate other measures as well. David Crook, associate university provost for academic affairs at CUNY, said they were considering looking at students grades in relevant classes, or perhaps their overall grade point average. They hope to have a new system in place for the fall of 2018.
More than 50 years ago, Robert Moses designed a freeway that sliced through the South Bronx, cutting many residents off from the riverfront. On Sunday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York endorsed a plan to tear down that road, the Sheridan Expressway, and replace it with a tree-lined boulevard that could stitch the community back together.

Mr. Cuomo said he intended to include nearly $700 million in the state budget for the first phase of the project, which would involve the rare step of decommissioning the expressway, also known as Interstate 895. That would be the first significant funding of a plan that community activists and some local elected officials have championed for more than 15 years.

This is transformative, said Ruben Diaz Jr., the Bronx borough president. You cannot put any dollar figure on the amount of quality time that families are going to be able to spend along the river.
Sundays editorial calls out President Trump on his promise to create 25 million jobs for working-class voters. In Michigan on Wednesday, he stood in a gleaming center devoted to automotive innovation, offering workers the policy equivalent of a beat-up wreck from the 1980s: tariffs, closed borders, regulatory rollbacks and a sugar-high assurance to restore American manufacturing to its heyday of half a century ago.

But United States manufacturing has changed. Just ask Titus Hayes, a watch repair supervisor at Shinola, a boutique timepiece, bicycle and leather goods manufacturer that has fostered a small renaissance in midtown Detroit. Mr. Hayes grew up wanting to work for the Big Three, like everyone in his family did. The closest he came was a temporary job on the dashboard assembly line at Johnson Controls in Highland Park, Mich. Unable to land full-time work there, he joined Shinola in 2012. Since then, Mr. Hayes has visited Switzerland for training and worked his way up in the company.

I never knew anything about this type of manufacturing, he said. He tells friends still hoping for a Big Three job to look to the future, in quiet, clean boutique plants where the starting salary might be lower, but the training is intense and there are more jobs and opportunities.

Shinola was founded by Tom Kartsotis, who made a fortune selling slickly packaged, Asian-made watches and accessories under the brand Fossil. Mr. Trumps Buy American, Hire American talk is Shinolas business model and marketing pitch. The company is based on research showing that Americans will pay more for a pen made in Detroit than one made abroad.
AUSTIN, Tex.  When I arrived in Austin this month for the annual South by Southwest festival, I was prepared to time travel to a harsh past: an era when people had to wave their hands on street corners, begging for curmudgeonly cabdrivers to pull over and offer a ride.

This was the picture many expected during the music, film and technology festival because Uber and Lyft, the two most popular car-summoning apps, pulled out of Austin last year after the city voted to tighten regulations on ride-sharing services. With hundreds of thousands of people attending SXSW, this sounded like a recipe for disaster.

Yet the reality  for me and many attendees I spoke with  was that getting around Austin during the festival was easy. Several smaller ride-sharing services were operating in town, such as Fasten and RideAustin. Despite some hiccups with those apps, they worked well over all. And, of course, there were taxicabs hovering if you were lucky enough to get one.

Setting up a new account with Fasten or RideAustin took all of a minute, said Sam Grobart, an executive editor for CNN and a former technology reporter for The New York Times, who attended the conference. Im as brand loyal to a ride service as I am to a gas station chain  which is to say not at all.
We in leadership positions, Bill Rauch, the Oregon Shakespeare Festivals artistic director, told The New York Times in 2015, need to do everything we can to reflect the world we live in.

On Friday, Mr. Rauch and his colleagues continued that push when announcing the festivals 2018 season, which features a record five plays by women  there are 11 in total  and a production of Oklahoma! that has same-sex couples in leading roles. This seven-month series also offers deep explorations of Native American and African-American history.

In an email on Sunday, Mr. Rauch said that he had been obsessed with introducing cross-gendered casting into Oklahoma! for decades, and that he began discussing the idea with Ted Chapin, president and chief creative officer of the Rodgers and Hammerstein estate, roughly a year and a half ago.

Mr. Rauch became artistic director in 2007, and has since begun a number of initiatives aimed at broadening the Oregon Shakespeare Festivals cultural reach.
Liberal activists remain bitter about Mr. Grassleys role in preventing even a beginning to the confirmation process of Judge Merrick B. Garland, President Barack Obamas nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia more than a year ago.

Many are looking to Ms. Feinstein  the first woman to serve on the committee and the Senates most senior woman  to shoulder the weight of that political burden, and to rigorously challenge Judge Gorsuch on his constitutional views.

This is an important process that needs to be carried out with the kind of dignity and perseverance that it warrants, Ms. Feinstein said. Because this is so pivotal, as the decisive vote on the court, this is a huge responsibility. This is complicated by what came before, which was the Republican treatment of Merrick Garland, which I found very disagreeable and unprecedented.

Mr. Grassleys role is strategically and procedurally easier: It is up to him to make Judge Gorsuchs week on Capitol Hill painless even in the face of tough questioning from Democrats on the committee.

His approach to the hearing will likely mirror what we have seen in recent weeks back here, Matt Strawn, a former chairman of Iowas Republican Party, said of Mr. Grassley. He has given Iowans every opportunity to weigh in on town hall meetings. There is a reason he is our longest-serving public servant here because he listens and is respectful even if he disagrees with someone.
WASHINGTON  When it comes to the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, Senate Democrats appear to have two options: Get out of the way or get run over.

Senate Republicans enthusiastic backing of President Trumps nominee ensures majority support even before the confirmation hearing begins Monday. But the Republicans also hope that enough Democrats are won over by Judge Gorsuch  or recognize the inevitability of his confirmation  that they join in efforts to head off an explosive showdown over a filibuster.

Should Democrats ultimately deny the judge the necessary backing to clear the way for an up-or-down vote, Republicans seem more than ready to take the potentially volatile procedural steps to eliminate the 60-vote threshold on high court picks and summarily install him over Democratic objections. In either case, Judge Gorsuch winds up on the Supreme Court, filling the vacancy created by Justice Antonin Scalias death in February 2016.

That ending will be hard to swallow for many Democrats and their activist allies, considering Senate Republicans completely stonewalled the nomination of Judge Merrick B. Garland made by President Barack Obama almost exactly one year ago, on March 16, 2016. They are not yet ready to concede that outcome.
Representative Jackie Speier, a California Democrat who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, lamented that lawmakers had spent weeks not talking about Russia, and instead talking about whether he was wiretapped.

Congressional leaders have not indicated how they envision their inquiries ending, and so far they are still seeking common ground on how to begin.

It is a very different time, said Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon and a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He contrasted the Russia inquiries with investigations into the Watergate break-in or abuses by intelligence agencies, which were bipartisan efforts that operated on a clear track.

Mr. Wyden was hesitant to lay out a specific timeline for the Senate investigation. Thats the way to really lose credibility, he said. I think you let the facts drive the answer to that.

Representatives Devin Nunes, Republican of California and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California and the committees ranking member, have made a point of appearing publicly in sync on the Russia investigation, despite their sharp political differences. Both believe that the House investigation is vital, but for different reasons: Mr. Nuness primary concern so far has been leaks of classified information, whereas Mr. Schiff has tried to keep the focus on Russian meddling. He has also had to manage other Democrats who want to prioritize digging into Mr. Trumps ties to Russia and who have called for the committee to subpoena the presidents tax returns.

As for the F.B.I., American officials said there was no sign that the bureaus work might end anytime soon. Counterintelligence investigations can last for years, and they rarely become public or lead to criminal charges. Agents and analysts, working with their counterparts at the C.I.A. and other intelligence agencies, are still trying to figure out the scope of Russian intelligence operations related to the election, including who was involved and how to prevent a repeat.

Exploring any connections between Mr. Trumps associates and Russians, officials say, is only one aspect. Unlike the criminal cases the F.B.I. investigates  from financial crimes to mafia grifting  the bureau in counterintelligence cases focuses less on solving a case than on better understanding the nature of intelligence activity.
But here, in the region that first sent Mr. Trumps budget director, Mick Mulvaney, to Washington six years ago as a congressman, Mr. Sinclairs conclusion appears to be the more common one, even if opinions differ on which programs need cutting.

The budget reflects, in my mind, just what he said he was going to do, said John Day, who lives about an hour away from here in the rapidly growing, decidedly more prosperous suburbs of Charlotte. Republicans and the news media ought to give Mr. Trump a chance, he said, echoing a point Mr. Mulvaney made when he unveiled the budget last week: After all, what did they expect?

The district Mr. Mulvaney represented in Congress, which has lurched rightward in recent decades, is a blend of overwhelmingly conservative suburbs, blue-collar former mill towns like Union where Mr. Trumps populist appeal was strongest, and military communities scattered around installations at Shaw Air Force Base and nearby Fort Jackson in the regions southernmost reaches.

Few congressional districts better capture the breadth of the unorthodox coalition that came together to elect Mr. Trump in November than this one. And though they found reasons to differ, Trump voters interviewed across the district since the budget was released Thursday seemed to embrace the document as the presidents clearest declaration yet of how he wants to reshape the federal government.

Here in Union, where thousands lost their jobs when a dozen or so textile mills closed in the 1980s and 1990s, the effects of government spending have often been hard to see. Many blame the North American Free Trade Agreement for the regions decline, though academics disagree. No matter the cause, the void left behind has never really been filled, save perhaps by a deep suspicion of the federal governments ability to meaningfully help.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.  The Secret Service detained a man late on Saturday after he drove his car up to a checkpoint near the White House and said he had a bomb, according to the police, an episode that resulted in his arrest and in security on the grounds being beefed up.

President Trump, who was spending the weekend at his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., was not in the White House at the time, but the Secret Service increased its posture of readiness in response to the episode, a spokesman said.

The intrusion came just days after a man made his way onto the White House grounds while Mr. Trump was inside. The intruder in that episode roamed the grounds undetected for about 17 minutes as Secret Service agents failed to respond to several alarms.

In Saturdays episode, the intruder stopped his car at the White House checkpoint just after 11 p.m. and got out, declaring, Theres a bomb in the trunk, as he appeared to clasp something in his hand, according to a report issued by the Metropolitan Police Department.
LOS ANGELES  As customers swarmed her small grocery store on Westwood Boulevard, Minoo Yousefi hurriedly set out more bunches of hyacinths and tulips. This was one of the busiest times of year, with Nowruz, the Persian New Year and celebration of the first day of spring, just days away.

And as she had done for decades, Ms. Yousefi had already begun preparing the special dishes of herbed rice and lamb to serve her family.

But this year something would be missing. Her mother and brother would not join the celebration. They are stuck in Iran, their visas  meant to bring them here in time for Nowruz festivities, which begin on Monday  canceled two days after the Trump administrations initial travel ban went into effect at the end of January. They briefly considered trying again when the ban was lifted, but decided against it when they heard a new ban would come soon.

For hundreds of Iranian-Americans in Southern California, who traditionally travel back and forth to be with family for Nowruz, long-held plans and family gatherings have been disrupted because of uncertainty over the ban. Weddings that were scheduled around the holiday have been postponed, and elderly relatives are fearful they will never see their grandchildren again.
MARA, Chad  From Yemen to Syria to here in Central Africa, the Trump administration is relying on Special Operations forces to intensify its promised fight against the Islamic State and other terrorist groups as senior officials embrace an Obama-era strategy to minimize the American militarys footprint overseas.

In Africa, President Trump is expected to soon approve a Pentagon proposal to remove constraints on Special Operations airstrikes and raids in parts of Somalia to target suspected militants with the Shabab, an extremist group linked to Al Qaeda. Critics say that the change  in one of the few rejections of President Barack Obamas guidelines for the elite forces  would bypass rules that seek to prevent civilian deaths from drone attacks and commando operations.

But in their two months in office, Trump officials have shown few other signs that they want to back away from Mr. Obamas strategy to train, equip and otherwise support indigenous armies and security forces to fight their own wars instead of having to deploy large American forces to far-flung hot spots.

Africans are at war; were not, said Col. Kelly Smith, 47, a Green Beret commander who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan and was a director of a counterterrorism exercise in Chad this month involving about 2,000 African and Western troops and trainers. But we have a strategic interest in the success of partners.
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

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Donors will respond, but they need to be convinced that theyre going to be given a good proposition for whats done with their money, he said in January at the World Economic Forum. The Haiti cholera story is not actually a very good one, in that its taken us a rather long time to get on top of it, and still the problem is persisting.

The fund-raising effort has been further complicated by the Trump administrations intention to cut spending on foreign aid. The United States, historically a leading source of Haitis foreign aid, is also the biggest single financing source for the United Nations, which may now confront painful choices over how to allocate reduced revenue.

Ross Mountain, a veteran United Nations aid official who is its senior adviser on cholera in Haiti, said that a number of ideas concerning the financing were under discussion. And, he said, while $400 million is not a very large sum, considering the circumstances, we are all very aware about the competing demands.

Mr. Mountain also conceded that on the financial side, we have not moved further ahead.

Mr. Trumps new United Nations ambassador, Nikki R. Haley, who has called the cholera crisis nothing short of devastating, did not respond to requests for comment about the funding problem. But in her Senate confirmation testimony in January, Ms. Haley said, Were going to have to make this right with Haiti, without question, and the U.N. is going to have to take responsibility.

Cholera, a waterborne bacterial scourge that can cause acute diarrhea and fatal dehydration if not treated quickly, has killed nearly 10,000 people and sickened nearly 800,000 in Haiti, the Western Hemispheres poorest country, since it was introduced there in 2010 by infected Nepalese members of a United Nations peacekeeping force. This year, as of late February, nearly 2,000 new cases had been reported, amounting to hundreds a week.

Studies have traced the highly contagious disease to sloppy sanitation that had leached fecal waste laced with cholera germs from latrines used by the Nepalese peacekeepers into the water supply.
BEIJING  Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson and President Xi Jinping of China cast aside their differences on Sunday with a public display of cooperation, sidestepping areas of disagreement even as North Korea made another defiant statement by showing off a new missile engine.

In the highest-level face-to-face meeting between the United States and China since President Trump took office, the two sides made no mention of other contentious issues, including possible punitive trade measures against China and Washingtons unhappiness with Beijings assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Greeting the new secretary of state in an ornate room in the Great Hall of the People, Mr. Xi thanked Mr. Tillerson for a smooth transition to the Trump administration and expressed his appreciation for the sentiment that the China-U.S. relationship can only be defined by cooperation and friendship.

At least in public, Mr. Tillerson adopted a far different tone than that of his boss, who said in a Twitter post on Friday that China had done little to help on North Korea. Instead, Mr. Tillerson said the United States looked forward to stronger ties with China.
BERLIN  Even in Germany, where consensus is highly valued, it had never happened before.

On Sunday, Martin Schulz was anointed leader of the Social Democrats, Europes oldest democratic party, with 100 percent of the valid votes cast at a special convention.

The result places Mr. Schulz, 61, a former president of the European Parliament, in pole position to unseat the worlds most powerful woman, Chancellor Angela Merkel, when the two face off on Sept. 24 in the national election, in which Ms. Merkel is seeking a fourth term.

Even before that, it could increase the tensions coursing through Germanys relationship with President Trumps administration. Already, Mr. Trumps actions  and Britains decision to leave the European Union  have had an effect here, slowing the rise of right-wing populism as voters re-examine the value of the Continents unity.

But the rallying cries in Mr. Schulzs 75-minute address to the convention seemed destined to irk an American administration that is already demanding more from its NATO allies. His best applause lines railed against buying more weapons, or argued that even Mr. Trump should hold fast to democratic values.
The people youll encounter in this section have been sorting it out for themselves for some time now. Their household income is at or close to the median in their area.

Meeting the most basic of needs is usually not a problem, but its a challenge to figure out how often to allow themselves things they want and to weigh those desires against longstanding debt or the contributions they probably ought to make to their futures.

Below are some of the most common trade-offs that they  and all of us  face most often.

Todays Experience

Vs. Tomorrows First Home

In January 2010, Jordan Hightowers younger sister, Molly, was killed in an earthquake while volunteering in Haiti. Jordan soon resolved that she would end her one day saving mentality and focus on today.

That meant travel, to a dozen bachelorette parties around the United States and to 23 countries around the world in the last seven years. While shes traveled on a hostel budget and managed $4,000 in annual retirement savings, her down payment savings have suffered, even as prices for starter homes in Tacoma, Wash., have risen.

Jordan, 31, has no regrets, though. A wedding and kids are on the horizon in the next few years, and she plans to adjust her house savings accordingly now that shes been able to see and do so much.

Im not worried or sad about changing those things, she said.

Time With Family

Vs. Time for Work

Martin and Raquel Vergara met as rivals, operating neighboring mall kiosks. She eventually became a personal banker, while he is a mixed martial arts fighter and a personal trainer.
"Reform will come and only come through the building of mass movements and alternative centers of power that can overthrow -- let me repeat that word for Homeland Security -- overthrow the corporate state. If we fail to sever these chains, we will become like many who did not rise up in time to save their civil society's human chattel. This means we too must defy the law and engage in civil disobedience." --Chris Hedges



Protesters at the DNC in Philadelphia, July 2016

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America is in a desperate state, and it is not just because of Donald Trump. Our problems are bigger than any one man. He is merely a symptom of a corrupt fascist system whose puppeteers believe in elite privilege, corporate rule, and dog-eat-dog competition that impoverishes people and destroys families and communities. Unless we overthrow the system, there will be more Donald Trumps in our future. Make no mistake about it, this abhorrent behavior isn't limited to the GOP. We have, for decades, watched the total disintegration of the Democratic Party into a corrupt, festering cesspool of unbridled power, dirty money, and fraudulent elections. There is no real difference between the Democrats and the Republicans. There is only the illusion of choice. Before we can make any real change, we must face the facts and stop believing in false narratives.

It is clear that, while we do not all agree with the specific tactics necessary to effect real transformation in our government, we recognize that we must band together in this battle for the common good.

To this end, we are calling for a National Strike on May 1, 2017, known and celebrated around the world as International Workers' Day. This day commemorates the Haymarket martyrs, who fought for an 8-hour day and defended workers' and union rights.

We know we are being lied to about taxes funding anything on a national level. Our currency is sovereign. We don't just use the money. We produce it. We have enough money to take care of what the people need, including health care for all as a right, good jobs for all at a decent living wage, and free education. They have no shortage of money when it comes to waging war; they run into financial problems when it comes to taking care of us. Our elected officials must understand that if they do not spend on we the people, they will be voted out.

Unions and workers alike must stand up against "right-to-work" legislation, which is nothing more than a transparent attempt at union-busting and an assault on workers' wages. Yet, conservative union leaders still believe they can work with Donald Trump, while other leaders believe that the Democrats -- in spite of their dismal track record -- will save them. History has shown that unions are saved by the workers themselves, not by labor leaders. It is up to us to put the pressure on from the bottom up.

Immigrants are being unfairly scapegoated as the cause of Americans losing jobs. We know better. We know that it is because of the greed of the corporate state that disastrous trade agreements, like NAFTA, have resulted in American jobs being outsourced overseas. We also know that American corporations are exploiting undocumented workers here at home by paying them slave wages. Make no mistake about it: We are in this situation because we have legislators who do not legislate. They have not been able to pass comprehensive immigration legislation for decades now. We believe in comprehensive immigration reform, but we demand that every undocumented person currently in America be offered a path to citizenship. They should not be made to suffer because our government does not do its job.

We believe in a new direction for this country that puts the needs of the majority above the wants of few oligarchs that control our lives right now. We need a strong third party that is built outside the established empire, a party that puts people over profits. We cannot continue to prop up a corrupt system and expect things to improve. There will be no change coming from either established party because, as long as we continue to support them, there is no need to change. We also believe that, even if by some miracle the Democratic Party returns as a party of the people, there will still be a need for more parties. The American people deserve more choice, and we lag far behind many other supposedly "less advanced" countries.

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Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Human survival depends on learning to organize the way all successful living communities organize as they adapt to ever changing local conditionsfrom the Bottom-Up. A timely contribution to confronting the transformation imperative confronting humanity."



David Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World, The Great Turning, and Change the Story, Change the Future
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On Saturday, I attended a raucous meeting with Andy Barr -- the Republican lawmaker who represents Kentucky's 6thcongressional district. About 300 people were there, and were loaded for bear.

In the hubbub before the meeting, a friend told me that Barr had scheduled the Richmond gathering to avoid an even bigger assembly in Lexington. According to my friend, Barr's original intention was to meet his constituents there at the Kentucky Theater. However, anticipation of a huge angry crowd led the congressman to relocate to Richmond's smaller community, where he evidently thought fewer would be in attendance. (I'm sure he was surprised that so many people showed up anyway -- no less angry, it's certain, than Lexingtonians.)

Meanwhile back in Lexington, the meeting went on as planned. However, audience questions were addressed to empty chairs representing the "empty suits" who declined their constituents' invitation, viz. Mr. Barr, Mitch McConnell, and Rand Paul.

In any case, the Richmond meeting began with everyone standing, hands over heart reciting the "Pledge of Allegiance." For me it was the Colin Kaepernick moment I've been long promising myself. I remained seated to protest the Neo-fascism promoted by Barr and other Trump-supporters who profoundly dishonor the national banner.

Then our congressman gave a tedious presentation on Trumpcare. He described it in terms of a "liberation" from the Obamacare that, he said, all of us hate. [The remark drew boos and cries of dissent from the crowd that gave no evidence of Trump fans other than Mr. Barr's staffers. (And I found myself even wondering about them!)]

Barr's Power Point presentation on the American Health Care Act (aka Trumpcare) was full of jargon and blah-blah. The crowd's jeers showed it was clearly anxious to have its own voice heard. The representative and others from the audience had to repeatedly remind interrupters that they were only prolonging the congressman's painful monologue, and needed to allow him to finish. Mercifully, he did after about 20 minutes. As one woman later scolded, "You have to learn to do less talking and more listening."

Some of the questions that followed focused on Donald Trump:

"What is it like to work for a bat-poop (sic) crazy idiot like Donald Trump?" one woman asked.

"Lyin' DJT has you Republicans looking like fools," another commenter added.

"As a respecter of the Constitution, what are you going to do about Trump's obvious breaches of the emolument clause?" (Art. 1, section 9, clause 8)

However, most questions addressed more wide-ranging issues. All of them showed that their posers had done their homework. The questions addressed health care, climate change, discrimination against Muslims, provisions for persons with disabilities, taxes, the defense budget, and defunding of the arts and public radio. Nearly all of the questions were highly charged with emotion.

Responses from the congressman were what you'd expect:

Trumpcare offers you choice and saves money.

There are many opinions about the extent of human causes of climate change, so we don't want to act in haste. (This response prompted the questioner to reply, "Sir, your stunning ignorance on this question represents a failure in your solemn responsibility as our representative to be better informed.")

During his speech to congress (9/24/15) even Pope Francis didn't call for more government laws. (Clearly, Mr. Barr was unfamiliar with the pope's eco-encyclical Laudato Si' (LS). There Pope Francis calls on national governments to submit to an international body with legislative authority to protect rainforests, oceans and endangered species, as well as to promote sustainable agriculture (LS 53, 173-175).

(LS). There Pope Francis calls on national governments to submit to an international body with legislative authority to protect rainforests, oceans and endangered species, as well as to promote sustainable agriculture (LS 53, 173-175). Radical Islamic terrorism is the number one threat facing our country. (Evoking laughter, boos and general dissension from the audience)

The budget deficit means we have to cut back on public spending. (Provoking a person beside me to yell out, "How about taxing the rich?")

Defense of the country is my number one responsibility.

Recently, on "Democracy Now," Ralph Nader reminded viewers of the importance of attending meetings like Saturday's in Richmond. It's the one place, Nader said, where citizens can exercise direct power over government officials scared-to-death of losing their jobs in 2018. Until Trump's election, "Coffee with the Congressman" meetings had more staffers than constituents in attendance. Now across the country, the order of the day features standing room only audiences as loaded for bear as the Richmond crowd.

It's up to us to keep the pressure on. We need to make the next meeting even more uncomfortable for our government employees from the insulated Beltway.


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Trump's "fake news" complaint has stirred the sardonic humor of comedians and the righteous indignation of the mainstream media. But, as with his idea that rapprochement with Russia makes sense, or his position that NATO members pay their fair share, Trump's criticism has legitimacy.

Last week (03/09), for instance, NPR's nationally syndicated ,On Point moderated by Jane Clayson (standing in for Tom Ashbrook) orchestrated a fake news classic on Wiki leak's exposure of the CIA's vast hacking operation aka Vault 7.

Characteristic of fake news, the program lacked either substantive fact or illuminating coherence. Therefore, I researched the topic to give readers a backdrop against which to view NPR's production: Assange released 8761 documents showing that the CIA employs some 5000 operatives, including many private contractors, to develop hacking tools such as Weeping Angel capable of converting your smart TV into a microphone ,and malware that can invade your phones, or automobile electronic systems, etc. Operatives also search out "zero points", spots in software easy to breach.

Rather than reveal these vulnerabilities for tech companies to fix, the CIA secrets its weapon arsenal making all of us prey both to its invasions and to attack, according to an ACLU's legal counsel, "from any malicious actor-whether that's a hacker, foreign state or criminal enterprise."

But omitting such alternative perspectives is a hallmark of fake news. No ACLU spokesperson or view critical of the CIA and / or worried about privacy had a place on the authoritative panel. Certainly not former progressive Congressperson Dennis Kucinich who on Fox News decried a "slippery slope towards totalitarianism," and bluntly charged, "It is bad enough that the government spies on its own people. It is equally bad that the CIA, through its incompetence, has opened the cyber door to anyone with the technological skills and connections to spy on anyone else."

"Anyone" else includes all our institutions and government itself, suggesting that the CIA is dangerously compromising both national security and individuals' constitutional right to privacy. Assange claims that for these reasons, he is meeting with tech companies, here and worldwide, to convene an international Geneva Rights Convention on cyber warfare and its escalating threats to individuals and to nations.

NPR's audience could not have gleaned these salient details, or heard these critical voices. Instead, NPR selected a panel featuring mainstream press's Devon Barrett (The Washington Post), and Robert Baer, a career CIA man and "expert" on intelligence. These two dominated the discourse, collaborating in presenting disconnected details which they wove into a narrative on the "extremely damaging" threat to national security. In this story, Assange, Snowden and Manning have made us unsafe and undermined US credibility and the trust important to maintaining international cooperative relationships.

After all, Snowden unveiled NSA spying on world leaders such as Merkel, and Manning disclosed US war atrocities, and Vault 7 reveals that the CIA clandestinely uses US diplomatic offices such as Frankfurt, Germany's to conduct its hacking. The panelists drumming on national security and damaged trust, however, indicted the whistleblowers, not the crimes, nor the CIA's illicit operations. Accordingly, the CIA's mole hunt and Spicer's promise of severe punishment struck sharp notes, muting the agency's culpabilities.

Misleading information enhanced the scare tactics and demonization of Assange as in Baer/Barrett's grossly misleading metaphor for Vault 7 as "a recipe book for hacking." Actually, Assange redacted any actual code as well as the names of any CIA operatives.

The 3rd panelist, Chair of Electronic Privacy Information Center, provided signature fake news "illusion of inclusion." His few expressions of concern for privacy were quantitatively and qualitatively muted as whispers drowned out by the loud symphony of Clayson and the two apologists.

Interestingly, it was a brash who expressed critical views. Three of the five callers voiced serious concerns about privacy along with distrust of the CIA. The first caller charged that the CIA's history of coups and assassinations did more to harm our security than does Vault 7; a second caller said the CIA weren't "honest brokers" and alluded to its well documented history of spying on political dissidents. An angry caller demanded, "I want to know how we got to this place when my government is spying against us..." Jane shut him off. Cut off or left to die from neglect, the public's fears were "answered" with authoritative assurances from Baer. He claimed emphatically that illegal intrusion was "impossible"! Jane Clayson provided a final touch, reading an email from a listener sick and tired of whistleblowers.

I have reserved the program's 'piece de resistance' for last. Clayson set the stage with the disingenuous question: With the upcoming Congressional investigation into Russia's interference in the election (stated as a fact), isn't the timing of Vault 7 suspicious? Baer jumped on this opening to anoint Assange, a "Russian proxy," insinuating that Russia leaked Vault 7. He then proceeded to ridicule the implications of Vault 7's stunning revelation of the CIA's capacity to plant "false flags,"-that is, to place evidentiary fingerprints into a hacking operation. Thus, if any hard evidence of Russian interference finally emerges, false flag could be its undetectable source. Baer preempted any such logical thought by pronouncing it "absurd" in the same ridiculing, dismissive vein with which he decreed privacy invasion, "impossible."

Thus, NPR's models the insidious, sophisticated species of fake news, not as crude as Trump's "there was no rain on my inauguration," but nonetheless a snow job. And NPR reaches millions who don't have the time to research and who trust the "public" in NPR, an anachronism because business and corporations are its major funders.

Of course, that Trump scores a point doesn't exonerate his fake news; it simply underscores the depth and scope of the mainstream media 's substantial contribution to the intellectual and moral fog enveloping this country wherein Fox hosts progressives, public media privileges shills for the status quo, and public awareness withers in the dark confusion.
From Common Dreams



In addition to EPA cuts, Trump also wants billions in new investments in nuclear weapons and storage for commercial nuclear waste.

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Donald Trump's first budget makes his antipathy to the environment clear -- and his love for fossil fuels and nuclear power even clearer.

In addition to slashing funding to the Environmental Protection Agency, he also announced this week that he wants massive rollbacks in automotive fuel efficiency standards and billions in new investments in nuclear weapons and storage for commercial nuclear waste.

The administration's budget cuts $2.4 billion from the EPA's operating funds -- roughly 31 percent -- taking the agency's annual budget from $8.1 billion to $5.7 billion, the smallest since it was formed in 1970. These cuts will cripple regulation of air and water quality, strip oversight of a wide range of land management programs, and loosen restrictions on chemical emissions from industrial facilities.

Much of this money would be shifted directly over to the military, which the Trump Administration wants to bolster with an additional $54 billion over the final Obama allocations.

As Wenona Hauter, Executive Director of Food and Water Watch told Amy Goodman on Democracy Now, the cuts would lower staff to about 11,800, in an agency that employed 17,000 in 2010 and, according to the Washington Post, about 15,000 today. "We should be clear that 90 percent of EPA programs are run by state agencies," Hauter says. "Half that staff is located in regional offices.

The cuts, says Hauter, would cripple the states' ability to protect clean air and water across the country.

Following through on his campaign promise to reduce the EPA to "little tidbits," Trump's budget defunds more than 50 programs. These include infrastructure improvement on Indian reservations, major projects to clean up Puget Sound, Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes, a wide range of renewable energy development and energy efficiency programs, numerous climate change research programs, national heritage sites, environmental justice programs, oceanographic research and preservation, and much more. Gina McCarthy, a former EPA official under Obama, described it as "a scorched earth budget that represents an all-out assault on clean air, water and land."

Some of the immediate opposition has crossed party lines. Ohio's recently re-elected Republican Senator Rob Portman, a close associate of former President George W. Bush, strongly opposed cuts to the $300 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Bill Becker of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies warned, "if such cuts are realized, many more people will die prematurely and get sick unnecessarily due to air, water and waste pollution."

Among the programs affected will be popular Energy Star campaigns that set efficiency standards for household and other appliances. The program is well-established and popular among large manufacturers seeking marketing tools in a highly competitive global business. "It's alarming and bewildering to see the Trump Administration propose cuts to critical government programs that support clean energy innovation, helped create thousands of new jobs, and saved Americans millions on their utility bills," says Amit Ronen, Director of George Washington University's Solar Institute.

Scott Sklar, head of the Stella Group, a D.C.-based environmental consulting firm, and chair of the steering committee of the Sustainable Energy Coalition adds that the EPA cuts come in tandem with assaults on programs at the Department of Energy critical to advances in LED light bulbs, advanced batteries, electric trucks, biofuels and other cutting-edge green power projects. Overall, says Sklar, the cuts could cripple some 17 national laboratories whose innovative technical work spans the horizon from windmills and solar panels to advanced batteries and accelerated efficiency.

In addition, says Ronen, "Trump and his cronies can fundamentally change how EPA does its job by rolling back carbon and air regulations and not enforcing current law."

A deadly dose of that medicine is now being administered in Detroit, where Trump has moved to slash motor vehicle efficiency requirements and emissions standards.

At the behest of auto company executives, Trump is exploiting a legal loophole in Obama-era requirements to gut fleet fuel-economy capabilities. Complaining about technical challenges, the industry may soon slouch back to lower emissions standards feeding higher short-term profits. Detroit will once again race to the bottom in a global transportation industry increasingly dominated by Germany, China, and Japan.

The trends are being further exploited with shifts at the state as well as federal levels to slash tax breaks and incentives for electric cars and solar panels. Guided by handouts from the Koch brothers' fossil fuel empire, "free market" legislators in states like Ohio, Oklahoma, and Arizona have partnered with the American Legislative Exchange Council to impose debilitating taxes and regulatory barriers against electric cars, green power production, advanced efficiency, mass transit and more. The trend has been underscored by Trump's quick approval of the Keystone and Dakota pipelines, and relaxed rules governing fracking on public lands.

Meanwhile, Illinois and New York are moving toward massive subsidies for uncompetitive, dangerously dilapidated old nuclear reactors in a marketplace where renewables are coming in far cheaper and creating thousands more jobs. In Ohio and other states, owners of money-losing reactors are advocating for massive handouts to block cheaper, job-creating renewables and efficiency from getting into the marketplace.

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HELENA  According to a report released by the Congressional Budget Office last week, some states that expanded Medicaid as a part of the Affordable Care Act could end their programs under the Republican plan to repeal and replace the landmark health care legislation.

That's because of a step-down in how much the federal government reimburses the state. Numbers from the state Department of Public Health and Human Services applied to the Congressional Budget Office predictions of the bill's impact show Montana would have to come up with $251 million a year to make up lost federal dollars.

For perspective, it takes roughly $93 million a year to operate the entire Department of Justice.

No one will say if that spells the end of Montanas program, which covers 71,000 people. Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, says it's irresponsible to the state's economy and to the people who gained coverage under expansion to hypothesize.

"To move quickly on a proposal that is really half-baked isnt in the best interest for Montanans, nor is it in the best interest in country, he said.

But House Minority Leader Jenny Eck, D-Helena, said it's too big a tab for the state to pick up. I dont know how we could possibly compensate for that loss," she said.

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican, criticized his party's plan last week after the federal report said 14 million people would lose coverage next year. In a statement to the Associated Press, Daines said, "We need to do better. I want to see costs and premiums go down to make health care more affordable."

Rural hospitals are critical to the survival of small communities, said Montana's other U.S. senator, Jon Tester, a Democrat from Big Sandy.

Pick my hometown or any other small town. You take that hospital out and that towns going to be gone. Its a simple fact people have to live close to their health care, and the older they get the closer they have to get. If that hospital is gone, theyll have to move to Great Falls or Havre."

Republicans argue that those who are currently covered under Medicaid expansion will be able to keep their coverage. "The current plan will not pull the rug out from anyone," a spokesperson for Daines said Friday.

While that's true, critics of the plan say many churn through the Medicaid, gaining and losing coverage through their year as their financial situations change. The Republican plan will reimburse states at a lower rate for those who drop off and come back on after 2020.
GUATEMALA

Antigua backyard rides

SANTO TOMAS AND SANTO LUCIA

VOLCAN AGUA TRAILS

AN ABORTIVE RIDE TO STA CATARINA AND A CULTURAL INTERLUDE WITH MAYA PEDAL

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Tips and tricks for Guatemala

While the mountain biking in Canadas Sea to Sky corridor is diverse and amazing, there are times in the year when it's nice to leave the wet coast. For us, fall shoulder season is from Mid October to Mid November, when the rains come and before the snow falls. It's a time when you want to hold onto summer before the colds of winter arrive. Where to go? Guatemala has been mentioned a fair bit as a mountain biking destination. When people like Tom Pro of Gravity Logic as well as other luminaries like Steve Storey, Justa Jeskova and Mike Gamble raves about the country you know that a place might be worth visiting for both the experience and for riding.Based on this knowledge and input from trusted sources we arranged to ride with Backshop Bikes which is run by Juan Alberto DelaRoca. Juan lives part time in Colorado, USA and part time in Guatemala and grew up in both countries. Juan saw the potential for guided mountain biking in Guatemala and started Backshop Bikes to cater to people who want to come to ride Guatemala's trails and experience what the region has to offer.Guatemala is an amazing country replete with variety. There are coastal lowlands, the Pacific, the Caribbean, the cities, the countryside and the highlands all in one small but diverse package. The country is densely populated - with 17M people living in an area of 108,000 square km. To compare that's a little bigger than the state of Oregon where 4 million people live. However, since most of the population live in cities, in the rural areas where trails are located there wasn't a huge amount of traffic.We booked our flights through AeroMexico. If you do so dont carry on bike tools or anything that can look like it can be used as a weapon as theyll take it away in the Mexico airport where connections are made from North to Central America. We rented Kona Precepts from Old Town Outfitters (OTO) so we wouldnt have to bring our own bikes down. If you're travelling through Mexico airport not having bikes is a good thing since you have to pick up your baggage on your connecting flight and go through security again so be warned about luggage logistics. We found that not being bogged down with bikes made it a lot easier to do other trips including to Tikal, Rio Dulce on the Caribbean coast, and to neighbouring volcanos; as recounted here . Having said that it's possible to leave bikes with some hotels or outfitters or, of course, a friend.To give an example of costs (not including airfare), your all inclusive costs for a week of guided riding, comfy accommodations and great food is around $2250 pp USD . A bike rental will run you more and there will be more options so an email to Backshop for quotes is recommended.Antigua is a small compact city surrounded by volcanoes and about an hour drive from Guatemala City (aka Ciudad) where your plane will land at Guatemala's international airport. Many people will head right to Antigua from Ciudad but we found Ciudad (in particular its street life) interesting and entertaining enough for a couple of days stay . Transportation is easy from Ciudad to Antigua. If you have bikes it's worthwhile to get a taxi to Antigua and if travelling light any of the many tourist buses from the Airport will serve you well.Antigua has achieved UNESCO heritage designation and is renowned for its Spanish colonial buildings, many of them restored following a 1773 earthquake that ended Antiguas 200-year reign as Guatemalas colonial capital. There are a ton of foreign expats in Antigua many of whom are drawn there by weather (some refer to its mild climate as perpetual sunny spring), its diverse attractions and plentiful food/coffee/bakeries/bars. Yet there are also a lot of local Antiguenos who stay in Antigua itself as well as people from Ciudad who come for the Antigua weekend. Bottom line is that Antigua deserves its reputation for a very people-centric, pedestrian and walking-friendly city that is exceptionally welcoming and relatively safe.Three of Juans friends joined us for our rides with Backshop Bikes. Wes, who is staying here for a time (also from the USA) and two local Guatemalans. Humber is a young ripper while Pablo Jose is another obsessed skilled mountain biker who takes time away from growing Avocados and other vegetables through Good Life Guatemala , (as well as being a dad to two kids) to ride as much as he can.Pablo Jose has a pretty cool little Kia Truck common in Guatemala that we used as our shuttle vehicle. While nice on short trips, it would be tough on a longer drive. Juan hires a large van and a dedicated driver for larger groups who come on Backshop Bikes trips.Our first ride centred around the villages of Sta Tomas and Sta Lucia just 15 minutes drive from Antigua. Our ride was on the Lecheria, La Pinada, and the Labyrinth zones, all areas being scoped out by Pablo Jose. Our last ride via the Labyrinth allowed us to finish up by cruising back into Antigua. PJ and Humber form the core of a group called Team Mountain Raptors who do a lot of trail clearing and maintenance in the area so consequently know the area exceptionally well.Lecheria was a classic Latin American trail using old Mayan routes that connect the fields and towns. Characterized by deep trenches that have been bermed and dotted with jumps, these features are unique to ride! Pinada has had more work on it to make it more mountain bike specific including little hits, berms, bridges and lots and lots of clearing. While the trails are still shared by the locals, Pinada has a mountain biking feel to it. The Labyrinth is an area that is aptly named and had the most jungle-like feel to it being the area most apart from rural fields or trails and reclaimed by PJ from the jungle painstakingly by machete.We sampled three trails all by vehicle assist where PJ's uncle (who took the day off to drive us around) drove us up to the trailhead. Consequently, while all the trails had more descent than ascent there was still climbing involved. Daytime temps were very civilized hovering around the mid-20s so physical effort isn't punished by massive heat stroke. Juan and PJ also knew how to link rides so that they would end up close to local food stalls and eating places. Consequently, any wait time for the truck was well-spent. The trails have reddish dirt characteristic of volcanic soil deposits from neighbouring active historical flows and are mixed with clay so can be a handful when wet - you have been warned.PJ tells us that he knows of over thirty trails in the area so the potential is fairly substantial! Particularly when riding with locals who know ever nook and cranny, all three trails were blasts to ride and a good introduction to Guatemala trails.Day two of our trip with BackShop Bikes had us ride on trails on the flanks of Volcan Agua. Keep in mind that Antigua itself is at an elevation of 1530m. Volcan Agua is almost 2 vertical kms above Antigua at an elevation of 3760m but we didn't start from its peak. Instead, our rides started in the village of Santa Maria de Jesus about 20 minutes drive south of Antigua on a steep paved road and ended in the village of San Juan del Obispo, riding through agricultural areas, farmers fields, and jungle. The villages are not in a region quite as densely populated as the previous days ride closer to Antigua and consequently these trails were not as old and trenched. There are a high proportion of ethnic Mayans in this area many of whom live in areas without power or electricity especially at higher elevations.Due to the nature of its location on a volcano's flank, the soil on the trails and countryside is extraordinarily fertile and vegetation fecund. The sheer amount of tropical jungle flowers and colours in the area is very distracting and the views are exceptional. Combined with the street life and business of Sta Maria (it is a regional trading hub), the rides today were a cultural and bio-geo-climatic sensory experience as well as really fun high-quality mountain biking.Each of these rides was 5-6km long with an elevation drop of 500m and with about 100 to 150m of climbIng so yet again the moderate comfortable "eternal spring-like" temperatures were welcome. The shuttle retrieval was about as fast as the ride, with only a 10 minute or so wait. You can certainly bang out an impressive number of very fast laps here and we did. Cultural distractions could include the regional market, coffee plantations, ice-cream shops, lots and lots of bakeries and again; lots of good inexpensive food.The last trail was technical rock crawling and where I ate it hard - almost destroying a camera and getting a beauty of a hip pointer. Volcanic rock is not forgiving. It did showcase the diversity of the riding in a very upfront and personal way.One of our rides was a case-study in route finding and a good lesson in the importance of scouting routes beforehand. It turns out that Guatemala (and the Antigua area in particular) is under tremendous population pressure. Deforestation is an endemic problem in many tropical/equatorial countries but moreso in a Guatemala , a country where the population is expanding so greatly. Especially in the surrounding cities of Sta Catarina de Baharona, San Lorenzo del Cubo and Ciudad Vieja what were once singletrack trails can become impassable clear cuts and/or jungles as trails are taken out by deliberately set burns, by gates set up by communities or simply by nature taking back the forest.What was supposed to be a massive descent from the highland town of Parramos to Sta Catarina de Baharona turned out to be an ignominious retreat and then a road ride back to Antigua. Fortunately the day was not wasted as the road ride itself was through interesting country.We had started the day out strong by visiting and experiencing a fairly unique not-for-profit. Poverty is widespread in Guatemala and non-renewable power can be out of reach for many people. As such many NGOs exist to help them out. Maya Peda l is one that started in 1997 with the Canadian group PEDAL . They recycle old bikes and give them to needy people, as well they repurpose bikes and parts to do other human powered mechanical jobs like husk peanuts, make smoothies and perform other tasks.Maya Pedal is situated in the town of San Andres Itzapa and well worth checking out. Of note - they accept volunteers to come and work in the shop to help build and create new human powered machines providing lodging and food. Perhaps another way to check the country out for yourself.Stay at Casa Del Sol if you are more on budget and like communal hostel-style living. It has a kitchen, open concept living area and is a great place to socialize and meet others who stay in Antigua. If Backshop Bikes has a big group, Juan will book the complete hostel which would be an awesome experience. As we were only two there were people from many different places staying here, a Venezuelan, Germans, Swiss, Americans etc. Antigua is small but even so it's fair to say that Casa Del Sol's location is very convenient. Just down the street are all mod cons and it's just a short 10-minute walk to the Central Square.Note that it's possible to book long-term stays at this location but you should reserve beforehand as Casa Del Sol is popular with many parties and there is a good chance that it will fill up - particularly during busy seasons. Hotel San Jorge is another location which has the upside of a HUGE terrace. It is in a bit of quieter part of Antigua yet still just 10 minutes from the Central Square. The rooms are very private, the breakfasts there are massive and included with the room rate. Also included is a lunch that they will pack for you. Of note for bike travellers, there is actually a courtyard for parking (rare in Antigua where parking is at a premium) with lots of places to stash bikes, bike boxes or random stuff you won't need if you are travelling elsewhere where you won't need a bike. There is no extra charge for such storage. El Carmen Suites is another worthy alternative with a very close to central plaza location. Perfect if you really want to be just 1-minute walk from where it all happens. Potentially there can be a tad more noise but that comes with the location. El Carmen also had exceptional breakfasts (HUGE BURRITOS the size of one's head) which is a plus for anyone who is a gourmand for tasty filling food.Antigua is more expensive than most other Guatemalan towns. Budget 30Qpp for each of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Having said that there is simply too much good food in Antigua to describe. The map above might give you a start but even so the choices are overwhelming. If you want to see some of our personal favourites read this ( about comida tipica and panaderia/bakeries ) and this (about Antiguan food ).A Google map of places to eat in Antigua is below. If a 20Q breakfast is too much for your taste (that's Cad$4, USD$3) there's always the option to cook for yourself. The hostels and some hotels have means for you to prep your own food and make coffee (or coffee is included). Food is cheap to buy at the La Bodegona grocery store and local groceries at the Antiguan mercado are dirt-cheap (veges for 3 dinners for 20Q; the ubiquitous Pollo for 3 dinners the same). Coffee is insanely good and also well priced.With all that said here's a small selection of what stood out. Rony's Tacos is a value special. Sure you get three tacos for 35Q but YOU CAN LOAD THEM UP AS MUCH AS YOU WANT!!! Voila. Le Cuevita has the same MO as Rony's. Pick what you want and load it up.Breakfast at Cafe Condesa looks Gucci but is insanely good and inexpensive for being so good. Plus you get to buy baked goods for afterward at reasonable prices. La Gelateria is the only gelato place in Antigua. Three scoops for 15Q and it's half off if you buy before 12noon. WIN! Unfortunately, I did not have the presence of mind to take a picture while scarfing gelato. Hector's Bistro is NOT cheap but omnonnom it is soooo good. Gringo prices for sureMake up for splurging on gringo food by buying 3 pan chocolate the size of your freaking head for 10Q at Panaderia Se Llama Betty. You'll have to hunt for it at this link . Just ONE of these puppies takes care of lunch.Save also on libations by picking up some beer at the La Bodegona Grocery store. Hot tip is to see if other competing beer vendors try to crash the party and break the Gallo quasi beer monopoly because Gallo will immediately drop prices to crush competition. I walked in one day to see this 15 pack of Gallo selling for 55Q. Can't beat that. Bought two flats and killed the back bringing them back to the hotel (it was worth it)Last but not least save a pile of money by buying fresh vegetables, meat, and other groceries at the local markets whether Antigua or Ciudad . If your hotel allows you to prepare even some basic sandwiches or breakfast you can probably make better food for yourself given how good Guatemalans are at growing agriproduce in such remarkably fertile soil.1. The currency in Guatemala is the Quetzal. When we were there the exchange was 7.5Q to $1.00US. Bring USD if you want to have cash and change to Qs. Many cambios (exchange houses) will change from CAD or EUR to Q but the USD is still the easiest currency to change. But see caveat below.2. The exchange houses give pretty poor exchange rates. The first cambio youll see as enter Guatemala International Airport is actually the worst rate. The cambio in the lower floor as you get to the exits is the best rate. You will get a way better rate at ATMs.3. Card skimming is a problem at ATMs. Use an ATM at a place with a security guard in front. Pharmacies tend to have ATMs and security guards.4. Tourism is so big in Antigua that ATMs tend to run out of cash on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If you need Qs get it early on Friday.5. Theft is overhyped in Guatemala City. We didnt have a problem with thefts, just be normally cautious as you would in any big city. But whatever you do DO NOT use the red buses. Those are renowned for muggings and pickpocketing6. The temps were 15 deg C to 25 deg C so you dont need a lot of warm clothes. The exception are the high volcanos which can get chilly with temps approaching freezing at night7. Drink bottled or filtered water. The major cities have better water but even so filtered water is advisable.8. Guatemala City gets a bad rap. Street life and people watching in Ciudad is pretty fun. However, traffic sucks ass in Ciudad and you will hate life if youre stuck in one of their interminable traffic jams. If you have to get in or out of Ciudad leave lots of time. For example, if you have to catch a flight youd be best off to either get there the day before or make sure you leave hours and hours to make your flights. Read more about Ciudad here If you get a chance to go to Mercado Central do not pass that up9. Everyone seems to have a cell or smartphone in Guatemala. If you need a phone you can get one from Tigo, Movistar or Claro. Tigo seems to have the best rural coverage. Claro has the best urban coverage and Movistar is a solid meh all around. Air time is cheap and you easily get more minutes at many locations. If you have unlocked phones from your local carrier you can get a SIM card, plug it in and away you go. Check that your handset works with the providers here
Rising ballet star and Guam son Christian Crawford will be returning to the island to showcase his talent as part of Ballet Magnificat!, a traveling ballet company.

The 2012 Harvest Christian Academy graduate, who is also the son of Benny and Denise Crawford, will be in Guam in early April for a week of touring, performing and community outreach.

"I'm really seeing this as an opportunity to give back to my island, the church that I grew up in, my school Harvest Christian Academy and Fusion Dance School as well," said Crawford, who left the island to pursue ballet professionally. Since graduation, he has performed with two dance companies. In September 2016, he was accepted into the prestigious traveling company Ballet Magnificat!, which offers new avenues for the young star to explore artistically.

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The premier Christian ballet company was founded in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1986 with a mission to minister Christian values while professionally touring and sharing its love for the arts. The company has performed around the United States and in parts of Europe, Asia and Central and South America.

This will be the company's first time to Guam, Christian said, which is a convenient stopover before the traveling dance group continues on to China and South Korea.

"It's going to be a really great time of memories and Guam's going to be a good starting place for sure," he said.

Coming home

On his first visit back home in the summer of 2013, Christian said he considered possibly coming back home to help with his family business, or his childhood dance school, the Fusion Dance Center. Not once, he said, did it cross his mind that he might be coming back to dance professionally.

"Personally, for me, in the big scope of things and in hindsight, I never imagined myself coming back to Guam to do what I'm doing now," Christian said. "My life was kind of transitioning to being more stateside bound, or at least that's what it looked like for my future, but now I'm coming back partially as a missionary and also to present my dancing to the island."

About 18 dancers are traveling with Christian from Mississippi under the guidance of event coordinator Cassandra Voborsky. And, the 22-year-old ballet star said he is proud to showcase his company's art and talent and share it with island residents.

"No one has come to Guam with the same mission or platform as Ballet Magnificat!," he said. "They're all extremely talented and I'm excited to present what we're going to do."

Main event

The main event will be held 6 p.m. on April 1 at Mercy Heights Theater. Tickets can be bought at the Fusion Dance Center, Faith Bookstore, Island Twisters or the HeBrews Coffee Shop at Harvest Christian Academy for $20.

Christian's mom, Denise Crawford, said she has been planning the company's main event since last September. The company will perform a two-hour show, she said, that comprises a contemporary ballet piece called "The Arrival." Another part of the show will feature a more traditional ballet performance based off the Bible's Book of Ruth.

"It's not every day a professional dance company comes to Guam," said Denise, a former ballet coordinator at the Fusion Dance Center. "It's such a unique experience and it can be an inspiration and encouragement for others in the arts, too."

While the talented dance group is only here for about a week, Christian said that the traveling company is planning to do a few other performances along with some community outreach and ministry. He's also hoping to have some time to tour the island and to give his friends a taste of island food and fun.

"Most of them haven't left the continental United States, so they're all excited about Guam," he said. "There's so much hype and they're for sure going to have a taste of the island in a lot of ways."
Important pieces from Robicsek Collection were displayed at Mint Museum in 2003-4 and N.C. Museum of History in 2013-14

By: Artemis Gallery

Contact

Teresa Dodge

***@artemisgallery.com

720-890-7700 Teresa Dodge720-890-7700

End

-- The 2003-4 "Windows Into Heaven" exhibition held at the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, N.C., celebrated a period that was the zenith of Russian art's long and illustrious history. The stellar exhibition that drew international media attention featured 18th- and 19th-century Russian icons on loan from the Lilly and Francis Robicsek collection. It would be another 10 years before the fabled icons were exhibited again, at the North Carolina Museum of History. Now a select grouping of icons from those two exhibitions has been chosen to headline Artemis Gallery's March 23 auction, with absentee and Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers."Russian icons of this caliber are regarded as being at the pinnacle of devotional art, along with the great works of Italian masters," said Teresa Dodge, executive director of Artemis Gallery. "Collectors can be assured that any piece with provenance from the Lilly and Francis Robicsek collection is of premier quality. We are enormously proud to be able to offer this very special art to our bidders."The 177-lot auction will reverently reopen "Windows Into Heaven" with a pair of circa-1890 arched, gold leaf Royal Door wing panels from a Russian Orthodox iconostasis (icon screen). Ornately incised and decorated, the panels bear images of an Annunciation scene and the Four Evangelists. "The central doors of an iconostasis are called the 'Royal Doors.' They were regarded as holy and remained closed except during the Divine Liturgy, when the priest would open them to consecrate the bread and wine," Dodge explained. Highly important and with provenance from the Robicsek collection, the Royal Door panels are estimated at $60,000-$90,000.A 19th-century Russian calendar icon of grand scale (35- by 42.5-inches) known as a "minyela"  is quite literally a pictorial timetable of sainthood, with each figure identified, and depictions of the feasts of the entire liturgical year. With its breathtaking medley of jewel-tone colors against soft gold leaf, this treasured artwork formerly in the Robicsek collection is expected to make $70,000-$100,000 at auction.From a Ventura County, Calif., collection comes an 18th-century CE Russian painted-wood iconostasis with brass oklads surrounding a central panel and 14 hinged side panels. Its uppermost register is finely painted with half-length portrayals of patriarchs and prophets surrounding God the Father and the Son. Other images show full-length saints engaged in intercessionary prayer and other religious depictions. The striking, richly colorful artwork is offered with a $20,000-$30,000 estimate.Other Russian icons of note in the auction include depictions of The Virgin of the Sweet Kiss, The Virgin enthroned with Christ Emmanuel, Edessa (considered to be the first icon), and numerous saints, monks, archangels and other holy figures. The range of estimates is broad, allowing beginning and intermediate-level collectors to acquire icons with impeccable provenance at prices they can afford.Sharing the auction spotlight is a selection of beautiful Spanish Colonial Mexican santos, also with provenance from the Robicsek collection. Teresa Dodge explained what santos represent: "Santos played an important role in bringing the Catholic Church to the New World with the Spanish colonists. These religious figures were hand-carved and often furnished with crowns, jewels, and other accessories. They were usually funded by religious devotees and used as visual representations of the major figures  Mary, Christ, and the saints  in teaching new, indigenous converts. Likewise, they served as a connection to the Old World for Spanish colonists far from home. Many of them were lovingly cared for over the years, with repairs and paint added as they aged. They played an active part for a long time in the religious life of their communities."Another compelling artwork, a circa 18th-19th century CE hand-carved and polychrome painted santo of 'La Purisima Concepcion' or 'La Inmaculada' depicts the praying saint atop a globe and crescent moon, wearing a golden tin crown encircled by 12 blue, glass-centered stars. Highly symbolic in its detail, the Spanish Colonial santo from either Mexico or Guatemala is estimated at $6,000-$9,000.Created specifically for religious processions, a circa-15th-century CE gilt copper cross exemplifies the elite and uncompromising level of artistry achieved by Italian metalsmiths of that period. Made in Tuscany during the High Renaissance, this remarkable work of art was executed in repousse fashion with images of the Virgin and Child on the niello roundels of each of the arms. With a long line of provenance that includes owners in France and the United States, and previous sale at Sotheby's, the cross will open for bidding at $22,000. Its pre-sale estimate is $35,000-$45,000.The March 23, 2017 auction also includes Spanish Colonial retablos, oil paintings and other sacred art, as well as Russian jewelry and other religious objects. Bidders may participate in the auction live online, by phone (please reserve phone line in advance) or by leaving an absentee bid that will be lodged confidentially and competitively on their behalf. All items are unconditionally guaranteed to be authentic, as described in the auction catalog, and legal to acquire per federal guidelines. The sale begins at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. View the catalog and bid absentee or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers ( https://new.liveauctioneers.com/ catalog/96856_ holiday-sal... ). For additional information on any item, call Teresa Dodge at 720-890-7700 or email teresa@artemisgallery.com . Visit Artemis Gallery online at http://www.artemisgallery.com/
Injection of a novel form of synthetic high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), or good cholesterol, into the arteries of patients who had recently had a heart attack did not reduce the volume of fatty deposits, or plaque, in the arteries, compared with placebo injections, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session.

The Phase 2 CARAT trial failed to meet its primary endpoint of change in the volume of fatty deposits in a coronary artery that had previously been shown to be at least 30 percent blocked, said Stephen Nicholls, MBBS, PhD, director of the Vascular Research Centre at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute in Adelaide, and the study's lead author.

"In general, CER-001 was well-tolerated, but it had no discernible effect on arterial plaque compared with placebo injections," Nicholls said. "This suggests that low-dose CER-001 does not appear to be a promising agent for use in patients with acute coronary syndrome."

Acute coronary syndrome, or ACS, occurs when blood flow to the heart is suddenly blocked. It may take the form of a heart attack or unstable angina, chest pain that may signal an imminent heart attack. Studies suggest that about 12 percent of patients with ACS will experience another blockage of blood flow to the heart within a year of the first event, despite taking medication to reduce their risk.

Standard treatments to reduce the risk of both heart attack and stroke have focused on reducing blood levels of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), known as "bad" cholesterol because it contributes to the development of plaque in the lining of arteries, making them narrower, stiffer and more prone to being blocked by a blood clot. However, some researchers have sought to develop treatments that increase HDL cholesterol (HDL-C). Studies suggest that healthy levels of HDL-C (above 40 in men, above 50 in women) may protect against heart attack and stroke, due in part to HDL-C's role in clearing bad cholesterol from the arteries, thereby reducing inflammation and preventing blood clots. Low levels of HDL-C, by contrast, have been shown to increase risk for heart attacks and strokes.

One strategy for increasing HDL-C levels has been to create synthetic HDL-C that mimics the biological structure and function of natural HDL-C. The idea is that the synthetic HDL-C, when injected into the blood, will help to clear more fat and bad cholesterol, shrink arterial plaque, and reduce heart attack and stroke risk.

CER-001 is a form of synthetic HDL-C. Early studies suggested that CER-001 could increase the removal of LDL-C from the arteries and that, in patients with inherited cholesterol abnormalities such as familial hypercholesterolemia, it could reduce arterial plaque. However, other previous studies have found no benefit from CER-001 in reducing fatty deposits in arteries.

In the CARAT trial, researchers enrolled 301 patients (average age about 60, 80 percent male) who had had a recent heart attack and who had at least one coronary artery that had been shown in an ultrasound examination to be more than 30 percent blocked with fatty deposits (that is, to have atheroma volume of more than 30 percent). Patients with uncontrolled diabetes, extremely elevated triglyceride levels, heart failure, or liver or kidney disease were excluded. The study was conducted in Australia, Hungary, the Netherlands and the United States.

Trial participants were randomly assigned to receive 10 weekly infusions of either CER-100 or a placebo. One to three weeks after the last infusion, they underwent a second ultrasound examination of the same coronary artery that had previously been shown to be at least 30 percent blocked. In addition to comparing the two ultrasounds and measuring the change in the volume of fatty deposits (the primary study endpoint), Nicholls and his colleagues also looked at additional measures of plaque volume, cholesterol levels, and safety and tolerability.

Results showed the primary endpoint decreased by 0.41 percent in the placebo group and by 0.09 percent in the CER-001 group, a non-statistically significant difference. Analysis of the major secondary endpoints revealed a reduction in total atheroma volume of 6.6 mm3 in the placebo group and 5.6 mm3 in the CER-001 group and regression of percent atheroma volume in 57.7 percent of placebo patients and 53.3 percent of CER-001 patients. Neither of these findings met the cutoff for statistical significance. Levels of LDC-C declined equally in the CER-001 and placebo groups. Rates of adverse events were low and were similar in both groups.

"We are disappointed that low-dose CER-001 did not show a benefit in a patient population at elevated risk for an ACS event," Nicholls said. "We will continue to analyze the CARAT data in order to fully understand the study's findings, and we will continue to search for effective therapies targeting residual risk for ACS events."

The study was funded by Cerenis Therapeutics, the manufacturer of CER-001.
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Adobe Reader, Edge, Safari, and Ubuntu fall during first day at Pwn2Own

The Pwn2Own 2017 event marked the 10th year of the annual hacking competition that began on March 15. The Pwn2Own contest runs every year during the CanSecWest security conference in Vancouver, Canada. Its organized and sponsored by Micros Zero Day Initiative (ZDI). This years Pwn2Own computer hacking contest has over $1 million to be won in prizes.

The first day of the Trend Micro-sponsored Pwn2Own competition saw security researchers successfully exploit Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari, Adobe Reader and Ubuntu Linux. However, the 2017 event is the first that provided Linux, and specifically the Ubuntu 16.10 Linux distribution, with researchers taking direct aim at the open-source operating system.

The Chaitin Security Research Lab (@ChaitinTech) welcomes Ubuntu Linux to Pwn2Own with a Linux kernel heap out-of-bound access, ZDI wrote in a blog post.

The Chaitin Security Research Lab was awarded a $15,000 prize for its efforts. Confirming the news to eWEEK , Abdul Hariri, a senior vulnerability researcher with ZDI, that the hack done on stage at Pwn2Own found the vulnerability in the Linux 4.8 kernel used by the Ubuntu 16.10 distribution. The vulnerability itself was activated by a researcher who only had basic user access, but was able to become the root administrative account user by upraising privileges with the vulnerability.

Canonical, the lead commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, will be notified regarding the kernel issue, said Hariri to ZDI, although he pointed out that there was no representative from Canonical at the Pwn2Own event.

Additionally, the Pwn2Own 2017 event also listed Apache Web Server running on Ubuntu 16.10 Linux as a potential target, with a prize of $200,000 for a successful exploit. Dustin Childs, director of communication for ZDI, told eWEEK that no one has registered to point at the Apache/Ubuntu target.

Besides exploiting Ubuntu, Chaitin Security Research Lab also chained together an exploit that took advantage of six separate bugs to escalate their access to root on macOS, winning a $35,000 prize.

Samuel Gro and Niklas Baumstark won $28,000 for exploiting five bugs to display a message on the Touch Bar of a 2016 MacBook Pro. However, ZDI called it a partial win in an attack against Apple Safari and macOS.

They employed a use-after-free in Safari combined with three logic bugs and a null pointer dereference to exploit Safari and elevate to root in macOS, Childs told eWEEK. Unfortunately, the UAF was corrected by the beta version of the browser, earning them only the partial win.

Complete details of both the above exploits will be provided to Apple so that the bugs can be fixed before they are made public.

In the meantime, two teams managed to take down Adobe Reader and combined other Windows kernel flaws into their attacks to achieve system-level privilege escalation. Researchers from the 360 Security team earned $50,000 for their exploit chain, and the team from China-based internet company Tencent won $25,000 for exploiting a new use-after-free vulnerability to gain code execution. In addition, Tencent was also able to exploit the Microsoft Edge browser by using a logic bug to escape the browser sandbox, resulting in an award of $80,000.

The first day of the Trend Micro-sponsored Pwn2Own competition saw a total of $233,000 being given away in prize money to security researchers. The hacking contest continues through March 17 giving opportunities to more researchers to demonstrate additional zero-day exploits to claim more of ZDIs award money.

Source: eWeek
She was a fiction writer, social observer, commentator and stubborn individualist  so in retrospect, its no wonder that Peter Bagge, who ticks off most of those boxes himself, felt drawn to Zora Neale Hurston, long before he actually drew her. And thats before we even get into politics.

The much-honoured cartoonist was last in Toronto in 2014 touting Woman Rebel, his graphic biography of birth-control pioneer Margaret Sanger and is back this weekend with Fire!!, capturing the life of an African-American author who blazed any number of trails, starting in the 1920s, then sank into something close to obscurity.

A lot of her impulses I definitely related to, says the affable 59-year-old writer/illustrator, chatting over the phone from his Tacoma, Wash., home before his return to our city this weekend for Comic-Con at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

In particular theres this two-page scene where I drew her and her three closest compatriots  Langston Hughes, Wallace Thurman and Bruce Nugent  reacting negatively to the dominant culture and the dominant rules about what an artist should be writing about  in their case, the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. In a way, he says, he can relate, recalling his own youthful efforts to get his lively, cartoonish, broadly comic drawings published somewhere.

I and some friends of mine in New York back in the early 80s went through this same exact thing. And it compelled us to self-publish, as Hurston and her fellow artists did. Bagge recalls visiting the Village Voice with his portfolio and the art director literally ran away. Thats how I was rejected.

Hurston was doomed to have a contentious relationship with the self-consciously civilized leaders of the Renaissance. Bagges book does not stint on her slow climb from her small-town Florida roots, and its in capturing the African-American argot of that place and time that she found fame.

But some of Hurstons contemporaries couldnt abide that very accomplishment; one gets a hint why from any chunk of her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God  for example, the mocking words of the protagonist, Janie: You big-bellies round here and put out a lot of brag, but taint nothin to it but yo big voice. Humph! Talkin bout me lookin old! When you pull down yo britches, you look lak de change uh life.

Nobody wrote like her, then or now. She was a sponge for strange vernacular, says Bagge, wholl be selling copies of Fire!! Friday through Sunday at the comics convention. Hurstons peers  as vividly captured by Bagge  think shes pandering to racist whites, Bagge notes, by using this southern dialect. They couldnt believe that an all-black town like Eatonville (Fla.) existed. They wanted (their prose) to, if not mimic white people, then at least shave all that backwoods stuff.

But the backwoods stuff distinguished her, propelling her to Haiti and Jamaica to capture the experiences of people of colour there. She probably wasnt going to fall in line with her literary frenemies back in Harlem, anyhow; while most of them were embracing Communism, Bagge says Hurston, who died in1960, was a libertarian before the word was common: in Fire!! she even decries the U.S. Supreme Courts Brown vs. Board of Education decision  striking down separate public school systems for black students  as coercive integration.

Bagge, a libertarian himself who regularly contributes to Reason magazine, said her politics led to her being buried in the literary world after her passing in 1960. By the time The Color Purple author Alice Walker who makes a cameo in Fire!!  came on the scene, for example, she didnt know of Hurstons accomplishments, didnt think someone like that existed back then.

The cartoonist, whose work on the 90s comic Hate first brought him to broader attention, is now moving on to his third comic-strip biography of freedom-craving women, with the next subject being Rose Wilder Lane, influential daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder. More commonalities are bound to emerge and Bagge agrees that both of the women hes most recently paid homage to  Sanger and Hurston  each paid a price domestically for their broader ambitions.

(Both) associated a close personal relationship with claustrophobia. They sacrificed a full personal life for the sake of their careers. But for them, that wasnt a big sacrifice.

Toronto Comic-Con runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Metro Toronto Convention Centres South Building.

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATESA Canadian school teacher whose teaching philosophy underscores hope and acts of kindness in an isolated corner of Quebec won a $1-million prize Sunday in what has become one of the most-coveted and high-profile awards for teaching excellence.

Maggie MacDonnell was awarded the annual Global Teacher Prize during a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, beating out thousands of applicants from around the world.

The prize was established three years ago to recognize one exceptional teacher a year who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession, employs innovative classroom practices and encourages others to join the teaching profession.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his congratulations in a video message that was broadcast at the event.

On behalf of all Canadians, from one teacher to another, congratulations on winning the Global Teacher Prize 2017, the message began.

You have done extraordinary things in exceptional circumstances and have showed enormous heart, will and imagination, said Trudeau, a former teacher.

Read more:

Teacher from northern Quebec in running for prestigious Global Teacher Prize

Three Canadian teachers nominated for Global Teacher Prize

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, Governor General David Johnston, and astronaut Chris Hadfield all took to social media to congratulate the Nova Scotia-born teacher, who has been teaching in northern Quebec since 2010.

The Kativik School Board also putting out a release praising MacDonnells work at Ikusik High School in Salluit.

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was on hand to present the prize to MacDonnell. Her name was announced by French astronaut Thomas Pasquet in a video message from the International Space Station.

MacDonnell was among 10 finalists flown to Dubai to attend the ceremony. The nine others hail from Pakistan, the U.K., Jamaica, Spain, Germany, China, Kenya, Australia and Brazil.

Last week MacDonnell told The Canadian Press she was excited three of her students could make the trip to Dubai with her.

Theyre a huge part of the story and the reason I chose to get involved (in the award) was to make sure it could in some way benefit their lives, she said.

She said that if she won she wanted to start an environmental stewardship program for northern youth, focused on kayaking.

MacDonnell has been teaching in Salluit for six years. According to her biography, Salluit is home to the second northernmost Inuit indigenous community in Quebec, with a population of just over 1,300, and can only be reached by air.

Her perseverance to continue teaching in the remote area, where many teachers leave their post midway through the year, made her a standout for the award. MacDonnell created a number of programs for boys and girls, including job mentorship and funds to assist with healthy meals.

She also established a fitness centre for youth and adults in the local community, where drug use and alcoholism rates are high due to the regions harsh winters and isolation. The tiny village witnessed six suicides in 2015, all young males between the ages of 18 and 25.

Her approach focuses on emphasizing acts of kindness such as running a community kitchen and attending suicide prevention training.

The memory that continues to haunt me is when I see these Canadian teenagers, their very own classmates of the deceased, literally digging the grave, she said. I didnt know until I came to Salluit that that was a Canadian reality.

Last year, Palestinian teacher Hanan al-Hroub won for her efforts in encouraging students to renounce violence and embrace dialogue. The inaugural prize went to Nancie Atwell, an English teacher from Maine.

The award is presented by the Varkey Foundation. Its founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company, which has more than 250 schools around the world.

The foundations CEO, Vikas Pota, said in a statement that the award aims to shine a spotlight on great teachers and share their stories with the world.

Also Sunday, 15 countries, including Chile, Iraq, Japan, Pakistan, Portugal, Somalia, Ukraine and Yemen, announced they would launch national teaching prizes with the support of the Varkey Foundation.

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BATON ROUGE, LA.A sheriffs deputy in Louisiana is dead after being shot near a movie theatre in Baton Rouge, police said Sunday.

East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office deputy Shawn T. Anderson was rushed to the hospital after being shot while on duty late Saturday, spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks said in a news release. Anderson, 43, was conducting an investigation with another deputy at a strip mall near the AMC movie theatre when the shooting occurred.

Our hearts are broken as we grieve for one of our brothers, Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said.

Louisiana State Police spokesman Bryan Lee told local media outlets that the deputies were not responding to a call for service.

A suspect was shot and injured and taken to a hospital. The condition of the suspect was unavailable.

Anderson began working at the East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office in 1999. He was presented the Life Saving Award in 2010 for saving the life of a woman on Old Mississippi River bridge and recognized for serving more than sixty high-risk warrants in 2013 as part of a SWAT team with no injuries or shots fired. He also delivered a baby on the side of the road last year.

Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and Police Chief Carl Dabadie asked for prayers for Andersons family.

I think we are a very praying community and I think that thoughts and prayers are needed here and we come together just like we always do and always have, Dabadie added. Theres no doubt we wont here, also.

The New Orleans Advocate quoted Hicks as saying the Louisiana State Police would conduct the investigation.

Authorities did not release the identity of the suspect.

The deputy was taken from Ochsner Medical Center shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday with a procession of law enforcement vehicles.

Our hearts and prayers are with the family and friends of the fallen deputy and all the brave men and women in law enforcement who risk their own safety every single day to protect the communities they serve, said Corey Amundson, acting U.S. attorney. We will devote whatever federal law enforcement resources are necessary to ensure that justice is served.

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As the Canadian government offers an apology and millions in compensation for Ottawas role in the detention and torture of three Canadians held in Syria and Egypt, federal lawyers appear to be digging in for a long fight against former Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr, who was 15 years old and grievously injured when he was captured in 2002.

Lawyers for Khadr, now 30, have been fighting the federal government since 2004 regarding abuses they say occurred to the Toronto-born captive under the Liberal and Conservative administrations.

The crux of the $20-million suit is Canadas unwillingness to recognize that according to international law, Khadr should have been treated as a child soldier during his incarceration. Most damning is the allegation that Ottawa not only failed to protect Khadr as a passive bystander during the abuse of the teenage prisoner, but co-operated with the U.S. in violation of Canadian constitutional and international laws protecting the rights of minors.

The Supreme Court of Canada has already condemned the federal governments treatment of Khadr in three separate cases, including a 2010 unanimous ruling that said the participation of Canadian officials in Khadrs Guantanamo interrogations violated his constitutional rights and offends the most basic Canadian standards about the treatment of detained youth suspects.

Its time for the government to close the door and apologize to him. Instead, theyre going to drag him back through the nightmares of his time in Guantanamo in examining him about his experiences, Khadrs lawyer Dennis Edney said in an interview Saturday.

Edney, along with Toronto lawyer John Phillips, said Khadr will testify if essential to settling the case, but object to the need when his case has been so well documented in the media and through years of other cases litigated both here and the U.S.

With the information and evidence so available, is the examination of Omar intended to show that he did not suffer from torture and abuse, that he suffered no damage from his incarceration as a child and the loss of his adolescence through early manhood without any rehabilitation by either the U.S. or Canada? Phillips asks in a February letter to Department of Justice lawyer Barney Brucker. I do not see how the Minister can achieve any benefit by subjecting Omar to further interrogation.

Khadr was 15 when shot and captured following a July 27, 2002 firefight in Afghanistan where U.S. Delta Force Sgt. Christopher Speer was fatally wounded. In October 2010, Khadr pleaded guilty to five war crimes under Guantanamos controversial military commissions, including murder in violation of the laws of war for Speers death. In return, the Pentagon gave Khadr an eight-year sentence and chance to return to Canada.

Khadr later said he agreed to the plea deal as he believed it as his only way out of Guantanamo and has only vague recollections of the firefight.

On Friday, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland issued a written apology on behalf of the government to Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Abou-Elmaati and Muayyed Nureddin, the three Canadian men who had been held for months in Syria or Egypt, thus ending their legal saga that has stretched 15 years and involved two federal inquiries. As the Stars Tonda MacCharles reported last month, the men will also be awarded a multimillion-dollar compensation package.

Their case was similar to that of Syrian-born Canadian Maher Arar, who received an apology and $10.5 million from the federal government after a 2006 inquiry found that Canadian officials passed information about Arar to the U.S. and Syria, leading to his detention and torture.

Khadr was transferred from Guantanamo into Canadian custody in 2012 and released on bail in 2015. The Liberal government dropped the appeal of Khadrs bail last year, breaking with its Conservative predecessor that fought to keep the Toronto-born captive behind bars.

He has lived a quiet life as a student in Edmonton since his release, only recently moving out of the Edneys home into his own apartment.

But he is back with the Edneys this weekend recovering from a lengthy and complicated surgery last week to try to repair damage to his shoulder sustained in the firefight.

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The air was already fraught with tension inside the North York committee room before the police officer even opened his mouth.

On that February day in 1989, the city outside was a powder keg. Race relations were strained and communities in Toronto and beyond were outraged over recent police killings of unarmed black men, one of whom was only 17.

Against this backdrop, staff inspector Julian Fantino, who would later serve as Toronto police chief from 2000 to 2005, had been hauled before a committee to respond to allegations of discriminatory policing.

Instead of defusing a combustible situation, he put a lit match to it.

In the Jane and Finch area, he said, black people committed 82 per cent of robberies and muggings, 55 per cent of purse snatchings and 51 per cent of drug offences.

Fantino added that an inordinate amount of serious crimes involved black people.

Those crimes were a significant reason for the tensions between cops and community, he said.

The public outcry was fast and furious. Community activists swiftly denounced his statistics as disgusting and racist garbage and criticized police for releasing such stigmatizing figures without transparency or context.

A week after Fantinos remarks, a new policy was hastily introduced, banning officers from compiling or publishing race statistics. A 2007 policy effectively overturned the ban, allowing police officers to make a request to collect and analyze race or ethnicity data.

According to Toronto police, not a single request has been made, though the force conducted an internal analysis of race in the context of carding, referenced in a secret report later obtained by the Star.

Today, race data is only mandatorily collected and reported by Toronto police in the context of the police practice of carding. The rule to publicly report this only came into effect on Jan. 1.

Nearly three decades after that 1989 meeting, the controversy that engulfed Fantinos inflammatory comments is still giving off heat.

Race-based statistics became politically radioactive. Many attempts to push for race data collection have failed.

It was a hot potato, said Barbara Hall, Toronto mayor from 1994 to 1997 and a former Ontario human rights commissioner.

People didnt want to go there.

For years, anti-racism advocates agreed: no more race-based statistics. In the years since, the tide of public opinion has shifted.

Research into racially biased policing has deepened and the publics demand, and appreciation, for data of this kind has grown.

In the U.S., race data has proven instrumental in revealing problems of discriminatory policing. Some also point to the Stars racial profiling investigations as providing the proof of concept that while race-based statistics can be misused to stigmatize vulnerable groups, they can also be a powerful tool to expose and destroy systemic racism.

Its not the collection of data; its the criminalization of data about us that has been the concern, said Anthony Morgan, a community advocate and lawyer.

Weve come to a place where we see the power and importance of having more data and we are less fearful of the ways in which that data will be manipulated.

Calls for police to start collecting and releasing race-based data that capture police interactions with the public have grown louder.

With the rewriting of Ontarios Police Services Act and the review of the provinces police oversight bodies, both of which are expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks, a rare window of opportunity has opened for the province to mandate that police collect data based on race.

But 28 years after a disastrous community meeting slammed the door on the practice, is Toronto, and the rest of Ontario, ready for this?

For all the angst surrounding race data, collecting the information requires just a small act: checking a box, or pushing a button on a touchscreen.

The cumulative potential of these small acts can be huge.

For proof, look no further than Oakland, Calif., home to one of the most controversial law enforcement agencies in the U.S.

A fact about Oakland: if you are a man in this city of roughly 400,000, police are far more likely to stop you if your skin is black.

Another fact: if you are a black man stopped by Oakland police, you are more likely to be searched, arrested and even spoken to harshly. You have a 1-in-4 chance of being handcuffed, even if youre not arrested.

Oaklands black residents know all this because they live it. Now the rest of the world knows it, too, thanks to statistics published by Stanford University researchers hired by the City of Oakland.

These findings were revealed by the data, reams of it, pulled from 28,119 forms compiled over the course of a year, recording the race of every Oaklander stopped by police on the street or in a car. The Stanford study produced 50 recommendations to help Oakland police fix a culture whereby its more acceptable to stop, search, handcuff, and arrest African Americans than whites.

Just 33 have been implemented or initiated. More work lies ahead.

But these important steps would not have been possible if police werent collecting data based on race.

The time when police departments would simply say, Were not going to gather any data is probably in the past, said David A. Harris, a law professor with the University of Pittsburgh and an expert on racial profiling.

When theres no data, nobody can prove anything one way or the other.

But like many U.S. police services that now collect race-based data, Oakland police had to be forced to do it.

They were ordered to do so following a high-profile legal settlement with 119 plaintiffs, most of whom were black. The plaintiffs accused four rogue cops of beatings, kidnappings and falsifying evidence. The plaintiffs were ultimately paid nearly $11 million (U.S.) in damages in 2003, the largest settlement in Oaklands history.

Every other police service in California is now required to collect and publicly report the data through a bill passed by the legislature in 2015.

In Ontario, many advocates pushing for data to be collected believe that police services here, too, will have to be forced to do it.

It was this kind of data that showed Ottawa police last year that officers were more likely to pull over Middle Eastern and black male drivers in a traffic stop than those who were white, particularly if the drivers were young.

The two-year data collection project was the result of a settlement between the Ottawa Police Services Board and the Ontario Human Rights Commission following a complaint by Chad Aiken, a young black man alleging racial profiling.

The Ottawa police response to the data is part of the reason Renu Mandhane, Ontarios chief human rights commissioner, believes the province is in a hopeful moment.

Ten years ago, Mandhane said, the police response would have been more defensive, far more likely to have included claims that the data showed racialized people commit more traffic crime, and outright denials about the possible role of racial profiling.

But this was not how Ottawa police responded.

In my conversations with police leadership, many of them have moved beyond questioning whether racial discrimination, or racism, exists, Mandhane said.

Mandhane and the commission, which has been pushing for the collection of race-based police data for more than a decade, are under no illusions that police will collect the data voluntarily.

As part of the overhaul of the Police Services Act, which has not been revised for 25 years, the commission is urging the province to require police to collect data on identity, including information on race, in all stops of civilians and incidents involving the use of force.

The commission made the same recommendation to Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Michael Tulloch. For the past year, Tulloch and his team have been reviewing police watchdogs, including the Special Investigations Unit, which does not collect race data in its probes of fatalities, serious injuries and allegations of sexual assault involving police.

Tullochs report is due at the end of the month, while the changes to police legislation are expected to be unveiled this spring.

To many, the success of both turns on the question of race-based data.

I would argue that the revision of the Police Services Act and the Tulloch Review will not have fulfilled their mandate if neither include provisions for the collection, analysis and dissemination of race-based statistics, said Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an assistant professor of criminology at the University of Toronto and an expert in race and policing.

Morgan, the lawyer and community advocate, adds that race-based data is a vital part of evidence-based policy making in policing and beyond, including measuring the need for reforms to everything from schools and housing to health and prisons.

It gives us greater access to the levers of both change and accountability.

If recent developments are any indication, Queens Park appears to be warming to the idea of race-based data.

Last year, in its new regulations governing carding, the province mandated that police services release annual statistics on things such as the race, sex and age of those stopped. The children and youth minister also vowed that Ontarios 47 childrens aid societies would start collecting race data, as part of efforts to reduce the high number of black kids in care.

Earlier this month, the provinces anti-racism directorate announced proposed legislation that, if passed, will require the collection of data on race and ethnicity within several government sectors, including the justice system.

Asked whether the revised Police Services Act will include direction for police to begin collecting data on race, Yasir Naqvi, Ontarios attorney general, said the new law is under development.

So much of our work is focused on community-based prevention, evidence-based prevention. In order for that to take place appropriately, to develop community-based evolving plans, you need that data, Naqvi said.

As for Toronto police, spokesperson Meaghan Gray didnt say whether the service or the police chief would support race-based data collection, but pointed to Ontarios new carding regulations, which require the gathering and reporting of this data.

The province will likely face strong opposition from chiefs and police associations, says former Kingston police chief Bill Closs, who is now retired.

In 2003, Closs made the unprecedented move to begin collecting race-based data from stops by his officers. The two-year project showed that black people were stopped three times as often as white people. The revelation prompted a tearful apology from Closs.

The backlash from inside the policing community was swift: the Kingston Police Association attacked the study. When then premier Dalton McGuinty was asked if he would instruct police services to collect the same data, he said he wouldnt tell police what to do.

In his 43 years of policing, Closs said the race data project was the most depressing and rewarding time of my life.

Everybody outside of the government and policing community were congratulating us or were supporting us. But (there was) intense negativity from police chiefs, from police unions and  what was bitterly disappointing  from the government, Closs said in an interview.

Closs admits his experience left him cynical about the prospects of provincial lawmakers forcing police to collect data involving race, but he said he would like to be pleasantly surprised.

He stresses that, if police are required to collect the data, it should include officers providing the rationale for their decisions; officers in the Kingston study didnt just mark down the perceived race of the person stopped, but included the reason they pulled over a car or spoke to someone walking down the street. That information provides an all-important glimpse into an officers mind, the subconscious bias that may exist within good police officers.

In Closss experience, race-based data can expose problems, inform officer training and build bridges within the community.

Its going to take somebody with the courage, in government, to say, Its time to do this.

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Eric Gottardi had been on his feet for about 10 minutes in front of the nine justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, talking about his client and trial delays, when Justice Michael Moldaver posed a question.

The judge, sitting on the nations top court since 2011, wanted to know about drop dead numbers or ceilings. In other words, just how long should it take to bring an accused to trial?

I said, Having thought about it for two minutes, its probably better than what we have right now,  Gottardi, a Vancouver-based lawyer, told the Star in a recent interview. He said, What do you think about 30 months? I said I dont know, what about 24?

So I got the sense they were thinking of doing something creative, but when they came out and did it, it was actually a bit of a surprise, and I still dont know if the decision is a good one or not.

That decision, released last year, was R v. Jordan, which takes its name from Gottardis client, Barrett Jordan, a Surrey, B.C., man who was arrested on drug charges and whose case took four years to get to trial.

PART 2: Scrapping prelims not going to solve court delays

PART 3: Defence lawyers ideas for reform being met with silence

It was good news for Jordan himself, as the top courts 5-4 decision stayed the charges against him, finding his constitutional right to a trial in a reasonable time, enshrined in section 11 (b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, had been violated.

But a good decision for the country? It depends on who you ask.

Along with staying the charges against Jordan, the majority went further and completely revamped the legal framework that guides judges in deciding if a person has been tried within a reasonable time.

They implemented new so-called numerical ceilings after calling out what they described as a culture of complacency in the Canadian justice system.

The five judges found that the period between an accused persons arrest and the anticipated conclusion of their trial in provincial court should not exceed 18 months, and should not go over 30 months in Superior Court, which handles the most serious crimes such as murder.

Once those ceilings have been breached, the delay is considered presumptively unreasonable and the case is tossed unless the Crown can prove there are exceptional circumstances, such as the complexity of the case. Delay caused by the defence does not count in the calculation.

Already, dozens of cases in Ontario alone have been stayed under the Jordan framework, with the public becoming particularly familiar with the name when an Ottawa judge threw out a first-degree murder charge against ex-soldier Adam Picard, who was accused of killing 28-year-old Fouad Nayel, after it took four years to bring his case to trial.

The Crown has appealed the Picard decision, seeking clarity on how to properly evaluate delay in so-called transitional cases, meaning cases that were already in the system before the release of the Jordan decision.

A presumptive ceiling is required in order to give meaningful direction to the state on its constitutional obligations and to those who play an important role in ensuring that the trial concludes within a reasonable time, Moldaver, along with Justices Andromache Karakatsanis and Russell Brown, wrote for the majority.

It is also intended to provide some assurance to accused persons, to victims and their families, to witnesses, and to the public that s. 11(b) is not a hollow promise.

Almost anyone who regularly toils in courthouses across Ontario  judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers  would say that despite previous rulings on delays from the Supreme Court and judicial warnings from lower courts, successive federal and provincial governments have failed to properly resource the justice system in a way that would ensure its fairness and efficiency.

It is time for our senior levels of government to commit to a strategy that will ensure that these constitutionally guaranteed objectives are met, Judge Peter Wright of the Ontario Court of Justice wrote in a decision in January 2010, staying drug charges due to delay.

Government has had more than 20 years to improve upon the systemic deficiencies which continue to erode the constitutional rights protected by s. 11(b) of our Charter  for the benefit of persons charged and for our society alike. Yet the situation only grows worse by the day.

So Jordan was, in principle, a necessary jolt to the system, legal observers say. The resulting stay of charges, particularly in the Picard case, has in turn incensed the public, which has pushed politicians into action.

If victims are mad at anybody, they should not be mad at the courts, they should be mad at governments, which have consistently made business decisions to underfund the system in the expectations that judges will let them off the hook, said lawyer Frank Addario, who represented Ontarios Criminal Lawyers Association as an intervener in the Jordan case.

All the Supreme Court of Canada has done is say that when you continually violate the constitution, were obliged to give the defendant a remedy. Its not a reward. Its a remedy for a past violation . . . Its easy to avoid if you dont make the business decision to violate the right to a speedy trial.

In the aftermath of Jordan, provincial governments have poured millions of dollars into beefing up the justice system. In Ontario, Attorney General Yasir Naqvi announced that the government would appoint 13 new judges to the Ontario Court of Justice and 32 new Crown prosecutors, among other changes, though critics say that still falls short of what is needed.

Naqvi is also pleading with federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to fill the 11 judicial vacancies in the under-resourced Superior Court.

He told the Star that hes hearing more and more stories of it taking much longer now to schedule civil and family matters in Superior Court  cases which do not carry the same constitutional right for a trial in a reasonable time.

All because resources are being diverted to deal with criminal matters in response to Jordan timelines, Naqvi said. The issue has a domino effect. As much as we are focused on the criminal justice system, we also have a responsibility to civil and family law. Thats why I feel its even more imperative that we find an expedited way of filling those vacancies.

Jordans lawyers, along with the Criminal Lawyers Association and others, had asked the Supreme Court to recalibrate the rather flexible legal analysis around delay, arguing that far too often cases were still going to trial despite having spent years in the system.

And while the court certainly did proceed to recalibrate, they also came up with their own numbers: 18 and 30.

Therein lies the problem, experts say, not to mention the four Supreme Court judges who did not agree with Moldaver and company. None of the lawyers proposed those numbers. None of the lawyers were asked for submissions on those numbers.

They invented them, Addario said of the numerical ceilings.

The majority explained that they reached the new framework after conducting a qualitative review of almost every reported decision on delay from appeal courts in the last 10 years, and many rulings from trial courts.

By reading these cases with the new framework in mind, we were able to get a rough sense of how the new framework would have played out in some past cases, the majority wrote. Indeed, we note that in the seminal case of Askov, the delay was in the range of 30 months, as it was in Godin some 19 years later, and in both cases, this court found the delays to be unreasonable.

The now-retired Justice Thomas Cromwell, writing for the minority, which included Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, pulled no punches in calling out the majority for swooping in with the new numbers without any debate. (The minority also concluded that in Jordans case, specifically, the delay was unreasonable and they agreed his charges should be stayed.)

Cromwell said he fundamentally disagreed with the approach of the majority, calling it both unwarranted and unwise.

Based on the limited evidence in the record, the presumptive time periods proposed by my colleagues are unlikely to improve the pace at which the vast majority of cases move through the system while risking judicial stays in potentially thousands of cases, he wrote.

One of the themes that appears throughout the courts jurisprudence on the right to be tried within a reasonable time is that reasonableness cannot be judicially defined with precision or captured by a number. The proposed ceilings are deeply inconsistent with this constant in our jurisprudence.

The focal point of Cromwells reasons is that determining whether an accused has been tried within a reasonable time is inherently case-specific, and should take into account a balancing of several factors, including societys interests in bringing a case to trial, especially when a very serious offence has been committed.

If there are exceptionally strong societal interests in the prosecution of a case against an accused which substantially outweigh the societal interest and the interest of the accused person in prompt trials, these can serve as an acceptable basis upon which exceeding the inherent and institutional requirements of a case can be justified, Cromwell wrote.

The Supreme Court majority noted that the ceiling is not an aspirational target, and that the public should expect that most cases are still resolved before coming close to 18 or 30 months.

They left the door open to the defence to still argue unreasonable delay even if the ceiling has not been breached, as long as the defence can prove they took meaningful steps that demonstrate a sustained effort to expedite the proceedings and that the case took markedly longer than it should have. But the majority also admitted that stays in such cases would be rare.

Defence lawyers, as well as the Supreme Court minority, took issue with this, as the onus to bring an accused to trial in a reasonable time has always been on the Crown.

Its the Crowns obligation, and yet the defence lawyer needs to essentially participate or take a significantly active role in bringing their own client to trial, said Toronto criminal defence lawyer Daniel Brown.

That wasn't the law before, it said we can't forget that it's the Crown's duty to bring an accused to trial, and as long as the defence lawyer wasnt standing in the way of that, there wasn't this obligation imposed on them.

Criminal defence lawyers in Ontario have said the 18-month ceiling in provincial court is too high, saying the average time in the Ontario Court of Justice is closer to the 12-month range.

As for Superior Court  where the seriousness of offences, jury trials and other factors add to the complexity  some have voiced concern the 30-month ceiling may be too low.

While the Supreme Court majority may have said the ceilings are not aspirational targets, that would not appear to be the actual reality in the lower courts post-Jordan, as defence lawyers have spoken of the prosecution and the courts putting off dealing with their cases in a quicker fashion because theyre not close to the ceiling.

Brown said the new reality is that an accused person who isnt nearing the ceiling can actually be penalized for taking every step to get to trial as quickly as possible.

Youre the first case to get bumped, he said. Because their case is no longer in jeopardy of being delayed, theyre easily moved to a new court date, meaning the accused has to re-prepare their case, their life remains on hold, the defence lawyer has to charge an extra fee.

For example, Brown spoke of a client charged with sexual assault two years ago who was set to go on trial last month, but the case got pushed to August. They said there are other cases that have taken longer than yours, Brown said.

Defence lawyers have also complained of important procedural rights for their clients being bypassed to save time, such as the Crown seeking what are known as preferred indictments to send an accused straight to trial without first having a preliminary hearing.

My view is that the (Jordan) decision is going to do far more harm than good for accused individuals, said Toronto criminal defence lawyer Sean Robichaud. Protections that accused persons would otherwise enjoy are being sacrificed, or waived under coercive circumstances, to avoid a problem they often did not contribute towards.

The lasting impact of R v. Jordan may not be known for several years. Appeals of stays of proceedings, such as the Picard murder case, are moving through the courts. One or more of them will likely end up before the Supreme Court, where the majority said that the numbers they imposed may need to be revisited one day.

I still dont know what to think of it, Gottardi, Jordans lawyer, told the Star.

I really do think it took some courage to write it. Whether theyre right or wrong, time will be the judge of that. It threw out 20 years of jurisprudence and we need a better way. This might not be a better way, but its thinking outside the usual box, and courts dont often do that. They get credit for that in my books.

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Mayor John Tory publicly voted to support a gender equality approach to city budgeting while allied councillors were instructed by his office to vote against it.

The councillor pushing for that equality says the move by Tory smacks of dishonesty, what preceded his participation in International Womens Day events earlier this month.

At a February meeting of council where the 2017 budget was finalized, Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 27 Toronto Centre-Rosedale) moved a motion asking staff to develop a gender-based framework to look at next years budget and the impacts of budgetary and policy decisions on various genders, something Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus Liberal government is planning for the upcoming 2017 budget.

Wong-Tams motion passed 26 to 18 with Torys support.

But what Wong-Tam didnt know at the time is that whats known at city hall as a cheat sheet was circulated by the mayors office to councillors allied with the mayor. That cheat sheet, which the Star has seen a copy of, told those councillors to vote against her motion. Seven of Torys hand-picked executive members voted against the motion.

Wong-Tam told the Star she was disappointed to learn about the cheat sheet instructions after the vote, saying she believed she had the mayors support after speaking with him that morning.

You cant stand publicly and purport that you support gender equality and that you can not stand in front of audience of women and tell them how important their economic participation is in civic life and that youll do everything you can to ensure that you can help, which was his message during International Womens Day . . . and then be working behind the scenes to undermine those efforts to achieve equality, she said.

The Star has also learned Tory voted in favour of adding a new position to the citys newcomer office, which helps with resettling refugees, while the cheat sheet instructed others to do the opposite.

Tory has publicly advocated for Toronto as a welcome haven for refugees and is sponsoring a Syrian family as part of a private group.

Mihevcs motion narrowly passed in a 24 to 20 vote. Eight of Torys executive members voted against it.

I think the onus is on the mayors office to explain the discrepancy, Mihevc told the Star.

The Star contacted Torys office for an explanation of why the mayor voted one way but his allies were instructed to do the opposite. A response from spokesperson Don Peat did not address those discrepancies.

The mayors votes speak for themselves. He voted in favour of Councillor Wong-Tams gender equity motion and Councillor Mihevc's newcomer office motion because he supported them, Peat said in an email, before listing other unrelated items the mayor supported at that meeting.

Torys administration is not unique in instructing friendly council members on how to vote. Its a practice that occurred both under former mayors Rob Ford and David Miller.

It remains unclear why the mayors office wanted some to vote against the gender equality and newcomer office motions or if the goal was for the motions to lose.

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After taking weeks to come to an estimate of $300,000 for the cost of a byelection to fill the trustee seat left vacant by Nancy Elgie, the York Region District School Board now says an election can be done for half that.

Until this week, the school board used an estimate provided by the Town of Georgina from the 2014 municipal election, and suggested that a byelection would cost upwards of $300,000.

The high number shocked residents and some trustees who said they couldnt justify such a high cost, especially when the municipal election is just a year-and-a-half away.

But this week, the Town of Georgina provided a new estimate of $162,534.

During our analysis, we remained cognizant of concerns with respect to excessive costs and looked at efficiencies that could be realized (i.e. less voting tabulators, reduced number of advance voting locations, vote anywhere capabilities and less staffing), wrote John Espinosa, the town clerk, in a letter the board posted online Thursday.

We believe this new estimate to be a fair representation of costs related to the conduct of an open, transparent and fair election, he said.

The board has yet to come to a decision on how the seat, which had been held by Elgie since 2000, will be filled. At a meeting earlier this month, trustees voted to hold community consultations to give Georgina residents a say. The consultations have been scheduled for Thursday evening, at two area high schools.

Having a community consultation on filling a trustee vacancy is not only a first, it also respects parents who want their voices heard, especially given concerns about the board right now, said Loralea Carruthers, the new board chair. Were also balancing aiming to get a trustee to represent Georgina as quickly as possible, but we want to do it in a way that engages and respects the community.

The board has also suggested the idea of an appointment process or hiring the second runner up from the 2014 election.

Both would be significantly cheaper than a byelection.

Estimates for an appointment range from $10,000 to $60,000, if the board hires a consultant.

Both a byelection and appointment would fill the seat by the end of May.

Western University political science professor Zack Taylor says appointments at the municipal level are not unique, especially past the halfway mark in a term. In 2015-2016, the Toronto District School Board held four byelections at a cost of $1 million, according to a board spokesman.

If you are going to have a byelection, you have to hold it with all the same rigour of a normal election, no matter what the office is, said Taylor.

As many people say, democracy is expensive. 

In the estimate provided by the town, about a third of the cost, $50,000, is for salaries during the election. Equipment rentals are pegged at about $33,000 and postage, and stationery are budgeted at $20,000 apiece.

Georgina resident Jason Koblovsky says, despite the high cost, he believes the residents deserve to have their say.

I think the cost of a byelection at this time is a diversion, said Koblovsky. People are fed up with the board politics . . . and we just want our voices heard, he said. And because of what has happened with Elgie, theres a lot of interest in the election . . . , so its a really good opportunity for the community to get out and choose the best candidate.

Elgie resigned on Feb. 17 following months of controversy over her use of the word n----- to refer to a black parent after a public meeting in November.

In a speech posted on YouTube, the 82-year-old Elgie said she was truly sorry for the pain my words have caused. She blamed a head injury for causing her to confuse her words.

Since 1991, the board has filled vacancies five times, after trustees died or were elected to another public office. All of those were filled through the appointment process.

Investigators appointed by the province are weeks away from issuing their report on continuing problems within the board. These include the accusation it has ignored incidents of racism and Islamophobia. And there are questions about trustee spending and a continuing culture of fear within the board.

The report is to be completed by Apr. 7.

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The countrys oldest sugar maple has been around a lot longer than Canada itself.

The Comfort Maple, which stands 24.4 metres tall, can be found in Pelham, Niagara Region. With a trunk six metres in circumference, its estimated to be between 441 and 541 years old, according to the Ontario Forestry Association. The tree was named after the Comfort family, who bought the land in 1816.

Keeping the visually stunning tree alive is the job of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. It has a long-term lease of the land around the tree  999 years or when the tree dies, whichever comes first, said the authoritys Michael Reles. The authority has a full-time arborist who prunes and tends the tree. But the maple is showing its years: the middle is rotting and cavities have been filled with concrete; cables are used to stabilize the branches.

Regardless of precisely how old the Comfort Maple is  theres no denying the tree has been alive during pivotal parts of Canadian history. To commemorate this, a local artisan turns pruned branches into one-of-a-kind pens (foundation@npca.ca ), which raise money to help take care of the tree.

This year, there is a special sesquicentennial design for the pen, added Reles.

Timeline of historical events during the Comfort Maples life

1534: The Comfort Maple would have been a wisp of a thing when French explorer Jacques Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence River looking for a passage to Asia. He is credited for naming Canada after the Huron-Iroquois word kanata, meaning settlement.

1615: The Father of New France, Samuel de Champlain, arrived in Ontario.

1764: A tract of land along the western side of the Niagara River was exchanged in the Treaty of Fort Niagara, signed by the Crowns William Johnson and 24 First Nations including the Six Nations, the Seneca, the Wyandot, the Algonquin, the Menominee and the Mississaugas.

1783: Waves of United Empire Loyalists entered Canada, including the Niagara Region, following the American Revolution.

1812: The war between the British and the Americans spilled over into the Niagara region in early October 1812, when American soldiers crossed the Niagara River. Eight months later, Laura Secord would make her famous walk from Queenston to warn the British of an American attack.

1814: The Treaty of Ghent is signed on Christmas Eve, ending the War of 1812 and establishing the Niagara River as the natural border between Upper Canada and the U.S.

1844: By this time, 40,000 slaves had made their way up from America, crossing at Lake Erie, Niagara or Detroit to find freedom in Canada.

1867: The Province of Canada (formerly Upper and Lower Canada) united with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to form the Dominion of Canada.

1914: The start of the Great War. To safeguard Canadas border, the Welland Canal Force was used to protect the canal, the bridges across Niagara River and the hydroelectric facilities.

194: The Rainbow Bridge officially opened, connecting Canada and the U.S., across the Niagara River gorge.

1959: Niagara Falls would never be the same with the opening of Louis Tussauds wax museum.

1970: The town of Pelham was incorporated.

2017: Canada celebrates 150 years but it is just one more birthday year for the Comfort Maple.

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TOKYONorth Korea has conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine that leader Kim Jong Un is calling a revolutionary breakthrough for the countrys space program.

Kim attended the test at the Sohae launch site, according to a report Sunday by the Korean Central News Agency, which said the test was intended to confirm the new type of engines thrust power and gauge the reliability of its control system and structural safety.

The KCNA report said Kim called the test a great event of historic significance for the countrys indigenous rocket industry.

He also said the whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries and claimed the test marks what will be known as the March 18 revolution in the development of the countrys rocket industry.

The report indicated the engine is to be used for North Koreas space and satellite-launching program.

North Korea is banned by the United Nations from conducting long-range missile tests, but it claims its satellite program is for peaceful use, a claim many in the U.S. and elsewhere believe is questionable.

North Korean officials have said that under a five-year plan they intend to launch more Earth observation satellites and what would be the countrys first geostationary communications satellite  which would be a major technological advance.

Getting that kind of satellite into place would likely require a more powerful engine than its previous ones. The North also claims it is trying to build a viable space program that would include a moon launch within the next 10 years.

The test was conducted as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is in China on a swing through Asia that has been closely focused on concerns over how to deal with Pyongyangs nuclear and missile programs.

Its hard to know whether this test was deliberately timed to coincide with Tillersons visit, but Pyongyang has been highly critical of ongoing U.S.-South Korea wargames just south of the Demilitarized Zone and often conducts some sort of high-profile operation of its own in protest.

Earlier this month, it fired off four ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, reportedly reaching within 200 kilometres (120 miles) of Japans shoreline.

Japan, which was Tillersons first stop before travelling to South Korea and China, hosts tens of thousands of U.S. troops.

During diplomatic meetings in Japan and South Korea this week, Tillerson called for tougher sanctions on Pyongyang and said the U.S. would not rule out military action against the country.

While building ever better long-range missiles and smaller nuclear warheads to pair with them, North Korea has marked a number of successes in its space program.

It launched its latest satellite  the Kwangmyongsong 4, or Brilliant Star 4  into orbit on Feb. 7 last year, just one month after conducting what it claims was its first hydrogen-bomb test.

It put its first satellite in orbit in 2012, a feat few other countries have achieved. Rival South Korea, for example, has yet to do so.

The new rocket marked the new birth of the Juche-based rocket industry, state-run news agency KCNA reported, adding that it would help consolidate the countrys technological foundation in world-level satellite delivery capability.

Juche is North Koreas homegrown ideology and the word itself translates as self-reliance.

With files from Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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TOKYOKim Jong Un has presided over a rocket engine test of historic significance, North Korean state media said Sunday, a test that coincided with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillersons visit to neighbouring China.

The young North Korean leader declared that the whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries, the report said, declaring Saturday as the March 18 revolution because of the great leaping forward in North Koreas rocket industry.

The Kim regime has a history of making exaggerated claims and belligerent threats that it cant back up, but the latest boast comes amid heightened tensions in the region.

North Korea has been making steady and observable progress with its missile program, and Tillerson said Friday that that all options, including military ones, were on the table to stop it.

The rocket engine that North Korea tested appeared to be powered with liquid fuel, according to Melissa Hanham, an expert at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, rather than the solid fuel the regimes engineers have been working on recently. Liquid fuel rockets are much easier to spot with satellites because they require more outdoor preparation.

There is nothing about this rocket engine itself that makes me more terrified, but taken as a whole, its pretty clear that they are trying to give us proof of their growing missile program, Hanham said.

Read more:

North Korea launches 4 banned ballistic missiles, South Korea, Japan say

U.S. ready to take military action against North Korea if necessary, Tillerson says

North Korea tests new high-thrust engine, hails historic day

Kim said in his New Years address in January that North Korea had entered the final stage of preparation for the test launch of intercontinental ballistic missile. This ICBM would be aimed at reaching the United States mainland.

Since then, North Korea has fired a medium-range missile that appeared to show significant technological advances. This month, it launched a barrage of four missiles, three of which landed within Japans exclusive economic zone.

While the missiles themselves werent new, the tactic was, analysts said. The simultaneous firings appeared designed to outsmart the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense antimissile battery that the United States is deploying to South Korea, which would have difficulty shooting down four targets at once.

The rocket engine tested Saturday was developed by the Norths Academy of the National Defence Science and marked the start of a Juche-based rocket industry, the Korean Central News Agency report said, alluding to the North Korean concept of self reliance. It was developed without dependence on the technology of other countries, KCNA said.

The report marks the latest challenge to the United States from Kims defiant regime. In a stop in Seoul on Friday, Tillerson said that all options are on the table for dealing with North Korea and that, while the United States did not want a military confrontation, it would resort to military actions if necessary.

A short time later, before Tillerson was set to leave for Beijing, President Donald Trump tweeted: North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help!

On Saturday, China urged the Trump administration to remain cool-headed over North Korea and not to turn its back on dialogue.

No matter what happens, we have to stay committed to diplomatic means as a way to seek peaceful settlement, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. We hope all parties, including our friends from the United States, could size up the situation in a cool-headed and comprehensive fashion and arrive at a wise decision.

For his part, Tillerson struck a more conciliatory tone in Beijing than he had a day earlier in Seoul, stressing that Beijing and Washington shared a common view that North Korea must be stopped.

Missile experts are waiting for higher-resolution photos of the rocket engine from North Koreas state media for clues about the technology. The engine appeared smaller than one tested in April last year, and the colour of the flame would provide clues about the type of fuel used, said Hanham, the non-proliferation expert.

Its smaller size could mean that the rocket was built for a smaller missile  or for the second stage of a bigger missile, like an ICBM, she said.

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LOS ANGELESA SpaceX capsule is back on Earth with a full load of space station science samples.

The Dragon cargo ship parachuted into the Pacific on Sunday off the Southern California coast. Astronauts set it free from the International Space Station 5 1/2 hours earlier.

The Dragon flew to the space station a month ago from the same Florida launch pad used for NASAs Apollo moon shots. It took up more than 5,000 pounds of supplies and brought back just as much in completed experiments and used equipment.

NASAs other supplier, Orbital ATK, plans to launch its own supply ship Friday, also from Cape Canaveral, Florida. That one, however, burns up on re-entry.

The space station is home to one Frenchman, two Americans and three Russians.

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Early last year, I joked that the Conservative leadership race was more like the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs than a contest for head of a national party. Today, as more and more would-be leaders jump into the pool, Ive come to think of it as the story of 101 Dalmatians.

The number of entrants is eye-popping; especially for a party that many pundits have assigned a snowballs shot in hell of winning the next election.

Watching the leadership debates  with 14 participants strolling onto the stage one by one  is like watching a seemingly impossible number of clowns pop out of a Volkswagen Beetle. And the debates themselves dont seem to be debates so much as hours-long question-and-answer snore fests with as little chance of risk, spontaneity and mistakes as possible.

Indeed, more than once, a few of the leadership contestants have looked perilously close to dozing off during what should be a career-defining event.

The decision to enter a leadership campaign is not one made lightly. It involves raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to campaign non-stop across the country for months.

Its a strain on health, personal finances and family.

And to top it all off, candidates are competing for a sometimes dubious prize  one that comes with an even more punishing life. A party leader must renew their commitment to non-stop campaigning. In public, that means everything from a strawberry social in Charlottetown to meeting in a church basement in Kelowna.

And within the backrooms of their own party, the new leader has to survive dark rumblings from a caucus desperate to return to power, not all that confident it now has the right leader for the job.

So why have so many Conservatives taken the plunge? It is, after all, a contest that will end in disappointment for 13, and an impossibly daunting task for the lucky winner.

An observer of U.S. politics once remarked that every morning, 535 members of Congress look at themselves in the mirror and see a future president staring back at them.

The same is true in Canada.

The prospect of leading a party that is but one election cycle away from winning government and launching a new chapter in political history is very tempting for many who have, for years, looked at and listened to Stephen Harper and thought, I could do better.

Thats why, when theres an opening for the leadership of one of the two federal parties in Canada that have formed government, the work begins in earnest.

With major candidates such as John Baird, Peter MacKay and Jason Kenney absent from the current federal Conservative party contest, the race becomes even more attractive to other contestants.

The simple fact there is no clear front-runner with a run away band wagon of support means that not one candidates chances are as good as an other.

The fee to get into the race was $100,000  an amount most members of Parliament and business people who want to enter politics could easily raise. And, many will feel that, with so many candidates to split the vote, they have a hope of winning.

But it is an unpleasant fact that 13 of the contenders will lose. An even more unpleasant fact is that a significant number will lose quite badly, ending with as little as 2 per cent of the vote.

Why, then, are they all still in the race? Why havent some of them dropped out, and spared themselves the embarrassment?

There are a number of reasons.

For many of the 14, it is like the first round of a poker game. The have anted up, their money is in, so why not wait and see what happens?

For some, they are running not so much to win this time, but more to raise their profile and build their network for a second run against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Others are on a mission to raise the profile of an issue they care deeply about; a good example is Rick Petersons one-man mission to rid Canada of corporate income tax

And then, of course, there is yet another reason  vanity.

Many candidates didnt receive this much attention when they were elected to Parliament 10 years ago with visions of stars in their eyes. They are flattered by the sustained media and Internet attention.

Many of the 14 candidates are deluding themselves that they have a chance at winning. Perhaps its a delusion that can be forgiven, but on May 27 they will face the harsh reality of the results of the leadership vote.

I would wager, however, that several people will wake up the morning of May 28 kicking themselves for having let the glare of attention blind them to the reality of the result.

Jaime Watt is the executive chairman of Navigator Ltd. and a Conservative strategist.

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Re: In defence of lawyers contingency fees, March 14

In defence of lawyers contingency fees, March 14

The writer claims in his opinion piece that my bill, the Personal Injury and Accident Victims Protection Act, 2017, will harm injury victims by limiting excessive fees, contingency and otherwise. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Bill 103 would stop injury victims from being victimized twice: first by their accident and then by the unscrupulous practices of some lawyers. The Star has been exposing numerous practices such as double dipping, where costs are piled onto contingency fees so that in several cases victims are keeping less than half of their court settlements.

The writer doesnt mention the questionable practice of referral fees. Some law firms that advertise non-stop receive a fee for referring a client to another firm, often without the clients knowledge or consent. My bill bans referral fees.

Bill 103 will also put a stop to the tsunami of misleading advertising by requiring that all ads be reviewed and approved by the Law Society of Upper Canada, the self-regulatory body of lawyers.

The bill will ensure that standard, clear and transparent language is used in all contracts. All costs and fees as well as how they are calculated are to be disclosed so that lay people can understand what they are signing. Clients will be allowed a 10-day cooling-off period after signing an agreement.

Finally, the writer implies that recent stories of abuse are exceptional cases that the Law Society is addressing. However, according to the Star, between 2011-2015 there were 604 complaints reported regarding advertising and not one disciplinary action was taken by the Law Society. Currently, there is a case before the courts where a class-action law suit is being pursued on behalf of thousands of clients because of the abuses of one personal injury firm.

The Law Society of Upper Canada has been aware of these abuses and complaints for years but seems unable to curb these unethical practices. If the Law Society and the government wont do its job of protecting accident victims from this dysfunctional system, then who will? That is why I have introduced Bill 103, to get started on the much overdue reforms that will protect accident victims and restore integrity to the system.

Mike Colle, MPP Eglinton-Lawrence

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Re: Career interrupted, March 14

Career interrupted, March 14

Reading this article about the difficulties of combining a career, children and especially freelance, I am struck by how women dont realize that this will all mean a pittance in pension money when it comes to retirement.

Because of family obligations, women earn some of the most ridiculously low pension incomes in Canada, way below the poverty line. But it is still taxable.

Nothing is ever mentioned about this. If you are a primary caregiver, you are given scant recompense for this despite the fact that if no one was doing this job, the whole social structure would collapse.

The work women do in handling these tasks is not given sufficient monetary value and the result is extreme poverty levels in senior women.

Why this government, seemingly focused on equality for women, is not recognizing this injustice and rectifying it, as other countries  like Holland, for instance  have done, is not to be understood.

If Canada values womens unpaid labour, it should reward them with a livable pension when they reach retirement age. It should not just pay lip service. Put the money where your mouth is.

Mariel Schooff, Orangeville, Ont.

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The August 8 General Election is drawing closer each day and political activities in the country are heightened

Incumbents are doing all they can to retain their seats as new comers are freshening up to take over from those they believe have not delivered to the citizens

The gubernatorial seat, by now, is the most sought after seat compared to the rest. Many Kenyans believe it is hotly contested because of the resources that flow through the governors' coffers. Every one wants to control them.

Kidero.

READ ALSO: What Uhuru told KDF soldiers during his historic and surprise visit in Somalia

And no one has charged towards that seat than senators, the people mandated to oversight on the functions of national governments.

TUKO.co.ke looks at some of the governors who are facing serious challengers in the coming election and who are at risk of losing their seats.

1. Evans Kidero - Nairobi

Kidero is among the most popular governors in the country. His popularity has been necessitated by a number of reasons, among them Nairobi being the capital of Nairobi. But his closest rivals, Jubilee's Mike Sonko and Peter Kenneth, are eyeing the seat because they feel Kidero has terribly failed city dwellers. He has been accused of massive corruption, failing to bring order to the city and increased crimes. Sonko and Kenneth are a serious threat to Kidero's survival. Sonko is the senator of Nairobi.

2. Jackson Mandagor - Uasin Gishu

Mandagor

The Jubilee governor is facing a serious threat from tycoon Ezekiel Bundotich. The tycoon has vowed to kick Mandago out of office on grounds that he has failed to deliver to the electorate the promises he made. Bundotich's threat is real, and just like Mandago, is a close ally of Deputy President William Ruto.

3. Hassan Joho - Mombasa

READ ALSO: Days after he was insulted by Uhuru,Joho seen 'copying' Jesus(photo)

The fiery Mombasa governor is already a house-hold name in Kenya thanks to his opposition to the Jubilee administration and specifically his numerous clashes with President Uhuru Kenyatta. The latest was when Joho was held by police when he tried to gain access to a function presided over by Uhuru. Jubilee has fronted Suleiman Shahbal to challenge Joho for the seat. And with the resources at their disposal and the perceived numerous defections, Joho faces a serious threat come August.

4. Mwangi wa Iria- Murang'a

Mwangi wa Iria

Mwangi wa Iria has been grabbing headlines thanks to his dairy initiative in Murang'a county. However, he faces serious opposition from MP Jamleck Kamau who is eyeing the Murang'a county governorship seat. Kamau has pointed out that Wa Iria has not delivered to the electorate and that his government has been implicated in corruption. Opinion is also very divided on social media whether Wa Iria deserves a second term or not.

5. Wycliffe Oparanya - Kakamega

The ODM deputy party leader is a close ally of opposition leader Raila Odinga but he faces stiff competition from Senator Boni Khalwale, his colleague in NASA. Khalwale believes Oparanya's government has been embroiled in corruption and does not deserve a second term. He says he is the most suitable candidate for the governor of Kakamega.

6. Jack Ranguma - Kisumu

READ ALSO: Kenyans overwhelmed with joy as Gladys; the blind woman who couldn't breathe on her own, received an UNEXPECTED miracle

Ranguma is another ODM governor facing serious opposition from members of the ODM party. Kisumu Senator Anyang' Nyong'o and Raila Odinga's sister Ruth Odinga have all declared interest in the seat. Both are popular and have a following. Recently Nyong'o said that when he becomes Kisumu governor, he will clear the mess caused by Ranguma. He will not accept the name 'His Excellency' and will not allow his wife to assume the title of 'First Lady'.

7. James Ongwae - Kisii

James Ongwae with Raila Odinga

Ongwae is another close ally of Raila Odinga but his leadership at the Kisii county is under serious threat with the decamping of Kisii Senator Chris Obure to Jubilee Party and declaring interest in the seat. Ongwae and Obure were close ODM allies before the senator joined Jubilee on grounds that he had been sidelined by ODM leader Raila Odinga. Among the things Ongwae has to fight is alleged corruption and nepotism in his government.

8. Joseph Ndathi - Kirinyaga

READ ALSO: The grand plan to finish Mike Sonko politically

Ndathi's chances of retaining his seat are hanging in the balance with the entry of two powerful women in the race: Martha Karua and Anne Waiguru. The two are well-known figures in Kenya but the latter faces a possibility of missing out after the Public Accounts Committee recommended that she be bared from running for a political office. Waiguru is accused of masterminding the looting in NYS when she was CS for devolution. Karua on her part is a seasoned politician who vied for president in 2013 but lost. She poses a serious threat to Ndathi.

9. Amason Kingi - Kilifi

Amason Kingi

The Kilifi governor is another close ally of opposition leader Raila Odinga and a strong critic of the Jubilee administration. Kingi's administration was recently on the spotlight after it emerged millions of shillings were stolen through IFMIS. He now faces a serious threat from Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung'aro who decamped from ODM to Jubilee and will be vying for governor. Jubilee is determined to ensure Kingi is knocked out in the coming election.

10. Salim Mvurya - Kwale

Mvurya was elected on an ODM ticket but decamped to Jubilee and will be defending his seat using the party. However, the opposition is determined to reclaim the seat and has been looking for options that can oust Mvurya. Among them is immediate former ambassador to Tanzania Chirau Mwakwere who recently left Jubilee for Wiper Party. Mwakwere is former MP for Matuga and is a popular figure in the coast. He is likely to give Mvurya a run for his money.

11. Ken Lusaka - Bungoma

READ ALSO: Fan BLASTS Akothee in an extremely acidic way

Ken Lusaka folded his New Ford Kenya Party and joined the Jubilee Party and has been a strong defender of Uhuru's leadership despite coming from an opposition stronghold. Lusaka's government has grabbed headlines for all the wrong reasons, the most infamous being the unique wheelbarrows he bought for use in the county. This explains why one Wycliffe Wangamati's popularity is growing day by day in the county. Wangamati is vying for governor and Lusaka must be having sleepless nights. Then there is Alfred Khangati, another big threat to Lusaka. With the two, Lusaka is worried.

12. Alfred Mutua - Machakos

Alfred Mutua

He may be the most famous and the number one governor in Kenya in terms of development but Mutua is facing a serious threat especially after he left the popular Wiper Party and formed his Maendeleo Chap Chap Party. Wiper is popular in Ukambani snd Wavinya Ndeti of CCU is likely to be backed by Wiper to oust Mutua. Kalonzo Musyoka's influence in Ukambani is likely to influence how residents will vote. He has also declared war against Mutua.

13. Julius Malombe - Kitui

The Wiper governor is Kalonzo Musyoka's favourite for the seat but he is so unpopular among the electorate especially after chaos erupted leading to the killing of a close friend to Charity Ngilu. Malombe now faces a serious threat from Senator David Musila, chairman of Wiper party. Ngilu has also declared she may go for the seat and Malombe should be very wary.

Source: TUKO.co.ke
- President Uhuru Kenyatta made a surprise visit to the KDF soldiers in Somali on Saturday, March 18

- Dressed in full military fatigue, Uhuru was shown around the Dhobley Military Camp including inside the bunkers

Described as a historical sojourn, President Uhuru Kenyatta's surprise visit to a KDF military camp in Somalia was a morale booster to the soldiers battling the al-Shabaab militants.

1.

The Commander-in-Chief, dressed in military fatigue, met KDF and thanked them for their sacrifice and service to their motherland.

READ ALSO: What Uhuru told KDF soldiers during his historic and surprise visit in Somalia

2.

He was shown around the camp, including visiting bunkers where the soldiers seek refuge in case of an attack.

3.

It was President Uhurus first visit to Somalia in the context of lifting morale of Kenyan troops.

READ ALSO: Days after he was insulted by Uhuru,Joho seen 'copying' Jesus(photo)

4.

The Dhobley Military Camp is the headquarters of the AMISOM, a nerve centre and a log base for the UN.

5.

The Head of State assured the KDF that the government will always support and stand with them.

READ ALSO: 7 photos of 'Sultan' Joho which show he is still the boss in Coast

6.

The Kenyan troops are serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia at Dhobley Military Camp where they are battling the al-Shabaab terror group.

7.

READ ALSO: Fast rising Kenyan singer on the RUN after stealing neighbours goat

8.

9.

Source: TUKO.co.ke
As the idea of a mass-marketed driverless car nudges closer to reality, automakers are increasingly coming to terms with the need to address the threat that onboard technology could be targeted by hackers.

So far there has not been a catastrophic attack, but the growing array of potential connections for cars to the Internet  and at least one hacking-related recall  have pushed the industry toward taking action.

One company that sees a potentially lucrative new market is McLean, Va.-based Booz Allen Hamilton, whose employees have long teamed with the intelligence community on classified cybersecurity work.

The 103-year-old management and technology consulting firm has been tapped by an auto industry trade group to set up a system for companies to share potential vulnerabilities, an operation that is being run out of Booz Allens new innovation center in downtown Washington.

The effort is part of Booz Allens attempt to extend its expertise in government work to the commercial sector.

Booz Allen said that nearly all major car manufacturers are working with the Automotive Information Sharing and Analysis Center, known as Auto-ISAC. The chief challenge is reaching out to the vast network of suppliers that provide parts for what is coming to be called the connected car  components of the modern automobile that send and/or receive information over the Internet.

That list is surprisingly long.

Some bumpers and engine parts have sensors that communicate with other parts of the car or with other automobiles. Even tires have small pressure sensors, which security researchers have used to take control of other parts of the car. Taking inventory of all these possible access points and understanding their potential vulnerabilities is likely to become increasingly important.

[Car hacking just got real: In experiment, hackers disable SUV on busy highway]

We know in cyber that any time these threat actors decide they cant get into one window they go around the other side and get in the other window . . . what we call the soft underbelly, said Faye Francy, the new director of Auto-ISAC.

Francy said the organization still has work to do to connect with the supplier community. It has only 18 suppliers feeding information into the system, a tiny corner of a highly fractured industry.

But progress is being made. Last month, seven more suppliers said they were joining the program: Bosch Mobility Solutions, Cooper Standard, Honeywell, Hyundai, Lear Corp., LG Electronics, NXP Semiconductors, and Japanese manufacturer Sumitomo Electric Industries.

All of them produce electronic parts. Bosch makes car systems that communicate electronically from one vehicle to the next, as well as vehicle safety systems. Cooper Standard makes fuel and brake lines, and Hyundai is working on self-driving car systems.

Companies say they are joining out of an abundance of caution.

Nothing huge has happened yet, but the threat is only increasing, said Craig Balis, chief technology officer of Honeywell Transportation Systems, which makes turbochargers and car performance materials. If you can imagine being in your vehicle and you cant control the steering or the brakes or the engine, the worst-case scenario is not really an acceptable one.

Companies that join Auto-ISAC are given access to information about threats their peers are facing.

Some of that information comes from U.S. government agencies and is shared with automakers, said Jon Allen, a Booz Allen principal who managed Auto-ISAC until recently. WikiLeaks recently released documents it claimed suggest that CIA has looked into hacking cars, though The Washington Post could not verify the assertion and the spy agency declined to address it.

[A new money-making strategy: Betting against insecure companies on Wall Street]

[What we know about car hacking, the CIA and those WikiLeaks claims]

Far more data comes from a small-but-thriving industry of independent hackers known as white hats or penetration testers, who help companies find weaknesses before hackers do. Auto-ISACs administrators say the vulnerabilities they have seen have come mainly from such researchers.

There hasnt really been a big front-page malicious event in the automotive industry, but the industry has been probing itself, if you will, Balis said.

Getting automakers to share their vulnerability information is no easy feat given the fierce competition among the companies. Manufacturers tend to be secretive when it comes to the latest details of next-generation products such as self-driving cars.

Were trying to create a culture of trust in a highly competitive industry, Allen said.

[A new money-making strategy: Betting against insecure companies on Wall Street]

That the organization has succeeded in the absence of a major hack, he said, is a mark of the industry being proactive.

Information-sharing efforts in other industries have tended to take hold after a costly hack shined a spotlight on the issue. The retail industrys effort wasnt established until after hacks at Home Depot and Target made headlines and embarrassed retailers. The Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, generally thought to be the most active among its peers, was established in 1999 after online identity theft first proliferated.

But the economics of the auto industry entail a different set of challenges. The time horizons associated with manufacturing mean fixes can be more difficult for a car company to implement than for, say, a bank. Specifications for cars are laid out years ahead of time and fixes can require massive recalls.

Thats what happened last year when Chrysler recalled 1.4 million vehicles after security researchers showed they could wirelessly take over a Jeep, suggesting the car-hacking threat is already becoming a thorn in the industrys side.

As cars become more sophisticated, their connected technology will only get more complicated, some say, opening new vulnerabilities. Companies are starting to realize this.

A lot of this really is herding cats, because everybody has different interests . . . but whats amazing is they have all the cats in the same room, said Paul Kurtz, a cybersecurity expert who served as director of counterterrorism for the George W. Bush administrations National Security Council.
George Braziller, an independent publisher for more than 50 years who supported early novels by Norman Mailer and Arthur Miller and released fiction by Nobel laureates Orhan Pamuk and Claude Simon, died March 16 in Manhattan. He was 101.

A spokesman for his publishing house, George Braziller Inc., confirmed the death. Mr. Braziller had stepped down as publisher at 95 and turned over the company to his son, Michael.

A high school dropout endowed with lifelong curiosity, Mr. Braziller was often likened to his good friend and fellow maverick, Barney Rosset. Both were political leftists and champions of books from overseas and both succeeded by breaking rules, although Mr. Braziller was never in Rossets class as a troublemaker. Rosset went to court to fight censorship of Tropic of Cancer and other works, while Mr. Braziller concentrated on finding quality literature.

Take lots and lots of gambles, an industry veteran once advised Mr. Braziller, but small ones.

He had been running two book clubs when he decided to become a publisher and, with his wife, Marsha, founded George Braziller Inc. in 1955. His first success was a translation of a memoir about the French conflict with Algeria, Henri Allegs La Question, for which Jean-Paul Sartre wrote an introduction.

Over the next half-century, he acquired works from all over the world, from Turkeys Pamuk to Irish author-director Neil Jordan to New Zealands Janet Frame, whose memoir An Angel at My Table helped inspire a film of the same name by Jane Campion.

I was doubly fortunate in the early years to have no preconception about my role as a publisher, Mr. Braziller told author Al Silverman for The Times of Their Lives, a publishing history released in 2008. I simply felt I was on the quest to know more about the world and how others interpreted it, and every new discovery opened to others.

Mr. Braziller published one of the first major books on Vietnam, Ronald Glassers 365 Days. And through an American expatriate living in Paris, Maria Jolas, Mr. Braziller was well connected to the French literary scene. He released translations of many of the countrys most prominent writers, including Sartre, Simon, Marguerite Duras and Nathalie Sarraute, who became one of his best friends.

In the 1960s, he began acquiring art books and enjoyed critical and commercial approval with The Hours of Catherine of Cleves, an illuminated manuscript from the 15th century, and Jazz, a series of paper cutouts by an ailing Henri Matisse that had long been unavailable in the United States. Others he published from the art world included painter Will Barnet and critic-historian Meyer Schapiro.

Mr. Braziller also had a fair track record with American literature. For his Book Find Club, which he started in the early 1940s, he selected Mailers sensational and profane debut novel, The Naked and the Dead.

Mr. Braziller became close with Miller after choosing his first book, the novel Focus. He picked numerous works by and about African Americans and during the height of the Cold War chose a collection of essays critical of Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-Wis.), who led anti-communist witch hunts. Peak membership of the club reached 100,000.

George Braziller was born in Brooklyn on Feb. 12, 1916. He was the son of Russian immigrants and never knew his father, who died while his mother was pregnant with him. His mother cobbled together a living for her seven children by selling clothes from a pushcart.

Mr. Braziller left school after the 10th grade, making him the rare literary publisher without a college education. He dabbled in left-wing politics, joining the Young Communist League and participated in rallies against Gen. Francisco Francos pro-fascist government in Spain.

Early on, he worked for a traveling salesman and as a stock clerk for an overstock book firm. In 1941, he started the Book Find Club, which sold inexpensive books to a working-class clientele.

What got me into publishing was actually my first job. I was a shipping clerk making $15 a week, he told the Brooklyn Rail in 2005. I got a sense of the kind of books that people were reading. And I also was influenced by the legendary English publisher Victor Gollancz, who started the Left Book Club. There was no such thing in America, so I decided to give it a chance.

But I didnt want to call it Left Book Club; instead I called it the Book Find Club. In other words, it was an attempt to look for good literature and distribute it.

He enlisted in the Army in 1943 and was stationed in Europe during World War II. He returned home in 1946 and resumed work with his Book Find Club, which his wife had been running in his absence. Its membership had risen to tens of thousands under her watch.

His wife, the former Marsha Nash, died in 1970. Survivors include their two sons, Michael and Joel; and three grandchildren.

He wrote a memoir, Encounters: My Life in Publishing, published in 2015.
Tomi Lahren of the Blaze, a conservative website, says President Trump called her recently to say, Thank you for your fair coverage of me. (Colin Young-Wolff/Invision/AP)

Some people regard Tomi Lahren as a racist.

The social-media stars past commentary on the conservative website the Blaze, including her disparagement of the Black Lives Matter movement, caused her to be booed when she appeared last year on Trevor Noahs The Daily Show.

Noah acknowledged that  even as he urged his progressive audience to be polite to his guest: Imagine youre at Thanksgiving again and your racist uncle walked in.

But President Trump seems to like her style. He was so taken with Lahrens recent appearance on Sean Hannitys Fox News show that he rang her up.

He called and said, Thank you for your fair coverage of me,  Lahren told Washingtonian magazine, which reported that the president had watched the show live as the 24-year-old waxed enthusiastic about why so many Americans had flocked to Trump: They said: Guess what? This man is doing something amazing. 

Lahren also told Washingtonian that in the 10- or 15-minute conversation with the president, he was asking about me personally, but she gave no details about his questions.

With this uplifting example, I inaugurate an occasional feature: Access Watch, tracking the special treatment  phone calls, interviews, perhaps the lone press seat on the secretary of states plane  that can result when media people play nice.

True, it is not the proper job of journalists to provide favorable coverage but rather to hold powerful figures accountable.

But that doesnt get you far these days, at least in terms of access.

So well be taking note of what does.

Consider Secretary of State Rex Tillersons recent trip to North Asia  his first such foray. Tillerson broke with long-standing tradition by not including State Department reporters on this foreign trip. The norm is to have a solid group of reporters who provide pool reports to others not on the trip, so that American citizens might have a sense of what their government is doing abroad.

Tillerson had only one press representative with him: Erin McPike of the Independent Journal Review, a conservative website founded by Alex Skatell, a former Republican operative.

McPike has little experience covering foreign affairs and has been with IJR only a few weeks, but she had written a piece about why Tillerson might be avoiding the press and how well he and the president were working together behind the scenes to get things done.

The Los Angeles Times noted that her LinkedIn profile touts positive & inspiring stories.

Skatell credited McPikes selection to her tenacious, detailed brand of reporting.

The decision was a way to give access to a broader representation of U.S. media, State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters last week, adding, This is just an attempt to reach beyond the usual suspects, and Im not trying to say that in a demeaning way at all.

Tillersons own words showed how little respect he has for journalists role in keeping citizens informed. He made it all about himself, telling McPike: Im not a big media press access person. I personally dont need it.

And then there is whats been happening in the White House briefing room, where new Skype seats are just one of the ways that nontraditional, right-leaning news organizations are directing the show.

Andrew Marantz, in a New Yorker article called Is Trump Trolling the White House Press Corps?, provided a rundown: Outlets that have become newly visible under the Trump Administration include One America News Network, which was founded in 2013 as a right-wing alternative to Fox News; LifeZette, a Web tabloid founded in 2015 by Laura Ingraham, the radio commentator and Trump ally; Townhall, a conservative blog started by the Heritage Foundation; the Daily Caller, co-founded in 2010 by Tucker Carlson, now a Fox News host; and the enormously popular and openly pro-Trump Breitbart News Network.

Marantz quotes a more veteran journalist about the newcomers: At best, they dont know what theyre doing. At worst, you wonder whether someone is actually feeding them softball questions.

And then the money quote: You cant just have a parade of people asking, When and how do you plan to make America great again? 

And yet, it may be possible.

Those who are surprised by these developments have probably spent the past six months holed up in a Trump hotel with goosedown pillows over their heads.

As Ive noted here before, access journalism for the traditional press has a stake in its heart, and I see no chance of resuscitating the corpse anytime soon.

Still, each fresh example from the new team in town offers its own fascination. Ill be keeping track.

For more by Margaret Sullivan visit wapo.st/sullivan
As communities nationwide are struggling with the opioid pain pill and heroin addiction epidemic, one Maryland school system is examining the idea of creating a recovery school for those who have struggled with substance abuse and are trying to live free of drugs and alcohol. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Kevin Burnes thinks his school saved his life. He arrived there at 14 years old, just out of rehab, and says it was exactly what he needed: a place where kids with drug and alcohol problems could stay on a path of recovery as they worked toward high school graduation.

I have no question that it changed the course of everything I was doing, said Burnes, now a music teacher and musician.

The school that made the difference was Phoenix, in Montgomery County, believed to have been the first of its kind in the country. It opened in 1979 amid concerns about student drug use and continued for decades before fizzling to an end four years ago at a time of flux for alternative programs.

Now the idea may be making a comeback, with school leaders looking into the possibility of a new recovery school program as the nations opioid epidemic draws wide attention. While some in Montgomery pose questions about cost and effectiveness, others say the program worked well years ago and could help those who struggle with addiction today.

I believe there is a need out there, and I believe we certainly could have enough students involved in this to make it successful, said county school board member Rebecca Smondrowski, chair of a committee examining the issue in the 159,000-student district, Marylands largest.

With two campuses at its height, Phoenix provided academics along with group counseling, random drug testing, 12-step programs, peer support and outdoor experiential learning. Parental involvement was required, and enrollment was small, about 50 a year, split between Gaithersburg and Silver Spring.

[Md. School Tries to Raise Teen Addicts From Ashes]

There were hundreds of kids that I know who went through the program and turned their lives around, said Mike Bucci, a Phoenix teacher for 20 years.

Nearly four decades after Phoenix opened, there are 38 recovery high schools across the country, said Andy Finch, a Vanderbilt University researcher. Another five or six are expected to open in the next year, he said, and a string of other proposals are in early stages, including one for a D.C. charter school.

[Opioid epidemic encourages states to open recovery high schools]

Driving the enthusiasm, Finch said, are the increasing awareness of addiction, the surge in opioid-related deaths and a recent documentary that spotlights recovery schools called Generation Found.

I cant remember a time when theres been so much interest in opening schools, he said.

In Montgomery, the idea came in response to growing concerns about substance abuse and addiction. School officials recently outlined options for a recovery school, including one for a regional program that would draw students from other school systems, but no decision has been made about taking on the project.

Montgomerys school board is expected to discuss the issue in the next few months.

We just want the school back  it never should have closed, said Patty Winters, leader of a group called Phoenix Rising: Maryland Recovery School Advocates, which is pushing for a modern version of the old school.

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) declared a state of emergency in Maryland related to the opioid crisis, committing an additional $50 million over five years to beef up enforcement, prevention and treatment.

[Maryland governor declares state of emergency for opioid crisis]

In Montgomery, opioid-related deaths were up 40 percent in 2016 from a year earlier among those 18 and older, county officials say.

Though K-12 students have not been part of that spike in deaths, drug-related visits to Montgomery emergency rooms are up for youth ages 6 to 18  from 411 in 2013 to 493 in 2015, an increase of 20 percent, said Raymond Crowel, chief of behavioral health and crisis services for Montgomery County.

I would argue that at least some of that is related to the increase in opiate use, he said.

Crowel said the idea of a new school raises questions about which students would be admitted, how long they would stay and what the academic setting would be like.

He says more rigorous research is needed on recovery schools and wonders whether they are the most cost-effective answer or if interventions in regular high schools might be a better option.

The devil is in the details, he said.

Nationally, many recovery schools enroll 20 to 45 students, with an average cost of $12,000 to $20,000 per pupil, said Sasha McLean, board chair of the Association of Recovery Schools and executive director of Archway Academy in Houston.

When Phoenix started, Brian Berthiaume, founding program coordinator, said there was no model for what worked best. The school grew more successful as it added random drug testing and 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, he said. Many students completed the program and graduated.

But over the years, support faltered for the original model, said Berthiaume. Staff left, feeling it had lost its focus, according to Bucci, the longtime teacher. Phoenix was eventually consolidated with other alternative programs and just three students were enrolled when it closed, district officials said.

Its important for a new school to have steady backers from school boards and top administrators, Berthiaume said: Hopefully this time itll have more consistent support at higher levels.

Research has begun to show promising outcomes for students in treatment who then attend recovery schools, said Finch, of Vanderbilt. He and three researchers from other universities, in a joint project, found relapse rates significantly lower for students attending recovery schools, he said.

While no scholarly analysis was done of Phoenixs effectiveness, Finch said, it appears to have succeeded.

In education, you dont find programs that last so long if theyre not working, if theyre not doing something good, he said.

Former students recall the importance of the schools recovery-minded community, apart from their old friends and bad habits. At Phoenix, other teenagers were trying to stay clean; they often remained at Phoenix a year or two, then returned to their high schools or graduated.

Henry Bockman, 48, who attended in the mid-1980s and is now a business owner in the county, says he recalls team-building during outdoor trips  rock climbing, caving, rafting  Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, support from other teenagers and teachers who took the time to really know students.

It took you out of a negative element and put you into a positive element, he said. It gave you better coping mechanisms so everything didnt get bottled up.

[Day of Triumph At Phoenix High]

Lindsay Maines, 42, who graduated in 1992 and is now a mom of four, said she was drinking, taking acid and just melting down before she landed at Phoenix in Gaithersburg at age 15.

It was definitely scary, she said. But it had so much structure and there was no avoiding the issues we had all been avoiding.

Looking back, she said, it helped to have a peer group that was consistently trying to make the right choices and stay sober.

Maines said she would not have graduated without Phoenix. Not everyone who attended Phoenix thrived, she said, but she believes the numbers are better than they would have been without the recovery school. Phoenix took these kids at really critical points and said there are other choices, she said.

Kevin Burnes, 46, was among those who made good. He spent 10th and 11th grades at Phoenix, and said it gave him  and his family  a way through what had become a rough situation.

He had been drinking, smoking a lot of pot and doing some PCP, popular at the time. His parents sent him to rehab and then insisted on Phoenix as a condition of coming home. Both parents were involved in the school.

A singleness of purpose, to me, was why the school was successful, he said. Without that environment, I probably would have gone back to what I was doing.
Higher Education

Student-loan defaults were on rise in 2016

A new analysis of federal student loans reveals that the number of people severely behind on repaying their debt has soared in the past year, painting a bleak picture of one of the largest government programs.

The Consumer Federation of America released a study Tuesday that found that millions of people had not made a payment on $137 billion in federal student loans for at least nine months in 2016, a 14 percent increase in defaults from a year earlier. The consumer watchdog used the latest data from the Education Department, which manages $1.3 trillion in federal student debt owed by 42.4 million Americans.

Danielle Douglas-Gabriel
A girl watches a workshop in Los Angeles for immigrants to make a preparedness plan, in case they are confronted by immigration officials, at the charter school near where Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez was arrested by ICE agents. (David Mcnew/AFP/Getty Images)

The schools superintendent in Harrisonburg, Va., was meeting parents this month when a mother broke down in tears, explaining that she was undocumented. What would the school do, she asked, if she became separated from her children?

I remember walking up to her and putting my arm on her shoulder and saying, Your child is safe at our school,  said Scott Kizner, the city schools chief. But he also advised those at the meeting in the Shenandoah Valley that any parents worried about deportation need to make plans.

Across the country, President Trumps promise to crack down on illegal immigration is leading schools with large immigrant communities to consider how to care for children whose parents could be detained in federal raids. Parents, teachers and administrators have raised questions about how schools should respond if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents come to a school to take away students or obtain records  even though the agencys policy restricts enforcement actions on school grounds.

Officials in Sacramento, Denver, Chicago and Miami have declared their schools havens, out of reach of ICE agents without special permission or a warrant.

The Los Angeles school board voted days after the November election to resist any Trump administration attempts to use student data against students or families in immigration matters. A Wisconsin school district sent information home advising parents to keep their doors shut, stay silent and refuse to sign anything if ICE agents visit their home.

In Virginia, the state schools chief urged local superintendents this month to ensure schools have current emergency contact information for parents and to prepare for situations in which children are stranded at school. The Maryland State Department of Education has not issued similar guidance, but a spokesman said the states long-standing policies mirror Virginias. D.C. Public Schools put out a statement in six languages urging advance preparation: Discuss whether you would wish your children to remain here, in the United States, or whether you would want your children going with you.

Educators say connecting parents to community resources to help them prepare for family-separation scenarios is part of their job to ensure that children feel as secure as possible in class.

Our goal is to get children in school and have them engage in learning, said Steven R. Staples, superintendent of public instruction for Virginia. A frightened child doesnt learn much. He also said the state doesnt want children to be missing days of school because of concerns about immigration status.

Millions of U.S. children face growing uncertainty at home because of shifts in immigration policy. The Pew Research Center estimates 3.9 million schoolchildren had an unauthorized immigrant parent in 2014  or 7.3 percent of all schoolchildren. About 725,000 of those children were unauthorized immigrants themselves.

Trump has pledged to deport millions of unauthorized immigrants and erect a wall on the southern border to stop more from entering the country. Since taking office, he has expanded the pool of immigrants prioritized for deportation, sped up some deportation proceedings and called for hiring more border patrol and immigration enforcement officers. ICE arrests of undocumented immigrants in recent weeks have drawn widespread publicity.

All of these developments have spread fear among immigrants. Some have retreated to their homes and stopped going to work.

[Immigrant community on high alert, fearing Trumps deportation force]

Historically, ICE agents have avoided schools. A 2011 memo says they are barred from arresting or interviewing people at schools, churches, hospitals and other sensitive locations, unless there is an imminent threat or they seek approval. Carissa Cuttrell, a spokeswoman for ICE, said the Department of Homeland Security is committed to ensuring that people seeking to participate in activities or utilize services provided at any sensitive location are free to do so without fear or hesitation.

[Read the ICE memo that describes the agencys sensitive locations policy]

There has been scrutiny in recent weeks of ICE actions near sensitive locations. In Alexandria, Va., agents arrested men after they left a church homeless shelter. Another man was detained in Los Angeles about a half-mile from a charter school after he dropped off his daughter. The local teachers union called the arrest a deliberate tactic being deployed by the Trump administration to spread fear.

[He dropped his daughter off at school. Minutes later, immigration agents took him away.]

ICE said the man in Los Angeles, Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, had multiple prior criminal convictions and an outstanding order for removal that dated back to 2014.

In his memo to Virginia schools, Staples reminded superintendents that ICE agents are barred from school grounds unless they have a warrant and that student records should not be released without a subpoena.

Several superintendents who happened to have fairly large immigrant populations were mindful that it was a possibility, and given the national conversation I think their inclination was to seek advice before they had an incident rather than afterward, Staples said.

Not everyone agrees that schools should be off-limits for immigration enforcement.

Corey Stewart, chair of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in Virginia and a Republican candidate for governor, said immigration agents need to be in schools to combat violence, some of which has been linked to gangs that recruit in schools and have members who are unauthorized immigrants.

Its not the schools role to interpose between and to try to stop ICE from doing its job, Stewart said. He added that he was not concerned that the presence of immigration agents could deter other undocumented students from coming to school. Rooting out gangs, especially those who are preying on children, is a much higher priority than not offending a couple of illegal aliens.

Many school officials say they want to allay the fears of families. They have hosted educational and legal seminars for immigrants, and in some cases assigned staff to support them. In Harrisonburg, Kizner assembled a crisis response team for immigrant students and their families. He also sent home forms to parents, asking in English and Spanish: In the event of family separation (accident, arrest, emergency hospitalization, etc.) who will take care of your child temporarily?

The Prince Georges County school system in Maryland has worked with the county government to place bilingual community resource officers in schools to support students dealing with immigration-related problems.

Parent-teacher associations in Alexandria have organized know your rights seminars, with the first held this month in an elementary school auditorium. At that event, an attorney from the Tahirih Justice Center urged undocumented parents to think about who would care for their children and what would happen to their property if they are detained.

Folks are very, very fearful and very uncertain, but I think also wanting to be as proactive as they can be, Kathryn Finley, the attorney, said.

Despite the words of reassurance, many immigrant parents  even those with legal status  are anxious.

Our families, and quite frankly, our staff are terrified, Allegra Happy Haynes, a member of Denvers school board, said at a recent conference of the Council of the Great City Schools. And despite the resolution we passed that you dont get into our schools without a court order, they remain fearful. Staff are scared that they might somehow violate the law, she said, even as they focus on protecting their kids.

Catherine E. Lhamon, a former assistant education secretary for civil rights in the Obama administration, said at the conference that schools can take many steps to help families. But ultimately, she said, they must also acknowledge that they cant guarantee anything about the direction of federal immigration policy.

Thats just a chilling reality, Lhamon said.

Arelis R. Hernandez contributed to this report.

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A special election next month for Prince William clerk of circuit court pits a longtime state lawmaker against a former candidate for the job.

The April 18 contest was scheduled after the February death of Michele B. McQuigg (R), who was in her second term as clerk. Republican Jackson H. Miller, the majority whip in the Virginia House of Delegates, faces Democrat Jacqueline C. Smith, a Dumfries lawyer who lost to McQuigg in 2015 by fewer than 3,000 votes.

The winner will complete the remainder of McQuiggs eight-year term, which lasts until the end of 2023.

Both candidates said last week that, if elected, they would improve customer service in the clerks office, which serves Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

McQuigg said during the 2015 race that her operation did a laudable job of handling the more than 800 responsibilities of the clerks office, which include recording deeds and issuing marriage licenses, as well as creating and maintaining all court files and records.

People are constantly telling me what good customer service they are getting, she told local news website InsideNoVa at the time.

But Miller and Smith said they want to improve the way the clerks office handles telephone calls. McQuigg put too much emphasis on using email and voice mail, the candidates said, with too few constituents reaching a live person when they made phone calls.

People want to get a voice  at least, a lot of people, said Miller, 49, who lives in Manassas.

The candidates also said a clerks office under their control would use technology more. Miller said he wanted to see more digitization of aging paper records, and Smith said theres a major disconnect among the computer systems at the Prince William courthouse.

Sometimes the lack of connectivity means judges cant receive legal filings in a timely manner, she said.

Ive gotten to oral arguments where the judge has nothing, the 34-year-old New Hampshire native said.

Smith and Miller dont agree on other court clerk matters.

Smith, who practices law with her husband, said the office has been too political over the past few years, citing McQuiggs defense of Virginias ban on same-sex marriages, which was struck down after the Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that such unions must be allowed nationwide.

Smith also said the clerks position shouldnt be a place where career politicians come to make a lot of money before retiring. McQuigg, who served as a Prince William County supervisor and state delegate before becoming clerk, made $162,740 last year, according to county government records.

And visitors to the clerks office should be able to complete their business there without knowing whether the boss is a Republican or Democrat, Smith said.

Politics should not come into it at all, she said.

Miller, though, touts his legislative experience as a reason he would be a worthy choice for election. He is the only member of the Prince William-area delegation to the states General Assembly who is on the judicial-selection panel, for example, and he said he has introduced bills on behalf of the state court clerks association.

He also disputed the notion that he wants a new job for the salary, saying he can earn more in his real estate business than he could as clerk. Miller, who has been a delegate since 2006, said he wants the position so he can return to the local service he previously provided as a member of the Manassas City Council and as a police officer in Prince William and Arlington.

Miller said his real estate knowledge would be a boost to working with land records in the clerks office, too. And he said his experience running a business with about 25 real estate agents gives him a leg up on leading the clerks office, which employs about 50 workers, he said.

Leadership is essential to making sure you have a smooth-running operation, said the lawmaker, who is married and has two sons.
Bruce J. Terris, a public interest lawyer for more than 50 years who during the 1960s and 70s was an activist on legal issues and community organizing related to anti-poverty programs, died Feb. 3 at his home in Washington. He was 83.

The cause was cancer, said his wife, Sally Gillespie.

Since 1970, Mr. Terris had been a partner in a law firm he founded, now known as Terris Pravlik & Millian, specializing in environmental and employment cases.

Earlier, as a Justice Department lawyer, he played a pivotal role in the 1963 U.S. Supreme Courts one man, one vote decision requiring that state legislatures be apportioned on the basis of population.

Mr. Terris advised Solicitor General Archibald Cox that the equal protection clause of the Constitution required that both houses of a legislature be apportioned on the basis of population, not just one, as had been previously argued. That position prevailed in the Supreme Court.

Later in the 1960s, Mr. Terris was executive director of the Anacostia Assistance Corp., a nonprofit organization that provided technical and financial help to organizations and low-income people in the Districts Anacostia neighborhood.

About that same time, he co-founded and was senior attorney of the Center for Law and Social Policy, which represented the poor and dispossessed on a variety of issues before federal agencies and the courts.

Bruce Jerome Terris was born in Detroit on Aug. 3, 1933. He graduated from Harvard University in 1954 and Harvard Law School in 1957.

In private practice, he represented groups including Friends of the Earth, the Sierra Club and consumer organizations and handled cases involving discrimination against women in the workplace, clear-cutting in national forests, misleading advertising for non-prescription drugs, and environmental pollution.

The firm took on many clients who could not pay and often collected fees only when they won their cases with a provision that the other side pay legal costs.

His first wife, the former Shirley Duval, died in 1976. Survivors include his wife of 39 years, Sally Gillespie of Washington; three children from his first marriage, Elizabeth Terris of San Diego, Jessica Kehimkar of Snohomish, Wash., and Robert Terris of Berkeley, Calif.; a stepdaughter, Sally Phillips of Washington; and 10 grandchildren.
THE DISTRICT

Person arrested outside White House

A person was arrested outside the White House on Saturday after jumping over a pedestrian barrier, the Secret Service said.

The incident took place about 12:43 p.m. near the north entrance of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

The individual, who was not identified, was immediately apprehended before being able to reach the White House fence, said Mason Brayman, a Secret Service spokesman. Criminal charges are pending, he added.

President Trump was not at the White House. He and his family are at his Florida estate.

In a tweet, White House press secretary Sean Spicer praised the Secret Service. Individual jumped bike rack on Pennsylvania Ave, not @WhiteHouse fence. Great response by @SecretService Spicer tweeted. The rack Spicer mentioned is a barrier lower than the spiked fence that marks the north side of the complex.

 Lori Aratani

MARYLAND

Body is recovered

at scene of explosion

Montgomery County rescue workers on Saturday pulled a dead man from the rubble of a North Bethesda house that exploded the day before, officials said. Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said the man was found about noon inside the basement area.

Goldstein said officials do not yet know whether the victim is the same person believed to be occupying the home in the 11400 block of Ashley Drive before it erupted into flames early Friday, sending debris flying as far as 600 yards and damaging nearby homes and cars.

Officials also dont know if the explosion was intentional or caused by a faulty appliance.

Officials have said that Washington Gas turned the homes gas off in June 2015. But in December 2016, the utility noticed unauthorized use of gas there, Goldstein and Washington Gas officials said.

We have not ruled out gas-tapping, Goldstein said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

 Antonio Olivo

VIRGINIA

THE REGION
Drop, cover and hold for state tornado drill

The annual statewide tornado drill is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. Individuals, businesses and schools are encouraged to participate, Prince William County officials said.

The National Weather Service starts the drill by sending a test tornado warning about 9:45 a.m., which will trigger tone alerts and messages on the weather radios of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Local radio and TV stations will then be prompted to broadcast a test message.

During the drill, participants should immediately go to a safe area  a windowless interior room, closet or hallway in the lowest level of your home, office or school  and assume a drop, cover and hold position, officials said.

Last year Virginia was hit by the deadliest tornado event to affect the state since 1959. Eight tornadoes were documented during the storm, resulting in five fatalities and more than 45 injuries, according to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. For information, visit readyvirginia.gov .

Annual Valor Awards recognize local heroes

The public is invited to attend the 31st annual Prince William Valor Awards, sponsored by the Prince William Chamber of Commerce and Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, 2 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Hylton Performing Arts Center, 10960 George Mason Cir., Manassas.

Following a reception catered by Okras Cajun Creole, master of ceremonies Aaron Gilchrist, anchor of NBC4s News 4 Today, will lead the presentation, which honors police, fire and rescue personnel from the county and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

The ceremony will also feature special recognition for Prince William police officers Jesse Hempen, David McKeown and Ashley Guindon. Hempen and McKeown were seriously wounded, and Guindon was fatally shot Feb. 27, 2016, while answering a domestic call.

Tickets are $25. Registration is encouraged.

To register, call 703-368-6600 or visit pwchamber.org/valor.

Library reading room named for supervisor

The Montclair Community Library Reading Room will be named for Maureen S. Caddigan, the Potomac representative to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, during an unveiling ceremony April 15 at 10:30 a.m. at the library, 5049 Waterway Dr., Dumfries.

The public is invited to attend the event.
SUNDAY, MARCH 12

Judge-decided Rams murder trial begins

A trial began Monday in Prince William County to decide whether Prince McLeod Rams, a toddler, died a natural death or  as prosecutors contend  was killed by his father, Joaquin S. Rams, for a life insurance payout.

In one of many unusual aspects of the case, the verdict will be rendered by a judge, not a jury. Four years after Rams was arrested, prosecutors withdrew the death penalty from the case. In exchange, the defense agreed to waive a jury trial and have the case decided by Fairfax County Circuit Judge Randy I. Bellows, a former federal prosecutor who defense lawyers say is one of the toughest sentencing judges in Fairfax.

MONDAY, MARCH 13

Jail informant refuses to testify in Rams trial

The prosecution of Rams had another twist when Prince William prosecutors elected to call their most controversial informant  a triple murderer with a lengthy psychiatric history  as their first witness. And he promptly and repeatedly refused to testify.

Prince William Commonwealths Attorney Paul B. Ebert chose to open the prosecution by calling Jose Reyes Alfaro, one of four jailhouse informants identified as possible witnesses against Rams. When Reyes Alfaro refused to testify, Bellows held him in contempt of court.

Ramss son Joaquin Rams Jr., now 17, also testified.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15

Prosecutors build case Rams drowned toddler

Prosectors began building their case Wednesday that 15-month-old Prince McLeod Rams was killed by drowning in October 2012, and not by the complex febrile seizure for which lawyers for his father have argued.

Constance DiAngelo, the assistant medical examiner who performed the autopsy on the toddler, was adamant that all indicators from the examination pointed to drowning, even though the chief medical examiner of Virginia later overruled her and declared the cause of death undetermined.

A second jailhouse informant, Jamal Thompson, said Rams confessed in the Prince William jail that he had killed his son for the insurance money from policies taken out on the toddler.

But Thompson, who had key details of the boys death wrong, acknowledged that he was sent to a mental hospital after rampant misconduct in the jail and that he sent an incriminating letter about Rams while still facing felony charges.

THURSDAY, MARCH 16

Prosecution mentions Ramss nancial hole

Prosecutors on Thursday rested their case for capital murder after having financial representatives testify to Ramss debts and insurance investments.

The medical examiner and two doctors also said that febrile seizures were an unheard of cause of death for a toddler. The Rams defense begins Monday and is expected to last about two weeks, followed by a rebuttal from the prosecution.

Man steals plow truck day before snowstorm

Police said William Sanchez, 26, stole a snowplow truck Monday from Fairfax County and drove it into Manassas. He hit a vehicle in the 8600 block of Liberia Avenue and then fled, according to Manassas City police.

The Manassas resident was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, hit-and-run and other charges.

For these and other articles, go to washingtonpost.com/local/virginia/prince-william.
Daniel Ramos-Romero, Juan Espinal-Rapalo, and Noe Coreas-Mejia are charged in federal court with racketering counts related to killings carried out by the MS-13 gang. (Montgomery County Police)

A 34-year-old was lured to woods in suburban Maryland, where assailants armed with knives had already dug his grave. A 22-year-old, also taken into a wooded area, was ordered to his knees and shot in the face. An 18-year-old, ambushed near a stream, was stabbed and stoned as he crawled into the water and died under a bridge of the Capital Beltway.

The shocking slayings 18 months ago signaled a resurgence in Montgomery County of the notorious MS-13 gang. Now, with federal racketeering cases underway for three suspects arrested in connection with the killings, court documents lay out a brutal chain of command that law enforcement says drives the violence.

Organized in local MS-13 units called cliques, the Maryland gangs put prospective members under long periods of observations before allowing them in. Ascension in the gang involves at least five rank designations, according to federal court records, with clique leaders using social media and coded words to stay in constant contact with superiors in the United States and El Salvador.

Its not the military, but the local cliques are structured in the sense they have an understanding of whose permission is needed to carry out certain actions of the gang, said Rod Rosenstein, the top U.S. attorney in Maryland and President Trumps nominee to become deputy attorney general.

The hierarchy enforces allegiance among members and violence toward rivals, according to law enforcement officials. Where it is less effective, they say, is in making money from their ventures like extortion and drug dealing. The dues collected from Montgomery County MS-13 members at their weekly meetings, according to local detectives, can be as little as $10.

(Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)

What we see, and why we make these cases a priority, is the violence, said William Moomau, an assistant U.S. attorney in Maryland.

The killing of Denis Montufar-Bautista, whose body was found floating in a creek under the Beltway, was vicious.

He died of stab wounds, blows to the head from heavy rocks and drowning. Federal court papers say that in the weeks before the killing, gang members concluded that Montufar-Bautista, also an associate of MS-13, had run afoul of gang rules. They held a disciplinary meeting called court and sentenced him to a beating, according to court records. Montufar-Bautista reported the assault to police, prompting the local gang members to seek permission for, and carry out, his slaying, according to court records.

Federal prosecutors also recently secured racketeering charges against Jose Augustin Salmeron-Larios, 24, of Anne Arundel County, accusing him of running MS-13s El programa de Maryland, or the Maryland Program, that allegedly coordinated operations among cliques.

Its definitely more organized than it was two or three years ago, said Robert Marker, president of the Maryland-based Mid Atlantic Regional Gang Investigators Network.

An attorney for Salmeron-Larios, Manuel Retureta, could not be reached for comment.

MS-13 was formed in the 1980s in Los Angeles by Salvadoran immigrants who wanted protection from gangs there. It reached back to El Salvador and spread to other U.S. cities.

By the early 2000s, MS-13 gang members in and around Washington had grown in numbers and executed a string of high-profile machete attacks and killings that focused law enforcement attention on MS-13. In Maryland alone, the U.S. attorneys office secured 42 convictions of alleged gang members.

The gang in Montgomery County went through years of relative quiet until about two years ago. Leaders in El Salvador, facing a crackdown by police in their own country, began sending instructions and members north to Metro Washington, with orders to increase the gangs power, make money through extortion and drug dealing, and send some proceeds to El Salvador, said Capt. Paul Liquorie, director of the county police departments Special Investigations Division.

Those orders have been bolstered through constant communication over social media and cellphones. The world has become very small, he said.

I think its structured throughout our area, and that doesnt happen by accident, said Montgomery County States Attorney John McCarthy.

Communication among MS-13 members in Montgomery County is aided by so many having roots in El Salvador. In the case of the 18-year-old found floating in the creek, all three suspects charged with murder were born in El Salvador, according to court records and attorneys involved in the cases.

The chain of command is not inviolate, a consequence of having many teens and young adults who can be eager to flex their own power, law enforcement officers said.

In the 22-page indictment filed last month against the alleged Maryland Program leader, federal authorities contend he was expected to keep MS-13 cliques working together even as many clique leaders, known as Shotcallers, had a direct line to supervisors in El Salvador.

MS-13 cliques kept in contact and reported to the supreme Shotcallers for their respective cliques, who were oftentimes based in El Salvador, federal prosecutors wrote in court papers. Cliques contacted their leaders based in El Salvador using cellphones during clique meetings to keep them updated on gang business, for advice, and to resolve disagreements regarding operations among local cliques. Incarcerated clique leaders based in El Salvador regularly communicated and directed orders to Maryland-based cliques through phones smuggled into Salvadoran prisons.

The guidance stresses standing up to rival gangs.

One of those rivals, MS-13 members in Montgomery County had concluded in late 2015, was a 22-year-old man named Roberto Gutierrez Cruz, 22, who they thought belonged to the 18th Street gang. The night of Nov. 1, 2015, he was lured into woods behind an elementary school in Montgomery Village under the ruse of smoking marijuana.

One MS-13 member allegedly pulled out a gun. Get on your knees, he said, before shooting Cruz in the face, neck and shoulder, according to court records. Montgomery detectives arrested four suspects in the killing. The four also were charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing of Marvin Vargas-Osorio, 34, whose body was found in a shallow grave by hunters.

[Four teenagers charged in another gang-style slaying]

Two of the four  Daniel Adonai Ramos-Romero, 19, at the time, and Juan Carlos Espinal-Rapalo, 18  now have attracted the focus of prosecutors at the U.S. attorneys office in Maryland. In February, the two were indicted federally on charges of conspiring to use a firearm during a murder in aid of racketeering, according to court records.

The two suspects appeared in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md., in early March and are held in custody, according to court records. Attorneys for Ramos-Romero and Espinal-Rapalo could not be reached or declined to comment.

In the Montgomery County cases of Ramos-Romero and Espinal-Rapalo, local prosecutors dropped murder charges in the body found in the shallow grave but have trial dates set in the case of the man they say was forced to his knees before he was shot.

The accounts laid out in the federal accusations also seek to expose how the gang leverages fear and intimidation within its ranks.

Two years ago, according to federal court documents, Noe Coreas-Mejia was still one step below full-fledged membership in MS-13  a process that involves being jumped in or beaten by full members.

While on the cusp of full membership, federal court records assert, he helped plan and took part in the December 2015 killing of Montufar-Bautista, the 18-year-old found floating in the creek. The indictment accuses Coreas-Mejia of extortion, conspiracy to engage in racketeering, committing murder in aid of racketeering and other crimes.

Michael Lawlor, an attorney for Coreas-Mejia, could not be reached for comment.

Individuals who had advanced to the final level before being jumped in were called chequeos or cheqs,  federal prosecutors wrote. Chequeos underwent a probationary period during which they were required to commit crimes on behalf of MS-13 to achieve trust and prove their loyalty to the gang.

Federal prosecutors allege Coreas-Mejia, at the time of the 2015 killing, was on the verge of becoming an MS-13 homeboy.

Justin Jouvenal contributed to this report.
The scene of a house explosion on Ashley Drive in Rockville, Maryland March 17, 2017. (Peter Rice)

Montgomery County rescue workers Saturday pulled a dead man from the rubble of a North Bethesda house that exploded the day before, officials said.

County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said the mans body was found at about noon Saturday inside the basement area of the home alongside a domestic animal.

Goldstein said officials do not yet know whether the victim is the same person that was believed to be occupying the home on the 11400 block of Ashley Drive before it erupted into flames early Friday, sending debris flying as far as 600 yards and causing damage to nearby homes and cars.

Investigators also dont yet know whether the explosion was caused intentionally or by a faulty appliance, Goldstein said during a press conference outside the house while workers continued to clean up the debris.

Officials have said that Washington Gas had turned off gas to the home in June 2015. Then, starting in December 2016, the utility company had noticed unauthorized use of gas in the home, Goldstein and Washington Gas officials said.

(Twitter @mcfrsPIO, Facebook/Paul Ricci)

We have not ruled out gas tapping or clearly identified that it is, Goldstein said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
A motorist was detained by the Secret Service late Saturday night after driving a vehicle that appeared to be suspicious up to a checkpoint near the White House, authorities said. An on-going criminal investigation was under way, a Secret Service spokesperson said early Sunday.

The vehicle was driven about 11:05 p.m. to a Secret Service checkpoint at 15th and E Street NW, according to the spokesperson, and the driver was detained by officers from the Secret Service Uniform Division.

They declared his vehicle suspicious and increased their posture of readiness, the spokesperson said. The checkpoint, with a Secret Service kiosk, is at the southeastern corner of an outer perimeter that encloses the grounds of the White House.

Driving through the checkpoint does not offer access to the White House grounds. The closest part of the South Lawn is about 100 yards away. The White House itself is about a quarter mile away.

The checkpoint is northwest of the Department of Commerce and south of the statue of General William T. Sherman and the Treasury Department.

It was not clear what caused the motorist to be detained or the vehicle to be declared suspicious.

A search of the vehicle is a standard practice in such situations. How long a search might require was not known. Commonly, authorities look for weapons or explosives or both.

Because of the ongoing investigation, the spokesperson said early Sunday, no further details would be provided.

Two people this month have been taken into custody and accused of trying to breach White House security. The more recent event took place earlier Saturday when someone climbed over a crowd-control barrier outside the White House. After that incident, it was reported that the president was not in the White House, but had gone to Florida.

In a more serious incident on March 10, a man made it onto the White House grounds and reportedly spent 16 minutes there before being arrested.

The 15th and E Street checkpoint figured in a fatal incident in 2013. A woman who drove into that checkpoint was later shot by law enforcement officers near the U.S. Capitol.
A former Alexandria deputy police chief says he was detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport and held for 90 minutes earlier this month because of his name.

Hassan Aden, 52, of Alexandria spent 26 years with the Alexandria Police Department before leaving in 2012 to become chief of police in Greenville, N.C. He retired from the 250-person force in 2015.

Aden says he was returning from Paris on March 13, where he had been celebrating his mothers 80th birthday.

When he arrived at customs at JFK, he expected to be handed back his passport and told welcome home like everyone else. Instead, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer asked him: Are you traveling alone? Aden replied he was and the officer said, Lets take a walk, in Adens recollection.

I was like oh boy, here we go  said Aden, an Italian-born naturalized American citizen who has lived in the United States for 42 years.

Former Greenville, N.C., Police Chief Hassan Aden. (Greenville Police Department)

[Alexandrias deputy police chief steps down to take job in N.C.]

He said he was escorted to a makeshift office, prohibited from using his cellphone and given little information about the reason for the holdup. At one point, Aden said, he asked an officer how much time could pass for a detention to be considered reasonable. The officer replied that Aden wasnt being detained.

But inside the room, where there were three desks staffed by CBP employees and two dozen chairs, signs read Remain seated at all times and Use of telephones strictly prohibited.

Two signs that this was not voluntary; this was indeed a detention, Aden said.

Aden said he told an officer that he was a retired police chief and a career law enforcement officer, but the man said that he had no control over the situation and that it didnt matter what his job was. Another officer explained that someone on a watch list had been using Adens name as an alias, and his information was being cross-checked with another agency, Aden said.

A spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in an email Sunday that she could not comment on Adens specific case because of the federal Privacy Act, but all travelers arriving to the U.S. are subject to CBP inspection.

At times, travelers may be inconvenienced as we work through the arrival process to ensure those entering the country are doing so legitimately and lawfully, she said.

(WUSA)

She pointed to the agencys nondiscrimination policy, which bars race or ethnicity from being considered in screening in all but the most exceptional circumstances.

Aden is the son of an Italian mother and Somali father. He lamented what he describes as the countrys shift toward cold, unwelcoming policies such as President Trumps travel ban.

[Second federal judge blocks revised Trump travel ban]

It just feels like ever since the talk of the travel ban its like now theres actually  theres some tangible experience . . . of that talk, he said.

The travel ban, which seeks to block entry to the United States by people from six Muslim-majority countries, is on hold after two judges issued rulings blocking it.

While he is not Muslim, Aden said such policies  and the attached rhetoric  could lead to attitudes that would make authorities suspicious of his name.

Aden, who heads a consulting firm specializing in police and criminal justice reform, said he understands Customs and Border Protections duty, but said he was treated unfairly  especially because the detention stretched for more than an hour.

I fully support the mission of the Customs and Border Protection agency, he said. And I fully appreciate the difficulty of their job and the dangers of their job. What I question here is essentially their policies and what they view as a reasonable detention. And I would venture to say that 90 minutes is an unreasonable detention when there is no probable cause to believe that a crime has occurred.

[Federal agents ask domestic flight passengers to show IDs in search for immigrant ordered deported]

Said the CBP spokeswoman: We strive to process arriving travelers as efficiently and securely as possible while ensuring compliance with laws and regulations governing the international arrival process.

Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington-based independent police think tank that focuses on public policy issues, said Aden  who is a member of the organization  was treated unfairly.

I know Hassan. When he was a police chief and also when he was deputy chief in Alexandria. . . . What I read was, he wasnt questioning them stopping him and asking him questions. What he questioned was why it took an hour and a half to resolve the situation, Wexler said.

Aden said that he is a frequent traveler and that when his wife worried that something like this might happen in advance of his trip, he shrugged it off, thinking no way.

This experience makes me question if this is indeed home, Aden said on Facebook. My freedoms were restricted, and I cannot be sure it wont happen again, and that it wont happen to my family, my children, the next time we travel abroad. This country now feels . . . in the beginning stages of a country that is isolating itself from the rest of the world  and its own people  in an unprecedented fashion.

[Muhammad Alis son held up at D.C. airport after testifying about first detainment]

The incident robbed him of that sense of comfort, he said.

I feel . . . vulnerable and I feel as though citizens and foreign nationals have zero control about what happens and theres no accountability for what happens in there, he said.

Finally after about an hour, a friendlier officer took over and took an interest in Adens case, he said. He said she prodded the other agency for updates and eventually cleared him for entry.

Aden, who uses TSA PreCheck, sailed through security and made his afternoon flight to the District, he said. As the ordeal unfolded, Aden said, I wondered about others. What happens to people when they dont know any better?

Im sure its terrorizing a lot of people and not making us any safer.

Wexler, too, raised concerns about the treatment of everyday citizens. It really doesnt matter whether Hassan was a police officer or former deputy chief, Wexler. What matters is that he should have been treated with respect.
Metro had been on a downward spiral for years, but the January 2015 LEnfant Plaza smoke calamity brought things to a head. Carol Glover, a 61-year-old grandmother from Alexandria, Va., died on the smoke-filled train, and dozens of riders were injured. Electrical arcing incidents like the one that contributed to the LEnfant calamity continued. But when Metro sent out a message at 4:35 p.m. on March 15, 2016, that the entire rail system would shutter that evening because of urgent safety concerns, it was a watershed moment for the agency. Behind the scenes, the announcement was the culmination of a day and a half of soul-searching inside Metro, as the agencys barely tested general manager held hurried conversations with staff, local leaders and his own family to figure out what to do. This is a look at how the decision unfolded.

The players:

 Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld

 Metro board Chairman Jack Evans

 Lynn Bowersox, Metro assistant general manager for customer service

 Metro spokesman Dan Stessel

 Metro board member Jim Corcoran

 Leif A. Dormsjo, director of the District Department of Transportation and Metro board member

 John Falcicchio, chief of staff to D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser

 Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.)

 Kathryn Thomson, former general counsel to the U.S. Transportation Department

 Robert McCartney, Washington Post senior regional correspondent

Monday, March 14, 2016, 4:30 a.m. Theres a fire on the tracks near McPherson Square. Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld is at his apartment near Union Station. Four months into his new job at Metro, hes still learning peoples names at the agency.

Wiedefeld: Early Monday morning, around 4:30 or so, my pager goes off that theres a rail disruption conference call.

Dan Stessel, Metro spokesman: Whenever we have a major incident or service disruption, the ROCC [Metros Rail Operations Control Center, akin to the air traffic control system] sends out an automated notification thats able to hit 50 or more people at one time.  It makes a noise [on] an iPhone, literally the least pleasant, most harsh thing  a submarine horn.

Wiedefeld: Im on the phone, Im reading whats going on, Im asking, touching base with everyone, whether its the police, whether its the bus people  What are we doing to get out communications? Im pretty much running on the fly getting things together to get out.

Metro board Chairman Jack Evans: Paul reported to us that there was a fire incident at one of the Metro stops, McPherson Square. It occurred at like 4 in the morning, so there were no passengers on the trains. But it was almost identical to the incident that occurred when Carol Glover was on the train.

Wiedefeld: I think Dan picked me up from my apartment and we went right over to the station  a lot of press was there outside. At that time we had shut down three lines. We were putting in bus bridges. I told them I needed to go down and see what I had first.

Wiedefeld: Im walking down, I see where the foam is that put out the flame.  I see charred cabling, I see some melted metal. It has a charred smell. Im physically on my knees  looking under the third rail to see if theres anything there, just to get a sense of it.  What was running through my head is looking at that and thinking, God forbid, an hour later, what would this look like with trains running?

Wiedefeld sets up a mini crisis room at Metro headquarters, calling in members of his staff and peppering them with questions about the cause of the McPherson fire.

Wiedefeld: The bigger thing for me is basically, Explain to me, how did we get here? What things got us to that point that Im seeing what I just saw? Show me, prove to me, that thats not gonna happen somewhere else.  They cant give me immediate answers, theyre giving me different answers, they have different theories.

Lynn Bowersox, Metro assistant general manager for customer service: The [fire] incidents had occurred before. And when I conveyed that to him that this was a repeat, I could tell that his antennae really went up.

Wiedefeld: I start to get in the back of my head, Im not getting very comfortable here.  This is not gonna work for me.

On Monday afternoon, Wiedefeld drives home to his familys house in Towson, Md.

Wiedefeld: I went home for about two hours.  [I] was with my wife for about an hour  basically sort of walked her through it. You gotta remember my mind-set at the time, Im new at the job, relatively new, a few months in.  Were gonna do something that probably has the potential of me losing my job  but Ive gotta do it. I wanted a little bit of the comfort back with someone that Im close to. I told my wife, tomorrows gonna either be a very short day or a very long day.

Bowersox: It was 7, 7:30 that evening as Im walking out of [Metro headquarters]  I get a call. [Wiedefeld] says, Im not comfortable with what Im seeing; we need to reconvene.

Wiedefeld: I called a meeting at 8 or 9 at night. A focus group of some highly technical people, some outside contractors that we had on board.  I asked, Im not sure to anyone in particular, What if this had occurred when a train was going by? And the answer was catastrophic.

When officials say the fire was similar to the LEnfant incident a year earlier, heres what they mean: On Jan. 12, 2015, a fire erupted when electricity escaped from a jumper cable linking a gap in the third rail. Smoke poured into a rail tunnel, and a six-car Yellow Line train stalled on the tracks, becoming enveloped in noxious fumes.

Wiedefeld: Basically I said, you know, You all need to talk me off the ledge here because Im about to shut this thing down.

Stessel: For people who have been here, who were around that table, it was surreal. Just this atmosphere of seriousness, right when Paul said, Talk me down, guys, cause otherwise this things gonna be closed. The room fell silent.

Wiedefeld: I just went to the apartment and tried to get some sleep.  I was thinking, this is something that Ive gotta commit to unless they can convince me differently. I cant waver based on other factors. Its the middle of the night, and youre thinking all kinds of things.

Tuesday, March 15. Wiedefeld arrives early to Metro headquarters and meets with staff to get their final assessments. He is scheduled to give a noon speech at the Committee for Dulles, where he is introduced by Jim Corcoran, Metro board member and president and chief executive of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce.

Wiedefeld: They had several hundred people there, so basically I said Ill commit  So I went out there, and, in fact, one of my board members introduced me. And I gave a brief speech.

Corcoran: I knew that something was up, only because I talked to Paul that day at lunch.

Wiedefeld: I was trying to hold it together. You know, I was working on very little sleep. It was decided to get in front of the board and give them a chance to understand it and the gravity of what I was about to explain to them.

Evans: I remember being in the general managers office and being a bit angry that not only did nobody know [about the fraying cables], but they were only being inspected either every six months or on a yearly basis. And so, since Carol Glover had died, I guess they had either not been inspected or they hadnt been inspected in six months. My annoyance was the staff seemed to have been defensive in that they were going by the book. Its spin; the staff always spins everything, and thats what it was.

Evans: Paul outlined the situation  If we closed the system down, he could [inspect the entire system] within 24 hours; if not, it would take a week to do all the inspections.

Corcoran: There was conversation about, Is this course of action the right course of action? Is this necessary? Is there another way around this? Could we do this overnight? Could we do it on a more limited basis?

Evans: On the call, there were various different opinions. Mine was to shut the system down. Other board members werent so sure.

Corcoran: It was going to have a tremendous impact on peoples commuting lives.  There was the financial risk. It was the risk of losing riders. It was the risk of, What are we gonna find and what are we gonna do if we find something that doesnt allow us to reopen? On the other side of the equation, What if we dont do this and something happens? What if we have another January 2015 incident? Someone died in that. So there were ramifications no matter which way the decision went.

Evans: After a spirited discussion of maybe 20 minutes or so, and I remember this distinctly, I said Paul, what do you wanna do?

Wiedefeld: In a very quiet manager [voice] I said, Im gonna shut down the system.

Evans: That was the end of the discussion.

Email from Bowersox to Stessel, 2:46 p.m.: Get ready  announce at 5 closure for 24 hours beginning at midnight tonight. Inspect then any fixes may require additional potential outages. Start preparing release.

John Falcicchio, chief of staff to D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser: It was a little bit of a head-scratching moment when the news first came  I remember the question that folks had was, if its that bad, why is it okay for people to take Metro home that day? I dont know that we had a sense of what exactly triggered the shutdown, because that was such a dramatic step at that point.

Evans: We had just transported that morning 350,000 people into the city, and if you close Metro right this moment, there was no way you were gonna get 350,000 people home. I mean, people would be walking across the bridges, you wouldnt be able to get in taxis, Lyfts, Ubers, buses, to get out of here  you would cause gridlock. The decision was made to send out a warning.

Falcicchio: I think everybody was obviously concerned that there was something that was an immediate risk that made them shut down the system. However, the question that arose was, Why is it being shut down tomorrow? If the risk is so great, then why wouldnt that be done immediately?

Bob McCartney, senior regional correspondent The Washington Post: I got a phone call from someone who had been on the call where Wiedefeld had briefed people.  The first reaction was, Oh, this is gonna cause such a mess tomorrow with the traffic. And the second reaction was, Boy, Metro must be in much worse shape than we realized, if he thinks this is necessary.

An aide handed Rep. Gerald E. Connolly a note on the House floor. He needed to call Wiedefeld. Right away.

Connolly: It was a brief conversation.  I wasnt entirely surprised, because things had been allowed to deteriorate so badly. There were genuine safety concerns throughout the system.

Kathryn Thomson, former general counsel for the U.S. Transportation Department: My personal reaction was, This is great. Theres somebody whos in charge and decisive about making decisions that are important to the safety of the system. That was something we really hadnt seen before.

Connolly: I did make the point with [Wiedefeld]: This cant be the answer long-term. You get to do this once. But I dont think you get to do this again, at least with any credibility.

McCartney: The editors were aghast. At first they were unbelieving: Are you sure? That was one of the reasons I wanted to get a second source right away. They were stunned. I think everybody was stunned. It had never happened before.

Leif A. Dormsjo, director of the District Department of Transportation, is on a beach 80 miles south of Cancun, in the middle of his honeymoon. He takes a break from reading a book on his Kindle, and glances at his phone.

Dormsjo: I looked at my phone and saw a record number of text messages. And as I opened up my iPad and shut down my Kindle  which I had been really enjoying all that week on my honeymoon, which I took a year late because of my commitments to public service. My wife had long waited for us to get away together. I opened up The Washington Post  [and saw] what was going on with Metro. And I felt doubly blessed to be on my honeymoon with my loving wife, and to not be in Washington, D.C.

McCartney: That night we got an inkling that Bowser wasnt happy, [because] her response was something like, you know, We wish wed been brought in earlier, or something like that. And the next day we realized how really annoyed she was that this happened, because it just affected her government so much, and her businesses and residents so much  more than anybody else.

(WUSA 9)

Falcicchio: I think any elected official reflects the sentiments of their residents. And any concerns or frustrations that we might have expressed at the time was probably a reflection of some of the things we were hearing from residents  about, one, was it safe to get on Metro this afternoon? And, two, what are we going to do tomorrow?

Wednesday, March 16. Metro is closed for the entire day, but the federal government remains open. Connolly took his usual morning commute, driving with one of his staffers on Interstate 66 from Virginia to the U.S. Capitol.

Connolly: When I hit the D.C. border, I remember that it was just a nightmare. Everything was much more congested, especially downtown. All of us noticed how it put a burden on traffic.

Thomson: There was a Womens History Month event at the White House  I got a car from DOT to drop me off, but I couldnt get back from downtown to save my life. I would normally have taken Metro, but of course there was no Metro. There were no taxis. The Ubers were taking forever to come. So I walked  the good ol-fashioned transportation method. It took 40 minutes.

Connolly: I think people approached that morning with a certain amount of fatalism that has crept into a lot of commuters views of Metro.  Expectations are lower, people expect delays, and while this was the most drastic action, I think a lot of people were expecting that, sooner or later, something like this might have to happen.

(Lee Powell/The Washington Post)

Wiedefeld: We had set up a war room where all the reports would come in with things all over the walls of 22 zones and where they were, where the cables were and what had been inspected, and literally people were taking cellphone photos and sending the reports in to this team so they could keep rolling to manage this thing.

Thomson: [The Federal Transit Administration] was not present during those inspections  and we probably should have been.  FTA was trying to get its sea legs on what is effective oversight, and this shutdown came in the middle of that process.

Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx appears before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee just after 2:30 p.m. on the day of the shutdown for a previously scheduled hearing. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle tear into Metro, calling on the Transportation Department to take further steps to help fix the system. Foxx puts the blame on the local jurisdictions for failing to enact a safety oversight organization. Well tough it out for one day, says Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), but is this change going to be reliable? Is it going to be sustainable? Is it going to stick?

McCartney: I remember thinking, This is a hell of a debut for Paul Wiedefeld. It wasnt the first big thing hed done, but it was more dramatic, because at least with a snowstorm you had an event that everyone could blame it on. In this case, you could only blame it on him.

Falcicchio: After the morning went as normal as it could be with the Metro shutdown, I think the question was, Are we going to have to do this for more than one day? Whats the remedy that has to happen to get it where it needs to be?

In the end, the shutdown wasnt the commuter nightmare the region had envisioned. To be sure, getting around was a struggle, but the region avoided complete gridlock. Wiedefeld was lauded for his swift action to address serious safety deficiencies, but his moves have since become the subject of scorn for some riders, who say the repeated service disruptions are driving them away from the system.

Thomson: When it was over, no one at DOT thought, Aha, everythings resolved and were good to go.

Dormsjo: It was a big wake-up call; I think its been certainly something that has motivated the public leaders and management team here in WMATA to prevent that from ever happening again. Thomson: At the time, I didnt think about it, but if you fast-forward to May 2016 [and the announcement of Metros SafeTrack maintenance program], the experience of that day  and the havoc it created  was transformative, in terms of how to plan for the future.

Falcicchio: I think it definitely raised folks awareness that measures were going to have to be taken that might disrupt the regular operations of Metro  we wouldnt be able to just do it within the existing hours of maintenance, and there would need to be a plan for us to get to a state of better safety.

Connolly: The shutdown confirmed what I already believed about Wiedefeld, which is that he is willing to make difficult decisions. He is willing to take the heat. Hes done that with personnel, with finances, with operations, SafeTrack. Not all of that is perfect, but he is trying to play catch-up for deferred decisions.

Wiedefeld: This event basically put in focus for me that Ive got to really start to do what I think is right  Ive gotta go, Ive just gotta start going on things. I would have gotten there. But clearly this said to me, we are not gonna do things the way weve done em in the past.

McCartney: People still talk about it. Oh yeah, hes the guy who shut down the system. It got attention around the world. People around the world were saying, Oh yeah, the Washington Metro was shut down for safety reasons. People noticed it.

Evans: For Paul Wiedefeld, that was a defining moment for him, making an extremely difficult decision  It was his decision at the end, and we proceeded accordingly. When people talk about Metro being dysfunctional, I would say this is a good example of Metro not being dysfunctional. It was one of our finest hours, so to speak.
Oyster boats deploy their dredges and work a small section of the Rappahannock River, part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, as the sun rises near White Stone, Va. (Steve Helber/AP)

When President Trumps budget plan hit the Internet at midnight Wednesday, Virginia and Maryland environmental activists could not believe what they saw. A total elimination of the Chesapeake Bay program seemed impossible to them, considering the success of the federally funded six-state partnership over the past 15 years.

But in a two-sentence section of its budget plan, the White House dismissed the massive cleanup of a water body so large it can easily be seen from space as a regional effort that should not be funded by Washington.

So the activists got to work, along with elected officials from throughout the region, planning rallies, firing off dire warnings and promising to petition the Republican majority in Congress, which has the ultimate say over whether to defund bay restoration.

We will fight with every fiber in our bodies to see the funding maintained, Chesapeake Bay Foundation President William C. Baker said on Thursday. This just makes no sense. We are in disbelief. The EPAs role in this cleanup is nothing less than fundamental.

The $73 million-a-year Environmental Protection Agency program has united Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and the District of Columbia in working to reduce pollution levels in the bay.

(Video: Jenny Starrs/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Cutting off funding, bipartisan supporters of the cleanup say, would threaten multibillion dollar tourism, recreation and commercial industries and could reverse strides in water quality that sustain fishing, boating and crabbing in the largest estuary in North America.

Last year, the Chesapeake Bay program funneled about $9.3 million to Virginia, $9 million to Maryland and $2.6 million to the District for state, local and nonprofit projects and staff. The remainder went to the other state and local governments, nonprofits and schools.

The money pays for such basics as upgrades to deteriorating sewer facilities and fences to limit chemical runoff from farms  efforts that have resulted in clearer water and the return of sea grasses critical to the survival of fish.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) said the elimination of EPA cleanup funds is the latest Trump proposal that would wreak havoc on the state. From the entry ban suspending the admission of new refugees to a health-care bill that would leave hundreds of thousands of residents uninsured, he said in an interview, this man is a one-man wrecking crew to the economy of Virginia.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) declined to join the chorus of opposition to Trumps budget proposal, noting that it is up to Congress to pass a budget and that the cuts outlined by the administration may never come to pass.

But his spokesman said Friday that Hogan has invested more than $3 billion in efforts to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay and will remain a fierce advocate going forward. He will always fight to project our states most important natural asset.

Advocates say that a restored bay would generate a $130 billion economic boon to the watershed states by 2025, the end of the current phase of the program.

The 18 million residents who live in the watershed include old guys who have been fishing in the bay for years, and a lot of them voted for the president, said McAuliffe, who is chairman of a six-state council that oversees the bay. I dont think he has any idea what he has stepped into on this one.

Pushback came not only from predictable Trump foes such as McAuliffe. Four House Republicans  Virginia Reps. Rob Wittman, Barbara Comstock and Scott W. Taylor and Maryland Rep. Andy Harris  last week reiterated their opposition to cleanup cuts.

Even before reports surfaced that the administration planned to eliminate the estuary cleanup program, they had joined 12 Democrats in signing a Feb. 23 letter urging Trump to continue funding bay restoration efforts.

And an aide to Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), the senior Republican in the Virginia delegation and the powerful chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said the congressman also has concerns about eliminating the Chesapeake Bay program.

In an interview in Wittmans Capitol Hill office, which is painted aqua and decorated with blue fish and trout he caught in the bay, Wittman credited the EPA program with renewing oyster, crab and fish populations  and said he will fight for federal funding to stay at current levels.

I think it would be a big mistake to walk away from this at the magnitude that this has and still expect that were going to make the same progress in cleaning up the bay, said Wittman, who lives on a Chesapeake tributary and is the father of a waterman.

Not everyone was alarmed by the White House proposal. Rep. H. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) cheered the possibility of slashing the EPAs bottom line. Trumps plan would cut 31 percent of the agencys budget and 3,200 positions.

I am hopeful that the cuts will come to the out-of-control regulatory divisions of the EPA . . . while preserving their core function of helping communities preserve clean water, he said in a statement Friday, noting that he had not yet reviewed specific cuts.

Griffith represents a rural southwest Virginia district  part of which extends into the Chesapeake watershed. Earlier this year he spearheaded the revival of a rule allowing lawmakers to drop the pay of individual federal workers to as little as $1.

But for bay advocates who were wary of the appointment of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, the budget was confirmation of their worst fears.

As Oklahoma attorney general in 2014, Pruitt joined a legal challenge to the cleanup program, arguing that only states  not the EPA  had the authority to control pollution levels in the bay.

The lawsuit failed. And at his confirmation hearing in January, under questioning by Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), Pruitt said the bay restoration partnership should be commended and celebrated.

Still, distrust of Pruitt has lingered.

Its not what they say, its what they do. And this is what theyre trying to do, Russ Baxter, Virginias deputy secretary of natural resources for the bay, said Thursday, adding that Virginia agencies already struggle to balance their budgets and cannot afford to cover the federal share of the bay cleanup if the program evaporates.

In Virginia, the pushback to Trumps budget proposal was swift. Conservation groups and state lawmakers on Saturday joined McAuliffes wife, Dorothy, and bay advocate Pam Northam  wife of Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, who is running for governor  to protest the proposed cut at a rally by a Williamsburg creek that flows into the bay.

Virginia Democrats on Friday called on Trump to forgo weekends at his Palm Beach resort, Mar-a-Lago, and use the savings to taxpayers to cover the bay budget. That same day, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Cardin, Virginia Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, and other Democratic senators from watershed states in a letter opposing the cuts.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), who took part in a rally outside the EPA on Wednesday, said the lobbying strategy involves being as noisy as we can through whatever means we can.

I frankly dont want the deconstruction of the administrative state,  he said, quoting White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon.

Beyer said lawmakers will depend on Republicans  and especially senior members of the appropriations committees  to leverage Congresss power of the purse to protect the bay.

That means the pressure is on Taylor, a Virginia Beach Republican who talked himself onto the House Appropriations Committee this year as the only freshman member.

He grew up on Marylands Eastern Shore, catching crabs with chicken necks on a string, and touted the bay as a local economic driver as well as a national treasure.

Wittman, the Virginia Republican whose son is a waterman, once wrote a 532-page dissertation about what drives shellfish programs.

Politics  not science  was at the top of the list.
Arizona police have arrested four suspects in an apparently anti-Semitic act of vandalism that made national headlines in December.

The Chandler Police Department said that a 19-year-old man and three boys were responsible for dismantling a Jewish familys PVC pipe menorah and turning it into a swastika while the family slept.

The police said Clive Jamar Wilson, 19, will face charges of criminal trespass and aggravated criminal damage for the destruction of the familys yard decoration. Three boys, who were not named because they are under 18, face the same charges in juvenile court. Kevin Quinn, a police spokesman, said authorities are investigating and have not determined whether to label the actions a hate crime.

Seth Ellis built the Hanukkah decoration in December for his sons, ages 5, 7 and 9, who said they wanted lights outside their house like their friends who celebrate Christmas. The seven-foot-tall menorah, made of $100 worth of PVC pipe and painted gold, stood outside until the sixth night of Hanukkah  when the Ellis family woke up to find that it had been twisted into a symbol of hate.

They know about the Holocaust. They know about Nazis, Naomi Ellis said of her three children. But her sons had never seen the Nazi symbol before, she said at the time.
MINNESOTA

State officials say man pointed gun at police

A black man who was fatally shot by St. Paul police had pointed a gun at officers twice after he was ordered to drop it, authorities said Saturday. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said authorities have video that shows the man with a gun but does not capture the full incident.

Cordale Quinn Handy, 29, of Waukegan, Ill., died of gunshot wounds early Wednesday after police say they were called to a report of domestic violence.

An attorney for Handys family disputes the police version of events and called for an independent investigation.

The BCA said that officers went to an apartment building, where they saw Handy outside with a handgun. After repeated commands to drop the gun, Handy pointed the weapon twice at officers, the BCA said. Two officers fired their weapons, striking Handy. Officers located a handgun next to Handy.

 Associated Press

TENNESSEE

Authorities search for missing 15-year-old

The wife of a former Tennessee schoolteacher accused of kidnapping a 15-year-old student is pleading for her husband to bring the girl home.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said it is extremely concerned about the well-being of Elizabeth Thomas, who was last seen Monday in Columbia. Tad Cummins was placed on the TBIs Top 10 Most Wanted List.

A statewide Amber Alert from the TBI said Cummins may have been abusing his role as a teacher to groom this vulnerable young girl for some time in an effort to lure and potentially sexually exploit her.

Jill Cummins on Friday asked her husband to turn himself in and bring the teen home.

 Associated Press

Plane makes emergency landing: Southwest Airlines said Saturday that a pressurization issue forced a flight from Phoenix to Atlanta to make an emergency landing in Texas. The airline said the midflight malfunction occurred Saturday morning and that no one was hurt. Passengers on Southwest Flight No. 118 changed planes and were expected to arrive in Atlanta about seven hours late.

Schools to be renamed: The board of the Palo Alto (Calif.) Unified School District voted Friday to rename two middle schools that honor leaders in the eugenics movement. The district will rename Jordan Middle School, named after Stanford founding president David Starr Jordan, and Terman Middle School, named for Stanford psychologist Lewis Terman. Both were members of a group that believed the human race could be improved through selective reproduction, including forced sterilization.

 From news reports
CONGO

No trace found of

missing U.N. experts

Nearly a week after Congos government announced the kidnapping of two United Nations experts along with their translator and drivers, no trace of them has been found.

Michael Sharp of the United States and Zaida Catalan of Sweden were abducted with three Congolese colleagues while traveling by motorcycle through Central Kasai province. It was not clear when exactly the kidnapping occurred.

Their abduction in a region of the country where kidnappings are rare, and where the experts were investigating abuses by state and militia forces, has raised alarm as political tensions spread over an election crisis.

A new report by the U.N. secretary general has warned that violence and threats to civilians have spread to new parts of the vast country because of Congos prolonged political crisis. President Joseph Kabilas mandate ended in December, but he has stayed on as presidential elections once set for last year have been delayed.

A political agreement reached between the ruling party and opposition after weeks of deadly protests promises an election by the end of this year and that Kabila will not run. But the new report by U.N. chief Antonio Guterres says the agreement is in peril as the sides engage in brinkmanship.

 Associated Press

Residents salvage objects from houses demolished by government officials in Otodo-Gbame waterfront in Lagos Nigeria. (Sunday Alamba/AP)

SYRIA

Rebels, families begin pullout from Homs

Rebels and their families began leaving the Syrian city of Homs on Saturday, under a Russian-backed deal with the government expected to be among the largest evacuations of its kind.

The agreement underlines Syrian President Bashar al-Assads upper hand in the war, as more rebel fighters opt to leave areas they have defended for years in deals that amount to negotiated withdrawals to other parts of the country.

Between 10,000 and 15,000 rebels and civilians are to evacuate in batches over the coming weeks under the deal, according to opposition activists in al-Waer and a war monitor.

The provincial governor, Talal Barazi, said he expected 1,500 people, including at least 400 fighters, to depart Saturday for rebel-held areas northeast of Aleppo, and that most of al-Waers residents would stay.

Russian and Syrian forces are overseeing the evacuation, which is expected to take about six weeks.

 Reuters

Mosul residents take advantage of battle lull to flee: Thousands of Iraqis surged out of western Mosul on Saturday, during a lull in heavy fighting in districts around the densely populated Old City where Iraqi forces are facing fierce resistance from Islamic State militants. Five months into the battle to take the extremist groups last bastion in Iraq, government forces have cleared the east and half of western Mosul, and are now focused on controlling the Old City as well as the strategic al-Nuri Mosque.

Modi picks Hindu hard-liner to lead Indian state: Prime Minister Narendra Modi picked Hindu hard-liner Yogi Adityanath, who has been accused of inciting violence against Indias Muslim minority, to lead its most populous state after his party won a landslide victory last week. Adityanaths appointment to lead Uttar Pradesh was denounced by opposition party members, but officials of Modis Bharatiya Janata Party said Adityanath, who will take charge Sunday, is the appropriate leader for the state.

15 corpses found in mass grave at Venezuelan prison: Fifteen corpses, three of them headless, have been found in a mass grave at a Venezuelan prison and more may be discovered, investigators said. The grisly find this month at the general penitentiary in central Guarico state has thrown a spotlight on the South American nations crowded, violent and gang-dominated prisons where scores of inmates die each year. Government officials say more bodies are likely to be found at the prison.

Islamist-led group driven from final holdout in eastern Libya: Eastern Libyan forces said they captured the final holdout of Islamist-led rivals in the southwest of Benghazi on Saturday, ending weeks of resistance by fighters camped in a group of tower blocks. The eastern-based Libyan National Army has been waging a campaign in Libyas second-largest city for nearly three years and still faces pockets of resistance in two northern neighborhoods, despite making big gains since early last year.

 From news services
This rent-controlled building in Columbia Heights, Washington D.C., has been offered for rent on websites like Airbnb and VRBO for short-term rentals, instead of housing for residents. (Oliver Contreras/For The Washington Post)

Blaming Airbnb for the shortage of affordable housing and the legislative labyrinth that comprises the District housing market is political junk food [Its rent-controlled, but not on Airbnb, Economy & Business, March 14]. A Penn State Center for Hospitality Research study last year showed only 2.7 percent of the 4,464 registered Airbnb listings were full-time operators, and 83 percent were only renting a single unit.

Our housing shortage is caused by a multiplicity of rules and nonsensical regulations. Owners of rental units are trying to get the greatest return with the least risk. If they raise their rates to an unsupportable level or provide an unsatisfactory customer experience the free market will immediately alert them by reducing bookings, just as it would if the market for rental housing were free of most regulations.

Many economists believe that rent control is a failure that has resulted in fewer units of lesser quality at a higher price. Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck describes rent control as being the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city  except for bombing.

The move to a platform such as Airbnb is a rational move by property owners. The District can limit Airbnb but another platform would likely pop up in its place . If it were truly interested, the D.C. Council would jettison rent-control regulations and allow all units to move to their market-supported price.

Greg Boyd, Washington
FBI Director James B. Comey and Adm. Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, are scheduled to appear Monday before the House Intelligence Committee to speak about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, including potential connections between President Trumps inner circle and the Kremlin.

It is the first time Comey and Rogers will testify publicly since Trump took office two months ago  a period during which Trumps first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned and Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from Trump-related investigations involving the campaign. The hearing was scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Monday.

In recent weeks, Trump joined the fray with counter-accusations of his own, such as his unfounded charge that the Obama administration conducted a wiretap of his phones at Trump Tower in New York.

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee confirmed on Fox News Sunday that there was no evidence to suggest that Trump was wiretapped. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) said he has seen Justice Department documents requested by the panel confirming that information; they were turned over to his committee Friday.

[No new evidence to support Trumps wiretap claims, House intelligence chairman says]

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, but there never was, and the information we got on Friday continues to lead us in that direction, Nunes said.

The Intelligence Committee hearing is the opening foray into getting public answers on these topics. On March 28, former spy chiefs and administration officials are set to appear before the panel to give their views on what, if anything, transpired between Trumps team and Russian officials during the heat of the presidential campaign.

Even as intelligence officials publicly answer lawmakers questions, political jockeying is casting a cloud over attempts to look into how deep the counterintelligence investigation involving the presidents inner circle goes.

Here are five things to watch at Mondays House Intelligence Committee hearing, which is to begin at 10 a.m.:

1. Can Republicans stop the bleeding? Can Democrats unearth a smoking gun?

Republicans have been scrambling to help the president avoid the specter of scandal since allegations about contacts between Trumps team and Russian officials first surfaced.

Nunes has repeatedly said he thinks there is no evidence of improper contact, taking pains to shift the focus of the investigation toward ferreting out who leaked information about such contacts to the news media  saying that the leaks are the only major crimes that occurred.

But Trump complicated Republicans efforts with his insistence that the Obama administration wiretapped his phones in Trump Tower  an assertion that GOP leaders could not and did not try to defend. In recent days, some influential Republicans have even called on Trump to apologize to former president Barack Obama.

[What will it take for the president to retract his tweets about Obama?]

Democrats have yet to find a smoking gun firmly establishing that the president, or his top surrogates, colluded with Russian authorities to swing the election in Trumps favor. That is a tall order, based on the conversations thus far disclosed: Flynn and Sessions bowed out of their roles because they had misled the vice president and lawmakers, respectively, not because they admitted to discussing anything improper with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak.

Expect Democrats to focus on links not just between people who served in Trumps administration and Russian authorities, but also between top campaign surrogates such as former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and adviser Carter Page, who have had financial and business ties to Russians and their allies.

2. Will Comey admit to an investigation?

News outlets have reported that the FBI and the Justice Department are conducting probes into the allegations surrounding Russia, the 2016 elections and the Trump team, but Comey has yet to acknowledge this publicly on Capitol Hill.

His silence  predicated on his insistence that he never comments on ongoing investigations  has irked members of both parties and invited bipartisan charges that Comey is stonewalling Congress.

Democrats allege that perhaps Comey is biased: They say he was perfectly willing to talk about Hillary Clintons emails  though Comey says he commented in that case because it was a closed investigation. Others have said the director is simply being uncooperative.

Some of that vitriol has lessened in recent days, after Comey arrived on Capitol Hill to brief the Gang of Eight  senior lawmakers who receive Congresss highest-level intelligence briefings  on matters related to Russia. Members also secured a promise from the intelligence community that committee members will be privy to the same information provided to the Gang of Eight, a concession lawmakers say is necessary for them to conduct their investigation.

Still, many members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have been clamoring for Comey to publicly state that the investigation exists and is ongoing  and members of the House Intelligence Committee are likely to use Mondays forum to challenge him to answer that question.

[Members of Congress demand cooperation on Trump-Russia probe]

3. Is it just about wiretapping  or could there be other surveillance involved?

We now know that the Justice Department had no information to back up Trumps claim that the Obama administration was tapping his phones in Trump Tower. Comey had been pushing the Justice Department to come clean about that for a while.

What we still do not know, though, is whether there were wiretaps of Trumps affiliates outside the tower  or, in the course of other investigations, whether the intelligence community picked up on communications the president or his team had with Russia during the campaign or the transition period.

This sort of incidental collection has already helped to take down one member of Trumps team  Flynn, caught on tape speaking with Kislyak, whose communications were being watched. Nunes has suggested there could be others popping up in such indirect surveillance  possibly even the president himself.

The House Intelligence Committee is waiting on answers to a request for a complete list of names of people who have been unmasked during surveillance operations. Committee leaders said Friday that the NSA partially responded to their request for that list. But the FBI and CIA have not. A complete list is not likely to make it to lawmakers hands before Monday morning, so expect a few questions on this subject.

And remember: Though Nunes has laid to rest speculation the government bugged the phones of Trump Tower, he has not yet commented on whether there were wiretaps of others connected to Trump, outside the tower. The committees request covered a very wide range of individuals  including Trumps business associates, his relatives and his friends. Look for members to grill Comey and Rogers for a fuller reckoning.

4. Will Republicans cross the White House?

An investigation that began as a probe focused on allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 elections has expanded  and not just to include whether Russian authorities had direct contacts with campaign officials. The investigation now encompasses going after leakers in the administration for publicizing the information linking Trump surrogates to Kremlin officials. It also includes the query about incidental collection, to see whether the intelligence community adhered closely to the law as it was doing its job.

In this highly charged atmosphere, where members choose to direct their questions for Comey and Rogers could reveal a great deal about where they stand.

Democrats will undoubtedly focus on the potential connections between the Trump team and Russia. But watch Republicans: Those who pursue similar questions will be knowingly and openly crossing the White House. It is far safer for Republicans to focus on questions about leaks, which are what the Trump team  and Nunes  say are the real crime.

Still, the GOP is not united around Trump here. As Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said a month ago, All of us know that leaks happen in this town, and we all dont like it  but the fact is that you now have a much larger issue to address.

5. Where do we go from here?

The pomp and circumstance surrounding this hearing is considerable  and understandable, given the investigation, the politics surrounding it and the guest list. But how much new information will we really learn? The answer may be not much at all.

Comey has been very careful about what he says publicly and privately on this matter. More than once, he has come to the Hill for closed-door briefings and members have emerged frustrated  in a public hearing, the FBI director is even less likely to cut loose. Rogers is a bit chattier  but also not likely to divulge state secrets or say anything revealing how the investigation is being conducted, for fear of unmasking sources, methods and classified procedures central to the investigation.

It is unlikely that lawmakers will succeed in getting something shocking, or damning, or even conclusive out of the duo. But as we have seen, the investigation can turn dramatically on unsubstantiated tweets from the president, and anything could happen.

Read more at PowerPost
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), left, with President Trump and Vice President Pence after the Friends of Ireland Luncheon at the Capitol on Thursday. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News)

The Republican health-care plan moving rapidly toward a crucial House vote this week is likely to be changed to give older Americans more assistance to buy insurance, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Sunday.

We think that we should be offering even more assistance than what the bill currently does, Ryan (R-Wis.) said in a Fox News Sunday interview, in which he confirmed that House leaders are eyeing a Thursday vote on its passage.

Meanwhile, a key conservative senator said White House officials were continuing to negotiate through the weekend on even more dramatic revisions to the bill in hopes of winning over hard-liners who have threatened to tank the legislation.

[Doctors, hospitals and insurers oppose Republican health plan]

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said he and two other conservative leaders  Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus  met at President Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in an attempt to fix this bill.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

I cannot vote for any bill that keeps premiums rising, Cruz said, echoing the concerns of other hard-line lawmakers who want the legislation to undo more of the Affordable Care Acts insurance mandates. President Trump said this is one big, fat negotiation. Here is the central prize: If we lower premiums, and hopefully lower them a lot, that is a victory for the American people.

Its a fine needle that needs to be threaded, no doubt about it, said Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, speaking about the negotiations Sunday on ABCs This Week.

Ryans declaration that more would be done to help older Americans came after a third House moderate said Saturday that he could not support the bill in its current form.

[Whom to trust on health-care reform? Trump supporters put their faith in him]

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), who represents a suburban Philadelphia district that has been heavily targeted by Democrats, said in a Facebook post that he was most concerned that the legislation would roll back efforts to prevent and treat opioid abuse.

But he said that was one concern of many, and lawmakers from across the GOPs ideological spectrum have expressed fears that the American Health Care Act will not drive down prices. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Leonard Lance (R-N.J.) have cited that concern in announcing their opposition to the bill, and several other moderates remain undecided.

Those fears were stoked last week by a Congressional Budget Office analysis that forecast a short-term increase in premiums under the GOP law, and while premiums are expected to drop by roughly 10 percent over a 10-year horizon, some older and low-income people would face massive premium hikes.

View Graphic Whats next for the Obamacare replacement bill

[The GOPs dramatic change in strategy to pass its health-care law]

Those over 50 but not yet 65  and thus eligible for Medicare, the federal health program for seniors  represent a major issue in forging an alternative to the ACA. That age group tends to have more medical issues than younger adults and, thus, higher insurance costs, and the ACA forbids insurers to charge their oldest customers more than three times their rates for young adults  essentially having young adults cross-subsidize the cost of coverage for older ones.

But House Republicans want to eliminate that feature of the law, and the GOP bill would allow a 5-to-1 ratio as part of an attempt to attract more of the younger, healthier customers whom insurers want.

In an extreme case laid out in the CBO report, a 64-year-old earning $26,500 a year would see yearly premiums rise from $1,700 under the ACA to $14,600 under the Republican plan.

Ryan questioned that analysis, suggesting that administrative actions taken by the Trump administration would further lower premiums and questioning whether the ACA would remain viable in a decade. But he acknowledged that the GOP bill would probably have to change.

We believe we should have even more assistance, and thats one of the things were looking at for that person in the 50s and 60s because they experience higher health-care costs, he said.

The GOP bill as written offers a different type of tax credit for Americans buying insurance on their own. It rises by age and is a fixed amount for individuals with incomes of up to $75,000 and couples or families up to $150,000. But unlike the ACAs subsidies, the amount does not vary with insurance costs in different geographic areas, and the government would overall spend less money on the credits than under the current law. That, according to the CBO estimate, leads to substantial cost savings that  together with cuts to Medicaid  allow the GOP plan to eliminate nearly all of the taxes imposed under the ACA.

[Republicans threaten to deny poor people medical care if they arent working]

Trump won the support of several conservative House members on Friday when he agreed to make changes to the Medicaid portion of the bill, including giving states the option of instituting a work requirement on childless, able-bodied adults who receive the benefit.

But Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has worked closely with the hard-right bloc in the House, said on This Week that the bill was still short of a majority.

Paul said members of the Freedom Caucus still believe that the conservatives in their caucus dont want Obamacare Lite.

I believe that the real negotiation begins when we stop them, he said, referring to Ryan and House GOP leaders. You have to stop them.

Paul noted that he passed out notes based on Trumps book The Art of the Deal at a meeting he had with Freedom Caucus members last week: We need to learn from the master, and lets make sure that we increase our leverage by holding the line.

But Ryan expressed confidence that the bill would pass the House this week  and then move to the Senate, where the legislation is facing even sharper doubts and the GOP majority is much narrower. He cited Trumps hands-on involvement as a key factor in moving the legislation forward.

We are making fine-tuning improvements to the bill to reflect peoples concerns, to reflect peoples improvements, he said. The president is bringing people to his table, and Im very impressed with how the president is helping us close this bill, and making the improvements that weve been making, getting the votes.  We are right where we want to be.

Amy Goldstein contributed to this report.

Read more at PowerPost
When Judge Neil Gorsuch arrives on Capitol Hill on Monday morning to begin his confirmation hearings for a seat on the Supreme Court, he will give President Trump his first chance to make a lasting imprint on the federal judiciary  and Republicans a fresh test to work their will now that they control all of Washingtons levers of power.

Gorsuch, a federal appeals court judge from Colorado, was promoted by conservative legal activists because of his sterling credentials, a decade of right-of-center rulings and his allegiance to the same brand of constitutional interpretation employed by the late justice he would replace, Antonin Scalia.

Single best thing the presidents done, said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), a frequent Trump foil who predicted Republican unity on the matter and an easy victory for the president following the string of controversies that Trump has wrought since he took office.

All of that also sets up a stark dilemma for Senate Democrats. Monday brings their newest opportunity since the confirmation hearings of Trumps Cabinet to take a stand against a young administration that has horrified liberal Americans with efforts to strip away provisions of the Affordable Care Act, impose an entry ban on some immigrants and deeply cut federal agencies budgets.

The left also remains angry about a Supreme Court seat that has been vacant since Scalia died 13 months ago, after which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) decided to block a hearing for President Barack Obamas selection for the seat, Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch during a meeting with Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) on Feb. 8. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Gorsuch seemed to forecast what might await him from Democrats in a 2002 column he wrote lamenting the state of the Supreme Court nomination process: When a favored candidate is voted down for lack of sufficient political sympathy to those in control, grudges are held for years, and retaliation is guaranteed.

Yet Democrats are divided about how to take on a genial jurist who has made few waves in the weeks since Trump nominated him and he began meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Gorsuch is a bit of a puzzle, said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Were going to try to put those pieces together so that the puzzle is complete and we have an understanding of what kind of a fifth vote will be going on the court.

Asked about what more she hopes to learn about Gorsuchs stances, Feinstein said: Voting rights. Right to choose. Guns. Corporate dollars in elections. Worker safety. Ability of federal agencies to regulate. All of the environmental issues  water, air.

Senators and their staffs are also examining Gorsuchs role as a high-ranking official in the Justice Department at the time the George W. Bush administration was dealing with Guantanamo Bay detainees, reports of torture and anti-terrorism policies.

A new trove of materials released this weekend shows Gorsuch playing a central role in coordinating legal and legislative strategy, but portraying himself as reconciling the many opinions of those in the administration rather than driving policy.

I am but the scrivener looking for language that might please everybody, he wrote in one email.

(Peter Stevenson,Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post)

Four days of hearings are set to begin Monday, when Gorsuch will sit and listen for several hours as members of the Judiciary Committee read opening statements. He is poised to deliver his opening statement on Monday afternoon, giving senators and the nation an early indication of how he might serve on the court.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Gorsuch is set to face at least 50 minutes of questioning by each member of the panel. The proceedings are expected to conclude Thursday with a panel of witnesses speaking for or against Gorsuch.

[Rulings offer glimpse into what kind of justice Gorsuch would be]

Some of the issues that normally animate Supreme Court confirmation hearings wont depend upon Gorsuch. Decisions from last term showed there was still support on the court for limited affirmative action in higher education, for instance. The majority that found a constitutional right for same-sex couples to marry remains. And whatever Gorsuchs position on abortion rights, Justice Anthony M. Kennedys vote to strike down a Texas law last year reaffirmed the courts rulings that say government may not pass restrictions that unduly burden a womans right to an abortion.

But Gorsuch would probably reinforce the courts pro-business image and skepticism about some significant environmental programs begun under Obama. His past decisions show him to be extremely protective of the rights of those who object to even generally applicable government laws and regulations that they say violate their religious beliefs.

If Gorsuch is approved in time for the courts April hearings, he could play a significant role in a separation-of-powers case in which a church complains it was illegally denied a state grant. A conservative movement to curb the power of labor unions  stalled last year by Scalias death  is sure to resume. Cases involving legal protections for gay and transgender people are likely to arrive at the court soon.

[Supreme Court nominee Gorsuch says Trumps attacks on judiciary are demoralizing]

Beyond their questions about Gorsuchs record, Democrats plan to use his confirmation hearing to question the overall direction of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.s court.

When I hear my Republican colleagues say, We want another judge like Scalia, who isnt an activist, I say, What are you talking about? This has been an incredibly activist court,  said Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), a member of the Judiciary Committee. So I want to ask him about that.

The future of the court was a significant factor in Trump winning over conservative voters who might otherwise have been uncomfortable with the candidates ideology, values and personal history.

Even if people dont like me, they have to vote for me, Trump said at a rally in Virginia last year. You know why? Justices of the Supreme Court.

In November exit polls, more than 1 in 5 voters said that Supreme Court appointments were the most important factor in determining their choice; of those voters, 56 percent went to Trump.

Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.), Trumps final Republican opponent in last years presidential campaign, described the Gorsuch pick as the most transparent Supreme Court selection process in modern times because Trump drew Gorsuch from a list of 21 candidates supplied to him by conservative legal groups during the campaign.

Gorsuchs nomination is not the product just of ordinary Washington political decision-making but rather a presidential election decided by the American people, Cruz said.

Not a single Democrat, meanwhile, has pledged support for Gorsuch. That is partly fueled by a liberal base agitating for a win since Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20. Unable to block the large majority of Trumps executive branch nominations, some Democrats want to draw blood and force Gorsuch to clear procedural hurdles that require 60 senators to vote in his favor. Republicans have only 52 members in the upper chamber, so they would need eight Democrats to cross the aisle and vote with them.

Mounting a filibuster to force such a vote could amount to a declaration of war against Republicans that some Democrats, particularly those from conservative states that voted for Trump last year, may be unwilling to do.

The reality is that there is political pressure on them, Caroline Fredrickson, president of the liberal American Constitution Society, said of Democrats. The Supreme Court is different from other choices Trump will make, she said, because this is forever, or at least for the rest of my lifetime.

Democrats have expressed specific concern about Gorsuchs record of independence following Trumps criticism of the judiciary, including his remark about the so-called judge who struck down his first entry ban. Afterward, Gorsuch called Trumps attacks on the courts demoralizing.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Republicans should expect Democrats to question Gorsuch aggressively because were in a new world in which Trump is pushing the limits of his constitutional authority. Knowing where Gorsuch stands on that issue is critical, he said.

I have deep, deep doubts about him and his judicial demeanor, and the fact that he appears to be a calm, erudite person is not the key issue here, Schumer said. There are lot of people like that. Its what goes into how he decides cases.

[In profile: Simply stated, Gorsuch is steadfast and surprising]

Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) said he will ask Gorsuch to weigh in on Trumps push to implement an entry ban on visitors from certain majority-Muslim countries, because the Supreme Court in the near future will be tested on constitutional questions involving separation of powers.

Franken and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said they want to press Gorsuch on his cases involving campaign finance law, while Franken said he will also focus on Gorsuchs record on voting rights and womens reproductive rights. Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) said he plans to use documents provided by the Justice Department to ask Gorsuch about his years working for Bush on such matters as executive authority and the interrogation of terrorism suspects.

Gorsuch is going to have to establish very much that hed be independent of any president and that hes going to uphold the rights of all Americans, Leahy said. Hes got a lot of work to do in that regard.

Many conservative activists and GOP lawmakers say that the laundry list of Democratic concerns is evidence that they dont quite know how to pin down Gorsuch.

Questions about Gorsuchs potential independence from the Trump White House or conservative causes will be an exercise in self-contradiction for the Democrats, said Leonard Leo, who has been advising Trump on judicial matters and is on leave from his role as executive vice president of the conservative Federalist Society, which helped advise Trump on his list of potential court nominees.

[Senate Democrats focus on Gorsuchs defense of Bush-era terrorism policies]

They want Judge Gorsuch to say, Im my own man, Im independent, Im going to evaluate the actions of the executive branch on their own merits without regards to the president or any political issue,  he said. And then 10 minutes later theyre going to ask him to promise how hes going to rule on Roe v. Wade and every other case that comes before the court.

Therell be an effort to use him as a pinata to jam the president, Leo said, later adding that such attempts would be unfortunate and inappropriate.

And there could be other issues to emerge. With only eight members and the threat of ideological deadlock, the court has seemed reluctant to accept some controversial cases.

Gorsuchs nomination to replace Scalia, with whom he shares an originalist philosophy of constitutional interpretation, is in some ways like other recent replacements  by some measures a zero sum, ideologically speaking. Bushs two nominees, Roberts and Samuel A. Alito Jr., also replaced Republican nominees. Obamas choices of Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan took the places of liberals.

But justices ideologies are not predictable purely by virtue of the party of the president who nominated them. Alitos replacement of the more moderate Sandra Day OConnor moved the court to the right on several issues, including abortion, voting rights and campaign finance law.

I dont accept the premise that its Scalias seat,  Durbin said. I dont know what the next seat will be or when it will be, so I take each of them seriously.

Watching how Gorsuch fares will be the eight current members of the high court, who have said very little publicly in the past year about their diminished ranks.

Weeks before Scalias death, Roberts told an audience in Boston that public skepticism concerning the court starts with the Senate confirmation process. Decades ago, two of the courts most controversial justices  Scalia on the right and Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the left  were confirmed practically unanimously, he said.

But the three extremely well-qualified nominees who followed Roberts  Alito, Sotomayor and Kagan  were approved largely on party-line votes.

That suggests to me that the process is being used for something other than ensuring the qualifications of the nominees, Roberts said.

Skittish Republicans acknowledged that Trump could still spoil Gorsuchs chances. Graham said it could happen if the president tweets any more about judges.

Said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), the chambers second-ranking Republican: I think the best thing the White House could do is just let the Senate do its work.

Karen Tumulty contributed to this report.

Read more at PowerPost
The network of political appointees reports to an office led by Rick Dearborn, left, a White House deputy chief of staff, according to administration officials. At center is Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

The political appointee charged with keeping watch over Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and his aides has offered unsolicited advice so often that after just four weeks on the job, Pruitt has shut him out of many staff meetings, according to two senior administration officials.

At the Pentagon, theyre privately calling the former Marine officer and fighter pilot whos supposed to keep his eye on Defense Secretary Jim Mattis the commissar, according to a high-ranking defense official with knowledge of the situation. Its a reference to Soviet-era Communist Party officials who were assigned to military units to ensure their commanders remained loyal.

Most members of President Trumps Cabinet do not yet have leadership teams in place or even nominees for top deputies. But they do have an influential coterie of senior aides installed by the White House who are charged  above all  with monitoring the secretaries loyalty, according to eight officials in and outside the administration.

This shadow government of political appointees with the title of senior White House adviser is embedded at every Cabinet agency, with offices in or just outside the secretarys suite. The White House has installed at least 16 of the advisers at departments including Energy and Health and Human Services and at some smaller agencies such as NASA, according to records first obtained by ProPublica through a Freedom of Information Act request.

These aides report not to the secretary, but to the Office of Cabinet Affairs, which is overseen by Rick Dearborn, a White House deputy chief of staff, according to administration officials. A top Dearborn aide, John Mashburn, leads a weekly conference call with the advisers, who are in constant contact with the White House.

(Deirdra O'Regan/The Washington Post)

The aides act as a go-between on policy matters for the agencies and the White House. Behind the scenes, though, theyre on another mission: to monitor Cabinet leaders and their top staffs to make sure they carry out the presidents agenda and dont stray too far from the White Houses talking points, said several officials with knowledge of the arrangement.

Especially when youre starting a government and you have a changeover of parties when policies are going to be dramatically different, I think its something thats smart, said Barry Bennett, a former Trump campaign adviser. Somebody needs to be there as the White Houses man on the scene. Because theres no senior staff yet, theyre functioning as the White Houses voice and ears in these departments.

[Bannon vows daily fight for deconstruction of the administrative state]

The arrangement is unusual. It wasnt used by presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush or Bill Clinton. And its also different from the traditional liaisons who shepherd the White Houses political appointees to the various agencies. Critics say the competing chains of command eventually will breed mistrust, chaos and inefficiency  especially as new department heads build their staffs.

Its healthy when there is some daylight between the presidents Cabinet and the White House, with room for some disagreement, said Kevin Knobloch, who was chief of staff under Obama to then-Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.

That can only happen when agency secretaries have their own team, who report directly to them, he said. Otherwise it comes off as not a ringing vote of confidence in the Cabinet.

The White House declined to comment about the appointees on the record, citing the confidentiality of personnel matters and internal operations. But a White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that instead of holding agencies accountable, the appointees technically report to each departments chief of staff or to the secretaries themselves.

The advisers were a main point of contact in the early transition process as the agencies were being set up, the official said in an email. Like every White House, this one is in frequent contact with agencies and departments.

The advisers power may be heightened by the lack of complete leadership teams at many departments.

The long delay in getting Trumps nominee for agriculture secretary, former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue (R), confirmed means that Sam Clovis, who was a Trump campaign adviser, and transition team leader Brian Klippenstein continue to serve as the agencys top political appointees.

He and Brian Klippenstein are just a handful of appointees on the ground and theyre doing a big part of the day-to-day work, said Dale Moore, the American Farm Bureau Federations public policy executive director.

Every president tries to assert authority over the executive branch, with varying degrees of success.

The Obama White House kept tight control over agencies, telling senior officials what they could publicly disclose about their own departments operations. Foreign policy became so centralized that State Department and Defense Department officials complained privately that they felt micromanaged on key decisions.

After then-Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. made some political gaffes, Obama aides wanted to install a political aide at the Justice Department to monitor him. But Holder was furious about the intrusion and blocked the plan. During his tenure as defense secretary, Robert M. Gates pushed back against a top official the White House wanted at the Pentagon to guide Asia policy, wary of having someone so close to the president in his orbit.

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), a Trump adviser, said the president needs to dispatch political allies to the agencies to monitor a bureaucracy thats being targeted for reduction.

If you drain the swamp, you better have someone who watches over the alligators, Gingrich said. These people are actively trying to undermine the new government. And they think its their moral obligation to do so.

At the Transportation Department, former Pennsylvania lobbyist Anthony Pugliese shuttles back and forth between the White House and DOT headquarters on New Jersey Avenue SE, according to an agency official. His office is just 20 paces from Secretary Elaine Chaos, the official said.

Day to day, Pugliese and his counterparts inform Cabinet officials of priorities the White House wants them to keep on their radar. They oversee the arrival of new political appointees and coordinate with the West Wing on the agencys direction.

The arrangement is collegial in some offices, including at Transportation and Interior, where aides to Chao and Secretary Ryan Zinke insisted that the White House advisers work as part of the team, attending meetings, helping form an infrastructure task force and designing policy on public lands.

Tensions between the White House and the Cabinet already have spilled into public view. Mattis, the defense secretary, and Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly were caught unaware in January by the scope of the administrations first travel ban. The president has been furious about leaks on national security matters.

Trump does not have long-standing relationships or close personal ties with most leaders in his Cabinet. Thats why gauging their loyalty is so important, said officials who described the structure.

A lot of these [Cabinet heads] have come from roles where theyre the executive, said a senior administration official not authorized to publicly discuss the White House advisers. But when you become head of an agency, youre no longer your own person. Its a hard change for a lot of these people: Theyre not completely autonomous anymore.

Many of the senior advisers lack expertise in their agencys mission and came from the business or political world. They include Trump campaign aides, former Republican National Committee staffers, conservative activists, lobbyists and entrepreneurs.

At Homeland Security, for example, is Frank Wuc o, a former security consultant whose blog Red Wire describes the terrorist threat as rooted in Islam. To explain the threat, he appears on YouTube as a fictional jihadist.

Matt Mowers, a former aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) who was Trumps national field coordinator before landing at the State Department as senior adviser, said through a spokesman that he leads interagency coordination among the White House, agencies and the National Security Council and coordinates on policy and personnel.

Mowers sits at the edge of Secretary of State Rex Tillersons seventh-floor suite, dubbed Mahogany Row. But neither Tillerson nor his chief of staff are his direct boss.

Many of the advisers arrived from the White House with the small groups known as beachhead teams that started work on Jan. 20. One of the mandates at the top of their to-do list now, Bennett said, is making sure the agencies are identifying regulations the administration wants to roll back and vetting any new ones.

[Trump establishes task forces to eliminate job killing regulations]

At the Pentagon, Brett Byers acts as a go-between between Mattiss team and the White House, largely on bureaucratic matters, said an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues.

Career officials who work near the E ring offices occupied by senior Pentagon staff, suspicious that Byers is not directly on Mattiss team, came up with the Soviet-era moniker commissar to describe him, someone familiar with their thinking said.

Elsewhere, resentment has built up. Pruitt is bristling at the presence of former Washington state senator Don Benton, who ran the presidents Washington state campaign and is now the EPAs senior White House adviser, said two senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.

These officials said Benton piped up so frequently during policy discussions that he had been disinvited from many of them. One of the officials described the situation as akin to an episode of the HBO comedy series Veep.

[How James Inhofe is upending the nations energy and environmental policies]

Trumps approach may not be so different from Abraham Lincolns. Coming into the White House after more than a half-century of Democrats in power, Lincoln worked swiftly to oust hostile bureaucrats and appoint allies. But he still had to deal with an Army led by many senior officers who sympathized with the South, as well as a government beset by internal divisions.

Gettysburg College professor Allen C. Guelzo described Lincoln as surrounded by smiling enemies, which prompted him to embed his friends into army camps as well as some federal departments.

I think that presidents actually do this more than it appears, said Guelzo, adding that Lincoln dispatched Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army Montgomery Meigs to circulate among the Army of the Potomac to pick up any negative doggerel or insults officers made about him.

Ashley Halsey III and Missy Ryan contributed to this report.

Read more at PowerPost


A woman holds her child. They are part of a group of five families in their village, Shiga, in eastern Afghanistan, who had lived as unregistered refugees near Peshawar, Pakistan, for 30 years but were forced out by Pakistani authorities in a crackdown on Afghan refugees there. (Andrew Quilty/For The Washington Post)

The land is lush in this river-fed region of eastern Afghanistan. The highway that leads to the Pakistan border, 60 miles away, passes fields of ripening wheat, cucumber and cauliflower. The nearby city of Jalalabad is bustling, with crowded sidewalks and traffic jams of produce trucks, auto rickshaws and tractors.

But for a large, nearly invisible populace of new arrivals, the welcome has been grudging, the work scarce and the terrain as barren as the moon.

They are natives of the region, but they have been away for years, living as undocumented war refugees in Pakistan. About 260,000 such returnees have arrived in the past 15 months, pushed out by Pakistani authorities and encouraged to return by the Afghan government, but lacking official status in either country.

In many ways, they are misfits and intruders in their homeland  nomads allocated bits of rocky ground to pitch tents and build cinder-block huts; surplus laborers in a market crowded with men who have fled insurgent fighting nearby; half-forgotten relatives trying to squeeze back into villages where no one has room to take them in.

There is nothing here but dust, said Hakim Khan, 55, a laborer and father of 10, standing on a stony hillside where the government said about 700 returnee families could settle at no cost. After seven months, most have only gotten as far as marking their plots with cinder-block walls, partly because of a dispute over who actually owns the land.



Young boys play on the back of a delivery vehicle in Karokhel, a settlement of about 500 families forced from their homes by Pakistani authorities. Some have lived as undocumented refugees there for as long as 40 years. The families said they have ancestral rights to land at Karokhel, but the government disputes their claim. (Andrew Quilty/For The Washington Post)

Meanwhile, they are camping in makeshift shelters, fashioned from bits of plastic and cloth and covered with sheets of tin. There is no electricity, and the only water source for 4,000 people is a single well. There is a one-room schoolhouse, but few of the children attend.

Inside Khans tent one recent morning, three cots were jammed together next to a gas burner and a stack of pots. Children ran in and out, chasing chickens. His wife, hiding behind a curtain, was asked to name her most valuable possession. There is nothing valuable enough to mention, she answered.

Most of these returnees never registered with the Pakistani government, which meant they were not entitled to cash payments and other forms of assistance by the United Nations refugee agency when Pakistani officials began pushing out more than 2 million long-term refugees two years ago.

Many others with official refugee status continued on to Kabul, the capital, where services and work opportunities are greater. But these undocumented families  mostly poor and uneducated, with few connections  have stayed behind, hoping to find a niche in their geographic and ethnic Pashtun homeland.





At the moment, the official border crossing at Torkham is closed, a punitive measure taken by Pakistan last month after a string of terrorist bombings there were linked to militias based on the Afghan side. The flood of returnees slowed to a trickle this winter, although U.N. officials expect it will resume when spring comes and the border reopens.

Meanwhile, those who arrived last year, piling their possessions in rented trucks, have tentatively settled in a variety of camps, communities and government-allocated tracts. Their only substantive aid comes from the non-profit International Organization for Migration, which provides shelter and basic supplies for the first few weeks, plus transportation to their destination.

We are there when they arrive at the border, but what happens after that is a different issue, said Matthew Graydon, a spokesman for the organization here.

One major problem is securing property rights. Most arable or habitable terrain is already claimed, and some arriving groups who attempted to reclaim family land have found that others had acquired it and expected them to pay. In the village of Karokhel, 500 families came back last summer, planning to put up homes, and instead became embroiled in a nasty fight.



A young girl washes her hands as she squats beside the shelter her family lives in, constructed from timber, corrugated iron and plastic sheeting they found. They live on the barren, rocky slope of Sorkha Khan along with scores of other families in eastern Afghanistan's Laghman Province. The nearest drinking water is several miles away. (Andrew Quilty/For The Washington Post)

This is our ancestors land, and we kissed the stones when we arrived. But now it feels like a prison, said Hajji Mahmad Jan, 65, who left Karokhel 40 years ago. Most families are living in tents, with wheat sheaves for fences, while the legal wrangle continues. Just to fetch a bucket of water from the spring, we have to pay 50 cents, he complained.

Another shock is the scarcity of jobs, with the national unemployment rate at 40 percent. Early each day, returnees crowd street corners in Jalalabad, hoping for temporary work hauling bricks or loading trucks. One recent morning, several glum men said they had waited for weeks without snagging a single job. One became so desperate that he spent months in a distant migrant camp, picking grapes for $5 a day.

Returnees also face job competition from villagers displaced by the insurgent conflict. Some have fled fighting between Taliban and government forces; others have escaped districts controlled by more violent Islamic State-linked militias. Jalalabad is relatively safe, with security forces guarding and patrolling the roads, so the jobless population has swelled.



Men congregate on a main street in Jalalabad, hoping to find a day job. The majority are Afghan refugees from Pakistan. Others moved to the provincial capital after being displaced because of fighting in nearby districts. All said work for daily wages of 500 Afghanis, or $8, was difficult to find. (Andrew Quilty/For The Washington Post)

The luckiest newcomers, others say, are those with relatives and communities to welcome them back. But they too may be struggling to get by. If a long-absent uncle suddenly reappears with an extended family of 20, Pashtun tradition demands that they all be accommodated, but resentment can fester and disputes flare.

In one farming village north of Jalalabad, bordering the Kunar River, five local families returned from Pakistan last fall. There was no space for them, and tensions soon erupted. Two brothers in their 30s, one an engineer and the other a business owner in Pakistan, found themselves jobless and living with their families in dark, mud-walled rooms that opened onto a yard for sheep and goats.

For the first few nights, my children kept asking why we didnt turn on the lights, the businessman, Nanjialai Khan, said bitterly. The engineer, Rafiullah, confessed that he could not bear the idea of working as a farm laborer. People here work hard. They use shovels, he said, making a digging gesture and then showing his palms. It is difficult when you have had a softer life.

Another man from the same family said he had no choice but to pitch a tent in the yard of a relative with whom he had a personal grievance going back years. He seemed distraught and said he was unable to sleep.

Here we have to live with our enemies, but we have nowhere else to go, said the man, speaking in a whisper. He said he did not remember the village, and that his earliest memory was of fleeing across the border as a tiny child after Soviet forces attacked Afghanistan. This is my country, he said, but I cannot see the future at all.



Men line a main street in Jalalabad. Returnees face job competition from villagers displaced by the insurgent conflict. Jalalabad is relatively safe, with security forces guarding and patrolling the roads, so the jobless population has swelled. (Andrew Quilty/For The Washington Post)

Read more

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Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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U.S. State of Secretary Rex Tillerson, left, chats with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Lintao Zhang/Pool Photo via AP) (Lintao Zhang/AP)

While his boss was goading China over Twitter, new Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been trying to build a constructive and results-oriented relationship with the leadership in Beijing.

And though his warnings about the possibility of eventual military action over North Korea have raised hackles here, Tillerson received a warm welcome from Chinas president on Sunday.

You have made a lot of active efforts to achieve a smooth transition in our relationship under the new era, President Xi Jinping told Tillerson as the men sat down for talks in the Great Hall of the People. And I also appreciate your comment that the China-U.S. relationship can only be defined by cooperation and friendship.

But some critics say Tillerson has bent too far, handing Beijing what Chinese news media reports are calling a diplomatic victory.

After meeting Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday, Tillerson voiced Chinese catchphrases about the relationship, including the avoidance of conflict and confrontation and the need to build mutual respect and strive for win-win cooperation.

The phrase mutual respect is key: In Beijing, that is taken to mean each side should respect the others core interests.

In other words: The United States should stay away from issues such as Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong  and in principle almost anything Chinas Communist Party deems a vital national security concern. Increasingly, that also appears to include Chinas territorial claims in the contested waters of the South China Sea.

Several Chinese foreign policy experts called the comments very positive and in line with a concept Beijing has long advocated  what it calls a new model of great power relationships, which would put the two nations on a roughly equal footing.

Jin Canrong, a Sino-U.S. relations expert at Renmin University of China in Beijing, said Tillersons comments came as a surprise.

China has long been advocating this, but the United States has been reluctant to accept the point of mutual respect,  Jin said. Tillersons comment will be very warmly welcomed by China.

But Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the United States should use its own language to describe bilateral relations, not embrace Chinas.

More important, mutual respect signals acceptance of a litany of issues that China views as nonnegotiable, she said. By agreeing to this, the U.S. is in effect saying that it accepts that China has no room to compromise on these issues.

That would be a mistake, said Glaser, adding that China has shown no inclination to accept what might be seen as U.S. core interests, such as its alliances in Asia.

On the campaign trail last year, candidate Donald Trump pilloried China as a security threat and, particularly, a stealer of American jobs. On Friday, as Tillerson prepared to make his way to Beijing on the third leg of his Asian tour, Trump took to Twitter to criticize China for not helping rein in North Koreas nuclear program.

Tillerson has almost certainly been pushing China hard on the North Korean issue behind closed doors. But in public, his tone has been much more measured, judging this to be a better way to save Chinas face and gain its cooperation.

He could have received assurances from China  for example, over North Korea or trade  that he felt merited giving ground in return. Or perhaps the former ExxonMobil boss is simply not that worried about parsing diplomatic language and is more focused on results.

Tillersons remarks were probably an effort to provide Xi face in public, while behind doors, the conversation was probably more direct, said Walter Lohman, director of the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation. At least I hope so. Because, assuming Xi paraphrased Tillerson accurately, it is certainly not true that the China-U.S. relationship can only be defined by cooperation and friendship. 

Ironically, the Obama administration also ran into criticism for using the phrase new model of relations in 2013 and 2014, before backing away from wording that was seen as uncomfortably close to the Chinese formulation.

Ely Ratner, who worked as Vice President Joseph R. Bidens deputy national security adviser and is now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, took to Twitter to call it a big mistake and missed opportunity for parroting Chinese government platitudes and propaganda.

Chinas characterization of the U.S.-China relationship, as exemplified by those phrases, portends U.S. decline and accommodation, he wrote in an email. Tillerson using these phrases buys into this dangerous narrative, which will only encourage Chinese assertiveness and raise doubts in the region about the future of U.S. commitment and leadership in Asia.

As for Trump, he had shown so little regard for Beijings sensitivities that he even questioned whether the United States should continue to uphold the one-China policy, which rules out independence and diplomatic recognition for Taiwan.

That had spooked and angered Beijing until Trump backed down during what has been described as a warm and cordial telephone conversation with Xi last month.

On Sunday, Chinas president said that, after talking, both leaders believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era.

Both sides are talking about a face-to-face meeting between the leaders. China realizes that a personal rapport with Trump is important and watched in consternation as Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made an early visit to Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Tillerson seemed to acknowledge that getting his president better acquainted with China would make his job easier.

The very lengthy phone call between the leaders not only improved Chinas understanding of the United States but also Trumps understanding of China, Tillerson said. And he looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future.

We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthening of the ties between China and the United States and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation, he said.

Tillerson and Xi nodded as the other spoke, both flanked by officials and aides in the lavishly decorated Fujian Room in the Great Hall of the People, on the west side of BeijingsTiananmen Square, before the news media was ushered out for Tillersons last meeting of his three-nation Asian tour.

Even more than trade ties, North Korea has emerged as the biggest thorn in the relationship between Washington and Beijing. The United States wants firmer action to isolate Pyongyang and persuade the regime to abandon its nuclear program.

Tillerson says diplomatic efforts have failed and has not ruled out eventual military action. China, though, opposes anything that could bring down the regime in Pyongyang and bring instability to its borders.

[Tillerson says all options are on the table when it comes to North Korea]

It insists that dialogue is the only way forward, and Wang, the foreign minister, told Tillerson on Saturday that the United States should remain coolheaded.

Yet North Korea upped the ante even further Sunday by announcing it had carried out a rocket engine test of historic significance.

Luna Lin contributed to this report.

Read more:

North Korea says it tested rocket engine of historic significance

China urges U.S. to remain coolheaded on North Korea as Tillerson warns of danger

Tillerson says all options are on the table when it comes to North Korea

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Israeli police clash with settlers in the West Bank outpost of Amona on Feb. 1, 2017. Israeli forces evacuated the settlement after the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the settlement was built illegally on Palestinian farmland. (Oded Balilty/AP)

For Palestinians in the village of Silwad, the eviction of 40 families from a nearby Jewish settlement last month was a clear-cut victory.

The way they see it, justice prevailed two decades after a group of messianic Israelis set up their homes at a place Palestinians once called Al Mazaria, or farmers hill, and declared it Amona. The Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the settlement was built illegally on Palestinian farmland and ordered its demolition.

But for activists at Yesh Din, a small Israeli human rights organization that spearheaded the legal battle on behalf of about 80 Palestinians, victory was never a sure thing and the battle is not over. Those removed from their homes in Amona and their supporters are determined to see a new settlement built at another location in the West Bank, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised on the eve of their eviction.

In legal terms, the Amona case was simple. Someone had invaded private land and built structures on the property. But ultimately we were dealing with the Israeli government with all its power, not just the trespassers, said Michael Sfard, Yesh Dins legal adviser and a key figure in the fight against Amona for nearly a decade.

On Dec. 25, 2016, the eve of what was supposed to be the final deadline for eviction, Amona residents received an additional reprieve for 45 days with support from Netanyahu and hard-line Education Minister Naftali Bennett. The state argued, once again in court, that it needed a bit more time to find an alternative solution.

Israeli police evicts settlers from the West Bank outpost of Amona on Feb. 2, 2017. Israeli police removed the remaining Israeli protesters from the West Bank outpost of Amona, which forces evacuated under court order. (Oded Balilty/AP)

[Israeli police begin forced removal of Amona settlers in the West Bank]

I remember that we were sitting in the office and we heard there would be another postponement, Sfard said. We were so mad!

I was concerned that they would be allowed to stay and it would be a bitter defeat for us, said Neta Patrick, the chief executive of Yesh Din, which means there is law.

Patrick and her colleagues were worried that even if the court upheld its ruling that Amona needed to be demolished, it would agree to a government proposal to move the settlement less than a mile away to the other side of the hilltop. Yesh Din maintains that the proposed alternative location also belongs to Palestinian landowners.

We were fighting against mighty powers on this issue, and it was only on Feb. 1, when the court handed down its final ruling that time was up and the settlement must be removed, that we realized we had won, Patrick said.

The unprecedented scene of Israeli police officers and soldiers prying settlers and their supporters out of homes and communal buildings at Amona pitched Israelis against one another. Some in Israel said it was immoral for Jews to force other Jews from their homes, while others believed that the rule of law needed to take precedent. If the settlement was built on land owned by private individuals, they said, then the structures needed to be removed.

Despite their success in evicting Jewish settlers from land belonging to Palestinians  a feat that has eluded some of the most powerful figures in the international community for decades  Yesh Din is under no illusions that the fight is over.

Founded in 2005, the groups stated goal is to defend the rights of Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank. In addition to legal advocacy, such as in the Amona case, field workers and volunteers travel the West Bank gathering personal testimonies to highlight rights violations by individual Israelis or by authorities.

According to data published by BTselem, another Israeli human rights organization, about 400,000 Jewish settlers and between 180,000 and 300,000 Palestinians live on land known as Area C, which covers roughly 60 percent of the West Bank.

[Trump picks a supporter of West Bank settlements for ambassador to Israel]

Most of the world considers all Jewish settlements in the West Bank  not just those such as Amona that are built on private Palestinian property  to be illegal. Under President Barack Obama, the United States called the communities illegitimate and an obstacle to peace. Israel disputes this characterization.

Maryam Hammad, 83, a Palestinian villager from Silwad who once harvested wheat and barley with her husband and children there, remembers that she thought the Jewish settlers were just tourists when they arrived 20 years ago.

We tried to go back to the land a few times, but each time, the army pushed us back, said Hammad, who has kept small mementos from her life as a farmer  a bucket of barley seeds, an old wooden pitchfork and even a dry bundle of wheat placed in a vase atop her television set.

Hammad said the settlers offered her money a few times in exchange for the land. I told them, Even if you filled my house from floor to ceiling with $100 bills, I would not give up my land,  she said.

The day last month that Israeli security forces finally evicted the settlers, Hammad handed out candy and cake to friends and neighbors.

Silwads mayor, Abdel Rahman Saleh, said that it may have taken many years but that justice won in the end.

We were dependent on God, our people and, of course, this organization Yesh Din, which helped us, he said. It also helped, he said, that the villages farmers had held on to fading land deeds given to them when Jordan ruled the West Bank and had those deeds verified by Israel after it took control of the area in 1967.

Yesh Din are practical people. They understand the Israeli system and know how to work within it, the mayor said.

To many settlers, however, Israeli human rights organizations are nothing more than a front for European governments trying to meddle in their business and drive the Jews from the land they believe God promised to them in the Bible.

Yesh Din, the settlers point out, receives the bulk of its funding from foreign governments and foundations.

They are not a human rights organization; they are a political organization, said Avichai Boaron, a former resident of Amona who led his communitys struggle against the eviction. He lost his home last month when Israeli military bulldozers rolled in.

They talk about peoples rights, but we lost our homes, we were transferred, and today we are living like refugees, he said. But we are not important to them, because we are Jews.

The Yesh Din attorneys rebut those claims, and they say their organization is the victim of a larger government effort to disperse false facts against small, left-wing nongovernmental organizations and delegitimize the work they do to help Palestinians who have no rights in the Israeli system.

We are small but professional, and we dont take the incitement against us personally, Sfard said. Even if the Amona settlers had stayed on the hill, we would have won because we succeeded in empowering the Palestinian landowners.

As for the next step, the Yesh Din team says it must make sure the landowners get to use their land.

We are doubtful Israel will do the right thing, but we are not ready to give up, Sfard said .

Read more:

Israeli police begin forced removal of Amona settlers in the West Bank

Even Israel says this Jewish settlement is illegal. Now comes the showdown

Right-wing Israeli leaders push forward assertive new legislation to preserve Jewish settlements

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Kim Jong Un has presided over a rocket engine test of historic significance, North Korean state media said Sunday, a test that coincided with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillersons visit to neighboring China.

The North Korean leader declared that the whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries, the report said, declaring Saturday as the March 18 revolution because of the great leaping forward in North Koreas rocket industry.

The Kim regime has a history of making exaggerated claims and belligerent threats that it cannot back up, but the latest boast comes amid heightened tensions in the region.

North Korea has been making steady and observable progress with its missile program, and Tillerson said Friday that all options, including military ones, were on the table to stop it.

The rocket engine that North Korea tested appeared to be powered with liquid fuel, said Melissa Hanham, an expert at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, rather than the solid fuel the regimes engineers have been working on recently. Liquid fuel rockets are much easier to spot with satellites because they require more outdoor preparation.

(Reuters)

[ As North Koreas arsenal grows, experts see heightened risk of miscalculation ]

There is nothing about this rocket engine itself that makes me more terrified, but taken as a whole, its pretty clear that they are trying to give us proof of their growing missile program, Hanham said.

Kim said in his New Years address in January that North Korea had entered the final stage of preparation for the test launch of intercontinental ballistic missile. This ICBM would be aimed at reaching the U.S. mainland.

Since then, North Korea has fired a medium-range missile that appeared to show significant technological advances. This month, it launched four missiles, three of which landed within Japans exclusive economic zone.

While the missiles themselves werent new, the tactic was, analysts said. The simultaneous firings appeared designed to outsmart the Terminal High-

Altitude Area Defense antimissile battery that the United States is deploying to South Korea, which would have difficulty shooting down four targets at once.

The rocket engine tested Saturday was developed by the Norths Academy of the National Defense Science and marked the start of a Juche-based rocket industry, the Korean Central News Agency report said, alluding to the North Korean concept of self-reliance. It was developed without dependence on the technology of other countries, KCNA said.



[ Tillerson says all options are on the table when it comes to North Korea ]

The test marks the latest challenge to the United States from Kims regime. In a stop in Seoul on Friday, Tillerson said that all options are on the table for dealing with North Korea and that although the United States does not want a military confrontation, it would resort to military actions if necessary.

A little later, before Tillerson was to leave for Beijing, President Trump tweeted: North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help!

On Saturday, China urged the Trump administration to remain coolheaded about North Korea and not to turn its back on dialogue.

No matter what happens, we have to stay committed to diplomatic means as a way to seek peaceful settlement, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. We hope all parties, including our friends from the United States, could size up the situation in a coolheaded and comprehensive fashion and arrive at a wise decision.

For his part, Tillerson struck a more conciliatory tone in Beijing than he had a day earlier in Seoul, stressing that Beijing and Washington share a common view that North Korea must be stopped.

Missile experts are waiting for higher-resolution photos of the rocket engine from North Koreas state media for clues about the technology. The engine appeared smaller than one tested in April, and the color of the flame would provide clues about the type of fuel used, said Hanham, the nonproliferation expert.



Its smaller size could mean that the rocket was built for a smaller missile  or for the second stage of a bigger missile, like an ICBM, she said.

Read more:

China urges U.S. to remain coolheaded on North Korea as Tillerson warns of danger

Heres how a North Korean soldier got inches from Rex Tillerson

U.S. military deploys advanced defensive missile system to South Korea, citing North Korean threat

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Rome (AFP) - Around 3,000 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya on Sunday as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, the Italian coastguard told AFP.

"After some calm days, migrants are arriving in large numbers, taking advantage of a window of favourable weather," said a coastguard official.

The rescue was undertaken in 22 separate operations coordinated by the Italian coastguard.

One participant was the Aquarius, a humanitarian ship run by the NGO SOS Mediterranean and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which said it saved 946 people, including 200 unaccompanied minors.

An MSF video showed three young children smiling and dancing on the ship to the sound of drumming.

The migrants rescued by the Aquarius had been found drifting on nine wooden and rubber boats.

According to the Italian government, 16,206 people have been rescued in the sea by Friday -- compared to 11,911 by the same time last year.
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Mahmud Abbas will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Monday with ties strained between them and ahead of the Palestinian leader's talks with Donald Trump in Washington.

The Palestinian president is to meet Trump at the White House for the first time in early April, a Palestinian official said on condition of anonymity.

An Arab League summit is also set for March 29 in Jordan, and Abbas's discussions with Sisi are likely to touch on the meeting.

The meetings come as the American president's administration wades into the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with one of his top advisers holding talks with both Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week.

Jordanian King Abdullah II is also reportedly to meet Trump in April. Abbas spoke to Trump by phone earlier this month.

Egypt and Jordan are the only two Arab countries to have signed peace treaties with Israel, and would be key players in any regional peace process which the Trump administration says it would like to pursue.

Trump cast uncertainty over years of international efforts to foster a two-state solution to the conflict when he met Netanyahu last month.

At that meeting, Trump broke with decades of US policy by saying he was not bound to a two-state solution to the conflict and would be open to one state if it meant peace.

Ties between Abbas and Cairo have been strained, with senior Palestinian official Jibril Rajoub recently refused entry to Egypt to attend a conference. The Palestinian delegation then left in protest.

Media reports have said the tensions involve Cairo's efforts to support one of Abbas's rivals, Mohammed Dahlan, and a failed attempt to hold a regional peace summit including Israel.

Palestinian leaders reportedly opposed such a summit because they did not believe Netanyahu was serious about peace.
Berlin (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued a staunch joint defence of free trade Sunday, as the United States pushes towards greater protectionism.

"We want free and open markets," Merkel said in a speech in Hanover, a day before the world's biggest computer trade fair, CeBIT, kicks off in the central German city. The event is partnered with Japan this year.

"In these times of inter-connectedness, we want to link together our societies and work together in an equitable way. That's what free trade is about," she said.

She made no direct reference to US President Donald Trump, elected on a protectionist "America First" platform promising to slash trade deficits, but noted that the European Union and Japan are negotiating a free trade deal that may be reached this year.

"At a time when we are arguing a lot over free trade, open borders and democratic values, it's a good sign that Japan and Germany are not arguing" over trade, she said.

Abe, who is in Hanover as part of a European tour, said that Japan "wants to be the champion upholding open systems alongside Germany".

He said it was through connectedness that economies would grow, and called for a swift conclusion to the EU-Japan trade deal.

But he added: "We must not create conditions by which wealth becomes concentrated among only some people."

At a fraught G20 meeting in the German spa town of Baden-Baden on Saturday, the US challenged long-standing global principles surrounding free trade, refusing to renew past anti-protectionist pledges and threatening to reopen negotiations on World Trade Organization deals.

Since taking office, Trump has withdrawn the US from a trans-Pacific free trade pact and attacked export giants China and Germany over their massive trade surpluses.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP)  An Afghan soldier opened fire Sunday inside a base in the southern Helmand province, wounding three U.S. soldiers before being shot dead.

Navy Cpt. Bill Salvin, a U.S. military spokesman, said coalition forces had killed the soldier "to end the attack," but Col. Mohammad Rasoul Zazai, an Afghan army spokesman, said the soldier had made a "mistake" and had not fired deliberately.

Several U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan in recent years in so-called insider attacks carried out by Afghan police or soldiers. In October, an Afghan man in a military uniform shot dead a U.S. soldier and an American civilian contractor inside a military base in Kabul before being killed.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, Taliban insurgents attacked a district headquarters in the Kandahar province using a suicide car bomb, said Samim Khpolwak, a spokesman for the governor. He declined to say how many people were killed or wounded.

A security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information, said six police were killed and five others were wounded in the assault, which was claimed by the Taliban.

In the southern Zabul province, an army operation killed 13 Taliban and wounded 11 others, said Gen. Sadiqullah Saberi. He said two Afghan soldiers were killed and three others were wounded by a roadside bomb during the operation.

Two Taliban commanders were killed in an apparent U.S. drone strike in the Barmal district of the eastern Paktika province, said Mohammad Rahman Ayaz, spokesman for the provincial governor. Another 10 insurgents were killed in a separate drone strike in the Dand-e Patan district of neighboring Paktia province, said Gov. Zelmai Wessa.
Algiers (AFP) - President Abdelaziz Bouteflika appeared on television Sunday for the first time since a visit by Germany's chancellor was called off last month because of the Algerian leader's ailing health.

State television showed the 80-year-old president receiving Algeria's minister for African Union and Arab League affairs, Abdelkader Messahel.

On February 20, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called off a scheduled visit to Algiers at the last minute because the veteran president was suffering from "acute bronchitis".

Bouteflika won re-election in 2014 to serve a fourth term, despite having suffered a mini-stroke the previous year that has affected his speech and mobility.

He has been confined to a wheelchair since the stroke, meeting foreign guests at his home in Zeralda west of the capital and making few public appearances.
PHOENIX (AP)  Anna Nordqvist was right at home on another hot, low-scoring day in the Valley of the Sun.

The former Arizona State player shot a tournament-record 11-under 61 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead over Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn into the final round of the Bank of Hope Founders Cup.

"They always say that home is where the heart is, and my heart is definitely still here," Nordqvist said. "I always say I'm a West Coast girl and people remind me I'm from Sweden. But even though I live in Florida now, this definitely feels like home."

Playing in record 95-degree heat at Desert Ridge, Nordqvist broke the tournament 54-hole record of 19 under set by Ai Miyazato in 2013.

Lewis and Jutanugarn each shot 66 in their third straight round together  after they played alongside Nordqvist the first two days. Lewis and Jutanugarn have had identical scores each day, with Jutanugarn getting the spot in the final twosome with Nordqvist on Sunday because she was listed first on the tee sheet Thursday.

"We both played great the last three days and kind of fed off each other," Lewis said. "We were able to kind of club off each other on par 3s and things like that."

Nordqvist needed to hole her second shot on the par-4 18th to shoot 59, but hit left of the pin and went through the green to the edge of the grandstand.

"Sat on a pretty good sidehill and I had a 7-iron in, so came off a little bit more left than I expected, but long is not going to be bad spot, especially with the grandstand there," Nordqvist said.

Her putt from the fringe slid by to the left.

"Thought I had it," Nordqvist said. "But it's not the end of day, I still shot 61."

The 6-foot Swede played the first 12 holes in 8 under, capping the run with an eagle on the par-5 12th. She added birdies on the par-3 14th, par-5 15th and par-3 17th.

Nordqvist successfully defended her ShopRite LPGA Classic title last season for her sixth LPGA Tour victory. She nearly won the U.S. Women's Open for her second major, but lost a three-hole playoff to Brittany Lang after being penalized two strokes for touching the sand with her club in a fairway bunker on the second extra hole.

Story continues

The 61 matched her career best set in the 2013 Mobile Bay LPGA Classic.

"I feel like I enjoyed it a little bit more today than I did that time," Nordqvist said. "I'm in a better place."

Lewis is winless in 66 events since June 2014 and has slipped to 14th in the world. She won at Desert Ridge in 2013 to reach No. 1, was second in 2014 and 2015 and tied for fourth last year.

"With the way this golf course is playing, two back is not a big deal," Lewis said.

She bogeyed the par-4 14th after a short putt horseshoed out, then rebounded with birdies on 16 and 18.

"It wasn't great, but it was good," Lewis said. "Definitely would've liked to have birdied those couple par 5s on the back nine. Felt like I didn't play those very well. But making those two birdies coming in was huge.

Jutanugarn was bogey-free for the third straight day. The second-ranked Thai star won five LPGA Tour titles last year and topped the player of the year points race and money list.

"I just really like the course," Jutanugarn said. "The course not that easy. Some hole pretty challenging for me."

So Yeon Ryu had a 64 to get to 18 under, and In Gee Chun (66) and Angel Yin (65) were 17 under.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko had a 63 to join Inbee Park (67) Nelly Korda (64) and Vicky Hurst (68) at 16 under. Ko birdied the final six holes, closing with a 15-footer on the par-4 18th

"I just gave myself a lot of good opportunities," Ko said. "I don't know if I've had that string of birdies in a row before. ... I just got to focus on my game tomorrow, and hopefully I have another low one."

Michelle Wie, a stroke back entering the round, had a 72 to drop into a tie for 24th at 12 under. She's winless in 62 events since the 2014 U.S. Women's Open.
XALAPA, Mexico (AP)  An attacker shot a journalist to death Sunday in the Mexican state of Veracruz, adding to the toll in a region plagued by drug gang violence and allegations of government corruption.

Journalist Ricardo Monlui was leaving a restaurant with his wife and a son in the town of Yanga, outside the larger city of Cordoba, when a man who appeared to have been waiting shot Monlui twice and fled, local police chief Carlos Samuel Hernandez said. The wife and son apparently were unhurt.

Monlui is at least the 11th journalist to be slain in just over six years in Veracruz state, but the first since former Gov. Javier Duarte quit last year and vanished in the face of corruption charges. New Gov. Miguel Angel Yunes, who took office in December, expressed indignation at the killing.

As a battleground for rival drug cartels, Veracruz is one of Mexico's most violent states. The governor reported that eight people, including five police officers, also were killed Sunday during a gunbattle in the Coxquihi municipality in a mountainous area of northern Veracruz. Yunes said it wasn't yet clear what happened.

Later in the day, state Attorney General Jorge Winckler reported that 47 skulls and other body parts had been found in eight clandestine graves outside a port on Alvarado lagoon.

The announcement came five days after Winckler revealed that 300 sets of remains had been removed in recent months from secret burial sites in other parts of the state, including 253 found in the northern part of Veracruz city. He said those remains appeared to have been victims of drug cartels killed years ago.

Winkler said Sunday that officials have not yet explored all the sites where they have reports of possible illegal burials in the state because there is not enough space in forensic facilities.

Monlui, the slain journalist, was head of the Cordoba region's press association and was a columnist for the new newspapers El Sol de Cordoba and Diario de Xalapa as well as the magazine Analysis Politico.

Hernandez said officials were trying to identify the killer and were not yet sure of a motive.

The Washington-based Committee to Protect Journalists has said that Mexico is the most dangerous part of the hemisphere for journalists and that Veracruz, on the Gulf of Mexico, has been the most deadly part of the country. The committee says 86 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992, 37 of them for motives directly related to their work and 49 for reasons not yet clear.
A former top lobbyist for Anthem will be the next head of the Justice Departments antitrust division, according to two reports citing officials familiar with the matter. Makan Delrahim served as one of the healthcare conglomerates top lobbyists working on antitrust issues as the company pushed the Justice Department to approve its controversial proposal to merge with Cigna.

Delrahim would head the office that Anthem is pushing to approve the merger, which physicians and consumer groups say could raise healthcare prices and reduce medical coverage for up to 53 million Americans. Delrahims impending appointment was first reported by Reuters and the Wall Street Journal.

According to federal lobbying records, Anthem paid $370,000 in lobbying fees to Delrahims firm, Brownstein Farber, between 2015 and 2016. Those fees paid for the lobbying services of Delrahim and William Moschella. Delrahim had previously served in the Justice Departments antitrust unit under George W. Bush, and Moschella was also a top Justice Department official during Bushs presidency. The lobbying records said Delrahim and Moschella were working on antitrust issues associated with Anthem's proposed acquisition of Cigna. Lobbying records show Delrahim has also lobbied on antitrust issues for Pfizer, Qualcomm, Ardent Health Services and WMG Acquisitions.

Delrahim was last listed as an Anthem lobbyist five months ago. He is currently serving as President Donald Trumps deputy White House counsel.

News of Delrahims appointment to the nations top antitrust job comes weeks after Anthem lawyers told a Delaware judge that they are relying on the Trump administration to settle the antitrust divisions current lawsuit blocking its Cigna merger. Between those court statements and Delrahims appointment, President Trump had a personal telephone call with Anthems CEO, Joseph Swedish. Anthem gave $100,000 to Trumps inaugural committee, and after Trump assumed office, the Securities and Exchange Commission helped Anthem quash a shareholder resolution designed to force it to disclose its lobbying expenditures.

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In leading the Justice Department's antitrust division, Delrahim will have to contend with Trump's recent ethics executive order. That directive requires appointees to agree to avoid "participat(ing) in any particular matter on which I lobbied within the 2 years before the date of my appointment" and to avoid "participat(ing) in the specific issue area in which that particular matter falls."

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP)  Police in Jamaica say people riding motorcycles have fired at a bar, killing four.

A police statement says the victims of Saturday night's shooting in the western coastal town of Savanna la Mar were aged 19 to 68.

Authorities say the passengers aboard two motorcycles got off to fire at the victims and then fled.

The attackers have not been caught and the motive for the killing is unclear.
Beirut (AFP) - Just before midnight in a sleepy district of Beirut, dozens of Syrian refugees huddle in small groups around bulging suitcases, clutching their pinging cellphones and one-way tickets to Italy.

"Torino! Pronto! Cappuccino!"

They practise random Italian words in a schoolyard in the Lebanese capital's eastern Geitawi neighbourhood, waiting for the buses that will take them to the airport, and onwards to their new lives in Italy.

Under an initiative introduced last year by the Italian government, nearly 700 Syrian refugees have been granted one-year humanitarian visas to begin their asylum process in Italy.

The programme is the first of its kind in Europe: a speedy third way that both avoids the lengthy United Nations resettlement process and provides refugees with a safe alternative to crammed dinghies and perilous sea crossings.

Compared to fervent calls for "extreme vetting" of refugees most famously made by US President Donald Trump, this "humanitarian corridor" is like a godsend.

"Turin is the city I've been dreaming of," says Mohammed, 24, a Syrian refugee who has lived in southern Lebanon for five years and is travelling to the northern Italian city with his pregnant wife.

After poring over pictures on Google, Mohammed says Turin looks like a "beautiful" industrial hub where he hopes to work.

"This trip is a leap into the future. I can build my life anew," he says as he fires off updates by phone to relatives anxious to hear about his journey.

"The most important thing we packed? Baby clothes."

- 'Safe and legal' -

For 34-year-old Soha and her toddler Angelo, Italy will be an escape from the trauma of Syria's six-year war.

"Four years ago a rocket hit our house and killed both my sons, Antoine and Michael... We want to start a new life. This is all for my son," Soha says.

Another refugee, Michel, was smuggled into Lebanon earlier this year after being shot in the chest and shoulder in Syria.

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"I'm going to Rome. I'm looking forward to a new life there, far far away from the difficult lives we've led so far," he says.

Tapping his foot nervously as the airport buses pull in, Michel admits he is relieved to be flying directly to Italy because "I don't have to get smuggled again and be humiliated".

Hundreds of thousands of people landed last year on Europe's shores after crossing the Mediterranean, but some 4,500 also died trying.

A country of just four million people, Lebanon hosts more than one million Syrian refugees.

For members of Mediterranean Hope, the four-person team coordinating Italy's resettlement efforts from Lebanon, "humanitarian corridors" are the future of resettlement.

The group interviews refugees many times before recommending them to the Italian embassy, which issues humanitarian visas for a one-year stay during which they begin the asylum process for permanent resettlement.

"It's safe and legal. Safe for them, legal for us, says Mediterranean Hope officer Sara Manisera.

"After people cross the Mediterranean on the journey of death, they are put into centres for months while they wait. But with this programme, there are no massive centres, it costs less, and refugees can keep their dignity," she tells AFP.

- 'Cross over into life' -

The initiative is co-organised by Italy's Catholic Community of Sant'Egidio, the Federation of Evangelical Churches and the Valdese Evangelical Church.

Mediterranean Hope says it wants people to stop looking at refugee resettlement through the lenses of security and counter-terrorism.

On Wednesday, a federal court in Hawaii halted Trump's reworked travel ban, which again sought to bar all refugees from the US for 120 days and halt visas for 90 days for nationals of six Muslim-majority countries.

And earlier this month, Hungary voted to systematically detain all asylum-seekers.

"Of course we can continue to build walls as Hungary and the US are doing, but the cost will be much higher for everyone. Which kind of world do we want to live in?" asks Manira.

At Beirut airport, Mohammed Khalaf can hardly believe he will start a new life in Rome in just a few hours.

"Honestly, it's indescribable. I was in one country, doing everything possible to leave, and suddenly I'm going to be in another," says the slight 21-year-old from Damascus.

Khalaf is travelling alone. While he is open about his weeks-long detention in two of Syria's most notorious prisons, he grimly refuses to talk about what happened to his family.

He calms his nerves by reciting some Arabic poetry he has written.

"I will leave this war. I will go, because my story does not end with something that saddens me...

"I will cross over into life, opening her closed doors with my poetry, and with my dream."
A man suspected in the shooting of two other males in the area of the Rose Park Plaza Apartments was arrested on Saturday night, according to the Billings Police Department.

BPD received report of multiple gunshots, said Sgt. Clyde Reid. Officers were dispatched to the 2300 block of Avenue C at 6:08 p.m., according to a press release written by Lt. David Cardillo of the BPD Detectives Division.

One of the victims was shot multiple times and his wounds were life-threatening when he was transported to St. Vincent Healthcare, according to the release. The other victim was shot once and his injury was not life-threatening. He was also taken to St. Vincent Healthcare. The wounds appeared to be in the torso, Reid said.

"As soon as officers showed up, people pointed him out," Reid said of the suspect. He was in possession of a gun when police approached him but was arrested without incident, Reid said. The suspect was booked into the Yellowstone County Detention Facility on two counts of felony assault, according to the release.

Police believe the shooting was preceded by a verbal disturbance of some sort and the investigation has been turned over to detectives, Reid said.

Crime scene tape could later be seen blocking off a portion of the 2300 block of Avenue C near the Rose Park Plaza Apartments.

An adult woman, described by Reid as a relative of an involved party, was also arrested, for "causing a verbal disturbance."
Bangladesh's highest court Sunday rejected the final appeal by a top extremist leader to overturn his death sentence, all but paving the way for his execution within weeks.

The Supreme Court upheld a 2008 order to execute Mufti Abdul Hannan and two associates for an attack on a shrine that left three dead and injured the British high commissioner at the time.

The decision comes just weeks after armed militants attempted to free Hannan in a daring ambush as police transferred the high-profile extremist between prisons.

The appeal dismissal leaves Hannan and his associates no further legal avenues to escape the gallows and they could be hanged within a week, said Attorney General Mahbubey Alam.

"They can still beg for their lives to the president," he told AFP, though there is no such precedent of an Islamist extremist being granted clemency in Bangladesh.

The trio were sentenced to death for masterminding a 2004 grenade attack that killed three and injured scores more, including then British high commissioner (ambassador) Anwar Choudhury.

It was among the most high-profile attacks orchestrated by the Harkat-ul Jihad Al Islami (HuJI) group, headed by Hannan, across Bangladesh in the mid-1990s.

By the time Hannan was arrested in late 2005 more than 100 people had been killed in attacks by HuJI on a church, secular gatherings and mosques used by Islam's minority sects.

His supporters attempted to free their influential leader in early March by hurling hurl bombs at police vans transporting Hannan, but failed to secure his release.

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.

Islamic State claimed responsibility Saturday for a suicide bomb attack on a Bangladesh security forces camp, while police in Dhaka shot dead a suspected militant in a separate incident.

Police have arrested scores of suspected extremists and killed more than 50 people since an attack on a Dhaka cafe last year that left 22 dead.
DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh's Supreme Court rejected a final appeal on Sunday by a leading militant and two others against death sentences imposed over a grenade attack on the British ambassador in 2004, lawyers said, meaning they could be hanged at any time. Three militants, including Mufti Abdul Hannan, the head of the Harkat-ul Jihad Islami group, were convicted and sentenced to death in 2008. Three people were killed in the May 21, 2004, attack and about 50 wounded, including then British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury, who was hit in the leg. A panel of three judges headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha rejected the petition that sought a review of the death sentences, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said. "Now there is no legal bar to hang them, unless they seek clemency from the president and the president pardons them," Alam told reporters. Defence lawyer Nikhil Kumar Saha said: "It is up to them whether they will seek clemency from the president or not." The Supreme court upheld their death sentences last year. Harkat-ul Jihad Islami was blamed for several other attacks, including a bomb blast later in 2004 at a rally by then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina, who later became prime minister. That attack killed 23 people and wounded more than 150. Hasina suffered partial hearing loss. Hannan was also sentenced to death for a bomb attack on a Bengali New Year's celebration in 2001 that killed 10 people dead and wounded scores. Sunday's ruling came amid rising concern over the growth of Islamist militancy in the Muslim-majority South Asian country of 160 million people. There has seen a series of deadly attacks in recent years, the most serious last July when gunmen stormed a Dhaka cafe and killed 22 people, most of them foreigners. Police have killed more than 50 militants since the cafe attack. (Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Paul Tait)
The last large coal-fired power plant in Beijing has suspended operations, with the city's electricity now generated by natural gas, the state news agency reported as smog enveloped the Chinese capital this weekend.

The shuttering of the Huaneng Beijing Thermal Power Plant comes on the heels of China's annual legislative sessions, where Premier Li Keqiang promised to "make our skies blue again" in his state-of-the-nation speech.

According to Xinhua, Beijing has become the country's first city to have all its power plants fuelled by natural gas, an objective laid out in 2013 in the capital's five-year clean air action plan.

The Huangneng plant is the fourth to be closed and replaced by gas thermal power centres between 2013 and 2017, cutting nearly 10 million tonnes in coal emissions annually.

Xinhua reported the move the night before municipal authorities issued a blue alert for heavy air pollution on Sunday.

Smog has cloaked the capital for several days and is expected to continue through the week.

Since last Wednesday' closing of the National People's Congress, the annual meeting of China's rubber-stamp parliament, PM2.5 (harmful particulate) levels have remained between 200 and 330 micrograms per cubic metre -- well above the World Health Organization's recommended maximum average exposure of 25 micrograms per cubic metre in a 24-hour period.

The pollution often vanishes during prominent events like the legislative sessions and the 2008 Summer Olympics as authorities order factories to halt activity and force cars off the road.

During the 2014 gathering of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Beijing, this clear air phenomenon was dubbed "APEC blue."

During the one-week-and-a-half period of the NPC, average PM2.5 levels hovered between 50 and 80, despite exceeding 200 micrograms per cubic metre just one day before the opening of the parliamentary sessions on March 5.

In response to a reporter's question about this disparity at his annual press conference last Wednesday, Li repeated his pledge to target coal-burning and vehicle emissions.

"We may not be able to control the weather, but we can adjust our behaviour and our way of development," he said.

"Blue skies should no longer be a luxury, nor will they be."
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A battle pitting big-box retail giants including Menards and Wal-Mart against Wisconsin towns and cities is headed to the Legislature.

Republican-backed proposals, written in conjunction with the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, are designed to close the so-called dark store loophole and increase how much the mega-retailers pay local communities in property taxes.

The bills come in reaction to court rulings in Wisconsin and nearby Midwestern states  starting in Michigan  that have helped the retail giants lower the value placed on their stores for levying property taxes. The retailers have successfully challenged their tax assessments in communities across Wisconsin, and the Midwest, by arguing they are overtaxed and should pay the same rate as a store that is closed and vacant.

That results in a shift of the property tax burden to smaller retail stores and property owners, said Jerry Deschane, executive director of the League of Municipalities.

"We just think that's fundamentally unfair," he said. "The bottom line with the property tax is it has to be uniform."

The cities will have to overcome opposition from the powerful state chamber of commerce and deep-pocketed retail giants that stand to lose millions from a change in current practice.

Wisconsin Department of Revenue rules require that assessments be based on the fair market value of a property. The stores argue that the value of the underlying real estate should be determined by looking at comparable building sales, prices that usually fall far below the assessment of an operating store.

Assessing the building as if it were empty has long been the standard in Wisconsin for determining its value, said Don Millis, a Madison attorney who has represented Target and other retailers in assessment challenges. Millis is also lobbying for the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce against changes to the law.

"You value the sticks, bricks and mud," Millis said. Cities have been incorrectly assessing the property based on the potential lease value, he said.

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"We don't think they're being undervalued," he said. "We think assessors are being overly aggressive."

But Republican state Sen. Duey Stroebel, who plans to introduce a bill next month addressing the issue, said the potential lease value of the property should be considered when valuing it for tax purposes. That is what the bill he and others are working on will do, he said.

Millis warned that changing the law "could have long-term unintended consequences" affecting how all property is valued.

Big box stores including Menards, Lowe's and ShopKo have filed more than 20 lawsuits against Wisconsin municipalities in the past year challenging their property assessments.

In one, Menards successfully argued last year that the value of its store in Fond du Lac assessed by the city at $9.2 million should be no more than $5.2 million. A similar lawsuit from Target argues that Fond du Lac should reduce its taxes on the retailer by about a third.

The dilemma for small cities is that the cost of defending lawsuits can equal or exceed the amount of property tax revenue at play, so they are more inclined to settle than fight it, said Deschane, who's with the League of Municipalities.

Lawmakers in nearby states have had mixed success in tackling the issue.

A proposal in Michigan that attempted to require the taxable value to be based on the highest and best use of a property failed to pass last year. But in Indiana, the Republican-controlled Legislature, along with then-Gov. Mike Pence, enacted legislation to block what opponents call a tax loophole. The Wisconsin bill is modeled after the Indiana law.

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Follow Scott Bauer on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sbauerAP . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/scott-bauer .
Yangon (AFP) - Thousands of people protested in eastern Myanmar on Sunday against plans to name a bridge after Aung San Suu Kyi's father, the latest flashpoint between her administration and the country's restless ethnic minorities.

The issue highlights some of the deep distrust among Myanmar's patchwork of minorities towards the Bamar ethnic majority from which Suu Kyi and most of the political establishment hail.

Thousands hit the streets of eastern Mon State on Sunday, the biggest rally yet against plans to rename the local Thanlwin bridge spanning the wide Salween River.

Lawmakers from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party have proposed calling it the Bogyoke Aung San bridge.

Aung San was Suu Kyi's father, seen as the founder of post-colonial Myanmar who was assassinated before the country won its independence from Britain.

Many of those protesting on Sunday said locals felt their wishes to keep the old name were being ignored.

"The NLD is powerful in the parliament and nowadays they can do whatever proposal as they like," demonstrator Lin Htet, 34, told AFP.

"But for us and for all ethnic people, we value many things in our culture and they should listen what the local ethnics want."

Saw Kyaw Moe, who hails from the nearby Karen ethnic group, was part of a contingent of protesters who joined in support of the Mon.

He said many minorities felt Suu Kyi's government was deaf to their wishes.

"The MPs should listen to the wishes of the people who appointed them as MPs but now they don't listen the voices of the people," he said.

The fight over the bridge's name is seen as more than just a symbolic designation, but part of a larger fight for ethnic self-determination.

Suu Kyi's father Aung San is regarded as a national hero, especially among the Bamar majority.

But many ethnic groups see him as a more controversial figure who failed to deliver on promises of greater autonomy and federalism for them.

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For decades Myanmar's border regions have been plagued by insurgencies and civil wars against the Bamar-dominated military which is widely loathed by ethnic minorities.

Since winning a landslide election victory in late 2015 Suu Kyi has made it a flagship policy to find a lasting peace.

But those efforts have been hampered by some of the worst fighting in decades which has flared, particularly in the country's northeast.

Analysts say the still powerful military has little appetite for greater federalism or to end wars that justify its bloated budgets.

Mon state remains peaceful, but Suu Kyi's party faces a by-election over a single seat there next month in which the bridge has become a major issue.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  The Washington Capitals have their third consecutive 100-point season and are postseason-bound for the ninth time in 10 years.

T.J Oshie had three goals and an assist, Justin Williams and John Carlson had early third-period goals, and the Capitals became the first team to clinch a playoff spot by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Saturday night.

"It feels good," Oshie said. "It's one thing on the checklist we wanted to cross off. We got there. Most important thing for us, we want to be playing at the very elite level, at our top level entering the playoffs. That's our goal."

Oshie scored twice, including an early power-play goal, as the Capitals took a 2-0 lead midway through the first. He completed his third career hat trick with an empty-netter during the final minute. Oshie has 10 goals and 19 points in 14 games against Tampa Bay.

Williams had a redirection goal 3:14 into the period before Carlson swatted a thigh-high puck home to make it 4-2 at 5:30.

Washington also got four assists from Nicklas Backstrom, and Braden Holtby stopped 26 shots. The Capitals are 2-0-1 since a four-game skid.

"I think the last three games, obviously, they haven't been perfect but there's been areas where we've had big strides forward," Holtby said.

Nikita Kucherov had two goals, and Alex Killorn had the other goal for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 30 saves.

Tampa Bay trails Toronto by two points for the second Eastern Conference wild-card after allowing five goals in both of consecutive losses at home.

"Our backs are against the wall," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "We've got to pull points out of games."

Kucherov got Tampa Bay within a goal at 4-3 with 1:30 left, but Oshie sealed it with his third of the game.

The Lightning tied it at 2 late in the first as Kucherov, on a power play set up by Oshie's high-sticking penalty, and Killorn had goals 16 seconds apart.

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Killorn stopped a 16-game goal drought, while Kucherov got his 32nd goal this season and 100th overall.

Alex Ovechkin assisted on Oshie's second goal and tied Florida's Jaromir Jagr for the most points against Tampa Bay with 83. He has played the Lightning 63 times.

Ovechkin, who has one goal in his last 13 games, had seven shots on goal.

NOTES: Capitals LW Andre Burakovsky returned after missing 15 games with a hand injury. ... Tampa Bay played without with centers Tyler Johnson (five games), Cedric Paquette (five games) and Vladislav Namestnikov (three games), who are all out with lower-body injuries. Center Steven Stamkos, out since right knee surgery in November, went through a full practice Friday but is not ready to play. ... Washington LW Marcus Johansson left due to illness. ... The Capitals have outscored their opponents 73-33 in the first period.

UP NEXT:

Capitals: Play the first of three straight at home against Calgary on Tuesday night.

Lightning: Complete a three-game homestand against Arizona on Tuesday night.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will travel to New Zealand for talks with government and business leaders next week, New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English announced on Sunday. Li's visit comes as international attention centers on Chinas role in promoting free trade and globalization amid a turbulent start by new U.S. President Donald Trump. New Zealand and Australia hope to salvage the Trans-Pacific Partnership by encouraging China and other major Asian economies to join the trade treaty after Trump ended U.S. involvement. The Chinese premier will travel to New Zealand after visiting Australia for talks with Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull. He and his wife, Professor Cheng Hong, will lead a delegation of business and government representatives to New Zealand from March 26-29. "The visit is an important opportunity to set the agenda for the next stage of our strong relationship and demonstrates our shared commitment to open trade and economic growth," English said in a statement. (Reporting by Harry Pearl; Editing by Paul Tait)
(NEW YORK)  Chuck Berry, rock n rolls founding guitar hero and storyteller who defined the musics joy and rebellion in such classics as Johnny B. Goode, Sweet Little Sixteen and Roll Over Beethoven, died Saturday at his home in an unincorporated area west of St. Louis. He was 90.

Emergency responders summoned to Berrys residence by his caretaker about 12:40 p.m. found him unresponsive, police in Missouris St. Charles County said in a statement. Attempts to revive Berry failed, and he was pronounced shortly before 1:30 p.m., police said.

A police spokeswoman, Val Joyner, told The Associated Press she had no additional details about the death of Berry, calling him really a legend.

Berrys core repertoire was some three dozen songs, his influence incalculable, from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to virtually any group from garage band to arena act that called itself rock n roll. While Elvis Presley gave rock its libidinous, hip-shaking image, Berry was the auteur, setting the template for a new sound and way of life. Well before the rise of Bob Dylan, Berry wedded social commentary to the beat and rush of popular music.

He was singing good lyrics, and intelligent lyrics, in the 50s when people were singing, Oh, baby, I love you so,' John Lennon once observed.

Berry, in his late 20s before his first major hit, crafted lyrics that spoke to the teenagers of the day and remained fresh decades later. Sweet Little Sixteen captured rock n roll fandom, an early and innocent ode to the young girls later known as groupies. School Day told of the sing-song trials of the classroom (American history and practical math; youre studying hard, hoping to pass) and the liberation of rock n roll once the days final bell rang.

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Roll Over Beethoven was an anthem to rocks history-making power, while Rock and Roll Music was a guidebook for all bands that followed (Its got a back beat, you cant lose it). Back in the U.S.A. was a black mans straight-faced tribute to his country at a time there was no guarantee Berry would be served at the drive-ins and corner cafes he was celebrating.

Everything I wrote about wasnt about me, but about the people listening, he once said.

Johnny B. Goode, the tale of a guitar-playing country boy whose mother tells him hell be a star, was Berrys signature song, the archetypal narrative for would-be rockers and among the most ecstatic recordings in the musics history. Berry can hardly contain himself as the words hurry out (Deep down Louisiana close to New Orleans/Way back up in the woods among the evergreens) and the downpour of guitar, drums and keyboards amplifies every call of Go, Johnny Go!

The song was inspired in part by Johnnie Johnson, the boogie-woogie piano master who collaborated on many Berry hits, but the story could have easily been Berrys, Presleys or countless others. Commercial calculation made the song universal: Berry had meant to call Johnny a colored boy, but changed colored to country, enabling not only radio play, but musicians of any color to imagine themselves as stars.

Chances are you have talent, Berry later wrote of the song. But will the name and the light come to you? No! You have to go!

Johnny B. Goode could have only been a guitarist. The guitar was rock n rolls signature instrument and Berrys clarion sound, a melting pot of country flash and rhythm n blues drive, turned on at least a generation of musicians, among them the Rolling Stones Keith Richards, who once acknowledged he had lifted every lick from his hero; the Beatles George Harrison; Bruce Springsteen; and the Whos Pete Townshend.

When NASA launched the unmanned Voyager I in 1977, an album was stored on the craft that would explain music on Earth to extraterrestrials. The one rock song included was Johnny B. Goode.

Charles Edward Anderson Berry was born in St. Louis on Oct. 18, 1926. As a child he practiced a bent-leg stride that enabled him to slip under tables, a prelude to the duck walk of his adult years. His mother, like Johnny B. Goodes, told him he would make it, and make it big.

A fan of blues, swing and boogie woogie, Berry studied the very mechanics of music and how it was transmitted. As a teenager, he loved to take radios apart and put them back together. Using a Nick Manoloff guitar chord book, he learned how to play the hits of the time. He was fascinated by chord progressions and rhythms, discovering that many songs borrowed heavily from the Gershwins I Got Rhythm.

He began his musical career at age 15 when he went on stage at a high school review to do his own version of Jay McShanns Confessin the Blues. Berry would never forget the ovation he received.

Long did the encouragement of that performance assist me in programming my songs and even their delivery while performing, he wrote in his autobiography. I added and deleted according to the audiences response to different gestures, and chose songs to build an act that would constantly stimulate my audience.

Meanwhile, his troubles with the law began, in 1944, when a joy riding trip to Kansas City turned into a crime spree involving armed robberies and car theft. Berry served three years of a 10-year sentence at a reformatory.

A year after his October 1947 release, Berry met and married Themetta Suggs, who stayed by his side despite some of his well-publicized indiscretions. Berry then started sitting in with local bands. By 1950, he had graduated to a six-string electric guitar and was making his own crude recordings on a reel to reel machine.

On New Years Eve 1952 at The Cosmopolitan club in East St. Louis, Illinois, Johnson called Berry to fill in for an ailing saxophonist in his Sir John Trio.

He gave me a break and his first commercial gig, for $4, Berry later recalled. I was excited. My best turned into a mess. I stole the group from Johnnie.

Influenced by bandleader Louis Jourdan, blues guitarist T-Bone Walker and jazz man Charlie Christian, but also hip to country music, novelty songs and the emerging teen audiences of the post-World War II era, Berry signed with Chicagos Chess Records in 1955. Maybellene reworked the country song Ida Red and rose into the top 10 of the national pop charts, a rare achievement for a black artist at that time. According to Berry, label owner Leonard Chess was taken by the novelty of a hillbilly song sung by a black man, an inversion of Presleys covers of blues songs.

Several hits followed, including Roll Over Beethoven, School Day and Sweet Little Sixteen. Among his other songs: Too Much Monkey Business, Nadine, No Particular Place To Go, Almost Grown and the racy novelty number My Ding-A-Ling, which topped the charts in 1972.

Berry also appeared in a dozen movies, doing his distinctive bent-legged duck-walk in several teen exploitation flicks of the 50s. Richards organized the well-received 1987 documentary Hail! Hail! Rock n Roll, a concert at St. Louis Fox Theatre to celebrate Berrys 60th birthday. It featured Eric Clapton, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, who recalled being told by his own mother that Berry, not he, was the true king of rock n roll.

Country, pop and rock artists have recorded Berry songs, including the Beatles (Roll Over Beethoven), Emmylou Harris (You Never Can Tell), Buck Owens (Johnny B. Goode) and AC/DC (School Days). The Rolling Stones first single was a cover of Berrys Come On and they went on to perform and record Around and Around, Let it Rock and others. Berry riffs pop up in countless songs, from the Stones ravenous Brown Sugar to the Eagles mellow country-rock ballad Peaceful Easy Feeling.

Some stars covered him too well. The Beach Boys borrowed the melody of Sweet Little Sixteen for their surf anthem Surfin U.S.A. without initially crediting Berry. The Beatles Come Together, written by John Lennon, was close enough to Berrys You Cant Catch Me to inspire a lawsuit by music publisher Morris Levy. In an out of court settlement, Lennon agreed to record You Cant Catch Me for his 1975 Rock n Roll album.

Berry himself was accused of theft. In 2000, Johnson sued Berry over royalties and credit he believed he was due for the songs they composed together over more than 20 years of collaboration. The lawsuit was dismissed two years later, but Richards was among those who believed Johnson had been cheated, writing in his memoir Life that Johnson set up the arrangements for Berry and was so essential to the music that many of Berrys songs were recorded in keys more suited for the piano.

Openly money-minded, Berry was an entrepreneur with a St. Louis nightclub and, in a small town west of there, property he dubbed Berry Park, which included a home, guitar-shaped swimming pool, restaurant, cottages and concert venue. He declined to have a regular band and instead used local musicians, willing to work cheap. Springsteen was among those who had an early gig backing Berry.

Burned by an industry that demanded a share of his songwriting credits, Berry was deeply suspicious of even his admirers, as anybody could tell from watching him give Richards the business in Hail! Hail! Rock n Roll. For the movies concerts, he confounded Richards by playing songs in different keys and tempos than they had been in rehearsal. Richards would recall turning to his fellow musicians and shrugging, Wing it, boys.

Berrys career nearly ended decades earlier, when he was indicted for violating the Mann Act, which barred transportation of a minor across state lines for immoral purposes. An all-white jury found him guilty in 1960, but the charges were vacated after the judge made racist comments. A trial in 1961 led to his serving 1 1/2 years of a three-year term. Berry continued to record after getting out, and his legacy was duly honored by the Beatles and the Stones, but his hit-making days were essentially over.

Down from stardom/then I fell/to this lowly prison cell, Berry wrote as his jail time began.

Tax charges came in 1979, and another three-year prison sentence, all but 120 days of which was suspended. Some former female employees later sued him for allegedly videotaping them in the bathroom of his restaurant. The cases were settled in 1994, after Berry paid $1.3 million.

Every 15 years, in fact, it seems I make a big mistake, Berry acknowledged in his memoir.

Still, echoing the lyrics of Back in the U.S.A., he said: Theres no other place I would rather live, including Africa, than America. I believe in the system.
Beirut (AFP) - Heavy clashes rocked eastern districts of the Syrian capital on Sunday as rebels and jihadists tried to fight their way into the city centre in a surprise assault on government forces.

The attack comes just days before a fresh round of UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva aiming at ending Syria's six-year war.

Rebels and government forces agreed to a nationwide cessation of hostilities in December, but fighting has continued across much of the country, including in the capital.

Steady shelling and sniper fire could be heard across Damascus as rebel factions allied with former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front attacked regime positions in the city's east.

The attack began "with two car bombs and several suicide attackers" in the Jobar district, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

Rebels seized several buildings in Jobar and advanced into the nearby Abbasid Square area, seizing part of a bus station before being pushed back, he said.

"After a major advance by opposition fighters, the regime got over its shock and began a counter-offensive," he said.

State television, quoting a military source, said the army "tightened the noose around terrorist groups besieged in the industrial zone on the northern edges of Jobar".

As dusk fell, rebels shifted their focus to Qabun, a northeastern district heavily bombarded in recent weeks by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

"Rebels want to link their territory in Jobar with Qabun to break the government siege there," Abdel Rahman added.

An AFP correspondent said civilians in government-held parts of northeast Damascus remained indoors, even as the intensity of the clashes subsided later and the fighting moved further away.

- Schools close -

Regime warplanes targeted rebel positions with more than 30 air strikes, Abdel Rahman said.

State media said the army successfully "blocked an attack by terrorists on military points and residential buildings in Jobar", an area close to the city centre.

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State television aired footage from Abbasid Square, typically buzzing with activity but now empty because the army had ordered residents to stay indoors.

AFP correspondents said soldiers had sealed off routes into the square.

Several tanks were seen entering east Damascus as reinforcements.

Several schools said they would stay closed on Monday.

Control of Jobar -- which has been a battleground for more than two years -- is divided between rebels and allied jihadists and government forces.

The Islamist Faylaq al-Rahman rebel group and the Fateh al-Sham Front have a presence in the area, the Observatory said.

With Sunday's attack the "rebels have shifted from a defensive position in Jobar into an offensive one," said Abel Rahman.

"These are not intermittent clashes -- these are ongoing attempts to advance," he said.

The incursion into Abbasid Square, though brief, was the first time in approximately two years that rebels had got that close to the heart of Damascus.

Abdel Rahman said retaliatory government air strikes and shelling of the rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta east of Damascus killed 13 civilians.

- Israel threatens defence systems -

In recent months, the regime has sought to secure territory around the capital with renewed offensives on besieged rebel towns along with local "reconciliation" deals.

Under such agreements, the government agrees to end bombardments and stop besieging towns in exchange for a rebel withdrawal.

On Sunday, dozens of rebels and civilians who had been bused out of the last opposition-held district of Homs city reached northern Aleppo province.

An AFP photographer saw men, women and toddlers peeking out from behind curtains as the buses headed to Jarabulus, a town on the Syrian-Turkish border.

More than 320,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since Syria's conflict erupted six years ago with protests against Assad's rule.

After a crackdown, the uprising became an all-out war that has drawn in world powers on nearly all sides.

On Sunday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened to destroy Syria's air defence systems after they fired ground-to-air missiles at Israeli warplanes.

Syria's military said it shot down an Israeli jet on Friday and hit another as they carried out early morning strikes near the famed desert city of Palmyra.

Israel denied any of its aircraft were hit and said it had been targeting weapons bound for Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, which backs Assad in Syria.

The United Nations has sponsored peace talks to end the conflict since 2012, but to no avail.

Government representatives and opposition figures are set to meet for a fourth round of negotiations on March 23 in Switzerland.
Beirut (AFP) - Heavy clashes rocked eastern districts of the Syrian capital on Sunday after rebels and jihadists launched a surprise assault on regime forces there, a monitor and state television said.

Rebels and allied jihadists, led by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, attacked government positions in the Jobar district and advanced into the neighbouring Abbasid Square area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

"They targeted government forces with two car bombs and several suicide attackers," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

The Britain-based Observatory had no immediate information on casualties from the clashes.

Control of Jobar -- which has been a battleground district for more than two years -- is divided between rebels and allied jihadists on one side, and government forces on the other.

Syrian state television reported that the army was "thwarting an attack by terrorists" with artillery fire and had ordered residents to stay inside.

It aired footage from Abbasid Square, typically buzzing with activity but now empty except for the sound of shelling.

AFP correspondents in Damascus said army units had sealed off the routes into Abbasid Square and explosions could be heard across the city.

Several schools announced they would close through Monday, and many civilians cowered inside in fear of stray bullets and shelling.

According to the Observatory, the Islamist Faylaq al-Rahman rebel group and the Fateh al-Sham Front -- known as Al-Nusra Front before it broke ties with Al-Qaeda -- were present in Jobar.

"This neighbourhood is the most important front line because it's the closest rebel position to the heart of the capital," said Abdel Rahman.

Government forces have long sought to push the rebels out of the district because of its proximity to the city centre in Damascus.

But with Sunday's attack, Abdel Rahman said, "rebels have shifted from a defensive position in Jobar to an offensive one".

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"These are not intermittent clashes -- these are ongoing attempts to advance," he said.

The Observatory said rebels had launched the attack from Jobar as a way to relieve allied fighters in the nearby districts of Barzeh, Tishreen, and Qabun from government attacks.

"Nine regime forces and at least 12 Islamist rebels were killed" in those three districts over the last 24 hours, the Observatory said.
(Reuters) - A wildfire near the University of Colorado in Boulder burned through about 62 acres (25 hectares) of woodland on Sunday, prompting authorities to urge at least 1,000 people to evacuate the drought-hit region. The fire in Sunshine Canyon, just outside the university town, started before dawn on Sunday and is about 20 percent contained, with no injuries or damage to structures reported, said Denise White, a spokeswoman for the Boulder Emergency Operations Center. Authorities have contacted 1,000 people and told them to leave the area, she said. The number could cover individual households or multiple people in a single home. "From what we've got right now, a lot of the fire is in open space," she said. "We do have some evacuations in place." The fire was fanned by winds that the National Weather Service forecast could gust to 33 miles per hour (53 kph) during the afternoon, with temperatures expected to be near 80 Fahrenheit (27 Celsius). A wide swath of northeastern Colorado is under a National Weather Service "red flag" warning for wildfires. Much of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Nebraska are in drought conditions ranging from moderate to extreme, the agency said. Prairie fires stoked by high winds and tinder-dry vegetation raged across 1.5 million acres (600,000 hectares) of the southern Great Plains early this month, killing at least six people and prompting thousands of people to be evacuated. (Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Sandra Maler)
The Hill

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) on Sunday said that Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) should be deported as she rallied for Georgias Republican Senate nominee, Herschel Walker. Legal immigrants are more patriotic than the leftists these days, Haley said at the Hiram, Ga., rally. They worked to come into America and they love America.
New York (AFP) - With "Johnny B. Goode," a 1958 song that so defined rock 'n' roll that the US space program chose it to introduce the music to potential extraterrestrials, Chuck Berry created a now classic character -- the scrappy guitarist who triumphs through pure skill.

"People passing by, they would stop and say / Oh my, that little country boy could play," Berry sang.

But Berry had tinkered with the lyrics. He later explained that he had originally written, "that little colored boy could play" -- but changed it so the song could appear on the radio.

Berry, who died Saturday at age 90, helped create both rock 'n' roll and modern youth culture, becoming one of the first African American stars to win a wide white audience.

Yet Berry was also forced to navigate a delicate line in a country that was still largely under the institutionalized discrimination of Jim Crow laws.

His career suffered a major blow when he was imprisoned for allegedly sleeping with an underage waitress -- a conviction seen by many as a warning from the white establishment against African American artists who rise too far.

As for the music, Berry achieved his success in part by his skill in understanding the racial divide. Born to a middle-class family in St. Louis, Berry played blues guitar but knew that white audiences wanted country.

He combined the two -- joking he was a "black hillbilly" -- as well as other genres, creating the sensation that became rock 'n' roll, even if he hesitated to call himself its father.

- Voice of youth freedom -

As the baby boom generation came of age, Berry won cheering crowds with his consummate showmanship, including his "duck walk" across stage, and lyrics that celebrated youthful freedom. His first song "Maybellene" spoke of cruising in the open air in his Cadillac.

Berry managed to capture "the rebelliousness, the playfulness, the irrepressibility" of a generation, said Jack Hamilton, an assistant professor at the University of Virginia and author of "Just Around Midnight: Rock and Roll and the Racial Imagination."

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"For a black man to do that in the 1950s was pretty groundbreaking. He wrote what became the soundtrack for American youth, both white and black," he said.

Berry rarely spoke to media, fearing he would be sensationalized, and was strikingly diplomatic when asked about racial politics -- and how his white contemporary Elvis Presley became so much wealthier.

In a 1987 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Berry acknowledged that television networks were white-owned and gave more exposure to Elvis but said he did not see "The King" as his rival.

"It's not unfair that seven people are eating turkey and I chose to have chili or whatever. That's what it was. More people chose his music than chose mine," he said.

In 1959 -- the same year Berry was briefly arrested after a white girl embraced him in Mississippi -- the rocker hailed the Eisenhower-era American dream with "Back in the USA," said to be written after he visited Australia and saw the conditions of aboriginal people.

"I'm so glad I'm livin' in the USA," he sang, speaking of a land "where hamburgers sizzle on an open grill night and day."

- 'Brown Eyed Handsome Man' -

He touched more directly on race in "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," which he wrote after visiting California and being struck by being around so many fellow African Americans and Latinos.

"Ever since the world began / There's been a whole lotta good women shedding tears over a brown eyed handsome man."

In a cruel irony, Berry was in prison just as white rockers led by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones took over the United States with the British invasion.

Other waves of African American music later transformed the landscape from Motown in the 1960s to hip-hop, which in contrast to rock 'n' roll has its origins in deep community roots rather than fusion.

Rocker Tom Petty, in a speech last month as he accepted a lifetime Grammy award, saw the imprisonment of Berry as part of long conspiracy against rock and its racially mixed origins.

"The music became popular and it empowered the youth of America. The government got very nervous -- especially the Republicans," Petty said.

"They put Elvis in the Army and they put Chuck Berry in jail. Things calmed down for a couple of years. But it was too late -- the music had reached England. And they remembered it."
CAIRO (AP)  Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and U.S. President Donald Trump will meet in Washington next month, Egypt's leading state-owned newspaper said on Sunday.

Al-Ahram said in a front-page report the two leaders will meet during the first week of April, in what will be el-Sissi's first visit to Washington since taking office in 2014.

El-Sissi and Trump have already shown a bond when they met in September on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Trump, at the time the Republican presidential nominee, said there was "good chemistry" and el-Sissi, a general-turned-politician said Trump would "without a doubt" make a strong leader.

Cairo and Washington are expected to forge closer ties under Trump following years of tension over the Obama administration's emphasis on human rights and Cairo's perception that it supported the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

El-Sissi, as defense minister, led the military's 2013 ouster of the Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi following days of massive protests against the Islamist leader's divisive rule. His removal ushered in the start of a massive crackdown against both Islamists and secular pro-democracy activists that jailed thousands and killed hundreds in street clashes with police. The crackdown was frequently criticized by the Obama administration, which suspended some aid and sought to distance itself from el-Sissi's government.

Obama never invited el-Sissi to the White House.

Egypt and the United States have been close allies for most of the nearly 40 years since Cairo signed a peace treaty with Israel, with Egypt becoming the second largest recipient of U.S. aid after Israel, with some $1.3 billion annually in military aid.
Mosul (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraqi forces backed by helicopter strikes engaged in heavy fighting with jihadists on the outskirts of the Old City on Sunday as they pressed their offensive to recapture west Mosul.

The elite Rapid Response Force and Iraqi federal police attacked the Islamic State group militants with rifles, machineguns, mortar rounds and rockets a month after the west Mosul operation began.

The joint forces were around 100 metres (yards) south of Mosul's Iron Bridge, which has been destroyed along with other bridges spanning the Tigris River that linked the city's eastern and western sides.

Helicopters hosed IS with bullets and fired volleys of rockets in strikes aided by weather that was clearer than it had been for days, AFP correspondents said.

"The aim of the battle is to go past Al-Hadidi (Iron) Bridge northwards," Brigadier General Abbas al-Juburi of the Rapid Response units told AFP.

He said the operation was complicated by the presence of hundreds of thousands of civilians believed to have stayed on under jihadist rule.

"The difficulties are the presence of families, how to avoid opening fire on families who are used as human shields" by the jihadists, Juburi said.

"It is an ancient neighbourhood with old houses. We rarely use heavy weapons" in such conditions, he said.

The battle for the densely populated Old City, with its warrens of alleyways, was always expected to be the toughest of the campaign to retake Mosul from IS.

Iraqi authorities launched the offensive to retake the city on October 17 last year, with the support of the US-led coalition that has been carrying out strikes against IS in Iraq and neighbouring Syria since 2014.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi left for Washington on Sunday for talks with US President Donald Trump and will also attend a ministerial meeting on Wednesday of the 68-nation coalition line-up against IS.

- Mosque strategic target -

In January, Iraqi forces retook the eastern sector of the city before setting their sights on the west.

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At the heart of the Old City lies the Al-Nuri Mosque, where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in July 2014 proclaimed the IS "caliphate" in jihadist-controlled territory in Iraq and Syria.

It was Baghdadi's first public appearance, and the capture of the mosque would be highly symbolic and strategic for Iraqi forces who have in recent days taken several key IS positions.

On Saturday, elite forces battled house by house in the Old City as they tried to inch towards the mosque, but were slowed by bad weather and the complicated effort of navigating the narrow streets.

"Our forces are 800 metres (yards) from the mosque," Captain Firas al-Zuwaidi, the spokesman for Rapid Response, said on Saturday.

"The fighting is street by street, house by house," he said to the sound of mortar fire from the heart of Iraq's second city.

The Rapid Response Force is backed up by federal police who have made steady gains since Friday, taking several sites including the Al-Arbiaa market and a grain silo overlooking the Old City.

Retaking Iraq's second city would be a major blow to IS following months of jihadist losses in both Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi authorities say more than 150,000 people have fled their homes in west Mosul, with two-thirds finding shelter in camps near the city.

On Saturday, father of five Samir Hamid and 33 family members displaced by the fighting returned home to the Wadi Hajar district recaptured by Iraqi forces, saying the camps were too crowded.

"We'll be better off at home," he told AFP. "We're going back because we were told the situation was much better, that there wasn't any more fighting."

On Sunday, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said it has deployed "the first mobile delivery unit" inside west Mosul "to meet the lifesaving needs of primary health care for women and girls".
Maiduguri (Nigeria) (AFP) - Four people were killed on Saturday evening when suicide bombers blew themselves up in a village on the outskirts of Maiduguri city in northeastern Nigeria, police said.

Borno state police spokesman Victor Isuku said the incident occurred when three bombers -- a man and two women -- tried to enter Umarari village just outside Maiduguri.

"They detonated the IEDs (improvised explosive devices) strapped to their bodies while running to different directions," Isuku said.

Among the dead was a local vigilante and a woman and her two children, he said. Another eight people were wounded.

Ibrahim Abdulkadir, spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said the vigilante had tried to prevent the bombers from entering the village.

"The vigilante was trying to stop them and that was when he was engulfed by the bomb and the woman was nearby," Abdulkadir explained.

The three bombers also died in the blasts, he said.

The Borno state capital of Maiduguri is the birthplace of Boko Haram, a radical Islamist group that has killed over 20,000 people and forced 2.6 million from their homes since taking up arms against the Nigerian government in 2009.

The violence has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis in northeast Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad region, which has also been hit by the conflict.

Nigerian troops, with the help of regional forces from Cameroon, Chad and Niger, as well as Benin, have since early 2015 managed to claw back most of the territory lost to Boko Haram in 2014.

But despite claims from the Nigerian military that the group is on the verge of defeat, suicide bomb attacks remain a threat to civilians, particularly in Maiduguri.

Boko Haram's elusive leader Abubakar Shekau made his first appearance in months last week, claiming responsibility for a spate of suicide bombings.
Paris (AFP) - The man shot dead at Paris's Orly airport after attacking a soldier was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time, a judicial source said Sunday.

Investigators are still trying to understand what motivated Saturday's assault by 39-year-old Ziyed Ben Belgacem, which led to a major security scare and the temporary closure of the capital's second-busiest airport.

"Toxicology tests carried out on Sunday showed an alcohol level of 0.93 grams per litre in his blood, and the presence of cannabis and cocaine," the source said.

Ben Belgacem's father had insisted earlier Sunday that his son was "not a terrorist" and that his actions were caused by drink and drugs.

Ben Belgacem, who was born in France to Tunisian parents, grabbed a soldier on patrol at Orly's southern terminal on Saturday morning. He put a gun to her head and seized her rifle, saying he wanted to "die for Allah".

The attacker, who had also fired at police in a northern Paris suburb earlier that morning, was shot dead by two other soldiers after a scuffle.

Ben Belgacem's father insisted his son -- who had spent time in prison for armed robbery and drug-dealing -- was not a extremist.

"My son was not a terrorist. He never prayed, and he drank," the father, who was in shock and whose first name was not given, told Europe 1 radio.

Investigators were examining his telephone.

The attack at Orly comes with France still on high alert following a wave of jihadist attacks that have claimed more than 230 lives in two years.

The violence has made security a key issue in France's two-round presidential election on April 23 and May 7.

- Not on terror watchlist -

Ben Belgacem's brother and cousin were released Sunday after they, like the attacker's father, were held for questioning. All three had approached police themselves on Saturday after the attack.

After spending Friday night in a bar with his cousin, Ben Belgacem was pulled over by police for speeding in the gritty northern Paris suburb of Garges-les-Gonesse, where he lived, just before 7:00 am.

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He drew a gun and fired, slightly injuring one officer. Shortly after, he contacted his relatives to tell them he had "done something stupid", they told police.

Ben Belgacem later appeared at the bar where he had been the previous night, firing more shots and stealing another car before continuing on to the airport.

He had been investigated in 2015 over suspicions he had radicalised while serving jail time, but his name did not feature on the list of those thought to pose a high risk.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Ben Belgacem appeared to have become caught up in a "sort of headlong flight that became more and more destructive".

Dozens of flights to and from Orly were cancelled during an hours-long shutdown after the incident, but by Sunday afternoon air traffic had returned to normal, a spokeswoman for the Paris airports authority said.

The shooting took place on the second day of a visit to Paris by Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate, which was unaffected.

- 'I've screwed up' -

Ben Belgacem's father told Europe 1 his son had called him after the first police shooting "in a state of extreme agitation".

"He said to me: 'Daddy, please forgive me. I've screwed up with a police officer'."

At the time of his death, Ben Belgacem was carrying a petrol can in his backpack, as well as 750 euros ($805) in cash, a copy of the Koran, a packet of cigarettes and a lighter.

A small amount of cocaine and a machete were found during a search of his home on Saturday.

Soldiers guarding key sites have been targeted in four attacks in the past two years but escaped with only minor injuries.

In mid-February, a machete-wielding Egyptian man attacked a soldier outside Paris's Louvre museum, injuring him slightly, before being shot and wounded.

President Francois Hollande said Saturday his government was "determined to fight relentlessly against terrorism".

burs-cb/kjl/eb
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany has raised its alert level against cyber attacks to "heightened readiness" ahead of parliamentary elections, saying government websites are already subjected to daily assault, newspaper Welt am Sonntag said. "We are noticing attacks against government networks on a daily basis," Arne Schoenbohm, president of Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), told the paper. BSI is in close contact with election officials, political parties and German Federal States to discuss how to guard against cyberattacks and stands ready to react to potential attacks ahead of the elections, Schoenbohm said. The newspaper did not give details of the number and types of alert levels but said the level has been raised since cyberattacks interfered in U.S. Presidential elections. BSI could not immediately be reached for comment. It is due to hold a press conference in Hanover on Monday at CeBIT, Germanys largest annual technology conference. The president of Germany's BfV domestic intelligence service, Hans-Georg Maassen, warned in late February that industrialized countries were becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks as industry increases the adoption of digital technologies. (Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that Germany owes NATO and the United States "vast sums" of money for defense. "There is no debt account at NATO," von der Leyen said in a statement, adding that it was wrong to link the alliance's target for members to spend 2 percent of their economic output on defense by 2024 solely to NATO. "Defense spending also goes into UN peacekeeping missions, into our European missions and into our contribution to the fight against IS terrorism," von der Leyen said. She said everyone wanted the burden to be shared fairly and for that to happen it was necessary to have a "modern security concept" that included a modern NATO but also a European defense union and investment in the United Nations. Trump said on Twitter on Saturday - a day after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington - that Germany "owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!" Trump has urged Germany and other NATO members to accelerate efforts to meet NATO's defense spending target. German defense spending is set to rise by 1.4 billion euros to 38.5 billion euros in 2018 - a figure that is projected to represent 1.26 percent of economic output, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has said. In 2016, Germany's defense spending ratio stood at 1.18 percent. During her trip to Washington, Merkel reiterated Germany's commitment to the 2 percent military spending goal. (Reporting by Andreas Rinke; writing by Michelle Martin; editing by Jason Neely)
Colombo (AFP) - Opener Tamim Iqbal top-scored with 82 as Bangladesh pulled off a historic four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second Test in Colombo on Sunday.

The rare win for Bangladesh -- just their fourth away from home and first against Sri Lanka in 18 attempts -- meant the two-Test series was drawn after the visitors suffered a 259-run loss in Galle.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina phoned the team to congratulate them as hundreds of fans marched through the capital Dhaka, waving flags and chanting in celebration.

With his team chasing a victory target of 191, teenager Mehedi Hasan hit the winning run after an anxious half-hour in the final session of the fifth day -- getting Bangladesh across the line in 57.5 overs.

Tamim laid the groundwork with his 22nd Test fifty, teaming up with Sabbir Rahman (41) for a third-wicket partnership of 109.

Sri Lanka struck in phases through spinners Dilruwan Perera and skipper Rangana Herath, who grabbed three wickets each. But the attack lacked the cutting edge to prevent Bangladesh from celebrating their 100th Test match in style.

Bangladesh began looking nervous when Tamim -- who faced 82 balls and hit seven fours and a six -- hoisted a catch to Dinesh Chandimal off Perera just before the tea break.

Perera then removed Sabbir through a successful review after the bowlers initial appeal for a leg-before was rejected, giving Sri Lanka an outside chance of victory.

Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan got Bangladesh through to tea with 35 runs still needed, but Perera got a lucky break soon after the resumption when Shakib dragged a ball onto his stumps and was out for 15.

Mushfiqur remained unbeaten on 22 to get Bangladesh home in company with Mehedi, after some support from debutant Mosaddek Hossain, who made 13.

Obviously I feel great, Mushfiqur said.

The boys really stepped up under pressure and there were lot of partnerships in the bowling. I really enjoyed it. If you look at the last few series, we have played some good cricket.

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- Back to drawing board -

Herath appeared to have given Sri Lanka some control when he picked up two wickets in two balls to leave Bangladesh struggling on 38-2 at the lunch break.

He claimed his first wicket when opener Soumya Sarkar, charging down the pitch, was deceived by the turn and lofted a catch to Upul Tharanga at mid-off for 10.

Imrul Kayes then edged the next ball to Asela Gunaratne in the slips for a duck.

Herath said Sri Lanka would go back to the drawing board after suffering their first defeat of his captaincy.

We have a lot of areas to improve, but this is not the time to talk about it. We will talk with the coaches," he said.

Earlier in the day Perera and Suranga Lakmal frustrated Bangladesh for more than an hour with the bat as Sri Lanka added 51 to their overnight 268-8.

Perera scored his fourth Test fifty off 174 balls while tail-ender Lakmal smashed 42 off 48 balls. The pair shared 80 runs for the ninth wicket before Bangladesh separated them through a run out.

Tamim was named man of the match while Shakib, who scored a century and claimed six wickets in the game, took the award for player of the series.

This was a very important win. It wasn't easy. We had to come back strong after the first Test, Shakib said.
(Reuters) - Highlights of the day for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Sunday: HEALTHCARE U.S. House Republicans are working on changes to their healthcare overhaul bill to provide more generous tax credits for older Americans and add a work requirement for the Medicaid program for the poor, House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Sunday. DIPLOMACY With warm words from Chinese President Xi Jinping, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ends his first trip to Asia since taking office with an agreement to work together with China on North Korea and putting aside trickier issues. Despite a long list of potential pitfalls, Tillerson's visit to China, the first by a senior member of the Trump administration, passed off relatively smoothly although there were no tangible gains to show. German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen rejects Trump's claim that Germany owes NATO and the United States "vast sums" of money for defense. Trump criticizes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying he is "acting very, very badly." WIRETAPPING U.S. lawmakers from both parties say they have seen no proof to support the claim by Trump that his predecessor, Barack Obama, had wiretapped him last year, adding pressure on Trump to explain or back off his repeated assertion. BUDGET A detailed version of Trump's budget to be released in May will lay out plans to eventually erase U.S. deficits, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney says. TAX REFORM Trump may begin his overhaul of the U.S. tax code as early as late spring, White House spokesman Sean Spicer has told Ireland's Sunday Independent newspaper. WHITE HOUSE SECURITY A 29-year-old man who was arrested near the White House late on Saturday falsely told the U.S. Secret Service he had a bomb, according to a police report. (Compiled by Peter Cooney)
On October 9, 1983, a large delegation of senior South Korean government officials assembled at a mausoleum across the street from Burmas gleaming Shwedagon Pagoda, located in what was then the city of Rangoon. They were in Burma for a state visit, and had come to the mausoleum for a wreath-laying ceremony to honor several Burmese independence leaders assassinated by political opponents in 1947. South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan, who led a repressive and unpopular government back home, was also slated to attend, but was running late.

Shortly after most of the delegation had assembled, a remote-controlled bomb exploded at the mausoleum site, killing 17 South Koreans, four of them cabinet members, along with four Burmese nationals. Dozens more were injured. Later, it would become clear that Chun was the target of the attack; his tardiness saved his life.

Burmese authorities soon cornered three suspects in Rangoon, today known as Yangon, shooting and killing the first and capturing two others. According to a CIA report on the attack declassified in 2000, investigators recovered communication devices, grenades, and candy bars from the attackers, who they identified as ethnic Koreans. Details of the attack, including the use of a three-man team, were consistent with North Korean operations, the CIA said. Burma publicly blamed North Korea, and a local court sentenced the surviving attackers to death. One of them, Captain Kang Min-chul, confessed to his role in the plot and was spared. He lived out his days in Insein Prison and died a forgotten man in 2008, one year after Burma, by then called Myanmar, formally reestablished diplomatic ties with the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

The brazen assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, makes this long-ago drama feel especially relevant. While North Korea has denied ordering his death, the murder plottwo women, one from Vietnam and one from Indonesia, allegedly smeared VX nerve agent on his face at the Kuala Lumpur airport, killing him in minutesfits within its history of bloody entanglements across Southeast Asia.

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North Korea is a nation unafraid to stage nightmarish misadventures abroad, especially if the country is a minor player in world affairs [where they] probably dont have really close ties  and [one] they are willing to burn bridges with, Benjamin Young, a contributor to NKnews.org and a Ph.D. student at George Washington University, told me. But considered in the context of its relations with South Korea and its own internal struggles, North Koreas daring actions are far more logical than they appear.

It wasnt always this way. After the Korean War ended in 1953, North Koreas then-leader Kim Il Sung competed with South Korea for diplomatic recognition, establishing ties with Cambodia and Indonesia in 1964, Malaysia in 1973, Laos in 1974, and Singapore, Thailand, and Burma in 1975. After the Vietnam War, the reunified country sent its first ambassador to Pyongyang in 1976. As the scholar Kook Chin Kim writes in The Foreign Relations of North Korea: New Perspectives, a collection of research papers published in 1987, Southeast Asia was a crucial region for the country. Nations could offer legitimacy and recognition to North Korea on the world stage and opportunities for economic development. Amid the Cold War, they could offer friendship instead of hostility. Kim Il Sung lavished attention on Cambodia, forging a friendship with the charismatic royal Norodom Sihanouk, even building him an extravagant house in Pyongyang and providing him with bodyguards. The special relationship would survive the rise and fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, and the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia in the 1980s.

Norodom Sihanouk, former King of Cambodia, is welcomed on April 22, 1975, in Pyongyang by North Korean President Kim Il Sung. (AFP/Getty Images)

But whatever North Korea accomplished in those years would be undermined, time and again, by the countrys covert activities, isolationism, and belligerence, both under Kim Il Sung and his heirs. The end of the Cold War also upended longstanding political and economic arrangements, as free-market economies flourished amid greater engagement with the west. The Norths slight diplomatic edge over the South eroded, as did its relative economic parity.

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In 2009, Wikileaks released a Congressional Research Service report from 2007 on the history of North Korean provocations dating back to 1950offering something of a revision to the narrative of the chummy post-war years under Kim Il Sungincluding kidnappings, acts of terrorism, and missile tests. In 1983, two Canadians told a court that North Korean agents offered them $600,000 to assassinate President Chun Doo-hwan during a state visit to the Philippines in 1982; the bombing in Burma targeting Chun occurred the next year. In 1987, a Korean Airlines plane bound for Seoul exploded over the Andaman Sea, allegedly brought down by a bomb planted by North Korean agents. In 1996, South Korean authorities arrested a North Korean spy in Seoul who had been posing as a Filipino professor for 12 years.

When Kim Jong Il took over after his father died, he splurged on the military. According to a 2013 U.S. Department of Defense report, North Koreas shift to a military-first policy demonstrate[d] its view that ultimately the national security of North Korea is disproportionately dependent on military might in the absence of any other notable elements of national power. As recent nuclear and missile activity suggests, the trend has continued under the leadership of Kim Jong Un.

Through all this, the special relationship between Cambodia and North Korea remained strong, as I observed while working as a reporter for the Phnom Penh Post in 2013. Phnom Penh, for instance, is the only place I know with a boulevard named for Kim Il Sung. Both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, home to many of Cambodias ancient temples, feature Pyongyang restaurants, which are believed to funnel money back to the regime and have spread to other cities in the region and abroad. The North Korean embassy in Phnom Penh is located on expensive real estate adjacent to Prime Minister Hun Sens house; the building is said to have been Sihanouks childhood home. In 2014, the Phnom Penh Post reported that Sihanouk gave it to the North Korean government rent-free for 20 years, after which it was to become a museum. The deal expired in 2011; the North Koreans are still there.

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One weekend, I traveled to Siem Reap with a fellow journalist. We wandered into the construction site for what would one day be a Pyongyang-financed, multi-million-dollar museum to glorify Cambodias ancient temples. A bald man wearing slacks and a polo shirt approached us. Eyeing us suspiciously, he said the museum was not yet open. But after we promised to take no photos, he led us on a short tour. He pointed to paintings. Those are paintings, he said. He pointed to a model of Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat, he clarified. He was from Pyongyang, he said, but had lived in Siem Reap off and on for a decade. He refused to tell us his name. At the exit, we paused in front of a painting that depicted a landscape that looked like nothing in Angkor Wat. Our guide said it was the birthplace of Kim Jong Il. You know him? he asked.

The museum, called the Angkor Panorama Museum, opened three years later, complete with a cafe and a movie theater playing a documentary that fully shows high devotion and creative ability of Khmer people. Its main feature: a large panoramic mural, painted in the North Korean socialist-realist style, depicting the history of Angkor Wat, and featuring an estimated 45,000 distinct characters (or so they say).

Cambodian people looking at a painting at the Angkor Panorama Museum in Siem Reap province. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP / Getty)

But oddities like the museum, along with North Koreas culinary offerings, obscure the more nefarious allegations of its ongoing misadventures in the region. In 2014, the United Nations raised questions about alleged connections between North Koreas embassy in Singapore and a shady arms deal. In August 2016, Egyptian authorities found that a North Korean vessel flying the Cambodian flag (an attempt to evade sanctions) had been transporting a shipment of 30,000 rocket-propelled grenades. The UN has also examined links between a North Korean firm tied to the countrys intelligence services and companies in Malaysia and Singapore.

Some of the shenanigans are more confusing than scandalous. At a 2012 ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, North Korean officials distributed a statement condemning the United States, which was attributed to an official who had reportedly died five years earlier. In January 2016, two North Korean doctors were found dead in Phnom Penh. In a bizarre turn, their wives reportedly told police that their spouses had been so inebriated that they injected them with a serum to help them sober up, but it seems to have killed them instead. The case was quickly closed, suggesting authorities werent interested in looking into it.

To the outside observer, North Koreas courting of intrigue and commitment to belligerence and subterfuge seem like the natural byproducts of an inscrutable government. That is partially true. But scholars believe Pyongyang is more rational than it seems. The 1983 bombing and other acts committed on foreign territory are cases in point. There are reasons North Korea has risked alienating even newly found allies. The primary goal of North Korea has always been unification under the DPRK flag, and if it means offending the host country then so be it, even if it is a relatively friendly government, Young said.

They are also playing by much older rules. In a recent analysis of the regimes motives, longtime North Korea watcher Andrei Lankov argued that North Korea is one of the worlds last absolute monarchies; its actions make more sense if you think of the Kims not as a modern regime, but as a conniving Renaissance-era dynasty. Neither a Borgia or a Medici would have trouble understanding what happened in Kuala Lumpur, and would hardly find such behavior excessive, he wrote.

Given the potential headaches of engaging with North Korea, it may seem puzzling that Southeast Asian governments would even bother to do so. But there are benefits. North Korea, as it happens, provides cheap labor and additional trade avenues. There is also China, an ally of North Korea: Balazs Szalontai, an associate professor in the department of North Korean studies at Korea University, wrote in an email exchange that regional governments may not want to diverge too much from Beijing. China is a big, rich, and potentially dangerous neighbor that one tries not to cross unless absolutely necessary.

The Malaysia situation, meanwhile, seems certain to escalate. Though they have engaged in talks, Malaysia and North Korea remain locked in a diplomatic standoff: Malaysia expelled the North Korean ambassador and recalled its own envoy to Pyongyang. North Korea has barred Malaysian diplomatic staff from leaving the country, and the Malaysian government has blocked North Koreans from leaving, too; recently, it ordered the deportation of dozens of North Korean workers. Suspects in the Kim Jong Nam case may be hiding in the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur. And there is still the sticky question of what to do with Kims body, which Malaysia has embalmed as it looks for an answer.

Neither a Borgia or a Medici would have trouble understanding what happened in Kuala Lumpur

Though analysts believe the murder of Kim Jong Nam will force Southeast Asian leaders to reexamine their relationship with the DPRK, it is unclear how far they will go. North Korea today has embassies in eight of the 10 countries that constitute the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Of the 24 countries that have embassies in North Korea, five are ASEAN members. ASEAN has long valued stability over conflict, as evinced by the blocs inability to change Myanmars treatment of its Rohingya Muslim minority. Staying friendly with regional allies, especially those with a nuclear weapons program, may be the wiser move.

When I called Han Kwang Myong, the third secretary at the DPRKs embassy in Burma, to ask whether the current crisis in Malaysia could affect regional ties, he seemed incredulous. Crisis? he responded. Like many other nations, North Korea has good relations with Southeast Asian countries, he emphasized, adding that he didnt think the standoff would affect those ties. Later, he added it was better to wait and see. Some countries, like the United States, dont want North Korea to have good relationships in Southeast Asia, he said.

If Burma is any indicator, Southeast Asia has shown a remarkable ability to move on from North Koreas murderous mischief. Before reestablishing diplomatic ties in 2007, the Burmese and North Korean militaries are believed to have strengthened their ties. More recently, Burma has done North Koreas bidding on the most trivial of matters. In 2015, police in Yangon confiscated copies of the satirical film The Interview after North Korea objected to its fictional depiction of Kim Jong Uns assassination.

Ra Jong Yil, a professor and former deputy director of South Koreas national intelligence service who wrote a book about the 1983 bombing in Burma, told me that there are clear parallels between that attack and the Kim Jong Nam murder. Both Malaysia and Myanmar were in good relations with North Korea, Ra said. The difference, he said, was that the 1983 bombing sought to improve North Koreas standing in South Korea by targeting an unpopular president, while Kim Jong Nams death was about internal politics and shoring up Kim Jong Uns rule.

In 2014, South Korea unveiled a monument in Yangon to honor its victims of the 1983 bombing. The little-visited site features a black concrete wall engraved with 17 names of the South Korean dead. On a recent visit to the memorial, I found a quiet and peaceful scene. A sign at the front says the memorial embodies a dignified space where visitors are brought to an august encounter with the spirit of the Korean patriotic martyrs who perished there. A Burmese worker was watering bushes. Asked about the number of visitors, he said South Korean tourists sometimes came. But on most days it is empty.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Since President Donald Trump took office, he hasnt given up on his promise to build a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to keep undocumented immigrants out. This week, he proposed cutting large swaths of the federal budget in order to pay for it, although he originally claimed Mexico would foot the bill.

But Trump wasn't the first world leader to think of this idea. In fact, the small, Eastern European country of Hungary already has one fence along its borders to stop refugees from coming in  and it has plans to build a second fence by summertime.

In 2015, Hungary received nearly 1,800 asylum applications from migrants per 100,000 people in the local population, according to BBC News, which is the most of any European nation during the refugee crisis last year. Last summer, Hungary told the European Union it would stop accepting migrants.

Read: Migrant-Hunting Hungarian Village Uses White Supremacist Rhetoric To Outlaw Muslim Practices

But refugees arent just stopping in Hungary  theyre traveling through the country, too. Hungary serves as a stepping stone on the path from southeastern Europe to central and western European countries such as Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Many Hungarian nationals have been irked by the influx of migrants, and Hungary built its first barbed wire fence  13-feet tall and 110 miles long  along its southern border with Serbia.

The second fence will run alongside the first, which was a form of reinforcement to more effectively keep migrants out.

"It is definitely not smart policy that we place our safety in the hands of the Turks, and at the same time we keep pestering them, attacking them, criticizing them that they are not democratic enough ... and generating conflicts with them," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, according to Reuters.

Read: Over 3,000 Attacks Against Refugees In Germany Last Year, Report Says

Hungarys fears about refugees entering its borders mirror the fears that many Americans have. They worry that migrants from Muslim-majority countries may bring extremist ideologies to Hungary, a nation of nearly 10 million. Those worries have been exacerbated by terrorist attacks over the past couple of years in Germany and France.

Story continues

Of course its not accepted, but the factual point is that all the terrorists are basically migrants, Orban told Politico in 2015. The question is when they migrated to the European Union.

But refugees, too, have been the victims of attacks in Europe. Violent hate crimes against Muslims have been increasing in some European countries. In Germany, the number of assaults against refugees rose from 60 to 78 from 2015 to 2016, and the number of cases involving guns jumped from 31 to 57.

Hungarian Border

Photo: Reuters

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WASHINGTON (AP)  The top two lawmakers on the House intelligence committee said Sunday that documents the Justice Department and FBI delivered late last week offered no evidence that the Obama administration had wiretapped Trump Tower, but the panel's ranking Democrat says the material offers circumstantial evidence that American citizens colluded with Russians in Moscow's efforts to interfere in the presidential election.

"There was circumstantial evidence of collusion; there is direct evidence, I think, of deception," Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said. "There's certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation."

The House intelligence committee is to begin hearings Monday into Russia's role in cybersecurity breaches at the Democratic National Committee, as well as President Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claim that his predecessor had authorized a wiretap of Trump Tower. FBI Director James Comey and Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, are slated to testify.

Intelligence officials have said that Russia was behind the theft of Democratic National Committee emails last summer. The U.S. government later concluded that the Russian government directed the DNC hack in an attempt to influence the outcome of November's presidential election.

"For the first time the American people, and all the political parties now, are paying attention to the threat that Russia poses," committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said. "We know that the Russians were trying to get involved in our campaign, like they have for many decades. They're also trying to get involved in campaigns around the globe and over in Europe."

Nunes said the committee will also examine whether the Russians were trying to sow doubt in the U.S. electoral system or whether they were trying to help Trump get elected to the White House.

"We need to get to the bottom of that," Nunes said.

Story continues

Nunes and Schiff were among a number of lawmakers who said on Sunday's news shows they had seen no evidence that the Obama administration ordered wiretaps on Trump during the campaign.

"Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No there never was," Nunes said. "The information we received Friday continues to lead us in that direction."

Nunes added: "There was no FISA warrant I am aware of to tap Trump Tower." FISA stands for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which requires investigators to seek a warrant from a secret court to wiretap a foreign suspect.

Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Susan Collins of Maine also said Sunday they had seen no evidence that the Obama administration had placed Trump under surveillance at Trump Tower, the Manhattan high-rise that houses Trump's residence, business office and campaign office. Collins encouraged Trump to turn whatever evidence he has of the surveillance over to the congressional intelligence panels looking into the matter.

The president repeatedly insisted last week that former President Barack Obama had Trump Tower put under surveillance late last fall. Trump's claims widened to two of the U.S.'s staunchest allies. He repeated an unsubstantiated claim that Britain's cyber intelligence organization conducted the surveillance at Obama's behest, a claim the agency GBHQ flatly denied; and mentioned during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's first visit to the Trump White House the Obama administration's monitoring of Merkel's cellphone, a bruising incident in German-U.S. relations.

"What the president said was just patently false," Schiff said of the Trump Tower allegations, "and the wrecking ball it created has now banged into our British allies and our German allies and continuing to grow in terms of damage. And he needs to put an end to this."

Nunes spoke on "Fox News Sunday;" Schiff and Collins appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press;" Cotton was on CNN's "State of the Union."

___

Follow Michele Salcedo on Twitter athttps://twitter.com/michelesalcedo
Baghdad (AFP) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi left for Washington on Sunday to meet President Donald Trump as his forces press an assault to recapture west Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group.

The premier's office said Abadi would also meet Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, without giving specific dates.

On Wednesday, the prime minister is to take part in a ministerial meeting of the 68-nation coalition lined up against the Islamic State group.

Iraqi authorities in October launched an offensive to retake the northern city of Mosul from IS with the support of US-led coalition air strikes.

They retook the east side of Mosul in January before setting their sights on the more densely-populated west of the city, the last major urban centre held by IS in Iraq.

The Iraqi government earlier this month welcomed its nationals' exemption from a revised travel ban drawn up by Trump as an "important step" that strengthens ties between Baghdad and Washington.
By Patrick Markey and John Davison MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi army helicopters strafed and rocketed Islamic State positions inside Mosul's Old City on Sunday as ground troops fought fierce street battles to close in on the strategic prize of the al-Nuri Mosque. An air strike by the U.S.-led coalition backing Iraq forces in their campaign to retake Mosul also killed six foreign militant commanders in the west, including a Russian who was a senior Islamic State leader, Iraq's defense ministry said. Federal Police troops on Sunday advanced past the train station in western Mosul close to the mosque, where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate in July 2014 after the hardline militants had seized swathes of Iraq and Syria. Residents fled from the area, carrying suitcases and bags of belongings and picking their way through the wrecked buildings as shells and gunfire echoed behind them. Most of them were women and children. "Federal Police and Rapid Response forces resumed their advance after halting operations due to bad weather. The troops have a target of retaking the rest of the Old City," a police spokesman said. The battle to recapture Islamic State's last stronghold in Iraq has now entered its sixth month. Iraqi government forces, backed by U.S. advisers, artillery and air support, have cleared the east and half of western Mosul and are now focused on controlling the Old City. Recent fighting has targeted the centuries-old al-Nuri Mosque, with its famous leaning minaret. Its capture would be a blow for Islamic State as it was from there that Baghdadi declared himself head of his self-proclaimed caliphate. U.S. officials estimate about 2,000 IS fighters remain inside Iraq's second largest city, resisting with mortar fire, snipers and suicide car bombs that plow into army positions. The black Islamic State flag still flew from the mosque's minaret on Sunday. Iraq's defense ministry said in a statement a coalition air strike destroyed a command center, killing Russian leader Abdul Kareem al-Rusi, head of the Tareq Bin Ziyad brigade, as well as a British-Algerian, a French-Syrian, a Turkish commander and two fighters from Morocco. RESIDENTS FLEE Federal Police moved in on foot from near the train station toward the Old City, forging ahead through rubble-filled streets. Police commander General Khalid al-Obedi told reporters on the frontline: "We are advancing toward the Old City. Their resistance is weakening. They are mostly using car bombs and that shows they are losing on the ground." He barked orders into his radio as mortar rounds landed beyond his position. Reporters saw an air strike hit Islamic State positions about 300 meters (yards) ahead on the frontline. Helicopters circling overhead fired rockets and raked the ground with machine gun fire. Federal police also arrested Husam Sheet al-Jabouri, the local chief of Diwan al-Hisba, an IS unit responsible for enforcing strict Islamic rules, in Mosul's Bab al-Sijin area, a police statement said. As fighting has entered into the narrow alleyways and densely populated parts of west Mosul, more residents are fleeing from liberated areas where food and water are scarce and homes are often caught in shelling. Families with elderly relatives and children marched through western Mosul's muddy streets, past buildings pock-marked by bullet and bombs on Saturday. Some said they had hardly eaten in weeks, scrambling for supplies handed out by a local aid agency. "It is terrible, Islamic State have destroyed us. There is no food, no bread. There is absolutely nothing," said one resident. As many as 600,000 civilians may be caught inside the city with the militants. About 255,000 people have been displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas since October, including more than 100,000 since the military campaign in western Mosul began on Feb. 19, according to United Nations figures. The last week has seen the highest level of displacement yet, with 32,000 displaced between March 12 and 15. (Click here for a graphic on 'battle for Mosul' http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/MIDEAST-CRISIS-IRAQ-MOSUL/010030FS0Z8/MIDEAST-CRISIS-IRAQ-MOSUL.jpg) (Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad, Writing by Angus MacSwan in Erbil; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
By Patrick Markey and John Davison MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi army helicopters strafed and rocketed Islamic State positions inside Mosul's Old City on Sunday as ground troops fought fierce street battles to close in on the strategic prize of the al-Nuri Mosque. An air strike by the U.S.-led coalition backing Iraq forces in their campaign to retake Mosul also killed six foreign militant commanders in the west, including a Russian who was a senior Islamic State leader, Iraq's defense ministry said. Federal Police troops on Sunday advanced past the train station in western Mosul close to the mosque, where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate in July 2014 after the hardline militants had seized swathes of Iraq and Syria. Residents fled from the area, carrying suitcases and bags of belongings and picking their way through the wrecked buildings as shells and gunfire echoed behind them. Most of them were women and children. "Federal Police and Rapid Response forces resumed their advance after halting operations due to bad weather. The troops have a target of retaking the rest of the Old City," a police spokesman said. The battle to recapture Islamic State's last stronghold in Iraq has now entered its sixth month. Iraqi government forces, backed by U.S. advisers, artillery and air support, have cleared the east and half of western Mosul and are now focused on controlling the Old City. Recent fighting has targeted the centuries-old al-Nuri Mosque, with its famous leaning minaret. Its capture would be a blow for Islamic State as it was from there that Baghdadi declared himself head of his self-proclaimed caliphate. U.S. officials estimate about 2,000 IS fighters remain inside Iraq's second largest city, resisting with mortar fire, snipers and suicide car bombs that plough into army positions. The black Islamic State flag still flew from the mosque's minaret on Sunday. Iraq's defence ministry said in a statement a coalition air strike destroyed a command centre, killing Russian leader Abdul Kareem al-Rusi, head of the Tareq Bin Ziyad brigade, as well as a British-Algerian, a French-Syrian, a Turkish commander and two fighters from Morocco. RESIDENTS FLEE Federal Police moved in on foot from near the train station toward the Old City, forging ahead through rubble-filled streets. Police commander General Khalid al-Obedi told reporters on the frontline: "We are advancing toward the Old City. Their resistance is weakening. They are mostly using car bombs and that shows they are losing on the ground." He barked orders into his radio as mortar rounds landed beyond his position. Reporters saw an air strike hit Islamic State positions about 300 meters (yards) ahead on the frontline. Helicopters circling overhead fired rockets and raked the ground with machine gun fire. Federal police also arrested Husam Sheet al-Jabouri, the local chief of Diwan al-Hisba, an IS unit responsible for enforcing strict Islamic rules, in Mosul's Bab al-Sijin area, a police statement said. As fighting has entered into the narrow alleyways and densely populated parts of west Mosul, more residents are fleeing from liberated areas where food and water are scarce and homes are often caught in shelling. Families with elderly relatives and children marched through western Mosul's muddy streets, past buildings pock-marked by bullet and bombs on Saturday. Some said they had hardly eaten in weeks, scrambling for supplies handed out by a local aid agency. "It is terrible, Islamic State have destroyed us. There is no food, no bread. There is absolutely nothing," said one resident. As many as 600,000 civilians may be caught inside the city with the militants. About 255,000 people have been displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas since October, including more than 100,000 since the military campaign in western Mosul began on Feb. 19, according to United Nations figures. The last week has seen the highest level of displacement yet, with 32,000 displaced between March 12 and 15. (Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad, Writing by Angus MacSwan in Erbil; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
President Donald Trump welcomed Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny to the White House on Thursday, a day before St. Patrick's Day. Kenny, who called Trump's rhetoric "racist and dangerous" in May, used the opportunity to present Trump with a bowl of shamrocks and a lecture on the immigrant spirit.

Kenny's remarks were given with Trump just a few feet away, and while they were about the history of Irish immigration to the U.S., they were heavy with political meaning. Trump has sought to crack down on illegal immigration, and, as Kenny noted, an estimated 50,000 undocumented immigrants currently reside in the U.S.

Read: Is It St. Patty's Or St. Paddy's? To The Irish, The Answer Is Obvious

"This is what I said to your predecessor on a number of occasions - we would like this to be sorted," he told the president at a lunch event. "It would remove a burden off so many people that they can stand out in the light and say: 'Now I am free to contribute to America, as I know I can.'"

Kenny's comments on the Irish in America are below:

"It's fitting that we gather here each year to celebrate St. Patrick and his legacy. He too, of course, was an immigrant. And though he is of course the patron saint of Ireland, for many people around the globe, he's also the symbol of, indeed the patron of, immigrants. Here in America, in your great country, 35 million people claim Irish heritage, and the Irish have contributed to the economic, social, political and cultural life of this great country over the last 200 years. Ireland came to America because, deprived of liberty, deprived of opportunity, of safety, of even food itself, the Irish believed, and four decades before Lady Liberty lifted her lamp, we were the wretched refuse on the teeming shore. We believed in the shelter of America, in the compassion of America, in the opportunity of America. We came, and we became, Americans. We lived the words of John F. Kennedy, long before he uttered them. We asked not what America could do for us, but what we could do for America, and we still do."

Story continues

Correction, March 17, 2017, 3:01 p.m. ET: A previous version of this article misspelled the name of Enda Kenny. The new headline reflects the change.

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Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday threatened to destroy Syrian air defence systems after they fired ground-to-air missiles at Israeli warplanes carrying out strikes.

"The next time the Syrians use their air defence systems against our planes we will destroy them without the slightest hesitation," Lieberman said on Israeli public radio.

Israeli warplanes hit several targets in Syria on Friday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the strikes targeted weapons bound for Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement.

Syria's military said it had downed one of the Israeli planes and hit another as they were carrying out the pre-dawn strikes near the famed desert city of Palmyra that it recaptured from jihadists this month.

The Israeli military denied that any planes had been hit. The Syrian government has made similar claims in the past.

An Israeli army statement said "several anti-aircraft missiles" were fired following the raid but that none hit their targets.

One missile was intercepted by Israel's Arrow air defence system, Israeli media reported.

It was the most serious incident between the two countries since the Syrian civil war began six years ago.

In April 2016, Netanyahu admitted for the first time that Israel had attacked dozens of convoys transporting weapons in Syria destined for Hezbollah, which fought a 2006 war with Israel and is now battling alongside the Damascus regime.

"Each time we discover arms transfers from Syria to Lebanon we will act to stop them. On this there will be no compromise," Lieberman said Sunday.

"The Syrians must understand that they are held responsible for these arms transfers to Hezbollah and that if they continue to allow them then we will do what we have to do."

Lieberman said he did not wish "to interfere in the Syrian civil war or provoke a confrontation with the Russians" but that Israel's security would remain his top priority.

Story continues

- 'Red lines' -

Russia and Israel's arch-foe Iran has supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in the war. Israel opposes Assad, but has sought to avoid being dragged into the conflict.

Israel does not usually confirm or deny individual raids, but it was led to do so this time by the circumstances of the incident, including the firing of the Arrow, Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz told AFP.

He said he believed Assad responded more strongly this time because he feels increasingly confident.

Assad's position has been strengthened in recent months with his forces reclaiming the whole of Syria's second city Aleppo, as well as enjoying continuing Russian support.

"He is trying to change the rules. We will not agree to change the rules," Katz said.

He reiterated what Israel calls its "red lines," including not allowing advanced weapons to be supplied to Hezbollah and preventing the Golan Heights from being used as a front against it.

Netanyahu has held a series of meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent months to establish a mechanism to avoid accidental clashes between their forces in Syria.

A "hotline" has been set up between the two countries, but Katz said Russia is not notified in advance of an Israeli strike.

"No one knows before what we are doing," he said.

"We are a sovereign country that acts to protect our security interests."

He declined to comment in detail on how the "hotline" with Russia worked, but expressed confidence the two countries could continue to coordinate despite their differing interests.

Israel seized most of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, in a move never recognised by the international community.

Israel and Syria are still technically at war, though the border had remained largely quiet for decades until 2011 when the Syrian conflict began.
Israel has denied a claim by Syria that it shot down an Israeli plane carrying out pre-dawn raids on a military target near Palmyra (AFP Photo/)

Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday threatened to destroy Syrian air defence systems after they fired ground-to-air missiles at Israeli warplanes carrying out strikes.

"The next time the Syrians use their air defence systems against our planes we will destroy them without the slightest hesitation," Lieberman said on Israeli public radio.

Israeli warplanes hit several targets in Syria on Friday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the strikes targeted weapons bound for Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement.

Syria's military said it had downed one of the Israeli planes and hit another as they were carrying out the pre-dawn strikes near the famed desert city of Palmyra that it recaptured from jihadists this month.

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For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

The Israeli military denied that any planes had been hit. The Syrian government has made similar claims in the past.

An Israeli army statement said "several anti-aircraft missiles" were fired following the raid but that none hit their targets.

One missile was intercepted by Israel's Arrow air defence system, Israeli media reported.

It was the most serious incident between the two countries since the Syrian civil war began six years ago.

In April 2016, Netanyahu admitted for the first time that Israel had attacked dozens of convoys transporting weapons in Syria destined for Hezbollah, which fought a 2006 war with Israel and is now battling alongside the Damascus regime.

Israel does not usually confirm or deny individual raids, but it may have been led to do so this time by the circumstances of the incident.

Israel seized most of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, in a move never recognised by the international community.

Israel and Syria are still technically at war, though the border had remained largely quiet for decades until 2011 when the Syrian conflict began.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe headed Sunday for a four-day trip to Europe, hoping to discuss security issues and make progress on trade as regional tensions soar over accelerating North Korean threats.

Abe's trip, which will take him to Germany, France, Belgium and Italy, comes a few days after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Tokyo for talks on North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

The top US diplomat also travelled to Seoul and Beijing after Tokyo.

Japan has been on edge over North Korean launches since a mid-range ballistic missile flew without warning over the northern part of the country and into the western Pacific in 1998.

The pace of the North's missile development has intensified and its projectiles have since last year been landing ever closer to Japan's coast, with three of the four missiles launched earlier this month falling in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) off Akita prefecture.

"I want to exchange opinions openly with G7 leaders," Abe told reporters at a Tokyo airport before his departure.

"We hope to closely cooperate with the EU on issues the international community is facing such as the problems on North Korea and free trade," he said.

Abe's itinerary includes a visit to technology show CeBIT in Hanover followed by a summit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and a meeting with French President Francois Hollande in Paris.

Abe will hold talks with European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker and freshly re-elected European Union President Donald Tusk in Brussels as the EU aims to close a free trade deal with Tokyo this year.

The Japanese premier will return to Tokyo on Wednesday after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, chair of this year's Group of Seven industrialised countries.
By Noor Ali ISIOLO, Kenya (Reuters) - A gun battle between two pastoralist communities competing for grazing killed least 10 people in northern Kenya on Sunday morning, police said, raising questions about the government's ability to maintain peace before August elections. Armed cattle herders from Isiolo and Samburu counties fought over grazing access along the two county borders, said Isiolo County police commander Charles Ontita. "Ten bodies have been recovered from the scene. Scores of people sustained gunshots wounds," Ontita said during a press briefing at his office. Northern Kenya is suffering a severe drought, which has worsened competition for grazing and water holes. Some residents say local politicians are fuelling the violence in an effort to win votes from particular ethnic blocs in national elections scheduled for August. On Friday, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced he is sending troops to the northern regions of Laikipia and Baringo. Both have suffered a string of deadly attacks in recent months as armed cattle herders searching for grazing have driven cattle onto private farms and ranches [nL5N1GU3V9]. Sunday's violence took place further to the east, at Kom, 100 kilometers (62 miles) northeast from the town of Isiolo. Ontita, the police commander, said extra police and paramilitary forces had been sent to Kom. At least 15 people have already been killed in clashes along the border between Isiolo and neighboring Marissa County in the past month. (Writing by Katharine Houreld, editing by Larry King)
By Emily Stephenson and Caren Bohan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers from both parties said on Sunday they had seen no proof to support the claim by Republican President Donald Trump that his predecessor Barack Obama had wiretapped him last year, adding pressure on Trump to explain or back off his repeated assertion. Several Republicans last week urged Trump to apologize for the allegations he made in a series of tweets on March 4. The maelstrom also caused tension with key U.S. allies and threatens to distract Republicans from campaign promises on health care and taxes. "I don't know the basis for President Trump's assertion," U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I do believe he owes us that explanation." Collins said she supported Trump as president, but she wouldn't side with him if he "misstated what the facts are." FBI Director James Comey is expected to be asked about Trump's claims when he testifies at a rare public hearing on Monday about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Russia has denied the assertion it was involved in hacked emails and other attempts to influence the race. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee holding the hearing, called Trump's claims "patently false" and said he expected Comey to say as much on Monday. The Justice Department on Friday delivered documents to congressional committees to help clear up whether the Obama administration spied on Trump. Republican Representative Devin Nunes, who leads the House intelligence panel, said after receiving the material, he saw no evidence of wiretapping. But Nunes, who served on Trump's transition team, joined the White House in seeking to shift attention away from the controversies by calling for investigations of leaks to the news media. Nunes said on "Fox News Sunday" that leaks to reporters about former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn were criminal and that his panel was probing whether other names were leaked. Trump has been dogged by allegations that his associates had ties to Russian officials. He fired Flynn last month after reports he had discussed sanctions with Russia's ambassador before Trump took office, without telling other White House officials. "The one crime we know that's been committed is that one: the leaking of someone's name," Nunes said. "Were there any other names that were ... leaked out?" Nunes also said ahead of Monday's hearing he had seen "no evidence" of collusion between Russia and Trump's team. But Schiff, the panel's top Democrat, said there was enough "circumstantial evidence" that he still had questions. NOT BACKING DOWN Meanwhile, the White House has not backed down on Trump's surveillance claims. The administration was forced to reassure key ally Britain after White House press secretary Sean Spicer repeated a Fox News analyst's claim that a British intelligence agency helped Obama wiretap Trump. The British government strongly denied it. The issue led to an awkward moment on Friday at a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel when Trump was asked about the wiretap claims by a German reporter. Trump said he and Merkel had "something in common," apparently referring to reports during the Obama administration that Merkel's phone was bugged. The quip left the German leader looking bewildered. Senior Republican Representative Tom Cole told reporters on Friday that Trump owed Obama an apology. Representatives Charlie Dent and Will Hurd, also Republicans, made similar comments. "I see no indication that that's true," Cole said of the wiretapping charge. Unless Trump produces convincing proof, Cole added, "President Obama is owed an apology." (Reporting By Emily Stephenson and Caren Bohan; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Jeffrey Benkoe)
ROCKPORT, Maine (AP)  The expanding market for lobsters in China is continuing to grow, with the country setting a new record for the value of its imports of the crustaceans from the United States.

American lobster was almost unheard of in most of China until 2010, when the value of imports grew 250 percent to about $7.4 million. Last year, China imported more than $108 million in lobsters from America, surpassing the previous high of about $90.2 million in 2014.

"We've opened new markets in Asia, which is booming," said Dave Cousens, president of the Maine Lobstermen's Association. "Everything is clicking now."

Chinese importers took in more than 14 million pounds of U.S. lobsters last year, which was also a record. The previous high was about 13.1 million pounds the previous year.

Interest in American lobster has grown in other countries in Asia as well, such as South Korea, which grew from less than $5 million in 2010 to nearly $28 million last year. Vietnam's imports grew from $142,940 to more than $31 million in that time.

One of the factors spurring the growth of lobsters in China appears to be the growth of the country's middle class, said Stephanie Nadeau, owner of The Lobster Company, in Arundel, Maine, which is a key player in the export business. American lobsters tend to be less expensive in China than other live seafood, such as spiny lobsters and geoduck clams, she said.

"It's kind of an affordable luxury," Nadeau said. "One of my customers said our lobsters are one of the cheapest things in the live tanks."

The uptick came in a record year for lobster catch in Maine, where most of America's lobster catch comes ashore. Fishermen caught more than 130 million pounds of lobster in Maine last year, an all-time record and more than double the 2007 total. Atlantic Canada also has a large lobster fishery and sends the same species of lobster to China.

"The Asian market is a key component," said Patrick Keliher, the commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

Lobster sales to China do not appear to be slowing down in the new year. America exported more than 1.7 million pounds and $14 million in lobsters to the country in the first month of the year.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  A sheriff's deputy in Louisiana is dead after being shot near a movie theater in Baton Rouge, police said Sunday.

East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office deputy Shawn T. Anderson was rushed to the hospital after being shot while on duty late Saturday, spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks said in a news release. Anderson, 43, was conducting an investigation with another deputy at a strip mall near the AMC movie theater when the shooting occurred.

"Our hearts are broken as we grieve for one of our brothers," Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said.

Louisiana State Police spokesman Bryan Lee told local media outlets that the deputies were not responding to a call for service.

A suspect was shot and injured and taken to a hospital. The condition of the suspect was unavailable.

Anderson began working at the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office in 1999. He was presented the Life Saving Award in 2010 for saving the life of a woman on Old Mississippi River bridge and recognized for serving more than sixty high-risk warrants in 2013 as part of a SWAT team with no injuries or shots fired. He also delivered a baby on the side of the road last year.

Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and Police Chief Carl Dabadie asked for prayers for Anderson's family.

"I think we are a very praying community and I think that thoughts and prayers are needed here and we come together just like we always do and always have," Dabadie added. "There's no doubt we won't here, also."

The New Orleans Advocate (http://bit.ly/2nzNuM0 ) quoted Hicks as saying the Louisiana State Police would conduct the investigation.

Authorities did not release the identity of the suspect.

The deputy was taken from Ochsner Medical Center shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday with a procession of law enforcement vehicles.

"Our hearts and prayers are with the family and friends of the fallen deputy and all the brave men and women in law enforcement who risk their own safety every single day to protect the communities they serve," said Corey Amundson, acting U.S. attorney. "We will devote whatever federal law enforcement resources are necessary to ensure that justice is served."
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian police are expected to make a few more arrests, including an "important person", in connection with the murder of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, state media reported on Sunday. Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar declined to elaborate on details when speaking to the state media, adding that the arrests would be made at the appropriate time. "I don't deny we are targeting new individuals including North Korean nationals involved in this murder and we will use all legal channels to apprehend them. Although I can't reveal who they are, we believe there is an 'important person' among them," he told state media. The police chief did not respond immediately when contacted by Reuters for comment. Malaysian police have previously identified eight North Koreans wanted for questioning in connection with the killing of Kim Jong Nam, some of them hiding in the North Korean embassy. A Vietnamese woman and an Indonesian woman have already been charged in the case. Kim Jong Nam was killed on Feb. 13, when Malaysian police say two women smeared super toxic VX nerve agent on his face at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. On Thursday, police said Interpol issued a "red notice", the closest to an international arrest warrant, for four North Koreans wanted in connection with the murder. (Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
A radicalised Muslim on a crime watchlist shot a policewoman in the head at a road check before attacking a soldier at a Paris airport.

The gunman shouted: "I am here to die for Allah - there will be deaths", before attempting to gun people down at Orly airport.

The man - known as Ziyed B - at one point threw down a bag containing a can of petrol, a Parisian prosecutor said.

He was initially stopped for speeding at a road check north of the city early on Saturday moirning, shooting a policewoman in the head.

He then held up a woman motorist at gunpoint, stealing her car and driving to Orly airport.

In the airport terminal the attacker assaulted a patrol of three counter-terrorism soldiers, making the statement about Allah.

He wrestled one of the soldiers to the floor, trying to take her gun.

:: Paris attacks timeline

The man was shot dead by patrol officers as they attempted to protect the women and members of the public at the airport.

Pictures of the man, who is 39, lying dead with his arms outstretched on the terminal floor have emerged in the wake of the shooting.

In total soldiers fired eight rounds at the attacker, who was intent on shooting people at the airport, French officials said.

One witness, Dominique, said: "I heard shouting and I saw the soldiers who were holding a person.

"It was a man who was holding a soldier hostage, he had them by the neck and he threatened the two other soldiers with the woman's rifle."

A police source said the man was "a radicalised Muslim known to intelligence services and the justice system".

He had a history of thefts and violent robberies. The man's father, brother and a cousin have been taken into police custody.

:: Is France's Operation Sentinelle working?

Bruno Le Roux, French Interior Minister, said: "At 8.30am a man tried to attack a Sentinelle patrol in Orly in order to take the weapon of one of the female military.

"He didn't succeed and he was neutralised."

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Operation Sentinelle was launched after the Charlie Hebdo attack in 2015.

It has seen 7,500 armed soldiers deployed on the French streets - half of them in Paris.

This marks the fourth attack on the Sentinelle forces since it was set up.

There was a similar incident at the Louvre Museum last month in which an Egyptian man attacked soldiers guarding the site.

Around 3,000 people were evacuated from the airport and flights were diverted while swat teams and the bomb squad cleared the area.

The policewoman was said to have been "lightly injured" by the shotgun attack at 6.55am on Saturday.

The soldier who was wrestled to the ground was described as "shocked" but uninjured.

Franck Lecam was at the airport when the attacker struck 90 minutes after the first incident.

He said: "We had queued up to check in for the Tel Aviv flight when we heard three or four shots nearby."

He added: "There are policemen, emergency workers and soldiers running all over the place."

It comes as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were on the second day of their visit to Paris, meeting survivors of the Nice and Paris terror attacks.

:: William and Kate hail courage of victims from Bataclan and Nice attacks

They also watched this afternoon's Six Nations rugby match at the Stade de France.

French authorities have said the incidents would have no impact on the Royal visit.

Paris Aeroport tweeted: "Ongoing special operations by the Police. Please follow their instructions (safety area)."

France, which is just weeks away from a presidential election, remains under a state of emergency following a series of deadly attacks.

These include the November 2015 attack in Paris when 130 people were killed and the truck attack in Nice last year.

Presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the soldiers at the airport.

He said they "have demonstrated one more time calm control and professionalism".
Meek Mill just showed off his broken arm to his fans on Instagram. And somehow the 29-year-old hip hop recording artist appears to be happy about the proof that he got into an airport altercation early this week.

On Saturday, Mill took to Instagram to share a video clip of him doing the Milly Rock dance move using his left arm thats encased in a cast. Nicki Minajs ex-boyfriend poked fun at the situation by saying that his arm is stuck doing the move for the next month or two while he jokingly shows some pained facial expressions in the video.

His post was met with a mix of responses. One fan wrote: He just wanted to show us he really did get into a fight at the airport. Another commented: They tryna [sic] destroy you Meek. But they cant. Another fan stated: Meek, bro stop teasing with these snippets. Its so old and you been doing it for years.

READ: The Game attacks Meek Mill over Nicki Minaj-Remy Ma feud

Last Wednesday, Mill reportedly got into an altercation with an airport employee at the St. Louis International Airport. The latter, identified as Justin Card, told TMZ that he was just trying to take a photo with Mill when the rapper charged at him. Card said that he just defended himself from Mill, but Mills team also got involved in the fight. This prompted Cards, DeAngelo Webb, to join the mix. Mill and his men have since been charged with a misdemeanor assault and were given summons to appear in court.

Mills latest misdemeanor charge could be a violation to his probation. Back in 2008, the Litty rapper was convicted of gun possession and drug dealing. He served prison time for several months and was released in 2009. Two years ago, he violated his probation and was asked to serve jail time again. He dodged jail time by going on a house arrest for six months, and he was ordered to remain on probation for the next six years.

Meanwhile, Mill continues to throw shade at his ex. He previously called out Minaj for labeling him little fish or an insignificant person. He also dissed his former girlfriend by calling her a thot in the wake of rumors claiming Minaj is already dating another rapper, Nas. Just this Friday, Mill accused Minaj of paying people to smear his name.

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In a now-deleted post on Instagram, Mill claimed that Minaj has been paying a lot of people to discredit his name. According to him, this is evident in how many of Minajs people are giving him negative comments on social media. He also said that hes got proof to back his allegations, as first reported by Vibe.

Meek Mill

Photo: Reuters/Kevork Djansezian

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Meghan Markle, whose high profile relationship with Prince Harry continues to make headlines, is contemplating changing her career, according to E! News. Markle is currently acting in the hit legal drama Suits.

The 35-year-old is "ready to be done with 'Suits'" and with "acting in general," a source told E! News on Friday. However, her relationship with Harry is not the reason behind her decision, the report added.

"Even before Harry, she was starting to think about transitioning out of acting. She wants to focus on other worldly endeavors she is passionate about, like her philanthropy."

Markle is known for her humanitarian work with the United Nations Women organization and World Vision. Last year, she travelled to Rwanda for a field mission and also to India in January to work with a womens program. On International Womens Day, Markle wrote an open letter on sanitation and destigmatizing menstruation.

From sub-Saharan Africa to India, Iran and several other countries, the stigma surrounding menstruation and lack of access to proper sanitation directly inhibit young women from pursuing an education, Markle wrote. We need to push the conversation, mobilize policymaking surrounding menstrual health initiatives, support organizations [that] foster girls education from the ground up, and within our own homes, we need to rise above our puritanical bashfulness when it comes to talking about menstruation.

On a separate note, a recent report by Us Weekly said Harry is likely to propose Markle by the end of summer. The couple spoke candidly about their future. They see a life together, a source told the magazine.

When in London, Markle reportedly stays with the 32-year-old royal at his two-bedroom Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace.

Reports speculating Harry and Markles romance first surfaced last August. It wasnt until Nov. 8 when the Kensington Palace confirmed their relationship. The couple has reportedly introduced each other to their families. While Markle met Prince William, Kate Middleton and their two children  Prince George and Princess Charlotte  Harry met his girlfriends father Thomas Markle.

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Michael Flynn, who was compelled to resign as national security adviser last month amid a controversy over his alleged contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States, is in the news again for another Russia-related incident. He collected almost $68,000 in fees from Russian government-backed television network RT during a trip to Moscow in December 2015, according to newly released documents.

Released by Elijah E. Cummings, a top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the documents show the amount is higher than what was previously known. They show that $45,386 was paid by the RT network to Flynn, $11,250 by the U.S. subsidiary of a Russian cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky Lab, and another $11,250 by Volga-Dnepr Group, a Russian airline that has a U.S. air cargo affiliated with it.

Read: Russian Ambassador, Flynn Wiretapped, Moscow Diplomat Claims

Flynn had reportedly said earlier he did not charge any money for his 2015 Moscow trip.

Cummings questioned President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and FBI Director James B. Comey whether Flynn's fees violated prohibitions on retired military officers accepting payments or gifts from foreign governments.

"The Emoluments Clause of the Constitution prohibits any person 'holding any Office of Profit or Trust' from accepting gifts or payments from any foreign government or agent without the consent of Congress. The Department of Defense has made clear that this Constitutional provision applies to retired military officers, such as Lieutenant General Flynn, because they continue to hold offices of trust. It also applies to 'indirect' sources of payment, including payments made through intermediaries in the United States," the document read.

Meanwhile, Russian news network RT has responded to disclosure of Flynn's payments.

"The U.S. media is 'losing its mind' over a totally common and transparent practice," RTs head of communications Anna Belkina said. She added that Flynns paid appearance at a conference in Moscow was never a secret.

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This isnt just a standard practice, this is a standard practice that is entirely transparent. Its commonplace not just in the United States, but in Washington, D.C., in particular, Belkina said. She also said there are many agencies in the U.S. that connect public figures with events such as the international conference hosted by RT in Moscow in December 2015, that Flynn attended.

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Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch is openly skeptical of a long-standing judicial doctrine that empowers federal regulators to take action on everything from the environment to public health and safety.

Adopted by the high court in a 1984 case involving the Chevron oil company, the so-called Chevron doctrine says that when the law is ambiguous, judges should defer to federal agencies interpretations of their own powers. Part of the idea is to give regulators the flexibility they need to adapt to changing circumstances, with Congress and the President reining them in when they overstep.

But Gorsuch views it differently. In a concurring opinion last summer, he wrote that the doctrine empowers bureaucrats to swallow huge amounts of core judicial and legislative power and concentrate federal power in a way that the framers of the Constitution would have disagreed with.

If Gorsuchs views were to prevail at the Supreme Court, federal agencies would be put on a shorter leash, requiring more explicit permission before tackling such issues as climate change and employment regulations. And Gorsuch could arrive at a court increasingly sympathetic to his view, says Leonard Leo, a conservative legal scholar who advised Trump on his Supreme Court nomination.

Judge Gorsuchs opinions in the Chevron area do reflect the trajectory of the [Supreme] Courts jurisprudence, Leo says, which is to say, a growing concern about overreach by the administrative state and a lack of separation of powers.

Liberal advocacy group People for the American Way lists Gorsuchs views on Chevron as one of the top three reasons people should oppose his nomination.

Gorsuch has gone even farther than [late Justice Antonin] Scalia in embracing an extreme and far-reaching legal theory that, if put into practice, would severely restrict the federal governments ability to effectively address national problems, reads a blog post on the site. As the federal governments ability to address workplace safety, workers rights, environmental problems, investment abuse, consumer safety, and any number of other issues sharply diminishes, the power of Big Business and Wall Street to impose their will on every American would be greatly enhanced.

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Gorsuch is sure to be grilled about this by Democrats when he faces the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing this week. Two Senate aides confirmed they expect questions about Chevron. And Gorsuch knows it will come up, too. In his questionnaire submitted to the committee, he was asked about the most significant cases hes ever presided over. He listed Gutierrez-Brizuela v. Lynch, the case where he wrote his concurring opinion about Chevron, at the very top.

(In a fun quirk of history, Gorsuchs mother was the head of the Environmental Protection Agency in the early 1980s and the defendant in the lower court decision that resulted in the Chevron ruling at the Supreme Court.)

Some conservatives reject the Chevron argument put forth by People for the American way and other liberal groups.

Theyre bootstrapping off of this debate about Chevron and trying to draw parallels between his skepticism about Chevron and the so-called progressive agenda to protect the little guy,' says Leo. Theyre engaging in self-contradiction. They want to be able to make the argument that [Gorsuch] is anti-worker, anti-consumer, anti-environment because he expresses skepticism about the Chevron doctrine, but at the same time, they want to say that hes a rubber stamp for the Trump Administration and the executive branch. You cant have it both ways.

But the split on Chevron views has never fallen along simple liberal-conservative lines.

It depends on whose ox is being gored, says Thomas O. McGarity, an administrative law expert and professor at the University of Texas at Austin law school. Chevron was created under a conservative government and was originally used to facilitate deregulation; under liberal governments, it was wielded for greater oversight and regulation. Conservative late Justice Antonin Scalia, for example, who Gorsuch stands to replace, once supported Chevron, arguing it allows the government to function properly. In a speech at Duke Law School in 1989, Scalia said that one of Chevrons major advantages is to permit needed flexibility, and appropriate political participation, in the administrative process.

McGarity argues that another switch could be coming, because environmental groups, many of whom would have supported greater power for the EPA in the past, might reconsider their position in this political climate. If theyre really thinking through this particular issue, they may not want a judge whos going to defer to a [Scott] Pruitt-held EPA as he starts undoing things that the Obama Administration did, McGarity explains.

In the current political landscape, Gorsuchs view on Chevron fits broadly with a goal of the Trump Administration: to roll back regulatory powers across the government, something Trump adviser Steve Bannon calls the deconstruction of the administrative state.

Article I is the Congress, Article II is the President. Article III are the courts. And then theres this administrative state, combining all three, White House counsel Don McGahn told TIME in an exclusive interview. They make the law, they enforce the law, and then they decide who violates the law, destroying the constitutional separation of powers that was designed to protect individual liberty.

In Gorsuchs famous Chevron opinion, he referred to the doctrine as an elephant in the room and wrote that the time has come to face the behemoth. He should get another chance wrestle with it this week.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised Sunday the possibility of snap elections following a dispute with his finance minister over a new national broadcasting service.

Local papers, radio and television channels reported on a weekend threat by Netanyahu to dissolve the government if the Public Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) isn't dissolved before its scheduled start date on April 30.

Netanyahu, whose Likud party is part of a slim parliamentary majority, has long been opposed to the new service but he appeared last week to reach an agreement with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, before rowing back.

"You cannot have a situation in which Likud respects all coalition agreements while small parties don't keep their commitments on important points," Netanyahu said in remarks broadcast Sunday by public radio before he boarded the plane for a trip to China.

Allies of Netanyahu, who gave himself veto power over media issues when forming his cabinet in 2015, have suggested the new institution would cede too much control from government.

Some media suggested Netanyahu had deliberately triggered the cabinet crisis as a way to deflect attention from a long-running investigation into alleged corruption that has seen him questioned several times by police in recent weeks.

Kahlon heads the Kulanu party which, with 10 seats in parliament, is a crucial part of Netanyahu's government.

He is known as being committed to reforming Israel's public broadcasting and is reported to have held talks with opposition leader Isaac Herzog of Labour on Saturday evening as the row dragged on.

Several ministers and Likud MPs are known to be against a snap election, and it is thought unlikely that rightwing and ultra-Orthodox parties would countenance joining a more centrist government.

Transport and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said he opposed fresh elections and believed a compromise could be found.

"I think that only two years after the elections, it's not the time to go to new elections," Katz, a senior member of Netanyahu's Likud who aspires to one day replace the prime minister, told AFP.

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"It's against the interests of the Israelis, of the country, and also against the interests of the Likud... We'll not have a better coalition after the elections."

Netanyahu's current coalition is seen as the most right-wing in Israel's history. His Likud party controls 30 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament, while the coalition holds a six-seat majority.

The PBC is officially meant to revigorate Israel public broadcasting in an age when private channels have an increasing share of viewers.

It is set to begin broadcasting on April 30 and a team of some 400 staff have already started work.

But it is expected to lead to layoffs in Israel's existing public broadcasting service, something Netanyahu has used to attack the PBC.

Culture Minister Miri Regev last year said it would be "inconceivable to establish a company that we wouldn't control. What's in it for us?"
By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A dispute between Benjamin Netanyahu and his finance minister over broadcast regulation sparked speculation on Sunday the Israeli prime minister could seek an election two years ahead of schedule. Some political commentators accused Netanyahu of using the issue as a pretext for engineering a national vote that could delay any U.S. peace moves under new President Donald Trump and also put off the Israeli leader's possible indictment over suspected corruption. The speculation came after Netanyahu said late on Saturday that he was abandoning an agreement with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, a key coalition partner, on establishing a new public broadcasting authority to replace the existing one. Netanyahu cited concerns over job losses for his abrupt change of heart, and according to Israeli media reports threatened in a meeting with cabinet ministers of his Likud party to dissolve the government if Kahlon didn't get into line. The prime minister flew to China for a three-day official visit on Sunday, leaving Israelis to ponder newspaper headlines pointing to a snap election just two years after the last one. Kahlon, who heads the Kulanu party, a centre-right partner in the Likud-led coalition, showed no sign of retreating from his support for a new and less expensive broadcasting body in his first public remarks on Netanyahu's decision. "I don't need any lectures from anyone on compassion," Kahlon told reporters in Tel Aviv after Netanyahu referred on Facebook to "heart-rending" appeals from employees of the current broadcasting authority facing redundancy. "We will take care of them in the best way possible as a country." FRAGILE COALITIONS Israel is not due to hold a general election until November 2019 but many coalition governments have not lasted a full term and Netanyahu faces the possibility of criminal charges in two cases that could shake his hold on power. One of the investigations involves the receipt of gifts from businessmen. The other is related to conversations Netanyahu held with an Israeli newspaper publisher about limiting competition in the news sector in exchange for more positive coverage. Israel's attorney-general is widely expected to decide within weeks whether to indict Netanyahu, who was reelected two years ago and has denied wrongdoing. Levelling charges during an election campaign could be seen as interfering in the process. "A decision to call new elections will suspend the investigations and might even do away with them," commentator Nahum Barnea wrote in the Yedioth Ahronoth daily. "If he survives (the ballot) he will argue ... the people have cleared him of any wrongdoing." Other commentators speculated that Netanyahu, after a visit by a U.S. envoy last week, was unsettled by the course the Trump administration might set in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and wanted to go to the polls to delay diplomacy. In the Maariv newspaper, commentator Ben Caspit said a new election would buy Netanyahu another six to 12 months to gear up for an "ultimate deal" from Trump on peace with the Palestinians and the future of Jewish settlements. "(Netanyahu) now realises just how misplaced the right wing's adulation over Donald Trump the Messiah was," Caspit wrote. Trump has rolled back on any quick move of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a city at the heart of the Israeli-Arab conflict, and has called on Netanyahu to "hold back on settlements for a bit". (Editing by Keith Weir)
Ever since Nick Cannon got diagnosed with lupus in 2012, he has not kept his battle with the autoimmune disease a secret. This week, Mariah Carehs ex-husband is now calling himself a lupus warrior as he continues to fight for his health and well-being.

On Saturday, Cannon took to Instagram to update his fans about his condition. Based on his new posts, its clear that the former Americas Got Talent host has everything under control. First, he uploaded a snap of him doing an advanced pushup while holding dumbbells with his hands and resting his feet atop a larger dumbbell. In the photo, Cannon can be seen suspending his body while his arm muscles carry most of his weight for the exercise. In the caption, he used the hashtag #LupusWarrior to indicate that hes hitting the gym and doing his best to keep his body fit amid his lupus.

However, Cannon may not have been content with just posting a photo of his intense routine. He followed it up with a short video clip showing more of his exercise regimen. The comedian-rapper wrote in his caption: Sometimes a picture doesnt describe the difficulty. He once again used the #LupusWarrior hashtag in the follow-up post.

READ: Nick Cannon receives support from ex-wife Mariah Carey

Many of Cannons fans were so amazed by the difficulty of his routine and his dedication to working out that they left him positive comments on the social networking site. Amen my brother Nick Cannon. Just do it. Get it done. Never give up on life. Only you know your limits, one fan wrote. I have lupus, lupus doesnt have me. Warrior all day only way, another commented.

Back in December, Cannon was unable to enjoy the holiday season as he was advised by his doctors to stay in the hospital due to complications of his condition. At the time, he updated his friends and fans on Instagram by posting a snap of him lying on the hospital bed. For all who have been trying to contact me the last few days this is where Ive been, he wrote as caption on his Instagram update.

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He previously told People how he found out about his condition. According to him, he once got hospitalized for blood clots in his lungs after a kidney failure. His doctors told him at the time that they had found an autoimmune disease  in [his] system. He then added, They kind of say [my] autoimmune [disease] is - like a lupus type of thing, but no one else in my family has it.

Nick Cannon

Photo: Reuters/Mike Blake

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Washington (AFP) - A congressional panel so far has found "no evidence" that Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election, its chairman said Sunday, ahead of testimony by the head of the FBI on the US president's potential Russia ties.

Based on "everything I have up to this morning -- no evidence of collusion," by Trump's team and Moscow, Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News.

Nunes made his remarks one day before Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey is to face lawmakers on the panel, amid speculation that Trump aides and associates -- and perhaps even the businessman-turned-politician himself -- may have maintained uncomfortably close ties with Moscow.

Monday's hearing was also expected to address a second explosive issue: Trump's unsubstantiated accusations of wiretapping by Barack Obama -- charges that have roiled political waters in Washington for the past two weeks.

Trump on March 4 tweeted that Obama had "tapped" his phone -- a charge that has consumed political debate in the US capital.

The US intelligence community has publicly blamed Russia for hacks of the Democratic National Committee last year, and suggested the cyber attacks were aimed at steering the election to a Trump victory.

Moscow has denied involvement in the hacks, and Trump has denounced the tumult over alleged Russia connections as a "total witch hunt."

- A city obsessed with a baseless claim -

But the question of whether Trump Tower was bugged -- an accusation first lodged by the president on Twitter -- nevertheless has risen to the top of Washington's political agenda, becoming something of a national obsession, even as a growing number of lawmakers and top US officials assert there is no evidence of any such claim.

The wiretapping issue mushroomed last month, when Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign after it was revealed he had misled top officials over his contacts with Russia.

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Around the same time, The New York Times reported that US intelligence agents had intercepted calls showing that members of Trump's campaign had repeated contacts with top Russian intelligence officials in the year preceding the November 8 election.

Nunes has said that the intelligence committee probe focuses in part on who revealed the fact that Flynn had unreported private contacts with the Russians over the issue of international sanctions against Moscow -- a disclosure which led to his forced resignation as Trump's national security adviser.

Adding to the intrigue, Trump's attorney general Jeff Sessions had to recuse himself from any Russia-related inquiries after it was learned that he had met twice with the Russian ambassador in the months before Trump took office, and had failed to disclose this during his confirmation hearing.

- Trump's credibility takes a hit -

Domestically, the headline-grabbing controversy over the wiretapping claim has pulled attention away from Trump's effort to push through other key items on his agenda, including the planned repeal of Obama's healthcare law, tax reform and his controversial travel ban.

Critics say it has also debased the already-coarse tone of political debate in Washington and eroded the president's credibility at home and abroad.

Some of the fallout has been international in scope: The White House was forced to retract a charge repeated last week by its spokesman Sean Spicer suggesting that Britain's intelligence services aided the Obama administration in the alleged wiretap. That claim has strained relations with America's closest ally.

Still, as recently as Friday, Trump repeated the baseless claim in an aside during a White House press conference with Angela Merkel.

"As far as wiretapping, I guess, by this past administration, at least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump told the German chancellor, referring to a WikiLeaks report in 2015 that the US had monitored calls involving Merkel and her top aides for years.

Republican Senator Ted Cruz -- Trump's vanquished rival last year for the Republican presidential nomination -- said the wiretapping charges are not entirely "outlandish" and should be investigated.

- 'Not necessarily outlandish' -

"I think it would be quite good for the administration to put forward what evidence there is," Cruz told CBS television.

"You know, I will point out this is not necessarily as outlandish as everyone in the press suggests. We do know that the Obama administration targeted their political enemies... so the notion is not necessarily outlandish, but it's serious," he said.

With national debate consumed by talk over Trump's wiretapping claim, Adam Schiff, the top Democratic lawmaker on the intelligence panel, said it is time "to put an end to the goose chase."

"What the president said is patently false and the wrecking ball it created has banged into the British allies and German allies and (is) continuing to grow in terms of damage, and he needs to put an end to this," Schiff said on NBC.

One Republican lawmaker said the president might be well advised to follow sage parental counsel he received years ago.

"To quote my 85-year-old father... 'It never hurts to say you're sorry,'" Representative Will Hurd, a Republican from Texas, told ABC television.

"And it's not just sorry to (Obama) but sorry to the (United Kingdom) for the claims -- or the intimation -- that the U.K. was involved in this as well," said Hurd, himself a former intelligence agent.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday he could not stop China from building on a disputed shoal near his country's west coast because it was too powerful.

The mayor of China's Sansha city has reportedly said his country would set up an environmental monitoring station on Scarborough Shoal, which China seized from the Philippines in 2012.

"We cannot stop China from doing (these) things," Duterte told journalists when asked about the reports.

"What do you want me to do? Declare war against China? I can't. We will lose all our military and policemen tomorrow and we (will be) a destroyed nation," he told a press conference before departing for a visit to Myanmar.

Duterte said he would tell the Chinese: "Just keep it (the waters) open and do not interfere with our coast guard."

He also brushed aside concerns over Chinese survey ships that had been seen near Benham Rise -- waters east of the main Philippine island of Luzon that have been recognised by the United Nation as indisputably Philippine territory.

Earlier this month Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he was very concerned that the ships had been seen at that location, sometimes for as long as a month.

But Duterte said: "So what if they stop there? They admit it is within the territory of the Philippines. That does not satisfy you?"

He described the complaints against China as "nit-picking."

The Philippines under Duterte's predecessor Benigno Aquino had actively challenged China's claim to control most of the South China Sea, despite counter-claims by several other nations.

However Duterte, who took office last year, has reversed that policy and is seeking billions of dollars worth of investments and grants from Beijing.

"We are now improving the economy because of the help of China. Why will you be so shameless just because they are passing by?" he told reporters on Sunday.

Beijing has already reclaimed large areas around several islets and reefs in the Spratly archipelago elsewhere in the South China Sea, and installed military facilities on some of them.

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However analysts warn that building on Scarborough Shoal would radically change the situation since it is just 230 kilometres (143 miles) from Luzon.

Outposts on the shoal would put Chinese jet fighters and missiles within easy striking distance of military bases in the Philippines, some of which could host US troops.

The shoal also commands the northeast exit of the sea, so a Chinese military outpost there could stop other countries' navies from using the waters.
AUBURN, Ga. (AP)  Police are investigating a fatal shooting outside a grocery store in a suburb northeast of Atlanta.

WSB-TV (http://2wsb.tv/2mEw1Nx ) reports Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith says the shooting happened Saturday around 5:20 p.m. in the parking lot of an Ingles grocery store in Auburn.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, a 911 call came from the store about a domestic disturbance.

Officers arrived to find 51-year-old Dorothy Russell of Statham, Georgia, shot to death in a car.

Police say Russell was fatally shot by her husband, 50-year-old Darrin Russell.

The GBI says Russell fled in a Mercedes, but was caught 45 minutes later.

Russell has been charged with one count of murder. He's being held in the Barrow County jail.

It was not immediately clear if Russell has an attorney.
Paris (AFP) - French police fired tear gas in clashes with hooded demonstrators in Paris on Sunday as thousands marched against "police brutality" after the alleged rape of a black youth with a police baton.

The February attack on the 22-year-old man, identified only as Theo, cast a spotlight on rough policing methods in France and triggered riots in the gritty suburbs surrounding Paris.

Theo sustained severe anal and rectal injuries, as well as wounds to his head and face, during a stop-and-search operation in the Seine-Saint-Denis region northeast of Paris.

He said one of the police officers assaulted him with a baton, which has led to rape charges against him. Four officers have been suspended pending an investigation.

Police said around 7,000 to 7,500 people joined the march to Place de la Republique in central Paris, where demonstrators chanted "no justice, no peace" and "emergency, emergency, police are killing with impunity".

Officers in riot gear used tear gas against some of the masked protesters who hurled back the canisters, AFP pictures showed.

Two police officers were lightly injured in the clashes and taken to hospital, authorities said, while 11 people were arrested.

Many in the crowd -- who wore hoods, face masks, and sunglasses -- carried anarchist flags, and police said five banks had their windows smashed.

Demonstrators also held a giant banner reading "Justice and dignity, end police impunity," which included drawn images of 13 people presented as victims of police brutality.

"We would like for justice to be served," co-organiser Amal Bentounsi told the crowd. Her brother Amine was shot dead in the back by an officer who was handed a five-year suspended sentence on appeal.

"My brother's killer was convicted but there are other families for whom it is not the case."

Fatiha Bouras, who said she is the mother of a victim, added there were "too many police killings -- they have to stop".

"It's only Arabs and blacks who die," she said.

In October 2005, the death of two teenagers who were electrocuted while hiding from police in an electricity substation sparked weeks of riots. Around 10,000 cars were set ablaze and 6,000 people were arrested.
The political and social system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination known as apartheid originated in South Africa, after the region was colonized by the English and Dutch in the seventeenth century. However, the term apartheid has been often used for Israel in the last few years, following reports of Palestinians being denied equal rights by the state of Israel, allegedly under a deliberate policy of racial or ethnic segregation.

Under Israeli military occupation, millions of Palestinians live in conditions that reflect the apartheid system, which existed in South Africa, according to Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign. The organization adds that Palestinian people have been denied free movement between towns and cities by the Israeli military, and that Gaza Strip, a small self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, is surrounded and controlled by Israel. It has been sealed off and turned into one of world's largest open-air prison where hundreds of Palestinians have been imprisoned, SMAC said.

According to B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights, 5,988 Palestinian detainees were held in Israeli prisons at the end of August 2016, 336 of them from the Gaza Strip.

About four million Palestinians in the occupied territories do not have the right to vote, millions still do not have identity cards that determine the ability to work and move freely. Israel defines itself as a Jewish state rather than a state for all its citizens, according to SMAC.

Read: Trump's Mexico Border Wall Compared To Israel West Bank 'Apartheid' Barrier By Bolivian Politician

A report by a United Nations agency  the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia ( ESCWA )  released Wednesday, proved very controversial in the U.S. and U.N. The report, which said Israel established an "apartheid regime," was denounced by Israel, a move in which it was supported by the United States.

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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asked ESCWA  a commission to promote cooperation between 18 Arab countries  to withdraw the report from its website, prompting Rima Khalaf, executive secretary of the commission, to announce her resignation Friday. Guterres' request came after the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley expressed her outrage over the report.

Read: US Supports Ally Israel Against Condemning UN Report On Palestinians' Plight

"I do not find it surprising that such member states, who now have governments with little regard for international norms and values of human rights, will resort to intimidation when they find it hard to defend their unlawful policies and practices," Khalaf, a native of Jordan, wrote to Guterres, according to Reuters.

Both Haley and Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said Khalaf's resignation was appropriate and was long overdue.

Israeli Apartheid and South African Apartheid differ. South Africa was the nation which gave definition to the term apartheid and the international community later defined and ratified several conventions on it. For Israel, apartheid refers to its legal violation  Israel's breaches of international law.

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Cairo (AFP) - Egypt has received its first two oil shipments from Saudi giant Aramco after deliveries were suspended for several months over political differences, an oil ministry spokesman said on Sunday.

"On Friday and Saturday, we received the first two deliveries after a resumption of the contract with Aramco," oil ministry spokesman Hamdi Abdel Aziz told AFP.

"We will receive another two deliveries on March 26 and 27."

During a visit to Cairo by King Salman in April last year, Saudi Arabia agreed to finance Egyptian imports of refined products from Aramco for five years in a $23-billion (21.5-billion-euro) deal.

But in October, Aramco decided to suspend deliveries of 700,000 tonnes of petroleum products a month during a spat between the two countries over the conflict in Syria.

At the time, Aramco was cited as saying the suspension was due to "special commercial conditions amid fluctuations in international oil prices".

But the move came after Egypt voted in favour of a Russian-drafted UN Security Council resolution on Syria that Saudi Arabia strongly opposed.

Moscow is a staunch supporter of President Bashar al-Assad's regime while Riyadh is a key backer of the rebels.

Riyadh has also been frustrated by Cairo's unwillingness to send ground troops to join a Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia has provided Egypt with billions of dollars in aid and credit since then army chief, now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi overthrew his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

The kingdom is strongly opposed to the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood movement to which Morsi belongs.
DUBAI (Reuters) - A Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen called on Sunday for the United Nations to place a strategic port under its supervision after a helicopter attack on a boatload of Somali refugees left 42 dead. The refugees had departed from the western port city of Hodeidah en route to Sudan when the gunship opened fire on Friday, the United Nations refugee agency said. The Red Sea port near the Bab al-Mandab strait is under the control of Yemen's armed Houthi movement, which has been fighting Saudi Arabia and its allies in a two-year-old conflict. While the Arab alliance denied responsibility for the attack on Friday, it called for jurisdiction over Hodeidah port to be transferred to the U.N. "This would facilitate the flow of humanitarian supplies to the Yemeni people, while at the same time ending the use of the port for weapons smuggling and people trafficking," it said in a statement. It did not address a call by Somalia to investigate. Hodeidah is part of a broad battlefront where forces loyal to Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, are fighting the Iran-allied Houthi movement which controls most of north and western Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 to fight the Houthis and troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh who have fired missiles into neighbouring Saudi Arabia. The Bab al-Mandab is a strategic waterway through which nearly 4 million barrels of oil are shipped daily. (Reporting by William Maclean; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
Riyadh (AFP) - The Arab coalition battling rebels in Yemen called Sunday for Hodeida port to be placed under UN supervision, after dozens of Somali refugees were killed on a boat offshore.

"We are also aware of allegations that the attack was carried out by a helicopter and naval vessel belonging to the Saudi-led coalition," it said in a statement.

"We can confirm the coalition was not responsible for any attack on a refugee boat on Friday and... there was no firing by any coalition forces on Friday in the area" of Hodeida.

The coalition called for the port there "to be placed immediately under United Nations supervision".

"This would facilitate the flow of humanitarian supplies to the Yemeni people, while at the same time ending the use of the port for weapons smuggling and people trafficking."

Somalia has called on the coalition fighting in support of the Yemeni government to investigate the incident in which more than 40 Somali refugees were shot dead on board a boat.

Somalia itself is a member of the coalition fighting against Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen.

"We call on our partners in the Saudi-led coalition to investigate the raid," Somalia's Foreign Minister Abdusalam Omer said in a statement released Saturday.
Aberdeen (United Kingdom) (AFP) - The prospects for Scotland's economy after Brexit are at the heart of the battle between its pro-independence first minister and British Prime Minister Theresa May, who wants Britain to stay united as it leaves the EU.

Nicola Sturgeon has warned that leaving the bloc's single market will cause tens of thousands of job losses in Scotland, while May has said she will aim for the "best possible deal" with Brussels -- for Scotland too.

Going it alone raises a host of doubts about Scotland's economy including what currency it would use and how it could reduce a budget deficit of 9.0 percent of gross domestic product -- worse than crisis-hit Greece.

But the future of the North Sea oil sector -- centred on the city of Aberdeen, where Sturgeon's Scottish National Party held its conference this weekend -- is the key concern.

World oil prices have declined in recent years and the offshore stocks are depleting.

Deirdre Michie, head of Oil & Gas UK, the leading association for the North Sea industry, told AFP the sector was going through "quite a sustained downturn".

The oil industry employs around 330,000 people across the UK, including around 38 percent based in Scotland -- many of them in Aberdeen.

- 'Continued uncertainty' -

Aberdeen's business community is wary about another constitutional confrontation just three years after the last independence referendum in which Scotland voted to remain a part of Britain by 55 percent.

Sturgeon's announcement last week of her plans for a referendum generates "continued uncertainty and it's just a matter of fact that business doesn't like uncertainty," said James Bream, research and policy director at Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce.

But Bream said he was not surprised by the announcement since "the argument about independence has never gone away" despite the result of the 2014 plebiscite.

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The unionist campaign in that vote was heavily focussed on the economic benefits of being a part of the United Kingdom.

The argument emphasised the "broad shoulders" of the union, which can cushion Scotland from shocks such as a financial crisis or oil price crash, as well as raising doubts about Scotland's ability to manage on its own.

As Scots face up to the prospect of a new referendum -- the arguments on both sides are being rehearsed.

Sturgeon has said she wants to prevent Scotland, which voted strongly to remain in the European Union in last year's Brexit vote, being "dragged out" against its will.

She is widely expected to get the Scottish parliament's support for her quest in a vote on Wednesday but still needs the agreement of the British government to proceed.

Alex Kemp, head of the Aberdeen Centre for Research in Energy Economics and Finance, said Scotland "comes out quite well" in economic comparisons to European Union countries, particularly to poorer Eastern Europe.

- Budget deficit 'for sure' -

Scotland's gross domestic product per capita of $41,239 (38,360 euros) is roughly equivalent to that of Belgium or Finland, and higher than the British average, according to data reported on the Scottish government's website earlier this month.

The comparison members of the world's leading economies group, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, took into account "a geographic share of offshore oil and gas output" for Scotland.

But the data is from 2014 statistics and in many ways Scotland is now in a worse position.

The oil price fall has blasted a hole in its public finances, creating a major deficit.

"As things stand at the moment, the Scottish economy would have a budgetary deficit for sure," Kemp said.

"We have modelled the oil tax revenues, and for some years ahead they are really quite modest and the only thing that would change that would be a major, and really quite unexpected, increase in the oil price".

With its world-renowned whisky exports, a flourishing financial sector, as well as tourism, textiles and fishing, Scotland is far from being a poor country, and does not necessarily lack the means to close the gap.

Scottish government minister Mike Russell told AFP it was "nonsensical" to argue that Scotland could not go it alone economically.

"But the issue now is democracy, a democratic choice, and the right of the Scottish people to decide their own future," he said.
By Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Sunday softened her stance on the potential timing of a second independence referendum after Prime Minister Theresa May rejected her call to hold a vote before Britain leaves the European Union. Sturgeon had called for a referendum to be held between autumn 2018 and spring 2019 but after May said "now is not the time", the Scottish leader said she could be prepared to hold a vote later as long as it was not too long after Brexit. "It is for (May) then to say what timescale she thinks would be appropriate and then yes I am happy to have that discussion within reason," Sturgeon said during an interview with ITV. Asked if a vote in 2021 would be reasonable, Sturgeon said it would not because too much time would have lapsed after Britain's EU exit, due in late March 2019, and there could have been too much divergence in areas such as regulations. "Then gets much harder for Scotland to seek a different course. But if she is talking in the spring of 2019, a bit later perhaps than I was suggesting then there may be some room for discussion around that," she said. Sturgeon's comments came as a Panelbase poll for the Sunday Times, carried out since her announcement that she would seek a fresh referendum, put support for independence at 44 percent, while 56 percent backed staying in the United Kingdom. It also found 51 percent of Scots did not want a vote on independence within the next few years. Ruth Davidson, the leader of May's Conservative Party in Scotland, said any vote could not take place until "after the Brexit process has played out" so that the Scottish people know what choice they face. "I dont think you can have an independence referendum again if you dont have public consent for it and the people of Scotland dont want this," she told the BBC TV. "The SNP is not Scotland and they are acting against the majority wishes of the people of Scotland." Scots rejected independence by 55-45 percent in a referendum in September 2014. But majority of Scots voted in favor of Britain staying in the EU in June. In a separate interview with Sky News, Sturgeon said her party was currently looking into the currency options for an independent Scotland but "the starting point of our consideration" would be that it continues to use sterling. Earlier this week her predecessor, Alex Salmond, told the Financial Times that Scotland could abandon a currency union with the rest of the United Kingdom. "We will set out a very clear proposition but I think it is right ... that we do very serious work before we come to putting that proposition forward," Sturgeon said. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Clelia Oziel)
To help the ongoing investigation into the claims of Russian influence in the U.S. presidential elections in November, Roger J. Stone Jr., an informal adviser to President Donald Trump has been asked to preserve all related records in his possession. The Senate Intelligence Committee notified Stone on Friday that he would be questioned as well, the New York Times reported.

Stone is reportedly under scrutiny by other federal investigators who have ordered him not to destroy any evidence he may have of Russians trying to meddle with the election process.

Read: Hacking Claims Hinder The Scope Of Improvement In US-Russia Relations in 2017

The letter sent to Stone by the Senate Intelligence Committee was dated Feb. 17. However, Stone said he received it Friday through an email. It was signed by the committees chairman Sen. Richard M. Burr (R-North Carolina) and its ranking Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, according to the Times.

After receiving the letter, which is the first public indication of the committee's inquiry into Trump's connections with Russia, Stone signaled he would cooperate in the inquiry and provide all possible information. But he reiterated that intelligence agencies cannot find any evidence of him conspiring with Russians against former Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton.

Trump's longtime confidant and former campaign adviser, Stone confessed March 10 that he had contacts with "Gucifer 2.0"  a self-described Romanian hacker who owned up to hacking into the Democratic National Committee's computer network and leaking its documents to the media and also to WikiLeaks.

Stone has been under close watch by Democrats and some investigators since August last year when he posted on Twitter about John D. Podesta , Clintons campaign chairman, whose private emails were hacked and provided to WikiLeaks. He later clarified he was referring to business activities he attributed to Podesta, and the tweet had nothing to do with prior knowledge of the hackings, the Times reported.

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In October 2016, Stone had told a news channel that he had back-channel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over the release of thousands of emails stolen from the Hillary Clinton campaign.

I do have a back-channel communication with Assange, because we have a good mutual friend, Stone said. That friend travels back and forth from the United States to London and we talk. I had dinner with him last Monday.

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UPDATE: 4:30 p.m. EDT  House Speaker Paul Ryan said his American Health Care Act will be changed ahead of a likely Thursday vote to give more help to older Americans to buy insurance.

"We think that we should be offering even more assistance than what the bill currently does," Ryan, R-Wis., said on "Fox News Sunday."

Original story

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said Sunday the American Health Care Act is just a first step in comprehensive healthcare reform that in the end will provide better, less expensive coverage for all Americans, but Sens. Ted Cruz and Rand Paul said unless everything promised is in the bill, the AHCA is dead on arrival in the Senate.

Price, appearing on CNNs State of the Union and ABCs This Week, admitted Republicans are trying to thread a fine needle in pushing the current bill, which an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office indicates will take 24 million Americans off insurance rolls, especially older, lower-income individuals.

They [members of Congress] know that the current law [the Affordable Care Act] doesnt work. They know that premiums are going up. They know that deductibles are skyrocketing. They know that a lot of people have health coverage but no healthcare because they cant afford the deductibles, Price said on ABC.

Read: Obamacare Replacement Defended By Paul Ryan, Tom Price

It would take 21 Republicans in the House or three or four in the Senate to block the bill, which House Speaker Paul Ryan had hoped to ram through in the budget reconciliation process, which prevents Senate Democrats from filibustering.

Cruz, R-Texas, said on CBSs Face the Nation despite the problems with the ACA, aka Obamacare, the House bill likely wont be approved by the Senate because it does not address all those problems immediately. He said the three-step procedure the administration is talking about to address healthcare is not acceptable.

Read: Repeal By Republicans Could Cost 10M People Their Coverage

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Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on NBCs Meet the Press said she believes people have a fundamental right to healthcare if theyre sick and taking insurance coverage away is not the answer. Collins noted federal law requires hospitals to treat people who arrive in emergency rooms whether or not they have insurance.

But that is the least cost-effective way to treat an individual who does not need emergency-room care, she said. So theres a lot that we can do to reduce the cost of healthcare for, by example, using managed care for the Medicaid program.

Paul, R-Ky., was even more negative on This Week, saying, the AHCA, which was rolled out last week fails to fix the fundamental problem of Obamacare.

The fundamental problem of Obamacare is the insurance mandates. When you mandate what has to be insurance, it elevates the price, he said. And when you tell people they can buy insurance after they're sick, they will. And you get what's called adverse selection. And so the adverse selection, the death spiral that everybody's talking about, will continue under the Paul Ryan plan. And my fear is that, a year from now, people are going to come back and we're going to have all the same arguments again that insurance premiums are still going through the roof and we still have a mess.

tom price

Photo: Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Paul has suggested AARP members be able to negotiate and buy a group policy of insurance. And that would drive prices down, particularly for people leading right up to retirement, but on into their retirement years. Its the only thing that would work to bring prices down.

He said Republicans are making a mistake by not considering that.

This is the biggest political mistake of Republicans who are not even thinking about how this is going look. They call it repeal and replace, Paul said. But when it doesn't fix the problems and you say you've fixed the problems, they're going to own it. And I promise you, in a year, the insurance markets will still be unraveling. The insurance will be still be begging for more handouts.

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Melania Trump may not live in Washington, D.C. just yet, but her home country of Slovenia has already begun honoring the new first lady, who has proven to be one of the nation's most famous exports to date. The small central European country has strategically branded itself to emphasize its relation to the Trumps, offering tourists "first lady" products like wines, cakes, chocolates and meat as well as local festivities honoring the former model and native Slovenian.

The first lady's former hometown recently hosted its Salamiada festival, a male-only celebration held in a public square, complete with sausage and beer. The annual celebration typically ends with the male party-goers receiving strip teases at local bars.

Read: Will Melania Trump Live In The White House? Why Barron, First Lady Won't Be Moving To DC Just Yet

This year, the event reportedly featured Trump-related goods as well, including first lady-themed chocolate bars wrapped in black and gold packaging. Each square of chocolate featured edible chunks of golden flakes.

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Photo: Reuters

Trumps hometown in Slovenia has proven at least somewhat unified in their support of the first lady and President Donald Trump, holding a celebration on election night following the Republicans electoral upset victory against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

But some locals say the first lady theme has become a bit of a nuisance for those living in the region.

"There are 'First Lady tours now," Rok Petancic, manager overseeing the Grad Sevnica castle, said in an interview with Independent published Friday. "Sometimes its a little bit bothering. Too many people in a bus to see the house."

Unfortunately for Slovenians excited by Melania Trumps new role, the hometown love doesnt seem to be quite reciprocated. The first lady reportedly ordered her lawyers to have all businesses and other operations in the region cease the use of her image and the Trump name.

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Not to mention, Trump likes to stay fit by eating healthy and abstaining from alcohol, so it isnt likely shed enjoy pairing Slovenian "first lady" wine and cake.

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Today, if someone is diagnosed with HIV, he or she can choose among 41 drugs that can treat the disease. And theres a good chance that with the right combination, given at the right time, the drugs can keep HIV levels so low that the person never gets sick.

That wasnt always the case. It took seven years after HIV was first discovered before the first drug to fight it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In those first anxious years of the epidemic, millions were infected. Only a few thousand had died at that point, but public health officials were racing to keep that death rate from spiking  the inevitable result if people who tested positive werent treated with something.

As it turned out, their first weapon against HIV wasnt a new compound scientists had to develop from scratch  it was one that was already on the shelf, albeit abandoned. AZT, or azidothymidine, was originally developed in the 1960s by a U.S. researcher as way to thwart cancer; the compound was supposed to insert itself into the DNA of a cancer cell and mess with its ability to replicate and produce more tumor cells. But it didnt work when it was tested in mice and was put aside.

Two decades later, after AIDS emerged as new infectious disease, the pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome, already known for its antiviral drugs, began a massive test of potential anti-HIV agents, hoping to find anything that might work against this new viral foe. Among the things tested was something called Compound S, a re-made version of the original AZT. When it was throw into a dish with animal cells infected with HIV, it seemed to block the virus activity.

The company sent samples to the FDA and the National Cancer Institute, where Dr. Samuel Broder, who headed the agency, realized the significance of the discovery. But simply having a compound that could work against HIV wasnt enough. In order to make it available to the estimated millions who were infected, researchers had to be sure that it was safe and that it would indeed stop HIV in some way, even if it didnt cure people of their infection. At the time, such tests, overseen by the FDA, took eight to 10 years.

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Patients couldnt wait that long. Under enormous public pressure, the FDAs review of AZT was fast tracked  some say at the expense of patients.

Scientists quickly injected AZT into patients. The first goal was to see whether it was safe  and, though it did cause side effects (including severe intestinal problems, damage to the immune system, nausea, vomiting and headaches) it was deemed relatively safe. But they also had to test the compounds effectiveness. In order to do so, a controversial trial was launched with nearly 300 people who had been diagnosed with AIDS. The plan was to randomly assign the participants to take capsules of the agent or a sugar pill for six months. Neither the doctor nor the patient would know whether they were on the drug or not.

After 16 weeks, Burroughs Wellcome announced that they were stopping the trial because there was strong evidence that the compound appeared to be working. One group had only one death. Even in that short period, the other group had 19. The company reasoned that it wouldnt be ethical to continue the trial and deprive one group of a potentially life-saving treatment.

Those results  and AZT  were heralded as a breakthrough and the light at the end of the tunnel by the company, and pushed the FDA approve the first AIDS medication on March 19, 1987, in a record 20 months.

But the study remains controversial. Reports surfaced soon after that the results may have been skewed since doctors werent provided with a standard way of treating the other problems associated with AIDS  pneumonia, diarrhea and other symptoms  which makes determining whether the AZT alone was responsible for the dramatic results nearly impossible. For example, some patients received blood transfusions to help their immune systems; introducing new, healthy blood and immune cells could have helped these patients battle the virus better. There were also stories of patients from the 12 centers where the study was conducted pooling their pills, to better the chances that they would get at least some of the drug rather than just placebos.

And there were still plenty of questions left unanswered about the drug when it was approved. How long did the apparent benefits last? Could people who werent sick yet still benefit? Did they benefit more than those further along in their disease?

Such uncertainty would not be acceptable with a traditional approval, but the urgent need to have something in hand to fight the growing epidemic forced FDAs hand. The people in the trial were already pressuring the company and the FDA to simply release the drug  if there were something that worked against HIV, they said, then it was not ethical to withhold it.

The drugs approval remains controversial to this day, but in a world where treatment options are so far advanced it can be hard to imagine the sense of urgency and the social pressure permeating the medical community at the time. AIDS was an impending wave that was about to crash on the shores of an unsuspecting  and woefully unprepared  populace. Having at least one drug that worked, in however limited a way, was seen as progress.

But even after AZTs approval, activists and public health officials raised concerns about the price of the drug. At about $8,000 a year (more than $17,000 in todays dollars)  it was prohibitive to many uninsured patients and AIDS advocates accused Burroughs Wellcome of exploiting an already vulnerable patient population.

In the years since, its become clear that no single drug is the answer to fighting HIV. People taking AZT soon began showing rising virus levels  but the virus was no longer the same, having mutated to resist the drug. More drugs were needed, and AIDS advocates criticized the FDA for not moving quickly enough to approve additional medications. And side effects including heart problems, weight issues and more reminded people that anything designed to battle a virus like HIV was toxic.

Today, there are several classes of HIV drugs, each designed to block the virus at specific points in its life cycle. Used in combination, they have the best chance of keeping HIV at bay, lowering the viruss ability to reproduce and infect, and ultimately, to cause death. These so-called antiretroviral drugs have made it possible for people diagnosed with HIV to live long and relatively healthy lives, as long they continue to take the medications.

And for most of these people, their therapy often still includes AZT.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) listed Friday a 50-year-old teacher in the states Top 10 Most Wanted on suspicion of kidnapping his 15-year-old student and having sexual contact with her.

Tad Cummins, a health science teacher at Culleoka Unit School in Maury County, Tennessee, and his student Elizabeth Thomas have been missing since Monday. Law enforcement authorities issued an amber alert for Thomas, whose parents told the officials they dropped Thomas at a Columbia restaurant that morning. She was reported missing in the afternoon the same day.

On Monday, Cummins was reportedly spotted on surveillance footage putting gas in his car, after which he picked up Thomas from the restaurant. According to the local police, the two are likely to be in Decatur, Alabama, which is about 80 miles south of Columbia.

He is believed to be armed with two handguns and driving a silver Nissan Rogue with Tennessee tag 976-ZPT. A warrant has been issued for Cummins for Sexual Contact with a Minor and Aggravated Kidnapping. On Friday, the TBI added him to the states Top 10 Most Wanted list. There is a $1,000 reward for information leading to his capture, the TBI said in a statement Saturday.

Cummins was fired from his job March 14. On Friday, his wife Jill Cummins urged him to surrender.

Tad this is not you, Jill said. This is not who you are. We can help you get through this... your family wants their poppy back. Please do the right thing, turn yourself into police and bring yourself home.

I had no idea my husband was involved with anything that could have led to this, she said. Please do the right thing and turn yourself in to the police and bring Beth home.

Thomas family pleaded for her return during a candlelight vigil held Saturday.

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I want you to come home, because we all love you. I want to see you again, one her sisters said at the vigil.

Thomas father Anthony was confident that his daughter would return.

What Tad did, he stole my daughter from me, but Maury County is a big community. He didnt just steal from me, he stole from the whole community, Anthony reportedly said. We are going to get her back. We are going to get her back. Please help us bring her home.

The TBI has so far received 250 tips from 24 states.

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Orange (United States) (AFP) - In fluorescent uniforms, dozens of inmates blink in the afternoon sun as they line up in the yard for lunch, the low murmur of their chatter punctuated suddenly by a solitary plaintive cry.

"This is horrible!" the voice cries out, before another quickly follows: "We aren't criminals!"

The two inmates are among 524 undocumented immigrants in the Theo Lacy Facility in the Californian city of Orange, which AFP visited this week on a tour for journalists.

The visit was organized after inspectors found illegal immigrants were being subjected to severe punishment and rotten food.

"We treat them seriously," said head guard Jason Park, underlining the rigid discipline but respectful treatment inmates can expect at the jail, which can house more than 3,000 prisoners.

He ushered journalists into the giant facility stretching over 11 acres (4.5 hectares), where everything was clean, in order and quiet.

Park barred reporters from talking to the inmates, who passed by, hands behind backs, dressed in yellow if they were detained undocumented immigrants, or otherwise in orange.

Theo Lacy, located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Los Angeles, is named after a 19th century rancher turned sheriff who was the chief lawman when Orange County arrested its first murderer.

Operated by the Sheriff's Department of Orange County, the jail serves as a detention center for the US Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE is set to become more powerful under President Donald Trump, who took office in January after campaigning to deport an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.

The Detention Watch Network, a national coalition of watchdogs, slammed Theo Lacy in 2012 for alleged verbal and psychological abuse, medical neglect and racism against immigrants.

DWN's organizing director Danny Cendejas says things haven't changed.

"It's one of the worst jails for immigrants," he told AFP, indicating that the problems are longstanding and feared to be getting worse with Trump's crackdown plan.

Story continues

- Killers and rapists -

Some of the immigrant detainees -- who are mostly from Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador -- are finishing sentences for non-immigration crimes and hope to be deported. Others have violated US immigration laws.

The prisoners are triaged according to risk, some placed in blocks with no individual cells. The most dangerous are held in cells that lead into a communal locked area, resembling a guarded fishbowl.

AFP witnessed one inmate pressing a sheet of paper on which he had scrawled "HELP" against the window in his door. ICE officers noticed the protest and rushed to his cell.

The average detention for a migration case is 121 days.

Former inmate Jesus -- his family name is concealed for security reasons -- had been in and out of jail before he came to the attention of immigration officials, who decided his record made him a candidate for deportation.

The 33-year-old Mexican spent 100 days in Theo Lacy in 2013 before being released on bail, although he still faces deportation.

Jesus is deaf and, as a result, found himself housed on a wing for the mentally deficient, where he says he was unable to sleep, afraid and plagued by paranoia.

Among his jail mates, he says, were killers and rapists, among them Scott Dekraai, who shot and killed eight people at a beauty salon in Seal Beach, Orange County, in 2011.

Inmates were "banging my glass wall," he said, adding that he experienced panic attacks when he was sleeping, reading or using the bathroom. He remains on medication.

- Tour vs. report -

Theo Lacy's objective for the media visit was to show inconsistencies in the Department of Homeland Security's report, such as the finding that disciplinary action did not comply with ICE detention standards.

Park showed off what appeared to be the exemplary solitary confinement cell -- complete with Bible, comb and a folder containing legal documents -- in a block in which five immigrants without papers were being kept.

He wasn't able to explain what they had done to end up in solitary, but their time there is expected to be more comfortable than the average inmate's.

According to the sheriff's department, undocumented immigrants being punished with solitary confinement should not be subject to further privations meted out to the general prison population, such as withdrawal of leisure facilities and visitation rights.

The DHS report had noted "moldy and mildewed shower stalls" and non-functioning telephones, problems that Theo Lacy insisted were being rapidly addressed.

In the kitchen, the tour highlighted the sanitary standards to which staff adhere, in an attempt to demonstrate that, contrary to the report, no one is served rotten food.

Jesus, who uses sign language but communicated with AFP by text message, recalled witnessing officials punishing prisoners with decomposed food and seeing worms in the water fountain in his cell.
Barcelona (AFP) - Several thousand people, many waving Spanish and Catalan flags, rallied in Barcelona on Sunday to oppose a push by the regional government of Catalonia to break away from the rest of Spain.

Demonstrators marched under banners bearing slogans such as "No to Independence" and "Stop the Coup" -- a reference to the regional government's plan to hold an independence referendum, which the central government in Madrid says is unconstitutional, by September.

"I don't want independence, I am Spanish," said Gloria Chicote, a 60-year-old nurse who moved to Barcelona from the northern city of Burgos three decades ago.

It was the first protest staged by the Catalan Civil Society, a platform set up in 2014 to oppose independence for Catalonia, a wealthy region in northeastern Spain that is home to 7.5 million people.

Barcelona city hall estimates 6,500 people took part in the march, which wrapped up outside the offices of the regional Catalan government. Organisers estimated over 15,000 people showed up.

Pensioner Manuel Lopez said Catalan separatist leaders had "poisoned our society" with their independence drive.

Parties that want Catalonia, which has its own distinct language and customs, to break away from Spain won a majority of seats in the regional parliament for the first time in local elections in 2015.

Demands for autonomy have been fuelled by Spain's economic downturn, leading many to resent sending tax money to Madrid to prop up poorer regions.

Recent attempts by Madrid to interfere with Catalan education have further stoked passions as did a 2010 ruling by Spain's Constitutional Court in 2010 that stuck down part of a 2006 autonomy statute that recognised Catalonia as a "nation" within Spain.

Opinion polls show Catalans are evenly divided on independence.

"The battle is not completely lost. It is reversible but Madrid needs to be much more present in Catalonia," the head of the Catalan Civil Society, Mariano Goma Otero, told AFP.

The central government in Madrid should boost investment in infrastructure projects in Catalonia and be more sensitive to the region's language and culture, he added.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has called any attempt to hold a vote on leaving Spain "anti-democratic", saying Spain's constitution prevents any region from unilaterally taking decisions that affect all Spaniards.
By Ahmed Kingimi MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Three suicide bombers killed four people and injured eight others in a village near the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, a police spokesman said on Sunday. A man and two women blew themselves up when they were challenged by a member of the Civilian JTF, a government-approved militia group, just outside Maiduguri, the city worst hit by jihadist group Boko Haram's eight-year insurgency. The blasts, in the village of Umariri around 7 kilometers (4 miles) from the city, occurred on Saturday around 9 p.m. (2000 GMT), said Maiduguri police spokesman Victor Isuku. "Four people which include a Civilian JTF [member], a woman and her two children died while eight others sustained injuries," he said. It is the latest in a string of attacks in the last few days to bear the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which has killed around 15,000 people and forced more than 2 million people to flee their homes in Africa's most populous nation since 2009. A man claiming to be the group's leader appeared in a video circulated on Friday in which he claimed responsibility for bombings in Maiduguri and a raid on the nearby town of Magumeri last week. He also denied that 5,000 hostages held by the group had been freed. Boko Haram, whose attacks have increased since the end of the rainy season in late 2016, wants to create a state adhering to a strict interpretation of Islamic laws in northeast Nigeria. It also carries out cross-border attacks in neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger. (Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle/Keith Weir)
Three American troops were wounded Sunday when an Afghan soldier opened fire in southern Helmand province, officials said, in the first known "insider attack" on international forces this year.

No insurgent group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack in Camp Antonik in Washer district, which highlights long-simmering tensions between Afghan and foreign forces.

"Three US soldiers were wounded this afternoon when an Afghan soldier opened fire on them at a base in Helmand province. Coalition security forces on the base killed the soldier to end the attack," a spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan told AFP.

"The US soldiers are receiving medical treatment at this time and we will release more information when available."

An Afghan soldier was also killed in the shootout, provincial spokesman Omar Zwak told AFP.

The Pentagon has said it would deploy some 300 US Marines this spring to Helmand province, where American forces engaged in heated combat until they pulled out in 2014.

The Marines will head to the poppy-growing province this spring to assist a NATO-led mission to train Afghan forces, in the latest sign that foreign forces are increasingly being drawn back into the worsening conflict.

So-called insider attacks -- when Afghan soldiers and police turn their guns on their colleagues or on international troops -- have been a major problem during the more than 15-year-long war.

In May last year, gunmen wearing Afghan military uniforms shot dead two Romanian soldiers in neighbouring Kandahar province.

Western officials say that most such attacks stem from personal grudges and cultural misunderstandings rather than insurgent plots.

The killings have bred fierce mistrust between local and foreign forces even as the rate of such incidents has dropped in recent years.

The Afghan military, which has been built from scratch since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, has also struggled with insider attacks, high casualty rates and mass desertions.
By Yeganeh Torbati and Michael Martina BEIJING (Reuters) - With warm words from Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended his first trip to Asia since taking office with an agreement to work together with China on North Korea and putting aside trickier issues. China has been irritated at being repeatedly told by Washington to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and the U.S. decision to base an advanced missile defense system in South Korea. Beijing is also deeply suspicious of U.S. intentions toward self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own, with the Trump administration crafting a big new arms package for the island that is bound to anger China. But meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, those issues were brushed aside by Xi and Tillerson, at least in front of reporters, with Xi saying Tillerson had made a lot of efforts to achieve a smooth transition in a new era of relations. "You said that China-U.S. relations can only be friendly. I express my appreciation for this," Xi said. Xi said he had communicated with President Donald Trump several times through telephone conversations and messages. "We both believe that China-U.S. cooperation henceforth is the direction we are both striving for. We are both expecting a new era for constructive development," Xi said. "The joint interests of China and the United States far outweigh the differences, and cooperation is the only correct choice for us both," Xi added, in comments carried by China's Foreign Ministry. China and the United States must strengthen coordination of hot regional issues, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and protect the broad stability of ties, Xi said. Tillerson replied that Trump looks forward to enhancing understanding with China and the opportunity for a visit in the future. Tillerson said Trump places a "very high value on the communications that have already occurred" between Xi and Trump. "And he looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future," Tillerson said. "We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthened, strengthening of the ties between China and the United States and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation." Trump has so far been an unpredictable partner for China, attacking Beijing on issues ranging from trade to the South China Sea and in December by talking to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. Before Tillerson arrived in Beijing on Saturday, Trump said North Korea was "behaving very badly" and accused China of doing little to resolve the crisis over the North's weapons programs. SOME PROGRESS Speaking in Seoul on Friday, Tillerson issued the Trump administration's starkest warning yet to North Korea, saying in Seoul that a military response would be "on the table" if Pyongyang took action to threaten South Korean and U.S. forces. Still, China and the United States appeared to have made some progress or put aside differences on difficult issues, at least in advance of a planned summit between Xi and Trump. Both Tillerson and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi struck a more conciliatory tone in their meeting, with Tillerson saying the United States and China would work together to get nuclear-armed North Korea take "a different course". Underscoring the tensions, North Korea conducted a test of a new high-thrust engine at its Tongchang-ri rocket launch station and leader Kim Jong Un said the successful test was "a new birth" of its rocket industry, Pyongyang's official media said on Sunday. North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches, in defiance of U.N. sanctions, and is believed by experts and government officials to be working to develop nuclear-warhead missiles that could reach the United States. Washington wants China, the North's neighbor and main trading partner, to use its influence to rein in the weapons programs. China says it is committed to enforcing U.N. sanctions on North Korea, but all sides have a responsibility to lessen tensions and get back to the negotiating table. Chinese official also repeatedly say they do not have the influence over North Korea that Washington and others believe, and express fears poverty-struck North Korea could collapse if it were cut off completely, pushing destabilizing waves of refugees into northeastern China. (Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
TOKYO (AP)  The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday for the first "two-plus-two" talks since Russia's annexation of Ukraine. The one-day meeting comes as the sides work to end a decades-long territorial dispute that is blocking them from forging a peace treaty. At the same time, Japan, Russia, China and other countries are mulling how best to deal with North Korea's launches of missiles and its nuclear program. Plans by the U.S. and its ally South Korea to deploy a state-of-the-art missile defense system known as THAAD, meanwhile, have antagonized Beijing and Russia.

BEIJING (AP)  The United States is looking forward to the first meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday, on the final day of a swing through Asia dominated by concerns over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. In talks with Xi in Beijing, Tillerson said Trump places a "very high value" on communications with the Chinese president. Trump looks forward to "the opportunity of a visit in the future," Tillerson said, in an apparent reference to unconfirmed reports of plans for the two leaders to meet in Florida next month.

TOKYO (AP)  North Korea has conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine that leader Kim Jong Un is calling a revolutionary breakthrough for the country's space program, the North's state media said Sunday. Kim attended Saturday's test at the Sohae launch site, according to the Korean Central News Agency, which said the test was intended to confirm the "new type" of engine's thrust power and gauge the reliability of its control system and structural safety. Kim called the test "a great event of historic significance" for the country's indigenous rocket industry, the KCNA report said.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  The once-cordial ties between South Korea and its biggest trading partner have soured due to the perception that China has targeted businesses, sports teams and culture to protest deployment of an advanced U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea. A South Korean candy maker, a chocolate factory, video games and a soccer team have suffered from actions many in South Korea view as retribution and Chinese have vandalized some South Korean-run stores. Beijing is incensed over the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system. The U.S. and South Korea say it's needed as a defense against a belligerent North Korea but China believes the system could be used against its own missiles as well.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  U.S. security officers have begun fingerprinting refugees held on Pacific islands in the final stage of assessing who will find new lives in the United States, asylum seekers said Monday. Department of Homeland Security officers are taking biometric details from refugees on Nauru, including fingerprints, heights and weights, according to a document circulated among asylum seekers and provided to AP by Mehdi, a refugee on the island nation who for security reasons did not want his family name published. U.S. officials began scheduling appointments with asylum seeker families on Nauru from Monday, Mehdi said. Refugees had been given no indication of how long the security vetting process would take, he said.

BRISBANE, Australia (AP)  An Australian teen who was attacked by a crocodile after jumping into a crocodile-infested river on a dare was recovering from serious wounds to his arm, officials said Monday, as authorities recovered the body of another man who also may have been attacked by a crocodile in nearby waters. Lee de Paauw, an 18-year-old from Queensland state, was at a hostel in the northern Queensland town of Innisfail around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday when he started bragging that he could swim in the river, a known habitat for aggressive saltwater crocodiles, said Sophie Paterson, a British backpacker who was at the hostel.

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP)  A family member says the two prominent Indian Muslim clerics who were reported missing during a visit to Pakistan earlier this month have returned safely, saying they were travelling in a remote area with no cellular service. Waziruddin Nizami said Sunday that his uncle Asif Ali Nizami, the custodian of a famed Sufi shrine in New Delhi, and another cleric returned to Karachi after visiting followers in rural areas of Sindh province. Nizami said he had filing a missing person report with police after family members lost contact with the pair. The clerics, who came to Pakistan in early March, will return to India Monday.

BEIJING (AP)  China's trading partners are bringing the top U.N. food standards official to Beijing in a last-ditch attempt to persuade regulators to scale back plans to require intensive inspections of food imports  including such low-risk items as wine and chocolate  that Washington and Europe say could disrupt billions of dollars in commerce. The rule could inflame tensions with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has promised to raise tariffs on imports from China, and the European Union. Under the rule, due to take effect as early as October, each consignment of food would require a certificate from a foreign inspector confirming it meets Chinese quality standards.

NEW DELHI (AP)  A hard-line Hindu religious leader was sworn in Sunday as the chief minister of India's most populous state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders of India's ruling party attended a ceremony in the Uttar Pradesh state capital of Lucknow, where Yogi Adityanath took the oath of office. Adityanath is a five-time member of Parliament who has offended many in the country with his polarizing statements attacking the Muslim community. The 44-year-old Adityanath has won the parliamentary seat from Gorakhpur district in Uttar Pradesh since 1998. He is also the head priest of a temple in Gorakhpur.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  Malaysian police said Sunday that they are hunting for more North Korean suspects over the killing of the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the new suspects are in addition to the seven North Koreans already being sought in last month's poisoning death of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur's airport. Khalid said the new suspects include an "important person," but he declined to give further details. "I do not deny that there are more North Koreans involved in the murder of Kim Jong Nam. We will follow the legal channel to get them," he said.
The leaders of the House Intelligence Committee continue to say they have seen no proof of President Trumps explosive, evidence-free claim that former President Barack Obama ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower before the 2016 presidential election.

Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, there never was, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., chairman of the bipartisan committee, said on Fox News Sunday. And the information on Friday continues to lead us in that direction.

We are at the bottom. There is nothing at the bottom, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the committees ranking Democrat, said on NBCs Meet the Press. What the president said was just patently false, and the wrecking ball it created now has banged into our British allies and our Germany allies.

Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, another member of the committee, said Trump ought to apologize if he cant offer proof of his claims.

It never hurts to say youre sorry, Hurd said on ABCs This Week With George Stephanopoulos. I think it helps with our allies. Weve got to make sure that were all working together. We live in a very dangerous world, and we cant do this alone.

Their comments come a day before FBI Director James Comey is scheduled to testify before the committee about the bureaus probe into Russian interference in the election.

Schiff said he expects Comeys testimony will definitively put an end to Trumps wiretap allegations.

I hope we can put an end to this wild goose chase, Schiff said.

Rep. Schiff on Trumps wiretap claims: I hope we can put an end to this wild goose chase. https://t.co/803DpujVmU  NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) March 19, 2017

Trump leveled the claim against his predecessor on Twitter earlier this month.

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! Trump declared.

Story continues

Is it legal for a sitting President to be wire tapping a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW! he added.

Obamas office categorically denied the charge that the former president had been involved in ordering any wiretapping.

As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen, a spokesman for the former president said in a statement. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false.

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017

Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017

Trump refused to provide proof when given the chance last week, telling Fox News Tucker Carlson that he has some very good stuff, that the White House is in the process of putting it together and that its going to be very demonstrative.

Trump also repeated White House press secretary Sean Spicers argument that the president wasnt specifically referring to wiretapping when he tweeted it.

Dont forget, when I say wiretapping, those words were in quotes, Trump said. That really covers, because wiretapping is pretty old-fashioned stuff. But that really covers surveillance and many other things. And nobody ever talks about the fact that it was in quotes, but thats a very important thing. But wiretap covers a lot of different things. I think youre going to find some very interesting items coming to the forefront over the next two weeks.

Trump also said he may or may not address the subject before or after the committee concludes its investigation.

Lets see whether or not I prove it, Trump said. I just dont choose to do it right now.

The president added, Maybe Ill do it before the committee. Maybe Ill do it before I see the result of the committee. But I think we have some very good stuff.

Meanwhile, Nunes said the committee has not seen definitive evidence of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and Moscow.

Ill give you a very simple answer: No, Nunes said. Up to speed on everything I have up to this morning. No evidence of collusion.

Earlier this month, James Clapper, former director of national intelligence, said he had not seen any evidence that such collusion existed while he oversaw the work of U.S. intelligence agencies under Obama.

Schiff disagreed.

I was surprised to see Director Clapper say that, because I dont think you can make that claim categorically as he did, Schiff said. I would characterize it this way at the outset of the investigation: There is circumstantial evidence of collusion. There is direct evidence, I think, of deception, and thats where we begin the investigation.

There is certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation, he added. The American people have a right to know, and in order to defend ourselves, we need to know whether the circumstantial evidence of collusion and direct evidence of deception is indicative of more.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, another committee member, said that a conclusion on collusion has not been reached.

Thats still being investigated, Castro said on This Week. No conclusion one way or another.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Berlin (AFP) - Donald Trump's spokesman has denied that the US president refused to shake hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they sat side-by-side in the White House last week.

"I don't think he heard the question" posed by Merkel when she suggested they shake hands, in full view of press cameras, spokesman Sean Spicer told German weekly Der Spiegel published Sunday.

The quote was translated into English from Der Spiegel's online German website.

The veteran German chancellor had arrived for her first meeting with Trump at a snowy White House hoping to reverse a chill in relations after Trump's incendiary election rhetoric, in which he called Merkel's acceptance of refugees a "catastrophic mistake" and suggested she was "ruining Germany."

The visit on Friday began cordially, with the pair shaking hands at the entrance of the White House. But later, sitting side-by-side in the Oval Office, Merkel's suggestion of another handshake went unheard or ignored by Trump -- an awkward moment in what are usually highly scripted occasions.

German media pointed to the incident as another marker of the meeting's general icy mood between the cautious German chancellor and impulsive US president.

In a frequently awkward joint press conference in the East Room, Trump and Merkel showed little common ground as they addressed a host of thorny issues including NATO, defense spending and free trade deals.

For most of the 30 minutes, Merkel was stony-faced as Trump ripped into Washington's NATO allies for not paying for their "fair share" for transatlantic defense and demanded "fair and reciprocal trade" deals.

On Sunday, Germany's biggest-selling daily Bild said that throughout the White House meeting, not once did Trump look her in the eye.
A few weeks after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, he was asked about pharmaceuticals prices. With typical rhetorical gusto, he declared, Pharmaceutical companies are getting away with murder. Well, my firm has been increasing our allocation to those murderers, and despite Mr. Trumps comments, we are very comfortable with our positions in the long run (which lies beyond what may end up being a very volatile short run).

Pharmaceuticals companies check off a lot of boxes in our quality and growth dimensions. They are usually monopolies or oligopolies when it comes to their specific drugs; they have high recurrence of revenue; their business is not cyclic and thus marches to its own drummer; they have strong balance sheets and a high return on capital, and generate a lot of cash flow; they benefit from a significant growth tailwind as the global population ages (I aged just while writing this); and they enjoy pricing power (more on that later). Yet the pharmaceuticals sector as a whole has been decimated over the past eight months due to perceived political risk  first by pharma pricing critic Hillary Clintons Its in the bag expectation of victory and then by Trumps They get away with murder comments. We view the carnage created by the political risk as an opportunity to increase our exposure to this sector. Here is why.

President Trump mentioned that he wants the U.S. government  mainly, its Medicare program  to negotiate directly with drugmakers on price. His remark may create the impression that pharmaceuticals companies today charge the government whatever prices they want. That is not the case. Medicare covers prescription drug costs through a program known as Medicare Part D. Medicare basically outsources the negotiation of drug prices to pharmacy benefit management (PBM) companies such as CVS, Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Group (a health insurance company that owns its own PBM). In fact, less than a handful of PBMs control this market and so exercise tremendous pricing power; thus the government is already negotiating with pharmaceuticals companies.

Here are some useful stats about this market: As of the end of 2015, 290 million Americans had health insurance. Among them, 214 million had private insurance and 52 million were insured by Medicare. Medicare insures a lot of people; however, UnitedHealth  a company whose business model relies on paying as little as possible for prescriptions  insures 70 million Americans and thus already has greater bargaining power than Medicare.

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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and President Donald Trump appear to be on the same page when it comes to taking military action against North Korea. Tillerson said Friday that "strategic patience has ended" and that a military response was on the table, while Trump took to Twitter and said North Korea was behaving very badly.

"If they elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level that we believe requires action then that option is on the table," Tillerson told a press conference in Seoul, South Korea.

Read: North Korea Claims US, South Korea Will Use THAAD Against China, Russia

Since Trump took office, North Korea has fired four ballistic missiles into the sea of Japan, CNN reported. North Korea has also said it is currently working on a nuclear-tipped missile that can reach America. Because of North Korea's missile rampage, Tillerson said Washington's policy of "strategic patience" had ended.

"Let me be very clear  the policy of strategic patience has ended," he said Friday. "We are exploring a new range of security and diplomatic measures. All options are on the table."

Later Friday morning, Trump reprimanded North Korea, tweeting, "North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been 'playing' the United States for years. China has done little to help!"

The president promised last year he would strengthen foreign policies and pledged North Korea will not be able to obtain its promise of hitting the U.S. with any nuclear missiles.

Tillerson, who was in Tokyo on Thursday, said there were many efforts over the past few decades to stop North Korea's nuclear development, but failed. "North Korea not only threatens its regional neighbors but the United States and other countries," Tillerson said.

Story continues

Read: China, Russia Work Together To Oppose US THAAD In South Korea

The secretary of state also said the U.S. had provided $1.3 billion in assistance to North Korea since 1995, but "in return North Korea has detonated nuclear weapons and dramatically increased its launches of ballistic missiles to threaten America and our allies."

However, he added that he does want "things to get to a military conflict" because there are "many, many steps we can take" and "we hope that that will persuade North Korea to take a different course of action. That's our desire." But if North Korea continues with further missile threats, Tillerson said it "would be met with an appropriate response."

Tillerson is on a three-country Asia tour, visiting China, Japan and North Korea.

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Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey summoned Germany's ambassador to express its fury over a Frankfurt rally where protesters brandished insignia of outlawed Kurdish militants, the presidential spokesman said Sunday, denouncing it as a "scandal".

Some 30,000 pro-Kurdish protesters attended Saturday's rally where demonstrators called for a 'no' vote in an April 16 referendum on expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers.

Many carried symbols of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has been fighting a bitter insurgency against the Turkish state for over three decades.

"Yesterday (Saturday), Germany put its name under another scandal," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told CNN-Turk, complaining about the open use of insignia of the "separatist terror group" -- the PKK.

"Yesterday, the German ambassador was invited -- was summoned -- to the foreign ministry and this was condemned in the strongest way."

He said the demonstrators had used the upcoming Kurdish New Year festival of Newroz as a "pretext" for the rally as the new year only falls on Tuesday.

The foreign ministry had on Saturday accused the German authorities of blatant hypocrisy for allowing the protest despite preventing Turkish ministers from campaigning there for a 'yes' vote.

Turkish officials noted that the protesters had waved banners of a group that is itself illegal in Germany, with the ministry saying that allowing the rally to go ahead was the "worst example of double standards".

Many protesters carried portraits of the PKK's jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is serving a life sentence in Turkey, calling for his release.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the PKK launched its insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, initially seeking independence for Kurds in the southeast and then for greater autonomy and rights.

The group is listed as a terror organisation not just by Turkey but also the European Union and the United States.

The ban on Turkish officials campaigning in various European states has triggered a crisis in Ankara's relations with the EU.

Erdogan has accused Germany and the Netherlands of behaviour reminiscent of Nazi Germany while Berlin has in turn expressed revulsion at his comments.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Republicans are working on changes to their healthcare overhaul bill that would implement a work requirement for the Medicaid program for the poor, as well as boost tax credits for older, lower income people, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Sunday.

"We think we should be offering more assistance than the bill currently does," for lower-income people age 50 to 64, Ryan said of the tax credits for health insurance that are proposed in the legislation.

Speaking on the "Fox News Sunday" television program, Ryan also said Republicans are working on changes that would allow federal block grants to states for Medicaid. Lawmakers plan to have the healthcare legislation on the House floor this Thursday, Ryan said.

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(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
Kiev (AFP) - Ukraine on Sunday said the International Monetary Fund has postponed a board discussion on disbursing a new $1-billion loan tranche after Kiev cut trade links with Russian-backed rebel eastern regions.

"The IMF board of directors has postponed for a short period the review planned for Monday of the issue," Ukraine's finance ministry said in a statement.

There was no separate confirmation from the IMF.

Cash-starved Ukraine is desperately waiting for the next instalment of a $17.5 billion rescue programme that has been held up repeatedly since it was agreed in 2015 over delays by Kiev to carry out reforms.

The IMF and authorities in the ex-Soviet nation reached a preliminary agreement earlier this month to pave the way for the board to discuss handing out the fourth slice of the mammoth loan.

But that deal appears to have been rocked by Ukraine's decision on Wednesday to halt trade with pro-Moscow insurgents that it has been battling since 2014.

The pro-Western leadership in Kiev took the drastic step after rebels seized dozens of Ukrainian-owned businesses on their territory in response to a trade blockade by nationalist protesters.

Kiev also slapped sanctions on the Ukrainian subsidiaries of five Russian banks -- including state-run giants Sberbank and VTB -- in part over Moscow's decision to officially recognise identity documents issued by the rebels.

Ukraine's finance ministry said the IMF delayed the loan disbursement discussion as the economic impact of these measures needs to be tallied up, but insisted the loan disbursement would get back on track soon.

"Clarifying these calculations is important for both sides to ensure the maximum effectiveness of the programme," said finance minister Oleksandr Danylyuk.

"Appropriate consultations have already begun. We plan to complete them in the shortest time possible."

Ukraine's national bank said in a statement that it will hold a monetary policy committee meeting on Monday to "update macroeconomic forecasts with regard to the effect of the blockade of trade with occupied areas".
Two months after citing alternative facts to defend the stated attendance of President Trumps inauguration, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway is still working to rebuild her image as a credible source of information.

Lately, Conway has spent much of her time making the rounds on Fox News and conservative radio in an attempt to promote the Republicans new health care plan, which has been a divisive subject among conservatives. But many television news shows are still reluctant to book her due to her tendency to spread falsehoods and inaccurate information.

"Every time I've ever seen her on television, something's askew, off, or incorrect," Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski said last month, citing it as a reason she wouldnt book Conway on the show.

Despite the blowback, Conway is following her bosss lead in refusing to back down from her critics, especially when it comes to the phrase she inadvertently made viral.

In a new interview with New York Magazines Olivia Nuzzi, the South Jersey native defended the use of "alternative facts" and noted the phase has a broader meaning: additional facts and alternative information.

Two plus two is four. Three plus one is four. Partly cloudy, partly sunny. Glass half full, glass half empty. Those are alternative facts, Conway said.

Conway also shrugged off critics of her Bowling Green massacre gaffe, telling Nuzzi the reference to a non-existent terrorist attack on a city in Kentucky, which she made at least three times, was simply a slip of the tongue. She told Nuzzi she simply meant to say Bowling Green masterminds.

Anybody who pretends Im not smart or not credible, its like, Excuse me, Ive spoken 1.2 million words on TV, okay?,  Conway told Nuzzi. You wanna focus on two here and two there, its on you, youre a f****** miserable person, P.S., just whoever you are.

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Nuzzi also got the presidents notoriously secretive chief strategist and former Breitbart editor Steve Bannon on the record about Conway. Bannon said Conway was purposely kept out of the loop leading up to the ouster of General Michael Flynn, who resigned after misleading Vice President Pence about his contacts with Russia.

As a result, Bannon said he was a little surprised when he saw Conway defending Flynn on television hours before his resignation. It was obviously embarrassing to her, he told Nuzzi.

Wow here's the video of Conway saying Flynn has 'full confidence' of Trump. pic.twitter.com/gU4NsXgmKR  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 13, 2017

The cover of the magazine, which hits newsstands this week, features a close-up of Conways face with the headline, The True First Lady of Trumps America, which Nuzzi said one former Trump adviser told her will be tough for Conway to explain to the president on Monday.

Our cover story: what exactly is @KellyannePolls's role in Trump's White House? https://t.co/s3VoSl3zXY pic.twitter.com/qwDJDoVCZm  New York Magazine (@NYMag) March 18, 2017

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Soon after an airstrike by the U.S. military in northern Syria against an al Qaeda target Thursday evening, the military denied targeting a mosque deliberately, where at least 42 people were killed, reports said. Some human rights activists and monitors alleged that the U.S. had targeted the mosque, but a senior U.S. military official told NBC News that it was not their intention to hit the place of worship, which was about 50 feet from their target.

The mosque was located in the rebel-held village of al-Jinnah in Idlib province. Military officials said that they have photographic evidence showing that the mosque was not hit and that it was still standing just after the airstrike, NBC reported.

Read: US To Deploy 1,000 More Troops In Syria To Weaken Russian Forces (2509516)"

"We did not target a mosque, but the building that we did target -- which was where the meeting took place -- is about 50 feet (15 metres) from a mosque that is still standing," said Colonel John J. Thomas, spokesman for US Central Command, according to AFP.

Al-Jinnah is located in the country's northwest  a region that includes Idlib province and the western parts of Aleppo province.

In recent months and years, Al-Jinnah has been flooded with refugees, according to U.N. agencies. People are leaving Aleppo and fleeing to Idlib as the former has been witnessing fierce battles between the rebels and the Islamic State group around al-Bab, NBC reported.

Idlib is rarely targeted by warplanes and helicopters, unlike Aleppos northern countryside. However, moving to Idlib is yet to solve the problems of the former Aleppo residents who came there hoping for a better life. Several hurdles, such as unemployment, have worried the newcomers, since there are not many opportunities, as thousands of Syrians have moved to the city in the past two years, Al-Monitor reported in December 2016.

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A waiter in California has been fired for asking Latina-Americans for proof of residency at a local restaurant.

Diana Carrillo, 24, was at Saint Marc, an upscale eatery in Huntington Beach, along with her friends last Saturday when she was taken aback by her waiters question.

Read: Taco Bell Worker Gets Fired After He Was Caught With His Hands Down His Pants

As soon as I sat down, the waiter approached the table. He didnt even introduce himself to us. He just asked can I see your proof of residency? Carillo told InsideEdition.com I handed my ID to him and when he left the table it set in.

Carrillo, whose parents are from Mexico, said she was shocked but once she realized the magnitude of what happened, she and her friends got up to speak to a manager.

His initial response was I am sorry about this. He offered to seat us in different section and we declined, Carrillo said. We werent comfortable staying there.

Carrillo said she went home and posted about the experience on Yelp and Facebook. A few days later she received a call from the restaurant telling her that the waiter had been fired.

In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, management at St. Marc said the waiters actions were in no wayrepresentative of the restaurants employees or management.

Read: Trump Blasts Snoop Dogg on Twitter After New Video Shows Him Pointing Gun at President's Head

We have always celebrated being part of the diverse Huntington Beach community, which means valuing all guests and treating every individual with respect, the statement read.

Carrillo said her own mother, who came to the United States 30 years ago, has also experienced discrimination but not to this degree.

Honestly when it first happened we were so stunned and shocked, said Carrillo. "I think this is the direction we are headed due to the current president. Its scary. I shared the stories to spread awareness.

Story continues

Watch: Cop Fired For Allegedly Stealing From Drivers During Traffic Stops

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What's wrong in these pictures?

Fluff had a hard life as a bred female at an Eastern Montana puppy mill. She was eight years old when she arrived at Billings Animal Rescue Kare and still lactating from her last litter. Fluffs fur was all mats and her body was full of fleas, ticks and worms. An untreated tooth abscess had caused a sore that penetrated her cheek from the inside to the outside. When a BARK veterinarian began spaying surgery, she found multiple tumors indicating that cancer had spread through Fluff's body and that her last pregnancy must have been very painful. She had to be put down.

Chester, a purebred Manchester terrier born at a Billings area puppy mill and sold at a pet store, couldn't bend his front legs when he was brought to BARK. He was adopted by a new family who understood that he would never have full use of his front legs.

Peekaboo, a tiny Maltese, was crippled when rescued from a barn by a Montana woman who had arranged to purchase another puppy advertised on the internet. Concerned about the dogs health, the woman bought four-week-old Peekaboo, her parents and a sibling. Peekaboo was born with hip dysplasia in her right rear leg. She was adopted by a couple willing to care for her.

When McNab, a Scottish terrier, was 10 months old, his body was riddled with parasites and his fur completely matted. He was afraid of being touched, especially by men, when he arrived at BARK. After several months of treatment and socialization, he was neutered and was adopted by a reputable Billings dog breeder.

Sandy Price, BARK director, shared the stories of Fluff, Chester, Peekabo, McNab and other Montana puppy mill dogs with a Montana House committee in 2013. All the dogs had been at breeding operations where humane treatment and proper care to produce healthy pets was sadly lacking. The 2013 legislation sponsored by Rep. Margie MacDonald, D-Billings, died in House Agriculture Committee as many healthy pet bills had before. MacDonalds bill proposed to have the Montana Department of Livestock regulate large commercial dog breeders.

In the 2017 session, Rep. Willis McCurdy, D-Missoula, is sponsoring HB570, which proposes that the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine license and regulate large-scale dog and cat breeders.

Although the Montana Veterinary Medicine Association supported the 2013 bill for the livestock department to regulate pet breeders, the group opposed McCurdys bill. The Board of Veterinary Medicine voted unanimously to oppose the bill. At the boards March meeting, members said that regulating pet breeders doesnt fit with the professional licensing boards other duties and they worried that the cost of regulating pet breeders would require an increase in license fees for the states 1,000 veterinarians.

A similar pet breeder bill, HB582, sponsored by Rep. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, is scheduled for a hearing Thursday before the House Business and Labor Committee.

Both Hertz and Curdy propose to allow the board of veterinary medicine to accept private donations to a fund that would be solely used for covering costs of licensing and inspecting large-scale dog and cat breeding facilities. Both bills would apply only to operations that have at least eight intact female cats or dogs and sell the offspring.

The urgency of addressing Montana puppy mill problems is seen in headlines from Thompson Falls to Polson, Boulder, Helena and Billings. Many Gazette readers will recall a case several years ago that required Yellowstone County to care for about 200 maltreated dogs  most English shepherds  seized from a breeding operation near Ballantine. The care of these dogs, including several litters of puppies born while the case went through court, cost Yellowstone County taxpayers more than $250,000, not including private donations and thousands of hours of volunteer time.

Montana is one of only 16 states that doesnt regulate dog and cat breeders. As a result, our state has become a haven for puppy mills, according to testimony in support of HB570.

One hundred thirty small dogs seized last year by the Lake County Sheriffs Department had lived their entire lives without touching the ground because they were kept on wire mesh. Teeth were falling out of the dogs mouths, according to Sheriff Don Bell.

The people that had this puppy mill sought out Montana, checked which had the least restrictive laws and they moved to our state, Bell told the House committee.

Curdy and Hertz state the same purpose in their bills: to ensure that dogs and cats that are bred, sold, exchanged or adopted in Montana are healthy and to ensure than an animal does not enter commerce with diseases or injuries that cause suffering to the animal and are unfairly and unexpectedly financially and emotionally expensive to purchasers and adopters.

This is a quality of life bill for dogs, cats and the Montanans who love them.

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry, which administers the Board of Veterinary Medicine, already employs inspectors for various state inspection duties. They can handle the anticipated small number of dog/cat breeder licenses applications. As good operators comply with the law, the expertise of local veterinarians and the assistance of local sheriffs offices will be needed to deal with bad operators  the puppy mills. By enacting commercial pet protection as Hertz and Curdy propose, Montana will discourage bad breeders from setting up shop in our state.

Right now, Montana taxpayers and pet lovers are at high risk for exploitation by unscrupulous dog breeders. The 2017 Montana Legislature has the opportunity and responsibility to protect the public by approving HB570 or HB582.

We call on the House Business and Labor Committee to send a commercial pet protection act to the House floor this week.
MOSUL, Iraq (AP)  As Iraqi forces pushed into southwestern Mosul, four Islamic State fighters moved into Omar Khudair's home and took up positions on the roof.

The 17-year-old, his parents and siblings took cover in his aunt's house next door, and for the next half hour they huddled in a back room as the battle raged overhead. Then the airstrikes came, blowing up a cluster of houses, killing not only the fighters, but 18 members of Khudair's extended family. The teen was one of the few to survive, left covered in burns and shrapnel wounds.

The fight for the western half of Mosul could the deadliest yet for civilians. Iraqi forces have increasingly turned to airstrikes and artillery to clear heavily populated, dense urban terrain, and residents running out of food and supplies are fleeing their homes at higher rates than previously seen in the Mosul operation.

More than 750 civilians have been killed or wounded since the fight for western Mosul began a month ago, front-line medics say, a number they expect to spike as Iraqi forces push into the old city. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

By comparison, some 1,600 civilians were killed or wounded during the 100 days of fighting to recapture Mosul's less densely populated east, according to reports from nearby hospitals. Mosul's east was declared fully liberated in January.

Airwars, a London-based group that tracks civilian deaths from airstrikes targeting IS in Iraq and Syria, estimates the number of casualties to be much higher, claiming more than 300 civilians have been killed in western Mosul over the last month.

The Pentagon, which has yet to release casualty figures from the last month, has acknowledged 220 civilian deaths from coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria since the U.S. campaign against IS began in 2014.

Of the nearly 300,000 people who have fled Mosul since the operation to retake Iraq's second largest city began in October, more than 100,000 have left in the past month alone, according to the United Nations.

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Many are fleeing because they have no more food, said Azher Adnan, a local pharmacist volunteering as a medic at a clinic just south of the city. "Every one of my patients, the first thing they say when they approach my clinic is 'I'm hungry,'" he said.

Civilians who have escaped said food began to run low in October as the wealthy hoarded what they could. By January, grocery store shelves were completely bare.

"The population of Mosul's west is different from the east," Adnan said. "Here you have more people in poverty, they couldn't afford to prepare for the siege."

In eastern Mosul, most militants withdrew in the face of the assault, leaving small contingents of four of five fighters to pin down troops in urban combat. But Lt. Gen. Sami al-Arathi, of Iraq's special forces, said the fighters cornered in west Mosul have nowhere to run. "Now, they are forced to fight to the death," he said.

Faced with heavier resistance in more dense urban terrain, Iraqi forces are relying even more on airstrikes and artillery, heightening the risk to civilians and leaving scenes of devastation in their wake.

"This area used to be so beautiful," said Mohammed Ali of the Federal Police, which have been battling their way up the Tigris along what used to be a scenic riverside boulevard, leaving behind mangled park benches and shattered flower boxes.

Ali, who hails from a town just outside Mosul, remembers spending time on the corniche as a teenager.

"Families and girls would come here," he said, laughing. "We used to follow the girls, but they never gave us any attention."

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Martin, the commander of coalition ground forces in Iraq, said the coalition is "probably" launching more airstrikes in western Mosul than in the east because more coalition troops have been authorized to approve air support for Iraqi forces.

"We're going to strike ISIS wherever we can so that the Iraqis can be successful," Martin said, referring to the extremist group by another acronym.

He said changes to the U.S. rules of engagement are allowing the coalition to strike faster and more accurately. Martin said Iraqi commanders are still trying to preserve infrastructure and minimize civilian casualties  but that the militants have other ideas.

IS has fired at least 4,284 mortars, rockets, and artillery rounds "indiscriminately" in western Mosul since January, showing "complete disregard of human life," he said.

Humanitarian organizations warn that the destruction, displacement and civilian casualties are likely to spike as Iraqi forces push into Mosul's old city, where streets are the width of alleyways.

A senior Western diplomat who attends military planning meetings said Iraq's military showed that they were capable of protecting civilians in eastern Mosul, but will face a much greater challenge in the old city.

"In the old city (Iraqi forces) are going to have to get out of their vehicles and they've got to go house to house," the official said on condition of anonymity to discuss military planning. "Families are going to be at extreme risk."

In Mamun, one of the first western Mosul neighborhoods to be retaken from IS, nearly every customer at a corner vegetable market knew at least one person who had been killed during the past month's fighting.

Ahmed Khalil pointed to where he said a rocket had killed a mother and her children. He gestured further down the street, where he said IS snipers had picked off civilians trying to flee.

"We couldn't even take the bodies to the cemetery because the clashes were so heavy," he said. "We had to just bury them where they fell."

Another customer, Mashad Fathi, pointed to a street where a whole row of buildings had collapsed. "The bodies of one of the families are still under the rubble."

___

Harb reported from Irbil, Iraq.
Washington (AFP) - The US Secret Service has bolstered security at the White House after a man was arrested making threats at one its checkpoints, a third such security scare in just over a week.

CNN reported that the man made a threat claiming he had a bomb in his car, and that he was immediately arrested and the car in which he was traveling seized.

President Donald Trump was away in Florida at the time.

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

"On March 18, 2017 at approximately 11:05 pm, an individual drove a vehicle up to a Secret Service checkpoint located at 15th Street and E Street NW," a Secret Service spokesman said in the latest of a series of White House security concerns.

"Upon contact with the individual, US Secret Service Uniform Division Officers detained the individual and declared his vehicle suspicious. In accordance with proper protocols, Secret Service personnel increased their posture of readiness," he added.

Just hours earlier, a person was arrested after jumping over a bike rack in an apparent bid to reach the fence outside the White House, the Secret Service said.

The individual was detained immediately and criminal charges are pending, the agency said in a statement, without identifying the suspect.

A Secret Service official speaking on condition of anonymity said that person was not found to be carrying any weapons.

The arrest came about a week after a more serious incident that called into question security outside the White House.

Just before midnight on March 10, a man scaled three barriers outside the White House -- a perimeter fence, a vehicle gate and then another fence -- and walked around the grounds of the executive mansion for 16 minutes before being arrested.

That time Trump was inside the building.

- 'Total embarrassment' -

Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz dubbed the incident "a total and complete embarrassment."

"(Homeland Security chief John) Kelly told me that this person was there on the ground for 17 minutes, went undetected, was able to get up next to the White House, hide behind a pillar, look through a window, rattle the door handle," the lawmaker told CNN.

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According to the Washington Post, that man, who is from northern California, was carrying a backpack and two cans of mace.

The White House has seen a string of high-profile trespassing incidents in recent years.

In one notable incident in 2014, while Barack Obama was president, an army veteran described as mentally disturbed made it into the White House grounds, sprinted across the lawn and entered the building with a knife in his pocket before being tackled and arrested.

Secret Service personnel were also involved in an embarrassing scandal in Colombia when a dozen agents were found to have hired prostitutes during a 2012 presidential trip.

And just last week, a laptop was stolen from an agent in New York and remains missing, the agency said Friday, amid reports that the device contained floor plans of Trump Tower.

CNN -- citing law enforcement sources in New York -- said that though the computer was highly encrypted, it contained floor plans and other sensitive contents.

The Secret Service did not detail the contents of the laptop, but emphasized that such devices "contain multiple layers of security including full disk encryption and are not permitted to contain classified information," adding that an investigation was ongoing.

Trump resided in the luxury high-rise before moving into the White House. His wife Melania and youngest son Barron still live there.

The Secret Servicre, made up of some 6,500 people, is tasked with protecting the US president, former presidents and vice presidents, as well as foreign heads of state on official visits.
The wife of a former 50-year-old Tennessee teacher who allegedly took off with a 15-year-old girl is urging her husband to turn himself in to authorities.

State authorities and the FBI say 15-year-old Elizabeth Thomas willingly got in the vehicle of Tad Cummins on Monday after he allegedly went to pick her up at a Maury County restaurant and took off.

Police have added Cummins to the states Top 10 Most Wanted list and have already charged him with aggravated kidnapping in the aftermath of Thomas disappearance.

Read: Woman Charged With Rape After Listing Boy, 14, as Father of Her Unborn Baby: Cops

They noted that Thomas is in imminent danger.

On Friday, Cummins wife, Jill Cummins, plead with her husband during a news conference to bring the Thomas back.

Tad, this is not you. This is not who you are.Please do the right thing and turn yourself in to the police and bring Beth home, Jill Cummins said. We can help you get through this. No matter how far you've gone or what is happening right now, God's grace is sufficient for you and he wants you to come home."

Cummins, who taught in Culleoka, was fired earlier this week, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations (TBI). His termination came after authorities issued a warrant for him on the sexual misconduct charge.

According to the TBI, that charge was based on an "alleged interaction" with a teen, but they did not confirm whether it was Thomas.

Read: 2 High School Students Arrested After Allegedly Sexually Assaulting Girl At School

Days into the hunt, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation had received dozens of tips as well as surveillance footage from a gas station where authorities say Cummins refueled his vehicle before picking up Thomas.

According to reports, investigators say Cummins secured a title loan for a personal vehicle several days before he disappeared, getting $4,500 in cash from the transaction.

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Initially, authorities thought the pair may have headed to Alabama but there have been no confirmed sightings. So now investigators acknowledge the two could be anywhere.

The TBI said he was driving a silver Nissan Rogue with Tennessee tag 976-ZPT. Cummins is also allegedly armed with two handguns.

Watch: Man Accused Of Terrifying Attack On Hotel Employee Appears In Court

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UPDATE: 4:45 p.m. EDT  House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said Sunday wiretapping at Trump Tower literally  didnt happen.

"Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, there never was, and the information on Friday continues to lead us in that direction," Nunes said on Fox News Sunday.

Nunes said, however, members of the Trump team might have been spied on during the campaign if they were involved with anyone on the intelligence communitys radar.

"If there were other surveillance activities where names were picked up and unmasking occurred, and that was spread throughout the intelligence community, that is very possible and we don't have answers to those questions yet," Nunes said. "I don't know if the president has those or not."

Original story

Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday President Donald Trumps wiretapping claims are patently false a day ahead of testimony before the House Intelligence Committee by FBI Director James Comey.

Comey is scheduled to testify about Russian meddling in last years presidential election. U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia was behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committees emails and for many of the fake news stories that found their way onto social media.

Trump on March 4 tweeted former President Barack Obama ordered surveillance on the Republican candidate during the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign, a charge Obama denied categorically. Trump has presented no evidence any wiretapping occurred but has insisted repeatedly it was true. Trump said Friday he based his tweetstorm on something he heard on Fox News.

Read: Former DNI James Clapper Unaware Of Any Order For Tap

We said nothing, Trump said in response to a question during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkl. All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television. I didnt make an opinion on it.

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You shouldnt be talking to me, Trump added. You should be talking to Fox.

Trump apparently was referring to Fox commentator Andrew Napolitano. Fox News, however, attempted to distance itself from Napolitanos commentary, saying it had no evidence of any kind of surveillance on Trump.

Read: Conservative Talk Show Host Mark Levin Says Evidence Is Overwhelming

House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the heads of both the House and Senate intelligence committees all have said they have seen no evidence of wiretapping.

Schiff, D-Calif., said on NBCs Meet the Press he received a classified briefing Friday on the wiretapping issue, and there was no evidence to support the presidents claim that he was wiretapped by his predecessor.

He predicted Comey will definitively put the allegation to rest because what the president said was just patently false.

Schiff added: I suspect what's really at root here  is this is just how the president does business. Now maybe this is the way he conducted his real estate business with half-truths and sometimes no-truths, and a lot of bluster. That, in my opinion, is no way to run a business. But it's an even worse way to run a country.

schiff

Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, urged Trump to present his evidence if he has any.

I don't know the basis for President Trump's assertion. And that's what I wish he would explain to us on the Intelligence Committee and to the American people. And I do believe he owes us that explanation, she said on Meet the Press.

Rep. Will Hurt, R-Texas, another member of the intelligence panel, urged Trump to apologize for the allegation and also to Britain for White House spokesman Sean Spicers charge that Obama used British intelligence to do the actual spying, an accusation Britain denied.

We've got to make sure that we're all working together, Hurd said on This Week. We live in a very dangerous world and we can't do this alone. And when we have a major ally  and it's not just sorry [from] the president [to the American people], but also to the U.K. for the claims or the intimation that the U.K. was involved in this, as well. It doesn't hurt [to say sorry].

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., however, said despite the questionable wiretapping allegation, a crime was committed in the revelation Michael Flynn, Trumps national security adviser, had been in contact with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Flynn was forced to resign for lying about those contacts.

Someone unmasked General Flynn and they're a low-level analyst, we need to be looking at their computer and find out if they unmasked that conversation and if they spoke with The New York Times you have got to put those people in jail, because you cannot allow this to happen, or we will have presidents being blackmailed or national security advisers being blackmailed, Paul said on This Week.

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Chrissy Teigens drapey, golden gown is the stuff of goddess-filled dreams

When Chrissy Teigen isnt setting #familygoals with her perfect husband John Legend and their extra-perfect baby girl Luna, shes blowing us all away with her fashion sense. The latest in her seemingly never-ending collection of stunning dresses? The draped, golden gown Chrissy rocked while on a night out with her hubby.

Chrissy is no stranger to serving up killer looks, particularly on the red carpet. And even better, shes never afraid to take fashion risks. Remember that dangerously high-slit gown she wore to last years American Music Awards? Instantly iconic.

But her latest goddess-inspired dress is classic and 100% risk-free (at least in the sense that a wardrobe malfunction doesnt seem imminent). Chrissy debuted the stunning dress, paired with an updo and hoop earrings, in a Instagram post that instantly got everyone talking. Because, seriously, just look at her.

Marrakech! A post shared by chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) on Mar 18, 2017 at 3:35pm PDT

According to the photos caption, Chrissy and John are in Marrakech, Morocco. The reason why is unclear, but the couple clearly love the city  theyve visited several times before, including for Johns 37th birthday in 2015.

Heres a closer look at the flow-y, belted gold dress, courtesy of Chrissys Snapchat.

From some preliminary Google-sleuthing, it seems that Dar Yacout is the name of a well-known restaurant in Marrakech. It looks like a pretty fancy place, which explains why Chrissy is dressed to the nines for this particular date night extravaganza.

The married pair even brought baby Luna along on their trip  their little girl made an appearance in several of Chrissys snaps this weekend. Here she is, adorably wrapped in a gorgeous Moroccan blanket/scarf.

It seems like our fave Hollywood couple is continuing their tradition of re-visiting all of their noteworthy pre-baby destinations with their daughter. In 2016, they took 3-month-old Luna with them to Italy. While there, they stopped by the house where they filmed the music video for Johns All of Me.

Hats off to Chrissy for putting Aphrodite herself to shame with this stunning number!
For the last few months, a bar in Toronto dedicated to e-sports has been getting a weirdly high number of requests for sex workers. Its not normally two things that go hand-in-hand, but as it turns out, Siri is to blame.

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According to Alvin Acyapan, the co-owner of Meltdown Toronto, Siri will respond to a request for prostitutes or escorts by recommending his bar. A screenshot the bar posted to Twitter shows the mechanism in action. Its not just that Siri is mis-hearing escorts for esports  that would make sense  but it appears to specifically recommend Meltdown as a place to find sex workers.

Its unclear if this is a location-specific bug or if Apple has since fixed it, because it appears that right now, Siri will just default to I dont know how to answer that if you ask about prostitutes.

I see the humor in it, Acyapan said to the Toronto Star. I always thought of it as a funny anecdote to share with my friends: Hey, we run a bar and sometimes I get this kind of call.

As digital assistants, AI and recommendation engines become a bigger part of technology, accidental and embarrassing responses are likely to become more and more common. Apple appears to have dealt with this particular glitch, but its worrying that it could happen in the first place. A mix-up between esports and escorts might be funny, but with users increasingly relying on Siri for important medical information or even mental health advice, consistently directing people to the right place is going to become more and more crucial.

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See the original version of this article on BGR.com
By Stephen Otage

Out spoken Makerere University Researcher, Dr. Stella Nyanzi has been blocked from flying out of the country to the Netherlands by Entebbe Airport Immigration officials pending clearance from the Criminal Investigations Department in Kibuli.

According to the Spokesperson Ministry of Internal Affairs, Jacob Siminyu, they received instructions from the CID to stop Dr Stellah Nyanzi from flying out because she had an outstanding matter to settle with them.

Meanwhile, the Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander, Emiliam Kayima says there was no need to have her travel blocked because she has the right to travel.

Kayima says he has talked to Nyanzi advising her to make fresh arrangements for her travel.

However, when contacted Dr. Stellah Nyanzi has said that she cannot afford the expenses involved in getting another air ticket.
UP

Guarding elders. A bill that aims to improve guardianship services for adults who cannot manage their own affairs due to disabilities needs approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee after a hearing Wednesday. Sponsored by Rep. Jessicia Karjala, D-Billings, at the request of the Children, Families Health and Human Services Interim Committee, HB70 passed the House with a strong bipartisan majority of 70. The need for legal guardians is expected to grow as the state population ages.

UP

Stopping fraud. Gov. Steve Bullock should sign HB24, which will help protect vulnerable Montanans  adults who are elderly or disabled  from financial exploitation. The bill encourages financial advisers to report suspected exploitation by providing immunity for reports made in good faith. Sponsored by Rep. Ron Ehli, R-Hamilton, HB24 also was requested by the interim committee that studied guardianship issues.

UP

Easing bench shortage. Montana is shorthanded on the District Court bench. House Bill 44, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, is the only legislation that would address this shortage, which has slowed down justice in Montanas largest, busiest districts. As amended, this bill proposes to add just three new judges, including two in Yellowstone County, which is actually in need of six. The problem is so great and the HB44 proposal so modest that it passed the House 97-2 and was unanimously approved by Senate Judiciary Committee. We call on all Yellowstone County senators to support this bill for the sake of your constituents and timely justice.

UP

Public park land. A bill that would help John H. Dover Memorial Park grow as its founders envision, passed the House and now needs Senate support. Sponsored by Rep. Virginia Court, D-Billings, HB442 simply allows up to 500 acres owned by a nonprofit organization and used as a public park to be exempt from property taxes, if the local taxing jurisdiction agrees. Thanks to all 17 House members who represent parts of Yellowstone County for supporting HB442. Dover Park in Billings Heights is a riverside jewel developed with private donations of land, cash, materials and volunteer labor. HB442 will help ensure its future includes more land for public recreation.
By Moses Ndhaye & Ivan Ssenabulya

Religious leaders have condemned the rampant gun murders in the country.

Delivering his sermon at the requiem mass held in honor of the late AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi at St Andrews Church in Kisaasi, the Wakiso Episcopal Vicar, Monsignor John Wayne Katende has called on government to control the use of guns in the country if such killings are to be stopped.

Addressing mourners during the same mass, the Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura has described the late Andrew Felix Kaweesi as a hardworking police officer who made a big contribution to the success and changing image of the Uganda police force.

He says it may take another generation to get an officer of his caliber.

Kayihura has however urged the country to remain calm as police investigations into the murder continue.

Meanwhile, the Community of Makerere University has joined the rest of the Country in eulogizing the fallen Assistant Inspector General of Police, Andrew Felix Kaweesi.

A group of students has attended the requiem mass at St. Andrews Church in Kisaasi led by the Officer in charge of Makerere University Police Station, Jackson Mucunguzi.

Mucunguzi has told KFM that the University has lost an iconic figure and an old student who has been pertinent in solving students problems.

Kaweesi was one the former chairpersons of the notorious Lumumba Boys Hall of Residence at the University.

Several dignitaries have attended the requiem mass among them, the Supreme Mufti Shekh Sireman Kasule Ndirangwa, Democratic Party president Nobert Mao and the Buganda Prime Minister Charles Peter Mayiga.

The body of the late Kaweesi is expected to be taken to his home in Kulambiro for a night vigil.

President Yoweri Museveni is expected to be at the late Kaweesis home this evening.
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SAN FRANCISCO  U.S. corporations that have long resisted bending to the demands of computer hackers who take their networks hostage are increasingly stockpiling bitcoin, the digital currency, so that they can quickly meet ransom demands rather than lose valuable corporate data.

The companies are responding to cybersecurity experts who recently have changed their advice on how to deal with the growing problem of extortionists taking control of the computers.

Its a moral dilemma. If you pay, you are helping the bad guys, said Paula Long, chief executive of DataGravity, a Nashua, N.H., company that helps clients secure corporate data. But, she added, You cant go to the moral high ground and put your company at risk.

A lot of companies are doing that as part of their incident response planning, said Chris Pogue, chief information security officer at Nuix, a company that provides information management technologies. They are setting up bitcoin wallets.

Pogue said he believed thousands of U.S. companies had prepared strategies for dealing with hacker extortion demands, and numerous law firms have stepped in to facilitate negotiations with hackers, many of whom operate from the other side of the globe.

Symantec, a Mountain View, Calif., company that makes security and storage software, estimates that ransom demands to companies average between $10,000 and $75,000 for hackers to provide keys to decrypt frozen networks. Individuals whose computers get hit pay as little as $100 to $300 to unlock their encrypted files.

Companies that analyze cyber threats say the use of ransomware has exploded, and payments have soared. Recorded Future, a Somerville, Mass., threat intelligence firm, says ransom payments skyrocketed 4,000 percent last year, reaching $1 billion. Another firm, Kaspersky Lab, estimates that a new business is attacked with ransomware every 40 seconds.

If youre hit by ransomware today, you have only two options: You either pay the criminals or you lose your data, said Raj Samani, chief technical officer at Intel Security for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. We underestimated the scale of the issue.

Hackers often send out email with tainted hyperlinks to broad targets, say, an entire company. All it takes is one computer user in a company to click on the infected link to allow hackers to get a foothold in the broader network, leading to hostile encryption.

At least one employee will click on anything, said Robert Gibbons, chief technology officer at Datto, a Connecticut company that offers digital disaster recovery services.

Law enforcement counsels U.S. businesses not to succumb to ransom demands, urging them to keep backup copies of their data in case of hostile encryption.

The official FBI policy is that you shouldnt pay the ransom, said Leo Taddeo, chief security officer for Cryptzone, a Waltham, Mass., company that provides network security. Until 2015, Taddeo ran the cyber division of the FBIs New York City office.

But practical considerations increasingly are dictating a different approach. Its an option to pay the ransom to get back up and running. Sometimes its the only option, Taddeo said.

But it has downsides, he added. Paying ransom just invites the next attack.

(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)

Moreover, 1 in 4 companies that pay ransoms never get their files restored, Gibbons said.

The idea of rewarding extortionists with payment makes some technologists see red.

That makes me super mad, said Lior Div, chief executive of Cybereason, a Boston-area cybersecurity company. There are things that are unacceptable, and we need to fight them.

Div and his company have done something about the extortion epidemic. They built a product called RansomFree that claims to detect 99 percent of all ransomware strains.

So far, the free software has been downloaded 125,000 times, the company says.

As extortionists get more sophisticated, researchers say, they are modifying their malicious code, their infection strategies and the way they collect payments.

Once they weasel their way into your network, they now take a look around.

Theyll actually explore your system to see how much money they can squeeze from you, said Andrei Barysevich, director of advanced collection at Recorded Future.

And they wont offer any sympathy, no matter how valuable the encrypted data, even if lives are at stake, say, in a health care network. They may even say they are doing nothing evil.

They actually think they are on the moral high ground. They think the companies should have paid more for security, said Barysevich, who spoke at a presentation this week at the annual RSA cybersecurity conference in San Francisco, which bills itself as the worlds leading gathering of cybersecurity specialists.

One of the reasons midsize and large companies are storing bitcoin for emergency use is that extortionists, once they succeed at penetrating a system, commonly give a deadline for payment before destroying data. But victims cant rush out and buy bitcoin in a day or two.

It takes at times a week for (brokers) to process you, Barysevich said.

Setting up the wallet ahead of time, Pogue said, allows businesses an option that is quick, although perhaps repugnant.

If they need to go to it, they are not spinning their wheels standing up a bitcoin wallet, Pogue said.
Its been 21 years since Penny Fassler opened her own stained glass studio in Galena, Ill.,

She enjoyed her seven years in Galena, but is glad she moved the business to La Crosse 14 years ago.

Today, Fassler and her daughter, Felicia Pecinovsky, operate Vision of Light Stained Glass at 129 S. Fourth St. in downtown La Crosse. They had opened Vision of Light in 2003 along Copeland Avenue, before moving it to the current location in 2004.

Downtown La Crosse is thriving, with new buildings, renovations of existing ones, and new and expanding businesses, Fassler said.

Were also getting more tourists, she said. But we still get a lot of locals at the store.

Fassler isnt one to sit back and relax.

Im hyperactive  I just cant sit still, Fassler said as she pointed out several stained-glass creations that she was working on at a large table. I just keep creating. Im usually working on about eight things at a time.

I do a lot of custom orders, Fassler said as she worked on a brown, yellow and light blue fairy that a customer had ordered.

Then she began working on a stained-glass flower, with pink and purple petals and a Depression glass plate in its center.

Vision of Lights stained-glass creations are made by Fassler and her daughter, who does much of her work in a studio in her home in Cresco, Iowa.

Pecinovsky wholesales many of her own stained-glass creations to gift stores around the nation. She sells her one-of-a-kind pieces here at the La Crosse store, Fassler said.

The downtown store also sells consigned artwork such as ceramic plates and vases, hand-blown glass items. And it sells other merchandise such as candles, gift baskets, table lamps, jewelry boxes and antiques.

Vision of Light also sells stained-glass and mosaic supplies for do-it-yourself artists. And it offers beginning stained glass classes, as well as classes in mosaics and microwave kiln jewelry.

In January, the business began offering getaway weekends for crafters in its studio. They have the option of staying in a two-bedroom apartment during their weekend getaway.

I feel so blessed. I get to do what I love to do, said Fassler, who got her start in stained glass in the late 1980s as a part-time employee at The Glass Gallery  in the same building where Vision of Light is now. I got hooked, she said.

Fassler was born and raised in the Minneapolis suburb of Plymouth, Minn.

She, her husband and daughter Felicia moved in 1976 from San Francisco to Nodine, Minn., where they operated an antique business. She later worked at the St. Michaels Home for Children in La Crosse.

After that, Fassler and her brother, Kristopher Fassler, started Tip Top Painting and Remodeling in La Crosse, painting and restoring historic houses in the area. She left that business after four years and moved to Galena, where she opened Stained Glass of Galena.

Lots of tourists and other shoppers head to Galena, especially on the weekend, Fassler said of her decision to open there. Her daughter moved to Galena soon after that to help run the business.

Shes pretty much learned by herself, by watching me, Fassler said of Pecinovsky, who has been making stained glass creations since her late teens.

Fassler said she moved back to the La Crosse area from Galena because she wanted to live closer to her children. (Felicia had married and returned to the area before Fassler did.) With the move to La Crosse, Fassler renamed the business Vision of Light Stained Glass.

Fassler loves animals, and said half of the proceeds from the sales of her stained-glass animal paws creations go to the Coulee Region Humane Society.

Vision of Light is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and at other times by appointment. On other days, Fassler offers classes and makes her stained-glass creations.
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Western Wisconsin and Southeastern Minnesota, in conjunction with The La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, presented Mona Gardner of Holmens Evergreen Elementary with its Encore Award. The Encore Award is presented to a music teacher that shows continual enthusiasm and personal performance that goes above and beyond in the classroom. Gardner will be recognized at the upcoming Symphony for Youth concerts 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 16.

Mrs. Gardners students create their own unique homemade instruments and present how they produce sound and classify which instrument family it belongs to. She will receive a $500 grant from RMHC to use to purchase a digital recorder, ukulele strings, and portable stereo system.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Wisconsin and Southeastern has been the major sponsor of the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra Symphony for Youth program since 2005. The Symphony for Youth program provides over 2,600 Coulee Region students grades third through fifth with the educational opportunity to experience a live performance given by a professional orchestra.

Providing opportunities for Coulee Region youth to experience the arts first hand aligns with the mission of RMHC. We are thrilled this also extends to supporting classroom music education- a special place where the love for art most often beings, Wendy Lommen, president of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Wisconsin and Southeastern Minnesota.

Coulee Region music teachers were given the opportunity to apply for the contest and were asked to send in their application with two letters of recommendation. The La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and RMHC received several applications, and look forward to continuing the annual award.
Police answered 135 calls for service and made 27 arrests from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning, calling the usually raucous St. Patricks Day celebration in Uptown Butte uneventful.

There was a large crowd, but it was very manageable, Capt. Mark St. Pierre said Saturday. Honestly, it was a very peaceful. I was very pleased.

Imbibers ramped up as the night progressed, but St. Pierre credited the free shuttle bus and Party Palace courtesy van for transporting partiers to their motels as police began shutting down the bars at 1 a.m. in time for the required 2 a.m. closings.

Every time that bus pulled up to Park and Main, everybody went running for that, said St. Pierre, who has worked at least 20 St. Patricks Days in his 26 years on the force. Plus the taxis helped.

Police and highway patrol troopers working in teams also walked through the crowds throughout the celebration.

Sheriff Ed Lester reported Saturday afternoon that while reports are still being completed, the break-down in arrests, which occurred from noon Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, follows:

 7 DUIs

 1 aggravated assault

 3 aggravated burglary

 11 disorderly conduct

 3 warrants

 1 misdemeanor sexual assault

 1 parole or probation violation

"We had a few folks who made poor choices toward the end of the night and ended up getting arrested, Lester added. But, I thought it was a fun crowd at the parade and throughout the day. Ninety-nine percent of the people were having a great time and doing it the right way."

While most of the arrests were misdemeanors, once incident resulted in two felonies.

Police arrested two on felony aggravated burglary charges. Kristen Faye Ouldhouse, 21, and Kara Richelle Black, 26, both of Butte, were involved in a private residence break-in at 625 W. Park St. They are accused of entering and assaulting an unnamed male, said St. Pierre.

It appears to be over a relationship between one of the parties, said St. Pierre. It was complete chaos.

Also arrested at the incident was Tyler Ryan Maloney, 23, of Butte, on aggravated DUI, a misdemeanor.

All remained in jail according to Saturday morning's jail roster.

The incident is still under investigation, said St. Pierre. It didnt occur because of St. Patricks Day, he added.

Revelers and parade-watchers were out in full force, most likely because St. Patricks Day fell on a Friday and the weather was unseasonably warm and sunny, said officers.

On Saturday, St. Pierre said 11 officers were scheduled to work the graveyard shift, plus another six were set to patrol the Uptown area on foot.
Branden McGinnis, 30, of La Crosse passed away Thursday, March 16, 2017, after losing a long hard-fought battle with addiction. He was born Nov. 26, 1986, in Viroqua, to Scott McGinnis and Linda McLees.

Branden was a fun little boy with a big heart. He enjoyed listening to music and playing Monopoly. Mostly he loved sitting outside his grandparents camper, talking about history with Grandpa Ken.

Branden is survived by his sons, Isaiah, Boston; parents, Eric and Linda Hughes; sister, Kessa Hughes; grandma, Judy McLees; numerous uncles, aunts, and cousins; and father, Scott McGinnis.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Ronald and Norma McGinnis; and grandpa, Ken McLees.

A celebration of Brandens life will be held from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, at Coulee Region Cremation Group, 133 Mason St., Onalaska.

Coulee Region Cremation Group is assisting the family.
This past weeks snowfall was a week ahead of schedule. UW-La Crosse was on spring break, and usually while the baby snowbirds are off cavorting in parts of Florida and Mexico, basking in the sunshine and warm waters, the weather here is very nice. The (hopefully) last blast of winter usually holds off until they are back and classes have resumed.

But was that the last blast of winter? The fact that we are facing the remainder of March and at least early April leads me to be a bit skeptical, saying I think not.

Oh well. This is Wisconsin, where we have six seasons: Late spring, summer, early autumn and winter, winter, winter.

Luckily, the recipes we are seeking right now are not seasonal  they are delicious and satisfying any time of year.

This is one of those once or twice a year times when I get to sit back and relax because Karen Vick of La Crosse has done the hard work for the column  locating and sharing recipes. My guess would be that she responds to 90 to 95 percent of our requests. No matter how much or how little trouble we are having locating a certain recipe, she manages to come up with one or more for us.

Most of them are from her own cookbooks and apparently extensive library of recipe files. She always seems to be able to put her finger on just what we need. That means that in addition to being a terrific cook (so Ive been told) and very generous, willing to take the time to help us out, she is obviously very well organized.

I often know that I have a specific recipe, but finding it is like a game of hot and cold. Remember that? One person would hide an item, then guide another to it by indicating how close they were to finding it, saying You are getting warmer, warmer, . . . colder, . . . hot hot HOT! In this age of endless staring at video game screens, smart phones and social media, kids miss out on the fun of simple, OUTDOOR, home grown games.

Sometimes I save a recipe in two or three places (like pina colada trifle, which can be found under desserts, trifle and favorite recipes. Sooner or later I land on a file that has what Im seeking!

But I digress. Back to the recipes.

Because more and more people seem to be diagnosed with celiac disease these days, the Exchange (that would be me) decided to run gluten free recipes on a semi-regular basis  that would be when I receive one or two, or come across something interesting while web surfing.

Today, courtesy of Karen, we have gluten free cookies. Snickerdoodles, to be precise. If you have never tried them, you are in for a treat.

The recipe, from a book called All-Time Classic Favorites, included a couple of possible substitutions. First, for distinctive flavor, it suggests replacing the plain granulated sugar with vanilla scented sugar. A recipe for this simple concoction follows. It was shared by Alton Brown of TVs Food Network. The second recommendation is to skip the vanilla extract in favor of vanilla powder, which heightens the flavor of vanilla in any baked goods. Thekitchn.com, an online Q&A site, says vanilla powders and pastes are made from ground vanilla beans. I didnt find any actual recipes, but vanilla sugar can be purchased from online outlets, including amazon.com.

When purchasing vanilla powder, thekitchn.com stresses the need to make sure you are getting pure vanilla powder or paste, as some vanilla powder is flavored with confectioners sugar, for sweetening coffee, or in cake toppings; other varieties contain synthetic extracts. An advantage of using vanilla powder that you add it right in the recipe, avoiding the alcohol dilution of vanilla extract.

Karen also shared a sauerkraut soup recipe, in response to Loretta Knockels request for such a soup with pork and dumplings. Most of the recipes I have seen call for Polish sausage. Some call for polish sausage and pork. I think I would use pork and skip the sausage.

Instead of the Polish sausage or in addition to it, you could boil a few spare ribs in the Dutch oven; remove and shred or cube the meat when done, and set aside. You could then skim the rib-broth, add water to equal 4 cups and proceed as directed by the recipe from there, adding the cooked pork at the end, just to warm it through..

This soup recipe did not include dumplings, but you could make them easily with the recipe on boxes of Bisquick; or try the Betty Crocker dumpling recipe, which follows.

In the absence of new requests, I will keep running soup recipes, more tiramisu for Dean Bartelson and the occasional oddball recipe that turns up on the web.

Snickerdoodles

Cookies:

1 cups gluten free flour

1 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

 teaspoon baking soda

 teaspoon salt

 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

Topping:

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 teaspoon vanilla powder (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with silpat mats or parchment paper. In a bowl, sift together the first six ingredients; set aside. Beat butter, granulated sugar and vanilla in large mixing bowl, with electric mixer set on medium speed, until creamy, about 4 minutes; beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl; set aside. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in cinnamon-sugar. Place 3 inches apart on lined baking sheet. With hand, flatten to -inch thickness. Bake 12 to 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 4 minutes on pan; transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon sugar over cookies. Makes 18 (3-inch) cookies. (From: All-Time Classic Favorites; shared by Karen Vick, La Crosse)

Vanilla Sugar

1 vanilla bean

2 cups granulated sugar

If vanilla bean is whole, slice down side of bean with back of knife, lay it flat and scrape out the seeds . Bury the bean in the sugar and seal tightly in an airtight container. Let sit for 1 to 2 weeks. Use as regular, granulated sugar. (Alton Brown, foodnetwork.com)

Sauerkraut Soup

5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups (1 quart) water

1 (16-ounce) can sauerkraut

1 pound fully cooked Polish sausage, diced

 teaspoon dill

 teaspoon caraway seed (optional)

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook potatoes in water until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in sauerkraut (drained or undrained), sausage, dill and caraway seeds. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine sour cream with a cup of hot soup, whisking until smooth. Add to soup in pan; heat through but do not boil (boiling would curdle the sour cream). Season as desired. (From: OurWisconsin magazine; shared by Karen Vick, La Crosse)

Betty Crocker Dumplings

1 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

 teaspoon salt, or to taste

3 tablespoons shortening

 cup milk

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture looks like meal. Stir in milk. Gently drop spoonfuls of batter into simmering or lightly boiling soup. When all batter has been used, cover pan and cook about 10 minutes or until dumplings are fluffy (dumplings typically sink, then float back to the top when done). Makes 8 to 10 dumplings, depending on size (Betty Crockers Cookbook, 1975)
ROCHESTER, Minn.  Educators like Silver Ajal know that students who are new  not only to a school, but to the country  often take a little more effort to connect with.

And thats where Ajal, 57, who speaks seven languages, has found something as simple as greeting a student in their native language can put a student at ease.

It opens the door to other things, he said. The more languages I can speak, the more people I can reach.

Bridging cultural differences for those students is also key to their success here. And with those children whove had traumatic life experiences, Ajal can relate, as he was a Ugandan refugee who arrived in the U.S in 2004.

Since 2008 hes been a paraprofessional in the Rochester School District, currently assigned to Kellogg Middle School, but now hes going to school to become a teacher through a grow your own program in Rochester  an effort to get more teachers of color into the district to better reflect the student population.

Its well-known that theres little diversity in Minnesotas struggling teacher workforce.

Last month, a state report revealed that not only do districts struggle to recruit teachers, they also have trouble retaining the ones they have  and its even more difficult when it comes to teachers of color.

Statewide, just 4.2 percent of Minnesotas teacher workforce is non-white.

So earlier this month, legislators introduced a bill they hope will offer some relief, and get more teachers like Ajal into Minnesota schools, by providing the tools local school districts need to recruit and retain more teachers, including those of color. Sen. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester authored the bill, which would provide funding for five main efforts, including mentorship programs, teacher loan forgiveness and expanding grow your own programs.

The bill would also fund an expansion of the Urban Educators of color program to include Greater Minnesota and make adjustments to the teacher pay system to include incentive pay for teachers who show strong results closing achievement gaps.

We cannot continue to just talk about it, Nelson said at the E-12 Finance Committee hearing for the bill earlier this month. Its time that we take some concrete steps to actually lower that achievement gap.

With the states achievement gap  one of the worst in the country  and a growing population of non-white students, Nelson said its time to diversify the teacher workforce so that it better resembles the student population.

Its important for students of color to have role models in school who look like them and that they can relate to, said many of the representatives from the states diversity councils who testified at the hearing.

Its kind of the perfect storm here, Nelson said on Tuesday. So its time we do this.

The bill aims to double the number of teachers of color American Indian by 2020, so that they make up 8 percent of the teacher workforce. The other major goal: ensure 20 percent of candidates in pathways to becoming a teacher are of color or American Indian.

In the past, districts, including Rochester and Austin, have tried out-of-state recruiting, but, for the most part, efforts fell flat.

The thought: Instead of working so hard to find talent elsewhere, why not develop whats already in your own community?

In Southeast Minnesota, grow your own efforts  which are attempts to train non-licensed educators or classroom aides who are already employed with districts to become teachers  are already underway in school districts such as Austin and Rochester.

Both districts are struggling with an increasingly diverse student population that isnt reflected when it comes to their teachers.

In Rochester, just 2.9 percent of teachers are teachers of color, according to district data  far from resembling the 37 percent of the student population that identifies as non-white.

In Austin, there are just four non-white teachers among the districts 396, according to Austins human resources director Mark Raymond, while students of color account for a growing 45 percent of the population.

Both districts are partnering with Winona State University. Participants are mainly people of color who worked for the two school districts as paraprofessionals, and now theyre finishing up a a two-year program to become teachers  set to graduate 12 students in Rochester and 26 in Austin this spring.

Students, who are currently paraprofessionals in the district, enter the two-year program and come out with an undergraduate degree.

In Rochester, the district has tried to make it easier for the paras to go to school and continue working by ensuring the courses are offered at night and on weekends. The district also added contract language two contract negotiations ago to continue paying former paras at their para salary, while theyre student teaching in the district.

We know they cant drop their income while theyre going through student teaching, Rochester Superintendent Michael Munoz said.

The Rochester school district also plans to offer an introductory career course next fall about teacher, to expose students to the profession.

WSUs Tarrell Portman, dean of the College of Education, said shes excited about the bill because of the grow your own and loan forgiveness portions. Both are effective methods of recruiting students in small communities.

Its about that community and having roots in the community  and that, to me, is one of the best ways to diversify, Portman said.

Both districts said they plan to continue their programs year after year, in hopes of adding teachers and diversity to the districts.

Were just very excited. Number one, that were giving our students the opportunity, but also the quality of the students that are going through the program is just phenomenal, said Austin Superintendent Dave Krenz. Its really going to benefit everyone.

No vote was taken on the bill earlier this month. It is being considered for inclusion in a larger education bill.

Its about that community and having roots in the community  and that, to me, is one of the best ways to diversify. Tarrell Portman, dean of the College of Education at WSU
Wisconsin's red tape is a barrier to employment, a new study by a free-market think tank argues.

Following up on a November report on the growth of the state's occupational licensing requirements, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty released a study last week analyzing the impact of Wisconsin's regulations. It looked at 10 high-demand entry-level occupations, including cosmetologist, veterinary technician and emergency medical technician.

The peer-reviewed study compared each profession's licensing requirements across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. According to the study, Wisconsin could increase its employment in these professions by at least 2 percent by reducing the licensing requirements to the national average and by more than 7 percent if the regulations for each profession were to match those of the least burdensome state rules.

"We wanted to see if burdensome licensing had any relationship with lower employment," WILL research fellow Collin Roth said. "The findings are pretty clear."

WILL is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit that has been advocating licensing reform since it published its first report arguing Wisconsin regulates occupations more heavily than other states, resulting in barriers to those trying to enter the workforce, especially to those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. There are almost 500,000 holders of required licenses or credentials in Wisconsin, according to the data Roth compiled in the first report, and the number of credentials the state requires has nearly doubled in the past 20 years.

Lawmakers should evaluate whether the state has an interest in regulating the quality or potential health impacts of a profession, Roth said, but they should also consider the effects such regulations have on those looking to enter the professions. Most of the 10 professions studied by WILL are predicted by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics to have faster-than-average job growth over the next decade, and pay between $10 and $22 per hour, making them good workforce entry points.

Crystal Wallin decided a career in banking wasn't for her, becoming first an EMT in 2004 and an EMT-paramedic with Gundersen Tri-State Ambulance in 2010. On Friday, Wallin was working a 24-hour-shift alongside EMT Brittany Cincoski, and both said they thought the licensing requirements struck the right balance for protecting public health.

Cincoski, who said she hopes to go to school to eventually become a physician's assistant, said the training and license requirements weren't a big barrier to her entering the field. She attended Western Technical College for her EMT training and said her teachers and coursework were designed to facilitate the licensing process.

Wallin and another staff member at Tri-State who asked to speak anonymously said their biggest concern was the need to standardize the renewal process among different states. For Wallin, renewing her license in Minnesota was a simple matter of providing the state with her EMT national registry number, while Wisconsin's process is not as simple and doesn't always overlap with Minnesota's renewal period, meaning some EMTs who work in both states have only nine months to complete the two years' worth of training to remain licensed.

Part of the reason Wallin said the licensing requirements were fair was the difference between what is required of an EMT and other professions. According to licensing data used in the WILL report, basic EMTs required 28 days of training and paid a $70 licensing fee in 2012, compared with the 730 days of training needed for a veterinary technician's license or 105 days of training for an aesthetician -- a makeup or beauty specialist. Both of those professions also pay a much steeper license fee at $352 for a vet tech and $202 for an aesthetician.

A number of neighboring states have reformed their licensing requirements or worked to slow their growth, such as the efforts Michigan has made to repeal occupational license requirements or those in Delaware and Tennessee to regularly review requirements. WILL staff argue Wisconsin can use similar methods to reform licensing, and the organization has recommended several occupations that could benefit from reforms, including cosmetology, bartending, massage therapy, interior design and others.

The findings of our study show that occupational licensing laws, or state permission slips to work, serve as a major barrier to entry for workers in America," WILL Research Director Will Flanders said. "It is a clear call for reform in Wisconsin and other states that make it harder to earn a living."

Rep. Steve Doyle, D-Onalaska, said there is growing sentiment in Madison to take a look at the state's occupational regulations. Last fall, Assembly Republicans said their agenda for the next two years would include efforts to review education, experience and other licensing requirements and eliminate licenses that don't provide legitimate public safety benefits.

Those efforts likely won't gain traction until at least the fall, Doyle said, as the focus of the Legislature will be on the state budget, and balancing competing interests such as education and transportation funding. But there have been some efforts at the committee level to identify places where reforms could start.

He said he supports efforts to reform licensing requirements, especially in cases where there isn't a strong public interest. Interior designers, for example, could just as easily be certified by professional associations as by the state and don't pose the same health and safety concerns as an EMT.

Doyle agreed the state has been more aggressive than others in licensing professions and has erred on the side of public protection in the past. But with the rise of the internet and increased access to information, he said, perhaps the pendulum could swing in the other direction a bit.

"In our modern society, it is much easier for individuals to find out someone's credentials or quality of an individual or a company," he said. "Perhaps state involvement is less necessary these days."
We are fortunate to have groundwater as one of Wisconsins most abundant resources. We think of groundwater as pristine, but we must be aware that community water systems and private wells are vulnerable to surface contamination and give them the protection they deserve.

Much of Wisconsin has a geology called karst, limestone or dolomite bedrock filled with cracks and fissures. These fractures are great for maintaining groundwater levels, because they allow a lot of rainwater and snowmelt inflow to recharge the supply. The downside is that pollutants can get into groundwater with similar ease.

Water-quality issues are determined by multiple factors: flawed agricultural practices allowing manure runoff; development patterns that damage water quality; industrial runoff; extreme climate events including floods and droughts; high-capacity well drawdown effects; geologic deposits of harmful chemicals; aging infrastructure; failing septic systems; and the de-funding of protection programs that were meant to help regulate water quality and public health. We need to curb each of these to the maximum extent possible to maintain water purity.

A steadily increasing number of waterborne illnesses has been documented in Wisconsin. A 2007 study found human enterovirus deep in two Madison municipal wells; the depth of this contamination was a shock. Powerful evidence, including this study, led former Gov. Jim Doyle to promote regulations in 2009 that required treatment of all municipal drinking water systems. In 2011, the Republican-controlled Legislature rescinded these regulations. The DNR and EPA still strongly recommend that communities treat and disinfect drinking water with chlorine or ultraviolet light, both of which kill bacteria and viruses.

In 2012, microbiologists Mark Borchardt and Susan Spencer, then working with the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, conducted research in 14 Wisconsin communities that were not disinfecting their community water systems. The two-year study closely linked the presence of viruses in tap water with acute gastrointestinal illnesses among residents in these areas. To this day, despite the well-documented research, 56 Wisconsin municipal water utilities, supplying almost 65,000 people, are vulnerable to the dangers of non-disinfected water.

Just last month, Assistant Professor Christopher Uejio at Florida State University published a study in the Hydrogeology Journal linking the impacts of climate change, including excessive downpours and surface water runoff, with water-borne illness. He collaborated with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Campus. Using sophisticated, climate change computer modeling, they examined the rate at which children ages five and under would be at risk for gastrointestinal illness in the future.

Wisconsin was chosen as the site of the study because of its unique geology and underlying hydrology characteristics that make it more susceptible to groundwater contamination. The study compared northern Wisconsin cities that treat their drinking water with others that dont to determine to what extent increasing rainfall is linked with increased illness. The results sounded an alarm about untreated water.

Most people may not realize this, Dr. Uejio declared, but there are about 20 million people in the country who access drinking water that isnt treated. These households are particularly vulnerable to rainfall events and contamination events where disease-causing pathogens can get in their drinking sources.

Dr. Uejios results should support public policy to better protect public health. Climate change has become a politicized issue, but what is happening on the ground is not political. Children, the elderly, those who suffer from immune diseases and the economically disadvantaged are most vulnerable. The technology to address polluted drinking water is available, but the political will to assure protection for all Wisconsinites is missing.

There are an estimated 1.7 million Wisconsinites currently drinking water from their unregulated private wells, and nearly half of those private wells, studies suggest, have one or more contaminants at levels above health standards. Across the state, private well owners are finding that their water contains pathogens (viruses and bacteria), human-produced contaminants including nitrates, pesticides, molybdenum and strontium, as well as natural contaminants such as arsenic and radium.

Wisconsin has gone backward in recent years when it comes to the enforcement of clean-water laws. Our citizens will suffer unless our elected leaders in Madison take action. Let your representatives know that they must protect Wisconsins water supply, water quality and our citizens health. Ineffective government is compounding what our children and grandchildren will face in a world increasingly short of clean drinking water.

You can also attend the League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region Inter League Organizations Annual Meeting and Conference 2017, Navigation Tools for Uncertain Waters, at Western Technical Colleges Lunda Center May 6 (http://www.lwvumrr.org).
Less than two weeks after the unveiling of the GOP Obamacare replacement, the party is already staring into the abyss.

The bill has had the worst rollout of any major piece of legislation in memory, and failure is very much an option. If the proposal falters, it will be a political debacle that could poison President Donald Trumps relationship with Congress for the duration.

That relationship is awkward and tenuous. It is an uneasy accommodation between a GOP Congress that would find a more natural partner in a President Rubio, Cruz or Bush, and a President Trump who would, presumably, be happier to work with Speaker Dave Brat  the populist congressman from Virginia  than with Speaker Paul Ryan.

This is a product of how the Republican sweep of 2016 was won on separate tracks. Trump tore up many Republican orthodoxies and found a different way to unlock the electoral map. Congressional Republicans more or less stuck with the usual script.

As a result, there is no significant Trumpist wing in Congress. And there was no off-the-shelf Trump legislation that Congress could begin on immediately. In the campaign, Trump identified a constituency and a message, but the agenda often was symbolic (Mexico will pay for the wall) or nebulous (negotiating better trade deals).

The natural reflex, then, was to defer to the Republican leadership in Congress. Trump could have led with one of his distinctive proposals, the $1 trillion infrastructure plan, and wooed Democrats to support it and dared Republicans to oppose it. Instead, infrastructure has been put off to the second year, the polite way of saying it may not happen at all.

The congressional priorities are Obamacare repeal and tax reform, both of which could have been the first-year agenda items of the aforementioned hypothetical President Bush, Rubio or Cruz. It is true that Trump promised to deliver on both, but neither was part of his core message or won over marginal Trump voters.

For now, it is in the interest of both Congress and Trump to make their shotgun marriage work. If the health bill falters in the House, though, it will be the most fraught moment of GOP tension since the release of the Access Hollywood tape. Except the question wont be whether congressmen and senators dump Trump, but whether Trump dumps them.

Even more than most politicians, Trump has no interest in owning failure. The explanation of the president and his supporters wont be that he backed a flawed strategy and bill in the House and paid the price. It will be that he was stabbed in the back. He went along with a GOP establishment politics that doesnt understand or care about Trump voters, and he can never make that mistake again.

Theres almost no question that Trump would win any blame game. He would have the larger megaphone, and much sharper elbows. He could instantly define Paul Ryan as a creature of the Washington swamp and decide to triangulate away from the GOP Congress rather than work with it.

This would mean Trump would be a president not without a party necessarily, but without a Congress. It would make major legislative accomplishments impossible, although if Obamacare repeal-and-replace fails, that might be the reality regardless.

Some skeptics of the Ryan bill hope that its defeat will allow the party to quickly move on to tax reform. But tax legislation wont be any easier. It, too, is highly complex and will disappoint populists when it emerges that the Republican template for reform doesnt take much account of the interests of working-class voters.

It is better for everyone that Obamacare repeal-and-replace succeed. Ryan should amend his bill to, among other things, get the coverage numbers up and make it a sturdier vehicle for the turbulence ahead. The alternative is a defeat that may precipitate a nasty, perhaps enduring, split in a party desperate to paper over its divisions.
If you were to ask a typical Wisconsin resident how to fix health care in America, you can be sure he or she would not suggest that Washington allow insurance companies to price people out of affordable coverage.

Yet Congress is now considering the American Health Care Act  a bill that would do just that. The bill would impose an age tax on older Americans. That means people in their 50s and 60s who are buying health insurance on their own might have to pay up to $8,400 per year more than they do now.

Right now, insurance companies are allowed to charge people more than three times what other people have to pay. If this legislation passes, insurance companies could charge older Americans five times or more what other people have to pay.

Such a policy change fails to take into consideration that a typical older American seeking private health insurance has a median annual income of less than $25,000. Having to pay thousands more for health insurance could force many to make hard choices between food, medicine, housing and other basic necessities.

The legislation also reduces tax credits that help older Americans with low and moderate incomes pay for their health-care premiums. The legislation could price more than 3 million older Americans age 50-64 out of health insurance.

Additionally, the legislation would allow insurance companies to overcharge older Americans while giving $200 billion in tax breaks to big drug and insurance companies. Thats the wrong way to fix our health-care system.

The legislation includes other provisions that would harm older Wisconsinites. The bill would weaken Medicare by causing Medicares trust fund to dry up four years earlier than forecast. And it would end the guarantee of coverage for people who receive care in nursing homes and those whose families depend on Medicaid to help seniors and people with disabilities live independently in their homes.

Health-care costs are out of control. But this bill would mean higher prices, less coverage and billions in tax breaks for big drug and insurance companies. Wisconsinites need a health-care system that lowers costs, protects consumers and offers everyone access to quality care.

AARP is ready to work with members of both political parties on responsible ways to move forward. If you agree, please tell your elected representatives to vote a resounding No on the American Health Care Act.
CHEYENNE, Wyo.  A Cheyenne man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of a 13-month-old boy has been sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports 23-year-old Logan Rogers was sentenced Friday for the death of 13-month-old Silas Ojeda. Silas is believed to have died around Oct. 21, and Rogers is accused of disposing of the body in a trash bin.

Searches of a landfill in Ault, Colorado, as well as various places around Cheyenne, failed to turn up any remains.

Rogers told the court in November he had used methamphetamine around the time Silas died, and that the boy fell off a counter and appeared to have suffered a concussion.

But he said Friday that his plea was coerced, and the boy is still alive.

Silas was the son of Rogers' girlfriend at the time.
A 22-year-old Tomah woman was referred to the Monroe County District Attorney for multiple charges after a March 8 incident.

Police responded to a report that a school bus driver was flagged down by a woman at the intersection of Benton and Clark Streets. When police arrived, an officer observed Katelyn F. Bennett standing near a vehicle engaged in a heated argument with a man.

The man told police that Bennett had struck him six times with a closed fist and shut his finger in the door of a vehicle when he attempted to leave. The report says the man showed police red marks on his neck and cuts on his fingers.

Bennett told police the man got into his truck and drove over Bennetts foot twice, although the report says there was no evidence that Bennett had sustained such an injury.

Two hours later, the man told police that Bennett was in his apartment with another woman and removing property. Bennett was referred for battery, disorderly conduct and trespassing.

In other Tomah Police Department news:

Katie Patricia Faulkner, 30, Tomah, was referred to the district attorney after being accused of shoplifting at Walmart.

Faulkner allegedly took a shirt into a fitting room, put it on and left the store without paying. Walmart security personnel believe Faulkner also stole jewelry, which was allegedly found in her purse. She was referred for theft and bail jumping.

Scott A. Bauer, 30, Tomah, was referred to the district attorney after a March 11 incident at a West Veterans Street adult family home.

A witness told police that Bauer was playing loud music in his room before a building supervisor turned the power off. Bauer contended he was allowed to play music until 10 p.m. The supervisor said Bauer confronted him by pulling a rules sheet off the wall and pushing the paper in his face. The two eventually engaged in a physical altercation. The report says Bauer was loud and uncooperative with police until being threatened with pepper spray.

Jose Mercedes Gutierrez, 50, Tomah, was referred to the district attorney after a March 12 incident in the Tomah Memorial Hospital emergency room.

Hospital staff told police that a person had brought Gutierrez to the emergency room for severe chest pains. Staff told police that Gutierrez adamantly refused medical treatment and threw a blood pressure cuff across the room. When police arrived, Gutierrez was yelling profanities at hospital staff. The report says Gutierrez refused orders from police to calm down and resisted when officers placed him under arrest. Gutierrez reportedly told police to put me in jail.

Gutierrez submitted to a preliminary breath test and recorded a blood-alcohol count of .211. He was referred for disorderly conduct and resisting an officer.
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(6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (2) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (4) Nov 15 (6) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (2) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (2) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (2) Oct 24 (2) Oct 23 (2) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (2) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (2) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (2) Oct 14 (4) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (2) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (4) Oct 07 (4) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (7) Sep 26 (4) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (5) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (5) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (7) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (4) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (2) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 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JACKSON  It's not too big of a deal for a Gros Ventre elk feeder to spend a night "out."

In other words, be stranded  and with no more than an ever-present colleague and elk for company and only dreams of a warm bed and meal. The cause can be a broken snowmobile or bad weather  or both, as was the case earlier this winter for veteran Gros Ventre feeder Jay Hoggan.

The mishap struck while on a routine 8-mile trip away from the Patrol Cabin Feedground, his winter home, to feed the elk at Fish Creek. The first sign that the journey was headed in an unpleasant direction was when snowdrifts started shooting up over the front of his sled. Then, around 2 p.m., after the elk had their hay, a faulty clutch put the kibosh on a gas-propelled return trip down valley to Patrol Cabin. The snow was too deep and weather too risky for a horseback ride home, so an old bully shed became Hoggan's home for the night.

"I called that shot, which was good," Hoggan said. "It was the right thing to do."

An errant ax, some wooden poles lying around and a barrel enabled a fire, which was critical because his clothes were "wringing wet."

"The wind was blowing so damn hard we couldn't stay out by the fire," Hoggan said of himself and his assistant at the time, Josh Drewes, "so we'd get warmed up and we'd get in that bully shed and stay until we get too cold and get back out."

So it went, at least for Hoggan, through the night. Drewes was a "little hobo" who had no problem sleeping through the cold.

"He knew how to get in that fetal position," Hoggan said. "In fact, I had to wake him up. He'd done that before."

Such is life for the elk feeders who tend the three remote Wyoming Game and Fish Department feed grounds along the snowed-in Gros Ventre Road. They're 13 1/2 miles past the plowed end of the road, which itself is an hour from town.

There's a bit less hardship and more monotony, of course, in the day-to-day. The morning of Feb. 17, Hoggan and his new help, Lucas Bielby, were prepping for their daily elk feeding session after having emerged from a toasty cabin following a hearty breakfast.

Hoisting himself to the top of a 15-foot-high haystack, Bielby warmed up fast and stripped off his coat. It was clear and, for now, still very cold. One by one the Rigby, Idaho, resident lofted down the approximately 100-pound bales to Hoggan, who neatly stacked them on the back of a flatbed sleigh. Up front were two powerful-looking draft horses, Robin and Casino.

By the time the task was completed, more than a ton of the rectangular bales bogged down the sleigh. But with a "ged-oop" command and a jump, the team easily pulled away.

"This is the funnest part of the day for me," Hoggan said. "Watching my team scratch out of the yard."

In the process of feeding the elk, the slow-moving sleigh deposited chunks of hay Bielby nudged off the trailer. Hoggan, who drove Robin and Casino, selected long, straight feed lines that cut through fresh snow. Groups of the approximately 1,000 elk gathered at Patrol Cabin Feedground follow the team, eager to get a portion of the breakfast line to themselves.

Hoggan has a clear way with the draft horses, and breaking in and turning around young colts and mares is a passion. After they've spent three or four years in the Gros Ventre, once the animals are whipped into shape, he'll swap in a new, unproven team.

"If you didn't like the horse deal, it would be pretty tough," he said. "That's my enjoyment  these guys."

Life up the Gros Ventre in wintertime is isolated.

After the road closes to wheeled vehicles in December, it's only snowmobile traffic, and even that can be scant and generally limited to a few winter-keepers, landowners and commercially guided groups. Hoggan's relatives come up on occasion to help out and visit. A satellite phone provides regular contact with his young family, which includes a 10-year-old and 17-year-old, who stay back in Hamer, Idaho.

Two of Hoggan's farm dogs, Ann and Cowgirl, and Bielby's puppy, Belle, make the winter journey to the Gros Ventre. They join along not as working dogs, but as companions.

In all Game and Fish has 16 contracts for its 21 feed grounds. At the more accessible elk feeding sites the contracts tend to go to ranchers and other people who live nearby and can afford to peel away and commit a few hours of the day to feeding elk.

Historically, the jobs were typically occupied by actual Game and Fish employees, often younger folks looking for an in into Wyoming wildlife management. Among Game and Fish Director Scott Talbott's first agency jobs, for instance, was a winter spent feeding elk at the Jewett Feedground.

"It's not a lucrative position. It never has been," Talbott said. "And back in day, when I was doing it, it was really difficult work."

Up the Gros Ventre the duties haven't changed much.

Hoggan, who has held the contract for 11 winters, said that an increase in wolves in the Gros Ventre has made his workdays easier. Elk once congregated at all three feed grounds in the river drainage  at Alkali and Fish creeks and Patrol Cabin. When the wapiti were spread out it necessitated a daily snowmobile ride to each site, and feeding often entailed a long day's work.

Nowadays, figuring safety in numbers, the elk herd tends to ball up at one site. Recently this winter the congregation point has been Patrol Cabin, where fewer than 1,000 animals  near record low numbers for the valley  gathered on the mid-February Friday.

It's a rare breed of person who is essentially able to be dumped in the wild with a dry cabin, herd of elk and team of horses and survive self-sufficiently for months while not going crazy. But Hoggan's clearly well cut out for it. The abundant free time, monotony of the work and isolation seldom get to him.

"If your family calls from home and shit ain't going right, then you can get a little ringy," he said. "But man, usually I just can't wait to get up and hook that team and get going again."
LAS ARMAS DE CORONEL Ver tambien mi website: www.armasdecoronel.com para leer dos de mis libros, entrevistas, etc.


VOA Learning English presents Americas Presidents.

James Monroe easily won election in 1816. He had a relaxed, likeable personality and was popular with voters. In addition, many saw him as a last connection to the countrys founding generation.

Monroe had fought in George Washingtons army during the Revolutionary War against British rule.

He was a diplomat during Thomas Jeffersons presidency and helped complete the Louisiana Purchase.

Monroe served as James Madisons secretary of state  and briefly as his secretary of war, as well  during the War of 1812.

Voters positive feelings carried Monroe into office and defined his presidency.

Era of Good Feelings

When Monroe became president, the United States had just declared victory against British forces in the War of 1812. The American economy also was doing well, at least at first. And the government was mostly united under a single party.

But Monroe did have one immediate problem: He and his wife, Elizabeth, could not move into the presidents house right away. The British had burned it badly in an attack on Washington, D.C. Workers were busy making repairs.

So, Monroe decided to go on a trip. He spent the first weeks of his presidency traveling.

He went north into New England, visiting important places from the Revolutionary War or the War of 1812. Everywhere he went he reminded Americans of their shared, proud history. He even wore clothes in the old colonial style. One of Monroes nicknames is the last of the cocked hats.

Then President Monroe turned west, toward lands that white migrants were increasingly settling. They were able to move west in part because American soldiers had defeated a powerful alliance of Native American tribes.

What had been a victory for the U.S. government was a crushing loss for Native Americans. Many tribes moved farther west. Others began to lose their languages and their customs as white settlers took control.

For Monroe, however, the visit west was a positive sign of the countrys expansion.

By the time he returned to Washington, Monroe had met many Americans. He had learned for himself the geography of the country. And he had demonstrated that all parts of the U.S. could be connected by patriotism and a common federal government.

One newspaper called Monroes presidency the beginning of an Era of Good Feelings.

Four years later, Monroe won a second term even more easily than his first.

The Missouri Compromise

Yet James Monroes presidency had several crises.

One was the countrys first economic depression in more than 30 years.

Another was over slavery. The country had been divided over the issue since its founding. By the end of 1819, eleven states, all in the South, permitted slavery. Eleven states, all in the North, did not.

The question became: Would the new states in the West permit it?

Monroe had to face the question when settlers asked Congress permission for Missouri Territory to become a state. Many enslaved people already lived there. White settlers expected to bring more.

But a member of Congress from a Northern state proposed that Missouri could become a state only if it banned slavery. That proposal started a debate that lasted more than a year.

For the most part, the debate was not based on the moral problems with people owning other people. Instead, it involved economic and political concerns.

Northerners argued that slave-holding states had an unfair economic advantage. In addition, if Missouri entered the Union as a slave state, its lawmakers would move the balance of power toward the South.

The debate continued so long that another area asked to enter the Union. People in northern Massachusetts wanted to organize into an independent state called Maine.

After some time, lawmakers offered a compromise. They said Maine could be admitted as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. But they also made a line across a map of the country. They said Congress would not admit another slave state north of that line.

James Monroe signed into law what became known as the Missouri Compromise. It settled the issue of slavery, at least officially, in the U.S. for more than 20 years. But everyone knew that the peace between pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups was only temporary.

The Monroe Doctrine

In 1823, Monroe made one of the most important foreign policy decisions in American history. It became known as the Monroe Doctrine. It related to Spains colonies in Latin America.

Monroe had dealt with Spain before. In his first term, he and his secretary of state, John Quincy Adams, successfully negotiated with Spain to buy Florida for the United States.

By Monroes second term, Spain had also lost control of some of its former colonies in Latin America. The president became concerned that Spains European allies would try to help the country re-gain power. He did not want European powers interfering in areas so close to U.S. territory and so important to U.S. trade.

So Monroe gave a speech to Congress. He said the U.S. would stay out of Europes affairs. But he said Europe should also stay out of Latin Americas affairs.

And, Monroe declared that European powers would not be permitted to begin colonizing any area in the Western Hemisphere.

In other words, Monroe declared that the U.S. considered the entire Western Hemisphere its sphere of influence.

Historians note that Monroe did not aim for the declaration to be a major statement. But it became a base of American foreign policy and supported U.S. expansion throughout the 19th century.

Final years

James Monroe was the fourth and last president in the Virginia Dynasty. Except for John Adams, four of the first five American presidents were from Virginia.

Monroe and his wife returned to their home there after he left office. They had a close relationship with each other, as well as with their two surviving children, both daughters.

Unlike many politicians of his time, Monroe had brought his family with him on his travels. He also believed strongly in education for girls. When the Monroes lived in France, young Eliza Monroe attended the best school for girls in Paris.

This loving family spent as much time together as possible. So, when Elizabeth Monroe died, James Monroe was filled with sorrow. His health also began to fail.

He moved to the house of his younger daughter, Maria, in New York City. James Monroe died there one year later, at age 73.

Like two other former presidents, Monroe died on the 4th of July  Americas birthday.

Im Kelly Jean Kelly.

Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

See how well you understand the story of the fifth president by taking this listening quiz. Play each video and then choose the best answer.

Quiz - America's Presidents: James Monroe Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

relaxed - adj. informal and comfortable

positive - adj. hopeful and optimistic

remind - v. make someone think about something again

geography - n. the natural features of a place

advantage - n. a condition that helps to make something better or more likely to succeed than others

affair - n. a matter that concerns or involves someone

sphere of influence - n. an area of control or activity

dynasty - n. a family, team, etc., that is very powerful or successful for a long period of time
Download Lesson 49

Speaking

Pronunciation

Conversation

Anna: It is no secret that Washington, D.C. has spies. Well, it should be a secret because spying is secret. But its not a secret. Theres even a spy museum! The International Spy Museum has created an amazing collection of spy things! And today, we will see them! My boss, Ms. Weaver, has sent me here  on a mission!

Ms. Weaver: Hello, Anna, are you there?

Anna: Thats her. Yes, Agent Peacock. This is Agent Flamingo, reporting for duty.

Ms. Weaver: Agent what? Look, Anna  I mean, Agent Flamingo, I want you to learn all you can about spying.

Anna: You mean, collect intelligence?

Ms. Weaver: Yeah, its for our new show -- D.C. Secrets.

Anna: You've got it, Agent Peacock. The mission is safe with me.

Ms. Weaver: Oh, okay, great. Just be back by noon.

Anna: Agent Peacock, Im at an air duct!

Ms. Weaver: Yes, spies sometimes sneak down air ducts.

Anna: I have never snuck down an air duct. Its dark and small. Im afraid of dark, small places.

Ms. Weaver: You can do it, Agent Flamingo. You know, spies arent afraid of a little darkness.

Anna: Right. Its just an air duct -- a dark, small air duct. Okay. Im doing it, Agent Peacock! I am sneaking down a long, dark, small air duct. Im having a little trouble breathing.

Ms. Weaver: Just keep going, Agent Flamingo. Think of the team!

Anna: Okay, I will think of the team. Im thinking of the team, Agent Peacock! I did it! I did it! I sneaked down an air duct. That was a little uncomfortable.

Ms. Weaver: Good!

Anna: What's the next mission?

Ms. Weaver: Umm  have you ever cracked a code?

Anna: No.

Ms. Weaver: Well, go learn. Spies use their brains.

Anna: Got it! Ive never cracked a code before. Lets try, Agent Flamingo! This is really hard. I'm still trying to crack the code. I've cracked the code! I've cracked the code, Agent Peacock! My brain really hurts.

Ms. Weaver: Great. Umm, Agent Flamingo, now answer this question: Do spies have to be in good shape?

Anna: Yes, Agent Peacock! Spies have to be in really good shape! Can you hear me?

Ms. Weaver: Youre breaking up, Flamingo.

Anna: The International Spy Museum is awesome! Agent Peacock, I completed the mission!

Ms. Weaver: Great. Great. Now, I have another very important mission for you.

Anna: Got it. See you back at H.Q.!

Ms. Weaver: Yummy! You brought my lunch! Thanks, Agent Flamingo!

Anna: Mission completed. Agent Peacock!

(Amelia makes a face.)

Ms. Weaver: Don't ask.

Special thanks go out to the International Spy Museum for letting us film in the museum!
Many reporters have been killed in Syria. Others have been forced to leave the country -- or frightened into doing so. But believable information can still be gathered about what is happening there. A worker at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia recently discovered how.

Christopher McNaboe is the manager of the Syria Conflict Mapping Project at the center. He says he discovered that many people in Syria use the internet.

Syrians -- and actually people in the Middle East in general -- are two to four times as likely to share information about politics and religious views online.

Before he became the manager of the project, McNaboe was an intern at the Carter Center. He says he discovered that the conflict in Syria was different than others.

There are actually more minutes of video than of real time conflict. The Syrian conflict represents a major paradigm shift in the way in which conflict plays out -- previous conflicts did not take place in connected environments like Syria.

McNaboe discovered he could use Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to gather information on where fighters were in the country, who they were fighting for and who was joining them. He was able to document the formation of more than 7,000 opposition armed groups in the country. Some of the groups are no longer active.

In the case of Syria, theres just too much -- videos, Facebook posts, tweets, blogs, photos, you name it. Syrians are very active about getting information out, he said. One of the first things we started seeing online was the announcement of defections. As the conflict turned violent, people started defecting from the Syrian security forces. And they did so online.

McNaboe now works full-time to map the war in Syria. He shares his information with mediators and humanitarian groups to help them understand the conflict.

The information available online ranges anywhere from political statements, and defections, and armed group formations, to footage of the actual fighting, and humanitarian relief efforts -- you name it, says McNaboe.

Former President Jimmy Carter told VOA the information can help aid groups.

So when the United Nations needs to find the, the best avenue to take in relief supplies, we can tell them which way to go.

The Carter Center publishes some of its maps and reports about Syria. They are used by reporters, non-profit groups and governments. Carter says he gave some information to President Vladimir Putin when Russian forces entered Syria in 2015.

When he got ready to join in, and, and bomb, factions within Syria, I wanted to make sure he'd bomb the right ones -- or at least he knew what he was bombing. So I sent him a, a message through his embassy and said 'we have this capability within Syria to tell you where things are, people are located. Do you want to have that? And so the next day I got a response from him Yes, I would like to have your maps. So we sent our maps, on, on a current basis, to President Putin so when he bombs in Syria, he knows from us where the different people in Syria are located.

McNaboe says the Carter Center wanted Russia to know that the center could watch their targets in Syria.

Some observers are worried that some military forces will use the centers maps and reports. But McNaboe says the center does not share information that puts people at risk.

If you're a combatant in the conflict and you dont know where the front lines are, our information is, is not gonna help you too much. Youve got bigger problems. And, and so we're, we're careful of what we make totally public. We, we want our effort to pursue peace and support peace efforts, and do everything it can to reduce the risk to civilians and, and any participant in the conflict.

Im John Smith.

VOA Correspondent Kane Farabaugh reported this story from Atlanta. John Smith adapted his story for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly 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

intern  n. a student or recent graduate who works for a period of time at a job in order to get experience

real time  adj. happening or shown at the speed at which a computer receives and processes information

paradigm  n. a model or pattern for something that may be copied; a theory or a group of ideas about how something should be done, made, or thought about

connected environments  expression places where people have access to the internet

document  v. to create a record of (something) through writing, film, photography, etc.

defect  v. to leave a country, political party, organization, etc., and go to a different one that is a competitor or an enemy

mediator  n. someone who works with opposing sides in an argument or dispute in order to get an agreement

footage  n. scenes or action recorded on film or video

relief  n. things (such as food, money, or medicine) that are given to help people who are victims of a war, earthquake, flood, etc.

faction  n. a group within a larger group that has different ideas and opinions than the rest of the group

capability  n. the ability to do something

basis  n. a fixed pattern or system for doing something (used with on)

combatant  n. a person, group or country that fights in a war or battle

front lines  n. an area where soldiers are fighting

pursue  v. to make an effort to find out more about (something)
Daniel joins firm

Taylor Daniel has joined the Daniel Cos. commercial real estate firm.

Daniel, a Bismarck native, recently graduated from North Dakota State University with a marketing degree.

He earned his North Dakota real estate license in 2014, interned as a commercial Realtor the past two summers and participated in the International Council of Shopping Centers Global Retail Real Estate Convention in Las Vegas. He also completed the ICSC University of Shopping Centers education program at Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Landis achieves

Kassy Landis, a mortgage officer at Starion Bank in Bismarck, was named to Mortgage Executive Magazines Top 1 Percent of Mortgage Originators in America list for the second consecutive year. The minimum eligibility criteria are a total personal production of at least $30 million in 2016.

Landis joined Starion in 2006 as a teller and became a mortgage underwriter in 2008. She earned an associate degree from Bismarck State College and a bachelors degree from Dickinson State University, both in business administration.

Metz gets promotion

Heather Metz has been promoted to lead mortgage loan processor at Cornerstone Bank in Bismarck.

Originally from Bismarck, Metz majored in anthropology at North Dakota State University. She joined Cornerstone as a mortgage loan processor in 2015 and has more than 10 years of banking experience.

Two excel in sales

Chad Oswald, of Wilton, was a top-5 producer of FUMI commercial insurance sales for Farmers Union Insurance during January.

Also in January, Ryan Schnell, of Bismarck, was the top producer of PACCO Auto Insurance and a top-5 producer of FUMI personal lines insurance sales.

Hanson elected

Russ Hanson, executive vice president of the Associated General Contractors of North Dakota, was elected chairman of the AGC of America Executive Leadership Council during its annual national convention in Las Vegas.

Hanson will serve the final year of a two-year term on the 26-person AGC of America board of directors in his role as 2017 chairman of the ELC. He will also be the presiding officer of the ELC board.

Wald participates

David Wald, Bismarck, with Securian Financial Advisors of N.D. Inc., attended an invitation-only event held by Securian Financial Services Inc. that recognizes the top 25 investment producers for Securian. It features economic updates, portfolio manager presentations and practice management strategies as well as networking opportunities.

Brooks promoted

Ray Brooks, who has worked at Bismarck Aero Center for almost two years, has been promoted to lead certified flight instructor.

Prior to working at Bismarck Aero Center, Brooks served 24 years in the U.S. Air Force, where he focused on mentoring and training others. He is also an active member of the Civil Air Patrol.

Vance with Sanford

Jeffrey Vance, a nurse anesthetist, recently joined Sanford Health in Bismarck.

He graduated from the University of North Dakota with a bachelors degree in nursing and a masters degree in nurse anesthesia.

Bauer selected

John Bauer has been named director, North Dakota generation, for Great River Energy.

Bauer attended the power plant technology program at Bismarck State College prior to starting his career in 1981 at Great River Energys Coal Creek Station and most recently was manager of North Dakota operations services.

He replaces John Weeda, who is retiring in May.

Bauer will oversee all of Great River Energys generation facilities in North Dakota, including Coal Creek Station, Spiritwood Station and Stanton Station. Bauer also serves on the power/process plant advisory board for Bismarck State College.

Warford designated

John Warford Jr., owner of Warford Orthodontics in Bismarck, has been designated a Top 1% Invisalign Provider.

The designation means he has treated more patients than 99 percent of Invisalign tooth-straightening providers worldwide.

Warford received his undergraduate and dental degrees from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and completed his residency in orthodontics at the University of Missouri in Kansas City.
Wake up!! It is not about Obamacare, or Trumpcare, but rather universal care, or an expansion of Medicare to all Americans.

Thirty percent of Americans do not get the health care they need, and is one of the reasons Americans are dying sooner than need be. This does not include our politicians, who get the best possible health care, while seeking to deny it to the rest of us too young for Medicare. We rank 37th in the world in quality of healthcare, between Costa Rica and Slovenia. Americans are going broke trying to pay for healthcare to keep themselves and their families healthy while for-profit healthcare companies, such as CIGNA and United Healthcare, make huge profits on our backs.

When people wake up, get organized, and make their needs known, an unstoppable force is released. This is not a Republican, Democratic, or Independent issue, but rather an American issue. Everyone expects police and fire protection. Why not health protection for ourselves and our families?

Most of the civilized world, including Canada, Mexico, and all of Western Europe take this right for granted. Why not us? Why are we the exception? It is not because we are right and they are wrong. No country with nationalized healthcare will ever, ever, ever give it up for our barbaric, for-profit, health system. That will never happen.

Call up your senator and demand expansion of Medicare to all Americans, which would be health care equality for all.

DANIEL BERGHER, MD

Sedona
KinderKidz, a new daycare facility, is opening in Bismarck.

Director Taylor Krieg said the facility is licensed for 92 kids. The building has six classrooms and accepts youngsters age 6 weeks to 6 years old.

The daycare, located at 1413 Sharloh Loop in the former Discovery Childcare Center, should be open within the next few weeks.

Enrollments are being accepted via email kinderkidzdaycare@yahoo.com or by calling 701-751-0551. Krieg said spots for infants are already full but space is still available for other age groups.

Hours are 6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m., and kids are served breakfast, lunch and a snack. There are two outdoor play areas  one for toddlers and one for preschoolers  and an indoor play area for hot or cold days.

Krieg said preschool students are offered a full preschool curriculum to get them ready for kindergarten.

The Bismarck location is an expansion of KinderKidz Learning Center in Dickinson.

Career fair scheduled

United Tribes Technical College is holding a career fair from 1 to 4 p.m. March 29 in the James Henry Gymnasium on the UTTC Campus, 3315 University Drive, Bismarck.

Career counselor Devin Wertman said 53 employers have registered to attend and theres room for about 30 more booths. There is no fee for employers to participate.

Wertman said the career fair is open to all industries to visit with students and share information about the careers available in the area.

For more information, contact Wertman at dwertman@uttc.edu or 701-221-1863.

Barber retiring

Ray Schock, a barber at Mug & Brush, is retiring after more than 56 years on the job.

Louie Baltrusch said he and Schock started working together at the south Bismarck shop in October 1989.

He was cutting my hair talking about trying to get in together with someone, Baltrusch said. After some consideration, the two became partners.

Baltrusch, who has been a barber for more than 54 years, said Schock apprenticed in Velva to get started in the business. He would then go on to cut hair at the luxury Grand Pacific Hotel, which used to be located at the corner of Fourth Street and Broadway Avenue. Schock also cut hair at the old Anderson Building for 22 years before moving in with Baltrusch.

Weve had a lot of fun together, said Baltrusch, adding they have laughed along with their customers over the funny stories told as only the truth is spoken in the barber shop.

Baltrusch said Schock finally decided to hang up his shears to travel the country with his wife.

He wants to see Alaska, and he wants to see the New England states, Baltrusch said.

Those wanting to wish Schock a happy retirement should stop in the shop before the end of April.
Chuck Berry, rock n rolls founding guitar hero and storyteller who defined the musics joy and rebellion in such classics as Johnny B. Goode, Sweet Little Sixteen and Roll Over Beethoven, died Saturday at his home west of St. Louis. He was 90.

Emergency responders summoned to Berrys residence by his caretaker about 12:40 p.m. found him unresponsive, police in Missouris St. Charles County said in a statement. Attempts to revive Berry failed, and he was pronounced dead shortly before 1:30 p.m., police said.

Berrys core repertoire was some three dozen songs, his influence incalculable, from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to virtually any group from garage band to arena act that called itself rock n roll.

While Elvis Presley gave rock its libidinous, hip-shaking image, Berry was the auteur, setting the template for a new sound and way of life.

Chuck Berry was a rock and roll original. A gifted guitar player, an amazing live performer, and a skilled songwriter whose music and lyrics captured the essence of 1950s teenage life, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame said in a statement.

Well before the rise of Bob Dylan, Berry wedded social commentary to the beat and rush of popular music.

Berry, in his late 20s before his first major hit, crafted lyrics that spoke to the teenagers of the day and remained fresh decades later. Sweet Little Sixteen captured rock n roll fandom, an early and innocent ode to the young girls later known as groupies. School Day told of the sing-song trials of the classroom (American history and practical math; youre studying hard, hoping to pass) and the liberation of rock n roll once the days final bell rang.

Roll Over Beethoven was an anthem to rocks history-making power, while Rock and Roll Music was a guidebook for all bands that followed (Its got a back beat, you cant lose it). Back in the U.S.A. was a black mans straight-faced tribute to his country at a time there was no guarantee Berry would be served at the drive-ins and corner cafes he was celebrating.

Everything I wrote about wasnt about me, but about the people listening, he once said.

Johnny B. Goode, the tale of a guitar-playing country boy whose mother tells him hell be a star, was Berrys signature song, the archetypal narrative for would-be rockers and among the most ecstatic recordings in the musics history. Berry can hardly contain himself as the words hurry out (Deep down Louisiana close to New Orleans/Way back up in the woods among the evergreens) and the downpour of guitar, drums and keyboards amplifies every call of Go, Johnny Go!

When NASA launched the unmanned Voyager I in 1977, an album was stored on the craft that would explain music on Earth to extraterrestrials. The one rock song included was Johnny B. Goode.

Charles Edward Anderson Berry was born in St. Louis on Oct. 18, 1926. As a child he practiced a bent-leg stride that enabled him to slip under tables, a prelude to the duck walk of his adult years. His mother, like Johnny B. Goodes, told him he would make it, and make it big.

A fan of blues, swing and boogie woogie, Berry studied the very mechanics of music and how it was transmitted. As a teenager, he loved to take radios apart and put them back together. Using a Nick Manoloff guitar chord book, he learned how to play the hits of the time. He was fascinated by chord progressions and rhythms, discovering that many songs borrowed heavily from the Gershwins I Got Rhythm.

On his 90th birthday last year, Berry disclosed that he would release his first new album in 38 years in 2017, titled simply: Chuck. The announcement said it would be comprised primarily of new, original songs written, recorded and produced by him. MDT/AP
NORTH KOREA has conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine that leader Kim Jong Un is calling a revolutionary breakthrough for the countrys space program, the Norths state media said yesterday. Kim called the test a great event of historic significance for the countrys indigenous rocket industry, the KCNA report said.

PHILIPPINES President Rodrigo Duterte said yesterday that he would not be intimidated by an impeachment complaint and threats of an international lawsuit for his anti-drug crackdown and added that hed rather have criminals dead even in the thousands or billions if they threaten law enforcers than see his men killed.

MYANMAR Four men accused of involvement in the murder of a top legal adviser to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyis ruling party appeared in a Yangon court on Friday to hear the charges against them. Three of the suspects are former army officers, fueling speculation the military was involved with the crime  an accusation it denies.

JAPAN The government held its first-ever drill Friday to protect citizens in case a ballistic missile is launched toward Japan. More than 100 residents were warned by loudspeakers of a possible missile threat and urged to seek shelter indoors because missile parts might fall.

RUSSIA About 4,000 people have demonstrated in St. Petersburg to protest the handover of the citys landmark St. Isaacs Cathedral to the control of the Russian Orthodox Church, which they see as a leader of social conservatism.

MALDIVES The Maldives government said Friday that Saudi Arabias king has postponed an official visit because of the spread of swine flu in the archipelago nation.

ITALYs president, whose brother was murdered by Cosa Nostra, traveled on Sunday to an organized crime stronghold to honor hundreds of Italians slain by the countrys crime clans over the past decades. President Sergio Mattarella also praised the judges, prosecutors, police officers, union leaders, businessmen and politicians who courageously combatted or denounced organized crime.

PERU The intense rains, overflowing rivers, mudslides and flooding being experienced in the country are the worst seen in two decades, Peruvian authorities said Saturday, affecting more than half the nation as the death toll since the beginning of the year hit 72.
The state's first high school radio station, KLHS, went live last month in Linton, a town in Emmons County with a population of about 1,300 residents.

The online radio station is the brainchild of a local alternative education program supervisor with 30 years in the radio industry, working in the tri-state region as an on-air announcer and building and owning his own radio station in Langdon, which is still running.

Jay Schmaltz said he brought an idea to two new administrators: to start a radio station owned by the school and operated by students.

This station is not the first in the country. In fact, many high schools in other states have had radio stations dating back to the 1950s.

KLHS broadcasts live online Monday through Friday morning from the campus of Linton High School. Four students  all females  are enrolled in the radio journalism class, and they play music from the '60s, '70s and '80s, read the weather and do school announcements.

Schmaltz calls it a work in progress but said he hopes the station will expand to allow the students to write for broadcast and do interviews.

At some time in the next year, we will be a full-fledged radio station to the point of where well have local news, local sports," Schmaltz said.

Radio stations are bleak in Linton. The closest stations come out of Bismarck and Mobridge, S.D. KLHS, since going online Feb. 13, has become a sort of defacto community station.

Were not being served here, Schmaltz said. I feel this can serve a purpose for the public and also for the school. I think this is something that the community needs.

A niche program

Schmaltz approached Linton Public School Superintendent Paul Keeney and the high school's principal, Michael Schirado, with the proposal last summer.

But, he said they wondered, would any high school students even want to get involved? And how could they get school credit?

I had never heard of it before," said Schirado, who is in his first year as principal of the school. "It seemed like a really great idea, and it just needed some guidance and push to make it happen.

Schmaltz said they found out they could make the station a credited course for students through a radio journalism course offered through the North Dakota Continued Distance Education, an accredited virtual school.

They went to the school board and asked for about $3,000 for equipment. Schmaltz, who expected to get about $1,000, said he was surprised when the entire request was granted.

Schmaltz credits the superintendent and Schirado for helping start the station.

"They are very gung-ho, very innovative. Theyre looking for that niche that the other schools arent doing but that we can provide for our students here," he said.

Small beginnings

Four interested students enrolled in the radio class  Hannah Schumacher, Raanne Schiermeister, Tiffany Smith, and Kailee Horner  and started working at the station, with Schmaltz on the controls.

Each day, the students do their coursework online and switch 30-minute shifts broadcasting online.

The station is online, because it was faster than having to go through sometimes several years worth of "hoops to jump through" with the Federal Communications Commission to obtain a radio license. The station also is featured on cable access channel 22 for BEK TV.

The four students work for an hour out of a makeshift studio built by the Linton High School shop class in Schmaltz's classroom.

Nothing great, but it will suffice for now, he said. We have long-term plans that this will grow.

The radio station has helped improve the students' communication skills, Schmaltz said. Smith, a student in the class, agrees.

"You have to slow down a lot (on the radio)," said Smith, a junior at Linton High School.

Smith said she took the class to learn something new. Through the class, she's learned how to operate radio equipment, stick to a time schedule and read the weather. She plans to continue in the class next school year.

Schmaltz said he hopes the class will expand in the fall with a more permanent studio and production facility. And perhaps  in the near future  it might turn into a over-the-air radio station. An "educational station," of course, Schmaltz said.

Thats what it would be, if it was anything. It wouldnt be commercial, itd be educational because I want it to stay here. I want it to remain in the school, and I want it to be run by the students," he said.

The skys the limit: I think we want to approach everything with that kind of a mindset," said Schirado, adding he hopes the student-run station can collaborate with other classes, such as English and history.

To listen to KLHS, visit www.klhslintonhigh.com. To donate to the station, contact Schmaltz at Jay.Schmaltz@k12.nd.us.
Q: can you call the police on your neighbors if they are standing outside of their home smoking marijuana on their porch? Im getting quite tired of it and wondering if there is anything I can do about it. Can I call the non-emergency number without feeling like I am wasting anyones time? I mean is there something that the police can really do about it? -The neighbor tired of the stench

A: My first thought was to tell you to get the hose out and water some weeds but then I thought that next weeks question might be who to call to get the hose out.

If you are talking about remaining anonymous then I would advise you to call the Crime Stoppers for the law enforcement agency in your area. If you dont know what the number is you could look it on a phone book (Does anybody still have those?) or on your cellphone. If you cant find the number in your area, then you may be able to leave the information with the non-emergency number or ask them for the agency you need to contact. Most agencies that have Crime Stoppers lines are good about getting that information to the correct person.

I will say that law enforcement does not feel it a waste of time to report incidents like this to them. Many times this is how crimes get solved when citizens get involved to try and stop, slow or prevent crime. Against popular belief, we are not Big Brother and dont have the ability to know when everybody is breaking the law.

As far as if there is anything the police can do with anonymous information, the answer is, yes they can use it as reasonable suspicion and maybe take away that stench for you.

Q: I use to hear your name all the time in the past when it came to domestic violence. I dont seem to see or hear about you as much and was just wondering if you still do anything with domestic violence? Lila

A: I still am very much into fighting domestic violence (not literally of course). The good news about not hearing my name as much is that the awareness I and others help get out to the community almost 20 years ago has taken off and now more people are carrying the torch and taking up the questions that only a few of us had the answer for in the past.

I still give talks or teach domestic violence classes to not only law enforcement but to the public as well. If you would like me to hear me speak to your group just send me an email or contact me at the police department.

My belief is that if we can stop most of the crime at home we can stop most of the crime on the street.

Officer down:

Please put these officers, killed in the line of duty, and their families in your prayers. They fought the good fight, now may they rest in peace. God bless these heroes.

Deputy Sheriff Curtis Bartlett, Carroll County Sheriff, Virginia

Police Officer Houston Largo, Navajo Division of Public Safety

K9 Ranger, Forest Lake Police, Minnesota

Have a question for Policeman Dan? Email your question(s) to policemandan@yahoo.com or look for Ask Policeman Dan on Facebook and click the like button. Mail to: Box 147, Heyburn, Idaho 83336
BOISE  Idaho teachers of all grades and disciplines are invited to apply to attend the Idaho Humanities Councils weeklong summer institute exploring the theme Wallace Stegner and the Consciousness of Place, July 16-21, on the campus of Boise State University. Successful applicants will receive lodging and meals, texts, and the opportunity for optional college credit. Community college teachers also are eligible to apply. The deadline for online applications is April 1.

Teachers will receive institute texts, including Stegners memoir of his youth Wolf Willow, his novel The Angle of Repose, a collection of his essays, and an electronic compilation of other pertinent primary and secondary readings. In addition to attending daily lectures and discussions, teachers will attend special evening presentations, view films, and share ways of teaching Stegners works in the classroom.

Scholar presenters so far include Tara Penry, Professor of English, Boise State University, Jennifer Emery Davidson, Director of The Community Library in Ketchum and current Chair of the Idaho Humanities Council, Matthew Stewart, doctoral candidate in environmental history at Syracuse University, Richard Etulain, History Professor Emeritus, University of New Mexico, and others.

Teachers traveling more than 250 miles one way may be eligible for a modest travel stipend upon request.

The online application deadline is April 1. For more information, visit www.idahohumanities.org, call the IHC office, 208-345-5346, or contact Cindy Wang at cindy@idahohumanities.org.
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TWIN FALLS  Health officials are urging Idahoans to check their cupboards for products associated with a nationwide illness outbreak and food recall.

To date, 16 people in nine states, including Oregon and Washington, have become seriously ill after eating soy nut butter products related to I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter. The products may have been purchased in Idaho grocery stores or online and distributed to schools, childcare centers and other institutions.

So far, no illnesses have occurred in Idaho. But health departments are advising any variety or size of I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter, I.M. Healthy Granola, or Dixie Diners Club Carb Not Beanit Butter should not be eaten, regardless of the date of purchase or the date listed on the container.

State health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are investigation an ongoing outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli illnesses reported from several states.

This type of E. coli, called STEC, can be very dangerous, especially in children and elderly persons, Dr. Christine Hahn, medical director for the Division of Public Health, said in a statement. We urge everyone, including schools and daycare centers, to check to make sure they do not have this product, and if they do, to dispose of it immediately.

Even if a portion of the products were eaten or served and no one became sick, the remaining product should be sealed in a bag and thrown in the trash so that children, pets, or other animals cant eat it. More information about the recall can be found on the FDA website at www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/Outbreaks/ucm544964.htm#recall.

The symptoms of STEC infections vary but often include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody) and vomiting. Most people get better within five to seven days, but some infections are severe or even life-threatening. Hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure, is a potentially life-threatening complication of STEC infection.

Very young children and the elderly are more likely to develop severe illness and HUS than others, but even healthy older children and young adults can become seriously ill. The majority of the illnesses confirmed as part of this outbreak are in people younger than 18. At least eight children have been hospitalized.

CDC has details about the multi-state illness investigation on its outbreak website at cdc.gov/ecoli/2017/o157h7-03-17/index.html.

Contact your healthcare provider if you have diarrhea that lasts for more than three days or is accompanied by high fever, blood in the stool or so much vomiting that you pass very little urine and cannot keep liquids down.
This past weeks well-publicized hot mic moment involving Rep. Ron Nate is pestering my conscience to honor a commitment I made to myself months ago, that I would defend those who find themselves in a media firestorm created less by what they said or did, and more by a caricature of who they are. While my politics are fairly closely aligned with Nates, I do believe the conservative caucus he belongs to has made some errors in both approach and tactic.

Even so, the media obsession over this hot-mic moment was a disgrace to journalism.

Nate, during a casual conversation about education on the house floor with Rep. Gayann DeMordaunt, at some point said We all know our districts, we know there are some teachers there that are clearly overpaid. Before I get to the context of his statement, I have to point out that this comment on its face is absolutely defensible. We have nearly 16,000 teachers in Idaho. To believe that there arent some of them not doing their jobs is purely asinine. Any of us with more than a child or two has had to help a kid get through a school year being taught by a terrible teacher that would have made a better anything-but-a-teacher. Nearly every principal likely has a teacher or two in the building that shed like to shepherd on to a new phase in life, freeing up salary money that could go to better talent.

Saying so is not an affront to teaching. Its acknowledging the reality of any industry with thousands of employees. There are some cops that are overpaid. There are some nuns that are overpaid. And yes, even some teachers are overpaid.

The statement itself wasnt worthy of controversy. But whats even worse, is that my point isnt even close to the point he was making. The clip came from a short snippet of internet streamed video, literally only a few seconds long. Before any statewide media outlet made any apparent effort to ascertain context, by pulling the full video, it was important for them to get the comment out there, to get the headlines circulating. If a burden of correction or clarification rested on them, it would have to come later, because propagating the narrative of this ultra-conservative lawmaker going after overpaid teachers was too tempting for it to be hindered by journalistic ethics and prudent reporting.

As for the context? Well, its pretty simple. Ron Nate has been working hard to get more money into teachers pockets, plain and simple. He repeatedly advocates shifting what he deems wasteful spending over to fund more robust teacher salaries. In fact, the entire premise of his conversation with DeMordaunt was how to boost educators pay  especially in an industry that resists paying more for hard-to-fill science and math teaching positions. The media took one likely misspoken comment and painted a picture. Nates record over time paints a much different picture.

If the media wonders why they struggle to be trusted, admired, or believed  heres their sign. A cursory news search, now days later, shows no significant effort has been made to bring clarity, other than from Nates hometown paper and an east Idaho internet-based news outlet. You know, local journalists doing the jobs statewide journalists wont do.

Even if you dont believe Rep. Nate deserves better, the voting public who depend on the news media to tell the whole truth, does. At some point if trust in the media is to be restored, the gotcha game will have to stop. Real journalists dont play for any team except the one devoted to providing a truthful accuracy to its audience.

Dont hold your breath for a thoughtful follow-up, or a self-aware correction. They procured their chunk of flesh. Their mission was accomplished. They bestowed their outrage exactly where they wanted to. And now its on to another news cycle.
Russian rulers have long been content to accept fear and awe in lieu of respect and admiration, and by that standard, Putin shone in 2016. This year that is proving a tougher gig to keep up, as he prepares for what might be his last presidential election in 2018.

Last year, Putins boldness, combined with a bit of luck, paid off: The victories in Syria, the successful destabilization of Ukraine, the swelling support for populists in Western nations. Even the Russian economy provided some hopeful signs with something of an agricultural boom and the de-facto end of negative growth (economic output shrank just 0.2 percent last year). But the path to greatness Putin has chosen is a tough one: Its easier to make headlines than to turn them into tangible, long- or even medium-tern advantages.

Russias efforts to cultivate an opposition to the continents centrist elites look likely to backfire. The wise men at the Kremlin and the Russian foreign ministry never entertained much hope that Geert Wilders would become Dutch prime minister and veto a sanctions extension, or that National Front leader Marine Le Pen would win and dismantle the European Union altogether. French republican candidate Francois Fillon represented a far more solid hope  an alternative to Germanys determination to treat Russia as an adversary. Fillon, however, has been tripped up by a satirical newspaper that discovered he had been paying his wife a parliamentary aides salary; Putin has always underestimated the power of a free press, perhaps because he has limited experience with one.

In the upcoming German election, no serious party or candidate can be counted on to advance Putins goals: Social Democrat Martin Schulz is no more pro-Kremlin than Chancellor Angela Merkel. So in Germany, Russian interference has been invisible so far, and it will likely stay that way through election season.

Donald Trumps victory in the U.S. initially looked like a major success for Putin, especially if one believes the stories of Trumps and his associates close ties to Russia. But even if Trump had planned to make any peace offerings to Putin, he has been hemmed in by a major anti-Russian campaign run by the media and his political rivals. And for anyone who still thinks Trump is a Russian puppet, on Thursday, the State Department, run by supposedly pro-Russian former oil executive Rex Tillerson, put out a statement strongly condemning Russias annexation of Crimea timed to coincide with the annexations third anniversary.

Trump is nevertheless better for Putin than Clinton would have been. Hes disengaged from Europe, and Merkels visit to Washington on Friday is unlikely to fix what started off as a dysfunctional relationship. His focus is clearly domestic, and hes disinclined and probably ill-equipped to meddle in areas where Russian interests are strong, such as Ukraine, the Balkans and Libya. In Syria, his interest is limited to defeating the Islamic State  something that is also in the Russian interest.

Under Trump, the U.S. has stepped up involvement in Syria. Recent U.S. strikes helped Bashar Assad and Russia retake Palmyra from ISIS fighters. All of this moves Russia closer toward its goal of securing Assads position in any future settlement, but its not ideal. Putin would have preferred to resolve the Syrian crisis in partnership with Turkey, leading to a de-facto division of spheres of influence between the two countries. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, proved a less than reliable partner because of his overweening interest in destroying Kurdish separatists, and Russia has been forced to accept a kind of unspoken situational alliance with the U.S. to keep him in check. This complicates the final deal for Putin; in any case, the deal is nowhere in sight at this point despite Russian and Turkish diplomatic efforts.

In the Balkans and in Libya, Russia has made its interests known, but it has been careful not to make any Crimea-style surprise moves; victory wouldnt be certain and a defeat could be catastrophic for Putins carefully constructed reputation as an international force. Last years alleged failed coup in Montenegro  probably a freelance effort by Russian nationalists Putin tolerates rather than fully backs  is a good reason for caution. Moscow also hesitates to go all in for Libyas General Khalifa Haftar: He may turn out to be too weak, requiring a costlier effort than Putin can afford, both politically and militarily.

Ukraine, where Russias immediate interests are stronger than in the Middle East, continues its self-destructive trajectory. President Petro Poroshenko recently decided to back a blockade of eastern Ukraines separatist regions, which his government previously said could result in heavy economic losses for the nation. The reason Poroshenko flip-flopped is that the blockade was backed by fiercely anti-Russian war veterans  a force Poroshenko himself has unleashed and one he now fears.

Its possible that, by tightening his stranglehold on Ukraine, Putin isnt just turning it into a lost cause for the West  hes also encouraging violent forms of nationalism whose rise is more dangerous to Russia than Poroshenkos incompetence and corruption. This year, Ukraine is likely to drift further away from Russia, not get closer to it.

Economically, too, there is not much relief on the horizon for Russia. A joint attempt with Saudi Arabia and other oil exporters to talk up oil prices by promising big production cuts is fizzling. If current prices  below $50 per barrel  hold, the Russian budget wont collapse, but there will be no growth bonus, either. Gross domestic product is expected to increase by about 1 percent  a slower growth than in other emerging markets or even the EU, and not enough to back any kind of geopolitical expansion beyond the existing relatively cheap projects.

Putin can try to move fast and unpredictably in a new shock-and-awe campaign. But he cant count on strong allies or on a buoyant economy, and his instinct appears to be to exercise caution for now. Thats a sure way to disappear from the headlines he has counted on to bolster his image.
The following editorial appears in Saturdays Washington Post:

The speed and enthusiasm with which two federal courts halted President Trumps latest travel executive order might suggest that the revised policy is as obviously problematic as the last, which was a sloppy rush job that the government poorly defended in court. In fact, the revised policy, while still more likely to harm than help national security, is legally far more defensible. Decades of precedent instruct judges to defer to the executive branch on immigration and national security matters such as this. It should surprise no one if the Supreme Court eventually allows the Trump administration to proceed.

Among other problems, Trumps first order essentially broke faith with foreigners who already had commitments from the government, violating their right to due process. In contrast, the revised order would not deny entry to lawful permanent residents or visa holders.

Two federal district court judges nevertheless blocked implementation of the new order this week, finding that it violates the First Amendments establishment clause, which demands separation between church and state. Judge Derrick K. Watson relied on previous rulings that government actions must have a primary secular purpose as he rejected the national security rationale the Trump administration offered and concluded that Mr. Trumps transparent aim was temporarily suspending the entry of Muslims. Watson used the presidents previous calls for a Muslim ban, along with a variety of more recent statements from Trump associates, as evidence of Mr. Trumps discriminatory intent.

But as a thoughtful counterpoint from five judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit pointed out, the Constitution expressly stipulates that Congress can set naturalization policy, and Congress did so in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952which delegates the president broad authority to suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants. In the past, when the executive branchs use of that authority has conflicted with other constitutional principles, such as freedom of speech and freedom of association, courts have been deferential to the executive, acknowledging that immigration policy is a complex subject in which a variety of interests can and do motivate decisions and in which the courts should be wary of substituting their judgment for that of the political branches. In general, courts bow to the government as long as it provides a facially legitimate and bona fide reason to act.

Even using that deferential standard, critics could argue that the national security justifications the Trump administration has provided for its order are too thin; as a policy matter, the order lacks the support of logic or evidence, despite the Trump administrations late efforts to locate some. They could also argue that the establishment-clause interests are so strong that the courts must try to ascertain the presidents authentic motivations, as they have in other contexts.

But judges may well flinch at the prospect of conducting a trial to ferret out the presidents intentions and to craft new boundaries for the nations immigration policy, restrictions that could be binding on Mr. Trumps successors, too. The critics have a strong case that the presidents executive order is self-defeating and offensive to American values. But it is far from clear that the courts will deem it illegal, too.
Somethings go unsaid which need to be. Over the course of the past four years I have been thinking of the great customer service that Washington Federal employees have shown to our family. About four years ago, we needed to get some money to our son, who was serving in the military, and was about to leave on deployment. Things became complicated and normal routes were not available. At the time, Washington Federal was undergoing a conversion and the bank was extremely busy. What impressed me was that my concerns became their concerns even to the point that the bank manager worked to help us. This is the kind of effort that makes loyal customers and great friendships over the years. We have been customers for more than 20 years and the unfailing kindness and service has made this one of the greatest associations we have had in Twin Falls.
Not Jordan Peterson:

Raised and toughened in the frigid wastelands of Northern Alberta, Jordan Peterson has flown a hammer-head roll in a carbon-fiber stunt plane, piloted a mahogany racing sailboat around Alcatraz Island, explored an Arizona meteorite crater with a group of astronauts, built a Native American Long-House on the upper floor of his Toronto home, and been inducted into the coastal Pacific Kwakwakawakw tribe.

Hes been a dishwasher, gas jockey, bartender, short-order cook, beekeeper, oil derrick bit re-tipper, plywood mill labourer and railway line worker. Hes taught mythology to lawyers, doctors and businessmen, consulted for the UN Secretary Generals High Level Panel on Sustainable Development, helped his clinical clients manage depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, and schizophrenia, served as an advisor to senior partners of major Canadian law firms, identified thousands of promising entrepreneurs on six different continents, and lectured extensively in North America and Europe.

With his students and colleagues, Dr Peterson has published more than a hundred scientific papers, transforming the modern understanding of personality, and revolutionized the psychology of religion with his now-classic book, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief. As a Harvard professor, he was nominated for the prestigious Levinson Teaching Prize, and is regarded by his current University of Toronto students as one of three truly life-changing teachers.

Dr. Petersons online self-help program, The Self Authoring Suite, featured in O: The Oprah Magazine, CBC radio, and NPRs national website, has helped tens of thousands of people resolve the problems of their past and radically improve their future.
Not making a profit since 1975! ...And since 2007, one of the Best Left-Wing Book & Culture Review Sites on the Net.
Over one thousand figures from the fields of politics, economics, culture, the media and civil society have flocked to the Moroccan Southern city of Dakhla, which is hosting for the third consecutive year the Crans Montana Forum.

This years session, held under the topic A New Africa for the 21st Century, opened by the reading out of a message addressed to participants by King Mohammed VI.

In this message that stands as a roadmap for the continents development, King Mohammed VI insisted on the importance of South-South cooperation, as the best way to promote Africas development, if this cooperation is based on solidarity and sharing.

South-South cooperation, which is based on the culture of sharing and solidarity, is the mechanism that will enable our countries to exchange their expertise directly and immediately. It will help improve our field experience, make the most of our complementarities and expand our national markets. It will also open up new opportunities for efficient and beneficial investment and achieve effective sustainable human development, while respecting each countrys national sovereignty, as well as the principles of mutual esteem and equality, said the Monarch in his message.

Morocco believes in Africas capacity to rise to the challenges facing it and to ensure sustainable human development for its peoples, thanks to its vast natural and human resources, King Mohammed VI said, adding, The African renaissance we yearn for hinges on how much belief we have in ourselves, how far we rely on our own capacities and potential, and how well we exploit them, within the framework of mutually-beneficial South-South cooperation and solidarity-based strategic partnerships.

I am sure we can rise to these challenges. Today, Africa is governed by a new generation of pragmatic leaders, uninhibited by outdated ideologies. They are working, with a high sense of patriotism and responsibility, to achieve their countries stability, political openness, economic development and social progress, he stressed.

We are pleased to work hand in hand with these leaders, who are keen to ensure the unity and progress of Africa, the continent of the future, and to serve the interests of its peoples. We look forward to working together with them to enhance its growing role and the important status it henceforth enjoys at the international level, added the royal message.

The King, who insisted that the African continent tops Moroccos foreign policy, recalled that over the years, Morocco has established a multidimensional development model encompassing all sectors of the economy: agriculture, industry and energy production, services -which include banking, insurance, transport and logistics  as well as an array of complementary social, cultural, security and religious domains.

In this context, the Kingdom of Morocco pays particular attention to human development, through both training and sustainable human development programs which have a positive impact on the living conditions of African citizens, he went on saying.

Morocco is also keen to consolidate security and stability all over the continent, hence its contribution to UN peace-keeping operations and mediation initiatives aimed at finding peaceful solutions to conflicts, as well as its involvement in security cooperation to fight terrorist groups, he pointed out, adding that Morocco also shares with African countries its experience in the religious field, which is based on promoting moderate Islam and fighting radicalism and reclusion.

Our sincere African orientation is motivated by a deep belief in Africas capacity to address the challenges it faces. It also illustrates our eagerness to contribute, along with our brothers, to developing our continent, insisted the Moroccan King.

Touching on the development model initiated in the Moroccan Southern provinces, the King pointed out that the structuring projects launched in the region seek to turn it into an integrated economic hub that will help promote communication and trade with African states.

The Moroccan Sahara region, and Dakhla in particular, play a special role in this orientation, as a historic platform connecting Morocco to Africa, said the king in his message.
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THE TRUE COST OF ALL THAT 'CHEAP' LAOR THAT DESTROYED AMERICA THE BIG SECRET DEMOCRATS DO NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW: Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute has testified before a Congressional committee that in 2004, 95% of all outstanding warrants for murder in Los Angeles were for illegal aliens; in 2000, 23% of all Los Angeles County jail inmates were illegal aliens and that in 1995, 60% of Los Angeless largest street gang, the 18th Street gang, were illegal aliens.
A Community Newsblog written by Community Members

Middletown's a big place, with a lot going on. We need your help to keep your neighbors informed.

Come write or just give us a tip on your news, sports, arts, politics or events at - middletowneye@gmail.com

Help us to make the Middletown Eye the third eye people open every morning!


Elected

Nina Lund and Sue Orr were recently elected to serve on the Child Care Resources Board of Directors. Lund is the Vice President of Human Resources and Talent Management at Washington Corporations and Orr is active in a variety of community organizations and causes, including Missoula Community Radio 105.5 FM.

Recognition

Matt Jacobson, lead surveyor for Territorial Landworks, Inc., has obtained his Professional Land Surveying License for the state of Idaho. Jacobson is also licensed in Montana and North Dakota. Jacobson began his career in land surveying in 1995 and has experience with both government and private sector projects. He became a partner in Territorial Landworks in 2008 and continues to be vital asset to the surveying department and the company. The addition of this Idaho license allows TLI to better serve client needs and to continue Jacobson's expertise for the firm.

New Associates

Cody Jensen has recently joined the team at Territorial-Landworks, Inc. Jensen graduated from Montana State University in 2005 with a degree in Construction Engineering Technology and received his Professional Engineering License for the state of Montana in 2016. He brings experience in civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, autoCAD 3-D modeling, site plan design, land use consulting, surveying, construction estimating, construction safety and heavy civil construction. Jensen has been hired as a project manager for TLI and will be serving the Flathead Valley region.

Aaron Neilson, a Missoula native, recently joined Blackfoot as vice president-general counsel. He received his undergraduate and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Montana and brings several years of private practice experience from Seattle and Missoula law firms. Neilson's broad legal expertise will serve Blackfoots multiple service areas and expanding customer base well. He, like Blackfoot, is dedicated to responsibly and actively serving in the community. Really Neilson is returning to Blackfoots team, since he played on its Little League team as a child.

Vasiliy Lemeza, Chris Ireland and Rachelle Quinett have joined Keller Williams Western Montana Realty in Missoula. Keller Williams is one of the largest international real estate franchise companies in the world, offering comprehensive educational resources and technological tools. These advantages have attracted some of the most talented owners, brokers and agents in the business. We know that all these wonderful agents will be a great fit and we are excited they have chosen our office to hang their licenses.

The Montana based accounting firm of Junkermier, Clark, Campanella, Stevens, P.C. (JCCS) is proud to welcome Alex Karafiat to the JCCS family. Karafiat started work in the Missoula office of JCCS in September 2016. He graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in accounting. His primary focus at JCCS is audit. You can reach Karafiat at 406-549-4148 or alex.karafiat@jccscpa.com. Founded in 1946, JCCS is a full service accounting and business consulting firm with offices in Great Falls, Hamilton, Helena, Kalispell, Missoula and Whitefish.

Vasiliy Lemeza, Chris Ireland and Rachelle Quinett have joined Keller Williams Western Montana Realty in Missoula. Keller Williams is one of the largest international real estate franchise companies in the world, offering comprehensive educational resources and technological tools. These advantages have attracted some of the most talented owners, brokers and agents in the business. We know that all these wonderful agents will be a great fit and we are excited that they have chosen our office to hang their licenses.

EXIT Realty Missoula is pleased to welcome Mike Whiteman to our team. Mike has been a Realtor for more than 11 years and is ready to work with buyers or sellers, he can be reached at 406-880-6126.
In an ordinary bucket of water from Lolo Creek, all it takes is a close look to reveal a dizzying array of life: fishing spiders, stone flies and all kinds of bizarre aquatic insects that usually escape the attention of humans.

On Wednesday, more than 60 sixth-grade students from Lolo School got to do something they rarely experience: explore the ecosystem of their own backyard with the help of specialized scientists. The Watershed Education Network, a nonprofit in Missoula, took the kids on a field trip to learn about everything from the proper chemical balance of river water to how water speed affects natural erosion. They also learned how, because some insects are more susceptible to pollution than others, the abundance of certain bugs in a waterway is an indicator of the health of the surrounding environment.

These field trips are the most important thing we do, explained Alaina Strehlowa, a board member for WEN. The nonprofit takes kids from schools all over western Montana on field trips several times a week to learn about Montanas rivers, streams and lakes and how important they are to the environment. The funding sources for the trips are not secure, Strehlowa explained, meaning the nonprofit struggles every year to come up with enough money to make it happen.

Recently, WEN was one of three winners of capacity-building grants from the Missoula Community Foundation, which also awarded grants to the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center and Womens Opportunity and Resource Development.

***

The Missoula Project for Nonprofit Excellence grants are given to nonprofits that are poised for growth and are designed to strengthen the operations and build their organizational efficiency. According to MCF executive director Meredith Printz, the grants work for a year and have two parts. First, each nonprofit gets $5,000 worth of consulting work done and then they get a $5,000 grant to put the ideas brought forth by the consultant into action.

A professional local consultant helps them evaluate their internal workings, Printz explained. So, for example, the Poverello Center went through the program. They had just moved in to their new building and they wanted to bring a new attitude. This assessment helped them discover they need to work on marketing and branding, so now they have a communications plan and a new website. Theyve reported more donations and staff morale is now higher.

Printz said the grants give nonprofits an opportunity to reach a higher level of effectiveness in a time of great change.

Another example is the Roxy Theater, Printz said. They went through it and made changes, and now theyve been so successful that they have redone their facade and have moved on to another section of their strategic plan based on the MPNE program.

The beauty of the two-part grant, Printz said, is that not only do the nonprofits get to identify areas where they can improve but they also get money to implement recommendations made by the assessment.

This years grant recipients, while diverse in their missions, are all facing significant opportunities for growth, Printz said. We are thrilled to support three worthy local organizations by helping them better adapt to meet the changing needs of the community.

The Jeanette Ranking Peace Center has a mission to build peace by focusing on nonviolence, social justice and environmental sustainability. They have identified a need for better coordination among Missoulas nonprofits as well as increased outreach.

Womens Opportunity and Resource Development (WORD) helps low-income women and families achieve economic self-sufficiency and empowers women to shape the policies that affect their lives. The MPNE grant will help that nonprofit evaluate current practices and create a plan for a sustainable future.

***

The Watershed Education Network provides innovative science education programs and place-based lessons that get students knee-deep in their backyard rivers and streams. It has grown rapidly from serving four elementary schools in 1996 to educating 85 preschool through college classrooms in 2016.

Deb Fassnacht, the executive director of the Watershed Education Network, said the grant will give the nonprofit an opportunity to create a roadmap for long-term sustainability.

We want to look at how we build it to meet demand from teachers for stream monitoring programs and do the best education for all grade levels, she said.

Fassnacht said many kids, especially in rural schools, dont normally get an opportunity to learn why the streams and rivers surrounding their town are so important. They also dont realize why maintaining healthy waterways is important for all kinds of wildlife, from eagles to elk, as well as to the local economy.

It really does come together when theyre at the river pulling on waders, grabbing an aquatic insect net and saying whoa I didnt know this was there and realizing those indicate a healthy ecosystem, Fassnacht said. Its tough to teach out of a book, so we really think Montana kids really need to know about their backyard rivers and streams. These are the kids that are going to go on and be future stewards of those watersheds.

They only charge $100 for the field trips, but Fassnacht said theyve never turned down a request because a school was unable to pay. They make every effort to serve low-income kids and schools.

The MPNE program is coordinated in partnership with the Helena-based Big Sky Institute for the Advancement of Nonprofits. Its a collaborative grantmaking program, with Caroline Kurtz, Martha Newell, Annie Schaub Watson, Julie Osborn and the MCF participating in fundraising, leadership and decision-making. The grants were supported this year by the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, the High Stakes Foundation, Stranahan Foundation and United Way of Missoula County.

Weve seen how powerful the MPNE capacity building process has been for other nonprofits in our community, said Schaub Watson. The three nonprofits selected this year are such an important part of Missoula, and we are thrilled to partner with them to help multiply their impact.
There are signs from the outside that one particular house in the Rattlesnake Valley isn't typical.

From a distance, it might appear that the homeowners set a cubist smokestack on the porch. Sheltered under a roof, it might look as though they've kept a large tree trunk, sanded and painted with colorful lines.

Since this is the longtime home of the late Rudy and Lela Autio, those objects are not what they might seem. That burner is a 500-pound bronze sculpture by Peter Voulkos, the Bozeman native who went on to an influential career in abstract expressionist ceramics. If you want to see another Voulkos, head to the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, where he's the subject of a solo exhibition called "The Breakthrough Years."

Take a few steps closer, and that trunk is actual a tall ceramic form by Jun Kaneko. He calls them "dangos," the Japanese word for "rounded form" and also "dumpling." The artist, born in Japan and now based in Omaha, shows his work around the world.

Inside the home, behind the couch in the living room, hangs an abstract painting, roughly 6 by 8 feet, by David Askevold, a Montana native who went on to an influential career in conceptual art.

The Autios were collecting  and making  art in Montana since the 1950s, helping pioneer modernism in a rural state where the Western romanticism of Charlie Russell was de rigueur.

In Helena, Rudy Autio helped found the Archie Bray Foundation, the ceramics center that grounded Montana as a vital hub for clay art around the country. In Missoula, he started the University of Montana ceramics program. Lela, a freewheeling experimentalist, taught art in the local schools and showed her work around the state.

Together, they maintained friendships and nurtured students through the decades. They were voracious collectors, trading or buying art, often from friends like Voulkos and Kaneko, or students like Askevold who went on to careers.

***

Rudy passed away in 2007 at age 80. Lela died in 2016 at 88. Their son, Chris Autio, a photographer, has been documenting the collection to create a proper archive. He's photographed 2,200 pieces, including his parents' own and work by others, and estimates he has another 800 to go. Besides ceramics, Rudy made murals, paintings and drawings, the latter of which accounts for the high volume.

A new exhibition at the Missoula Art Museum, "Nexus: The Lela and Rudy Autio Family Collection," gives a glimpse into their artists' lives.

"We wanted to paint this rich, complex picture of them, giving them full due in their role as central to contemporary art in Montana," said senior curator Brandon Reintjes. He imagines a "parade of creative energy that came and went" from the Autio home over the decades, including mentors, colleagues and students, both formal and informal.

It's one of the greatest art collections in Montana right now, he said, in terms of its depth and breadth and the impact on the culture.

On one wall, you'll see a series of small works that hearken back to the beginning. There's a drawing by Henry Meloy, the Columbia University-educated modernist who hailed from Townsend. Along with his brother Peter, he helped an industrialist named Archie Bray turn a brickyard into a ceramics wellspring.

Nearby, there's a piece by Frances Senska, the potter who taught Rudy and Voulkos at Montana State University. Next to it is a Rudy lithograph of Voulkos at work on a small ceramic piece. The two were founding artists at the Bray, friends with highly contrasting styles who are credited with shaping ceramics as art instead of a craft.

Rudy's work is represented, too. He also made purely abstract bronzes. His mural work can't fairly be represented in a museum show, but there's a brick from the abstract mural he made for the Charlie Russell Museum in Great Falls.

The works that have become his signature are there as well: the Matisse-inspired flowing vessels, which he decorated with paintings of nude figures and for which he's best known are there. One such piece, "Glass Slipper," is likely among the last works he completed before he died of leukemia, said his daughter Lisa Autio. During a remission in 2005, he returned to the Bray to work. The piece shows all lush line work and vitality he's known for.

In a phone interview, Kaneko said Rudy's pieces are "like a direct translation of his personality." They're warm, graceful and subtle. He admired the speed at which Rudy could work, a rate that's only possible if you master the materials.

"He was definitely one of the most important ceramic artists in American history," Kaneko said.

***

While Rudy was a quiet and subtle person, the son of a Finnish miner in Butte who learned to work with his hands, Lela created boisterous art that matched her personality. She was raised in Great Falls by a single father, a ranch hand from Belt. She was creative with her swearing and deeply loved education her entire life. In her art, she was bold and cared little for convention. She naturally moved from abstract painting into an even more expressive mode, with fiber and Plexiglas constructions that burst from the 2D plane.

Former MAM curator Steve Glueckert described her as "an artist's artist," and recalled how Rudy and Voulkos often discussed how her work was more innovative.

In an oral history interview with the Smithsonian Archives of Art, recorded in 1983-84, Rudy said, "Lela's been kind of the driving force, the organizer behind me and I have to admit that it could have very easily been the other way, you know. Lela's a very talented artist. And I think that she let a lot of that slip because she's been supporting me. And I regret that. I wish that Lela's career could have paralleled mine ... ."

Chris said that his father thought of Lela as his best critic.

"I still, even in my own work, have the deepest respect for Lela's perception," Rudy said in the oral history. "When she walks around the studio and says, 'My God, that's awful.' Or, 'You shouldn't use that blue on a yellow.' It will bug me for weeks! I have that much respect for what she's thinking about that I think that a lot of my work is a union of what Lela thinks and what I do, you know."

The children had several stories about Lela gleaning pieces of art from students. Kensuke Yamada stopped by the Autio house in 2010 after his MFA show at the University of Montana. He happened to have several ceramic sculptures in the back of his truck. After Lela inquired what he was doing with them  throwing them away  she insisted on taking them and paying him "handsomely" for it, Chris said. (One of those, an untitled, loosely expressionist bust, is in the MAM.)

She loved "anything that really was messy and colorful," daughter Lisa said. Only a year before Lela died, she bought a large diamond-shaped piece, made from spray paint and found objects such as carpet, from an MFA show.

Rudy had many students earlier in his career who are now well-known artists in their own right. Beth Lo has shown her ceramics here and abroad, and mentored a generation of clay artists herself. Rudy also taught the late Jay Rummel, the hard-living artist and musician whose prints still can be seen around town. The Autios have one of his rarer works, a ceramic platter, which Rummel painted with some of his signature material: a woman and a guitar accented with design-like filigree.

Askevold, a student of Rudy's, traded him the painting for an old farm truck. After leaving Montana, Askevold shifted into conceptual art out of a new home base in Nova Scotia. He showed his work in major museums around the United States before his death in 2008.

Several of Rudy's colleagues' work will catch the viewer's eye. Ted Waddell, before he became famous for his expressionist paintings of the Plains, worked in minimalist stainless steel sculptures like the one the Autios have.

Ken Little, who led the UM art department in the 1970s before pursuing a prominent career in Texas, befriended the Autios. They have two pieces from his varied careers: a combine in the spirit of Rauschenberg of a mounted steer head decorated with shoes, plus a more minimal bronze doe mask.

Their friends and counterparts Robert and Gennie DeWeese are represented in the show, too. While the Autios were based in Missoula, the art scene in Bozeman flourished around the DeWeeses.

"The DeWeese family was just magical," Lisa said, opening their doors to artists, writers, poets, musicians and more. "It was that kind of family. You were always welcome."

One such friend, Robert Pirsig, included them in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance."

The Autios used to vacation together at Flathead Lake during the summers, and have drawn pictures of each others' families at gatherings.

***

The Autios maintained ties to their artist friends outside Montana through travel. Often Rudy Autio would visit, give a workshop and create works, leaving a piece behind.

Kaneko, a resident artist at the Bray in 1967, met Rudy through Voulkos. They came to Omaha for one of his invitational "experimental studio" gatherings. Kaneko had a workspace large enough to build and fire his sprawling works.

During one such visit, Autio constructed one of his largest pieces, at 4 by 4 1/2 feet. He thought it was too big to bring back to Montana, and so he offered it to Kaneko, who holds it in his collection, operated by a nonprofit organization. In return, he sent the Autios the Dango.

Voulkos, who left Montana in the 1960s, built the monumental "Stack" at a ceramics event in Missoula called Wood Stack '95, Chris Autio said. The title is a reference to stacking a wood-fired anagama kiln. Chris remembers the piece taking three days, as Voulkos threw platters and tore them apart to construct the base. After creating a mold and casting a heavy bronze, he gave it to his friend.

It's not the kind of piece you move very often, Lisa said. The MAM exhibition is one of the rare times it's left the house at all, joining work by Voulkos' and Autios' friends and peers, where the stories and connections reverberate through the gallery.

"It's like the story of Montana art," Reintjes said. "It's like a story that's being told with variations endlessly. The building blocks are there. Any time you come to a new situation, you see a new configuration of objects, it gives you more insight into what that whole story is."
The Resource Center at Missoula Aging Services (MAS) is partnering with the MSU Extension Office and others to offer a six-week course for older adults with diabetes or pre-diabetes. The Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP) is available free to Medicare participants and their caregivers.

Classes will help people with diabetes learn how to take charge of their health and get control of the disease. While they are designed for older adults with Medicare, anyone with diabetes or pre-diabetes is welcome to attend. Courses will be held Tuesdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m., beginning Tuesday, March 28, and continuing through May 2, at the Missoula County Extension Office, 2825 Santa Fe Court.

Please call MAS at 406-728-7682 for more information or to register, or go to deepclasses.eventbrite.com to register online. Additional partners include Mountain-Pacific Quality Health, Everyone with Diabetes Counts (EDC), and the Montana Geriatric Education Center.

***

The YWCA Missoula invites you to LUNAFEST, a local event hosted by the GUTS! (Girls using their strengths) Program. GUTS! partners with LUNAFEST, an exciting national film festival featuring short films by, for and about women, to highlight the capacity, strength and beauty of women in film and young women of Missoula. This event will raise funds for our Summer Outdoor Adventure Trips and a smaller percentage for the Breast Cancer Fund. LUNAFEST will be held on Wednesday, April 19, at the Wilma Theater in downtown Missoula. Doors open for our silent auction at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 day of show.

***

Child Care Resources training: Spring Conference is set for Saturday, April 1. How do we create rich environments that meet early childhood standards and allow children and their teachers to flourish?

As an active participant, sharing photos and discussing and brainstorming environmental successes and challenges in your child care program. Youll also create a design for one learning center that you can immediately begin to create in your program.

This conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April, 1. This training is $25, and is worth six training hours.

Please pre-register by contacting Child Care Resources at 406-728-6446, or visit our website at childcareresources.org/registration.

***

Application workshops for anyone interested in applying to build a home in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Missoula will be held Sunday, April 2, at 2 p.m. and Wednesday, April 5, at 7 p.m.

Workshops will be held in the conference room at the YWCA located at 1130 West Broadway.

No child care will be available at either meeting.

Applications will be available at the meetings. Access to our applications on our website or to pick up at our office will be available on Tuesday, April 4. Completed applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 21.

Call 406-549-8210 for more information.

***

To help older adults who want to get better control of their diabetes, Mountain-Pacific Quality Health, the Medicare Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) for Montana, Ag Worker Health & Services and the Montana Geriatric Education Center are partnering together to offer a series of six, free diabetes classes. These classes provide fun, informative and interactive ways to help people with diabetes or pre-diabetes (high blood sugar)

understand diabetes and how it affects the entire body;

manage diabetes in a way that makes sense for them and their individual health goals;

become more informed members of their health care teams, as they continue to work with their doctors, diabetes educators and other health care providers to improve their health.

The classes support, not replace, professional diabetes self-management education. The classes are designed for people age 65 and older. Ag Worker Health & Services will make future announcements about any classes or events for those younger than 65.

The series kicks off Monday, April 17, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., at Ag Worker Health and Services at 9801 Valley Grove Drive #D, which is about a half mile north of Lolo on Highway 93. Classes will then meet every Monday through May 22. Anyone interested in attending theses classes can register by calling 406-273-4633.

***

Humanities Montana awarded a $900 grant to The Montana Racial Equity Project to support the Native American Race Relations and Healing Symposium. The day-long event will feature two panel discussions lead by authors, historians, language preservationists, and experts including John Robinson and Sterling HolyWhiteMountain. The first panel will focus on tribal sovereignty and the second will explore current issues facing the Native American population. The event will take place on Saturday, April 1, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Native American Studies Building at the University of Montana.

Humanities Montana awarded a $1,000 grant to the Wedsworth Memorial Library to fund a monthly book discussion. Dr. Penny Hughes-Briant will host eight discussions from August 2017 to May 2018. All events will be held at the Wedsworth Memorial Library in Cascade.

Humanities Montana awarded a $1,000 grant to Columbus High School to fund the Yellowstone National Park Inquiry Project. Students will research and build projects on the impacts that visitors have on Yellowstone National Parks animals, ecosystem, environment, and cultural values.

Humanities Montana is the states independent, nonprofit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Mountain Home Montana has clients who need assistance, including: a single, pregnant mother who needs a left wrist brace to help with the painful symptoms of her carpal tunnel. A single mother of two needs two bed frames, queen and twin size, preferably non-medal. She already has mattresses. A single, pregnant mother needs a crib mattress to finish preparations for her baby, due next week. Please drop off donations at Mountain Home Montana, 2606 South Ave. W. For more information, please call Jen at 406-830-7612.

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A disabled woman in her 50s needs extra-large shirts. If you are able to donate, please contact Aubrey Johnson at 406-327-4578.

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Disabled woman in her 40s who lives on a limited income desires a television. Please contact Aubrey Johnson 406-327-4578 if you are able to donate one.

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A low-income disabled senior needs assistance with rental deposit. The senior is homeless and does not have credit. The senior needs $600. If you're able to donate, contact Ken at Winds of Change 406-721-2038, ext. 245 or email kbumke@windsofchangemontana.com.

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A low-income disabled grandmother needs assistance getting a new queen-size mattress. Her mattress is in such bad shape she has been sleeping on a small couch. If you are able to donate, contact Ken at Winds of Change 406-721-2038, ext. 245 or email kbumke@windsofchangemontana.com.

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Recently housed homeless man needs assistance with an old past-due utility bill. He needs $60 to pay the bill and have the utilities placed in his name with NorthWestern Energy. The utilities must be placed in his name for him to move in. Housing is vital to his well-being, and any assistance will be appreciated. He could also use cookware, cutlery, glasses or cups, cleaning supplies and toiletries. If you can help, please contact Francis at Winds of Change at 606-541-4673, ext. 242

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A mother and her newborn need temporary hotel housing while they wait two weeks to get permanent housing. Any donations to help cover the $55 nightly cost or $350 weekly cost would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Becca G, at Winds of Change 406-241-6124.

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The Futures young parent support program needs gas vouchers to assist parents with transportation to school and work, as well as medical appointments for their children, parenting classes, and other family obligations. For $250, we can serve 20-25 families for a month. Donations of any amount are accepted and greatly appreciated. Please contact WORD at 543-3500.

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A single mother with two elementary-aged children is in need of two twin size mattresses for her children to sleep on. They recently were able to obtain a bunk bead, but still need mattresses. The children currently sleep on a couch. To help, call Lara Stanley at Sunburst Mental Health Center, 406-745-3681.
Oftentimes the best photographs are those unplanned.

Two Bitterroot Valley photographers earned top honors this past week in the Ravalli County Museums annual Ernst Peterson Photography Contest by capturing one of those unexpected moments.

Donna Husebys Life Changing photograph is a collection of four generations of her familys hands.

My daughter had come to see her grandpa, Huseby said. He was dying. It was just one of those moments that happened. Its a photo the represents the past, present and future.

The family was all gathered around Jim Huesby, who was holding his great-grandson Raylans hand. And then her two children, Dylan and Bree, and her husband, Brent, all reached in to take Jims hand.

While the fingers were intertwined, Donna Huseby leaned over an took a photograph.

A couple of weeks later, Jim Huesby died.

That photograph captured one the last times they were all together.

Huesby didnt know what the judges of the annual contest might think about her photograph, but she decided to enter it anyway.

She had no idea that it had been selected as Best in Show until found herself babysitting her grandson and decided to take a trip to museum.

It took my breath away when I saw that it had been selected, she remembered. It brought tears to my eyes.

She later talked to a woman at the museum who had accompanied the judges. She said they had been struggling a little to decide which photo to pick as the overall winner.

But then they gathered again before Huesbys photo.

The lady said they all said, Thats it. Thats it, Huesby said.

Huesby has since returned to the exhibit. This time she came alone.

I wanted to spend some time there looking at all the photography, she said. There is a lot of beautiful photos there. Its so amazing to me that they picked mine.

The winner of the Peoples Choice award was presented to Greg Dowling for his haunting photo of two horses standing next to a pond under brightly colored, smoky skies northeast of Hamilton.

The photo was taken just a couple of nights after last summers Roaring Lion Fire roared to life. Dowling had been out driving around looking for a good sunset photograph.

He thought he had missed his opportunity.

But then he came upon the scene of the horses standing next the pond and he slammed on his brakes.

It popped right out at me, Dowling said. I saw their reflections in the pond and sky. I jumped out of my car and hurried to take a photo.

It just happened, he said. I was in the right place at the right time.

This is the third time the public has selected Dowlings photography as their favorite in the past four years.

Considering the fact that Dowling knew Ernst Peterson, he sees that as quite an honor. Peterson, a Hamilton resident and Montana native, is among the Bitterroot's best-known photographers, with his work appearing in major publications like National Geographic, the Saturday Evening Post, Country Gentlemen and Colliers. He died in 1991.

As an artist, Petersons photography is in a completely different genre that the photographers of today. Dowling said he didnt really get started taking photographs until film was a thing of the past.

Digital photography has changed the art form.

I have a great deal of respect for those people who spent hours in the darkroom, he said. Its quite a bit different than editing a photo in Photoshop.

Dowling remembers Peterson as quiet and introspective man.

He knew what he wanted to get when it came to his photos, Dowling said. He would go to great lengths to get what he envisioned. It was a different time back then.
The Bitterroot National Forest has received objection letters from the county commission and a state senator on a proposal to thin about 3,200 acres of national forest land surrounding two communities in the southern reaches of Ravalli County.

Neither was opposed to the fuel reduction aspect of the proposed Meadow Vapor project.

The commission urged the Forest Service to reconsider decommissioning unused roads in the project area. The board was especially concerned about the impacts of re-contouring and obliteration of the old roads.

Sen. Pat Connell of Hamilton asked the agency to consider adding additional acreage to the fuel reduction project.

The proposed project surrounds the Springer Meadow and Bonanza Lands communities near Sula. Both communities are located in drainages that hold dense pockets of dead and dying trees killed by insects or damaged by an outbreak of wester spruce budworm.

The 11,000-acre area the agency considered in developing the proposed project had been identified as a high priority for fuels reduction in the Bitterroot Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

In his letter, Connell said the Forest Service was obligated under state and federal laws to expand the area it plans to treat to protect the watershed in order to maintain late-season flows for senior water right holders downstream in the Bitterroot Valley.

By excluding watersheds of Paint, Moose and Martin creeks now, Connell said there was little likelihood that Bitterroot Forest officials would have the funding to target those places later.

There appears to be a lapse in recognition of the critical importance to protect this watershed from major degradation due to post-wildfire effects, Connell wrote.

He also said expanding the project to reduce accumulated beetle-killed trees in the roaded portions of the headwater drainages would also benefit wildlife.

Since 2000, the general area of the Meadow Vapor project stands as the last timbered area not impacted by crown fire that produces much better cover conditions than the surrounding burnt zones, he said. This approach is not beneficial to Montanas elk herds that both migrate annually into this area, as those who reside here year around.

Commissioner Greg Chilcott said the commission supports the fuel reduction aspect of the project, but didnt believe the decision to spend money to decommission old roads through obliteration and re-contouring was wise.

We think the money is better spent maintaining the road infrastructure, Chilcott said.

Many of the old roads have already filled in with new growth. Obliterating and recontouring those roads at this point creates a visual scar that can be visible for miles, the commissions letter read. The disturbances also create prime locations for weed infestation, erosion and impacts to water quality.

Some of the roads slated to be decommissioned may be protected under RS 2477  a law enacted by Congress in 1866 to encourage settlement of the west by a development of system of highways.

RS 2477 was repealed in 1976 under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. That repeal allowed roads already in place to remain.

The commissions letter said eight roads slated for decommissioning fall under the RS 2477 protection.

Chilcott said Bitterroot Forest officials have listened to the commissions concerns and made adjustments based on its comments.

We were really happy that the forest looked at our comments on the draft decision and made those adjustments, Chilcott said. We are just asking them to change the treatment on additional roads and put them in storage rather than decommissioning them.

Darby District Ranger Eric Winthers said the objection period on the proposed project continues through next week.

Once thats completed, we will review the objections and attempt to work out differences, Winthers said. There are probably going to be certain things that well have to agree to disagree.

The hope is the final environmental analysis will be completed this summer, with the bids going out this fall. Work could begin on the project as early as next winter, Winthers said.
Another glowing airport press release arrived at the newspaper a couple of weeks ago. This one came from Glacier Park International north of Kalispell.

Citing record-breaking passenger counts in 2016, airport director Robert Ratkowski announced United Airlines would be adding daily flights to San Francisco for a couple of months starting in July. United, the Chicago-based giant, is also sending larger airplanes to handle passenger loads on direct summer flights to Chicago and Denver.

Its one verse to a familiar song in the air travel industry.

Across Montana and the nation, airports are hustling to keep up with record traffic flows, and theyre spending or planning to spend billions of dollars on upgrades and expansions to do it. Major and medium-size airlines are putting their best wings forward to cultivate the demand, in some cases consolidating to get the biggest bang for their bucks.

"It's a changed game," Kevin Ploehn, director of aviation and transit in Billings said. "Now air service is so important to communities, all communities, the airlines have more options than they know what to do with, than they have planes and pilots to fly."

The sunny outlook clouded over somewhat Thursday when President Donald Trump released his federal budget proposal. It calls for eliminating the Essential Air Service program, which could have a devastating effect on seven rural Montana airports and an impact on Billings, which is the hub for five of them.

Nearly 3.9 million people stepped on or off commercial airplanes in Montana last year. That was 330,000 more than ever before, according to the Aeronautics Division of the Montana Department of Transportation.

Four of the states six busiest airports  Bozeman, Missoula, Kalispell and Helena  set passenger records in 2016. Only No. 5 Great Falls International saw a decrease, while Billings Logan International went up slightly.

Bolstered by two key revenue guarantees, not to mention the attractions of Yellowstone National Park and Big Sky Resort, Bozeman Yellowstone International topped the 1.1-million passenger mark in 2016 and has grown by 52 percent since 2010.

Billings lost its decades-long hold on Montanas top spot to Bozeman in 2013. It remains a strong No. 2 and cultivates consistent annual growth numbers  an average 1 percent to 2 percent going back 20 years, according Ploehn.

Missoula International established record passenger marks in 2014 and 2015, then soared over the 700,000 mark for the first time last year. Its final count of 758,331 was almost twice that of 20 years ago, when 383,000 people flew in and out of what most locals still called Johnson-Bell Field.

Missoula led all Montana airports in 2016 with a 9 percent increase in passengers, even as it homed in on a terminal expansion projected to cost $50 million to $70 million. Construction is targeted for the fall of 2018.

Assistant director Brian Ellestad attributes the Missoula airports rapid growth to a combination of a rebounded economy and a very strong inbound market for Montana as a tourism destination.

Also, the business community has really taken off, Ellestad said.

In Flathead country, passenger counts were at all-time highs for the fifth consecutive year at Glacier Park International.

Weve been discovered, director Rob Ratkowski said. Obviously the park up here is really driving our numbers. Glacier had a record year again, and we had a record year again. But were also seeing an increase in our shoulder seasons.

Next year the Kalispell airport will begin a planning process for a new terminal as well. Its too soon to pin down a cost, though Ratkowski said its not going be anything as drastic as Missoula does.

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To be sure, the spike in air travel isnt confined to Montana. From coast to coast, airports reported all-time high numbers of passengers.

At hub airports out west, Sea-Tac in western Washington set passenger traffic records in each of the past six years. Salt Lake City celebrated a 12-month record of 23 million enplanements in November in the midst of a $2.9 billion reconstruction project to replace terminals and concourses. Denvers record-setting incline reached 58.3 million passengers in 2016. Minneapolis-St. Paul added 20 routes and fell just short of its record 37.6 million set in 2005, just before the economy swooned.

The CEO of Dallas-Fort Worth said last week his airport needs $10 billion, with a 'b,' for upgrades. Los Angeles International broke ground on a $1.6 billion terminal a couple of weeks ago. San Francisco International is on a seven-year streak of passenger load records.

Jonathon Nield has watched the industry balloon in the years since the recession.

Three big things are happening, said Nield, senior consultant for Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting in Seattle. One is that we have an environment where fuel is very, very cheap for airlines right now. Airlines typically like to grow quickly when fuel is cheap and theres a lower risk in doing so.

On top of this, we have the good kind of perfect storm. Im not sure if thats the right phrase for it, but its a situation where fuel is cheap when the economy is actually very strong and healthy. That doesnt usually happen together, but it is.

The final factor, Nield said, is the impact from a wave of airline consolidation.

Delta and Northwest in 2008, United and Continental in 2010, and American and U.S. Airways in 2014 were major mergers affecting Montana markets, among many others. Most recently, Alaska Air, going head-to-head with Delta on its home turf of Seattle, acquired smaller rival Virgin America of California. Alaska announced last week it would add 13 new markets out of San Francisco, the largest expansion in the airlines history.

What youre seeing with all this is the airlines starting to execute their plans to become more dominant in the markets they serve, Nield said.

They're finally getting the hang of it, said Ploehn, of Billings.

The airlines have been deregulated since 1979, but it took them until a few years ago to figure out how to make money on a consistent basis, he noted. When they can make money as easy as theyre making it now, it gives them the wherewithal to potentially make their systems more efficient.

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Montana communities have become aggressive in recent years in attracting new routes and airlines.

Coalitions headed by chambers of commerce and the likes of Big Sky Resort in Bozeman, the Missoula Economic Partnership, and Glacier AERO in the Flathead Valley are cobbling together revenue guarantees meant to alleviate the financial risk to airlines.

In 2011 Bozeman solicited United Airlines for direct service to the New York City by promising an incentive package of $1.7 million. A key element to the success of the application was the $725,000 pledged by a public-private partnership of state tourism councils and local resorts. Last year another revenue guarantee package went far in securing for Bozeman the first American Air service to Montana, nonstop seasonal flights to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Those flights were so successful that the guarantee didnt have to be tapped and airport director Brian Sprenger predicts they'll morph into year-round service. American announced recently it'll add flights from Texas to Billings, lured to the Magic City by a revenue guarantee through the Billings Chamber of Commerce and Big Sky Economic Development. That leveraged a $750,000 grant via the U.S. Department of Transportation Small Community Air Service Development Program.

Missoula received $600,000 from the same program, then tried and failed for a second time to attract flights from Texas to this side of the state.

We still have the $600,000 in our back pocket to use for either Dallas or Houston (flights), Ellestad said, adding the Missoula Economic Partnership has pledged a guarantee with either American or United for the service.

Frontier Air of Denver will resume flights to and from Missoula on April 28, a couple of weeks earlier than last year. Otherwise, therell be no more seats available in what officials said will be a flat year.

That's not unusual, director Cris Jensen said. Well see the pendulum swing where we get a big surge in capacity and it takes a year or two to absorb that capacity. Were kind of in that mode now, where the airlines are not throwing a lot of seats our way. But in talking with the airlines were already hearing that next year could potentially be a big increase.

I think its important to understand that we have gained more service to more communities without guarantees than we have with guarantees, said Sprenger.

The success of Bozeman's United connection to Newark, New Jersey, starting in 2012 led Delta to add its own flights, with no revenue guarantee, from Bozeman to LaGuardia Airport in New York. When United added Bozeman flights to Houston they announced it without us even talking to them, Sprenger said.

Bozemans ability to fill flights to Texas was instrumental in the airlines expansion to Billings, Montanas largest city, which sold American on its business travel potential.

We and Bozeman are completely different animals, Ploehn pointed out. What we have in Billings is a real solid business market. We dont have the tourists like Bozeman and Missoula have. One of the problems I had when I took over and Bozeman was going gangbusters was convincing people not to compare apples and oranges.

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What if the boom goes bust?

As airlines jostle for even better position and airports shell out millions on bigger terminals and more runways, the question must be asked.

People will always want to travel by air and theres nothing like the face-to-face service (airports) offer, said Ellestad. Our terminal is out of date, so even if air traffic were to remain stable, just the amount of money well save in heating and cooling this place will be worth it.

There's room at the Billings airport for just five planes on the concourse. Expansion plans are in the works, a project that Ploehn said could cost in the $40 million neighborhood. He's convinced the benefits outweigh the risks.

Fuel prices are the big animal, Ploehn said. All it takes is somebody starting a war in the Middle East for things to change. But theres plenty of capacity out there, it just all depends on what the market does to it. I dont see anything coming any time soon like we had when the economy tanked.

In my opinion and in the opinion of many, there is definitely a need for investment in airport and aviation infrastructure, said Nield, the Seattle consultant. Sometimes you do see airport investments that are a little bit over the top, but I think as a general rule of thumb theyre necessary.

Even if the returns on capital expenditures arent realized as soon as expected, he concluded, longer term everyone is confident that aviation and air travel is going to grow even bigger.
You often hear that Montanas greatest asset is its young people. I have heard this phrase again and again while politicians talk about creating good-paying jobs.

As a current graduate student and Montana resident, I know that my opportunity for a better job begins with an opportunity to pursue a degree. Unfortunately, this is becoming harder as education becomes more expensive.

Sure, people talk about creating more jobs, but who will be qualified to work those jobs if we are priced out of an education? The budget cuts to our university system are startling, to say the least. What happened to investing in Montanas future? What about reducing the number of talented young people who we export?

My peers and I ask the Legislature to reconsider these cuts and find ways to raise revenue so we dont dismantle our higher education system and keep thousands of young adults from pursuing degrees here in Montana. It is wrong to ask students to pay more for school while the super-wealthy get massive tax breaks.

If the Legislature truly believes Montanas greatest resource is its youth, then it should take the steps to protect us. The current budget does anything but.

Jedd Sankar-Gorton,

Missoula
I can't welcome the refugees, because the state is unable to limit their number. President Obama's goal of resettling thousands of refugees in large colonies throughout the U.S. causes a serious hike in county and state school taxes. When the state must rescue the county from their terrific tax burden, funds are unavailable for necessary infrastructure and assistance to our universities.

Our federal income taxes subsidize refugees. The cost of accepting Middle Eastern refugees is $257,481 per household during their first five years, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. Taxpayers deserve compassion, as do the refugees.

Our founding fathers relied on the Bible and our U.S. Constitution has guarded our freedoms and human dignity since 1787. Two Muslim U.S. Congressmen, Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Rep. Andre Carson of Indiana, sponsored a Hate Speech Resolution in 2015 denouncing "hateful rhetoric towards Muslims in the U.S."

Ellison introduced House Resolution 2798, the Strengthening Refugee Resettlement Act. It permits refugees to become lawful permanent residents and gives them a minimum of 12 months of welfare, health care and living expenses.

Sadly, Turkish citizens in Holland are calling for a referendum "to expand presidential powers," which threaten the Dutch democratic Constitution.

Call the Montana Legislature at (406) 444-4800.

Jeanette Zentgraf, co-chair,

Advocates for Our Republic,

Missoula
Residents of Ramsay don't have big numbers or big bucks, certainly not the kind of money that an Oklahoma corporation with 410 convenience stores and truck stops across the U.S. carries around.

But folks from this 40-household community 7 miles west of Butte are looking for every way possible to stop Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores from putting a giant, sprawling truck stop off of Interstate 90 at their doorstep.

They've even pooled their money and hired a Helena law firm to help them fight it, but even their attorney isn't sure he or they can derail Love's plans.

"We're just gathering information now, and I'm not sure what to expect," David "Kim" Wilson, an attorney with the law firm of Morrison, Sherwood, Wilson & Deola, said this week.

"Obviously they are concerned a great deal about having this large commercial truck stop right in close proximity to their community and the impact that could have."

Some Ramsay residents think they're not only fighting Love's, they're fighting Butte-Silver Bow County, too. They believe some top county officials have worked behind the scenes to make the Love's project happen.

"We have been portrayed as rude, inconsiderate and mean," Michelle O'Bill Fisher wrote in a recent letter to The Montana Standard on behalf of her and several other Ramsay residents.

"We are only asking why the secrecy, what is the need, why in our front yards, and why are you shoving this down our throats?"

Dave Palmer, who represented Ramsay as a commissioner before taking over as the county's chief executive in January, says county officials have only answered inquiries from Love's, just as they do for any business showing interest in Butte-Silver Bow.

He understands why Ramsay residents are angry but says Butte-Silver Bow doesn't have a dog in this fight.

"They are upset about this and think the county is behind this whole thing and we have a magic wand to stop this," Palmer said. "They have to put themselves in Love's shoes. If they were trying to do something, they would want to be treated fairly.

"That is all Butte-Silver Bow is trying to do  treat everybody fairly and follow the rules."

LOOKING THROUGH LOVE'S LENS

Love's started in Oklahoma City in 1964 and knows the convenience store and truck stop business, having grown to 410 locations across the country.

Many of its newer stores and truck stops include franchise fast-food restaurants and sell truck tires and provide tire service. It started adding hotels at some of its locations in 2015.

Steve Walters, a real estate project manager for Love's, detailed the company's plans at a public meeting in the Ramsay School in January. Those plans included a 9,000-square-foot store with space for two food franchises and 137 parking spaces for semis.

But a major detail has changed since then.

Love's initially wanted to build on a 15- to 18-acre parcel along Palmer Street, the town's most easterly street. That spot would have required a zoning variance from the county through a process that takes public opinion into account.

Love's has since shifted the location to privately owned land 500 to 800 feet further east, where a zoning variance is not needed. Walters told the Standard last month the new location also is farther away from houses so residents would be less impacted by light and noise pollution.

The truck stop would bring 60 to 80 jobs to the area and $15,000 in property taxes for the Ramsay School in its first year, Walters said. And he said Love's might be willing to cover $75,000 in repairs to the town's elevated water supply tank, which was damaged by a frozen pipe this winter.

During a meeting this week before the Ramsay Water and Sewer District Board, Walters said Love's also would pay for an engineer to determine water flow and whether the truck stop could hook into the community's water system. It would have its own septic system for sewer service, he said.

"If improvements are needed, we will pay for improvements," Walters told the five-member board as about a dozen residents listened inside the tiny Ramsay School cafeteria. "We want to be good corporate partners. We want to make the best of a bad situation."

BUT READY OR NOT

But even though Walters acknowledged that residents had a "negative opinion" of the project, he suggested it would happen regardless. If everything panned out, he said, they could break ground in June.

With an engineer at his right and an attorney for Love's on his left, Walters told the board they had reviewed the water district's own rules, including those dictated by a federal loan.

"If you have an economically feasible way to give us water, you have to give us water," he said.

Board President Jim Hunt told Walters that members would review the water request and "try to get back to you as soon as possible" without specifying a timeline.

The board has hired Butte-based Water & Environmental Technologies to help determine whether its system can meet Love's water demands and how residential flow might be affected.

After Walters and the others with Love's left the meeting, W.E.T. President Dave Erickson said the company's hopes of starting construction this year were probably unrealistic.

But he also told the board and residents about his own personal take from phone conversations he had with Walters.

"I do believe him when he says 'we are coming one way or the other,'" Erickson said.

TIPPING POINT

Residents aren't giving up their fight and say Love's still has hoops to jump through.

It hasn't been determined whether the local water system can handle the truck stop's demands, for example. And Palmer and others say Love's likely will need an OK from the Montana Department of Transportation.

The interstate off-ramps to Ramsay and an overpass might not accommodate heavy truck traffic, they say, and if big changes are needed, Love's should have to pay for them.

Butte-Silver Bow Commissioner Dan Callahan, whose district includes Ramsay, said the company faces other hurdles.

It knows how much money it can make with the truck stop, he said, and will weigh that against up-front costs.

"There is a tipping point, and depending on how this is added up, Love's will make the decision on whether the price is worth coming," he said.

COUNTY COLLUSION?

Some residents believe county officials have been working behind the scenes to push the project along. Through their attorney, the residents have asked for records of all correspondence about the matter between county officials and Love's.

"They call this economic development," O'Bill Fisher said. "These are not high-paying jobs. These are minimum-wage jobs. It's another truck stop that will be taking away from (Butte-based) Town Pump. They shouldn't be working with them."

Resident Mike Flanick, who joined Ramsay resident Jim Ayres in meeting with the Helena attorney recently, said the "whole point of government is to protect the citizens."

Claims the county doesn't have a dog in the fight are "not the impression we're getting," he said.

Palmer said he first heard about the proposal after he won the Nov. 8 election, when the person he defeated  incumbent chief executive Matt Vincent  mentioned it in passing. Palmer said he didn't know it was Love's  or any other details  until just before Walters detailed plans publicly in January.

But he said even before then, he doesn't believe county officials were pushing the project or acting in secrecy.

"They haven't been working for them; they have been answering questions that came up as far as zoning and what is out there and what would have to be done with the parcels," Palmer said.

He also said the county has no say on whether Butte needs another truck stop, and he had assured Town Pump officials that Butte-Silver Bow was not pushing the proposal or offering public incentives.

"If Love's thinks they can make a go of it, that is a business decision for them to make," Palmer said. "Butte-Silver Bow is not in the business of saying, 'We have four pizza places, no more  we are not going to let anymore in.'"

In 2015, Love's abandoned plans of locating a truck stop off of Interstate 90 by Livingston, 26 miles east of Bozeman. Many residents and businesses were opposed to it, but in that case, city officials had a direct say. Love's needed the city to approve an annexation request for the site, but commissioners voted it down.

In this case, Palmer said, the county does not have a say.

LOOKING AHEAD

For now, the water district board plans to ask Love's if it will guarantee payment for the water tank repairs whether the truck stop goes forward or not. If they don't get the money, residents would foot the bill themselves, and that could increase their monthly water and sewer rates by $20.

"If they are going to come here no matter what, we have to reap something from this whole crappy mess," board member Gary Robinson told fellow residents.

But he and others are torn. At the meeting, they wondered out loud if it was principled to seek Love's money for the repairs while fighting the project at the same time.

Wilson, the Helena attorney, said residents can still have a voice in any future decision-making moves by government officials, including those by state environmental regulators.

"It's hard to say what they could do, but they should take advantage of any opportunity for public involvement," Wilson said. "My firm has been involved in this, and I know where those points of public involvement may be."

Ayres said if Love's does come to Ramsay, he and other residents want assurances it will make and pay for any improvements necessary, including any work needed on the off-ramps and overpass.

He also says he can see both sides of the proposed truck stop.

"I guess it's a nice commercial spot," he said. "It makes sense they would want to go there. It also makes sense that we don't want it to go there. It's almost a gated community without the gates."
HELENA  Neither of Montanas U.S. senators have advertised many of their public appearances in recent years as town halls  until now.

Many people have developed a special interest in town halls since a congressional recess in February, when some Republicans in Congress returned home to hostile crowds demanding to meet face to face at the events.

Although Republican Sen. Steve Daines was Montanas only U.S. senator being badgered by protesters at that time, neither he nor Democratic Sen. Jon Tester advertised any of their public appearances during the recess as an official town hall.

In response to a request for a list of all town halls held since Daines assumed office on Jan. 3, 2015, the senators office provided information on dozens of public appearances where he has met with citizens and taken questions. However, a March 21, 2016 appearance in Colstrip as part of his 10-city Made-in-Montana Energy Tour was the only one of those officially billed as a town hall.

Testers staff also pointed to a host of in-person appearances since the beginning of 2015, though its unclear whether the term town hall was used to advertise any of those held prior to last months congressional recess. But Tester has held two face-to-face events officially billed as town halls since then: one on March 4 in Great Falls and one on March 17 in Helena.

Though Testers staff wouldnt say whether they are now using that wording because of the national attention town halls are receiving, a political scientist at Carroll College said that would be a smart move.

The nomenclature I think is very important right now, the actual language, because it has become an issue of which politicians are and which politicians are not holding town halls, said Jeremy Johnson, associate professor of political science at the college.

Even if they called their events listening sessions or something else in the past, he said, Its politically astute for a politician to call a forum a town hall.

Tester spokesperson Marnee Banks said the number of calls, emails and letters his office received in January of this year was six times greater than what was received in January 2016. These folks are asking for face time with their elected leaders, Jon is delivering that just as he always does, she wrote in an email.

Tester and all Democrats in Congress are better positioned to hold town halls because the Republicans are on the defensive as a result of their power in Washington, Johnson said.

Its the flip of what happened in 2009 and 2010. The Democrats had unified control of Washington, D.C. and Democrats were on the defensive at town halls, he said. Now Republicans control the power, so theyre the ones who are really on the hot seat.

After his Feb. 21 appearances at the Montana Capitol, where he briefly took a few questions amid a crowd of protesters, Daines told Lee Newspapers of Montana that he doubted an in-person Q&A where they could ask follow-up questions would be productive. He said he already understands the concerns of those who are protesting, calling and emailing him, and he criticized organized movements intended to put pressure on Republican leaders by shouting them down in town halls.

Thats not what Montanans are about. Maybe for some pockets in Missoula, Bozeman and Helena, but generally Montanans say, No, he said at that time. Were about having a civil conversation, a back and forth. Im not sure that will be the outcome with some of these folks.

Johnson said a town hall held by Daines or other Republicans could be productive, but it could also be politically damaging right now.

If you know people are going to be really angry at you, you might not want to have that broadcast so people can watch it across the whole nation if something blows up at a town hall, he said.   Theres no way to look good in such a situation.

Traveling the state

Regardless of what wording was used to describe their events, the offices of both senators defended their record of meeting with their constituents throughout Montana.

The information provided by Daines offices shows he has participated in roundtable discussions on a variety of topics in Bozeman, Missoula, Great Falls and Columbia Falls; a 56-county tour where he met with community leaders and constituents; and numerous special observances across the state.

Since Sen. Daines was elected to the senate, he has met with Montanans at various locations in all 56 counties of Montana, including coffee shops, small businesses, schools, parks, refineries, at the base of the North Fork, factories, and many other venues, said Katie Waldman, a spokesperson for Daines. He enjoys speaking with Montanans, hearing whats on their minds and answering questions, whether that be in person, on social media or tele-town halls.

The information from Testers office showed he has held listening sessions in Helena, Billings, Flathead, Missoula, Havre, Roundup and Bozeman in recent years. The dozens of other public appearances detailed by his office included roundtables in Helena, Columbia Falls and Missoula, and a variety of other events and observances throughout the state.

Though they may be called by different names, Banks said, any events that are publicly advertised and open to public comment or Q&A are considered town halls. She said Tester also regularly meets with Montanans one-on-one, and he gets back to Montana nearly every weekend and travels extensively throughout the state making himself available to his constituents.

Jons going to continue holding public events moving forward, she said. I think that hes been very clear that getting out and meeting face-to-face with Montanans is really important, and those face-to-face meetings are incredibly important to getting critical feedback.

Turning to technology

In addition to their in-person events, both of Montanas senators have also turned to technology for many of their town hall meetings. Daines has held 14 town halls via phone since he became a senator, while Testers staff listed five held by phone and two on Facebook in that time.

While these types of events allow politicians to say they are listening to their constituents, Johnson said, it also lets them avoid the possibility of something caught on video that could be very embarrassing.

Up to 200,000 Montanans have been dialed and up to 30,000 households have participated in individual telephone town halls held by Daines recently, his staff said. During his Feb. 16 "tele-Town Hall," Daines said the telephone discussions are more efficient than in-person events and that he reaches people from all Montana counties every two years.

Daines' staff also said he uses Facebook Live to broadcast from a number of events, including Inauguration Day and a surprise ceremony for a retiring undersheriff.

Up to 70,000 Montanans have been dialed and up to 12,000 have participated in individual telephone town halls held by Tester recently, his staff said. While some of the senators telephone town halls targeted specific demographics, such as seniors and sportsmen, others were not specific to any particular issue.

During tele town halls, Jon dials out to a specific number of Montanans (usually while he is stuck in DC on Senate business) to discuss a wide range of issues, a statement from his office said.   Jon tries to host a tele town hall between 3-5 times a year, almost always from his office in Washington, D.C.

Testers staff said 900 people participated in more than 80 percent Testers latest town hall held on Facebook Live, and more than 27,000 people have watched the video that remained on his page. People can type out questions for the senator during these events, and he answers some of them live.

Jons staff recommended he do a Facebook Live to connect with younger Montanans, who generally did not participate in tele town halls, his staff wrote. This Facebook Live was advised as specifically for Montana millennials.
The Council of Commissioners has a tough job to do in selecting a new location for the county shops.

It has been made even tougher by a seemingly ever-changing landscape of sites under consideration, or withdrawn from consideration for many different reasons.

Last Wednesday, at a meeting where a decision on the shops location was expected, commissioners found out almost in passing that one Centennial Road site had been removed from the list and another added.

The community has grown impatient. The decision must be made before a real timetable for removing the Parrot Tailings by the state can be set.

The Montana Standard editorial board has made clear its opposition to the option of moving the shops across the road from their current location to a spot north of the Civic Center.

Like many in the community group Restore Our Creek, we believe that a restored environment along the upper Silver Bow Creek corridor should not be bordered by an industrial use like the shops -- and that the restoration would make that land much more valuable for other uses.

We trust the commissioners understand those issues now, after an excellent presentation from Restore Our Creek about its vision for the corridor.

We appreciate the commissioners' dedication and determination to understand their options thoroughly. Theirs is indeed a tough and unenviable decision to make.

We urge them to make this call as quickly as possible.
I am responding to the guest editorial on March 17, 2017 by John and Courtney McKee. The McKees expressed frustration over the process taking place to find a new location for the county shops. They claim the B-SB Council of Commissioners are Continuing to waffle on this decision and are holding up the cleanup of this town. The McKees are outstanding people and I have nothing but respect for their hard work and dedication to our community.

However, their editorial does not give the whole story and the commissioners are not delaying the selection of a new location for the county shops.

Let us review the facts. In February of 2016, after extensive review of various locations in the community, the Council of Commissioners selected property owned by Gilman Construction near the intersection of Centennial and Excelsior for the shops. The process was moving forward, but six months later Gilman withdrew his offer to sell the property. Rather than completely start the process over, former Chief Executive Matt Vincent and B-SB Planning Director Jon Sesso came to council in July of 2016 with a new proposal to move the shops across the street from the current facility.

Intense lobbying by personnel from MSE to reconsider their property for the shops and strong opposition from the Restore Our Creek Coalition put the decision on the possible new location on hold.

The coalition, which the McKees are a member, wanted more public input and an opportunity to present their final document to the community before a decision was made. B-SB listened and Vincent held a public meeting on the issue on July 25, 2016, and continued to allow public comments for some time through an online questionnaire. Northey Tretheway, spokesman for the Restore Our Creek Coalition, was quoted at the time in The Montana Standard as stating, The public needs to be involved in every aspect of this because this is something that is going to last with Butte forever. We need to make sure everyone has their say about the best solutions. It has taken decades to get to this point and it makes no sense to rush everything now.

In August of 2016, another roadblock in the selection process occurred when liability issues surfaced relating to Montana Resources accepting the tailings on their property. The Restore Our Creek Coalition presented its completed document to the public in November of 2016 and the problem with Montana Resources accepting the tailings was finally resolved in December of 2016.

However, the 2016 local election brought a new chief executive to the community and even before he took office in January of 2017, Mr. Palmer made it clear he wanted more public input on the issue to ensure the correct decision was made on placement of the county shops.

That brings us to the meeting on March 15, 2017, and the first time council formally discussed Palmers suggested sites. The McKees attended this meeting and claim that council was avoiding making a decision and asking for more studies. That is simply not true and council did narrow the possible sites down to three locations. We were not asking for more studies, but rather asking for simple data and answers to basic questions such as -- Will the owners sell the property? What will it cost to purchase these properties? What will it cost to develop these properties?

The McKees failed to mention there were three new properties added to the list of potential sites without any solid information given to council at the meeting or at the tour the week before to make a proper decision on them. A decision based on facts and not on politics as McKee suggested was taking place. Furthermore, the Montana Pole site was put back on the list even after council rejected the site a year previous. We were also being told for the first time at the meeting that one new site we looked at on a tour the week before was no longer an option. Frustrating? Absolutely!

The McKees are successful business people and didnt get where they are today without having the facts in front of them when they had to make difficult decisions. I ask the McKees and the community to have patience and give us the same luxury when council has to make tough decisions for our community. I can assure you that the B-SB Council of Commissioners want this issue resolved and a decision will be made that will hopefully serve the best interest of the community whether it is politically popular or not.

-- Dan Foley, Butte-Silver Bow County commissioner for District 9.
MISSOULA  Another glowing airport press release arrived at the newspaper a couple of weeks ago. This one came from Glacier Park International north of Kalispell.

Citing record-breaking passenger counts in 2016, airport director Robert Ratkowski announced United Airlines would be adding daily flights to San Francisco for a couple of months starting in July. United, the Chicago-based giant, is also sending larger airplanes to handle passenger loads on direct summer flights to Chicago and Denver.

Its one verse to a familiar song in the air travel industry.

Across Montana and the nation, airports are hustling to keep up with record traffic flows, and theyre spending or planning to spend billions of dollars on upgrades and expansions to do it. Major and medium-size airlines are putting their best wings forward to cultivate the demand, in some cases consolidating to get the biggest bang for their bucks.

"It's a changed game," Kevin Ploehn, director of aviation and transit in Billings said. "Now air service is so important to communities, all communities, the airlines have more options than they know what to do with, than they have planes and pilots to fly."

The sunny outlook clouded over somewhat Thursday when President Donald Trump released his federal budget proposal. It calls for eliminating the Essential Air Service program, which could have a devastating effect on seven rural Montana airports and an impact on Billings, which is the hub for five of them.

Nearly 3.9 million people stepped on or off commercial airplanes in Montana last year. That was 330,000 more than ever before, according to the Aeronautics Division of the Montana Department of Transportation.

Four of the states six busiest airports  Bozeman, Missoula, Kalispell and Helena  set passenger records in 2016. Only No. 5 Great Falls International saw a decrease, while Billings Logan International went up slightly.

Bolstered by two key revenue guarantees, not to mention the attractions of Yellowstone National Park and Big Sky Resort, Bozeman Yellowstone International topped the 1.1-million passenger mark in 2016 and has grown by 52 percent since 2010.

Billings lost its decades-long hold on Montanas top spot to Bozeman in 2013. It remains a strong No. 2 and cultivates consistent annual growth numbers  an average 1 percent to 2 percent going back 20 years, according Ploehn.

Missoula International established record passenger marks in 2014 and 2015, then soared over the 700,000 mark for the first time last year. Its final count of 758,331 was almost twice that of 20 years ago, when 383,000 people flew in and out of what most locals still called Johnson-Bell Field.

Missoula led all Montana airports in 2016 with a 9 percent increase in passengers, even as it homed in on a terminal expansion projected to cost $50 million to $70 million. Construction is targeted for the fall of 2018.

Assistant director Brian Ellestad attributes the Missoula airports rapid growth to a combination of a rebounded economy and a very strong inbound market for Montana as a tourism destination.

Also, the business community has really taken off, Ellestad said.

In Flathead country, passenger counts were at all-time highs for the fifth consecutive year at Glacier Park International.

Weve been discovered, director Rob Ratkowski said. Obviously the park up here is really driving our numbers. Glacier had a record year again, and we had a record year again. But were also seeing an increase in our shoulder seasons.

Next year the Kalispell airport will begin a planning process for a new terminal as well. Its too soon to pin down a cost, though Ratkowski said its not going be anything as drastic as Missoula does.

***

To be sure, the spike in air travel isnt confined to Montana. From coast to coast, airports reported all-time high numbers of passengers.

At hub airports out west, Sea-Tac in western Washington set passenger traffic records in each of the past six years. Salt Lake City celebrated a 12-month record of 23 million enplanements in November in the midst of a $2.9 billion reconstruction project to replace terminals and concourses. Denvers record-setting incline reached 58.3 million passengers in 2016. Minneapolis-St. Paul added 20 routes and fell just short of its record 37.6 million set in 2005, just before the economy swooned.

The CEO of Dallas-Fort Worth said last week his airport needs $10 billion, with a 'b,' for upgrades. Los Angeles International broke ground on a $1.6 billion terminal a couple of weeks ago. San Francisco International is on a seven-year streak of passenger load records.

Jonathon Nield has watched the industry balloon in the years since the recession.

Three big things are happening, said Nield, senior consultant for Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting in Seattle. One is that we have an environment where fuel is very, very cheap for airlines right now. Airlines typically like to grow quickly when fuel is cheap and theres a lower risk in doing so.

On top of this, we have the good kind of perfect storm. Im not sure if thats the right phrase for it, but its a situation where fuel is cheap when the economy is actually very strong and healthy. That doesnt usually happen together, but it is.

The final factor, Nield said, is the impact from a wave of airline consolidation.

Delta and Northwest in 2008, United and Continental in 2010, and American and U.S. Airways in 2014 were major mergers affecting Montana markets, among many others. Most recently, Alaska Air, going head-to-head with Delta on its home turf of Seattle, acquired smaller rival Virgin America of California. Alaska announced last week it would add 13 new markets out of San Francisco, the largest expansion in the airlines history.

What youre seeing with all this is the airlines starting to execute their plans to become more dominant in the markets they serve, Nield said.

They're finally getting the hang of it, said Ploehn, of Billings.

The airlines have been deregulated since 1979, but it took them until a few years ago to figure out how to make money on a consistent basis, he noted. When they can make money as easy as theyre making it now, it gives them the wherewithal to potentially make their systems more efficient.

***

Montana communities have become aggressive in recent years in attracting new routes and airlines.

Coalitions headed by chambers of commerce and the likes of Big Sky Resort in Bozeman, the Missoula Economic Partnership, and Glacier AERO in the Flathead Valley are cobbling together revenue guarantees meant to alleviate the financial risk to airlines.

In 2011 Bozeman solicited United Airlines for direct service to the New York City by promising an incentive package of $1.7 million. A key element to the success of the application was the $725,000 pledged by a public-private partnership of state tourism councils and local resorts. Last year another revenue guarantee package went far in securing for Bozeman the first American Air service to Montana, nonstop seasonal flights to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Those flights were so successful that the guarantee didnt have to be tapped and airport director Brian Sprenger predicts they'll morph into year-round service. American announced recently it'll add flights from Texas to Billings, lured to the Magic City by a revenue guarantee through the Billings Chamber of Commerce and Big Sky Economic Development. That leveraged a $750,000 grant via the U.S. Department of Transportation Small Community Air Service Development Program.

Missoula received $600,000 from the same program, then tried and failed for a second time to attract flights from Texas to this side of the state.

We still have the $600,000 in our back pocket to use for either Dallas or Houston (flights), Ellestad said, adding the Missoula Economic Partnership has pledged a guarantee with either American or United for the service.

Frontier Air of Denver will resume flights to and from Missoula on April 28, a couple of weeks earlier than last year. Otherwise, therell be no more seats available in what officials said will be a flat year.

That's not unusual, director Cris Jensen said. Well see the pendulum swing where we get a big surge in capacity and it takes a year or two to absorb that capacity. Were kind of in that mode now, where the airlines are not throwing a lot of seats our way. But in talking wtih the airlines were already hearing that next year could potentially be a big increase.

I think its important to understand that we have gained more service to more communities without guarantees than we have with guarantees, said Sprenger.

The success of Bozeman's United connection to Newark, New Jersey, starting in 2012 led Delta to add its own flights, with no revenue guarantee, from Bozeman to LaGuardia Airport in New York. When United added Bozeman flights to Houston they announced it without us even talking to them, Sprenger said.

Bozemans ability to fill flights to Texas was instrumental in the airlines expansion to Billings, Montanas largest city, which sold American on its business travel potential.

We and Bozeman are completely different animals, Ploehn pointed out. What we have in Billings is a real solid business market. We dont have the tourists like Bozeman and Missoula have. One of the problems I had when I took over and Bozeman was going gangbusters was convincing people not to compare apples and oranges.

***

What if the boom goes bust?

As airlines jostle for even better position and airports shell out millions on bigger terminals and more runways, the question must be asked.

People will always want to travel by air and theres nothing like the face-to-face service (airports) offer, said Ellestad. Our terminal is out of date, so even if air traffic were to remain stable, just the amount of money well save in heating and cooling this place will be worth it.

There's room at the Billings airport for just five planes on the concourse. Expansion plans are in the works, a project that Ploehn said could cost in the $40 million neighborhood. He's convinced the benefits outweigh the risks.

Fuel prices are the big animal, Ploehn said. All it takes is somebody starting a war in the Middle East for things to change. But theres plenty of capacity out there, it just all depends on what the market does to it. I dont see anything coming any time soon like we had when the economy tanked.

In my opinion and in the opinion of many, there is definitely a need for investment in airport and aviation infrastructure, said Nield, the Seattle consultant. Sometimes you do see airport investments that are a little bit over the top, but I think as a general rule of thumb theyre necessary.

Even if the returns on capital expenditures arent realized as soon as expected, he concluded, longer term everyone is confident that aviation and air travel is going to grow even bigger.
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 []
John 17 is sometimes called Jesus' High Priestly prayer. When the high priest entered the temple to pray for the people of Israel in Old Testament time, he wore an ephod which was a vest engraved with the names of all the tribes of Israel. The high priest was a picture, but our Lord Jesus Christ is the reality. In this chapter, Jesus prayed, is praying, and will continue to pray for all who believe in Him. He carries on His heart all He calls His own. He has engraved all names of His beloved ones on His heart. There are three prayers in this chapter.

First, Jesus prayed for Himself to be glorified by His Father. In front of His disciples, He looked toward heaven and prayed, "Father, the time has come, Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you." Jesus requested that He be glorified in order to bring further glory to His Father. His petition was not to receive glory independently from the Father, but to be glorified to exalt the Father. On the contrary, Satan wanted to receive glory independently of God, and he wanted everyone, including Jesus, to do the same. Jesus refused to yield to Satan's will and expected all His believers to refuse the evil desire.

Jesus continued to say that His Father "granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those" the Father had given him. Jesus came to live on earth to show us how a fully human could obey God fully as He lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. Not merely He showed us a perfect life; He came to give us an entirely new life, eternal life, by the authority from His Father and at the price of His own cross. Then Jesus explained what "eternal life" meant. He said, "this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." Eternal life is a relationship with God and His Son. Eternal life is a gift from God when believers believe in His Son by faith cultivated by Holy Spirit. To know God, the Creator of life, is to have life with Him always.

Jesus kept asking His Father, "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." The prayer of Jesus revealed that He had already glorified His Father by His earthly life and ministry. But then the hour of His death on the cross had come. He prayed that He could glorify His Father in His death by being glorified by His Father. The glory which Jesus requested rightfully belonged to Him in presence of His Father even "before the world began". From before creation, God the Son possessed the unmatched glory of God the Father and the Holy Spirit. At the Incarnation, He voluntarily and temporarily set aside His glory as God. He placed in His Father's hands all the rights of His divine attributes and became the truly Man of Nazareth. And He depended on His Father and the Spirit to unveil every bit of divinity in Him when He performed miracles on earth. When the work of the cross was about to be completed, the glory which was temporarily laid aside by Him was to be given back to Him. This was also part of His request in His prayer.

Second, Jesus quickly turned to the needs of His disciples. He prayed specifically for His eleven disciples. Jesus said to His Father, "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me." As a person treasures the gift a loved one gives, Jesus highly valued the disciples as His Father's gift to Him. He fully revealed His Father's character to the disciples and gave them God's words. When we noted how positively the faith of the disciples was stated, considering they would "be scattered" and would leave Jesus all alone in less than a day, I believe the perspective of the Savior's statement was from the other side of the cross. Jesus assumed the impact of His death, burial, resurrection and ascension, and the impact of the coming of the Holy Spirit, on His disciples. The impact would be that they knew Jesus came from God and God had sent Jesus to them personally, so they trusted Jesus without a shadow of doubt.

Jesus continued to pray to His Father, concerning His disciples, "I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them." The Savior does intercede for those who do not yet believe in Him in many other occasions, but here the Lord's focus was on His own loved ones. God drew the disciples' hearts toward Jesus. They responded and came to Him. They had done no great works, except that they believed Jesus was all He claimed He was. Their faith brought Jesus glory. After the coming of the Holy Spirit, the disciples would be fully assured concerning all Jesus said and did. Then the Holy Spirit would enable them to do great work, to testify Jesus to the whole world in the New Testament to draw a great number of people to believe in Jesus in order to glory Him.

Jesus had experienced the world's hate, rejection and powerful temptations. He overcame all. Now He would soon return to heaven to be with Father. But His disciples would remain in the world, still caught in the struggle for the cause of spreading the gospel. Jesus wouldn't leave them in the world without protection. As the disciples listened carefully, Jesus prayed to His Father for His disciples' safety. He asked, "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your namethe name you gave meso that they may be one as we are one." Jesus used the word "Holy" to address His Father, to ask His Father to keep His disciples to be holy, to be separated from the world to be His own. To be kept holy is their ultimate safety. Their holiness gifted from God made their unity possible. The disciples were admitted to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit's intimate fellowship of oneness. Today, we are admitted too as we gratefully accept the truth of Jesus Christ by faith. This fact seems too great to be understood. But God's name assures us of His love and our value to Him. God's name speaks of the sum of His attributes which revealed by Jesus' life and the Scripture. God's name is powerful to shield us.

Then Jesus reminded His disciples that He "protected them and kept them safe" while He was with them. None had "been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled." Judas was "the one doomed". Our Lord and Savior didn't fail to keep him. He was never saved to be kept. He was not lost out of the keeping hand of the Savior. He chose to die in his sin. His destruction was a fulfillment of the Scripture as well as of his character. He got what his heart desired.

Jesus' keeping of His disciples in His hand involved giving them joy in the midst of the world's hatred and opposition. Jesus talked to His Father, "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them." Can you and I feel their joy when the disciples heard their Master chatted with the Father about how to give them "full measure" of His joy? It is the joy of God's presence. The full measure of His joy is Jesus' desire for all who belong to Him to be with Him forever. His joy resides in the hearts that Jesus fills. Not like the happiness of man, it happens, but it comes and goes. The world which never tasted the "full measure" of Jesus' joy hated the disciples. Jesus said to His Father, "I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world." Christian unity is rooted in Jesus who is the Word. The world's hatred toward Christians is also rooted in Jesus because the world rejects basic truth about Jesus. The world allies with Satan when it responds with hatred toward Jesus and His disciples when Jesus gives the disciples God's Word.

But Jesus didn't ask His Father to take His disciples out of the world. He left them there as the light of the world. He said to His Father, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it." There is a great difference between being "in the world" and being "of the world". Jesus left His disciples "in the world" to be the holy ones so they would not be "of the world". The disciples were protected by God from Satan's fatal temptation. God kept the disciples' faith in Jesus Christ until the end. Then Jesus asked His Father to sanctify His disciples "by truth" which is God's word. God's word is the truth that measures all others. God's word is the power which accomplishes God's will to set the disciples apart from sin and for Himself to be His holy ones. There is no better illustration than that of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord was untouched by man's sin in the sanctity of heaven before His Incarnation. He entered the sinful world in order to remove the blemish of sin from men. But He stayed untouched by man's sin since He never yielded to temptation to sin. So the Lord remained holy and sanctified all the time, and set Himself apart to deliver God's truth to those God gave Him. He redeemed them so His truth would set them apart or sanctify them to deliver the same truth to others. As Jesus said, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified."

Third, Jesus prays for all believers. His petition for all believers primarily concerns Christian unity. He said, "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message that all of them may be one", Jesus prayed for all believers' unity after He had prayed for His eleven disciples. He emphasized, "Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and ly loved them even as you have loved me." Spiritual unity is not uniformity. It is organic. The believers could be radically different in temperament, personality and other areas. It was because of their glaring difference that their unity in the oneness of God and Jesus was so evident. Unity is best demonstrated in diversity; uniformity is threatened by diversity. Isn't it wonderful to know that believers like us are one in heart and spirit with John and his friends? Isn't it amazing that all believers speak the same language of heart regardless of the level of their education? Believers are united to Christ and bound by eternal cords to one another. The full expression of this oneness among believers cuts across time and space. The "complete unity" will cause people of the world to know that "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

The Son loves the believers the same as His Father does. He prayed for reunion with all believers. He would soon be led away to His trial and crucifixion. After His ascension He would not physically be with His believers for a long time, until they are reunited with Him. It was for this reunion that our Lord and Savior prayed, "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." The echo of this prayer which has been in all believers' hearts will last until the Lord's second coming. The Lord's great desire is for His own to be with Him in glory in heaven to see fully the glory of His Father and to share the love between the Father and the Son.

Finally, Jesus prayed He might continue to minister to His own, even in His physical absence because He knew the Holy Spirit would do the job for Him. He said, "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that myself may be in them." The world does not and cannot know God except through the Son. And the Son who knew the Father intimately had done His work of revealing the Father. The disciples had come to know God through Jesus' life and ministry. Jesus desired to continue to reveal Himself in them and to abide in them. It is a great and comforting prayer which our Lord allowed His disciples to overhear in their hour of anxiety and distress. It is amazing grace that the Holy Spirit has instructed John to pen it down in Bible for us as well. The awareness of God's love for us and His deep joy to include us in His holy oneness through the Holy Spirit is the answer to Jesus' prayer for us.
As immigration and the threat of deportations become a greater concern for their congregations, churches are trying to figure out what their response will be. For Napa Methodist Church, it may be becoming a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants.

Although the church hasnt quite decided what it will do to help Napas undocumented community, it will do something, says Dianne Mahler, business administrator and congregational care minister at the church.

To help figure out what their next step might be, the church held a meeting with community members and leaders in the Napa Methodist sanctuary on Thursday night.

The purpose of (the meeting) was to gather information from different groups who have a stake in immigration in our community, Mahler said. We feel strongly about the equity of people and wanted to know what we as a church could do.

But Thursdays meeting was just the start of the conversation, said Lay Leader Holly Zaccone. Zaccone said that she hopes other churches in Napa will step forward and work together in order to do what they can to support the undocumented community.

The key to all this is communication, Zaccone said.

Pastor Lee Neish said that he began thinking about becoming a sanctuary church  and reaching out to other churches  after attending an event on the topic in Berkeley recently.

These are real people with real kids and real families, Neish said. We are the church and we need to do our job.

Helping others is part of the identity of the church, he said. Its all over our faith so for us not to do something, we would be going against our own faith.

Neish said that even though U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is known to not go into churches, schools or hospitals, becoming a sanctuary church could help undocumented individuals delay being taken into custody. The delay, he said, could give them time to get access to crucial legal services before being held at a deportation center.

To prepare for a situation like that, Neish said the church might need to be equipped with beds, showers, food and clothing.

The church hasnt made any decisions yet as to whether or not it will provide those services, but church leaders are discussing it, he said.

The church is still trying to figure out what the best and most loving path to take is, Mahler said.

We would really love for every church to get involved on some level, she said. Its a big undertaking and its really going to take a lot of people to make a difference.

Pastor Sam Altis of Crosswalk Community Church said that their church is beginning to figure out what their best response is going to be as well.

Church leaders havent discussed their options yet, but were planning to hold a meeting similar to Napa Methodist Churchs, said Altis, who attended Thursdays meeting.

Were starting a very similar conversation at Crosswalk, he said. I do know that we have a lot of people in the congregation who are concerned.

ICEs policy provides that enforcement actions at sensitive locations should generally be avoided, and require either prior approval from an appropriate supervisory official or exigent circumstances necessitating immediate action, said James Schwab, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman based in San Francisco.

According to the policy, sensitive locations include places like schools, hospitals and places of worship. Public demonstrations also fall under this policy, according to the agencys website.
A blog for the Bloomingdale neighborhood in Washington, DC.
Vice President Kamala Harris has been campaigning all across the country  not for herself but to boost Democratic candidates as her party struggles to keep control of Congress and statehouses. It's a chance for her to flex her political muscles two years after her own presidential bid failed. Campaigning in Boston this week, Harris declared, Elections matter ... and the stakes are high." Harris has faced special scrutiny as the first woman and person of color to be vice president. Allies say shes found a degree of stability after a rocky start. And there's plenty of quiet talk  though not by her  about her chances if she goes for the top job again some day.
The ceremony was officiated by Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Senior Minister of State (Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Mdm Sadiah Shahal, spouse of Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, took on the role as the lady sponsor in accordance with naval traditions to name and launch the vessel at ST Marines Benoi Yard. The event was witnessed by many senior officials from Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Singapore Armed Forces.



The LMV programme is progressing well. Today marks yet another significant milestone for the team, the launch of the fourth Littoral Mission Vessel  Justice. Our sincere thanks to all project teams from MINDEF, DSTA, RSN and our many other partners for their collaborative effort, hard-work and commitment. We all look forward to the commissioning of the first LMV Independence in May this year, said Ng Sing Chan, President for ST Marine.



ST Marine was awarded the contract by MINDEF in 2013 to design and build eight LMVs for the RSN. The fleet of the eight LMVs will replace the Fearless 55 Patrol Vessels designed and built by ST Marine in the 1990s. The first two, named, LMV Independence and LMV Sovereignty were delivered in 2016. The third, LMV Unity and the fourth, LMV Justicewill be delivered in the first and second half 2017 respectively. Both LMVs are currently undergoing the Checkout, Integration and Testing (CIT) for weapon and sensor systems on-board. The rest of the vessels are under construction or in the pre-construction phase. The LMV programme is expected to be completed in 2020.
During this visit, Commodore Prasanna Amaradasa is at the wheel as the Commanding officer of the ship and the ships crew is comprised of 215 naval personnel.





The LIMA-2017 is expected to be attended by 40 ships across from the globe. This international exhibition is held once every two years in a bid to strengthen international cooperation among countries and this years exhibition marks its 14th successful effort. Twenty four personnel from the recently established SLN Marine Battalion will also feature in this years exhibition.
The French pavilion is organised by GICAN, the French naval industry association.



As a privileged partner in Southeast Asia in the field of defence, Malaysia has maintained industrial cooperation with France over the last ten years, with both major industrial groups and small and medium-sized businesses. The acquisition of submarines, helicopters, transport aircraft, equipment and high technology is consistent with this idea of long-term collaboration, where French businesses play a key role.



Malaysia acquired 2 Scorpene-type submarines commissioned in 2009. As part of the Second generation patrol vessels (SGPV-LCS) program, 6 Gowind corvettes will be constructed locally through technology transfer. Finally, Malaysia is the first export client of the A400M transport aircraft.



For LIMA 2017, 19 French companies are taking part in the exhibition, with 14 of them presenting their know-how on the French pavilion federated by the GICAN.
A year shy of its 25th anniversary, RoboCop 3 remains as unmemorable today as it did when it originally assaulted theaters with its badness in 1993. About the only thing that still comes to mind when thinking back to the early 90s during its theatrical run is its equally terrible promotional campaign. From the posters to the TV spots (For some reason, I don't recall the previews.), the movie looked downright laughable with our robotic hero pointing his signature gun like a gunslinger in billboards or commercials ending with a final shot of him flying over a battle scene shooting rockets at a tank. The new toy line, on the other hand, was far more tolerable and in line with the spirit of the franchise -- ultra-violence excitement for the whole family! They seemed like a good deal of fun (Murphy comes with a jetpack and can now talk!). But I was sadly too old by then to play with them. Some time later, when the movie finally released on VHS, the preposterous spectacle that unfolded before my eyes only confirmed what I already suspected.

But putting our nostalgia glasses to the side for the moment -- but not too far from reach because I'm sure we'll need them again soon -- it's immediately apparent what went wrong with this second sequel to the cult franchise. Peter Weller did not return to reprise his iconic role as the futuristic police robot struggling with lingering traces of humanity, reportedly because Mr. Weller was busy on David Cronenberg's better-loved Naked Lunch. Personally, I imagine he read the script and laughed it into the recycling bin (I also like to imagine him as a tough environmentalist). In either case, the actor was replaced with Robert Burke, who surprisingly isn't terrible, but it's also easy to see why they picked him, aside from his mild resemblance to Weller. Burke does a terrific impression of a robot, which sadly includes his performance. He's much too bland and mechanical in a character that should express his humanity in his facial expressions and mannerisms, and he delivers his lines with a dry indifference that lacks even a smidgen of wit or knowing mockery.

Then again, some might argue he worked with what he was given, but even in that respect, we stumble upon several more issues. After already ruining his original idea for the sequel, the studio somehow saw fit to request another script from Frank Miller, which was again butchered and ripped apart for this production. (Miller later turned his story as the foundation for a comic series in the early 2000s.) The premise of a despotic corporation via OCP squashing on individual civil liberties is expanded upon here, adding a new fascist-like police force made up of mercenaries. Also, the company has grown into an evil Draconian regime -- or as it is referred to in the film, "Oppressive Capitalist Pigs" -- with a kind of tyrannical rule that forcefully evicts people from their homes so that a Japanese investor Kanemitsu (Mako) can take part in developing Delta City. Other than an armed battalion, Miller's story introduces a new villain in the ninja android called Otomo, but he fails to offer much of a threat to our robo-hero except as an excuse for then state-of-the-art special effects.

With everything culminating to that aforementioned battle between the residents of Cadillac Heights and OCP's private army, it's actually surprising RoboCop 3 didn't turn out better or even slightly entertaining. The script, in which the film's director Fred Dekker also takes co-writing credit, is tightly structured with a pace leading towards an explosive, climactic finish. But Dekker, who's better known for directing Night of the Creeps and Monster Squad, doesn't have the chops for arranging exciting action sequences and is, sadly, even worse at making the ridiculously stupid one-liners showering nearly every scene the least bit amusing. Whereas the previous two productions were knowingly satirical in its delivery, with the first being superior over its sequel, this robo-dud evolves into a cartoon and caricature of its predecessors. And toning down the violence for the sake of a more family-friendly PG-13 rating didn't help the production either. Unless viewers want to see RoboCop fly around in a jetpack or see The Mutants gang from Miller's The Dark Knight Returns redone as The Splatter Punks, then there's no reason for visiting this misfire.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

Shout! Factory brings RoboCop 3 to Blu-ray as a "Collector's Edition." The Region A locked, BD50 disc sits inside a blue, eco-elite case with reversible cover art and slipcover. At startup, the disc goes straight to an animated menu with full-motion clips and options along the bottom.
Members and leaders of the Sikh community in Peshawar expressed their disappointment at being "left out" of the national census, saying they feared their community would not be adequately represented in Pakistan's first national headcount in 19 years. "The concerned department has not included the Sikh minority in the ongoing count. It is not only unfortunate for us, it is also a point of great concern for the community to have been missed out in the counting exercise," Radesh Sing Tony, chairman of a Sikh committee, told the Dawn on Saturday. He complained that a sizeable number of Sikhs was living in Pakistan, but the community was not counted among the religions included in the census form. He noted that Sikhs would be counted under the "other" religion category in the form, which would not provide an accurate picture of the Sikh population. "This is an injustice, we are being deprived of our rights," he said. The 500-year-old religion was founded in what was now part of Pakistan. Most Sikhs left Pakistan for India after both countries gained independence from Britain in 1947. Around 20,000 Sikhs remain in Pakistan today, most in the restive northwest regions, which have been rocked by an Islamist insurgency for more than a decade, forcing many to leave their homes in the tribal areas on the Afghan border for the city of Peshawar. Tony said he had written to the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Chief Justices of the Peshawar and Sindh High Courts requesting that the community be counted as an official religion. When contacted, a spokesperson for the census exercise, Habibullah Khan, admitted that it was a mistake on the part of the census authorities. "Yes, a sizable population of Sikhs are living in Pakistan, but have we missed them in the census," he told Dawn. He said the census forms had been printed in 2007 and only five religions had been included on the recommendation of a 120-member technical committee. He conceded that the Sikh population may have been marginal in 2007, but their population had increased with the passage of time. --IANS ahm/ ( 367 Words) 2017-03-19-07:18:08 (IANS)
Delhi Metro will stop plying to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh from close to midnight on Sunday.

The All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) has claimed that over 50 lakh Jats from 13 states will join its Monday protest march in the national capital.

Police said adequate police and paramilitary personnel had been deployed.

"Over 110 companies of forces from outside along with Delhi Police have been deployed strategically," Special Commissioner of Police Deependra Pathak said.

"We have adequate arrangements on the border, in middle and central Delhi areas. In no circumstances, violent protests or dharna will be allowed," he said.

Police made heavy deployment in areas bordering Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Delhi is ringed on three sides by Haryana and on the eastern side by Uttar Pradesh.

According to Delhi Metro, its services outside Delhi will be suspended from 11.30 p.m. on Sunday until further notice. Metro services will not be available in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Twelve Metro stations in central Delhi -- Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhavan, Lok Kalyan Marg, Janpath, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, R.K. Ashram Marg, Pragati Maidan, Khan Market and Shivaji Stadium -- will be shut for the public from 8 p.m. Sunday.

The roads which will remain closed include Kemal Ataturk Marg from Race Course Metro Station to Panchseel Marg and Safdarjung Road to Aurobindo Chowk among others.

Kautilya Marg from Samrat Hotel to Niti Marg, Kautilya T-Point near Bihar Bhawan, Teen Murti to Gole Methi roundabout will remain closed for commuters. Zakir Hussain Road from Nizamuddin to India Gate will also remain closed.

According to police, Ring Road to San Martin Marg, Amrita Shergill to Lodhi Road, Max Muller Road to Lodhi Road, Archbishop Makarios Marg from Lodhi Road and all lanes leading to Panchkuiyan Road except Mandir Marg, R.K. Ashram and Hospital Road have been closed from Sunday morning.

Bonafide residents, office goers and students will be allowed to enter Delhi from 11 p.m Sunday.

With Class 10 and 12 board exams scheduled on Monday, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has advised students to reach the examination centres well ahead of the scheduled starting time.

--IANS sp-am-and/mr

( 397 Words)

2017-03-19-13:28:07 (IANS)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that India should become an international diamond trading hub in addition to its present status as cutting and polishing hub. Addressing the audience at a charity dinner at the International Diamond Conference in Mumbai through video conferencing, Modi said India has made rapid strides since the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council of India was set up 50 years back. He said: "India is now the world's largest manufacturer of cut and polished diamonds, and gems and jewellery sector is one of the leading sectors in India in terms of value of exports as well as employment generation." Modi said India has emerged as the leader in diamond manufacturing and export in the last four decades and exports of gems and jewellery from India account for 15 per cent of India's total merchandise exports. "This is one of India's success stories. From just 28 million dollars in 1966-67, exports reached one billion dollars in 1982-83 and two billion dollars in 1987-88. It crossed 10 billion dollars in 2003-04, 20 billion dollars in 2007-08 and is now nearly 40 billion dollars." Modi said Indian importers had to go abroad to view and purchase rough diamonds till recently, which reduced the efficiency of the supply chain. The Prime Minister said amendments have been made to the laws to enable rough diamonds to enter and exit, duty free for the purpose of viewing, and the Special Notified Zone at the Bharat Diamond Bourse, which became operational in November, 2015, has already shown good results. Modi said only 80 to 90 big merchants used to get access to global rough diamonds by travelling to Belgium, Africa and Israel, and now about 3,000 small and medium merchants have this privilege through the new Special Notified Zone. "Many of the most reputed international names in the diamond industry have conducted over 244 days of viewings. My intention is to make India, which is already the cutting and polishing hub, into an international diamond trading hub," he said. "Our goal is to transform India in one generation. Since taking office, this government has placed emphasis on many transformative initiatives. 'Make in India' is one of them. Our aim is to make India a preferred destination for manufacturing," Modi added. He said the gems and jewellery sector had accounted for 475 billion dollars of exports despite India having little diamond or gold production. Referring to Skill India initiative of the government, Modi said it aims to ensure that new entrants to the work force have the necessary skills to contribute to the economy of the 21st century. "The gems and jewellery sector employs 4.6 million people. Out of this, one million people are in the diamond industry alone. Thus, the gems and jewellery sector is a prime example of the potential of 'Make In India' and 'Skill India'," he said. Referring to the presence of ministers from several African countries, Modi said India would support them in developing their gems and jewellery sector. Modi said India's future is much bigger than cutting and polishing alone and there is a lot of unexplored potential. He suggested documenting the legacy of India, which is of relevance to the jems and jewellery trade, and using it for designs. He said diamonds are being used in spectacles, watches and pens. "Can't our jewellers, with their skills, strengths and heritage, create and change global tastes and fashions?" The Prime Minister said that India has acquired a global brand for high skills and excellence in software but is yet to do that in jewellery. Modi said: "The Council should consider taking a census of the lowest-paid and least prosperous persons in your industry. Can the industry ensure that every one of them is enrolled in the government's low cost social security schemes?" Noting that India will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its Independence in 2022, Modi asked the gems and jewellery industry to set goals for itself. He said the government can consider changes in regulations based on specific and practical suggestions. --IANS ps/nir ( 691 Words) 2017-03-19-23:10:08 (IANS)
Had Bill Condon not spoken about "gay element" in "Beauty and the Beast", the movie would have released in Malaysia, says Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid, who heads Malaysia's Film Censorship Board. Hamid says censors sought over four minutes of material to be cut from the Disney film, which the makers refused. The film was then withdrawn from being released in Malaysia. In an interview published on Sunday by New Straits Times, Hamid said the Censorship Board -- known as the LPF -- wanted to cut four minutes and 38 seconds from the film. The proposed cuts came in three places, reports variety.com. The first was during the performance of a song where a male character (LeFou) hugs the other (Gaston) from behind. The second was a "suggestive song lyrics with sexual innuendos" and the third was an unidentified scene at the end of the movie. "The length of the (proposed cut to the) song was about three seconds but we could not recommend a three-second cut as it would make the song choppy and people would be angry. The other cuts are on the actions," said Hamid. He also says Condon had made the problem more acute for the censors. Hamid said that the LPF's curiosity had been raised by the homosexual elements introduced into the live action film that were not present in the 1991 animated predecessor. "Maybe if Condon had not mentioned the gay element', people wouldn't be so curious and we could let it go with a potentially minor cut. And this whole thing may not have been an issue. We at LPF want to preserve films as much as how they are intended by the director, but the moment the gay element' is thrown into the mix, we had to protect ourselves," Hamid said in the interview. "Malaysia does not recognise the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) ideology, so we have to be extra cautious in our work. If we let these scenes pass, people will wonder if Malaysia recognises LGBT," said Hamid in the New Straits Times interview. Malaysia's film associations have made clear their position on LGBT matters in the past. In 2010, the Malaysian Producers Association said that gay characters would only be tolerated in film if they either repent or die, reports variety.com. The LPF's decision is likely to be taken to appeal on Tuesday. The film will be screened for the Film Appeals Committee, a separate body which too is under wing of the Home Ministry. Including some 20 members with representatives from the Education, Information and the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism ministries and the police, its decision is final and cannot be further appealed even by a court. --IANS sug/rb/vt ( 464 Words) 2017-03-19-15:20:07 (IANS)
Genres : Comedy, Drama

Starring : Ugo Tognazzi, Flavio Bucci, Daria Nicolodi

Director : Elio Petri

Plot Synopsis

Having tackled the corrupting nature of power with Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion and taken an angry, impassioned look at labour relations with The Working Class Goes to Heaven, Italian master Elio Petri next turned his attentions to capitalism for the darkly comic Property is No Longer a Theft. A young bank clerk (Flavio Bucci, the blind pianist in Dario Argento s Suspiria), denied a loan by his employer, decides to exact his revenge the local butcher (Ugo Tognazzi, La Grande bouffe) who is not only a nasty, violent, greedy piece of work but also one of the bank s star customers. Quitting his job, the clerk devotes all of his time tormenting the butcher, stealing his possessions one-by-one, including his mistress (Daria Nicolodi, Deep Red). Told in an off-kilter fashion by Petri, abetted by the woozy sound design and another outstanding score by Ennio Morricone, Property is No Longer a Theft presents a caustic, blackly comic look at a corrupt society.
'NEXA Lifestyle,' on the final day of the Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn-Winter 2017, turned into an event that celebrated the presence of a cluster of stars- from Richa Chadda to Sangram Singh. The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) presented NEXA Lifestyle Collection onday four of the Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn-Winter 2017, in association with Maybelline New York. The NEXA show, themed on monochrome featured DhruvVaish, Kommal & Ratul Sood, Nought One by Abhishek, Pawan Sachdeva, Rohit Kamra and Sahil Aneja, who showcased their collections at the event held in the national capital on March 18. While Sangram Singh turned showstopper for Dhruv Vaish, Dino Morea dazzled the ramp for Sahil Aneja. Pawan Sachdeva had the very handsome Angad Bedi and gorgeous Nora Fatehi gracing the ramp in his clothing. Prateik Babbar made the audience go gaga over his innocent smile as he walked the ramp for Kommal and Ratul Sood. Abhishek Paatni and Rohit Kamra celebrated the girl power on the ramp with Anushka Manchanda and Richa Chadda respectively. The NEXA Lifestyle series is an attempt to include the burgeoning menswear market into the repertoire of mainstream fashion. As a part of the same, each designer interpreted the NEXA theme in his own unique way, incorporating the NEXA colours - black, white and chrome. Dhruv's collection 'Noire' explored the hue black in different forms, patterns, layers and textures along with the highlights of white and chrome. Style gurus Kommal & Ratul Sood identified the architectural skyline, of an urban city in their collection, 'Skylight'. While Abhishek's 'Mayday' was inspired by the tactical uniform of the army's black-ops team which carry out missions under extreme conditions. Interestingly, Rohit Kamra conceptualized the 'yin and yang', creating a fusion of black and white with his signature silhouettes. Pawan developed fabrics especially for the show, which captured the NEXA moodboard with his collection 'TREG'- classic clothing with a fresh feel. To give the show a classic end, Sahil's artistic ensembles titled 'Restricted', theorized for a man who is ready to step out his comfort zone into a edgier space, took the center stage. On this note, Sunil Sethi, president at FDCI said, "As menswear now dominates the apparel industry and is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.5 percent over the next five years to reach Rs 131,000 crores by 2017, according to a study, this is time appropriate. Therefore, the NEXA show is quite relevant and looked at design through the lens of both functionality and inventive thinking." (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yogi Adityanath, who is set to take oath of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh today, has called on his followers and admirers to maintain law and order during their celebrations, while giving full freedom to the state police to take action on those who create ruckus. "There should be no chaos in the name of celebrations. Police must deal swiftly and firmly with miscreants," Yogi Adityanath said. Following the Chief Minister designate's orders, all the District Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) have been called to ensure law and order is maintained. Adityanath will be sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh today, as governor Ram Naik will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Adityanath and his Cabinet at a function in Lucknow's Kanshiram memorial ground in the afternoon. State BJP President Keshav Prasad Maurya and the party's National Vice-President Dinesh Sharma will be the Deputy Chief Ministers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Party President Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled States will attend the ceremony. Yogi Adityanath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, was unanimously elected BJP Legislature Party leader at a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs in Lucknow last evening. He, later, met the Governor and staked claim to form the government in the state. Talking to reporters at Raj Bhavan, he said, he would follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan 'Sab ka saath, Sab ka vikas' and ensure all round development of the state. Senior party leader and Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who was the central observer at the Legislature Party meeting, said it was a watershed moment for the BJP and it has become a common man's party. He said, the mandate is for development, and against corruption and black money. In the recently held polls in the state, BJP had bagged 312 seats, and its allies 13, taking the alliance's tally to 325 in the 403-member Assembly. (ANI)
Shiv Sena, who is already on thin ice with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), gave a wide berth to the controversy and the cries of outrage by the Opposition over Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath being given the reigns of Uttar Pradesh, however, the party added a word of advice for the firebrand priest turned politician. Speaking to ANI here, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, "I have no comments to offer on this as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government can appoint any one as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh according to their will." When asked if the controversial MP known for his provocative statements could handle UP, Raut said that it's best if Adityanath steered clear of making notorious remarks, as it will create chaos in the state. "The controversial remarks won't work now as he will be the next chief minister of the Uttar Pradesh, India's largest state. If in case he does make such remarks, it will create chaos in the state. Now he should talk about development " he said. Commenting on the Ram temple promise in Ayodhya, Raut asserted that if the Ram temple will not be built even after Yogi Adityanath appointment as UP chief minister, it will never get constructed. The BJP named Yogi Adityanath as the next Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma have been appointed as the deputy chief ministers of the state on Saturday. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the oath taking ceremony would take place at 2:15 p.m. today in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. Adityanath had flown to New Delhi on Saturday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Adityanath, a five-time MP from the Gorakhpur constituency, was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at the age of 26. Currently, Adityanath serves as the Mahant of Guru Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur, following the death of Mahanth Aavaidyanath on September 12, 2014. The other contenders in the race were Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, Union Minister Manoj Sinha, BJP leader Shrikant Sharma and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.(ANI)
The Janata Dal (United) appears to be divided over the Bharatiya Janata Party's decision to appoint Yogi Adityanath's as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, as difference of opinion over the character of the priest-turned-politician seems to be creating cracks in the party. Speaking to ANI here, JD (U) national secretary general K C Tyagi said, "We are unhappy with Yogi Adityanath's selection by BJP as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. He is a divisive man who propagates divisive agenda and is known to communally polarise people." On the other hand, another JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav congratulated Yogi Adityanath saying that the party believes that he will ensure complete development and progress for the state. "My best wishes to the party as they attained massive mandate in Uttar Pradesh polls. We have full faith that Yogi Adiyanath will fulfill party's dream and bring about all round development of the state," Yadav said. The BJP named Yogi Adityanath as the next Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma have been appointed as the deputy chief ministers of the state on Saturday. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the oath taking ceremony would take place at 2:15 p.m. today in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. Adityanath had flown to New Delhi on Saturday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Adityanath, a five-time MP from the Gorakhpur constituency, was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at the age of 26. Currently, Adityanath serves as the Mahant of Guru Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur, following the death of Mahanth Aavaidyanath on September 12, 2014. The other contenders in the race were Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, Union Minister Manoj Sinha, BJP leader Shrikant Sharma and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. In the recently held polls in the state, BJP had bagged 312 seats, and its allies 13, taking the alliance's tally to 325 in the 403-member Assembly. (ANI)
Criticising Yogi Adityanath's selection by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, the Congress on Sunday dubbed the decision as a 'cruel joke' and said the development has ensured that the state will no longer remain secular. Speaking to ANI here, Congress leader Rizwan Arshad said, "It is a cruel joke played on the people of UP. Yogi Adityanath is a divisive man, he divides society. He shamelessly propagate divisive agenda, which he carries forward from RSS." Arshad further asserted that Uttar Pradesh will no remain secular, adding that the state will unfortunately fall back into chaos. "BJP's decision that the saffron-robed Gorakhpur MP will hold the reins of the state is very unfortunate for the constitution and for the development of the state also. Now, Uttar Pradesh will go back into chaos, masjid-mandir days and old polarisation-communal days," he added. Resonating similar views, Congress spokesperson Meem Afzal asserted that BJP's decision to make Yogi the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh is a part of their political agenda. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi who sought votes from UP people for his policies and development agenda, now will work on his political agenda, as he named Hindutva Hardliner Yogi Adityanath as UP chief minister," said Afzal. The BJP named Yogi Adityanath as the next Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma have been appointed as the deputy chief ministers of the state on Saturday. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the oath taking ceremony would take place at 2:15 p.m. today in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. Adityanath had flown to New Delhi on Saturday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Adityanath, a five-time MP from the Gorakhpur constituency, was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at the age of 26. Currently, Adityanath serves as the Mahant of Guru Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur, following the death of Mahanth Aavaidyanath on September 12, 2014. The other contenders in the race were Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, Union Minister Manoj Sinha, BJP leader Shrikant Sharma and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Yogi Aditya Nath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, was unanimously elected BJP Legislature Party leader at a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs in Lucknow last evening. (ANI)
Hailing the decision of newly formed Punjab government to completely shun the VIP culture, the Congress has called on the entire nation to support this decision, adding that the grand old party will fulfill its promises made to people of the state, unlike BJP. Speaking to ANI here, Congress spokesperson Madhu Yaskhi Goud said, "I congratulate Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh for taking such a great decision." In its first cabinet meeting chaired by Capt Amarinder Singh, the newly formed Punjab government decided to completely shun the VIP culture by removing the red, yellow and blue beacons from their official vehicles.(ANI)
Participating in foundation stone laying ceremony of new administrative block of the High Court of Tripura, state's law minister Tapan Chakraborty yesterday said the state government was in favour of establishing rule of law in cooperation with judiciary.He said despite financial constrain the Tripura government has sanctioned Rs 19.17 crore for construction of the building. The government has been sincerely trying to developed physical infrastructure, upgradation of facilities in the judicial system and extended all possible effort to make accessible judicial service for all.While appreciating the performance of the High court, Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjan Gogoi said in the function despite several difficulties the rate of disposal of pending cases over past three years were quite good and convincing,"The High Court of Tripura has made a remarkable achievement in reducing pendency since its inception in March 2013 from 6619 to 2883, which now becomes precedence. The case disposal rate is good in the state yet annual inflow of litigations in the High Court and other courts in Tripura is on the rise," Justice Mr Gogoi stated.He further pointed out that the High Court had taken a bold step to organize mega lok adalat to ensure speedy disposal of pending cases including motor accidents and the initiative hopes to be continued in future too.Justice Mr Gogoi also asserted that judiciary should be accessible to all not economically but also geographically, He expressed concern over the increasing number of road accident in the state and urged all concerns to pay attention over the menace.UNI BB RN 1101 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0311-1194531.Xml
State's Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar, Director General of Police Javeed Ahmad along with other senior officials visited the venue, Smriti Upvan park, to take stock of the preparations and security arrangements.

Adityanath also visited the venue in the morning escorted by the Bharatiyta Janata party's state General Secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak.

The swearing-in ceremony will take place at 2.15 p.m., in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, a host of union ministers and senior party leaders.

Hundreds of Adityanath's supporters from all across the state have reached Lucknow to attend the ceremony.

Two Deputy Chief Ministers -- Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya -- will also be sworn-in.

Meanwhile, celebrations started in Gorakhpur, from where Adityanath is a Lok Sabha member.

--IANS md/kskvt

( 159 Words)

2017-03-19-11:58:07 (IANS)
Eight people including a woman, from both political parties, suffered injuries in a clash between CPI(M) and BJP at Edakkad. Three CPI(M) workers suffered serious stab injuries on back side and one of them got injured on head in an attack by BJP/RSS activists around 2200 hrs at Koodathil Moolayil near Edakkad last night. Within hours, five BJP workers, including a woman were manhandled by CPI(M) gang, after barged into the house, as a retaliation attack. Tense situation prevails at Edakkad and near by areas. Police said the situation was under control and large number of police have been deployed at the sensitive places. According to police, CPI (M) workers Rohith (19), Abhinandh (18) and Jithin (25) all hails from nearby Edakkad areas, suffered stab injuries on back side and neck in an attack with swords and iron rods by BJP/RSS gang. Rohith and Abhinandh have been hospitalised at Thalassery cooperative hospital, while Jithin suffered serious stab injuries on his neck and admitted at Pariyaram Medical College hospital. Police said an altercation between the three CPI(M) workers and RSS workers Roopesh and Rajneesh, both are brothers was reported following, the decorations and posters,which was kept by CPI(M) workers in front of the house of them, as part of AKG commemorative day on last night. Later, a BJP/RSS gang attacked the three CPI(M) workers with swords and iron rods. Within hours, a CPI(M) gang barged into the RSS workers house and manhandled Roopesh, his brother Rajneesh, uncle Raghunath, father Bharathan and mother Radhamani. The parents suffered minor injuries when they tried to prevent the attacks against their sons.All the five members of the families were admitted at Thalassery Indhira Gandhi cooperative hospital with minor injuries. Meanwhile in another attack, CPI(M) Thalassery temple gate branch committee member Mani (54), suffered injuries on face and back side,police said.UNI AK PY 1143 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1194507.Xml
Pak fired unprovoked and violated ceasefire agreement in BG Sector and Balakot Sector this morning from 0600 hrs to 0645 hrs.

Pakistani troops fired two inch Mortars, automatic weapons, defence spokesman here said adding that it was responded by own troops befittingly.

"No casualty or injury to own troops was reported," he added.UNI VBH PY ADG

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1194535.Xml
As the approval ratings for Trump, the Republican Party, the Democratic Party and Congress circle the drain, one politician remains trusted by a shockingly large number of politicians: Bernie Sanders, who is polling +41% with independents, +28% with Democrats, and whose approval rating has steadily climbed since he hit the national stage in 2015.



So, naturally, the Democratic Party establishment is doing everything they can to sideline him, and keep his supporters out of positions of party power and off the mid-term ballots.



As Politico reported on the Democrats' post-Trump strategy in February, "Democratic aides say they will eventually shift to a positive economic message that Rust Belt Democrats can run on". However: "For now, aides say, the focus is on slaying the giant and proving to the voters who sent Trump into the White House why his policies will fail."



In other words, they're doubling down on the exact same failing strategy that Clinton used in the final months of the campaign. Sanders himself put it this way in his usual blunt style in an interview with New York magazine this week  when asked about whether the Democrats can adapt to the political reality, he said: "There are some people in the Democratic Party who want to maintain the status quo. They would rather go down with the Titanic so long as they have first-class seats." In the long term, change may be coming for Democrats whether they like it or not. Sanders loyalists are quietly attempting to take over many local Democratic party positions around the country. While Ellison lost the race for the DNC chair, it was incredibly close  closer than Sanders came to beating Clinton. And Sanders' supporters are already organizing primary challenges to incumbent Democrats who aren't sufficiently opposing Trump.

Everyone loves Bernie Sanders. Except, it seems, the Democratic party

[Trevor Timm/The Guardian]





(Image: BernTheWhiteHouse

)
Taking cue from military, designers Shikha Grover and Vinita Adhikar showcased their collection on Day four of the Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn-Winter'17. Rooted to the culture and tradition of its belonging, the designer duo's startup known as Ilk, aims to add a touch of handmade textures, which is also the brand's signature. According to the duo, "The colors are inspired by the military uniform. Different shades of green are used. The print is derived from the camouflage pattern and is created by using floral motifs." Taking inspiration from her sense of randomness, designer Reby Jindal's collection 'Guapa' sent out a message of love and peace through the collection. "I decided to combine everything- my love for colors, stripes, Metallics, beiges whites and black in particular, Quilting, beading, Foiling, pleating," the designer told media, post-event. "So what I'm trying to show through this collection is that when you put the things together that you think may not go well can also create something really unique," she added. Women in their mid-thirties and up played muse to the brand munkee.see.munkee.doo, which also showcased their collection on Day four. "The MSMD woman comes into her own and embraces simplicity, practicality and above all, individuality. The shapes are easy, stripped-back, familiar. Embellishments and color palette are of the subtlest kind - sketchy floral and weathered leaves serve as embroidery on white, black, beige, rust and steel blue," according to designers Teresa Laisom and Utsav Pradhan. Talking about their inspiration, the designers said, "In today's always-in-a-rush society of our's, this collection looks towards simplifying the everyday lives of women; taking a pause and reflecting on how she's gotten to the place she is now. It's about moving forward by looking back." (ANI)
A welcome ceremony was held for the Indian Coast GuardShip 'ICGS Shaunak', a new Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) class ship, which was commissioned by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu at Goa on February 21. An defence release here said ICGS Shaunak is a new Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) class ship with a length of 105 mts, speed 23 Knots/hrs and endurance of 20 days. The ship has joined the Eastern Region fleet and was based at Visakhapatnam. The Coast Guard Region (East) organized a ceremonial welcome to ICGS Shaunak at Chennai port in which ADGP Coastal Security Group C Sylendra Babu participated. ICGS Shaunak was commanded by Deputy Inspector General T Sashi Kumar, and manned by 14 officers and 98 men. The ship will be under the administrative and operational control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (East). The services of ICGS Shaunak would enhance the Indian Coast Guard's operational capability to discharge the multifarious maritime tasks. ''The induction of a sophisticated and state-of-the-art OPV will give a fillip to the maritime protection of our vast coastline of Eastern seaboard in general and the maritime states of Eastern Region--Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in particular'', the release said.UNI GV 1425 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1194726.Xml
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here by a special IAF plane to attend the swearing in of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his cabinet. He was received by Governor Ram Naik as well as Home Minister Rajnath Singh among others. --IANS md/mr ( 53 Words) 2017-03-19-14:34:07 (IANS)
The police force was trying to stop them from moving towards Delhi. The clash took place on the Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi highway when the protesters, who were on tractor-trolleys, were stopped.

Police used force, including tear gas, as the protesters pelted them with stones.

Authorities in Haryana have imposed a ban on movement of tractor-trolleys in districts bordering Delhi to foil a call given by Jat leaders to lay seige to Delhi and hold a protest outside Parliament.

--IANS js/in/mr

( 115 Words)

2017-03-19-15:20:08 (IANS)
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) today termed as 'shocking', the appointment of Yogi Adityanath as Uttar PradeshChief Minister by the BJP at the behest of RSS, and appealed to all democratic and secular forces to unitedly work to safeguard the communal amity in that state. In a statement here, the CPI(M) said ''the appointment of Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is a shocking decision by the BJP.'' ''This choice by the RSS, executed by its political arm, the BJP, is a deliberate move which bodes ill for the state'', it added. It said Adityanath was a known Hindutva fanatic, who has a record of inciting communal violence, having a number of criminal cases pending against him. ' Yogi 'Adityanath also espouses extremely casteist views'', the CPI(M) said, and added that the selection of Adityanath has once again exposed the oft-repeated claim of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that development would be its main agenda. ''It makes a mockery of his own slogan of "sabka saath, sabka vikas'', it said. In the face of this situation, the CPI (M) calls upon all democratic and secular forces in Uttar Pradesh to unitedly work to ensure the safeguarding of communal amity and the protection of the rights of all sections of the people in accordance with the constitutional guarantees, the statement said.UNI GV 1430 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1194743.Xml
Yogi Adityanath, BJP Gorakhpur MP, today took over as the 32nd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh along with his two Deputies and a strong 44-member Council of Ministers.Along with Yogi, two Deputy Chief Ministers, Keshav Prasad Maurya (BJP President of UP) and Dr Dinesh Sharma (Lucknow Mayor), also took the oath of office.Among the Council of Ministers, 22 have been given the Cabinet berth, nine Ministers of State (Independent Charge) and rest 13 as Ministers of State.State Governor, Ram Naik, administered the oath of office at a gracious function held at the Kanshi Ram Smriti Upvan in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and other VVIPs including several CMs of the NDA-ruled states, Governors, Union Ministers and others.Yogi and his two Deputies took oath in Hindi. The new CM, after taking oath, shook hands with PM, Governor and other senior leaders.The Ministry is being considered as balanced with 25 upper caste Ministers including the CM, 14 backwards besides minorities getting two berth with one to a Muslim and another to a Sikh.Three Dalits also made a place in the Council of Ministers, one in the Cabinet rank and two as Ministers of State. Eight turncoats, who switched over to BJP and won the elections, were also accommodated in the Council of Ministers. Four women also made their place in the Council.Outgoing Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi Party and former CM of UP and Uttarakhand ND Tiwari were also present in the function. SP patron and founder Mulayam Singh was also present and had some close moment with PM after the oath.Senior BJP leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi and other leaders were present too.BJP gets power in UP exactly after 15 years and eleven days. The last BJP CM was Rajnath Singh, a Thakur, who resigned on March 8, 2002 after loosing the Assembly polls and now another Thakur takes the charge. MORE UNI MB SDR SNU 1657 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1194882.Xml
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Sunday hosted lunch for visiting Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at his officials residence here. They exchanged views on a host of issues ranging from ease of doing business to law and order, Telangana welfare schemes, tourism and information technology. Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali, Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy, other ministers and top officials were present during the meeting. Vijayan, who is on a two-day visit to Hyderabad to attend various programmes, was all praise for the programmes and schemes launched by the Telangana government and for becoming number one state in the country in terms of ease of doing business. The Telangana Chief Minister sought allocation of land for the construction of guest house for pilgrims from his state in Sabarimala. Both states have already signed a draft Memorandum of Understnding in this regard and the issue is pending with the Travancore Devasthanam Board. Rao told Vijayan that lakhs of devotees from Telangana regularly go on pilgrimage to Sabarimala, and requested the visiting Chief Minister to expedite the matter. He explained the innovative and hassle-free industrial policy of the state and said this helped the state in achieving top rank in ease of doing business. Vijayan evinced key interest in the land reforms and maintenance of land records in Telangana. Telangana Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao, who is son of the Chief Minister and was present in the meeting, briefed Vijayan about the rapid strides Telangana has made in the IT, IT-enabled services sector. He said that Goa had already signed an MoU with Telangana on the exchange of IT knowledge and Kerala could also sign a similar MoU with the state. Both Chief Ministers exchanged views on culture and tourism. Rao hailed Kerala for being one of the most beautiful places in the country. Vijayan talked about the Kerala's Ayurveda system of medicine, which is popular all over the world. He also spoke about the health care, hospitals and health tourism of Kerala. --IANS ms/nir/vt ( 350 Words) 2017-03-19-18:28:09 (IANS)
The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC); a Public Sector Undertaking of Department of Biotechnology (DBT) is completing 5 years and will be celebrating its 5th Foundation Day on March 2021, 2017.The Theme of the Foundation Day is "BIRAC@5: Impacting the Biotech Ecosystem".The Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Harsh Vardhan will be the Chief Guest and the Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Y S Chowdary will be the Guest of Honour.During these 5 years, BIRAC's efforts have been focused on enhancing the innovation research capacities within the biotech industries, and encouraging young entrepreneurs to take their innovation ideas towards scale-up and commercialization, so as to meet the country's challenge for Affordable Product Development for masses without undermining the quality. With over 500 Biotech Industries, Startups and Entrepreneurs supported, today there are more than 50 products and technologies commercialized or in an advanced stage for commercialization. Further through BIRAC's support 120 IPs have been generated till now.The Event would have participation of more than 300 Scientists, Entrepreneurs, Industry Experts, and Policy Makers including a large number of stakeholders both national and international. The discussion will focus on the impact the Biotech Ecosystem is making on the Indian economy and the opportunities which exist for the Indian Biotech Sector as a global player.The Foundation Day will be followed by the Grand Challenges India Meeting 2017 being organized by the BIRAC PMU of DBT BMGF and Wellcome Trust. BIRAC was incorporated on 20th March, 2012 as a non-profit Public Sector Enterprise under the aegis of Department of Biotechnology (DBT). BIRAC completed 5 years of establishment in March, 2017.UNI ADP SHK 1809 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0429-1194959.Xml
Holding ABVP flags, a group of BJP's youth wing activists tried to rush towards the meeting venue- RTC Kalabhavan, where the Kerala Chief Minister was addressing a meeting of Malayalis residing here.

They also raised slogans of "Vijayan go back".

Police, however, arrested the protestors, including women.

Mr Vijayan is in Hyderabad on a two-day visit to attend the various programmes. He will address a public meeting of CPI-M in Saroornagar, on the city outskirts this evening.

Police have made tight security arrangements for his visit, in view of threats from right-wing organisations.UNI VV CJ RJ 2052

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1195240.Xml
The Bihar government today transferred District Magistrate of Saran Deepak Anand for dereliction of duty which led to the boat tragedy in Ganga river on January 14, claiming 25 lives. Official sources said here that Mr Anand was transferred with immediate effect and had been placed under waiting for posting as he was found prima-facie guilty of dereliction of duty, which led to the boat tragedy in Ganga river. More than 25 people had lost their lives when the boat ferrying them from across Ganga river capsized near NIT Ghat in Patna. All the victims were returning after participating in Kite festival on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on January 14. Mr Anand was replaced by Mr Harihar Prasad as Saran DM. He was the Director of mid-day meal project in education department. The Bihar government had earlier issued show cause notices to four IAS officers, including then Principal Secretary of Tourism Department Harjot Kaur and Director of Tourism Development Corporation for the lapses in making proper arrangements to return for those who were invited through a release of the state government to attend Kite festival in Ganga riverine. A large number of people were taken to Ganga riverine by steamer and boats arranged by the state government for Kite festival on January 14. When the people were to return in the evening, the steamer was not made available for them and overcrowding was witnessed in boats, ferrying the people from across the river. The overcrowding on the boat led to the tragedy as it capsized near NIT Ghat in Patna.UNI KKS AD2115 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1195254.Xml
President Pranab Mukherji today said that no part of the world today is free from the scourge of violence. This crisis is all pervasive. While addressing the closing ceremony of International Conference on "Buddhism in The 21st Century Perspectives and Responses to Global Challenges and Crises" at Rajgir, Bihar, President said that the basic question being raised today is how to stop this wanton destruction and come back to sanity. He said that the philosophy of Buddhism is as relevant today as ever - especially as the world grapples with complex problems that seem intractable. Buddhism has had a deep influence on human civilization. "The mighty emperor Ashoka who had the ambition of extending his empire as far as he could was converted into a missionary. Dhamma Ashoka is remembered in history rather than warrior Ashoka," Mr Mukherji said. The President said that Nalanda reflects our ancient educational system which attracted mighty minds in the form of students and teachers in ancient India. He said that education means the development of mind and requires an atmosphere which is conducive to free exchange of ideas. He quoted Gandhiji who had said of the Buddha "he was saturated with the best which was in Hinduism and he gave life to some of the teachings that were in the Vedas but which had been overgrown with weeds. His great Hindu spirit cuts its way through the forest of meaningless words which had overlaid the golden truth which was in the Vedas."Addressing the delegates present there, the President said as they return to their respective areas of activity and influence, he requested them all to redouble their efforts to promote the simple Truths and the Path of the Buddha that show we can be better citizens and contribute to making our land a better place to live in.The President expressed happiness that the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara has published the entire Pali Tripitaka (texts or words of the Buddha) in 41 volumes in the Devanagari script. He congratulated the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara University for this grand achievement and for opening the first ever Department of Buddhist Sciences in the world. He said that he would encourage the texts to be further dispersed like seeds by migrating birds far beyond the institutions of Buddhist studies and our region to Universities in all parts of the world regardless of their academic specialization.He stated that these initiatives will go a long way in popularizing the tenets of Buddhism. They will help the coming generations to easily connect with the supreme ideals of humanity, forbearance, discipline and compassion. Once these values are adopted by more and more scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and leaders in letter and spirit, he had no doubt that they will work to gear up to address the skepticism and cynicism that ails modern societies.UNI ADP CJ RJ 2159 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0429-1195153.Xml
The bomb which was reportedly planted by the Naxalites was later defused by the experts.

The jawans also recovered detonator and battery bomb form the site.(ANI)
The Maldives government announced that the official visit of Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to Male from March 18 had been postponed because of the spread of swine flu in the archipelago nation, however, highly placed sources say the reality is the Saudi King faced terror threats following which the visit was called off. Separately, there were other media reports that speculated the visit was cancelled due to protests by the opposition parties in Maldives against alleged plans by Maldives' President Abdulla Yameen to sell off a chain of islands and lagoons to Mohammed bin Salman, son of King Salman and Saudi Arabia's defence minister and deputy Crown Prince. As per the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, the plans were to sell or lease Faafu atoll to the Saudi royal family, which would "effectively cede control of an entire atoll to a foreign government." The MDP expressed serious concern that if this deal went through it would allow a foreign power to control one of the country's 26 atolls and amount to creeping colonialism by the Saudi government. However, as per sources in the Maldives security establishment, the above two reasons are not why the visit was cancelled. Instead, serious concerns about a possible terrorist threat to the high-powered Saudi delegation during this visit to Maldives, was responsible for the visit being called off. It is learnt that just weeks before the official visit, based on intelligence provided by Saudi agencies, a Yemeni national Yasir Yahya was arrested in the Maldives on charges of terrorism. The Yemini national, married to a Maldivian woman, had been residing in the Maldives for more than a year and was suspected of recruiting locals to an international terrorist group. He was later deported to Saudi Arabia. Following this arrest, it was feared that Yahya could have set up terror cells in the country that could pose a threat to King Salman and his delegation. Saudi Arabia has been lately dealing with threats from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and most of the terror attacks in the kingdom have had direct ties to Syria and Iraq. It is also well-documented that the Maldives is fast becoming a recruiting ground for the ISIS and more than 200 youth have left the country to Syria to join the ISIS over the last few years. The advance security team comprising of Saudi military officers, who had arrived in Male weeks before the King's arrival in the country is said to have expressed serious doubts about the security arrangements and cover being provided by the host government, especially in the face of the imminent terror threat in the country. (ANI)
The test was conducted at the North Korea's northwest facility, where the country has been launching rockets to put satellites into orbit, the Korean Central News Agency said on Sunday.

A new type of rocket engine was used in the test for long-range missiles.

Claiming the test to be successful, Kim Jong-un said it was a new birth of the nation's rocket industry.

"The development and completion of a new-type high-thrust engine will help consolidate the scientific and technological foundation to match the world-level satellite delivery capability in the field of outer space development," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Although North Korea has never flight-tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, it has recently demonstrated significant progress in its missile programs with new engines that could potentially deliver a nuclear warhead as far away as the United States.

The test comes a day after U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at North Korea and China saying that the former was 'behaving very badly' and the latter had not done enough to help.

"North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been "playing" the United States for years. China has done little to help!" Trump tweeted.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who presently is in South East Asia, had said earlier that Washington would consider military action against North Korea if it was provoked. (ANI)
Haitian President Jovenel Moise today told the grief-stricken relatives of 38 people killed in a bus collision last week that he would bring order to the country's roads, vowing to carry out an investigation into the crash.Speaking at an emotional mass funeral in the northern city of Gonaives, attended by roughly 2,000 relatives, friends and local politicians, Moise pledged to investigate the incident and bring justice to those affected."We will bring order to the traffic of Haitian streets," Moise said, promising to install vehicle inspection points throughout the country. "We must know how this vehicle was able to kill people and how the driver was able to flee justice."The incident occurred late last Saturday evening when a bus, traveling from Cap Haitien to the capital Port-au-Prince, hit two people in a town outside Gonaives, killing one. The driver then fled and crashed into three "rara" parades in nearby Mapou.Rara parades, which usually take place around Easter, are groupings of musicians playing traditional instruments who are often joined by passers-by.After being released from custody, the bus driver fled, and remains a fugitive, police say.At the service today, people close to the victims slowly filed into the square, where flags for Haiti and Gonaives hung at half-mast. Some stopped to see the white and gold caskets, all labeled with the name of the person inside and decorated with wreaths of white, red and yellow flowers.Victims' loved ones mostly wore black and white, while others wore T-shirts bearing tributes to the deceased. Some attendees writhed on the ground, screaming tearfully."He wasn't ready! He wasn't ready!" one woman yelled.Quico Bien-Aime had come to mourn the death of his brother, Dupito. "It was the music he loved," Bien-Aime said, referring to his younger brother's love of rara. "He loved music a lot."\\REUTERS PS 0405 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1194438.Xml
Chuck Berry, who duck-walked his way into the pantheon of rock'n'roll as one of its most influential guitarists and the creator of raucous anthems that defined its early sound and heartbeat, died on Saturday at his Missouri home. He was 90.Police in St. Charles County, outside St. Louis, said emergency responders called to Berry's home found the performer unconscious and administered life-saving assistance to no avail. He was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m. local time, police said.Although Elvis Presley was called the king of rock'n'roll, that crown would have fit just as well on the carefully sculpted pompadour of Charles Edward Anderson Berry. He was present in rock's infancy in the 1950s and emerged as its first star guitarist and lyricist.Berry-composed hits such as "Johnny B. Goode," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Sweet Little Sixteen," "Maybellene" and "Memphis" melded elements of blues, rockabilly and jazz into some of America's most timeless pop songs of the 20th century.He was a monumental influence on just about any kid who picked up a guitar with rock star aspirations - Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen among them.Bob Dylan called Berry "the Shakespeare of rock'n'roll," and he was one of the first popular acts to write as well as perform his own songs. They focused on youth, romance, cars and good times, with lyrics that were complex, humorous and sometimes a little raunchy.Both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, as well as the Beach Boys and scores of others acts - even Elvis - covered Berry's songs."If you tried to give rock'n'roll another name," Lennon once said, "you might call it 'Chuck Berry'."When Richards inducted Berry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, he said: "It's very difficult for me to talk about Chuck Berry because I've lifted every lick he ever played. This is the gentleman who started it all."Berry, who marked his 90th birthday in 2016 by announcing he would release his first album in 38 years, listed T-Bone Walker, Carl Hogan of Louis Jordan's band and Charlie Christian from Benny Goodman's band as his guitar influences, but his lyrical style was all his own. Punchy wordplay and youth-oriented subject matter earned him the nickname "the eternal teenager" early in his career.Berry came along at a time when much of the United States remained racially segregated, but it was hard for young audiences of any color to resist a performer who delivered such a powerful beat with so much energy and showmanship.Berry said he performed his signature bent-knee, head-bobbing "duck walk" across more than 4,000 concert stages.REUTERS PS 0435 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1194440.Xml
"There are important development opportunities resulting from China-US ties," said Xi at the meeting in the Great Hall of People in Beijing.

Xi said he had maintained sound communications with his US counterpart Donald Trump through telephone calls and messages and they had agreed that the two countries could be good partners, Xinhua news agency reported.

To advance China-US ties in a healthy and steady manner, both sides, Xi said, could "enhance exchanges at high level and various levels; expand cooperation in bilateral, regional and global fields; and properly address and manage sensitive issues".

Xi suggested that the two countries increase strategic trust and mutual understanding, review bilateral ties from long-term and strategic perspectives and expand fields of cooperation for win-win outcomes.

"The two countries should also enhance coordination on regional hotspot issues, respect each other's core interests and major concerns and encourage friendly exchanges between the two peoples."

Xi also extended welcome to President Trump for a visit to China.

Tillerson said the US was "ready to develop relations with China based on the principle of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation".

After visiting Japan and South Korea in his first visit to Asia as the chief US diplomat, Tillerson arrived in China on Saturday, where he met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, and State Councillor Yang Jiechi, in Beijing on Saturday.

--IANS ksk/mr

( 262 Words)

2017-03-19-13:48:07 (IANS)
In the report, the Rodong Sinmun, the official daily of North Korea, called the US policy towards Pyongyang "brigandish and rogue" and said Washington had no "respect for sovereignty and the idea of equality".

"The US is working hard to justify its aggression moves as one of preserving peace," added the report.

The report comes the same day as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson concludes his Asia tour, during which he also visited Tokyo and Seoul and focused on developing a new strategy to counter North Korea, Efe news reported.

Following a meeting on Saturday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, Tillerson pledged to do everything possible to prevent a military conflict on the Korean peninsula at a time of rising tensions in the region.

The US Secretary of State also held a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday, in which the two promised to build a relationship of cooperation favourable for both countries.

Tillerson's tour of Asia comes at a time of escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula due to the latest weapons test by North Korea on March 6, when the army fired four medium-range missiles into waters close to Japan.

The test was in response to ongoing annual military exercises by Seoul and Washington in South Korea, which Pyongyang considers a provocation and a rehearsal for invading its territory.

--IANS ksk/dg

( 261 Words)

2017-03-19-15:56:08 (IANS)
Biniam Alemeneh's father was a construction worker, but the 16-year-old Ethiopian student dreamed of becoming an engineer, inspired by his country's booming economy and the tall glass buildings mushrooming around his home city of Addis Ababa.On March 11, the colossal mound of rubbish that dominated his neighbourhood collapsed, burying him and at least 114 others and tarnishing the government's carefully polished image of economic progress."It took them three days to find my boy," said Biniam's mother Kassanesh, gesturing to a framed photograph of a teenager with a toothy smile and curly mop of hair.Residents say at least 80 people are still missing after the landslide. Hundreds of people lived next to the 50-year-old Reppi dump, known as "Koshe" or "dirty" in the Amharic language.The disaster crushed dozens of homes: not just the makeshift shacks of the rubbish pickers, but also brick and concrete houses built with carefully saved cash earned during Ethiopia's recent economic expansion.The East African country, rapidly becoming a regional powerhouse, is projected to grow by 7.5 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. Foreign investment shot up from $500 million in 2008 to $3.5 billion in 2015.The growth has helped pull millions of Ethiopians out of poverty, but also led to violence, as industrialisation has forced farmers from their land and the government has cracked down on political protests.Biniam's father Tsegaye said residents had often complained to city authorities about the dump, warning it fostered disease and put local families at risk.It was supposed to gradually close from 2015, but when garbage trucks began taking rubbish to a new site, protests erupted.The plan to close Reppi stalled. It remained the city's only landfill site, taking in daily deliveries of trash from the city's 5 million residents."Whenever any problem was raised, the authorities made pledges (to move the garbage) all the time. They didn't really care," Tsegaye said as weeping mourners spilled out of the small brick house to stand under a tarpaulin stretched outside."He did not deserve this. All he wanted to do was make it to university."At the site on Sunday, dozens of volunteers and emergency workers scrabbled through stinking waste, vultures hovering above them. Emergency workers said it could take months to uncover all the victimsReuters CJ PM2048 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1195225.Xml
Somali officials whose forces freed a hijacked oil tanker and its eight Sri Lankan crew said on Sunday that NATO ships must do more to prevent the illegal fishing that locals say sparked the latest attack.Monday's hijacking was the first time that Somali pirates had successfully hijacked a commercial ship since 2012. Unlike previous hijackings, the ship was freed swiftly and with no ransom paid after the Puntland Maritime Police Force intervened. The intervention reassured shipping companies concerned that resurgent pirates could once again threaten one of the world's most important shipping lanes.Officials from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland blamed local anger over illegal fishing by foreign vessels for the attack. They warned that more hijackings might happen unless the problem was tackled."We requested NATO warships to tackle the illegal fishing, but they replied it was not their mandate," Abdihakim Abdullahi Omar, the vice president of Puntland, told reporters at Bosasso port."We told them that if they cannot take measures against the illegal fishing vessels who come under their cover and those who pour wastes into our waters, then their presence is a burden rather than a benefit."The Somali pirates often claim they attacked ships in revenge for illegal fishing by foreigners, then broadened that out to include any foreign-owned vessel.NATO officials were not immediately available for comment. They have previously said illegal fishing along Somalia's coast is not in their mission.Pirate attacks peaked in 2011 but fell sharply after shipping companies upgraded security aboard vessels and regional naval forces stepped up patrols.The emergence of the marine force in Puntland also helped, said John Steed, a former British defence attache who has worked on Somali piracy for nearly a decade.The force of around 1,000 men is paid by the United Arab Emirates and has dual roles: fighting piracy and fighting Islamic militants."Our role is to capture smugglers, pirates and terrorists ," said Abdirahman Mohamud, the head of the marine force. "When illegal fishing vessels are captured, we hand them over to the Puntland government, which fines them a high amount of money so that they do not fish illegally again."In 2012, the force stormed the MV Iceberg 1, freeing its crew of 23, who had been abandoned by the ship's owner and subjected to increasingly brutal torture over nearly three years of captivity.In 2015, the force rescued the crew of the MV Al Amal, whose 34 crew were washed ashore just south of the pirate haven of Eyl when their ship broke up on rocks, Steed said.In December, the force helped drive militants affiliated with Islamic State from the northern port town of QandalaReuters CJ PM2326 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1195306.Xml
Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie (R) meets with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in Baden-Baden, Germany, March 18, 2017. Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie on Saturday met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Germany's southwestern city of Baden-Baden. The two sides have called for enhancing the economic cooperation between the two countries. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)

BADEN-BADEN, Germany, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie on Saturday met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The two sides have called for enhancing the economic cooperation between the two countries.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Germany's southwestern city of Baden-Baden.

Both sides emphasized the great significance of intensifying the Chinese-U.S. economic cooperation, not only to both countries but also to the world economic growth, saying that China and the United States should highly treasure the hard-won achievements of bilateral economic cooperation.

In addition, the two sides agreed to further strengthen communication, to stick to the connotation of bilateral economic cooperation and to make it more effective and pragmatic.

It is the first meeting between Xiao and Mnuchin.
by Xinhua writers Xu Jing, Miao Zhuang

CHICAGO, March 18 (Xinhua) -- A storm swept through the northern part of Illinois the day before, leaving this March morning in Rockford, a northernmost city in Illinois, icy cold. But light leaking out from the curtains of Rachel McGaw's house in a common neighborhood in Rockford gives a feeling of warmth.

McGaw was preparing breakfast for her sons, Vincent, a college student; and Caiden, a 7th grader. Dogs Ella and Luke briskly circled around the family in the dining room.

There are pictures of the family, together or separate, on the refrigerator and on the wall. Beside a picture of the two brothers on the wall of the sitting room hang three big words: "Live, Laugh and Love."

Rachel usually goes to work at 6:00 a.m.. Today, she took a pizza box for lunch, zigzagged for about 20 minutes in her Nissan Toledo and reached the facility of Wanxiang New Energy LLC, the solar division of Wanxiang America Corporation located in Rockford.

After dropping lunch box and coat in her office and checking some data in computer, she puts on white uniform and goes into the workshop.

Being the office manager of the facility, Rachel is familiar with every step of the operation of the plant. She joined co-workers in washing base glass, loading cell stack, arranging strings in series, adding voltages, and framing the cell panels. As machines have done most of the work, another work Rachel and her co-workers need to do is monitoring the machines.

Atmosphere in the workshop was brisk. Rachel occasionally exchanged remarks with workmates and they laughed.

Brent Anderson, the operation manager, told Xinhua the facility was built in 2010. "When we first started the facility, we didn't have any employees with solar skills, so we did fly in a couple Chinese engineers to help us start and to help us train," said Brent, "but it's gone well." Currently, 15 workers of the facility are all local residents.

The facility now covers 50,000 square feet. "Eventually when this facility is all done, it'll be five times that big." "We make a high quality product," Brent said proudly.

Ni Pin, president of Wanxiang America Corporation, attributed the start of this solar panel plant to bravery. The U.S. clean energy industry had a downturn at the time, "we were brave and decided that's the industry we want to jump in. Then, we set up our own solar plant in Rockford."

"It's a greenfield plant. We built it from ground zero, it is a manufacturing unit," Ni said.

Wanxiang New Energy LLC is just one of the 28-plus plants Wanxiang America Corporation, a branch of privately owned Chinese Wanxiang Group, runs in more than 20 states in the United States.

Auto part is the first foothold of Wanxiang America Corporation when it first set its foot on the United States in 1994. After 23 years' development, this privately owned Chinese company branch in the United States has spread its business to real estate, battery for automobiles, and electrical vehicles.

Buying troubled companies is one way for Wanxiang America Corporation to expand business. It bought bankrupt Fisker assets in 2014 and built it into a green field car manufacturing facility in California, employing about 1,000 local workers.

"Because we came to save the troubled company, we save a lot of jobs," Ni said.

Wanxiang America has a policy: to re-invest every penny it made locally here into the local community. It has so far invested a total of 10 billion dollars in the United States, creating some 8,000 jobs for local workers.

"We truly become a localized company in the United States," Ni said.

Creating job is one thing, to have employees stay long is another. Wanxiang America companies usually have four stakeholders: shareholder, employee, customer and the local community. "We have to balance among these four parties to make our companies successful," Ni told Xinhua.

"We are all together on the same boat. This is the Chinese culture. We're on the same boat, so we have to work together as a team." "The only way you can get people motivated is to respect them, give them the room to grow and award them when they have achieved," Ni stressed.

Rachel's satisfaction with her work echoed Ni's words: "I enjoy working here. I like my salary, I like my hours, I like Brent. He's an awesome boss." "Wanxiang is good to employees, they treat us with respect and they're loyal," Rachel told Xinhua.

"My experience with Wanxiang has actually been better than my experience with an American company. I feel like you're more valued. They take you and your feeling and your family into consideration." "I am happy," Rachel said.
Rachel McGaw works for Wanxiang New Energy LLC, one of the 28-plus plants of the Chinese company Wanxiang America Corporation, located in Rockford, Illinois. (Xinhua/Miao Zhuang)

by Xinhua writers Xu Jing, Miao Zhuang

CHICAGO, March 18 (Xinhua) -- A storm swept through the northern part of Illinois the day before, leaving this March morning in Rockford, a northernmost city in Illinois, icy cold. But light leaking out from the curtains of Rachel McGaw's house in a common neighborhood in Rockford gives a feeling of warmth.

McGaw was preparing breakfast for her sons, Vincent, a college student; and Caiden, a 7th grader. Dogs Ella and Luke briskly circled around the family in the dining room.

There are pictures of the family, together or separate, on the refrigerator and on the wall. Beside a picture of the two brothers on the wall of the sitting room hang three big words: "Live, Laugh and Love."

Rachel usually goes to work at 6:00 a.m.. Today, she took a pizza box for lunch, zigzagged for about 20 minutes in her Nissan Toledo and reached the facility of Wanxiang New Energy LLC, the solar division of Wanxiang America Corporation located in Rockford.

After dropping lunch box and coat in her office and checking some data in computer, she puts on white uniform and goes into the workshop.

Being the office manager of the facility, Rachel is familiar with every step of the operation of the plant. She joined co-workers in washing base glass, loading cell stack, arranging strings in series, adding voltages, and framing the cell panels. As machines have done most of the work, another work Rachel and her co-workers need to do is monitoring the machines.

Rachel McGaw works for Wanxiang New Energy LLC, one of the 28-plus plants of the Chinese company Wanxiang America Corporation, located in Rockford, Illinois. (Xinhua/Miao Zhuang)

Atmosphere in the workshop was brisk. Rachel occasionally exchanged remarks with workmates and they laughed.

Brent Anderson, the operation manager, told Xinhua the facility was built in 2010. "When we first started the facility, we didn't have any employees with solar skills, so we did fly in a couple Chinese engineers to help us start and to help us train," said Brent, "but it's gone well." Currently, 15 workers of the facility are all local residents.

The facility now covers 50,000 square feet. "Eventually when this facility is all done, it'll be five times that big." "We make a high quality product," Brent said proudly.

Ni Pin, president of Wanxiang America Corporation, attributed the start of this solar panel plant to bravery. The U.S. clean energy industry had a downturn at the time, "we were brave and decided that's the industry we want to jump in. Then, we set up our own solar plant in Rockford."

"It's a greenfield plant. We built it from ground zero, it is a manufacturing unit," Ni said.

Wanxiang New Energy LLC is just one of the 28-plus plants Wanxiang America Corporation, a branch of privately owned Chinese Wanxiang Group, runs in more than 20 states in the United States.

Auto part is the first foothold of Wanxiang America Corporation when it first set its foot on the United States in 1994. After 23 years' development, this privately owned Chinese company branch in the United States has spread its business to real estate, battery for automobiles, and electrical vehicles.

Buying troubled companies is one way for Wanxiang America Corporation to expand business. It bought bankrupt Fisker assets in 2014 and built it into a green field car manufacturing facility in California, employing about 1,000 local workers.

"Because we came to save the troubled company, we save a lot of jobs," Ni said.

Rachel McGaw works for Wanxiang New Energy LLC, one of the 28-plus plants of the Chinese company Wanxiang America Corporation, located in Rockford, Illinois. (Xinhua/Miao Zhuang)

Wanxiang America has a policy: to re-invest every penny it made locally here into the local community. It has so far invested a total of 10 billion dollars in the United States, creating some 8,000 jobs for local workers.

"We truly become a localized company in the United States," Ni said.

Creating job is one thing, to have employees stay long is another. Wanxiang America companies usually have four stakeholders: shareholder, employee, customer and the local community. "We have to balance among these four parties to make our companies successful," Ni told Xinhua.

"We are all together on the same boat. This is the Chinese culture. We're on the same boat, so we have to work together as a team." "The only way you can get people motivated is to respect them, give them the room to grow and award them when they have achieved," Ni stressed.

Rachel's satisfaction with her work echoed Ni's words: "I enjoy working here. I like my salary, I like my hours, I like Brent. He's an awesome boss." "Wanxiang is good to employees, they treat us with respect and they're loyal," Rachel told Xinhua.

"My experience with Wanxiang has actually been better than my experience with an American company. I feel like you're more valued. They take you and your feeling and your family into consideration." "I am happy," Rachel said.
Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang addresses the Sino-Philippine economic and trade forum in Manila, the Philippines , March 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

MANILA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese official said on Saturday that China and the Philippines enjoy broad prospects of pragmatic cooperation, urging the two countries to grasp the opportunity to deepen and enlarge bilateral cooperation.

"China and the Philippines are close in geography, blood relations and culture. The two countries' economies are complementary and both are in the period of fast development," Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang told a Sino-philippine economic and trade forum in Manila.

Wang, who is on a four-day trip to the Philippines, urged businessmen from the two countries to grasp the opportunity of improved bilateral relations to push cooperation between the two sides to a larger, broader and deeper level so as to benefit the two peoples.

Wang said China and the Philippines have been enjoying a long history of friendly exchanges, and the visit by President Rodrigo Duterte to China last October has turned a new leaf in bilateral relations and pushed pragmatic bilateral cooperation to a new level.

Wang disclosed that bilateral trade between China and the Philippines, against the backdrop of declining global trade, increased by 3.4 percent last year over the year before, accounting for 15.4 percent of Pilippines's total foreign trade.

China has become Philippines' second largest trading partner. Philippines's exports of fruits to China, such as papaya, pineapple, banana and mango, have been growing rapidly, increasing 200 percent, 100 percent, 50 percent and 30 percent respectively since last October, statistics show.

Since 2016, investments by Chinese companies in the Philippines have increased 47 percent. And in recent months more and more Chinese companies are rushing into the Philippines, looking for investment opportunity in manufacturing, infrastructure, agriculture and e-commerce.

"The neighbors are getting closer and closer. There are 159 flights every week between the two countries and further increases are expected; And our two countries have also made sound progress in exchanges and cooperation of education, science and culture," Wang told the forum.

Wang said products in the two countries have their own characteristics and there is a huge potential in bilateral trade growth. He promised that China will import more Philippines' agriculture produce.

He said infrastructure is the top priority of the Philippine government and the priority area of cooperation, adding China is willing to take part in the construction and operation of roads, railways, airports, ports and bridges in the Philippines.

Wang noted that the Philippines has its advantages in labor force and natural resources, while China has capital and market advantages, so the two sides has a promising future in cooperation of manufacturing and investment. He said China is going to join hands with the Philippines to build industrial parks in the Philippines.

"We should also enlarge our cooperation in areas concerning people's livehood. China is ready to share with the Philippines modern agriculture knowledge and help the Philippines to improve the sustainable development of agriculture," Wang told the forum.

Wang pointed out that peoples' exchanges between the two countries have a longer history than government contacts and cover more areas than trade, calling both countries to deepen exchanges and cooperation in areas such as education, science, culture, among others, to consolidate the social basis of bilateral relations.

Wang said that China and the Philippines are neighbors that cannot be moved away. Although the two countries have experienced up and downs in bilateral relations, good-neighborly friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation is always the mainstream.

"History shows that to be good neighbors, good friends and good partners is the only right way to go. As long as we can steer bilateral relations towards the general direction of good neighborliness and friendship, bilateral relations can move along the right track," Wang said.
NEW DELHI, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Six Naxals were killed and two policemen wounded Saturday in a fierce gunfight in India's central state of Chhattisgarh, police said.

The gunfight broke out at Dantewada district, about 350 km south of Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh.

"Today six armed insurgents were killed in Dantewada district," a police official said. "The District Reserve Group (DRG) of police was on a search operation in Burgum- Toyapara hills near Aranpur of southern Bastar region when the maoists fired upon them this afternoon. The team responded swiftly and has succeeded in killing at least six Naxals."

Police officials claim they have recovered three bodies and three assault rifles from the spot.

According to police, the two DRG Jawans were removed to the nearest medical facility for treatment.

Reports said paramilitary reinforcements were rushed to the area and stand-off was going on between Naxals and policemen when the last reports poured in.

Naxalites are also known as "Maoists".

Maoist insurgency has its genesis in the violent left-wing rebellion that began in 1967 at village Naxalbari in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Currently Maoists are active in more than a third of the total 600-odd districts across central and eastern India.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh once termed the Naxalite movement as India's "greatest internal security challenge."

New Delhi has deployed several companies of its paramilitary forces to take on Naxals in their strongholds.

The insurgency reportedly has claimed more than 6,000 lives and rendered thousands of poor inhabitants homeless.

Last week 12 personnel of India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and five others wounded after Naxals ambushed them in adjacent Sukma district. The Naxals later looted 10 service rifles from the slain troopers.
CANBERRA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Manufacturers have threatened to leave Australia if the country's energy crisis cannot be resolved.

The closure of Victoria's Hazelwood power station, which supplied 22 percent of the state's power, has raised fears that the price of energy in Australia is about to skyrocket.

Terry O'Brien, chairman of the Food and Grocery Council, said that a price war in his industry had made companies unable to pass on power price hikes to consumer.

He said that as more companies were caught up in the pincer movement, the threat of large employers abandoning Australia all together was rising.

"The decision to stay or go gets more and more marginal as the days go on," O'Brien told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Sunday.

"And there's not a heck of a lot of sentiment in these internationally managed companies. They go where it makes sense. And if it's not going to make sense here, they leave."

Hazelwood will be the ninth Australian power plant to close in five years. Its shutting down means that blackouts will be a rising threat nationwide.

"To stop production through a lack of energy is just a disaster," O'Brien said.

Matthew Warren, CEO of the Australian Energy Council, said that the absence of Hazelwood left a "very fragile setup" of Australia's remaining generators.

"If anything goes wrong, if an interconnector fails or is switched off, if generating units can't meet their maximum output, we start risking blackouts," Mr Warren said.

The spate of closures comes as the country experiences a shortfall in gas to power domestic generators with most of Australia's gas reserves set to be exported.

Mark Richards, a unit controller at Hazelwood, said the plant had been running at maximum efficiency throughout the Australian summer and the grid had barely managed to meet demand.

"The real issue will be next summer," Richards told the ABC.

"There's already projections from (the market operator) showing that there's going to be shortfalls. And that's combined with the problems of gas price increases."
Ahn Cheol-soo, popular South Korean entrepreneur-turned-professor, addresses a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, Sept. 19, 2012. (Xinhua file photo/Park Jin-hee)

SEOUL, March 18 (Xinhua) -- One of South Korea's prospective presidential contenders, who was the best hope for progressive voters four years earlier, championed a parallel approach of sanctions and dialogue to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear program.

Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party said during a dinner meeting with foreign correspondents in Seoul Friday that dialogue will be able to run parallel with sanctions, referring to the long-stalled six-party talks China has offered to resume.

The aid-for-disarmament dialogue to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula has been suspended since late 2008. The six-way dialogue involves the two Koreas, China, the United States, Russia and Japan.

"No precedent is found (in history) that sanctions brought a regime collapse. Nobody has asked questions about what the purpose of sanctions is," said Ahn.

The former People's Party chief said the purpose was to arrange a dialogue table at the right time and under the right conditions, stressing the need to restart any dialogue as rapidly as possible that includes the four-way talks among the two Koreas, China and the U.S. as well as the six-party dialogue.

The four-way talks had been held from 1996 to 1999 to defuse tensions and build a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, helping lead to the first inter-Korean summit talks in 2000.

Ahn said South Korea should have proactively used its diplomatic ability to influence the United States and China and encourage the two powers to get more actively involved in resolving the peninsula's nuclear issue.

The "strategic patience," Ahn said, effectively meant doing nothing for the peninsula's denuclearization, referring to the U.S. foreign policy in the past decade under which Washington had refrained from having talks with the DPRK before Pyongyang's sincere efforts to dismantle its nuclear program.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in Seoul Friday that the strategic patience policy had ended, and that all options were on the table to resolve the DPRK's nuclear issue. Tillerson visited South Korea for his second stop of his first East Asian tour since taking office.

Ahn saw a "significantly low" possibility for military actions toward the DPRK to become a key policy of the Trump administration, saying the U.S. side would not want tensions escalated in the region. The so-called "surgical strike" against the DPRK's nuclear facilities can put the entire peninsula into an all-out war.

He placed an emphasis on cooperation with the international community, especially China and the United States, to denuclearize the peninsula, saying the inter-Korean dialogue could be relaunched after establishing positions on it through talks with the two powers.

Touching on the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system, he said South Korea is required to talk with the governments of both China and the U.S. as the two countries think of it from a different perspective.

Seoul and Washington have recently launched the process of the THAAD installation in southeast South Korea as part of the missile defense battery, including two mobile launchers, were delivered to an unknown base of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

One THAAD battery, valued at about 1.3 billion U.S. dollars, is composed of six mobile launchers, 48 interceptors, an X-band radar and the fire and control unit.

Moon Jae-in (R), presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic United Party, and South Korea's former independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo reply to media in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 6, 2012. (Xinhua file photo/Park Jin-hee)

China and Russia have strongly opposed the THAAD battery in South Korea as it breaks regional strategic balance and damages security interests of the two countries. THAAD will boost arms race in the region as powerful missile shields bring more nuclear missiles that can break through the missile defense systems.

"(South) Korea and China had enjoyed the best relationship in history since the two set up diplomatic ties in 1992. Both countries had wanted to become a real friend," said Ahn who stressed the need for dialogue between Seoul and Beijing to broaden their understanding of each other.

PROSPECTIVE PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDER

Ahn has predicted a close race between him and Moon Jae-in, former head of the main opposition Minjoo Party, in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for May 9.

As the constitutional court upheld the motion to impeach former President Park Geun-hye last week, the election is to be held about 50 days later.

Recent surveys showed Ahn at a much disadvantage to Moon, but the two-term lawmaker of the People's Party is expected to emerge as a dark horse following the end of the primary in the Minjoo Party.

Three major Minjoo Party presidential hopefuls, including frontrunner Moon, have held three of the top four ranks in recent opinion polls as popularity for conservative politicians fell with the downfall of Park.

Two of the three Minjoo Party contenders will bow out of the race after the primary ends, and the party will field a sole presidential candidate.

Then, public support for Ahn may go up sharply as he can absorb much, or part, of the support given to the two Minjoo Party contenders. "In the end, the presidential election will become an Ahn-Moon race," said Ahn.

Ahn, the software tycoon-turned-politician, gained a sensational popularity in the 2012 presidential election when Park was elected as the 18th leader, but he dropped his bid to throw his support behind Moon.

At the time, there was a belief that if both Ahn and Moon ran for president together, liberal votes would be split. Though Ahn stepped aside, Moon lost to Park in 2012.

Ahn was a medical doctor by training and the country's first developer of the anti-virus software, called V3, which was distributed to the general public free of charge.

Before entering the political arena, Ahn was highly respected for his contribution to the South Korean society, and was considered an icon among the younger generation due partly to a so-called "Talk Concert," through which he toured the entire country and talked with youths about their agonies.

"Forcing people to have an identical thought does not mean a national unity. The unity means finding wisdom on how to enable people having many different thoughts to live together," said Ahn.
CHICAGO, March 18 (Xinhua) -- American musician Chuck Berry, also known as 'father of Rock'n'Roll', was found dead at his home in St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday, according to local police. He was 90.

"The St. Charles County Police Department sadly confirms the death of Charles Edward Anderson Berry Sr., better known as legendary musician Chuck Berry," a post on the St. Charles Country police Facebook page said.

Police said first responders arrived at Berry's home around noon Saturday and found the man unresponsive. Berry could not be revived despite the best efforts of the responders and was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m. (1816 GMT), the police said.

Emerging in the 1950s as one of the first star guitarists and lyricists, Berry was the author and performer of the rock'n'roll classics like "Johnny B. Goode", "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Roll Over Beethoven."
CARACAS, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The number of bodies found inside a violence-hit prison in Venezuela has risen to 15, authorities announced Saturday.

The country's attorney-general said in a statement that investigations had found "the remains of 15 people so far" inside the General Penitentiary of Venezuela (PGV), located in the town of San Juan de los Morros in the northern state of Guarico.

In late October, the Venezuelan government announced all the 9,000 prisoners in the PGV would be removed, after weeks of fighting for control of the prison and a reported lack of food and medicine.

"However, the search for other remains is continuing around the initial find, which happened on March 9," the statement continued.

A team of 20 specialists has searched the PGV and the statement said the search was focused on the "identification and classification of skulls, vertebrae and other remains...to determine to whom each bone belongs."

"A total of 12 bodies were found with their respective skulls, and the remains of three other people, whose skulls have not been found, make 15 victims found so far," the statement specified.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met here Sunday with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

It is Tillerson's first visit to China since he assumed office last month. Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held separate meetings with Tillerson on Saturday.

Related:

China, U.S. in talks on meeting between presidents

BEIJING, March 18 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States are now in close communication on arrangements for a meeting between the two presidents and exchanges at other levels, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during his talks with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Saturday.

"We attach great importance to your visit," Wang told Tillerson at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. Full story

Commentary: Keep up good momentum for China-U.S. ties

BEIJING, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Never before has the China-U.S. relationship been so complicated to comprehend, and too important to fail.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte shakes hands with visiting Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang, in Davao City,the Philippines, on March 17, 2017. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

MANILA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese official said on Saturday that China and the Philippines enjoy broad prospects of pragmatic cooperation, urging the two countries to grasp the opportunity to deepen and enlarge bilateral cooperation.

"China and the Philippines are close in geography, blood relations and culture. The two countries' economies are complementary and both are in the period of fast development," Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang told a Sino-philippine economic and trade forum in Manila.

Wang, who is on a four-day trip to the Philippines, urged businessmen from the two countries to grasp the opportunity of improved bilateral relations to push cooperation between the two sides to a larger, broader and deeper level so as to benefit the two peoples.

Wang said China and the Philippines have been enjoying a long history of friendly exchanges, and the visit by President Rodrigo Duterte to China last October has turned a new leaf in bilateral relations and pushed pragmatic bilateral cooperation to a new level.

Wang disclosed that bilateral trade between China and the Philippines, against the backdrop of declining global trade, increased by 3.4 percent last year over the year before, accounting for 15.4 percent of Pilippines's total foreign trade.

China has become Philippines' second largest trading partner. Philippines's exports of fruits to China, such as papaya, pineapple, banana and mango, have been growing rapidly, increasing 200 percent, 100 percent, 50 percent and 30 percent respectively since last October, statistics show.

Since 2016, investments by Chinese companies in the Philippines have increased 47 percent. And in recent months more and more Chinese companies are rushing into the Philippines, looking for investment opportunity in manufacturing, infrastructure, agriculture and e-commerce.

"The neighbors are getting closer and closer. There are 159 flights every week between the two countries and further increases are expected; And our two countries have also made sound progress in exchanges and cooperation of education, science and culture," Wang told the forum.

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang meets with the Philippine cabinet's economic management team, in Davao City, the Philippines, on March 17, 2017. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

Wang said products in the two countries have their own characteristics and there is a huge potential in bilateral trade growth. He promised that China will import more Philippines' agriculture produce.

He said infrastructure is the top priority of the Philippine government and the priority area of cooperation, adding China is willing to take part in the construction and operation of roads, railways, airports, ports and bridges in the Philippines.

Wang noted that the Philippines has its advantages in labor force and natural resources, while China has capital and market advantages, so the two sides has a promising future in cooperation of manufacturing and investment. He said China is going to join hands with the Philippines to build industrial parks in the Philippines.

"We should also enlarge our cooperation in areas concerning people's livehood. China is ready to share with the Philippines modern agriculture knowledge and help the Philippines to improve the sustainable development of agriculture," Wang told the forum.

Wang pointed out that peoples' exchanges between the two countries have a longer history than government contacts and cover more areas than trade, calling both countries to deepen exchanges and cooperation in areas such as education, science, culture, among others, to consolidate the social basis of bilateral relations.

Wang said that China and the Philippines are neighbors that cannot be moved away. Although the two countries have experienced up and downs in bilateral relations, good-neighborly friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation is always the mainstream.

"History shows that to be good neighbors, good friends and good partners is the only right way to go. As long as we can steer bilateral relations towards the general direction of good neighborliness and friendship, bilateral relations can move along the right track," Wang said.
Photo taken on March 15, 2017 shows Jony Sun, a student from Hong Kong, China, received gifts from his Australian host family. (Xinhua/Zhu Hongye)

SYDNEY, March 17 (Xinhua) -- International trade deals, bilateral agreements and strategic business partnerships are often considered the most important aspects of international relations.

But the richest foundation for cross-cultural communication between China and Australia lies with the 90,000 Chinese students studying in Australia and living among Aussie families.

"If it's your first time being in a foreign environment, something that reminds you of home is a good thing and a host family usually creates that similar atmosphere that you have when you're back at home," University of Sydney master's student Jony Sun told Xinhua.

"I would say in order to really experience studying abroad you should try living with a host family because you will find it very rewarding and there are a lot of cultural aspects you gain from it."

"One thing that is different from Hong Kong, is the indigenous culture here, at the opening ceremony for University I saw a didgeridoo for the first time!"

Over the past two years, the number of foreign students living with Australian host families has risen by 20 percent.

The unique experience offers borders a more cost effective way of engaging with Australian culture and for many, there is no better place to start than the family household.

"They treat you as a guest, so it's not like your mom telling you to go do chores or anything, although you still have that comforting home feeling," Sun said.

"When I first moved here, my host family was very enthusiastic about Aussie culture!"

"There is a difference, I feel like the people here are much more relaxed than in Hong Kong."

Photo taken on March 15, 2017 shows Jony Sun, a student from Hong Kong, China, stayed with his Australian host family. (Xinhua/Zhu Hongye)

For Sun's host family, the experience has also been rewarding and a great opportunity to make new friends.

"It's been good! I like different cultures, I like new things and I feel personally coming from Maori culture in New Zealand, it's very similar to Chinese culture in regards to how they treat young people, children, the elderly and your family," Miri Furlong told Xinhua.

"It's a very inclusive way of life and on a personal level it's been extremely good for my kids, they have no prejudices and they've learnt to accept people, no matter who they are or where they're from."

The mother of four began offering her family home to visiting students seven years ago, in order to help with the cost of living.

"The area in Sydney where I live [Chatswood] is not the cheapest place to live but it's really good for family life," she said.

"I always include everything like meals in the price of boarding, because if I have a big family dinner, it's nice to have everyone sitting at the table."

As for life outside the home, the challenges of academia can be exhausting, especially when English is not your native language.

"I would say it's hard to start off, English is my second language and even though I'm fluent, it can be very hard," Sun said.

"When I went to class on the first day, the lecturer walked in the door and said I'm sure you've all heard of this'... and everyone nodded, but I was like, what the heck is going on?"

Despite the challenges, Sun is adamant that if you can pull through it, it is an extremely fulfilling process.

"The best thing about studying in Australia is that the environment is really nice, it's very spacious and people have a good pace of living," he said.

"They don't make assumptions about you, so I'm an Asian kid, Okay? Join our group!"

For those on the other side of the arrangement, a corresponding level of fulfilment is also reached by sharing a part of Australian life with others.

"I think it's a healthy thing because people's prejudices and negativity toward other cultures comes from not understanding them and not being familiar, but having someone in your home like this, you learn about them in a personal way," Furlong said.
Photo taken on Feb. 24, 2017 shows workers carrying a monocrystalline silicon stick at a factory in Ningjin County, north China's Hebei Province. China's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) came in at 51.6 percent in February, 0.3 percentage points higher than that recorded in January, according to data released on March 1 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). (Xinhua/Mu Yu)

BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) -- There is a factory in southwest China's Chengdu City, which, should you want to visit, has a one month waiting list.

The attraction? A successful realization of China's ambitious industrial evolution plan "Made in China 2025."

Siemens Electronic Works Chengdu is the the German manufacturer's first overseas model digital plant, featuring machines and products communicating with each other in real time and automated processes. The result: exceptional levels of productivity and quality.

Siemens decided last year to increase its total investment into the Chinese endeavor to over one billion yuan (145 million U.S. dollars) by 2019, a move which will be positive for the wider Chinese manufacturing chain.

China's goal is for "Made in China" products to be synonymous with innovation and quality by 2025, and it deserves the greatest respect for aiming to complete this transformation by 2049, Joe Kaeser, president and CEO of Siemens, said during the China Development Forum (CDF) 2017.

China's government understands that multinational companies have the potential to play a vital role in the renewal of its economy, but multinationals must also understand that China needs reliable partners, partners who think long term and do not sidestep the challenges ahead, Joe pointed out.

Many foreign manufacturers rushed to open factories in China, to capitalize on the cost effectiveness of "Made-in-China." However, now they are exploring smart manufacturing as the nation transitions from the world's factory to world laboratory.

China will improve policies designed to turn China into a manufacturer of quality, and adopt a variety of supportive measures related to technological upgrading, the government work report for 2017 pointed out.

The Made in China 2025 blueprint was introduced in May 2015, listing several tasks for high-tech manufacturing, including boosting innovation, fostering Chinese brands and service-oriented manufacturing.

In early March, a lengthy report from the European Union (EU) Chamber of Commerce claimed that China's support for high-tech manufacturing would lead to lesser treatment for foreign companies, while allowing government-subsidized homegrown players to compete unfairly.

"The strategy and its related policies are applicable to all businesses in China -- domestic or foreign," Miao Wei, minister of industry and information technology, said at a press conference on the sidelines of the just-concluded annual parliamentary session.

To boost domestic manufacturing, the EU, the United States and Germany have all released similar plans in recent years, Miao said, hoping for more bilateral and multilateral exchanges and cooperation in the area.

The world's second largest economy is transforming from "Made in China" to "Made by China." Numerous measures have been rolled out to digitalize and modernize, which will result in many opportunities, especially for European firms, wrote Charles-Edouard Bouee, CEO of international consulting firm Roland Berger.

Companies should focus on opportunities afforded by the dynamic Chinese market, instead of thinking about taking protectionist moves, Charles added.

China's manufacturing sector is still in the medium stage of industrial modernization, with big differences in automation and digital capabilities among different sectors, regions and companies, leading to different market demands, according to a report released by CDF organizer the Development Research Center of the State Council and Bosch Group.

This calls for bespoke solutions, where we can offer expertise. China is Bosch's largest market outside Europe and cooperation is win-win in nature, because we can also get insights and ideas from our Chinese partners, according to Werner Struth, board member of Bosch Group.

With China well on track to boost its global competitiveness through "Made in China 2025," the widespread application of digital technology could further accelerate progress in energy efficiency and productivity, according to ABB CEO, Ulrich Spiesshofer.

Few countries are better positioned than China to embrace the digital revolution with the world's most Internet users, largest digital retail market and most machine-to-machine mobile connections, Ulrich added.

The challenge is to integrate Chinese enterprises into the digital economy by connecting their robots, machines and plants to the industrial Internet and we could provide such information as well as digital know-how, Ulrich said.

Related:

Commentary: China's manufacturing ambition is no threat

BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhua) -- China's tech industry development plan released nearly two years ago has unexpectedly become the target of finger-pointing this week.

A European business group criticized the strategy, named "Made in China 2025," in a lengthy report that said China's support for its ten high-tech manufacturing sectors would lead to worsening treatment for foreign companies, while allowing government-subsidized homegrown players to compete unfairly. Full story

Chinese economy to lead global recovery: IMF official

BEIJING, March 18 (Xinhua) -- China will remain a strong engine of global recovery with its ongoing economic reforms, an official with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Saturday.

"Steering its economy to a sustainable path will benefit China itself and the world as a whole," said IMF Deputy Managing Director Zhang Tao at the China Development Forum 2017 in Beijing. Full story

Economic Watch: China focuses on risk control as economy firms

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- China has moved to channel more energy into risk control in its financial sector after the slowing economy showed more signs of warming due to pro-growth measures.
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, March 19 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 Taliban militants were killed and 12 injured during separate clashes with army in three Afghan northern provinces within 24 hours, an army source said on Sunday.

"One militant was killed and two others injured in Dasht-e-Archi district of Kunduz province on Saturday," Nastraullah Jamshidi, a press officer of army's Corps 209 Shaheen based in the region, told Xinhua.

In neighboring Baghlan province, seven militants were killed and 10 others wounded after army cleared several villages from militants' presence in Baghlan-e-Markazi district.

Seven other militants were killed during clashes in Pashton Kot district of Faryab province.

Some four Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and landmines were also defused within the period, Jamshidi noted.

The Kunduz province and neighboring Baghlan and Faryab provinces have been the scene of heavy clashes over the past couple of months as Taliban has been trying to challenge the government forces in the once relatively peaceful region.

The Taliban militant group has yet to make comments.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping met here Sunday with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, saying that cooperation is the only correct choice for both countries.

There are important development opportunities resulting from China-U.S. relations, said Xi during the meeting in the Great Hall of People in Beijing.

Xi said he had maintained sound communications with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump through telephone calls and messages, and that they had agreed that the two countries could be good cooperative partners.

To advance China-U.S. ties in a healthy and steady manner, both sides, Xi expressed, could enhance exchanges at high level and various levels; expand cooperation in bilateral, regional and global fields; and properly address and manage sensitive issues.

The two sides should grasp the general direction for the development of China-U.S. relations in an attitude responsible for history and future generations, said Xi.

Xi suggested that the two countries increase strategic trust and mutual understanding, review bilateral ties from long-term and strategic perspectives and expand fields of cooperation for win-win outcomes.

The two countries should also enhance coordination on regional hotspot issues, respect each other's core interests and major concerns and encourage friendly exchanges between the two peoples, said Xi.

Xi also extended welcome to President Trump for a visit to China.

Tillerson said President Trump valued communication with President Xi, and looked forward to meeting Xi and the opportunity for a visit to China.

The U.S. side is ready to develop relations with China based on the principle of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, said Tillerson.

It is Tillerson's first visit to China since he assumed office last month. State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held separate meetings with Tillerson on Saturday.

Related:

China, U.S. in talks on meeting between presidents

BEIJING, March 18 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States are now in close communication on arrangements for a meeting between the two presidents and exchanges at other levels, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during his talks with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Saturday.

"We attach great importance to your visit," Wang told Tillerson at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. Full story

Commentary: Keep up good momentum for China-U.S. ties

BEIJING, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Never before has the China-U.S. relationship been so complicated to comprehend, and too important to fail.
LUSAKA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Zambia is ready to access 1.3 billion U.S. dollars interest free financing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from ongoing negotiations to help its economic recovery program, state media reported on Sunday.

A delegation from the IMF is in Zambia to hold talks with the government on a financing agreement, which is expected to be concluded in June. Initial talks commenced in March last year.

Minister of Finance Felix Mutati told the Zambia Daily Mail that the country needs half a billion U.S. dollars of external borrowing this year to meet the budget requirement in order to ensure smooth running of the economy.

He however said the country has come up with its own economic recovery program and that the IMF will not dictate anything, adding that there was no need for apprehension by stakeholders on the financing program.

The money, he said, was expected to maintain spending on priority social protection and infrastructure programs, a move that will enhance the country's economic recovery program.
A locomotive is seen at a construction site of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project, near Sultan Halmud, Kenya, on May 28, 2016. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Saturday China-funded high speed railway which runs from the coastal city of Mombasa to Nairobi will be completed ahead of the schedule. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei)

NAIROBI, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Work on the China-funded Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is almost finished as a Kenyan official said the construction was "98 percent completed."

Project Coordinator of the SGR Project Johnson Matu told Xinhua on Friday that the remaining 2 percent revolves around auxiliary works like drainage, fencing as well as completion of the train stations along the route.

"So far the work is substantially complete, so we expect the train to begin trial operations in June," Matu said.

Kenya has already received some of the locomotives that will run on the 480-km SGR.

Construction of the railway began in January 2015 and is set to be completed in June. The construction was initially supposed to take 48 months.

"The Chinese contractors have deployed a lot of innovations that have reduced the construction time," Matu said.

According to the railway official, the construction was divided into sections that made the exercise manageable.

"Each team had a testing laboratory as well as adequate resources that enabled the construction to be completed ahead of schedule," he said.

There are currently 18 quality testing laboratories along the route to ensure that materials are tested before being used in the construction process.

Matu added that high-quality standards have been maintained despite the railway being completed ahead of schedule.

"The railway has achieved Chinese class-one standard which is recognized globally," he said.

The SGR railway, which will replace the existing line, will have a capacity to move 22 million tonnes of cargo annually.

The mega infrastructure project is also expected to have enormous impact on the economy once it is operational.

"We expect transportation cost especially for goods traveling from Nairobi to Mombasa and vice versa to reduce drastically so that products from Kenyan industries will become regionally and globally competitive," Matu said.

During the implementation of phase one of the SGR project, over 25,000 locals secured jobs as technicians and supervisors.

"The towns where the railway passes will become economic centers that will also provide job and wealth creation for many people," Matu added.

He also noted that the project has fostered technology transfer that has benefited young Kenyans immensely.

"The Chinese engineers have trained their Kenyan counterparts on railways construction and maintenance," said Matu.
Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli speaks at the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum (CDF) 2017 in Beijing, capital of China, March 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said on Sunday that China should beef up supply-side structural reform to constantly stimulate growth impetus and the market's vitality.

He made the remarks while attending the opening ceremony of China Development Forum 2017 in Beijing.

Zhang highlighted the basic tone of "seeking progress while maintaining stability" and efforts in maintaining growth, ensuring employment as well as counteracting risks from home and abroad.

The China Development Forum, organized by the Research Development Center of the State Council, is a high-level meeting that gathers leaders from international institutions, academia and companies worldwide. It is usually held after the annual sessions of China's national legislature and political advisory body.
ABUJA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- A suicide attack in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno claimed four lives late Saturday, local police confirmed to Xinhua on Sunday.

A woman, her two children, and a night watchman were killed in the attack at Umarari village located five kilometers south of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, according to police spokesman Victor Isuku.

Eight local residents were injured in the night attack.

The police spokesman said three suicide bombers, one male and two females, detonated their explosive devices while confronting security forces in an attempt to gain access to Maiduguri through Umarari village.

The attackers were sighted by civilians assisting local security forces and challenged them, he said, adding they detonated the improvised explosive devices strapped to their bodies while running to different directions.

Last June, more than 22 people died in a suicide attack perpetrated by two female bombers in Umarari village which lies along Molai General Area in the northern state capital.

Terror group Boko Haram, which is blamed for more than 20,000 deaths and displacement of 2.3 million people since 2009, is suspected to be responsible for the Saturday attack.

Nigeria has made a considerable gain on the Boko Haram front, with its security forces operating in the restive region dislodging the Boko Haram fighters from the Sambisa Forest, the group's largest training camp in the country, last December.

The security forces are intensifying aerial and ground patrols in the country's northeast, extending their offensive mission around the Green Belt Region near Niger and Chad.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L front), Governor of Uttar Pradesh Ram Naik (C front) and newly appointed Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath (R front) greet the crowd during Yogi Adityanath's swearing-in ceremony in Lucknow, capital of northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on March 19, 2017. Yogi Adityanath, a controversial Hindu saint and a five-time parliamentarian of the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was on Sunday sworn in as the Chief Minister of India's most populous and politically important state of Uttar Pradesh. (Xinhua/Stringer)

NEW DELHI, March 19 (Xinhua) -- A controversial Hindu saint and a five-time parliamentarian of the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was on Sunday sworn in as the Chief Minister of India's most populous and politically important state of Uttar Pradesh.

Yogi Adityanath was administered the oath of office by Uttar Pradesh's Governor Ram Naik in a special ceremony in state capital Lucknow, attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several senior Indian Ministers and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states.

Along with him, two Deputy Chief Ministers -- Keshav Prasad Maurya, the saffron outfit's Uttar Pradesh chief, and Dinesh Sharma, Mayor of Lucknow -- also took oath. At least 41 other Ministers were also sworn in.

Yogi Adityanath name as the Chief Minister propped up only late Saturday evening, a week after the BJP swept the crucial assembly polls in the state, winning 312 out of 403 seats, by decimating regional parties like Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

After the 44-year-old's name was announced for the top post, the Hindu religious leader thanked Modi, who was the face of BJP's political campaign in Uttar Pradesh. "I will take the state forward with his motto of sabka saath sabka vikas (With All, Development For All)," he told the media.

But Yogi Adityanath is no stranger to controversies and his anti-Muslim rhetoric. He once said that minorities that oppose yoga (a form of exercise) should leave the country and once compared Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan with Pakistani terrorist leader, Hafiz Saeed.

The Hindu religious leader is also a strong supporter of laws protecting cows, considered as holy in the country. He recently hogged limelight for praising a travel ban ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump to block immigration from a group of Muslim-majority countries.

Uttar Pradesh has a population of 200 million people. And about a fifth are Muslims.
Photo shows job seekers at the stand of China Harbor Engineering Co. Ltd (CHEC) on March 18. A campus recruitment fair was organized by the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana.(Xinhua/Shi Song)

ACCRA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian graduates and students flocked to the premises of the University of Ghana on Saturday to take part in the 2017 campus recruitment fair organized by the Confucius Institute.

The purpose of the campus recruitment was to connect Chinese enterprises with Ghanaian students.

Most of the graduates and students who will be completing their university education soon had one mission of joining the one-day fair: to pry for employment opportunities with the 35 participating Chinese enterprises.

Joseph Edward Yawson, a final year Chinese language student at the University of Ghana sees the fair as a very good opportunity for students and graduates to link up with potential employers.

"Annually we get about 3,000 students who graduate from various universities and so if we have this program annually it will help them land jobs," he told Xinhua.

"I am a bit confused as to where to drop your CVs because there are a lot of great companies. I hope I will get a very good job," he said.

"It is a very nice forum. I think Ghanaians should emulate them," Margaret Osei, a visitor told Xinhua.

For Ethel Afful, a graduate who studied Chinese at the University of Ghana, the fair is a good initiative to help people get jobs and reduce the level of unemployment in Ghana.

"I have visited seven companies and they are all looking for translators and since I can speak Chinese, I move through all of them because you never know," she said.

Unemployment in Ghana is on the rise. Many companies have downsized their workforce to cope with the harsh economic conditions. Competition for jobs becomes very stiff.

In Ghana, public and private universities churn out over 55,000 graduates annually.

In recent years, the polytechnics have also been upgraded to universities and are also going to add onto the number, meaning that yearly Ghana is going to have over 55,000 university graduates who will be looking for jobs.

This number is expected to rise as more universities are established.

The Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana Professor Samuel Kwame Offei said it is therefore of a great service and very heartwarming that the Chinese business community in Ghana would come to engage students and offer jobs.

He hopes that the students who successfully land jobs will work hard and innovate in their work areas and will be a valuable asset to the companies.
BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Despite murmurs of prospect clashes between the world's two trade giants, drumbeats for a China-U.S. trade war are increasingly muted when both sides underscore closer win-win economic cooperation.

As the new administration of the United States sent its first cabinet-level official to China for a visit, the messenger echoed a sequence of rapport-building gestures made on the Chinese side.

Visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, in his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday, it is necessary for both countries to have closer cooperation and coordination to face the changing international situation.

The significance of intensifying Chinese-U.S. economic cooperation is also emphasized by both Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin when meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Germany on Saturday.

Both sides believe cooperation is significant not only to both countries but also to the world's economic growth.

China and the United States should treasure the hard-won achievements of bilateral economic cooperation, the finance ministers agreed.

As Premier Li Keqiang put it earlier this month, China does not want to see a trade war between the top two economies, and if there were a trade war, it would be foreign-funded companies, particularly U.S. firms, that would loose out.

If there is any lingering temptation to escalate trade frictions, remember that neither side would emerge triumphant from damaging a closely interwoven relationship that has benefited the two nations over the past four decades.

Official data showed bilateral trade surged from 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in 1979 to 519.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2016, an increase of over 200 times.

The China-U.S. relationship is based on mutually-beneficial trade, experts agreed at the ongoing China Development Forum 2017, which will end on Monday.

Bilateral economic ties serve as the ballast and engine for China-U.S. relations, according to former U.S. secretary of the treasury Henry Paulson, adding that both countries had benefited from the nearly 600-billion-dollar trade relationship.

Over the past decade, U.S. exports to China grew at an average annual rate of 11 percent, while imports from China rose 6.6 percent each year on average.

The United States is more dependent on Chinese imports, not the other way around, according to Zhou Mi, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation affiliated to the Ministry of Commerce.

China, equipped with a complete industrial system, could not be substituted by any other country in providing the products to the Untied States, Zhou said.

As Sino-U.S. relations become more complex and important than before, more dexterity is needed to seize the opportunities amid huge challenges, Paulson said.

China and the Trump administration need to establish a dialogue mechanism as soon as possible, he said, citing the role of the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue in win-win cooperation.

His view was echoed by Charlene Barshefsky, a former U.S. trade representative, who said both China and the United States bear the responsibility to build mutually-beneficial bilateral ties and ensure an open global market.

As a matter of fact, China and the United States are closely intertwined through their trade relations, said Peter Nolan, director of Cambridge University's Center of Development Studies.

Made-in-China products have benefited American families, who could buy quality goods at lower prices, Nolan said.

Bilateral trade was also credited for creating some 2.6 million jobs and contributing 216 billion U.S. dollars for economic growth in the United States in 2015, according to an Oxford Economics report.

Commerce Minister Zhong Shan warned earlier that a trade war between China and the United States is not in line with the interests of the two countries and would bring nothing but harm.

Cooperation is the "only right choice," and the two countries should work to enhance cooperation and manage any differences, Zhong said, stressing the role of economic and trade cooperation as a "ballast" and "propeller" in bilateral relations.
TOKYO, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set off on Sunday on a four-day visit to Germany, France, Belgium and Italy for talks on trade and security issues.

He is set to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, European Council President Donald Tusk, and the new Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni during the trip.

"I want to exchange opinions openly with G7 leaders," Abe told reporters at Tokyo's Haneda airport before departure.

"We hope to work with the European Union on issues the international community is facing such as the problems on North Korea and free trade," he added.

The trip, coming months ahead of a Group of Seven (G7) summit in May in Italy, also aims to help lay the groundwork for a successful summit, according to Japan's foreign ministry.

Abe is also expected to seek the European countries to impose more pressure on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The DPRK launched four ballistic missiles on March 6, three of which landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan.
People visit the 2017 Mediterranean Panorama exhibition in Stockholm, Sweden, on March 18, 2017. Travel agencies and national tourist boards attracted Swedes with sunny trips to the Mediterranean at the 2017 Mediterranean Panorama exhibition in Stockholm on Saturday. Kicked off on Saturday, the 2017 Mediterranean Panorama exhibition, celebrating the culture, tourism and gastronomy from the Mediterranean region, last two days. (Xinhua/Fu Yiming)

STOCKHOLM, March 19, 2017 (Xinhua) -- Travel agencies and national tourist boards attracted Swedes with sunny trips to the Mediterranean at the 2017 Mediterranean Panorama exhibition in Stockholm on Saturday.

The exhibition, first of its kind held in Stockholm, brought together representatives from Mediterranean countries, regions, hotels, travel agents, etc, to offer local Swedes with discounted and attractive trip packages to the sunny Mediterranean.

"Sunbathing has been and is still the most important reason why the Scandinavians are so attracted to the Mediterranean region," Leif Leganger, Executive Director of Sweden Panorama Mediterranean, told Xinhua, adding that, according to a recent survey, nearly half questioned said they planned to head for the Mediterranean for summer as Swedish summer wasn't warm enough.

"What we're focusing on here is the summer holidays 2017, and the visitors here can choose widely on very good offers, have great knowledge from the travel agencies, and of course get inspiration and ideas from tourism agencies," said Leganger.

Martin Bard, an account manager at travel agency Solresor told Xinhua that his agency saw a trend of more and more 55 year-old-plus Swedes traveling globally in the last couple of years, and by seizing this opportunity, his agency has developed many "premium packages" that cater to varied and sometimes picky demands.

To better accommodate and attract expectant travelers, travel agency TUI has also developed a Visa card with additional functions of accumulating loyalty points and many other benefits.

Kicked off on Saturday, the 2017 Mediterranean Panorama exhibition, celebrating the culture, tourism and gastronomy from the Mediterranean region, lasts two days.
French presidential election candidate Francois Fillon gestures during a political rally in Paris, France, Jan. 29, 2017. (Xinhua/Thierry Mahe)

PARIS, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Eleven candidates will vie for the French presidency in the first round of voting in April, announced the President of the French Constitutional Council Laurent Fabius on Saturday, after the verification of the full list of political sponsorships.

Beyond the uncertainties which always loom over potential voting outcomes, the campaign has already promised a reconfiguration of the political landscape in France.

Three candidates -- Philippe Poutou of the New Anticapitalist Party, Jacques Cheminade of Solidarity and Progress, and the unaffiliated centrist representative Jean Lassalle were qualified at the last minute and will join the list of the first eight candidates that have each collected a minimum 500 signatures necessary to run.

The eight contenders are Francois Fillon of The Republicans, Benoit Hamon of the Socialist Party, Emmanuel Macron from En Marche!, nationalist Nicolas Dupont-Aignan from Stand up France, Jean-Luc Melenchon of Unsubmissive France, Nathalie Arthaud from the Worker's Struggle, extreme-right candidate Marine Le Pen of the National Front and the euroskeptic Francois Asselineau of Popular Republican Union.

Rarely has a vote been so undecided less than five weeks before the first round of voting. There is one certainty: The 10th presidential election of the Fifth Republic of France will be written into history. Never, in fact, has a campaign experienced so many shocks since General de Gaulle made the vote central to French political life.

The decision by current President Francois Hollande not to stand for a second term, and unexpected primary campaigns that concluded with the elimination of the seemingly uncontested favorite Alain Juppe are just some of the events which have contributed to plunging political observers into circumspection and public opinion into disarray.

It is important not to forget that it is also the first time that a presidential election is being held in France under a state of emergency.

A few hours before the publication of the final list of candidates, a man was killed in the Orly airport in Paris after trying to wrest a gun away from a defense soldier.

Undoubtedly, propositions from the candidates in terms of security and the fight against terrorism will return to the forefront of the campaign.

All the polls predict the arrival of the extreme-right National Front party in the second round of presidential voting for a second time in history thanks to a score definitively higher than that achieved in 2002 by Jean-Marie Le Pen, president of the party and father of Marine Le Pen.

No matter who will be her opponent in the second round, it is believed that Marine Le Pen will be beaten soundly. Despite everything, the scenario of a possible victory for the extreme right, leading to a potential Frexit from the European Union, continues to fuel all sorts of more or less irrational conjectures.

According to an Ipsos Sopra Steria poll conducted for the Le Monde newspaper and CEVIPOF (Political Sciences Institute) published Friday, Marine Le Pen (27 percent) and Emmanuel Macron (26 percent) would be neck and neck in the first round, ahead of an easily outpaced Francois Fillon (17.5 percent).

In the second round of voting, Emmanuel Macron would win with 61 percent of the votes, beating Marine Le Pen's 39 percent, according to the poll.

Several signs remain, however, that voters are generally uncertain and disinterested. Among people certain to vote, 41 percent say they could still change their minds.

Voter participation, as well, is projected at 66 percent of eligible voters, a relatively feeble level for a first round of voting in a French presidential election.

The formal investigation of Francois Fillon in a scandal around fake jobs that are alleged to have benefited his wife and his children will leave deep wounds among conservatives, even if the Republicans seem to have closed ranks for the moment.

According to an Odoxa poll published Friday, however, three quarters of French voters believe that Fillon is wrong to stay in the race.

The candidates of the two traditional political parties that have structured the French politics for decades, the Republicans and the Socialist Party, could both be eliminated in the first round of voting. This would be a historic event in the Fifth Republic.

Part of the voting base for the Republicans could be tempted by the extreme-right National Front.

Above all, the ascendance of the "catch-all" candidate Emmanuel Macron confuses the issue. The 39-year-old former investment banker and his "En Marche!" movement are seeking to propose a break with the traditional right-left divide.

Macron presented himself Thursday in Berlin as the most European candidate, and as the defender of the Franco-German alliance, during a visit to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
PHNOM PENH, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian authorities on Sunday expelled 77 Vietnamese nationals to their birth country for illegally living and working in the country, a senior police official said.

"Seventy-seven Vietnamese, including a female, were sent back to their country after we found that they had lived and worked in Cambodia without passports or valid visas," Major General Uk Heisela, chief of the General Department of Immigration (GDI)'s investigation and procedure department, told Xinhua, adding they had been arrested in recent weeks.

The Southeast Asian country expelled 3,509 illegal foreigners in 63 nationalities last year, and some 73 percent of them were Vietnamese nationals, according to the GDI,

Under the country's immigration law, any alien living in Cambodia without valid documents such as passports, visas, or work permits are subject to deportation.
by Maria Spiliopoulou, Valentini Anagnostopoulou

ATHENS, March 19 (Xinhua) -- After seven years of harsh austerity measures introduced to address the severe debt crisis, Greece's public health system is struggling to provide fundamental services for patients amidst shortages of staff, medical equipment and supplies.

Addressing the parliament on Friday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras defended his government's attempt to combat corruption and waste of funds and improve the situation in state hospitals.

"I am not saying that during our term in office the health system has turned into a paradise. What I am saying is that there are significant changes over the past two years," the prime minister said.

Over the past two years, 2.5 million uninsured people have been given access to healthcare system, he said.

Tsipras promised 12,000 hirings in the national health system in the coming months and announced the launch of a parliamentary committee to investigate scandals in the sector.

The Federation of Public Hospital Employees (POEDIN) which called the latest 24 hour strike and protest rally, the Athens Medical Association (ISA) and other unions have painted a bleak picture, warning that lives are put at risk due to continuous spending cuts.

Unions protest latest changes to the social security system that was put into force since Jan. 1 this year, and request more funding to offer free healthcare to all.

According to a recent POEDIN press release, for example, many hospitals along the national highway connecting the capital to northern Greece lack vital diagnostic equipment such as computerized tomography (CT) scan, and precious time is wasted on people injured in car accidents.

"From Larissa to Athens, there is no CT scan operating on a 24 hour basis and several problems arose," Yannis Aggelatos, president of the employees at the hospital of the city of Chalkida, told Xinhua.

A recent survey in more than 60 national healthcare facilities nationwide showed that due to a lack of adequate medical equipment and shortages of doctors and paramedics and essential medication, there are major delays at emergency units, POEDIN said.

Patients have to wait up to eight hours at emergency units of public hospitals in major cities.

Scheduled treatments, including those for cancer patients, are postponed for weeks even months, ISA added.

The situation has aggravated in recent years as more recession-hit Greeks unable to bear the cost of private doctors and clinics turn to the underfunded and understaffed public healthcare system, unionists told Xinhua during Wednesday's demonstration.

According to the Federation of Greek Hospital Doctors' Unions (OENGE), Greece lacks some 6,000 specialized doctors, as many Greek doctors opt to leave Greece.

At least 17,200 doctors have sought a better future abroad since the start of the crisis. As a result, 151 beds at intensive care units across Greece are not used and newly built hospitals are not operating at full capacity.

"More than 25,000 experienced personnel left, including 7,500 during the term of the current administration. Some 2,000 interns were hired to gain work experience. Public health system can not be improved this way," POEDIN President Michalis Giannakos said.

Greek Health Ministry officials said that the numbers are exaggerated, but protesters insisted the situation is grave.

"There are 140,000 people living in this region and they want to transfer all services to one hospital, the one at Veroia, which lacks infrastructure," said Katerina, a nurse from the public hospital of Naoussa, a city in northern Greece.

"We have no pathologists, no surgeons. People are suffering. We cannot help people," said Yannis Bougiouklis from the general hospital of Amaliada in the Peloponnese Peninsula in western Greece.

Maria Bravou, from the public hospital on the island of Kos, added that the gaps are huge on the islands of the Aegean Sea which are at the frontline of the refugee crisis.

"We face a major problem and the refugee challenge was added to the shortcomings of a hospital which was operating under very difficult conditions," she said.
DHAKA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi anti-crime elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) early on Sunday seized 600,000 yaba tablets in a drive in seaport city Chittagong.

A RAB official told Xinhua from Chittagong that "Eight people, including six Myanmar citizens were also arrested with suspected links to the seizure of 600,000 yaba pills."

Acting on a tip-off, the official who did not like to be named said the law enforcers raided a Chittagong area and seized the tablets, often used for sexual stimulation in Bangladesh and continue to be increasingly popular among drug users, in spite of the efforts of law enforcement agencies to contain the dangers of the narcotics trade.

RAB on Jan. 17, 2016 seized 2.8 million yaba tablets in special drives in Dhaka and seaport city Chittagong,

Law enforcers had then claimed that was the biggest ever seizure of contraband yaba tablets in the country in a day.
Myanmar's President U Htin Kyaw (L front) and visiting Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (R front) inspect the honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, March 20, 2017. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Nay Pyi Taw Sunday on an official visit to Myanmar, official sources said. (Xinhua/Soe Than Lynn)

YANGON, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Nay Pyi Taw Sunday on an official visit to Myanmar, official sources said.

Duterte's two-day trip comes four years after former Myanmar President U Thein Sein visited the Southeast Asian member country in December 2013.

Duterte is expected to hold talks with current Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw and other high level government officials, including State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Philippines and Myanmar established diplomatic ties in 1956.

The Philippines ranks the 16th on the list of 49 countries and regions making investment in Myanmar which is also home to about 1,800 Filipinos working mainly in foreign firms and international organizations.

Duterte is to proceed to Thailand after Myanmar visit.
Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli speaks at the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum (CDF) 2017 in Beijing, capital of China, March 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said Sunday that China should increase supply-side structural reform to stimulate growth and improve market vitality.

He made the remarks at the opening ceremony of China Development Forum 2017 (CDF) in Beijing.

Zhang highlighted the basic tone of "seeking progress while maintaining stability" and underscored the need for effort to maintain growth, ensure employment and counteract risks from home and abroad.

China will forge ahead with its supply-side reform, cutting steel production capacity by around 50 million tonnes and coal capacity by over 150 million tonnes this year, he said.

The country will prioritize de-stocking unsold houses in third- and fourth-tier cities as it fights speculation in the housing market, said the vice premier.

Key reforms will gain momentum to spur economic growth and market vitality, and the government will continue to cut red-tape to facilitate businesses, he added.

The vice premier also restated China's commitment to better air, water and soil quality through low-carbon development and conservation of ecospace.

Meanwhile, China will remain committed to ensuring innovation drives development forward and will increase efforts to revitalize the real economy, he said.

"The real economy is the foundation of economic growth and we will optimize it," according to Zhang.

China will improve its capabilities in scientific innovation and boost development of strategic emerging sectors and modern manufacturing while transforming traditional industries with new technology and business models, he said.

The government will continue to promote entrepreneurship and the "Internet Plus" plan to meet the diverse needs of the market. Chinese companies will be encouraged to use craftsmanship to establish competitive brands that can stand the test of time, according to Zhang.

China will further reduce costs for enterprises by streamlining administration and pushing forward tax reforms, he said.

Prevention and control of financial risks will be elevated to a higher position on the government's agenda, Zhang pointed out, adding that China will manage risks in bad loans, bond default, property bubbles and Internet finance to avoid systemic financial risks.

The government will also speed up SOE reform, make concrete mixed-ownership reforms in sectors like power, petroleum, railway, civil aviation and telecommunications and open the market wider to private investment, Zhang added.

Speaking of the close and complementary ties between China and the world economy, the vice premier stressed the need to resolutely advance globalization and fight protectionism.

"China is willing to join efforts with the international community to steer the world economy toward strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth," he said.

The country will continue to implement its opening-up strategy and advance the Belt and Road Initiative, he added.

China will host the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in May; a new chapter in win-win cooperation, he said.

More than 20 heads of state and government, over 50 leaders of international organizations, over 100 ministerial-level officials, as well as over 1,200 delegates from various countries and regions will participate in the forum.

The CDF, organized by the Research Development Center of the State Council, is a high-level meeting that gathers leaders from international institutions, academia and companies worldwide. It is usually held after the annual sessions of China's national legislature and political advisory body.

Related:

Spotlight: China's economic structural reforms boost opportunities for global growth

BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- China will build on the forward momentum and continue its economic structural reforms in 2017, in an effort to provide more opportunities for global growth.
People and civil defence personnel remove rubble as they look for survivors at a damaged site after an air strike on rebel-held Idlib city, SyriaMarch 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

DAMASCUS, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army forces are confronting a new major offensive the rebels unleashed earlier on Sunday on military positions and residential areas in east of capital Damascus, witnesses told Xinhua and state TV reported.

The rebels of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, recently known as the Front for Conquering the Levant, launched a major offensive on Syrian military positions on the outskirts of the rebel-held neighborhood of Jobar in eastern Damascus.

There were also attempts by the rebels to infiltrate residential neighborhoods east of Damascus.

The state TV said the Syrian forces were foiling the attack, targeting the positions of the rebels in Jobar and the nearby Qaboun neighborhood.

Some jihadi websites said the rebels succeeded to make progress on the Abbasiyeen Square east of Damascus and the Adawi Highway, both inside the capital, but the state TV aired live footages from the aforementioned areas, saying the rebel claims were just lies.

Meanwhile, eyewitnesses from the eastern neighborhood of Tijara, which is close to Abbasiyeen Square, said the military forces cordoned the area, and cut the roads leading to Abbasiyeen Square.

The offensive started when the Nusra Front detonated two car bombs near military positions at the entrance of Jobar, in an attempt to infiltrate toward the Abbasiyeen Square and a bus station under the same name in that area.

Residents in Tijara told Xinhua that mortar shells landed on their neighborhood as well as explosive bullets.

The Syrian army forces have recently offered deal for the evacuation of rebels from Qaboun, but the later refused, prompting the army to launch offensive to clear such areas from the rebel control.

Sunday's attack is not the first on the areas in eastern Damascus, as the rebels tried before to infiltrate, but all of their attempts were rendered flat.

Military experts said the rebels are trying to make a morale gain, and to release pressure on their comrades in other areas.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

Hi, here is what you need to know about China:

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met here Sunday with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

It is Tillerson's first visit to China since he assumed office last month. Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held separate meetings with Tillerson on Saturday.

----

BEIJING -- China and the United States are now in close communication on arranging a meeting between the two presidents and exchanges at other levels, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during his talks with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Saturday afternoon.

"We attach great importance to your visit," Wang said here.

It is Tillerson's first visit to China since he assumed office last month.

----

BADEN-BADEN, Germany -- China will work actively with parties concerned to push forward the financial cooperation among the BRICS countries and make more achievements, China's finance minister and central bank chief have said.

They made the remarks on Friday at the BRICS summit for finance ministers and central bankers held in Germany's southwestern city of Baden-Baden.

----

PHNOM PENH -- A Chinese-backed airline, JC International Airlines, was launched in Cambodia on Saturday with daily flights between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap province, and Siem Reap province and Sihanoukville.

Dongyan Huang, chief executive officer of the Phnom Penh-based JC International Airlines, said the airline launched its operation with the investment capital of 50 million U.S. dollars.

She said the company is operating with two brand new Airbus A320 aircraft, a single class with the capacity of 180 seats.


KABUL, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Three soldiers of the NATO-led Resolute Support coalition forces were injured on Sunday after an Afghan soldier opened fire on them in the country's southern province of Helmand, the coalition confirmed.
ISLAMABAD, March 19 (Xinhua) -- A contingent of the guard of honor of the three services of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday participated in a rehearsal of Pakistan's 77th national day parade in the country's capital of Islamabad.

The 90-member contingent has come to Pakistan to feature in the parade on the invitation of the Pakistani side.

The final parade will be held on March 23 at Shakarparian Parade Ground in Islamabad.

The parade is being organized by joint staff headquarters, which oversees the three armed forces of Pakistan.

The Pakistan Day commemorates March 23, 1940 when a resolution was passed in Lahore, now Pakistan's eastern city, to demand a separate homeland for the Muslims of the British Indian Empire. Seven years after the resolution was passed, the British Indian Empire was divided into two states, India and Pakistan.

During the rehearsal, Pakistani armed forces parade was followed by the exhibition of military hardware, cultural floats and air show.

According to a handout released by the Pakistan army's mouthpiece Inter Services Public Relations, the guard of honor of the three services of the PLA is participating in any parade in Pakistan for the first time.

Talking to media on the occasion, head of the Chinese contingent Major General Li Jianbo said "We selected the best personnel and trained them hard for the Pakistan Day parade. We have come here to convey a message of friendship to Pakistan on behalf of the Chinese people and the Chinese army. We sincerely hope that Pakistan will progress day by day and its army will be stronger and stronger."

The Pakistan Day parade remained suspended for a period of eight years until it was restarted in 2015 after Pakistan visibly achieved successes against militancy in the country. Special security measures have been put in place in Islamabad and its neighboring garrison city of Rawalpindi.

Saudi Special Force's contingents and Turkish Janissary Military Band are also participating in the parade.
KABUL, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Three soldiers of the NATO-led Resolute Support coalition forces were injured on Sunday after an Afghan soldier opened fire on them in the country's southern province of Helmand, the coalition confirmed.

"The U.S. soldiers are receiving medical care," it twitted, saying further information will be shared with the media as appropriate.

The incident occurred at around mid-day in Washir district and the Afghan solider was killed in the exchange of fire, a local Afghan official told Xinhua.

Military officials have launched an investigation into the attack, he added.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far but such incidents had also happened in the past.

On Oct. 19 last year, one U.S. soldier and a U.S. civilian were killed and three Americans wounded in a similar incident on the outskirts of Afghanistan's capital of Kabul.
ISLAMABAD, March 19 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed and three others injured when a passenger van hit into a rickshaw in Pakistan's east Bhakkar district on Sunday, local Urdu media reported.

Express News said that the over-speeded bus rammed into the rickshaw, coming from opposite direction in Panj Garaien area of Bhakkar, a district located in the country's east Punjab province.

Police said that the accident happened due to the negligence of the van driver who fled the scene on foot and is still at large.

Enraged relatives of the deceased blocked the road for a brief time, asking police to arrest the on-the-run driver.

The angry mob also attempted to set the van alight, and chanted slogans against the patrolling police for failing to control the traffic on busy roads.

The injured people were shifted to a nearby hospital.

Police kicked off a search operation in the area to arrest the van driver.
ISLAMABAD, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain on Sunday signed a bill that allows minority Hindu families to solemnize marriages in accordance with the customary rites, rituals and ceremonies, the president house said.

The parliament had passed the "The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017" last week to regulate marriages of Hindus.

The government will appoint marriage Registrars in areas convenient for Hindu population for registration of their marriages.

This law also provides for procedures relating to restitution of conjugal rights, judicial separation, void and voidable marriages, termination of Hindu marriage, financial security of wife and children, alternate relief in termination of marriage and termination of marriage by mutual consent.

Hindus will now fill a document that is similar to Muslims' "Nikahnama" and will be signed by a Hindu pundit and registered with the relevant government department. The document has columns for particulars of the bridegroom -- his name and father's name, date of birth, date and place where the marriage is solemnized and temporary address.

Moreover, this law also provides the right of separated person to marry again, entitlement of re-marriage by a Hindu Widow at her own will and consent after stipulated time, legitimacy of child born out of void and voidable Hindu marriage.

As per this Law, Hindu marriages solemnized before commencement of this law shall be deemed valid and petitions under this law shall be presented to the Family Courts.

The law also provides for punishments of imprisonment and fines up to one hundred thousand rupees or both for contraventions. All offences under this Law shall be non-cognizable and non-compoundable and shall be triable by Court of Magistrate First Class.

The bill after its assent will be enacted as Law of the Land aiming to protect the marriage, the family, the mother, and child and also to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Hindu families. It is a consolidated Law for solemnization of marriages by Hindu families residing in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who had advised the president to sign the bill has said that the government has always focused on provision of equal rights to minority communities residing in Pakistan.

"They are as patriotic as any other community and, therefore, it is the responsibility of the state to provide equal protection to them", the prime minister said in a statement.
Feature: Preserving contemporary graffiti art on walls of Athens Xinhua Weibo Facebook Twitter Reddit Diigo Delicious Digg Linkedin MySpace Sina Weibo Kaixin Renren Q-zone Tencent Weibo Sohu Weibo NetEase Weibo Source: Xinhua | 2017-03-19 22:46:10 | Editor: huaxia Photo taken on Feb. 11, 2017 shows restorers from Street Art Conservators Group St.A.Co are repairing destroyed owl graffiti "Knowledge Speaks-Wisdom Listens" in Metaxourgeio district, central Athens. (Xinhua/Lefteris Partsalis) ATHENS, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Following Greece's deep recession, a vibrant wave of graffiti art has flourished in Athens in recent years. Many street artists express their messages on the economic crisis, unemployment and social injustice on the walls of abandoned buildings.

Street Art Conservators (St.A.Co.), a volunteer group of 10-20 professionals and student restorers, preserves these artworks as part of the new cultural heritage.

According to St.A.Co. members, the aesthetic improvement of the urban tissue through street art is recognized and welcomed in the city.

Their latest accomplishment was the restoration of an impressive owl mural, inspired by Jimmy Hendrix's quote "Knowledge Speaks-Wisdom Listens", which adorned a building in Metaxourgeio district in central Athens.

During a festival in Athens last year, street artist "WD" born in Bali and currently living in Greece, created the mural urging Greeks and foreigners to recall the owl's wisdom.

He chose the bird because the owl was one of the symbols of Athena, the goddess of wisdom in ancient Greek mythology, and the patroness of the city of Athens.

But, the graffiti was vandalized this February, when someone wrote the word "VIRAL" in pink paint on top.

The St.A.Co. took action.

"Our goal is to rescue and prolong the life of these pieces of arts since they are exposed to environmental pollution and damage from human activity," Eleftheria Mavromati and Calliope Orianou from St.A.Co. told Xinhua.

Five years ago, after a research project on public wall paintings, the young restorers decided to record and breathe new life into works of graffiti that had suffered extensive damage.

They dedicate days and weeks to preserve each work. For the owl mural, they started by making some trials to see which method to follow and what materials to use in order to remove the overpainting.

"With full respect to the design of the artist, we proceeded with the conservation of the surface of the painting with friendly materials towards the colors of the work," they explained.

Besides conservation activities, the group enjoys to organize walking tours to areas with significant street arts, as well as educational programs at schools where they present the history of graffiti, techniques and materials artists use.

Has Athens become a holy place for graffiti artists? "Maybe the combination of the ancient element with the modern is what inspires artists and lends Athens a certain allure," Mavromati and Orianou said.

In time of hardships a dialogue among artists is being developed. A walk in the streets of Athens today is enough to see that street art comments and takes side on what is happening in the society.

The economic crisis has provided fertile ground for developing further the art of graffiti in Greece.

With recession plaguing the country for seven years, numerous retail stores and shops have been forced to shut down in very popular business zones, leaving buildings abandoned but adored by street artists who can exhibit their talents in painting without being disturbed by landlords.

"Street art gives the opportunity to every neighborhood to claim their lost value in the city, to show that all neighborhoods deserve attention," the St.A.Co. restorers stressed. Xinhua Weibo Facebook Twitter Reddit Diigo Delicious Digg Linkedin MySpace Sina Weibo Kaixin Renren Q-zone Tencent Weibo Sohu Weibo NetEase Weibo Back to Top Close
160317 MASIU TO SUPPORT ORGANIZED GROUPS

By Aloysius Laukai



The Member for South Bougainville, TIMOTHY MASIU wants his people especially youths and women to be organized to get support from the government.

Speaking at the presentation of Water tanks to the women of MALUAKU, MR. MASIU said other women groups must have structures and must be working to get government support.

He said it is very difficult for organisations to support individuals as funds are scarce and not enough for everyone.

ENDS


CAIRO, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian military arrested 37 terrorist suspects and destroyed two smuggling tunnels during raids in North Sinai Province bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, a military spokesman said in a statement on Sunday.

The arrest came one day after five soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb targeted their armored vehicle in Arish city of North Sinai.

Military Spokesman Tamer al-Refaay said on Saturday that 18 militants were killed during recent air raids in North Sinai's cities of Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid.

Since the beginning of March, security campaigns in North Sinai have killed at least 30 militants, arrested more than 165 suspects over terror-related charges, detained about 300 suspects over charges including smuggling and illegal migration, ruined several smuggling tunnels, detonated dozens of explosive devices and seized large amounts of weapons and ammunition.

In mid-February, at least three Egyptian soldiers were killed in central Sinai's Mount Halal area when their armored vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. Three militants were killed and three others arrested in subsequent fightings.

Anti-government attacks in Egypt have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the mid-2013 military removal of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in response to mass protests against his one-year rule.

Most of the terrorist attacks nationwide, particularly those in Sinai, have been claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the Islamic State group.

Security campaigns in Sinai have killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects over the past few years as part of the country's anti-terror war declared by former army chief and current President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi following Morsi's removal.

During a military-held symposium in February, Mohamed Farag al-Shahhat, Egypt's military intelligence chief, said at least 500 extremely dangerous terrorists have been killed since a massive anti-terror campaign, known as "The Martyr's Right," started in September 2015.
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen (L) talks with her Norwegian counterpart Ine Marie Eriksen Soreide during a NATO Defense Ministers Meeting at its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 15, 2017. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

BERLIN, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Germany does not owe NATO and the United States "vast sums" of money for defense, German Federal Ministry of Defense said on Sunday, rejecting the tweets by U.S. President Donald Trump.

"There is no debt account at NATO," German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, elaborating on the distribution of Berlin's military expenditure, which is also allocated to UN peacekeeping, EU operations and anti-terror efforts in addition to NATO missions.

The minister thus said it is unfair to measure Germany's military and security efforts judging solely on its NATO spending.

The statement came a day after Trump wrote on his twitter saying "Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!"

Trump tweeted the words just a day after his meeting with German Chancellor Merkel in Washington, where according to German media, the two had a "Not warm, but not distant" meeting.

Trump once called the NATO "obsolete" and threatened to "moderate" its commitment to it if NATO partners fail to meet the mandated defense spending target of 2 percent of gross domestic product.

German government have committed to the target by 2024. In February, Germany's defense ministry announced the plan to expand its national army, the Bundeswehr, in light of "increasing responsibilities," partly seen as a response to Washington's recent pressure.

Related:

Trump urges NATO members to "pay their fair share" of defense cost

WASHINGTON, March 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated his support to NATO, but urged its members to "pay their fair share for the cost of defense." Full story

NATO chief calls on all members to reach defense spending target

BRUSSELS, March 13 (Xinhua) -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday called on all member nations to reach NATO target of spending at least 2 percent of GDP on defense. Full story

Commentary: First Merkel-Trump encounter witnesses an off-key German-U.S. duet
BERLIN, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) confirmed Martin Schulz as its leader at a party congress here on Sunday to challenge Chancellor Agenla Merkel in upcoming elections in September, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported.

The party congress, held in Berlin, endorsed Schulz's leadership by a unanimous vote. Schulze, 61, was former European Parliament president.

The confirmation was largely expected since the party nominated Schulz as the party's candidate for chancellery at a closed door meeting in Berlin on Jan. 29.

The nomination of Schulz's candidacy came a few days after Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel surprisingly announced his resignation from party chairman and proposed Shulz to replace him.

Gabriel, a long-time hopeful for SPD candidate to challenge sitting Chancellor Merkel, said he would not participate in the Sept. 24 general elections.

Gabriel's decision not to run against Merkel as SPD candidate largely because of poor poll results while Shultz's candidacy would instead raise SPD's prospects in the upcoming elections, according to observers here.

The SPD, or Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, is currently a major partner of the ruling coalition and had been trailing Chancellor Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in opinion polls for years before Schulz's nomination as party candidate for chancellery.

The center-left party has seen a rise in recent opinion polls, fueling speculations that Schulz may have a chance to defeat chancellor Merkel in the national elections.
by Hashi

MOGADISHU, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Seven Al-Shabaab fighters died during a fierce gun battle with Somali troops on Saturday night near Bay region in southwest Somalia.

Local officials revealed that a number of soldiers from Somalia National Army also sustained injuries during an overnight gun battle with the Al-Qaida-linked militants.

Hassan Hussein Mohamed, minister in charge of rehabilitating militias in South West State, confirmed to Xinhua on Sunday the death of seven Al-Shabaab militants.

They were killed during an operation that lasted several hours near Qansah-dhere town, while six officers from the Somalia National Army were also injured, according to Mohamed.

He said the Somalia National Army had also been involved in delivering humanitarian aid to drought victims in southwestern parts of the country. Enditem
Damaged cars are seen during a battle between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants, in Mosul, Iraq March 19, 2017. (REUTERS Photo)

MOSUL, Iraq, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi government forces battling Islamic State (IS) militants retook control of more areas in the old city center of western Mosul, while an international airstrike on IS positions killed six leaders of the extremist group in the city, the Iraqi military said on Sunday.

The commandos of the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) fought heavy clashes against IS militants during the day and freed the neighborhood of Nablus in west of the old city center and raised the Iraqi flags over some of its buildings, Abdul-Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement.

The elite CTS special forces are also fighting IS militants in several nearby neighborhoods, as they have been advancing closer to the western edge of Mosul's densely populated old city center, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under IS rule.

Meanwhile, the progress by the federal police and Rapid Response brigades, the elite Interior Ministry units, was slowed by bad weather and fierce resistance of IS militants in the newly-freed Bab al-Toub neighborhood and adjacent areas.

Also in the day, the U.S.-led international coalition conducted an airstrike and killed six IS leaders in Souq al-Shaareen area in the IS-held city center in western Mosul, locally known as the right bank of the Tigris River, which bisects Mosul, the JOC statement said.

Intelligence reports said the six killed IS leaders are Abdul Kreem al-Roosy (Russian), Salih al-Ahmed (French of Syrian origin), Abu Duaa al-Magribi (Moroccan), Yousif Uwni (Turkish), Abdulla Humoud (Moroccan) and Milad Seiro (British of Algerian origin), the statement added.

Near Mosul, the army's 9th armored Division recaptured al-Mulawtha area and a village in north of the town of Badush, some 10 km northwest of Mosul, after defeating IS militants, leaving many of them killed, according to the statement.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, announced the start of an offensive on February 19 to drive extremist militants out of the western side of Mosul.

Late in January, Abadi declared the liberation of the eastern side of Mosul, or the left bank of Tigris, after more than 100 days of fighting against IS militants.

However, the western part of Mosul, with its narrow streets and a population of between 750,000 and 800,000, appears to be a bigger challenge to the Iraqi forces.

Mosul, 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
LONDON, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Scotland's food and drink exports significant increase in 2016. Scotland's rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing says the increase shows the importance of Scotland's retaining access to European market.

Food and drink exports from Scotland grew by 421 million pounds (522 million U.S. dollars) in 2016 to a record 5.5 billion pounds (6.82 million U.S. dollars), the Scottish Parliament announced Sunday in Edinburgh,

The latest figures show an 8 percent increase in the value of exports in the sector over the past year.

The SNP-run government in Scotland is currently campaigning for a breakaway from the United Kingdom if open access to EU markets is blocked or reduced in Brexit negotiations.

Figures in a government report show that food exports alone grew by 22 percent to 1.5 billion pounds (1.86 billion U.S. dollars).

The fish and seafood category recorded the largest overall increase, up 26 percent compared with 2015, with Europe the leading export destination.

Exports to EU countries were worth 2.3 billion pounds (2.85 billion U.S. dollars) overall, up 133 million pounds (165 million U.S. dollars) last year.

The figures come ahead of the launch of a new industry strategy on March 23, which will outline plans to support and grow the sector to 2030, said government spokesman in Edinburgh,

"We shouldn't have to face the choice between remaining as part of the UK and the EU single market. The pursuit of a hard Brexit is a major threat to this success and these figures show why we must work to protect Scotland's place in Europe," said Secretary Ewing.

Admitting that the European market still takes a bulky share of the exports, James Withers, CEO of Scotland Food & Drink, says they are aiming wide.

"We have now doubled food exports since 2007, transforming the level of trade in growing markets like Asia. That is crucial to extend our footprint beyond just Europe which is still the destination for over 70 percent of our food exports," said Withers.
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen (L) talks with her Norwegian counterpart Ine Marie Eriksen Soreide during a NATO Defense Ministers Meeting at its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 15, 2017. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

BERLIN, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Germany does not owe NATO and the United States "vast sums" of money for defense, German Federal Ministry of Defense said on Sunday, rejecting the tweets by U.S. President Donald Trump.

"There is no debt account at NATO," German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, elaborating on the distribution of Berlin's military expenditure, which is also allocated to UN peacekeeping, EU operations and anti-terror efforts in addition to NATO missions.

The minister thus said it is unfair to measure Germany's military and security efforts judging solely on its NATO spending.

The statement came a day after Trump wrote on his twitter saying "Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!"

Trump tweeted the words just a day after his meeting with German Chancellor Merkel in Washington, where according to German media, the two had a "not warm, but not distant" meeting.

Trump once called the NATO "obsolete" and threatened to "moderate" its commitment to it if NATO partners fail to meet the mandated defense spending target of 2 percent of gross domestic product.

German government has committed to the target by 2024. In February, Germany's defense ministry announced the plan to expand its national army, the Bundeswehr, in light of "increasing responsibilities," partly seen as a response to Washington's recent pressure.
by Chrispinus Omar

NAIROBI, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has visited a Somali war frontline to boost the morale of Kenyan troops serving in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) battling militant group Al-Shabaab, a presidential spokesperson said Sunday.

State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu said the president visited the Dhobley Military Camp, which serves as a log center and a base of the UN operations in southern Somalia.

"The president wanted to appear in person to show his support for the very important work our men and women in uniform do to secure our country," Esipisu told reporters during a State House briefing.

Kenyatta's visit to Somalia came amid reports of a diplomatic misunderstanding over the trip to the military camp on Saturday.

The Kenyan government said the visit was an appreciation from the Presidency for the work the Kenyan troops have been doing to curb a series of terror attacks inside the East African Nation since their deployment there in 2011.

"The president told the soldiers of his pride in them," Esipisu told reporters.

"He assured them of his support to accomplish the goals for which they were deployed. Our soldiers are part of the president's campaign to secure the region. Securing Somalia, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo or Burundi means a secure Kenya," said the spokesperson.

President Kenyatta said regional stability had been a key portion of his recent engagements with global leaders, including the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently held a telephone conversation with Kenyatta on regional security.

Kenyatta's visit to the Somali frontline region also came days before the scheduled Kenya visit by the new Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed to strengthen bilateral ties.
by Chrispinus Omar

NAIROBI, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is preparing to host Somalia's newly-elected President Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Farmajo, who will visit the country on March 23, a Kenyan official said Sunday.

State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu said Nairobi was eager to explore opportunities for cooperation with Somalia on an urgent basis and to conclude diplomatic agreements on several fronts.

"The question of Somali's security and stability is one (subject) that will be discussed when President Mohamed Abdullahi makes his first state visit to Kenya on Thursday," Esipisu told reporters.

Kenya plans to conclude an agreement with Somalia on political consultations between their foreign ministries, and Esipisu said the two sides also underscored the urgent need to conclude an agreement to enhance cooperation on immigration.

Kenya also wants to engage Somalia on the modalities of immigration cooperation and on a new comprehensive border management system.

Kenya is currently building a wall along its common border with Somalia to stem the flow of militants bent on causing havoc to its civilian population.

Esipisu said Nairobi was also aiming to conclude an agreement with Somalia on police cooperation and training of the Somali Police during Farmajo's state visit.

Kenya has deployed an estimated 5,000 troops in Somalia to help stop the advance of the Al-Shabaab. Kenyan officials said the militant group remained a threat and a destabilizing factor in the country and the region.

"The threats of terrorism and piracy have not fully abated. Stabilization of the liberated areas and to ensure their effective governance remains of critical concern," the State House official said.

The two leaders are scheduled to discuss the pending withdrawal of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) slated to begin in 2018.

Kenyatta said the withdrawal also means both sides need to scale up the efforts to build the Somalia national security architecture and strengthen the security apparatus to facilitate a smooth handover.
BRUSSELS, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Belgium will allocate additional 30 million euros (32.2 million U.S. dollars) to fight terrorism, Prime minister Charles Michel said during a TV debate on Sunday.

According to Michel, 15 million euros will be given to the police and the security, while 15 million euros will be given to the Justice.

In the past 2 years, Belgium had already assigned 600 million euros in fighting terrorism.

"We need financial means to equip and support," he said.

Michel also admitted support for the victims of the Brussels attacks is not efficient enough.

"I realized that in a certain number of cases, not all of them, there was indeed not enough proactivity and individual follow-up based on each victim's situation. We have to be modest and admit that it didn't work as well as it should have," he said.

On March 22 of 2016, 35 people were killed and over 300 others injured in the terror attacks on Brussels airport and the city's Metro system.
160317KAREBA THANKS PEACE COMMITTEE

By Aloysius Laukai



The women of Makis and Peace Committee members have been praised for their part in establishing peace in their communities.

Womens representative for Piano Parish, MARTHA KAREBA said that the work of the Peace and Reconciliation must be acknowledged and also encouraged them to continue with their work.

On the MAKIS women, MRS KAREBA said that the women of PIANO and MAKIS must also continue with their prayer activities as it has produced results in the end.


Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 17, 2017. (REUTERS PHOTO)

MOSCOW, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is keeping the situation around Crimea under control and would take the same decisions about Crimea even if given another opportunity, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday.

"He keeps the situation around Crimea under personal control and I am convinced that he would take the same steps and decisions (about Crimea) and would take the responsibility as he did (in 2014)," Peskov was quoted by the domestic RBK media group as saying.

According to Peskov, Putin realizes that the integration processes could be done in a more effective way and that more money from the budget could have been spent on the improvement of citizens' living standards.

Crimea celebrated on Saturday the third anniversary its reunification with Russia. The region rejoined Russia in March 2014 after a referendum, with almost 97 percent of the residents having voted for the reunification.

The day of Crimea's reunification with Russia is special and important for Putin emotionally, since "in many aspects the final decisions three years ago were taken exactly by him", Peskov said.

Insisting that Crimea was illegally annexed by Russia, Western countries introduced economic sanctions against Moscow in 2014 over Crimea and its alleged role in the conflicts in eastern Ukraine. Earlier on Thursday, Peskov said that Russia will not consider any deal on Crimea in exchange for the relaxation of Western sanctions.
Rescuers search for tourists trapped under the fallen tree at a waterfall at Kintampo in Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana, on March 19, 2017. At least 16 people died Sunday afternoon after a huge tree fell on tourists and revelers at a waterfall at Kintampo in Brong Ahafo Region, police said. (Xinhua)

by Alex Osei-Boateng

ACCRA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- At least 16 people died Sunday afternoon after a huge tree fell on tourists and revelers at a waterfall at Kintampo in Brong Ahafo Region, police said.

Several others who have been injured in the accident are receiving treatment at the regional hospital, Kintampo divisional police commander Desmond Boampong has confirmed to local media.

There are currently different versions of casualties. Another police officer Desmond Oppong Boanu told Xinhua the death toll was 18.

The victims, who are mostly senior high school students, were on an excursion and swimming beneath the fall when a rainstorm accompanied by a strong wind and thunder forced the tree to fall over them.

Personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service and the police service are currently at the scene to rescue those trapped under the fallen tree.

The Kintampo waterfall is one of the highest waterfalls in Ghana.
ALGIERS, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said on Sunday that the North African country still rejects foreign interference as an option to reach any solution to conflicts in the region, as it would lead to more chaos rather than settle the crisis.

Bouteflika's remarks came in his meeting with Abdelkader Messahel, the minister for Maghreb Affairs, African Union and Arab League, in his office.

A statement from the president office said Bouteflika was given a comprehensive report about the situation and latest developments in the Arab and African regions including the Sahel, Mali and Libya.

The president gave some guidance on the resolution of conflicts, particularly those in Libya, and addressed challenges facing the Sahel region, especially in terms of the fight against terrorism, the statement said.

According to Bouteflika, peace talks and political negotiations between warring parties should be promoted as the only way to restoring peace and security.

Algeria has been making diplomatic efforts to boost peace dialogue in Libya and Mali, Algeria's two neighboring war-torn countries.
China National Tourism office booth at the Colorado Convention Center for the 2017 Travel and Adventure Show. (Photo provided by China National Tourism office)

By Peter Mertz, Huang Heng

DENVER, the United States, March 19 (Xinhua) -- As thousands of Colorado travelers flocked into the Colorado Convention Center for the 2017 Travel and Adventure Show, Joe Sinisi looked on and smiled.

Sinisi started Access China Tours 21 years ago with two Beijing English professors, when China was just beginning the rampant growth that stuns tourists today.

"Access China's growth parallels the sophistication of China's evolution," Sinisi told Xinhua Saturday. "We have enjoyed the journey with China into the 21st century."

Sinisi, 52, talked to Xinhua from Access China's booth - one of 200 - that filled the packed convention hall Saturday and was conveniently located next to the China National Tourist office booth.

Access China is a boutique travel agency that caters to customer' s needs like no other - with tours tailored toward specific requests from clients.

Today the agency crafts some 200 specialty tours and sends 1,000 tourists to the world's most popular destination each year.

More than 2 million Americans joined 100 million global visitors to China last year, and Chinese tourism officials see those numbers doubling in the next few years to 5 million.

As 2017 began, the China National Tourism Administration launched a large-scale thematic advertising campaign called, 'Beautiful China - 2017 Year of Silk Road Tourism.'

The campaign was unveiled simultaneously in more than 20 countries, including the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Japan and South Korea.

Saturday, Chinese officials took to the stage to show the circuitous route the Silk Road tour would take across China.

"We are hopeful the amazing destinations along the historic Silk Road will continue to draw record numbers of Americans," Ning Wu, Director of the China National Tourist office in Los Angeles, told Xinhua.

Wu was in Washington, DC last November for closing ceremonies for the "China-USA Tourism Year," a high-level event that brought China Vice Premier Wang Yang.

2017 is the third consecutive year celebrating the "Year of Silk Road Tourism," a themed slogan that will continue to "Explore Beautiful China along the Silk Road," Chinese tourism literature markets.

The historic Silk Road winds through western China, dips into southeast Asia, and continues north another two thousand miles up the east coast past the biggest cities in China today, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Qing Dao, and Dalian.

The history of the European trade route dates back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) and became famous during the Yuan Dynasty when it was used by the Italian explorer Marco Polo.

While the Silk Road theme may be 2,000 years old, China's emergence as the world's top destination is all 21st century.

China Highlight online Director Victor Shu predicted the next decade would see records numbers of tourists each year, if global economic conditions hold, as people across the planet flock to China.

None of those interviewed at the convention omitted China from their list of highly sought destinations.

"I remember a trip in 1997 when China had 'so-called' 5-star hotels where guests couldn't exchange money, where nobody spoke English, and where there wasn't hot water all the time," Sinisi smiled.

"But that's not the case anymore - China has the finest hotels on earth, and the Beijing Ritz Carleton is as good as any in the world, even Paris," Sinisi said.

Sinisi is no novice when it comes to global travel. A 1988 graduate of Princeton University in politics, Sinisi worked as a lawyer in Australia, Micronesia, and Denver, before teaching contract and intellectual property law to elite students in Beijing in 1995.

The next year he met Beijing University English professors Mark Huang and Cherry Chen, a husband and wife team who wanted to start a travel agency.

"We always knew about the expectations of American tourists but it took us some time to develop Access China into a well-oiled machine," Sinisi said. "We always try to get feedback so we know how to improve."

In 2011, Access China started offering exclusive "Art Museum Group" tours and the response had been tremendous, according to Sinisi.

"We have world famous curators, world art donors, and so far everything has exceed their expectations," Sinisi said.

"Access China is a mom and pop, husband and wife business headquartered in Vancouver," Sinisi says.

"We've got 9 employees in Vancouver and a team in Beijing that is excellent, and knows about the hospitality business," he says.

"It's taken a while for us to get this down," Sinisi said, who predicted the future of tourism between the USA and China would be hosting groups coming to the USA.
Cop detained after fatal shooting

Miguel Rodriguez, of Fifth Company, Moruga died while the wounded man remains warded at hospital.

Police report that at about 2 am yesterday, the off-duty officer was near Woodstock bar at Indian Walk when he had an altercation with two men, one of them Rodriguez, from Fifth Company.

The fight escalated and in a bid to defend himself, the officer fired his service revolver and shot the men.

Princes Town police were alerted and the wounded men was taken to hospital, but Rodriguez died.

The officer was taken into custody for questioning
Cops abused too

Word is also that the officers in many instances are shamed to report their situations.

Statistics obtained by Sunday Newsday for 2013-2016 from the Employees Assistance Programme (EAP) of the TT Police Service revealed that during that period, there were less than 20 officers reporting physical abuse, approximately 100 for emotional abuse, approximately 90 reporting psychological abuse, and less than ten officers being victims of sexual abuse. The report did not give an indication of whether the reports were by male or female officers.

When asked about these statistics, Police Service Social and Welfare Association president Inspector Michael Seales expressed surprise that the information was in the public domain. However, he said if the information was correct, such abuse would pose a danger for the officers involved.

Woman Police Corporal Helen Solomon, the Central Committee representative for the North-Eastern Division, in which the murdered WPC Joseph was assigned, told Sunday Newsday that domestic violence and abuse happen in the service but the average officer was not aware of it.

She said it was very hard for anyone to come forward and report abuse, and if they did not have the proper support, they may never treat with it.

Its rare that a female officer would come out and talk about their private issues, far less for making a report, she said. You would have to be very close with someone for them to trust you enough to talk about their issues. Seales agreed saying that, on most occasions, police officers felt too ashamed to make a report. He said a regular victim would probably not be seen again by the officers after the situation has been dealt with.

However, police officers work in the situation and they would be faced with their co-workers who would know they were a victim of domestic abuse.

They want to maintain that level of privacy that does not expose their lives to ridicule and embarrassment, he said This seemed to be the case with WPC Joseph who was reported missing since March 9, and whose body was found in the Gulf of Paria off Sea Lots on March 15.

You have to consider how that officer has been compromised and whether that abuse lends itself to them being vulnerable while on duty, Seales said. Their faculties may not be at its optimum when it comes to providing service to the community they are to serve and so could also make the citizen who is the recipient of their service vulnerable. That is a delicate situation so there must be full rehabilitation of those persons and someone with the requisite training to determine when the officers are fit for duty, he continued.

Seales suggested the affected officers be removed from having to interact (on their jobs) with members of the community they served, and redeployed until the effects of the abuse were mitigated. He stressed that it was not a punishment but a way to avoid the possibility of any compromising situation.

With respect to Joseph, Seales said the association continues to hurt and that its members hearts go out to her relatives.

Solomon said also the officers are very saddened and devastated over the loss of Joseph, and described the situation as heart-breaking.

She said, As women police, it was very shocking what happened to this very young officer. In fact, it was unbelievable because she never really expressed any issues to us.

Our hearts go out to her family in this time of grief. We are willing to do anything they can to help them keep strong. Meanwhile, retired inspector and national awardee Sheila Prince said she was relieved that Josephs body was found so she could be given a dignified military funeral and her family and the TTPS could feel some sort of closure.

She said given the brutalised condition in which Joseph was found, her death seemed to be personal, and full of emotional passion and heat. However, she said no one could judge the young officer or make assumptions about her life because no one knew the situation.

Noting that police officers also suffer from crime, Prince said no matter where they live, it was necessary for officers to earn respect.

She said the police uniform was just a piece of material but there was a human being with characteristics, morals, and spiritual values under that uniform.

You have to make the right choices because there would be consequences for your action, Prince said, asking, Are you compassionate to people? Are you a law-abiding citizen? Are you a mentor? These are the things people respect you for! Yes, the uniform is supposed to be respected but you will always be who you are. She noted that, in general, no one could tell others how to live their lives. Whether you like it or not it boils down to women making the right choices, women respecting themselves, Prince said. Women need to realise that when you make a choice you have to think about consequences. A lot of people make mistakes but it is not about making the mistake and staying down, but making the mistake and moving on. Prince hoped that Josephs example would help bring women to a level of consciousness, to revisit their lives, and cause them to reflect.

When they revisit their lives they need to bring some spirituality into their lives, she suggested, Because without God we are nothing. We have to try to find something positive coming out of the whole scenario.

The situation should help us to look at life in a different way, she said.

In addition, Prince believed the country needed people with moral courage and moral authority to talk to women, denounce wrongdoing, and to tell people what was true and right and show them the way to go.

See page 7
Nyasha murder file for DPP

This is because none of the four suspects still in custody have been providing any useful information, sources yesterday told Sunday Newsday. It is expected that Gaspard will peruse meticulously the evidence and make a determination.

The main suspect, a 39-yearold labourer, believed to have been in a close relationship with Joseph, has already told police that he has nothing to say based on legal advice while a 24-yearold- man, who surrendered to police on Wednesday night, also has denied any involvement in the murder of the young policewoman.

Sources also revealed yesterday that a 36-year-old Carenage woman and another Sea Lots man have also denied any involvement in the killing. Two other persons who had been detained were released on Friday.

Officers have until tomorrow to lay any charge against the prime suspect, who has been in custody since March 10. His lawyers have argued a habeas corpus motion, which prevents him from being detained for an unspecified period without charge. Joseph, 22, who was assigned to the Morvant Police Station, went missing on March 9 after leaving her home at Marie Road, Morvant, reportedly to attend to police matters.

The mother of one never returned home and calls to her cellphone went unanswered.

Josephs relatives and colleagues hopes of seeing her alive were shattered around 11 am, last Wednesday, when her decomposing body was discovered by a fisherman, trawling for shrimp in the Gulf of Paria, just off Sea Lots.

Josephs body was wrapped in a plastic bag with weights tied to her feet. The young womans face also was smashed and her hands tied behind her back.

The fisherman quickly contacted the TT Coast Guard, which had also been assisting the police with their investigations.

The discovery of Josephs body dismissed earlier reports which suggested that she had been killed and buried in a shallow grave in the Sea Lots area.

An autopsy performed last week on her body was inconclusive due to its advanced stage off decomposition.

Joseph had only been working in the Police Service for four months at the time of her death.
Give comfort, support

Truth be told, there is no escaping such a heart-rending reality, according to neuropsychologist Dr Katija Khan.

She stressed, however, that, where possible, there must be an early victim support intervention __ Government- sanctioned or otherwise __ to help the child to transition.

There must be some victim support, access to a counsellor or a psychologist who can help the family to transition and who can be there to work directly with the child or with the family to help the child, she told Sunday Newsday.

Khan said the child should be told in simple, age-appropriate language.

They do not need to know all of the details but they need to know in a way that they can understand what has happened, she said.

For example, the child can be told that a bad person hurt Mummy and she is not coming back.

And, ff the family is religious, they can also say something like, Mummy is in heaven or with baby Jesus. Khan said if the family had experienced other deaths, she could also be told that Mummy is in heaven with grandpa or grandma. It is about using language that can help them understand and help them process. Joseph, 22, was last seen alive two weeks ago when she left her Marie Road, Morvant, home, reportedly to attend to police business.

Her decomposing body was discovered, last Wednesday by a Felicity fisherman in the Gulf of Paria, just off Sea Lots.

Josephs remains were stuffed into a crocus bag.

Several people, including a man said to be in a close relationship with Joseph, have since been detained by police for questioning.

However, Josephs mother, Paula Guy, was quoted in a newspaper, last week, as saying that her four-year-old grand daughter is still unaware that her mother has died.

She said the girl was engaging in fun activities with other young children.

Khan, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Psychologists, said a therapist can use play to help a child cope wit their emotions.

It is also good to maintain some of the routine for the child because this really traumatic change has happened in their life and they still need some semblance of structure and routine to help them cope. As another coping mechanism, she said Josephs daughter could also be encouraged to honour her mothers memory, either through a book with pictures or by planting a tree.

All that can help with the grieving process. At the other end of the spectrum, Khan said young children sometimes are not given enough credit in dealing with personal loss or tragedy.

She said: Children are quite perceptive and intuitive so they can tell, even at a very young age, when something has changed or is different, especially if adults that are acting differently around them.

They might see people crying and might hear people talking and although they dont understand all of the language, they know that something has changed. Khan said children also grieve in their won way.

One minute they might be crying and asking a lot of questions and another they might be playing and doing something unusual, she said.

So, it is also about letting them grieve and having the opportunity to ask a number of questions because they may not understand the whole concept of death and somebody not coming back. Khan also responded to concerns about the influence of social media in potentially limiting the healing process.

When they are very young, they might be shielded from it but kids who are older and can read the newspaper themselves and who have access to social media, I think that presents even more of a challenge, she said.

So, that is why it will be really important that they have some help and guidance through that grieving process so that they do not learn about news like that through social media but to have a family member or a therapist who can help explain some of that.

People will say things about it (circumstances that led to the death) but they (children) have a base of information and somebody trusted that they could go to if they have questions.

So, if they read something and it is upsetting and confusing, they have somebody that they can go to and say, I read this about Daddy, I read this about Mummy, what is going on?
Schoolgirl beating under probe

Garcia, a media release stated, strongly condemned all acts of violence in the school system. It added: He along with a team of ministry officials will be visiting the school next week and assures that the matter will be fully investigated and appropriate action will be taken to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. On Tuesday last, while on their way home, several schoolgirls began beating a 14-year-old female schoolmate along the roadway following a verbal confrontation.

The victim appeared to have been beaten into an unconsciousness.

She was rushed to the Mayaro Health Facility where she was treated and subsequently discharged.

A video of the fracas was uploaded and posted on social media website Facebook where it was shared several times. The incident occurred shortly after 4 pm.

All four female students involved in the incident, one in Form One and three in Form Two, were placed on seven days suspension by the principal pending further investigations.

They have also been referred to the Guidance Unit for counselling, the release added.
Student diplomats debate LGBT rights

One hundred and six secondary school students from 34 local schools, and five schools from St Lucia, Guyana, Barbados and Suriname played the part of UN General Assembly delegates as they participated in the Rotary Club of Central Port-of-Spains 20th annual Model United Nations (MUN) to debate LGBT rights and inclusion.

The resolution topic was preventing discrimination against persons based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The resolution recommended in the case where the rights of LGBT people have not been sufficiently protected, foreign aid be withheld, or said nation may face possible expulsion from regional organisations. It also called for a review or repeal of legislation that criminalises homosexuality, called for an independent committee to be established to combat discrimination against LGBT persons and more. The students were assigned countries, and added to the atmosphere by wearing costumes of said country.

They were then asked to research and defend their countrys position, despite their personal opinions.

After all the countries stated their position on the resolution, the debate began.

During the morning session, Italy seemed to hit a nerve with some of the other nations that did not support the resolution.

Italy stated that discrimination and violent acts were perpetrated mostly because of religion and culture.

Its delegate quoted scripture stating that while some religious texts state that homosexuality was a sin, other parts promote love and so that, even if it was a sin, discrimination still should not occur.

Another Italy delegate said although the country was approximately 80 per cent Christian, its society was against LGBT discrimination and pushed the laws forward.

He said the laws of any country should reflect society and not its religious beliefs.

Several countries took umbrage to Italys statement with Nigeria saying that Italy used the scriptures incorrectly, Malaysia asked where the line would be drawn if they agreed to the resolution, and Egypt stated that it was a conservative country and could not simply wash religion and culture away. Myanmar said it was offended that Italy would suggest that it advocated violence, while Uganda asked why everyone was getting worked up about LGBT rights when there was still racism, religions and other forms of discrimination to be considered. Even France, which decriminalised homosexuality and legalised same-sex marriage, came under attack, with one delegate saying France should not talk about discrimination while it still had a ban on the burqa __ a full-body covering worn by some Muslim women.

India however, tried to get the debate back on track, saying they were at the meeting to adopt a plan and not insult each other.

Several times the moderators had to ask delegates to maintain decorum and to refrain from making personal comments. The event chairman, Lara Quentrall- Thomas, noted that the Rotary Club chose the topic this year because she believed the rights of all marginalised people need to be something young people need to discuss.

We are so consumed with what we want as individuals, young people are so focussed on how they look or whos looking at them, rather than thinking about the bigger picture. For us it was an opportunity to put this topic on the table...

If Trinidad and Tobago wants to be a modern country, an inclusive country, be at the UN and be taken seriously, we have to address these issues, she said.

Quentrall-Thomas pointed out that many persons were not comfortable with the topic and that created some challenges for the Rotary Club. She said when the sponsors learned about the topic, some asked that the companies names not be mentioned.

Also, one school pulled out of the event, and two wanted their students to be assigned to countries more aligned to the schools views.

We said no because the whole point of this exercise is to have an experience where you have to look at something from a different point of view to your own.

It may not change your view... What we want is every child who goes through this process to come away feeling a little more empowered to make decisions that maybe go against the norm, or against what they are told to think, to think for themselves. She stressed that the exercise was not about whether or not the students agree, but it was about respecting other people and their views, and understanding that everyone has the right to make their own choices.
160317KONGKORI CALLS FOR UNITY

By Aloysius Laukai



The Chairman of the South Bougainville Ex-Combatants Association, DAVID KONGKORI wants the people of Bougainville to unite and work for Bougainvilles common good instead of creating differences between themselves.

Whilst thanking the people of MAKIS for creating real Peace by reconciling from the heart, MR. KONGKORI called on Bougainville elites to come and support communities that have started peace building.

He said Bougainvilleans must work together to achieve what we have fought for.



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Exploited and underpaid

Last month one of the advocacy groups trying to help, The Muslims of Trinidad and Tobago, called on Government to take in 1,000 Syrian refugees. But representatives of the NGO, Living Water Community (LWC), and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) say that legislation is required to protect the hundreds of refugees already in the country from exploitation, and assist a community which is set to quadruple in size in just three years.

Sunday Newsday was apprised of the local refugee situation during a recent visit to LWC offices in Port-of-Spain.

Coordinator of the ministry for migrants at LWC, Rochelle Nakhid, reported that for about 30 years the Catholic NGO has worked with asylum seekers and refugees as well as other migrants seeking help such as victims of trafficking or those in the country irregularly.

She said LWC does everything including financial assistance, social services and finding employment to aid these people.

Trinidad and Tobago is one of the largest refugee-receiving countries in the Caribbean after Belize and the Dominican Republic.

Nakhid reported that before 2012 they would receive about 20 to 30 people annually from a range of countries but then every year following there have been more and more.

In 2014 they had more than 100.

This more than doubled to 209 the following year, and in 2016 it was 314.

They expect more than 400 asylum seekers and a little over 100 recognised refugees this year. According to the UNHCR Trinidad and Tobago fact sheet, as at August 2016 almost half were from the Syrian Arab Republic followed by Cuba at 36 percent. There were three countries with single digit percentages __ Bangladesh followed by Colombia and Jamaica __ while other countries accounted for 20 percent.

Nakhid explained that in January 2013 there was an easing of restrictions with Cuba and a change of their migration law which resulted in increased freedom of movement.

We began seeing Cubans trickling into the country, Nakhid said In mid-2013 around the time of the Syrian war they noticed an increasing number of Syrians. There were similar trends from Bangladesh, Colombia, Jamaica and now Venezuela. Asked if the increased numbers presented a strain on LWC, Nakhid said they have had to become more resourceful and able to meet the demand. She noted that the UNHCR, which has been working with LWC since 1989, has provided them with funding to supplement their efforts.

She said, however, that the biggest strain revolved around a lack of legislation resulting in the refugees having no workers rights and basically under the table, exploited and underpaid.

She said the group includes children and people with disabilities, and LWC offers assistance with rent, schoolbooks, necessities and the cost of living. She reported that refugees can be found working across industries including restaurants, food service, construction, domestic work, landscaping and industries where you do not need English language skills.

She said there are professionals as well with a wide range of skills but they often have to work in jobs below their skill sets.

We have nurses who are not in the profession, attorneys who cannot practice. It is frustrating for them, Nakhid said.

In response to the growing number of asylum-seekers, the Government adopted a Refugee Policy in June 2014 and UNHCR established an office in January 2016.

UNHCR focuses on activities related to refugee status determination, capacity-building and advocacy, and their protection complements activities in the areas of education, health, shelter, food security and durable solutions.

According to the UNHCR fact sheet, while the Refugee Policy adopted in 2014 envisions Government providing recognised refugees with a permit of stay, work authorisation and access to public assistance, there are currently no avenues for refugees to legally integrate in society. In the absence of refugee legislation, UNHCR performs refugee status determination under its mandate; provides ongoing technical support and capacity building to Government; and participates in public awareness events. Due to the lack of legislation that would allow for local integration, UNHCR submitted that the majority of refugees recognised under their mandate for resettlement, and in the first half of 2016, 26 refugees were resettled, the fact sheet reported.

Also at the interview was UNHCR Protection Officer Rub?n Barbado who explained that Trinidad and Tobago ratified the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees and its 1967 Protocol __ the Foundations of International Refugee Law __ in November 2000 but until now there is no legislation. Nakhid said they have been given provisional approval for work permits for recognised refugees but it still has to go through a final approval stage.

So there have been some advances in terms of work rights, Nakhid said.

And the law that was envisioned is being drafted in a very participatory manner. Were all at the table with the Government as well in terms of drafting the legislation.

We hope to see another draft in a few months. Barbado said that apart from Governments role there is also a part for the public to play. He explained there is a lack of knowledge about who are refugees and what it means to be a refugee. He stressed that it is a fundamental right of a person who is persecuted to be protected and not sent back to their countries of origin.

He said there are many reasons a person may flee their country including nationality, religion, political opinion, race or membership in a social group, or being in a religious or sexual minority.

Asked about those in Trinidad, he said there is a mix of categories with people coming from 19 countries.

Nakhid said some countries actively resettle refugees including the US, though under the new Donald Trump administration they are seeking to reduce the numbers. She added, though, that this country does not do that and there is no legislation regarding someone seeking asylum.

It has to have an actual programme, she stressed. Otherwise you will see people in very vulnerable situations. Barbado pointed out that locally the numbers have been increasing and Government has found a need to respond. They need to address it and get ready before the situation deteriorates, he said.

He said Government, in accordance with the Refugee Policy, established a refugee unit and staff have been selected and are being trained. He added they have been collaborating with the National Security Ministry and the Immigration Division, and that it was important to have a government for dialogue and to make progress.

Trinidad and Tobago is taking a position and has to be commended for it, he said.

Nakhid said one of the principles when dealing with refugees and asylum seekers is non-penalisation for people entering the country illegally. She added that this is often a sticking point and there continues to be the detention of asylum seekers and deprivation of their liberty.

Barbado said with a fair process, refugees and asylum seekers would usually commit to the regulations. He said, however, if there is no asylum procedure then people will seek a back-door route to stay in the country. So it is important to have legislation to govern all of this, Barbado said.

Asked about the request by the Muslims of Trinidad and Tobago for Government to take in 1,000 Syrian refugees, Barbado responded that it was not only about bringing in people from outside but there are already a number of people here.

There are people already in need here. Before going to that stage we need to address the needs here, Barbado responded.

He said there was no particular time-frame by which people would be resettled.

He pointed out there are issues of capacity at LWC and UNHCR and that can be challenging.

He added that both organisations are working to speed up their capacity.

The refugees arrive mostly by flights but also by boat through irregular means. If they leave their country they may have no passport and have to pay smugglers.

Refugees, once they have left their country, (can be) exploited, raped, forced to do horrible things, relatives killed, threatened, lives turned upside down. It is not always easy to take the decision to leave your country, he added.

He pointed to the situation in Syria, Yemen, Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. He said at times there is a country with a stable government but citizens are persecuted by the systems and even by their own relatives.

Barbado added that there were not only sad stories but stories of resilience.

This happened to me (the refugee) but I am still alive. And I am here, he said.

Nakhid said locally refugees have access to basic services including healthcare but they have delays in getting their children into schools and a large number remain out of the system.

She added that even with the Childrens Act there are administrative hurdles to registering their children, which is a concern.

She said they have to be registered with immigration, put under supervision, turn in their passport, are walking around without ID, cannot open a bank account or receive money from abroad.

Barbado stressed that the global refugee situation is the worst since World War II with more than 60 million people forcibly displaced. He reported that in the Caribbean from mid-2015 to 2016 the number has increased by 257 percent.

Its a huge increase. He pointed out that Syria was a country with a history of receiving refugees and now they have people seeking asylum. These people are persons. They have parents, children, siblings.

Their own lives.

Humanity should help human beings. He said from a national security perspective it is of interest to the Government to comply with international obligations and identify people who need to be protected.

At this moment history will judge us, what we do. We want to be proud of what we have been doing. Nakhid said that at the end of the day it is the moral imperative.

Any one of us could become a refugee any day.
Moonilal: No PIs, too much power for DPP

The bill, which seeks to abolish preliminary enquiries and to provide for the pre-trial procedure in respect of indictable offences and for ancillary matters, was passed in the Lower House on Friday with all Government members voting for and all Opposition members voting against; the bill required a simple majority for passage.

Moonilal yesterday in a release detailing his contribution to debate on the bill said that the Opposition United National Congress stands ready, prepared, able and willing to support the Government and any other agency in fighting crime. He had told the House that the issue of the removal of preliminary enquiries is an issue that was brought to Parliament by the previous Peoples Partnership administration on two occasions.

When we were there crime went down and that is a fact.

Murder was going down, serious crime went down, so we are committed to taking action to remove the backlog, to deal with the delays in the criminal justice system, and that is what we are about on this side. What we are not about is joining the Government to break the law. Moonilal said the Opposition was not about helping the Rowley- led Government rewrite the Constitution through the back door nor undermining the constitutional structure and our constitutional value. Moonilal said the amendment will create a situation whereby the DPP, who advises the police, will now be determining whether cases are sufficient to move forward or not. He pointed out that the DPP had the initial sufficiency hearing, having to contribute to building the case, and he will be deciding whether that case is sufficient which is literally himself to himself .

Moonilal said that the DPPs office and the Constitution were never set up for this but rather the there is duty under Section 5 of the Constitution that a person charged and accused by the police be brought properly before an appropriate judicial authority.

The DPP is not an appropriate judicial authority. This course of action removes the constitutional protection that the accused is entitled to. Moonilal had also challenged the Attorney General to name one country in the Commonwealth that has done this.

Such action as contained in the proposed amendment gives the DPP the power of filtration, of filtering cases and proffering an indictment to the High Court, before the same person prosecutes the matter. Moonilal also reminded the House that in June 2014, then Opposition Leader and current Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley was very critical of the very measures that his administration were now trying to have enacted as law in Trinidad and Tobago.

He quoted Rowley as saying that if the DPP is aggrieved at a decision of a magistrate with respect to discharging an accused person, the (DPP) may appeal to the High Court; that is in the existing law the DPP may, if he thinks fit, refer the case back to the Magistrate with directions to deal with the case accordingly, and with such other directions as he may think proper.

He pointed out that Rowley described that procedure as madness and asked how Government could put in a law that the DPP could give directions to a magistrate what he thinks proper and therefore can tell the magistrate what to do.

Moonilal said the amendments cannot work and no country in the world does something like this and, apart from the constitutional issue, it is not practical. He also called on the DPP to make his voice heard as he did on the jury matter, on these proposed amendments
170317WOMEN OF MALUOKU CHALLENGED

By Aloysius Laukai



The women of MALUOKU have been challenged to be proactive and sensitive to issues affecting their community today.

Women leader SUSAN PITAINU this week called on the women to rise up and be counted as active participants of changes that is affecting our societies today.

She was speaking at the launch of ten water tanks by the member for South Bougainville, TIMOTHY MASIU this week.

MS SUSAN PITAINU said that women can team up with other women of Maluoku and support their men and children to charter a better future for their community.

Ends


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News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Mthwakazi Republic Party has said it has come to our attention that the Ministry of Industry and commerce in conjunction with Zimbabwe revenue Authority "Zimra" and other government department are fleecing our people thousands of dollars unnecessarily.Party spokesperson Mbonisi Gumbo said the Zimbabwe Government is causing untold suffering to cross border traders and other citizens who would have travelled outside the country on return."Coming back into the country from a visit is now a scary thing. he MRP information department yesterday asked citizens to share their experiences at the hands of Zimra and the response was overwhelming on both whatsapp and Facebook," he said."Ministry of Industry and Commerce  According to the new statutory instrument 64 which prohibits importation of certain goods into the country, one has to obtain a so called import license at a cost of $30-00 valid for only one trip which also forbids you from importing certainproducts. Most ordinary citizens are not aware of this process they end up being victims of this unnecessary procedure."He said when one brings in goods without this license Zimra automatically confiscate those products to their warehouse and one pays for storage per day per item until you collect."Once your goods are confiscated you are then asked to go either to Harare or Bulawayo "EMhlahlandlela" to the Ministry of Industry and commerce to buy the license, before going back to the border to pay duty and storage fees. That process only applies to certain products, which means if for example you had building materials they confiscate them without compensation and becomes of the state yet there is no proper documentation in process," he said."Therefore there is no guarantee that those goods confiscated at the border will actually reach the state without those Zimra officials working in cahoots with state security at the border illegally benefiting. Citizens mostly from Matabeleland who spoke to MRP said the government should with immediate effect transfer the issuance of those import licensesfrom Harare and Bulawayo to the border posts to allow a one stop border facilitation everything should be done at the border."He said the government must continuously update citizens through the media billboards and any necessary methods possible any information pertaining border processes."The government must understand that ordinary citizens are struggling because the economy is bad. The cost of travelling to either Bulawayo or Harare just to get a so called import license and back to the border to collect your goods, which you would have initially paid for to transport is unnecessary and a total worst of citizens hard earned resources. Why not do everything at the border? Government must understand that it's not everyone who imports goods for sale, and it's not everyone who have access to information," he said."It is certainly not everyone who lives in Harare or Bulawayo, there are people who stay inVictoria Falls, Hwange, Plumtree, Tsholotsho and have no accommodation in Bulawayo. So when you confiscate their goods at BeitBridge see how much pain and inconvenience you are causing to innocent citizens?"Gumbo said citizens complained bitterly that only Shona people are manning all our border posts. Zimra and immigration officials' especially at Beitbridge border post are some of the worst tribalists Zimbabwe has."Most of Harare bound buses cross the border with undeclared goods yet Bulawayo bound buses are searched sometimes twice and our people are made to pay hefty bribes in order to gain their freedom to travel home safely. Zimbabwe Republic Police officers are also doubling up as Immigration and Zimra officials. Is it in the police's jurisdiction of work to ask travelers to produce passports and proof of declarations on high ways far from the border? Are they insinuating that they don't trust Zimra and immigration officials at the border? A trip from Jo'burg to Bulawayo normally take between 8 to 12 hours is now made to take up to 18 to 24hours because of many unnecessary road blocks," he said."Our people also complained that the R320-00 being charged for illegal cross borders is too much and fuels corruption at the border. Ordinary People don't have such kind of money, they end up opting in bribing officials from R50 to R150 half the price of the official fine. Since the Zimbabwean government is guilty of sending its citizens to other countries because ofhuman Rights abuse and mismanagement in the country, returnees must either pay R100 fine or better still freely come back to their country."He said MRP takes serious people's concerns and very soon we may be forced todemonstrate against all this illegal activities of a clueless government, destroying people's dreams and future."The rot at the border post must be cleaned immediately. Ministry of Industry officials at Mhlahlandlela are Shona and they are supposed to save our people how do they help them? We are tired of being ruled by tribalists, Gukurahundists, and thieves. We are tired of nepotism, regionalism and corruption, we now want self-determination," he said.
Gary Cohn, center photo, if not center stage. Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Gary Cohn, the former Goldman Sachs executive (and registered Democrat) who serves as President Trumps top economic policy advisor, is gaining clout amid the seemingly endless infighting at the White House, according to insider accounts via dueling stories in the New York Times and Washington Post. Cohn is allegedly more liberal than most of President Trumps inner circle, and along with former Goldman exec Dina Powell, has apparently gained the trust of  and an alliance with  Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. But the Cohn-led cadre is also being derisively referred to as the Democrats by their more ideological peers in the White House, and the Post adds that the populist Steve Bannon has now found a new ally in former rival Reince Priebus, partially in response to the rise of the New York/Goldman wing.

Fox Business reported last week that Bannon and Cohn are in the middle of a bitter policy fight, which started over trade policy and now also extends to other economic and tax policies, and that the tension has eclipsed the previously dominant tension between Bannon and Priebus. Sources told Fox that the loser of the Cohn/Bannon fight could be the first major casualty of Trumps senior staff (apparently forgetting all about former national security adviser Michael Flynn). One insider told Fox that Bannon and Cohn may like each other but the situation is getting toxic and nobody wants to get in between that feud.

Whos winning? According to the Posts sources, its Bannons Team Ideologue. The paper cites a telling choice Trump had to make last Wednesday between a visit south to the grave of Uber-populist former President Andrew Jackson (definitely Bannons idea), or heading north to a Broadway musical at the invitation of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau (the New York Wings preference). Ultimately, Trump dismissed the musical idea and went to Nashville, where he laid a wreath at and saluted Jacksons grave, then went to another campaign-style rally with his supporters.

Also, keep in mind that these are not the first insider accounts from unnamed White House sources to connect Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner to the idea of moderate influence on the president and to allude to a feud (one thats been leaked to the nations two biggest newspapers) that infighters are trying to draw attention to  or advantage from. As Axios pointed out on Sunday, there will likely be another round of leaked accounts responding to these reports.

But while the conflict-addled Trump administration continues to stall and stutter when it comes to running, or even just staffing, the government, it also seems as though the president is more than content with the status quo. The Times reports that Trump, a former reality-television star, likes the infighting and perpetual struggle for his attention, as he believes it both makes his staff more competitive and ensures no one person obtains too much power.



This post had been updated to include the earlier Fox Business report.


Ex-CIA analyst and blogger Larry C. Johnson (L) and Fox News senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano (R). Photo: Spencer Platt/Screencap/Getty Images/Fox News

Last week, the Trump White House ignited a diplomatic row with Americas closest ally when Press Secretary Sean Spicer, looking to bolster President Trumps baseless wiretap allegations against President Obama, promoted Fox News commentator Andrew Napolitanos report that Obama used a British intelligence agency to spy on Trump during last years presidential campaign. The British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), which is the agency responsible for the U.K.s intelligence gathering, then made a rare public statement in order to officially rebuke the claim, calling Napolitanos report nonsense and utterly ridiculous.



President Trump, asked about the claim by a reporter on Friday, tried to shift blame to Fox News and Napolitano, who he also nonetheless praised:

We said nothing, all we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television. I didnt make opinion on it, that was statement made by a very talented lawyer on Fox. And so you shouldnt be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox.

But Napolitanos claim, which he repeatedly said came from Fox News sources, was then seemingly dismissed by Fox News itself. Anchor Shep Smith said on Friday that the network could not confirm Napolitanos commentary and that Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind that the now-President of the United States was surveilled at any time in any way. Full stop. The network also said that Napolitano still stands by his report, but anchor Bret Baier later reiterated that the Fox News division was never able to back up those claims.

Napolitanos report has also now drawn a rebuke from the deputy head of the NSA, Richard Ledgett. In a BBC interview on Saturday, Ledgett called Napolitanos crazy report arrant nonsense, adding that the allegation belies a complete lack of understanding of how the relationship works between the intel community agencies and completely ignores the political reality of would the UK government agree to do that?

Answering his own question, Ledgett went on, Of course [British government] wouldnt do it. It would be epically stupid.

So where did Fox News very talented legal mind come up with this White Houseboosted allegation? The New York Times and Politico report that one of the sources was former CIA analyst, blogger, and occasional Russia Today guest Larry C. Johnson, who infamously promoted the false rumor in 2008 that the GOP possessed a bombshell video in which former First Lady Michelle Obama had been recorded making disparaging remarks about white people  also known as the infamous Whitey tape hoax. Napolitano apparently asked Johnson to speak with the Times on Friday, and Johnson explained to them that Napolitano had heard about the U.K. wiretap claim through an intermediary who had learned of it through sources in the U.S. intelligence community. Johnson, who maintains that the Whitey tape fiasco was the result of him getting played by Clinton operatives during the contentious 2008 primaries, has since denied some of the Times report, but admits that he was one of Napolitanos sources. Appearing on CNNs Reliable Sources on Sunday, Johnson further elaborated that he had posted the theory on an online discussion board and someone passed that post along to Napolitano.



Speaking with Politico, Johnson explained that his own initial source for the U.K. wiretap theory was a Democrat who is not actually in the U.S. intelligence community but has ties there, and was someone with a history of having access to national security information. That source, according to Johnson, was alarmed at what he saw as this meddling in the election. He says he confirmed the tip with two people in the intelligence community and were not talking janitors or cleaning ladies.

Johnson also appeared on the state-controlled Russia Today (RT) television network earlier this year to contest the U.S. intelligence communitys conclusion that Russia interfered in last years election. He then repeated that opinion earlier this month when he reappeared on the network one day after Trump tweeted his now notorious allegation that President Obama had illegally ordered a wiretap on him and Trump Tower. In that interview, Johnson  who says he was not paid by RT for his appearances  seems to have made the first-ever public mention of the U.K. wiretap theory, alleging that senior members of the Obama administration had colluded with the U.K. to spy on Trump and then illegally disseminated that information throughout the U.S. government. He has also passed along the theory that U.S. government insiders like the CIA may have hacked the Democratic National Committee during the campaign instead of Russia.



Im not a nut, Johnson told Politico.



The British government says it told its U.S. counterparts that they should have ignored the ridiculous wiretap claim, and also stated that the U.S. has promised not to repeat the accusation. The White House, however, has denied a report that they apologized to the British government for highlighting the allegations. I dont think we regret anything, White House Press Secretary Spicer said to reporters on Friday, We were just passing on news reports.



This post has been updated to include information shared on CNNs Reliable Sources broadcast.


Photo: Image Source/Getty Images

Ella Dawson has herpes, and talking about it is sort of her thing. She writes herpes-themed erotica; she gave a TED talk about herpes; and is the author of Why I Love Telling People I Have Herpes and Why I Celebrate the Day I Was Diagnosed with Herpes. All this, and shes only had two outbreaks  which is a pretty standard herpes experience. On this weeks Sex Lives podcast, Ella gets real about unprotected sex, dating with herpes, meeting a woman who has genital herpes on her inner elbow, and learning about sex from Harry Potter fan fiction.

This is a partial transcript from New York Magazines Sex Lives podcast, edited for clarity and length.

How did you start writing about herpes?

There was this really interesting debate happening in the erotica-writing community about whether or not it should be required to include condoms in sex scenes. I was a really new erotica author at that point  I hadnt been published in anything, but I was blogging regularly and I felt like there was this weird disconnect in that conversation, with nobody talking about the fact that people have STDs, too, and that people with STDs have sex. I felt like I had to say something, and I wound up writing an essay on my blog about how Im an erotica author and I have herpes. And when I write erotica, its impossible for me to not think about sex and the risks associated with sex, because thats my own life. It was the first time I had ever publicly announced that I had herpes online. It was a really scary moment, but it also felt super liberating.

And what I didnt expect was the essay had this huge response, first from the erotica community. And then from friends and friends of friends and random people I went to college with who dont even read erotica but had my blog forwarded to them and said, Oh my god, I have herpes, too. It changed my life in a weird way because suddenly I realized that so many people had this experience that I did, and it made me want to keep writing about it. It was kind of like I had opened Pandoras box, and inside was a lot of really entertaining Facebook comments. And I never turned back! Its been a huge part of my life ever since.

Can we get into that? Of how herpes actually plays out in a love life? You said it made your sex life even better.

I may have been slightly exaggerating for comedic effect  So just to backtrack a little bit, when I was in college, I had a bit of a reputation that I enjoyed: I was the editor of the college sex magazine, I was planning my thesis on feminist erotica, I didnt have a ton of casual sex because that wasnt something I was super interested in, but I did have some.

I dont think there were campus sex magazines when I was in college. Is this a micro-generational divide?

Got to go to Wesleyan, where everyone is extremely weird. But yeah, so I had this kind of reputation that I had fun owning. And I wound up meeting somebody who I fell for really, really fast. He was the one-night stand that just never left my apartment and suddenly we were in a relationship. And a few weeks into the relationship, I woke up with an outbreak of really gross sores and I was really upset and I did that like horrible Google search of like, Oh my god, what is this? Please dont tell me its herpes. But of course it is.

 I have in my life only had two herpes outbreaks. I had the first one which was terrible and lasted about a week and a half maybe or a week and I was on Valtrex. Not a pleasant experience. And then I had my second outbreak, I think two years later. I was working a very stressful conference in a really wacky time zone, and my body was just kind of in a panic. My body broke down and I had an outbreak, and it was really actually anticlimactic because Id been dreading having another outbreak for so long. But I had, like, a few sores. For two or three days, I was moderately uncomfortable. And then they were gone within, like, four days. And I was like, oh, I had been so afraid of this happening, and it was fine.

Ive had a lot of sinus infections in my life, and I would much rather have herpes than sinus infections. Because sinus infections will, like, knock out your brain and mess you up and last forever. But Ive had two herpes outbreaks and I was able to go to work and nobody knew what was going on, and I just took Tylenol and Valtrex and I was fine. Its so overblown. And there are people who have more serious strains of herpes and it can mess with your body in different ways. Its not super chill for everyone, but for the vast majority of people its just an annoying skin condition that pops up every so often. I have friends who have had one outbreak in their entire life. Its not as big as people make it out to be.

What is that conversation? Is this like a first-date conversation for you? Tinder conversation?

One of my favorite Tinder conversations was, I had been flirting with this guy. He was flirting with me and invited me to his hotel, basically. And I was like, I usually wait until Ive had a gin and tonic before I tell someone this, but I have herpes and heres what you should know. And hes like, Oh, Ive known for 20 minutes. I googled you already. And I was like, Great! Cool. We dont have to talk about it.

So I get it out of the way super fast because its freeing, and the sooner you bring it up and the more casual and confident you are when you talk about it, the more reassured that other person is as well. A mistake that I made when I was still newly diagnosed was I would frequently tell somebody with a lot of, Im so sorry, I hope this doesnt change the way you think of me. I set them up to think its a really scary thing. Whereas now when I have those conversations, theyre like, Oh by the way, I have this thing, or, Hi, Im internet famous for having herpes. My delivery is so much more confident  and usually funny  that the other person comes to it from a different frame of mind, and those conversations are a lot more successful and comfortable.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

ZIMRA staff based at Beitbridge Border Post held an anti-corruption march around the border post and in Beitbridge town on 14 March 2017, as the Authority intensifies its fight against corruption.The event was supported by various stakeholders who include District Administrator's Office, Department of Immigration, Vehicle Inspection Department, clearing agents and the Zimbabwe Republic Police, among other border stakeholders. The event was also attended by officials from the South Africa Revenue Service (SARS).Several anti-corruption messages were sent out to travellers at the country's busiest border post during the event. Some of the message read as follows; Pay Taxes and Duties', Not Bribes'; Reject, Resist, Report Corruption' and Zero Tolerance to Corruption'.The campaign was a step forward in fighting against the scourge of corruption, following the Authority's introduction of anti-corruption hotlines in May 2016. ZIMRA has a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and every detected case is dealt with in accordance with the Authority's Code of Conduct.The anti-corruption hotlines, which the Authority introduced in 2016, are managed by an independent service provider. The toll-free lines are: Econet 0808190, Telecel 0732880880, WhatsApp 0772135690 and an e-mail address which is zimraanticorruption@gmail.com.
Kelly Herron fought off an attacker in a public bathroom. Photo: MS YAPR/Getty Images

Seattle jogger Kelly Herron, who fought off an attacker in a public bathroom, slammed anti-trans group Just Want Privacy for trying to piggyback off of her traumatic experience. The group used Herrons story and picture in a fundraising newsletter to build support for its latest anti-trans bathroom initiative, Yes on I-1552. The ballot would make it illegal for transgender people to use the bathrooms that align with their gender rather than the one assigned to them at birth.

Herron spoke to KIRO Radio about the matter earlier this week.

Im done being polite. Im done being politically correct  Because what they are doing is not correct. What that man did to me, was to me. It was him and me. We fought it out. There is no question about the wrongness of it  now my face is being used to raise money for discrimination  Its bull.

She added:

Ive been pretty even keeled throughout this recovery time  I havent really cried very much or been angry. Then I opened up this link to a newsletter that went out for the bill, the Yes on I-1552. And its got my bloodied face on the cover of this newsletter, and on their Facebook page, using my violent sexual assault to promote an initiative that discriminates against transgender people. What?!

Just Want Privacy posted a statement about Herrons reaction on the groups Facebook page, offering to meet her in person to apologize, but that seems unlikely.

Herron issued her own reply via email later in the week on behalf of the group No on 1-1552, writing, To the people behind I-1552, I say not today, motherf*ckers. I refuse to allow anyone to use me and my horrific sexual assault to cause harm and discrimination to others. And I refuse to stand by as this same group pushes the repeal of Washingtons long-standing laws protecting my transgender friends. If they think they can use my experience to raise money for I-1552, then we have to raise twice as much.
that's not fair. it's a recurring illness.

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zayn does this thing where he downplays his problems, in this case his eating disorder and anxiety but he seems better now. that's nice.

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Yeah, I feel like he keeps downplaying the eating disorder specifically. Hopefully he truly does have a handle on things. Only time will tell.

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Mental illness and ED are hard to talk about so I don't necessarily blame him. Most people even ones on here who will talk about their anxiety all the time are so critical about it when it's not themselves suffering from it. I can't imagine talking about my issues on a huge public scale the way him, Selena, Gaga, Demi, other celebrities do because people are straight up nasty

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I don't blame him either because I used to do the same thing (I still do it tbh). and yes, people can be very cruel, ugh.

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all of this. also anxiety/ed/mental illness etc is a very personal thing.

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Do you blame him? Look how people here act when he talks about his anxiety or ED.

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i noticed that reading his answer to the ED question, as a person who dealt with that, i was like "well... thats kinda what an ED is", like, that's one of the first things a psychiatrist tells you "it's about having something you and only you can control". hope he's better though, wouldn't wish this shit on anyone.

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He probably feels really uncomfortable talking about it. Eating disorders and anxiety aren't really things people talk about and men, especially don't seem to talk much about these either.

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oh god, is that hairstyle back?

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Yep. It's been back for about a month.

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seriously, if even zayn can't pull it off...

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it hasn't left yet, unfortunately

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It's not my favorite but I don't hate it as much as everyone else does



When his hair looked like a dirty stippling brush I thought it was ugly

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It never left

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I see guys walking around with this hairstyle daily.

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it needs to die for good



him flopping was karma for the awful hair

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I love it!

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My mom was stay at home after baby #2. It was 5 of us. It's funny how some people look down upon stay at home parents. My mom did more work than some people with jobs. She didn't just sit around the house and watch TV. She was getting shit done. I always admired my mom's attitude and it gave me a totally different view of a stay at home parent.





Also, good for Zayn. He overcame his anxiety. I can tell the difference. He's more active on social media and interacts more. Hopefully this means he will do more promo for album #2 and tour.



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Totally. My mom raised 5 kids while my dad worked and set up his business. She couldnt have worked long after having children anyway due to health issues but she cleaned house, raised the five of us and made sure my dad could do well in his business.



My sister has two children and she goes to work to relax. Raising kids and keeping up a household is not a walk in the park

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So true! My dad had his own business and my mom helped him out when she wasn't dealing with us. It's a lot. Not everybody can deal. I'd probably lose it. My brothers were not model children at all. Lol!

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my mom raised 7 as a stay-at-home mother. i just can't envision that for myself.

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Having a parent at home with the kids is the ideal.

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Ikr

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That we know of so far...

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he's so pretty.

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but that hair rn :(

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"It wasnt specifically an eating disorder. It was a control thing."



So, an eating disorder?

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lol

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I get this mindset, though. When it's somewhat easy for you to bounce back from something, it feels wrong to say you had it. I know whenever I'm having good months where I'm not depressed or having panic attacks I start thinking that calling it "depression" is wrong and unfair to people who don't have good months, who are "really" depressed.



So it's not really a laughing matter that he can't call it a disorder or feels he needs to downplay it because he's doing well now.

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basically =/

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this is an odd interview but at least he seems more at ease.



i thought he'd gone blonde again from that colour photo. also kill this hairstyle please 

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As someone who has had bulimia on and off since middle school the way he downplays it reminds me of myself. Even today it still is a struggle for me to admit I'm not comfortable with food because I can't imagine thinking any way else about it



He seems healthier and happier lately I hope he's well

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I also think its probably hard for him because he's a guy and he's like "oh I shouldn't have an eating disorder.



I downplay my disordered eating because I am "too smart" and "too self aware" to have an eating disorder.

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I downplay mine for the same reasons you do too to me it shows a vulnerability I'm not comfortable with do you feel the same way?

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I was praying that hairstyle was over but I see it still so damn much.

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i'm shocked @ him and gigi lasting this long lmao. i'm glad he seems to have his anxiety under control though! it's hard as fuck

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lol but has he given up his fuckboi ways? Only time (or Snapchat) will tell.

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lmao mte. i mean i'm sure they're genuinely together and everything but i highly doubt he doesn't regularly cheat on her.

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I lived and worked in Bradford (where he's from) for a year. Most of my students were Pakistani and I swear they ALL had those big beautiful eyes just like he did.

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Damnit, as a Pakistani in California, I gotta travel all the way to the U.K. for them eyes? :(

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You're Pakistani sis? When will your incredible flawlessness end!

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This is a weird comment tbh.

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It's interesting how there's literally a post on the front page with women of colour saying they hate when people do THIS EXACT THING by othering around a specific feature.

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The thing about this hairstyle is that it's sooooo try-hard



If you have long hair and need to put it up and it naturally kind of looks like this when you're mowing the fucking grass or something, fine. But if you purposefully go to your barber and ask for the local douche-cut then STOP.



Edited at 2017-03-19 03:42 pm (UTC)

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"It makes me feel like the only thing people see from me is my lips. It's always been uncomfortable."@gianninaoteto https://t.co/EUYlyVQ4bA  ELLE Magazine (US) (@ELLEmagazine) 18 mars 2017

Text: Eight black models speak about their experiences in the industry, the microaggressions they've experienced, the ways in which they have been made to feel less-than. Each model speak specifically to that body part or feature that once made them feel insecure but is now their biggest motivator.I grew up in Senegal, where more than 50 percent of the women bleach their skin, and skin bleaching is a huge deal. I grew up seeing my cousins and my aunts using it. My cousin pressured me and they wanted me to use skin bleaching products but my sister said you're not using it because a lot of them experience the damages [from it].I wanted to use it at a point, not going to lie, and I felt really ashamed of being dark, but my sister would always show me pictures of dark skin models, there weren't a lot, but she would show me pictures of dark skin models and say "this is not a bad thing and your skin is not a thing you have to change. It's unique and beautiful and you have to learn to know things you like about yourself and celebrate them.I am very dark but I am very soft and feminine and I don't really feel like there is a lot of that in the dark skin market. Stop trying to make us out to seem like we are these animals.I feel like in the industry when it comes to dark skinned women they always make us out to be these aggressors and these angry people when we're not. I don't have to shave my head to be a model. I don't have to look like I am going to bark at you to be a model. I like flowers. I like perfume. I like sweet stuff.I once had a job where the client was so nice, the shoot was long and the rate wasn't amazing, but I wanted to do it regardless. I got there and the hairstylist was Australian. She went in to do my hair and she kept referring to my hair as an afro and my hair was straight this day. She was like "OMG this afro!" and I was like, what the hell are you talking about and she kept referring to my edges as afro bits. In a negative way.[She said] "Omg your afro bits I just can't get them." It was taking so long to do my hair, the client asked what's going on, we are not on schedule, and she said her afro bits are too difficult for me to do them, I am trying to get them straight. Basically she was blaming it on me and making it seem like my hair and I were the problem but it wasn't me. My hair was straight but she just didn't know how to do it. Of course, it's offensive but I can't cuss her out and do my job at the same time. These microaggressions add up being a woman of color and others models who aren't of women of color don't have to face it.People are curious about why I look the way I do. I have very full lips and I remember going to Paris and every casting director that I met was like "did you get your lips done?" And I am like what why did everyone think I got my lips done? Well, they didn't know I am black girl. I have a strong nose and I remember people suggesting that if I were to get my nose done I would get more work and I was just baffled.I love my nose and I don't want to lose that part of me. To each its own, if you want to change the way you look to fit into society more or if it's something you want to do to make yourself feel better then fine but I don't think you should suggest to people what they should do because you don't completely agree with their look. There shouldn't just be one standard type of model. Beauty is diverse.The rest at the source #1sources : 1
just say you are for it or against it

not that hard

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this is why straight people should never play queer characters

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whats so hard about saying either you support it or you don't?

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This dipshit just caused himself more of a hassle by not commenting though, lmao. So stupid.

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lmao is that cary elwes? cutie!

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No, it's some random guy who worked for a video game site or something.

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No, it's some random gamer guy who sadly only looks like a young Cary Elwes in this single gif.



Edited at 2017-03-19 09:19 pm (UTC)

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is he mormon?

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No, but he did play the lead in Book of Mormon, lol. He's Jewish on both sides of his family

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He was in the Book of Mormon, so doubtful

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No but Disney pays him bank and is probably trying to downplay the "exclusively gay moment" They probably said don't talk about it for now and he doesn't want to lose the Olaf money. It's not like he hasn't been incredibly vocal in the past about his support of gay marriage and all things liberal.

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No but he played a snowman once

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hmm

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I am sure this was an off the cuff comment but still what the hell? Get off the fence or go home.Whenever I see something like this I am sure the person has the unpopular opinion but is holding back because they are scared shitless about their careers.

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He's not on the fence. He's on the red carpet, promoting a Disney film. The focus of anything he says at that point is to promote the film, not contribute to controversy. He's already playing a gay character in the film, directed by a gay man. He's made it clear before where he stands.



It's more of a time and place thing than anything else. This really isn't news at all.

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Yes and it's obvious Disney asked the cast to shut up about anything gay after the director made it sound like there was some ground breaking gay character in the film and people flipped out.

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Yeah, it's clear everyone knows where he stands if he has been vocal about it in the past. Not sure why everyone's berating him for this or, honestly, why we even care what Josh Gad thinks about marriage equality lol. This is such a "where's Ja?" moment to me.



Edited at 2017-03-19 09:26 pm (UTC)

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yes it is news

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in an ideal world there would only be civil partnerships for all couples (romantic or platonic) regardless of their sexuality. marriage can be left to the religious and there should be no privileges whatsoever to marriage as an institution. it's really shitty and should die

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ia

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This is truly the dream.

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ia





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Yeah, exactly. I would love to just be civil partners, but the rights afforded to married couples only exist within marriage.

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Say it again.

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Yaaaaassss

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lmao ontd doesnt read (neither do i lol)

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Yeah, but why refuse to comment now?

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That's where I get confused. He wasn't asked whether or not he supports gay orgies, just whether people can marry.

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exactly. now he has a real platform.

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maybe disney told him to keep quiet on it considering the controversy the film has already experienced?

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That makes his silence now even more self serving tbh same with Emma's comments about how feminist the movie is even though it's literally about a creep kidnapping a woman so he can cure himself from a curse

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What a loser. I'm against him in general now.

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what????



i blame disney. he can't possibly be against marriage equality, can he? i mean... the fuck??????



but tbh i also blame him because his comment was totally dismissive and terrible.

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girl....i take back my criticism of jackie. i'm like in tears watching it so i had to take a quick break from it.

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I'm not a part of this conversation, but I'm gonna interject to say: YAS, RECOGNIZE GREATNESS! ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES THIS YEAR! NATALIE WAS ROBBED! ETC. ETC. GOODBYE

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i was so surprised by how much i loved that movie.

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glad you saw the light

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Yeah, I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to mess with his present (and future) Disney checks. It's self-serving at worst.

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When people say stuff like this I just assume they are against it.

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but he's been open about it before?

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Oh, then that's really weird.

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This is disappointing.

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One of the key components of last years OPEC production deal was the proviso that the Islamic Republic of Iran could continue increasing production by several hundred thousand bpd, until it had reached its 2012 level of output. The agreement came after months of Iranian boasts regarding its national crude oil production, which had surged by nearly 1 million bpd after sanctions on its economy were lifted in January 2015.

Now Iran is pumping 3.8 million bpd, its highest level of production since October 2008 according to OPEC data, and national production seems to be levelling off, at least for the moment. Despite the frequent assertions that Irans true production ceiling should be north of 4 million bpd, a level Iran hasnt reached since 2011, it would appear that production from OPECs third-largest producer will remain at or near 3.8 million bpd. Iranian ambitions will run up against market realities, as well as the necessity to play nice with OPEC, at least for the time being.

Despite its status as a regional trouble-maker and a frequent adversary of OPEC-leader and first-rank producer Saudi Arabia, Iran has stuck fairly close to its OPEC commitment and wont likely deviate, despite some assertions to the contrary. The original parameters of the deal dictated that Iran would not produce more than 3.9 million, while Iran insisted that it would keep pumping until it had recovered its pre-2013 export level. It has now surpassed that mark, and is exporting 2.5 million bpd. For a single day in February exports surpassed 3 million bpd, the highest export level since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to Bloomberg.

On March 14 Bijan Zanganeh announced that Iran would cap production at 3.8 million bpd in the second half of 2017, as long as the OPEC production deal held. Thats a bit of a change in tune for Zanganeh, who was demanding last fall that Iran produce as much as 4.4 million, its production level in 2011 according to data from BP.

Iran has been seeking more investment for its undeveloped gas and oil fields, some of the richest in the world. On March 14 the country announced production from the Azar oil field, shared with neighboring Iraq. Production is set at 15,000 bpd and is expected to double in spring before reaching 65,000 bpd in March 2018. A recent thaw in Iran-Iraq oil relations indicates further cooperation between the two countries, which share a long border and a number of oil and gas fields. In February a memo of understanding was signed on a pipeline from the Iraqi field at Kirkuk to the Persian Gulf, passing through Iranian territory. The deal would also have Iraqi oil refined and shipped from the Iranian refinery at Abadan, which was destroyed during the Iran-Iraq War and has since been rebuilt. Related: Growing Asian Oil Demand Could Drain The Supply Glut

There are five Iraqi oil fields positioned along or straddling the Iran-Iraq border, and a London-based institute has estimated Iraq lost around $17 billion in stolen oil revenue from Iran pillaging these fields in 2012. Sour relations over shared fossil fuel reserves have troubled the two countries for decades, but the recent turn towards burying the hatchet foreshadows greater cooperation.

Much of this is political: the Iraqi government, quarreling with the autonomous Kurdish region in its north which has concluded its own oil deals, is looking for ways to boost revenue without having to negotiate with Erbil. Iran, enjoying considerable influence in Iraq thanks to its support for Shia militia groups and its actions in combatting the Islamic State, could stand to benefit if Kurdistan and Iraq continue to argue over Iraqs oil resources.

Iran had signaled that it considers exploiting shared oil and gas fields a priority, as it attempts to draw in more foreign investment. Without that new capital, Iran cant sustain its current 3.8 million bpd production rate. As part of its export plans, Iran will start exporting gas to Baghdad later this year, while pipelines to Oman and Pakistan have been contemplated, as are new plans to export LNG from the South Pars field, which Iran shares with Kuwait. But a glutted market and considerable competition, not to mention Irans own rising demand for gas products, will likely stifle export ambitions, according to Bloomberg.

The Iranian government confirmed a $1.3 billion bond issue in February, aimed at raising money for new projects. The government of Hassan Rouhani hopes to issue new oil and gas contracts later this year for dozens of projects. Yet with estimates of capital needs nearing $200 billion, Iran would require massive interest from companies. In March Iranian media reported the country was close to securing $80-85 billion in foreign investment, but this money hasnt entirely materialized yet. If Iran were to ramp up production it would tax existing infrastructure and likely further depress prices. Related: U.S. Shale Is Pushing OPEC To Breaking Point

Then there is the question of domestic demand. As Bloomberg has pointed out, Iran consumes nearly all its natural gas through domestic consumption: as the fourth-largest natural gas market on earth, Iran requires huge amounts of domestic purposes, petrochemicals and other industries. Increased natural gas production would begin earning export revenue after a relatively long ramp-up period.

(Click to enlarge)

That leaves crude oil, which Iran is now exporting at higher levels than in any year since 2011. But data from BP shows that the level of Iranian exports left over after domestic consumption remains historically low. Iran may be pumping more, but a greater share of its domestic production goes to meet domestic needs.

(Click to enlarge)

So, political improvements along the Iraq border notwithstanding, its clear that the obstacles to further Iranian growth in production are significant, which might explain Zanganehs agreement to abide by the OPEC, deal going back on a previous assertion that Iran would produce 4 million bpd by March 2017.

By Gregory Brew for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
If OPEC fails to agree to extend their production cuts for another six months, Iraq could be a major reason why.

For many years after the 2003 U.S. invasion, Iraq was exempt from OPECs production quotas in order to help the country rebuild. But in recent years, Iraq has succeed in ramping up its output, overtaking Iran to become OPECs second largest oil producer. Today, production stands at 4.4-4.5 million barrels per day (mb/d).

As OPECs second largest producer, Iraq is pivotal to the success of the deal signed late last November to prop up prices.

But Iraq has lagged behind other OPEC members in its efforts to reduce output. It agreed to cut production by roughly 210,000 bpd from October levels, requiring it to average an output level of 4.351 mb/d over the course of the six-month compliance period between January and June.

Those figures were agreed on an October baseline (although Iraq has argued with OPEC over which numbers to use for months). In December, just before the deal was set to take effect, Iraq ramped up output to 4.642 mb/d. It then cut production by 166,000 bpd in January, but from that higher December level, taking it down to 4.476 mb/d, according to OPECs secondary sources, or only slightly below its baseline and still above its targeted level as part of the deal. No matter; the OPEC deal is a six-month average, so Iraq could still lower output in subsequent months and comply with its commitments. Iraqi officials reassured its OPEC peers that further reductions were forthcoming. Related: U.S. Shale Is Pushing OPEC To Breaking Point

But in February, the reductions were a bit underwhelming. Iraqi output dropped by just 62,000 bpd to 4.414 mb/d. Again, Iraq has more time to bring its average down, but it is one of the few countries not already complying with its production cap. The other is the UAE  a surprise development considering the countrys close alliance with Saudi Arabia. As a fellow member of the Gulf Cooperation Council, UAE policy closely follows what goes on in Riyadh. So, the UAE is less of a worry for compliance  it will likely fall into line soon.

(Click to enlarge)

Iraq remains more of a question mark. That uncertainty was all the more stark given the recent comments from Iraqs oil minister, who said that that country would ramp up production capacity to 5 mb/d this year. "We achieved this great achievement of 4 million barrels per day ... middle of 2016, and now we have climbed up and we are reaching about 5 million barrels per day beginning of second half of this year," oil minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said earlier this month at the CERAWeek Conference in Houston. When asked by CNBC how that would square with the possible extension of the OPEC deal for the remainder of 2017, Al-Luiebi said it would be premature to comment, since the extension is uncertain.

It is unclear if Iraq can actually achieve this lofty goal on such a speedy timeframe, but if it did, it would be a very large downside risk to oil markets for multiple reasons. First, if Iraq were to expand capacity by another 500,000 bpd, it is hard to imagine them keeping that volume on the sidelines. Because it would be very tempting to put that capacity into production, the ministers comments suggest Iraq has plans to ramp up output this year. "Obviously, it's bearish, John Kilduff, founding partner at Again Capital, told CNBC on March 7. They're going to have to show considerable production constraint having that spare capacity. That's the kind of capacity historically only the Saudis have had. Related: Growing Asian Oil Demand Could Drain The Supply Glut

Second, Iraqs ability to bring higher capacity online would threaten the extension of the OPEC deal altogether. Saudi energy minister Khalid Al-Falih was reportedly already fed up with Iraq (and Russias) non-compliance with the deal, and he apparently spoke privately to his Iraqi counterpart in Houston at the CERAWeek Conference and expressed his frustration with their slow progress, according to the WSJ. If Iraq continues down this road, it would not only reduce the effectiveness of the original OPEC deal  the cuts from January to June  but it would also make an extension very difficult. Saudi Arabia boosted output in February, and some are interpreting it as a warning sign from Riyadh that a price war could resume if others dont make more of an effort.

Publically, Saudi energy minister Al-Falih is trying to reassure the markets. He spoke with Bloomberg last week and said that OPEC would be willing to extend the cuts for another six months if its needed. If global crude oil inventories remain above the five-year average, he said, OPEC would do what it takes to bring the industry back to a healthy situation. He also downplayed the lack of compliance from Kazakhstan and Russia, citing the fact that some of the non-OPEC countries are trying to learn the process of controlling production not having done it before. He said they are fully committed.

Iraq, however, could be a cause for concern, especially if they are targeting higher production capacity. Iraqs addition of 500,000 bpd, if it came online, would alone exacerbate the global glut and push down prices. But it wouldnt happen in a vacuum. Such a move would likely derail the OPEC deal, at which point, all bets would be off. Goldman Sachs says its base case scenario for the oil markets is that OPECs production cuts will be followed by new production highs.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
By Senator Jeff Kruse

We had a relatively slow week in Salem, so I thought I would change focus just this once. Thursday the Senate did a very wonderful thing during our floor session. We only heard one bill, and that was a memorial to Senator Alan Bates who passed away this last summer. We think this is the first time the Senate has taken this type of singular action, and in this case, it was totally appropriate. Alans family was here and quite a few Senators, including me, told stories about Alan and I thought it was a wonderful way for us to remember a colleague and friend.

Over the course of the last 16 years Alan and I worked together on a great number of issues in the area of health care. In fact, we were two of the major players in creating the pathway to what ultimately became Coordinated Care Organizations. This work started when we were both members of the House and the Republicans had the majority. It continued when we both moved to the Senate and the Democrats had the majority. The reason I mentioned these facts is because it had very little to do with the work we were able to accomplish together. Many of the issues we deal with are not divided based on political party lines, and that definitely goes for the work Senator Bates and I were able to accomplish. Whether the issue was something like scope of practice or drug addiction or any number of other topics the only thing that mattered was, will this help people? and, is it the right way to do it.

But, beyond the policy work we did together, we were also good friends. In this process one can develop good relationships with the people you serve with, even if you disagree with them on the issues. However, there are some people with whom you develop a very special relationship, and for me Alan was definitely one of those types of friendships.

I am going to keep this short, but I did want to acknowledge my friend and publicly thank him for the many great things he did both in his community and for the state of Oregon.

Senator Doctor Alan Bates will long be remembered by those of us who had the privilege of serving with him. I personally will keep him in my heart and also in my mind as we continue to move forward on the various issues we worked on together for almost two decades. Alan, you will be missed.

Note from the Editor: This was originally published in the Senator Jeff Kruse email newsletter on March 17, 2017.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

The Harare Zanu PF legislator Terence Mukupe has posted on Facebook speaking about the President Robert Mugabe succession politics which has ripped the party into fragments."A lot has happened within our party in the past year regarding the succession question. I've seen quite a bit of the good, the bad and the ugly. One thing that has been on the tongue of the generality of the Zimbabwean citizenry has been who is going to take over from my President. We have witnessed situations whereby VP Mnangagwa has had to make press statements affirming his loyalty to his Excellency as a result of the clear savage onslaught on his personhood," read the post."In trying to understand everything that has been happening around our Presidium, I've taken solace in the bible. I've studied the relationship that existed between Saul and David. I asked myself, "Why was David so loyal to Saul after everything Saul had done to him?" Despite the fact that David had so many opportunities to kill Saul and take the throne, he would never do so. The primary reason David was loyal to Saul was the anointing King Saul had received from the Lord!""What I want to highlight here is that from what I know and what my bible tells me, my President is anointed to rule this country. It is up to God to determine the length of his rule. Taking a leaf from David's loyalty to Saul which was to the day he died, the sane holds true for VP Emmerson Mnangagwa who has been by his side for over 52 years!"He posted that it's a waste of time for anyone to try and question and doubt the Vice President's loyalty to His Excellency."The future of Zimbabwe is in God's hands. Whatever God has ordained is what is going to pass. David had great faith in God's plan and timing. As long as God wanted Saul to be king, David would wait. He would not take matters into his own hands!! His Excellency will see out his rule in line with God's will and it is wishful thinking for anyone to think his Vice President would ever attempt to usurp the Presidency!" he posted.




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LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?



























Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...



Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:



Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.



Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.



No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.



En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.



Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.



Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.



Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.



Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.



Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.



Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?



Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.



Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.



Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.



Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.



Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.



No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.



Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.





Alguna duda?



Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino



Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.



OZ1



OZ2



OZ3



OZ4



Homenaje a Jason Galarraga



La Victoria de Samotracia



Odalisca



Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008



























La Sierra Nevada de Merida



Nuestro precioso Churum Meru



Homenaje a Picasso



Autoretrato



Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?

La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.

Mi profesion?

Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.

Sal en la Coca Cola?

A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.

De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:

Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto

Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)

azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)

Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas

Mucha Cafeina

Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio

Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe

Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion

El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.

Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.

Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.

En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).

Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.

La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.

Bebidas Light?

Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el

Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.



Publicado por loretahur



En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur

MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:

1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.

2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.

3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.

4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.

5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.

6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.

Ahora... sobre la margarina:

1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .

2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.

3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).

4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.

5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.

6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.

7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.

Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:

* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).

* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!



No a la guerra, Si a la Paz



Misterios de la ciencia...



Los costos de la guerra



medicos y capitalismo...



Capitalismo...



medicos (2)



Quien educa a nuestros hijos?



Los Medios...



Sin Palabras...



Chistes feministas

- Cual es el problema, Eva?

- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...

- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.

- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...

- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.

- Que es un hombre?

- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.

- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.

- Cual es el truco?.

- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.

- Cual?

- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.





Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Ellas...



Ellas (2)...



Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1

Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:

-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.

Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.

Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?

-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!



VENGANZA NUMERO 2

Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.

A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:

- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!

Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.

La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.

El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.

Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:

- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??

- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.



VENGANZA NUMERO 3

El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.

- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.

- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.

Te quiero confesar algo.

- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!

- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.

- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!



machismo y cibernetica



Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.

-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.

-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.



.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.

Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.

Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.

Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas



Gol !!!!



Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!



Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!


I'm looking for a supplier of firewood (beech, ash, oak and mixed) both fresh / air dried and kiln dried.

Write what you can offer and price with delivery to my address in Denmark.
Greetings, I would like to buy Paulownia Sawdust. Where can I get this.
With the Parallel App, available for Android, users can "clone" the messenger and use two different accounts on the same device; Check step by step Using two WhatsApp accounts on the same phone is something that can be done on Android devices . With different phone numbers, it is possible to use two applications for this: Dual Messenger, in the case of Samsung devices , or the Parallel...
News / National

by Staff reporter

The President Robert Mugabe returned home this Saturday (today) night after attending a SADC extra ordinary summit on industrialisation and integration in Swaziland.Mugabe was received at the Harare International Airport by Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko, Minister of State for Harare Metropolitan Province Miriam Chikukwa, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Christopher Mushowe, Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Retired Colonel Christian Katsande, service chiefs led by Commander Defence Forces Dr General Constantino Chiwenga and Commander Air Force of Zimbabwe Air Marshal Perence Shiri, several foreign affairs officials and senior government ministers.The SADC summit's main focus was industrialisation and regional integration which stresses the region to value add its raw materials and get value for their products.The extraordinary summit approved the costed plan of action for SADC industrialisation strategy and roadmap.During the summit, discussions also explored the issue of the proposed SADC Transformation University which should be housed in Swaziland and the criteria for selecting students.
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.
Local soldiers

are promoted

LATHAM  Maj. Gen. Anthony P. German, the adjutant general for the State of New York, announces the promotion of members of the New York Army National Guard in recognition of their capability for additional responsibility and leadership. Local soldiers include:

Bridget Burch of Granville, assigned to the 206th Military Police Company, received a promotion to the rank of specialist;

Colby Gage of Johnsburg, assigned to the Company C, 2-108th Infantry, received a promotion to the rank of specialist;

Bryan McKeighan of Salem, assigned to the Company C, 2-108th Infantry, received a promotion to the rank of specialist; and

Bradley Provost of Queensbury, assigned to the Joint Force Headquarters, received a promotion to the rank of staff sergeant.

Local woman to serve on ship

MILLINGTON, Tenn.  Navy Midshipman Anne E. Grimmke of Greenwich participated in the 2017 spring Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps ship selection draft as a future member of the U.S. Navys Surface Warfare Officer community.

Grimmke, a 2013 Greenwich Central High School graduate, has selected to serve aboard USS Arleigh Burke. She is majoring in psychology while attending College of the Holy Cross. Upon graduation, Grimmke will receive a commission as a Navy Ensign and report aboard Burke as a surface warfare officer.

More than 280 midshipmen at Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps units around the country have selected to serve in the Navy as surface warfare officers. Each selecting midshipman is ranked according to grade point average, aptitude scores and physical fitness.
LAKE GEORGE  The Sagamore resort in Bolton Landing is searching as far away as ski resorts in the West to find employees for the upcoming tourist season.

Every Lake George tourist attraction that relies on foreign workers is either turning to foreign students, whose visas have not been sharply limited, or seeking foreign workers who are already here, rather than counting on getting approval for new H-2B visas.

Until this year, the H-2B visa process had been relatively simple: companies recruited from abroad, sometimes even flying to other countries to conduct interviews in person, and then submitted H-2B visa applications for each employee. The temporary visas are used to cover the business spike during the tourist season.

But in December, Congress voted to change the program, ending a provision in which companies could rehire workers who had an H-2B visa in the past without having that person count toward the cap. Last year, about 198,000 returning workers were allowed, in addition to the normal cap of 66,000 new workers.

This year, only the 66,000 workers are allowed. Some members of Congress hoped it would force companies to find more Americans, perhaps by offering better wages or better working conditions, such as giving employees regular hours.

But locally, companies say they must get foreign workers. They say there arent any Americans who want to work a half-year, running Great Escape rides or cleaning village bathroom stalls during the tourist season. Young people arent available in April, May, September and October, so foreign workers must fill in, they say.

Despite intense lobbying from businesses as diverse as vineyards and summer resorts, Congress didnt budge on the cap for H-2B visas. On Jan. 10, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it had issued the maximum number of visas for jobs that start in the first half of the year. Shortly thereafter, it announced it had received more than the maximum number of visa applications for the rest of the year. The agency is no longer accepting applications.

That meant The Sagamore could not rehire 15 to 20 employees, mostly from Jamaica, who have come back for the tourist season every year.

We cant use them unless the cap is raised, said General Manager Tom Guay.

He also couldnt rehire dozens of workers who worked for The Sagamore last year and wanted to return. Every year until now, the company has brought back almost every visa worker who wanted to return, he said.

Those returning visa workers used to not count toward the cap. This year they do, which took local companies by surprise.

Guay knows how many local workers he can get, through the annual job fair the company runs in March, and those who simply walk in and apply. Beyond that group, he needs about 50 more employees, he said. Thats when he turns to the H-2B visa. He cant run the resort without them.

So Guay got creative this year. Foreign workers who are already in the country with an H-2B visa dont count toward the cap. Theyre allowed to extend their stay and work with a new employer. He went looking for workers who wanted to stay in the country longer, but wouldnt be needed at their current employer this summer.

Were reaching out to the resorts  ski resorts in the West, hotels in Florida. We can use their labor, Guay said.

He still had to apply for new H-2B visas for those employees, but he thinks he will get them since they dont count toward the cap.

Were hoping all this pans out, he said. The visas have not been issued yet. When the visas are issued, thats when I sleep at night.

Others are relying on the student exchange visa, the J-1. Thats what Great Escape will use to run its rides, games and concessions. Lake George and other lakeside towns will also rely on J-1 labor to clean streets, and many stores will hire J-1 workers. Typically, 350 to 500 students work on the J-1 visa in the Lake George area every summer.

Although many local teenagers will be looking for jobs, employers need them months before school ends, said Lake George Mayor Robert Blais.

They come here usually middle of May and they stay until October. Our students cant stay; we lose our lifeguards, he said. We have huge weekends in September and October now and we need a workforce straight through.

The state does not track the number of young people who are not in school and are unemployed but looking for work. However, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts regular surveys to get that figure.

Among 16- to 19-year-olds in Warren and Washington counties, about 1,400 have been looking for work every year and have been unable to find it. Among people ages 20 to 24 in those counties, about 1,200 are unemployed. Of course, that doesnt mean theyll take a seasonal job, but many local teenagers work alongside the foreign workers in the Lake George area.

Locally, CIEE, the countrys oldest and largest nonprofit study abroad and intercultural exchange organization, arranges many of the J-1 visas for jobs at Great Escape and other large companies. The organization describes working in the United States as the best way to really experience our culture.

Its one thing to visit a place, see the sights and go home, CIEE says on its website for international visitors. Truly understanding a culture and its traditions takes more than a quick visit, however. It takes time to really get to know what a place and its people are all about.

Students on J-1 visas can also travel the country for 30 days after their job ends, allowing them to visit other areas.

Great Escape only works with CIEE to find foreign workers. CIEE runs job fairs at which Great Escape management can meet students and extend job offers.

These students are carefully selected through live interviews and are specifically chosen to provide world-class guest service to our guests, especially in the early season before our local workforce gets out of school, said Great Escape spokeswoman Jessica Hansen.

Given the reports about immigrants being stopped at customs even though they have visas, some employers have worried about whether CIEE and other companies, like CENET and Spirit, will get their normal number of students this year.

But so far, all is well, Blais said.

I talked to the companies. They did not indicate they are having any problems, he said.

He is setting up Student Connection, a drop-in office where students can come to report problems with their employers, housing or anything else  even homesickness.

The purpose of the connection will be to give them a home away from home, he said. Employers can post job openings. It is not just for foreign students. This is for all students who work here, regardless of where theyre from.

He hopes the program will smooth the way for foreign students.

What we want is students to come here, have a very enjoyable time in the United States and go home and encourage other students to come, he said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

ZIMBABWEANS working in the informal sector will get pension cover under a scheme being drawn up by the National Social Security Authority for implementation later this year.Under the scheme, which is anticipated to provide universal social security cover, people who are not formally employed would make voluntary contributions to NSSA so as to get benefits upon reaching the public sector retirement age of 60.In the case of death, surviving spouses and close relatives could also benefit. The new scheme is expected to tap into the massive number of Zimbabweans working in the informal sector. According to the ZimStat 2014 Labour Force Survey, 94,5 percent of the active labour force is in the informal sector, meaning current social security coverage excludes a significant proportion of the population. And according to the 2012 Population Census, 67 percent of this population was economically active.Unlike the current scheme for the formally employed where employers and employees make ratio-based contributions to NSSA, the new scheme will be financed by contributors alone. Responding to questions from our Harare Bureau, NSSA board chairman Mr Robin Vela said the scheme would be structured on findings of a recent survey on priority social security needs of informal workers."We will shortly be contracting our actuaries to model the scheme, which will include benefits design. However, we envisage that it will include retirement and survivors benefits."Mr Vela said while the formal sector scheme was compulsory, the informal one would be voluntary."Employer and employee make equal contributions under the formal sector scheme while the proposed informal sector scheme will be financed by contributors only. There will be inbuilt flexibility on contributions payment under the informal sector scheme, depending on member's circumstances. The scheme is targeting all workers in the informal sector including domestic workers. The reason is that currently workers in the informal sector are not covered by social security schemes, yet social security is a human right (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 22, 1948)."Also, 94,5 percent of all workers are in the informal sector. This means that currently the majority of the workers and their families are not covered by social security, hence the imperative need to extend social security coverage to them. Furthermore, our survey concluded that people in the informal sector have special social security needs."Mr Vela said after actuaries drew up a proposed model, NSSA would consult the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, and SMEs and Co-operatives Development ministries, among other stakeholders. Ghana and Uganda offer pension cover to informal workers, with the latter last year issuing licenses to two private firms to extend social security benefits to those not formally employed.
Voters in villages in three counties in the region will go to the polls Tuesday to elect mayors, trustees and justices.

The slots up for election vary from village to village. Voting will take place from noon to 9 p.m. in each village.

In South Glens Falls, three candidates are running for mayor in what is one of the most contested mayoral elections the village has ever had.

The incumbent, Mayor Joe Orlow, was not endorsed in the Republican caucus, so he filed to run on an independent party line, Just Joe Orlow.

Retired town supervisor Harry Gutheil, who supported Orlow for mayor four years ago, is running against him. Gutheil has the Republican endorsement and has also filed to run on his own independent party line, Taxpayers First.

The Democrats, who are not often involved in mayoral politics, also endorsed a candidate for mayor: Brigid Martin.

The three have different plans for how to handle the villages main problem: its lack of savings, after its $476,000 unrestricted savings account was spent over the past four years.

Orlow said the villages financial condition is now stable, after last years 15 percent tax increase. The increase had to be made to make expenses match revenue, he said, adding that he had asked the Village Board to approve a tax increase in 2015 but it was rejected. He also deferred any blame for spending the savings, noting that every dollar spent had to be approved by the board.

Gutheil said the village could have avoided running out of savings if Orlow had listened to his warnings four years ago. He said the villages financial condition is still precarious and advocates getting grants for major expenditures, as he did when he was town supervisor, and also building up the villages savings. However, he said he will not cut village employees or services.

Martin also wants to build up the savings, and wants an independent audit to determine the villages actual situation. Given that the state handed down two critical audits that criticized the work done by Clerk/Treasurer Dannae Bock, Martin said Bock might need training or better software to manage the finances better.

Also in Saratoga County, Schuylerville is holding a mayoral race after the incumbent mayor decided not to run for re-election.

Dan Carpenter, a Village Board member, is running on the Democratic line.

Jason Young, who runs Clarks Steakhouse in the village, won the Republican caucus.

It has been a positive campaign, with Young plowing snow to show that he cares about the community. Carpenter and Young played a game of shuffleboard and posted it online to show that they could disagree about village policies without being disagreeable.

Young, who has never held elected office, criticized the Village Boards inaction on many issues, including the leaking roof of the DPW garage.

He said it was time to take swift action on issues and change a culture in which any decision had to be mulled over for months.

Carpenter has had similar complaints while on the board. He wants to focus on economic development.

His plans range from finding grant funds to fix sidewalks and plant trees to cleaning up potential tourist spots, including the beach, riverfront and the section of the canal near Fort Hardy Park.

He also wants to negotiate shared service agreements with surrounding municipalities.

Contest in Lake George

In Lake George, Warren Countys only village, incumbent trustees Joseph Mastrodomenico Jr. and John Root are being challenged by Ron Mogren.

Mastrodomenico is seeking his third consecutive four-year term. He said his top goal is to try to keep the tax rate down and increase revenues. The village also needs to obtain funding for a new wastewater treatment facility, but it may have to fix the current one and pursue funding for a new one at the same time.

Mogren ran in 2015 and lost by nine votes. He is also focusing on the wastewater treatment plant. Mogren, who has been chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals for the past 10 years, also wants to protect the environment, advocate for year-round residents quality of life, protect properties and keep taxes down.

Root was appointed to the board in 2002 and has served from 2003 to 2007 and from 2008 to the present. Root said he is running again to focus on obtaining funding for the wastewater treatment plant with the ultimate goal of implementing a sewer rate that would charge people based upon their water usage instead of assessed value.

Mayor Robert Blais and the other two trustee seats are up for election in March 2019.

Races in Washington County

Theres plenty of competition in the Whitehall election.

In the mayoral race, Republican incumbent Ken Bartholomew is being challenged by Democrat Phil Smith.

Bartholomew is seeking his first re-election as mayor since his initial 2015 victory. Prior to serving as mayor, Bartholomew was a village trustee. He is running on the Republican and Skenesborough Independent lines.

Smith, currently chairman of the Village Planning Board, has run unsuccessfully for seats on both the Village Board and Town Board in the past. He has the Democratic and the Whitehall Independent lines.

Four people are running for two village trustee seats.

Democratic incumbent Marge Mohn is seeking re-election, and fellow Democrat Tim Watson is running for a seat on the board as well.

Teresa Austin, who now serves on the Whitehall Beautification Committee and the Village Planning Board, is running on the Whitehall Independent line.

Pat Roche, who filled a vacancy on the Village Board back in 2015, is looking to get back on the board. Hes running on the Skenesborough Independent line.

Incumbent Republican Pat Norton is not seeking re-election.

In the justice race, incumbent Julie Eagan is running for re-election on the Justice line and is being challenged by Democrat Mike Putorti.

Voting will take place at the Whitehall Rec Center on Williams Street.

Another village with a mayoral race is Fort Edward, where 12-year incumbent Matt Traver is being challenged by sitting Trustee Darlene DeVoe, who said she is not critical of Travers work as mayor, but rather sees this as her last opportunity to become mayor. Fort Edward has a four-year term for mayor.

The three other members of the Fort Edward board will remain the same. Tracey Conlon is not up for re-election, and Peter Williams and Edward Carpenter are running unopposed.

If DeVoe loses, she has one more year on the board. If she wins, she can appoint someone to finish her term.

In Granville, there are three candidates running for two trustee seats. Incumbents Gordon Smith Jr. and Frank Caruso are running on the Stability line, and Stephanie Munger is running on the Ladies of the Square Table line.

In Cambridge, Carman Bogle is running unopposed for mayor, and trustees James Sweeney and Ellen Cruz are also running unopposed for their positions.

In Greenwich, Maureen Edsforth is unopposed in running for a three-year trustee seat, and Kyle Vanderwerker is unopposed in his run for a one-year seat.

In Argyle, Joe Lohret and Cher McCotter are running unopposed.

Hudson Falls does not have village elections this year, and Salem has dissolved as a village.

Michael Goot, Dan King and Kathleen Moore also contributed to this report.
FORT EDWARD  A Hudson Falls man who pleaded guilty to felony charges for selling heroin in Warren and Washington counties has been sentenced to 3 years in state prison.

Patrick A. Boyer, 30, will serve two years on parole after his release under the sentence imposed by Washington County Judge Kelly McKeighan.

Boyer pleaded guilty last month to felony criminal possession of a controlled substance for a heroin sale in Washington County last year.

He is awaiting sentencing for a plea to the same charge in Warren County Court for a heroin sale in Queensbury.
GLENS FALLS  Viola Hillsman changed the course of Craig Dudnicks life.

And in the 20 years he lived with the woman he first met as a 19-year-old Northwestern University student when she was the 76-year-old cook at his fraternity house, he learned about life and love.

I needed somewhere to stay and asked her if I could live in her basement, and she said yes, Dudnick said in a phone interview on Saturday evening. She had a deep love of people. Living with her, (I learned about) how to live in the world.

And over the course of their time together, Hillsman showed him a piece of history that inspired his two documentaries, Alices Ordinary People and Evanstons Living History, the story  rooted in a horrific South Carolina lynching  of a communitys struggle for justice.

I wanted so badly to pass on something to her for all she did for me, he said. I believe this is the direction she would want me to go.

On Tuesday, Dudnick will be at Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls at 6:30 p.m. for the screening of Alices Ordinary People and will talk about the film, his years with Hillsman and the films namesake, Alice Tregay, known for her work fighting segregation in Chicago public schools and for registering thousands to vote.

Alice was a remarkable woman, Dudnick said, adding that he met her while working on the Evanston documentary when she gave him photographs of her brother.

Her brother was the first black firefighter in Evanston. He had to eat separately from the other firefighters, Dudnick said.

Tregays work, which Dudnick said is not well publicized, began in the early 1960s with the Willis Wagon protests in Chicago. After school Superintendent Benjamin Willis housed young African-American students in substandard structures separate from the school because of overcrowding, protests raged. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was one of the activists arrested in those demonstrations.

But Tregay believed real change came through voting in new leaders, so she spearheaded a voter registration campaign, registering 150,000 voters. And over the years she taught thousands of ordinary people how to run for office.

What Alice did shows there is a lot of power in voting, Dudnick said, adding that non-violence is the battle to redeem the soul of the country, quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Crandall Public Library librarian Jennifer Boyer admits she loves documentaries, and when she puts together her film series, she looks for independent films like Dudnicks.

I try to see whats on the horizon or what people are talking about, said Boyer. I also seek independent films  I like documentaries, foreign language films. I try to strike a balance.

Boyer just completed her spring series that starts next month on the heels of the librarys Womens History Month programming.

Slated to begin this past week, the Womens History Month series first film, Triangle Fire, was scheduled for this past week before the blizzard got in the way.

So Triangle Fire, a film about the deadliest workplace accident in New York Citys history, has been moved to Monday. But the schedule gets back on track Tuesday with Dudnicks film and talk.

I love librarians, Dudnick said, adding that his film is now in libraries around the world. After two speaking engagements in New Hampshire, he will be in Glens Falls on Tuesday.

The last film on the Womens History Month schedule, Equal Means Equal, will be screened at 6:30 p.m. March 28 at the library.

Equal Means Equal examines real-life stories and precedent-setting legal cases about how women are treated in America.
GLENS FALLS  Glens Falls would lose an estimated $437,000 in federal Department of Housing and Urban Development funding, the vast majority of its community development budget, under President Donald Trumps budget proposal for the coming federal fiscal year.

Towns and villages in the region also would lose access to competitive grant opportunities under the presidents proposal to eliminate the HUD Community Development Block Grant Program, in order to redirect $3 billion in spending to other activities.

The program provides annual grants to cities for neighborhood and housing improvement projects in low-income and moderate-income neighborhoods, and to assist nonprofit agencies.

The program also provides funding to states for grant programs to towns and villages.

EDC Warren County President Edward Bartholomew, who administers the citys community development program, said he isnt too worried about it yet, as this is only the start of the budget process.

If you have read Donald Trumps books, this is The Art of the Deal,  he said. Weve got a along way to go. Well just see how it settles.

Nevertheless, mayors across the nation are up in arms about the proposal.

Community Development Block Grants are the only federal funding source that gives city leaders some discretion in how the money is spent, and mayors have used them to leverage private investment, said Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornell, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, in a press release.

Trump, in his budget proposal, said eliminating the program transfers community and economic development responsibility to the state and local level so the federal government can focus on other priorities.

The program is not well-targeted to the poorest populations and has not demonstrated results, Trumps budget proposal suggests.

The Community Development Block Grant program is one of 11 economic development-related programs, among several government agencies, that Trump has proposed eliminating or reducing funding for, Bartholomew said.

Many of the programs have been targeted for elimination or reduction in previous presidential budgets, he said.

President George W. Bush, in 2005, for example, proposed reducing Community Development Block Grant Funding by about one-third and eliminating the entitlement status of cities.

Cities receive guaranteed funding every year, while towns and villages compete for grants.

Under Bushs proposal, which Congress rejected, cities would have competed for grants, the same as other municipalities.

Trumps proposal eliminates the program entirely.

Bartholomew said EDC Warren County and local government officials will be voicing their concerns to U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, and U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

The budget blueprint by the administration is not a full budget proposal, nor is it a mandate, he said.

Stefanik supports the Community Development Block Grant program, said Tom Flanagin, the congresswomans spokesman.

It is because of proposed cuts to programs such as this that she does not support the presidents budget proposal, he said. During the budget process, Congresswoman Stefanik will work hard to ensure the needs and priorities of our district are met.
While there are many differences of opinion about the new administration in Washington, its hard to argue that citizens are again paying attention to what is happening in Washington, D.C.

We are seeing engagement locally like we have rarely seen in the past.

While our letters to the editor were up about 25 percent in January and February, we have seen a flood of letters so far in March.

In 2015, we published 77 letters to the editor in March. In 2016, we published 88. As of March 15 this year, we had published 87 and still had more than half the month to go. And the letters keep coming.

Weve also seen traffic on our website spike.

Comments were up over 60 percent most of January and February.

While the engagement was spawned by concerns in Washington, it has filtered down into praise and criticism for our local congresswoman, Elise Stefanik.

For years, this is the type of engagement we have called for, with citizens following their elected officials more closely and doing their own research.

We suspect the letters will keep coming, with many weighing in on the new health care proposal.

Editorial board change

Jane Kana of Queensbury will join our editorial board this coming week, and she holds the distinction of being the citizen representative who had to wait the longest to join the editorial board.

Each year we select three citizen representatives to join our editorial board and serve four-month terms, but Jane got her letter in a little late last year. In fact, we had already selected our three representatives for the year. But we liked what she had to say so much, we had her in for an interview anyway and we asked her if she would be willing to wait a year to join the editorial board. She agreed.

Jane is a retired teacher who taught in Whitehall and Warrensburg. She has lived in Queensbury for nearly 40 years.

We hope her experience was worth the wait.

We will again be asking for volunteers for citizen representative in June.

New Sunday comics

We appreciate everyone who participated in our online comics survey. We plan on significantly changing the lineup of our Sunday comics in the Sunday, April 2 edition.

We will be adding a mostly new lineup.

We do this from time to time to freshen the product. Unfortunately, it does bring praise and criticism from readers. We hope everyone gives the new comics a chance.

Storm coverage

As part of the big snowstorm coverage earlier this week, we opened up poststar.com to the entire community. Only subscribers usually have access to our online content, but we thought it was important that everyone be able to access the storm coverage with such bad weather affecting so many people.
News / National

by Staff reporter

TWENTY one-year-old Natasha Murenga (not real name) is a bitter young woman.Her hopes of securing a first class degree at a local university faltered after one of the lecturers demanded to be intimate with her so that she could get better grades.Female students often suffer in silence under the unwritten code of "a thigh for pass" in which male lecturers solicit for sexual favours in exchange for good grades."I am not a loose woman. I turned down the lecturer's demands and had to drop out of college. The lecturer demanded sex first in exchange for better grades. I told my friends about it and they laughed at me saying they had received the same offers," she said.Natasha is one of the many female university students who have fallen prey to sexual harassment at the of their lectures.According to a survey done by Female Students Network Trust (FSN), 98% of female students have experienced sexual harassment mainly by their lecturers who use final exam marking as a tool to force them to give in to their demands.Speaking during a dialogue meeting held under the topic Take a Stand, and End Violence Against Young Women and Girls organised by a civic organisation, Stand, recently, FSN director Evernice Munando said a number of students have been sexually harassed."The statistics are shocking. Female students are suffering at the hands of their male lecturers who promise them passes in exchange of sexual favours. But this has to end. The female students should come out and report these matters to the police. It is high time we put an end to this," Munando said.According to the survey, apart from the lecturers, non-academic staff like security guards and other students at tertiary learning institutions are also sexually harassing female students.On March 4, a security guard at a tertiary institution in Masvingo, Pedziasai Takawira (35), allegedly raped a female student in return for her identity card he had confiscated after finding her with a boyfriend outside campus.Takawira  who recently appeared in court over rape allegations  is said to have later summoned the young woman to the guard room and demanded to be intimate with her before he could return her ID before forcing himself on her.According to the survey, only four tertiary and higher learning institutions in the country have a sexual harassment policy (SHP).Charlene Chekenya, a director at Stand, an organisation that advocates for the rights of young women, said sexual harassment has become a major cause of concern, but the reporting mechanisms remain unclear."Female students in higher and tertiary education institutions in Zimbabwe face a number of untold challenges as they endeavour to complete their education, ranging from financial to social issues. Most of these problems remain silent due to inefficient support systems, a poor understanding of their constitutional rights and limited awareness campaigns on the subject matter," she said.She said male lecturers are taking advantage of female students by passing remarks loaded with sexual innuendo and seeking to trade grades with sex, thereby leaving female students in a precarious position."Yet the Zimbabwe Republic Police's Victim Friendly Unit and even the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA) have identified few to no reports on sexual harassment in tertiary institutions in Zimbabwe," she said.ZRP Victim Friendly Unit (VFU) boss Assistant Commissioner Dadela Bonongwe said there is a problem, but the cases are not being reported to police."Since there is this problem, for someone to come up with this dialogue (sexual harassment of female students) it means there is a problem. But for us we say, yes there is a problem, but the cases are not being reported to the police," he said, adding that they did not get attempted rape, indecent assault and sexual harassment reports against male lecturers."Maybe it is the humiliation and stigma associated with these cases, but we are saying as police we try to address this situation of humiliation and stigma through the VFU."A University of Zimbabwe department of students affairs official identified only as G Chiganga said the government should ensure that tertiary education institutions should have SHPs for the protection of students."Surely, if you are starting an institution without a policy, which is important in protecting students, it means perhaps we got a ministry which superintends institutions of higher learning," he said."Students perhaps only perceive something as harassment if it goes to physical violence. But the very fact that a lecturer comes to you and says he loves you, that is the beginning of harassment."Rumbidzai Moyo of ZWLA said courts could only attend to matters brought before them."I haven't meant a case pertaining students female sexual harassment, at least one. This is not reflective of our justice system, because the courts only address cases that are brought before them. I think it is reflective of our personal perceptions and attitudes as a society," she said.Speaking on the issue of sexual harassment policy in tertiary institutions, an official from Higher and Tertiary Education ministry who declined to be named said all tertiary institutions have been ordered to submit their SHPs."Currently, we have engaged all tertiary institutions to submit their SHPs so that we produce the initial document for tertiary institutions. The argument from head of institutions was that lecturers are under the Public Service Commission and we have Statutory Instrument 1 of 2000 which classifies sexual harassment as an act of misconduct," he said."Then we have also a code conduct for civil servants which talks about sexual harassment. But let me promise you that by the end of this year, all tertiary institutions will have SHPs.Until then, female students may have to use other available channels to report male staff that exhibit inappropriate behaviour.
News / National

by Staff reporter

First Lady Grace Mugabe has reportedly renewed her bid to evict villagers at Arnold Farm in Mazowe to expand her business empire following disclosures that the Lands ministry officials this week started parcelling the farm to pave way for the First Family.Desperate and scared villagers, who in 2012 were thrown out of the land during the farming season, only to be returned by the courts, said Lands ministry officials accompanied by some staff from Grace's Gushungo Dairy visited the farm, demarcating it to pave way for their operations expansion.In 2014, the courts stopped the evictions when Grace took over the adjacent Manzou Farm and turned it into a game sanctuary until the government provided alternative land to settle the villagers who took control of the farm at the height of the farm invasions in 2000.Grace, who has acquired vast tracts of land in Mazowe, intends to build Robert Mugabe hospitals, university and secondary school to add to the dairy farm, children's home and elite primary school.A villager, Leonard Mukaro, from Arnold Farm, told NewsDay that Lands ministry officials informed the villagers to leave the area as the First Family had acquired the place for their business expansion."We first saw them on Monday, they were busy pegging on our stands. They came again on Tuesday. Today (yesterday) they came and we had to ask one of their officials who told us that the farm has been acquired by Alpha and Omega, so we are being told to leave the area anytime. We really don't know where to go," Mukaro said.He said the officials said the First Lady had purchased about 1 200 hectares of the land."One Tuesday, four trucks came in. One was written Alpha and Omega, while the other three had white number plates. We asked them and they said they were from the Ministry of Lands and wanted us to leave the farm because the land now belongs to Alpha and Omega," Mukaro added.Mashonaland Central provincial minister Martin Dinha indicated he wanted to check details with Lands minister Douglas Mombeshora, while Presidential spokesperson George Charamba could not comment as he was travelling with the President in Ezulwini, Swaziland, for a Sadc engagement."I will give you a written response on WhatsApp. I don't want to be misquoted," Dinha said, but had not responded by the time of going to print last night.Repeated efforts to get a comment failed.Mombeshora did not respond to clarify on the matter or the fate of the villagers who have been resisting eviction since 2009.However, a top Lands ministry official confirmed the farm had been taken over by the First Family and a Chinese firm to establish a blasting factory, but the villagers may be spared evictions."The villagers were given Nyandirwe Farm, close to Manzou, but they are resisting eviction. Other villagers have since left for Nyandirwe. The Chinese want to set up a factory, obviously they will be in partnership with the First Family," a source said."I don't think the factory will affect the villagers. It is true, some Ministry of Lands officials were there accompanied by an Alpha and Omega vehicle. The staff from Alpha and Omega only wanted to show the ministry officials the place the Chinese want."The Mugabes reportedly own several commercial farms in Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland West provinces despite the country's laws prohibiting multiple farm ownership.
News / National

by Staff reporter

'Flying' President Robert Mugabe has made his fourth foreign trip in 19 days, this time to Mauritius.Mugabe has arrived in Port Louis, Mauritius to join other heads of state and government, captains of industry and intellectuals for the inaugural African Economic Platform (AEP).Since March 1, the 93-year-old has visited Singapore, Ghana, Swaziland and now Mauritius.President Mugabe was warmly welcomed at Ramgulan International Airport by the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Mr Provin Jugnauth, several ministers from the government of Mauritius, and representatives from the African Union (AU).The AEP Summit, which kicks off this Monday will be focusing on economic transformation and integration on the continent.Mugabe has previously been nicknamed Zimbabwe's 'visiting president' by critics. His spokesperson recently defended his foreign trips, arguing that "diplomacy costs".Mugabe's delegation is comprised of Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, Industry and Trade Minister Mike Bimha, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Mr George Charamba and some senior government officials.